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White House Says Negotiators Have Agreed To "Basic Contours" Of Hostage Deal; Volodymyr Zelenskyy Remains Defiant As War Enters Third Year; Suspect In UGA Campus Killing Arrested; Death Row Inmate Seeking New Trial; Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) Interview On War In Ukraine; Search For Missing Couple In Caribbean; Record Warmth This Week. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 25, 2024 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Just home from Gaza. Sources tell CNN negotiations are set to resume tomorrow in Qatar following progress made during talks in Paris this weekend. The White House says negotiators have come to an understanding on some basic contours of a deal to bring the hostages home. But officials warn there are still key hurdles that must be clear. Hamas has not yet signed off on the potential deal.

Also this week, the U.S. is sending its top humanitarian aid official to the region in hopes of improving critical supply shipments to Gaza's vulnerable population.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House for us.

So, Priscilla, what more is the White House revealing about this potential deal?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, a senior U.S. official is describing this as an understanding of these broad contours of a deal that would include the release of hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.

Now, these are talks that included the United States, Israel, Qatar, and Egypt. Now separately, there have been conversations happening with Hamas as well. But National Security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN today that the details are still very much being hashed out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Representatives of Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar met in Paris and came to an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for temporary ceasefire would look like. I'm not going to go into the specifics of that because it is still under negotiation in terms of hammering out the details of it.

There will have to be indirect discussions by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas because ultimately they will have to agree to release the hostages. That work is underway. And we hope that in the coming days, we can drive to a point where there is actually a firm and final agreement on this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now Hamas has not yet signed onto a possible framework, but the clock is ticking. U.S. officials have said that from the very beginning, but it is right now this time that is pivotal, according to sources there, trying to get a deal done before Ramadan next month and also amid this looming threat from Israel about an offensive in Rafah, where more than a million people in Gaza or displaced Gazans have come together.

And so all of this is what they're racing against. At this time conversations and discussions are still very much ongoing and they will continue in Qatar tomorrow. So this hostage deal still being worked out. U.S. officials have said it's on a deal until the very end when all parties sign off, but they are striking. Bit of a tone of optimism on the heels of these talks -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Priscilla Alvarez at the White House, thanks so much.

All right, now to Ukraine where the war is now in its third year. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling the world that his country has no option but to win the fight against Russia. Zelenskyy also made a rare admission about the grim reality of the war, saying that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in fighting. CNN cannot independently verify that figure, but U.S. officials had estimated that the death toll would be much higher, closer to 70,000 soldiers.

On the frontlines Ukraine's weapons and ammunitions are in short supply as U.S. aid remains in limbo. And right now, there doesn't appear to be much hope that more military assistance is coming soon.

Earlier today, CNN's Kaitlan Collins spoke one-on-one with President Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Senator JD Vance, who was in Munich, at the security conference but didn't meet with you, he said that even if you got the $60 billion in aid, it is not going to fundamentally change the reality on the battlefield. What's your response to that?

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE: I'm not trying that he understands what's going on here, and we don't need any rhetoric from people who are not deeply in the, you know, in the war. So to understand he should come to the frontline to see what's going on, to speak with the people, then to go to civilians to understand what will be with them. And that what will be with them without this support. And he will understand that millions, people have been killed, will be killed.

COLLINS: So he doesn't understand it.

ZELENSKYY: Because he doesn't understand it. Of course, God bless, you don't have the war on your territory. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is following today's developments for us from Ukraine -- Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Well, Fredricka, Volodymyr Zelenskyy not wasting opportunity here to make a series of headlines in this press conference on the first day of the third year of this war in Ukraine, giving us for the first time an official number of deaths in the Ukrainian military during this war, the last two years. 31,000 he said but it's a smaller number than perhaps some estimates we've heard from Western officials.

[16:05:01]

Unclear precisely the period he's talking about, but a stark reminder I think to Ukrainians and the rest of the world of the sacrifice that they have indeed endured. He pointed out, though, that the Russians have lost potentially, I think it was five or six times as many. Indeed, some of the Western estimates are astronomical suggesting over 300,000 potentially casualties on the part of Russia.

He also talked about the possibility that essentially what sounds a bit like a unilateral peace process being put under way in Switzerland in the spring where basically Ukraine and its allies will lay out what a peace might look like under their terms entirely, and essentially offer that to Moscow if it chooses to accept terms, which frankly it's most likely to refuse.

He also, when asked whether he'd take a call from Vladimir Putin, said, look, he doesn't believe that Vladimir Putin even has a mobile phone and the telegram was no longer use since 1917. And more importantly said Putin doesn't want to end this war. Essentially reminding the world that Ukraine is still losing people daily on its backfoot here. He rejected the idea that this is Ukraine at its weakest moment and said they will continue to fight on.

Here is something else he said when asked about U.S. congressional funding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We don't accept this finale to fight for our life. If Ukraine will lose and it will be very difficult for us if there'll be a big amount of victory depends on you, on our partners, on the Western world. It will be strong enough with weapons, we won't lose this war. We will win this war.

I have hope about the U.S. Congress, and I'm sure that it would a positive solution. Otherwise, I don't understand which world we're living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Now it is the end of the coming week when possibly it's the earliest that Congress might even start to talk about the possibility of voting on that $60 billion. And that really is the ultimate thing hanging over this second anniversary of the war. They need that money urgently. You heard there Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he simply can't imagine how the West would leave Ukraine hanging like that.

He has to project strength. He has to show that Ukraine is able to move ahead if they don't get their money. But it's very clear from pretty much everyone you talk to its absence will be frankly catastrophic for the Ukrainian war effort -- Frederica.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much.

And of course you can see Kaitlan Collins' entire one-on-one interview with President Zelenskyy tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern on "THE SOURCE."

Joining me right now is Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. He is a CNN military analyst and former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army.

Great to see you. So, you know, we've been talking a lot on this anniversary about U.S. aid being held up on Capitol Hill. What do you see as the real battlefield impact right now and in the weeks and many even months to come if U.S. aid does not arrive?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It's going to be catastrophic, Fred. It certainly is a dangerous situation because what we're talking about is Ukraine facing truly an existential threat. We use that term often and it doesn't mean what we're seeing right now in Ukraine. President Zelenskyy's comment that many people will die as a result of this delay in aid.

We're already starting to see that along the frontline on the tactical fights within Ukraine in several areas of operations. They are withdrawing from key positions, but they continue to fight. And in fact, from my take, in terms of monitoring their fighting, they are doing quite well even as they withdraw to new defensive positions and the Russians continue to try and attack.

So yes, all of the things we've heard from the reporters, all the things we've heard from President Zelenskyy are certainly true as we enter this third year of war, and the next few months will be critical.

WHITFIELD: And when you look at the battlefield, do you feel like there is an area where Ukraine has strength or even the upper hand?

HERTLING: I do, Fred. In several areas we have seen Ukraine do very well in defensive operations at the beginning of the war, for the first 18 months. They were doing extremely well in terms of countering Russian fights. When Russia went on the defensive and Ukraine tried to conduct offensive operations it was a little bit of a stagger because they had never done something like that on a large scale.

Well, now Ukraine will start to defend again, and Russia still has not proven themselves as being good at maneuver warfare. So as Ukraine builds up again, if they do get the support from the United States and the support continues from the West, I believe that they will once again achieve what they want to on the battlefield, regained territory. We'll have to see what happens with some of these peace talks.

[16:10:03]

I don't think the Ukrainian people nor the Ukrainian government are willing to give up part of their sovereign territory or the freedom of their people. And, as we have to remember, too, Russia still maintains hostages. We'll call them that. They have kidnapped Ukrainian citizens by the thousands, children and women, and they are in their country. So President Zelenskyy is not willing to give any of that up in terms of a peace process that he wants to regain his territory get his people back, and potentially see Mr. Putin at The Hague for war crimes, which he's committed hundreds of.

WHITFIELD: And U.S. aid isn't the only thing that's being held up. I mean European Union had promised a good load of ammunitions and reportedly can only live up to, you know, half of that amount. How much of an impact is that going to make?

HERTLING: It's a pretty big impact, Fred. What we're talking about is a lot of lessons learned by Western countries. You know, we get used to the so-called Amazon just-in-time delivery, or the productions of these munitions. Some are held in stocks, some are capable of being given to other countries. But what we're seeing right now is the rest of Europe is concerned. They're concerned that they might have to defend against Russia if Ukraine doesn't succeed.

So they're holding and hoarding some of their ammunition and some of their stocks which they otherwise would have given to Ukraine. So now we're at a very balanced inflection point where, can Europe and the United States continue to give arms that they may or may not have in their reserves? Ukraine desperately needs it right now. And at the same time, Ukraine is building factories and coordinating with Western nations to try and get more ammunition.

So, as I said, the next three or four months are going to be critical for both sides. We'll see what happens.

WHITFIELD: And "The New York Times" is also detailing how the CIA has been helping Ukraine in the war. What can you tell us about the assistance?

HERTLING: Well, yes, I read the article in "The Times" this morning. I thought it was unfortunate that some of the things that were written in that article were released to the public. It could certainly help Russian targeting effort and even though many of us who have worked with branch chiefs from the CIA in different countries, they know what they're capable of and many of us knew that intelligence was being fed to Ukraine since the very beginning of the conflict and was helping them significantly.

But some of the details involved in that article were certainly interesting and went beyond the pale of what normal public should hear, but truthfully, that will continue unless Congress thwarts the capability of getting more money to Ukraine because that's funded by American tax dollars, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

HERTLING: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, Nikki Haley sounding defiant after a major defeat in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. Why she is vowing to stay in the race. And outrage over the murder of a nursing student on the campus of the University of Georgia. Why the state's governor is slamming President Biden following her death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:44]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're learning new details about the man charged in connection with a nursing student's death at the University of Georgia this week. Jose Antonio Ibarra was taken into custody Friday on several felony charges related to the death of 22-year-old Laken Riley. Ibarra is a resident of Athens, Georgia, but is neither a student nor a U.S. citizen.

CNN's Isabel Rosales is following the latest developments. So what are we learning about Ibarra?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. There's a new development here in just last hour in that I have been texting with the suspect's wife, Lingling Frankel, and she wanted to make it clear that she has no bond to him and hasn't had a bond to him for quite some time. In fact, they're separated. She told me she was shocked when she heard the news as anyone would to be married to somebody accused of this sort of crime.

And she says that when they lived together, he was a calm man, that he treated her well, that he was not aggressive. She wants to hear directly from him what in fact happened, but she says that ultimately, all that she wants is justice for Riley, for the student.

Now when I asked her about the documentation status of Ibarra taking a focal point here in this story, she told me this. We can't put a nationality on a criminal. There are criminals all over the world.

Now Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, he posted on X a letter that he sent over to President Biden criticizing his administration's immigration policies and requesting more information on the Ibarra. He said this in part, "Laken Riley's tragic deaths struck the hearts of Georgians everywhere, and has sparked national outrage. Joe Biden's failed policies have turned every state into a border state. And I am demanding information from him so we can protect our people when the federal government will not."

Now suspect Jose Ibarra, he was a resident of Athens, but again, not a U.S. citizen, not a student at UGA. We know from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he's a Venezuelan national, that back in 2022, he was arrested for crossing into the U.S. unlawfully near El Paso, but he was paroled, released for further processing. Now he faces a litany of charges here in connection to Riley's death, including malice murder, felony murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and many other charges.

[16:20:07]

The victim, Laken Riley, just a junior at Augusta University, just two-and-a-half miles away from UGA. She was on the dean's list. Her good friend called authorities when Riley failed to come back after a jog near the lake there. Her body was discovered by where she was jogging and an examination discovered that she died from blunt force trauma. The police chief, the campus police chief, said that this was a solo act. A crime of opportunity. Her funeral is on Friday.

WHITFIELD: Any reaction coming from the family, especially as we're learning more about the suspect?

ROSALES: We do. We do have an Instagram post that was posted by her younger sister saying that she was the best friend anyone could ever hope for, that she looks forward to one day hugging her.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

ROSALES: Obviously in heaven.

WHITFIELD: So sad. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much.

ROSALES: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, the clock is ticking for a Texas death row inmate who says he was framed for murder. CNN's Ed Lavandera speaks to his former classmate about new evidence that may prove his innocence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:25:19]

WHITFIELD: All right. Time is running out for a Texas inmate on death row to get a stay of execution in light of new evidence that suggests he was wrongfully convicted. And now more than two decades after he was convicted of double murder, several jurors on the case are calling for a new trial.

This story hits close to home for our Ed Lavandera because that inmate was once Ed's classmate. Here's the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ivan Cantu is just days away from death. For almost 24 years, Cantu says he's maintained his innocence in the murders of his cousin, James Mosqueda, and his fiance, Amy Kitchen. And he wants to talk about the case, which brings us to this moment. Sitting down with Cantu, who is not only an inmate on Texas death row, but also a former grade school classmate of mine.

How are you, man?

IVAN CANTU, TEXAS DEATH ROW INMATE: I'm doing good. Hey, thanks for coming out. It's a blessing. Thank you so much. It's good to see you.

LAVANDERA: It's been almost 40 years, man.

CANTU: Been a long time. Yes.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Cantu was sent to death row the same year I started my career at CNN. The evidence against him seemed overwhelming. Cantu's girlfriend and her brother testified he committed the murders. Cantu's fingerprint was found on a magazine inside the murder weapon. Bloody jeans and socks with the victims' blood was found inside his apartment and his cousin's car police say he stole was also found outside his apartment.

I got to be honest, I remember thinking I don't see how he didn't do it. Right? It seemed pretty open and shut to me.

CANTU: At face value, when you look at all the evidence, it was an open and shut case.

LAVANDERA: You've always maintained your innocence?

CANTU: Absolutely. From day one. Give me a new trial with the team and with the attorney that I've got today, but I want them to know, hey, you know, stop the madness.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): But in 2019, the case against Cantu started to look different. Matt Duff, a TV producer turned private investigator turned podcaster, discovered Cantu's case and started digging. He's produced more than 40 episodes on the case in a podcast called "Cousins by Blood."

MATT DUFF, PRODUCER, COUSINS BY BLOOD: I went into his innocence claim investigation with an open mind, knowing that he very well could be guilty. He could be just trying to, you know, spin a story. I think if anybody takes the time to just look at his case with an open mind, you can't say that he doesn't deserve a new trial.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ivan deserves his fair day in court.

LAVANDERA: Cantu's supporter say he was framed. Cantu alleges in court filings that James Mosqueda was a big-time drug dealer who owed someone $250,000. Duff says testimony from the two key witnesses is riddled with falsehoods. Cantu's girlfriend, Amy Boettcher, testified Cantu committed the murders around midnight on November 3rd, but Cantu's legal team says two forensic pathologists say the victims were actually killed hours later, on the morning of the next day.

She also testified Cantu took a Rolex watch from his cousin. The Rolex it turns out was never missing and returned to the victim's family after the murders. Amy Boettcher also testified she threw the bloody jeans with the victims' DNA in their apartment trash can, but the jeans don't have Cantu's DNA and they're two sizes too large.

In court filings Cantu also says two days before the victims' bodies were discovered, a man in a pizza delivery uniform came to his apartment and said his cousin owed money, then fired a gunshot into Cantu's apartment. That bullet matched bullets in the victims. The pizza man story was dismissed, but Matt Duff says they've identified the person and he matches the description of one of his cousin's drug supplier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You remember being on the stand?

LAVANDERA: Amy Boettcher's brother Jeff also testified that Cantu told him he planned to kill his cousin. Amy Boettcher died in 2021 and shortly after Jeff Boettcher called the prosecutor's office and recanted his testimony.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lied. I don't think my statement should be counted.

LAVANDERA: Prosecutors say Jeff Boettcher's interview has been misconstrued and that ultimately the concerns about his testimony were alleviated. And the district attorney, who has the power to reexamine the case says he remains, quote, "fully convinced that Ivan Cantu brutally murdered two innocent victims," and that this belief is, quote, "anchored in the undeniable evidence presented at trial."

How do you react to that?

CANTU: I don't think they're looking at the same case.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): At that trial Cantu's public defender attorneys never called a single witness.

DUFF: I think if you just lay it all out, even though the state's case was so strong, if you look at it from the other direction then people would see this case in a completely different way.

[16:30:10]

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Cantu is scheduled to die on February 28th.

CANTU: I just have to brace for impact. In the worst-case scenario, they ignore everything and place me on that gurney and kill me.

LAVANDERA (on camera): It's bizarre and kind of surreal to think about, you know, how different paths our lives have taken. I've always struggled on, like, making sense of what's happened to you.

CANTU: Thank you for saying that.

LAVANDERA: Take care of yourself.

(voice-over): Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. We'll continue to watch that case.

All right, still ahead. Ukraine is now entering its third year of war with Russia with ammunition and equipment running low. The hurdles Ukraine aid is facing on Capitol Hill.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:04]

WHITFIELD: All right. Nikki Haley is campaigning in Michigan today, after a trouncing in her backyard last night. Haley lost South Carolina's Republican Presidential Primary by 20 percentage points.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to count it. I know 40 percent is not 50 percent, but I also know 40 percent is not some tiny group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The defeat in her home state is a major blow to Haley's campaign. But the former governor says it won't push her out of the race. She is pledging to campaign through Super Tuesday primaries next month. In fact, Haley's campaign reached out to donors less than an hour after last night's speech. She also lined up 10 fund raisers, leading up to super Tuesday.

All right, returning now to our coverage of the war in Ukraine, now entering its third year of bloodshed. Today, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, there is no alternative but to win the fight against Russia. And that it is his hope that Congress will approve financial (ph) aid to help achieve that goal.

Here with this, now as member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, California Congressman Brad Sherman. Congressman, great to see you.

REP. BRAD SHERMAN (D), CALIFORNIA, HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (via Webex): Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: So, today, Zelenskyy told CNN's Kaitlan Collins that quote, "millions would be killed without U.S. aid." Are you hopeful that Congress can get some sort of deal to help provide this critical military support to Ukraine?

SHERMAN: Well, Ukrainians have already died because we didn't provide this eight months ago as we should have. They've already lost a strategic village. And I think that it's up to Speaker Johnson to put this bill on the floor. It'll pass. It'll pass by a strong vote. And he needs to do that so that the aid flows in March.

If he doesn't, eventually, Republicans will get tired of that obstructionism, will join Democrats in the discharge petition. But that's a very bulky way to try to pass a bill that's only happened once in my 28 years in Congress. And I suspect that we'll be getting the aid to Ukraine in April, unless Speaker Johnson is willing to relent in March.

WHITFIELD: Well, time, indeed, is of the essence. What is your message to Republican colleagues who are reticent about any more aid to Ukraine?

SHERMAN: It is so much better for wars to be fought by other people on their territory without a -- without the cost. And the loss of American lives becomes when American troops are deployed.

Here, you have Ukraine, that is serving as a bulwark between Russia and NATO countries that we are obligated to defend, notwithstanding what Trump may have said. And their success in defending their own countries is just critical to us. And they can't do it -- they haven't been able to do it this last month, because we have not provided the artillery shells and other assistance.

WHITFIELD: Do you think Congress is ready to accept responsibility, if Ukraine ultimately falls to Russia?

SHERMAN: No politician will accept responsibility for the harm that they do. But, of course, they should. And while they may not accept the responsibility, I think you in the press will put it there. This is a bill that's not only critical to Ukraine. It's critical that Israel. It's critical to Taiwan. It's critical to the humanitarian needs. Not just in Gaza and Ukraine, but also in Ethiopia, and Tigray, and Armenia. This is a bill that we need to pass.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's zero in on Israel. The White House saying there is a framework for a deal to bring Israeli hostages home from Gaza, which would include a temporary ceasefire. Do you think its viable? Do you see this happening?

SHERMAN: No deal is a deal until all the elements are established. One of those elements will have to be, is it all the hostages that are released or just some? And the Hamas will insist upon the release of certain prisoners that had been arrested in Israel. Will this be the release of convicted murderers or the release of less sensitive prisoners?

Until we know that, we won't know whether it's a -- whether there's a deal. But, obviously, we all want to see the hostages released, and a humanitarian pause, particularly one that covers Ramadan, would be -- would be helpful in reducing world tensions, providing aid, and providing a system for Hamas to be pushed out of Gaza, which I think is a necessity.

[16:40:05]

WHITFIELD: Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said today that, you know, end to the major military campaign underway in Gaza is weeks, not months away. And our reporter, there in Tel Aviv, also said that a ground offensive in southern Gaza seems like it may happen. And that impacts some one-and-a-half million Palestinians.

What are your concerns about this threat of a ground offensive? SHERMAN: I think it's clear that the ground offensive would be put on hold, if this hostage deal is created. And a period of time to get the aid into Gaza. And a period of time for Israel, if it does go into southern Gaza, to make sure they do it right, to plan it well, to minimize civilian casualties.

And, again, suspending fighting during Ramadan. That whole package is one that I think is very attractive.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Brad Sherman, thank you so much for being with us.

SHERMAN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still to come, two Americans killed while on a sailing trip through the Caribbean. What we're learning about the couple.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:45:46]

WHITFIELD: A Virginia couple may have been killed, after their yacht was allegedly hijacked in Grenada by three escaped prisoners. Police in Grenada say the suspects are back in custody and cooperating with the investigation.

Joining me right now is CNN Correspondent Polo Sandoval. What are you learning, Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, for Kathy Brundle and Ralph Henry, each have sons. I've had an opportunity to actually speak to both of them over the phone. They're currently in the eastern Caribbean, trying to find their parents.

And I can tell you, they are currently devastated. They told me they are without words, but not without hope. Already days into the search for their parents, and they are still hopeful that they will be found alive.

However, they've also been told by authorities to prepare for the very real possibility that they will likely be confirmed to have been killed. Likely the victims of three individuals who were in custody at the island of Granada.

And, according to authorities, they had -- those three individuals had escaped. And then, they believe had then encountered both Kathy Brundle and Ralph Henry, while they were in the middle of their winter adventure through the Caribbean.

Her children, their children, telling me that they have been saving. They had been preparing for years. Preparing their vessel, "The Simplicity," to go on this, as they described it, adventure from Virginia. And then, spending the winter in this paradise.

However, investigators believe that is, sometime last weekend, when they crossed paths with these three individuals. And the reason why the family members of this Virginia couple have been told to prepare for the possibility that they may have been the victims of a murder. It's because they found that the cabin of that catamaran on Wednesday had been discovered by authorities, had been ransacked. They found blood aboard that vessel.

And also, according to the sons of this couple, some of the property that was recovered on these three individuals that are now in custody also came from "The Simplicity." And that is what leads investigators to believe that this is certainly something sinister.

They suspect foul play but they do not have any bodies, at this point. And this is why, according to the sons of Kathy Brando and Ralph Henry, they are still searching in and around St. Vincent, which is where that catamaran was found this past Wednesday, for any potential signs of that -- of this couple.

This was their home. They actually sold their belongings and their home many years ago. And they are these adventure seekers that have been married for 27 years, according to their sons. And this is the adventure of a lifetime that they were on, when authorities believe they encountered these three individuals.

Now, investigators, the State Department, saying that they are aware of these three missing Americans in the Caribbean, and they are certainly looking into this. Now, as far as their sons, they tell me they are currently there, right now on the ground, trying desperately for any sort of answers.

But, again, the main headline here, Fred, even after not having seen or heard from their parents, they are still hopeful that they are alive, but also preparing for the real possibility that their parents were killed.

WHITFIELD: Well, we will hold out hope as well. All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:53:26]

WHITFIELD: All right, most of the country is shaking off winter with more than 345 heat records that could potentially be tied or broken this week. Dallas is set to hit 91 degrees tomorrow. That's nuts. Potentially, breaking a record set in 1917.

Severe weather is also expected this week. Here's CNN's Elisa Raffa.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Our winter list, kind of springlike winter, continues as we start out the work week. Look at the high temperatures forecasted for Monday, 70s from Kansas City down to Atlanta. 80s across Oklahoma. Even high temperatures climbing into the low 90s across parts of Texas.

This is so warm for February, that we're looking at more than 345 records getting tied or broken over the next couple of days. That's for daytime highs and overnight lows. That in Dallas, Texas, you could be looking at a high temperature of 91 degrees on Monday, which would break a record set back in 1917. And sits well-above average, 30 to 35 degrees above average.

We keep that warm air in place in the Central Plains on Monday, temperatures 25 to 30 degrees above average. That warm air continues to slide east by Tuesday. Temperatures well-above average, even from D.C. up towards Boston.

We do find some colder air coming in behind this by Wednesday. That's behind a front. I mean, look at the drop-off in temperatures. St. Louis has highs in the 80s on Tuesday. You drop 40 degrees, with highs in the 40s by Wednesday. Oklahoma City another huge drop-off too, with your highs in the 50s by the middle of the week.

Here's a look at the showers and storms that could come with this front. That heat could fuel a severe threat.

[16:55:00]

RAFFA: We're looking at some damaging winds, a few tornadoes, and large hail possible. Mainly, Tuesday evening and overnight in that red-shaded area over parts in the Midwest. That front than slides east bringing that rain for much of the East Coast by Wednesday, and then exiting on Thursday.

A lot of these rain totals will be locally heavy, depending on where some of those stronger storms setup. So, we'll have to watch out for that. Notice the whites on the backside of this. That's where we can have some snow showers in the Great Lakes.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elisa Raffa, thank you so much.

All right, the city of Las Vegas is a very unique place. It just hosted Super Bowl 58, and it's wowing audiences in its futuristic, new venue, The Sphere.

And now, the new CNN original series, "VEGAS, THE STORY OF SIN CITY," takes us on an incredible journey from the city's origins, as a dusty desert town to the entertainment mecca that it is today. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The casinos in the 1940s employed African Americans only in the back of that house. They could not enter the front of the house. At the same time, we're talking about entertainment starting in a great way here. People like Nat King Cole and Pearl Bailey and Johnny Mathis at the Will Mastin Trio. They are coming here to entertain but they cannot go into the front door of the casino.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to get an opportunity. Trying to fight your way in. And hearing, day after day, I'm sorry, we don't put colored next (ph). Sorry, colored people can't stay here. And it was just -- you know, you just become so mad that you just say, well, what is this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Racism was part of life in America. And Vegas was a Mississippi of the west, back in those days.

But that's the way it was. We didn't think anything about it. We just maneuver through it. You take it one day at a time, and you did what you could do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, there's a lot about the history of Las Vegas that we're all going to learn about through this series. Joining us right now is Richard Zoglin. He's the executive producer of the new Vegas series, as well as the author of "Elvis in Vegas." How The King reinvented the Las Vegas show.

OK. So, I think there's going to be so much history that people really didn't know about. That being, you know, one page of history. So, how did it all begin anyway? How did such a sprawling entertainment metropolis sprout from the desert in the first place? Where'd this come from?

RICHARD ZOGLIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, "VEGAS: THE STORY OF SIN CITY": Well, I think it started in 1931, which was the year that the state of Nevada legalized gambling. The first state in the union to have legalized gambling.

And it was also the year that construction began on Hoover Dam, which was the hugest, biggest public-works project in the United States, up to that point. And it drew thousands of workers to the -- to the area. And what did they do on Saturday night to let steam off? They went to downtown Las Vegas. They gambled. They drank.

And that's what Vegas sort of started become centers, kind of a fun city. And as the years went on, in the 40s, what happened was people started to build hotels outside of downtown on Highway 91, leading to Los Angeles, which we now know as the strip. And it was those hotels that really launched the kind of celebrity-heavy entertainment capital that we know today.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And then, so fascinating. Just more, if you could tell us, about, you know, that portion of history where black entertainers, they wanted a piece of the action too. Even though they were still not provided, allowed the dignities of going through the front door. But they were, eventually, allowed on the stages to entertain people.

And that it was called, as we saw on that clip, kind of the Mississippi of the west. How difficult was it to try and get to -- you know, to really, kind of, you know, lift the veil of this story?

ZOGLIN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Get some of these images shown (ph).

ZOGLIN: That's -- yes, that's part of Vegas' history that hasn't been told, I don't think, enough. Vegas, you know, in those years, it drew mostly people from the South from -- you know, it was a driving -- A place you drove to. So, a lot of, you know, people from Texas in the South.

And so, it really was in the 1940s and 1950s, that did have that sort of segregation as a mentality. And, yet, some of the biggest entertainers in Vegas were black entertainers, Sammy Davis Junior and Lena Horne and Nat King Cole.

And, for many years, most of the hotels would not -- would not serve black people in the hotels or allow them in the audiences. And it was the entertainers, themselves, with the help of people like Frank Sinatra, who argued that, you know, this is crazy. People like Harry Belafonte could not -- who entertained. It was big a court (ph) starring in Las Vegas.

And the first time he played there, they had to say he couldn't stay in the hotel where he was entertaining.