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Biden And Trump To Hold Dueling Campaign Events In Georgia Today; Biden Drops Campaign Ad Addressing His Age; Hopes Dim For Ceasefire Before Tomorrow's Start Of Ramadan; Top U.S. Cybersecurity Agency Hacked, Forced To Take Some Systems Offline; U.S. Health Clinics Try To Stay Open After Unprecedented Cyberattack; Microsoft: Russian State-Backed Hackers Accessed Core Software Systems; Haiti Extends State Of Emergency Though April 3 Amid Gang Violence; Millions Face Flood Risks Across Southeast; Caitlin Clark Breaks Another NCAA Record. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired March 09, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:26]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Good afternoon and thanks for joining me. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York. I'm in today for Fredricka Whitfield, who has the day off.

We begin this hour with the Biden-Trump rematch taking center stage in the battleground state of Georgia. President Biden will be appearing at an event in Atlanta, where he is expected to arrive in any moment now.

And his presumptive Republican rival Donald Trump is holding a rally in Rome. That's located in the northwest part of the state of Georgia, a key swing state that Biden won in 2020 by less than a percentage point. And it is the only swing state among primary contests happening on Tuesday.

We have team coverage for you of today's campaign events. Steve Contorno is with the Trump campaign. But let's actually begin with Priscilla Alvarez. She is in Atlanta, where Biden is holding a campaign event in just a few hours.

Priscilla, what can we expect to hear from the president today?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, you can expect him to outline his domestic accomplishments and convey what that has done for people here in Atlanta. But also draw a stark contrast from Donald Trump, calling him his predecessor and recent remarks both yesterday and the State of the Union multiple times.

Now, of course, this was a week that the campaign hope will really crystallize that this is a rematch between President Biden and Donald Trump. And they have been hoping for that moment to lean in and also make clear to voters what is at stake in this election.

Now, of course, this is a state that the President only narrowly won in 2020, as you outlined there earlier, and when that early polls show that Trump is ahead.

So, the president is bringing his message here to Atlanta, not so far from where former President Donald Trump will be about 60 miles up the road. And when talking to Democratic strategists, what they tell me is what the president needs to do is really work on voter outreach. And you could do that by sharing, again, those domestic accomplishments be it on health care costs, or student loan relief.

And so, by bringing that message here to Atlanta to hope that they'll energize and mobilize voters, because this is a state that won't have that key statewide races like they did in previous elections that really helped boost voter turnout.

And so, it needs to come directly from the president. And the president today is going to accept three endorsements from political action committee -- committees that are representing Asian Americans and black Latino Americans. So, all of this coming together here in this crucial state for President Biden, in the first of many trips to come. Rahel.

SOLOMON: And the campaign also unveiling an ad, that Georgians will soon see. Tell us about that.

ALVAREZ: Yes, they're hitting their airwaves, and they ae spending $30 million to do it on digital and television. And notably, one of the ads they are releasing is one that talks about the president's age. It's been a sensitive topic, and one that has been on the minds of voters.

Take a listen to how they put it in this ad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I am not a young guy. That's no secret. But here is the deal. I understand how to get things done for the American people.

Donald Trump believes the job of the president is to take care of Donald Trump. I believe the job of the president is to fight for you, the American people, and that's what I'm doing.

Now, that's an ad that's going to air in battleground states as the campaign also boosts its campaign infrastructure across all of those states. Rahel?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: All right. Priscilla, thank you. Let's go to Steve Contorno now, who is covering Trump's rally. Also set to get underway in the next few hours. Steve, give us a sense. This is going to be his first campaign event since Nikki Haley suspended her race and her campaign. What can we expect to hear from the former president today?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Well, Rahel, in many respects, the former president has been acting like the presumptive nominee for weeks now. He has been campaigning as though he has already won this nominating contest. And so, I expect he's going to say a lot of hope you've heard from him already in recent weeks.

He's going to talk about the economy. He'll talk about crime, and especially immigration. Just to give you a sense of that, take a look at the signs he is currently his staff is currently handing out to supporters here at today's event. It features a picture of Laken Riley. This is the 22-year-old nursing student, who was allegedly killed by an undocumented man after jogging on the University of Georgia campus.

On one side of the cruiser picture, the other side says the phrase, "say her name, remember our angel." So, clearly, they are politicizing this death and featuring it, and this could be a regular feature on the campaign trail.

That message is being brought today in a district that is represented in Congress by Marjorie Taylor Greene. She will be here today she of course are just coming out of the State of Union adjustment as she had a number of clashes with President Biden, heckled him from the audience, and encouraged him to say Laken Riley's name during his address, which he did.

[13:05:11]

CONTORNO: And so, just a sense of how that's going to play out on the campaign trail. We're seeing a little bit of it today. But this is Republicans strategist, tell that Trump has tried to just tell me that this is a part of the state that Trump doesn't necessarily need to convince.

These are his bread-and-butter voters. He needs to convince people in the suburbs of Atlanta, which is about 70 percent of the population is in the metro Atlanta area. And whether or not he wins his race is not whether he can convince Marjorie Taylor Green's district, whether you can convince those white suburban moms, those college educated voters around the Atlanta area. Rahel.

SOLOMON: And Steve, actually, as we can hear behind you, there was clearly someone who appear because we heard the applause. We believe that Marjorie Taylor Greene has now arrived. Can you give us a sense, based on what you can see where you are sort of what's happening there?

Steve, can you hear me? At any event, we are looking at the congresswoman as she arrives at that event. We expect to hear from the former president in just a few hours. But again, that happening in Rome, Georgia.

Steve contorno, Priscilla Alvarez, thank you both. We'll keep an eye on it.

Well, let's talk about this more now with Alex Thompson. He is a national political reporter for Axios. I'm also joined by Sabrina Siddiqui. She is the White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Good to see you both.

Alex, let me start with you. Biden, obviously, attempting to really turn up the heat on Trump at that State of the union speech, and also in his Pennsylvania speech last night. He will likely attack Trump even more today in his Georgia speech.

How do you think the last couple of days have changed his campaign if at all?

ALEX THOMPSON, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, AXIOS: Well, a few days don't change this dynamic of the campaign, which is that the president is unpopular. He hit the highest disapproval number of his presidency just this week.

But, and their overwhelming concerns about Joe Biden's age, you know, 75 to 80 percent of the country doesn't really agree on much. But there are serious concerns about him having another term.

That being said, if there is a Joe Biden comeback, if he's going to change the dynamics of the race, I think the State of the Union on Thursday, which really wasn't about the message, it was about how he said it. We may be looking at that as the turning point in this campaign, because you are going to see the Joe Biden campaign address the age issue much more head on than he has been.

You are also going to see him just out there more the last few days. You have someone, I think, joked it was like the Joe Biden youth tour. And I think you're going to see him out there a lot more to address those concerns.

SOLOMON: Yes. I mean, we think about his late-night appearance, think about him sort of getting ice cream in New York. You certainly have seen certainly a lot more of the president.

Sabrina, let me ask we just saw that ad that his campaign unveiled today where he says -- and I'm paraphrasing here, but he says something to the point of, you know, I'm not a young guy, I know that. But then he sort of leans into what his age of four Tim (PH), it's experience essentially, is what he's getting at.

Do you think that this can be an effective strategy to try to get in front of what Republicans are hoping is maybe his greatest liability?

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think that's exactly what the Biden campaign is trying to do. I mean, they have -- for months, had deliberations over how they address the president's age, which is, you know, one of his perceived liabilities, especially with many of these public opinion polls, showing that, you know, Americans do have concerns about his age. And there are some advisors who for some time have been saying that the president should embrace his age, he should have a sense of humor about it, as you saw in that ad, and he should try and turn what is see -- what could be seen as a liability into an asset.

And really, you know, you saw him do the same in his State of the Union address on Thursday, where he talked about how, you know, his age also is what is a testament to his experience and talking about the decades of time he has spent in public service, of course, you know, listing all the accomplishments of his first term, and then, of course, laying out what his vision would be for a second term.

And I think also what you saw, you know, in that ad is, you know, drawing that contrast with former President Trump saying, you know, Trump only cares about himself, and kind of refocusing on the issues that President Biden in his campaign believe will be at the forefront of this election.

Issues like the economy, you know, reproductive freedoms, protecting democracy here at home and abroad. And I think that is sort of the approach that I think will expect to see the president and the Biden campaign take is, you know, not ignore his age because they can't ignore it, but try and refocus the conversation on the issues that they believe voters ultimately care about.

SOLOMON: Alex, Biden has been attacking Trump for meeting with Hungarian strongmen Viktor Orban, who Trump praised as a fantastic leader. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is nobody that's better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban.

[13:10:05]

He is fantastic. He's been -- he's been, as you know, the prime minister of Hungary, and does a great job. He is a non-controversial figure because he said this is the way it's going to be, and that's the end of it.

Well, he is the boss, and he now, he is a great leader, a fantastic leader in Europe and all over the world. A respected --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Yes. Alex, Trump saying something to the effect of we kept in touch.

Let me ask, how much is the GOP -- how much is the GOP on board with this relationship?

CONTORNO: I think they -- well, it depends which part of the GOP that you are talking about. Now, there are some parts of the GOP, especially, you know, some of the more old, you know, George W. Bush wing of the party that do have concerns, especially, you know, given that the Orban as part of the E.U. and some of the reforms use done to, you know, undermine the democracy over there. That being said, there is a part of the Republican Party that does love Orban.

You remember that Tucker Carlson went has gone over and did like a very complimentary interview of Orban. They sort of see Orban and, you know, Vladimir Putin in some of their rhetoric, the way that they are defending " Western culture," that -- and you've seen the -- this part of that -- of that face, often based sometimes in white grievance, that is really, you know, applauds those leaders. And Donald Trump beyond sort of his admiration of, you know, him being a "strongman," which is what he's called him in the past. There is also some of the reforms, especially in the culture wars that they also admire.

SOLOMON: Sabrina, let me ask you. The question, of course, has been since Nikki Haley suspended her campaign, well, where did the Nikki Haley voters go? That, of course, is a question we won't know until perhaps November. But when we see Trump today at this rally, do you think he at least makes the pitch to those voters or the appeal to those voters?

SIDDIQUI: Well, he hasn't made that pitch yet. I think that one of the vulnerabilities that the head-to-head between former President Trump and Nikki Haley exposed for the former president was that he has a problem with moderate suburban and independent voters.

Some of those voters, of course, were key to propelling President Biden into the White House in 2020. And, you know, a lot of Haley's support came from those types of voters. Because when he broke down the numbers, I don't think there's any doubt that the Republican base is firmly behind former President Trump.

I think about 95 to 96 percent of self-identified Republicans say that they will support Donald Trump come November.

But when it comes to those moderate suburban independent voters, where Haley was drawing support from, you know, are they -- would be Biden voters, it seems like they are probably more likely to be voters who could go, you know, and who could fold it go into Biden's fold?

And you know, we saw President Biden actually make a direct appeal to those voters when Haley dropped out, by saying that there is a place --

(CROSSTALK)

SOLOMON: And well, immediately.

SIDDIQUI: You know, that there is a place for them in his vision for the country. We haven't really seen Trump do that. He's kind of doubling down on the grievances, the personal attacks, the hardline rhetoric on immigration, you know, of course, the election, you know, denialism that's been core to his message.

A lot of the things that these voters don't like about Trump. So, we'll see if any of those changes. But so far, we just haven't seen that shift in tone from the former president.

SOLOMON: Yes, certainly a lot to watch on both sides tonight at these dueling rallies. Alex Thompson, Sabrina Siddiqui, good to have you both. Thank you.

SIDDIQUI: Thank you.

SOLOMON: All right. Coming up, an urgent push to get a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the beginning of Ramadan tomorrow appears to be falling short. We'll go live to the region for what's latest on what's happening with U.S. aid drops into Gaza.

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[13:18:36]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. And now, to the war in Gaza, where the clock is ticking, U.S. officials were hoping to strike a deal for temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages before the beginning of Ramadan tomorrow evening. But President Biden is warning that as of now there is no agreement in sight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will there be a ceasefire by Ramadan?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's looking tough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you concerned about violence in East Jerusalem without one?

BIDEN: I sure am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Biden's comments come as the U.S. just conducted another humanitarian airdrop into Gaza, but the humanitarian crisis deepening even further.

Also, just a short time ago, the U.N. issuing a warning that four out of five households in Gaza no longer have safe drinking water.

Let's get to CNN's Clarissa Ward, in Jerusalem. Clarissa, the president there are not exactly striking the most optimistic tone about hopes for ceasefire by Ramadan. What's the latest there?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rahel. I mean, it was just about 10 days ago that President Biden seemed very confident. He said that he hoped for a ceasefire to be announced on Monday. This is last Monday. Obviously, that did not happen. Now, we are heading into Ramadan this coming Monday. And it appears that no one is closer to being able to establish a deal.

We do know that the Israeli intelligence Chief David Barnea and CIA director, Bill Burns did meet on Friday, and there are attempts to continue to hash out a deal for some kind of a release, obviously, of the hostages and also a temporary ceasefire to ease the absolute dire humanitarian situation inside Gaza, which continues to spiral really out of control, Rahel.

[13:20:24]

We've heard updated figures again tonight, from the health ministry inside Gaza. They are now saying that 25 have died as a result of acute malnutrition and dehydration. CNN cannot independently confirm that because international journalists are not allowed into Gaza to report on the ground, but it certainly gels with what we have been hearing from groups like the U.N., who have warned that hundreds of thousands of Gazans in the northern part of the enclave are one step away from famine, who have announced today, as you mentioned that four out of five people do not have -- or four out of five households, I should say, specifically, do not have access any longer to clean water.

And while these aid drops, you know, show a certain level of intention and goodwill, they according to aid organizations, are not terribly efficient and effective in terms of the mechanism for actually distributing aid.

We heard from one humanitarian worker who said they're a great photo op, but they are terrible in terms of trying to make sure that people on the ground get the aid they need.

What aid agencies are saying Rahel, is that they need it to be distributed on the ground. In order distributed on the ground, you need some kind of a ceasefire, and you need more openings into the Gaza Strip to ensure that the aid can get to some of those more isolated pockets.

SOLOMON: Yes, I mean, concerns about the airdrops being not the most efficient, but also dangerous as we saw earlier this week.

Clarissa, let me ask about getting humanitarian aid and via see. What reaction have you seen to this announcement of a corridor up here being built in Gaza for humanitarian aid?

WARD: I mean, to be honest, it's been a bit of a mixed reaction. I think that for a lot of people, the sentiment is sort of too little too late. Because the reality is, by their own admission, this port or pier is going to take somewhere from three to six weeks to actually build. And so, that is valuable time during which potentially many people could die.

And there are others as well, again, humanitarian officials aid workers, who say that this is just a glaring distraction from the clear and obvious reality, which is that you need masses of aid to be able to enter Gaza from multiple points and distributed on the ground by professional aid organizations.

And that cannot happen without some kind of a, agreement from Israel with regards to opening up another border crossing in the north; and b, some kind of a ceasefire that would allow those aid organizations to move around freely on the ground.

They do have a sort of interface with Israel via this organization, COGAT that is in charge or take in charge of deconfliction. But there are so many times where they will ask to go and launch a mission, they will be told no, that's not possible. And that's more aid that's not getting where it needs to go. Rahel.

SOLOMON: OK. Clarissa Ward, live for us in Jerusalem. Clarissa, thank you. Let's continue this conversation now and bring in CNN Global Affairs analyst Kim Dozier. Kim, good to see you.

Is it, from your perspective, inevitable at this point that there will not be any sort of ceasefire agreement reached by tomorrow evening in the start of Ramadan?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Even though the Qataris and other actors are putting heavy pressure on Hamas, I don't see how they bring it about. It seems that Hamas has decided that the better strategy for it, for its survival is to say no to a ceasefire, and keep fighting on, because it's pretty clear that even if the Israelis did a six-week ceasefire, they would continue fighting after that.

Their ultimate goal is to get into the Rafah area to target what they believe are high value Hamas officials in that area. And also, current and former Israeli officials have told me they think that there are tunnels beneath Rafah.

Rafah is sort of a town that straddles the Egypt-Gaza border, and they believe that there are deep tunnels that have allowed Hamas to store up the supplies that it needs to keep attacking Israel.

[13:25:04]

So, one way or the other, Hamas has apparently made the calculation that if it's going to continue to face an Israeli onslaught, it might as well keep the hostages and keep the Arab world pressure on Israel, because that is growing by the day.

SOLOMON: And we should point out that Rafah is an area where pre- October 7th had a population of about 300,000. It's now expected that there is 1.5 million people living in Rafah. And so, just sort of gives you a sense of just some of the alarm that an operation into Rafah has created.

Let me ask him, you just came back from the Middle East. You were in Baghdad. Can you give us a sense of some of your conversations, and some of the insights you picked up while being there?

DOZIER: Yes, people in Iraq absolutely associate everything that Israel is doing on the ground inside Gaza, with the United States. They blame the White House for Israel to be able to continue the crack on Hamas that they believe has killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians.

Even people that you talk to that I would have said were pro-American before, are looking at the U.S. in a different way.

I'm also seeing this continued trend of radicalization, especially the young people -- young people who used to walk up and try to talk to me to ask me, you know, about getting a visa or a job in the United States. Both me and other Americans who were attending this conference, noticed a real chill that people didn't want to talk to us this time around. And on stage, everyone talked about the nightmare going on in Gaza, and one Iraqi militia leader was interviewed. And he was given a hard time by the Iraqi journalist interviewer saying, why aren't you attacking U.S. troops? And he said, oh, well, we'll attack them again, if necessary. But the U.S. has gotten the message for now.

SOLOMON: That is a chilling anecdote to share.

Let me ask him. What about the U.S. now announcing that it's going to help build this this maritime corridor, this peer to get aid into Gaza? Can you give me a sense from your perspective of what impact you think that, that might have both on the grounds in terms of getting aid into Gaza, but to even just optically?

DOZIER: Great idea, a great P.R. campaign. That's how it's being seen in large parts of the Arab world. But how practically, are they going to overcome the problems that have already beset some of the U.N. convoys trying to get into the North?

How are they going to land the aid onto the beaches without some sort of a dock?

Now, the U.S. has said it's could take a month to two months to build that. The E.U. is saying that they could begin transferring in aid as soon as this weekend. Well, where is the bridge, the literal bridge to get that aid from the water onto the beach?

And then the second question is, where is the security?

Where all of these aid bundles have come down from the air, they've gotten swarmed by criminal gangs or by hungry people, and it's not a good way to make sure that this aid gets equitably distributed.

Biden has said that there will be no U.S. troops on the ground, but somebody has got to maintain security at the delivery sites.

SOLOMON: Kim Dozier, we'll leave it here. Good to have your insights today. Thank you, Kim.

Well, the nation's top cybersecurity agency has been hacked and forced to take some of its systems offline and that is not the only hack right now having an effect here in the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:33:12]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. The nation's top cybersecurity agency has taken two key computer systems offline. And one of those systems, from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, runs a program that allows federal, state and local officials to share cyber and physical assessment tools.

Let's bring in CNN cybersecurity reporter, Sean Lyngaas, who joins us now to explain.

So, Sean, explain actually sort of what's all happening here.

SEAN LYNGAAS, CNN CYBERSECURITY REPORTER: Sure. Rahel. This is kind of an example of how we're all vulnerable in cyberspace to a certain extent because we rely on widely-used technology that occasionally has vulnerabilities.

So the cyber agency in the U.S. that is charged with inspecting federal networks and protecting them found a -- an intrusion into their networks last month.

And at this time, the agency was warning other federal agencies that this is an issue, this particular piece of software that's used for VPN access for federal employees was vulnerable. And now they've found out that they too were hacked.

So they're trying to use it as a teachable moment saying, hey, we try our best, but we got -- we got owned in this case.

And as you mentioned, that -- the two systems that were affected are not trivial. One holds information on chemical plants and their security, the security assessments for that, and the other is a means by which federal officials help state and locals secure their networks.

So they're dealing with it. They're trying to raise awareness. They're owning the problem. And it's just another example of how we're all targets in this space -- Rahel?

SOLOMON: Sean, speaking of vulnerabilities, there was and also this other cyberattack on a computer network for a company that serves thousands of hospitals and clinics. And apparently, this has some clinics really just even scrambling to stay open.

[13:35:00]

LYNGAAS: Rahel, this is the biggest cyberattack to affect the health care sector in the U.S. ever, according to experts I've talked to. It's -- we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars a day lost in lost revenue for health care providers.

The problem here is that one company, the company that was -- that suffered a cyberattack, called Change Healthcare, is sort of a part of the central nervous system of the financing of the health sector.

Because they help doctors process prescriptions, look up -- look up insurance. And if their network is down, it's really hard for a lot of people in the ecosystem around the country to do their jobs.

So I talked to one financial officer at a cancer clinic in Oregon, who said, we might be forced to close because we're running out of money and it's a widespread issue.

So there's a lot of pressure here in the U.S. on the Health and Human Services Department to get this right into help bring clinics back online -- help them get financing, rather -- Rahel? SOLOMON: Sean, also, I mean, just when it rains, it pours. One of the

biggest computer companies, Microsoft, now saying that Russian hackers gained access to some of i's core software systems.

LYNGAAS: Yes, it's been a busy 48 hours for -- for me, Rahel and for others. But basically here, this is an elite Russian hacking unit U.S. officials say it as part of the foreign intelligence service of the Kremlin.

And we already knew that they had breached Microsoft, but now we're learning that it's more serious than we -- we previously knew. Because the hackers, according to Microsoft's own statement, were able to get access to the company's -- some of the company's source code.

And source code is like the secret nuts and bolts that underpin software programs. So with access to that, they can potentially use that to attack Microsoft customers.

It's really much -- a very much an ongoing situation. But this hacking group is notorious for having infiltrated U.S. government agencies in 2020. So it's really something that we're going to keep an eye on -- Rahel?

SOLOMON: Yes, it's been an eventful 48 hours, as you point out, Sean. Just lots of coffee. That seems to do the trick.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

SOLOMON: Lots of coffee.

Thanks, Sean. Good to have you.

LYNGAAS: Thank you.

SOLOMON: All right. Still ahead for us and happening right now, rival gangs in Haiti are working together against the government. And that rise in gun violence is being felt all over the island. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:41:59]

SOLOMON: As gang violence spirals out of control in Haiti, CNN's David Culver uncovered the reality of what's happening on the ground. Speaking to a girl who was shot while playing, a rape victim, and a teen who says that gang members forced him to burn the bodies of victims.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On an abandoned airfield-turned-makeshift campsite, we step into this cramped space, the Cadeau (ph) family's home. Lying on her family's only bed, we meet 8 year old Wojina Cadeau (ph)

looking at us with eyes that have seen the torment and suffering that is engulfing Haiti.

(on-camera): Do you remember where you were when the bullet hit you, when you got shot?

(voice-over): With her 4 year old sister keeping close watch, Wojina (ph), tells me she was playing with friends when they were caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout.

She and her friends hid, but not quickly enough. A bullet tearing through her back and out her abdomen. Her dad, frustrated by life.

(on-camera): And he says they've been here about a year and a half. Before that, they were in their own home, but they said because of the gang violence, it was overtaken. Their home was burned down.

So here they are hoping to have found what would have been a safe refuge. But he says not even this is safe.

Feel better, OK?

(voice-over): Chaos now grips much of Haiti, especially the capital, Port-au-Prince.

For the first time, a Haitian security source tells us rival gangs are now working together, launching a wide-scale series of attacks against the government, going after the airport, police stations, and prisons.

The terrible toll of the violence felt nearly everywhere.

(SHOUTING)

CULVER: Even here, behind the high walls of Kizito Family's Home for Children.

Run by Sister Paesie, the rules here posted on the wall.

(on-camera): This shelter must be friends.

SISTER PAESIE PHILIPPE, FOUNDER, FAMILIE KIZITO: They must be friends. They must get along with each other.

CULVER (voice-over): Getting along, that's the challenge here.

Sister Paesie's lived in Port-au-Prince for 25 years. The last five of which she's dedicated to creating safe spaces for children. Many of those here orphaned, because of the deadly gang violence.

PHILIPPE: I never could have thought that things could become worse, but it did. It did. It did. Year after year, more corruption, more violence, more weapons.

CULVER: This place is now at capacity and then some. The children keep coming, she tells me. (SHOUTING)

CULVER: Sister says she also gets prayer requests from those you might not expect.

PHILIPPE: Sister, pray for us. Don't you see we are in danger? Pray for us. I'm hearing that every day from the gang members. Yes.

CULVER (on-camera): The gang members are asking you to pray for them?

PHILIPPE: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

CULVER (voice-over): Some of the gang members themselves, just kids. This 14-year-old says he was recruited at 11.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER: "I can't go to school," he tells me, wishing he could escape the gang's control. "I watched so many people get killed, and then I have to set their bodies on fire," he says.

[13:45:03]

Outside of Haiti's capital, it's more often the anti-government protests rather than the gangs paralyzing cities.

In Jeremie, we drive with members of the World Food Program to a local school.

JEAN-MARTIN BAUER, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM COUNTRY DIRECTOR: Now these kids have not been in school since early January, and they'll tell you why.

CULVER: The Catholic priest who runs it shows us around.

(on-camera): Just noticing on the chalkboard here, the last date, January 11th. It's the last time kids were actually inside this classroom, since it's been empty.

(voice-over): Violent protests erupted in January, making it too dangerous for the school's 234 students to travel to.

For the staff here, it's heartbreaking.

(on-camera): Do you think about them in what's been now more than a month that they haven't been here? Do you think about their situation?

FATHER LOUIS JEAN ANTOINE, FOUNDER, ST. JOHN BOSCO SCHOOL: It's very sad for them, for us also, because I know --

(CRYING)

CULVER (voice-over): He knows it's about more than missing out on an education.

ANTOINE: I know they are at home. They are hungry. They have nothing. They are children. They have to eat. CULVER: Hunger is what drove this young teen to go out at night alone in gang-controlled territory last year, hoping to find food. Instead, she tells us she was attacked and raped, giving birth in January to a baby boy, the son of a likely gang member, she thinks.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER: "I can't abandon him," she tells me. "My mother struggled a lot with me, so I have to do the same for him, even if it is a child raising another child," she says.

Children bearing the brunt of a broken country that is spiraling further into chaos with each passing day.

David Culver, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:38]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. Millions of people across the southeast are facing severe weather today. We are talking flooding rains, damaging winds, and even potential tornadoes.

CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is in Atlanta, where parts of the city have been just really inundated the last 24 hours.

So, Elisa, what can you tell us on the ground there and where the storm's headed now?

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I mean, it is drenched here in Atlanta. And all of those storms are lifting north through the Carolinas and up into the northeast.

We're here at Peach Tree Creek where we've had some problems not just because of the one-and-a-half inches of rain that we got here overnight. But earlier in the week, Atlanta got almost 2.5 inches of rain.

So with the total getting close to four inches, if not a little bit over that in spots, we have gotten a month's worth of rain here in a week in Atlanta.

And you can see the results of that in the creek. The creek has been kind of rushing this morning. It was higher. We have some of it receding. We were looking at some of those levels this morning.

And you can see that the creek -- evidence of the creek rising because look at the debris in the trees. You can see the kind of our plastic pollution, plastic bags and stuff that have come up into the trees and the brush here once that creek rose.

Now, earlier in the week, when we have that 2.5 inches of rain, you could tell that it came up and kind of came up across the street because we have this sediment in this soil into debris that's very muddy. I'm thinking here right now.

And you've got all of this in the street. You can see the mud across the street, where the water just took all of the sediment with it.

Neighbors were just telling us here that the water reached into yards across the street, that's how high up the water came and how far it went. Again, a month's worth of rain here in a week.

Now we do know when we have a warmer atmosphere that's able to hold more water, we have an increase in those days that you can get two inches of rain in a day. Those deluge days are just increasing across the southeast and across the U.S.

Now that threat for the heavy rain is going to run up the east coast as we go through the day today. Could even have some snow up towards Vermont and New Hampshire -- Rahel?

SOLOMON: Yes, I can say that we've already started to see some of the rain here in New York come down, even just within the last few hours or so.

Elisa Raffa, live in Atlanta. Elisa, thank you.

[13:53:58]

All right. Caitlin Clark is having quite a final season for the University of Iowa, and she just broke another NCAA record. We'll explain when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:58:45]

SOLOMON: Caitlin Clark has done it again. The women's college basketball superstar just broke one of Steph Curry's records.

CNN Sports' Carolyn Manno explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Rahel, look, can you say about Caitlin Clark? She is one of one continuing to make history in his dream collegiate season that she's having at one game after becoming the NCAA Division One all-time leading scorer.

Another record. She is now the NCAA, a Division One record holder for most three-pointers in a single-season. Start draining her 163 triple of the year on Friday night, passing current Golden State warriors star and former Davidson Wildcats, Steph Curry.

Clark hit the big three in the fourth quarter after missing her first 11 attempts from beyond the yard. She scored 24 points. And that hold streak had zero impact on the game's outcome as Iowa went on to win 95, 62 over Penn State in the Big 10 tournament quarter finals.

And afterwards, she was asked about her musk celebration after making historic bucket challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN CLARK, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA GUARD: I was just kind of trolling and messing around when I made that. You know, you've got to have some fun. I thought our team had a lot of fun tonight.

And, yes, I'm just proud of our girls. Hopefully, if I shoot it even better, it would even be -- you know, we'd probably be in the hundreds. So that's the exciting part about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:59:59]

MANNO: Rahel, Clark has said that all of the pressure and attention that she's garnered with chasing all of these milestones has not been a distraction for her or the team.