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Just Two Days Until Solar Eclipse: 32 Million In Path Of Totality; Denmark To Send F-16 Fighter Jets To Ukraine; Source: Florida Fundraiser For Trump Has Raised $43 Million So Far; Rudy Giuliani, Rep. Greene Engage In "Doomsday" Politics; Nova Festival Survivors Brought To America To Begin To Heal; Audio Recording Emerges In Lawsuit Against Sean "Diddy" Combs & Son. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 06, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:21]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in New York, and all across America, people are getting in place ahead of Monday's total solar eclipse.

From Texas to Maine, hundreds of thousands have flocked communities along the Path of Totality, and that's even the weather forecast to change for some with overcast skies and even storms possible in some locations, but so far, it is not dampening the mood.

CNN has reporters stand out across the country. Miguel Marquez is outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio and Harry Enten is at Niagara Falls. I love seeing both of you . Start with Miguel first. What are the preparations like there by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, just awesomeness.

Cleveland is an awesome city on a good day, but it is going to be totally awesome and rocking on Monday, and we just pray for weather that we have right now.

It feels a little like a rock and roll or music festival here at the Rockefeller. We've got the merch from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We have our backstage password, Solar Fest. We even have a t-shirt that looks like a concert t-shirt for the Path of Totality Tour, all cities that the Path of Totality will go down.

The coolest thing, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame maybe doing those, that they've curated a playlist that will follow along with the eclipse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG HARRIS, CEO, ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: When it happens, were all out here. We're going to have music blasting and its going to blast on our plaza and all through downtown Cleveland, we placed speakers.

We are all going to have the same soundtrack as this happens and we are playing celestial music.

MARQUEZ: You are deejaying the eclipse.

HARRIS: Yes, we are deejaying the eclipse for everybody that is in town, and you're going to hear David Bowie, Elton John, Rocket Man, Donovan.

You'll hear probably some Taylor Swift thrown in, but then Pink Floyd Eclipse is going to be our penultimate moment.

MARQUEZ: Dude, rock and roll.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: I don't think I've ever stopped an interview with dude, rock and roll like that, but it is just so awesome.

If the timing is just perfect, Pink Floyd's Eclipse will happen just at totality, so it should be very cool. but we need the sun. Right now, the weatherman says, partly sunny, partly cloudy, depending on the way we are looking at it, we are hoping praying making it partly sunny. Back to you.

DEAN: Yes, partly sunny it shall be.

All right, Miguel, thank you.

And Harry, let's go to you in Niagara Falls.

You've been talking to some people who have traveled from a long way to be there.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, you know, I wish I had the positivity of Miguel. My goodness, gracious. I have to take whatever he is taking.

The weather here has been cold right now. I had to put on my jacket before this hit.

Yesterday, the weather was absolutely atrocious. It was snowing in the morning. It was raining come the evening. But today, we actually have the sun, so it has actually turned out pretty well.

But as you said, there are a lot of folks coming from a lot of different places. Over on the Canadian side of the falls, there is a state of emergency. No state of emergency here, though the National Guard, law enforcement, the Coast Guard are all standing by just in case.

We also have a bunch of porta potties to ensure that in case there are a lot of people coming, people can do their business, but as I said and you said, there are a lot of folks coming. We spoke with one of those families earlier today. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are here to check out the falls today and the solar eclipse on Monday.

ENTEN: What drew you to the falls for the eclipse? Why the false for the eclipse?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is a science teacher, eighth grade, so --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The falls is right in the Path of Totality, so we had to come and check out the falls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We also didn't mention that we are going to go see all the national parks so like, we are really like outdoor enthusiasts. We bought up our RV.

So like, we couldn't miss this.

We only put the sticker already on the RV, so like, I am not going to miss this event, so --

ENTEN: And as a science teacher, what do you teach in science? Is it anywhere related to the fact that were in the Path of Totality,

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. I teach Earth and Space Science.

ENTEN: Oh, my God. This is right down your alley.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. We just started the unit of Astronomy last week.

ENTEN: Oh, come on. That's almost like a gift from God. And now you have to get these kids so interested.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and they are. They were so interested to hear that we are going to actually be seeing this in real life on Monday.

Because in New Jersey, we still get 90 percent.

ENTEN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, they are really excited.

ENTEN: What about the eclipse is most exciting to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just that it is such a rare event. It is almost a once in a lifetime event.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENTEN: You know, the fact is one family I spoke to, some English folks who have come to two eclipses, but the same thing that Miguel is watching in Cleveland, we are watching here. What's the weather going to be? [18:05:06]

You know, I went to Weather Camp. I broke out the model outputs statistic data. We are looking hopefully a partly sunny, maybe it will be mostly cloudy, but we are praying for partly sunny.

But here in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls region, you just never know -- Jessica.

DEAN: You never know. You're going to have to see how it plays out.

Now, Harry, while you were talking, we were playing some video of what appeared to be you on the Maid of the Mist, like by the falls there. I couldn't tell, it looks windy. Was it fine? I can't tell.

You look cold.

ENTEN: It was certainly -- it was an interesting experience, I will put it that way. I hadn't been on the water in New York in about 20 years since I was in, I think elementary school, and what I have learned, no matter what, if you're on the water in New York and the Hudson River, we are here at Niagara Falls, it is always freezing and dress warmly, and I guess, I am very thankful that my girlfriend bought me some nice gloves that I was able to wear on the Maid of the Mist, so I was able to stay warm.

DEAN: Yes, thank God for the girlfriend and the gloves. You have eclipse glasses. Ready to go.

All right, Miguel and Harry --

ENTEN: I have everything.

DEAN: You're ready. Thanks to both of you, and we've heard from everyday people making treks just to experience everything, so why not talk to someone who is just like you and me when it comes to science, but has a front row view to the science world and all the excitement there.

Joining me now talk about it all and the eclipse is comedian, Chuck Nice who is the co-host of the "StarTalk" podcast with Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Chuck, it is great to have you here. How are you getting ready --

CHUCK NICE, CO-HOST, "STARTALK" PODCAST: It is good to be here. I am sorry that I am not outdoors and freezing and braving gale winds. I am sorry, I feel like a prima donna being indoors.

DEAN: Indoors by a nice plant. I mean, you are framed up really beautifully, but yes, you're not suffering from any elements. That's true.

We will let you have it though. You are a guest here.

So how are you getting ready for the eclipse? NICE: So I've got to tell you, first of all, I do have my glasses and I've got my little camera filter as well, and I will be, I am so excited for this, I will be driving through the night so that I can be back home in the morning to get on the bus with some dear friends and drive to the Path of Totality, so that we can watch the eclipse.

So we will be spending the night in the Path of Totality and then watching the eclipse on Monday.

DEAN: Wow. Your commitment is impressive. You've also been co-hosting this podcast with the astrophysicist, Neil DeGrasse Tyson for several years.

NICE: That's right.

DEAN: And I want to play everyone a clip from a few years ago and then we can talk about it, so here is the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, ASTROPHYSICIST: My location is a state secret.

NICE: Oh, really?

TYSON: You will not know where I am on Earth.

NICE: Where you're going to be.

TYSON: You'll know I will be in the Path of Totality, but you won't know where I am on Earth or my elevation above Earth.

NICE: And you know what's funny is, I get asked every day on Twitter where you are going to go watch the eclipse and to which I --

TYSON: And in case you get tortured, I don't want you to know.

NICE: Right. Well, I tell people all the time, Neil doesn't like me. He tells me nothing. We just work together. What is your problem?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: So is your location top secret? Are you going to say where you're going to be?

NICE: No, I am not going to say where I am going to be. I do know Neil's location this year and you know, for the right amount of money, people, I am willing to give it up. I can -- like I said, he does not -- he does not like me.

So for the right amount of money, you can know where Neil is go to watch the eclipse.

DEAN: Well, we have two more hours here, so you know, we could just drag this out for a long time until you just broke.

So now you're not a scientist, you're a comedian. NICE: That's right.

DEAN: But what is most exciting to you about this as kind of a layman, as it were, in the science world.

NICE: Well, I am going to say that the fact that it is a total eclipse, the fact that we are going to achieve totality, the fact that it is the great North American eclipse, merch what I am talking about, you know what I am saying? Red, white, and blue eclipse, that is what we are looking at this time.

But, I think the fact that it probably won't be around for quite a while when the Path of Totality.

So, eclipses aren't like super rare as a thing, you know, but this one is, so that's why I like. And from what I understand because I've never seen a total eclipse, what Neil has told me, Neil has told me that I've seen nothing.

So if you have seen a partial eclipse or you have seen an annular eclipse, you are slumming it, baby. You're slumming it. It is totality or nothing.

[18:10:04]

DEAN: Yes, totality or bust it sounds like.

And you know what has been interesting, too, is we've been interviewing people, it is kind of the fandom of totality in the solar -- the total eclipse.

You know, these people really pay attention. They book things out years in advance. It is kind of an incredible group that monitors this.

NICE: Yes, I think that that's because it is the coolest thing in which we have the image on the screen right now, but at the point of totality, you can take off your glasses, but that's it. That's the only time you can.

Any other time, if you look up at the sun, any other time, if you look up at the sun, I hate to say this and I am not saying this. This is science, you're an idiot.

DEAN: The technical term.

NICE: It is a technical term. I didn't make it up, but this is like I said, science. So I think part of the deal is an annular eclipse. You cannot look up at the sun, you can't take your glasses off, but for that totality, you can actually do that.

You can see the sun completely blocked out, which is -- the idea that the sun is 400 times bigger than the moon and the moon is 400 times closer to us than the sun, to create this optical alignment where the moon blocks out the sun is really something that is not going to last forever because the moon is slowly drifting away from us. So at some point, there won't be a total eclipse on Earth, so enjoy it while you can.

DEAN: Yes, yes.

And now, before I let you go, is this something you would have been excited about a few years ago? Or have you learned to be excited about this?

NICE: No, I've always been a closet geek and nerd and I thank God for Neil DeGrasse Tyson and "StarTalk" giving me the courage and the agency to come out of the closet as a big giant nerd.

So yes, I would have been excited. It is just that now I can be excited publicly.

DEAN: You can just really talk about it.

All right, well, Chuck Nice, who will watching from an undisclosed location on Monday, we wish you the absolute totality and clear skies. Thanks so much for being with us.

NICE: Thanks so much.

DEAN: And be sure to join CNN for a special live coverage of the Eclipse Across America. The coverage starts Monday at 1:00 PM Eastern. You can also stream it on Max.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:17:16]

DEAN: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for stronger air defenses in the northeastern region of Kharkiv after a Russian missile attack today killed six people and injured 11 more.

This week, NATO allies agreed to look for more air defense systems to send to Ukraine. Let's talk more about this with our next guest, CNN's military analyst, Cedric Leighton, a retired Colonel in the Air Force.

Colonel Leighton, it is always great to have you on.

Right now, Ukraine is short on troops and ammunition. Is there an opportunity to win on the battle? Is there opportunity to win on the battlefield slipping away?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Jessica, it is good to be with you and it pains me to say this, but yes, if Ukrainians don't get the aid that they need, it is going to be a real problem for them because at this particular point in time, we are looking at munitions shortages, weapons shortages, troops shortages -- things that you've basically outlined get in that President Zelenskyy has talked about. And those things are very difficult to overcome if you don't have some way of resupplying, and that is going to, I think be the critical factor for this year and possibly the next year as well.

DEAN: And this week, Denmark said work is now underway to begin a plan to donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this summer. What kind of impact could that have for Ukraine?

LEIGHTON: So in a localized sense, it could have a significant impact in specific areas of the frontlines, but in the aggregate, the one thing that they have to watch out for, Jessica is the fact that the Russians are going to respond to this and they are going to do this in several different ways.

One of them is through electronic warfare, specifically jamming. So hopefully, the Ukrainian pilots that have been trained on the F-16, I have learned to operate the platform in a jamming environment.

And if that is the case, then they at least have a chance to succeed and do some good work for the Ukrainian ground forces who need of course, all the help they can get.

DEAN: And so also, we look here to the US where the $60 billion in aid is now hung up in Congress and truly who knows where that is going to go, and it passed the Senate, and now, it is just lingering in the House.

Does Kyiv have a Plan B in case that $60 billion never gets to them because it never gets out of Congress?

LEIGHTON: That is going to be, I think a really big issue here. So the answer I think is that Kyiv may have a bit of a Plan, but that Plan B is not something that is going to be as robust as that $60 billion.

And there is also of course, the possibility is, you know, that that $60 billion figure could be curtailed as it goes through the House if it even makes it that far.

[18:20:03]

So this is going to be a significant issue for them and it is going to be something where we have to see whether or not Congress actually steps up to the plate and does what it needs to do in order to protect our vital strategic interests, which actually are in Ukraine at this point.

DEAN: And this war just continues to drag on and the Ukrainians continue to dig in and really just grind it out best they can. What do you think is the right expectation at this point for Ukrainians on where this war goes now?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think one of the things that kind of dampened expectation to what is the failure of the counteroffensive this past summer to actually achieve significant gains on the ground.

We kind of were conditioned to have those great successes when the Ukrainian forces saved Kyiv and they were able to protect Kharkiv and also recapture Kherson. Those particular things were significant achievements.

The problem is they needed to keep the momentum going and because of the way western aid was provided for in this case, not provided in a timely fashion, that made a big difference and that prevented the Ukrainians in part from succeeding the other part, of course, was also tactics and the types of tactics that the Ukrainians used were basically tactics that they had adapted in some ways, apart from us, but also in part from the Soviet days when they were part of the Soviet Union, and those tactics did not work against a foe that was able to get entrenched, to actually even stabilized the frontlines in their favor and that really prevented things from going forward to the way the Ukrainians wanted to.

The Russians in essence, learned from their mistakes in the past and they will continue to learn from them if we don't have rapid capabilities deployed to Ukraine at this particular point.

DEAN: Yes, what kind of options does Zelenskyy have moving forward? How does he get out of this?

LEIGHTON: So this is going to be really difficult because all of the different things that are open to him at this particular point, if you can't move your forces forward, if you can't do the things that you were able to do in the past, you're kind of boxed into a series of solutions and those might include by basically keeping the frontlines as they are, which would be politically unpalatable to Zelenskyy.

And as far as we know, to the Ukrainian people as well. There is the possibility that Ukraine could achieve some localized gains and capitalize on those, but in essence, what we are looking at so far, unless there is a dramatic change on the battlefield is in essence the status quo, which would be somewhat akin to the solution that was achieved in Korea after the Korean War ended.

So in essence, you had a static frontline that has been in existence since 1953. In that particular your case, we could see something similar to that in Ukraine. It is not a good solution and it is certainly not something that is satisfactory to Ukrainians or to their western backers.

But that might be the case unless there is a drastic change in how the Russians supply their forces, and if there is a way to cut those supply lines, then that could potentially change things.

But until that happens, there is basically very little that the Ukrainians can do except to hold on, and that's going to be tough.

DEAN: All right, Cedric Leighton, always great to have you on. Thanks so much. Good to see you.

LEIGHTON: You bet. You bet, Jessica. Great to see you.

DEAN: Still ahead a mega MAGA fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago happening tonight. We are talking about how much the Trump campaign is expected to bring in as it tries to catch up to Biden's cash reserves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:28:06]

DEAN: Tonight, Donald Trump is headlining a big dollar fundraiser in Florida, hoping to close the money gap between himself and President Joe Biden. A source familiar with the details says the event in Palm Beach has already raised $43 million.

And let's look where the number stands. The Biden campaign saying it has raised more than $90 million in March with $192 million cash on hand. That is a significant edge compared to Trump's $65 million raised in March and $93 million cash on hand.

Joining me now to discuss this and more is CNN's political commentator and democratic strategist, Maria Cardona, and CNN political commentator and Republican strategist, Alice Stewart, always great to have both of you on.

Maria, let's start first, money is great. People love money. It is better to have more than less when you have a presidential campaign, but how does the Biden campaign take that money and actually use it to its advantage?

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, you know, Jessica, the Biden campaign has raised a crazy, insane amount of money and they are going to put that to work to keep a crazy, insane man from entering the White House again, and what they're doing with that money is that they are investing it into all of the communities that make up the Democratic coalition and they are going to invest it in the Independents, and frankly, those people, those Republicans who have said during the primaries and during the Republican primaries that they do not want to vote for Donald Trump.

And so the message for President Biden is, give me another four years to finish the job of continuing to grow this record breaking economy, continue to create jobs for everyone, continue to lower prices for everyone, and continue to solve the problems that are most in front of the American electorate versus Donald Trump who faces 91 charges, four indictments. He has got to close the money gap because you know what, Jessica, he owes hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees and in cash payouts because the courts have already deemed him a fraudster and a sex offender.

And I think that contrast, at the end of the day, is going to win the day for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

[18:30:17]

DEAN: And, Alice, I'd like to get your reaction to that as well, and also just the fact that we are going to see Melania Trump at tonight's fundraiser. We haven't seen much of her since they left the White House and certainly not on the campaign trail this go-round. So I'd also like to know what you think about her appearing as well. ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think it's great. Anytime you can have a spouse there to sort of showcase the bigger picture is a good thing. And, look, she's getting out there now because we're - basically, the general election is now off to the races. And the fundraiser tonight is going to be high dollar. Trump had a phone call with some of his supporters last night and said he thinks they will actually raise $50 million.

And what we're seeing with these high dollar donors, the Mercers, the Hamms (ph) and Steve Wynn, these are people that have donated to other candidates when - during the primary process, whether it's Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis, and now they are coalescing.

This high dollar unity was bound to happen as soon as the Republicans got their nominee. Now they realize it's Donald Trump and they are coalescing behind him because they understand their finances, as well as most Americans, were much better under the Trump administration than under the Biden administration.

And big money aside, New York Times reporting last week and the campaign is reporting that Donald Trump actually has more small dollar donors, under $200, than Joe Biden. That is going a long way because, as you said, Jessica, money is big, but votes are bigger. And when you have small dollar donors, that is more voters.

And, look, President Biden needs all of the money that he's raising because he is trying to go out there and court voters that he should already have. He's spending millions upon millions trying to shore up Hispanics and voters of color that he's losing to Donald Trump because they're frustrated with the economic situation, they're frustrated with the crisis at the border, and they're frustrated with the foreign policy of this administration.

So Biden is going to need all the money he's raising because he is behind in six out of seven of the battleground states, and that's going to take a lot of money to dig out of that hole.

DEAN: Yes. And I'm being told, Alice, to your point, the campaign is saying it's $50 million so far. The - what we know for sure is that 10s of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars will go into this election. I also want to get you all to take on what Karl Rove said. He, of course, former adviser to President George W. Bush.

He urged President Biden to go hard on Trump's remarks regarding the January 6th rioters. We'll listen to it and then we'll come back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL ROVE, FORMER ADVISER TO PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: If they were smart, they'd take the January 6th and go hard at it, and they would say he wants to pardon these people who attacked our capitol. Every one of those sons of (expletive) who did that, we ought to find them, try them and send them to jail.

And if - and one of the critical mistakes made in this campaign is that Donald Trump has now said, I'm going to pardon those people because they're hostages. No, they're not. They're thugs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Maria, let's get your take first. Should the Biden campaign be leaning into this message? Mostly, I'm also curious, too, about your take on what kind of voter this really motivates, because it would seem to me a Democratic voter, this is absolutely going to motivate. But is it the best message for maybe an Independent voter that they're trying to capture?

CARDONA: I do think it's a great message for an Independent voter, Jessica, because what we have seen from Independent voters and, frankly, Republicans who understand what a massive existential threat Donald Trump is, not just to the country, but to our democracy, to our republic, to our Democratic institutions. This kind of message reminds them of that threat, reminds them that Donald Trump wants to go in there not just to stay out of the jail, but - not just to stay out of jail, but if he gets into the White House again, the first time around, Jessica, was a trial run.

He has already said that he wants to be a dictator on day one. He has already said that he will use the Justice Department and all of the institutions to go after his enemies. He has already said all of the horrible things that he wants to institute if he gets another chance. And so we should take him at his word.

And the fact that he believes, Donald Trump believes that these January 6 criminals who attacked our capitol, attacked our democracy, tried to hang Mike Pence, killed some law enforcement officers, that he believes they're hostages, yes, that is a very powerful message for the Biden administration and the Biden campaign to continue to communicate, and they will.

DEAN: Okay, and before - we're running a little bit out of time, but I do just want to touch on this because we had these earthquakes - the earthquake on Friday in New York and the aftershocks.

[18:34:59]

And the disgraced former New York mayor and Trump ally, Rudy Giuliani, used his radio show to make the argument that the earthquake happened specifically in what he called "communist states."

And then the Republican congressman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who warned of Jewish space lasers, tweeted that the earthquake and Monday's solar eclipse are a sign from God that Americans need to repent.

Alice, why - what is this messaging that we're hearing from them, because it sounds very conspiracy theory-esque to me.

STEWART: Look, the two of them are on an island with regard to this and Rudy Giuliani has gone from America's mayor to an asinine mayor. And that is foolish for him to say that. And Marjorie Taylor Greene, every time she makes comments like this, it's for two reasons: one, to get attention and, two, to fundraise. And she's certainly fundraising off of it.

Look, this was an act of God. It was an act of nature, this earthquake. And it's nothing more than that. And anyone who wants to make a conspiracy theory out of it is absolutely wrong.

DEAN: Yes. And it also points to just, Alice, like where we are with politics, right? That this is ...

CARDONA: Yes.

DEAN: ... because we're talking about these things and not policy. All right.

CARDONA: That would be welcome to Donald Trump's America, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Maria Cardona and Alice Stewart, we have to leave it there, but always great to have you both here. Thanks so much.

CARDONA: Thank you so much.

STEWART: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Still ahead, a gathering of survivors of the Nova music festival here in the United States as this weekend we approach the six-month anniversary of that horrific attack on Israel. We'll have their story ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:41:09]

DEAN: Tomorrow will mark six months since the October 7th attacks by Hamas on Israel. In that attack, an estimated 364 people were killed at the Nova music festival. Forty were taken hostage. Those attacks led to Israel's war in Gaza, where more than 130 hostages are still believed to be in captivity and where 10s of thousands of Palestinians have been killed.

Over the last six months, we've reported extensively on the suffering and the lives lost in Gaza and Israel. What we often don't talk about, though, is those who survived. Recently, a group of survivors who were at the Nova festival came to the U.S. CNN's Anderson Cooper has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360" (voice over): In California's Ojai Valley, for the next week, this Jewish sleep away camp is home to many survivors of the Nova music festival massacre, 120 in all. It's the first time a group this size has gathered since October 7th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLE SASI, NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL SURVIVOR: Every day I ask myself, why am I alive, what's the purpose?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): While most are from Israel, Danielle and Lee Sasi are from California. The cousins were visiting family and went to the festival with eight relatives, including Danielle's 65-year-old father, Avi (ph).

This video was shot moments before rockets began falling. They raced to one of the fortified bus stops that serve as bomb shelters along the road by the festival.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. SASI: A blonde kid comes in. He's shot up in the leg, full of blood. He just walks in and sits in the corner. And at that very moment, I knew. My dad said, if I want to get home to my son, to stand in this corner. My dad yelled, all the guys up to the front, we won't let the terrorists in.

And then it all started. It was a million bullets. Everyone was screaming, no, no, no. And then, in Hebrew, we hear, limon (ph). Limon (ph) is a grenade. When it exploded, you just feel like you are flying away from the impact of the bomb. And then they threw another grenade and it was again - and then they walked in and started shooting everyone. And they shot me in the leg.

LEE SASI, NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL SURVIVOR: They threw a molotov cocktail in the bomb shelter. And because there was so many bodies dead and alive inside, there was no floor for it to land on the ground and shatter. So they basically threw it, and it created a lot of dark, suffocating smoke that choked you to death.

D. SASI: My husband was - he just kept screaming that they're going to kill us and I just kind of shook him. I kissed him. I told him to go look for my dad and to put bodies on top of me. He went to my dad. He marked with his hand, like a heart sign, saying that he's gone. And then I went numb.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): Out of their group of eight, only four survived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. SASI: My dad died a hero, for sure. And he promised me that I'll make it home to my son, so I kept his word.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Foreign language).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): Everyone here carries with them the terror of that day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EINOR KAGANO: When you see death, it stays within your eyes. You can see it. You can see people that suffered.

(Foreign language).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[18:45:05]

COOPER (voice over): Einor Kagano (ph) was a photographer at the festival. This is him moments after the attack began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAGANO: Welcome to (expletive) Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi there.

KAGANO: We have party of freedom and we have terror.

From the gunshots, I could recognize this is terrorists, because ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): He initially also drove to a bomb shelter by the road.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAGANO: I remember getting inside the shelter. I can see like 50 people, they were standing like that. I made the decision that probably saved my life. I took my car and went away. I took with me, I think, five or six more people inside the car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Foreign language).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): He ended up at a kibbutz where hundreds of others had fled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAGANO: So the citizens have arms of the kibbutz, have like shifts. So you kind of doing patrols. So it was civilians with arms serving us in front of the terrorists on the border of the kibbutz. Not the IDF soldiers because they needed a lot of hours to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): After eight hours, he was able to escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAGANO: There's a Greek quote that said every man has two lives. The second ones begin when he, understands he have only one. And we all understand that on the 7th of October. So we kind of have a new life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's going to be (inaudible) circle thing that's happening today, there's (inaudible) ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): Organizers hope this retreat will help people begin that new life. There's equine therapy, a therapy dog named Shani (ph) with his sidekick, Juni (ph). And there's time and space to talk with each other about what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. SASI: Everyone has PTSD and it's real. So it's just nice to be around them, knowing that you're not alone in it. I was the happiest person, I think, in the world before. I'm just waiting for some sunny days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): The next day, afternoon storms create a rainbow on the horizon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARIN HEPNER, CO-CHAIR, OROT HEALING RETREAT: They have been through unimaginable, tragic, horrible things. I feel like they forgot what it feels like to feel safe. But if they can be reminded that who they were before, if one of these people can come here and reclaim that dream, then we've succeeded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): As the week goes on, they do confidence-building exercises. They sing and once again, the survivors of the Nova music festival join together and dance.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Anderson, thank you.

And a reminder that you can catch more on the anniversary of the October 7th attack tomorrow night at 8 PM. CNN's Bianna Golodryga will be sitting down with family members of those taken captive, and she's speaking directly with some of the released hostages on what they experienced.

The "Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" airs tomorrow night at 8 PM only on CNN.

We'll be right back.

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[18:53:15]

DEAN: New audio has surfaced as part of a lawsuit that accuses Christian Combs, Sean "Diddy" Combs' son, of sexual assault. The music mogul is not accused of sexual assault in the lawsuit, but is included over allegations of liability and aiding and abetting. The lawsuit cites audio from a makeshift recording studio on the yacht where the alleged assault happened.

This is the latest in a series of lawsuits filed against the rap mogul and businessman. Both men deny the allegations against them.

CNN National Correspondent Camila Bernal is joining us now live.

Camila, what more can you tell us about these new developments?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jessica.

So in this audio that CNN has now listened to, you can hear the accuser who says that she was essentially forced to take this tequila shot that she believes was laced with drugs. And in that audio, you can hear her asking Christian Combs if she's being drugged. And he responds by saying, "Take the shot."

Now, just to put things into perspective, this was an employee who was a crew member on the yacht. She was a bartender. And she says that sometime after that tequila shot incident, she was cornered into a room and things began to get physical. They began to get aggressive. She says that he grabbed her by the arm and eventually tried to force himself on her.

In this lawsuit, they included photos that allegedly show these bruises that she had on her arm. And the lawsuit essentially says that this was something that she felt uncomfortable with. And also, they allege that it was another employee who stopped the abuse because she walked into the room.

I want to read part of what her attorney is saying and it says this: "Defendant Sean Combs turned what was sold as a wholesome family excursion into a hedonistic environment. It resulted in an unexpected increase in workload for her and for her colleagues as well as unwanted exposure to unlawful drug use, sex work and general chaos."

[18:55:10]

And as you mentioned, Jessica, Diddy is not accused of sexual assault, but he is accused of liability and aiding and abetting and in part is because he did lease that yacht. Now, the two men who, through their attorney, are saying that this is a lie essentially and they want to clear their names.

I want to read part of what their attorney is saying about all of this. The attorney says, "This complaint is filled with manufactured lies and irrelevant facts." And then goes on to say, "We will be filing a motion to dismiss this outrageous claim."

So, again, these are two men who have continuously said that this is not who they are or this is not what they have done. And it's unclear whether this will be resolved in court or through a settlement. But we'll, of course, be looking to see exactly what happens next in all of this, Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Camila Bernal, thanks so much for that reporting.

And a reminder, the CNN podcast "5 Things" now has a Saturday edition called "5 Good Things," where you can take a breather from the headlines and hear all the uplifting stories across the world. You can listen to this story and more like it wherever you get your podcasts.

We'll be right back.

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