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Tornadoes Collapse Buildings And Level Homes In Nebraska And Iowa; Pro-Palestinian Protests Spread To College Campuses Across The United States; Trump's Ex-Assistant Rhona Graff called As Second Witness; Biden Says He Would Be Happy To Debate Trump; U.S. Announces $6 Billion Long-Term Military Aid Package For Ukraine; Many Americans Are Exposed To Unhealthy Levels Of Air Pollution. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired April 27, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And after his release, he taught journalism at a number of universities. Salome said that her father would want to be remembered for his humanitarian work for many causes, including the protection of journalists.

And that is all we have time for this week. Don't forget, you can find all our shows online as podcast at cnn.com/podcast, and on all other major platforms.

I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching, and see you again next week.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

[12:00:39]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin with this breaking news after devastating tornadoes ripped through the central plains overnight, with more threats on the way.

Now, nearly 55 million people from Texas to Michigan are under threat for severe weather. The area between Dallas and Kansas City is expected to get the hardest hit with tornadoes, baseball size hail and flooding among the hazards.

At least 78 tornadoes were reported across five states on Friday with no fatalities reported. Officials credit the warning systems for saving lives.

Now, rescue crews are up against the clock, searching flattened homes for anyone trapped before the storms intensify again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got home as fast as we could. I got my babies in the basement. We covered up with a blanket, we got her dark down there. All of a sudden, the lights went out, and we heard everything being thrown around above us. And that was -- it was so scary. It was so scary of -- I was so scary to our neighbors. Everybody, everyone's houses are -- they're gone. They are gone. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. For the latest now, I'm joined by CNN's Lucy Kafanov in hard-hit Elkhorn, Nebraska and meteorologist Elisa Raffa, who is tracking all of this from the CNN weather center. So, Lucy, let's go to you first. Tell us what you're seeing there.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, when we arrived to this neighborhood, it was completely pitch black, you couldn't really tell the full scale of the destruction.

But take a look behind me. That white car completely flipped on its roof. That used to be a single-story home, a single-family home, completely flattened. And follow me as I give you a closer look. You'll see residents now returning to their homes, trying to salvage what's left in the path of this massive twister that touchdown on Friday. It ripped through this entire suburb, flattening cars -- flipping cars, flattening homes.

What you are seeing, also, actually I want to point out, the pink graffiti, the circles here on almost every one of these homes. That was put in place by crews last night who were trying to check in for anyone that may have been trapped here. We know that there were basements here, so a lot of the families wrote out that twister in their basements.

There are folks -- again, returning to their homes, trying to assess the damage. There are a lot of volunteers, neighbors from safer areas, who are here just to help to try to help families salvage what they can.

Overhear, I spoke with the owner of that home. They moved in a year ago. Their family was visiting from out of town. The homeowner said that she is -- she's never heard a tornado siren before. She said she's obviously seen it in the movies, but when she heard it, she didn't know what to do.

One family member almost wanted to run out, they all had to shelter in the basement for safety.

And you see a lot of vehicles here again, close knit community, people are really helping each other out. There is insurance for a lot of the folks here. So, there is the possibility of rebuilding. But obviously, with this scale of destruction, that is going to be a very difficult and long road ahead.

Right now, a lot of the folks that I've spoken to express numbness, shock, there hasn't really been time to process this. Again, the sun came up just a little while ago, people are just returning to this area.

They lost power here. So, everyone was largely evacuated once it was safe to get out. So far, two people injured. We're not sure about whether there is going to be more extensive injuries or casualties. But police yesterday said it was a miracle that there were so few injuries. And they credit that to the early warnings, enough time to get to safety or to get out. In fact, some of those tornado warnings took place right around the time that kids were getting out of school and so a lot of children sheltered in their schools, before returning to safer, safer areas.

And again, we'll get out of the shot just to show you. I mean, the full scale of this devastation is really hard to wrap your mind around. I mean, it almost looks like a fresh construction site. But no, families had been living here.

I think this home that you're looking at, we heard that the family moved in there just a few weeks ago, that life completely interrupted. Fred?

[12:05:01]

WHITFIELD: Well, oh, yes, it's devastating there, Lucy. And obviously, you know, many people are also counting their blessings, considering the losses, but the assessments really have just gotten started.

I will check back with you. Lucy Kavanaugh, thank you so much.

Elisa, so, what kind of conditions are we talking about? For what areas? I mean, that was Nebraska. We know that Iowa also hard hit. But Texas is also an area that is also dealing with severe -- or threats of more severe weather.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. A lot of the same area today that they are trying to pick up the pieces. We could see additional storms as we go through the day. You could see all of the reports there from Nebraska into Iowa. And this is the threat for today. It's a level four out of five that moderate risk there in the red.

A little bit farther south than where it was yesterday going into parts of Oklahoma and Texas, but some strong tornadoes possible. Now, that outbreak yesterday in the Omaha area even headed into Des Moines. There were 42 tornado warnings issued by that one office in Omaha. That is the most in five years in a single day for a National Weather Service office. So, just incredible the amount of warnings that we had and all of the tornadoes.

Right now, we have additional tornado warnings in parts of Oklahoma, just to the west there -- Oklahoma City as storms start to fire up. We are starting to get that daytime heat and humidity to cook the atmosphere and we're ready sorting to find storms explode.

Here is a tornado watch that we've got for parts of Oklahoma and Texas. This goes into one 1:00 Central Time. We are expecting this to be expanded and strength that you know, as we go through the day to day, extended. We'll have additional tornado watches as we go through the day, because we're expecting another round of possibly strong tornadoes.

Here is that risk for today. Strong tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail up to tennis ball size. You can see that red, moderate risk, a level four out of five. In that area, specifically, we could be looking at a chance of tornadoes that could be very strong.

We're talking EF3 or stronger. That could cause severe damage. Similar to what we saw yesterday. We're talking about winds upwards of 135 miles per hour to 165 miles per hour.

Just put that in perspective what an EF3 tornado can do. And weekend, we'll find these storms really blowing up as we go through the day today because that atmosphere is so super fueled already. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Elisa Raffa, keep us posted. Thank you so much for that.

All right. We are also following new developments in the eruption of pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses. Police detained about 100 people at Northeastern University in Boston on Friday, clearing what they called an unauthorized encampment.

And in a statement earlier today, Northeastern officials said they believed professional organizers had joined the ranks of student protesters. Administrators at Cal Poly Humboldt, say they are closing campus for the remainder of the semester due to the continued occupation of two buildings.

We've seen similar scenes across the country as demonstrators demand an end to the war in Gaza and call on universities to divest funding in various movements. University officials say reports of anti- Semitism and vandalism on campus could not be tolerated.

And many Jewish students say they don't feel safe at their schools. CNN's Polo Sandoval and Rafael Romo are monitoring the situations at separate campuses.

Polo, you're at Columbia University. What are you seeing there right now?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So far, if you compare it to yesterday, when we did see some tempers flare up during some non- student protests that took place, just off campus, things are relatively calm today. But it's what you can't see, which is these ongoing negotiations between leaders of that student encampment that's been on Columbia for about 10 days now, and a handful of university officials.

That's what we're really focusing on. Because those apparently are ongoing. Yesterday, though, I did hear from some of the participants of that encampment leaders of that group, and they really just -- what they -- based on what they shared, it seems that the negotiations after showing some progress on Thursday have slowed or even stalled.

I want you to hear from Mahmoud Khalil. He's one of two negotiators -- student negotiators, who I talked to yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD KHALIL, STUDENT NEGOTIATOR: We are at a stage where kind of an impasse. The university is not acknowledging the movement and the extent of the movement. And what they are willing to offer is mostly just the statements, processes, and committees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: I think that's really the stalemate when you're talking about the encampment that started this massive wave of demonstrations from coast to coast that they are, in fact, at a stalemate. But nonetheless, they are continuing. I did have an opportunity to speak a few moments ago to one of the student organizers and told me that they likely will not have an update on those negotiations until Monday, which means Fred, that, that encampment will likely continue for at least the rest of the weekend.

The Columbia University weighing in, saying they are still actively engaged with those students to try to find a resolution. But they are also considering other options -- potential options in order to, as they put it, restore calm on campus. But for now, it is certainly calm both on and off campus. And we'll continue to track for the rest of the weekend. Fred.

[12:10:06]

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval at New York Columbia University.

All right. Let's go to Atlanta and Emory University, where we find Rafael Romo. Rafael, there were arrests. There was a lot of unrest on campus as well yesterday. What's it like today?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. Well, the situation here at Emory University continues to be tense this weekend, after clashes with police resulted in multiple arrests on Thursday, including at least a couple of Emory University professors.

There were protests once again here Friday, but they were more peaceful. And also, Friday, Fred, Emory tenured faculty gathered on campus to express concerns about the violent arrest that took place, Thursday. They were considering a motion for a no-confidence vote of Emory University President Greg Fenves.

One of those attending was Noelle McAfee, a professor and chair of the philosophy department here at Emory University, who was arrested during the chaos on Thursday.

McAfee, said university administrators made the problem worse on Thursday, when they call the Atlanta Police Department. McAfee spoke to CNN about her arrests. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOELLE MCAFEE, PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT, EMORY UNIVERSITY: So, what happened in there was that one cop stood up and said, ma'am, you need to step back. You need to step back. And here I am now not just professor, but human being watching this child being pummeled. I said, no. And I stood there. But I stood in a way that was non-confrontational. I just stood there. And then, I'm arrested.

ROMO: And Fredricka, some of the professors and students who participated in the protests differ greatly from administrators. When you ask them what happened Thursday, they say it was mostly students or people affiliated with the university, but President Fenves said in a statement that some were highly organized outside protesters who arrived on campus in vans, construct -- and constructed an encampment.

In a statement, he also said that he is not going to tolerate any violence, any disruption of activities here on campus. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rafael Romo and Atlanta, Polo Sandoval in New York. I thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

Meantime, school teachers in Tennessee are now allowed to carry guns in the classroom. The state's governor signed the legislation into law on Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL LEE (R-TN): I think, we need to be really clear about what this -- what this law does. Your right. Districts have the option to choose.

What's important to me is that we give districts tools and the option to use a tool that will keep their children safe in their school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Educators seeking to bring a handgun on campus will be required to complete a background check and undergo hours of training.

The new law comes more than a year after a shooter opened fire and killed six people at a covenant school in Nashville.

Evacuation orders remain in place after a train carrying propane derailed near the Arizona, New Mexico border. Huge flames could be seen billowing from the tangled overturn train cars. The burning hazardous material force part of I-40 to be shut down. No injuries were reported. The cause of the derailment is unclear right now.

NTSB inspectors are expected to arrive on the scene later on today. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a post that he is coordinating with state and local agencies to ensure safety in the region.

All right. Still to come. Three witnesses took the stand in the first week of testimony on Donald Trump's hush money trial. The major takeaways and what might be next straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:18:38]

WHITFIELD: All right, the eighth day of former President Trump's criminal hush money trial saw three key witnesses testify. Former tabloid publisher and longtime trump friend David Pecker, wrapping up more than ten hours of testimony. Jurors also heard from trumps former longtime personal assistant, Rhona Graff, as well as Michael Cohen's banker, who arranged his home equity line of credit, which Cohen used to pay Stormy Daniels, $130,000 in hush money.

CNN's Kara Scannell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A new witness, former President Donald Trump's assistant of 34 years took the stand on Friday, shedding light on the inner workings of the Trump Organization in Trump's hush money trial.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Rhona, let me have the calls, please.

SCANNELL (voice over): Rhona Graff, whose office was next door to Trump's on the 26th floor of Trump Tower, said she was in control of his calendar and maintaining his contact list at the organization.

Graff confirmed two contacts she maintained were for former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, and adult film star, Stormy Daniels. Two women who alleged affairs with Trump, both of which he denies.

McDougal's contact entry included a phone number, e-mail, and two addresses. Daniels' contact listed her cell phone. She testified as far as she can remember, Trump never used e-mail to communicate.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Graff if she had seen Daniels at Trump Tower.

[12:20:01]

Graff responded that she vaguely recalled one scene Daniels in reception on the 26th floor.

Then, it was Trump's attorneys turn to cross examine Graff. Susan Necheles asked Graff about Trump's interest in casting stars in "Celebrity Apprentice" suggesting, that was the reason Daniels was spotted at Trump Tower.

Graff responded that's what she assumed, testifying. I vaguely recall hearing him say that she was one of the people that may be an interesting contestant on the show.

TRUMP: Thank you, good job.

SCANNELL (voice over): As Trump's assistant, Graff often appeared on "The Apprentice".

RHONA GRAFF, FORMER TRUMP ASSISTANT: Hi, this is Rhona in Mr. Trump's office.

He asked me to call you and tell you to meet him tomorrow morning at the New York Stock Exchange.

SCANNELL (voice over): Graff said in her testimony that she felt "The Apprentice" elevated Trump to rock star status. Necheles also focused on demonstrating Trump and Graff had a good working relationship.

She asked if Trump was a good boss. Graff responded, "I think that he was fair and respectful boss to me." She added, "Sometimes, he would peek his head in and say go home to your family, which I thought was very thoughtful of him."

As Graff testified, Trump sat with a close-lipped smile, tilting his head to get a better view of his former assistant.

Trump's team made clear Graff was testifying under subpoena with Necheles asking, "You don't want to be here, do you?"

"Correct," Graff replied.

Earlier, Trump's attorneys worked hard to undermine a foundational witness for the prosecution. Ex-tabloid executive David Pecker, who was back on the stand for his fourth day of testimony.

During Trump's attorney Emil Bove, questioning of the former National Enquirer publisher, he attempted to discredit one of the prosecution's key witnesses, Trump's ex-personal attorney, Michael Cohen. He asked Pecker if he felt Cohen was prone to exaggeration. Pecker agreed he was.

After court, Trump weighed in on the trial.

TRUMP: This is eight days that we've all been sitting in this courthouse.

I just want to thank everybody for being here. I know you have to suffer through this like everybody else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCANNELL (on camera): Michael Cohen's banker took the stand on Friday afternoon, explaining to the jury how he helped set up a bank account for the Shell company that Cohen ultimately use to transfer the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels.

There is no court on Monday, but the banker will be back on the stand, Tuesday, answering question from prosecutors, before Trump's lawyers get a turn at him.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

WHITFIELD: All right. Former President Donald Trump will also have a key hearing next week on the gag order against him. Thursday morning, Judge Merchan will weigh prosecutors' arguments that Trump violated the order four more times this week when he talked about Michael Cohen, David Pecker and the jury. That's an addition to 10 other incidents, in which he is accused of violating the order.

Joining us right now, Camille Vasquez, a partner in the Brown Rudnick law firm and co-chair of the Brand and Reputation Management group. Vasquez also successfully represented Johnny Depp in his defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Camille, great to see you. CAMILLE VASQUEZ, PARTNER IN THE BROWN RUDNICK LAW FIRM: Nice to be here.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's talk about this gag order, upcoming gag order hearing. We know one already took place last week. How do you expect a part two to go?

VASQUEZ: Will be very interesting to see how the judge's tone that he takes with president -- former President Trump. I think that what we'll see is stern, I think he will be very stern with the defendant and with his attorneys.

Obviously, President Trump feels that the gag order is unfair, and he is clearly trying to abide by it, but also testing the judge's patience and limit. So, we will see what the judge does. I expect he will be stern. He may sanction the defendant in this case. It will be interesting to see.

WHITFIELD: OK. When you say stern and Trump abiding by it, those things don't seem to, you know, compute with what we're seeing. I mean, the judge has refrained from doing anything.

And Trump has been continuing to kind of push, you know, the limits.

So, first up with the judge, I mean, what is stern? Is it -- is it time now to impose, you know, some financial -- some fines? Perhaps, it's going to create too much attention if the judge were to put, you know, him in jail for contempt, because this is so highly publicized, it's a former president, and logistically, there may be some real problems. But what do you mean by Stern?

VASQUEZ: I think he -- I don't think he will actually sanction or impose any fines yet on the former president, but I suspect he will admonish him, and do it publicly, in a way that will send the message that should there be any other violations of this gag order will not shy away from sanctioning him, finding him, or potentially worse, holding him in contempt.

[12:25:01]

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, you were talking about, you know, Trump, seemingly, you know, trying to abide by it, if anything he's been, you know, pushing it. He has not refrained from criticizing the judge, from criticizing witnesses. Talk to me, you know, from the attorney's standpoint, representing a high-profile client. High profile, in this case, a former president. What do you think is happening between the conversations of his attorneys and him? How are they perhaps encouraging him to back off? Or are they saying just go ahead and be yourself? I mean, what is that conversation like? Because it obviously is an issue, if now there's going to be yet another hearing on the gag order.

VASQUEZ: It is an issue. And I think it's an interesting one, especially when you're referring to a defendant -- a criminal defendant in this case, that is in a campaign, and he is the presumptive Republican nominee. So, as a lawyer, it's a client-control issue. So, obviously, you have to impose upon the client the responsibilities and the fact that he has to abide by the court order.

However, you're also speaking to the presumptive nominee for the -- for the presidency, and then an election that's highly contested. And it's a polarizing issue here, whether the gag order is fair or not.

So, I think that as an attorney, they have to admonish him, they have to remind him of the order. However, they also understand that he's a candidate during an election year. So, I think that it's -- what I've seen, at least from former President Trump is, yes, he's probably violating the gag order at this point, but he is doing it in a way that a lot of people will view it as toeing the line.

He hasn't exactly flagrantly violated it, but he is toeing the line. And that's why I don't suspect the judge will find him at this point. But the judge is likely going to be very stern with him.

WHITFIELD: If you were his attorney, what would you be advising him to do?

VASQUEZ: I would advise him to abide by the court's order. He has to do that. And as an attorney, we have an ethical obligation to do that, and to remind our clients of that.

But again, you're speaking with a presidential nominee. So, it's difficult, right? I mean, everyone is watching this trial, understanding that it's going to have a role in the way people go to the ballot box, come November.

So, he has to defend himself and he has a right to defend himself. However, he does also have to abide by the court's orders, and that includes the gag order in this case.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there. Camille Vasquez, thanks so much.

VASQUEZ: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up next, President Biden and Donald Trump may be one step closer to meeting on the debate stage ahead of November's presidential election?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:32:27]

WHITFIELD: All right. President Biden now says he's happy to debate Donald Trump ahead of this year's election. It's the first time Biden has said so explicitly in this campaign. Earlier, he told reporters any possible plans for a debate would depend on Trump's behavior. Biden's latest comments came in a wide ranging surprise interview with shock jock Howard Stern. (VEGIB VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD STERN, HOST, "THE HOWARD STERN SHOW": I don't know if you're going to debate your opponent.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I am somewhere. I don't know when. I'm happy to debate him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joining us now from the White House. Priscilla, so what else did the president have to say in this interview?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president also got personal, talking about his early career or childhood loss and also that he didn't take law school seriously enough. Now, all of this in that interview, taking on an alternative media outlet as the campaign has been trying to do more of to reach voters across the spectrum.

But it was notable, Fred, what he had to say about taking the debate stage with former President Donald Trump. It was his most robust commitment up until this point to take that debate stage because as you mentioned there earlier, he has up until this point really conditioned whether or not he would participate in a debate on his Republican rival's behavior.

Now, of course, this comes as republicans have been turning up the volume on there being a debate. The Trump team is eager to put the former president on the debate stage.

And the Biden camp does see the 2020 debate between then-candidate Biden and the former president as a ultimately positive one. Now, we don't know if and when a debate will happen, but clearly we're getting indicators from both sides now that there is interest in having a debate. What happens next? We will see. But clearly the president making clear in this interview that he's willing to do it.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then some fun this evening, the president is going to be attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner, kind of flex his sense of humor. What do we know about his script, what he's going to say, what he's going to do?

ALVAREZ: Well, it's certainly an opportunity to need all the media and his republican rival Donald Trump. It's going to be an audience of nearly 3,000 journalists, politicians and celebrities all gathering for an hours-long affair. And it takes days for the president to prepare his speech. For this evening, his teams have been meeting on a daily and weekly basis. People in Biden's orbit also send in jokes to see if they can make the cut and get that included in his remarks. But

over time, he has started to make more jokes and comments about the former president when he's on the campaign trail. So we'll likely see some of that.

[12:35:04] But then he'll also take a serious tone on the targeting of journalists across the country, including those who are detained abroad.

WHITFIELD: All right, Priscilla Alvarez at the White House, thanks so much. And of course, join us tonight for one of the most unforgettable events in the nation's capital. President Biden and comedian Colin Jost headline at the White House Correspondents' Dinner hosted by John Berman and Sara Sidner. That's live tonight at 7:00 Eastern on CNN and streaming on Max.

All right. Still to come, a $6 billion military aid package for Ukraine. Details after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:40:19]

WHITFIELD: All right. The U.S. is committing more resources to bolster Ukraine's war against Russia's invasion. On Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the largest long-term military aid package to date, providing $6 billion of new military equipment. It comes just days after President Biden signed a long delayed $61 billion foreign aid package to Ukraine. $1 billion of equipment is quickly making its way to the front lines.

Joining us right now, TIME correspondent Simon Shuster. Simon, great to see you. So, President Biden, just moments after signing that sizable legislation, you know, said that aid would begin within hours. How crucial, how critical has it been for Ukrainian forces to be receiving this aid right away?

SIMON SHUSTER, TIME CORRESPONDENT: It's absolutely critical. I mean, they've been desperately waiting for this aid to come through for months, almost half a year. And the situation on the front line was really starting to deteriorate without this kind of help.

And also the morale of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian leadership's ability to get soldiers, get Ukrainian men to serve in the military was also deteriorating because the country didn't feel that this aid was going to come through.

President Zelenskyy has been very clear both in private conversations with members of Congress and in his public statements that without American support, Ukraine cannot win this war. So those were the stakes. And now I think everyone is breathing a sigh of relief and trying to move forward and win this thing.

WHITFIELD: Have you heard anything about whether this is changing the military strategy for Ukraine with anticipation that more aid is on the way?

SHUSTER: Yes, they have been changing the strategy somewhat compared to the first year and a half or so of the full scale war, at least in the sense of focusing much more on domestic weapons production. So they want to be able to not only rely on weapons arriving from abroad, but to be able to use some of the assistance that they're getting to ramp up their own military production inside Ukraine.

One thing that does is it kind of future proofs the Ukrainian ability to continue fighting and stay in this war as long as they feel it's necessary and important. Even if in the future down the road there's another holdup, there's another delay, or there's an attempt to block aid in the future, the Ukrainians want to strategically be able to produce more of their own weapons.

But still in my conversations with President Zelenskyy, and his team, they're very clear and direct about the fact that is a long term strategy. In the short term and the medium term, they need western support. They can't survive this Russian aggression without it.

WHITFIELD: All right, I want to now turn to what's happening in Russia. You recently interviewed Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny for TIME magazine. What is her message today following her husband's death? That was back in February. But I know for her and for his followers, it really feels like yesterday.

SHUSTER: That's right. And this was the first interview that she gave since her husband's death in prison. It was the first interview that she used, really to explain what is the strategy going forward as she attempts to take the lead of the Russian opposition movement, a role that her husband previously held, even from prison.

The picture is pretty bleak. The wave of repressions that Russia has imposed on the opposition. And really, any dissent inside Russia is verging on the totalitarian. I mean, it's very extreme. All independent media have been pushed out of the country. Dissidents are either in exile or in prison or worse.

So she said that she's aiming to keep the network of activists together, to keep their morale as high as possible, and to find ways for people inside Russia to show dissent, even if it's in a small way, even if it's signing a petition or attending a flash mob or anything, to allow them to feel that there is hope for a Russia after Putin, there is hope for political change.

That is not a very ambitious goal, but it's the only realistic one I think they can pursue in the context of the extreme repressions that are going on in Russia now.

WHITFIELD: And you also wrote that Navalnya is taking on a role that she had never occupied before, the figurehead of the Russian opposition.

[12:45:07]

And she said this most of all. I want the Kremlin and its officials to understand, if they killed Alexei, then I will step up. If they do something to me, another person will come. She says. All of this, plus there are many, many people who are against the ruling authorities in Russia, against the regime. And I don't doubt that even if they kill a great many of these people, more will appear to take their place.

I mean, she's bold. She is confident. And how is this being received?

SHUSTER: I think among the opposition activists again, many of whom are now in exile, but even those inside Russia, it was a ray of hope. What I sensed from talking to them after Alexei Navalny's death was an enormous sense of despair and hopelessness.

And Yulia Navalnaya stepping into his role, attempting to take leadership of this movement, really gave people some ray of hope that, yes, indeed, the movement can survive, can continue beyond the death in prison of its leader.

But so far, I had the sense it's only been a couple of months roughly since he was killed. I have the sense that they're still looking for ways, strategies to continue on in the future without him. It's going to be a long road and a really difficult one because the repression are very extreme there.

WHITFIELD: All right. Simon Schuster, great to see you again. Thank you so much.

SHUSTER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: When we come back, the number of Americans living in places with unhealthy levels of polluted air is increasing. What's causing the trend in the cities with the most air pollution? Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:51:25]

WHITFIELD: All right. More than 100 million -- 130 rather million people are living with unhealthy levels of polluted air. That's according to a new report from the American Lung Association. The authors say this is a significant increase from last year's pollution levels. Joining me right now to discuss is CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard. Jacqueline, what's behind this increase?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: I know, Fred. Well, it comes down to wildfires, extreme heat, drought. Those are all factors driving this increase. And, you know, those are factors associated with climate change as well.

So what this new report tells us, it estimates about 39 percent of people here in the United States live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution.

WHITFIELD: That's a lot.

HOWARD: It's a lot. And it's an increase from what was estimated last year. It was estimated about a quarter of us breathe unhealthy air. So what we know a lot of these places with unhealthy air pollution are based in the west. If you look at a list of the cities most polluted by particle pollution and ozone pollution as well, particle pollution you see there, most of the cities are in California. There's one in Oregon. When we look at ozone pollution, ozone is a big part of smog. Most of

the cities are also in California, one in Arizona. But then when you look at cities with the healthiest, cleanest air, according to this report, many of them are in the east. There's one in Maine, one in North Carolina. So we do see these regional differences.

WHITFIELD: Exactly. Is there a correlation with vehicular traffic? Is that a pollutant?

HOWARD: There is, but the main correlation here has been with the wildfires we've seen in the west a lot recently, especially in California.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

HOWARD: And we know air pollution is associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases. So this is a public health issue.

WHITFIELD: For us, and it's really important for people to know. All right. Jacqueline Howard, good to see you. Thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, we're following the devastating severe weather that flattened homes across parts of Nebraska and Iowa. We're live in one of the hardest hit communities.

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[12:58:06]

WHITFIELD: More than 100 years after the Titanic sunk to its watery grave, the myths and mysteries surrounding this ill-fated ship still draw explorers to the depths of the sea. Despite the many dangers involved in traveling to the ocean floor, some are willing to risk their lives to see the Titanic wreckage for themselves.

Last summer, a disastrous end to one such attempt aboard the experimental Titan submersible. Jason Carroll, who has long reported on deep dive ocean missions, takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COL. TERRY VIRTS, RET. NASA ASTRONAUT: It's something that honestly still has not really sunk in.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For people like Colonel Terry Virts, the Titan accident seems like it happened yesterday. He was friends with one of the men on board, Hamish Harding, the British billionaire and explorer.

VIRTS: It still feels like he's around, like I could call him up and we could plan our next adventure.

CARROLL (voice-over): One of their previous adventures included a record setting flight around the world in 2019. Virts, a former NASA astronaut, knows the risks that come with exploration and has some thoughts about what may have happened to Titan.

VIRTS: When you're going to have a high pressure vessel, for example, space shuttle propellant tanks, they have to be a sphere. Then the Titan was not a sphere.

CARROLL: Why a sphere? Is that just because structurally a sphere is stronger?

VIRTS: Yes. And the other problem is not just the shape. It was the materials they had composite and metal. Mixing two materials makes for an easy place for something to fail.

CARROLL (voice-over): According to OceanGate, the company that created Titan, it was made from carbon fiber and titanium.

CARROLL: After the sub's initial disappearance, it was revealed that at least two former OceanGate employees had raised red flags about the thickness of the carbon fiber hull. And that was years before the accident. The exact cause? Still under investigation.

[13:00:04]

CARROLL (voice-over): German explorer Arthur Leibold can't stop thinking about how lucky he is to be alive.