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Biden And Netanyahu Holds Call, Discuss Multiple Issues; New Poll Out, Trump Leading Biden Over 2024 Matchup; Growing Unrest In U.S Campuses; Trump's Hush Money Trial Resumes; Trump Faces Trial; Jessica Dean Interviews Matt Friend; Elisa Raffa Discusses About The Severe Weather; CNN Original Series Presents "How It Really Happened: Titanic Part 1 And 2". Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 28, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Well, hopefully it was smooth sailing after that. Congratulations to them. All right. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. The "CNN Newsroom" continues with Jessica Dean right now.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom." Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington, and we begin this afternoon with breaking news. The White House saying President Biden just wrapped up a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That call coming just days after the president signed an aid package, including $26 billion for Israel, and as Biden faces increased pressure to end the war amid big protests at college campuses all across the country.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is joining us now from the White House with more details on this. Priscilla, what more are you getting on the readout from this call?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about multiple issues in their call earlier today, ranging from those attacks or those strikes, I should say, that hit Iran, that hit Israel earlier this month, as well as Israel's defense.

And to that point, the president said, according to this readout, quote, "reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel's security following the successful defense against Iran's unprecedented missile and drone attack earlier this month." Now, in addition to this, they also talked about that hostage deal that has been ongoing. Those talks have been ongoing for some time now with top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is traveling to the Middle East today.

And they talked about trying to reach that deal and do so promptly so they can get those hostages out, but also get that ceasefire, the temporary ceasefire, so they can get humanitarian aid into Gaza. Another important topic that they talked about was Rafah, that potential operation that Israel has considered into Rafah. That has been a concern for the White House because there are over a million Palestinians that have been displaced that are in that region. And it's been a concern because the White House has been hoping that Israel can contain civilian casualties, and they don't see an operation there as tenable. They said in this readout, quote, "The leaders discussed Rafah, and the president reiterated his clear position." So, clearly, the two leaders touching on multiple issues over the course of this phone call.

The last time they talked was earlier in April. They talk often when they are in a pivotal moment or an inflection point. This is right now a very relevant time with those hostage talks ongoing and with hopes that there can be some type of breakthrough for that temporary ceasefire and for the release of hostages, Jessica.

DEAN: And Priscilla, we're also getting some new polling out today on the 2024 race. Walk us through what this means for the president.

ALVAREZ: Well, it's still very much a close race. But again, Donald Trump showing in these polls that he continues to hold an advantage over President Joe Biden. Now, according to these numbers that you see there on your screen, 49 percent of registered voters choose Donald Trump and then only 43 percent for Biden.

Now, earlier in the year, Biden's numbers were around 45 percent. So, he's still those numbers are holding steady. And there are issues that are dogging the president and that his team is well aware of, one of them being the handling of Israel's war against Hamas that is unfolding in Gaza.

Now, you've seen the protesters that have been happening across campuses. And according to our polling here, there is major disapproval over the president's handling of the Israel-Hamas war with 71 percent disapproving.

And then, too, is the economy. And this has been an issue that the White House and the Biden campaign have tried to convey to voters that it is heading in the right direction. But we are still seeing in these numbers that there is still quite a bit of hesitation over whether that's indeed true, with registered voters here only 34 percent approving of the president's handling of the economy.

These are two issues, Jessica, that are going to be front of mind for voters. That is what Democratic strategists anticipate at this point, especially the economy. And so, these numbers do not look good for President Biden. And, again, this has been a challenge for the Biden campaign.

And as the president hits the trail, he has been touching on the economy and trying to, again, show the results of what his administration has done and how it's affecting voters in a positive way. But clearly what these polls show is that there is still a long road ahead for the president, Jessica.

DEAN: About six months until Election Day at this point. Priscilla Alvarez at the White House for us. Thanks so much. And joining us now is senior political analyst and senior editor at "The Atlantic," Ron Brownstein. Ron, great to see you. We just heard Priscilla walking us through some of those polling numbers. And just to reiterate for people, 71 percent of U.S. adults disapprove of Biden's handling of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

[17:05:06]

And you look at that number of those 18 to 34, 81 percent disapproval rate. Ron, at this point, what kind of political impact could those numbers have for Biden as he's running for reelection?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah, and a majority of Democrats in the polls say they disapprove of his handling. Look, you know, on its own, we saw in the Harvard IOP poll that concern about the war ranked relatively low among the issues that young people care about most.

But it is reinforcing what was already happening, which is that Biden has struggled with younger voters really since his emergence as the Democratic nominee. I mean, he did not do well with them in the 2020 primary. They did rally around him against Trump in the 2020 general election.

But his approval among them has been has been low ever since. And you are seeing, you know, what you are seeing on college campuses, there are, you know, obviously excesses. There are anti-Semitic behavior as part of it. But it is also a genuine reflection of a broad discontent in the Democratic coalition, especially among younger voters, with the extent to which he has basically stood arm in arm with Netanyahu as he has, you know, kind of pursued this strategy on the war.

And, you know, you see in the CNN poll, Biden underperforming among young voters. Again, this is not the only reason. But when you start off facing a headwind, it is just another obstacle that he has to get over to get anywhere near what Democrats have gained among these voters in the past.

DEAN: Yeah. And you mentioned the protests. We've obviously been covering them over the past several weeks as they have grown across the country. What do you think -- what kind of impact do you think they're going to have? As I just said, we are still six months away from Election Day and the semesters are set to end soonish for a lot of these students. But yet we do see all of these images over and over and over again.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, I mean, you know, often, you know, when you're the incumbent, you're running not only against your opponent, you're running against events, you're running against what is actually happening. And as Priscilla was saying, you know, the persistence of inflation, the fact that it hasn't gone down and continue to decline the way that the Fed was hoping, you can see that reflected in these polling numbers, both nationally and key states in the discontent about the economy.

And similarly, you know, when you have this level of kind of tumult on college campuses, there's a risk for Biden of kind of getting hit on both ends of the swinging door where the visibility of this discontent, I think, will inflame the concerns among those in the Democratic coalition that are alienated and disappointed in his policy and how far he has gone down the road with Netanyahu.

And then conversely, just the sheer disorder presents a risk to him. You know, Republicans believe that one of the problems Biden faces, and really this is kind of the political manifestation of the age issue, is that many voters think he just is being overmatched by events, you know, which is something that can really prove devastating to a president, go back to Jimmy Carter. And this, again, becomes one more example of that.

So, it is a dangerous trend for Biden. He needs this war to calm down so he can begin to try to regain some ground among younger voters. But of course, Netanyahu's incentive is exactly the opposite. I mean, he wants October 7th to be as far in the rearview mirror as possible before he has to face voters. So they are, as on many fronts, I think, you know, operating on very different wavelengths.

DEAN: And in digging into some more of these numbers in our new poll, it showed that 61 percent of registered voters think that Biden's time in office has been a failure, with only 39 percent saying success. And then you look at Trump's numbers there, 55 percent saying his time in office was a success, with 44 percent saying it was a failure. What do you think's driving these numbers?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, well, interesting. First of all, I mean, the CNN, you know, every poll is different. The CNN poll that's out today is the worst for Biden of the recent polls. I mean, there were four other national high quality national polls this week that had the race between even and a plus two for Trump. So, this is kind of at the low end of what we are seeing for Biden.

But, you know, directionally, there are some important consistencies between this poll and the others. And one of them is what you cite, which is that the retrospective assessments of Trump's presidency have been consistently improving. I mean, his job approval in multiple polls now looking back is higher than it ever was when he was president.

I think the key to that is largely the comparison with Biden on inflation above all, but also on some other issues like immigration. And in many ways, voters are kind of, you know, putting on Trump as a kind of antidote to what they don't like about Biden.

[17:10:04]

The other thing that's really important in the CNN poll is you continue to see this pattern that I wrote about a few weeks ago, as in all of the other national polls, as in the three key swing state polls that came out today, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. Biden is largely somewhat surprisingly holding his 2020 support among white voters, particularly college educated white voters and not even really declining much among the blue-collar white voters who are the core of Trump's coalition. The reason he is down from where he was in 2020 dramatically in the

CNN poll is because he is underperforming what he got last time and what Democrats traditionally get among non-white voters, black voters and Hispanic voters. You know, the CNN poll has him as only plus 12 among those voters when he was more like plus 45 in the exit polls in 2020.

So that really raises the question, you know, can Trump really sustain those inroads all the way to November, given the way he talks about racially related issues? Can Biden sustain what he has now among white voters, given the discontent about the economy? It's kind of an upside-down racial dynamic in '24 that's behind all of these numbers.

DEAN: It is. It's very interesting. All right. Ron Brownstein, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

DEAN: Still ahead, tensions running high at UCLA, dueling protests facing off on campus there. A pro-Israel group demonstrating against pro-Palestinian protesters. We'll take you there live next. You're on the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:16:14]

DEAN: Protests against Israel's war on Gaza continue across the country today. Police arrested hundreds of protesters yesterday, with some universities calling in police to clear the protesters and their encampments. And joining us now, Polo Sandoval, who's at Columbia University and Camilla Bernal at UCLA.

Let's start first with Camilla. You were there yesterday. It seemed pretty quiet, but things have been pretty active there today.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jessica, completely different. We did see a lot of violence. We saw a lot of people shoving each other, yelling at each other. I mean, tensions and energy extremely high today. So, there was a counter-protest, a group of people who came out to support the Jewish students here on campus.

That event ended about an hour ago, so you see a lot less of that group, but they're still here. A lot of them saying that the students here feel harassed, that they feel unsafe on campus. And so, you still have a group of supporters here.

The problem was when the two sides would collide. And so, the university does not have police officers here. Instead, they have security guards. And what they did was set up a line of bicycles to separate both sides of this protest. Because things were getting violent, they were getting physical, so this is what they decided to do. Separate both sides so that they would not be able to essentially push each other and yell at each other.

You know, they continue to shout and sing and say that they're here to support their movement. But they are divided at the moment, which has prevented a lot of that violence. Of course, on that other side, you have the pro-Palestinian supporters who are here in support of the students that are in the encampment.

The encampment is actually a few feet away on the other side, and they have been blocked from these protests. So, what you're seeing is a lot of people who are not part of the encampment, but who are here to support this movement, who say they want to see this university divest from companies that are linked to Israeli companies and say they want to see transparency when it comes to the investment that UCLA and the UC system makes in terms of the money and where that goes. They want to see that transparency.

So again, tensions are high. This division here has helped tone things down a bit in terms of the violence that we were seeing earlier in the day. But passions are still very high, and you're still seeing people who say they want to continue to be here to get their voices heard.

But it is really important to point out that we've seen the violence on both sides. We've seen peaceful protesters on both sides. But again, just very, very passionate.

DEAN: All right, Camila Bernal for us in Los Angeles on campus at UCLA. Let's go to Polo Sandoval, who's at Columbia University in New York City. Polo, this is, of course, where a lot of this began about a couple weeks ago. What are things looking like today?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, around the Columbia campus, Jessica, it's fairly quiet on the sidewalk until it's not. So, I'm referencing some of these sporadic demonstrations on both sides that have popped up on the sidewalks surrounding Columbia. And just now there's actually a procession of pro-Palestinian vehicles, or at least the drivers of vehicles, that made a pass through the university, just waving flags and yelling out some chants.

So, it just speaks to what we have seen really since October play out on the streets of New York. On campus, a very different situation. It is quiet. The encampment continues there. When you hear from some of the pro-Palestinian members of that encampment, they will tell you that they have made some progress on a couple of their demands.

But that divestment item that really tops their list, that's where they have not seen any common ground in these negotiations that started last Friday between a couple of those students and members of the Columbia University campus --

[17:20:04]

I'm just looking over my shoulder just to make sure that you don't see really anything else -- but this is really what we've seen constantly, again, for quite some time. The attention is really narrowly focused on that encampment. And the pressure that has increased on Columbia University officials to see what their next move will be.

Will the president of the university, Minouche Shafik, turn again to the NYPD for help clearing out that encampment that is still in the middle of that lawn there? Or will they allow them to continue with commencement ceremonies only about three weeks away? Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Some big questions there. Polo Sandoval for us, just outside Columbia University in New York. Thanks so much. And students in Gaza are staging their own demonstrations expressing support for the pro-Palestinian protests that are going on across college campuses in America. Messages of gratitude spray painted on a tent in Rafah. Students there told CNN they feel the need to thank their student counterparts in the U.S. for speaking out.

Still ahead, former President Donald Trump will be back in court for the second week of testimony in his hush money trial in New York. What to expect and who's left on that witness list? Here in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:25:41]

DEAN: Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York will be back in session Tuesday. The former president facing 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that could have ended his 2016 run for president. In the week ahead, we could hear from some much-anticipated witnesses. You see some of them there, including Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen and former adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Last week, the jury heard from David Pecker, the former publisher of the "National Enquirer," about his actions to bury negative stories to help Trump win the election. They also heard from a banker and Trump's former executive assistant.

Let's talk more about the week ahead with CNN legal analyst Karen Agnifilo. She is also a former chief assistant Manhattan district attorney. Karen, thanks so much for being here with us. Let's just start first with what we're going to be watching for in this week ahead. What will you be looking for?

KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, unfortunately, we don't know who the witnesses are in advance. Normally, we do know in a trial because the prosecution, as a courtesy, will let the defense know who the following day's witnesses will be and in what order so they can prepare. But here, they're not telling the defense because of the risk of witness intimidation because the way Trump's been violating the gag order and tweeting about witnesses. So, we don't know who's next.

So, with that in mind and that caveat, this week, I am looking to see the prosecution continue to try and corroborate all of the details of this case through other witnesses before they get to Michael Cohen because as we know, Michael Cohen, although provides a lot of information for the trial, comes with some baggage. And, you know, he's been convicted of lying under oath before it, among other things.

So that is what they seem to be doing because in addition to calling David Pecker, who I think was a really strong witness for the prosecution, he really set the entire narrative that this was about the election and this was all about trying to hide information from the electorate right before the November election. And he did a really good job, I think, establishing that.

But after that, you started to see witnesses who were establishing things like dates, calendar entries, bank accounts, bank records, things like that. So, I think we're going to see a lot more of that this week. Sprinkled in there, I think we might also see some very substantive, interesting witnesses like perhaps Hope Hicks, Kellyanne Conway, people in Trump's inner circle who are going to talk about exactly what was going on at that time.

DEAN: And so, we're going to have their narratives. And also, this case is going to rely a lot on documents. And they're going to really, prosecutors are going to have to really hold the jury's hand in kind of weaving together this story.

AGNIFILO: That is true. So, any case that's dependent on documents can be a little boring because, unfortunately, the defense is not stipulating to the entry of any of the documents. So, there's going to be a lot of custodians of records that have to testify to enter certain bank documents and other invoices, et cetera, into evidence. It can be kind of boring, but at the end of the day, the records, I don't think, is going to be in dispute. They are what they are. They say what they say.

It's going to boil down to what the witnesses say about the records and what Donald Trump's intent was. Was his intent, for example, as he's saying, to hide information that could be embarrassing from his family, that he was having a couple of affairs at the time with both Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels? Or was this about the election? So that's going to be what the case, I think, rises and falls on.

DEAN: And on Thursday, the judge is going to hold a second hearing to decide if Trump has violated his gag order. And the prosecution has argued that Trump has violated it four times -- another four times, really, bringing the total to 14. What do you think the chances are the judge penalizes him in any way, fines him or even would give him jail time?

AGNIFILO: Look, I think at some point the judge will rule and will penalize him in some way. But the judge has already held a hearing last week and has not given his ruling yet. And there's a lot of speculation as to why.

[17:30:00]

And clearly the judge has decided not that there's no reason to render his decision right now. Perhaps it's because he's worried that any decision he makes, any punishment like jail time or a fine will be reported and could be seen by the jury, and the judge does not want to do anything that interferes with the jury, of course.

And Donald Trump has started to modulate his behavior. He is not criticizing the witnesses as much. So, I think the judge is letting this kind of hang over his head, clearly making a difference. And at some point, he'll rule, but I think he's waiting to see how he does during this interim period.

DEAN: Uh-hmm. And the gag order not the only legal decision we're waiting for. The Supreme Court, of course, hearing on Trump's presidential immunity claims. We heard those oral arguments last week. What was your takeaway from that and how do you anticipate this moves forward?

AGNIFILO: But the takeaway from that is clearly even the defense moved away from the idea that there's full immunity for all things when you are president, right? It's looking like based on the questioning that it's going to fall on where these private acts or where these presidential acts and even within presidential acts, right?

Like that SEAL Team 6 example, he has authority to command the military. Even within that, you know, that it still seems like they are quick, they're trying to decide what the right line is. Either way, the problem is it doesn't look like that trial is going to be happening before the election, and that in some ways is a win for Trump, no matter what the ultimate ruling is.

So, I would expect that based on the way the arguments went and how complicated these issues are, you're not going to see a very fast ruling and the result of that may be that the case does not go to trial before the election and the voters might not know one way or another the facts and whether Donald Trump is guilty of those facts beyond a reasonable doubt or not. This case, the Manhattan case, the one that's on trial right now, might be the only case that goes to trial prior to the November election.

DEAN: Yeah, his team has certainly had that strategy of delay, delay, delay. Karen Friedman Agnifilo, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

AGNIFILO: Thank you.

DEAN: Still ahead, comedians had a chance to poke fun of the president to his face at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last night. And comedian and friend of the show, Matt Friend, he did just that. And he's here in studio. He's going to join us right after this break.

But first, in today's thing, in today's start small, think big, we look at a new way for surgeons to practice on models that look, feel, and cut like their specific patients.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SMRITI ZANEVELD, FOUNDER, LAZARUS 3D: When I learned that surgeons operate and learn on bell peppers and learn to suture on bananas, the first reaction in my mind was that there's got to be a better way. So, we built that. Lazarus 3D is providing a tool for your surgeon to practice and rehearse that upcoming procedure on a copy of you.

So, we take your CT or MRI and from there, we're able to create a digital replica. Here is a kidney of a patient, here is a tumor, and from that digital design, we 3D print the physical copy that are very soft and realistic, creates these patient specific models. Here is the healthy kidney tissue that's surrounding the tumor. And all of those things need to feel realistic.

The tools responding to the liver and how they're responding to the stomach, it's going to be different because these synthetic tissues are behaving like the real patient's organs.

DR. JUAN GUERRA, MEDSTAR GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Let's keep cutting here.

ZANEVELD: Dr. Guerra had a complex liver transplant coming up and we were able to render the physical model to rehearse that approach for that patient ahead of that real surgery.

GUERRA: And I think that the biggest benefit of this 3D model is that we have a most accurate understanding of the donor's anatomy. By doing that, we can do a safer surgery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[17:39:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT FRIEND, COMEDIAN: Hello, everybody. Why is it so quiet? What's happening? It's quieter than sleepy Joe. Hello, Joe. How are you? Great to see you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: That's just a taste of the roasting at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington last night. Journalists and celebrities wanting to see how comedians like Colin Jost and the opening act comedian Matt Friend would poke fun at the president and politicians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEND: This dinner is sadder than Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured President's Department, right? Look at him with the white tuxedo. He doesn't like me too much, right? But I will tell you the Chinese apps are being banned. It's horrible. We have to post our David Peckers on Snapchat now. That's what they're saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

DEAN: Comedian Matt Friend joins us now. You had quite a night last night.

FRIEND: It is.

DEAN: How did it feel?

FRIEND: Absolutely insane. I mean, it was thrilling. I'm so grateful to Kelly O'Donnell and the team there for letting me do this.

DEAN: Uh-hmm.

FRIEND: It was an insane opportunity. And the jokes really write themselves. I mean, I had mentioned all the things I said about the puppies and Kristi Noem and, obviously, the courthouse.

[17:40:00]

I mean, a lot of things happening. I was kind of just repeating the headlines.

DEAN: Yeah. And you --

FRIEND: So, thrilling for me to do that. It was insane.

DEAN: Yeah. And just so people know, like, there are -- there are thousands of people in that room.

FRIEND: Thousands of people.

DEAN: And you stood up as they're seeing here. You weren't on stage.

FRIEND: Yeah. It was wild.

DEAN: Everyone was just -- and you're staring right at the president while -- while talking about him.

FRIEND: It's like Moses in the middle of -- the seas were parted. I'm not saying -- I'm not saying I was Moses, CNN, but I'm in the middle of this room, spotlight on me, president of United States is 30 feet away from me with the vice president, Lorne Michaels is sitting right there, all these people, and then -- and then it happened. I'm thrilled with it.

DEAN: So, how did it come to be? Did they put any limits on what you could say or do? Did they kind of give you guidance?

FRIEND: No. They were incredible. I mean, Kelly O'Donnell at the Correspondents Association, I think she could be a comedy writer.

(LAUGHTER)

Truthfully, like, they really let me do my thing, they were so supportive, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity and to be here with you right now.

DEAN: Obviously, this is just the cherry on top, right?

FRIEND: I will say Kristi Noem is giving Michael Vick a run for his money. Don't you think?

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, my God. DEAN: You did so many. But the great thing about you, too, is that you did so many impressions. So, it was like you start -- you started with Trump.

FRIEND: Started with Trump --

DEAN: And then --

FRIEND: -- then into Bernie or rather into McConnell.

DEAN: Yes.

FRIEND: No, no, sorry. Trump, Bernie, McConnell, Obama.

DEAN: Yes.

FRIEND: And that's what happened. I'm bummed I missed Howard Stern because President Biden mentioned Howard Stern's interview with him, and I -- I missed the opportunity to really get into it.

DEAN: Yes.

FRIEND: Ask him other questions.

DEAN: And it was wild because your transition to each was just like that.

FRIEND: It's -- my head is insane. My sister --

DEAN: How do you do that?

FRIEND: My sister called me a glorified parrot. That's probably what I am. That's kind of what I am. I don't know. I just love comedy and I love this. And this was this was the moment. I don't know. I just study people, I study them, I study their David Peckers all day, and that's -- when you say David Pecker, I just start laughing. It's insane that that is a real character.

DEAN: So, my question is, somebody that has you (ph) for a living, you're looking at people and you're pulling their --

FRIEND: Yes.

DEAN: -- kind of mannerism.

FRIEND: Yes.

DEAN: Like, as I'm talking to you, I'm like what is he -- what is he --

FRIEND: Am going to -- yeah.

DEAN: Right, but like what -- how do you make a good impression because you're -- you're so well known for this?

FRIEND: Thank you. DEAN: When you did Mitch McConnell last night --

FRIEND: Well, it was -- I bring these glasses with me everywhere I go. I just -- something about the resting McConnell face really -- really excites my viewing audience and the way he just starts to stop talking.

DEAN: So, he --

FRIEND: Yeah.

DEAN: That really got the crowd.

FRIEND: Yes.

DEAN: But you -- you're able to really drill down into little things.

FRIEND: I try.

DEAN: -- that make people, people.

FRIEND: I try. And I was really focused on the jokes yesterday as well and looking at topical and things that were happening in the news to include it. But it's definitely kind of a weird study of people.

DEAN: Yeah.

FRIEND: I'm just a big fan of movies and pop culture and politics. And I just absorb it and try to sound like these people. And it's also an extra layer when they're right in front of you. And the Secret Service is watching.

DEAN: Yeah, it's very meta in that way.

FRIEND: It was way too meta.

DEAN: Yes. And then -- and then what about who you met last night? Was there anybody you -- again, as somebody who goes around for a living --

FRIEND: Yes.

DEAN: -- doing impersonations of people, was there anyone you wanted to meet or hadn't met yet?

FRIEND: Chris Pine. I mean, Hollywood met D.C. in this moment. I mean, the second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, Lorne Michaels, Colin Jost, Scarlett Johansson.

DEAN: Uh-hmm.

FRIEND: You.

DEAN: Obviously.

FRIEND: So, the list -- DEAN: I'm --

FRIEND: -- the list -- the list went on and on. I mean, it was like Madame Tussauds. Tussauds come to life.

DEAN: Yes.

FRIEND: Everyone famous in one place. It was -- it honestly felt a little bit like the Hunger Games at the beginning, like walking through a protest with a tuxedo on felt a little weird.

DEAN: There were pro-Palestinian protesters outside.

FRIEND: Yeah.

DEAN: You were covering that.

FRIEND: And I'm walking with a tuxedo.

DEAN: Yes.

FRIEND: But for me it was just a thrilling night.

DEAN: Yeah.

FRIEND: How many times have I said thrilling during this interview?

DEAN: Well --

FRIEND: It was crazy, guys.

DEAN: Did you get to speak to the president?

FRIEND: I met him the day before.

DEAN: You did?

FRIEND: I had no idea that was going to happen.

DEAN: How was that?

FRIEND: It was insane. Yeah. I -- again, I can't believe certain things. I can't believe I'm here right now on CNN. Truthfully. It's wild.

DEAN: And so, while you're doing more of this, you're going to be traveling the country.

FRIEND: Yes. I'm actually here in D.C. doing shows on the 16th through 18th at Arlington Draft House.

DEAN: Uh-hmm.

FRIEND: (INAUDIBLE), my friend, and traveling the country, doing a podcast. So --

DEAN: Yeah, a lot of -- a lot of irons in the fire.

FRIEND: A lot of irons in the fire.

DEAN: Okay, before I let you go --

FRIEND: Yeah, please.

DEAN: -- are there any new impersonations?

FRIEND: Well, I've been working on the Bill Maher. Okay? That's a very fun one to do. Just look into the camera and say new rule. If you're going to try to do an impression of me, maybe don't.

(LAUGHTER)

So, that's a new one.

DEAN: That's good.

FRIEND: I'm going to work on a David Pecker, I guess. I don't know if I can figure it out.

DEAN: No cameras in the courtroom.

FRIEND: No cam. Why are there no cam? There are no cameras in the courtroom because there's a pecker everywhere. I mean, you know, it's horrible. I'm sorry.

DEAN: We're going to --

FRIEND: Not really swearing because it's his last name.

DEAN: That's right. That's right.

FRIEND: So, there we go.

DEAN: Matt Friend, thanks for joining.

FRIEND: Thank you for having me.

DEAN: It's good to have you. And a quick programming note for you. "Call Me Country: Beyonce & Nashville's Renaissance" is now streaming on Max. It's a new CNN flash doc looking at how Cowboy Carter is taking the country industry back to its roots and making a big statement in Nashville. So, check that out. We'll be right back.

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[17:49:46]

DEAN: At least four people were killed, including a baby, after tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma overnight. One person also died after storms in Iowa. Take a look at new video, this out of Oklahoma City. You see that lightning flashing and how heavy the rain was.

The National Weather Center says more storms are threatening the area, including possible tornadoes in parts of the Midwest, stretching from Missouri to Oklahoma.

[17:50:04]

CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa is joining us now with more. And Elisa, I feel like we come to every day and say more possible tornadoes on the way.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It has been a really active stretch. We've got another tornado watch in effect. You can see the storms, though, stretch all the way up into parts of Iowa and Nebraska, Omaha where they're really cleaning up from the storms that hit on Friday.

But where we've got the bullseye right now is a new tornado watch that's in effect for parts of eastern Texas. It does not include the cities of San Antonio, Houston or Austin. You can see we're kind of sandwiched right in the suburbs there where storms have really been blowing up.

We actually have a couple of tornado warnings right now that are right near -- kind of in between Waco and Bryan, Texas where we've had some storms that have had some rotation in them because we've got the atmosphere refueling after its busy day yesterday and the storms have been able to explode.

So, here's the severe risk for today. It stretches from Des Moines down through Missouri, and then down towards Houston. This is where we've got that risk for some damaging winds, large hail and even a few more tornadoes. That risk for tornadoes is heightened there in the orange. The enhanced level 3 out of 5 from Shreveport down to Houston, that's where we could find the stronger tornadoes.

We've also had intense heavy rain with this flood watch stretch from the Gulf Coast up into Missouri where we've had some pretty intense heavy rain. So, the storms will continue to blow up as we go into the evening and overnight and bring some damaging winds with it, Jessica.

DEAN: And Elisa, before we let you go, can you walk us through the hardest hit areas from these storms overnight?

RAFFA: Yeah, it has been incredible to see the damage reports. I mean, there have been nearly 120 reported tornadoes in the last 48 hours. Just mind-boggling, just how busy this has been. And again, like I said, there's that risk for today. So, it has been a lot of the same areas kind of hit over and over. Overnight, that pocket was in Oklahoma.

But we started all of this on Friday. These are all the tornado warnings that were issued. Look at this pocket near Omaha. The office in Omaha, the National Weather Service, issued 42 tornado warnings in a day. That set a record for them. It was the busiest day that they had ever had.

Then we did it again yesterday. The Weather Service Office in Oklahoma, in Norman, Oklahoma, issued 59 tornado warnings in a singular day. That was a record for them, too. So, this has really just been unprecedented and busy for the meteorologists there across the country, Jessica.

DEAN: That's for sure. Elisa Raffa for us, thanks so much. The tragic incident last year with the Titan submersible shows how dangerous it is to dive deep to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. And it has been over a century since that shipwreck. But myths and mysteries still draw explorers down to the ocean floor for a glimpse of the Titanic despite the risks.

CNN's Jason Carroll, who has long reported on the deep dive ocean missions, tells us more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COL. TERRY VIRTS, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: Something that honestly still has not really sunk in.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL 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: 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. And 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.

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.

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

ARTHUR LOIBL, GERMAN EXPLORER: It becomes every day clearer and clearer how much luck I had to survive this trip.

CARROLL (voice-over): Loibl paid $100,000 for a seat on board one of Titan's earlier voyages to the Titanic. His 2021 dive was plagued with problems.

LOIBL: Always with the electrical systems. They have problems to load the batteries. One dive was stopped by 1,600 meters. I was only afraid about the system with the batteries.

CARROLL (voice-over): Despite the fate of the Titan, both Loibl and Virts say they can't fault people for being obsessed with wanting to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.

[17:55:02]

More than a century after its demise and still questions about how it sank, still a fascination with those who survived and those who did not. Loibl gets goosebumps even now, thinking about when he finally saw the Titanic.

LOIBL: The first moment to see the bow, it's in my brain, it's in my life. I will never forget it. It's running cold in my back when I talk about this.

CARROLL (voice-over): It's a timeless story that continues to capture the hearts of explorers.

VIRTS: It's the old adage, why do you climb the mountain? If you have to ask why, then you don't understand.

CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: And be sure to tune in tonight at 9 p.m. for the special two- hour premiere of "How It Really Happened: Titanic Parts 1 and 2," right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)