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U.S. Severe Weather; Israeli Hostage Release Protests; U.S. Government Calls for More Bird Flu Testing; Numerous Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma, Resulting in Injury Reports and Damage to Properties, According to Officials; 6M Plus in Texas and Illinois Under Tornado Watch; Nebraska Residents Devastated by Tornado Destruction; Severe Storm Danger Raised to Level 3 of 5 by U.S. U.S. College Campuses Gripped by Pro-Palestinian Protests; Demonstrators Demand Deal for Captive Release; Video of Two Captives Kidnapped on October 7th Released by Hamas; Egyptian Ceasefire-Hostage Release Deal Rejected by Israel; At Least 34,888 People Have Died in Gaza, According to Gaza Ministry of Health; New Shipment of Aid Heading to Gaza, Sent from Cyprus to Ashdod; In Gaza, U.S. Begun Construction of Floating Relief Pier; Ukraine Attacks Oil Refineries and Military Airfield; Ukraine's Air Defenses Took Down 21 Missiles; Thousands in Madrid Rally in Support of Prime Minister Sanchez; Between 2022 and 2023, the Number of Cases of Measles Doubled, According to Researchers; Global Floods and Excessive Heat Caused by Climate Change; White House Correspondents' Dinner. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired April 28, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom".

Damaging winds, thunderstorms, and tornado threats as severe storms make their way across the U.S. Midwest. We'll head to the Weather Center to track them.

Demonstrators in Israel call on Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to bring their loved ones home as hostage negotiations remain at a standstill.

And concerns grow in the U.S. over the spread of bird flu. We'll speak with an expert about how officials are preparing to mitigate the risks of an outbreak.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber".

BRUNHUBER: And we begin this hour focused on Oklahoma, where several large, dangerous tornadoes were reported on the ground overnight, according to the National Weather Service. State officials say there are initial reports of damage and injuries in several counties, and around 45,000 customers are currently without power.

Now, the threat is far from over. More than 6 million people are under tornado watches from Texas to Illinois. The U.S. Storm Prediction Center has increased Sunday's severe storm threat to a level three out of five, impacting a region from eastern Texas to Southern Missouri.

Now, this is the latest wave of a multi-day severe storm system that's been tearing through parts of the central United States since Friday, where tornadoes cut a path across parts of Nebraska and Iowa.

And joining me now is CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar. So, Allison, give us a sense of just how bad this was.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. And keep in mind, too, this wasn't just Saturday. This was also on Friday. So, for many areas, this was a bit of a multi-day event. Taking a look at just the last 48 hours, again, notice all of these red dots, that indicates a tornado report. We had over 112 of them in just the last 48 hours. 80 damaging wind reports and over 140 hail reports, some of those being the size of baseballs or even larger.

So again, very impressive just in the last 48 hours. The other thing too, Kim, was the flood threat. That's the thing that you don't see here. But we had numerous flash flood emergencies, some swift water rescues taking place on Saturday as well, because for a lot of these storms, they were incredibly slow moving. So, that allowed these storms to dump a tremendous amount of rain in a very prolonged period of time.

BRUNHUBER: As I mentioned earlier, the danger is far from over for many.

CHINCHAR: Yes, that's right. So, here's a look at where the storms are now. You can see from Chicago stretching all the way back past Dallas, Texas, you have this very strong line of storms. Now, thankfully, at the moment, we don't have too many active warnings. But still a lot of lightning, very heavy rainfall coming down in a lot of these locations, and the potential is there for the strong to severe weather.

So, all of this red area is a tornado watch that's in effect for several more hours and then a severe thunderstorm watch that's along portion of Southern Texas. Really, just in -- kind of, anticipation of what is expected later on today. A couple of severe thunderstorm warnings as well within -- embedded within a couple of those storms.

And yes, the threat continues for today. Notice some of these same areas that got hit yesterday or have the potential for more severe weather for today. This essentially stretches from Southern Wisconsin all the way down towards the Gulf Coast. This includes places like Houston, Dallas, Springfield, all the way up into just the western suburbs of Chicago. The potential is still there for strong tornadoes, damaging winds. And yes, we could even be seeing some large hail, maybe say golf ball size or even larger.

But the greatest threat exists on the southern end where you see this orange shaded area here for those strong tornadoes. What we would say EF2 size or perhaps even stronger than that. So, here's a look at that line as it progresses through the day on Sunday, starting to make its way towards St. Louis over towards Memphis and Little Rock.

So, any travel plans that you may have in and out of some of these airports, keep in mind, there may be some delays as you go through some of those airports. If you have to connect or maybe it's your final destination, likely to see some travel problems there as well.

And yes, the flood concern is still there. This is a look through Sunday morning. See that pink target point right there? That is a high-risk area. And one thing to note, Kim, these are incredibly rare. They only happen about four percent of the time, but they account for 40 percent of the fatalities and about 80 percent of the flood related damage.

[04:05:00]

And then for the rest of the day, Sunday, especially afternoon and evening, this is where that greatest threat is going to be for the flooding.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Important warnings there. Allison Chinchar with the latest, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

So, while those in Oklahoma have to wait for daylight to assess the damage, our Lucy Kafanov reports from one devastated Nebraska community as people begin to rebuild.

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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I am standing in Elkhorn, a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, and you can see the utter devastation that destruction that this twister left behind after touching down at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Homes over there, missing their roofs, floors destroyed.

Right here, this was a large family home. The family, as well as friends, neighbors, volunteers, they've been here all morning, picking up the remaining pieces of their lives, trying to salvage what they can because, of course, they're not going to be able to live in this property for a long time. Even if they rebuild, that is going to take a lot of time.

And you can see the destruction here. This area where we are standing right now, this was a home to a family of four. We talked to the father and we talked to a family friend, nothing. Nothing was left of the structure. You can see the white vehicle there flipped on its head, crushed by the power of this massive twister. Nothing remains. They were trying to salvage them. Some things are simply nothing.

Over here where I'm standing, and we're not going to go anywhere closer to it. Stairs going down. There is a basement. The basements are how so few lives, no lives in fact, were miraculously lost in this area. People sheltered in the basements, that's how they found safety. But in this particular family's case though, the wife, she saw the news, she saw what was heading here. She said, you know what, I don't feel safe. Let's get out of here. And what a good call that was because again, so much of this property is flattened. And finally, I'll just flip over here to show you the rest of the street. Utter devastation. And we haven't seen a lot of official help here yet. No power crews cleaning up. A lot of the cleanup efforts are from neighbors, church groups, religious groups, volunteers trying to pitch together and help everyone.

Lucy Kafanov, CNN in Elkhorn, Nebraska.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A deadly tornado tore through Southern China on Saturday. According to state media, five people were killed and 33 were injured after a tornado ripped through a major metropolis in Southern China. Authorities say, close to 150 factory buildings were damaged, but no residential houses were hit. The tornado followed multiple days of heavy rains and flooding in the region.

Protests in support of Palestinians grip U.S. college campuses. Police have arrested dozens of demonstrators at schools in Massachusetts, Arizona, Missouri, and Indiana. Meanwhile, California State Polytechnic University Humboldt Campus has closed. The university says, anyone who enters campus without permission could be arrested.

The University of Southern California says it has also closed its university park campus temporarily over a disturbance. The school has reported property damage to its Tommy Trojan statue and is accusing those taking part in encampment demonstrations.

Now, I want to show you this. This map gives you a sense of just how widespread these protests are. They're taking place at private universities and state schools alike, from one side of the country to the other. Now in a moment, we'll hear from Polo Sandoval at Columbia, considered the epicenter of this protest movement. But first, CNN's Camila Bernal has more from UCLA.

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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here at UCLA, things have remained peaceful for the most part, although students have taken over a large portion of the university. You see the encampment here behind me, many of them say they're staying here for as long as it takes. The demands very similar to what you're hearing in other universities all over the country. It's divestment and disclosure of a lot of the university investments.

And they say that while they're here at the encampment, they're holding meetings, they're learning about the Middle East and about the politics of it. You're seeing people from different backgrounds, from different religions, who say they're joining this movement. I want you to listen to what some of the students told me earlier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As long as this attack is going on, UCLA is making profit. A lot, a lot of profit off of this genocide. We deserve to know that. It is our money that we are giving too. It's also -- other demands are about ending the silence. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here to say that our institutions need to be supporting us and that we refuse to be complicit in about violence against Palestinians.

BERNAL: And here at UCLA, officials are saying that they're not going to call police officers unless they feel that some of these students are in danger. So, right now, what you're seeing is security guards either walking around or writing in their bicycles to make sure that everything goes smoothly and that students here are safe.

[04:10:00]

There are some students that have expressed being uncomfortable having to walk through this area, and the university said they have people helping students who want to cross through this area.

But again, so far, it's been peaceful. There are protesters expected to come on Sunday. And so, we will have to wait and see what happens when you have these protesters and then counter-protesters. But as of now, things do remain peaceful.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just over a week into negotiations between student leaders here at Columbia University and members of the campus administration. And those talks, according to representatives of those students that are participating in the encampment, saying that if they haven't stalled, they at least have slowed.

As we heard from one of those two negotiators say on Friday, that though there has been some progress in those conversations that have been happening for well over a week now between both sides, that thus far they have not been able to find common ground. At least that's according to one of two student negotiators, Mahmoud Khalil. This is what he said on Friday.

MAHMOUD KHALIL, COLUMBIA STUDENT NEGOTIATOR: At this stage, we're 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.

SANDOVAL: And on Friday, student organizers told me that they do not expect any updates in those negotiations, at least until Monday. Khalil also adding that they have been offered no guarantees from the president of the university that they will not, once again, turn to the New York Police Department for assistance in clearing the South.

So, that certainly leaves the situation very much open ended. Nonetheless, this continues to really leave a spark. Many more protests throughout the country, including over the weekend where Northeastern University officials confirmed that about a hundred people or so were detained, according to the vice president of communications at that institution in Boston.

This is part of clearing out an encampment there. Those who were able to produce identification with the university, they were released and will likely face disciplinary action. Those who have refused were arrested.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Pro-Palestinian protesters also rallied in Washington, D.C. Outside the venue where U.S. President Joe Biden and thousands of journalists and celebrities attended the White House Correspondents Dinner. The crowds chanted at people who were entering the event, demanding they, "Report the truth about what's happening in Gaza."

In Israel, protesters and police clashed on the streets of Tel Aviv. That story plus the latest on ceasefire and hostage release talks just ahead.

Plus, some 12,000 Socialist Party supporters in Spain are hoping to convince the country's Prime Minister to stay in office. We'll tell you what that's about after the break. Stay with us.

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[04:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: Protesters are applying even more pressure on Israel's government to bring home the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Now, this drone video captured thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv, demanding the government do more to bring the hostages home. Not all of the protesting was peaceful. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: There were scuffles between police and some protesters who blocked the main highway in Tel Aviv and lit bonfires. At least seven people were arrested.

Also on Saturday, Hamas released video of two Israeli hostages, both were abducted on October 7th. The families of both hostages spoke after seeing the video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILLIAN SIEGEL, DAUGHTER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE KEITH SIEGEL (through translator): Seeing my father today only emphasizes to all of us how much we need to reach a deal as soon as possible and bring everyone home. I demand that the leaders of this country watch this video and see their father crying out for help.

DANI MIRAN, FATHER OF IRSEALI HOSTAGE OMRI MIRAN (through translator): I'm convinced that all the people of Israel and the nations of the world want to see the end of the bloodshed and the end of the suffering of our people. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and the cabinet, please make any deal. Make any deal, but every deal is executable. I'm asking you to get a decision now, now, now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, an Israeli official tells CNN that Israel didn't accept Egypt's proposal for a hostage deal.

Journalist Elliott Gotkine joins us live from London with more. Elliott, last we spoke there seemed to be some optimism about the progress on a deal, but that seems to be fading. Where do things stand right now?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: That is the situation, Kim. Look, the talks aren't completely dead, but we have had this optimism surrounding these talks as they have bumbled along for the past few months. There have been high level delegations in Qatar, high level delegations in Egypt, the two main countries that are mediating between Israel and Hamas.

And then just over the weekend, we had senior Egyptian officials in Israel, transmitting Hamas's latest demands to the Israelis who have rejected those demands, they say, because Hamas is sticking to its guns and continuing to demand a complete cessation of hostilities and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip as a condition of doing a deal that would see some hostages freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and, of course, a ceasefire, all be it a temporary one.

Now, Israel has countered with its own proposal. Egypt has passed that on to Hamas, which says it is now reviewing it. But as I say, the only thing that these talks, months of talks, has created is, I suppose, a sense of false optimism and dashed hopes.

And we heard from a Senior U.S. Administration official just the other day speaking with CNN, telling CNN that a lot of times we hear things from leaders of Hamas outside of Gaza that do not reflect the Hamas leadership inside, which seems determined to simply sit underground, holding hostages. In other words, there's a bit of a disconnect between Hamas leaders outside the Gaza Strip and those leaders inside the Gaza Strip.

The result of that is that they are still no deal. Those hostages who have now been held in captivity for more than 200 days remain in captivity with no sign of their immediate release.

Now, two of those hostages, we heard from Keith Siegel, an Israeli- American, alongside Omri Miran, an Israeli.

[04:20:00]

A video of them showing that they are both alive, and also showing them pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to do a hostage deal, seemingly under duress. That video was released over the weekend. It followed another hostage video of an Israeli-American released just a few days prior to that. And we just heard the response from the family of Keith Siegel, his wife, who herself was a hostage and released after 51 days during that brief lull -- that brief ceasefire and fighting several months ago, saying, Keith, I love you. We will fight until you return.

And that is a sentiment that seems to be shared now by tens of thousands of Israelis descending in Tel Aviv. As we show -- saw from those pictures, demanding the government do any deal to get those hostages home and also calling for fresh elections as well.

Now, at the same time as all of this is going on, we know that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also due in the region this week again to discuss attempts to try to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip along with other things. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate the updates. Elliott Gotkine in London. Thanks so much.

In Rafah, a deadly Israeli airstrike on Saturday. While these people prayed over the bodies of their loved ones killed in the strike, the Ministry of Health in Gaza says the death toll in the enclave has now reached at least 34,388. In central Gaza, Palestinian civil defense says, an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least 15 people, at least two children were missing under the rubble.

And right now, a new shipment of aid is heading to Gaza. The ship left Cyprus on Saturday and is scheduled to dock at the Israeli port of Ashdod sometime Sunday. It's a joint effort between the United Arab Emirates and the aid agency ANERA. Aid shipments to Gaza were disrupted earlier this month after an Israeli military strike killed seven workers for World Central Kitchen.

Samah Hadid is the head of advocacy for the Norwegian Refugee Council Middle East and she joins us now to discuss the aid situation in Gaza. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, Israel has promised to flood Gaza with aid. And this month it says it has nearly doubled the number of aid trucks entering Gaza daily. So, has the situation improved in terms of the aid coming in?

SAMAH HADID, HEAD OF ADVOCACY, NRC MIDDLE EAST: The situation hasn't improved. In fact, conditions are worsening. Right now, the heat is exacerbating the sanitation crisis in Gaza, that's affecting more than 1.7 million people who are displaced who don't have enough safe water to drink. And one infant girl has died in Rafah from extreme heat. People are also dying from dehydration and starvation. So, the situation is appalling.

And now, the U.N. is warning that famine could hit Gaza in approximately six weeks' time. I mean, Palestinians in Gaza are telling us that they would rather die. Then continue to live this way. So, the situation in Gaza remains horrific.

BRUNHUBER: But in terms of the aid actually coming in, again, Israel says more is coming in. The U.N. Humanitarian coordinator briefed the Security Council this week and said that Israel has increased -- I'll read the quote here, "The volume of aid cleared. Inspected and crossed into Gaza, the temporary opening of the Erez Crossing and the opening of the Ashdod port for humanitarian goods, as well as repairing the Nahal Oz water supply line.

I mean, is that -- just -- again, in terms of -- not the situation on the ground, but in terms of trying to get more aid in, is that not meaningful progress here?

HADID: There have been some developments, but it's still a drop in the ocean of the immense needs on the ground. We're still seeing that Israel is restricting aid convoys from entering the north of Gaza, which is facing imminent famine. There are still delays in approvals for aid trucks to enter. The amount of aid trucks entering is still well below the levels that are needed. It's woefully inadequate to meet the catastrophic hunger that's spreading right now across Gaza.

What we need is consistent, sustainable search in aid that includes humanitarian aid but also commercial goods, because that's the only thing that's going to help avert famine. But we also need a ceasefire because our aid workers. cannot distribute aid safely across all of Gaza without a ceasefire in place.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

HADID: And let's be clear Israel is the occupying power. It is under international obligation to provide aid but also facilitate aid inside Gaza, and we're not seeing this.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and to your earlier point, I mean, the U.N. has said that just counting the number of trucks entering isn't a meaningful way to judge the amount of aid that's actually getting in.

[04:25:00]

In terms of other developments, this week a senior U.S. Official announced the U.S. has airdropped more than a million meals into Gaza and one -- a thousand tons of humanitarian assistance is, is that making a dent at all?

HADID: I think at this point, all methods of aid delivery is needed, but we have seen that what is most effective on the ground is a trucks and aid being delivered by land crossings because the teams are on the ground to actually distribute the aid coming in through land crossing. So, we need to see a surge, a huge surge in the amount of a trucks coming in. It still hasn't even met the -- levels of aid. So that is an urgent, urgent appeal to the Israeli authorities and the International Community.

BRUNHUBER: Until they can increase the amount of land aid. What about the floating port in the pier off the Gaza coast? On Thursday, U.S. Army engineers began building it. They say it will help deliver as many as some 2 million meals a day, though there are many questions about how the aid will actually be delivered. And to your earlier point, how to keep aid workers safe. HADID: Well, exactly. I mean, this is the concern and this here will still take weeks to develop and be constructed. And right now, civilians in Gaza not wait any longer to receive aid. They need it right now. The other concern, of course, is if Israel launches a military offensive in Rafah. That would lead to the collapse of the aid response and would lead to mass civilian casualties, and could also result in famine spreading to the South in addition to the North.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

HADID: So, people are terrified on the ground. Aid agencies are also terrified of what's coming. And Gaza could face the deadliest chapter of this conflict.

BRUNHUBER: Well, we'll have to leave it there. Unfortunately, your signal is breaking up, but we were just about to wrap up. We really appreciate hearing from you, Samah Hadid. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

The U.S. State Department says, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as mentioned, will travel to Saudi Arabia next week as talks between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked. He's expected to meet with regional partners and tell them how Hamas is, "Standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire." Officials say, Blinken will also stress the importance of preventing the war from spreading into a wider conflict.

Still to come, Ukraine ramps up attacks on Russian territory while waiting for crucial U.S. aid to arrive. We'll have details after the break. Please stay with us.

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[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom".

Kyiv's military says Russia targeted Ukraine with dozens of missiles on Saturday, but its air defenses took down 21 of them. One strike almost hit a hospital in Kharkiv, leaving a huge crater, you see there. The mayor says, one person was injured but it could have been much worse. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack, which he says mainly targeted energy infrastructure. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The trajectories of the missiles and the nature of the strike were calculated by Russian terrorists in a way to make the work of our air defense system as difficult as possible. Each downed rocket today is a significant result.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Sources tell CNN that Ukraine attacked a military airfield and two oil refineries on Russian territory on Saturday. It was described as an explosive operation using drones. A source says, Ukraine is successfully targeting Russian military and infrastructure facilities hoping to lower the potential for warfare.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke to CNN about the billions of dollars the U.S. pledged to Ukraine this week and what's most needed on the battlefield. Here's what he told our Christiane Amanpour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, when you fight a war, you need everything. There is no detail that you do not need in fighting the war. But when I look at the announced package and the law that that was passed -- and we appreciate, by the way, that Congress included reference to attack comes long-range missiles into the law.

Of course, everything long range and everything related to artillery and air defense is more than welcome. And this is the top priority. We need air defense to protect our cities and we need everything -- artillery ammunition and artillery systems. to protect our soldiers and to liberate our territories. These are the two key elements.

What we do not see on this package is a battery of patriots, but we keep working with the U.S. administration on mobilizing more batteries from other countries in short perspective.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A Russian journalist has been detained on charges of extremism for allegedly working with the Navalny live YouTube channel. The Moscow court has accused Konstantin Gabov of helping produce content for the channel which is associated with the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russian officials have long designated Navalny and his organization as extremists. According to the Moscow court system, Gabov is a producer for the Reuters news agency and will remain in detention for at least two months.

Thousands turned out in Madrid, Saturday, to show support for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after his surprise announcement this week that he may quit. Sanchez says a corruption investigation into his wife is part of a campaign against him by political opponents.

Pau Mosquera has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the voice of the hundreds of people that this Saturday morning gathered around the Spanish Socialist Party headquarters in Madrid to show their support to Pedro Sanchez and ask him to remain in power.

Many were sharing chants like Pedro, stay in office, and Pedro, we do support you. We are talking about a protest that has mainly been organized on social media and has attracted people from many different parts of Spain. Though it started as a rainy day, it didn't stop many to come from different parts of the country like the Basque Country in the North or Andalusia in the South.

Most of them endorsed Sanchez's work over these few months of legislature, but they do not share the same views on how should it continue from now on.

[04:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If he quits, democracy loses. If he resigns, everything we have fought for goes away. Not just the social advances we have achieved in this country and the advances for the LGBTI community and for all groups with needs that have problems. No, democracy in general loses.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I hope he decides not to resign. I hope he thinks about it, that this rally helps him continue in office. I hope he stays and that this decision makes a difference in politics as a turning point.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think he has already reached the limit and that we deserve him to resign. We deserve it. I think we deserve it.

MOSQUERA (through translator): So, you think it's time to call for a general election?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Si, si.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What scares me the most is the result of a possible general election. That's what scares me.

MOSQUERA (through translator): You mean the right or far-right parties winning power?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it. Any right party option seems scary to me.

MOSQUERA: Now, to know how the Spanish politics future may look like, we're going to have to wait until Monday. Some political analysts believe that if he announces that he remains in office, this may weaken him politically. But if he resigns, some believe that this could lead the Socialist Party to an internal crisis.

Pau Mosquera, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Sean "Diddy" Combs is asking a New York court to throw out parts of a civil suit against him. The music mobile is facing a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and of producing revenge porn. Lawyers for Combs are raising procedural issues with the suit which was filed last year by a woman who says Combs intentionally drugged and sexually assaulted her back in the 1990s. Combs is facing six separate lawsuits alleging sexual assault or other allegations. One lawsuit was settled. Combs denies any wrongdoing.

Harvey Weinstein's attorney tells CNN the Hollywood producer has been transferred from a prison in New York to the Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward. He says, Weinstein was moved for medical reasons. Adding, he's still expected to appear in court next week after his sex crimes conviction was overturned. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020, but he's maintained his innocence. The Manhattan District Attorney plans to retry the case.

Well, there's concern here in the U.S. as bird flu spreads to dairy cows. Just ahead, we'll find out why health experts are worried it could start spreading to humans. That's coming up. Please stay with us.

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[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Experts report the number of measles cases worldwide has nearly doubled from 2023 -- 2022 to 2023. They say the rapid progression of the highly contagious disease is challenging country's efforts to maintain what they call elimination status or the absence of endemic transmission.

Researchers say, 83 percent of the world's children received one vaccine before their first birthday in 2022, the lowest vaccination rate since 2008. Epidemiologists warn one in five unvaccinated people in the U.S. who become infected will be hospitalized, while one in every 20 children with the disease will develop pneumonia. One in every 1,000 kids who are infected may develop a dangerous swelling in the brain, and up to three of every 1,000 children who catch the disease may die from complications.

Concern over the spread of bird flu is prompting the U.S. to implement testing and tracking of the disease in dairy cows. Now, previously, that hasn't been a requirement, but with 33 farms in eight states identifying cases, additional measures are being taken out of concern it could spread to humans.

And while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has found traces of bird flu genetic material in milk from grocery stores, it believes pasteurized milk is still safe, although it's conducting more tests. Health officials say it's important for people coming in contact with livestock to monitor for any symptoms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DEMETRE DASKALAKIS, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT: The risk to most people is very, very low. It's important to remember that individuals who are interacting with livestock or other animals that have avian influenza, really, it's important to connect to public health and medical care to make sure that you're being observed. But again, for most people, if you're not exposed to these animals, the risk is very, very low.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: And I'm joined now by Maurice Pitesky, he's an associate professor at the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, just off the top, it's important to say that so far there's only been one confirmed human case. Right now, we're only seeing it in animals. But the fact that it's spreading, you know, from birds to mammals so far and so fast, what do you make of what you're seeing?

MAURICE PITESKY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, U.C. DAVIS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE: Yes, so, the big picture is that, we are having globally the equivalent of an animal pandemic, primarily in birds that has crossed over into mammals. Some of those mammals are wildlife elephant seals, sea lions. What we've seen over the last month or so in dairy cows is concerning at two levels.

Number one, it's concerning because this virus is showing an extraordinary ability to move into new species. It's also concerning from a food security perspective. The virus in cows doesn't kill cows, but it does reduce milk production. And anytime we are infecting animals that produce an important source of protein around the globe, that's a really important concern.

The worker that was affected that was an occupational risk. That worker was in a dusty dairy with cows that were infected. But it's important to realize that that scenario is certainly possible. That humans can actually be infected, and that's concerning. And as a public health official, we have to be -- plan for the worst and hope for the best.

BRUNHUBER: Well, let's go back to the milk. I mean, the fact that they're finding the genetic material in so much milk. I mean, what are the food safety concerns about that as just as a consumer?

PITESKY: Yes, so from the fluid milk perspective, the biggest concern that I would have is in unpasteurized or raw milk. To me that's highly concerning for two reasons. One, because the virus we're finding in the highest concentrations in raw milk.

And two, although the virus is primarily a respiratory virus, anytime you have a virus that has been demonstrated to infect humans, and we start, kind of, mixing that in the human population without really having a good understanding of how far that virus can spread, I think it's a real concern from a public health perspective on the raw milk side. On the pasteurized side, pasteurization is this amazingly simple process that inactivates most viruses, and I would expect the same for this virus.

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BRUNHUBER: So, you said earlier, you're worried by how quickly this virus has been able to move into new species. Obviously, the worry is that it could acquire the ability to easily infect people, humans. So, how likely is that and how concerned are you about that?

PITESKY: I mean, avian influenzas historically have crossed the barrier into humans and caused sickness and death. So, it's certainly possible. We've obviously just dealt with a huge pandemic. So, I'm concerned. The numbers at this point are very low right now. To me, this outbreak is extraordinary in the sense that it is infecting all kinds of animals, including some of the animals that we rely on for global food security.

But to your point. It is certainly demonstrating an ability to cross into humans. And, you know, we've only had a handful of infections at this point. We need to keep a very vigilant eye on understanding how the virus is spreading into these animals and potentially what the risks are to humans from those animals that we rely on for our food.

BRUNHUBER: And again, we have to say there is no risk right now to humans, but if it did become a global pandemic given our experience with COVID and in creating and manufacturing vaccines, how prepared are we for something like that? And of course, the worry as we were just talking about measles there, given the increase in vaccine hesitancy, how big of a risk would that be as well?

PITESKY: Yes, I'm certainly not an expert in vaccine production, but we do have a good experience from COVID in our ability to scale up. And we do have vaccines that are potentially in the pipeline that are available. What we haven't done so much in the U.S. and there's reasons we don't do this from a scientific perspective but also from a trade and economic perspective, we do have the ability to vaccinate our poultry, for example.

And that's important from a public health perspective in humans, because if we can reduce the amount of virus that are in our animals, that reduces the potential for some of these reassortments of virus which can create new versions of the virus which can be significant to humans and others.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So, something still to be vigilant about, but not necessarily worry about for the public just yet. Really appreciate your expertise on this. Maurice Pitesky, thank you so much.

PITESKY: Great. Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: Well, as temperature is rising around the globe, climate change is adding to the dangers of more and more severe weather events. And as recent reports indicate, those dangers are growing. CNN's Michael Holmes has more.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A terrifying moment in Kenya when a truck attempting to cross a rushing river is swept away by the strong currents. Its passengers toppled into the water, as horrified people watch from the bank. Rescuers are still searching for survivors, but at least seven bodies have been found. It's painstaking work, looking for the missing and the dead. And it's happening across Kenya after deadly floods deluged the country.

In one of Nairobi's biggest slums, people dig through thick mud and debris with their hands, looking for any trace of their loved ones or anything salvageable. The Kenyan government says, at least 70 people have died in the floods. The military helping with recovery efforts, but for some residents, like this man who lost his mother, there is little left to save.

COLLINS OBONDO, FLOOD SURVIVOR: These are her house and office keys. Her office was just up there. This is her handbag. She used to keep her iPhone in here. iPhones are waterproof. I hope we find it in one piece.

HOLMES (voice-over): It's been an especially active rainy season in East Africa, with torrential rains also soaking neighboring Tanzania where flooding and landslides have killed more than 150 people. Forecasters say, more heavy rain is expected in the region over the weekend. Some residents of Dar es Salaam say they've already had too much.

ABDALLAH MUHAMMAD, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA RESIDENT (through translator): It has reached a point where water is going through the windows and doors, which has led to many people losing their property. When people go to work in the morning, then it rains in the afternoon. When they return in the evening, they find all their property has been carried away by water.

HOLMES (voice-over): And while floods are wreaking havoc in East Africa, it's the heat that's disrupting daily life in South Asia. In parts of India, people sweltering in temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius.

MANZURUL HAQUE, KOLKATA, INDIA RESIDENT: Simply unbearable, this heat. We have not witnessed this last 50 years or something. It's tremendous, the scorching heat.

HOLMES (voice-over): The heat almost as bad in Bangladesh where schools are closed to protect children from falling ill in stifling classrooms. Although some people say it's just as hot at home.

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RUMANA ISLAM, DHAKA BANGLADESH RESIDENT (through translator): Every year summer comes, but the heat has become too much in the past few years, especially this year. It's unbearable. I can't stand by the stove when I cook. I don't feel like cooking anything. But again, I have to do the cooking as I have children. I sweat when I cook. My head starts spinning.

HOLMES (voice-over): Experts say climate change is intensifying weather conditions around the world, turning up the heat in some places, boosting the strength of storms in others, both extremes bringing misery, with the expectation of more to come.

Michael Holmes, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Coming up, Saturday was the night for political nerds and comedians to step into the spotlight and onto the red carpet. We'll bring you that next, stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The White House Correspondents' Dinner is like Oscars if you're a political junkie or a Washington Beltway obsessive. They call it the nerd prom for a reason, and this year was no different. With nearly 3,000 celebrities, journalists, and politicians gathered in Washington for the Black Tie event. And our Harry Enten was there, and he gives us this view from the red carpet.

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HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATE REPORTER: Welp, it was another year at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. President Biden delivered some jokes. Some were a little bit racy. Some hit right at home. Comedian Colin Jost hit hard at the media, as well as President Biden, as well as Former President Donald Trump.

Indeed, Joe Biden, of course, also got in some nice verbal barbs against the former president and his opponent in this upcoming general election. But the truth is, it wasn't just about politics this evening. It was also about celebrities. Many celebrities came out. Scarlett Johansson, who of course, is the wife of the man who delivered the comedic address this evening.

We also had Fran Drescher who came out, a personal favorite of mine. We were able to share some matzah together here on the red carpet. We also had Da'Vine, who of course recently won an Oscar, and let me just tell you, she was absolutely delightful. I was not exactly sure if she would be as friendly as she was but she was.

Rachel Brosnahan, who of course is going to be Lois Lane in the upcoming "Superman" movie, and of course from Mrs. Maisel and "House of Cards" for those of you who like Washington, D.C. She was absolutely great. We spoke about what the true Chicago pizza was. We had a little disagreement on that, but we'll leave that to our private discussions.

Overall, it was an absolutely magical evening here at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the red carpet, and I was happy to be part of it. Anyway, folks, that's it from here. Back to you. Harry Enten, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: Spectators in Tokyo are being treated to a larger-than- life display of one of the world's most fearsome movie monsters. Have a look.

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BRUNHUBER: A 100-meter-tall animation of Godzilla was projected on a government building in the Japanese capital for the monster's 70th anniversary. The enormous lizard has destroyed Tokyo multiple times in films since it debuted. The display holds the Guinness World Record for the largest display of its kind, and visitors can see the digital Godzilla at various times through May 6th.

All right, that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom". I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. Please stay with us.

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