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Hostage And Ceasefire Deal Talks In Cairo; Interview With Representative Sara Jacobs (D-CA) About Campus Protests; Rescues, Mandatory Evacuations Underway In Texas; Trump In Florida Fundraiser After Spending A Week In NYC Courtroom; Longtime Trump Aide Hope Hicks Testifies In Hush Money Trial; Colleges Brace For Pro-Palestinian Protests Ahead Of Graduation; Six-Week Abortion Ban Takes Effect In Florida; Mystik Dan Noses Ahead To Win The 150th Kentucky Derby. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired May 04, 2024 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:55]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington.

And new tonight in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, right now a Hamas delegation is in Cairo for talks on a hostage and ceasefire deal. Also there, CIA Director Bill Burns, who played a key role in past negotiations. And while Egyptian media is reporting what they call noticeable progress in these latest talks, U.S. and Israeli officials say it could take days to iron out the final details of a potential deal.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is with me now.

Kevin, what are you learning? Obviously it is very, very late, in the middle of the night pretty much in Cairo right now. But what are you hearing?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think you do hear a degree of cautious optimism coming from the Biden administration and the caution comes because they have been at this point before. They have been at a point where it appears as if they're reaching the final stages of a deal only to see it all fall apart. And so I think that's where you're seeing that level of caution come from.

But I do think it's significant that Bill Burns is in the region. That does give you an indication that at least from the American side, they do see some talks progressing. And we also heard from Hamas as they were going to Cairo for these discussions saying that they had a positive spirit about this framework that's on the table. This has been on the table for about a week. Hamas hasn't yet said what their answer to that is.

But it would release a significant number of hostages, about 30, in exchange for a temporary ceasefire. And what American officials have said is that this is a generous offer, but there are some significant sticking points and I think the biggest one is whether this deal would eventually lead to an end of the war. That is something that Hamas has said is a bottom line for them. Israel has said that it still needs to continue going after Hamas in Gaza.

So it isn't really clear how that not will come untied, but certainly from the American perspective, they do think that they're making some progress. What we have heard from American officials and Israeli officials today is that even if Hamas does agree to this framework, that's not necessarily the end of the road. There are still some final details that will need to be ironed out before the hostages start coming out of Gaza.

And I think the real fear among American officials at this point is that if this framework collapses, if this falls apart, that will be the impetus for Israel to go into Rafah. That's the city in southern Gaza, where more than a million Palestinian civilians have been sheltering. Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu has said that he will go after Hamas in Rafah whether there's a deal or not.

The American side has said they need to see a credible plan to protect those civilians, and they haven't seen it yet, and they very much want to avoid that eventuality and that is really kind of looming over these talks and certainly giving them a degree of urgency.

DEAN: Absolutely. So we'll see what unfolds tomorrow.

Kevin Liptak, thanks so much for that reporting. We appreciate it.

A new clash between police and protesters at the University of Virginia when a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus was declared unlawful assembly. Campuses across the country have seen unrest over the past several weeks with protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza and for schools to divest from Israeli linked entities. So far, police have arrested more than 2100 people on 40 campuses across the country.

And let's talk about all of this now with Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs of California.

Congresswoman, great to have you on. Thanks so much for making time. Let's start first with these protests that we've been seeing and continuing to see all across the country. What do you think should happen with the students who engage in violence or hate during any of these protests?

I'm thinking specifically about the one we just saw at UCLA where there was violence involved in your home state of California. What do you think should be happening in those instances?

REP. SARA JACOBS (D-CA): Look, I'm very concerned about the violence that we're seeing on all sides, including from what I would argue is the over-militarized approach to these protests. And I think it's really important these instances of violence due get penalized. But that we don't use them to discredit the underlying goals of these protests and to not allow and to criticize legitimate free speech.

[19:05:11]

DEAN: And what about in cases where they're going into some of these buildings on campuses, things like that, where police have been asked to remove them from private property? What's your take on that?

JACOBS: Look, I think that we need to recognize that there is a very real rise in antisemitism on college campuses and that the vast majority of these protests have been peaceful and nonviolent. And that, you know, a lot of young people are really feeling involved and engaged, and frankly, I think we should be proud that there are so many young people who want to speak out and speak up about, you know, people they see dying halfway across the world and that they see that it's part of their humanity.

Now that doesn't mean that we should allow all tactics, and I think there do need to be consequences for violence. Again, violence that we've seen happen on both sides of this from the protesters and counter-protesters, and from the over-militarized police response. But I, you know, I do support the underlying goal of a lot of these young people who are saying that 30,000 people being killed is too many and that it's time to get a ceasefire to enable humanitarian assistance into Gaza and to get the hostages out.

DEAN: And you're the youngest Jewish member of Congress. You said in a press release Wednesday, you kind of explained why you voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act. Explain for the viewers -- walk everyone through kind of what your thought process was on that, just so everyone knows it passed in a bipartisan way earlier this week.

JACOBS: Yes. So, you know, I'm Jewish and like millions of Jews across the world, I've experienced antisemitism myself, whether it was being called slurs or the countless jokes about my frizzy hair and my big nose, and we know that the rise of antisemitism it's happening at an alarming rate right now. And we know that it's dangerous. However, I don't believe that the bill that was passed through the House is actually going to solve that problem.

I don't believe that anti-Zionism is inherently antisemitism, and I think it's incredibly important that we allow for First Amendment rights to protest, to free speech, that actually that college is a time to be questioning all of the underpinnings of our system and questioning the things you thought you know. And that's a lot of what these students are doing. And so to me, the definition now going to be codified in this bill, not only would bring in a lot of the protesters that are being non-violent, that are being peaceful into this definition.

But also, I'm incredibly worried that if this bill, if this law, if it becomes law and it goes to court, it could actually be used to undermine much more of the Civil Rights Act and make everyone less safer. And I just fundamentally don't believe that conflating the very real rise in antisemitism and hate crimes with protected speech, even speech you disagree with, is actually going to make Jewish students any safer.

DEAN: And I hear you. I wonder, too, how do you balance that if there's a sign that, you know, some of these signs that we've seen that say things like the final solution or something like that. What do you do in that situation? JACOBS: Look, I think even among mainstream Jewish institutions and

people, there's wide disagreement on the exact definition of antisemitism. That's what this bill was about. And frankly, in the Civil Rights Act, we don't have a definition of racism. And I'd argue if we tried to define racism in the 1960s, in the 1970s that definition probably wouldn't hold up very well. And so I think, you know, I think personally speech is protected.

And I think that there's a very different -- there is a difference between acts of violence and speech that could be construed as calling for violence, and different ways in how we should approach that. And I think any acts of violence need to be penalized. And I think we should have a very wide leeway for what speech we are allowing.

DEAN: And this whole issue starting October 7th, Israel's war on Hamas, these protests on college campuses, we've seen this really drive a wedge through the Democratic Party in a way. Does that concern you and do you think President Biden can do anything to unite the party where there's wedge has kind of begun to emerge?

JACOBS: You know, I spent a lot of time talking to young people, whether it's in my district or traveling across the country on behalf of the Biden campaign and President Biden.

[19:10:09]

And I have to say that, you know, people always tell me and ask me like young people are so apathetic. And, you know, first off, I never have really believed that to be true, but I also think like this is an issue that is galvanizing young people to speak up and to get involved. And that's exactly what we should be wanting young people to do when they see something that they think isn't right.

And I do think that at the end of the day, we'll be able to bring people back together because I do think that President Biden is working very hard to get to the underlying thing that these young people want, which is for this war to end and for the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza to end. And President Biden is working hard right now to get a ceasefire deal to surge in assistance to Gaza to make sure that we are getting that humanitarian assistance in.

And, you know, I think at the end of the day it's very clear to me and I hope will become increasingly clear as the campaign progresses, that the best thing, you know, that President Biden is the reason things have not gotten much, much worse in Gaza, right? He is what's standing between an invasion of Rafah that would have like huge civilian casualty implications and that frankly Donald Trump will just be a blank check for Bibi Netanyahu and what he wants to do, and that's not what these young people want.

DEAN: All right. Congressman Sara Jacobs, we're going to leave it there. Thank you so much for making time. We appreciate it.

And still ahead, evacuations are underway in Texas after days of intense rain and catastrophic flooding. And more storms are on the way. Plus Donald Trump looking to catch up to President Biden when it comes

to the fundraising gap. It's as one ally says the hush money trial is, quote, "bleeding money" from the campaigns.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:34]

DEAN: At this hour rescues are underway in southeastern Texas after historic flooding submerges some communities there. Already more than one-third of the counties in the state are under disaster declarations. And now tornado watches are in effect with more heavy rain in the forecast.

CNN's Rosa Flores brought you one of those rescues live as first responders put people on a boat and took them to dry land. She joins us now live as the floodwaters threaten more people and more homes.

Rosa, you've really seen it all unfolding today. People trying to get to their homes, get out of their homes, get some medication, worry about their children, their pets. Tell us what it's like right now.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's so much emotion, Jessica, because the individuals who are impacted by these rising waters, they are trying to get to their property.

They are trying to see what their property looks like right now. They're trying to get to their property and some of them taking a very high risks, putting their lives on risk. Now I just talked to a man who's not taking those risks. He says that what he's doing is monitoring his property from afar, through a camera. He let me borrow his phone, just take a look. This is what his backyard looks like right now.

This is a live camera. He tells me that this is his backyard. Normally, there would be no water here. He has a mechanic shop. And so this would show equipment, vehicles, and you see right there that it is completely covered in water.

Now, this area is just beyond this row that you see. Back there, what it's called, its river bottoms. And from talking to neighbors here, they tell me that between eight and 15 people have refused to leave that area. Now, they tell me that that the water levels go up and down because the ground goes up and down. But here on the fence you can see the water level where the water is. Now you also see the water level on the trees. That gives people hope because they see that the water level has dropped a little bit.

Now I talked to the owner of this home. Her name is Stacey Smith. She's devastated because she knows those 18 to 15 people who are back there who refuse to leave, some of them are elderly, some of them are disabled, and she says that they own so few things in life that they don't want to leave them behind. And that's why they refuse to leave. They just don't want to leave their property and their belongings. Now, she's trying to find a boat to convince them to evacuate, to

convince them to go to higher ground. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STACY SMITH, HELPED FLOOD VICTIMS: A lot of them are not wanting to leave their homes because they've been down there their whole life or that's all they have. And they don't want to leave whatever belongings they have, or their animals that, you know, we can't get. A lot of them are just scared or they have nowhere to go at all. So I was trying to tell them, look, it doesn't matter. We're going to get you out of here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, just to put this into perspective because Harris County is one of the biggest counties in this country, according to authorities, they estimate that several hundred homes are impacted at this point in time. Now, assessments, damage assessments have not started. Those are expected to start on Monday if the water recedes and authorities are actually able to go out there.

[19:20:01]

But, Jessica, I got to say authorities are urging individuals to evacuate because more rain is expected overnight -- Jessica.

DEAN: Just the thing they don't need there.

All right, Rosa Flores, thanks so much.

Let's turn now to the race for president. Donald Trump taking the weekend off from his New York hush money trial to court wealthy GOP donors at a fundraiser in Florida. Sources telling CNN a presenter at the event privately admitted that Trump's criminal trial is, quote, "bleeding money" from the campaign.

CNN's Alayna Treene is joining us now live from Palm Beach.

And Alayna, some big fundraising goals for Trump at this event. It's also a chance to meet with some of these higher profile GOP elected who could be potential VP picks.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Jessica, and they did actually reveal new fundraising figures for the month of April during an event this morning at the Four Seasons, which is the backdrop for the RNC's annual retreat this year.

Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, both Donald Trump's campaign managers, as well as Tony Fabrizio, Donald Trump's pollsters, laid out that they raised $76.2 million in April, and that's between the Trump campaign as well as other outside supportive groups of the former president. Now we will get the official FEC reports until later this month when they drop so we can't independently verify that but that is what they laid out according to multiple attendees in the room. And now to your other point, you're exactly right. Donald Trump had an

opportunity to showcase and brush shoulders with some of this potential vice presidential contenders. While speaking at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago today he invited a series of them up on stage. That includes people like Elise Stefanik, J.D. Vance, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Marco Rubio, all people we know from our conversations with the Trump campaign that Donald Trump is considering as his potential running mate.

And I do just want to be clear here, Jessica, from my conversations with his team, they do not anticipate the former president to announce his pick anytime soon. They said that that decision will come closer to July. But again, I think it was very clear today who he was praising, who he brought up on stage and many of those people are the people he has on his shortlist.

DEAN: Yes, not surprising there. We're also hearing he was presented with an award tonight. What's that?

TREENE: He was. So also during his Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, Lara Trump, his daughter-in-law as well as the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, came on stage and presented him with a Billboard Music Award for this -- the January 6th song. It's been kind of become an anthem that he's played at many of his rallies and it features a lot of those who were convicted for their crimes committed on January 6th for being at the Capitol that day and for the riots with Donald Trump's voice dubbed over them.

So she presented him with this award, and I think that just more so underscores kind of the jovial nature of this event. Donald Trump escaped the New York courtroom, a place that, you know, the novelty really were off for him early on in the trial. And now he was surrounded by his fiercest supporters, people he is considering to pick for vice president. And they all surrounded him and came out for him on Palm Beach this weekend -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right. Alayna Treene for us in Palm Beach. Thanks so much for that reporting.

And the former president's hush money trial wrapped up a second week of testimony on Friday with a dramatic appearance from one of Trump's longtime aides. Former White House communications director Hope Hicks took the stand and was noticeably nervous, even avoiding eye contact with the former president.

CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hope Hicks, one of Trump's former closest advisers took the stand in the New York hush money trial. I'm really nervous, she revealed to the court, as she began her testimony. She did have some warm words for her former boss, praising his ability to message. He deserves the credit for the different messages that the campaign focused on in terms of the agenda that he put forth, but she never looked at him during most of her testimony.

Instead, focusing directly on the lawyers asking her questions. She testified at length about the impact of the "Access Hollywood" tape on the 2016 Trump campaign and how it was a crisis. She was the first person in the campaign to learn of the tape when she was contacted by a reporter. I was concerned, she said. She also witnessed Trump's reaction to the story. Asked if he was upset, she said, yes. Yes, he was. She also told the jury about conversations she had with former Trump fixer Michael Cohen and Trump when reports of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels first surfaced in early November 2016, saying Trump wanted to make sure that there was a denial of any kind of relationship.

In a significant moment for prosecutors Hicks revealed Trump communicated directly to her about the payment to Daniels. I only know about one instance, sometime in the middle of February, Mr. Trump told me about it. And Trump was relieved that the story did not come out before the election.

[19:25:03]

It was Mr. Trump's opinion that it was better to be dealing with it now and that it would have been bad to have had that story come out before the election. Hicks appeared nervous throughout her appearance on the stand, and after that key exchange as defense attorneys were starting their cross-examination, Hicks broke down in tears. Sorry about that, she said, as she returned to the stand.

And when Trump's attorneys had the chance to question her, they got her to confirm that he was worried about his wife Melania's reaction to some of the stories. President Trump really values Mrs. Trump's opinion, and she doesn't weight in all the time, but when she does, it's really meaningful to him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID (on-camera): Now the big question is who will take the stand on Monday. Next week is actually the first full four-day week of court that we've had since this trial got underway. The prosecutors are keeping a tight lip on who they plan to call next and when they plan to call the man at the center of this alleged conspiracy, Michael Cohen.

Paula Reid, CNN, New York.

DEAN: All right, Paula, thanks so much.

Still ahead, a new restrictive abortion law now in effect in Florida. We're speaking with a reproductive rights advocate about how women are being impacted.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:40] DEAN: Across the country, pro-Palestinian protests have put campuses on edge and it is all coinciding with commencement season with some ceremonies seeing disruptions. Indiana University is holding its commencement at this hour.

CNN's Whitney Wild is there.

Whitney, what are you seeing?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, we have driven around the perimeter of Indiana University where this commencement is set to begin in just a few minutes. Forty thousand people are set to be inside Memorial Stadium here in Bloomington, Indiana.

So far we have not seen any real notable protests out, at least outside the venue. But the big question is, will a protest pop up inside the venue during this commencement?

Indiana has seen its share of protesters, Jessica. It was last month that 33 protesters were arrested at Indiana University. Certainly, it is an open question mark of whether these disruptions that we've seen on campuses as well as at ceremonies all across the country will continue here at Indiana University.

To that end, the university has designated a specific protest zone to try to maintain the freedom of speech and make sure that people have that option available, while also preserving a controlled and smoothly run ceremony.

But what we saw at University of Michigan, Jessica, at least at the outside was very similar to what we see here as we were outside the University of Michigan's commencement in Ann Arbor, we saw no indication that there would be a protest.

We saw no protesters. We saw no signs. It was during the commencement ceremony, about 15 minutes in that we saw a group of protesters move from the back of Michigan Stadium, the back of Michigan field, to the center of the commencement ceremony, and make their presence known in a very vocal way.

They caused a brief disruption, I'd say Jessica, it was between a dozen and three dozen protesters yelling. They were very clearly pro- Palestine and the Michigan State Police were on top of them very quickly, making pretty clear that they were not going to allow that disruption to move anywhere near the stage.

That went on for I would say five to 10 minutes and then Michigan State Police said protesters sort of escorted themselves out to the back of the ceremony and the rest of the ceremony went off smoothly, Jessica.

But certainly with what we are seeing all across the country, especially at Indiana University where I would said before there were dozens of students arrested last month, it is an open question mark here. The university trying to get ahead of that, again, as i said with this protest zone.

So this commencement is set to begin in the next 15 minutes or so, and we will be watching to see what happens -- Jessica.

DEAN: Whitney Wild for us there in Bloomington, Indiana. Thanks so much for that reporting.

Let's go now to Florida where a new law went into effect this week, banning nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. That's before many women even realized they are pregnant.

While this decision was made by lawmakers, come November, voters are going to have their say at the ballot box.

My next guest was involved in crafting Amendment 4. It is a state constitutional amendment to protect abortion up to 24 weeks. Anna Hochkammer joins us now. She is the executive director of the Florida Women's Freedom Coalition. Great to have you here with us. Thanks so much for being here.

Listen, changing the Florida Constitution is not an easy thing. It requires is a 60 percent majority and it is a high threshold in a pretty purple state that has gone red the last few cycles, how do you think this is going to be possible? How do you guys plan to do this?

ANNA HOCHKAMMER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FLORIDA WOMEN'S FREEDOM COALITION: Florida has 60 percent threshold, but 75 percent of Florida voters reject the six-week ban. They think its cruel. They think it causes chaos in people's lives, and we believe that we will have a strong bipartisan coalition that will not only get to 60 percent, it will burst through 60 percent.

I think this is a case where extremist politicians misread the room and they don't understand that we've been living with access to safe legal abortion up until viability for over 50 years in this country, and in this state, and voters are going to clap back fairly strongly in November.

DEAN: We have seen in these special elections, in the midterms.

On the issue of abortion, since Roe v. Wade was struck down, when it is on the ballot either directly or indirectly, the voters have been pretty clear about where they are on this and pro-abortion rights groups have won again and again and again in various places all across the country. What do you think it is about this issue that even for some people who maybe consider themselves dye in the wool Republicans, that they go away from their party or their party's leader, Donald Trump and others on this issue.

[19:35:19]

HOCHKAMMER: We all have babies. We all have families. Even if we are not carrying children ourselves, we love people who do and we all know that pregnancy sometimes go sideways. Things don't work out the way we hope they do. We all have had experiences and stories with terrible outcomes -- sexual abuse, rape, incest, molar pregnancies, incomplete miscarriages -- this is not something that is strange to voters. This is something we all live with every day, and all of us think to ourselves there, but for the grace of God go I, or someone that I love.

And it seems to be an instance of government interference with the most personal and private decisions that people should make. Those decisions should be made by women and their families and their doctors and the vast majority of Florida voters agree on that issue. That is why we are so confident that Florida voters are going to vote yes on #4.

DEAN: And in an interview with "Time" Magazine this week, former President Trump laid out a lot of what he would like his second term to look like, and in part, when it came to abortion, he said that states should be able to choose whether to monitor pregnant women or prosecute them if they've had an abortion.

What do you make of the former president and how he has kind of been all over the map as Republicans try to get a better message on this, you'll hear him say like he said, the six-week abortion ban was too severe, but then you have him saying that states should be able to choose whether they can monitor pregnant women or prosecute those who have had an abortion.

HOCHKAMMER: I think you're seeing a lot of politicians sort of play whack-a-mole with exactly where they want to stand on this because they've so misread the room. The fact of the matter is, in Florida, our polling shows that 57 percent of Trump voters support Amendment 4, sixty-four percent of Republican voters do. The vast majority over 70 percent of independent voters do.

If you look at the results of the abortion amendment that was before voters in Ohio last fall, we saw that 18 Trump counties voted, yes on Ohio's Amendment 1. There is no question that Trump voter support abortion access. They don't like government interference in their personal lives. They don't like extremist positions and they want to keep the women and girls and their families and their communities safe.

I think as we get closer and closer and closer to the election day, we are going to hear a louder and louder and louder voice out of voters in every state across the nation, pushing back against government overreach and extremism.

DEAN: And just before I let you go, you know, each day, I have covered politics a long time. Each state as you well know has its own contours when it comes to the political makeup of that state, what it takes to win statewide in a particular place, and Florida certainly has its own personality when it comes to how people vote, why they vote a certain way, how they can be persuaded.

How are you all strategically approaching this to build your coalition?

HOCHKAMMER: Listen, Florida is the classic free state of Florida, this is about limiting government interference with abortion. These are decisions that women should be making with their families and their health care providers, not with extremist politicians and that message resonates with voters on all sides of the issue from the very, very aggressive left to the more conservative right, everybody in Florida wants the government to mind its own business.

DEAN: All right, we will look to the fall to see how it all goes. Anna Hochkammer, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.

HOCHKAMMER: Thank you.

DEAN: We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:43:38]

DEAN: A thrilling photo finish at the Kentucky derby, Mystik Dan winning one of the closest derbies ever in a dramatic three-course finish was pushed his nose ahead to beat Sierra Leone and Forever Young at the 150th Run for the Roses.

Patrick Snell joins us now with more on that. What a race, Patrick.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Jessica, yes, incredible drama. One of the most prestigious and famous occasions there is, of course, on America's sporting calendar, but this race that they are calling Churchill Downs in Louisville is the greatest two minutes in sports and it did not disappoint.

I am telling you 156,000 packed inside this world famous venue, so much of the focus, of course, ahead of the race on the favorite Fierceness, Fierceness ending up in 15th place.

But the real drama, it was an occasion steeped in history in racing, an amazing finish as you said, Jessica with Mystik Dan crossing the finish line first, but it was so very, very close.

The 18 to one Mystik Dan by a nose edging out the second favorite, Sierra Leone in a photo finish, Forever Young, in third, this now the tenth time in the race's history of horses, won by a nose, the first time in close to 30 years, let's hear now from the winning jockey, Brian Hernandez, Jr. who couldn't initially be sure he'd even one. They had to wait a few minutes for confirmation.

This though confirmed as his first ever derby win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN HERNANDEZ, JR., JOCKEY, MYSTIK DAN: That was the longest few minutes I've ever done in life waiting for them to hang that number up. It was exciting when we hit the wire, but I wasn't sure if we won, so it was quite a rush to sit here and wait for it.

[19:45:13]

SNELL: Well, Jessica, two years ago, we had an absolutely epic finished when Rich Strike caused a massive shock by a stunning victory at odds of 80 to one.

On this Saturday, a really dramatic story line in the Derby. It is the first leg, of course of the triple crown, which also includes the famed Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.

The Preakness in Baltimore is next up on May the 18th, and with that, it is right back to you.

DEAN: All right. Exciting stuff. Wow. Patrick Snell, thanks so much.

Let's bring in Scott Jennings, who I believe we have with us. There he is.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey.

DEAN: Scott, we normally get -- hi. Look at him, right there where it all happened. We were just getting the rundown. We normally talk to you about political --

JENNINGS: I am right here on the track.

DEAN: I know -- about political horse races, and now were talking about real horses, well, how was it?

JENNINGS: It was amazing. I was able to watch it from the infield side, right at the finish line, and you know, I am Louisvillian and I am a Kentuckian and of course, this is our big day of the year and this was the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.

So it was extra special for the state and for the city and for Churchill Downs, which did a terrific job all week and really, you were talking about earlier in the report, the photo finish. I mean, it was crazy.

The horses were so close. Mystik Dan, a little bit of a long shot, and then Sierra Leone came blasting up the track and then a Japanese horse snuck in for third, Forever Young.

So it really was one of the most exciting -- I've been coming here since 1997, one of the most its exciting derbies and best whether I've ever seen.

DEAN: And I hope you want a lot of money.

JENNINGS: I had the two and the three, but Mystik Dan slipped through my fingers or hooves, I guess, this time. So, i didn't have Mystik, but I have to say, the trainer of Mystik Dan, Kenny McPeek, great guy, a great trainer, and won the Kentucky Oaks yesterday with Torpedo Anna.

So this guy, Kenny cashed both days. The Oaks and the Derby and that was a huge day for Kenny.

DEAN: All right, well, thank you. You were bringing it to us live right there, Scott Jennings. He can do it, folks. Thanks so much for being with us. We will see you soon, and we will be right back. JENNINGS: I think the November election maybe it is as close as this Kentucky Derby, so everybody buckle up.

DEAN: I know. We will. We will.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:52:04]

DEAN: China just launched its most ambitious lunar mission yet, it is sending an uncrewed rocket to the far side of the moon and aims to bring back rocks and soil. But some are worried the mission may be about more than just exploring the moon.

Here is CNN's Marc Stewart.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is China's latest leap in the global quest to put a human back on the moon. CNN was there invited by the Chinese government for a behind the scenes look at the Wenchang launch site, here on Hainan Island along the South China Sea.

The goal of this mission to bring back the first samples ever collected from the moon's far side, part of China's ambitious plan to send astronauts by 2030 and build a Lunar Research Station.

YAN ZEHUA, SPACE PHOTOGRAPHER: It made us feel we are the strong country because we have the power to launch the big rocket to the moon.

STEWART (voice over): What's happening here has critics, the Chinese government maintains space should be a peaceful place. Yet the head of NASA expressed concern China may be using its civilian program for military purposes, even suggesting a Chinese takeover of the moon.

STEWART (on camera): Why does the journey to the moon matter so much?

LEROY CHIAO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: I think it's symbolically important. It's again, why does any country get into the spaceflight business, particularly human spaceflight, it's for national prestige, it's for to show the world their technological prowess.

STEWART: This isn't just about space and science, it's also about national pride and profit. Space tourism is big here, that includes these rocket shaped water bottles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the first time so we are very excited.

STEWART (voice over): The space presence here is palpable as families take pictures and shop for souvenirs.

STEWART: It's not just snacks at this hotel gift shop. Its backpacks, rockets, even a model of the Chinese space station. Even afternoon tea comes with a taste of space.

STEWART (voice over): Celebrations aside, this is a cosmic competition to make a mark on Earth and beyond.

Marc Stewart, CNN, Hainan Island, China.

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DEAN: And tomorrow, a new episode of "How It Really Happened: Anthrax Terror By Mail."

In 2001 after the September 11th terrorist attacks, letters containing anthrax were mailed to media and politicians killing five people and gripping the nation. Here is a preview.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was hired at Nightly News a month before 9/11. I was opening the mail as a desk assistant for Tom Brokaw. We received love letters. We received hate mail. It ran the gamut.

But I came across this letter that looks a bit different. I opened it. You know, it said, "9/11. Death to Israel. Allah is great."

[19:55:06]

This is really creepy and I saw this brown substance that looked like it was a cross between brown sugar and sand and I took the substance, I dumped it in the trash, folded up the letter, put it back in the stack of mail, gave the stack of mail to Tom's assistant.

Ten days later, when I woke up and my glands were enormous. I basically had no neck and had a really high fever it was like a super intense flu, but in a totally different way.

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DEAN: Catch the new episode of "How it Really Happened" with Jesse L Martin. It is tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

I want to thank you for joining me this evening. I'm Jessica Dean and I am going to see you again tomorrow night starting at 5:00 Eastern.

An encore presentation of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" is on next.

Have a great night.

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