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Biden Administration Puts On Hold Ammunition Shipment to Israel; Israel Shuts Down Al Jazeera's Operations; Trump Accuse Biden Of Running a Gestapo Administration; President Biden To Deliver Keynote Address At Holocaust Ceremony; Trump And Potential VP Will Not Accept 2024 Election Results. Thousands Displaced Due To Flooding In Southeast Texas; USC Main Campus Reopens; Outrage Grows After Viral Video Shows Confrontation At Ole Miss; CNN Original Series Presents "How It Really Happened: Anthrax: Terror by Mail." Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 05, 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]

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You are in the "CNN Newsroom." Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington. We begin with breaking news. CNN has learned the Biden administration has paused a shipment of U.S. made ammunition to Israel. It appears to be the first time the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment to the Israeli military since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

And it comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and Israel over the war in Gaza and during high-stakes negotiations to reach a potential ceasefire and hostage deal. Let's get right over to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, who's here with us. Priscilla, what more are you learning about all of this?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, a source could not disclose why the decision was made to pause this particular shipment, but two important points here. It is not linked to what is believed to Israel's potential ground invasion of Rafah that's in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering and has been a concern for the U.S. if Israel were to move in and continue that operation or at least start it.

The second point that the source made is that it is not affecting other shipments. That's to say that this is a shipment that was paused. It's unclear why, but the expectation here is that other ammunition shipments will continue to Israel.

Now, when I asked the White House about this, the National Security Council spokesperson gave me a statement that says the following, quote, "The United States has surged billions of dollars and security assistance to Israel since the October 7 attacks, passed the largest ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance to Israel letting unprecedented coalition to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, and will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Israel can defend itself from the threats it faces." So, from this statement, you can tell U.S. officials maintain no policy change with Israel. This pause in shipment does not signal that there will be a policy change. And we should note that those appropriations that the statement refers to is that $26 billion that the U.S. sent to Israel to help with the Israel-Hamas conflict.

So, while we don't know all the details here, it is clear that the U.S. is not changing its position and that, you know, as far as we know, it is not linked to that potential Rafah operation they're concerned about.

DEAN: And while this is going on, there are these ongoing talks that have been happening in Cairo to try to reach a ceasefire deal, a hostage deal that we know the Biden administration would very much like to see happen.

ALVAREZ: That's exactly right. And this deal would include that temporary ceasefire in exchange for hostages. Of course, the administration, the Biden administration has come under fire for that ceasefire to happen and we are seeing movement over the weekend. The CIA director is in the Middle East. He's going to stay in Doha for a continuation of those talks.

Oftentimes, he is deployed in intensive moments. And he is part of this multi-party discussion that's happening with Israel, Hamas, Qatar and Egypt. So, the fact that he is there is significant. But of course, these hostage talks are consistently fluid. So, we don't know when a deal is reached until the very last minute.

So, of course, the White House has kept this as a top priority for them. They have continued to have these conversations. The president himself speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last weekend. So, all of this clearly in an intensive phase with the CIA director staying in the region. But of course, unclear when or if they reach that deal.

DEAN: All right. Priscilla Alvarez with the very latest there. Thanks so much for that reporting. And joining us now, former State Department Middle East negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, Aaron David Miller. Also with us, CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. Great to have you both here.

Aaron, first, I want to start with you and get your reaction to the breaking news that Priscilla was just telling us about, the Biden administration pausing this ammunition shipment to Israel. What do you make of that?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT NEGOTIATOR: You know, I think it's really hard to read. It's hard to imagine that slow walking, because that's what it is, if it's anything. Slow walking one shipment of ammunition represents a fundamental change or perhaps even a major signal that the Biden administration believes it can actually do this and intend to do more unless the Israelis comply with what the administration wants on any number of issues.

In March, ABC News reported that Israeli officials again raised the issue of the administration's slow walking ammunition. And John Kirby's response was essentially he's not going to comment on the timeline of every munition's delivery. So, hard to unpack, but I think the administration went to great lengths, basically, to try to reassure that this is not, as Priscilla said, does not represent a major policy issue.

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DEAN: Yeah, that's certainly the external message they're trying to communicate here. But Mark, from a military perspective, how do you react to this news?

MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I see it partly the same way Aaron does, but I think it's also a signal. It's more than a slow walk, too. There has been repeated comments and repeated State Department, CIA officials trying to message the fact that the Biden administration is not happy with the way the Netanyahu government is conducting this conflict, especially the efforts of humanitarian aid.

So, it could be a signal saying we can do this, even though, as Priscilla mentioned, you know, they went to great lengths to say that this is not having to do with potential operations in Rafah. I personally think it is, because I think the Biden administration has given the warning on multiple occasions. This is something saying you can't conduct operations that kill innocent citizens. And that's what the what this is, in my view.

DEAN: Yeah. And as we zoom out and just look at the broader picture right now, we have these negotiations that are ongoing and then we have this impending incursion into Rafah. And now we have this this breaking news as well. Aaron, I want to talk with you about the negotiations part of that on the deal. You have such history and being in these rooms and understanding all of the dynamics that are at play. What is your sense of the direction of these current talks that are ongoing?

MILLER: You know, Jessica, negotiations succeed when there's urgency, when there's sufficient amounts of pain on one hand, accompanied by sufficient amounts of gain on the other. And as I look at this and I look at the Netanyahu government's motives, at least the prime minister's and Hamas's motives, I don't see either of them in a hurry. They both have to be pushed because I think they both understand that they prefer not to see this this deal take place.

There are fundamentally different objectives, I think, that the two sides have. And remember, the key Palestinian decision maker is making decisions ensconced in a tunnel somewhere meters below Rafah and Khan Yunis, or maybe even in Sinai, together with hostages. So, it's a curious way to negotiate.

The fact that Bill Burns is on his way to see the prime minister, will be there on Monday, I think, is a good sign that, in fact, there's still the possibility of closing this. But under these circumstances, it's really hard to imagine that both parties really want this and are prepared to pay the political price and costs for it. DEAN: Yeah. And then we're unsure. Apparently, the CIA director's

plans are fluid, but he is remaining in the region. I remember you saying last week that once he got there, that that was a signal that we should see that as things are serious, but we'll see what can kind of come out of this. And Mark, in terms of going into Rafah, Benjamin Netanyahu has said that they want to go in whether or not there is a deal in place, regardless of if there is a deal in place.

And the defense minister says troops should expect intense action in Rafah there. It is one of the stickiest sticking points in these negotiations. Of course, Hamas wants the war to come to an end. Israel wants a pause and wants to go into Rafah. The U.S. has said again and again that it wants to see a plan that's going to protect these over one million civilians that are there in that area. But sources have told CNN that while they've seen some plans, nothing that the administration considers an executable plan. So, Mark, what does the U.S. do with the Rafah situation? What will Israel likely do?

HERTLING: I'm going to piggyback on what Aaron said, because I think it's an important point in terms of the negotiation and how it affects a potential operation in Rafah. Mr. Netanyahu said from the very beginning that he wants to destroy Hamas. The final objective is in Rafah because that's where the Hamas headquarters are, where they have basically withdrawn to and continue to hold those areas. If he does not go into Rafah, he will not be able to continue the efforts against Hamas.

The second thing is Hamas wants him, wants Netanyahu and the Israeli defense forces to go into Rafah because it will continue the embarrassment of Israel on the world stage and cause them to increasingly be a pariah to include with their best friend, the United States, as President Biden has said, we want to see a plan and one hasn't been delivered yet.

So, you know, because of the breakdown in the communication over the hostages released, I think we're going to see the potential Israeli operations sooner rather than later. I'm actually quite surprised it hasn't happened in Rafah yet from a military perspective.

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They are ready to do it and I think they will do it, especially since the talks have broken down and Hamas has basically played them once again, saying that they would release some hostages and no hostages have been released. Just purely from a military perspective, they have to go in.

DEAN: And Aaron, how might that affect these discussions, these conversations that are happening?

MILLER: You know, Rafah is a microcosm of this war. If you look at it from 10,000 feet, what you see are all the contradictions and all the challenges of this war, how to prosecute a war against a terrorist organization which embeds its assets in and around and under civilian populations. The Israelis will be bumping up against a treaty partner. The Egyptians are extremely nervous. And third, the humanitarian situation. The Israelis cannot possibly move 1.2 million humans into sanctuaries where they have access to potable water, shelter, medical care and sanitation quickly. If the Israelis wanted to do this, they wanted to cooperate with the Egyptians and with various NGOs, perhaps over a period of weeks and months, that could be done. But I don't think that's what's on the prime minister's mind.

General Hertling is absolutely correct. There are four brigades or battalions down there of Hamas fighters. If Mr. Netanyahu is going to continue to propagate the myth of total victory, he's going to have to destroy the organized structure, military structure of Hamas down there. So, I think unless there's a deal, I suspect that the Israelis will go in and conduct some kind of operation in Rafah.

DEAN: And Mark, the U.N. and various other human rights groups have condemned Israel's closure of Al Jazeera, the television network, the journalistic network inside the country. The Israeli communications ministry closed their bureau, even seized some of their equipment. The Israeli government has said that their reporting harmed Israel's security.

Al Jazeera said this is a suppression of free press. It denied those allegations. What do you think about this move of shutting down Al Jazeera?

HERTLING: Well, first, Jessica, we certainly had warning about it because the Knesset passed by a vote of 71 to 10 on the first of April that they were looking to shut down news agencies and journalists that they didn't feel were favorable to the Israeli cause. Netanyahu has accused Al Jazeera of being, quote, "a mouthpiece of Hamas." He has done that for quite some time. That's not just something that's happened over this weekend.

So, this will only bring more scorn against the Israeli government, especially Prime Minister Netanyahu. The United Nations has already condemned this move by saying, you know, it's an affront to journalists and free press everywhere. You know, it is one of those kinds of things where Netanyahu has always had basically bad feelings about Al Jazeera, and it has continued to grow as this war has gone on.

He feels that they are part of the Hamas organization or at least supporting it. The fact that the debate or the discussions in Qatar contributed to this might be a factor, but it's interesting that he's pulled the plug today. And it also tells me again, I'll go back to the point I made earlier, that there is a potential real quick action about to occur in Rafah.

DEAN: All right. We will wait and see. Aaron David Miller and Mark Hertling, as always, thanks so much for that analysis.

MILLER: Thank you.

HERTLING: Quite welcome. DEAN: It is exactly six months until Election Day and a new CNN poll shows just how tight the race is between President Biden and former President Trump.

Plus, Trump is sharpening his attacks, telling a room full of supporters that Democrats are quote, "running a Gestapo administration." We'll talk about it ahead. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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DEAN: Tonight, we are exactly six months out from Election Day and just hours from now, former President Donald Trump will be back in a New York courtroom for his hush money trial. At a donor event at Mar- a-Lago, Trump attacked special counsel Jack Smith and other attorneys prosecuting him. He said this about his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, quote, "These people are running a Gestapo administration. It's the only thing they have and it's the only way they're going to win in their opinion."

President Biden, for his part, finally addressed the growing unrest unfolding on college campuses Thursday after remaining largely silent on the issue for about a week and a half. Biden now set to give a speech on anti-Semitism Tuesday, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Joining us now, CNN political commentator Van Jones and Olivia Troye, a former adviser in the Trump White House. Great to see both of you.

Olivia, let's start first with you. In the same week that Trump could not again bring himself to accept the results of a 2024 election, he's now comparing Biden and his administration to the Nazi secret police.

OLIVIA TROYE, FORMER HOMELAND SECURITY: Well, first off, I think that comparison is completely abhorrent. I think there should be no room for that in political rhetoric. There's no comparing to what he's referring to. And I would say that, you know, having worked in the Trump administration, the projection runs deep because I think that when he's talking about things like that, it's sort of how he would like to run things.

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And he's already talked about taking revenge on his opponents. He's already talked about taking revenge against those in the media that don't follow his narratives and support him. And, you know, it makes me wonder what happens to people like me who have become critics of him because of his damaging rhetoric. And I also think his dangerous rhetoric that's divisive for the country. And I also think the damage that he's done to the Republican brand.

DEAN: Yeah, the projection runs deep. Van, we mentioned in an interview Trump said he would not commit to accepting the results of this election. I want to let everyone listen to how a potential running mate for him, Senator Tim Scott, responded when he was pressed on the same issue. Here's what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS HOST: You voted to certify the election results of 2020. It's the exact opposite of what you said and did after 2020. Why would you want to be on a ticket with someone where there's such a fundamental difference?

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): This is an issue that is not an issue so I'm not going to make it an issue.

WELKER: Well, Senator, will you commit to accepting the election results of 2024, bottom line?

SCOTT: At the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump. I'm excited to get back to low inflation, low unemployment and --

WELKER: Wait, wait, Senator. Yes or no? Yes or no? Will you accept the election results of 2024 no matter who wins?

SCOTT: That is my statement.

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DEAN: Van, that's just not a hard question, but apparently it is if you want to be Trump's vice president.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, you know, it's unfortunate. Tim Scott is, I think, one of the truly great people in the Republican Party in general. He's been there on Opportunity Zones. He's been there on black colleges. He's been there on so many issues. And he has a history of standing up to President Trump, you know, after Charlottesville and other things. So, what you're seeing now is the surfboard beginning to deal with the wave, pushing people in a direction that makes no sense.

Obviously, you shouldn't even run for office if you're not going to accept the results of it. But that shows you how far down the rabbit hole the Republican Party has been drugged (ph) by Donald Trump's refusal to face reality. And anybody who wants to be associated with Donald Trump has to bend to that reality. I know Tim Scott. I know he's got a better head on his shoulders than he showed in that interview.

DEAN: And Olivia, it's interesting because, look, you have Vice President Mike Pence who did everything he was supposed to do to show his loyalty to Donald Trump, except break the law, right? He was going to certify the election results. And that put him in danger when the Secret Service had to run him out of the Capitol on January 6th. Why do you think these VP candidates think that they could get a different outcome here if they're just perfect enough?

TROYE: You know, I think it comes down to political cravenness for power and it won't be a different outcome. I think that we have seen this for all of Trump's inner circle and those that have worked closely with him, especially in the example of former Vice President Mike Pence. And so, I think the litmus test right now, when he's trying to choose his next VP candidate, is who is not going to exhibit the moral courage to take a stand on that day and certify an election when I'm trying to tell someone to overturn it.

I mean, he is looking for a yes man. He's looking for someone to be in his shadow and not overshadow him. And I think that he's looking for someone that will go along with the demise of our democracy with whatever move he makes.

DEAN: Van, I want to talk about President Biden and the ongoing protests that we're seeing at college campuses all across the country. He's set to deliver this keynote address at a ceremony commemorating the Holocaust next week. He's going to talk about anti-Semitism.

What do you think the president's goal is going to be speaking at this event, considering all of these protests that have been ongoing, considering the fact that he's trying to strike this balance among younger voters who are part of the coalition that helped elect him in 2020, but also his steadfast support of Israel, but also fighting back against anti-Semitism? How does he do all of that?

JONES: Well, I hope he does a better job than he did earlier this week. I think he missed a real opportunity. He sounded like he was, you know, trying to be on the one hand while on the other hand and checking a box. I think that he needs to praise the good intentions of these young people. It is a righteous cause. If you don't want to see, you know, innocent women and children and doctors and journalists killed, that's a righteous cause.

And at the same time, you can be for a righteous cause and the person standing right next to you can have sinister motives, sinister intentions and sinister desires when it comes to Jewish people, when it comes to the state of Israel.

And so, I think he should praise the positive motivations of young people, but warn them. And I think what he hasn't done enough is to explain to people what Hamas is. I remember after 9/11, George W. Bush came forward. He explained what Al Qaeda was. I didn't like what he did afterwards, but he explained it.

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What is Hamas? What is the Islamic Republic of Iran? Not Iran, Islamic Republic. What are they trying to do? What are their stated objectives? And you can support a righteous cause, but still be used by people with sinister motives. He's got to clarify that.

And then he's got to reassure Jewish-Americans that we are not going to abandon them. I think that they see these protests and they see a lot of silence, an appalling level of silence from people. And the president needs to make sure that American Jews are re-comforted, that we hear their pain, we understand their frustration and they're not going to be left alone and that the president stands with them.

DEAN: Has it surprised you how much of a wedge this has driven through the Democratic Party? Is that an overstatement? JONES: It hasn't surprised me because you have a younger generation

that their main sympathies are with the Muslim community after 9/11, after Trump's Muslim ban. You got to remember, you got young people who are on these campuses. They weren't even born when Barack Obama gave his famous speech in 2004. They're very young people. And all they know is that Muslims are vulnerable and they're seeing these images.

And so, they're not read in on Hezbollah and the Houthis and Hamas, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Taliban and that whole thing, and the precious importance of Israel and the fact that there are a billion Chinese people, a billion Africans, a billion Indians and only 15 million Jewish people left on planet Earth. Half of them live in Israel and half of them are people of color. Nobody's told these young people that in strong enough terms.

And so, of course, that door is left open for good people to step forward, but also for bad people to step forward and use those kids in sinister ways. And he's got to be a leader now and be very clear about what's good and what's bad about this movement.

DEAN: All right, Olivia Troye and Van Jones, always great to see you both. Thanks so much for making time.

Still ahead, widespread floods devastating much of Texas. We are live with what's happening on the ground there. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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DEAN: Thousands of people have been forced out of their homes due to flooding in Southeast Texas. And the danger is not over yet. More than 200 people and dozens of pets have been rescued with some evacuations and flood watches still in effect for the greater Houston area.

Covering this for us, we have meteorologist Chad Myers, who's in our weather center. Rosa Flores is on the ground there in Harris County, Texas. Rosa, let's start first with you. I know you've been there for the last couple of days watching all of this unfold. Give us an idea of what first responders are dealing with today as they continue to try and reach people who are stranded.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Jessica, first responders are risking their lives to try to save the lives of others. And, you know, they tell me that one of the most difficult parts of their job is when they're in a water rising situation, in a life- threatening situation, and they extend their arm to save someone, to rescue them, take them to higher ground, and that individual decides not to be rescued.

Well, that's exactly what has happened in the neighborhood that you see behind me. Take a look. You can see that water has swallowed this road. What's beyond this road is a restaurant in a neighborhood with multiple people still living there despite the rising waters. There is no access to this area by car. That's why we hopped on an airboat with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

We have video of this. Take a look. You can see that the water is very high. It has receded in the past few hours just a little bit. But the water, as you can see, is still high. And the first responders tell us that they went house to house, knocking on doors, letting people know that they could hop on the boat and get to safety. And they indeed rescued children, their parents, elderly, and even their pets. Take a listen.

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LT. DAVID JASPER, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: They did one rescue and the guy handed us a box with a litter of puppies in it, and then an ice cooler that was full of kittens. And, you know, I mean, I guess their -- their -- well, not I guess, I know that their -- their pets are like family members to them.

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FLORES: And this is a multi-county weather event. But let me start here in Harris County. We have a map of the evacuation zone. Now, that is in northeast part of Harris County. But as I was saying, there are multiple counties that are impacted. And the thing is, is that water heads towards where we are, towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Now, I want us to look in this direction because the banks of the San Jacinto River are supposed to be seen right beyond this tree line, and all you see back there is water.

And here's the thing, Jessica, the water from Lake Conroe, which is northwest of where we are, and Lake Livingston in the east and west forks of the San Jacinto River, which then feed into Lake Houston, they all flow in this direction.

And that is what's so devastating for the people in this community. It's not just the rain that falls in this community. The water that's expected to flow down through here as the water flows into the Gulf of Mexico could take several days. And that is what people are hunkering down for.

DEAN: Yeah. Yeah, that's scary. All right, Rosa Flores for us in Harris County, Texas. Thanks so much for that update. Let's go now to Chad. Can residents expect any relief? Because I know they keep -- you know, they keep having more rain, heavy rain, more threats of severe weather.

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What's it looking like as we look forward for them?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST AND SEVERE WEATHER EXPERT: There's still a chance of a shower, but nothing like a deluge, no big thunderstorms coming tonight, and by tomorrow morning, it's completely gone. One thing I wanted to note is how slowly the water was moving behind Rosa, how slowly the water looks like it's moving here. It's because the land is so flat. It will take a long time for all of these rivers here east and northeast of Houston to get all the way down there to the Gulf of Mexico.

Something I heard earlier this week, though, about how this water is worse than we had in Harvey. Well, yes, in places, maybe one or two rivers here. But Harvey's rain was back out here. So hard to compare. Those are apples to oranges comparison. One more thing I want you to notice is the big weather there. No tornadoes so far today, but there will be some severe weather across parts of South Texas.

Now, earlier in the week, we had 12 gauges that were in major flood stage. Now we have eight, which means at least the water is going down a little bit, still has to go up some before it gets into these lower rivers, because even though it's going down to the north, it still has to get somewhere else. It has to get into the Gulf of Mexico. There's the chance of severe weather later on today. And then for tomorrow, we have a chance of tornadoes again.

We have had tornadoes, Jessica, one or more for the last 10 days in a row for a total of 224. And this is the area of potential tornadoes tomorrow. Don't focus on the bullseye, focus on any color, because that will be a big event for tomorrow when the potential for tornadoes and severe weather, Jessica.

DEAN: I know. It spreads over. So, I'm looking there. So many different states, just a huge swath of land. All right, Chad Myers for us in the Weather Center. Thanks so much.

Still ahead, another police crackdown on a large campus protest in Southern California.

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What we're learning after officials temporarily closed the University of Southern California campus here on the "CNN Newsroom."

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DEAN: More crackdowns this weekend on antiwar protests and encampments at universities across the country. Early this morning, police in riot gear moved in on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and told demonstrators they could face arrest if they didn't leave, and they did pack up with no arrest.

CNN's Camila Bernal is on campus with more on all of this. So, Camila, that was hours ago. What's the latest now?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jessica. So, things are finally calm on campus and authorities here saying that the operation to clear everyone out actually only took about 64 minutes. They say that this time around, people listened, and they were able to clear the encampment fairly peaceful and fairly quickly.

This is very, very different in comparison to what we saw about two weeks ago on April 24th when the disbursement orders were in place. People did not listen. People got arrested. Things got extremely violent and authorities had to deal with the chaos and the violence then. This time around, it appears that all of these students listened. They were able to still chant and still be very passionate, but dispersed.

You know, last time on April 24th, 93 people were arrested and 51 of them were students, three faculty, three staff members. But it's reflective of what we're seeing around the country where not everyone is a student, not everyone that gets arrested is affiliated with the school.

And so, USC is saying they already started a disciplinary process for the people that are involved in this and got detained and are part of the school. And so, again, it's what you're seeing around the nation because there are some repercussions for the people who are involved in these encampments.

The university is back open, but only if you have an ID are you allowed to go inside of the school. They're also saying that no one with any camping gear is allowed inside of the school. So, they are trying to prevent this from happening again, Jess.

DEAN: All right, Camila Bernal for us there at USC in Los Angeles. Thanks so much. Also new today, the University of Mississippi opening a student conduct investigation, citing what officials call offensive and hurtful language and actions of hostility and racist overtones. This coming after a protest involving pro-Palestinian and anti-protest demonstrators.

We're about to show you some of that confrontation, and a warning, you might find it disturbing.

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DEAN: Adding to the outrage, that video was shared on social media by Georgia Republican Congressman Mike Collins, who posted -- quote -- "Ole Miss taking care of business." CNN's Rafael Romo has been looking into all of this. And Rafael, CNN actually spoke with the woman that we saw being taunted in that video. What did she say?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, we wanted to first confirm her identity and wanted to also hear what she had to say. And one of the things that she told us is that she yelled back insulting words at the counter-protesters. And there are multiple videos circulating online showing the protest at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.

But there is one video, the one we showed, a video in particular that has gone viral and is at the center of the controversy.

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Before I show you the video, we need to again warn our viewers that it may be offensive to many people.

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ROMO (voice-over): And as you can see, Jessica, the video shows a group of mostly young white men in the counter-protest yelling at a Black woman. At least one counter-protester is seen on video and appears to be making gestures at the woman. We now know who the woman in the video is.

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ROMO (on camera): Her name is Jaylin R. Smith. She's 24 years old. She confirmed to my colleague, Dianne Gallagher, that she is the woman seen in the video. Smith said that during the protest, pro-Palestinian demonstrators were kept in an enclosure, which police said was for their safety. She also said that she briefly stepped out of the enclosure to go live on social media and that was when the confrontation took place. CNN has made efforts but has not identified any of the counter-protesters seen in the video.

We have also learned that the University of Mississippi has opened an investigation into student conduct, but didn't say who or what they were specifically investigating. In the letter, Chancellor Glenn Boyce says university officials are aware that some statements made were offensive, hurtful and unacceptable, including actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones.

Smith tells CNN that she said some insults back to the counter- protesters, but adds the following: Here, I quote, "People calling me fat or Lizzo -- didn't hurt my feelings, because I know what I am. I'm so confident in my Blackness. I am so confident in my size, in the way that I wear my hair, and who I am. They do not bother me. If anything, I felt pity for them for how stupidly they acted."

And Jessica, the controversy took another turn when U.S. Representative Mike Collins, a Republican representing parts of Georgia, shared the viral video on X the following day, saying "Ole Miss taking care of business." CNN has reached out to Collins's office, but there hasn't been an answer so far.

And then yesterday, Congressman Collins's tweet prompted the NAACP to send a letter to congressional leadership asking for an investigation into Collins's conduct. In part, the letter says the following: "These actions conducted by a member of the House of Representatives, regardless of intent, legitimize and propagate racism and undermine the principles of equality and justice that our government is sworn to uphold."

Some of our viewers may remember that the University of Mississippi has had a long history of racial incidents, including the deadly riots that broke out there in 1962 when James Meredith became the first Black student to enroll there at the school. Jessica, back to you.

DEAN: All right, Rafael, thanks for that reporting. We'll be right back.

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[17:50:00]

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DEAN: Tonight, a new episode of "How It Really Happened: Anthrax Terror by Mail." Anthrax, called the poor man's nuclear bomb, is a spore forming bacteria that may only be a few microns in size but it has the power to kill millions of people. CNN's Nick Watt has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last deadly biological weapon attack on American soil was that spate of anthrax laced letters sent soon after 9/11. Five people died since then.

GREGORY KOBLENTZ, DIRECTOR, BIODEFENSE GRADUATE PROGRAM, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: Overall, the threat space is just much, much bigger, much more complex, much more dynamic.

IAN WATSON, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE: We should be concerned. We should be very concerned.

WATT (voice-over): In part because in the past --

KOBLENTZ: The perpetrator had to actually have physical access to the pathogen. Now, it's possible to synthesize certain pathogens.

WATT (voice-over): The government's eyes were opened to another new issue by a fun little experiment at a small biotech company in Raleigh, North Carolina.

SEAN EKINS, COLLABORATIONS PHARMACEUTICALS: Something that they hadn't imagined doing, which was a breathtaking admission. You know, within a couple of weeks, we were talking to folks in the White House.

WATT (voice-over): They tasked an AI algorithm that usually designs helpful molecules to design harmful molecules similar to VX, the poison gas infamously used by Saddam Hussein to massacre thousands of his own people in 1988.

EKINS: We just flipped the directionality and space of probably about six hours. It came up with roughly 40,000 molecules. We never actually made any of them. So, just to be clear. And we never tested any of them because that would be against the law.

KOBLENTZ: The good news is that this is harder than it sounds. Developing these kinds of weapons and applying advanced technologies to them is still a very difficult, complex process. So, at this point, the threat is primarily from states.

WATT (voice-over): China, North Korea and Russia, which has used chemicals in assassinations, remember, they tried to kill Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent called Novichok. In a post on Instagram, you can hear him scream. Kremlin denies it. And --

KOBLENTZ: It's worth noting that the Islamic state that had a very active chemical weapons program about 10 years ago, some of their experts are still at large.

WATT (voice-over): Those bad actors, plus computers spitting out recipes for novel pathogens and synthetic manufacture of pathogens, have forced the U.S. government into a complete change of approach.

WATSON: The pivot has been to not focus on what they traditionally call one drug, one bug.

[17:55:02]

WATT (voice-over): Days gone by, the government could keep a list of potential agents, Anthrax, Sarin, VX, and a list of the treatments and countermeasures for each one. Not anymore. And they're now spending a lot of money on that pivot.

WATSON: We went from 1.2 billion per annum to 1.8 billion. When you're not able to protect against everything, then you have to have in place good strategies and good reaction times.

KOBLENTZ: I'm a little concerned they're not evolving as fast as Mother Nature is because of the nature of bureaucracy versus, you know, evolution. You know, our funding on this is not really keeping pace.

WATT (voice-over): Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: And you can catch the new episode of "How It Really Happened with Jesse L. Martin" tonight at 9 Eastern and Pacific. It's only on CNN. We'll be right back.

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[18:00:00]

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