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Progress in Ceasefire Talks, But No Deal Yet; Some Protests Held Amid Graduation Ceremonies; Flood-Ravaged Texas Looking at More Heavy Rainfall; Mexico Confirms Three Bodies Recovered, Investigation Ongoing. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired May 05, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:37]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and 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.

We're following developments at ceasefire talks in Egypt. Now, this comes amid a dire assessment of the humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza.

Plus.

Bracing for demonstrations at colleges and universities across the U.S. this weekend, a look at the psychology behind the protests. And a thrilling photo finish at the Kentucky Derby. CNN Sports' Carolyn Manno joins me live to break down the 150th run for the Roses.

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

BRUNHUBER: Negotiators in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage talks have made some progress, but it appears that they're far from an agreement. U.S. officials say they have cautious optimism, but warn that talks have previously fallen apart at the last minute.

CIA Director Bill Burns is in Cairo representing the U.S. in the talks. Officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Hamas are also taking part. The U.S. Secretary of State says what happens next is up to Hamas. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We wait to see whether, in effect, they can take yes for an answer on the ceasefire and release of hostages. And the reality in this moment is, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now with the latest on the negotiations. So, Paula, bring us up to speed. Where do things stand right now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, at this point, we are waiting to hear from Hamas itself, an official response to this Egyptian-led proposal, which was given to Hamas well over a week ago now. There had been expectations, certainly from the Israeli side and the American side, that that answer would come last week at some point, but it hasn't been the case.

At this point, we know Hamas is in Cairo. They did arrive on Saturday, and we also heard from the Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, that he had spoken to Egyptian and Qatari mediators and in a statement said that they were looking at it in a positive spirit.

So at this point, we really need to wait and see whether or not Hamas is willing to go along with the framework that the Egyptian proposal has suggested, something along the lines of between 20 and 33 hostages being released for a certain pause in hostilities, a ceasefire in Gaza, and also Palestinian prisoners being released in tandem with that as well. It is still a multi-phase proposal that's on the table.

The hope, of course, is that once that first phase has been agreed to, then that will give space for negotiators and mediators to try and push forward with the next stages. We have been cautioned, though, by American and Israeli officials saying that even if Hamas does agree to this framework, it could still be several days before there is an actual final deal, as they have to hammer out some more details before that happens. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So as we wait, Paula, a ceasefire couldn't come soon enough for those in Gaza, the situation getting more desperate by the day with starvation a real fear for many.

HANCOCKS: This is one of the things that humanitarian aid groups have been warning about for months now, that the humanitarian situation is catastrophic in Gaza. It's something we have been talking about for some time.

But what the aid groups say is that they need a ceasefire. They need to be able to access Gaza and, as they put it, flood the area with aid. They say this is really one of the very few ways that they will be able to try and stave off a famine that could be happening even right now. We have heard from the World Food Program chief. Let's listen to what she said.

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CINDY MCCAIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: Whenever you have conflict like this and -- and emotions rage high and things happen in a war, famine happens. And so what I can explain to you is that there is famine, full-blown famine in the north, and it's moving its way south.

[05:05:04]

And so with -- what we're asking for and what we continually ask for is -- is a ceasefire and the ability to have unfettered access to get in safe and unfettered access to get into the -- into -- into Gaza various ports and various -- various gate crossings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now latest figures from the United Nations say that they believe some 1.9 million Palestinians have been displaced from within Gaza. Now, it's only a population of 2.2 million. So just to show the -- the devastating impact of -- of what has been happening there since October 7th and we've also been hearing of course from the Israeli side that if there isn't a hostage deal done, if there isn't a ceasefire in place then instead they will be going ahead with their operation, a major ground offensive they call it in Rafah itself, which would have catastrophic impact once again on the humanitarian efforts especially as that is where much of the humanitarian aid is coming in and much of the aid groups are based. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, appreciate you bringing us the latest. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thanks so much.

Now, in Tel Aviv this weekend protesters pushed for the Israeli government to do more to bring home the hostages.

They're calling for new elections and a change in government. Many say they no longer have confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In the United States protests on college campuses may be putting pressure on American officials but for now President Joe Biden has been adamant that the U.S. is supporting Israel. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have the protests forced you to reconsider any of the policies with regard to the region?

JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now from Tel Aviv former Israeli Consul General in New York Alon Pinkas. Thank you so much for being here with us. So just to start with the deal do you get a sense that a deal is close? Any idea of what the deal might look like?

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAEL CONSUL GENERAL, NEW YORK: No, I don't. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Kim and everyone involved in it. It is not a -- it's not a political issue, it's a tragedy.

You know, broadly speaking there is an issue here of the end of the war element in such a deal. And the end of the war is a critical issue for both sides. But it stems from a different definition of what constitutes victory.

Israel said repeatedly that the eradication and toppling of Hamas would constitute victory. So the end of the war would be very much short of that objective. For Hamas it is just to stand on their feet and wave a flag even if it's one flag. So they want the end of the war. So that prevents a deal on a broad basis.

On a more political basis, Kim, there is a numbers issue here. Mr. Netanyahu has two numbers he's juggling with, 64 and 33.64 is his coalition majority and 33 are the number of the hostages that are said to be released in the first phase. And he clearly, as it appears, prepares -- prefers, I'm sorry, the 64. Meaning that I don't see a deal in the next few days.

BRUNHUBER: Really? You don't think that because of those reasons that they can come to any type of agreement?

PINKAS: No. I mean, they could. They can. I know that Qatar is making tremendous efforts to get a deal. The Egyptians are helping. The Americans are pressuring via the Director of the CIA, Bill Burns, who was in Cairo today on this very issue. But Mr. Netanyahu is in a political bind.

And remember, Kim -- remember, Kim, he is motivated solely by his political survival calculations and considerations. So in the next few days, I know it's horrible to say because a deal should be made. I don't see a deal in the next two, three, four days.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, that's a depressing assessment there. But I'm wondering about the pressure from the other side, because we're seeing so many demonstrations in the streets right now. You're talking about the pressure, obviously, from -- from the right wing not to give up too much to Hamas, but obviously a lot of pressure on the streets there on Netanyahu. That won't force him to come -- to some sort of agreement here?

PINKAS: Well, there's a good chance it will, because the demonstrations are focusing, Kim, on what I told you a moment ago, and that is his preference for the 64 -- for the number 64 as opposed to the number 33. Sixty-four members of Parliament, as opposed to 33 hostages.

[05:10:05]

And -- and these demonstrations are focused on his decision-making. But even more so on his mismanagement of the war. And the -- you know, there's a critical mass that is beginning to form of fatigue and enough is enough with his failure to take responsibility, his failure to be held accountable, his mismanagement of the war. I'm talking from the protesters' point of view.

And so I do see -- I do see these demonstrations growing and increasing and expanding.

BRUNHUBER: With the time left, I want to ask about the U.S. role. You've written quite a bit about the relationship between the U.S. and Israel, between President Biden and Netanyahu. The U.S. is playing a key role in these negotiations, but Israel's government and Netanyahu specifically, they've been difficult partners for the U.S. How do you think that's affecting the dynamics and maybe the outcome of these negotiations? PINKAS: Well, I think the U.S. is extraordinarily frustrated with Mr. Netanyahu. And I think there is a formula here, according to which President Biden's love for Israel at this point overrides his disdain for Mr. Netanyahu. But I think it's evening out because Israel is behaving in an occult, recalcitrant and defiant way that -- that, for lack of better words, gets on America's nerves.

The U.S. hasn't done anything substantial or dramatic in that respect, but I think the patience is wearing very, very thin.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have to leave it there, but I always appreciate speaking with you, Alon Pinkas. Thank you.

PINKAS: Thank you, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: In the U.S., police were called to the University of Virginia on Saturday after a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus was declared an unlawful assembly. Universities from New York to California have seen unrest in recent days, 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 2,100 people on 40 campuses.

But protests, and sometimes counter-protests, are taking place during commencement season. CNN has reporters at campuses across the country this weekend. This hour, Polo Sandoval has more on those clashes at the University of Virginia.

Rafael Romo brings us the demands of students at one Florida school. But we begin with Whitney Wild at the University of Michigan.

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WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was interesting. When we were here earlier at -- before the ceremony began, we walked around the entirety of Michigan Stadium, and we did not see any indication there would be protests. We did not see protesters. We didn't see any flags. We didn't see any signs. And it was only once the ceremony got underway about 15 minutes in, as the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro spoke, that protesters made their presence very clear.

I'll give you just a sense of how close those protesters got to the stage. So, to my left, here is the stage where a long list of speakers was speaking. And again, this happened during the Secretary of the Navy speech. And then, if you come to look over my shoulder to the right here, it was right in the center of this field -- that Michigan Field where a group of protesters, between a dozen and two dozen protesters made a very vocal protest.

They were chanting, they had flags. What was apparent though, was Michigan State Police were not going to allow those protesters to get any closer to the stage. More than a dozen police officers on top of those protesters immediately.

The clash was not at all violent. It was very peaceful. And after -- I'd say about five minutes, police guided those protesters outside. And we heard very little after that. There were no disruptions. But the -- but the Secretary of the Navy did take a moment during his speech. And it's not clear if this was adlibbed, or this was pre- planned, but did take a moment to acknowledge the ROTC members who are graduating today, and made a point of saying that their service is to protect speech.

So, certainly acknowledging the protests that was going on around him even though his speech was disrupted. It was a very brief disruption. The rest of the ceremony went off smoothly. We have reached out to the Michigan State Police to find out if any of those students were detained.

Whitney Wild, CNN, and over Michigan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The commencement ceremony here at Florida State University in Tallahassee is well underway. This is one of six ceremonies that were scheduled to be held here at FSU between Friday and Saturday. According to the university, FSU is awarding degrees to more than 7,800 graduates.

Five protesters were arrested during a demonstration here at the FSU campus on Tuesday afternoon, and two of them are current students, according to the school. They were banned from campus for one year, and the students, and it's still an open question whether they will be able to graduate or not.

[05:15:07]

FSU said in a statement that the arrest occurred after the individuals ignored multiple requests and warnings to comply with the lawful order. FSU also said that the university's rules and regulations had been explained repeatedly over several days, and the group had been compliant until the arrest happened.

It was also a tense week at the University of Florida in Gainesville, about two hours away from here, where nine pro-Palestine protesters were arrested Monday evening on campus.

On Friday, we spoke with the leader of the same group of pro-Palestine protesters at UF in Gainesville, a group that has published a list of very specific demands for the college administration.

ARON ALI-MCCLORY, STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: We're asking for disclosure of financial transactions of the endowment so that we can ask for divestment from weapons manufacturers and companies that are complicit in the genocide happening in Gaza.

Additionally, we want UF to end course partnerships with weapons manufacturers and other such kind of affiliations that the university has. ROMO: And they are also demanding that the University of Florida publicly denounce what they call violence and discrimination against pro-Palestinian students, as well as a call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

We have heard very similar demands made by pro-Palestine protesters at campuses across the nation. On the other hand, we also spoke with graduating Jewish students who told us some of the protesters seem unable to understand how hurtful and offensive some of the things protesters are chanting can be.

These students say that those words and the protests over the last few weeks have created hostile environments at colleges and universities throughout the country.

ZOE MOTTLOWITZ, STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: People don't understand the meaning behind the words that they're saying. I think that's the whole issue with this movement is people are seeing that it's a trend and saying from the river to the sea and not realizing that's completely anti-Semitic and calling for the genocide of Jews. You know, so you have this argument that it's genocide on one side, but really when you're chanting these things to Jews, it means the same thing.

ROMO: Meanwhile, commencement ceremonies will go on a schedule here at the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee. The College of Law will award 312 degrees on Sunday and the College of Medicine an additional 110 on May 18. Rafael Romo, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, still to come, we'll take a closer look at how these anti-war protests erupted and why they're expanding to more campuses across the U.S.

Plus, evacuations and rescues amid historic flooding in southeast Texas. We'll have the latest on that. And the other weather threats spanning from Texas to the west coast. A report from the CNN Weather Center just ahead. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Flooding is devastating parts of Southeast Texas where some towns saw almost two feet of rain in just five days. And more rain is expected today. A mandatory evacuation order remains in place for parts of Polk County.

River flooding in Harris County which includes Houston is expected to top out at a level not seen since Hurricane Harvey in 2017. One county official says 224 people and 153 pets have been rescued. CNN's Rosa Flores is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's been a lot of emotional and very tense moments for individuals who have been rescued from these rising waters.

What you hear in the background is an airboat. They're still rescuing individuals but they're also trying to convince them to evacuate.

Let me show you around. This is an area that's called the river bottom. Now, this street curls around and there are homes back there, RVs back there.

I've talked to neighbors who say that there are between 8 and 15 individuals back there who do not want to evacuate. But take a look around and you'll see the water levels. You'll see the water level on the fence and on the trees.

If you look closely, the good news is that some of the water is receding because you can tell that water level from the tree.

Now I talked to the owner of this mobile home. Her name is Stacy Smith and she is one of the individuals who has access to her home. She has taken everything out. She has left the area. But she says that she's trying to come back because she's trying to convince the 8 to 15 individuals that she calls friends and family who are back in the river bottom because she's hoping that they evacuate to safety. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The ones that didn't want to come right now, we're going to go back and get with a personal boat and we're going to go get everybody. We're not leaving nobody behind because they're like our family. They're like family down there.

FLORES: And just to put this into perspective, Harris County, Texas, is one of the biggest counties in the country. And according to authorities at this point, they estimate that several hundred homes are being impacted.

Now, the damage assessments have not been made. According to authorities, that might start on Monday. That, of course, is if the water starts to recede. But the message to everyone in those evacuation zones is the following from authorities.

Get out. They are asking individuals to please go to safety to higher ground because there is more rain expected overnight and through the weekend.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Harris County, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And right now, 22 million people are under flood watches in Texas and Oklahoma and nine million are under high wind alerts.

Meanwhile, snow and thunderstorms could threaten parts of the U.S. CNN's Allison Chinchar has the latest on what's ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Three main threats this weekend we're talking flooding, severe thunderstorms and, yes, even some snow. So we begin with that system out to the west that, yes, could dump three to six inches, even up to a foot of snow across the Cascades. We're talking one to three feet of snow into the Sierra and then very heavy rainfall here along the coast.

[05:25:02]

Take Eureka, California, for example, forecast to get between about an inch and a half to two inches. That may not sound like that much, but in the month of May, they only average about an inch and a half. So they could end up getting a month's worth of rain in just a few short days.

Now, Sunday, that system begins to spread that rain and snow over the Great Basin and eventually into the Rocky Mountains.

By Monday, now we start to see that interesting setup for severe thunderstorms across the central U.S. before that begins to shift eastward. Here's the main focus point for those severe thunderstorms on Monday, essentially stretching from Sioux Falls all the way down to Dallas. You're talking damaging winds, large hail and even tornadoes.

Yes, even in places like Omaha and Oklahoma City, which are still recovering from tornadoes in that area just a little over a week ago. Then the threat continues to shift east in the coming days. So Tuesday and Wednesday also looking at the potential for some severe storms just in a few places a little bit away.

Another concern is still the flooding. A lot of these areas are still cleaning up across Texas from the sheer volume of rain that has fallen over the last five to seven days. And now we're going to be adding even more.

Now, the heaviest rain is going to be a little farther west of Houston, namely from Waco over to San Angelo down to San Antonio, where they could pick up an extra four to six inches of rain.

Even Houston, which isn't expected to get as much, you have to keep in mind it's on top of all of the rain they've already seen. This video from Livingston, Texas, showing just what the flooding has done to these areas.

Roadways covered that water flowing into people's homes and businesses as well. And also, don't forget the river flooding. We have dozens of river gauges that are at minor, moderate or even major flood stage.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come here on CNN, the University of Virginia said a pro-Palestinian encampment was an unlawful assembly leading to clashes with the police on Saturday and multiple arrests.

And Donald Trump left the courtroom behind for the weekend and took the stage at a Republican donor retreat where he compared Democrats to Nazis. We'll have that coming up. Please stay with us.

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[05:30:29]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back 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.

I want to get back to one of our top stories this morning. Pro- Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses are now coinciding with the pomp and circumstance of graduation season. Big state schools in Michigan, Florida, and Indiana that have seen demonstrations all held graduations on Saturday.

Protesters are calling for an end to the war in Gaza and for schools to divest themselves from Israeli linked entities. Most of the demonstrations have been peaceful, but more than 2,100 arrests have been made since April 18th.

And police were called to the University of Virginia on Saturday after a pro-Palestinian encampment was declared an unlawful assembly. 25 people were arrested there in Charlottesville. Now, it's still unclear how many of them were affiliated with the university. CNN's Polo Sandoval has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yesterday's clash came after pro- Palestinian demonstrators maintained a presence on the UVA campus for days. In fact, they were even actively engaged in conversations with the university.

However, it wasn't until those tents came up that the university then reached out to police to take action. And this is what happened.

In this video, you can see officers advancing steadily on a group, removing umbrellas and tents. At one point, you even see some sort of smoke or mist up in the air.

Now, it's still unclear if any sort of chemical agent was deployed. UVA encampment for Gaza claiming that it was tear gassed, but campus police not responding to our request to verify that claim.

The Department of Safety and Security at the university did announce that it was an unlawful assembly on Saturday afternoon. A couple of hours later, they declared the situation to be, in their words, stable.

The university did respond to a request for comment from CNN saying that it had informed the participants repeatedly that the tent policies are in place and that these sort of tents that were set up violated said policy, and that's what initially prompted the university to respond.

But really wider picture, this just reminds us that UVA is really just the latest university where tensions between protesters and the police have resulted in some confrontation. We do not have any reports of any injuries, though, during the UVA incident.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Joining me now is Benjamin Abrams, Deputy Chair of the Sociology Network at the University College London, and he's also a lecturer in sociology, and the author of "The Rise of the Masses: Spontaneous Mobilization and Contentious Politics."

Great to have you on about this. You know, the war has been going on for a long time now, so why now? Why do you think the campus protests ignited when they did?

BENJAMIN ABRAMS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Thank you very much, Kim. It's great to be here. I think one of the key things to note is that this hasn't been a single wave of protests all at the same time. Protesters are reacting to the actions of police and their campus administrations and the administrations of their student colleagues elsewhere, and they're showing their determination to fight back against these kinds of clearances and the quite harsh treatment by police by digging in and protesting more.

And, in fact, that repression has caused an increase in participation from people who maybe are not particularly radical on the issue of Palestinian solidarity, but who object to seeing their fellow students brutalized or kicked out of their college spaces.

BRUNHUBER: But the genesis of this here, psychologically, what's at play? I guess for many young people, their sense of identity is closely related to collective action. Is that right?

ABRAMS: Absolutely. And in the context of student mobilizations, these students identify with their given campus communities. And so seeing their colleges, in many senses, roll back on more friendly language they have been using from October through to April and adopt this newly harsh stance, I think has caused the emergence of a student constituency, which is being more readily mobilized by the protests and by the occupations.

Students identifying as students of a university, stepping out and joining those occupations. And students are, of course, very readily able to protest. They have a lot of what we sometimes call biographical availability. They don't have the kind of constraints and obligations that many people have.

And, of course, they're located in the perfect position to go and protest on their campuses. And so when the student -- sorry, please.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, go ahead. So they basically have the time to do it, as most of us are working, for example.

[05:35:05]

You know, you've studied mass mobilizations, are there factors that tend to make certain protest movements more or less successful that make some sort of catch or last?

ABRAMS: Absolutely. One of the key things, when you look at the spontaneous participation of ordinary people who aren't lifestyle activists, is that movements have to have this kind of affinity with their chosen participants. That's to say it's not just about having compatible grievances or compatible political claims with a large number of people, but also fitting into those people's life patterns, their social experiences, and also catering to their emotional needs and some of the things that drive them. And I think here these protests have really touched on that in the way that we haven't seen in quite some time.

BRUNHUBER: A lot of this is coming from students and student leaders, student activists, but we do know that there are other people who are coming onto the campuses from outside. How much of the energy behind this do you think is generated from outside of the schools and how much of it is organic from within the student body?

ABRAMS: I think it's important to note that there has been Palestine solidarity activism on many of these campuses, not just back to October, but long before. So there's been a lot of work done on these campuses to build the basis for the occupations we're now seeing.

And although naturally large protests or protests that attract a lot of attention will bring in people from beyond the kind of core constituency, some of these people from outside, for example, they may well just be people who are enthusiastic about what's going on and inspired by the students.

BRUNHUBER: I guess when we look at the final effects, I mean, these mass protests in the past, they have been engines of social change. We've seen, for example, the -- the, you know, anti-war protests against Vietnam, things like anti-apartheid movement. Do you think in this case that it will have any meaningful effect?

ABRAMS: I think we're already beginning to see some effects, not least in the discourse about the protests. I mean, you need only look at the recent Saturday Night Live clip, right, to show that it's beginning to have an effect on opinion leaders, as we sometimes call them in academia.

And I think with that shift in opinion leaders and later public opinion, you may well see some softening of rhetoric from the Biden administration, although his recent announcement seemed to be relatively strict on what he considered an acceptable protest.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out, how this fits into the continuum of mass protests that we've seen in the past.

Benjamin Abrams, thank you so much for speaking with us. Really appreciate it.

ABRAMS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: So as his criminal trial in New York takes a break for the weekend, Donald Trump lambasted Democrats Saturday, even comparing President Biden's administration to the Gestapo.

Now, the comments came in a Republican retreat in Florida, where the former president also railed against prosecutors behind his 88 criminal charges and praised a former Illinois governor convicted of corruption. As CNN's Alayna Treene reports, the main purpose of the retreat was fundraising.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Former President Donald Trump traded the courtroom in New York for Florida this weekend on the backdrop of the Republican National Committee's annual weekend retreat.

Now, during one of those sessions hosted by Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, two of Donald Trump's campaign managers, as well as Tony Fabrizio, one of his pollsters, they walked the group through the latest fundraising figures.

Last month, they said that they brought in $76.2 million. And this is noteworthy because it comes as they are trying aggressively to match President Joe Biden's campaign in their fundraising and their ever- growing war chest.

Now, on Saturday, part of the event was hosted at Mar-a-Lago, and Donald Trump addressed the group and also appraised many of the vice- presidential contenders on his short list that includes people like Elise Stefanik, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, and J.D. Vance, among others. He brought them up on stage and talked largely about the core issues that he cares about for his campaign.

Now, during one of these presentations today, they also laid out a plan of how they want to be competitive in states like Minnesota and Virginia, both traditionally Democratic-leaning states that they said they're going to run toward aggressively ahead of November.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Palm Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine's second largest city was targeted for a second day in the row. Now, Russian forces are suddenly ramping up their assault on Kharkiv. That's ahead.

Plus, authorities confirmed they've recovered three unidentified bodies in Mexico as the search for three missing surfers continues. We'll bring you the latest next.

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[05:43:02]

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says six people are injured after the city of Kharkiv came under attack for a second straight day. Officials say debris from a Russian drone fell in a residential neighborhood this morning, damaging multiple buildings. A similar scenario played out yesterday when Ukraine shot down multiple drones with the falling debris injured four people.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has officially become a wanted man in Russia. A state news agency says he's been put on the government's wanted list under Russia's criminal code. Ukraine dismissed the move as an act of desperation and a publicity stunt.

A 98-year-old woman says she walked 10 kilometers to escape Russian shelling in her Ukrainian hometown. She used sticks to support herself, but fell several times along the way.

Lidia Stepanivna says she left her town in the Donetsk region, now occupied by Russia, hoping to reach Kyiv-controlled areas. She slept on the ground without food or water, her legs shaking and giving out throughout the journey. After surviving World War II, she says she's determined to survive this war as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIDIA STEPANIVNA, ESCAPED RUSSIAN SHELLING ON FOOT (through translator): I woke up. They were shelling. It was horrific. How could one possibly sleep? My daughter-in-law said we must leave. I said, son, we should have left before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Ukraine's military found the woman and handed her to police, who took her to an evacuation shelter. She was uninjured. She says her character kept her going.

Mexican authorities confirm they have recovered three bodies from a cliff near Ensenada, Mexico, but the remains haven't been formally identified. This comes amid an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of three surfers, two Australians and one American. Journalist Stefano Pozzebon has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Mexican authorities, as well as the families of the three missing surfers, are still waiting for the final results from the forensic examinations performed on the three bodies that were recovered on Friday morning.

[05:45:02]

At this point, the authorities want to make sure that there is an ultimate and definitive DNA match between those three bodies that were recovered in a cliff about 50 miles south of the city center of Ensenada and the three surfers, two Australians, one American, before drawing any conclusion. Of course, these are hours of frantic wait and great caution.

CNN's affiliate network in Australia have reported that the family of Jake and Callum Robinson are traveling to Ensenada to be as close as possible to the investigation and perhaps even assist with that DNA matching. In the meantime, the three Mexican citizens who had been previously

brought in for questioning in relation to this investigation had since been detained on the allegation of kidnapping, according to the attorney general of Baja California, the state where Ensenada is located.

The FBI and Australian Foreign Office are also assisting the Mexican police. But so far, the ultimate clue on what happened to those three tourists who have been reported missing since April 29 has not surfaced yet. And we will be sure to report back to you as soon as there is an official pronouncement from the authorities in charge of this investigation.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon. Bogota.

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BRUNHUBER: It's official. Londoners have reelected Mayor Sadiq Khan, giving him a historic third term in office. Khan won easily, beating his closest rival, conservative Susan Hall, by 11 percentage points. The mayor thanked voters in his victory speech Saturday. Here he is.

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SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAJOR: I promise to repay the trust you've placed in me by working tirelessly to deliver the fairer, safer and greener London you deserve. It's been a difficult few months. We faced a campaign of nonstop negativity. But I couldn't be more proud that we answered fearmongering with facts, hate with hope and attempts to divide with efforts to unite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Khan's Labor Party also did extremely well in Thursday's local elections. Their success, a warning to conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of the general election, which has to take place by January.

All right, still to come here on CNN Newsroom, the Kentucky Derby has its newest winner after an incredibly tight race. CNN Sports' Carolyn Manno joins me next to break down the 150th run for the Roses. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Oversized hats, seersuckers, mint juleps and a photo finish for the ages. The Kentucky Derby delivered all the right kind of drama Saturday. And CNN Sports Correspondent Carolyn Manno joins me to take us through it. So, Carolyn, I mean, the Derby, you know, couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate the 150th running of the race, right?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: You're right, Kim. I mean, there's a reason that the Kentucky Derby is called the greatest two minutes in sports. And we saw that yesterday, 156,000 people packing Churchill downs, dressed to the nines.

And this race was a complete 10. Mystik Dan at 18 to one odds with a solid lead entering the backstretch of this race. But Sierra Leone and Forever Young would close fast. What a way to commemorate such a significant milestone in the race's history. This could not have been any tighter. It actually took several minutes to confirm who crossed first, but the photo says it all.

Mystik Dan by a nose with Sierra Leone finishing second. Just another nose ahead of Forever Young, the closest three-way finish at the Run for the Roses since 1947 as Jockey Brian Hernandez wins his first Derby crown.

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BRIAN HERNANDEZ JR. JOCKEY, FIRST KENTUCKY DERBY CROWN: That was the longest few minutes I've ever felt in my 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.

LANCE GASAWAY, MYSTIK DAN'S OWNER: Oh, Robbie was sitting there saying, hey, we won this thing. Let's go, let's go. So, you know, we felt pretty confident that we got to win.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just before I let you go, Preakness?

GASAWAY: We'll discuss it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANNO: Another season of playoff heartbreak for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the two original six teams in a winner-take-all game seven last night for the third time in seven years. The Bruins have now won all three. The puck taking a big, brutal bounce off the boards in overtime right to David Pastrnak, who beats Ilya Samsonov for the game-winning goal, a dagger for Leafs fans who last won it all 57 years ago.

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ILYA SAMSONOV, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS GOALIE: Tough to talk right now, yeah? Season is over for us. I think we did a really great job. Yeah, won three. We're back serious to Boston, game seven. Yeah, I don't want to say lucky or not lucky. It's just for the losers.

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MANNO: Elsewhere, the Anthony Edwards show continues in the playoffs, a franchise postseason record 43 points in last night's series opener against Denver. As a group, Minnesota made an astounding 71% of the shots in the second half. Naz Reid, the NBA's sixth man of the year, had 14 of his 16 in the fourth as Minnesota steals game one on the road against the defending champs.

The WNBA continuing to thrive north of the border, a sell-out crowd of over 16,000 fans on hand in Edmonton, Alberta for the second annual Canada game between the LA Sparks and Seattle Storm. And they got to see a show from LA's two superstar rookies Cameron Brink & Rickea Jackson. The second and fourth overall picks in last month's loaded draft class dazzling in their preseason pro debuts and giving fans in Hollywood a lot of hope for the future of the franchise as LA wins by five.

From future stars to an all-time great, Messi, still a magician, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner doing all the dirty work last night, dishing out an MLS record five assists and none better than this, threading the perfect pass between three defenders to Matias Rojas for his second goal of the game.

[05:55:03]

Messi also assisting on all three of Luis Suarez's scores. The only goal he did not get credited with an assist was his lead leading 10th goal of the season as Miami routes the Red Bulls six to two. But he just continues to make magic happen for all the fans who don't want his career to end. What a sight.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right. Where Messi goes, records fall. That's about it.

Carolyn Manno in New York, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Well, the time for the world's most watched costume show is upon us. The Met Gala takes place Monday, and this year's red-carpet theme is The Garden of Time, a reference to a short story from 1962 written by J.G. Ballard, which explores the nature of time.

Over the years, the Met Gala themes have explored many lofty subjects, and this year celebrity guests are to interpret Ballard's vision, a style seen as dystopian and postmodern.

All right, before we go, Saturday Night Live's Cold Open a few hours ago spoofed the college protests here in the U.S. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alphonse, your daughter must feel so supportive when she's out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's that now? When whose daughter is out there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the protest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, no, man, you bugging. Alexis Vanessa Roberts better have her butt in class. Let me find out she in one of them damn tents instead of the dorm room that I pay for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought you were in favor of the student protests.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brother, man, I am supportive of y'all's kids protesting. Not my kids. My kids know better. Shoot. Alexis Vanessa ain't crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, Kenan Thompson, who played that concerned dad joke, he's busting his hump to pay for his daughter's tuition because what's not free -- sorry, free this, free that, is Columbia, $68,000 a year. All right, a bit confused there. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next. For the rest of the world, it's "Connecting Africa."

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