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U.S. Warns Israel About Rafah Invasion; Gaza Health Ministry Says War Death Toll at 35,000; Michael Cohen Set Testify Against Trump; Flash Floods Kill 300 in Afghanistan; Ukraine Warns Northern Front Has "Significantly Worsened"; Putin Replaces Russia's Defense Minister With Civilian; Pro-Palestinian Protesters Interrupt Commencement Ceremonies; 35M+ At Risk For Severe Storms In Parts Of U.S.; Gold Gala" Celebrates Asian-Pacific Islander Achievements. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 13, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States, around the world and streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church, just ahead. As Israel launches new attacks across Gaza, U.S. officials repeat their warnings to stay out of a city that's become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians.

Donald Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen, is set to take the stand in the former president's high-stakes criminal hush-money trial. We will break down what Cohen's expected to say and why his testimony could be critical.

And more than two years into Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is replacing his long-time defense minister with an economist who has no military experience.

Good to have you with us. Well, as Israel continues to plan an expansion of its military operations in Rafah, the Palestinian death toll from the war has passed 35,000. That is according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. On Sunday, this large explosion in Gaza, as the health ministry says, at least 63 people were killed over the weekend.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials are warning that a full Israeli invasion of Rafah could lead to massive civilian deaths. The U.S. Secretary of State says it could leave a vacuum filled by chaos. So far, more than 300,000 people have evacuated from Rafah and they say they have no safe options.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHER Al-RABAIA, DISPLACE PALESTINIAN (through translation): We are tired and lost. We don't know where to go. In a small area, we are lost. No one is standing with us, not Netanyahu, nor Muslims, nor Saudi Arabia, nor any Arab country. This is the destruction. We are working as workers. I left with a shirt and a torn undershirt. I'm working as a worker for 10 shekels. We are suffering from the high prices from one side and the war from the other side, and we are displaced. I swear, since five days, I only had one meal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Israel says it has opened a new crossing to allow humanitarian aid into the enclave in coordination with the United States. The Western Erez crossing is in northern Gaza. The U.N. says no aid has come through southern Gaza over the past several days. And CNN's Paula Hancocks has more on the aid situation and the evacuations from Rafah.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some 300,000 Palestinians are believed to have evacuated Rafah so far. These are figures we're getting not just from the U.N. on the ground, but also the Israeli military. And this is as the IDF is continuing its limited operations at this point in eastern Rafah, but they are calling for civilians to evacuate. Many of them we're hearing from UNRWA, for example, the U.N. group on the ground, are literally moving anywhere they possibly can.

They're being told there's an area along the coast, al-Mawasi, which is considered, according to the Israeli military, a humanitarian safer zone. But according to the U.N., it is an inhumane displacement, pointing out that this area that they are being told to move towards is simply not suitable for the sheer number of people. And the humanitarian support simply isn't there at this point.

Now, the humanitarian support and the aid that is getting into these areas of Rafah and southern Gaza have been severely hampered over recent days since this operation began. We know that the Israeli military is in control of the Rafah crossing. This was a key crossing to get the humanitarian aid trucks in. And we understand that Egyptian officials at this point are not coordinating with Israel to get more trucks in because they are citing security concerns.

It's not just managing to drive a humanitarian aid truck through into the Gaza Strip. You are driving into a war zone and it is extremely difficult to then be able to safely distribute the aid once inside. Now, we understand, according to the Israeli military, that they have opened another crossing now, they say, in the north of Gaza. They're calling it the Western Erez crossing.

[02:05:00]

But at this point, the critical concentration of displaced is in the southern area, is in the Rafah area. And according to U.N. teams on the ground, they are rapidly running out of aid to be able to help those people.

Now, when it comes to the fighting as well, we are hearing from the Israeli military that it's not just in Rafah that they are engaging Hamas. They are also fighting in central Gaza. They are fighting in northern Gaza, Jabalia refugee camp, for example. The Israeli military say that they have issued evacuation orders there as well as they are fighting Hamas. They say they have intelligence that Hamas has tried to regroup and tried to reassemble in this particular area.

And this is an area that the Israeli military said that they had cleared and that was controlled by them and had been operated in many months ago. So, this really is an indication of how difficult it is for Hamas to be totally destroyed as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has insisted his military will do. Paula Hancocks CNN, Abu Dhabi.

CHURCH: U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with his Israeli counterpart amid those growing concerns about Israel's military offensive in Rafah. The White House says he discussed how to, quote, "ensure the defeat of Hamas without an expanded invasion of the city." CNN's Kevin Liptak has more.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: American officials are continuing to warn strongly against a ground invasion of Rafah, really channeling President Biden's view that American weapons should not be used in an operation that they view as ill-advised and very, very bloody. And those concerns were raised in a phone call on Sunday between President Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his counterpart in Israel.

The White House says that Sullivan raised those concerns, discussed alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah. Israeli National Security Advisor said that those concerns were being taken into account. But at the end of the day, these concerns are nothing new. President Biden has been raising them with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on phone calls dating back to February.

And there are no signs that Netanyahu is necessarily taking those views into account. He has said that a ground invasion of Rafah is necessary to completely eliminate Hamas. That view is completely at odds with what we heard from American officials on Sunday, including the Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said that a ground invasion of Rafah could launch a Hamas insurgency. Listen to more of a little bit of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: They will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas will be left no matter what they do in Rafah. Or if they leave and get out of Gaza, as we believe they need to do, then you're going to have a vacuum and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos, by anarchy and ultimately by Hamas again.

We have the same objective as Israel. We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again. We want to make sure it's demilitarized. We want to make sure that Israel gets its leaders. That's what we're determined to. We have a different way and we think a more effective, durable way of getting that done. We remain in conversation with Israel about exactly that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: Now, Blinken also said that the U.S. believes Israel has killed more civilians than Hamas's members over the course of this war. He also said that the U.S. hasn't seen a plan from Israel for security and governance in Gaza once this war ends.

So really taken all together, these are some of the strongest words that we've seen from the Biden administration directed toward Israel since the start of this conflict. And it really does go to show that this relationship and this war are very much reaching an inflection point. Kevin Liptak, CNN, traveling with the president at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

CHURCH: Alon Pinkas is former Israeli consul general in New York. He joins me now live from Tel Aviv, Israel. Appreciate you being with us.

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Good morning, Rosemary. Good to be with you.

CHURCH: So, Israel appears to be preparing to expand its military operations into Rafah, even as U.S. officials warn that a full invasion could lead to massive civilian casualties and as it continues to pause sending bombs to Israel. So, what do you expect Benjamin Netanyahu's next move will be?

PINKAS: Well, he's defied everything we thought he would do. He's defied reason. He's defied the U.S. He's defied the reality on the ground, the military reality on the ground. And most importantly, Rosemary, he's defied the very idea of coming up or drafting an idea for postwar Gaza.

[02:10:00]

So right now, if he intends to push forward with this offensive in Rafah, which remains to be seen, by the way, because the scale and the scope of such an operation varies, and, you know, a grand invasion may not happen, and we may yet see this thing burning itself out in two, three days. But if he does go on, if he's serious about his unattainable goal of eradicating Hamas, then Israel needs to essentially occupy the Gaza Strip indefinitely. And I don't see that happening necessarily.

CHURCH: So why is it that Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to be willing to alienate his country's biggest ally by possibly invading Rafah, despite calls from the U.S. not to do so, and despite advice on how to defeat Hamas without an expanded invasion of Rafah?

PINKAS: Well, in one word, Rosemary, politics. In two words, personal politics. In three words, silly personal politics. And combine these three options and you understand his modus operandi. He has a vested interest in prolonging and lengthening the war. He knows that if the war ends now, which, by the way, Rosemary, any hostage deal that is accompanied by a ceasefire, a six-week ceasefire, an eight-week ceasefire, a four-week ceasefire, would de facto end the war.

And if the war ends now, then he cannot claim victory. He cannot claim that Hamas was eradicated or that it was militarily and politically, well, most importantly, politically toppled. I go back to the segment that you showed from Secretary Blinken. He's exactly right. If Israel stays, there's chaos. If Israel leaves without a postwar plan, it's chaos.

Now, Mr. Netanyahu, since more or less November, Rosemary, is deliberately seeking a confrontation with the U.S. because he thinks that's good for him politically in terms of maintaining his coalition. It's not exactly smart statesmanship, but politically he thinks it's beneficial to him.

CHURCH: So where do negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal stand right now? And what happens to those hostages if the IDF does go ahead with this planned invasion of Rafah?

PINKAS: Tragically, and I know it's a horrible thing to even suggest on your show, nowhere. I cannot see negotiations proceeding, certainly not in a positive way, given an Israeli offensive in Rafah, even if it's less than a full invasion. Then there's the question of duration. Even if the invasion or operation is limited in scope, it could still go on for a few weeks, in which case I don't see any negotiations.

And this goes to something else, how the two sides define victory. Israel defines victory as eradicating Hamas. Hamas defines a win or victory by merely standing on their feet and waving a flag, even if it's the very last flag. So, both sides, and again, this is tragic, both sides seem to have a disincentive to end this at this point, because neither can get what it wants.

And that's the tragedy, because in between are 130 hostages and hundreds of thousands, if not a million and a half, you know, desolate Palestinians being shifted from one side to another without access to food, water or medicine.

CHURCH: Alon Pinkas, thank you so much for joining us and for sharing your perspective on this issue. Appreciate it.

PINKAS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Day 16 of Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial will kick off in the coming hours. Trump's former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, is expected to take the stand. And prosecutors say it's entirely possible they will rest their case by the end of the week. CNN's Zach Cohen has more.

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Prosecutors in Donald Trump's hush money trial are expected to call a key witness to the stand on Monday. The testimony of Michael Cohen, Trump's one-time attorney and fixer, could make or break the Manhattan district attorney's case against the former president.

He's the only witness who will testify about Trump's involvement in both the alleged decision to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep her from going public about a past encounter with the former president ahead of the 2016 election and the plan to reimburse Cohen for advancing the money.

Now, tying Trump to both the decision to pay Daniels and the reimbursement is critical for prosecutors who are seeking to prove Trump allegedly falsified business records to keep Daniels quiet. [02:15:02]

Now, the jurors have already heard a lot about Cohen from other witnesses who have testified over the last three weeks, and most of it has been unflattering. Trump's defense attorneys will likely try to further undercut Cohen's credibility during what is sure to be a tense cross-examination.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have tried to lay the groundwork for Cohen's testimony by introducing documents, including e-mails and texts they say back up his version of events. Ultimately, the case could come down to whether or not the jury finds Cohen's testimony credible or if Trump's attorneys are able to convince them otherwise. Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: And earlier, I spoke with criminal defense attorney and former New York prosecutor Bernarda Villalona about the significance of Michael Cohen's turn as star witness.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNARDA VILLALONA, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER NEW YORK PROSECUTOR: While we heard so much about him through other witnesses who tend to corroborate what he is expected to say, we still also know from other witnesses that he does have credibility issues. But the key testimony that we're going to hear from Michael Cohen is about that crucial meeting in February of 2017 inside of the White House, inside of the Oval Office, where Michael Cohen is expected to testify that he and Donald Trump had this conversation about the hush money that was paid to Stormy Daniels and how he was supposed to be repaid for that hush money in order to conceal that testimony from ever coming into light, that about Stormy Daniels herself.

CHURCH: And while the prosecution views Cohen as a star witness who can potentially link an alleged cover up scheme back to Trump, the defense paints him as a liar with no credibility, motivated by revenge. Which narrative will likely win and which has the stronger evidence?

VILLALONA: So, the defense is going to go with that Michael Cohen is obsessed with Donald Trump. He's been obsessed with Donald Trump for years, that he's constantly posting about Donald Trump, talking in the media about Donald Trump, and that he's so fixated on Donald Trump that he has become delusional.

And you heard some of this through the defense's opening statement. So that's how we know that's where they're going with Donald -- with Michael Cohen's testimony. In terms of the prosecution, the prosecution is going to allow Michael Cohen to be the person that he is, and then later argue that this type of person is the same person that Donald Trump needed and trusted to fix his problems, to try to hush Stormy Daniels, to try to hush and conceal this from ever coming to light.

In the end, the prosecution's going to tie Michael Cohen's testimony and all the corroborating evidence, including meetings, telephone records, that audio recording that we already heard earlier in the trial, as well as statements that were made previously in order to find and tell this jury that you can find him credible and that you can find Donald Trump guilty based on his testimony, but not just his testimony in total, all the testimony that they've heard throughout. And the defense, of course, is going to try to poke holes through all of that and find reasonable doubt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And we'll have my full interview with Bernarda Villalona next hour. All right, still to come, catastrophic flooding in Afghanistan kills hundreds and wipes out entire villages. A look at the destruction amid calls for international aid. That's just ahead.

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CHURCH: More than 300 people are dead after devastating flash floods in Afghanistan over the weekend, according to the World Food Program. The floods have destroyed entire villages, washing away homes, livestock and access to clean drinking water and food. Taliban officials are now calling on the international community for help. CNN's Anna Coren joins me now live from Hong Kong with more on this. So, Anna, what is the latest on Afghanistan's deadly floods?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, the images that we're getting out of Baghlan province in the north of Afghanistan are extremely distressing, and we need to warn our audience that what you're about to see may upset some viewers.

Look, these are videos that have been shared on a journalist group in Afghanistan, and it shows the ferocious flash flooding that hit on Friday. You can hear people screaming, run away, run away. The next footage that we will show you is the rescue efforts. And these are children, three, four children that have been plucked from the mud, buried in the mud. They are shell shocked. And it is beyond distressing.

This little girl, she is telling the man the flood took everything and that her mother has been swept away. As I mentioned, this happened on Friday. We believe that men were at prayers at the mosque, women and children were at home. So, you know, as far as the casualties go, it's women and children who are among the dead. It was unusually heavy rainfall across the north of the country. This is very mountainous areas.

Obviously, Baghlan, the worst hit. But there's also reports of flash flooding in Herat, in Ghor, in Takhar and Badakhshan as well. The Taliban, as you say, claims that more than 300 people have been killed, over 1,600 injured. Thousands of homes are destroyed. These homes, they are in mud brick homes that have been completely engulfed.

But there is a wide discrepancy, Rosemary, between the Taliban's numbers and those from humanitarian groups. We just spoke to somebody from the World Food Program who believes that the death toll will dramatically rise. There are areas that are inaccessible that are buried in mud. And the fear is that there are many, many bodies still buried in the mud and under the debris. Let's now have a listen to one father who lost 13 family members.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUHAMMAD YAHQOOB, RESIDENT (through translation): We have no food, no drinking water, no shelter, no blankets, nothing at all.

[02:25:00]

The floods have destroyed everything. Out of 42 houses, only two or three houses remained. The floods have destroyed the entire valley.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Rosemary, as I said, he lost 13 family members, including many children. The Taliban says it's mobilizing all available resources. It's also calling on the U.N. and other humanitarian agencies to come to the assistance of these incredibly vulnerable, now destitute people.

CHURCH: Anna Coren, we thank you for your report. Appreciate it. Wildfires are raging across Western Canada. Officials say the first major fires of the season have spread across roughly 10,000 hectares or nearly 25,000 acres. Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate in Alberta province. At least two fires are burning out of control and have grown significantly over the weekend.

Canadian officials have issued air quality warnings from British Columbia to Ontario. They say the country faces another, quote, "catastrophic wildfire season this year, fueled by warmer than normal temperatures."

Still ahead, Russia's president replaces his defense minister, the same man who was criticized for his handling of the war in Ukraine. We'll explain after the break.

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[02:30:23]

CHURCH: Russia claims to have captured four more villages in the Kharkiv region after launching a surprise cross-border attack on Friday. Ukraine's army chief says the situation on the northern front has, quote, significantly worsened, but he didn't comment on Russia's claims which CNN cannot confirm independently.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says this is a new wave of counteroffensive actions by Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Defensive battles are ongoing, fierce battles on a large part of our border area. There are villages that have actually turned from a gray zone into a combat zone. And the occupier is trying to gain a foothold in some of them, or simply use some of them for further advancement. Our task is obvious, we need to inflict as many losses as possible on the occupier. And it is very important that everyone who is directly there in the Kharkiv region shows maximum efficiency now.

In the armed forces, in the security forces, in local authorities and communities, everything depends on what you are capable of in a war, whether you can withstand the attacks and hold your grounds so that everyone else can do the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ukrainian officials say thousands of residents were evacuated from the Kharkiv region on Sunday as Russian forces pushed in, but some were reluctant to go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Look, here I am, two years in hell, hell, two years we endured hell.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): You hear that explosions? Well, it was exploiting next to our ears, the house, the windows, the gallery or veranda, the glass is all shattered. We took out for bags of glass yesterday. As you enter the house, the windows with the glass are deformed and we put sticks against them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russian President Vladimir Putin has replaced his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, with a civilian. Shoigu was criticized for his handling of the invasion of Ukraine most forcefully by the late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Kremlins says Shoigu has now been appointed secretary of Russia's Security Council. He will also oversee the country's military industrial complex.

The new defense minister, Andrei Belousov, previously served as first deputy prime minister. The Kremlin spokesperson explained why Putin made the change during a media call on Sunday.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Today on the battlefield, those who are more open for innovations, more open towards a quick implementation of the innovations, win. That is why it's natural that on the current stage, the president has taken the decision for a civilian to be in charge of the ministry of defense.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CHURCH: He also highlighted the country's rising military spending, saying it's approaching levels last seen during the Cold War.

Joining us now is CNN's Clare Sebastian. She is live in London.

So, Clare, how significant is this announcement from Putin that he is replacing his defense minister with a civilian and what might that signal?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, it is really significant. Sergei Shoigu had been in that job for 12 years, so long predating the war, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it was in some ways expected he had been seen as vulnerable. Obviously, Russia is now more confident and Ukraine than it was, say six months ago. But this is still a war that is now in its third year, whereas the expectation at the beginning was that it would be over in a few weeks. His failings also the stated reason behind Yevgeny Prigozhin's attempted mutiny around a year ago.

So we'd also seen a corruption scandal and the defense ministry less than three weeks ago. A top deputy defense minister, a really close ally of Sergei Shoigu was arrested. This is often a tactic used in Russia to try to glean information about the higher ranks of an agency or ministry. So that's certainly fed into the speculation there. but I think look, in terms of the facts on the ground and Ukraine, it's not clear that much will change, that will still be mainly the purview of the head of the armed forces says, I think this is really an acknowledgment by putting an economist in this position.

Andrei Belousov is the former economy minister. He's a trained Soviet economist. By doing that, it's really an acknowledgment that this is now an economy on a war footing. They need someone able to manage the military spending, which is now some 6.7 when percent of GDP.

[02:35:07]

And so, by doing that, it's again, what we've -- what we've seen said by both sides in this war, the NATO secretary general has that this is a war of industrial steel production. If Russia is going to win, they need that military to production to be at full throttle with all the challenges involved in that, of doing that under sanctions, of doing that in a situation with a war has itself really drained Russia's labor force.

So those are the challenges facing the new defense minister. The Russian economy now needs the war I think as much as the war needs the Russian economy, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And, Clare, what more are you learning about the situation in and around Kharkiv and as Russia appears to be taking advantage of delay in the arrival of additional western military aid.

SEBASTIAN: Russia is definitely taking advantage of this, Rosemary. The assault which began on Friday, was really the biggest cross-border attack that we've seen from Russia. It was sort of a brigade level attack that we've seen in many months, possibly since the early stages of the full-scale invasion itself the Russia by Sunday had claimed to have taken five villages in the border regions. I mean, Ukraine has not acknowledged, but the head of the Ukrainian armed forces saying on Sunday that the situation in hockey region has escalated.

Now, there's a few things that could be going on here. One, Russia we know has been heavily bombarding the city of Kharkiv for many, many months. That's Ukraine's second city speculation that they were trying to launch an assault in that direction, albeit while military analysts are saying they probably don't have the capacity to take over that whole city the second thing is that the Kharkiv region is right bordering the Russian border.

We know that Ukrainian attacks over the border, particularly in the Belgorod region, has stepped up. So they may be trying to create a buffer zone. That expand that to try and prevent those attacks and President Zelenskyy has also said that he believes they're trying to stretch Ukrainian forces even thinner. They are still pushing hard and the Donetsk region in particular, trying to take over that whole region. So by launching this assault up in the north, they then stretch Ukraine's already depleted army even thinner, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Clare Sebastian joining us live from London.

And we'll be right back.

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[02:40:22]

CHURCH: Demonstrators in Georgia staged an all-night protest outside the country's parliament building. Video shows crowds of police facing off with protesters in the early morning. The goal of the demonstration was to block lawmakers from entering for the final debate on the Russian style foreign agents bill. If passed, the law would require groups receive giving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents or face heavy fines. The E.U. says the law could jeopardize Georgia's candidate status.

Actor Steve Buscemi is okay after being randomly punched in the face in New York City on Wednesday, that's according to a statement from his publicist. Police say Buscemi was taken to a nearby hospital at all and treated for swelling and bleeding in his left eye. The actor is known for his quirky roles and a host of shows and movies including "Reservoir Dogs", "Fargo", and the "Big Lebowski". New York police released a photo, of a person they believe is the suspect, and asked for the public's help identifying the individual.

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. For our international and Max viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is coming up next.

And for those of you here in the United States and in Canada, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after a short break.

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[02:45:38]

CHURCH: The partial demolition of Baltimore's key bridge is now scheduled for Monday afternoon. It was originally set for Saturday, but was postponed due to inclement weather. The bridge collapsed back in March when a cargo ship rammed a pillar, killing six men who had been repairing potholes on the span. A massive piece of the bridge has been sitting on top of the ship ever since.

Our Gloria Pazmino reports from the memorial site.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, for two days now, we had been expecting the unified command to begin. There's complicated but careful operation to demolish parts of the Key Bridge that have been sitting atop the Dali, the ship that crashed into the bridge, bringing it down are more than 47 days but we were just told that the operation has been postponed until Monday afternoon because of the weather. We spoke with the U.S. Coast Guard just to try and get an understanding of just how complicated this operation is and why every environmental factor matters.

NICK AMEEN, PUBLIC INFORMNATION OFFICER, U.S. COAST GUARD: There is an increment weather in the area today through are a few lightnings strikes, when there was a lightning strike in the area that pushes the clock back. And so, that clock just kept getting pushed back and push back. And so ultimately we arrived at the decision to postpone until tomorrow.

A very dynamic situation that were dealing with here with the Key Bridge response its important to note that we will absolutely not sacrifice safety for speed.

PAZMINO: Now, the unified command and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been looking at and working at the structure for several days now, they have already gone in and carried out a number of precision cuts in those position cuts, they have placed a chargers which will be wired when this its operation can finally take place to help remove pieces of this bridge is going to be a controlled explosion, small explosive what can be seen in this video, this video animation provided to us by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gives you an idea of just exactly how this is going to or they will put the chargers in, the charges will be wired when they explode, that will move the pieces off to off the ship and into the water. Salvage operation can come in and that can begin the process of removing the bridge so that eventually the Dali can be moved off the channel.

While all of that is taking place, the community here in Baltimore still very much remembering the victims that were lost and looking ahead to recovery, right? The key bridge was such a major part of the economy here, a part of the community. And as you can see from this memorial that has been taken shape here behind me over the last several days, people are still honoring the memory of those who were lost. We have been watching throughout the day as people come in to pay their respects, lay flowers, take pictures and just take in as I said, the loss of those who were killed during this incident.

So if the weather and all the other environmental factors cooperate, this operation now expected to happen Monday afternoon.

Reporting in Baltimore, I'm Gloria Pazmino, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: As college commencement ceremonies continue, so too do the protests. On Sunday, comedian Jerry Seinfeld was interrupted at Duke's graduation ceremony in North Carolina when he was introduced. (BEGIN VIDEO LCIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Addition to receiving an honorary degree, Jerry is also serving as our commencement speaker today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: About 30 students walked out as the comedian was being introduced. And you can see some students waving the Palestinian flag.

Here's how Seinfeld responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: I know all of you here are going to use all of your brains and muscle and soul to improve the world. And I know you're going to do a bang up job and when you're done, as I am now, I bet the world because of you will be a much better place, but it will still not make a whole hell of a lot of sense. And it is worth the sacrifice of an occasional discomfort to have some laughs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Pomona College in southern California moved its ceremony more than 30 miles away due to days of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

CNN's Camila Bernal has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Many students and parents frustrated in this case because they have to drive 30 miles and change their plans just to make sure that since meant goes on as planned. So instead of it being in Pomona College, its going to be here in L.A. at the Shrine Auditorium. You can see it here behind me. There are security measures already in place. There is a barrier or metal barrier and already security guards, you are not allowed inside the auditorium if you do not have a ticket.

The school apologizing and saying not only that this was an inconvenience, but also saying that they would provide transportation for the students to get here to Los Angeles. Nonetheless, students just disappointed and say they're not happy about this whole change.

Take a listen to what one student said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's sad and I think it's a really bad way to end your college career and I think its showing exactly where Pomona is headed.

BERNAL: And some universities like Columbia and USC canceling altogether this big traditional commencement ceremony, and instead of making other plans citing safety reasons and wanting to avoid protests, we saw students at Duke University walking out, right as the commencement speaker was introduced, that was Jerry Seinfeld. He was able to give his address as planned with no apparent interruptions.

And this weekend at different universities, we saw students at UC- Berkeley chanting and protesting and briefly pausing the commencement ceremony. They then walked out of that event and also add Virginia Commonwealth University, at least a dozen students also walking out when the governor was beginning to give his commencement address.

So again, that's what a lot of universities are trying to avoid this weekend, and others who have events later on. And, of course, this has also caused us a lot of frustration amongst students who had to deal with graduating from high school the middle of a pandemic. And now again, having to deal with commencement under difficult circumstances or under something that they do not consider a normal commencement ceremony.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

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CHURCH: More than 35 million people in the U.S. are at risk of severe storms on Monday. The Storm Prediction Center says the slow moving weather system that's impacting southeastern Texas and western Louisiana, right now could bring hail, damaging winds, and potential flooding as late as Monday afternoon.

He's CNN's Allison Chinchar with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: After a very brief reprieve of severe thunderstorms across the U.S., the threat is now back and its going to be focused across much of the Gulf Coast region here, not only Monday but also into Tuesday.

Now, the main threats are going to be damaging winds, the potential for very large hail golf ball size, or even larger. And yes, the potential also, for some tornadoes, you can see here the Monday, it stretches essentially from southern Texas all the way over into the panhandle of Florida. Tuesday, that threat shifts a little bit farther to the east, but the threats themselves remain the same.

Here you can see is we start off the day Monday that first wave really focused across eastern Texas, much of Louisiana, and portions of Mississippi. By the time we get to Monday afternoon into the evening hours, while it spreads east. It also begins to fill in. So several more areas have the potential to see those strong to severe thunderstorms and it will continue moving ever so slowly to the east, even as we head into Tuesday, which is why that third read also continues there.

In addition to tornadoes, damaging winds and hail, there's also the potential for flooding. Now the flooding extends essentially from Chicago all the way down to the Gulf Coast. But really the focus is going to be on Monday between Mobile, Alabama, back through New Orleans, keeping in mind, too, that there is still the potential for flooding across east Texas. If you recall, we had some devastating floods north of Houston just one week ago. So even though that area is not really the focus for Monday, any additional rainfall in that area is likely just going to exacerbate a lot of the cleanup efforts that are still on ongoing in that area.

Most of these locations, you can see here in the yellow anticipating about two to four inches total over the next few days. But there will be some isolated spots. They could pick up as much as four or even five inches of rain total.

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CHURCH: Well, finally, the styles came out for L.A.'s Gold Gala. It's held every year to honor Asian Pacific contributions to the creative arts and more.

Kristie Lu Stout has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stars arrived at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles Saturday to attend the Annual Gold Gala, a gathering of who's who in the Asian Pacific community.

[02:55:05]

The event celebrates the non-profit Gold House's A 100 list, 100 change-makers making a significant impact, in areas like entertainment, fashion, technology, and more.

PRABAL GURUNG, FASHION DESIGNER AND GOLD GALA CREATIVE DIRECTOR: It's great to see that kind of visibility. There's a long way to go still. You know, obviously, we feel that way. But the progress is being made.

STOUT: Among this year's honorees Padma Lakshmi.

PADMA LAKSHMI, AUTHOR AND TV HOST: I just feel seen. I feel so humbled to be included.

STOUT: And Lucy Liu.

LUCY LIU, ACTRESS: It's a really important time to be two gather in this community.

STOUT: When it comes to Hollywood, Asians have historically been underrepresented or stereotyped. But that's changed in recent years.

A joint study by Gold House and USC Annenberg found the percentage of speaking Asian characters and top box office films in the U.S. rose from 3.4 percent in 2007 to 15.9 percent in 2022. The roles themselves are more complex.

The age of streaming has also ushered in more opportunities for diverse storytelling. LAKSHMI: I think what the industry has realized is that Asian

creativity and Asian talent is, A, different and B, lucrative. You know, that's been wonderful to see people take chances and how we have knocked it out of the park.

JOEL KIM BOOSTER, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: Events like this are so exciting to me because when I was coming up in this industry, I think there was a lot of energy of light. There's only going to be one of us in the room. Its so according to be in a space like this where were all coming together and were all supporting each other as a community. It's not something that I grew up imagining I'd have for myself.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church.

I will be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Do stay with us.

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