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Russian Air Strikes Hit Hardware Center In Kharkiv, Ukraine's Second Largest City; Russian President Vladimir Putin Purging Russian Military Leadership, Citing Corruption; American Man Detained In Turks And Caicos On Ammunition Charges Arrives Back In U.S.; Severe Weather Threatens U.S. Midwest And South; Supreme Court Expected To Hand Down Numerous Decisions Over New Few Weeks; Data Suggests Marijuana Now More Popular Than Alcohol Among Americans; Increased Tornado Activity Likely Due To Climate Change; Twins Saved As Infants During Hurricane Katrina By U.S. Lieutenant General Give Him Thanks; Dallas Mavericks Take Two Game Lead Against Minnesota Timberwolves In NBA Western Conference Finals; Caitlan Clark Wins Her First Game In WNBA; New York City Facing Shortage Of Lifeguards For 2024 Summer Season. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired May 25, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with dramatic video of the moment a Russian strike hit a shopping center in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. At least two people were killed and dozens more injured in the attack. Two more strikes in other parts of Kharkiv followed the initial hit.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is eastern Ukraine. Nick, Russia has been on the offensive in Kharkiv. Is this stepping up of their attack?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, look, I mean, this could have been potentially the worst civilian casualties we've seen since Russia's offensive about two weeks ago now from the north of Kharkiv, from their border areas down to Ukraine's second city. At the moment, the death toll, though, is four. It has been rising. We could have as many as 40 injured in this one attack on a huge hardware store complex in an area in the northern areas of Kharkiv. We've been there ourselves, a chain store across all of Ukraine. So much fire burning, frankly, because of the paints, because of the hardware store elements you would expect to find there. And clearly know reticence at all from Russia's air force to hit this with what Ukrainian officials saying were to glided bombs, two airstrikes, right in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.

After that, another airstrike hitting Kharkiv, nobody injured there, officials say, and a third in which were hearing about 11 people being injured separately. And earlier on that morning in the middle of the night, another airstrike at 2:00 a.m. So a sign, I think, that Russia is beginning to focus its efforts on Kharkiv. We've known that they'd be militarily trying to advance towards it. And the fear has always been that they might get close enough to start using their artillery against that city of over a million people. It's clear this afternoon and they haven't got within that sort of range, but they are still able to use the glided, guiding bombs that their aircraft launch from Russia to significant effect.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointing out clearly that there were 200 people, he says, inside that complex when this explosion happened. It's clear a significant amount of that got out and are safe, but the number of injured keep rising, as does the clarity here of quite what Russia is prepared to do. Their military defense saying they hit a military warehouse where the pictures emerging from there, some just showing women pushing their children past the burning wreckage of this hardware complex, really showing how civilian indeed this was, as so many targets inside Ukraine hit by Russia are.

WHITFIELD: Yes, horrible. And then, what about the U.S. military supplies? Have they arrived yet?

WALSH: We don't have full transparency over exactly when these supplies begin to get into the hands of Ukrainian troops on the front line. And it's quite clear from how the flavor, the nature of Ukrainian losses on the battlefield simply have not improved over the past weeks that they're not arriving in an adequate way to change the dynamic of the conflict.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that they are now in what he called combat control over the areas in the north from Kharkiv, where Russia launched its most recent invasion, its most recent offensive. It's unclear what that really means. There clearly are areas in that most recent Russian push that Ukraine still feels under huge pressure. And there are other fronts indeed here in the eastern parts of Ukraine where Russia is also seeing success, too.

So I think many have seen this moment now as Russia's best chance to capitalize upon the ammunition shortages, the equipment shortages, even the personnel shortages that Ukraine has been experiencing, and in the personnel sense will continue to experience in the months ahead. So Russia is seizing that, seeing some success. And the race is really on for U.S. munitions start arriving in Russian hands in such a meaningful way that they can actually change the course of the battlefield.

[14:05:02]

Because be in no mistake right now, the scenes in Kharkiv are potentially a premonition of how bad it could get in Ukraine's second city if Russia gets close enough, and also how bad things could begin to deteriorate across its eastern front line unless U.S. NATO weaponry starts really making a difference. It isn't at the moment.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, Nick Paton Walsh in eastern Ukraine, thanks so much.

So as Russia steps up the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expanding a purge of high-ranking military officials and shaking up its ranks. CNN's Brian Todd has more.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As he swaggered in the presidential palace of his top ally in Belarus and crowed about the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in that country, the former KGB colonel ruthlessly pressed on with a purge of his top military brass at home. Two top Russian military officials just arrested as Vladimir Putin's purported campaign to stamp out corruption continues.

STEVE HALL, FORMER CIA HEAD OF RUSSIA OPERATIONS: I think it's definitely the biggest military shakeup that we've seen in Moscow since the start of the war that we're aware of.

TODD: One of those arrested, Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, a top communications officer in the Russian Army. He's accused of taking large scale bribes. Russian state media reports that despite having an annual salary in 2018 of about $32,000 American dollars, Shamarin's wife in 2022 bought a Mercedes worth over $200,000. Analysts say not unusual in a military rife with corruption.

EVELYN FARKAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE MCCAIN INSTITUTE: I mean, the Russian military is known for padding contracts. They will write a big contract and take a cut. This kind of rampant corruption is normal, and again, the higher you go, the more rampant it is.

TODD: With these latest arrest, five top Russian military officials have been arrested in the past couple of months. At least four have denied wrongdoing. Earlier this month, Putin pushed out his longtime defense minister and close ally Sergei Shoigu and replaced him with an economist.

This all comes as Russian forces have made recent gains on the battlefield in Ukraine, a still grinding war that Putin has ramped up spending for.

MARK ESPER, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Russia is moving toward war economy. And it's true, seven percent of their GDP now is focused on defense. They're on a war footing.

TODD: But some analysts believe there's more going on inside the Kremlin than Putin trying to clean up his defense spending.

FARKAS: I mean, it really feels to me like a Soviet style purge. He's probably done some forensics since the march on Moscow last summer, remember, by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

TODD: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary chief who led a short- lived rebellion against the Kremlin last year after viciously and very publicly accusing Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, of not supporting Wagner militants on the battlefield, once doing that while strolling among the dead bodies of his mercenaries.

Prigozhin later died in a mysterious plane crash. Analysts say Putin could now be sorting out who's really loyal to him and sending a message to the Russian people. HALL: It allows Putin to say to his domestic audience, yes, I'm cleaning shop here, and we're going to be in this for a while.

TODD: Experts say it's possible that more purges could be coming from Vladimir Putin, and that the powerful chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, might need to look over his shoulder, although one analyst points out, Gerasimov is that the top of the military pyramid and Putin might need to tread carefully with him.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: An American man detained in Turks and Caicos on ammunition charges is now home today. Last night Bryan Hagerich stepped off an escalator at the Pittsburgh International Airport right into the arms of his children right there. He tells CNN affiliate WTAE that he is absolutely elated to be back with his kids. The father of two was given a suspended sentence of 52 weeks and was allowed to fly home after paying $6,700 in fines.

CNN's Rafael Romo joining me right now with more on all this. So Hagerich, he was headed home in February after vacationing there with his family, ammo found in his luggage, and then he was looking at a serious jail sentence.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: And what a horrible way to end a vacation. It has been a tremendous ordeal for him his family. And his will do seems to be over now, Fred, but there are several other Americans facing the same charge whose fates are still undecided.

Bryan Hagerich is now describing his involuntary stay of more than three months in Turks and Caicos as the hardest time of his life. The American from Pennsylvania return home last night after spending and the more than 100 days in the British overseas territory where he was charged with possession of ammunition. This is the moment he reunited with his children.

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[14:10:03]

ROMO: Just a very beautiful moment there. Hagerich was facing a 12- year sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of ammunition. He was able to return home after getting a suspended 52- week sentence and a $6,700 fine. According to his representatives, he expressed great relief and gratitude after landing last night in Pittsburgh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRYAN HAGERICH, AMERICAN WITH SUSPENDED SENTENCE: Just so much joy, it's just amazing how just in a matter of 12 hours my life has just, it has been a complete 180. Looking at 12 years to now, my biggest concern is coaching my kids baseball games tomorrow, and that is such a relief.

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ROMO: And just to be clear, in Turks and Caicos, possession of firearms or ammunition carries a minimum, minimum 12-year sentence, though according to the local governor, the law allows reduced sentences under exceptional circumstances. Hagerich is not the only American arrested under similar circumstances. Four others have been released on bail while they await their court dates in Turks and Caicos. But one of them was allowed to return to the U.S. for medical reasons.

An American delegation, including Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, then Congressman Guy Reschenthaler, his Republican colleague from the same state, worked together to secure Hagerich's release.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GUY RESCHENTHALER, (R-PA): We've got to remember there's still three Americans that are wrongfully detained on that island, and that draconian law is still in place. So we need to warn other Americans about the dangers of going to Turks and Caicos. And we need to work relentlessly to bring the other three Americans home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROOM: And finally, Fred, Turks and Caicos officials say U.S. citizens are not being targeted. The Turks and Caicos premier told CNN that out of the 195 people sentenced for firearm-related offenses over the past six years, only seven were U.S. citizens, and no American has received the full 12-year sentence to date. But again, it makes you think if you want to go there, just one bullet, two bullets can really get to in a lot of trouble.

WHITFIELD: You don't want any mistakes, because that 12-year minimum, what you're facing, I mean, that's pretty alarming and its frightening. All right, Rafael Romo, thank you.

All right, summer's kickoff weekend could turn into a washout as storms threaten millions.

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[14:17:03]

WHITFIELD: All right, we're tracking dangerous weather that could impact travel this holiday weekend. More than 70 million people are under a severe weather threat as intense tornadoes are forecast for the central plains and parts of the Midwest.

Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa. All right. Elisa, I mean, that map does not look good.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN WEATHER ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: No. And we've had this nearly every single day this month and last month, just an excessive risk of severe weather. Again, this is a level four out of five moderate risk there in the red from Wichita down to Oklahoma City. And this is the area that were really worried about, strong, long-lived, violent tornadoes possible as we go into the evening and even possibly overnight hours. We could also find baseball-sized hail and some damaging wind gusts as well.

Notice, the risk, though, does spread through the deep south over towards Atlanta and Savannah. And there's another little area of a marginal risk up near Pittsburgh. So things to watch out for. But definitely the highest, most violent threat will be from Kansas down into Oklahoma, where were looking at EF-2 tornadoes or greater possible. So again, not just a tornado risk, but at risk for strong, long-lived tornadoes as we go through the evening and overnight.

And it's coming in a year that's been already so active. We've already had more than 900 reports of tornadoes since January 1st average to date would be closer to 700. So it's been incredibly active.

Here's a look at radar right now. Still not finding anything in the plains. We need the atmosphere to cook the heat and humidity of the day to fuel those storms. We do have some storms, though, across the southeast where a new severe thunderstorm watch has been issued as we go through the afternoon just south of Atlanta from Macon down to the Florida state line. That's where we've had some severe thunderstorm warnings in effect already this afternoon.

The storms, you can see them blowing up in the plains. You see all these little discrete cells. That's what could be the violent, long- lived tornadoes. And notice the timestamp, 10:00 at night. So as we go into the night, make sure you have your emergency alerts turned on loud, because, again, violent tornadoes at night is just not a good recipe.

Then we have the damaging wind threat progresses through Missouri as we go into tomorrow morning, and then through the Ohio valley through tomorrow afternoon. We're not done yet. This sets up multiple days of severe weather for us. We have a level three out of five risk going into tomorrow from St. Louis to Nashville for the continued threat of tornadoes and damaging winds. Fred.

WHITFIELD: And in all of this dangerous weather, you also have dangerous heat?

RAFFA: Yes, the gulf coast has been kind of sweltering since early May. It has been much above average for temperatures, and that continues through the holiday weekend. So for a place like Texas, we've got actually advisories and warnings and effect, warnings from Corpus Christi down towards Brownsville for heat index values up to 117 degrees possible. So heat sickness definitely a threat there.

Look at the temperatures, where your average this time of year is still in the upper 80s. You're looking at temperatures well into the 90s from New Orleans down to Miami. I mean, temperatures even surpassing 100 in Del Rio in Texas, well above average.

[14:20:07]

So that puts you in the extreme zone for some of those heat sickness risks and a major zone as well with those heat index values well over 100. You want to check on kids, elderly, and pets. And all of this coming in areas that are already in the midst of their hottest May on record. Spring just kind of disappearing as the extreme heat season starts sooner.

WHITFIELD: Yes, we're just getting started. All right, Elisa Raffa, thank you so much.

All right, over the next few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to unveil more than a dozen major decisions on some of the most hot- button issues facing the nation, including immunity for former presidents, January 6th obstruction charges, disinformation on social media, and even emergency abortion care.

But as the conservative dominated court prepares to set precedent possibly for generations, there are signs of a growing rift among justices during recent oral arguments. CNNs Joan Biskupic has more. Joan?

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Good to see you, Fred.

The Supreme Court has just one month to resolve more than a dozen major cases, including whether Donald Trump must stand trial for election subversion. And there are signs of significant discord and distrust among the nine justices that will make it harder to pull together decisions. The liberals have been bluntly exposing their differences with the conservative majority and opinions. They contend that the majority is changing the law in America simply because, with the new justices, it can.

Conservatives, who indeed hold the upper hand on this six-to-three court, nonetheless have been spiking their writing and remarks with derision. Meanwhile, there have been self-inflicted controversies over ethics and perceived conflicts of interests. The latest from flags flown at houses owned by Justice Samuel Alito that are associated with Trumps supporters and the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

During the justice's last two weeks of oral arguments, the anger on both sides of the bench was obvious. They sounded testy and looked weary. Alito wrote release eyes. Elena Kagan looked pained. Clarence Thomas rubbed his face. In some cases, when Ketanji Brown Jackson, the junior justice, was asking questions on the last round of a hearing, most of the others didn't look her way.

The larger atmosphere suggested many were simply not listening to each other or respecting different views. That pattern is bound to make the final weeks of negotiations especially difficult. And it could make it harder for Chief Justice John Roberts to win unanimity or something close to it in the controversy over Trump's demand for immunity. In the past challenges to presidential power, whether involving Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton, chief justices worked toward unanimous rulings. These personal differences can also stymie compromise for a single court. Concurring opinions with competing rationales often confuse lower court judges and other people trying to understand the legal precedent. So while this antagonism is difficult for the justices internal negotiations, it can have real consequences beyond their walls for the law in America. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, Joan Biskupic, thank you so much.

Still ahead, a shocking statistic shows just how popular marijuana is right now. More people are smoking weed every day than drinking alcohol.

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[14:27:53]

WHITFIELD: For the first time, it seems pot is more popular than alcohol. In 2022, according to data collected by the U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 17.7 million people -- Americans, that is, said they use marijuana on a daily or near daily basis, and 14.7 million said they drink daily. Doctor Saju Mathew is here to talk about all of this. So does it seem surprising?

DR. SAJU MATHEW, PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: Not at all. I actually think that that number is probably not accurate, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Really?

MATHEW: I think more people are smoking. You can smoke, you can eat, you can drink, and I'm actually seeing this condition called hyperemesis cannabinoid syndrome.

WHITFIELD: What is that?

MATHEW: These are people who smoke a lot of pot frequently that come in with unexplained abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting. They go to emergency rooms, $50,000 later, we find out, hey, it's your marijuana. But good luck trying to get a young person to stop smoking.

WHITFIELD: Because people will also argue about the medicinal, I guess, properties or advantages about marijuana. So they kind of figure, I can just keep going and feel good.

MATHEW: Well, I think there are two sides to this story. Absolutely, the Biden administration is trying to down class the schedule one where marijuana is right now in the likes of heroin. Marijuana is not heroine, it is not that dangerous if a drug. So if it's a scheduled three, kind of like drugs like testosterone, then scientists can actually study marijuana. Does it really help with chronic pain, seizures? So there's a positive side to this, but recreationally using marijuana early in your teenage years lowers I.Q. scores and can cause a lot of addictive property -- psychosis, schizophrenia, and can affect brain development.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. OK, meantime, COVID, it's still out there, but just as we've seen in the many iterations of COVID, there are new strained. And the latest one, what do we need to know about it?

MATHEW: Yes. So there's a new sheriff in town. It is not surprising. No reason to panic. Three things, real quick, Fred. When we have a new variant, the first question to ask, is it more transmissible? Are more people getting infected at a more rapid rate?

[14:30:05]

Secondly, does the vaccine work? And we find out that even though this variant is far removed from the earlier variants, the current vaccine still works. It's part of the omicron family.

And lastly, it is not causing severe disease.

WHITFIELD: What are the symptoms this time?

MATHEW: The symptoms are not any different from a cold. So that's also why if you have a cold, you actually might have COVID. You still need to get tested, rapid tests work, but the PCR test is most accurate.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. OK, and then I'm going to say Ozempic without breaking out in song with the commercials. It's ingrained in my. But anyway, people look at Ozempic as something to address diabetes, weight loss. And now there's another potential benefit?

MATHEW: Kidney disease. So these are good studies. These are good studies saying that not only does Ozempic work to help you lose weight, to help you control your diabetes, a lot of diabetics who have had diabetes for a long time are at risk for chronic kidney disease. And you don't have symptoms a lot of the times for kidney disease. If you don't have access to your doctor and your doctor is not checking your labs, you actually might have spillage of protein from the kidneys. And chronic kidney disease and chronic diabetes is a terrible combination, increases your risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure.

So now Ozempic actually can benefit patients who are at risk of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease as well. It is good news, but Ozempic is not for everybody.

WHITFIELD: Right. And I was about to say, boy, that's some kind of drug. But, like you said, it's not for everyone.

All right, Dr. Saju Mathew, great to see you. Thanks so much.

MATHEW: Thanks, Fred. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, never in its history has the U.S. government predicted such a strong hurricane season than what we expect to see this summer. And it is all thanks to climate change.

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[14:36:34]

WHITFIELD: All right, the official start of hurricane season just days away, and experts are offering a dire warning this year -- it's going to be a hyperactive season. Joining me now to help explain all of this is climate scientists and distinguished University of Pennsylvania Professor Dr. Michael Mann. He is also the author of "Our Fragile Moment, How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis." Professor, great to see you.

MICHAEL MANN, CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Thanks, Fredricka. It's great to be with you.

WHITFIELD: OK, so this forecast is rather troubling. Should we largely attribute it to climate change? Or is there something else that's playing a role here?

MANN: Yes, there's a role of natural variability and a role of climate change. It's a combination of the two things. Natural variability, we're coming out of an El Nino event. It's part of why global temperatures were unusually warm compared to recent years this last year. El Nino is this warming in the tropical pacific. It changes wind patterns over North America in the tropical Atlantic.

We're coming out of El Nino and going into the opposite state, La Nina, when the tropical pacific is cooler than normal, and that actually leads to less vertical windshear. Windshear, that's changing directions or changing wind speeds, width, height in the atmosphere. And that makes it very difficult for hurricane to form. When you have less of that vertical windshear, it's a more favorable environment.

So we're going into La Nina more favorable environment. And those sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are bathtub warm. And they're bathtub warm in substantial part because of human-caused warming, the overall warming of the oceans around the world. And this summer in particular, the Atlantic is very hot.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my. So when forecast or say expect more storms, how many more are we talking?

MANN: Well, we're predicting a record, a new record. The previous record was 2020. There were 30 named storms. That means you exhaust the alphabet. You have to go into the Greek alphabet to start naming those storms. There were 30 in 2020. We're predicting anywhere between 27 and 39 storms, named storms this year, with the most likely number of 33 named storms. That would be a new record.

WHITFIELD: And are there any forecasts that kind of place the target zones for any number of those, what, 27 to 39 storms? Is the technology sophisticated enough to try to make that kind of forecast yet?

MANN: Yes, it turns out when you start talking about like how many major hurricanes or major landfalling hurricanes along the east coast of the U.S., how many of those are there going to be, you're dealing with the statistics of small numbers. They are typically only a few of those in any given year. And so it's much harder to sort of create a statistical model that's reliable to get at those very specific quantities, like how many major landfalling hurricanes are we going to see. That having been said, when there's more activity overall, all else

being equal, we expect a greater likelihood of those major landfalling hurricanes. And so it's something for us to be looking out for. We better be prepared for an unusually intense hurricane season this year.

[14:40:00]

WHITFIELD: Yikes. OK, it's always frightening, any hurricane season. But now it's especially. And those fears and concerns are being heightened with these kinds of forecasts. Professor Michael Mann, thanks so much.

MANN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, any major hurricane that hits the U.S. is usually compared to Katrina. The devastating storm that hit Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, Katrina became synonymous with catastrophe and trauma, but also survival and resilience.

CNN's Stephanie Elam reports now on two thriving young survivors who reunited with the military leader who helped save them years ago.

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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From hurricane evacuees --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations the class of 2024.

ELAM (voice-over): -- to high school graduates. For twins J'Mari and A'Mari Reynolds, this is a moment that seemed improbable at the beginning of their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, Hurricane Katrina looks --

ELAM (voice-over): In the summer of 2005, Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, defeating many of the levees surrounding the city, flooding its streets, and killing nearly 1,400 people. Survivors fought challenging circumstances to stay alive.

ALEXANDRIA WHEELER, KATRINA SURVIVOR: We hadn't eaten in maybe six days.

ELAM (voice-over): Alexandria Wheeler, knowing she needed to find help for her six-and-a-half-month-old sons, waded through the water, her feet encountering unspeakable horrors in the turbid waters.

WHEELER: It was two bodies collided like this.

ELAM (voice-over): When the trio finally made it to the convention center turned makeshift shelter in the muggy heat, they were starving and dehydrated, the infants nearly limp. That's when Lieutenant General Russell Honore, the decorated commander who led the military response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, came to their aid.

LT. GEN. RUSSELL HONORE, LED MILITARY RESPONSE TO HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA: Folks in Washington, they were looking at calendars and we were looking at a clock.

ELAM (voice-over): It was a moment CNN caught on camera.

WHEELER: He was like God's angel. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be here today.

ELAM (voice-over): For years, Wheeler says she tried to get in contact with Honore to thank him for his kindness. But it would take another storm, Hurricane Harvey, threatening their new home in Houston in 2017, to bring them together again.

HONORE: I understand there's some who dat boys over here. Who dat?

ELAM (voice-over): Wheeler sent Honore a message on social media, and he responded.

WHEELER: We don't even have words to put into our mouths to thank you enough, or to repay you back for what you did.

ELAM (voice-over): Now nearly 19 years after their life-altering encounter, Honore took time to celebrate the boys' achievement.

HONORE: We affectionately referred to you as the Katrina twins, because the world got to meet you that day.

ELAM (voice-over): But J'Mari and A'Mari, after a lifetime made possible by the man in uniform, are honoring Honore each in his own way.

First, A'Mari.

A'MARI REYNOLDS, KATRINA SURVIVOR: And thanks to you, I'll be a future addition to the United States Marine Corps.

HONORE: Hoorah. You got to learn how to say that word, hoorah.

A. REYNOLDS: I chose to be in the Marines because I watched over the video and I kept watching, and it inspired me to want to help people a lot more.

ELAM (voice-over): Then J'Mari.

J'MARI REYNOLDS, KATRINA SURVIVOR: I would like to thank you so much for your bravery and your help that I was able to survive. I'm going to college to do automotive engineering.

ELAM: How do you feel hearing that these two young men are pursuing these careers that have been inspired in part by you?

HONORE: I feel so gratified. I mean, there's no greater service than the service to others. The engineer that will change the world, and the Marine that's going to help protect the freedom in our democracy. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: J'Mari Ezekiel Wheeler Reynolds.

ELAM (voice-over): The twins now thriving after surviving hell and high water thanks to an undeterred mother.

HONORE: They're here today because of you and your tenacity.

ELAM (voice-over): And a compassionate commander.

HONORE: That these young men will be game changers. I'm so proud of you.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ELAM (on camera): And now that they're done with high school, this is the first time that the twins will be living apart. But they said that they're going to remain close and keep those lessons that they learned from the lieutenant general close to their hearts and continue to help others. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Stephanie Elam, beautiful, inspiration many times over.

All right, until last night, victory in the WNBA has eluded Caitlin Clark. But wait until you see this shot that she made two earn her first professional win.

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[14:49:20]

WHITFIELD: All right, the road to the NBA finals is heating up as the Dallas Mavericks take the series lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And the WNBAs Caitlin Clark doesn't disappoint. CNN's Andy Scholes has more.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, if Luka Doncic wins six more games, he's going to prove he's the best basketball player in the world. And he may already be there. Last night he hit another all-time great game winner in game two of the Western Conference Finals. Mavericks down two under 10 seconds left. They inbound the ball to Luka. The T-Wolves, they switch Rudy Gobert onto him. And Luka just cooks him and nails the step back three to take the lead with three seconds left. Gobert, the defensive player of the year, but it did not matter. No one can guard Luka.

[14:50:03]

And that was your game winner. Luka, 32 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds in this one. He was all pumped up as the Mavs win game 109 to 108, and they're now up two-zero in the series.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he can't f-ing guard you, huh?

LUKA DONCIC, NBA PLAYER: Sorry? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He can't f-ing guard you?

DONCIC: Who said that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said that?

DONCIC: I didn't say that. I was speaking Slovenian.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: On the ice, we had another overtime thriller. The Stanley Cup playoffs, the Rangers needing a wind to avoid falling into an zero-two whole at home to the Panthers, and now this answer from one of the unlikeliest of players, Barclay Goodrow. The 31 year-old fourth liner leading the break, give and go from Vincent Trocheck and he buries the game winner and gets swarmed by his teammates. The Rangers win two to one. And here's how it sounded on the Rangers radio network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drupal flips it out the center, knocked down. Goodrow finds Trocheck, back out to Barclay. Goodrow the shot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it scores! Barclay Goodrow in overtime! We are tied at one!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: I love the little giggle there. And get this, Goodrow only scored four goals in 80 games during the regular season. He already has four in the playoffs. That series now heads to south Florida for game three tomorrow, tied at a game apiece.

And finally 19,000 fans on hand to watch Caitlin Clark and the Fever take on the second pick in the draft, Cameron Brink and the L.A. Sparks. another rough shooting night for Clark. She made just four of her 14 shots. But her last two buckets were big ones. Clark making the three here from way downtown to put the Fever up by six with two-and- a-half to go. Then under a minute up, Clark pumps through again with a step back three. She finished with 11 points and the Fever get their first win of the season, 78 to 73.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

CAITLAN CLARK: I thought I honestly played a really good game. Some nights the shots are going to fall, some nights it's not. I stayed in it, found my teammates that were open, rebounded the ball well, was active on defense, and then made some big shots when we needed it. And honestly, I'm just proud of myself. You got to step up and make some shots, and I thought we all stepped up tonight and made some big plays for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And Fredricka, after getting that first win, we'll see if Clark and get on a winning streak. Now she's back on the court tonight in Las Vegas taking on the two-time defending champion Aces.

WHITFIELD: Very exciting. All right, Andy Scholes, thanks so much.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:56:56]

WHITFIELD: All right, officials are sending out an SOS for help at the beach this summer. The ongoing lifeguard shortage has recreation departments scrambling to find and keep lifeguards on duty for the season. In New York, park officials say some sections of beaches may have to close for swimming because of low staffing. CNN correspondent Polo Sandoval joining me live from Rockaway Beach in New York. So what's happening there?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. It's officially the start of summer, they say, right, Memorial Day weekend bringing out that first wave of beachgoers. Certainly, what we've seen at this beach in New York, you see there's still plenty of sand, folks to come out here and enjoy the day.

Not a whole lot of people in the water, I have to say. Then again, I think I checked last night, the water was supposedly in the lower 60s. But still a couple of brave souls that have jumped into the water. You'll also note there, of course, the big topic, lifeguards. We have seen the stands here fully staffed, but that certainly is going to come for yet another year in a row with a big challenge for New York City officials to make sure that they can overcome that lifeguard shortages.

We heard from authorities just yesterday assuring that it is their hope that they will not have to close any beaches. However, don't be surprised if some shoreline is roped off if they're unable to ensure coverage for that particular swath of coast.

But why not just hear directly from New York City officials as they lay down the list of some of the incentives that they put forward to try to get the numbers back up. Currently, they only have about 230 lifeguards to count on. That's just a fraction of where they should be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUE DONOGHUE, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK CITY PARKS AND RECREATION: When lifeguard recruitment for the 2024 summer season began last December, we dramatically expanded the number of qualifying test locations and exam sessions, making it easier for applicants to access qualifying tests. We also improved the vision exam process and enhanced our recruitment ads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: Commissioner Donoghue and other New York City officials assuring that help is hopefully on the way. They've secured roughly 560 recruits already. Roughly 300 of them are currently undergoing training, so they'll be leaning on them. And also, folks who previously served as lifeguards to really ramp up those numbers, Fred, because this is just the beginning as they get closer and closer to the 4th of July holiday. They know that these beaches are going to be packed. By then the water will finally be warm enough for maybe me to take a dip. So that is really a moving target. They want to get those numbers up and get more people out there on the beach, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, you are getting ready just like everybody else out there who is getting really hot during the day, so then suddenly those cold waters don't feel so cold. All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: Thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin this hour with President Biden's message to the newest graduates of the U.S. Military Academy on this Memorial Day weekend. Today, the president traveled to West Point to deliver the commencement address for this year's graduating class of cadets. This is the third time Biden has given the commencement address to the Army's newest officers, but --