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Particularly Dangerous Situation Declared For Parts Of Kansas, Oklahoma And Texas; Trump To Speak Tonight At Libertarian National Convention; Three Missionaries Including American Couple Killed By Haitian Gang; New TSA Record Set Friday For Most Fliers Screened In A Day; China: Military Drills Testing Ability To "Seize Power"; Hurricane Katrina Survivors Graduate HS, Thank Their Hero. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired May 25, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:48]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington .

And we have breaking weather news to tell you about. A particularly dangerous weather situation has been declared in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma additionally putting tens of millions of people at risk tonight.

CNN meteorologist, Elisa Raffa is joining us now.

Elisa, what do people need to know about this weather alert?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They need to know that there is the possibility for strong violent, long lived tornadoes and possibly while they're sleeping tonight. It is getting late in the day, that sun will set soon, so you need to know that before you go to bed tonight, make sure you have your emergency where it is turned on and turned on loud.

Here is a look at all of our tornado watches right now from Wichita, Kansas, through Oklahoma City, down into San Angelo, Texas.

The part that is labeled the particularly dangerous situation spans from all of this part here in Oklahoma, so including Oklahoma City. This tippy top part here of Texas, and then going into Kansas, into Wichita. It goes until eleven o'clock this evening again, again, particularly dangerous, but not only are we expecting tornadoes, but we could have tornadoes that are strong and violent.

Here is a look at what is on the ground right now. We do have a batch of severe thunderstorms, a couple already with tornado warnings there in parts of Northern Texas, and then headed up towards Oklahoma City. Youve got that strong band of storms there as well.

Here's a look at the overall risk. It is that level four out of five moderate risk there in the red from Wichita Falls up to Oklahoma City into Wichita, Kansas. And now even into Springfield, Missouri, the way it turns here. In this area, especially in the red and the yellow, that is where we can find the intense tornadoes, hail up to the size of even grapefruits possible and damaging wind gusts up to 80-plus miles per hour. This is the bullseye for the tornado threat that I mentioned. Again, the strong and violent EF-2 or greater for tornadoes really centered there in Oklahoma City.

And then as we go into the overnight, this will start to turn into a damaging wind threat as you go into parts of Missouri where we could find these winds up to 80 miles per hour, that's why the threat was extended into Southwest Missouri on the overnight.

So let me show you how this plays out. You see all of these little discrete cells. Those are the strong violent tornadoes across parts of Kansas there in Oklahoma.

Then you can see them continuing, again 10:00 PM, that would be while you're sleeping, discrete cells with violent tornadoes.

Then here comes that wind part. You see how they start to come into a line, that's where you get the threat of damaging winds across parts of Southwest Missouri. It continues going into the morning hours into the Ohio Valley, look at stripe. We week you can see damaging winds there as well and the threat continues as we go into Sunday.

So as we go into Sunday, here is that threat for tomorrow. We've got that level three out of five in the orange from St. Louis to Nashville up towards Louisville.

Additional tornadoes, more damaging wind gusts and large hail possible. All of this in what has been a crazy active year so far, more than 900 tornado reports since we started the year. Average to date would be about 700. So it has been very active -- Jessica.

DEAN: It certainly felt that way, Elisa, and hopefully everyone stays very safe. Thank you so much for all of that information.

Also tonight former President Trump will deliver a speech at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, DC, and this is an unusual stop for the presumptive Republican nominee, but a clear sign of the campaign is worried about third-party candidates like RFK. Jr. He is looking for voters in other places.

CNN's Steve Contorno joining us now.

Steve, Trump could be met with a bit of an unfriendly crowd after some chaos unfolded at the convention last night. What more can you tell us? Set the stage.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Jessica, there are deep divisions within the libertarian party over this decision to give Donald Trump a platform to speak at their convention. Several people have been voicing displeasure all throughout the day to us.

In fact, yesterday, Vivek Ramaswamy, former presidential candidate turned Trump supporter, he had a taste of what this crowd thought of when he tried to make the case for them to consider Donald Trump. Take a listen to the reaction. [18:05:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK RAMASWAMY (R), FORMER 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have gotten to know Donald Trump over the course of the last several years and the last several months.

(BOOING)

RAMASWAMY: And you're going to hear from him tomorrow night. And the question is, do you want to influence the next administration or don't you? That is the question for this room to ask.

And my thesis for you, you believe it? You all get to speak your mind, I respect that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Those were boos you heard from the audience and what their concern is, is that they intend to nominate their own candidate who will be going up against Trump in this election. So they're wondering why is Trump allowed to speak to our voters and our attendees, well, but Trump is trying to get in favor with this audience here and his pitch is basically look, we have a chance of winning, we need your help and for his team's part, they understand this is not a hometown crowd.

The spokesperson for the campaign, Jason Miller told our Kate Sullivan earlier today, "We are on offense and competing for non-traditional votes in order to unite the country" -- Jessica.

DEAN: And Steve before we let you go, we also know that Trump is now facing a new gag order request. This one is from the special counsel in the classified documents case. That's the one down in Florida. What do we know about that?

CONTORNO: Right. This is separate from the hush money trial. This is a gag order related to trump recently asserting that his life might have been at risk during the raid on Mar-a-Lago in 2022. This is because the warrant included a request to allow officers to use deadly force.

Now this is boilerplate language in one of these warrants, and so the FBI is basically saying that this is standard operating procedure on our part, but Trump has been using it to criticize the FBI.

Special prosecutor's office now saying that they want Trump to no longer be able to attack the officers in the law enforcement agency that just did their job.

DEAN: All right, Steve Contorno for us in Washington, DC. Thanks so much for that reporting.

President Biden paying tribute to the newest graduates of the US military academy on this Memorial Day weekend. He delivered the commencement address at West Point for this year's graduating class of cadets.

And CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is with us here tonight.

Priscilla, this is the third time Biden has given a commencement address to the Army's newest officers, but his first time as the president of the United States.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Indeed, and at a critical time, no less.

Of course, the United States faces multiple global challenges, and that is what the president was reflecting on in this address, while also thanking the cadets and calling them the next general generation of leaders.

Now, the president did not name former President Donald Trump nor did he make a direct election year appeal, but he did underscore the values that he has previously suggested are at risk if his Republican rival were to take a second term, that includes, for example, freedoms and also the preservation of democracy. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: West Pointers know better than anyone, freedom is not free. It requires constant vigilance and from the very beginning, nothing is guaranteed about our democracy in America. Every generation has an obligation to defend it, to protect it, to preserve it, to choose it.

Now, it is your turn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, of course, a big theme of this address was US leadership on the world stage amid all of the ongoing conflicts that we continue to see. That includes, for example, the war in Ukraine and the president saying that the US remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine and also talked about the strength of the NATO Alliance, which he called "The greatest defense alliance in the history of the world.

He also talked about the situation in the Middle East, talking about ongoing US efforts to try to get humanitarian aid into Gaza and also about what he called the urgent diplomacy to try to reach a type of ceasefire deal that includes that release hostages that are still held by Hamas, as well as a temporary ceasefire in the region, to also get more aid into Gaza.

So he tied in all of these challenges in this address to really appeal to the cadets and thank them for what they're going to face as they move on to their next steps.

DEAN: All right, Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much for that reporting.

Still ahead tonight, breaking news, Russian missiles slam into a key city in the north of Ukraine. We are going to take you there.

Plus, three missionaries, including an American couple, are killed in a violent attack in Haiti as gang violence ravages that country.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:14:05]

DEAN: Heartbreak for two families in the US and another family in Haiti after gang members in Port-au-Prince attacked and killed the three mission workers.

As Haitian Police investigate this brutal crimes, CNN's David Culver is learning more about the victims and the gang violence in Haiti that is now spiraling out-of-control -- David.

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An outpouring of grief for two young missionaries brutally killed in Haiti's capital.

"They went to heaven together," Missouri State Representative Ben Baker posted. His daughter, Natalie, and her husband Davy Lloyd, attacked by gangs Thursday night in Port-au-Prince.

The couple in their early 20s served as part of Missions in Haiti, a Christian non-profit organization run for more than two decades by Lloyd's parents.

The organization posting Friday: "They were ambushed by a gang of three trucks full of guys. Davy was taken to the house, tied up and beat. The gang then took our trucks and loaded everything up they wanted and left."

At some point as the attacks unfolded, Davy Lloyd called his father.

[18:15:04]

DAVID LLOYD, DAVY LLOYD'S FATHER: He was injured, so he was hurt and he was very nervous and very scared because I asked him why they tied him up and he is like, because you're the only one that's got strength that we have to worry about, and so they wanted to make sure he couldn't put up a fight back.

And then he was begging me to find somebody to get in there to help him, and I did all I can, but I couldn't locate anybody.

CULVER: Three hours later, the group posted that the couple was shot and killed by the gang. Missions in Haiti says a third person, a Haitian staffer named Jude was also killed in the attack. We are told he had been with the organization for 20 years.

The violent incident started as the missionaries were leaving church and lasted for several hours. Davy Lloyd's father says the three died barricaded in the Lloyd family's living quarters on the mission's compound.

Haiti has been spiraling into gang fueled chaos, which forced the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry in April. The UN estimates some 80 percent of the capital city is under gang control.

In recent months, CNN has made multiple trips to Port-au-Prince, met victims of the gang's brutality, including rape, kidnappings, and murder. Hundreds of thousands, now refugees in their own cities as gangs have torched their homes and forced them to flee.

We've also met with the leader of one prominent gang. He and others demanding a say in Haiti's future, a future that may again be shaped by foreign forces.

President Biden hosted Kenya's President William Ruto for a state dinner in Washington, Thursday around the same time that the deadly attack on Davy and Natalie Lloyd was taking place. Atop of the two leaders' agenda, Haiti.

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: We are going to take up that responsibility alongside the Haiti Police.

CULVER: Kenya plans to lead a UN -backed multinational support mission to Haiti with at least a thousand Kenyan Police officers set to deploy. President Biden stating Thursday, the US will not send troops, but is providing equipment and intel. The White House reacting to the killings in a statement on Friday: "Our hearts go out to the families of those killed as they experience unimaginable grief."

Missions in Haiti, among many others, has been warning, Haiti is on the brink of collapse. The group posting last month: "It seems the world has turned their backs on Haiti and it is going to be left in complete gang control." Now three of their members, just the latest victims of that unrelenting gang violence.

Jessica, these latest killings only add to the pressure facing the multinational security support mission led by Kenya. It has been delayed for months now, but could deploy at any moment now, and experts tell us that unless the gangs feel like there's some sort of non-violent off-ramp, then that mission and those foreign forces could face an extreme amount of violence, bloodshed in a country that is so desperate for healing -- Jessica.

DEAN: All right, David Culver, thank you so much for that reporting.

And there have been conflicting reports about how the missionaries were killed. On Thursday, the Missions in Haiti group described the victims as being shot and killed, but on Friday, a source close to the investigation told CNN at this point, the bodies of the American missionaries do not appear to have gunshot wounds. An investigation into that incident is ongoing.

Let's turn now to the war in Ukraine where Russian missiles have been raining down on the critical city of Kharkiv. Ukrainian officials say Russia launched a third strike there this afternoon, leaving more than a dozen people injured, that includes a 13-year-old boy.

Hours earlier, a Russian strike hit its crowded shopping center, official saying at least two additional people died there. Three dozen were injured. We are joined now by retired US Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Cedric, great to have you here.

Russia is absolutely zeroed in on Kharkiv. What is the significance besides being the second largest city.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Right, Jessica, yes, it is good to be with you.

One of the key things to note about Kharkiv, which is right here, is its only 20 miles from the Russian border. The Russians also have this town of Belgorod, which is a major staging area for the Russian forces and has been really since the beginning of this war.

But Kharkiv is really important, as you mentioned, second city, but it is also the key to Northeastern Ukraine, and when you look at all of Ukraine, you can see that there are so many different parts of this area, but this is basically the key to everything that is coming to the south and everything that is basically in the eastern part of the country right here.

It is basically an effort by the Russians to go from the Donbas region, which is all of this, to include more of Ukraine on the eastern side.

DEAN: Yes, right there by that border. It is important context. And yesterday, the Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a $275 million military aid package for Ukraine to help repel this assault in towards Kharkiv. What's included? Can it get there in time? Can it make a difference?

LEIGHTON: Well, this is going to be one of the key things. So the things that are included, everything from 155 millimeter artillery rounds, javelin and TOW missiles, so basically, we are talking anti- aircraft and anti-tank missiles.

[18:20:06]

HIMARS rockets; again, major air defense system, munitions to handle demolition, as well as anti-tank mines. So these are all the kinds of things that are there. Can it get there in time? This could last -- to get there, it might take it about two weeks, in some cases up to six weeks.

So this is really a critical thing because when you look at all of Ukraine right here, you see that there are so many different aspects where if any of this is cut off from the rest of Ukraine, that's going to be a major problem for the Ukrainian forces and will really create a major problem for them in this particular case.

The other aspect of this, of course, is other equipment including tactical vehicles, body armor, as well as equipment for anti - chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear warfare. So in other words protective equipment for those kinds of events should there be something like that? DEAN: And meantime, "The New York Times" reporting Russia is ramping up efforts to disrupt Ukraine's Starlink service, especially again, near Kharkiv.

Starlink is essential for a lot of military communications and drone operations, so it seems like it is significant.

LEIGHTON: It is huge because Starlink was basically the communications mechanism that the Ukrainians used starting at the very beginning of this war, commercially available system, but it allowed them to communicate in real time with all of their forces, it allowed them to deploy there drones, it allowed them to target using artillery and intelligence reports.

And it basically was the mechanism they used to fuse all of their intelligence. This terminal, right here was basically key to all of that and it is based on basically getting data from low earth orbiting satellites, and then transmitting it like a Wi-Fi system to a local area network around this particular terminal.

And that's the kind of thing because when you look at the kinds of things that have happened in Ukraine, if they don't have Starlink, what really happens is that they are in essence cut off from communicating with all of their forces.

And when it comes to this, this is really part of Russia's electronic warfare effort, which is designed to really prevent US weapons from working, as well as preventing the Ukrainians from communicating with each other.

DEAN: Well, all right, Colonel Cedric Leighton, great to see you. Thank you so much.

Americans are jumping into the holiday weekend with both feet, blowing previous travel records out of the water. We are going to run the numbers on that next.

Plus, hip-hop megastar, Nicki Minaj was detained in The Netherlands today just hours before she was set to perform in the UK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:26:57]

DEAN: New today, hip-hop star, Nicki Minaj was detained by police in The Netherlands for allegedly carrying drugs. That's according to Dutch Police. Minaj capturing that moment on Instagram Live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICKI MINAJ, HIP-HOP STAR: I'm not carrying drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. But it is not a question here --

MINAJ: I am not carrying drugs, number one, when I came here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can go inside.

MINAJ: I'm not going in there. I need a lawyer present.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will get a lawyer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Authorities tell CNN, Minaj was arrested at the airport in Amsterdam. She was due to perform in the UK tonight as part of her ongoing world tour. That performance has now been rescheduled.

It is officially one of the busiest holiday travel weekends ever, more than 38 million Americans expected to drive to their destinations over this Memorial Day holiday, and as of Friday, the TSA says it did hit a new record for one day, screening nearly three million passengers in airports across America.

Let's get to our senior data reporter, Harry Enten. He is crunching the numbers, and Harry, airports and roads have been packed with travelers. It is interesting because Americans say they are very worried about the economy and polling. We keep seeing that as their number one concern and frustration and yet, look at all of these people out and about.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, you know, I think the real thing here is they are no longer afraid that the bottom is going to absolutely drop out, Jessica.

I mean, this is something that we've heard about from a lot of folks over the past few years, a recession is coming, a recession is coming, a recession is coming, and a lot of Americans thought that a recession was coming.

Well, that's no longer the case. That is the big turnaround here. And what we see is in fact, the percentage of Americans who believe that a recession is coming has dropped off significantly.

Just from last year, a recession now or in the next year -- last year at this time, it was 66 percent. Now, it is just 40 percent. That is the lowest level we have seen since before for the COVID pandemic.

So yes, there are fears about the economy. There are a lot of folks who are thinking that the economy isn't necessarily doing so well, or certainly isn't doing as well as it was before the COVID pandemic, but the fears that the absolute bottom will drop out have alleviated somewhat and I think that there are a lot of folks who are saying, you know what? My fears of the economy dropping completely out are not there as much as they were anymore. So let's take that vacation that we didn't think that we were going to take previously, and that is something that we've seen with the course those TSA numbers and the AAA numbers on the driving as well, where we are seeing more Americans travel than at any point since the pandemic began.

DEAN: It is kind of incredible. I know you're talking about COVID and the role it plays, and kind of how people's thoughts on its potential impact are changing as well. ENTEN: Yes, you know, this is something that I think we are talking about those fears, the fears of something absolutely occurring that will cause the economy to just fall apart.

I can remember back in February of 2020, I didn't -- you know, I had heard about COVID-19, but it was something that was happening overseas for the most part. And then all of a sudden, it happened here and everything just sort of seemed to come crashing down. We have to spend all that time in our houses. We couldn't be with our friends and more than that, you saw the stock market drop off, right?

You saw a lot of people become unemployed. You saw a lot of paychecks dry up. And so I think there was this fear when it came to the COVID- 19 pandemic that the COVID-19 pandemic would cause the economy to drop off and we see that in the polling as well.

[18:30:19]

And what you see here, the COVID-19 is a major threat to the U.S. economy. Look at this. Back in April of 2020, it was 88 percent. Even as recently as two years ago, it was 58 percent, now it's just 23 percent. So I think you're seeing in the numbers, Jessica, is, yes, there are still fears about the economy overall. But the fears that the economy will absolutely collapse have basically gone by the wayside.

So I think there are a lot of Americans right now who have been saving up, sort of saying, I'm not going to go on that road, I'm not going to go spend that money because I'm afraid that the economy - my job will go bye-bye.

That's no longer there and so you're seeing Americans travel in record numbers. You're seeing them go out in record numbers. You're seeing them go to concerts in record numbers, baseball games in record numbers. People have been holding back a lot from COVID and saying, you know what? We're out of jail now. We're out of COVID jail. We're out of the economic jail. We're going to go and have a good time. People are ready to P-A-R-T-Y.

DEAN: They want to have fun. And speaking of travel, airlines have noticed this surge in European air travel from America to summer cities like Lisbon, Milan, Munich and you've got a theory as to why this is.

ENTEN: I have a theory.

DEAN: Okay.

ENTEN: I have a theory. So I was talking with my producer, Sydney (ph), who is one of the biggest Taylor Swift fans there is out there.

DEAN: Uh-huh.

ENTEN: And she was telling me, you know, I want to go see TayTay in concert. But the price of tickets in the United States is absolutely outrageous. So what am I supposed to do in this situation? DEAN: Mm-hmm.

ENTEN: Well, if you look right now and you go on StubHub and you want to buy a ticket, let's say for a Miami concert, it might run you $1,900, $2,000. But if you go, let's say, to Sweden and you take into account the airfare, you take into account the hotel, and we're talking about a nice hotel, and you take out - take into account the ticket, what are we looking at? We're looking at a fare at just a little bit more than a thousand dollars.

So it actually costs less money to take a nice vacation over to Europe to see Taylor Swift than it is to go here in the United States. And so I think a lot of folks, a lot of Taylor Swift - we know about the Taylor Swift economy, they're saying, you know what? We're going to take a nice vacation. We're finally going to take that vacation we couldn't take because of COVID. We're going to go overseas. We're going to have a good time. And it will cost us less money to do it than to spend that money here in the States and maybe get a so-so seat to see, of course, our favorite Taylor Swift.

DEAN: Well, Harry, I am one of these people.

ENTEN: There you go.

DEAN: I'll be going to London with my fiance and our two friends. We're going to see Taylor Swift. And you get a European vacation out of it, so what's not to love?

ENTEN: It's an all-inclusive vacation, right?

DEAN: Are you going? You're going to travel?

ENTEN: I am going to travel. I will admit with my long legs, you know, unless I'm going to go business class, it's like kind of miserable for me to sit in the economy the entire time. So I try to keep my air travel to about two and a half hours or less. I will go to Bermuda, which, of course, you know, part or at least related to the United Kingdom.

So I'm not going to London, but you know what? The folks there speak with a nice little tinge of a British accent.

DEAN: Okay. Well, that sounds nice for you.

All right. Harry Enten, always good to see you.

ENTEN: Nice to see you.

DEAN: We'll talk soon. More news when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:38:21]

DEAN: China launching large-scale military drills around Taiwan just days after its new president was inaugurated. The show of force causing turmoil within Taiwan, sparking protests and bitter debates among politicians. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Will Ripley, has more on this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A chaotic start for Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te, just days after taking office. China launching large-scale military exercises and protesters taking to the streets of the capital, Taipei.

Operation Joint Sword-2024A set to encircle Taiwan over two days. Dozens of Chinese aircraft, warships and Coast Guard vessels. Beijing describing the drills as a powerful punishment for so-called separatist forces in Taiwan. A dramatic increase in military pressure on the island democracy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEN-TI SUNG, FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S GLOBAL CHINA HUB: I think Beijing will likely respond with fire fury. That's almost to be expected from Beijing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (voice over): Senior security officials in Taipei tell CNN, most of the aircraft crossed into Taiwan's self-declared air defense identification zone. A move the island's defense ministry calls a serious provocation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUN LI-FANG, SPOKESPERSON, TAIWAN DEFENCE MINISTRY: Their military exercise is not helping with the situation around Taiwan Strait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (voice over): China's military says, "The exercises are a direct response to the separatist provocations and external interferences." They say, "The motherland must be reunified and will inevitably be reunified."

In his inauguration speech this week, Lai calling on the communist mainland to stop its military and political intimidation and recognize the sovereignty of democratic Taiwan using the island's official name, the Republic of China.

[18:40:10]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHING-TE (through interpreter): I hope that China will face the reality of the Republic of China's existence and respect the choices of the people of Taiwan.

(END VIDEO CLIP) RIPLEY (voice over): Words seen by some as a departure from the cautious tone taken by his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen. President Lai's first days have been anything but calm. Massive youth protests erupted outside parliament. Demonstrators protesting a push by opposition parties to subject the island's new leader to tighter scrutiny from China-friendly lawmakers.

More chaos inside Taiwan's fiercely divided parliament. A massive brawl broke out last week over those legislative reform bills. In the Taiwanese capital, confidence in the government and the military.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through interpreter): If the Chinese Communist Party does attack Taiwan, it won't be easy. Taiwanese people are not afraid of war.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through interpreter): I believe leaders will prioritize people's happiness. So, I'm not worried. I think peace will be maintained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (voice over): A fragile peace in tumultuous times for President Lai. Military threats across the Taiwan Strait and deep divisions at home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (on camera): So here we are, President Lai Ching-te, less than a week in office, and you have military drills happening around Taiwan, protests in the capital, tension in parliament. It is quite a situation, and the people here say they're not necessarily all supporters of the president, but they are supporters of democracy. And they say Taiwan's democracy is in danger right now, and those drills are enough evidence for the world to see exactly what's happening.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Will, thank you.

And joining us now to discuss further is CNN Political and National Security Analyst, David Sanger. He's also the author of the new book, The "New Cold Wars and America's Struggle to Defend the West."

David, great to have you on.

This book is perfectly timed for what is going on right now. After two days of war games, what do you make of this show of force by China and the message it is trying to send here?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Jessica, you start off with the question of what was the provocation here? And the provocation was the inauguration of a democratically elected leader, who was previously serving as vice president. So there's very little change in actual policy. So what that tells you is that the Chinese government is looking for almost any event that they can find to do this demonstration of force that they could take the island if they wanted to.

The last big one was Nancy Pelosi's visit two years ago and they used that moment to go across the sort of central line in the Taiwan Strait. They've kept doing that in the years since. And so they're making no pretense now about their ability to encircle the island. The question is, do they actually have intent to take it over one day or is this just intimidation.

DEAN: And I go back to your book, which really focuses on the rise of China, the Russian invasion, what it means for the West. And I'm struck by the fact we are seeing China watch Russia, watch them invade Ukraine, watch how the West has responded and how that response and that support has wavered. And now we see these drills over Taiwan. Help connect the dots for everyone here.

SANGER: Well, the first obvious statement is that the Chinese are watching what we do in Ukraine very, very carefully. If we flag, if we sort of given up after two years of saying it's important to maintain Ukraine's sovereignty and a democracy, they'll probably take that as a pretty big sign about what the long-term reaction would be if they tried to go after Taiwan.

Now, the complicating factor for Taiwan, of course, is that unlike Ukraine, it's the supplier of something the world completely needs, and that is the world's most advanced semiconductors. They are produced by Taiwan Semiconductor, the sort of gem in the middle of the island, accounts for much of Taiwan's economy. And one theory is that the Chinese do not want to attack and bomb that out while they still need those chips as much as we do.

And so we may have some additional time and we may have some additional time from the fact that the Chinese government right now is battling an economic slowdown, and that would make going into Taiwan look a lot more expensive, particularly the sanctions that might follow.

[18:45:02]

DEAN: And also you have President Biden and his administration saying that they would defend Taiwan if China did indeed go in. What does that mean? And I would think the U.S. also watching this quite closely.

SANGER: Well, that's right. We've had three or four times where the president has said not only would he defend Taiwan, but he would send American troops, which is something that he never said and has never done in the case of Ukraine. The difference has to do with our agreements with Taiwan that emerged from the Nixon-Kissinger decision to begin to open up to China and then later on the full diplomatic recognition of China. So the question is do the Chinese believe him and do the American people believe him; would Americans be willing to lose the lives of large numbers of American soldiers, sailors, marines to defend an island that was central to the last Cold War, but seems to have diminished some in the minds of many Americans since. And we simply don't know. I think what President Biden was trying to do there, Jessica, was probably create some doubt in the minds of the Chinese themselves about how far we might go.

DEAN: And so what are you watching for next as this continues to unfold?

SANGER: Well, there are a couple of ways for China to deal with Taiwan. One of them is an outright invasion. It's the riskiest. It's the one that is most likely to bring about a big reaction from the United States, the West, and so forth. The second is to do the slow squeeze, to basically declare Taiwan just a part of Chinese territory, begin to intercept shipping, make sure that internet communications have to pass through Chinese hands. In other words, just do the slow boa constrictor act.

And I'm not sure the U.S. is quite prepared yet for how it would react to that because there would be no single dramatic moment.

DEAN: All right. David Sanger, always great to have you. Thanks so much for that analysis. We appreciate it.

SANGER: Great to be with you, Jessica.

DEAN: It was a moment that captured the world's attention after Hurricane Katrina, the man leading the response, holding infant twins. How those twins are now honoring him nearly two decades later.

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[18:52:20]

DEAN: Nearly 19 years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and areas along the Gulf Coast, causing more than a thousand deaths and catastrophic flooding as numerous levees felled around the city. Among the survivors, twin boys, just babies at the time, and their mom. And now they're young men who just graduated high school, and they're thanking the general who they say saved their lives. Here's Stephanie Elam with their story.

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations the class of 2024.

(END VIDEO CLIP) 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.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, Hurricane Katrina looks ...

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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.

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

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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.

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WHEELER: It was two bodies collided like this.

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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 Lt. Gen. Russell Honore, the decorated commander who led the military response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, came to their aid.

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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.

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

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

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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.

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

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

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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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

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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.

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

[18:55:03]

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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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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 (on camera): 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 our freedom and our democracy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: J'Mari Ezekiel Wheeler Reynolds (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

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

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ELAM (voice over): And a compassionate commander.

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

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ELAM (voice over): Stephanie Elam, CNN, Hampton, Georgia.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: William ...

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Amazing.

Breaking news, we have severe weather that's starting to fire up. More than 70 million people are facing the threat of strong storms and severe hail and devastating winds across this holiday weekend. Take a look at these live pictures from a storm chaser in the Oklahoma City area. We're going to have more on this for you when we come back.

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