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Millions Of Americans Under Threat Of Tornadoes And Dangerous Weathers; Trump Booed At Libertarian Convention; Closing Arguments On Tuesday On Trump's Hush Money Case; Death In Israeli Airstrikes In Rafah; Extreme Turbulence Leaves 12 Injured; Four Girls, Two Adults Injured In Stabbing Attacks In Massachusetts; CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister Interviews The Stars Of "Furiosa." Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 26, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom." Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean in Washington, and we have breaking weather news.

Tonight, roughly one in three Americans, that's more than 100 million people, are facing severe weather threats, strong winds, hail, and tornadoes. It's a day after violent weekend tornadoes killed at least 15 people, including children. And at this hour, hundreds of thousands of people have no power. The severe storms even forced a delayed start to the Indy 500 until further notice.

We have Ed Lavandera on the ground in Cooke County, Texas. Let's start first, though, with meteorologist Elisa Raffa, who has been monitoring all of this. And Elisa, we talked to you yesterday when this threat was persisting. What is the greatest threat today at this moment?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The threat is actually increasing today, Jessica. We now have this new moderate risk, a level four out of five, that has just been added from Nashville to Paducah, including Poplar Bluff, the bootheel there of Missouri, and then stretching into parts of central Missouri, where we could have a couple of strong tornadoes possible again, plus hail up to the size of golf balls and some intense winds up to 70 miles per hour.

Again, this is the greatest risk right now for those tornadoes that could be on the strong side. We're talking EF2 or greater that we'll have to watch out for as we go into the afternoon and evening hours. Okay, looks like we have new watches that have just been issued. These in the yellow are all severe thunderstorm watches. In the red, those are tornado watches that have just cleared parts of Nashville.

This is the new threat area for much of Missouri going into Illinois, where you can see we have these super cells that have been exploding. You see all these little discrete cells. Those can rotate. Those can pack those strong tornadoes. In effect, from Springfield down to Poplar Bluff and Paducah, and this goes as we go into the evening hours. I mean, and look at all of the warnings, the severe thunderstorm warnings there in the orange. Again, these are the storms that can rotate and produce some of those tornadoes. On this side, we also still have this line of potentially damaging winds up to 60 to 70 miles per hour stretching through Charleston, West Virginia, headed to the North Carolina state line.

We have tornado warnings surrounding Knoxville, Tennessee, where even along this line we can still find those spin-ups embedded in the line of damaging winds. So again, incredibly busy. This is the threat that I just showed you for today. It moves to the East Coast tomorrow from Washington, D.C. to Charlotte, back towards Montgomery. You can see the storms really blowing up. This is that area of concern where we can find some of those violent tornadoes, and that fires up as we go into the evening hours here.

The line dives South into the Southeast and could continue to fire up on Memorial Day. So, make sure if you have outdoor plans, you watch for lightning in the area. Jessica?

DEAN: All right, Elisa Raffa, thanks so much for that update. And let's go now to CNN senior national correspondent Ed Lavandera, who is on the ground in North Texas, where two young children have been confirmed dead after this storm. Ed, awful, awful news. And we see that incredible destruction behind you. What else are you seeing on the ground there?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we are near the small city of Valley View, Texas, where the storm ripped through here just before 11:00 last night. And this is a neighborhood that took the worst of this storm, the destruction of dozens of homes here. The sheriff told us a little while ago those two young children that you were telling us about were found dead, ages two and five, seven deaths total in this area. Four of those victims are children.

And the deaths have also been extensive in Oklahoma, where there are five confirmed deaths. Oklahoma, another two, so nearly 15 deaths in all because of this storm system last night. But here in this town, this neighborhood near Valley View, Texas, and people are cleaning up the debris and the mess left behind, many people coming to help. But you can see the force, Jessica, the force in the destruction of this.

[17:04:59]

Look at what was left of this pickup truck. This is a working-class community. Many of the people that we've been talking to work in the construction business. And this is kind of where they kept the tools and the sheds that had their livelihood with them. And so, this is just a devastating scene that has been playing out here throughout the afternoon.

We spoke with one gentleman who rode out the storm in a storm shelter that his father had built inside of a shed made out of cinder block. Frank Garcia, told us what it was like for their family last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LAVANDERA (on camera): What was it like to live through this?

FRANK GARCIA, LIVES IN COOKE COUNTY, TEXAS: Yeah, it's one of those things that you always hear about, especially around here, but you never would have thought it would have, you know, ended up anything like this. I mean, really nothing -- nothing to the proportions that I was thinking. This is, you know --

LAVANDERA: Pretty terrifying.

GARCIA: Yeah, definitely going to leave a scar in this town for a bit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And Jessica, you know, as we've driven around throughout the day today, the breadth of the destruction path is really wide, much wider than you've seen in many tornadoes that I have reported on. Also extensive for several miles. Not only was this in the area hard hit, but there's a gas station that collapsed. People had to be rescued out of there several miles away.

A marina at a popular lake was destroyed. The marina and many boats that were there destroyed as well in all this storm. So, it's extensive just how much damage this storm system ripped through here and shredded much of what it was in its path, Jessica.

DEAN: All those tornadoes, just violent destruction left behind. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much for that report. And the Indy 500 is now underway after several weather delays. Fans had to be evacuated from the grandstands as storms rolled in there. The race ended up being postponed about four hours.

In less than 48 hours, prosecutors in New York will make their final pitch to jurors in Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial. Former president facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in what prosecutors say was an attempt to help his 2016 presidential campaign. You know, the jury could begin deliberations as early as Wednesday. But the courtroom is not the only place, of course, Trump is being judged.

Last night, the former president was met with loud boos and jeers from attendants at the Libertarian National Convention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The Libertarian Party should nominate Trump for president of the United States. That's nice. Only do that if you want to win. If you want to lose, don't do that. Keep getting your 3 percent every four years. I'm committing to you tonight that I will put a libertarian in my cabinet and also libertarians in senior posts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Joining us now is the director for the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato. Larry, great to see you. We know that the former president really likes to surround himself with adoring crowds, with fans screaming in support of him, but he knew what he was walking into last night. Why did he do it?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Well, it was a shock to the system for everybody. If you're just watching those pictures, it's pretty obvious that Trump is not going to be getting many libertarian votes this fall. Why do it? I suppose Trump or his staff is trying to project the image of somebody who's not afraid of anyone or anything, he'll go anywhere to get votes, but I don't think it's particularly helpful for a major party nominee to be booed violently, which he was for a long period of time.

DEAN: And you talk about going anywhere. He also held a rally in a very blue district in the Bronx in New York this week, and he's pitching himself to voters of color. Do you think he can convince them or at least enough of them to make a difference?

SABATO: If this is as close an election as many people think it will be in just a handful of states, it's always possible. If you can increase your support by just a point or two among key constituency groups and minorities comprised 10, 20, 30 percent or more in some of these states, it's possible.

If they're thinking they're going to get what these early polls show, over 20 percent of blacks and sometimes half of Hispanics, you know, they're dreaming. And I think they know more about politics than that. It's not going to happen. Early poll numbers fade with the seasons and by fall it will be a different situation.

DEAN: And you think that the Biden campaign can convince some of those voters to come back to them if perhaps they supported Biden in the last go around?

SABATO: I don't think the threat is that they'll vote for Trump.

[17:09:58]

The threat is that they're just not going to vote or that if they do, they'll throw away their vote on one of the three independent or third-party candidates. When I say throw away, I mean, they're not going to win the election. That's the real threat for the Biden organization. They have to build some excitement back into the campaign. They can't just depend on Donald Trump's mistakes or trials to do it for them.

DEAN: I want to talk a little bit about the hush money trial as we head into this pivotal week. It might be the only trial that Trump actually faces before Election Day. It's very likely it's the only one. My colleagues Manu Raju, asked some Democrats on Capitol Hill earlier this week about how it could potentially affect the election. And I want to take a listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Couldn't this give him a boost if he's acquitted? REP JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): You know, I don't really think so. I think,

you know, Donald Trump's character is clear to the world.

REP. DEAN PHILLIPS (D-MN): I think the New York cases, if anything, may have backfired against those who thought that it would be the salvation. But I don't think the New York cases are exactly what Democrats were hoping they would --

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): The broad centrist middle of the American people, I think, understand what he did and why it is so abhorrent. I'm already deeply disturbed that Donald Trump has succeeded in slow walking one or more of those cases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And Larry, that was Dean Phillips saying that he thought that the case could potentially backfire on Democrats. Of course, he ran against Joe Biden in the primary. So worth reminding everyone of those dynamics. But I'm curious what your thoughts are as you kind of take this all in. What kind of impact do you think this case and the outcome of this case could have on this race?

SABATO: Well, as a preface, how sad it is that our system could not produce in four years some kind of good trial examination of Trump's actions before January 6th and on January 6th. That's the most serious charge by far, trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power.

DEAN: And that's a federal case that's in D.C. for everyone that's following along at home. I'm sorry to interrupt. Go ahead.

SABATO: I'm glad you made the distinction clear, but we're stuck with what we've got. And I'm not saying it's an insignificant case. And certainly, if Trump is found guilty on some or all of those counts, it will have some impact. People doubt that he'll actually be sent to jail, although you never know. It's within the judge's discretion.

But for Trump supporters, nothing is going to change their minds. And for those who oppose Trump, nothing is going to change their minds. So, we have really a tiny slice of the electorate that might be influenced somewhat by this. But again, it's late May.

There are so many things that are going to happen, not least the June 27th debate on CNN and then the two national conventions and then another debate and lots of other issues in between. I'm not sure people will remember what happens in this particular trial.

DEAN: Even if he is convicted?

SABATO: Well, if he's convicted, the Democrats have a great talking point. And certainly, Joe Biden will have a terrific debating point, assuming he can get his words in edgewise with Donald Trump on the platform. That's up to the moderators. And my goodness, I think we all have tremendous sympathy for them.

But this is something that most people have taken into their calculation about Donald Trump. You know, it's hard to imagine that we could learn all that much more about Trump before November or for that matter, Biden. They've been around seemingly forever. So, any new piece of information has to compete with dozens of other new pieces and old pieces of information about them. And that's why it's difficult to get one thing to really matter a lot.

DEAN: All right, Larry Sabato. Thanks so much. Good to see you.

SABATO: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: We are following breaking news. Dozens killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza as Hamas takes responsibility for the first rocket attack on Tel Aviv in months.

Plus, more extreme turbulence as 12 people are injured on a flight. Just days after a man died on a Singapore Airlines flight. We're going to tell you what we're learning about what happened on this newest incident here in the "CNN Newsroom."

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DEAN: We have breaking news. At least 30 people were killed today in Israeli strikes on a camp near Rafah. That is according to the Gaza government media office, who also says the camp was full of people who had been displaced. CNN's Paula Hancocks is following the latest. Paula, what more do we know about this latest strike? What's the IDF saying?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jessica. So, as you say, we have a figure of more than 30 kills at this point from the government media office. But they do say that they fear that number will rise significantly. Now we know that this was a camp for displaced people in tents, in makeshift shelters in the northwest of Rafah.

This is the area just on the border with Egypt where the Israeli military has been operating, it says, to destroy Hamas in that area.

[17:19:58]

But it was outside of the area where the evacuation orders had been given. We hear from the Gaza office that it had been designated as a safe area by the Israeli military and it was an area where many had actually evacuated to after leaving eastern Rafah where there's significant military operations.

Now we have heard from the Israeli military. They have said that an aircraft did strike a Hamas compound in Rafah, saying in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating. They also add that they are aware of reports that there were several civilians harmed. The incident is under review.

So, at this point we are seeing some pretty horrific images of the dead and the injured in those camps at this point being taken to different hospitals in the area, of course very understaffed, and hospitals which are really unable to deal with significant injuries the likes that we are seeing at this point.

There was a large fire after that strike as well. We saw paramedics, we saw firefighters and also some of those displaced desperately trying to put the fire out as well. So, this is certainly something we will be watching very closely.

Now, just earlier on Sunday as well, we know that Hamas fired eight missiles, rockets from the Rafah area itself and for the first time since the end of January they targeted Tel Aviv. Now there are no reports of injuries as far as we know from those rockets itself but we heard from the Israeli military saying that Hamas is operating in Rafah and they believe that hostages are being held in Rafah and this is why they are needing to operate what they call a precise operation in Rafah itself.

But certainly, there are going to be many questions about this particular airstrike which the Israeli military say is under review at this point, but at least 30 have been killed we understand. At this point, the Palestinian Emergency Committee in Rafah say they believe dozens have been killed as well. In fact, the Gaza media office saying 190 people at least have been killed in attacks on more than 10 shelters for displaced people over the past 24 hours.

Now, of course, I must stress that these are figures being given to us. CNN cannot independently confirm figures on either side of this conflict but certainly this is something we will be keeping a very close eye on. Jessica?

DEAN: All right, Paula Hancocks with breaking news there. Thank you so much for that reporting. And joining us now with more on this, former Middle East negotiator for the U.S. State Department Aaron David Miller and Aaron thanks so much for being here with us. I first want to stay on this topic that Paula was just reporting on, this strike that the IDF says was on a Hamas compound that the Gaza media -- government media office says was on a displaced persons camp.

Obviously, the eyes of the world are on Rafah and what is going to unfold there. What do you think is the significance of this particular strike?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: I mean I think it shows even though the Israelis are not using 2,000 pound or 500-pound bombs conducting massive ground campaigns, massive air and artillery strikes, that the longer the Israeli military campaign goes on in densely populated areas, particularly in areas where you have Palestinians displaced, Hamas elements present, maybe who knows, who really knows, you're going to have more casualties.

And right now, I'm afraid Paula we're really on a road to nowhere. You've got Hamas rockets demonstrating Hamas has capacity after eight months, almost nine months of war, continue with rocket launches, you've got hostages dying in captivity, you've got increasing Palestinian casualties and deaths. And right now, if you ask a senior administration official whether or not they have a way out of this, the answer would probably be no. DEAN: And so, to that end, a short time ago we learned Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected demands from the Hamas leader Yasser Sinwar to end the war and exit the Gaza Strip in exchange for releasing the hostages. Netanyahu's office saying that that offer only leaves Hamas intact to strike again, which they have pledged to do. And all of this is part of the ongoing negotiations over this potential ceasefire and hostage deal.

And I'm just going back to what you just told us. Is there a way to get these hostages out, get them home without agreeing to end, without Israel having to agree to end the war in Gaza and get the IDF out of Gaza?

MILLER: You have negotiations resuming this week and we've talked about this before.

[17:24:58]

Middle East negotiations have two speeds, in this case there's no question about that, slow and slower. I think that a hostage for a temporary ceasefire and release of Palestinian prisoners is still possible. I think Hamas's rocket launches may well have been a prelude to the fact that Hamas wants to demonstrate. They're in no mood to compromise.

And clearly statements from the Prime Minister's office that there'll be no ceasefire for hostage releases suggests that the Israelis are toughening their position. So, the real question, I think, is whether or not there's any space for a temporary ceasefire, six weeks' release of the elderly women and those who are ill, for a first phase of six weeks of calm, the return of more Palestinians to northern Gaza, surge in humanitarian assistance, and again a six-week temporary ceasefire doesn't answer the mail.

In the end, Sinwar is trying to trade tunnels, time, and hostages for what he really wants, which is an end to the war and the survival of his organization and the senior leadership. And I think that's, in the end, whether or not the Israelis and Hamas can agree via intermediaries to figure out a way around that problem, I think that is going to determine whether or not we see any break in this battlefield dynamic that puts us on a better road, a better pathway, to ultimately end this war.

DEAN: And this week, there was a report that Egyptian intelligence had changed the terms during a previous negotiation recently, telling Hamas one thing, telling Israel another, and certainly the stakeholders here felt pretty burnt by that, and that included the U.S. and Qatar. Egypt has denied those allegations, threatened to quit as mediator.

Now they're saying they're going to resume on Tuesday. But how do you think these negotiations go forward when you do need to build that trust? Can they go forward in a meaningful way, with Egypt playing a role?

MILLER: They can. But these are very curious negotiations. I mean, the principal decision-maker on the Palestinian side is ensconced in a tunnel somewhere, below Khan Younis and Sinai, maybe even in Rafah. You have indirect mediation involving the Qataris and the Egyptians. Each of those parties have their own motives.

Then you have CIA Director Bill Burns and David Barnea, the head of Mossad. Then you have the prime minister, who, frankly, has conflated his own legal and political travails with what he continues to believe is the best pathway for him, which is to continue the conflict in hopes of achieving some victory, killing Sinwar, completing a successful Rafah operation.

So, these are the worst conceivable circumstances. And then on top of it all, Jessica, you've got two parties, Israel and Hamas, that are pledged to one another's destruction. How they managed to do an interim deal in November is quite extraordinary, but I still believe it's possible. And I think we'll know that sooner rather than later next week.

DEAN: All right. So, we look to next week to see what might develop. Aaron David Miller, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

MILLER: Thanks for having me, Jessica.

DEAN: New tonight for the second time in just days, extreme turbulence mid-flight leaves passengers injured. What is behind these disturbing and dangerous incidents that are happening in the air?

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[17:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DEAN: New tonight, for the second time this week, a flight has been rocked by severe turbulence and injured multiple people. This time, it was a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin. We know 12 people were hurt. The flight landed in Dublin a short time ago. One passenger calling it the worst 15 seconds of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: It was quite scary. The plane just seemed to go, stop, which it didn't, but then dropped at quite a severe drop.

UNKNOWN: It was very scary. To be honest, like, I'm still shivering, right? It was for 10 or 15 seconds, and that was the worst 15 seconds of my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Now, this was just days after a Singapore Airlines flight to London hit severe turbulence, injuring more than 100 people and killing a man who had a heart condition.

Joining us now to discuss is CNN aviation analyst Miles O'Brien. Miles, great to have you on. First, tell us about the types of conditions that can lead to turbulence of this magnitude and maybe why is it just happenstance. We've seen two of them in such a close span.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, a couple of things could be at play here, Jessica. For one thing, we are paying a little more attention right now. And this incident, while dramatic, might not have gotten quite as much attention had we not had the previous one.

That said, the researchers are telling us and the statistics are pretty clear that as the climate warms and the jet streams grow stronger because of different temperature variations, the planet heats up in an uneven way, causing stronger jet streams. These incidents of severe turbulence are, in fact, on the rise.

And what we're talking about is an aircraft that is flying into a sudden change in the airstream. The jet stream can go at hundreds of miles an hour one direction, but it can be like a layer cake and can be at different directions and different speeds over the course of just a couple thousand feet.

[17:34:58]

And so, it's very difficult, quite literally, comes out of the blue for most pilots.

DEAN: Right. And should people be worried about this? It sounds like when I talk to -- I think I talked to you and some other experts in the last week over the Singapore Airlines turbulence, it's -- you have to have your seatbelt on. That is the best and biggest thing that anybody can do that's a passenger.

O'BRIEN: Yeah, if you're a real white-knuckle flyer, number one, always have your belt belted while you're in your seat, even loosely, and you're going to -- you're probably going to avoid injury. You're going to feel a little less turbulence if you sit over the wings because if you think about my little model here --

(LAUGHTER)

-- when you're sitting where the wings are, you're going to get a little less --

DEAN: Uh-hmm.

O'BRIEN: -- you know, leverage moment, if you will. And then, you know, it's important, you know, really for parents who are traveling with small children who might have an infant in their lap, that can be particularly dangerous --

DEAN: Uh-hmm.

O'BRIEN: -- and would recommend them being in a car seat, although I know sometimes that's an added expense that people don't want to do.

DEAN: That's good advice, though, if they can do it. This morning, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said increased turbulence could be linked to climate change. You had mentioned that as well. Let's listen to what he said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: The effects of climate change are already upon us in terms of our transportation. Turbulence is up by about 15%. Now, there are protocols and patterns for things like how pilots who encounter turbulence can notify those who might be coming in the path, but I do think we need to continually re-evaluate that in the face of the reality that these things are more frequent and more severe than before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And Miles, you alluded to this a little bit earlier in our conversation, but what is your reaction to those comments?

O'BRIEN: Well, I think the thing that is a takeaway here for us all, Jessica, is you heard him say we're relying on other pilots' notifications for the aircraft following. That says that we are in a situation where we don't have the technology to identify this.

There's no sensor in the cockpit to say clear air turbulence is ahead. And instead, we rely on pilots to report to each other, hey, that was a bumpy ride here at flight level 370 or 37,000 feet. That gets notified down the line. The air traffic controllers pass that along to the pilots and decisions are made to change altitude because what happens is, you know, you could be at this altitude but just, you know, a thousand feet above is smooth.

DEAN: Uh-hmm.

O'BRIEN: And so, you can make a course correction if you have that information, but you're still relying on at least one person going through and encountering that turbulence to let you know, and that's why we as passengers need to be cautious. And the airlines, frankly, they should be seating their flight crews more frequently because they are the ones more than approaching 80% of the injuries. And these cases, as you might guess, are the cabin crew, the flight attendants --

DEAN: Sure.

O'BRIEN: -- because they're up and about serving us drinks. They should be seated more, I think.

DEAN: Hmm. Yeah. All right, Miles O'Brien, thanks so much. Good to see you.

O'BRIEN: Likewise, Jessica.

DEAN: Nearly 700 people are feared dead after a landslide in Papua New Guinea, and that is according to a U.N. official. That number has gone up sharply since the first that this happened on Friday. The landslide buried more than 150 homes. And we know rescuers are now trying to remove all that debris, trying to find any survivors. There's still a danger there because large rocks continue to fall from a nearby mountainside. Still ahead tonight, four young girls stabbed in a movie theater, and just two hours later, two additional people stabbed at a McDonald's. What we're learning about a suspect that's now in custody.

Plus, Nicki Minaj apologizing to fans after having to cancel a sold- out show in England. Why, she says, Amsterdam police held her in a jail cell for hours. You're in the "CNN Newsroom."

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[17:40:00]

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DEAN: Now to a developing story, four girls stabbed in a movie theater near Boston, and then an hour later, two adults were stabbed at a McDonald's. Police say they have a suspect in custody who could be linked to a death investigation in Connecticut.

CNN correspondent Polo Sandoval is joining us now. Polo, these are a lot of things to connect together. Walk us through what happened.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm still trying to make sense of all of this, Jessica, given the limited information that has been released by police. They have, however, confirmed enough to help us build somewhat of a timeline of those disturbing chain, that disturbing chain of events that took place yesterday.

It all starts in Braintree, Massachusetts, in the town there, about 13 miles south of Boston. Police there saying that a suspect who was later apprehended walked into an AMC movie theater without a ticket and then proceeded to stab four young females. Their ages ranging from nine to 17 years old. Fortunately, their injuries are non-life threatening so at least physically, they're expected to be okay.

And then the suspect fled this movie theater. Massachusetts police then say -- oh, by the way, that, according to investigators, seemed to have been an unprovoked attack. He didn't say anything or warn these young women before he attacked. Police then say that he found his way to this fast food restaurant in Plymouth, Massachusetts just south of the first stabbing where he then attacked a man and a woman, both in their 20s, also with a knife, left them with nonlife- threatening injuries as well.

[17:45:06]

And shortly after that is when police then engage the suspect in a high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash. The suspect detained and then taken to the hospital and eventually will face charges in those attacks. They have not really said much. This video, by the way, is actually not related to the story. We can take that down.

In terms of what we do understand, back to the Massachusetts story, we do understand that that that suspect will eventually face charges and also that police in Deep River, Connecticut are still investigating a homicide there. They were following up on a disturbance and located a body. They said that the suspect in that case was arrested in Massachusetts, but they stopped short of actually connecting it to those two stabbings that I mentioned earlier. So still a lot of moving parts here.

They do have one thing in common, Jessica, which is these three cases. Their suspects are behind bars here so there's no public safety risk, but there are plenty of questions, as you can imagine.

DEAN: And there certainly are. And I hear what you're saying. But just to underscore, at this point, it's not clear if these crimes were all related to each other?

SANDOVAL: Well, we can't say definitively. Based on the information that police in Massachusetts have released, is that the first two stabbings that I mentioned, the one at the movie theater with the young women and at that McDonald's in Plymouth, police have confirmed that that's the same suspect. But there's still a question as to whether or not this is the same suspect that may have been involved in a homicide that also was worked by the police yesterday in nearby Connecticut. So, those are the lines that haven't been drawn quite yet.

But we are hoping perhaps later today or in the -- in the days ahead to hear from authorities to try to find out a little bit more about this absolutely disturbing chain of events because at a fast food restaurant, at a movie theater, these are places that we are all very familiar with and would be packed on any weekend. And the fact that there were unprovoked stabbings at both of those locations, that certainly adds to the disturbing nature of the story.

DEAN: No doubt about it and with such young children at the movie theater.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely.

DEAN: All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much for that reporting.

SANDOVAL: You bet.

DEAN: We have some sad news to bring you now with some new details about the death of Grayson Murray, a two-time PGA winner. His parents now saying that Murray died by suicide at 30 years old. He had spoken publicly about struggling with depression and alcohol. He died just a day after withdrawing from a PGA golf tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. Originally from North Carolina, Murray was once thought to be one of the world's best junior players, winning three junior world titles, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, you can call or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline.

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[17:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DEAN: Forty-five years after the original Mad Max hit theaters, the fifth installment of the dystopian action franchise is in theaters now. And CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister sat down with its stars, Chris Hemworth and Anya Taylor-Joy to bring a behind the scenes look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN: I'm Furiosa!

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Mad Max saga rages on.

UNKNOWN: My childhood. My mother.

UNKNOWN: I want them back.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): With bike gangs, the infamous war rig, and high-octane action all colliding in the dystopian landscape in "Furiosa," the fifth movie in the decades-long franchise.

"Queen's Gambit" star Anya Taylor-Joy takes the lead as the kidnapped Furiosa trying to get home to her sacred greenling. Standing in her way is her captor, Dementus.

Look closely behind that prosthetic nose and gritty exterior is Aussie hunk Chris Hemsworth. Yes, Thor himself, this time in the role of the villain.

CHRIS HEMSWORTH, ACTOR: And we have you.

WAGMEISTER: First day that you both walked on set and saw each other, what were your reactions?

ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, ACTRESS: I think it was straight after a makeup test and he came out with the nose and the hair and I just went, you're awesome. Do that like this.

(LAUGHTER)

Follow that. Whatever this is. This is just incredible.

HEMSWORTH: When Anya walked on set with the shaved head and, you know, Furiosa in all her glory, it was just like, oh, yes, here she is, here she is.

(LAUGHTER)

This was a huge departure from anything I've done before. And less and less, I was seeing him as a villain and began to sort of feel for him and empathize and not justify the horrible things he does, but kind of go, I'm seeing or understanding he's a product of the wasteland.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Taylor-Joy steps into the character first portrayed by Charlize Theron in 2015 Oscar winning "Fury Road." Director George Miller says he considered Theron to reprise her role in this prequel. He even thought about using de-aging technology, but says he quickly nixed the idea, considering that Furiosa's age in the film ranges from 10 to 26.

GEORGE MILLER, DIRECTOR: And I saw de-aging in the hands of really great filmmakers like Martin Scorsese in "The Irishman" and Ang Lee in "Gemini Man." And what you tend to do is only see the technology. You're not really watching performance.

[17:55:00]

So, I steered away from that.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And steered towards Taylor-Joy, who Miller says he knew could take on the intense part.

MILLER: She's got that sort of mystique, a timeless quality, a wonderful intensity, almost regal.

WAGMEISTER: Did Charlize give you any advice or did you get to talk to her about this character that you now both have played?

TAYLOR-JOY: We have emailed a bunch. We met at the Oscars and she's just as lovely and gracious and cool as you could possibly imagine. We are due a very long dinner just to swap war stories. I feel so lucky to share a character with her.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEAN: Elizabeth, thank you. And you should know "Furiosa" comes from Warner Brothers Studio. It is part of the same parent company as CNN.

We have some breaking news. A heightened rate of watch is in effect for millions in the South and Midwest. This is the day after severe weather killed more than a dozen people. We'll bring you a new storm update. That's next.

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