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Deadly Storms Tear Across Central U.S. Causing Widespread Damage; Alabama Under State Of Emergency Ahead Of Severe Storm Threat; Trump Says "Decisive" Military Action Against Houthis In Yemen Underway; Surviving Roommate's 911 Call Released In Idaho Murder Case; Interview With Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL); Venezuelans Who Backed Trump Now Fear Immigration Crackdown; DOJ Probing Whether Pro-Palestinian Protests Broke Anti-Terror Laws; 9 Killed In Israeli Attack In Northern Gaza; SpaceX Successfully Launches New Crew To International Space Station. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 15, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:54]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and we're tracking multiple breaking developments as a dangerous storm system crosses the U.S.

Right now it's concentrated in the Deep South. Several tornado warnings in effect in southern Mississippi and across several states after an intense, potentially violent tornado touched down there a short time ago. Officials are warning numerous towns of -- this catastrophic threat. Tennessee is also facing severe storms.

This is a live look from Nashville. The National Weather Service issuing a tornado watch for middle Tennessee until 9:00 local time tonight. And officials say damaging hurricane force winds, hail and tornadoes are also possible there.

These storms have already caused widespread destruction in parts of Missouri and Arkansas, killing at least 14 people in those states. As many as 25 tornadoes striking overnight into this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's here. It's here. Look at all that debris.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god, we're in a tornado.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are in a tornado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Allison Chinchar and Rafael Romo are both monitoring the situation taking place across the south right now.

Allison, in the Weather Center, I mean, how do you define what's happening right now? It seems like all of it is happening at once. ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, absolutely. Because the

system is so large, you have so many different components. You have the snow side farther to the north, you have high winds, you have hail, you have tornadoes. I mean, you pretty much have everything that Mother Nature can throw at you.

So we begin a little bit farther south. Right here, this is Baton Rouge, just for some reference point. This is areas of Louisiana and into Mississippi. These pinkish purple colored boxes you see here, those are tornado warnings. The orange box, that's a severe thunderstorm warning. But even as we shift farther to the north, you can see they continue even as we slide off to the north and east.

So states, multiple states. You're talking Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, all dealing with tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings as we speak. And this threat is expected to continue to spread east and northward. So Tennessee, Georgia, eventually going to get some of those watches and warnings as well.

Here's the overall scope, though, so you can kind of see what we're talking about. There's that huge line of those storms right through there producing these tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings because of how many or how many of them we've had so far, you've got the tornado watches. This is different. This means that conditions are favorable over the next 12 to 24 hours.

So you have one in portions of Mississippi and Alabama, that is labeled a PDS. That stands for particularly dangerous situation. And it is because within those two watches specifically, they are anticipating violent tornadoes. This is not just a random adjective that they're throwing out there. That means something. It typically means EF-4 or EF-5 tornadoes. Those account for less than 1 percent of the tornadoes that we see in this country. But 66 percent of the total fatalities. So please, please, please, take this seriously.

We also have a tornado watch in effect for portions of Tennessee as well, but we're likely going to see more areas, see those tornado watches as we go through the rest of the day. Even outside of the watches and warnings, look at the tremendous amount of lightning that we have from these storms. And that stretches from Ohio all the way back to the Gulf Coast.

All of these areas you see highlighted in here are under the threat for severe storms today. Obviously, the highest threat is going to be in this pink area and the red area surrounding it. That's where you have that level five out of five, the highest level you can possibly get is that pink color here for the threat of severe storms.

And it's not just that we're getting some of those strong tornadoes, but some of these could end up being on the ground for prolonged periods of time. And that's also concerning because they tend to get very large and can cause a tremendous amount of destruction during that time frame.

Here's a look as we go through the afternoon. They're slowly going to spread into portions of Alabama and middle Tennessee, as well as Kentucky. Then, as we head later into the evening, now we start to see them spreading into Nashville, Huntsville, some more heavily populated areas.

[15:05:08]

Overnight tonight is going to be the key timeline for cities like Atlanta and Knoxville. So if you live in those areas, please make sure you have multiple ways to get those emergency alerts, not just your cell phone, because if you don't have it charged, if you lose power on it, you have no way to get those alerts. And it's coming in during a time when many people are asleep.

Tomorrow morning, it starts to push into Charlotte, Columbia, South Carolina, back into Raleigh as we head later on into the day. This looks very similar to the map we just showed you, but this is specifically for tornadoes and this area where you see the stripes, we call that hatched area. This is where we're talking about a greater chance of tornadoes. That could be EF-2 or stronger.

And again, some of these could be on the ground for prolonged periods of time. We estimate one of the tornadoes already so far today was on the ground for maybe about 50 miles before it finally lifted.

In addition to those, as if that wasn't enough, we also have the potential for flooding. You can see here, including the city of Nashville and then the areas west and southwest of it are under flash flood warnings. A lot of these areas have been getting cell after cell after cell of these strong thunderstorms, and it's bringing a tremendous amount of water.

So this red area here is under a moderate risk. That's a level three out of four in terms of excessive rainfall. You're talking two, four, even six inches of rain in some of these places.

So the concern here, Fred, and I want to point this out is when you have flooding, you're told avoid your basement, go as high as you can. In a tornado you're told go as low as you can.

WHITFIELD: Right.

CHINCHAR: So this poses a concern. And a lot of people don't know where they're supposed to go. The best thing I can tell you in that instance is if you already have flooding in your basement, but now you are under a tornado warning, get to the lowest level you possibly can and an interior room, say like a closet, a pantry, a laundry room, something like that. That puts a lot of walls around you. But that way you're also not going into the flooding, making it even worse.

WHITFIELD: Right. Still, some very frightening choices that people are having to make right now.

CHINCHAR: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right. Rafael Romo is in Birmingham, Alabama, where it just looks like it's starting to get a little darker where you are. But no wind, no rain as yet. What is happening? What are people preparing themselves for?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Fredricka. In the last couple of hours or so, actually, the winds here in Birmingham have been picking up. But according to officials, this is only the beginning. The storm prediction center has issued a tornado watch for more than three million people in parts of Alabama, labeling it a particularly dangerous situation. A rare designation indicating the possibility of exceptionally strong storms and tornadoes.

Officials are telling people they need to be prepared for the possibility of tornadoes that may be strong and long tracked, damaging winds of up to 70 miles an hour, and large hail of up to two inches. The Storm Prediction Center also issued a rare level five out of five risk of severe thunderstorms, not only for parts of Alabama but also in Mississippi for a likely tornado outbreak.

Jim Coker, the director of the Emergency Management Agency here in Jefferson County, explained to us earlier what that means. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM COKER, DIRECTOR, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA: That means the atmosphere is primed for very strong tornadoes. These could be very long track tornadoes. So long track tornadoes in Alabama have impacted multiple counties. They can go on for tens of miles, and even beyond that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Fred, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency yesterday for all of Alabama's 67 counties, asking people to stay weather aware and safe. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp did the same today in his state, saying that in Georgia, this storm will hit at the worst possible time as people are heading to or already in bed.

Officials are reminding people here in Birmingham that it's very important to find a place underground, preferably a basement, for protection against any tornadoes -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: My goodness, all very important warnings that people need to take heed.

Rafael Romo, thank you.

All right. We're also following more breaking news this time President Trump says decisive military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen is underway. This is the Iran-backed group that has attacked ships in the Red Sea.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is in West Palm Beach, near the president's Mar-a- Lago home. So what more are you learning, Kevin?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it does appear as if this strike has begun. The Houthi run TV station in Yemen says that there are strikes now in a neighborhood north of the capital, Sanaa. And this does appear to be the most significant military action since President Trump took office. He is vowing to use overwhelming, lethal force against the Houthi militant groups.

The Iran-backed militia that had been targeting merchant vessels and warships in the Red Sea, disrupting international shipping lanes, the president said that the attack on American vessels will not be tolerated.

[15:10:06]

And he says that the targets include terrorists, bases, leaders and missile defenses and he says this is all to protect American shipping, air and naval assets and to restore navigational freedom. And so the president really trying to make a decisive point here that that won't be tolerated.

We should say that the Biden administration also launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen as a result of these attacks in the shipping lanes. You saw that over the course of several months last year. The Brits also launching those attacks, and they did not necessarily deter the Houthis from moving forward. So it remains to be seen how this new step by President Trump will do just that.

But I think it's also could be taken as a warning sign to Iran. And certainly the president, in his message today, said that to Iran support for the Houthi terrorists must end immediately. He says do not threaten the American people, their president or worldwide shipping lanes. And you'll remember, just within the last few weeks, the president sent a letter to the supreme leader of Iran trying to open negotiations over that country's nuclear program.

He has also not ruled out potential military action against Iran if they don't come to the negotiating table. And so I think these new strikes in Yemen could be interpreted as an opening salvo, as he works to bring Tehran to the negotiating table.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kevin Liptak, thanks so much.

All right. For the first time, we are hearing the chilling 911 call from a surviving roommate in that Idaho quadruple murder case. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:16:25]

WHITFIELD: For the first time, we're hearing the chilling moments when the first 911 call was placed in the University of Idaho quadruple murder case. A surviving roommate made the call after discovering one of the victims was unconscious. This was back in November 2022.

Inside the off-campus home authorities found four college students had been brutally stabbed to death. DNA from the scene led authorities on a cross-country manhunt for Bryan Kohberger, who was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Kohberger was a criminology graduate student at Washington State University. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

Let's bring in now CNN's Julia Vargas Jones for the latest.

Julia, tell us more about this 911 call and what was said.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. This is our most harrowing look yet at what unfolded inside that home. The fear, the confusion. It all comes through in the audio recording of that 911 call that CNN obtained. I want to start with the moment that call was placed. I'll just warn our viewers that this may be hard to hear. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911, location of your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something is happening. Something happened in our house. We don't know what.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is the address of the emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 1122 --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS JONES: And Fred, you can hear the panic in their voices there. They're struggling to explain what's going on to that dispatcher. One voice trying to give the address before breaking down in tears. The call lasted about four minutes, and at times multiple people can be heard speaking to that dispatcher. At one point, she urges them not to pass the phone around, trying to make sense of what's going on.

The confusion continues to build as they first report an unresponsive roommate. Then they mentioned seeing a man in the house the night before. We're not sure who exactly says that, but listen to that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I just tell you what happened pretty much?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is going on currently? Is someone passed out right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really know, but pretty much at 4:00 a.m.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I need to know what's going on right now. If someone has passed out, can you find that out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I'll come. Come on. We got to go check. But we have to. She's passed out. What's wrong? She's not waking up.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VARGAS JONES: Just gut-wrenching that exchange there, Fred. We do know from court filings released last week that before this call, the surviving roommates had been texting each other about this man inside the home. The messages were sent nearly eight hours earlier, around the time investigators now believe the murders were taking place. Yet, 911 wasn't dialed until nearly noon the next day.

Prosecutors say this call, along with those messages, will help establish a timeline that they will present at trial. The defense, however, may argue that the delay and the chaotic nature of that call could raise questions about what the surviving roommates understood at the time. Bryan Kohberger, the 30-year-old, is set to go on trial in August, and if he is found guilty, he could face the death penalty -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Julia Vargas Jones, thanks so much.

All right. What's next for Democrats and what's their strategy now that a government shutdown has been avoided? I'll ask former DNC chair and Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz next.

[15:20:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Just a short time ago, President Trump signed the new stopgap funding bill to keep the government open for the next six months. The U.S. Senate passed the spending bill in a 54 to 46 vote on Friday, allowing the U.S. government to remain open through the end of September. Ten Democrats voted with the Republicans to advance the bill and avoid a partial shutdown.

The bill highlighted a deep divide in the Democratic Party after U.S. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer announced that he would back it. House Democrats voted almost unanimously against the bill.

I'm joined now by Florida Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Congresswoman, great to see you.

[15:25:06]

REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL): You, too, Fredericka, thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So are you disappointed that some Democratic senators, led by Chuck Schumer, voted to back the stopgap measure? Or do you agree with Senator Schumer, who said, I'm quoting him, you know, as bad as the CR is, I believe that allowing President Trump to take more power is a far worse option? His words, along with that government shutdown. Where are you on this?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, what Democrats across the country and across the Congress agree on is that we have to continue to keep laser focused on fighting the targeting with cuts to veterans, seniors and children. Trump, Musk and MAGA Republicans in Congress are devastating the lives of veterans, seniors and children, and making sure that they can't go even further by killing Medicaid and passing the largest cut to Medicaid in history, which we know is looming on the horizon.

That's going to be our focus. Tuesday, we'll have a National Day of Action across the country, where all of my colleagues on the House side will be focused on highlighting attention about the devastating impact that a cut to Medicaid like that, like Republicans are planning would harm.

WHITFIELD: So that's in the short term on Tuesday. But then on the long term, you know, with House Democrats, Senate Democrats taking a very different approach on this measure, did that just demonstrate, you know, there's a real lack of cohesion among Democrats as a whole to deal with a Republican-led White House and Congress?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, I certainly didn't agree with the approach that Leader Schumer took. It was obvious that Democrats in the House didn't. We had only one member of our caucus who voted for the CR, which quite frankly, is a misnomer. It was a devastating budget bill that cuts veterans programs, that cuts health care, that, you know, cuts access to coverage for our seniors.

And Tuesday isn't just one day. We are going to be relentlessly focused all the way through to the critical importance of Democrats winning the House back, the majority in the House back next fall, because we have to stop Trump in his tracks, who is raising not lowering affordable affordability for American families, waging massive tariff worldwide, tariff wars with countries, devastating our economy. Essentially acknowledging that he's going to throw us into a recession.

And it's just, it's mind blowing that this is where his priorities lie. And he doesn't seem to care. We do care as Democrats, and we're going to make sure we stay focused on making life more affordable for all Americans and making sure that we can keep people healthy by enabling the 4 in 10 children in Florida and moms with new infants who are on Medicaid in my state, from being able to make sure that they can take care of their kids and keep them healthy.

WHITFIELD: So as the former DNC chairwoman, you know, and I understand, you know, Tuesday may be a springboard, but I'm wondering now what is the mission overall for Democrats, you know, given that roughly 100,000 federal workers are without jobs, many are experiencing obstacles getting unemployment, the markets have dipped, many tariff threats? And, you know, the Trump administration is threatening even more tariffs and layoffs.

And I'm wondering how are the Democrats going to or where are you going to find leverage to try to influence the White House, or at least the GOP on what seems to be, you know, their agenda right now?

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, the pain that you just laid out that Trump, Musk and MAGA Republicans are inflicting on veterans, seniors, children, and so many more is real. And they've clearly indicated that it's going to continue and intensify. So what we're focused on is making sure, A, we can fight them in court. B, we're fighting them in the community, and C, we're fighting them in Congress. We have, you know, a reconciliation bill, this bill that results from their budget. And it's going to lay out a blueprint for massive cuts to Medicaid, to health care, to likely Social Security and really devastate our veterans.

And you can see constituents of my Republican colleagues who across the country are showing up at their town halls and bitterly pushing back. And so that momentum will build and we will fight them in Congress. We're winning the lawsuits that are being filed in courts by nonprofits because their actions are unlawful and unconstitutional. And we're going to need to make sure that we beat them at the ballot box.

[15:30:00]

In the meantime, Fredricka, we only need three Republicans to grow a spine and vote with Democrats to make sure we can stave off those terrible cuts, keep at bay a recession that Trump is promising and actually make sure that we can focus on lowering kitchen table costs. We have to bring down the price of groceries and health care and housing, and Republicans are focused on anything but, except that they want to make sure that they can line the pockets of their billionaire friends.

That's what this is all in service of. And that contrast is going to help us at the ballot box next November, when the majority and make Hakeem Jeffries, our Democratic leader, speaker of the House of Representatives.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, great to see you. Thank you so much for being with us.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Thanks so much.

WHITFIELD: All right. During the election campaign, President Trump found support among Florida's Venezuelan population. Thanks mainly to his tough talk on government abuses in their homeland. Well, now, some of them are having second thoughts.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Carol Duran Perez, the routines of daily life have been thrown into chaos. She's a Venezuelan immigrant now terrified of being deported.

Are you afraid of your son walking to school?

CAROL DURAN PEREZ, VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANT AND TPS HOLDER (through translation): Yes. Truly. Yes.

ALVAREZ: What are you afraid of? PEREZ (through translator): That they'll pick him up and he won't have

time to call me. Also, that it might happen when I'm not with him or he's not with me. That is the worst fear I have.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Like so many other Venezuelans, she cheered when Donald Trump was elected because of his tough approach to policies, such as his promise to crack down on a violent Venezuelan criminal organization.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will expel every single illegal alien, gang member and migrant criminal operating on American soil and remove the savage gang, Tren De Aragua, from the United States.

ALVAREZ: You supported Donald Trump even though you couldn't vote for him.

PEREZ (through translator): Yes, yes. I believe there is a large community of Venezuelans who did.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): What she didn't expect is for those policies to throw her life in limbo and stoke fear in her community.

Carol is one of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants who were granted Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, under the Biden administration. President Trump wiped that away for all Venezuelans.

When they said the TPS is going to be revoked, were you surprised?

PEREZ (through translator): Yes, totally. And this was a hard blow because, practically, the same day he took office, he went against Venezuelans. It seemed personal.

ALVAREZ (voice-over): Carol is not alone. This slice of Florida is affectionately called Doralzuela. Doral, a Miami suburb best known for its Trump golf resort, is home to 27,000 Venezuelan immigrants, more than any other city in the U.S.

President Donald Trump handily won Doral in 2024, a place where 40 percent of its population has Venezuelan roots. And it's restaurants like these that have become staples of the community. Also where they've protested his actions to revoke TPS.

(Voice-over): El Arepazo is a gathering place for Venezuelans. The restaurant is losing business. People are afraid to leave their homes. Immigration attorney, Ros-Ana Guillen, says her phone hasn't stopped ringing since the decision to revoke deportation protections.

ROS-ANA GUILLEN, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: And there's actually people sobbing on the other line, crying and scared for their family members.

ALVAREZ: She says it's a mistake for the Trump administration to group all Venezuelans together with the criminal gangs.

GUILLEN: We have doctors, engineers, baseball players, musicians. We have a beautiful community. They came here legally. They pay taxes. They contribute to our economy.

ALVAREZ: Local officials have warned that the Doral economy could grind to a halt if Venezuelans lose their ability to work legally.

MAUREEN PORRAS, VICE MAYOR, DORAL, FLORIDA: Without that community, I think Doral will cease to be what it is. We're going to turn into a city that is going to lose a lot of its residents.

ALVAREZ: A group of Venezuelans is suing the Trump administration for revoking TPS, arguing the decision was, quote, "illegal" for multiple reasons. For Carol, time is running out.

What are you most afraid of for you and your son?

PEREZ (through translator): Of being deported, that they separate me from my son.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Priscilla Alvarez, thank you so much for that point of view.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now warning that immigrant visas will be revoked for those who join what he calls pro-terror riots, as the Trump administration cracks down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

[15:39:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. New details surrounding the arrest of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. We now have video showing the moment the Columbia University graduate student was arrested by federal agents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? You're going to be under arrest. So turn around, turn around, turn around, turn around. Turn around.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. OK, let's not --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop resisting, stop resisting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, OK, he's not resisting. He's giving me his phone. OK? He's not -- I understand, he's not resisting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your arms around.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like --

MAHMOUD KHALIL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRADUATE STUDENT: There's no need for this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't worry about it. You're going to have to come with us. Don't worry.

KHALIL: I'm coming with you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't worry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: This video was recorded by Khalil's wife. It was later shared by the ACLU on Instagram. Khalil's green card was revoked by the Trump administration for his involvement in campus protests last spring, and this follows the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into whether pro-Palestinian protests at the university violated federal anti-terrorism laws.

[15:40:14]

I'd like to bring in now Gloria Pazmino.

Gloria, after Khalil's arrest Secretary Marco Rubio is warning students now if they join in what he calls, quote, "pro terror riots," their visas will be denied or revoked?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred, and we know of at least two other university students at Columbia who have faced immigration enforcement as a result of these -- of their participation allegedly in these protests last year. But first, I want to get to some brand new details that we got from a motion that Khalil's lawyers filed on his behalf last night. This is a motion asking for his release, and it claims that Khalil's First Amendment and due process rights were violated when he was detained here in Manhattan last week.

They also called his detention punitive and retaliatory. And we're learning some new details about what happened in the moments that he was -- from when he was detained here in New York to when he was eventually transferred to Louisiana. We've learned that during that transport, he heard from the immigration officers that were keeping custody of him, that the White House had requested biometric information about him.

He was not allowed to take his personal belongings. In fact, he was told that he would be returning to New York after being initially transferred to New Jersey. But as we know now, he actually ended up in Louisiana, where he remains in custody today. He was also denied requests to call his attorneys, and at no point did the officers identify themselves.

Now, his lawyers have continued to say that this is all about Khalil's participation in political speech, and because of it, his advocacy last year against the Israel-Hamas war and because of his advocacy for Palestinian rights.

Take a listen to one of Khalil's attorneys speaking with our Victor Blackwell this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RAMZI KASSEM, ATTORNEY FOR MAHMOUD KHALIL: Fundamentally this is a case about speech. All Mr. Khalil has done is stand up for the human rights of Palestinians and the dignity and lives of Palestinians. He mediated between student protesters and the university. And so, as far as we can tell, based on the few documents that the government has released the secretary of state -- Secretary of State Marco Rubio is invoking a rarely used provision in immigration law that basically allows him to put someone in removal proceedings if he, Rubio, believes that the person, their presence, their activities in the United States constitutes some kind of danger to U.S. foreign policy interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: Fred, we've been told by Homeland Security officials that ICE agents arrested a second Columbia University student because of the violations to their student visa, and a second student was apparently decided to self-deport back to Canada, according to immigration officials. We also learned that ICE executed two search warrants on campus last week. But according to the university president, no one was arrested or detained -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Gloria Pazmino, keep us posted. Thank you so much.

All right. In Gaza today, a deadly Israeli strike in Gaza kills at least nine people.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Saturday has seen the deadliest Israeli strike on Gaza since the ceasefire began back in January. Now, this happened in Beit Lahiya. This is in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. And according to the government's media office in Gaza, at least nine charity workers were killed in the airstrike.

Now, according to the Palestinian Journalists Protection Center, they say that three of them were part of a media team that was documenting humanitarian aid being distributed in the area. Now we have been seeing funerals taking place throughout Saturday. We also know many injuries, some of them critical, were taken to the nearby Indonesian hospital.

Now, according to the IDF, in a statement, they say that they had identified two terrorists in this particular area who were operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops. They say they targeted these two individuals, and then later there were more that came to retrieve parts of the drone equipment. And they also were targeted.

Now, all of this just goes to show how fragile the ceasefire is at this point in Gaza. And we have seen this week with mediation efforts, just how far apart Hamas and Israel are when it comes to continuing this ceasefire hostage deal.

[15:45:04]

Now, we've heard from Hamas that they are willing to release the Israeli-American Edan Alexander and also the bodies of four dual nationals that they are holding at this point. But they have conditions. They say that they want a simultaneous resumption of the negotiations to move to the second phase of this three-phase deal that Israel and Hamas had originally agreed to. They also say they want all border crossings opened and humanitarian aid to be allowed in.

Now, Israel has not been allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza for almost two weeks now as it's trying to pressure Hamas into just extending the temporary ceasefire and releasing more hostages.

Now, this is part of a U.S. plan, proposal I should say, that Israel has agreed to, that the temporary ceasefire should extend throughout the holy month of Ramadan, and also the Jewish Passover holiday, and a handful of hostages be released. This is something Israel says it has agreed to and accuses Hamas of manipulation and psychological warfare.

The Trump administration in the United States also putting pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal to extend the ceasefire by an unspecified deadline or to face consequences.

Paula Hancocks CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much, Paula, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:03]

WHITFIELD: SpaceX successfully launching the latest crew of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. Ignition and liftoff. Go, SpaceX. Go, NASA Crew 10.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Their arrival will allow NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to finally hitch a ride home with the crew who will be leaving the station. The two were only supposed to be at the ISS for about a week, but technical issues turned it into a nine-month stay. Both crews will be on the station together for several days to complete the handover.

Joining us right now, Leroy Chiao. He is a NASA astronaut and commander of the International Space Station formerly.

Great to see you. So, quickly, kind of take us through how this mission will work, when you have an existing crew meeting up with an arriving crew, and then they work together in kind of a transitional mode?

LEROY CHIAO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, that's right. And this is -- this can be thought of as typical crew exchange. This happens, you know, three or four times every year, a crew goes up and half -- and the crew comes down, you know, part of the crew. And so what happened was when Butch and Suni had problems with their Starliner spacecraft back nine months ago when they went up, it was only supposed to be about a week long mission. They were supposed to come back.

But NASA lost confidence because they couldn't get to the bottom of what was going on with the spacecraft. So they brought it back empty. And so Butch and Suni joined the crew that was up there. And two of the people who were going to go on the next crew a month later were pulled off, right? So now the crew that just launched last night, they will dock later tonight. They will open the hatch and get on board.

Suni and Butch will spend a few days with them, kind of just, you know, helping them kind of get re-familiarized with the station. And then they and the rest of their crew are going to get into their spacecraft and come back to earth. So that's not going to happen any earlier than Wednesday. So we're hoping to see Butch and Suni back on earth Wednesday, and if not, then maybe hopefully a day or two later.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, that'll be so exciting. So, you know, even though Butch and Suni, you know, trained for the possibility of a longer stay at the ISS, you know, what are their bodies and minds going to be going through on the journey home and then once on soil?

CHIAO: Well, sure. And so astronauts are scheduled for two hours of physical exercise a day aboard the station. We have a variety of machines that help keep our bodies healthy. You know, our hearts, lungs, muscles, bones, things like that. But, you know, there's no question when you come back down, they're going to be super dizzy. You know, the brain has forgotten what to do with the signals coming from your inner ear, your otolith.

And so, you know, it can make you feel a little uncomfortable. But after a week or two, they should be back to more or less feeling normal. So, you know, they're really -- I'm sure they're eager to come down. This unexpected nine-month delay, no question, has interfered with their personal lives, with their families, with maybe even their professional plans. But once they get back on earth, they'll be able to kind of take care of all those things. So I'm sure they're eager to get down.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And I know they're both in great shape. You got to be, to be an astronaut. And we've seen pictures of her as a runner. I mean, she's an avid runner and has an amazing form. But you have to wonder, even with that kind of conditioning, you know, that kind of strength, what kind of toll this whole thing may have taken on their bodies that you couldn't really, you know, expect?

Oh, and you got to say that really quick because we're almost out of time. But I'll give you an opportunity to talk.

(LAUGHTER) CHIAO: Sure. Yes. No, the -- yes, no question about it. It's -- there's going to be that re-adaptation to come down and of course there's nothing we can do about the increased radiation you get up there. And so their mission being nine months long was 50 percent longer than most long duration flights, which are around six months. But they'll -- they'd still be OK, you know, and they'll --

WHITFIELD: Awesome.

[15:55:03]

CHIAO: Even though this was unexpected, we're taught to adapt.

WHITFIELD: Well, we all can't wait to see them.

Leroy Chiao, what a pleasure. Thank you so much. Great to see you.

All right. Tonight at 9:00 we have a new episode of "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU." Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD, JUNIOR, HOST: Here's your headline. The U.S. is making more seizures of blank than fentanyl at its Canadian and Mexican borders.

AMBER RUFFIN, CO-HOST: Straight up crack?

WOOD: Take a stab, Nimesh. What do you think other than fentanyl?

NIMESH PATEL, GUEST: It's not eggs but --

(LAUGHTER)

PATEL: What, like what's --

RUFFIN: What else is illegal? Yes. Livestock, vegetables.

PATEL: What's got more street value than fentanyl at the moment?

RUFFIN: I think you were right with eggs.

WOOD: OK. Answer, the U.S. is making more seizures of illegal eggs.

PATEL: Yes.

WOOD: Than fentanyl at its Canadian and U.S. borders.

PATEL: I did not know the answer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ding, ding, ding. He got it. All right. That new episode of "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU" airs tonight at 9:00.

All right. Thanks so much for being with me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)