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Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin To Suspend Migrant Parole Program; Trump Ramps Up Trade War, Doubles Tariffs On Steel; Governors Tim Walz And Wes Moore Rally Dems At South Carolina Party Convention; Softball League Kicks Off Inaugural Season Next Week; Potential Peace Talks Between Ukraine And Russia Up In The Air; Scientists Join DOGE Resistance With 100-Hour Livestream; CNN's Wolf Blitzer Goes To His Happy Place, Buffalo, New York. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 31, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA LONGORIA, ACTOR: Oh, my god, he jumped to the water. Where did he go? Oh, my god. Oh, my god.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): He has to swim to get to the other boulder.

LONGORIA: How is he swimming in that current?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): Well, they are experts. I could never get in there.

LONGORIA: You could never do this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): No, no, no.

LONGORIA: No? Oh, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): Never. They are like fish. Galician fish. They are heroes of the sea and the coast.

LONGORIA: Arturo and Pablo's bravery is giving me the courage to confess. I don't like percebes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, boy, that's adventuresome. A new episode of "EVA LONGORIA SEARCHING FOR SPAIN" airs tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

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

And we begin this hour with a legal victory for President Trump's ongoing immigration crackdown. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that the administration may temporarily suspend a Biden era humanitarian parole program that allows immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to temporarily live and work in the U.S.

CNN correspondent Rafael Romo is following the latest on all of this.

So the ruling is not final. What happens now?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not final by any means. This still has got to play out in the lower courts. But this is the second time this month the high court has sided with President Trump's efforts to revoke temporary legal status for some immigrants. The Supreme Court had previously cleared the way for the administration to revoke another temporary program that provided work permits to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans.

The Supreme Court's brief ruling was not signed. And more importantly, Fred, did not offer any reasoning behind the order as is often the case on its emergency docket. Though, the decision isn't final and the underlying legal case will continue in lower courts, the ruling allows Trump officials to expedite deportations for an estimated 530,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who received temporary protection status during the Biden administration.

The immigrant community, as you can imagine, reacted with great concern for those affected, especially in Florida, where many of the immigrants from those countries live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CHRISTIAN NAMPHY, FAMILY ACTION NETWORK MOVEMENT: Terrible, terrible, terrible uncertainty for our community members, people who came here legally.

MAUREEN PORRAS, DORAL VICE MAYOR AND IMMIGRANT ATTORNEY: This is a very devastating decision. And now we're going to see a lot of businesses whose employees had work permits under this parole program, not show up to work tomorrow. It's really going to have a chilling effect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: On the other hand, many Republican political leaders applauded the high court's decision, including Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): I think the Supreme Court actually ruled in the right way. Anything that can be implemented by executive order can actually be, I think, taken away by executive orders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And this is important, Fred. Two liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented from the decision. In her dissenting opinion, Justice Jackson wrote that it undervalues the devastating consequences of allowing the government to precipitously upend the lives and livelihoods of nearly half a million non-citizens, while their legal claims are pending.

This kind of protection for immigrants fleeing violence or persecution was first used in the 1950s, when the Eisenhower administration allowed tens of thousands of people fleeing Hungary in Eastern Europe during a Soviet crackdown after World War II. So it's been used over the decades, many times, but it's become a political hot potato, especially in this administration.

WHITFIELD: It is. And I mean, the striking words to hear from the people that CNN interview that, you know, it is very unsettling and people are very worried and concerned.

ROMO: Right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rafael Romo, thanks so much.

ROMO: It's true.

WHITFIELD: All right. So what does the Supreme Court's decision mean for the thousands of immigrant communities across the country?

Aaron Earleywine joins me now for more insight. He is a board member and volunteer with the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, Ohio. And we should note that is the town that had to deal with the aftermath of then candidate Trump kind of riding the wave of false claims that migrants were eating dogs and cats last summer.

Aaron, glad to see you again. We talked about that then, and the kind of turmoil that that stirred up in the community. And now you've got this opinion coming from the Supreme Court. How much more unsettling is it for people there in your community of Springfield, Ohio?

AARON EARLYWINE, BOARD MEMBER AND VOLUNTEER, HAITIAN COMMUNITY HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER: Well, yes, I will say it doesn't feel like we're getting a break, right? Like we just keep going from one emergency to the next. And so it's definitely difficult. I think it's -- I think one of the most difficult parts about it is that nobody knows what this really means, right? So there's just so much confusion.

[15:05:01]

People are, you know, there's fear. People who think that everything should be fine with all the documents and the paperwork that they have now are wondering is, you know, is it going to be fine?

WHITFIELD: What are they saying to you? How are they, I mean, have they been consulting you about -- and your group about, you know, how to gather documents or how to come up with a plan B or C about their personal security or safety or, you know, feeling of being welcomed, whether it be their -- you know, in Springfield or other cities.

EARLYWINE: Yes. So the -- we're definitely working quite feverishly with many different organizations who are helping to provide information, document support. I think that one of the things that we're really not talking about, you kind of mentioned that, is that a lot of these places, especially like Haiti are still in turmoil. And it's not like the humanitarian parole that was provided there just opened the floodgates for anybody to come. They actually had to apply for, you know, for this humanitarian parole.

And so many of them have -- are here because of threats against their life, and threats against their families because of their presence in Haiti. And so, it's not that we've figured out and made Haiti a safer place and that this is going to be a great return for many of our Haitian neighbors. They're afraid. They're afraid to go back. They see the stories. They make phone calls to family. They know what's going on there in Haiti. And it hasn't gotten any better for them.

WHITFIELD: Yes. The threats, particularly as it pertains to Haiti, the threats and the fears remain. So are you hearing from people, you know, the Haitian community there, who are now calling Springfield, Ohio, home? Are you hearing from them about whether they're even thinking of, if not to go, you know, where they fear of course if they were to be sent back to Haiti, but are they starting to even entertain that, if not the United States of America, you know, is there another country that would be receptive to their plight?

EARLYWINE: Yes. You know, at this point, I haven't heard a lot of discussion about that. I know that there were a number of Haitians during the turmoil that happened this last fall, that we're really considering going to, you know, a place like Canada because they thought that maybe they would be or feel safer in another country. But most of them, they've worked really, really hard to establish where they're at now. And it's just kind of where they would like to stay until things actually do settle in Haiti, where they can return.

I think there's -- I spoke to a worker who works at the Amazon plant just last week, and he was talking about how he would love to return to Haiti. It's his home country. He would love to go back, but right now, it's not safe. And it's definitely not safe for his family if he were to return. So that's -- those are the kinds of concerns that we're working with right now.

WHITFIELD: What would be --

EARLYWINE: People work together.

WHITFIELD: Yes. What would be your message to those who are supporters of the Supreme Court ruling who say, you know, temporary protected status, well, it was always meant to be temporary?

EARLYWINE: Yes. And I understand that. I do get that. I know that there's always, I mean, regardless of this ending soon there would be an end to this temporary status that we're talking about. But I think it's one of those things where we have to really evaluate, first of all, why did we put temporary protective status or humanitarian parole for so many of our friends from these other countries?

There was a reason that we did that, right? And as we're looking now it doesn't seem, at least from my understanding of what's happening in Haiti, that things have only gotten worse since that humanitarian parole was given to them. And so I think that stands. I mean, we're talking about people with families and putting them in harm's way by deporting them, by sending them back to Haiti. When they're doing a great job here, they're working hard, I know many employers will be scrambling if something were to happen that would be devastating for just all sorts of companies and businesses here in Springfield and I'm sure in many other places as well.

[15:10:10]

WHITFIELD: All right. Aaron Earlywine, thank you so much. Of course, we'll continue to keep in contact with you as things progress.

EARLYWINE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. President Trump is once again ramping up his global trade war. He's now doubling tariffs on steel imported into the U.S. from 25 percent to 50 percent starting on Wednesday. Trump made the surprise announcement in front of a crowd of steelworkers at a factory in Pennsylvania on Friday. He traveled there to celebrate Japanese steelmaker Nippon's plans to buy the iconic American steelmaker U.S. Steel.

It's a takeover Trump opposed on the campaign trail, but then recently reversed course, announcing that he would approve the controversial deal. He described the merger as a partnership and not an outright purchase of U.S. Steel by Japan.

All right. Joining us right now, CNN's Betsy Klein.

So, Betsy, tell us more about what is expected as a result of this now unexpected tariff announcement.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT AND WRITER: Well, injecting more uncertainty into the global economy, President Trump unveiling a plan to double tariffs on foreign made steel. Coming to the U.S. now, this could be good for the American steel making business, but it could have the potential to raise prices on steel for the manufacturing and construction industries here.

It could also impact the price of cars and the E.U. and the United Kingdom, both making clear that they are prepared to enact countermeasures when these go into effect on Wednesday. Now, the president made the announcement after the markets closed on Friday when he was at a U.S. steel plant in Pennsylvania touting a potential deal between Japan's Nippon Steel to buy U.S. Steel, something that he says would remain under U.S. control. But he says the deal is not yet finalized.

Now, in a surprise announcement while he was there, the president announced that steel tariffs would double from 25 percent to 50 percent. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to be imposing a 25 percent increase. We're going to bring it from 25 percent to 50 percent the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States. Nobody is going to be able to steal your industry. It's at 25 percent they can sort of get over that fence. At 50 percent they can no longer get over the fence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, all of this comes as President Trump's global tariff agenda is still facing so much uncertainty after a three-judge panel announced a decision earlier this week blocking the president's global tariffs. An appeals court kept the tariffs in place for now as this plays out in the courts. The -- or excuse me, the Trump White House says they are prepared to take this all the way to the Supreme Court -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, Betsy, you also have new reporting on how some universities and colleges are privately negotiating with the White House to avoid being targeted, similar to how what Harvard has experienced?

KLEIN: Yes. This week we saw really an escalation of the Trump administration's attacks against Harvard University. And we are learning that behind the scenes, leaders of some colleges and universities are privately negotiating with a top White House official about what they can do to stay out of the White House's crosshairs.

So we are learning that May Mailman, she's not a household name, but she is a senior White House official. She's a top deputy to Stephen Miller, who's really been an architect of the administration's efforts to go after Harvard University and some of these other schools, has been privately discussing with those college and university leaders what signals they can send, what they can do.

Now, a source involved in the higher education response tells me the White House is looking to make a deal with a name brand university. President Trump obviously wants to show that he is not just targeting higher education institutions, that he is able to enact some change, something they say is about combating antisemitism on college campuses, but also extends to larger issues of academic freedom.

Now, when I asked if any of these schools are inclined to make such a deal, the source told me that nobody wants to be first. But the financial pressures are getting quite high.

WHITFIELD: All right, but decline at the White House. Thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, Democrats are frying fish and trying to refocus. We'll take you to South Carolina to hear how the party is looking to rally support after last year's losses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:19:38]

WHITFIELD: All right. All right. Welcome back. Two prominent Democrats have a surprising message for their party. Be more like Trump, at least with the messaging. That's what governors Wes Moore of Maryland and Tim Walz of Minnesota told fellow Democrats at South Carolina's Democratic Party convention this weekend. Their appearances are also generating some 2028 buzz.

CNN's Arit John is in Columbia, South Carolina.

[15:20:02]

Arit, great to see you. So Moore and Walz both saying that they actually won't be running for president, they said, but they did have a comment or two about messaging this weekend.

ARIT JOHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. I mean, both Governors Walz and Moore said that this is not about 2028, but about meeting the urgency of 2025 and heading into the 2026 midterms. But when you come to South Carolina, whether it's an election year or not, and you start, in the case of Moore, talking about your deep connections to the state, you're not going to beat those 2028 allegations.

And what we heard from both of these governors was messaging about what Democrats need to do now and what they need to do heading into the midterms to win back those voters who drifted away from the party last year. And it's a message of reaching out to working class voters and showing Democrats, showing Democratic voters that Democratic policies have tangible impact.

Take a listen to Governor Wes Moore last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. WES MOORE (D), MARYLAND: Gone are the days when we are the party of bureaucracy. Gone are the days when we are the party of multi-year studies on things that we already know. Gone are the days when we are the party of panels. Gone are the days when we are the party of college debate club rules. We must be the party of action. And that action must come now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN: And to your earlier point, Governor Walz and Governor Moore did say that Democrats need to be more like President Trump. Obviously not in terms of the policies, but in terms of the aggressiveness. We heard Governor Moore say last night that Trump doesn't wait for white papers to tell him whether he should enact a tariff policy. And we heard a similar message from Governor Tim Walz this morning. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D), MINNESOTA: What Trump learned from his first term to this one is if you say you're going to get things done and actually do it, even if it's not the right thing, people still give you credit for getting something done. They give you credit for doing it.

Now it's destructive as hell on their side. Think how powerful a tool that will be if we move with the same speed that he's moving to give everybody health care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN: And so, you know, again, these candidates -- these governors are saying that they're not 2028 candidates. But the reception here in South Carolina from these voters was very positive because a lot of these voters are just looking for elected officials to come and tell them where the Democratic Party goes from here.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arit John in Columbia, South Carolina. Thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, they're hoping for a big hit. We're just days away now from the newly launched women's professional softball league. We'll talk with the league's commissioner, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:27:11]

WHITFIELD: All right. A milestone moment for women's sports. We're just a week away now from opening day of a brand new professional women's softball league. The Athletes Unlimited Softball League, or AUSL, and now Major League Baseball has announced a huge investment in the AUSL, that, according to ESPN includes purchasing an equity stake worth more than 20 percent of the company.

We're joined now by Kim Ng. She made history as the first ever female general manager in the MLB, and she is now the commissioner of the AUSL, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. Get used to the new sporting league name.

Congratulations to you, Commissioner.

KIM NG, COMMISSIONER, ATHLETES UNLIMITED SOFTBALL LEAGUE: Thank you, Fredricka, so much. Really happy to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well, this is amazing and so exciting. You know, but, you know, I'm wondering, how does that MLB investment change or even enhance the game, in your view?

NG: You know, I think it helps on a number of different fronts. I think, you know, visibility clearly, amplification. And considering all of the support and help they're going to be giving us across all of their platforms, MLB Network, MLB TV, on social doing articles, coverage. I think the amplification is just going to be immense. So, so, so happy about this. This is a great thing for the sport really.

WHITFIELD: And all of that is so important. That kind of amplification as you put it. You know, I read that you told your husband that you feel more pressure as commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League than you did as general manager of the Miami Marlins? Why and how is this pressure different?

NG: I know. It is different. I, you know, I feel in this position, I really am a shepherd of the sport. Right? And there are so many little girls, young women athletes who are looking for this league to succeed. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday and he said he's got, you

know, so he has two daughters and he said they are just so incredibly jazzed up. He said, I really didn't realize. I said, you're a friend of me. How could you not realize? And he said, I just didn't. And it really is. I mean, it's amazing.

You know, and we did a, we did a program called the Golden Tickets where we went to all of our college draftees' campuses to give out golden tickets and basically tell them that they were drafted. And just the, you know, the welcoming that we got, the applause that the players got really helped us to connect to the college world and to really just -- it gave us an understanding of just how needing this league is, and how much that these women would love the opportunity to continue their careers after college.

[15:30:05]

WHITFIELD: It is so exciting and inspiring. I mean, just watching college level softball, women's softball these days, it's just phenomenal. And, you know, your season is beginning next Saturday, right? And there are four teams. I love the names, the Bandits, Blaze, the Talons, the Vaults. And with this touring, you know, schedule of 24 games each across 10 U.S. cities, I mean, you said it's really important for this league to succeed.

What is it going to take -- you know, how are you measure success? Will it be by the fan base? I mean, obviously, all of these young ladies who've been recruited, as you just mentioned, you know, I mean, they are top notch. But how are you going to measure success? Is it, you know, the fan base, the ticket sales, the financial support that you are now getting a commitment from the MLB? I mean, how will you measure it?

NG: Yes. So I think it's all of that. I think it's the attendance. I think it's viewership. I think it's fan engagement over social. You know, I know our chief partnerships officer is going out and talking to people about sponsoring the league. It's all of those metrics.

You know, I can tell you that from our social metrics on the announcement the other day, we got 97 percent positive rating. So, I mean, it really is just, it is so amazing to watch. And, you know, watch people get behind this league. So incredibly important.

WHITFIELD: I can't wait to watch. I can't wait to be in the stands and cheering on these ladies. And I'm wondering, you know, what you learned from your assistant GM days at the New York Yankees, where the general manager at the time, you know, said that you were indispensable all the way, to your Miami Marlins general managing days. From that experience, what do you hoping to draw or apply to this league to ensure the kind of success that you're looking for?

NG: I think, number one, this is about leadership. You know, making people understand what your message is, what your vision is. And then I think, secondly, in terms of my skill set, it would, you know, bringing systems and having seen what has worked and what hasn't worked, and then player relations I think is also one of my strong suits. So hoping that all of that, combined with our business folks who will drive, who will drive revenue and drive engagement, I think all of that together will spell success.

WHITFIELD: Very nice. You know, and overall, you know, do you kind of assess this and look at this as, you know, yet another defining moment for women in sports from the AUSL to the WNBA and the kind of success that it's really enjoying, you know, on a whole new level right now, women's soccer, women in tennis, and a variety of, you know, Olympic athletes, you know, who are pushing the limits, who are also monetizing, unlike ever before?

NG: Absolutely. I mean, we've talked about this being a moment. This is not a moment. This is a movement for women's pro-sports. And it's been a long time coming. I mean, I remember when the WNBA first started and, you know, them just trying to garner support along the way. It's finally happened where people are understanding that women's pro-sports is just as good as the men's sports.

And you know, really in some ways it could be better. So it really is -- it really is just a moment in time for all of us. You know, I worked in men's sports for 30 years, and I always say that I'm hopping on the women's sports bandwagon. But it's, it really is an exciting time.

WHITFIELD: Yes, well, you're a trailblazer, I mean, and you are celebrated in so many circles and corners from being a University of Chicago softball player yourself to rising the ranks and Major League Baseball, and now this incredible, very impressive, exciting women's softball league.

Kim Ng, thank you so much. I love that you said this is not a moment, but this is a movement. And I think we're all so happy to be witnessing and being part of this movement in any way we can.

NG: Thank you so much for having me.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:39:28]

WHITFIELD: Officials in Ukraine say Russian drone strikes across the country have killed at least nine people over a 24-hour period. At least two dozen others were injured. It happened just hours after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

The senators pledged to advance a bill to slap 500 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and other products. This is happening as the next round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine remains up in the air.

[15:40:02] Kyiv says the Kremlin is still withholding its framework for a possible ceasefire.

Here's CNN's Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: What Ukraine is saying is that Russia should really hand over that memorandum right now. That was their understanding. The Russian memorandum that lays out their view of what peace talks could look like. The Ukrainians say that the understanding was that both the U.S. and Ukraine would get this document from Russia. And they say the fact that Russia, and we've just heard from the Russian Foreign Ministry saying that they won't be handing over this document before their team arrives in Istanbul for those talks on the 2nd of June, Monday next, this document will be coming with them.

So, you know, Ukraine's position is that they think that Russia is playing for time. They think that they are not really wanting to push with speed as President Trump wants, as they want, as Ukraine's European allies want towards a ceasefire and a lasting peace deal. The Russian Foreign Ministry says their team is committed. They're sending this team. It's the second round of talks. The memorandum will come with them.

But what Russia has done, these strikes, 90 drones, two more big missiles fired into Ukraine, does fly in the face of what President Trump's representative at the U.N. Security Council was talking about, that Russia should stop attacking Ukrainians if it is committed to peace. And if and if it doesn't stop attacking Ukrainians, then the United States would consider its position and pull back.

The representative also said that, you know, if Ukraine and Russia can work together to get a peace, the United States is ready to help them, ready to work with the U.N., ready to work with European partners as well over it. And I think it's worth noting here that what President Zelenskyy says, particularly on reflecting on those comments we've heard from the U.S. representative at the United Nations Security Council, is that Ukraine wants the United States to remain diplomatically engaged in this process.

But it really seems as if the scene is set for these talks on Monday. Ukraine yet to say whether or not they will go that both sides are at odds. Already Ukraine's handed its memorandum to Russia and the very real sense from Ukrainian side and its European supporters that Russia is playing for time and an increasing sense there from the White House, that Russia is not committed to a peace process. But where will it all stand at the end of Monday? I don't think anyone is expecting it to have advanced very far.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much to Nic Robertson for that report.

All right. Still to come, a fight for forecasters. Scientists set off on a marathon effort to spread the word about why funding climate research is so necessary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:47:39]

WHITFIELD: All right. In the face of steep funding cuts for climate research and weather forecasting, scientists have come up with a new way of engaging the public through a marathon live event. Right now scientists are in the middle of a 100-hour live stream as a form of so-called resistance to the administration's changes. Each presenter has 15 minutes to talk about their specialized fields and why they are doing critical work for the American public. They started Wednesday afternoon and will end tomorrow.

I want to bring in Carly Phillips, who is a research scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Carly, great to see you. You presented on Friday morning. What did you want to be part of the effort?

CARLY PHILLIPS, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, SCIENCE HUB FOR CLIMATE LITIGATION, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: Thanks so much for having me. I wanted to be part of this effort because it really calls attention to the critical information that NOAA and other scientific agencies provide to the American public every day.

WHITFIELD: You're an ecosystem scientist who specializes in wildfire and climate change, right?

PHILLIPS: I am, yes.

WHITFIELD: So tell us more about that field and what most concerns you about now.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I think for me, the big thing that's concerning is the cuts that are happening across the board, both to NOAA and other agencies that are really critical for the way that the American public interacts with weather information in their day-to-day lives. So, for instance, when you pull up the weather app on your phone, for instance, that is oftentimes being fed by information from the National Weather Service.

For me, when it comes to wildfires, I'm thinking about these cuts in terms of the satellites that are being used right now to help us understand smoke that's coming in from the fires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada, and how that -- those forecasts are playing out. All of that information is coming from these satellites that are kept up by a variety of agencies that are facing steep funding cuts, both to their capabilities, but also to their research that they support.

WHITFIELD: So what about the audience? You know, the folks who are listening in, tuning in to what you and other scientists have to say, what are you hoping that they're going to gain from this or what they will do with this information? Is it strictly an awareness or are you helping to equip them perhaps with, you know, tools in the communities that they live? [15:50:09]

PHILLIPS: I think it's a bit of both. You know, I think that it's a cool opportunity to have scientists speaking directly to the American public, which doesn't happen as often as a scientist like myself would like. But I also think that one of the things that's great about this live stream is that they're using it to spur people into action. So I know from talking with the organizers of the live stream that they've already surpassed 100,000 views and have generated 6,000 calls to representatives.

So they're really, you know, asking people to tune in, understand the information that they're providing, and then also take action to help make sure that these cuts don't go into effect and degrade the services that the American public relies on.

WHITFIELD: OK. So we're seeing wildfires right now ravaging parts of Canada. Tornadoes are leveling parts of the Central U.S. and the Midwest in recent weeks. The Atlantic hurricane season begins tomorrow. How do you prioritize the concerns with all of that happening at once?

PHILLIPS: Yes, that's -- the situation you laid out is part of why colleagues that I work with at Union of Concerned Scientists have named this danger season this time between May and October when we see all of these impacts happening at once. And I think it's a matter of prioritizing people's livelihoods, the safety of the communities who are in the path of these different storms, to make sure that people have the information that they need to make decisions for themselves.

WHITFIELD: All right. Carly Phillips, so glad to talk to you. Thank you so much. And all the best in this, you know, marathon session that continues on until tomorrow.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:34]

WHITFIELD: All right. To celebrate the CNN Original Series, "MY HAPPY PLACE," CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer takes us to his happy place, his hometown of Buffalo, New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Buffalo, New York. Birthplace of the buffalo chicken wing. And home to my favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills.

I was thrilled that the Bills invited me to visit the stadium recently and was even allowed into the Bills' locker room, where I had a chance to see Bills' quarterback Josh Allen's locker.

Josh Allen, MVP.

JEFF WARE, OWNER, RESURGENCE BREWING COMPANY: It's a good time to be a Bills fan. It's kind of put us on a national spotlight in a lot of ways that we haven't had in a long time.

BLITZER (voice-over): That's Jeff Ware, a local Buffalonian who opened his brewery Resurgence in the hopes of bringing new life to a city that has seen its population decline by a lot since 1950.

I grew up here. I went to school here, including Kenmore West High School and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

So there's my Kenmore West Corridor of Honor. You got my yearbook. I can show my yearbook picture. That was when I graduated from high school.

(Voice-over): Buffalo clearly holds a special place in my heart. And I love to come back to visit. It's MY HAPPY PLACE. One of the most unique things is that Buffalo sits on the border with Canada.

WARE: It's funny. It's probably one of the only places in the United States where our kids know the national anthem and the Canadian national anthem.

BLITZER: And despite current political tensions between our nations, in Buffalo, the two countries co-exist harmoniously. Just 20 miles outside of Buffalo is arguably the most famous attraction shared between the U.S. and our northern neighbor, Niagara Falls. And if you come here, bring your passport, so you can check out Niagara Falls from both sides of the border. The American side lets you get up close and personal with the falls, while the Canadian side, in my opinion, offers the best view.

And back in Buffalo, if you're feeling a bit hungry, head over to the Anchor Bar to get a taste of the original buffalo chicken wing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Theresa, one of the founders, created a concoction of hot sauce and chicken wings. And now it's a buffalo wing and served all across the world.

BLITZER: And yes, I know what you're thinking, but that's just how I like to eat them.

Buffalo has so much to offer. And it's working to rebrand itself as a place that is much more than just a city with cold weather.

Give me five. Best part of Buffalo, in my opinion, has always been the people of Buffalo. Friendly. Nice. Hardworking. And they try to help each other.

WARE: Hundred percent. Chicken wings, beer and good company. You know, you're in a good spot.

BLITZER: And the Buffalo Bills.

WARE: And the Buffalo Bills. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Go, Wolf. All right. A new episode of "MY HAPPY PLACE" with Academy Award winning actress Octavia Spencer. That airs Sunday, 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.

All right. You've got to see this again. An escape in Washington State is creating quite the buzz. This one involves 250 million honeybees. A commercial truck carrying the bees overturned yesterday near the Canadian border. Sheriff's deputies responding to the accident, well, they made a run for it to their squad cars. The road was closed as experts were called in to help with the cleanup. Local beekeepers also helped recover and reset the hives, hoping the bees will return in the next few days to find their queen.

And thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The NEWSROOM continues with Jessica Dean right now.