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Trump Exacts Revenge On GOP Sen. Cassidy In Louisiana Primary; New York Governor Hochul Calls For End To Long Island Rail Road Strike; Top Divers Join Perilous Mission To Recover Bodies From Sea Cave. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 17, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:03]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone.

Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday, I am Fredricka Whitfield. Today, President Trump's revenge tour has cost a political nemesis his seat after voting to convict Trump in his January 6th impeachment trial, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy is voted out by his constituents.

GOP voters sent the two-term senator packing after a distant third place finish in Saturday's Louisiana Senate Primary, opting for two candidates who are more supportive of the President.

Trump endorsed Congresswoman Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming have advanced to a June runoff. Neither managed to receive more than 50 percent of the vote. After his bruising defeat, Cassidy took the stage in Baton Rouge last night to thank his supporters, previewing a potentially adversarial role that he could take against The White House in his final days in office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): I have been able to participate in democracy and when -- and when you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn't turn out the way you want it to, but you don't pout, you don't whine, you don't claim that the election was stolen. You don't find a reason why -- you don't manufacture some excuse, you thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you've had that privilege.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Alayna Treene is joining us right now from The White House. Alayna, how is the President reacting?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, I just want to note, first off, Fred, that that is quite a different tone you heard in that concession speech from Cassidy than what he was arguing prior to this, when he was still fighting for his chances to win this primary.

But look, the President took a victory lap pretty immediately after we saw these results come in, essentially saying good riddance to Senator Cassidy. I want to read for you what he posted to truth social. He wrote: "Bill Cassidy after falsely using his relationship with me during his political career and winning elections because of it, voted to impeach me on preposterous charges that were fake then and now are criminally insane. His disloyalty to the man who got him elected is now a part of legend, and it is nice to see that his political career is over."

Look, I mean, this was a fascinating race to watch, particularly because, of course, Cassidy has been in the Senate now for several years, and he is someone who has largely been supportive of the President, but of course, his cardinal sin, Fred, was that vote to convict President Trump after the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. That vote, of course, taking place in 2021.

Now, all of this criticism and kind of the bad blood, particularly on the President's side toward Cassidy, comes despite the Senator having really worked over the last 18 months or so, ever since Trump got re- elected to office, to try and become a loyal -- to show that he was a loyal foot soldier, really, in the MAGA movement.

I'd remind you that he did cast a pivotal vote to help getting Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. confirmed as HHS Secretary, something that, of course, we knew was a questionable vote. We weren't sure what he was going to do back then, because he is someone who was previously a doctor and believed heavily, you know in vaccines and the power of science. And so he was skeptical of that vote, but he ultimately did that. And I think, again, to show that he was trying to be loyal to Trump, but all to say that didn't really pay off in the end.

Now, as for Congresswoman Julia Letlow, of course she is the one who did receive the President's crucial endorsement. She gave a little bit of a victory speech last night. And of course we did -- you know, she is in a runoff. She still has to win this new primary runoff against the State Treasurer, John Fleming.

But I want you to listen to what she said, because she did give a lot of credit to the President and that endorsement. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JULIA LETLOW (R-L.A.): I want to say thank you to a very special man who you all know, the best President this country has ever had, President Donald Trump.

People ask me all the time, Julia, why would you put your family through this? Why would you elect to have $26 million spent in negative ads against you? Again, that's another testament to the President's endorsement and how powerful it is in Louisiana that we were still able to garner 45 percent of the vote, despite the negativity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, it will be interesting to watch for, Fred, as I mentioned, this is now headed for a runoff. John Fleming, the State Treasurer in Louisiana. He is someone who also has really been trying to lean into his relationship with President Trump to his MAGA bona fides, to say, and so we will see how this plays out down the line, I think for the President, though, really his goal was to see Cassidy not being successful, and ultimately, that is what happened last night.

WHITFIELD: All right, Alayna Treene at The White House, thank you so much.

[15:05:06]

All right, Monday morning's commute could be chaotic for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. That's because the Long Island Railroad has shut down after more than 3,000 workers went on strike this weekend over wages and work rules.

Governor Kathy Hochul is urging both sides to make a deal, saying, "New Yorkers deserve better."

CNN's Gloria Pazmino has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is going to be a messy commute on Monday morning if the strike is not resolved by then. About 3,000 workers walked off the job on Saturday at midnight after talks between the five unions representing the workers and the MTA, which controls the Long Island Railroad, fell apart. They were unable to reach a deal.

Now, the workers are asking for a pay increase. They say that's what is needed in order to keep up with the high cost of living. We talked to some of them today. They told us that living in this area, one of the most expensive areas in the country, is really difficult, and they are asking for those wage increases in order to be able to keep up. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our argument and our fight is not with the commuters because commuters are our friends, our family, our neighbors. It is unfortunate we had to come to this position. I don't want to be here anymore than anybody else wants to be here.

But this is the only way to get the MTA to listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we really want is to be respected for the work that we do. You know, we are here nights, weekends, holidays. We miss family events. I almost missed the birth of my daughter. We just want to be treated fairly and well-compensated for it.

PAZMINO: Now, the workers are specifically asking for a 9.5 percent retroactive pay increase and a five percent increase for the current year. But the MTA says that increase will likely result in fare hikes.

Governor Kathy Hochul has encouraged both the unions and the MTA to go back to the negotiating table to try and strike a deal.

Now, if this is not resolved by Monday, again, the impact is going to be significant. The MTA has put contingency measures in place. They will have busses available to help bring commuters in from Long Island, but they are asking people to work from home if they are able to do so. This is the busiest rail line in the United States. It carries approximately 300,000 passengers every day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness, all right, Gloria, thank you so much.

All right, we are also keeping an eye on a multi-day severe weather threat. Storms could bring tornadoes, damaging winds and heavy rain across several states. CNN meteorologist Melissa Nord is joining me right now.

Melissa, you're tracking these storms. What should we expect?

MELISSA NORD, AIMS METEOROLOGIST: And yesterday was day number one, Fredricka. We are going to see more storms developing later on today, and as we head into tomorrow, I think that's when this severe weather system is going to peak in terms of intensity, potential for tornadoes as well.

You can see here on the map, these are every single one of these circles, a storm report from the last 24 hours. So we've seen four tornado reports. Yesterday was more of a wind and hail threat. You can see over a hundred wind areas of damage reports that were listed there across the Plains in the Midwest as well and it is the collision of air masses where warm, moist air meets up with the cool air coming in with that dip in the jet stream where we see this zone with severe storms likely for several days in a row.

We saw that level three risk yesterday, today, again, it is an enhanced risk of severe weather throughout Nebraska, up into Iowa as well, and then tomorrow you notice that red bullseye there from Kansas up into Southeastern Nebraska. That's a level four moderate risk, where the tornado threat is going to be more significant.

So tornadoes the next couple of days possible, very large hail and clusters of storms that could produce damaging winds as well.

You can see on the map right here a few different areas of storms we are watching right now. There are a couple of severe warnings, but the bottom line is in the Plains, it is just 2:00 Central Time right now. So, we still have more daytime heating to go when more storms can fire up and become strong and severe.

You can see them on the map developing in our hour by hour forecast track, by later on this evening, moving through Iowa, also down into Kansas and on the backside of this system, we've got cold air meeting up with that moisture. We've got some late season snowfall likely in my range of the Rockies as well.

Not only that, dry air coming in with gusty winds, really critical fire weather in the next several days. You can see in that purple color on the map, that's extreme fire weather, where some of these wind gusts later today through Amarillo, the Panhandle of Texas could easily top 40 to 50 miles an hour.

So any fire that sparks could ignite very quickly on the back edge of this system -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness, lots to watch for.

All right, Melissa Nord, thank you so much.

All right, still ahead this hour, top divers join a perilous mission in the Maldives as a military recovery diver becomes the latest victim in the search for the members of this scuba diving group, missing in a maze like sea cave. We've got the latest.

And later, pushing forward after tragedy. How one Minnesota community is trying to carry on after a deadly school shooting while the trauma still weighs on everyone's minds.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:14:50]

WHITFIELD: All right new today, authorities are getting ready to make another effort to recover several bodies from a cave diving accident in the Maldives. A rescue scuba diver died in a previous attempt. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has the latest.

[15:15:10]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Specialized divers from Finland will join efforts to recover the bodies of four of the five Italian divers who died while deep cave diving in the Maldives on Thursday.

The divers, who are part of the Divers Alert Network, are experienced in deep cave diving. On Friday, a 43-year-old rescue diver from the Maldives also perished while searching the underwater caves. The Finnish divers are expected to join the other rescuers on Monday, weather permitting.

The body of Gianluca Benedetti, the instructor who led the fatal dive, was recovered at the mouth of the cave after the group failed to reemerge from their excursion to the caves on Thursday. The other victims include Monica Montefalcone, an Associate Professor of Ecology from the University of Geneva, and her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, who was a student in biomedical engineering at the institution. Federico Gualtieri, a marine biologist and researcher, Muriel Oddenino also perished in the tragedy.

An investigation is now underway to determine why the experienced divers had surpassed the 30 meter depth limit down to the caves some 50 meters below the water surface, according to an Italian prosecutor who has opened an investigation into the incident. The 20 Italians who were on the Duke of York boat, but who were not part of the cave dive, were flown back to Rome on an Italian military flight on Sunday, according to Italy's Foreign Ministry.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Barbie.

All right, coming up, voters in six more states head to the primary polls this week. How President Trump's influence could play a role.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:06]

WHITFIELD: All right, let's continue to follow the aftershocks from the stunning upset of GOP Senator Bill Cassidy, the incumbent two-term Louisiana Republican did not even qualify for a GOP runoff in the Bayou State Primary yesterday. His 2021 vote to convict Trump of impeachable offenses after the January 6th insurrection put him in the crosshairs of the President, who endorsed another candidate. That Republican race now goes to a runoff in June.

Joining me right now to talk about this and so much more is Susan Page. She is the Washington Bureau Chief for "USA Today," and she is the author of the new book, "The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History." I can't wait to talk to you about that.

But first, let's talk about these political races. I mean, Susan, great to see you. What's your take away from Senator Bill Cassidy's defeat in Saturday's primary?

SUSAN PAGE, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF FOR "USA TODAY": You know, President Trump may have his approval rating overall going down, but he remains in control of the GOP. This is really unusual, not since 2012 has a senator who was previously elected been defeated in a primary and yet Donald Trump's endorsement not only succeeded in defeating him, it kept him out of the runoff. He finished third in this primary contest, after two terms in the Senate. Really quite unusual and once again, a sign of Trump's strength.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I mean, his revenge -- Trump's revenge tour now has sights set on another Republican critic of him, Congressman Tom Massie of Kentucky. The PRESIDENT continued his attacks on Massie on Truth Social today, calling Massie, "The worst Republican Congressman in history. Kentucky, vote the bum out on Tuesday. We can't live with this troublemaker for another two years."

But this is how Thomas Massie responded to those attacks this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): I am the one they haven't been able to bully, so they are putting all the brunt, the force on me. But you can tell that I am ahead in the polls and they are desperate. That's why they're sending the Secretary of War to my district tomorrow. That's why the President is losing sleep and tweeting about this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, Senator Cassidy was confident that he would win and you saw what that turned out, you know, was like, how that ended up. Can Massie defy the odds and remain confident and actually survive?

PAGE: Well, it is possible. You know, it is up to the voters in his district and sometimes voters reward independence, but sometimes they don't, and we've now had a string of cases in Louisiana, previously in Indiana, with those state senators who had dared to defy Trump's demands for redistricting all now ousted from the party's nomination.

So Massie on in that Tuesday primary is going to be closely watched for a sign of whether it is possible in the Republican Party to survive Donald Trump's opposition.

WHITFIELD: Trump also attacked his longtime supporter, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert for campaigning for Massie. Trump even floated the idea of endorsing a challenger to Boebert. I mean, what kind of message is Trump sending with these continued threats to a variety of Republicans in his party?

PAGE: Well, he has got power and clout, and he has got a long memory. Remember that Senate vote, the impeachment vote that got Cassidy in so much trouble with Trump was in 2021. There were seven Republican senators who voted to convict President Trump. There now are going to be only two of them in the U.S., Senate, five of them, Cassidy is the fifth one to be making an exit now.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it is remarkable.

All right, now let's take a turn to your book. Congratulations! Your new book about the Queen and her U.S. Presidents. No American or foreign leader has met with as many sitting presidents as Queen Elizabeth II, from trump to Truman.

[15:25:07]

I mean, she met 13 U.S. Presidents. Talk to us about the role that she played, really, in shaping history, diplomatic relations, how she impacted perhaps some of these presidents or maybe how they helped shape her. I know it is a lot, but that's what your book is all about.

PAGE: Yes. Yes, it is. You know, I think it is easy to see Queen Elizabeth as just this kind of stoic woman who wore colorful hats and had that barrel wave that were all familiar with from the balcony of palaces.

But the fact is, there were times, especially when relations between the United States and Great Britain were strained, that she helped smooth them over in really important ways. And, you know, I thought one sign of her legacy was when King Charles was here so recently on his visit, and he managed to do a similar thing. He managed to smooth over some of the troubled waters that we see now between our two countries.

WHITFIELD: I mean, it is remarkable. She learned from her dad, right? She didn't know that she was going to be Queen as young as she was. But her son, King Charles has known all along. So I wonder how much he has been watching, how she has handled managing all of these presidents and everything else, you know, along the way.

I mean, what did you find striking about the differences of her relationships and interactions with some of the presidents for, you know, when she was young versus when she became, you know, more seasoned and experienced.

PAGE: You know, if you're going to reign for 70 years, there are going to be some changes. She started out as this young queen visiting Dwight Eisenhower, who she had known as a teenager when he was the Allied Commander in London during World War II.

And then you go all the way to Obama, who was 37 years younger than she was. She had already met with five presidents by the time he was born, and yet the two of them also forged a kind of friendship.

WHITFIELD: Yes, yes, I like that you said that they had a very gentle kind of connection. And then with Trump, I mean, what has been perhaps a difference? While she has been gauging a lot of these presidents, I understand that you kind of highlight that he has been seeking approval or was seeking approval from her.

PAGE: You know, I am sure every president wondered who her favorite president was, but I bet nobody but Trump actually asked her at that 2019 State Dinner that Trump had in London, he did -- he told me when I interviewed him for the book, that he asked her who her favorite president was and that she very deftly dodged his question.

But he said that after that exchange, he was given to understand that she did have a favorite president, and it was him.

WHITFIELD: That's what he says, but do we know if that's what she said? That's interesting. Very fun, Susan Page -- go ahead. You had another thought.

PAGE: I was going to say, you know, she never said who her favorite president was.

WHITFIELD: Right!

PAGE: Maybe in her diary when they're released, if they ever are, we will find out for sure.

WHITFIELD: Right. I think you helped -- right, you helped underscore. I mean, she was a consummate diplomat, you know, for those many years.

All right, Susan Page, thank you so much. Congratulations again on your book

PAGE: Thank you. WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, we so often cover the initial moments and aftermath of a school shooting in this country, but rarely do we get to go inside the classrooms of the victims and observe how they are trying to pick up the pieces and pick up the pieces of their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SLACK, FIRST GRADE TEACHER, ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL: We are -- we are on a long and winding road and it isn't even day by day, but -- or hour by hour it is minute by minute. You know, there is so much that we are all working through and like Mike said, it is such a beautiful thing to have such a united front with such a strong community foundation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The incredible story of what it is like to live through an attempt to recover from a tragedy of this scale.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:51]

WHITFIELD: As schools across the country celebrate graduations and the end of their academic year, a small Minneapolis school is feeling something different -- grief stricken, but hopeful.

On the morning of August 27th, a 23-year-old shooter opened fire on more than 300 students and staff during an all school mass inside Annunciation Catholic Church. Two children, eight-year-old, Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski were killed.

Twenty-seven other people were wounded by gunfire. Many more walked away with pieces of wooden pews and shards of stained glass in their skin.

Everyone who survived, plus their family and friends who were not in the church, has now lived almost a full school year with the trauma of that attack.

This was just one of 65 school shootings in the U.S. this academic year. And with me, here is CNN writer, Michelle Krupa. And in Minneapolis, Mike Moyski, whose 10-year-old daughter, Harper, died in the pews at Annunciation and Sara Slack, a first grade teacher who once taught Fletcher, the eight-year-old boy who was killed.

[15:35:10]

Teacher Sara survived the shooting along with her own two daughters and her students.

Welcome to all of you, I mean, this is so difficult to relive and talk about, but it is so important.

Michelle, let's begin with you, because you went to Minneapolis, you know, to hear from the parents, the teachers, the students. You sat in the families' homes to hear their experiences. You went inside the school and the church where this happened.

I mean, what did you want people to learn about this journey?

MICHELLE KRUPA, CNN REPORTER AND WRITER: You know, Fred, like you, I have covered the breaking news, the horrific moments of school shootings for going on two decades now. Usually on our air, we are covering the breaking moments of the terror and what has happened and is there still a danger? And we will stick with it for a few days and we are at funerals and we are at candlelight vigils.

I am a mom of two boys, 10 and 14, and in those moments, of course, I think of my own kids.

WHITFIELD: Of course.

KRUPA: And I never really let myself get past the mental hurdle of thinking like, and then what? How -- like, how does this kind of trauma, this kind of attack -- what happens next? What happens in the weeks and months and years later? And we -- you know, the cameras go away, I think for good reason, right?

There are other news to cover, and this one --

WHITFIELD: Yes, in terms of coverage, but then the people who are living it, I mean, they can't walk away from it and it sounds like that is what you are helping to kind of lift the veil on. You know, what were people enduring after?

KRUPA: And still, and I think that story is worth our continued coverage, and so that's what drove my reporting here.

WHITFIELD: Mike, you know, this has been a very tough year, I mean, nine months. What has helped you get through it? Or maybe I shouldn't even say it has helped you get through -- how have you gotten through it?

MIKE MOYSKI, LOST 10 -YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, HARPER IN SCHOOL SHOOTING: Yes. Thank you so much, first and foremost, for having us on and Michelle, for all the great work that you've done to kind of keep this story out in the open, because I think it is an important one for people to hear and for us to continue to tell.

You know, I think we've been saying this the whole time my wife, Jackie and I, that, you know, two things can be true at the same time. You can have this immense sadness and tragedy that we as a community and individual families and people are going through, but you can also see the immense beauty. And I think that beauty comes in the form of our community coming together and not only lifting our family up, the Merkels, but everybody else that's been impacted in one of many ways through this event.

So I think it is really just the people around us lifting us up and folks like Michelle working with us to tell our story so that we can drive some change. WHITFIELD: Sara, you know, you were one of Fletcher's teachers, plus two of your own daughters were at the school that August day. You know, you have witnessed, you know, their struggles in class from displays of anger, frustration, you know, and it is hard to prepare for that and know how such a tragic event will, you know, continue to live through as survivors.

So what were -- what have you been witnessing in the students that you've been teaching and even the staff and even yourself?

SLACK: Oh, gosh, so much. I think one thing that we have continued to say over and over as a staff is that nothing is linear right now. We are on a long and winding road and it isn't even day by day, but or hour by hour, it is minute by minute.

But I've also seen really beautiful things blossom. I mean, these, these children specifically in my class are six and seven years old and they are more empathetic than they were when they stepped into the school and they were incredible empaths at that point.

So they have been kind of forced into being really wise, empathetic children and it is a really remarkable thing to experience. But you also have this like conflict of like, I want you to be a child and think like a child and play like a child and have that innocence and that carefreeness. But they don't. You know, that was -- they were robbed of their innocence.

WHITFIELD: Yes, they grew up fast. They grew up fast.

SLACK: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Mike, you know, you've been working really hard through Annunciation Light Alliance Advocacy Group pushing for laws to curb mass shootings from stronger threat reporting systems to restrictions of war weapons sales.

[15:40:10]

I mean, what are your discoveries through this process thus far, and how do you remain hopeful?

MOYSKI: Yes, I think, you know, it has been a learning experience for us. When we moved to Minnesota about seven years ago, we didn't know much about the makeup of the legislature or how things operated here in the state of Minnesota. We are originally from Chicago.

And so when this event happened, it almost felt like there is nothing else you can do, but get into advocating for change and that's school safety, that's community safety. There is gun measures that are a component of that and what I have learned is that nobody thinks that kids should be shot at in a school, a church, people in a movie theater, any of those things.

But there is so much, that goes into this, whether you're for this or against this or whatever it might be and we have just learned that when you sit down and you have human conversations with people about very human issues, you can really get to the core of what we are trying to stop from happening again.

WHITFIELD: What have you learned about this community in their resilience or persistence? Even through these many obstacles?

KRUPA: You know, Annunciation, like you said, off the top was a small school. It is a small private school. It is a Catholic school. It is built on faith.

Almost every child who was a survivor of this went back to Annunciation. Every single teacher who was shot at in that school went back to Annunciation. It is not a given in school shooting instances, and you know, it makes total sense, right?

If you're a teacher and you're shot at in your classroom, it is workplace violence. Like, of course you might consider leaving, doing something else. There is something about Annunciation and just about their, unity and how they are sticking together and they are finding a way forward.

The principal of this school often says love is the opposite of fear, and so just trying to find ways together to acknowledge their pain and to be like really upfront about it, right? Like Sara was saying, like to let these kids flop on the ground or teachers who walk into the teachers' lounge and just fall apart and to be there together and to stick together and this is the end of the school year.

I've heard teachers say that they are worried, like, how am I going to not be with these students every day?

WHITFIELD: They have helped each other cope.

KRUPA: Yes. These eighth graders are going to graduate. They'll go, right -- this community is going to change, but I think at its core, the faith piece and just the unity that they had to begin with, like Sara said, and that they've just like stoked month after month after month. I think that's -- you know, that has been a real big piece of what I've learned about them.

WHITFIELD: How do you continue to celebrate their impacts on your lives?

MOYSKI: Yes, I can start first. I think the biggest thing for us with anything that we do now, and we've kind of always lived this way, and I am sure many parents out there can relate to this. What we do, we want to make sure that it makes our kids proud. And just because Harper is not here with us physically anymore, and Fletcher is not here with us physically anymore, like we still want to do what we can, to keep things moving forward, to make them proud and that comes in forms of the advocacy work that we are doing.

It certainly has to do with you know, anything that we do with Harper's friends and just staying connected with them because they were such a big part of her life and her theirs.

So we just really are very intentional with our time and making sure that were doing things that keep our kids proud of us moving forward and checking in with Harper from above on what we are doing. That's a guiding light for us.

But yes, Sara, I would be curious what you have to say.

SLACK: Yes, I mean, I think I am looking up right now --

MOYSKI: Yes.

SLACK: There is in my classroom window, I have a candle for Fletcher and a candle for Harper, and we keep them on all the time. They may have run out of batteries, but I wholeheartedly agree with Mike.

I think a lot of -- I, in fact, had this conversation with my 11-year- old who was inside of the church when the shooting occurred, just a row or two in front of Harper, leading with light and love and compassion. You know, when you are in a situation where you lose two people who are such a huge part of your life and your day-to-day in and out and have -- I mean, Harper and Fletcher have both influenced myself and my children and all of the staff in so many big ways.

[15:45:03]

I think we just really want to lead with compassion. You know, I even think about -- we've had conversations with even the third grade class, which is the grade that Fletcher was in.

You know, what would fletcher do? How would Fletcher want you to behave? How would Fletcher want you to respond? You know, he wouldn't want you to be -- he wouldn't want you to be angry and sad. But that's really a hard message to send to small children, you know, and I think the other piece that's really big for me is that we continue to say their names and that we talk about them.

That is really important for me and for so many of us. You know, Eloda (ph) who is my 11-year-old said yesterday they were putting their time capsules together for when they were in eighth grade and one of the things that -- one of the things she wrote down was in eighth grade, like, will I still talk to Fletcher and Harper every day? Will I still think about them like all day, every day? Because that's, you know, what we are living.

It is kind of like what you said, Fred, it is like it is a new story for a blink of an eye and then the world continues on, but we are living and breathing it every day when we go to bed, and every day when we wake up and, it is a lot.

MOYSKI: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SLACK: And you have to show up as your best self even when you're tired.

MOYSKI: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Beautifully honoring them and honoring the community that you all have built through love and faith. Sara, Mike, Michelle, thanks to all of you for really sharing and helping us to see how you're experiencing and how you are moving forward in the memory of these beautiful children.

MOYSKI: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: And you can read -- absolutely -- and you can read Michelle's story at CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:44 ]

WHITFIELD: All right, happening right now, crowds are gathering at the National Mall for a day-long prayer event. The White House backed celebration, dubbed "Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving" is funded through a mix of taxpayer dollars and private donations.

CNN correspondent, Gabe Cohen is there on the National Mall.

Gabe, you spoke with a lot of people about their thoughts, about how things are going and how it was all funded.

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Fred, the organizers of this event billed this nine-hour Jubilee of Prayer, as they called it, as an effort to really get Americans and the nation to rededicate themselves to their faith, their spirituality, their values.

But as we've been listening to speaker after speaker, the music that you're hearing from that stage, a lot of the imagery, it is clear that most of the focus has been on Christian values and the Christian roots of this country, which is why so many critics, even before this event, were very concerned and outspoken about what they said was a push of Christian Nationalism, because this White House has firmly backed this event.

We are expecting to hear video messages from President Trump, from Vice President J.D. Vance. We've already heard ones from Secretaries Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, and we are also expecting House Speaker Mike Johnson to be on that stage in just a little while.

And a lot of the tax dollars, Fred, that paid for this event or a lot of the money, I should say, that paid for this event came from taxpayer dollars. Part of this America 250, the celebrations across the country, the events happening this year, and a lot of people say that is really creating this blurry line of separation between church and state.

So I took that question and I posed it to a lot of the people who were in this crowd, people who came from all over the country to be here. Here is a bit of what they told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL LANDGREN, CAME FROM NORTH CAROLINA: My understanding is that this event is partly paid for by private donations and some by taxpayer funds. So, a debate can be had about that as to whether that is a legitimate expenditure.

COHEN: Curious what you think --

VICKY KANAGA, CAME FROM MASSACHUSETTS: So much money in himself and I think things are tainted and not always painted correctly.

COHEN: So you have no issue with taxpayer dollars being used for this.

KANAGA: I am not going to -- I am not going to comment on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: And Fred, look, this is not the first time we have heard concerns about this administration infusing religion into operations and policy. Just look at the war in Iran and some of the messaging we've heard coming from officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who has talked a lot in recent weeks about this battle between good and evil.

And so a lot of people have raised those worries about how Christianity and this idea of Christian Nationalism has seeped in to this administration.

WHITFIELD: All right, Gabe Cohen, thank you so much, there on the national mall.

All right, still ahead next hour, sending a message. President Trump's hold over the GOP on full display in Louisiana. Could we see an upset in another key race this week?

And as "The Late Show" comes to an end, catch the new CNN FlashDoc, "The Last Laugh: Stephen Colbert." That's tonight, 8:00 P.M. Eastern right here on CNN or watch it on the CNN app.

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[15:59:43]

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

All right, right now, President Trump tightening his grip on the GOP after a Republican senator's stunning primary loss.

This weekend, Louisiana's Bill Cassidy faced Trump's wrath for his vote to convict the President in his last impeachment trial. A pair of MAGA friendly candidates, Congresswoman Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming, edged out the two-term senator. Both Letlow and Fleming will advance to a June runoff after neither secured a majority of votes.

Cassidy, who shied away from directly criticizing Trump during his reelection bid, took a thinly veiled swipes at the President in his concession speech last night. [16:00:35]