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Today Marks Six Months Since The October 7 Hamas Attack; Pres. Biden Demanded Policy Changes In Call With Netanyahu; U.S., Israeli, And Hamas Officials Meet For Ceasefire Talks; Israel To Reopen Erez Crossing For Crucial Aid Into Gaza; Turbulent Congress Gets Back To Work Monday; Trump Campaign Pulls In Record $50.5 Million At Florida Fundraiser; Biden Campaign Funds Still Far Ahead Of Trump's Despite Record Fundraiser; Powerball Jackpot At $1.3 Billion; One Day Until The Total Solar Eclipse; Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Plans To Jam Out The Eclipse. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired April 07, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:42]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Sunday morning to you. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is April 7, 2024. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. Here is what we're watching this morning for you. We have new insight into that contentious phone call between President Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel's war on Hamas enters its sixth month today.

BLACKWELL: New developments, desperate pleas for life-saving aid to get to Gaza and where ceasefire talks stand right now ahead in live TV coverage. Also, it's back to work for lawmakers on Capitol Hill starting tomorrow. What's on the agenda and whether we could see that GOP showdown between Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

WALKER: And eclipse fever is being felt across the country. How one of the hottest tourist attractions in the middle of the path of totality is gearing up for tomorrow's out of this world event.

BLACKWELL: One of the greatest college basketball players of all time is set to face off against one of the greatest coaches of all time for the national championship. But no matter who wins, how it's still a slam dunk for women's sports and the fans a little later.

We're starting this morning though with new details about that call between President Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sources tell CNN that reopening the Erez Crossing in northern Gaza and ramping up were -- aid, rather, were sticking points during the contentious called between Biden and Netanyahu. We'll have more on that in just a moment.

Now, today marks six months since the Hamas attack that led to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hamas killed more than 1,000 people. More than 250 people were taken hostage and moved into Gaza. WALKER: Yesterday in Tel Aviv, protesters condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called for new elections, and for Hamas to release all of the hostages. Six months of fighting has left more than 30,000 Palestinians dead. That is according to Gaza's health ministry, including 12,000 children. It has also left the enclave facing a humanitarian crisis.

We have team coverage this morning. Nic Robertson and Ben Wedeman are standing by. We will begin though with Camila DeChalus, who's traveling with President Biden in Wilmington. What's the latest, Camila?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning. What we know on that call that took place between President Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is that Biden was very forceful on this call insisting that Netanyahu open up more ports and more crossings in the northern region of Gaza to allow more humanitarian aid to go into that region. And he insisted that he do it by that evening.

Now, we know that the Israeli prime minister eventually their security's cabinet approved measures to allow that to happen. But this really just demonstrates how Biden is expressing both publicly and privately his frustration towards the Israeli government and how they're handling that humanitarian situation in Gaza. And the White House put out a statement just earlier this week calling it unacceptable. Amara, Victor.

WALKER: All right. Camila DeChalus, thank you. Hamas says it is sending a delegation to Cairo on Sunday for ceasefire and hostage talks. Sources tell CNN that the directors of the CIA and Israel's intelligence services will also be there.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us now. What, Ben, do we know about this round of talks?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, Amara, well, we know that this round of talks after many other rounds is somewhat different because of President Biden's pressure on all sides to make progress. In that call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he did press the prime minister to make progress in these negotiations to somehow come to at least a temporary truce and an exchange of hostages for prisoners. Biden is also -- President Biden is also putting pressure on Egypt and Qatar, which have direct relations with Hamas, to put pressure on Hamas to also be willing perhaps to make compromises to reach some sort of a deal.

[06:05:04]

And really the general outlines of a deal between Hamas and Israel have been out there for quite some time. We're talking about a temporary ceasefire along the lines of what we saw back in November of last year. As well as a release of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails.

Now, the sticking point there is how many Palestinian prisoners and detainees for every hostage? That is a detail that has yet to be worked out and is clearly a point of some contention between the two sides. And finally, the Palestinians or Hamas would like that Israel allow Palestinians who many of whom more than 1 million are now huddled in Rafah on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza to be able to return to their homes if they still have homes in northern Gaza.

So, as I said, the details are basically the broad details of a possible agreement are there. It's really the details that need to be worked out, the finer details. And we understand that these meetings in Cairo will start sometime later today, probably go into the night. But as I said, President Biden's pressure seems to have really changed the tone of a series of this latest round of negotiations after many other rounds which resulted in no progress whatsoever. Victor, Amara.

BLACKWELL: We'll see how effective that ultimatum is beyond the opening of the crossings. Ben Wedeman, thanks so much.

WALKER: All right. Let's go now to CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. He is joining us from the site of the Nova Music Festival. People have gathered there today to mark six months since the attack. What's happening there, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. I mean, just look behind me. This commemorates and remembers the more than 350 people that were killed here. And people here -- these soldiers are coming here today to remember it. It's six months and the impact is real and the trauma is real. These are people whose families have empty spaces at the table today.

Now, we've been along the border today. We can see there continued strikes going into Gaza, in the Khan Younis area. And we've also been to the Erez border crossing, that pressure President Biden put on Prime Minister Netanyahu to open up the border crossing to allow aid to go through.

The prime minister's office had originally indicated that trucks, aid trucks would go through today, Sunday. We've been there as of an hour ago, no trucks have moved towards the border and we don't get any indications that that's actually going to happen. But I think really for so many people in Israel today, this is what today is about for a lot of them, particularly those who lost loved ones, particularly those who lost loved ones here at the Nova Music Festival, particularly those.

And I'm just going to ask Matthias (ph) to follow me over here to this image over here. This is not somebody who was killed. This is somebody who was taken hostage here from the festival. And still you see posters around here demanding for him to be released.

This is a trauma of six months on that Israel finds itself living with. Inside of Gaza there's the trauma of the lack of food, the trauma of the airstrikes, and the trauma that's being affected on people's daily lives there. More than 33,000, according Palestinian authority, has been killed. And I'm just listening and I can hear another detonation of a strike going into Gaza.

So, what to say when you stand in the midst of the reminders of so many killings? This is a story, this is a situation that for so many Israelis they don't know how it's going to end and where it's going to end, and similarly across the border inside of Gaza, six months on. Yes.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Nic, it was a Saturday morning and we were all together when we were starting to get the numbers of those injured and killed and unaccounted for. And who could imagine six months on that so many people would still be hostages. And there would be tens of thousands of Palestinians dead at this point.

WALKER: Yes. So much uncertainties still six months after.

BLACKWELL: Nic Robertson reporting for us. Thanks so much.

All right. Congress returns to Capitol Hill this week after a two-week break, the Senate tomorrow, the House on Tuesday, and this will be a pivotal week for both Speaker Mike Johnson and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

[06:10:02]

We'll explain why coming up.

WALKER: Also, excitement is building in cities in the path of totality for tomorrow's solar eclipse. How the city of Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are preparing including what's on the all- important eclipse playlist.

And the NCAA women's final tips off the finals -- tips off this afternoon and it's likely to draw really big audience. More on the surge and interest in women's college basketball. What's ahead for some of its biggest stars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:15:12]

BLACKWELL: One of the most turbulent sessions of Congress in history gets back to work tomorrow with amounting to-do lists.

WALKER: Yes, it includes tackling funding for Ukraine and Israel, which are top priority. But could a possible speaker ouster bring everything to a halt? CNN's Melanie Zanona explains how the chaos could continue.

MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Yes. Good morning, guys. Congress is bracing for another busy stretch following a two-week recess. And for Speaker Mike Johnson, it is shaping up to be a pivotal week for his speakership as he tries to find a way to fund Ukraine without losing his speaker's gavel.

Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene did file a motion to vacate the speakership just before she left town. She did not take a step, though, that would force a floor vote on that resolution. But she has been publicly bashing Johnson and she has warned him against sending any more federal funding for Ukraine. Our Manu Raju caught up with Greene over the break. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I'm not saying I have a red line or a trigger, and I'm not saying I don't have a red line or a trigger. And I think that's just where I'm at right now. But I'm going to tell you right now, funding Ukraine is probably one of the most egregious things that he can do.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

ZANONA: Now, Johnson has not detailed exactly how he plans to address Ukraine. So, it is not expected to receive a floor vote this week, but it is expected to be a big topic of conversation amongst Republicans as they return to Washington.

And meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol, the House is finally expected to send over impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas who has become a punching bag for Republicans as they seek to make the border a top campaign issue in 2024. That step will happen on Wednesday when the House sends those articles over to the Senate. And then the jurors will be sworn in the very next day.

But the trial is not expected to last long, and that is because the Democratic-controlled Senate has little appetite to actually convict Mayorkas, and Democrats are signaling they want to end this effort and dismiss the trial quickly. Amara and Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Melanie, thanks so much. Joining us now for analysis is a CNN political commentator Errol Louis. Errol, good Sunday morning to you.

Let's start here with Marjorie Taylor Greene. When we -- in our last episode, it's like one of those old soap opera teasers into the next chapter, do you think that there are enough Republicans, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the Democrats, maybe Chip Roy who said that it'd be a problem if Ukraine funding comes up, there are enough Republicans who would vote to oust the speaker and go through what we saw after the McCarthy vote?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, good morning, Victor. You know, we don't want to see that happen, but there's no reason to rule it out. There's an unprecedented level of chaos in the Republican caucus. They know it makes them look bad. They know it's especially difficult to have another change of leadership, another floor fight for the leadership in an election year. But that's where we are in Marjorie Taylor Greene.

One person in one district who's got a lot of different objectives and urges that have more to do in some ways with her from national fundraising and making sure that she is thrilling her crowd back home for national policy to turn on that, for the leadership of Congress to turn on that. That's where we are, Victor. And in fact, it could happen. BLACKWELL: Now for the Democrats, they could vote to keep the speaker where he is, to keep him with the gavel, the gavel with him rather. Do you think that's more plausible since the president has said that it is imperative to get that money to Ukraine?

LOUIS: Nobody wants chaos. And the Democrats have shown over and over again that they're going to make or allow the Republicans to own every bit of their chaos. If they can't get their caucus together, they should not expect any help from Democrats. But if that's what the final trade on the table is, that, OK, we'll, prop you up, Speaker Mike Johnson, but we've got to get this Ukraine aid done.

That might be the most sensible way out of all of this. It's just not going to be that easy though. I mean, it's not -- you can't do these deals in secret, Victor. You know, people can get wind of who's talking to the speaker, who's planning to flip their vote.

That's why they have whips. That's why they have caucuses. And people like Marjorie Taylor Greene are going to make it very, very difficult to actually strike a working deal.

BLACKWELL: Let's turn to 2024 now and the money. Trump campaign says that this Florida fundraiser yesterday brought in a little more than $50 million. A little more -- almost double what the Biden event a couple of weeks ago, maybe 10 days ago or so with former presidents Obama and Clinton brought in. We're going to get to the disparities between the parties and the candidates in a moment.

[06:20:02]

But what can we conclude? What can we take away from just that number from this single event, Trump's campaign and the RNC being able to raise that much money?

LOUIS: Well, what we knew about the event this weekend was that it was going to be for, you know, basically billionaires. There's heavy hitters and then there's billionaires. You know, somebody who can write a check for upwards of $800,000 is a very unusual human. And he collected a bunch of now.

What we'll know, though, in a few weeks, Victor, is the structure of the money. How many of them were gigantic donors and how many were sort of lesser donors. One thing that the Democrats have made a point of talking about is that they've gotten their money from hundreds of thousands of small donors.

You know, so when they go out and they ask people to give them, you know, $20.24 or so some other kind of small amount that's really more about voter mobilization. The money is nice to have but what they really got is a locked-in voters, especially in some of the battleground states. And we'll have a better sense in a few weeks when we get more disclosures about the extent to which the Republican, then the Democrats are also using this push for money as a way to mobilize voters.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about this disparity now. A great day, obviously, for the Trump campaign. But the RNC and former President Trump were about 100 million behind Biden and the DNC as it relates to cash on hand at the start of April.

You have the numbers here of what they earn in March, 65 million for the Trump campaign, 93 million for the cash on hand. Let's put up the Democrats' numbers here, 192 million cash on hand, bringing 90 million in March.

"The New York Times" has this analysis that a PAC supporting Trump has spent since he left office in 2021, more than $100 million in legal fees. When you have these disparities what can we take away from that considering also the Trump has won in the past in 2016 with far less money?

LOUIS: That's exactly right. I mean, look, there are a couple of things that are going to go on, Victor. First of all, the fact that so much money is going for his legal defense is going to make it hard for some donors to write one more check. You know, it's also going to make it very difficult on the ground for Republicans out in the various states and counties who are counting on some of this money to realize that, you know, for every dollar that got donated, far less than $1.00 is going to make it down to the local level.

One saving grace in all of this for Trump and the Republicans is that Donald Trump has virtually 100 percent name recognition. So, the money that they have can be spent really very -- in a very targeted kind of a way. They're not introducing him to any constituencies of what you see is what you get. A lot of people already know all about what they like or don't like about Donald Trump.

And so, it won't take as much money as it might otherwise have taken to sort of get him up on a national platform. That's the one saving grace though. Those legal fees are going to really just crush their ability to make good on keeping up with the Democrats who clearly have a money juggernaut rolling at this point.

BLACKWELL: And the tab for those legal fees is running. Errol Louis, thanks so much for being with us. Enjoy this Sunday.

All right. Still ahead, we are just one day away from the highly anticipated solar eclipse.

WALKER: Yes, we are. We are just a day away from the highly anticipated solar eclipse and cities along the path of totality are going all out to celebrate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:28:06]

BLACKWELL: Check your tickets because after a brief technical delay the winning numbers were drawn overnight for the $1.3 billion jackpot for the Powerball. And the Web site says that there's one winning ticket. It was sold in Oregon, lump-sum, about $609 million after taxes. And of course, if you've got some of the numbers right, you can get a little less than the $609 million. Fourth-largest grand prize in the lottery's history. One of the longest running streaks without a jackpot.

WALKER: I'll take just a million. I'll be happy with that.

BLACKWELL: Just the one. Do me right. That's all I need. That's all I need.

All right. Eclipse glasses get them ready because we are a day away now from one of the biggest events of the year.

WALKER: I got them ready.

BLACKWELL: Allison Chinchar just walked in --

WALKER: Thanks, Allison.

BLACKWELL: -- and gave us our eclipse glasses. And I'm glad because --

WALKER: I was Googling where to find them. Yes.

BLACKWELL: -- I didn't have any before now.

WALKER: I didn't have any.

BLACKWELL: Boris has a cooler pair than these but this will work.

WALKER: Well, he's --

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: -- special so.

BLACKWELL: Oh, yes. He got the nice ones. So, tomorrow afternoon, 32 million people will witness a total solar eclipse as people travel from all over the country to get a good glimpse at the rare celestial event.

WALKER: That's right. Astronomers say the United States will not see total eclipse again for another two decades. Cities along the path of totality are holding special viewing events for the total eclipse. CNN's Miguel Marquez is at one of those events in Cleveland, Ohio, outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm not sure if you knew that Cleveland rocks on a good day, but during an eclipse, it will totally rock. It is in the path of totality.

This is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that is in Cleveland, famous for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here. Basically, it's like a concert. They have their themed eclipse glasses. It's a little like a concert because we have our backstage pass to solar fest. They even have t-shirts, like a rock t-shirt, a tour t-shirt for the path of totality tour with all the cities on the backside.

[06:30:08]

Now, this is downtown Cleveland. The science center which is right next door in the sun if it is a cloudless day like it is today, we'll be right up there and it should be a perfect day if we get a beautiful day like this. One of the cool thing that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is doing, they're going to have speakers set up throughout the city and there will be a special playlist to go along with the eclipse itself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG HARRIS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: When it happens, we're all out here, we're going to have music blasting, and it's going to blast on our plaza. And all through downtown Cleveland we play speakers. We're all going to have the same soundtrack as this happens. And we're playing celestial music.

MARQUEZ: You are D.J.ing the eclipse?

HARRIS: Yes, we are D.J.ing the eclipse for everybody that's in town. And you're going to hear David Bowie, Elton John Rocket Man, Donovan. You'll hear, you know, probably some Taylor Swift thrown in, but then Pink Floyd Eclipse is going to be our penultimate moment.

MARQUEZ: Dude, rock and roll.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: And during totality, if the timing works out, Pink Floyd's Eclipse, the song Eclipse, should be playing as the shadow of the Moon passes over this part. The weather is supposed to be partly cloudy, partly sunny, depending upon the way you look at it. We are hoping for the partly sunny bit. Victor, Amara?

WALKER: It's going to be fun. Miguel Marquez, thank you.

Joining me now with is Janet Ivey. She is the president of Explore Mars Incorporated and CEO of Janet's Planet. Janet, it's so good to see you. There's going to be a lot of sunchasers out there tomorrow. So many people are traveling the roads are going to be congested especially for the path of totality. Of course, you have airlines who are also that have sold out with these special tickets to see it from a different vantage point.

You're one of those sunchasers. Where are you? Where are you headed? Because you had to change your plans last minute because of the weather, right?

JANET IVEY, PRESIDENT, EXPLORE MARS INCORPORATED: I did. I was down in Texas near Corsicana and had planned to watch it from there. I thought, all right, I just finished up doing all these shows about the Solar System and the Solar Eclipse, let's just watch it here.

And so, early last week, my husband and I were looking at the weather and I was like, we're going to change your ticket. I'm going to drive back from Texas. We're going to head to Illinois. So, I'm crossing my fingers that we've made the right decision but we'll be heading up to Goreville, Illinois later today and considering taking the back roads just to avoid some of the major interstates. Back in 2017, there was like a 13-to-16-hour traffic jam after the

eclipse, so everybody just make sure you got gas, make sure you've got some snacks. Be prepared that the traffic could be a little intense.

WALKER: Yes. Maybe a portable toilet for your children potentially if you're traveling. OK, let's talk about what we need to do to be prepared, right? Because you know one of the things that I was Googling this morning was how to get my hands on these really cool eclipse glasses. Allison Chinchar, thank you for these. But how do we know that the glasses are going to be safe? Because you can't use regular sunglasses.

IVEY: No. And it's like this is where I really want to tell everybody. If you can see right here, it's like -- if the -- if there is a blank place in between the lenses, there's a chance they may or may not have been by -- made by somebody reputable. So, look here for -- this is done by American Paper Optics. They made 2.3 million for NASA, five million for libraries. I know them. They're in Memphis. They're a good company.

You also want to look for the iso rating. But again, you want -- you have to wear your solar viewers because they're 100,000 times more strong than any sunglasses. What we need to remember is that your retinas don't have pain sensors. And think about it. Your eyes lenses focus light on the back of your eye so you can see clearly. But if you were to look directly at the Sun, that focus light can burn your eye and you can have permanent eye damage.

If you have kids, mentioning kids, these don't always fit over little ears really well, so what you can do is like you can literally put it inside of a paper plate. It'll cover their entire head. If you're looking for ways just to kind of enjoy this kind of spectacle, you can take a little disco ball and it will shine the crescents everywhere.

I mean, and the even crazier way is you can stand with your back to the sun. Use a Ritz cracker. Hold it over a piece of paper. You'll see the crescents. You can use a button. I mean it's kind of like you can poke a hole in plate. I mean, you can even make one of the old-time kind of like pin all boxes. And again, these are all ideas that you can find on NASA about the Solar Eclipse but these are just ways.

Oh, did I mention -- OK, last thing, you can even grab a colander and hold it over a piece of plate so that you -- again, these are safe ways. If there are trees nearby, sit underneath there and the sun's crescents will dapple on the ground as you're waiting to totality if you happen to be getting there. But anybody, everybody in the United States will be under a partial eclipse except for that very thin line of totality. So, if you're going to do that, you must be wearing glasses the whole time. And even if you're going -- yes, but we're going to be at 99 percent. Even that last little sliver of sunshine can still be damaging to your eyes.

[06:35:19]

WALKER: That's very important.

IVEY: So, it's just important -- yes, it's very important to remember.

WALKER: Yes, absolutely. I'm so glad you showed us what -- you know, because I don't have the time or I don't really have the will to make a pinhole projector myself, but who doesn't have a colander? Who doesn't have a Ritz cracker? I have both at home. I will -- that'll be my backup plan.

Tell us before we go, Janet, what we will see. Then kind of walk us through what this total eclipse is going to -- going to look like when the Moon covers the Sun.

IVEY: It's really fantastic. And one of the things -- I will go so quickly -- is that the Sun is 400 times the diameter of the Moon, but it is also 400 times the distance away from Earth. And so, you're going how does this tiny moon cover up the disc of the sun. It is that distance that compensates for that size. And so, you move far enough away and we get that.

So, at first contact it's like that is when the Moon takes that first nibble out of the Sun. And then we'll begin to see it. And sometimes people go, well, this is kind of underwhelming, nothing's happening. But as we move to second contact, that has been the beginning of totality. This time, because we're in solar maximum, we may see these pink prominent -- prominences all around. It's like we may even see these like bolts -- some people say we may even see a solar flare. And it is the only time that we can see the beautiful Sun Corona is during totality.

Then third contact, the moon starting to make its exit. We'll put those glasses back on. And then fourth contact, the whole things over within a couple of hours. But something to remember is that we have to have a new moon. I don't know if you've been watching. There's been this beautiful waning crescent that's happening. A new moon, and then the Moon lines up perfectly between the Sun and the Earth. And we've got total solar eclipse.

So, I just want to say everybody be safe. Last thing, if I can just share this thing, is that one of the great cultural stories before we understood the science came from the Batammariba Tribe. And they thought anytime the Moon covered up the Sun, that that meant that the -- that the Moon and the Sun were fighting. And that the only way to bring the light back was for people on Earth to stop their quarreling and to make peace. That could be something really amazing uh to happen tomorrow amidst this great celestial event.

WALKER: That's a great story. And hopefully, Congress is listening to that as well. Janet Ivey, thank you so much. I really appreciate your -- all the visuals. It was very helpful.

And CNN is helping you prepare for one of the year's most anticipated celestial events with an interactive map out outlining the solar eclipse's exact path and what you can expect to see in your city.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Fire crews in Oklahoma are fighting wildfires in the western part of the state. A large fire was reported in Woods County prompting evacuations in the town of Sharon, Oklahoma. WALKER: Officials reported eight fires across six counties. And fire

crews are on high alert as a critical fire threat remains in place throughout the day today.

CNN's Allison Chinchar joining us now. I want to talk about the eclipse but we'll first start with these serious, you know, threats, these fire threats.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we'll go in chronological order. So, we'll tackle today first and then move on to the eclipse.

WALKER: OK.

CHINCHAR: Yes, the big concern is going to be these incredibly strong winds not just in Oklahoma but a lot of the surrounding states as well. So, let's take a look what we're talking about. Again, you can see those high wind warnings and wind advisories in places like Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, spreading out towards the east. And look at some of the numbers already coming in. White Ranch, Colorado 96 mile per hour wind gust. Several 80 and 90-mile-per-hour wind gusts in that state. Even Oklahoma though picking up wind gusts above that 60- mile-per-hour range.

And it's those high winds that are going to help fuel the fire concern for today not just in Oklahoma, but again, you can see a lot of the surrounding states have that elevated and critical fire threat for today, but also for Monday as well. Now, on Monday, that's not the only concern we're going to have. We also have the potential for severe storms across the Southern Tier, especially Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. That is very likely going to cause some problems for folks down there who were hoping to view the eclipse.

Obviously going to be better viewing the farther north. You can go especially into places like Vermont and Maine. The main concern with the severe threat is going to be large to very large hail talking possibly up to tennis ball size, guys. And then, yes, the potential for some tornadoes. So, people leaving the eclipse may have to keep that in mind as they're looking at their exit route after seeing the eclipse.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Certainly, with so many people in places they do not live, they're visiting, so make sure you check those routes before you head in.

WALKER: And cell phone service might get spotty, right, with so many people there, so you got to be careful and plan ahead.

CHINCHAR: Back to you, guys.

WALKER: Thanks so much, Allison Chinchar.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Allison.

Up next, a battle of the best all season. UConn and Purdue have been the two best teams in men's college basketball. Now, they go head-to- head for the national title. Can UConn defend its crown? [06:40:06]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: We started with 68 teams, and now it's down to only two. UConn beat Alabama 86-72 in the men's final four yesterday. The number one seed is now just one step away from winning the second consecutive title.

WALKER: They will take on number one seed Purdue which beat NC State with a 63-50 win. This marks Purdue's first appearance in the title game since 1969. Tomorrow will be the 10th time since 1979. That two number-one seeds squared off in a national championship game. But tonight, it's all about the women.

Caitlin Clark leads Iowa into battle against the undefeated and top- ranked South Carolina team.

[06:45:23]

BLACKWELL: The best player in college basketball takes on the best team in college basketball. Hear from Caitlin as she shares her thoughts on the significance of a National Championship win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAITLIN CLARK, GUARD, IOWA HAWKEYES: I think that would be the cherry on top. That would be the, you know, top of the list, the thing that you're the most proud of. That's something you get to share with your teammates. But at the same time, you know, it would be for every Iowa woman women's basketball player that has come before us. There has been a long list of really amazing talent that have played in this program going back to when C. Vivian Stringer coached the Iowa women's basketball program. They were in the final four I believe twice, maybe once with her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Joining us now is CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan. Christine, good morning to you. The headline on cnn.com is Caitlin Clark says championship win would be the cherry on top, but hopes her legacy is greater than that. It certainly is. I mean, this would be great to have, but she will be uh remembered for the college years as one of the greats even without it.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: This conversation, Victor, Amara, great to see you both, is kind of strange to me. And we're hearing it a lot from the UConn people. And you know, when you think of all these great players at Connecticut, and they're wonderful, they all went and played with other future WNBA players. And so, they're saying you have to win a championship or Brandon Stewart said this, you have to win a championship to be -- you know, to be one of the greats.

Caitlin Clark is one of the greats. What she is doing has never been done before in women's basketball. And why, instead of this conversation, why they're not saying thank you Caitlin, why they're not saying you know, understanding that a rising tide lifts all boats.

I remember Tiger Woods getting little of this before he went into the PGA Tour. Pretty quickly the PGA tour players were like, oh we love you, Tiger. So, I guess this is a human nature. But what Caitlin Clark is doing at Iowa, she stayed home and has built a program where she'll be the only WNBA player of course on that roster and UConn is just loaded.

So, I think it's a little bit of apples and oranges. And why aren't we celebrating one of the greatest things that happen not just in basketball, women's basketball but in women's sports and frankly in American Sports. We have fallen in love with what we've created, the girl next door. Here she is, folks, Caitlin Clark obviously playing the super team Dawn Staley, South Carolina Gamecocks today at 3:00 for the national title.

WALKER: You're right. That alone should be something to celebrate, right? You know, there's obviously a lot of talk about a win that would give South Carolina that perfect record of 38 and 0. It would -- it would be their second title in three years with South Carolina potentially on the brink of establishing a dynasty.

How crucial is this game, Christine, for Iowa in terms of making their mark in women's basketball history?

BRENNAN: Again, I think they've made their mark. I think the nation is -- you know, the viewership is huge, right? These games are being viewed by more people than watch the entire World Series and the Masters with Tiger Woods and so many football games and on and on it goes, so it's just extraordinary what we're seeing. It reminds me a lot of the Women's World Cup team in 1999, the soccer Brandi Chastain and Briana Scurry and Mia Hamm, et cetera.

So, I think -- I think Iowa, of course, they'd love to win the game. But if they don't win the game, I still -- I think it's basically the same. South Carolina, Dawn Staley, you know, she played on our Olympic team, wore the red, white, and blue, carried the flag in the opening ceremonies at an Olympics, and just doesn't recruit, she reloads every year in terms of the talent that wants to play for her. She is the best coach in the country. She is the one that is the gold standard.

And how wonderful the storyline is here, right, of this one great player as you said a few moments ago, Victor, leading into the segment, and this great coach and great team. Not that Iowa doesn't have a great coach in Lisa Bluder. She's doing amazing things, almost miracles in sports to be able to get Iowa, a team that no one thought would get to this point, to this championship game.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Christine, you mentioned a huge audience. More than 14 million people watch that UConn-Iowa game. ESPN says it was their most watched basketball game in the history of the network, men's or women, college or NBA. Now, there's some asterisks there but that is still a huge accomplishment. And we'll see how big the audience is this afternoon at 3:00 for this championship game.

Christine Brennan, thanks so much. [06:50:00]

WALKER: The audience peaked at 17 million.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WALKER: It's just incredible.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, President Biden delivers a stern message to the Israeli Prime Minister. More on the list of Biden's demands for Benjamin Netanyahu. That's ahead.

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WALKER: About half of the more than 250 hostages remain captive in Gaza six months after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and triggered a war that has now killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Bianna Golodryga has been following four hostage families in this weekend. We'll bring you their fight to get their loved ones back home. Among them is a family of 19-year-old Naama Levy. Here's a piece of that story.

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BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Dr Ayelet Levy Shachar didn't get Naama back, but she did learn how her 19-year-old daughter was coping in captivity from released hostages who said they saw her.

DR AYELET LEVY SHACHAR, MOTHER OF NAAMA LEVY: From what she told them, she was alone for over 40 days, alone with her captures moving from one hiding place to the other. She told them that she didn't eat much. They described her injuries. She has a lot of shrapnel wounds. Her legs are very swollen.

GOLODRYGA: And she has burns. Burns on her legs from what?

SHACHAR: Probably from a grenade that went off in the attack just before she was kidnapped. I worry most that she will despair and that she will stop fighting from inside, you know, stop hoping. And this is what I keep telling her in my mind, you know, don't stop. Just stick in there. Hang in there. Don't darken. Keep the hope and keep moving, you know, physically and mentally keep moving.

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BLACKWELL: Bianna's full report airs in "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern

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