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CNN This Morning

50 Plus Mission People Under Severe Weather Threat From TX To MI; Trump's Attorney Tries To Poke Holes In Pecker's Testimony & Credibility During Cross-Examination; Columbia Protest Leader Banned From Campus For Anti-Semitic Rant; Biden Says He's "Happy to Debate" Trump Ahead Of November Election; Anti-Semitism Protests Sweep Across Colleges; U.S. Pledges $6 Billion In Long-Term Military Aid For Ukraine. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired April 27, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:48]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Welcome to CNN This Morning. It's Saturday, April 27th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. Here's what we're working on for you this morning. Door to door searches of flattened homes are happening right now in Nebraska just one of five states hit by a terrifying tornado outbreak. We are live there. We're also tracking the severe weather threat for nearly 55 million people from Texas to Michigan.

BLACKWELL: Tabloid king David Pecker lays out the paper trail in former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial in New York, the major takeaways from his four days of testimony and what's next in the trial.

WALKER: And President Biden's candid conversation with shock jock Howard Stern. His raw and emotional comments about losing his first wife and young daughter on what he says about going toe to toe with Donald Trump on a debate stage.

BLACKWELL: More pro-Palestinian protests are expected on college campuses across the country this weekend, the new calls for calm and de-escalation. But we begin this morning with the devastating tornadoes that tore through parts of Nebraska and Iowa last night leaving a path of destruction.

And the severe weather threat, it's not over. Dangerous storms that could possibly bring more tornadoes continue to pose a risk for more than 50 million people from Michigan to Texas today.

WALKER: Elkhorn neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska was one of the hardest hit neighborhoods. As you can see there are rows of houses completely decimated by the tornadoes. Residents were left shaken by the event like this woman who had to hunker down in her basement with her young kids.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got home as fast as we could. I got my babies in the basement. We covered up with a blanket. We got her dark down there. All of a sudden the lights went out. And we heard everything being thrown around above us. And it was so scary. It was so scary. I'm so scared, our neighbors, everybody, everyone's houses are -- they're gone. They're gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: There were over 70 tornadoes reported Friday across at least five states. And another massive tornado touchdown in the small town of Mindon, Iowa video they're showing the path of destruction that has left hundreds of residents displaced without a home.

CNN Lucy Kafanov joining us now from Omaha, Nebraska. You just have to listen to that one lady's voice, the terror that she said she went through. What are you seeing this morning?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The terror that so many residents in this part of Omaha experienced last night and don't even necessarily know the full scale of that destruction. Now we are in the Elkhorn area in the western part of Omaha with this massive twister ripped through here on Friday, flattening homes, taking down power lines, taking down lights like this. I mean it takes a lot of force of winds and just like the speed with which all this move through to create this kind of destruction.

And this even is not one of the worst affected homes. Some of the homes down that road are completely flattened with nothing for residents to return to. The devastation here is absolutely stunning. We see this is a rather newer part of this development. And so a lot of the residents who we spoke to in the neighboring streets, pardon me, said they moved in a year ago, a few months ago. And so, you know, they thought that they were creating new lives here now so many of these lives have been ripped apart.

One resident describing the terrifying moments when this tornado ripped through here, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a just a freight train. The noise was so loud. I'm not too afraid to admit it. I was crying like a baby because it's just the scariest feeling in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's my son's bedroom. Yes. And I told him to go to his mom's house. Yes. And I'm glad he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: Now Nebraska Law enforcement officials say at least two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries when the tornado swept through this specific area. The police chief saying that the early warnings, the tornado warnings are likely what saved lives with destruction like this. It's quite surprising, frankly, that not more people were injured.

[06:05:14]

Now that tornado warning was issued in the Omaha area here on Friday afternoon, we know that certain schools kept students sheltering in place that also probably reduce some of the casualties and the injuries. We know that first responders were on the scene in a lot of these areas. In fact, this home, you probably can't see it behind me but there's some spray painted on the side of it.

And so first responders were going through making sure no one was trapped in the neighborhoods. But of course, it's dark. Once daylight comes on, a lot of the residents will be and the first responder teams will be back here assessing the damage trying to figure out how to get the power back on and when it might be safe for residents to begin to return here, to try to figure out what kind of -- how to pick up the pieces of their lives. Of course, for a lot of the people who live here, it's going to be a very lengthy process. Victor, Amara?

BLACKWELL: Lucy Kafanov reporting there. Thanks so much.

Let's go now to see and as meteorologist Allison Chinchar. Allison, when you hear that man say that that's my son's bedroom up there. And I told him to go to his mother's house, that moment of just a beat of silence where he says, and I'm glad I did, in that moment lives all of the fears of what could have happened. Talk about what happened over the last 24 hours and what we look at for the next day or so.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, the what ifs, I mean, that's really what comes to a lot of people's mind. And the good news about yesterday was this was a very well forecast event, people knew this was coming hours in advance and a lot of those warnings gave people at least 10, 15, 20 minutes otherwise, things could have been a lot worse. You look at the numbers from yesterday. Again, nearly 80 Total tornado reports, 33 damaging wind reports and almost 60 hail reports some of those larger than golf balls.

And the unfortunate part is though a lot of these same areas you see on the map are expecting more severe weather yet again today. Now the good news is things have calmed down since the overnight. We've got a couple of showers around the Memphis area, same thing up around Detroit, but it's really going to be this afternoon. That's when we really start to see things fire back up again. And here's the target points for today. Again, notice some of the same areas that were on the map yesterday or on the map today.

But essentially, it's from southern Texas, all the way up through Michigan, we're still looking at strong tornadoes could be EF3 or high or stronger, damaging winds, large hail. The target point is really going to be this red area. And not just for damaging winds and hail but especially tornadoes. Again, where you see that red area that includes Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls, it's not just tornadoes in general, but the very strong ones, the EF3 tornadoes or larger.

Now to understand I know that everybody knows what all those numbers mean, essentially, you're talking about those wind speeds of 136 to 165 miles per hour. When you looked at some of the damage that we saw from the storms yesterday, some of those could end up being EF3 or EF4. So not out of the question. Some of the damage we saw yesterday could end up becoming the same thing today, perhaps in just some different areas.

Here's a look at the timeline, again, 3:00, 4 o'clock, we'll start to see a lot of this beginning to ramp back up especially Oklahoma and Kansas, then it begins to shift further east overnight. That means tonight guys, if you have a way to get the alerts, check your phone, things like that. Do so before you go to bed so that if this occurs overnight, you have a way to get those alerts.

WALKER: Very important information. Allison Chinchar, thank you very much.

In New York the eighth day a former President Trump's criminal hush money trial saw three key witnesses testify, former National Enquirer publisher, David Pecker, wrapped up more than 10 hours of testimony.

BLACKWELL: There is also heard from Trump's former longtime personal assistant, Rhona Graff, as well as Michael Cohen's banker who arranged his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. CNN's Kara Scannell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new witness former President Donald Trump's assistant of 34 years took the stand on Friday, shedding light on the inner workings of the Trump Organization in Trump's hush money trial.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Rhona, let me have the calls please.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Rhona Graff, whose office was next door to Trump's on the 26th floor of Trump Tower said she was in control of his calendar and maintaining his contact list at the organization. Graff confirmed two contacts she maintained were for former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels, two women who alleged affairs with Trump, both of which he denies.

McDougal's contact entry included a phone number, e-mail and two addresses. Daniels contact listed her cell phone. She testified as far as she can remember, Trump never use e-mail to communicate. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Graff if she had seen Daniels at Trump Tower. Graff responded that she vaguely recalled one scene Daniels in reception on the 26th floor.

Then it was Trump's attorneys turn to cross examine Graff. Susan Necheles asked Graff about Trump's interest in casting stars and celebrity apprentice suggesting that was the reason Daniels was spotted at Trump Tower. Graff responded that's what she assumed testifying, I vaguely recall hearing him say that she was one of the people that may be an interesting contestant on the show.

[06:10:05] TRUMP: Thank you. Good job.

SCANNELL (voice-over): As Trump's assistant, Graff often appeared on "The Apprentice."

RHONA GRAFF, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S ASSISTANT: Hi. This is Rhona from Trump's office. He asked me to call you and tell you to meet him tomorrow morning at the New York Stock Exchange.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Graff said in her testimony that she felt "The Apprentice" elevated Trump to rock star status. Necheles also focused on demonstrating Trump and Graff had a good working relationship. She asked if Trump was a good boss. Graff responded, I think that he was fair and respectful boss to me. She added sometimes he would keep his head in and say go home to your family, which I thought was very thoughtful of him. As Graff testified, Trump sat with a close lipped smile, tilting his head to get a better view of his former assistant. Trump's team made clear Graff was testifying under subpoena with Necheles asking, you don't want to be here, do you? Correct, Graff replied.

Earlier Trump's attorneys worked hard to undermine a foundational witness for the prosecution. Ex tabloid executive David Pecker, who was back on the stand for his fourth day of testimony. During Trump's attorney Emil Bove's questioning of the former National Enquirer publisher, he attempted to discredit one of the prosecution's key witnesses, Trump's ex personal attorney Michael Cohen.

He asked Pecker if he felt Cohen was prone to exaggeration. Pecker agreed he was. After court, Trump weighed in on the trial.

TRUMP: This is eight days that we've all been sitting in this courthouse. I just want to thank everybody for being here. I know you have to suffer through this like everybody else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCANNELL (on camera): Michael Cohen's banker took the stand Friday afternoon. He described to the jury how he helped Cohen set up the shell company that was ultimately used to transfer the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. There's no court on Monday. So the banker will be back on the stand Tuesday, where prosecutors will continue to question him, then Donald Trump's attorneys will get a chance to cross-examine him as his trial continues into next week. Amara, Victor?

BLACKWELL: Kara Scannell, thanks so much. I'm joined now by former federal prosecutor, Lis Wiehl. Good morning to you. Let me start here with David Pecker and then kind of go through some of the other witnesses. The prosecution, they spent several hours with him trying to get him to explain the process of these catch and kill. The defense then went in and tried to undermine some of the testimony and the inconsistencies.

You said earlier to the FBI that Trump did not thank you in January of 2017. During testimony you said he did. What's the value, the impact of these inconsistencies on the larger question here of criminality?

LIS WIEHL, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Oh, Victor, I don't think much impact on that because really, David Pecker held his own and cross examination from the defense. And remember, he's kind of a friendly witness in the sense to Trump in the sense that he still likes Trump, he still knows Trump, he's still, you know, admires him and all of that. He doesn't really want to be there. He's there under immunity. And so when the defense sort of tries to pick apart his story, it is really not much to pick apart.

I mean, the example that you gave about the FBI noting one thing and him saying another, you know, it really pretty minor in the whole scheme of thing. The prosecution right now, Victor, I think is doing not bad, a B plus probably job of setting the table. They've got the publisher, now they had the assistant, you know, who likes Trump still, and now the banker of Cohen. So they're just kind of setting it all up to show how these records were ever achieved and set up and making the case and setting, you know, telling the story of what happened. And they did a pretty good job with David Pecker to begin with.

BLACKWELL: Rhona Graff said on the stand that, yes, there was contacts for Stormy Daniels and for Karen McDougal, which might you know, people perk up when the question is of was there some relationship, some affair between Trump and these women. But if Rhona Graff then says, well, he -- I vaguely remember him suggesting that Stormy Daniels might be a good contestant on "The Apprentice," what's the value of that maintenance of a contact, anything?

WIEHL: Well, the contacts are crucial, right? I mean, Trump is saying he denies any kind of sexual contact with either of these women and Graff is saying, well, you know, we did have contact with them, and he was in their contact list. And maybe it was because, you know, they were going to be on "The Apprentice." I mean, sure. If your Trump though, at that time, what else are you going to say or what else are you going to sort of intimate?

So again, I don't think -- I mean I think the prosecution did what they need, they establish the contact. Trump can't say never knew these women. He's got the contacts. The real question down the line I think seeing all this play out in the first week is intense, right? Is the jury going to believe all of them, right, all of jurors going to believe that trial intended to have this catch and kill arrangement with David Pecker which David Pecker explained very well what that is for the purpose of affecting the 2016 election, as opposed to, for the purpose of protecting his family from embarrassment. It's the intent of the issue.

[06:15:20]

BLACKWELL: OK. So gag order now, there's a hearing scheduled for Thursday to hear the allegations of 14 violations of the gag order. This has been delayed, at least from some legal experts that we've discussed with why is this taking so long? There were first a few. And then before those were settled, there was another grouping, what's the impact of the delay? WIEHL: You know what, if you're a cynic on this one, which maybe I'm sort of siding and this cynical, the judge wants to get more examples, before ruling on the gag order, right, even more egregious examples, because at this point, really, the judge could absolutely rule. And I don't understand other than that, just trying to get more examples of how this gag order is violated again and again and again, so that the judge is upheld on appeal on any on a new decision.

BLACKWELL: And what really is the impact of a gag order or the consequence of it if the judge's options are to either find the defendant, former President Trump $1,000 per violation or jail him? And most people say that jail is off the table, a grand, even 14 times is lunch money to a billionaire? I mean, what -- how much does it matter?

WIEHL: If he really isn't going. Look, the judge has to find within what used to post, it doesn't matter who you are, what kind of find you're going to get if you violate a gag order.

BLACKWELL: But is it a deterrent. I mean, in this case, is it really a deterrent?

WIEHL: Really, well, let's see how many violations there are by the time that the judge actually rules on this. And that answers your question, right? Is it really a deter? I mean, at this point, I would say no, but of course, the judge is not going to put Trump who is supposed to be there in court, as opposed to out there, you know, electioneering every day. He's not going to put him in prison. That would just feed into the fodder of Trump's narrative outside of the courtroom, which is that this is just a witch hunt. Look at how they're persecuting me.

Right now the prosecution is doing a good layman's job of setting the table and getting ready for Michael Cohen. So the judge is not going to want to really mess with their ability to do that certainly by throwing him in jail.

BLACKWELL: Lis Wiehl always good to have you, thanks so much.

WIEHL: You got it. Victor, take care.

WALKER: And we're just getting started here on CNN This Morning. A student leader in the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University is banned from campus after hateful comments about Zionism resurfaced on social media. The moment CNN confronted him about it is straight ahead.

Also a CNN exclusive, former Attorney General Bill Barr says former President Trump should not be anywhere near the Oval Office but he is still planning to vote for him.

[06:18:22]

Plus, inflation moves in the wrong direction yet again. What new numbers signal about America's economy a little later on CNN This Morning. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROWD: Genocide is crystal clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No more hiding, no more tears.

CROWD: No more hiding, no more tears.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Pro-Palestinian protests like this are sweeping across college campuses in the country with demonstrators showing their support for people in Gaza and demanding that their universities divest from Israel-linked companies that are profiting from the conflict there. Now many of the protests have been peaceful, and on some campuses students chanted slogans while in others. The scenes turned chaotic as schools called in police to disperse the crowds leading to hundreds of arrests nationwide.

BLACKWELL: The demonstrations as far to Bangor (ph) and division within student communities and resulted in a surge of anti-Semitism with many Jewish students feeling unsafe on campus. Columbia University Senate has voted to create a task force to investigate the university's leadership's handling of those protests. And university officials have banned a student leader who says in January -- he said that in January, the Zionist don't deserve to live. CNN's Miguel Marquez has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KHYMANI JAMES, STUDENT PROTEST LEADER: Zionist, they don't deserve to live comfortably, let alone Zionist don't deserve to live.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Khymani James, a spokesperson for the student protest at Columbia University said this more than once in a personal social media post in January.

JAMES: The same way we're very comfortable accepting that Nazis don't deserve to live. Fascists don't deserve to live. Racists don't deserve to live. Zionist they shouldn't live in this world.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Confronted by CNN about his comments, James unapologetic.

JAMES: I think we need to shift the conversation mission from people's comfort to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced the tens of thousands of people who have been murdered by Israel.

[06:25:13]

MARQUEZ: And how do your words help?

JAMES: I think it's very important -- MARQUEZ: How do your words help?

JAMES: I think it's very important for people to understand that the conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism is woefully incorrect and wrong. Again --

MARQUEZ: So do you apologize?

JAMES: Again, as I mentioned earlier, we believe in the sanctity of life here at this encampment.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): Despite his calls for a class of people to cease existing, James nearly daily expresses his belief that Israel is committing genocide.

JAMES: While Israel plans to move forward with its genocide backed by the United States and other Western powers. It is important to remember why we are here.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): After being confronted James released a statement saying in part, I am frustrated that the words I said in an Instagram live video have become a distraction for the movement for Palestinian Liberation. I misspoke in the heat of the moment, for which I apologize.

Some Jewish students at Columbia say they have been called Zionist by protesters just for being Jewish. Other Jewish students have taken an active part in the protests for what they view as an overbearing Israeli response to the October 7th Hamas terror attack and a weak U.S. response to continued bloodshed.

JONATHAN BEN-MENACHEM, JEWISH STUDENT SUPPORTING PROTESTS: It's possible that pro-Palestine protests might make some Jewish students feel uncomfortable, but I will emphasize that, you know, the pro- Palestine protests here at the encampment are, you know, that they have fundamental values against hate and bigotry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ (on camera): A Columbia University spokesperson tells CNN that Khymani James has now been banned from campus but won't comment any further on ongoing disciplinary proceedings. Back to you.

BLACKWELL: Miguel, thank you. And pro-Palestinian protests are also spreading in Europe.

Dozens of students in Paris created a blockade in one of France's most prestigious universities.

WALKER: And just like on U.S. campuses, students are demanding their institution condemn Israel's actions. CNN's Melissa Bell is there, Melissa?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, it's a third day of protests here in Paris. And what students here at Sciences Po which is one of France's most prestigious universities have been telling us over the course of the day is that this is a movement that's been inspired by what's happening on American campuses, but very much in solidarity with the fight of Palestinians inside Gaza. In fact, the demands that are being made here in Paris, but also that are being made at other campuses across your voice (ph) and similar protests this Friday, Germany, the United Kingdom, are an end to the war in Gaza, but also for their own academic institutions, to boycott companies that are doing business with Israel.

The police presence here has gotten much bigger over the course of the day. And what the police is saying is that they're planning to evacuate the students that have been occupying this building. Already on Wednesday, we've seen another Sciences Po building that was occupied being evacuated by police. And that led to a lot of the anger that you saw on the streets this Friday. But for now, the students determined to keep up their pressure on their university and indeed, to keep going with our city. Victor and Amara?

[06:28:33]

BLACKWELL: Mr. President Biden showed a deeply personal side in a new wide ranging interview. What the President told Howard Stern about losing his first wife and young daughter more than 50 years ago, one element you likely have not heard before, how the tragedy shaped his life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: President Biden now says that he's happy to debate Donald Trump. This is the first time the president has said so explicitly in his campaign. Earlier, he said any possible plans for a debate would depend on Trump's behavior.

WALKER: Now, Biden's latest comments came in a wide-ranging surprise interview with shock jock Howard Stern. White House reporter Camila DeChalus is live at the White House with more. Good morning, Camila. So, tell us first what Biden had to say about the debates.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, President Biden really wants to reach voters, and he wants to use alternative media outlets like this one to reach voters where they're at. But he also made news on this media appearance where he announced that he is willing to debate former President Donald Trump.

Now, this will be highly anticipated to see Trump and Biden talk about issues that impact people in their everyday lives. Take a quick listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD STERN, RADIO HOST: I don't know if you're going to debate your opponent.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am somewhere I don't know where. I'm happy to be here.

(END VIDEO CLIP) DECHALUS: Now, Biden got -- well, said that he did not disclose where

the debate will take place or even the format of where he would like the debate to happen or how he would like it to go. But this will be highly anticipated to see Biden going toe-to-toe with Trump and talking about these key issues.

Now, also, during this media appearance, Biden got personal and really shared a lot of intimate details about his life, and that is a part of the campaign strategy. His campaign advisors tell us that they really want Biden to talk to voters to really connect with voters.

Talk about issues that also Americans have faced in their lives, where he talked about the loss of his loved ones, talked about how he valued -- values family.

[06:35:00]

And that is a strategy of getting voters to see him as just more than a political candidate that is vying for their votes, and see him as an actual person that has their best interests at heart. Amara, Victor, back to you.

BLACKWELL: White House Correspondents' Dinner is tonight. The president is going to try to be funny. What's the goal here other than to get people -- getting -- make people laugh?

DECHALUS: That's right. Biden has been practicing for days, meeting with his trusted advisors, going over his prepared marks, and we're told that it is going to involve a little bit of comedy, we're told that some of those jabs are going to be directed at the former President Donald Trump.

And that is to be expected, but Biden really wants to show a more humanizing element to him. And we're told that when he prepares for these big speeches, particularly ones that involve a bit of comedy, that he practices time and time again with his advisors and his aides to make sure that his messaging comes across the way he intends. Victor, Amara, back to you.

BLACKWELL: We will see if the practice pays off. Camila DeChalus for us there at the White House. Thank you so much, and live from the nation's capital, President Biden and comedian Colin Jost headline the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Our CNN coverage hosted by John Berman and Sara Sidner live tonight at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN and streaming on Max.

WALKER: All right, Columbia University leaders are under fire and may soon be under investigations. Straight ahead, the new steps to start a sprawling investigation into how the college is handling the pro- Palestinian protests on campus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

WALKER: College campuses across the country have been shaken by unrest with waves of pro-Palestinian protests spreading from the east coast to California. At Arizona State University, three people were arrested on trespassing charges after they tried to set up an unauthorized encampment.

And in Atlanta, 28 people were arrested at Emory University. Police and state troopers used pepper balls and even a stun gun to disperse protestors. Obviously, some really tense -- wow situations and somewhat violent there. Joining me now is Irene Mulvey, she is the president of the American Association of University Professors.

Thank you so much, Irene, for joining us this morning. I know that you have condemned in the strongest possible terms, the crackdowns that we have been seeing on these protesters at campuses across the country, namely Columbia, but of course, you've been seeing a lot of crackdowns, including the one we saw yesterday there at Emory University.

How better could these universities deal with these tense situations? And of course, these encampments that are, you know, trespassing when it comes to the law?

IRENE MULVEY, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS: Well, these protests are happening at institutions of higher education. And so the way to move forward is through education. Our students are standing up for something that's important to them.

We should be encouraging that, we should be proud of that. And we should find creative ways to respond. Institutions could have campus- wide forums, they could have teach-ins, they could call on the subject matter experts in this -- in the complex histories of Israel and Gaza to teach students the way to move forward is through education.

Instead, what we're seeing is this militarized crackdown police in riot gear carrying students and faculty, often zip ties. That's completely unacceptable at an institution of higher learning. This -- the violent repression of speech on campuses at peace -- largely peaceful outdoor demonstrations, it's completely wrong. It's the wrong approach, shutting down speech is not the way to move forward.

WALKER: You believe that the leadership though at Columbia has not been doing the right thing, right? And right now, as we understand it, Columbia's faculty Senate will be voting on a resolution to censure Dr. --

MULVEY: Yes --

WALKER: Minouche Shafik.

MULVEY: Yes --

WALKER: Do you feel -- and obviously, there's been a lot of outside political pressure, right? As we've seen with, you know, leaders in Congress. The House Speaker Mike Johnson calling for her resignation as well for the way that she has been actually on the opposite side.

I guess not protecting the safety of Jewish students, and not cracking down hard enough. Do you believe that some of these university presidents need to resign?

MULVEY: OK, two things. I think the important thing is to understand that this outside political pressure is unacceptable in a democracy. Higher education is many things. It's a producer of knowledge. It should be an engine of social mobility. It's also a crucial check on government and corporate corruption.

So, American higher ed is the envy of the world because it's based on academic freedom and shared governance, and that's where we ought to begin.

[06:45:00]

That higher education is a check on -- it's a crucial check on democracy. It is -- independent higher ed is as important to democracy as voting. And that this -- we should understand there's a broader attack here on higher education that we should all be very worried about.

I think the censure resolution at Columbia is completely appropriate. Faculty at institutions have this important role in shared governance to play. And if they want to object to how the president has handled this situation, and I completely agree that they should, essential resolution is completely appropriate.

But I think the bigger question, the bigger -- the bigger -- the bigger understanding is this broader attack on higher education as a public good in a democracy. And I think we should be worried about that independent higher education is really -- is crucial to democracy as voting.

WALKER: Sure, you know, but of course, there's that -- you know, overarching question that people keep asking is, how do you balance free speech, but also keeping students safe? You know, what would you say to those Jewish students who feel terrified? They're concerned that they could be physically attacked just -- you know, walking the hallways of the universities or walking around campus. I mean, how do we protect them?

MULVEY: Right --

WALKER: Don't the universities have a duty to make sure --

MULVEY: Absolutely --

WALKER: That they are safe?

MULVEY: Of course, absolutely. We have -- but we have an obligation to keep everyone, to protect everyone. And we have an obligation to free speech. But to suggest that it's a choice, that's a false choice. You can do both, and you must do both. If you're shutting down speech in the name of keeping students safe, then you are on the wrong road.

WALKER: Right --

MULVEY: You can do both. Institutions have policies. I mean, this is not the first time anti-Semitism or other hate has shown itself on campus. There are well-crafted policies to deal with violations, and we should be enforcing those policies and -- that provide due process for the -- for the perpetrators and -- there are policies in place for this. So, I think --

WALKER: Yes --

MULVEY: To suggest that we need new things now is not correct.

WALKER: Yes, such an important conversation. Irene Mulvey, we'll have to leave it there, thank you for your time. Thank you --

BLACKWELL: Inflation has us paying more for almost everything right now, but new numbers show that the prices are not slowing, spending or breaking down the Fed's favorite inflation gauge when CNN THIS MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

BLACKWELL: The Defense Department says it's pledging $6 billion in long-term military aid for Ukraine. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement on Friday. He called it the largest security assistance package of its kind to date. It will include inceptors for Ukraine's air defense systems, counter-drone systems, and other critical equipment.

And this comes just days after U.S. President Joe Biden signed off on a massive foreign aid package that includes close to $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine.

WALKER: Buckingham Palace says King Charles will resume public duties next week. The 75-year-old has been receiving treatment for cancer after announcing the diagnosis in February. A palace spokesperson said the king's medical team remains positive about his ongoing recovery.

The palace also released this new portrait of the king and Queen Camilla to celebrate one year since the coronation. The photo was taken in the Buckingham Palace gardens earlier this month. One of the Fed's favorite inflation gauges show the numbers moving in the wrong direction for lowering rates.

So, according to new data from the Commerce Department, the PEC price index accelerated to 2.7 percent in March, which is above economists' expectations.

BLACKWELL: But the high inflation rates have not stopped Americans from spending. Here is CNN's Matt Egan.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Victor and Amara. Inflation increasingly looks stuck. It's not as bad as two years ago, not nearly as bad, it's not good either. The Fed's favorite inflation metric, the PCE index showed that prices increased by 2.7 percent in March, year- over-year. Now, that is worse than expected, and another step in the wrong

direction. And when we look at the trend, it's clear that inflation has improved, right? This metric peaked above 7 percent in 2022, it's back when gas prices were surging.

It is also clear when you look at the trend that the improvement has stalled out price increases had actually accelerated a bit this year. And that's a concern, because the Fed targets 2 percent inflation and inflation remains well above that level.

And even if you strip out food and gas prices, core PCE, that still came in at 2.8 percent. Again, hotter than expected. The good news is that Americans continued to open their wallets, right. Spending remained strong and Martian(ph), that's key because consumer spending, that is the biggest driver of the economy.

The bad news, of course, is the cost of living remained frustratingly high for too many Americans. The higher inflation is the more expensive life there is, right? Food, gasoline, housing, those are the big ones, but prices have also been rising rapidly for other things like car insurance and baby formula.

And this keeps the Fed in a difficult spot. Many hope that inflation would be low enough at this point to free up the Fed to start cutting interest rates. That would make it cheaper to get a mortgage, a car loan, pay off credit card debt, but inflation remains stubborn and the dream of rate cuts is fading.

[06:55:00]

Of course, if the Fed keeps rates too high for too long, it does risk eventually doing real damage to this economy. Victor and Amara?

WALKER: All right, Matt Egan, thank you. It will be a weekend of severe weather ahead on the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING. The clean up happening now after dozens of tornadoes rip across five states. Plus, the new severe threat, weather threat for nearly 55 million Americans today.

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WALKER: Over 100 years after the shipwreck, the mysteries and myths of the Titanic still draw explorers to the depths of the sea.

BLACKWELL: Yet, the history is well known, but the facts of the actual event remain a source of speculation and interest.