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CNN This Morning

Biden To Deliver Commencement Speech At Morehouse College Sunday; "Diddy" Seen Assaulting Former Girlfriend Cassie In 2016 Video; Nearly 10,000 Forced To Evacuate Amid Russian Offensive; Putin Spells Out Military Goals For Kharkiv Offensive; Golfer Billy Horschel And Wife Brittany Share Personal Struggles To Help Uplift Others. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired May 18, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: And finally, the Florida Panthers now four winds way from making it back-to-back Stanley Cup final appearances. Game tied with less than three minutes left in regulation. The captain, Alexander Barkov, taking one for the team literally here. A slap shot from David Pasternak, hitting him square in the left palm, preventing the goal.

Now, those gloves might be heavily padded, but not right there. His sacrifice rewarded, though, because a minute and a half later, Gustav Vorsling winning it, beating Jeremy Swainman off the rebound, breaking Boston's heart as the Panthers advance to play the Rangers.

So exciting stuff. And as you mentioned, guys, just a wild turn of events for Scottie Shuffler to show up and now to be in contention to potentially win another major after being arrested and facing a host of charges. Just incredible.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Carolyn Mano, thanks so much. Another hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

Good morning, good morning. It is Saturday, May 18th. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. I'm Victor Blackwell here with Amara Walker. And here is what we're working for you this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Personally, I don't agree with some of the things that the White House has done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you still want him to come here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I still do want him to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: President Biden's planned commencement address tomorrow is dividing the Morehouse College campus, the mood on campus today, and how the Morehouse president is defending the decision to invite him. AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Also, a CNN exclusive, a violent video

appears to show music mogul, Sean Diddy Combs, brutally attacking his then-girlfriend in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. We talked to one legal expert about what this new video means for Combs' other ongoing legal issues.

BLACKWELL: Russians forces are accused of using civilians as human shields as at least 10,000 people were forced to leave (INAUDIBLE) so far. The latest on the battle for this region that's coming up.

WALKER: A private fundraiser and a college commencement speech await President Biden in Atlanta this weekend. The president is bolstering efforts in the Peach State in an attempt to woo black voters who played a key role in his 2020 win, but his plan to speak at Morehouse on Sunday is drawing criticism from some on campus. Now, students on campuses nationwide, like these at the University of Pennsylvania last night, are protesting the president's continued support of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

BLACKWELL: I spoke with Morehouse College president, Dr. David Thomas, this week. He says, he is ready for silent protest, and Morehouse is no stranger to facing tensions like these head on. However, Dr. Thomas says that he will not call on police to lead anyone off campus in zip ties. Instead, he said that he's prepared to shut down commencement entirely if the protests escalate. CNN's Camila DeChalus joins us now from the White House. So, under six months now, fewer than six months from election day, but we know that the voting actually starts much earlier than that. How important is this visit for the president?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden's visit to Atlanta is very important, Victor, because he's really trying to ramp up his efforts to court black voters in Georgia and in other states, as recent polls show that support among this demographic is dwindling for support for Biden.

Now, Victor, Amara, as you both mentioned, Biden is going to be giving a commencement speech at Morehouse College, and that has drawn a bit of tension on the college campus. Some students I spoke to for CNN say that they are really critical of Biden coming to the campus because given that his administration's support for Israel during the Hamas and Israel conflict, while others say that they are open to hearing what he has to say.

But campaign advisors told CNN that Biden is going to be giving an uplifting message when he gives his commencement speech. And is really going to be focusing on delivering a speech that talks about overcoming adversity and stresses the importance of giving back to the community.

WALKER: Camila, what is Biden's campaign trying to highlight with this visit?

DECHALUS: Well, Amara, Biden is really trying to remind voters during his visit to Atlanta just what he's done while he's been in office and also draw a stark contrast between himself and his former, and former president Donald Trump. Now, during this visit, he also really wants to just highlight the

voters in this state, talk about the economic policies that he's implemented, and really because the most important thing during this visit, he really wants to connect with voters.

And part of his strategy during this visit and just in the months ahead is to re-energize his support base among black voters, because it's really important in this conversation that black voters really helped and played a really big role in getting him elected in 2020. And he's hoping to draw them out in huge numbers in this upcoming election.

WALKER: As some latest polls show Biden trailing or losing ground to Trump. Thanks so much Camila DeChalus, appreciate that. Well, there are growing concerns about pro-Palestinian protests interrupting this ceremony and Biden's speech at Morehouse College tomorrow.

[07:05:05]

BLACKWELL: CNN's Nick Valencia spoke with students who say they do not want that to happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you talk to Alon Gibson about his upcoming college graduation, you can see he's excited. COVID canceled his high school commencement in 2020, so this one is extra special.

ALON GIBSON, STUDENT: I think most are like me that are a little bit enthusiastic, but most just want a peaceful graduation without protest.

VALENCIA: For the 21-year-old Morehouse senior, getting President Joe Biden as the commencement speaker is his words, pretty cool, even if he does see why some of his peers think the choice was controversial.

GIBSON: I personally don't agree with some of the things that the White House has done --

VALENCIA: But you still want him to come here.

GIBSON: I still want him to come, because I agree with his full body of work.

COLIN ROYAL, MOREHOUSE STUDENT NEWSPAPER MANAGING EDITOR: There's been mixed reactions, some for, some against.

VALENCIA: Morehouse student newspaper managing editor, Colin Royal, says mostly the invitation created confusion on campus.

ROYAL: The fact that we weren't really in the loop for that was kind of concerning, especially when you have somebody of that magnitude and somebody that's been involved in a lot of things that students have protested against.

VALENCIA: Who would you guys much rather have as a commencement speaker?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am inclined to say Andre 3000.

VALENCIA: They joke, but Mark Riggins and Noah Collier have been on the front lines as two of the most vocal critics at Morehouse to Biden's invitation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I exist as more than a prop for a photo op.

VALENCIA: Draped (INAUDIBLE), the pro-Palestinian activists tell us about what they call U.S. imperialism, which they say Biden has amplified by his arm support for the war in Gaza, while at the same time overlooking their concerns as black men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He completely dismissed us by calling us violent, by calling us anti-Semitic.

VALENCIA: Are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, in no way shape or form are any of us anti- Semitic, because if we were we would not be engaging in these protests. The idea of anti-Semitism does it -- completely contradicts and conflicts with the values that we move with.

DAVID THOMAS, MOREHOUSE PRESIDENT: Was part of my calculus that he would say yes to us because he's in this presidential race? Absolutely.

VALENCIA: Morehouse president, David Thomas, invited Biden to be the commencement speaker back in September. Today, he defends the decision as well as the school's choice to give Biden an honorary degree.

THOMAS: What I want them to walk out thinking is the president of the United States came to give the commencement speech at Morehouse College because Morehouse College matters in the world. And therefore, what I do with the privilege of having gone to Morehouse means I should matter in the world.

VALENCIA: In the longstanding tradition of Morehouse's student-led activism, Thomas says he will give space for protests on Sunday, but will take a hard line if protests are disruptful.

Gibson was among a small group that met with the White House ahead of Biden's visit. From that conversation, he says, it's clear, not only does Morehouse matter, but he says on Sunday, Biden has a chance to show the men of Morehouse that they matter more than every four years.

GIBSON: I don't want him to come here and campaign. I know he's going to tell some of his accomplishments. I know he's going to talk about some of the things he's going to do for black people. I'm expecting to hear that, but I also want to hear authentic speech about why he's here for us.

VALENCIA: And perhaps why they should be there for him come November.

This week, Morehouse faculty voted in support of giving President Biden an honorary degree. Meanwhile, student activists have taken to social media to encourage graduates on Sunday to turn their back on President Biden during his commencement address. They say as President Biden has turned his back on Palestine. Victor, Amara.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Nick Valencia, there on the campus of Morehouse. Thanks so much for joining me now, our Democratic strategist, Theron Johnson, and GOP strategist, Brian Robinson. When is the last time there's been this much talk in the run-up toward a commencement address? What's on the line for the president tomorrow?

THERON JOHNSON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, shout out to CNN for you all being able to host this debate. And look, we're glad that it's in Atlanta. And this to me really cements that Georgia is a battleground state.

BLACKWELL: Let's start with the speech at Morehouse.

JOHNSON: Oh, More -- sorry, so look, you and I both went to HBCU, you went to Howard, I went to Clark County University. And I believe that these Morehouse men, if you look at what the president just said, I think there's going to be peaceful protest. There's peaceful protest at every single commencement in the HBCU areas right now.

How they conduct themselves and if it becomes hate speech, then that's where I think the president's going to have to step in. But I said this before, Victor, I think this is going to be a turning point in the campaign for the president.

I think the president is not only going to talk about, you know, what it is that he's done, by the way, $16 billion to HBCUs, more than any administration has given, but I think he's going to talk to those parents, and he's going to talk to the world, and he's going to talk about the future. What is he doing as president now, and what will he continue to do as president to help these young black men go out and be productive citizens in the future?

[07:10:10]

And then more importantly, look, I remember being that young activist, right? I pushed back a little bit on our commencement speakers. Most people don't even remember who their commencement speaker was.

BLACKWELL: I don't.

JOHNSON: Right? But I was an activist, so I definitely applaud the First Amendment rights that these students have, but I believe these Morehouse men are going to conduct themselves appropriately.

BLACKWELL: What do you think is on the line with the president tomorrow?

BRIAN ROBINSON, GOP STRATEGIST: Well, he can't have a bad visual and having a very disruptive student body of black males, because we know that the black male demographic is a huge weakness for President Biden right now. He's got to do much better with them than he's doing if he's going to win in Georgia, particularly. He's not only coming to speak to black voters, he's coming to speak to Georgia voters. And his pathway to the White House becomes very narrow if he's not able to win in Georgia. The New York Times poll shows Biden getting in the mid-60s for black voters in Georgia. Now, Victor, yes, I know he's going to do much better.

BLACKWELL: Let's put that up.

ROBINSON: He's going to do much better than that. But what it shows is the lack of enthusiasm. A lot of them may stay home. And yes, a lot of them are going to go and vote for the Republican, maybe for the first time. A one percent downturn in Black turnout in Georgia and Trump would have won here in 2020. That's where the margins are here.

BLACKWELL: Yes. You know, for the people, there have been Republicans who have been critical of the president coming to Morehouse and expecting he's going to get some big show of disapproval. You think there's an HBCU campus that Donald Trump could go to right now and get a better reception?

ROBINSON: I do know this. Just yesterday, the Trump campaign made a deal to host a vice presidential debate on an HBCU in Virginia. I think Virginia State is the one that they're looking at there. So, that shows some willingness to go into that territory. But I'll say the last time Trump was in Atlanta, he went to a Chick-fil-A right across the street from Morehouse. It was in that neighborhood. It was a, it was a, and he got a very, very welcome response there. So, yes, I think he would.

BLACKWELL: We have also talked about how those students were working for the GOP and had worked for the GOP.

ROBINSON: Oh, details.

BLACKWELL: OK. All right.

ROBINSON: He's showing up in the community.

BLACKWELL: No, no, no.

JOHNSON: Showing up to Chick-fil-A is not equivalent to showing up to Morehouse College. You know, they say this, this is a huge win for Morehouse College. You have a sitting president of the United States of America to decide to accept the invitation in September to come to your college and be the commencement speaker is something that I think these students and families are proud of.

And then this whole thing about Trump, no, Trump would not be invited to HBCU. Not only would he not be invited, he wouldn't accept, because he can't go into that body of students and really articulate the vision, I think, that President Biden is going to talk about. I mean, $16 billion to HBCUs -- I mean, the funding, and I'm a trustee member of the board of Clark County University. That money goes directly to the students. BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the debate now that will be happening, I guess, across the hall here in this building. There is now this demand from former President Trump, which he said during his remarks in Minnesota yesterday. Let's play it. We have that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just want to debate this guy, but, you know, and I'm going to, I'm going to demand a drug test too, by the way. I am -- no, I really am. I don't want him coming in like the State of the Union. He was high as a kite. I said, is that Joe up there? A beautiful rock. And by the end of the evening, he's like, well, it was exhausted, right? Now, we're going to demand a drug test.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, that could be just a joke playing with the audience, or this could be a cop out. You confident that that Trump will show up for this debate?

ROBINSON: You know, it's a bit right. And actually, it's a pretty funny bit. You heard the reaction of the audience.

BLACKWELL: It worked in the room.

ROBINSON: Yes.

BLACKWELL: It worked in the room.

ROBINSON: The audience knows what he's doing. It's a bit. And it's, you know, in its expectation setting to some degree. One thing that Republicans have done is painted Joe Biden as so senile and further into his dementia that he won't be able to perform. If he's able to perform at a low level, he gets over that bar.

And so, what you see Trump doing here very strategically and smartly it's setting expectations game a little bit, a little bit better, saying, yes, every once in a while, he shows up and he's you know he's got his B-12 shot and he's ready to go. So, I think it's a little bit of expectation setting and a little bit of humor. Very effective.

BLACKWELL: Quickly, does the president need this debate considering the polling numbers?

JOHNSON: I think the president definitely needs this debate. He needs not to focus on these debate tactics that Donald Trump is using to distract him. Look, whether he is taking a drug test or not, he's going to basically be up there. He's going to make the contrast between what his administration has done versus Trump administration. And then the last thing, look, I think that he welcomes this debate. I like his energy.

The president is saying bring it on. He committed to the debate, and I definitely think we should have a crowd, right? But clearly, we're not going to have the studio audience, but I do believe that how the campaign amplifies the stuff from the debate would be very important to the Biden campaign.

[07:15:02]

BLACKWELL: All right, Brian, got to wrap it there. Brian, Theron, thank you both and remember you can watch the full interview with the president of Morehouse, Dr. David Thomas, is coming up on "FIRST OF ALL" at 8:00.

All right, straight ahead, a CNN exclusive, Sean Diddy Combs, one of the biggest names in the music industry caught on camera violently shoving, kicking, punching, dragging ex-girlfriend, Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. We'll talk with a legal expert about what this video now means.

WALKER: Plus, what we know about the first wave of life-saving aid that is slowly starting to arrive in Gaza through a pier built by the U.S. military.

BLACKWELL: Plus, nearly a half million people in the Houston area are still without power days after hurricane-force winds slammed the area. Well now, brutal heat is in the forecast. We're tracking it all here on CNN THIS MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:36]

BLACKWELL: A CNN exclusive now, and a warning that the video is disturbing. It's surveillance video from 2016 obtained by CNN, and it shows rapper and business mogul, Sean Diddy Combs, violently assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel.

WALKER: What happens in the video appears to match Ventura's allegations in a federal lawsuit, which was settled just one day after she filed it back in November. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New surveillance footage obtained exclusively by CNN appears to corroborate some of the allegations of abuse against music mogul, Sean Diddy Combs. The video captured on multiple cameras shows Combs wearing only a towel, assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hallway at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.

A lawsuit filed by Ventura in November last year and settled the next day referenced actions that seemed to match those seen in this video. There is no audio. According to the complaint, Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye, which according to the lawsuit, prompted Ventura to try and leave the hotel room.

The surveillance video obtained by CNN begins as she enters the hallway. The complaint says, as she exited, Mr. Combs awoke and began screaming at Ms. Ventura. He followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her. The complaint goes on to say, he grabbed her and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her.

In the surveillance video, Combs can be seen grabbing Ventura and throwing her to the ground. As Ventura lies on the ground, Combs then kicks her twice, and attempts to drag her on the floor back to the hotel room. Ventura is seen picking up a hotel phone. Combs seems to walk back to the hotel room then returns and appears to shove her in a corner.

Moments later, he can then be seen throwing an object in her direction. According to Ventura's now settled lawsuit, the pair began dating several years after they met in 2005. They parted ways in 2019. Combs' attorney said the decision to settle was in no way an admission of wrongdoing. Ventura declined to comment on the video, but CNN, the gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs.

Words cannot and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bringing this to light. The video hasn't been seen publicly before, and comes on the heels of a series of civil lawsuits alleging Combs' involvement in sex trafficking and sexual abuse -- allegations that Combs has repeatedly denied. Authorities searched Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of an on-going federal investigation carried out by a team that specializes in human trafficking crimes.

December 2023 statement, Combs responded to the claims in some of the lawsuits saying, "Sickening made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear, I did not do any of the awful things being alleged."

Clearly, very disturbing footage and violent actions that we are seeing coming from Diddy, who up until this point has denied many of these allegations from all of these lawsuits that he is facing. Aside from this lawsuit from Cassie, which he settled back in November 2023, he is facing five separate lawsuits, and he has been fighting back through his lawyers.

In fact, just last week, we reported on a motion that he filed to dismiss a lawsuit from a Jane Doe that claimed she was 17 years old, a minor, at the time of her allegations. And just a few days before that, he filed a motion to dismiss a portion of an entirely different claim. It'll be interesting to see now how this may impact all that Diddy is facing, but we have yet to hear directly from him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you for your reporting. Obviously, extremely painful to watch. Let's talk more about this with Areva Martin, Attorney and Legal Affairs Commentator. Areva, before we talk about, you know, these other lawsuits that Combs is facing, a lot of people may not know that the statute of limitations has run out for him to face charges in California. So, please explain that to us, the fact that he won't be charged for this.

[07:25:07] AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes, unfortunately, there are statutes of limitations that dictate when federal or state prosecutors can file charges for this kind of conduct that we witnessed. No doubt this is criminal conduct. We witnessed domestic violence at its worst on this video.

And it begs the question as to, you know, what law enforcement knew during this time period, during the time period where the statute of limitations was open. In the state of California, you have up to five years for most domestic violence claims. There are some exceptions to that.

Not sure if any of those exceptions would apply in this case. But generally, there is a certain amount of time in which a victim has to come forward in order for there to be a criminal prosecution. And that's what's so difficult about these cases because we know that victims of domestic violence oftentimes feel intimidated.

They are afraid to come forward. They're oftentimes isolated from family and friends. They're threatened. Other lives are typically threatened, which is why we don't see more abusers, more predators like Sean Combs actually prosecuted for these kinds of offenses.

WALKER: I mean, this video is from 2016, so almost 10 years ago. It happened allegedly inside a hotel hallway, and obviously if things are being broken or thrown, people are going to hear things. And then, you also see in this lawsuit that was filed by this woman, Cassie there, it alleges that Combs paid the Intercontinental Century City Hotel, $50,000 for the hallway security. You would imagine that someone in the hotel, when pulling this footage, must have seen this video. Does the hotel not have any liability then, you know, to report this incident?

MARTIN: It's not clear that they are mandatory reporters in the sense of when we think about folks who have a legal obligation to report these kinds of offenses. But what it does raise is how people like Sean Combs, powerful people, typically powerful and rich men are protected, protected by others who are around them.

The fact that he could pay $50,000 for the security at this hotel. The fact that, as you said, obviously, someone had to witness and view this footage, but yet none of this was, apparently, turned over to law enforcement. And we've seen this time and time again.

We go back to Harvey Weinstein, we go back to Bill Cosby -- so many examples of powerful men who've been able to engage in abhorrent and at times criminal conduct and yet not be revealed, not be held accountable by our criminal justice system. This video is in many ways invalidates every statement that Sean Combs has made when he went on social media back in November, December of last year, denying what he called the sickening allegations and what we see in this video is sickening conduct on his part.

WALKER: Then, I have to ask you before we go, how does this surveillance video that impact the other what, five civil lawsuits that came out after Cassie Ventura filed hers in November? MARTIN: Yes, I have to believe that the plaintiff's attorneys in those five other lawsuits are going to try to use this video as leverage to force some kind of out of court settlement. And then the question is there as to, is there more video? Is there more damning video like this that may come out in the days to come?

WALKER: Areva Martin, great to have you. Thank you so much for your time this morning.

As Russia pushes further into northeastern Ukraine, Ukraine's president is warning that this may only be the first wave of several incursions into the Kharkiv region. We'll have the latest on the fighting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:33:22]

WALKER: Nearly 10,000 people have evacuated from Ukraine's Kharkiv region due to a surprise Russian offensive.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his military still controls entry routes Russia forces would use to enter the region.

Zelenskyy also says Russian troops have advanced up to six miles since launching their cross border offensive last week. But he says Russia has not penetrated the main Ukrainian defense line.

BLACKWELL: Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials allege Russia has captured dozens of civilians in the border town of Vovchansk, using them as human shields, as a town remains contested by both sides. But CNN cannot independently confirm that claim.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Hopkins with more.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're beginning to get more of a picture of exactly the level of Russia's ambition in this new offensive from Russian territory down towards Ukraine's second city Kharkiv. It is essentially an entirely new front that Vladimir Putin has opened up.

Ukrainian officials, intelligence (INAUDIBLE) was suggesting that they think about 25,000 Russian troops may have been committed to this new push towards Kharkiv itself.

Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin in China today did say that he didn't have currently, today, he said any plans to take Kharkiv City. And I think it's fair to say it's reasonably far-fetched that he could swoop into the city of nearly a million people, and indeed occupied.

But it appears his troops are aiming to make life here exceptionally unpleasant for residents. We heard last night, drones, missile strikes lighting up the sky, anti-aircraft fire clear that the city is already a target. But Russian forces appear it would be trying to get close enough in order to fire artillery pieces directly into the city itself. [07:35:05]

That seems to be the goal of that push down from the north towards the city.

And indeed, Ukraine's military suggested that it might be pushing further in perhaps trying to flank some of the key villages vital for that particular Russian goal. With Ukraine's military saying that there are heavy battles ahead.

Certainly, and in fact, in broad daylight here in Kharkiv, a lot of the sky was filled with black smoke earlier on today, when more witnesses told us with three strikes hits one particular area here causing thick black smoke to fill the sky, small number of dead and dozens injured. But a sign really of Russia's growing reach into this key city. And its aim to potentially not to taking a huge population center like this, but putting immense pressure on it, immense pressure on Ukraine's military to take stretched resources from around the country, and rush them here to defend Kharkiv, and therefore, leave Ukraine, exposed multiple other areas on the frontline, where it's already found itself fatigued, stretched, and starved of vital ammunition because of the holdup of U.S. aid.

In the weeks ahead, that aid will start to get into Ukrainian hands, they may start to have the ammunition, the equipment that they need. And that's perhaps why Russia is moving so fast, so hard, and we're likely to see in the days and weeks ahead, a significant Russian bid to take more territory and put pressure on a large city like this.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kharkiv,

WALKER: Nick Paton Walsh, thank you.

BLACKWELL: The first trucks carrying humanitarian aid have begun moving ashore in Gaza, using the floating pier built by the U.S. military on Gaza's coast.

The pier will funnel aid from several countries into Gaza as most border crossings are closed.

The United Nations warns that while the pier can supplement land crossings, it cannot replace them. They say Gaza needs much more aid to prevent further famine.

WALKER: Still to come, following a terrifying storm that's left a large swath of the Houston area without power. People there now have to deal with soaring temperatures.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:47]

BLACKWELL: This morning, more than 500,000 customers without power across Texas and Louisiana after the severe storms. Did you see the video? In Houston, at least seven people were killed in these storms. Winds hit above 100 miles per hour and triggered power outages that, as we've said, could last for some time.

WALKER: Amid those outages, Houston is now facing soaring temperatures. Really getting hot out there.

CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa, Joining us now. What do we need to know, Lisa?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are looking at those heat index values, getting near 200 in some places.

And again, that's when people don't have power. More than a half million people without power, most of those in Texas and kind of in that Houston metro area. And you can see the heat really building through the weekend and into early next week.

Brownsville, Texas with those heat index values, getting to 100, maybe up to 103, Corpus Christi, middle and upper 90s. Houston, some low and middle 90s for that heat index.

Again, that's the real feel with the humidity. So, again, it could be very uncomfortable, especially without access to air conditioning without power.

Because of the heat, we also have air quality alerts in effect from the Houston Metro down towards Galveston. Because when this air is so hot, it can be stagnant, and that stagnant air traps our pollution from the tailpipes of our cars. So, that can make that air quality really unhealthy, especially for sensitive groups that might have some prior problems with either lung or heart disease.

So, you really need to take it easy outside with the cleanup. Just be careful and try to take as many breaks as you can.

You've got some showers stretching up into D.C. a line of showers and storms still along the Gulf Coast that's already so soaked and saturated.

We've got some heavy downpours and a lot of lightning from New Orleans, stretching into Panama City. And then, just ahead there of Tallahassee. We do have some flood watches that are in effect from New Orleans. flash flood warning there in your Panama City, where some of this heavy rain is coming down, some two to five inches of rain still possible.

We do have that slight risk there for severe weather where we can find additional rounds of damaging winds, large hail, and a few more tornadoes. OK.

WALKER: All right. Elisa Raffa, thank you so much. And a programming note, "THE WHOLE STORY: THE LAST ALZHEIMER'S PATIENT", featuring Dr. Sanjay Gupta, premieres tomorrow, May 19th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:48:39] BLACKWELL: Time now four champions for change. It's a look at the unsung people whose ideas are improving lives. And as the climate changes, hurricanes are posing a growing danger to coastal homes.

WALKER: CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir talks to Annette Rubin, who has found a new use for a familiar material to change the way houses get built to protect from future storms.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The most powerful storm ever to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The window to evacuate is closed.

ANNETTE RUBIN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, VERO BUILDING SYSTEMS: I remember watching T.V. and thinking, if this stays on the same path, we're not going to make it and it's too late to leave.

I'm originally from Seattle, Washington, and I met my husband up there, I was bartending and he was playing professional football for the Seattle Seahawks. We were having our first baby, and so, we purchased a home on the Gulf Coast, right outside of Destin.

We had Ava, my first baby girl when Hurricane Michael hit 12 weeks later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hunker down, stay indoors, stay away from windows.

RUBIN: Wind Code actually where I live is about 115 miles an hour. And Hurricane Michael was well beyond that already. The storm continued to shift, and then unfortunately hit Mexico City Beach, where it was its complete and total devastation and absolutely heartbreaking.

The next morning when I woke up, there was a fire in me that this isn't right. I can't live from June to October, every single year, hoping that a storm does not come and kill me and my kids.

[07:50:04]

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: And so, driven purely by a desire to protect her own family, Annette Rubin became an accidental pioneer in the field of disaster proof construction.

You had no experience and construction or business of this sort at all.

RUBIN: No. I went down this rabbit hole of how do we build a fortified structure?

WEIR: In her new quest to find a really strong building material, someone at Annette's church brought up Emmedue or M2. It's a 40-year- old Italian company, created by an engineer who discovered a really easy to construct method to build a home that could stand up to an earthquake. Basically, came up with a Styrofoam and steel mesh sandwich on concrete read. First, you make these panels any shape you want, round, straight. It can be a roof, it could be stairs, it could be a park bench, it could be an airport.

And then, it is covered with sprayable concrete.

RUBIN: That's SCIP, Structural Concrete Insulated Panel, creating one monolithic structure.

ALEXIS BOGOMOLNI, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ABH DEVELOPER GROUP: What these panels have that's great is that they're way more waterproof than a traditional construction material. So, if you see that building over there, the roof is not even finished, it's not even waterproofed, and it just rained like three days in a row and not one droplet got into the second floor?

RUBIN: So, this is the mesh machine up here, and we can get varying lengths and width and all that.

WEIR: Did you ever imagine when you are moving across the country that you'd be doing this?

RUBIN: No, definitely not.

We have a 250 mile an hour wind rating.

WEIR: 250?

RUBIN: Yes, which they are actually has never been heard.

WEIR: Right. That would be a Category 9 or something, but --

RUBIN: Yes, yes, there is never been a hurricane that fast before.

WEIR: As a climate reporter/dad, I tend to measure global trends against the lifetime of my kids. And just in the four years since my little boy River was born, there have been over 80 separate billion- dollar disasters, just in the U.S. as the planet overheat sunder a blanket of fossil fuel pollution, it is clear the way we think about shelter has to evolve.

RUBIN: We have these huge catastrophic events and they rebuild everything the exact same way. In my mind, that's the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and hoping for different results.

Our goal is to give 10 percent of all of our profits to disaster relief, donating homes to people who lose them in hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, you know, any kind of natural disaster. And they are getting worse.

I think people are hungry for something different. And I think as a construction community, there is -- there is enough people coming up in the next generation that really want to learn these new innovative things. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: So impactful.

And be sure to tune-in tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, for the "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE, one hour special.

BLACKWELL: Coming up, a professional golfer proves that being one of the best in the world at what you do does not have to be your greatest accomplishment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY HORSCHEL, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: We saw the impact that had of just sharing our story how much it helped people. But for me, it's more or less giving back to what the game has given me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:57:41]

WALKER: The world's best golfers are about to tee it up for the third rounds of the PGA Championship in Louisville. And among them, Billy Horschel.

BLACKWELL: But it is the work that he does when he's away from the course along with his wife, Brittany at the Horschel Family Foundation, and makes them this week's difference makers. Here is Carolyn Manno.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HORSCHEL: Our mission at the Horschel Family Foundation is to invest -- passionately invest back in the communities with organizations that inspire hope, provide healing, promote health, and on our soldiers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we did awesome.

HORSCHEL: To help out these warriors that are coming back from serving this country so greatly that we are so thankful to have them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am able to survive to make a friend.

Canine for Warriors, what they are doing? How they are doing it, and how it impacts these men and women come back from service. And how it's helping them re acclimate to life and live a normal life again.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Their foundation also provides healing through advocacy of addiction recovery. In May of 2017, Brittany Horschel let the world know what the family had been keeping a secret that she was an alcoholic. Sharing her struggles and road to sobriety over the last eight years, has helped the family use their journey as a path to inspire others. HORSCHEL: Just something, you know, touches her heart. I mean, she cares tremendously about that. Being able to share a story, a year after, she got sober. We saw the impact that had of just sharing our story, how much it helped people.

You can see how great someone is and the possibilities that they have in life. You know, sort of there is going to get away with whether it's be alcohol or drugs or any other substance.

And hopefully, at some point, they come to the realization that they need help. They have a problem, they need to ask for help, and that they want to seek out the help to start a better life and it's tough. It's a step that they don't think they can take. And when they finally take it and they start the process, and they get you know further into it, the greatness and just how special their life is. And they thought, man, I never thought it could be this enjoyable again. It's amazing to hear these stories.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:00:00]

WALKER: Oh, and thanks to our Carolyn Manno for that.

"FIRST OF ALL WITH VICTOR BLACKWELL" is next. What do you have coming up?

BLACKWELL: I am Victor Blackwell. Thank you (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: Nice to meet you.

BLACKWELL: Great to see you.