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Twins Saved In Storm's Aftermath Graduate From High School; Nearly 70 Million At Risk For Severe Weather Today; Storms Could Develop In The Midwest By Sunday; Top U.N. Court Orders Israel To Halt Rafah Operations; Trump To Speak At Libertarian National Convention In D.C.; Judge In Hunter Biden Case Issues Key Pre-Trial Rulings; Millions Of Americans Hitting The Roads And Skies For Memorial Day; Survivors, Community Reflect On Two Years Since Shooting Killed 21; New Guidelines In Breastfeeding For HIV-Positive Moms. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired May 25, 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]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J'MARI REYNOLDS, KATRINA TWIN: I would like to thank you so much for your bravery and your help that we were able to survive. I'm going to college to do Automotive Engineering.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How do you feel hearing that these two young men are pursuing these careers that have been inspired in part by you?

LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, LEADER OF JOINT TASK FORCE KATRINA: I feel so gratified. I mean, there's no greater service than the service to others. The engineer that will change the world and the Marine that's going to help protect the freedom in our democracy.

ELAM: The twins now thriving after surviving hell and high water, thanks to an undeterred mother.

HONORE: They're here today because of you and your tenacity.

ELAM: And a compassionate commander.

HONORE: These young men will be game changers. I'm so proud of you.

ELAM: And now that they're done with high school, this is the first time that the twins will be living apart, but they said that they're going to remain close and keep those lessons that they learned from the Lieutenant General close to their hearts and continue to help others. Back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Another hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts right now.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good holiday weekend morning. And welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Saturday, May 25th. I'm Amara Walker here with the best Victor Blackwell, meteorologist Allison Chinchar. You've got to give me a little shimmy. And Andy Schultz, what are you all doing here on this holiday weekend? Don't you all have plans? Because I don't. I never do on a holiday weekend.

ANDY SCHULTZ, CNN SPORTS REPORTER: Short end of the storm.

WALKER: No, not traveling?

ALISSON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Short end of the story.

BLACKWELL: All right.

WALKER: Do you want to say something? You're like, you're like about to --

BLACKWELL: No, I just really enjoyed that last story from Stephanie Elam because so many people are, watch those moments and wonder whatever happened to them. And now, even General Honore gets that tribute from those now young men. And I'm sure he really appreciates that.

WALKER: Full circle. Yes. It's beautiful. Well, planes, trains and automobiles, tens of millions of Americans are taking to the roads, rails and skies this Memorial Day weekend. We are checking in on how things are running at the world's busiest airport and what we can expect for summer travel season ahead.

CHINCHAR: And mixing in with all that travel, we could also see damaging winds, hail, even tornadoes and very incredibly warm temperatures. We'll talk about that coming up.

BLACKWELL: It's a working holiday weekend on the campaign trail for President Biden and former President Trump. What's on their agendas today? Plus, Special Counsel Jack Smith's new request in the Mar-a- Lago classified documents case.

SCHULTZ: All right, and can anyone guard Luka Dancic? Well, the answer is apparently no. Luka with some more late-game heroics to give the Mavs a 2-0 lead over the Timberwolves in the Western Conference final.

BLACKWELL: Memorial Day travel this weekend is already setting some new records. Through five last night, the TSA says officers screened more than 80,000 people in the world's busiest airport in Atlanta.

WALKER: All right here's the good news though, TSA officials say the wait at checkpoints there only got to 20 minutes, very efficient. Still, you should give yourself extra time especially as you make plans to fly back home. CNN's Ryan Young spoke with some travelers in Atlanta prepping for a very long day at the airport.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Victor and Amara, you guys have stood here before and dealt with the long lines at Hartfield-Jackson International Airport. The TSA and the people here were ready to deal with that influx of people because all lanes of the security lines have been open, but multiply that across the country as everyone's been trying to flow back into air travel.

We talked to people who had to make that difficult decision about how they were going to spend their funds, how they were going to deal with all the extra travel, deal with the ways of getting here. And most people say they were willing to get the summer started off right. They wanted to desperately travel despite the lines and despite some of the travel hiccups.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you got to hustle on, I'm old school, so if you want to hustle, you can get paid. So, this economy thing I think is over a blown in my opinion.

YOUNG: So, you're willing to spend and do what you have to do to get out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely, absolutely. It helps the economy. Show me a business that says they're not making money because people are not spending. And I'll tell you they're not telling the truth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was a little scared and excited, so we left super early. So, we're used to Atlanta traffic. We know you got to leave early. One of the parking decks was closed, so we're good now once we get through TSA.

YOUNG: Victor and Amara, all the numbers are not published just yet, but just to give you an idea, on Thursday they broke the single day record for people going through the TSA here at over 110,000 people. We know that Friday was on pace to do the same thing, so we could see record numbers over the next few days. Tuesday may also be a big day here. Victor and Amara, it seems like the public wants to travel, they want to be back. This is something they wanted to see again, which is that return to normalcy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right, thanks so much Ryan Young. You know, Atlanta Airport, I know it's the world's busiest airport, but every time I've flown, especially during those busy weekends, I've never had to deal with, you know, exponentially long lines. Like, they're very efficient out there, right

[07:05:08]

BLACKWELL: Yes, it's efficient. It is busy, it is massive, but it's well constructed -- not constructed, well --

WALKER: Managed.

BLACKWELL: Managed, yes, and thought out and laid out. And you get through it, it takes a little time, but not bad.

WALKER: Much faster than you would think though, when you see all those people snaking around, you're like, oh wow, I actually got through faster than I expected. Well, Mother Nature though, isn't taking a break for the holiday weekend. BLACKWELL: So, if your plans involve being outside, listen now to CNN Meteorologist, Alisson Chinchar, because I understand that there could be some storms and record temperatures.

CHINCHAR: Yes, yes, keyword there, record temperatures. Yes, we'll get to some of those. But yes, the other component is really going to be the severe weather. And it already began. If you look at the last 24 hours, take a look at this. You're talking over 300 severe weather reports spread out over many states. We're going to see a similar threat today.

We've got a couple of different regions we're looking at. The main target point is really going to be the central U.S. We've got tornadoes, damaging winds, and the potential for some large hail. They are also the potential for strong to severe thunderstorms across areas in the northeast states like areas like Pennsylvania, New York, into West Virginia, and then also areas of the south.

And that's where a lot of the active thunderstorms are as we speak, or across the southeast. So, Nashville, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Alabama, looking at a lot of those showers and thunderstorms sliding through. And those are going to continue as we go through the morning until they finally start to spread themselves out.

Then, once we get into the afternoon, that's when the target point really becomes the center of the country, especially as we move into the evening hours and the overnight time frame. And that's not what you want to hear when you're talking about tornadoes. And we're not just saying a tornado here or there, but the potential for some of these to be on the ground for prolonged periods of time where they call long-track tornados. They could be EF-2 strength or even stronger. This includes Oklahoma City, Wichita Falls, stretching up into Kansas City.

Tomorrow, we see the same threats, but they're shifted a little bit farther to the east. So now, the focal point is going to be over the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys there. So, let's look at the timeline. Again, notice by this afternoon, that main initial line in the southeast finally starts to fade away. Then, we start to see a lot of these ramp up this evening across the central U.S.

That overnight will continue to spread eastward into areas of Illinois, Missouri, and into Wisconsin. And by Sunday afternoon, we're really starting to see it spread into the Ohio Valley. You also see more of that redevelopment across the southern tier, so Tennessee, Kentucky, even areas of Alabama also looking at more of those showers and thunderstorms. And then, yes, the temperatures, take a look at this.

This is kind of the unofficial start to summer for many, and it is definitely going to feel like it. Look at some of these. Brownsville, Texas, looking at those triple-digit temperatures the next couple of days. Del Rio, Houston, Dallas, all above normal. Also looking at some pretty intense heat and heat indexes, heat index levels over in southern Florida as well. Looking at the feels like, so this is where we talk about taking the

temperature, adding it to the humidity, that combined heat index or feels like temperature, it is going to feel like it is 108 in Brownsville, Texas on Sunday, 116 on Sunday in Laredo, even Houston, Dallas, and Austin, if you've got some outdoor plans tomorrow for the holiday weekend, make sure you stay hydrated because again, those feels like temperatures, Victor and Amara, are going to swell pretty quickly this weekend.

BLACKWELL: You don't need to light the grill just sit the meat outside. I mean, 116 degrees. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much. So, the United Nations top court ordered Israel to immediately halt its Rafah offensive operation as a part of the growing global pressure on Israel to end the actions there. On Friday, the International Court of Justice said it considers the humanitarian situation in Rafah to be disastrous and expects it to get even worse. Palestinians inside Gaza have praised the order and are calling for an end to the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NABIL DIAB, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN: We lost everything here in Gaza. It was completely destroyed. So, the decision, what the Palestinian need is immediately stop war. We don't need declaration. We need application.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Meanwhile, CIA Director Bill Burns is in Paris today to meet with Israeli and Qatari officials about the ongoing ceasefire talks. Sources familiar with those discussions tell CNN. CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kim Dozier is with me now. Kimberly, good to see you. Let's start here with over the last three weeks. If the variables that will go into these talks in Paris, does it make it any more likely that there will be a ceasefire or that either side wants it more now than it did three weeks ago when it didn't come to fruition?

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: I really don't think you're going to see the Israelis agree to a ceasefire until they get someone like Hamas leader, Sinwar, in their ongoing onslaught in Rafah. And from the Palestinian, from the Hamas side, they -- part of this whole goal of this campaign was to damage Israel in the public eye.

And with each passing week, with the decision from the U.N. court, with the decisions from the International Criminal Court, this international censure is rising. And from Hamas's perspective, that works for them. Why say yes to a ceasefire when Israel has said the moment they get their hostages back, they're just going to start fighting again afterwards to still dismantle Hamas. So, it's really at this point hard to see how the negotiators see their way forward.

[07:10:40]

BLACKWELL: You know, Hamas agreed to ceasefire three weeks ago, but it turns out that the Egyptians changed some of the requirements that Israel placed on it. So, Israel said, well, this is not the deal that we offered. So that fell apart the last time that Bill Burns was over being part of these talks. Is there any residue of that blunder that makes it harder this time, considering that the two sides, even through intermediaries, weren't able to communicate?

DOZIER: In some ways, it means that the Egyptians got a knock on their trust. The Israelis aren't going to trust what comes out of their camp for a bit. And so, now, you see Qatar again taking the lead after Qatar was taking knocks publicly. So, this is kind of normal in negotiations in this back and forth. I mean, you just kind of keep trying to push and find a way forward.

I mean, there is one possibility in that there's growing censure inside Israel towards the Netanyahu government that he hasn't found a way out of Gaza. He hasn't found an endgame, that it looks like parts of his administration want perpetual occupation of Gaza, which would be costly in terms of tax dollars and costly in terms of Israeli lives. And a large part of the Israeli electorate doesn't want that.

And that's why Israel's own defense minister has criticized Netanyahu over this. So, in a sense, if the domestic criticism rises enough that Netanyahu's like, OK, we need a way out of this, that gives an opening to negotiators. But again, I think from Netanyahu's political survival perspective, he still won't say yes until he can say we got one of these major Hamas leaders off the battlefield.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about the international criticism. The U.N.'s top court is now telling Israel to end its operation in Rafah. Of course, earlier this week, the ICC charged the prime minister and the defense minister this week. The U.N. Security Council ordered a pause in hostilities. That's not binding. What is likely the influence that this places on Netanyahu? Not that he will end the operation in Rafah, but could this be counterproductive toward those ends?

DOZIER: Absolutely, in that the U.N. court has moral authority, but it doesn't have any way to enforce its decisions. And since Israel and the U.N. already are at odds over many issues, for instance, it took the U.N. a long time to publicly acknowledge the sexual violence towards Israelis on October 7th. That kind of thing has made Israel trust the U.N. less and less.

There's always been the opinion that the U.N. is against the state of Israel. So, it almost makes them dig their heels in and be more committed to going forward in the operation in Gaza. But it sure doesn't help, for instance, the Biden administration, this growing clamor internationally against the actions of Israel. And that feeds into the rancor in Biden's left flank that says you've got to stop arming this government in its onslaught in Gaza.

BLACKWELL: Kim Dozier, thanks so much.

WALKER: We are a little more than a week away from the start of Hunter Biden's trial on gun charges. The critical new rulings on evidence, including that infamous laptop, is ahead. And for the first time in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, Special Counsel Jack Smith is asking a federal judge to place a gag order on former president Donald Trump. What could be off limits? That's next.

[07:14:30]

And a former pro boxer snatches a powerful 16 foot, oh goodness, long python by its neck in the Florida Everglades and it's all caught on camera. I can't ever read the story. I don't want to read it. I don't want to look at the photo. Well, he says it was the fight of his life. A little later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Former President Donald Trump is getting out on the campaign trail today. He is set to speak later at the Libertarian Party's National Convention in Washington, D.C. It comes as he's trying to box out a threat from independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who could peel away votes from the former president. Now, Kennedy spoke at the convention yesterday and attacked several of Trump's policies.

Meanwhile, later this morning, President Biden will be giving the commencement address at West Point Military Academy. It will be his second time delivering commencement remarks to graduates in just a week after addressing the graduating class at Morehouse College last Sunday. It will be his third commencement address at West Point, but his first as president and commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Services. Around 1,000 West Point cadets will be receiving their commissions in the Army during that ceremony.

[07:20:23]

The federal judge in Hunter Biden's gun charges case issued a series of key rulings on Friday ahead of his upcoming trial on June 3rd.

BLACKWELL: The judge handed down wins to both the prosecution and defense through their motions on what evidence they can use in the case and what they cannot. CNN's Marshall Cohen breaks it down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hunter Biden was at the state dinner at the White House on Thursday, but Friday he was in a courthouse right behind me in Wilmington, Delaware. And that's because we're just about one week away from his criminal trial on felony gun charges. Special Counsel David Weiss has indicted Hunter Biden, the president's son, on three felony counts stemming from his purchase and possession of a revolver back in 2018.

The alleged crime is that he was addicted to drugs when he bought the gun, which is a violation of federal law. So, there was a hearing Friday, several hours here in Wilmington, where the judge in this case issued several critical rulings about what evidence can come in and which arguments need to be kept out. She did issue an important decision on the scope of the law in question.

She gave prosecutors a victory, allowing them to broadly argue that Hunter Biden was using drugs around the time when he bought that gun and not necessarily on the exact day that he bought the gun. That might make it easier for them to win a conviction. But it wasn't all good news for the prosecutors. The judge in this case narrowed a bit the amount of evidence from Hunter Biden's infamous laptop that will be allowed to be introduced and said that the defense team, if they want to, can challenge the authenticity of key messages.

Prosecutors have said that they want to use those text messages to demonstrate that Hunter Biden was addicted to and using illegal drugs, specifically crack cocaine, when he bought that gun in 2018. So, this trial is supposed to kick off right here in Delaware on June 3rd, and the both parties said it should probably last about two weeks. And of course, this is the very first time in our nation's history that the son of the sitting president will stand trial for federal charges. Marshall Cohen, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Marshall, thank you very much. Louisiana takes the battle over abortion rights another step with a controversial new law. After the break, the abortion drugs now being classified in the same category as narcotics and depressants.

And the summer travel season is starting now. It's about to heat up too. We'll talk with one expert about what to expect and how to score some cheaper flights.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:27:30]

BLACKWELL: Special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge Friday to place a gag order on former President Donald Trump in an attempt to limit his comments about law enforcement that searched his resort. Now, Trump falsely claimed in a campaign e-mail that President Biden, "Locked and loaded." He was "locked and loaded and ready to take me out."

The reality is, the policy is standard protocol for FBI searches and limits how officers may use force in those operations. The same protocol was used in the search of President Biden's homes and offices during a separate classified documents investigation.

Louisiana became the first state to classify abortion drugs as controlled dangerous substances Friday and placing them in the same category as narcotics and depressants. Now, Republican Governor Jeff Landry, he signed that controversial bill into law and it makes it a crime to possess the medication without a prescription. Proponents say it will protect expectant mothers, but hundreds of health care providers have come out against that decision, saying it could prevent people from accessing necessary care. Anyone found in possession of the medication without a prescription could face a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison.

Here's Amara's favorite story. A former professional boxer entered Florida's Everglades, terrified of snakes, but he left with a 16-foot python he caught with his bare hands. King Pedford was on an airboat tour when they encountered this massive snake. Pedford pounced on the snake as it tried to wrap itself around him, the python weighed 105 pounds. It's believed to be the largest python caught in Florida so far this year.

WALKER: His name, King, is fitting to him for that snake. Well, this morning, many people are taking off their summer with an official traffic jam. Over the holiday weekend, 38 million people will be traveling by car, another 3.5 million by plane, and nearly two million others will be on a cruise, a bus, or a train. According to AAA, we have not seen roads this packed in two decades. Joining me now is Clint Henderson, Managing Editor of The Points Guy. Hi there, Clint. How are you doing? Good to see you this morning.

CLINT HENDERSON, THE POINTS GUY MANAGING EDITOR: Good to see you. Yes, I was stuck in a traffic jam, so I relate to that introduction.

AMARA: Well, I'm glad you made it. I mean, what is going on? I mean, the most packed we've seen it in two decades?

[07:29:57]

HENDERSON: Yes, and that's with gas prices as high as they are or as high as they were last summer. So, people are just out on the roads, that they're out in the skies. Airports are crowded. I think a lot of people are traveling, and I think this summer is going to be sold out summer again for us.

WALKER: So, what are some pointers, OK, for those who are taking to the roads, and then, we'll get to the airports?

HENDERSON: Yes, I would say try to drive early in the morning, late at night, try to leave on days like today when it's a little quieter. And don't try to compete with the people going home from work, like yesterday.

I was unlucky, I saw a pretty bad accident on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. But for most people, if you time it right, you can avoid most of the traffic.

WALKER: OK, and what about -- I mean, airports, the lines are going to be long no matter what. Right? So, I guess the question is, how much earlier should you get there?

(CROSSTALK)

HENDERSON: Yes.

WALKER: Is two hours really enough?

HENDERSON: I think two hours is enough. Now, now, that the airports and the airlines are mostly staffed back up again, those staff shortages are not so prevalent. So, I think if you give yourself two hours, that should be plenty of time.

Of course, at The Points Guy, we love TSA, precheck and clear. But it's interesting, the clear has actually free service for some airports like Orlando, where you can reserve a spot in line, and you don't even have to be a member.

So, look into things like that to get to the airport to speed yourself through security. But, I'm a huge fan of precheck.

WALKER: Yes, so am I.

And so, what about for those returning from the memorial holiday weekend? Are there better days to return home versus others?

HENDERSON: So, midweek is always going to be better. It's not only less crowds, but it's also cheaper, generally, on Saturday, or on Tuesday and Wednesday, if you're flying those days. So, you want to try to come back when the crowds are not coming back. So, don't -- everyone is going to be trying to come back on Monday night. So, you want to avoid that prime time.

WALKER: You know, as I have been looking to book flights for the summer, I mean, I don't know if it's just me, but it seems like flying has gotten so expensive. I mean, are there ways or better ways to find cheaper flights? What are your thoughts about buy now and pay let -- pay later?

HENDERSON: So, the great thing is, actually, prices for domestic flights are actually where they were pre-pandemic. So, we've done some normalization of, at least, domestic airfares. International, still super expensive, especially, places that are high demand right now like Japan, and Europe.

But I am seeing flight deals every single day. At The Points Guy, we publish a flight deal. There are deals to be had out there, Europe for $500. A lot of flight deals to Paris right now, which is strange.

But you know what my favorite tool is, is Google Flights. You can set price alerts, you can just type in your home airport and hit explore and you can see what the cheapest destinations near you are, and plan ahead.

You want to be booking those Christmas trips, or at least start tracking those prices right now.

WALKER: And is it true or is it a myth that flight tickets are actually cheaper when you book them on like a Monday or Tuesday versus a Friday or a Saturday?

HENDERSON: No, that is a total myth.

WALKER: Oh, OK.

HENDERSON: I will say, if you travel on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday, it can be cheaper.

WALKER: Got it.

HENDERSON: But when you book, it doesn't matter. The computers are not tracking you.

WALKER: Got it. And this Memorial holiday weekend, where is everyone going? Like, are there are top destinations especially for the road trips and I guess for the flights. HENDERSON: Yes, always you're going to see Florida being really popular. But short international trips are also really popular right now.

Cancun, they just opened a new airport in Tulum. So, that part of Mexico is very popular. And then, even places like National Parks are going to be big hits, especially this time of year.

WALKER: Clint Henderson, I'm glad you made it through that traffic. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

HENDERSON: Good to be with you.

BLACKWELL: Well, they live through a school shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers. Coming up, how survivors of the Uvalde Texas school shooting are healing two years after the massacre?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:38:31]

BLACKWELL: This week, families in Uvalde, Texas mark two years since the Robb Elementary School shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers.

WALKER: CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is speaking with survivors who are inside the classroom about what their lives are like now, and how the community is rebuilding hope, two years later.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The community has been gathering here in the town square with family members and victims raising orange flags to end gun violence, and to remember the 21 who died two years ago.

And we've been speaking to the families and the victims who are still seeking justice and accountability for the failures that day.

ARNULFO REYES, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: This is a piece of my back. The muscles that are right here, you know which ones they are.

PROKUPECZ: I've never seen you, because used to cover --

REYES: Yes, and sometimes I still cover it, right? But I got to get used to it, and people got to see it, face it, and say, hey, you know he got shot in the arm. And hopefully, they see it, they'll change their minds about guns, right?

You just put on there together like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PROKUPECZ: Arnulfo Reyes is the teacher who's survived two years ago. He was shot in his arm and his back. And then, was just simply tortured for 77 minutes by the gunman. [07:40:02]

Police were outside as he was inside fighting for his life. Somehow, a miracle, he survived.

REYES: After speaking with parents and stuff, they are like, they saved you.

PROKUPECZ: The kids?

REYES: Yes. They saved you. They became angels instantly, and they saved you.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): A.J. was in the classroom next to Reyes is. The gunman shot him in the leg.

Walking for years have been better a little. Walking or it's still -- I know you have the injury.

A.J. MARTINEZ, INJURED IN ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING Yes, it's been better.

PROKUPECZ: It's been better.

MARTINEZ: You know, I don't feel it.

PROKUPECZ: Tell me what life has been like for the past two years since this happened.

MARTINEZ: It's been sad, I've been mad, and it's been happy.

PROKUPECZ: And the two -- as the two years have passed, and you've reflected on different things, what do you want people to know?

MARTINEZ: Please don't all like any tolerance for people who are not going to step up to the plate.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): 11-year-old A.J. is still trying to make sense of the failures that day. Nearly 400 law enforcement officers responded. And yet, they fail to immediately take action and enter the classrooms with the victims.

Do you miss being in the classroom?

REYES: I do. I do miss it. You know, that was -- that was my identity in my life. You know.

PROKUPECZ: Do you ever want to go back?

REYES: Oh, no. I don't.

PROKUPECZ: How come?

REYES: I don't want to have that responsibility again.

PROKUPECZ (voice over): Many of the victims have had trouble returning to school. A newly elected school board member with ties to the families is bringing new hope to this town.

JACKLYN GONZALES, UVALDE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER: We need to rebuild trust and transparency and get them in school. I had a family member reach out to me and she said, if you get on that board, I'm taking my daughter back to that school. It's a lot. I mean, I feel like it's a big weight on my shoulders. But I take it very serious.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 17 numbers existing --

PROKUPECZ (voice over): Reyes now spends all of his time at a store, he runs with his mom.

PROKUPECZ: One of the gifts that you bring is sort of telling us, you know, what happened that day. And if it wasn't for people like you, I don't know that we would ever get --

(CROSSTALK)

REYES: Yes, some part of the story that was -- that happened inside. Yes. They probably would have -- not told anybody anything. But we survived and I think that's the reason that I keep going. I keep going and I keep on talking because it's for them. It's for the kids and for all 21, you know, that day.

MARTINEZ: I just want the world to be more -- no more -- no more like school shootings and nothing.

PROKUPECZ: Every time I see you, you are always smiling. And I think, you know, these situations people always want to find hope. They always want to see that there is something positive. What do you think that is for you?

MARTINEZ: Just be happy. Be happy in every single life we have in this life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PROKUPECZ (on camera): As parents and victims, the survivors, try to seek more answers and get more accountability. Several lawsuits have been filed against the Texas Department of Public Safety -- the officers, the first responders from that agency. But also, they are now suing Meta the parent company of Instagram, and the gun manufacturer Daniel Defense. And also, the publishers of the Call of Duty, that game.

All alleging that the shooter, the gunman in this case was playing Call of Duty in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:48:24]

WALKER: So, I've been checking the hourly weather because I've got outdoor plans today. But --

BLACKWELL: We also have a meteorologist physically the way. So, that's why you were checking (INAUDIBLE) weather.

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: I have been checking the hourly weather with Allison. Every hour. Allison, no. Nearly 70 million people are at risk for some pretty nasty weather today.

BLACKWELL: Aforementioned, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the storms.

WALKER: Call me out like that. I've been checking Allison, too.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I can't -- I can't even tell you how many texts I've gotten from family members that have plans today that want to know, hey, we saw the forecast, is it going to rain? The unfortunate part is yes, we've got a lot of people that have storms in the forecast today.

The bulk of the severe weather is going to be in the central U.S., but you're still going to have storms in portions of the Northeast, the Ohio Valley, and then, even down across portions of the southeast, looking at some storms. And that's where most of the active weather is as we speak.

So, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Huntsville, Alabama, all looking at storms right now. But once we get later into the day, especially this evening, that's when a lot of the really potent severe thunderstorms really begin to ramp back up. And that's also where we have the best chance for tornadoes, we're talking potentially long tracking, meaning the storms that are on the ground for very long times. And some of those tornadoes could be EF2 or even stronger. So, that's going to be a concern for Oklahoma City. Wichita Falls and even up around Kansas City.

Tomorrow, we'll do it all over again. But we're just going to shift it a little bit farther to the east. So, now, you're talking Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, down through Little Rock. The focal point is going to be right there where you see the orange but the threats themselves remain the same.

We're still looking at the potential for tornadoes, damaging wind, and yes, even some hail. So, the timeline again, most of the stuff that's in the southeast really begins to calm back down as we head into the evening hours, but at the same time, that's when we start to see a lot of that activity ramp up in the central U.S.

[07:50:01]

That line will continue to spread east overnight and into Sunday morning. So that's when you're talking about Chicago down through Indianapolis. That's going to be arriving into the afternoon.

And then, by Sunday night and even into Monday, we start to see more showers and thunderstorms across the mid-south and into the southeast as well.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thanks so much.

WALKER: All right. Checking early as well, sports and how Luca Doncic played last night.

BLACKWELL: I wish he is not frightened.

WALKER: What?

BLACKWELL: Andy Scholes is right here.

This is not a sport -- not a sport source.

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: I would never do that to your show.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: How did it go, Amara, do they with?

WALKER: He was unstoppable. Yes.

SCHOLES: Yes.

WALKER: (INAUDIBLE).

SCHOLES: You can see that at all time with Luca. Yes, but so, another instinct classic for Luca, and I tell you what, if he wins six more games, he is really going to prove he's the best basketball player in the world, guys.

You may already be there. The (INAUDIBLE) playing. Last night, Luca, another all-time great game winner in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals with the Mavs we're down to under 10 seconds left. They inbound the ball, of course, to Luca.

The T-wolves they switch Rudy Gobert onto him. and watch what Luca dies he just cooks Gobert, and he's going to nail the step back three to take the lead with three seconds left.

Keep in mind, Gobert is the defensive player of the year, but it didn't matter, no one could guard Luca.

That was your game winner. Luca, 32 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. You can see he was all pumped up as the Mavs win Game Two, 109 -108. They were now up 2-0 in the series.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, he can't effing guard you?

LUCA DONCIC, GUARD, DALLAS MAVERICKS: Sorry?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He can't effing guard you.

DONCIC: Who said that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said that. DONCIC: I didn't say that. I was speaking Slovenian.

SCHOLES (voice over): Of course, Luca in a good mood.

I -- on the ice, we had another overtime throw the Stanley Cup playoffs. Rangers needing a win to avoid falling into an 0-2 hold to the Panthers, without an answer. So, one of the unlikeliest of players Barclay Goodrow, the 31-year-old fourth line are leading the break, a little given go with vintage projects, and he gets it back, buries the wet -- game winner. Kind of get swarmed by his teammates.

Rangers win 2-1. And check out how it sounded on the Rangers radio network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Set out the center, knocked down, by control finds Trocheck. Back out to Barclay Goodrow, it's done. It's got Barclay Goodrow in overtime! We are tied in one.

SCHOLES (voice over): They were so happy, they were giggling. And get this, Goodrow, he's always scored -- he always scored for goals in 80 games on the regular season. He's scored four already in these playoffs. That series now as the South Florida for game three tomorrow tied the game repeats.

All right, finally, 19,000 fans on hand watch Caitlin Clark in the fever take on. The second pick in the draft, Cameron Brink and L.A. Sparks. Not a rough shooting night for Clark, she made just four over 14 shots.

But her last two buckets were big ones, Clark here. The three from a way downtown. Put the fever up six with 2-1/2 to go. Did under a minute, of just too Clark, coming through again here a step back three. Finished with 11 points fever. Get their first win of the season 78-73 in the final.

CAITLIN CLARK, GUARD, INDIANA FEVER: Yes. But I honestly played a really good game. Some nights, you know, the shots going to fall, some nights it's not. I stayed in it, and found my teammates that were open rebounded the ball well was active on defense, and then made some big shots. (INAUDIBLE) and, you know, honestly, just proud of myself. You got to step up and make some shots and I thought we all set up tonight and made some big plays for us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES: Yes. So, got that first win out of the way, guys.

WALKER: Yes.

SCHOLES: Now, we'll see if they can get on a winning streak. Clark and the fever, they are in Las Vegas tonight taking on the two-time defending champion Aces. So, not going to be an easy one.

WALKER: I already -- I already knew that.

SCHOLES: Oh, yes. Sorry, sorry. BLACKWELL: All right. All right.

Still ahead, the American Academy of Pediatrics just released new guidance for mothers who plan to breastfeed. They now say women who are HIV positive should not be excluded from nursing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:58:05]

BLACKWELL: A major paradigm shift for moms with HIV, who want to breastfeed their infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its breastfeeding policy, and this is for the first time since the start of the HIV epidemic.

WALKER: Well, the change comes after new research showed it is rare for virus transmission in breast milk under certain conditions.

CNN's health reporter Jacqueline Howard has more.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Ever since the 1980s, medical groups advised women with HIV to avoid breastfeeding, because of concerns about transmission of the virus. But we're now seeing a reversal in that guidance.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, now says that mothers with HIV can breastfeed with very low risk if they follow these guidelines. They're receiving antiretroviral treatments, and the virus is suppressed in the body.

When those two things happen, the risk of HIV transmission when breastfeeding is estimated to be less than one percent. And this change in guidance aligns with what the Department of Health and Human Services recommends as well.

Outside of establishing a bond between the mom and her newborn, babies who are breastfed have a lower risk of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, severe lower respiratory disease, ear infections, and some other health conditions.

Each year in the United States, nearly 5,000 women with HIV give birth. So, this change in the medical guidance means a lot to many moms out there.

I spoke with one mother in Colorado who has HIV, and she told me she is working with her medical team to safely breastfeed her newborn son. She sees breastfeeding as one of the first things she can do postpartum to help him have a healthy life.

Back to you.

WALKER: Yes, I think a lot of moms see it that way. Jacqueline, thank you.

All right, "FIRST OF ALL" with Victor is coming up next. What do you have? BLACKWELL: Well, it's been four years since the murder of George Floyd.

[08:00:02]

And America still has not had a full rate of reckoning with race in this country and policing. So, after the protests and the calls for change, we look into what has really changed.

END