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Severe Storm Sweeps Across Eastern U.S.; Hundreds of Thousands From Louisiana To Virginia Without Power; Secretary Of State Rubio In Israel To Meet With Officials; Israel Receives U.S. Heavy Bombs As Trump Ends Biden Policy; President Trump Calling For Quick End To Russia's War In Ukraine; European Leaders To Hold Emergency Summit On Ukraine; President Trump To Attend Daytona 500, Race Starts At 1:30 P.M. EST; Trump Administration Cuts Now Focusing On The CDC; Attorneys Struggle To Defend Trump Agenda In Court; A.P.: Twenty Immigration Judges Fired By Trump Administration; GOP Centrists Struggling With Massive Spending Cuts. KY Agencies Helping Refugees Feeling Impacts Of Trump Crackdown; Severe Weather Slams The South; At Least One Dead As A Powerful Storm Sweeps Across The Eastern U.S.; Secy. Of State Rubio Delivers Remarks With Israeli PM Netanyahu. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired February 16, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:37]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Amara Walker.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. We're beginning this morning with breaking news. Any moment, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they're going to hold a joint news conference in Israel. We'll bring that to you live.

But first, severe storms sweeping across parts of the eastern U.S. Several areas are at risk of heavy rain also some snow, in some areas tornadoes. Those are the ones we're watching most closely.

And this morning, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses from Louisiana to Virginia are without power. Tornado watches are still in effect for several states. Overnight, at least one person in Kentucky was killed after swept -- they were being swept away by heavy flood waters.

WALKER: CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is here. She is following all the developments. What do we need to know? These were some really big storms.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. And I think that's the key point. It's not done. I want people to understand that.

Yes, it was bad last night, but these storms are still moving east. So, there's other communities that are in the path of these storms as they continue to shift. So, let's take a look at what we're dealing with.

This is all of the different flood products, flood watches, flood warnings, flash flood warnings. We even have a few flash flood emergencies in effect for some of these areas. Just talking about the sheer volume of rain that has fallen.

You look at this widespread. At least three four inches has fallen in a lot of these places, but we've had numerous spots five, even six inches of rain in a short period of time. Here's a look at that line.

Again, it's a huge system. You've got snow and ice on the northern side. And then all of that heavy rain and even the strong thunderstorms to the south. Those dark red squares, those are the flash flood warnings. Farther to the south, you're looking at the areas where we're talking about some of those tornado warnings as well.

So, here's a look at those flash flood warnings. And these white boxes here, those are the flash flood emergencies. Again, that's where they're telling people get out of -- get to a safe place as fast as you possibly can.

Farther down to the south here, look at this long line. Those orange boxes, all severe thunderstorm warnings, a few tornado warnings into the mix as well. This is on the south side, and that line is going to continue to shift east. So, that's why you still have all of these areas in red under a tornado watch for several more hours. And that could even be advanced a little bit farther east as we go through the rest of the day.

Because you can see by the afternoon, this system is still expected to continue to slide and really doesn't exit this region until we get to this evening.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison, thank you.

WALKER: Well, Marco Rubio is making his -- excuse me, his first trip to Israel as secretary of state just as a shipment of heavy bombs from the United States arrived in Israel. Last month, President Trump lifted the Biden administration's hold on bomb deliveries.

Now, Rubio is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem, while political chaos ripples through the region after President Trump's proposals to take over Gaza and force out Palestinians.

BLACKWELL: Also, Trump is making his move to end the war in Ukraine by sending a group of top officials, including Secretary of State Rubio, to meet with senior Russian officials in Saudi Arabia in the next few days.

We'll have more on that in just a moment. But let's go now to CNN's Nic Robertson, who is live in Jerusalem. And these remarks we're awaiting from Rubio and Prime Minister Netanyahu, what can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, you can see the flags around, the podium set. The microphones have been tested. It should have begun. It was expected to begin about 15 minutes ago. Right now, Marco Rubio, along with Prime Minister Netanyahu, is having an expanded meeting with more of Netanyahu's cabinet members. Prior to that, the pair, Rubio and Netanyahu, had met one on one for about an hour and 40 minutes.

So, a lot on the table to discuss, not least of which Gaza. You talked about chaos and communication and chaos in -- and understanding what's going to happen, what the U.S. position is on Gaza since President Trump has said that all the Gazan residents should leave.

Marco Rubio had come back a day or so later and said they didn't have to leave permanently. President Trump had come back and said, actually, that's kind of the vision. That's what -- that's what we're seeing rebuild. They won't want to come back.

So, we may get a little bit more clarity on that. And I think there's been a lot of pressure coming from the Israeli public for President Trump to weigh in and take a bigger hand in getting more of the hostages released.

We may hear some further indications and guidance on the discussions there on that issue. But I think one of the things to watch out for here is what is said about the West Bank, the West Bank.

[06:05:00]

Now, President Trump had said -- just a couple of weeks ago when he made that big announcement on Gaza he said, in a couple of weeks, I'm going to speak about the West Bank.

Now, there are strong elements in Prime Minister Netanyahu -- Benjamin Netanyahu's government who wants to -- want to annex large parts of the West Bank. In fact, they see it as their historic right to do that.

And so, we can expect the West Bank and the level of support that President Trump, his administration, may give to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on that. And it's expected to be a higher level of support for potential further annexations there than President Biden was ever willing to tolerate. So, that could be something there.

And of course, we may get more indications as well about more potential weapon shipments to come. That shipment that docked today in Ashdod, a big port on the -- on the coast there. It's the MK-84 bombs that were being offloaded. These big, big 2,000-pound bombs that President Biden had decided to put a hold on because of the level of destruction, and that those bombs were wreaking in Gaza.

Subsequent to that, you saw Israel using smaller, more precision weapons. That was a commitment they gave, but they really wanted those big 2,000-pound bombs back in their arsenal. Those are being offloaded and shipped to IDF bases right now this morning.

WALKER: Just the shipment of those bombs sends a big message. Nic Robertson, thank you so much. Now, the Israel-Hamas war is not the only one that President Trump is trying to end. He has also made it clear he wants Russia's war with Ukraine finished, too.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but Europeans, according to the U.S., will not be at the table for those negotiations. CNN's Betsy Klein explains who will get a seat.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Well, Victor and Amara, shortly after his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump said that he wanted talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine to begin, quote, "immediately." And to that end, two sources familiar with the plans tell us that President Trump has dispatched three top aides to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming days to begin those talks.

That includes, according to sources, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security advisor Mike Waltz, as well as special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who will be in Saudi Arabia over the coming days to begin these talks with senior level Russian officials. Now, our colleague Matthew Chance has reported that the kremlin has begun assembling those senior Russian officials, and they will include top political, intelligence and economic figures.

Now, President Trump also told reporters that he expects that he could also be meeting himself personally with Russian President Putin. And he said that that could take place in the, quote, "not too distant future" and would also potentially be happening in Saudi Arabia. He has also indicated that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman could be part of those discussions. Of course, the crown prince has been a key interlocutor between the U.S. and Russia.

Now, one party that would not be at the negotiating table, according to special envoy to Russia and Ukraine General Keith Kellogg, is the Europeans. Kellogg did say, however, that the Ukrainians would have a seat at the negotiating table. And he also suggested that Russia could have to make some concessions. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH KELLOGG, RUSSIA-UKRAINE ENVOY: To me, there's going to have to be things like territorial concessions as well. Some of it is unrealistic to expect where you'd want to go to. But it's territorial. It's some territorial. It could be engagement of refusing to use force, without the use of force into the future from a political side.

He's not going to downsize his military forces, hopefully get rid of it. What we're going to try to do is basically force him into action -- what you want to do is force him to actions maybe he's uncomfortable with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: We are seeing President Trump dramatically reshape U.S. foreign policy as it comes to Russia and Ukraine, and also attempt to rebuild those relations with President Putin. But certainly, very critical talks in the days ahead. We'll be watching quite closely, Victor and Amara.

WALKER: All right. Betsy, thank you for that. And joining me now is CNN global affairs analyst Kim Dozier. Kim, good morning.

So, let's talk about Marco Rubio as he has made his first trip to Israel as secretary of state. And we were mentioning that there was this new shipment of U.S. bombs that has arrived in Israel. Also, there is this tenuous ceasefire hostage deal that remains in place. Both the Israeli and American governments have been pressuring Hamas for days to release all the remaining hostages, in hopes of sustaining the ceasefire deal and moving on to the next phase.

Talk to me about the pressure Secretary of State Rubio faces right now.

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, the secretary of state has got to try to convince Netanyahu to at least follow through with the first phase, because there are, by last count, six more living hostages who are supposed to be exchanged in the first phase, but also to convince Netanyahu to go through with negotiations for the second phase to get the Israeli soldiers out.

[06:10:22]

Because at this point, what Netanyahu is facing is the threat of the right wing of his coalition pulling out entirely, possibly dissolving his coalition and triggering new elections if he agrees to an Israeli defense forces pullout from Gaza, which part -- which is part of the second phase. So, you know, Netanyahu doesn't want to do that, and you at least have the sign that the U.S. understands he might order his forces to return to fighting in that they've delivered those 2,000- pound bombs.

Those bombs generally aren't for use in places like Syria or Lebanon. They've been used previously in Gaza and parts of the West Bank.

WALKER: So, then given this tenuous political situation that Netanyahu is in, and the fact that the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs have made it to Israel from the from the U.S., what message does that send in terms of moving forward to the second phase, which would look for a permanent end to this war?

DOZIER: Well, the problem is that President Trump has articulated a permanent end which turns Gaza into a sort of Atlantic city developed by the U.S. and devoid of Palestinians. Arab leaders are still trying to communicate to Trump, to change his mind, to present an alternative, because for them, having Palestinians forced out of Gaza is -- it's existential. It would cause probably a third Palestinian uprising, perhaps a second Arab Spring.

The officials I've spoken to are very worried that President Trump has gotten this notion fastened in his mind, which certainly goes along with the Israeli right wing. They would love to see Gaza come back to them but -- so you have the secretary of state trying to push ahead on diplomatic solutions, get as many hostages out, but he's facing a leadership conversation that goes in the opposite direction. So, Rubio really is facing pressure from multiple sides.

WALKER: Do you expect Rubio to push for this widely condemned idea from Trump to relocate the Palestinians and take -- an American takeover of Gaza? Because, as you know, Rubio has a much more conventional worldview than Trump has.

DOZIER: Yes. Well, he has a conventional worldview, but he will do what the president has ordered him to do. That's what we're all really waiting to see this press conference, to see what sort of ideas he articulates.

I know that King Abdullah's team and King Abdullah, when he met the president this past week at the White House, tried to stress behind closed doors this idea of flushing the Palestinians out is a nonstarter. What Rubio says behind that podium will be one of our major hints as to whether King Abdullah and other Arab leaders have managed to shift Trump's position and change his mind.

WALKER: So, Secretary of State Rubio, along with other U.S. officials, are set to travel to Saudi Arabia, apparently in the coming days, to meet with Russian officials. European leaders will now be holding an emergency summit because they are not expected to be at the negotiating table to talk about an end, you know, to the war that's happening on their continent.

I mean, how big of a slap in the face is this? And what can Europe do about it?

DOZIER: Oh, massive. Rubio, by the way, will be hearing from the Saudis about the Gaza situation, but the Europeans, when the envoy -- Keith Kellogg, the envoy to Ukraine, revealed in -- at Munich yesterday that Europe's -- Europeans would not be at the bargaining table.

They're having emergency meetings, both today in Munich, tomorrow in Paris. They are furious because they have actually provided 25 percent of Ukraine aid to -- the US is about 20 percent since 2022. And they will be asked to guarantee the peace, whatever peace is negotiated, possibly by deploying troops, their troops inside Ukraine to keep Russia from invading again. And they'll be expected to pay billions of dollars to help rebuild the damage that Russia has wrought with its aggression.

[06:15:03]

So, to find out that this White House has decided to cut them out just after Vice President J.D. Vance came to Munich and bawled them out on a number of social issues when they were expecting to hear him articulate a Ukraine plan. It's really a message to them that they are on their own, and they're going to try to flex their political muscles to make sure they're not completely cut out, because they feel like they're representing Ukraine better than the White House. They don't want to see Kyiv get sold out to Moscow.

WALKER: Yes, they sure don't, because there are implications for these European neighbors. Kim Dozier, thank you. BLACKWELL: There is a lot of anxiety at the Centers for Disease Control. It is the latest agency hit by President Trump's job cuts. We're getting reaction from the federal workers who were let go.

WALKER: Plus, friends and family are celebrating the life of Sam Lilley, the pilot who died in the mid-air collision over Washington, D.C. We're going to hear from those who knew and loved him.

And country music star Eric Church is keeping his promise to build homes for those who lost everything in Hurricane Helene. Still to come, we'll tell you how many homes he has built for storm victims.

BLACKWELL: Also, we're standing by. Secretary of state Marco Rubio is in Jerusalem preparing to give remarks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We will bring those to you live when they happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:06]

BLACKWELL: President Trump will attend the Daytona 500 today. That's if it isn't postponed because of weather. Green flag drops at 1:30, an hour earlier than originally planned.

WALKER: This is not President Trump's first time attending the great American race. He served as grand marshal in 2020. On the starting lineup, Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric in the front row.

Now, the job cuts don't stop. Now, a source tells us the Trump administration is targeting the CDC with hundreds of employees in the crosshairs.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Rafael Romo reports on who's out of a job and who could be next. Rafael, good morning.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara. There's a lot of fear and anxiety, especially given what one CDC employee, who would like to remain unidentified for obvious reasons, told me that this may only be the beginning and that the cuts may be deep and widespread.

At the CDC alone, about 1,300 employees may have lost their jobs. According to a CNN source, one of those departments is a unit that has investigated public health threats here in the U.S. and abroad, including COVID-19.

We have also learned that at least one member of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency visited the Internal Revenue Service offices in Washington on Thursday as part of its mission to downsize government agencies. Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers Thursday night at the National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency tasked with managing the nation's nuclear stockpile.

Although an energy department spokesperson disputed the number of personnel affected, telling CNN that less than 50 people were dismissed. The terminations were rescinded Friday after the full scope of their critical mission became clear.

For obvious reasons, many federal employees we got in touch with are afraid to speak on camera about what they are going through. But earlier we had a chance to speak with someone who has already received the fork in the road email and wanted to make clear that she was talking to us in a personal capacity, and not on behalf of any agency or union. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MT SNYDER, FIELD EXAMINER, NLRB: Well, so I was one of many workers who received an email from the Office of Personnel Management that said, resign now or get fired later. That's not a choice. That's a threat. That's a coup. That's a hostile takeover of the government by billionaires.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: We have obtained several internal emails from the CDC about the layoffs. Some deal with the terminations, but others target diversity, equity and inclusion programs that the Trump administration is terminating.

One message is a not so veiled threat against some workers. It reads, in part, we are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting of this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.

There has been no comment so far from the CDC. On Tuesday, Elon Musk defended his actions by saying that, quote, "The people voted for major government reform and that's what people are going to get." Victor, Amara, back to you.

BLACKWELL: Rafael Romo, thanks so much. Joining us now, Julia Manchester, reporter with "The Hill." Julia, good morning. Good to have you.

Let's talk about this A.P. reporting as we stay with the cuts here. A.P. is reporting 20 immigration judges fired, 13 judges who have not been sworn in yet, five assistant chief immigration judges dismissed without notice or explanation. Even considering the years long backlog and the immigration priority of this administration, what explains these dismissals?

JULIA MANCHESTER, POLITICAL REPORTER, THE HILL: Look, it's a good question, and it seems like it has left a lot of people scratching their heads because, as you said, Victor, we know that this administration has really prioritized immigration at the situation -- and the situation at the southern border.

[06:25:09]

But it could speak to the tension in many ways between President Trump, his administration and parts of the judicial branch. You know, a lot of critics would say, maybe this is a way for President Trump to weed out, you know, judges he may be critical of on this issue of immigration so he can push his agenda through. You know, obviously, the Trump administration would publicly push back on that, but it is quite perplexing, given their strong focus on immigration in the past.

BLACKWELL: These cuts are being executed in a way that attorneys are going to these courtrooms before judges from the Department of Justice, and they're unprepared. They're telling the judges they don't know. It has happened several times.

Is this a possibility? Are there any concerns that the way in which the cuts are happening could jeopardize other elements of the president's agenda?

MANCHESTER: You know, I don't think there's only concerns when it comes to these cuts in particular for these immigration judges. But I think you're seeing that across the board, because it's the speed at which the Trump administration and, you know, in many ways, DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, is you know moving in terms of how they would characterize it, slimming down the size of the federal government and, you know, getting rid of officials they deem unessential or critics would say they, you know, disagree with and they want to get out of the way.

I think it's in many ways, you know, a strategy for the Trump administration to flood the zone, if you will, to essentially get these cuts out of the way as soon as possible, move at breakneck speed. And I think this is very much an example of that.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about Congress. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer held a rare Saturday caucus call to strategize. This week, Senator Graham's budget proposal could come to the floor. Democrats don't have the votes to block passage, but is a strategy taking shape?

MANCHESTER: You know, I think a strategy for Democrats, obviously, they're in the minority. So, they don't -- they can't block passage. So, it's going to be difficult for them moving forward.

But I think on the Republican side, look, they are moving towards that, you know, budget proposal that Senator Graham is, you know, pushing through. It seems like they, you know, are inching towards that.

I think, you know, in many ways, the more interesting story is in the House where we see Mike Johnson's plan on this issue sort of facing, you know, headwinds when it comes to divide within the GOP conference. You have, for example, centrist Republicans facing off or having tensions with more conservative leaning, you know, fiscal hardliners on this issue.

And, you know, I think these hardliners are wanting cuts so deep that it could impact, you know, health care costs -- health care, in terms of the budget when it comes to Medicaid, for example. So, you're seeing that tension emerge. Mike Johnson is really having to walk this very fine line when it comes to that. So that's why, I think, in many ways, Republicans are looking towards the Senate plan. BLACKWELL: Julia Manchester with "The Hill," thanks so much for being with us this Sunday. Enjoy the day.

WALKER: And we are standing by. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Jerusalem preparing to give remarks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We will bring them to you live when they happen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:58]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, released a statement on a new website created by his attorneys ahead of his court appearance scheduled for this Friday.

In the statement, Mangione said that he's grateful for the support he's received. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges. He's not yet entered a plea on federal murder charges.

A memorial service was held yesterday for American Airlines pilot Sam Lilley, who died in the January 29th midair collision over Washington, D.C. The service happened yesterday at his alma mater, Georgia Southern University.

And CNN affiliate WJCL reported that aviation workers, family and friends gathered to honor his legacy and to support his loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH ENGELMAN, SAM'S FRATERNITY BROTHER: He was a man you could depend on, reliable, and always sought to help others. He always found ways to lift us up, finding words of encouragement for anyone in need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Lilley was preparing for his wedding this fall. He was 28 years old.

Country singer Eric Church says that he's making progress on his plan to provide homes for Helene victims.

According to our CNN affiliate WSOC, his nonprofit, Chief Cares, bought land in Avery County, one of the hardest hit areas in North Carolina, where he plans to place up to 40 homes. Delays from winter weather, though, push the timeline past Easter.

Meanwhile, cleanup is happening, and the first modular homes are expected to be in place by June.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Many immigrants facing fear and uncertainty as the Trump administration targets their communities, even some of those who've been living in the U.S. legally. Migrants with temporary protective status, incoming refugees and the organizations who support them are all trying to find a way forward.

Here's CNN's Isabel Rosales reporting from Kentucky.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you arrived in Louisville, how did you arrive?

SEMSUDIN HASELJIC, PROGRAM LEADER, KENTUCKY REFUGEE MINISTRIES: Imagine me without prosthetics, on a stretcher and in wheelchair.

[06:35:05]

ROSALES (voice-over): A war-injured refugee. For two decades now, Semsudin Haseljic's life work has been to help others like him at Kentucky Refugee Ministries.

A flurry of executive orders targeting immigration signed in one of Donald Trump's first acts as president. One of them indefinitely suspending refugee admissions, a legal and vigorously vetted pathway, and canceling flights that were already booked.

HASELIJIC: We did not imagine a hard stop on refugee arrivals.

ROSALES (voice-over): A whiplash moment for resettlement agencies nationwide. And especially heartfelt in Kentucky, which ranks top five in the nation per capita in refugee arrivals. The order claims the U.S. can't absorb large numbers of refugees without compromising the resources, safety, and security of Americans.

HASELIJIC: The administration's claim that refugees are putting burden on the communities and everything that --

ROSALES: What do you say to that?

HASELIJIC: That's totally not true because our refugees are becoming self-sufficient.

ROSALES: Trump says it's also a matter of national security.

HASELIJIC: Refugees are the most vetted population that comes to the United States.

ROSALES (voice-over): And the order doesn't stop there. Federal funding to aid refugees already here is frozen. Money that would cover costs for food, rent, English classes, and employment services. Until refugees could stand on their own.

Janvier Ndagijimana's family barely made the cut, arriving just six days before Trump took office.

Through a translator, he tells me he spent 30 years living in refugee camps. Forced to escape his homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he insists, he would have died from war and violence.

ROSALES: When you heard about these executive orders, did you cry as a family?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said he felt so much pain in him when he came to learn that.

ROSALES (voice-over): It's the pain of a father separated from his children. Two of them, adults, had their tickets booked for this month abruptly canceled.

His son, Jack, says without that critical money coming into support refugee settlement, he's fearful his family won't make it.

ROSALES: You're worried you could end up homeless?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

ROSALES (voice-over): If the suspension continues, KRM projects it will lose almost $1.5 million this fiscal year.

ROSALES: But the money's not there right now?

HASELIJIC: They say temporarily stopped.

ROSALES: Are you worried that that could be extended?

HASELIJIC: Nobody has crystal ball right now because the administration seems to be doing whatever they want to be doing.

ROSALES: What's next for their family?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only thing they can do is just to pray to God to change the heart of the president so he can do the right thing.

ROSALES (voice-over): Isabel Rosales, Louisville, Kentucky, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right, Isabel, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Severe weather is slamming parts of the South right now. Take a look at the map.

It is lighting up the radar. You can see some of these boxes about tornado watches and warnings, massive power outages.

Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking it all next.

Also, comic trio of Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black are back for a brand new season of "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU" with guest comedian and actor Andy Richter and attorney George Conway together. Streaming now on Max.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:43:26]

WALKER: We are tracking some powerful storms as they move across the eastern U.S.

BLACKWELL: CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is following all the developments for us.

Allison, there are some active warnings right now.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on-camera): Yes, rough estimate, at least two dozen active warnings. And that varies from flash flood warnings to severe thunderstorm warnings. We even have some flash flood emergencies in effect.

And you can see that whole line just stretching all the way from the northeast down to the southeast. And here are these red boxes. Those are the flash flood warnings. The white boxes indicate flash flood emergencies where they are talking about evacuations. They're trying to get people into those safe locations. Farther south, severe is the concern here.

So, these all these orange boxes are severe thunderstorm warnings. And we've had tornado warnings off and on embedded within this line over the last few hours as well. So that's why there's still the potential for tornadoes as we go through the remainder of the morning.

All of this red area here has a tornado watch valid until 9:00 a.m. on the northern side, 10:00 a.m. eastern time on the southern side.

We also have wind warnings. Now, that's mostly for the northern tier. So, areas of the northeast and the mid-Atlantic looking at pretty high wind warnings. You're talking about winds up around 50 to 60 miles per hour. We already have a tremendous amount of power outages on the south side. You may start to see these numbers go up in the northeast and the mid-Atlantic as those winds begin to kick up there as well.

You're looking across the southeast, over 600,000 people without power as we speak. Again, those numbers could end up going up throughout the day as the system continues to slide off towards the east. The good news is by the time we get to tonight, Victor and Amara, we will finally see an end to this particular system.

BLACKWELL: All right. Allison Chinchar, watching it for us. Thanks so much.

WALKER: Thank you, Allison.

[06:45:00]

Southern California is digging out after mudslides and debris covered the Pacific Palisades and Topanga Canyon areas, forcing evacuations and road closures.

BLACKWELL: Now these are the same areas that fought devastating wildfires last month and now they have new challenges. Rock slides, mudslides are threatening homes and businesses.

Here's CNN correspondent Julia Vargas Jones.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor and Amara, the rain has stopped but the work is very much just beginning.

We're here on the Pacific Coast Highway. We're seeing crews cleaning up all of that mud and debris that has come down the sides of these mountains up here. This is a creek that's coming down this canyon, water still running. We heard from authorities that this was overflowing with mud and debris on Friday and Thursday. That is what brought all of it down to the middle of this highway. This is a busy street.

You know, we saw all of the damage or the fires caused here. One of the businesses at the very corner here of PCH and Las Flores and Las Flores Canyon, this business made it through the fires and we saw as the business owner came here for the first time to see the damage that these mudslides had caused.

Take a listen to what she said.

LYNN BEALER, MALIBU RESIDENT: It feels pretty amazing. I must tell you, very amazing.

JONES: You feel taken care of?

BEALER: I do, I do. I feel very honored. Very honored. And once again, I love the community of Malibu. They're very special people here. It's a wonderful community.

JONES: And that concern for the community, Victor and Amara, is something that we've heard time and again from the people here. Just across the street over here, we have Duke's. That's a restaurant that has served as a staging area for first responders throughout the fire. Over the past few days, they were hit also with mudslides, mud coming into the restaurant, which also had been saved from the fire, spared from those fires.

Now, cleaning crews have been inside, cleaning up, hoping to bring the restaurant back to what it was before the fires and before these mudslides.

You know, the Cal Fire PIO that we spoke to here said that this was a cornerstone of also not just community, but also of the response to the fire and these tragedies, these double tragedies that are hitting California.

Another concern now, though, looking forward, is what is it that is in all of this water and this debris that is now being pushed into the Pacific Ocean? We've been watching as crews have pushed all of this into the ocean, but also experts that we have spoken to saying that there is still a question of what is it that is in this mix of ash and debris from the fires, where chemicals, paint, cars, all of this is kind of mixed together and asking questions and Californians asking questions of their authorities as well as what are the consequences for the environment and for their health of being in the middle of all of this.

Victor, Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, Julia Vargas Jones, thanks so much.

Let's now go to Jerusalem, where the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is making remarks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: -- reflected in everywhere. Throughout your political career, you've been a great supporter of Israel and a great champion of the U.S.-Israel alliance. I have no doubt that your unwavering support will continue during your tenure as Secretary of State, and I also have no doubt that you will be a voice of clarity and courage on the world stage for the values that we in Israel, you in America hold dear, the values of freedom for all those who cherish liberty. You're already doing that, and I want to tell you that it's heard loud and clear here and everywhere else.

Today, Secretary Rubio and I had a very productive discussion with our staffs on a number of issues. None of them are more important than Iran. Israel and America stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering the threat of Iran. We agreed that the Ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons, and we also agree that Iran's aggression in the region has to be rolled back. Over the last 16 months, Israel has dealt a mighty blow to Iran's terror axis. Under the strong leadership of President Trump and with your unflinching support, I have no doubt that we can and will finish the job.

We also spoke a great deal about Gaza. I thank Secretary Rubio for President Trump's assistance in helping us secure the release of another three hostages yesterday. These are hostages that Hamas refused to support only a few days earlier, to release only a few days earlier, and I also thanked him for America's unequivocal blacking for Israel's policy in Gaza in moving forward.

I want to assure everyone who's now listening to us, President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination between us. We have a common strategy, and we can't always share the details of this strategy with the public, including when the gates of hell will be opened, as they surely will if all our hostages are not released until the last one of them.

[06:50:19]

Israel is determined to achieve all the war objectives we set after the horrific attack on October 7th, the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. We will eliminate Hamas's military capability and its political rule in Gaza. We will bring all our hostages home, and we will ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel. The unequivocal support of the United States on Gaza will help us achieve these objectives faster and set us on a path for a different future.

Secretary Rubio and I discussed President Trump's bold vision for Gaza, for Gaza's future, how we can work together to ensure that that future becomes a reality.

We also discussed the situation in Syria after the collapse of Assad's regime, a collapse that was made possible by Israel's weakening of Iran's terror access, especially the weakening of Hezbollah and the removal of Nasrallah.

For over a decade before October 7th, Israel acted to prevent Iran from developing new terror fronts against us in Syria, right opposite the Golan Heights and deeper in Syria. And we conducted hundreds of airstrikes, perhaps a thousand, in order to prevent it, and we did.

Now, if any other force in Syria today believes that Israel will permit other hostile forces to use Syria as a base of operations against us, they are gravely mistaken. Israel will act to prevent any threat from emerging near our border in southwest Syria.

The Secretary and I discussed Lebanon as well. Israel is committed to the ceasefire understandings that were reached in November. We expect the Government of Lebanon to be equally committed to their fulfillment. The scenes we saw this weekend in Beirut of UNIFIL forces being attacked by Hezbollah, this was not encouraging.

The two UN resolutions that everyone refers to, 1559, 1709, 1701, well, they must be fully implemented. Hezbollah must be disarmed. And Israel would prefer that the Lebanese army do that job, but no one should doubt that Israel will do what it has to do to enforce the understandings of the ceasefire and defend our security.

The Secretary and I also discussed how the many international institutions have been hijacked and turned into anti-American and anti-Israeli forums. We see that in the UN General Assembly, in the UN Human Rights Commission, where anti-Americanism is rampant, and more resolutions are passed about Israel than the rest of the world combined. And we see it especially in the lawfare that is being waged against America and Israel at the ICC, the ICJ, and elsewhere.

The ICC has outrageously libeled Israel and issued arrest warrants based on utter lies. Like America, Israel is not subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC and does not accept the court's authority. Israel commends President Trump and his administration for restoring his executive order against the ICC and for moving quickly to sanction ICC officials.

The Secretary and I discussed working together to formulate a common strategy to deal with the threat of lawfare and neutralize this threat once and for all.

So, these are some of the issues we discussed today. Believe it or not, there were more, many more.

We can say that the Middle East today has many opportunities, many challenges, and we think we can realize the opportunities and also meet the challenges. And I have no doubt that working together, America and Israel will overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities. I have to say that I'm absolutely confident that under President Trump's leadership and working together with you, Secretary Rubio, Marco, the best days of our alliance are still yet to come.

Welcome to Jerusalem. Welcome, my friend.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. It is an honor to be back here. I've been here many times before as an American visiting and then as a member of the United States Senate, but now for the first time as the Secretary of State of the United States, and it's an honor to be here. And it's an honor to serve in this role on behalf of President Donald Trump, who, as you've accurately stated, Mr. Prime Minister, is a tremendous friend of Israel.

There's been no stronger ally for Israel in the White House than President Trump. He's also a man that speaks clearly and unambiguously and makes clear his views on issues. The first he's made clear is, and as you've pointed out, the hostages need to come home. They need to be released.

And you work in very close coordination with him. He's working in very close coordination but with the Prime Minister and his government in ensuring that that happens, that must happen. It's not optional.

[06:55:09]

And I would add that that's a goal we share in common, and that is something we work on very closely together.

The President has also been very bold about his view of what the future for Gaza should be. Not the same tired ideas of the past, but something that's bold, and something that, frankly, took courage and vision in order to outline.

And it may have shocked and surprised many, but what cannot continue is the same cycle, where we repeat over and over again and wind up in the exact same place.

Related to that, the President's been very clear. Hamas cannot continue as a military or government force. And frankly, as long as it stands as a force that can govern or as a force that can administer or as a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace becomes impossible. They must be eliminated. It must be eradicated.

On the broader issues that we discussed as well is the questions in Syria. And while the fall of Assad is certainly promising and important, if Syria replacing one destabilizing force for another is not a positive development, and that is something that we will watch very carefully as we seek to craft our own strategy with regards to how to approach the events in Syria.

In the case of Lebanon, our goals are aligned in the same, a strong Lebanese state that can take on and disarm Hezbollah.

The common theme in all of these challenges is Iran. It is the single greatest source of instability in the region, behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people who call this region home, is Iran. And by Iran I mean the Ayatollahs, by Iran I mean its regime, a regime who, by the way, its people don't support. The people of Iran are victims of that regime. And so, I think it's important to constantly point that whether we talk about Hamas or we talk about Hezbollah or we talk about violence in the West Bank or we talk about destabilization in Syria or we talk about any of these issues, the militias in Iraq, they all have behind them one common theme, Iran. And that must be addressed.

And there can never be a nuclear Iran, a nuclear Iran that could then hold itself immune from pressure and from action. That can never happen. The President's been clear about that as well.

And so, I close where I began by reiterating our strong support for our allies, very close allies and partners here in Israel, to the people of this great country, for whom we have tremendous love and respect for everything you're facing, have faced, and continue to face. It is an extraordinary story of bravery. A nation founded in the ashes and in the aftermath of a horrifying crime against humanity, stood from its very inception, from the very day of its birth, against threats from every angle and every corner, and has served as an example to the world of a pluralistic society, a free enterprise democracy, and one that if there were more Israels in the Middle East, more countries like that, the world would be a safer and a better place.

This is what we hope for the region and for our planet. A nation that's always sought peace, but will not allow itself to be intimidated or destroyed by its enemies. And on that front, you can always count on us, as long as I'm in this position and President Trump is in the White House.

So, thank you.

NETANYAHU: Thank you.

WALKER: All right, you just heard Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking alongside the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Marco Rubio made his first trip as Secretary of State to the region.

Let's go now to CNN's Nic Robertson, who's standing by live in Jerusalem. They obviously covered a lot of ground there, and both leaders did reiterate America's unwavering support for Israel and the fact that they both have a common strategy.

Well, what stood out to you, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on-camera): Yes, one of the things that really stood out was just how joined up this was, that they both spoke through the same issues, both said the same thing about the same issues, both spoke about the level of support between the two countries. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanking President Trump for helping get the release of the three hostages just yesterday, saying that all the hostages will be released.

You know, they broke it down into key areas, but that theme that they both referred back to several times, Iran. And when they said Iran, they both said this is the Ayatollahs, the regime, clearly trying to present that daylight, that they're not speaking about the people of Iran, but this is something against the Ayatollahs of Iran. They will not --