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Severe Weather Threats; Trump Returns To New York; America's Choice 2024. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 06, 2024 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:33:20]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: While the terrible flooding has begun to recede in Texas, millions of people across Oklahoma and Kansas are being warned, powerful kind of huge hail are likely headed their way. In southeastern Texas, that heavy rain caused deadly flooding, and destroyed homes and businesses over the weekend. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking all of it for us.

Derek, this has been such a devastating flood that we've seen before from Harvey. And now you've got a whole another area that is worried about really extreme weather.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Tornadoes, today that is the risk. And I don't want to mince words, today is the day that you want to have your shelter and your safe place known by you and your family if you're located anywhere within this location. In fact, you want to consider perhaps bringing a helmet with you, perhaps consider having an underground shelter available to you, because the potential here exists for intense long track tornadoes.

And we believe the Storm Prediction Center has talked about them considering raising this to the highest risk level that they have issued for this area. It has been exactly well just over one year that the Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 5 of 5 high risk for the United States, it has been over five years since Oklahoma has been included within that high risk and over seven years for Kansas.

So if they do upgrade that here within the coming hours, that would be significant. And that would be really saying something about the environment, the volatile environment that we are working with to date.

Timeframe would be later this afternoon and evening but it will also include the potential for nocturnal tornadoes. That means tornadoes after dark that can be twice as deadly and extremely dangerous.

[07:35:05]

Look at this hatched area you can see across Kansas all the way through Oklahoma. By the way, this includes Wichita to Oklahoma City, the greatest chance of 111 mile per hour winds or greater, that's an EF2 tornado exists across this location. You want to be weather aware have multiple ways to receive your weather warnings including your cell phone, but also weather radar radios as well and giant hail.

They're using wording like giant hail. I haven't seen that actually explicitly used within Storm Prediction Center wording. So for them to mention that is significant. Also the potential for hurricane force gusts with some of the storms that will form later this afternoon and evening across this area, particularly through this hatched region. And by the way, Sara, it doesn't end today. The chance of severe storms advances eastward through Wednesday of this week.

SIDNER: Wow. You've never heard giant hail, I don't know what that means, because we've seen things like golf ball size. This is maybe baseball size hail.

VAN DAM: Baseball, softball size hail.

PETER VAN SANT^ Wow. Okay, all right. The warning has been put out. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Got to say, those are urgent warnings.

SIDNER: Yes.

BERMAN: We'll need to pay attention today and have multiple ways of getting your weather information as Derek said, all right.

New this morning, Nathan Wade, the former lead prosecutor in Georgia's election subversion case of version case against Donald Trump, he is speaking out about the workplace romance that led to his resignation. Wade told ABC News that is romantic relationship with DA Fani Willis was, "as American as apple pie." CNN's Nick Valencia is in Atlanta with the latest on this net.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, American as apple pie. That's one way to put it. You remember the drama, John. It's just really captured the attention of everyone. It was an office romance that threatened to derail years of work for Fani Willis and her team. The focus was -- it was the focus of disqualification hearings for months, hearings that Fani Willis narrowly survived.

And now in an exclusive interview with ABC News, her former top deputy, Nathan Wade, is defending that office romance saying, well, he regrets that his personal life became a wrapped up in the merits of this case. That the disqualifications hearings themselves, he says, we're a mockery of the legal profession.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHAN WADE, FORMER GEORGIA SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: Workplace romances are as American as apple pie. It happens to everyone. But it happened to the two of us.

LINSEY DAVIS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: Do you regret it?

WADE: I regret that that private matter became the focal point of this very important prosecution. This is a very important case. I hate that my personal life has begun to overshadow the true issues in the case. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Wade didn't talk about the details of the Trump criminal case but did get into a little bit of the specifics about how the romance developed, saying that it happened after hours spent together investigating this case. He says that Willis and Wade are no longer in a relationship. Of course, Wade ultimately had to step down in order for Fani Willis to stay on this case.

And we should mention that Trump and his remaining 14 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to the sprawling charges in this case. And very important to note, there still is not yet a trial date set in this case. John?

BERMAN: Nick Valencia in Atlanta with apple pie. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, Donald Trump is returning to court week four of his criminal trial in New York is about to get underway. Everyone waiting to see who will next to take the stand after the dramatic testimony from by Hope Hicks, once considered one of Donald Trump's closest confidants and most trusted aide.

Hicks gave her take on, well, quite a lot, as she was called to testify, her take on star witness, Michael Cohen, telling the jury it would have been out of character for Michael Cohen to pay Stormy Daniels on his own, adding that she never found him to be in especially charitable or selfless person. She also pulled back the veil on the inner workings of the Trump campaign, how concerned they all were about the fall from the release of the Access Hollywood tape, and also saying giving Trump's take on the Stormy Daniels scandal, that it was better that the scandal came out in 2018 than just before the 2020 election. She also described Donald Trump though, as a family man who valued and respected his wife's opinion.

Joining us right now is CNN legal commentator, former Trump White House lawyer Jim Schultz. It's good to see you, Jim. Okay.

So week four starts today. The prosecution ends week three with Hope Hicks, summoned her against her will to testify, to really demonstrate, what they're trying to do is demonstrate would they say was Trump's outside rule -- outsize role in trying to hide the Stormy Daniels scandal and others. What do you think overall she did for the prosecution?

[07:40:02]

JIM SCHULTZ, CNN LEGAL COMMENTATOR: I think it was a wash at the end of the day. First off, what she did for the prosecution, there was no blockbuster moment for the prosecution. No shock that the campaign and Donald Trump were really worried about the Stormy Daniels issue, the Karen McDougal issue, and any of the issues surrounding the Access Hollywood tape. That was all no shock, no new news there.

It was interesting that she did -- the one quote that they grab everybody at the end and granted, he said this in 2018, that, wow, really great that that came out in 2017 and not 2000 -- it came out in 2018 and not 2017. That was a key moment --

BOLDUAN: I want to -- that's exactly I want to ask you about. But let me read that for everybody, and then give me your take, please. I'm sorry to interrupt because I did want to ask you to specifically about it.

This is what Hope Hicks said from the stand, and I think Mr. Trump's opinion was, it was better to be dealing with it now. And then, it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election. Dealing with it now is Stormy Daniels in 2018 rather than just before the 2020 election.

People did think that is a big moment, giving -- placing him with knowledge of the scandal and the payment. And also that the part, you know, part of the consideration is exactly at issue, which is the campaign. You say though what?

SCHULTZ: So yes, she said it was her opinion that he believed that. And also, you know, one thing that's important there is, yes, he acknowledged the payment. He wrote the check -- so, of inside the check. So that's no big news, either.

I think what also on balance came through on that was the fact that this is a business records case, and they weren't able to establish the connection between Donald Trump and that business record that was recorded. What they did show was that again, no shock, Donald Trump was very involved in the communications and the front facing piece of his campaign. Every message that goes out, he checks on. That's no surprise to anybody either.

But that doesn't mean that he's involved in the intricacies of how that business record was recorded, and that's something they're going to have to establish. On the other side of it, she did take off after Michael Cohen, and say Michael Cohen was always trying to force himself into the campaign, always trying to be part of it.

And what she concluded is that he frequently went rogue, and he never spoke on behalf of the campaign. He was always speaking on behalf of the Trump Organization.

BOLDUAN: It's impossible to know the impact of any test -- any piece of testimony or anything that happens in court on the jury, of course, until the very end. But how emotional she became at points while on the stand, what impact could that have had on the jury, do you think?

SCHULTZ: I think she came across as very credible to the jury, right? She was open, she was honest, she was forthright, she answered all the questions. She did not escape. And then she got upset.

I mean, she's sitting across from her former boss, who she clearly cares about. And, you know, he's watching every piece of testimony. And of course, when she's testifying in a way that could potentially hurt his case, right, that her testimony could potentially hurt her case, that has to be upsetting for anyone who cares about the person her sitting across. And I think that was just -- that came out in that moment during the trial. BOLDUAN: Yes. It's good to see you, Jim. Thanks for coming in. John?

SCHULTZ: Good to see you. Thanks.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, an extra special graduation for one Atlanta area family, Ronald Yancey presented his granddaughter with her diploma 59 years after he became Georgia Tech's first black graduate. After being rejected twice, Ronald broke barriers in 1965, earning his degree in engineering. The university dedicated a statue of him in 2019 recognizing that achievement.

Deanna acknowledged her grandfather as a trailblazer following in his footsteps earning a Master's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Kate?

BOLDUAN: That's awesome. That's some good, good, good stuff. Then there's this. The terrifying moment a man pulls a gun on a pastor and other clergy jumping into action, all of it caught on the church's live stream. We'll bring that to you. And Kristi Noem, her cleanup may be the strangest cleanup of all time, while defending her admission that she shot and killed her own dog, she says she'd like to see another famous dead as well.

[07:44:25]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Today marks a celebration for the British royal family as King Charles and Queen Camilla marks the first anniversary of their coronation. The royal family just sharing these images. The family has been through a lot this year, King Charles diagnosed with cancer as well as Princess Kate. The commemoration comes on the heels of a 75- year-old return to public duties following his three months of cancer treatment.

Mexican authorities say they've solved the case of three missing surfers in Mexico. They were murdered, they said. Authorities said the bodies found Friday in Baja California are confirmed to be the two missing Australian brothers, Jake and Callum Robinson, and their friend American Jack Carter Rhoad.

The local attorney general says the men were shot in the head by thieves who simply wanted to steal their truck for the tires. Three Mexican citizens have been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping.

A Pennsylvania pastor had a gun pulled on him during a Sunday church service. This is an insane video. It was all captured on live stream. Pastor Glenn Germany says the alleged gunman stopped and smiled before pointing his weapon out. And thankfully, the gun jam, nobody was hurt. When he pulled the trigger, at Church deacon, you see they're jumping over and tackling the suspect as the pastor ran for cover.

We have to warn you now we're going to show you that video but it is disturbing.

[07:50:04] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARENCE MCCALLISTER, DEACON, JESUS DWELLING PLACE CHURCH: I was running the camera so all I could see was somebody walked up on the pulpit. And after they got up on the pulpit, they raised the gun up. Once they raised the gun up, I jumped up, you know me, from behind, got him from behind struggled on down to the ground.

GLENN GERMANY, PASTOR, JESUS DWELLING PLACE CHURCH: While he was in a police car, I had a chance to go up and speak to him again as well. And I asked him, you know, just as calm as me and you're talking now he said -- I said, what makes you do it? I mean, what would you thinking? He said, I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Looks like that deacon save that pastor's life. The alleged gunman told police that God told him to shoot the pastor. He's been charged with attempted homicide. Police say they later found a man shot to death inside the suspect's home, that man's identity at this hour still unknown. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So sad and terrifying. There's also new data to pay attention to this morning showing the number of children in the United States losing a parent to drug overdoses, or gun violence is on the rise. This is coming from a study published in the medical journal JAMA.

CNN's Meg Tirrell has much more detail on it. She's joining us now. Meg, what are the numbers say?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kate. I mean, they're awful and they really echo the trends that we've been seeing both in terms of gun violence and drug overdose in the United States. These data sort of estimate the number of children who've lost a parent to either one of these causes going back to 1999. And that overall number is more than a million kids who've lost a parent to either drug overdose or gun violence.

The larger number there is lost to drug overdose, 759,000 kids are estimated to have lost a parent in the last 20 years to drug overdose, 434,000 from firearms. From drug overdose, the numbers increased 345% over the last few decades, of course, as fentanyl has taken over in the United States, leading to many more deaths from drug overdose 39% increase seen in drug -- sorry, gun related deaths.

And these numbers are not felt equally across races. Black children are much more likely to have lost a parent particularly to gun violence. And fathers are much more likely to have been lost than mothers, about three times higher that they see these data. And so, they say that children are not only at increased risk of gun violence themselves and drug overdose deaths themselves, but also to potentially losing a parent. And these data could inform mental health services and foster care services. But really sad to see these estimates really put real numbers on it, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Yes, exactly. And each one of those numbers, a story and a family torn apart and a child's life change forever. Thank you so much, Meg. John?

BERMAN: All right. This morning, a look at the latest CNN average of national polls basically tied, which means that President Biden needs just about every voter in his coalition to show up. We've got reporting this morning on the new efforts from Vice President Kamala Harris to reach out to people of color.

CNN's Isaac Dovere is here. Isaac, this is your reporting. What have you learned? What can you tell us?

ISAAC DOVERE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, courting Black voters is a key effort for the Biden campaign. There's an unprecedented overall effort going on. But Vice President Harris is going to be central to that. She started a tour last week going to talk about economics. She started talking about it in Atlanta, she'll be in Detroit today giving a big speech, and thinking about what has actually been delivered by the Biden administration to Black Americans.

And what they may not know is accessible to them through various programs, talking about really getting granular. And like I talked with her a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas about this in an exclusive interview, and she said to me any suggestion and inference that we've got any voter in our back pocket and should be able to count on their vote without earning it, I think is misinformed.

That's what she's doing on these tours, talking to people saying we should earn your vote. Here's what we did to earn it and I hope you'll give it to us.

BERMAN: All right. Isaac Dovere for us in Washington. Isaac, thank you very much for that. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Joining me now, CNN political commentator, Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton and our SE Cupp. Thank you both for being here this morning.

Obviously, we're going to start with a poll of polls. The average of the polls looking at them tight as could possibly be, SE. If you are running a campaign, what do you think of right now?

SE CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think these polls are tight because Donald Trump's voters have very low standards and Joe Biden's voters have standards that are probably a little too high. So Donald Trump has got the fan base that doesn't care about all the things that would normally drag down a candidate. And I think Joe Biden's voters are demanding better, demanding more.

They're saying, I'm going to stay home if you don't change some of your positions and your rhetoric, so I think that's why they're tight. But they're going to be tight this whole time.

[07:55:02]

There's a lot -- there are a lot of X factors. We've got a third party candidate who could really blow up this election. We've got the trials, we've got an economy that could change and really alter the polls in the election. So there's a lot of unknown still.

SIDNER: Shermichael, I want to ask you about this. Trump at a private donor retreat said this about the Biden administration. He said, these people, talking about the Biden administration, are running a Gestapo administration. He just compared Biden and his administration to the Nazis. Who is this going to work with, his base or his -- is this something he's hoping will have some kind of effect on the rest of the electorate?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I mean, I don't think it's going to have an effect on the rest of the electorate. Look, maintains that energy and excitement among the base, as he just laid out a litany of things about why this race is so close. This ultimately, Sara, my view is going to come down to turnout.

And I think part of the problem for the Biden, re-elect campaign is, can you get all of those disparate groups to turn out in heightened numbers as you did in 2020. Where young voters, it's about the issue with Palestinians, with many African Americans. It's about the economy. And with many swing voters are looking at immigration.

Trump's voters are going to turn out. Biden has to figure out a way to coalesce all of those disparate groups together and that's going to be challenging. So the former president's remarks on Nazi Germany, he continues with his rhetoric, it's good for the base good fodder, if you will, but it's not going to really move individuals one way or another because ultimately, it's about turning out and maintaining that energy with your constituents.

SIDNER: The Biden administration responded and just went after them. But I want to ask you guys and get to the Vice President choices. There are a lot of them. These are just a few South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, you've got a North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, some of these names people certainly know, JD Vance, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds.

I want you to listen to what Senator Tim Scott said when he was asked whether or not he would agree that the 2020 election was fair, and that Biden is the president. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN WELKER, NBC CORRESPONDENT: Senator, will you commit to accepting the election results of 2024 bottom line?

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): At the end of the day, the 47th president of United States will be President Donald Trump. I'm excited to get back to low inflation, low unemployment.

WELKER: Wait, wait. Senator, yes or no -- yes or no, will you accept the election results of 2024 no matter who wins?

SCOTT: That is my statement.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SIDNER: All right. SE, you are giggling. Is this going to be a litmus test for vice presidents answering this question as to whether they're going to accept the 2024 election results or whether they believe that 2020 was corrupt?

CUPP: Yes. And, you know, bless her heart, Kristen Welker, asked him several more times to answer a very --

SIDNER: He wouldn't answer.

CUPP: -- easy question. And he can't because these are like hostage videos. And if you are pretend you know -- if you are preening and posturing to be the vice presidential pick, this is how crazy you have to look. This is how brainwashed you have to sound.

It's not just him. You can listen to Doug Burgum also, you know, talk about Donald Trump in ways that seem very bizarre and cultish. But I think this is the ritual you have to perform to catch Donald Trump sigh, and assure that loyalty above all else, loyalty above principle, above politics, above policy will be your biggest calling card.

SIDNER: Shermichael, what is your take? I know that when people were trying to work for the -- at the RNC, they were asked a question about whether they believe the 2020 election was fair, and that Joe Biden is the president. What's your take on what you just heard from Tim Scott?

SINGLETON: I mean, you know, look, I have a lot of respect for the senator. He's the only Black Republican in the US Senate. And this is a part of, I guess, the conundrum of being African American, and also being a Republican in the era of Donald Trump, especially if you sort of want to be a part of the inner circle.

I think my advice, Sara, would be to the former president, you need to allow some of these people to have the freedom of mind to offer their own thoughts on some of these issues. Again, in the previous discussion I was talking about how this is a matter of turnout. If it is a matter of turnout, you certainly don't want to increase turnout from your opponent by having individuals that you may potentially choose as your running mate, taking positions that make people say, you know, I just don't want another four years of this. I'm going to vote for Biden, even though I have concerns about a whole host of issues.

And so, for Senator Scott, and for many of the other individuals, I would say have that autonomy. It's important. People respect that. And you can do that while still saying I think Donald Trump was better on the economy or immigration, or any other issue.

SIDNER: Well, hopefully that the vice presidential candidates have a mind of their own and can speak for themselves. But here we are. Thank you so much, Shermichael Singleton. SE Cupp, always good to see you guys.

A new hour of CNN News Central starts right now.