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Dozens Dead Amid Tornado Outbreak in Southern U.S.; Houthis Vow Revenge After Deadly U.S. Airstrikes in Yemen; Ukraine's Allies to Moscow; Your Response "Not Good Enough"; An American Medic's View From The Front Line; Wife of Activist Mahmoud Khalil Releases Statement; Huge Protest in Belgrade Against Serbian Government. "She's Passed Out": 911 Call in 2022 Idaho Killings Released. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired March 16, 2025 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:45]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Residents across the southeast United States waking up to a devastation from a devastating storm system where the storm front was hit in the hours ahead. We'll look at that.

Plus, President Trump facing a setback as a judge blocks his attempt to make good on a campaign promise. We'll take a look at the centuries-old law the administration wants to use to deport some migrants.

Plus, Trump has promised peace but now he's making a show of force in the Middle East. Why he ordered new airstrikes in Yemen.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have those stories in a moment but first we're following a breaking news story coming out of North Macedonia. 51 are dead and dozens more injured in a nightclub fire. That's according to the country's interior ministry.

Now, this is the scene with firefighters on site as people stand at the club's entrance. We'll bring you developments as they come in.

Well, the sun will rise soon in the southern U.S. and people will get their first look at the damage done by a night of violent storms. The system that spawned them has left a path of destruction across the country since Friday, killing at least 33 people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the friends we were camping with, we all left. We came to seek shelter and they wanted to load their groceries and their camp flipped with them in it. They were trapped. I don't know how long it took to get them out. By the time we got there, they had already had them out in the ambulance. So I think she had a broken foot, maybe he had some broken ribs, but they OK. They went over in the camp.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Well, that was just one of many near fatal experiences in Mississippi where multiple tornadoes caused at least six deaths across the state. Several people are still missing. Storms left buildings damaged and tens of thousands of people without power in Alabama. The National Weather Service warns that the system will likely continue to produce tornadoes along with strong and damaging winds.

More than 4 million people across multiple states are still under tornado watches. Severe storms are expected to continue pushing east on Sunday and impact much of the U.S. East Coast. CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest forecast.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It has been a very active period of weather over the past two days with numerous confirmed tornado reports. But Saturday alone, there was more tornado warnings issued than any single day since last April. It really shows you how active it has been.

Numerous reports of wind damage as well. Over 400 reports and several dozen reports of hail and large hail stretching from the Gulf Coast all the way through the Ohio River Valley. So where is this system headed?

Well, of course, it's just moved through the greater Atlanta region and it is quickly marching eastward. And with this line of storms comes another round of severe weather today, but not as widespread and not as severe as what we experienced across the Deep South. But we still need to keep a close eye to the sky.

Charlotte, Charleston, Raleigh, all the way to Knoxville. These areas, even inclusive of the nation's capital, we have a slight risk of severe storms today and this includes the potential for tornadoes, of course, damaging winds and large hail. We've already seen that with this system that's moved through again across the Deep South.

There's a lot of wind energy associated with this system as well. So as it departs and moves off the East Coast, it doesn't take much to take those winds from the middle parts of the atmosphere and extrapolate them down to the surface. And remember, there's lots of forest across this region, very brittle trees that could snap quite easily when you're talking about wind gusts in excess of 50, 60 miles per hour.

So there's also something else that's compounding the threats here, which is the flash flood concern. There has been a significant amount of rain that's fallen from the sky already across the Mississippi and Tennessee River Valley. But additional rain is to come and that is, of course, basically highlighted along the East Coast. But any of the rain that's fallen could still potentially bring overnight flash flooding, especially across these areas throughout central Tennessee, even into northwest Georgia. So we'll keep a very close eye on that as the system continues to churn off the East Coast.

[05:05:02]

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A federal judge is blocking President Donald Trump from using a wartime law to speed up mass deportations. For now, the White House says Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to target alleged members of the Venezuelan gang. CNN's Kevin Liptak reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Trump's decision to evoke a centuries-old law to increase the speed of deportations of undocumented migrants is already being blocked in court. It had been subject to a legal challenge even before the president issued a proclamation. But late Saturday, a judge saying that this pause would be in effect for all undocumented migrants who could potentially be affected by the president's order.

Now, this law that the president evoked, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, gave the president sweeping authority to speed up deportations of certain classes of migrants. This is a wartime authority. It had only been evoked three times previously during both of the World Wars and during the Japanese internment era in World War II.

What President Trump was planning to use it for was to try and deport migrants associated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The President's proclamation calling for the subjects related to this measure to be arrested, detained and removed, saying that they had unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.

Now, earlier Saturday, a judge had blocked this order from applying to select individuals for whom it could apply. Later in the day, he broadened out that pause to include everyone who could potentially be affected by it.

And so this is just goes to show how the president's actions are being blocked in many cases by the courts. Of course, the other backdrop to this are the frustrations inside the White House that the deportations that President Trump promised as a candidate have not been occurring swiftly enough.

He has told his advisers that he wants this to see he wants to see this ramped up, certainly so he is able to fulfill that pledge he made as a candidate to really take a hardline stance on immigration. And so the fate of this particular step remains to be seen. The judge has ordered another hearing in 14 days. But I think, you know, and all of the other president's actions, including on immigration, just goes to show how judges may have the ultimate say in how the president's agenda will be carried out.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is sending a naval destroyer to areas near the southern border to help with President Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigration. The USS Gravely is on its way from Yorktown, Virginia, after playing a critical role in the Red Sea responding to Houthi attacks. The U.S. military says the warship will help better protect the country's, quote, "territorial integrity, sovereignty and security." Now, the move comes after thousands of U.S. troops were also deployed to the southern border.

Houthi leadership is now vowing revenge after a fresh round of deadly U.S. attacks against the militant rebels in Yemen, and more U.S. action could be on the way.

We go live now to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, take us through what happened exactly and what the ramifications could be both in Yemen and across the region.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, these are U.S. strikes which have been against Houthi bases, against military defense systems. They say also they would strike against the leadership, and they say it is in retaliation for the Houthi rebels carrying out attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and also the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea.

We do know at this point, according to "Reuters" speaking to the Houthi-run health ministry, that 31 people have been killed, more than 100 injured, according to that health ministry. They say many of those were women and children.

Now, we've heard from the U.S. President Donald Trump posting on social media, saying, quote, "The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective." He also had a message for Iran, saying, "To Iran, support for the Houthi terrorists must end immediately."

Now, the Houthis are part of this so-called axis of resistance. They are funded, equipped, trained by Iran. And that is why these strikes are also seen as an extended message, not just in Yemen, but also for Tehran, as well.

[05:10:01]

Now, we have heard from a source familiar with this situation that these strikes from the U.S. and from allies will continue, that they could continue for days or even for weeks.

Now, we have seen that this is somewhat of a continuation from the previous U.S. administration, former U.S. president Joe Biden also approved strikes against the Houthis. But this appears, at least at this point, to be a more sustained campaign against this militia group.

Now, the Houthis had said that they were going to stop these attacks on shipping in these areas once there was a ceasefire in Gaza. But then, once Israel said that it was halting all humanitarian aid to Gaza two weeks ago, the Houthis said that they would continue their attacks.

Now, there has also been a response from Tehran, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stating on X that the U.S. has no authority or business dictating Iranian foreign policy.

Now, according to a senior military official as well, there has been significant intelligence collected in this area to be able to carry out more sustained and more long-term impacts and strikes against the Houthis.

Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate those updates. Paula Hancocks, in Abu Dhabi, thanks so much.

Well, the IDF now says one of the six people killed in Saturday's airstrike was involved in the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel. The military said it was targeting terrorists who were operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops.

Palestinian officials say nine people were killed, including charity workers and journalists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to extend the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas.

He's supporting a proposal from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff requiring Hamas to release several living hostages in exchange for a one-month ceasefire extension. Hamas says it will release one living hostage if Israel begins the second phase of ceasefire talks.

Some Ukrainian allies say Russia is buying time with its response to the U.S. ceasefire plan for Ukraine. Now they want to pressure Moscow to come to the negotiating table. That story's ahead.

Plus, a U.S. paramedic gives up a comfortable life at home to become a combat medic in Ukraine. Three years later, she talks about what keeps her going to do what she does.

Stay with us.

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[05:16:20]

BRUNHUBER: President Trump continues to put a positive spin on Russia's response to his 30-day ceasefire plan for Ukraine. He'll be debriefed this weekend by his envoy, Steve Witkoff, who met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. But Trump already says that all signs coming from Russia seem to be hopefully very good, in his words, and that the meeting with Putin was very productive.

The Russian leader has agreed with the U.S. proposal in principle, but he added a list of conditions that make some people question his intentions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed with the proposal, but he said Putin is manipulative and wants to continue the war. Many U.S. allies also say Moscow's response isn't good enough.

On Saturday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer led a virtual meeting on Ukraine involving some 25 countries. And as Nic Robertson reports, they want to push Moscow to the negotiating table.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So this virtual meeting lasted about two hours. The British Prime Minister saying a bigger gathering of leaders that included leaders from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan as well, included a coalition of the willing. And he said a lot had happened in those past two weeks, specifically that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, had signed up to President Trump's peace deal, the ceasefire, the 30-day ceasefire. And he said very clearly, Vladimir Putin is not doing enough. The world, he said, is watching. They're waiting for action. And then he laid out steps that this coalition of the willing will take.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We won't sit back and wait for Putin to act. Instead, we will keep pushing forward. We agreed we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia, keep the military aid flowing to Ukraine, and keep tightening the restrictions on Russia's economy to weaken Putin's war machine and bring him to the table.

And we agreed to accelerate our practical work to support a potential deal. So we will now move into an operational phase. Our militaries will meet on Thursday this week here in the United Kingdom to put strong and robust plans in place to swing in behind a peace deal and guarantee Ukraine's future security.

ROBERTSON: Starmer didn't get into specifics about which country was going to give which contribution. He said more countries there, that there were more contributions put forward during the meeting. He was asked in the press conference about support from the United States. He said absolutely. President Trump, he said, absolutely committed to getting peace in Ukraine and all the support that comes with that.

Now, President Zelenskyy, who was also on that virtual call, thanked the various leaders who were on it, also pointing out that there were more than previous, saying it was important that these meetings were happening frequently. But he said very clearly this was going to put more pressure on President Putin.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Everybody understands that Ukraine needs help as never before. Everybody greeted Ukraine with the real victory in Jeddah, the diplomatic victory. Everybody considers that this is a serious progress. And now Russia will -- it will be hard for Russia to get out of this situation. It has to show, if it agrees to cease fire, that it supports the end of the war. Or it wants to go on with the war. And this is what everybody is expecting. And everybody will give signals both to the United States of America.

[05:20:01]

ROBERTSON: Zelenskyy also thanked President Trump, but cautioned against President Putin's lies. He said that in the area of Kursk, where President Putin has said that Ukrainian troops are surrounding, he said that's not true. Now, President Trump had asked President Putin to spare the lives of those Ukrainian troops because Putin had said that they were surrounded. And then Putin had come out later and said that he'd given them the offer to surrender. Clearly, Zelenskyy implying here that Putin is trying to scam Trump.

Nic Roberson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: An American nurse finds herself in an unexpected position on the front lines of Russia's war on Ukraine and with a unique perspective on the debate over a possible ceasefire.

Rebekah Maciorowski began working as a combat medic with the Ukrainian military shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. I first spoke with Rebekah last June, and she talked about what life for those on the front lines had become, including the chronic shortages of medical supplies. Recently, Rebekah posted on X that she had been made Chief of Medical Services for her battalion.

Rebekah Maciorowski joins us now from Ukraine's Donetsk region. Thank you so much for being here with us.

So, Rebekah, since you and I last spoke about a year ago, the situation on the front lines for Ukrainian soldiers seems to have deteriorated. So many places that you and the troops have lived and fought for have either been destroyed or are now occupied by Russian troops. So take us there to the front lines. How have things changed there on the front lines over the last year?

REBEKAH MACIOROWSKI, COMBAT MEDIC: Thank you so much for having me. Yes, you're correct. The situation has changed pretty drastically. A great deal of the places -- in fact, I would say 99% of the places that we worked and fought for, even this time a year ago, are now under Russian control, which is quite demoralizing for the troops. And we're, of course, facing shortages of artillery and other needed supplies.

Overall, we are -- we're continuing to hold on.

BRUNHUBER: Even the nature of the injuries that you seem to have changed, if I understand correctly, you're seeing fewer gunshot wounds, more injuries related to damage done by drones. Is that right?

MACIOROWSKI: That is correct. A majority of the injuries that come in to the stabilization points and the evacuation points are as a result of drone attacks, particularly the suicide bombers' FPV attacks, dropped munitions from drones, and so on.

A dropped munition from the sky or a charged munition grenade exploding on someone causes extremely, extremely diffuse injuries with varying levels of severity. It makes every patient much more complex. So you might be dealing with massive blood loss at the same time as trying to stabilize the pneumothorax. And it's not the cut and dry tactical medicine that we saw even at the beginning of the war.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Drones, obviously, as you describe, are so deadly on the battlefield now, but they can also be used to save Ukrainian lives. Explain how.

MACIOROWSKI: Thank you. Yes, so they're actually extremely vital. And for the soldiers that are injured in positions that cannot be safely evacuated, let's say, for instance, they're cut off from routes that are safe to drive on, or at the moment the fire control of the Russians is concentrated on their position.

We are able to send medical supplies and bandages delivered exclusively by drones. There's been other brigades as well that has actually dropped blood products for lifesaving blood transfusion via a drone. As someone that started out in a very clinical setting and has moved progressively more and more austere, now with this new development with drones, I am constantly relying on drones and the drone pilots teams.

BRUNHUBER: So obviously, much of the talk here in the U.S. is all about a potential ceasefire deal, which Ukraine has agreed to. I mean, what concretely would that mean for the soldiers there, the Ukrainian soldiers?

MACIOROWSKI: Concretely, a ceasefire with Russia would, in their words, be (bleep). And this is because of the past with Russia not honoring ceasefires before. They feel that Russia would not remain strong to their word and even honor a ceasefire.

[05:25:09]

So for them, it's not something that they think would actually be honored. And that's where they're at. I asked them this morning, again, you know, what's the latest? What's the latest opinion? What are you guys thinking? And all around, it was a very strong belief that a ceasefire agreement by Russia, which first has been hard to even get an answer to, would not be honored.

BRUNHUBER: Finally, I want to ask you, you know, personally, I mean, you left a comfortable life in Denver, Colorado, three years ago to volunteer in Ukraine. Just, you know, from an emotional point of view, I mean, this must be just so draining, so challenging in so many different ways. Just looking back at the three, the last three years, I mean, how are you doing? How are you holding up?

MACIOROWSKI: Thank you. Well, it has been a difficult time. I will say the one thing that has kind of kept me going and kept me grounded is the people that I'm surrounded by, the soldiers that are fighting alongside me, and seeing them every day and being reminded of why I'm here is what has really kept me encouraged. And, yeah, I would say I wouldn't be able to do this if I wasn't surrounded by the soldiers and the people that are around me.

BRUNHUBER: Well, it's just an incredibly brave thing that you're doing. We certainly wish you all the best. And please do stay safe.

Combat medic Rebekah Maciorowski, thank you so much for taking the time to join us. Appreciate it.

MACIOROWSKI: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll be right back after a short break. But first, a moment of calm in the midst of war. Rebekah posted this video as well. A piano found inside a house that had been shelled, giving her a chance to demonstrate another skill.

We'll be right back.

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[05:30:42]

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

I want to bring you an update now on that breaking news story we're following in North Macedonia. 51 people are dead and more than 100 injured in a fire at the Pulse nightclub in the town of Kocani. Now, that's according to the country's Interior Ministry.

This is video we received moments ago, posted on social media, giving you a look inside the venue. A pop group is playing on stage and you saw there the sparks from fireworks used in the show on either side of the stage. At the very top of the frame you see what appears to be a fire starting above the performers. More than 80 people were brought to hospitals and clinics in the country's capital. The justice minister says those involved will be held responsible. We'll bring you more as we get to that.

And we continue to monitor the powerful storm system that's killed at least 33 people across six states since Friday. Alabama and Mississippi were under a rare level 5 risk warning overnight and the system left a trail of destruction in both states. At least six people died in Mississippi.

CNN's Rafael Romo met with a county emergency official in Alabama who discussed what people needed to look out for.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM COKER, DIRECTOR, JEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: That means the atmosphere is primed for very strong tornadoes. These could be very long track tornadoes. So long track tornadoes in Alabama have impacted multiple counties. They can go on for tens of miles and even beyond that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: More than four million people across multiple states are still under tornado watches and many more are under flood watches. The Mississippi and Tennessee river valleys remain at risk for flash flooding. The storm system is expected to continue pushing east on Sunday and could bring more severe weather to much of the U.S. east coast.

We're learning more about the arrest of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil who had his green card revoked a week ago over his role in last year's protests at Columbia University. Now comes as the U.S. justice department is ramping up efforts to deport those who participated in those demonstrations and going after the university itself. Gloria Pazmino has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll get to the latest on enforcement at Columbia University by the Trump administration but first I want to tell you some new details that we are learning about Khalil. His lawyers have filed a new motion for release on Saturday which alleges that Khalil's first amendment and due process rights were violated when he was arrested here in New York City about a week ago. They argue that Khalil's detention is punitive and retaliatory. They want him released and they want the court to declare the government's actions in this case so far unconstitutional.

Now, we also have a video from the moment that Khalil was taken into custody. The video was taken by his wife who was with him at the time and you can see as officers put him in handcuffs. You can also see in the video that several times she tries to speak with the officers and she tries to get some information out of them but she can barely get them to engage.

And we're also learning some new information about exactly what happened from the moment that Khalil was first taken into custody here in New York and when he eventually ended up in Louisiana where he remains in detention at this time. During that transport to Louisiana we have learned that the White House was apparently keeping a track of his movements.

Khalil said that he could hear an agent say that the White House had requested an update on his biometrics. So it just shows you how the White House appears to be directly involved in his detention.

It also says that Khalil was not allowed to take his personal belongings. In fact it says that he was told he would be returning to New York after being brought to New Jersey.

Now, we know that he ended up in Louisiana. It also says that Khalil was denied requests to speak to his attorney and that agents did not identify themselves during the process of transfer.

[05:35:04] Now, while Khalil remains in custody there has been more enforcement action at Columbia University. Homeland security officials confirmed to CNN that agents arrested a second Columbia University student for violations related to her student visa. And a separate Columbia University student has self-deported to Canada according to the agency.

Now Department of Homeland Security agents also served two warrants to search two dormitories on the campus of Columbia last week. That's according to the Columbia University president who also said as of now there has been no one arrested or detained.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We've also received a statement from activist Mahmoud Khalil's wife who's eight months pregnant with their first child and she writes, "Since his arrest, I have neither been able to sleep nor eat. I can feel my baby and I hope that he is OK but I know that this stress and all that comes with him is not good for him."

Some voice of America channels have stopped broadcasting news reports after President Trump gutted the agency. The director says he was placed on leave along with virtually the entire staff which includes some 1,300 workers. Trump's allies argue that the broadcaster is bloated and outdated but advocates warn that dismantling its channel harms American interests abroad by ceding the airwaves to China and other powers. The Czech Foreign Minister is calling it a loss for all who believe in democracy.

Tens of thousands were rallying in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on Saturday. Now this is the latest demonstration in the months-long anti-corruption protests against the populist president and his government. CNN Affiliate N1 News is at the scene and as its on the ground reporter sees it, the number of demonstrators appears much higher than other estimates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DUSAN MLADJENOVIC, N1 NEWS: Hundreds of thousands of people gathered today in Belgrade to protest after the fall of canopy on November 1st last year in Novi Sad. This is the culmination of the protests that have been happening in last four months. There are several stages here in Belgrade where the protests are happening.

One is at the Slavija Square, the second one in front of the national parliament. I am now in front of the government building in Belgrade and as we can see there is an ambulance car passing by the street. This is one of the streets that leads to the national parliament building.

This is the biggest protest in the modern history of Serbia. More people gathered today than on October 5th, 2000 when Slobodan Milosevic fell from power. We heard President Vucic saying yesterday that he expects around 60,000 people but we can now say with absolutely being sure about that that hundreds of thousands of people gathered here in Belgrade to protest. The protest is supposed to last until 9 p.m. this evening.

Dusan Mladjenovic, N1, Belgrade.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right still ahead, what we're learning from a chilling new 911 call made after the brutal slayings of four Idaho college students in 2022. We'll have more on that next.

Plus the Pope keeps working even as he's ailing making plans for his and the church's future. We'll have that and more coming up after the break. Stay with us.

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[05:41:49]

BRUNHUBER: We have an update on the murders of the four Idaho college students that shocked the nation in 2022. Authorities are now releasing the disturbing frantic 911 call in which a crying woman tells dispatchers one of her roommates is unconscious. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The most chilling look yet at what unfolded inside that home in November 2022, the fear, the confusion, it all comes through in the audio recording of a 911 call that CNN obtained. I want to start with the moment the call was placed. I'll just warn our viewers that this may be difficult to listen.

DISPATCHER: 911, location of your emergency?

SURVIVING ROOMMATE: Hi, something is happening. Something happened in our house, we don't know what.

DISPATCHER: What is the address of the emergency?

SURVIVING ROOMMATE: 1122 (starts crying).

VARGAS JONES: You can hear the panic in their voices as they struggle to explain what's happening. One voice trying to give the address before breaking down in tears. That call lasted about four minutes and at times multiple people can be heard speaking to the dispatcher to the point that at some point she urges them not to pass the phone around. The confusion continues to build as they first report an unresponsive roommate. Then mentioned seeing a man in the house the night before.

Listen to that moment.

SURVIVING ROOMMATE: Can I just tell you what happened pretty much?

DISPATCHER: What is going on currently? Is someone passed out right now?

SURVIVING ROOMMATE: I don't really know but pretty much at 4 a.m.

DISPATCHER: OK I need to know what's going on right now, if someone is passed out. Can you find that out?

SURVIVING ROOMMATE: Yeah, I'll come -- come on. Let's -- we got to go check. But we have to. She's passed out, what's wrong? She's not waking up.

VARGAS JONES: A gut-wrenching moment in that call. Court filings did reveal that before this call the surviving roommates had been texting each other about the man inside. Messages sent nearly eight hours earlier around the time investigators now believe the murders were taking place. Yet 911 wasn't dialed until nearly noon the next day.

Prosecutors say this call along with those messages will help establish a timeline they will present at the trial. The defense however may argue that the delay and the chaotic nature of the call could raise questions about what the surviving roommates understood at the time.

Bryan Kohberger, the third-year-old accused in these murders, is set to go to trial in August. He has pleaded not guilty and could face a death penalty if convicted. His defense team however is pushing to have that death penalty option removed. Claiming in another recently unsealed motion that Bryan Kohberger exhibited all core diagnostic features of autism spectrum disorder when evaluated by a neuropsychologist. And that has a significant impact on his daily life. They say executing him would violate the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments. It is unclear if or when Kohberger was previously diagnosed.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:45:02]

BRUNHUBER: The last person to see the 20-year-old student who disappeared while on spring break in the Dominican Republic gave more details to local prosecutors on Saturday. American college student Sudiksha Konanki went missing from a beach in Punta Cana 10 days ago. She was last seen with Joshua Riibe, a 22-year-old American. He told officials the two were swept out to sea but returned to the beach after a struggle. Riibe has been interviewed several times but prosecutors say he's not a suspect and hasn't been accused of wrongdoing.

Konanki was at the resort with several friends from the University of Pittsburgh. A large group went to the bar together, then to the beach. Konanki's friends reported her missing the next afternoon.

Pope Francis remains in hospital, but the Vatican says he has approved a three-year reform process. It's considered a strong signal that he plans to continue as head of the Catholic church. The pope is in stable condition in Rome's Gemelli hospital. He's been treated there for pneumonia since February 14th.

All right, for more, I'm joined live from Rome by correspondent Christopher Lamb.

So, Christopher, tell us more about what we know about the pope's condition and how he plans to continue working.

CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, the pope has now been in the hospital, the Gemelli, behind me for over a month. The Vatican in recent days talking about a gradual improvement, a reduction in the oxygen treatment that he needs overnight. So positive signs about the pope's condition but it really is very unclear about how long the pope's going to be in hospital, what the recovery might look like.

There's obviously been a lot of concern and anxiety here in Rome. There have been people praying for the pope in the Vatican and behind me at a statue of Saint John Paul II. People have been gathering to pray and they're there now praying for Francis.

Now the pope will not lead the Sunday Angelus prayer that he used to do each week. Now for the past five weeks Francis has not led that prayer in person but we are going to receive the text from the pope, the text of his remarks.

Now, Francis is still signaling from the hospital that he wants to lead the Catholic Church, he wants to continue in post. As you mentioned he signed off on this three-year reform plan that lasts until 2028. So a very strong signal from the pope that he wants to continue to lead the Catholic Church.

Now, of course, the capacity to be pope doesn't depend on your physical ailments or whether you are ill. It is very much dependent on mental capacity, mental lucidity and from all the cancer we have the pope is still mentally alert and lucid. However it is an uncertain situation. We don't know how long the pope is going to be in the hospital and we don't know what the recovery is going to look like but a lot of concern still and anxiety for Pope Francis in his recovery from pneumonia which he's battling in both lungs and of course he's 88 years old.

Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, Christopher Lamb, thanks so much.

Still ahead, latest on Cuba's power grid collapse that's plunged more than 10 million people across the island nation into darkness. Stay with us.

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[05:52:19]

BRUNHUBER: Efforts to restore electricity service are underway in Cuba after the power grid collapsed Friday night. More than 10 million people remain in darkness across the island nation. Patrick Oppmann reports from Havana.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Most, if not all, of Cuba is in a complete blackout at the moment, and the only reason we're able to do this report is because we have a generator going. That's the racket you probably hear behind me. The vast majority of Cubans are not so lucky, and so if you drive around Havana at the moment, I have not seen any streetlights that are working. It is a little bit hairy getting around the city, and most people are at home sitting in the dark trying not to open the fridge because they are afraid that they will lose the food that they have, that they have to simply wait out this latest blackout.

The lucky few that do have generators are searching for more gas, more diesel to keep them running, and people are concerned because even though this is the fourth nationwide blackout, something that's quite extraordinary in Cuba, a place that's used to power shortages, the fourth blackout that's taken place in six months, this is not, this latest blackout is not the result of a hurricane or any kind of natural disaster. It has simply been caused, Cuban officials say, by a fluctuation in power, and the fact that has brought down the entire grid, 10 million people essentially in the dark, is very concerning.

Officials say that as the hours go by, they are working on bringing up what they call sort of micro-systems, small pockets in cities around this island, and giving those small pockets of power, and then bringing back larger power plants. That has really yet to lead any city though, in large fashion, being brought back online.

Havana at this hour is completely without power, and even though certain pockets of cities do have power, we're told, you know, it's not really significant, and as the hours go by, people begin to lose their food, their tempers get shorter and shorter, and certainly the concern is, as we get into the summer months, that this kind of nationwide blackout could become more common.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN Havana.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, it was all hugs and smiles as NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 floated onto the International Space Station a little while ago. The four crew members were greeted by the team they're swapping places with, and that, of course, includes astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who've been on the ISS for an unexpected nine months. The Boeing capsule they flew in was deemed unsafe for a return trip, extending their stay in space.

[05:55:03]

Wilmore and Williams will return home with the other Crew-9 astronauts on a different space capsule after a few days of handover protocols with Crew-10.

The first race of the Formula One season in Australia saw just 14 of the 20 drivers finish the race, thanks to heavy rain. McLaren's Lando Norris won despite the slippery conditions at the Albert Park in Melbourne. Defending champion Max Verstappen and Red Bull came in number two. Lewis Hamilton's debut race with Ferrari ended in a disappointing 10th place. The next race is in China, then it's on to Japan.

And the luck of the Irish is taking over the Chicago River, turning its water bright green, as you can see there. It's been part of a St. Patrick's Day tradition in the Midwestern U.S. city for more than 60 years. Thousands of people line Chicago's riverside and bridges on Saturday to cheer the water, treated with dye as it started to glow. A plumber's union is in charge of greening the river. Union reps say the dye is non-toxic and safe for wildlife. It all comes ahead of the big St. Patrick's Day parade on Monday, March 17th.

All right, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

For viewers in North America, CNN This Morning is next. And for the rest of the world, it's Africa Avant-Garde.

Thanks for watching.

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