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Supreme Court Temporarily Pauses Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act; U.S. And Iran Wrap Second Round Of Critical Nuclear Talks In Rome; Florida State Reels From Gun Rampage That Killed 2, Wounded 5; Easter Vigil Mass Underway At Vatican; Corporations Paid Big Bucks To Sponsor WH Easter Egg Roll; Today Marks 30 Years Since Bombing Of Murrah Federal Building. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 19, 2025 - 15:00   ET

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

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, tune in to My Happy Place Sunday night, April 27th at 10:00 Eastern and Pacific.

All right, hello again everyone. Thank you so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, today, demonstrators are rallying against the Trump administration in multiple cities. The protesters say they oppose the President's funding cuts, government cuts, deportations. CNN's Rafael Romo is at a demonstration in Atlanta. Rafael, what's happening there?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey Fred, people are still lingering here. They have been holding this protest for about three hours now. At one point, they marched north for about a half a mile. This is the intersection of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue here in the Midtown neighborhood of Atlanta, also known as the Rainbow Corner. As you can see, still dozens and dozens of people staying here.

I want to step out of the way so I can show you what it looks like right now. People are chanting things like regulate guns, not women, no mass deportations, America has no kings, defend our constitution, save the CDC, and resist fascism and white supremacy. And this is, in a way, 2.0 of a protest that we saw here in Atlanta a couple of weekends ago, Fred.

At that point, thousands about thousands of people marched from this location to the Georgia state capitol. This time, not as many people, but what we can see is that they're still very committed. One recurring thing that we have seen is that a lot of these people are not very pleased that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported without due process to El Salvador.

They say that if this country does not respect the rights of immigrants, then what's going to happen next? So another recurring theme is that idea of due process, respecting the constitution, respecting workers' rights, and that's what you hear now. A lot of American flags in the last few hours, and now we see a Palestinian flag right behind me. The good news in all of this, Fred, is that so far this has been a very peaceful protest.

People, as you can see, are on the sidewalks. They're not blocking traffic, they're not blocking the sidewalks, but they sure are speaking up. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Rafael Romo in Atlanta, thanks so much.

All right, other breaking news now. The U.S. Supreme Court issuing a new blow to President Trump's immigration crackdown. The high court issued an order overnight temporarily pausing deportations of migrants potentially targeted under the Alien Enemies Act. Attorneys made an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday on behalf of a group of Venezuelan immigrants in Texas who say the Trump administration was working to remove them without sufficient notice to challenge their deportations. In the high court's order, only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now from Washington with more on all of this. Julia?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in that order issued overnight, the Supreme Court paused the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport a group of immigrants in Texas from being deported using that act, at least right now, so it's temporarily paused.

And we did reach out to the White House for some sort of a response to this order from the Supreme Court and heard back just a few moments ago. I'm going to pull up a statement for you now from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. She said, quote, President Trump promised the American people to use all lawful measures to remove the threat of terrorists, illegal aliens, members of Tren de Aragua from the United States.

We are confident in the lawfulness of the administration's actions and in ultimately prevailing against the onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of terrorist aliens than those of the American people.

Now, the Supreme Court's order comes after attorneys for the Venezuelan migrants there in Texas. They filed an emergency appeal to the high court Friday evening. And they said that their clients were facing, they were at an immediate risk of being removed from the United States and had not had sufficient time to challenge those deportations. Now, I do want to pull up part of that order for you now. The court ordered the Trump administration to respond to the emergency appeal once a federal appeals court in Louisiana, which covers cases from Texas, takes action on this case. The order said, quote, the government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of the court.

[15:05:06]

So in the meantime, no one in that group is to be deported. Now, this order did have a few dissents. We had conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, but we did not receive a statement from them. This order came overnight, like you mentioned, around 1:00 a.m., and Alito, though, we do believe is going to be releasing a statement at some point order pointed to that.

Now, I did want to point out, Fredricka, this is not the first time that the Supreme Court has discussed Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act. In fact, just last week, they ordered that he could use this act, but that he had to follow certain guidelines, that any migrants that would be removed using the act should receive some notice, and that they should have time to then challenge that in court.

WHITFIELD: All right, and that's where we are now with this latest case. All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much.

All right, for more on all of this now, let's bring in Jeffrey Jacobovitz. He is a criminal attorney and an adjunct law professor at American University. Great to see you.

JEFFREY JACOBOVITZ, TRIAL ATTORNEY, ARNALL GOLDEN GREGORY LLP: Good to see you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, so to Julia's point, you know, earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump could remove migrants under the Alien Enemies Act. So, you know, why did they issue this pause in the case if they did endorse the license to do so?

JACOBOVITZ: Well, they endorsed the license to do so if there's due process on behalf of the people who -- who were supposedly being deported. And there wasn't due process here. There was 24 hours notice. And it's -- it's not following a 9-0 decision by the Supreme Court at that time.

Now it was 7-2. And it's clear that the courts are concerned that you can't just remove people without hearings in the United States. And there has to be sufficient time. You have two judges already who look like they're about to hold somebody in contempt, probably somebody at the, you know, in the Trump administration, at DOJ, although Judge Bloomsburg's (ph) order is on pause by the D.C. Circuit.

And in order to pursue contempt, it's usually referred over to DOJ, which cannot happen here because you have a conflict. So it would probably have to be a special counsel appointed. But the courts are concerned that the rules aren't being followed. WHITFIELD: Interesting. And so as it pertains to the Supreme Court 7-2 ruling, do you think the Supreme Court is sending a message, almost like a warning signal to the Trump administration that, you know, maybe it's not all in the bag as you thought it was?

JACOBOVITZ: The Supreme Court is sending a clear-cut message. And in fact, there was one individual who has been taken out of the country who was wrongfully deported, and the judge has been calling for that person to be released and brought back, and it hasn't happened. It's a clear message, and it's not clear what the Trump administration will do and whether they will follow it.

WHITFIELD: Right. And you're talking about that, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, where the Supreme Court said --

JACOBOVITZ: That's correct.

WHITFIELD: -- yes, he needs to be returned, and, you know, or at least the Trump administration, you have to facilitate the return to the U.S., and it hasn't happened yet. I mean, clearly the U.S. has the resources and the leverage to do so, right? Because we now know it has paid somewhere between $6 million and $15 million to El Salvador to imprison deportees, then surely the U.S. can say, you know, we can pay for that plane ride for him to, you know, be returned.

I mean, what -- what is going on here? Is it just dragging the feet, you know, saying, you know, we don't have the means in which to do it, or the ball is really in El Salvador's court, I mean, or is it just more confusion? What's happening here?

JACOBOVITZ: Fredricka, the United States is a bit of a bigger country than El Salvador. And if they wanted somebody brought back, I presume that we have the power to do so. It's almost a joke in terms of how they're interpreting the word facilitate, and -- and courts are disagreeing with how they're interpreting it because they're not providing information, and they're saying we cannot do it because El Salvador will not release this prisoner. It's -- it's really dragging their feet, as you would say.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Let's switch gears here. Another, you know, legal matter, or potentially legal matter here, this concerning President Trump, who's been calling for the termination of the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The Supreme Court is weighing a decision in an emergency appeal that could enable Trump to assert control over independent agencies. So does the President have the power to just simply remove the head of the Federal Reserve without cause, just because I don't like him?

[15:10:05]

JACOBOVITZ: Well, the President, in a related case, tried to do so with two FTC Democratic commissioners, and it's based on a 1935 Supreme Court case, which the President is trying to have overruled. In that case, President Roosevelt was precluded from firing somebody.

But here you have a different situation. You have an independent board. Powell has said that he is not going to quit, basically. He's staying in there, and he's fighting. And --

WHITFIELD: He's supposed to have another year to go.

JACOBOVITZ: And if you remove Powell, you have stock market implications, and it's not clear what would happen with the stock market. So it's very risky to do so. It hasn't happened yet, but there are threats out there that it will happen.

WHITFIELD: And even the threats seem to impact the markets or its volatility. We've seen that this past week.

JACOBOVITZ: That's correct.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeffrey Jacobovitz, always great to see you. Thank you so much.

JACOBOVITZ: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. New today, a second round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran is wrapped up in Rome. Iran's foreign minister saying afterward that there was, quoting now, movement forward. The two sides are now expected to meet again next Saturday in Oman.

CNN's Betsy Klein is at the White House for us. Betsy, the backdrop for these discussions has been, you know, tough talk from President Trump. What's really going on here?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Certainly, that's completely right. And we are hearing some cautious optimism from the Iranian side so far, still awaiting a White House readout on their version of how these talks went. But we understand that Steve Witkoff, the special presidential envoy and Iranian officials moderated by Oman, held talks for about four hours today. And these are indirect talks moderated by Oman.

As I mentioned, the foreign minister essentially shuttling messages back and forth between the two sides over the course of those discussions. Now, President Trump and his team would like to see a diplomatic solution here. The talks marked the second round after last week in Oman, today in Rome.

Iran's foreign minister said there was, quote, movement forward, as you mentioned. He said there was agreement on some principles. But these talks come after some real mixed messaging from the Trump administration on what level of uranium enrichment it would be willing to see from Iran.

Steve Witkoff ultimately saying in a statement this week, Iran must stop and eliminate, keyword eliminate there, its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program. It also comes as "The New York Times" had reported that President Trump asked Israel to stand down on potential strikes of Iranian nuclear sites to give these negotiations a little time to progress forward. But President Trump making very clear the consequences for not reaching a deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm for stopping Iran very simply from having a nuclear weapon. They can't have a nuclear weapon. I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.

With Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. And if they have a nuclear weapon, you'll all be very unhappy. You'll all be very unhappy because your life -- your life -- your life will be in great danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KLEIN: Now, we expect technical talks from experts on the U.S. and Iranian side to begin in Oman on Wednesday. And those high level talks will continue on Saturday. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House, thank you.

All right. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has declared an Easter truce in the war with Ukraine. It went into effect earlier this afternoon, goes on until tomorrow evening. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed skepticism over the truce, accusing Putin of playing with people's lives. Zelenskyy also shared video of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers released from Russian captivity today. He thanked the UAE for mediating their return.

Still to come, new details about the deadly shooting at Florida State University and the two people who were killed.

[15:14:14]

Plus, millions of Americans are facing a severe weather threat this weekend. We'll tell you who is most at risk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're learning that two minutes after a gunman opened fire on the campus of Florida State University, Thursday, police shot him, bringing an end to the rampage. Two people were killed, five more wounded. One of the survivors left the hospital yesterday.

The suspect is an FSU junior and son of a local sheriff's deputy. He is getting treatment for significant injuries. The Tallahassee police chief says, he confirmed to CNN in the attack. The suspect allegedly used a handgun that his mother had once used on the job. CNN's Nick Valencia is on the campus of FSU, where a memorial is growing behind you there. Nick, bring us the latest.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Fred, it's been an emotional return for everyone stepping foot back on campus. And I'm not sure if you can make it out behind me. But right now there's a prayer circle going on.

For those students, many of them have come back with their parents. Of course, this is Easter weekend. We've seen a lot of people come here crossing themselves, praying, reflecting as to what happened here on Thursday. [15:20:01]

And one of those students who came back was Reid Seybold. He actually knew the alleged gunman. And I asked him about his personal connection and coming back here on campus and what was that like. And, of course, we've heard from the FSU president that classes will resume on Monday. But as you'll hear here on CNN, Reid tells me he's not sure how he's going to go back to school.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID SEYBOLD, FSU SENIOR: I don't feel safe right now being on campus. I -- I don't know where -- where -- how we're going to do it. But, you know, there's a reason that Florida State is unconquered. We're stronger together. We will always move forward, whatever that looks like. Seeing everyone come together like that, it was -- it was -- it was hugely powerful. It -- it showed, like I said, just how strong we -- we are together and -- and how much we -- we support each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: On Friday night, there was a massive vigil in front of the football stadium with really, thousands of people were there. It felt like literally everyone from the student body was there just, you know, processing what they've gone through.

As for that alleged gunman, we believe he is still in the hospital. We don't know when he's going to have his first court appearance. But we know when he does, he'll be charged with first-degree murder charges. And, of course, Fred, we still don't know the motive to what happened on Thursday. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Valencia, thanks so much.

Still to come, who will be footing the bill for this year's Easter egg roll at the White House? We now know where all that money will be rolling in from.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: -- marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in Massachusetts. Today, we'll have more straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:09]

WHITFIELD: All right, live pictures right now of the Easter Vigil Mass at the Vatican. No doubt the Pope is in many prayers on this day. Due to illness, he has not been leading Holy Week services. That means he won't be presiding at the service tomorrow, Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the Catholic year. The 88-year-old pontiff is healing from double pneumonia and has been in a wheelchair.

Joining me right now is Bishop Robert Barron who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota. Great to see you, Father.

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON, BISHOP, DIOCESE OF WINONA-ROCHESTER, MN: Thank you. Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: So, Pope Francis is not leading the services. He did not attend the vigil. But do you think Pope Francis will appear at Easter Sunday Mass?

BARRON: He probably will appear in some way. You know, he'll come at maybe the end of the liturgy. He might give that blessing tomorrow to the city and to the world. You know, I think he's trying to play it safe a bit. You know, he was quite sick. He was told to stay away from crowds for a couple of months.

He's a hard man to keep down. I mean, everyone that knows the Pope says that just sitting by himself in his room is not, you know, his -- his cup of tea. So, I'm not surprised that he's getting out and -- and reading -- greeting the people in a pastoral way. So, I think we'll probably see some glimpse of the Pope during these days.

WHITFIELD: You do. Yes, he is usually somebody who's very hands-on as a pontiff.

BARRON: Right.

WHITFIELD: You know, but even if -- well, it would be great if -- if people do see him tomorrow in some capacity. But even if he is not present or does not make his appearance, you know, greatly known, what kind of -- what kind of impact do you believe he is having on the faithful?

BARRON: Well, he's had a huge impact for the past, you know, 12 years. I remember very well when he was elected. And from the moment he stepped out on that balcony, he's had an impact on -- on the church. And in some ways, it's changed the -- the style of -- of the papacy. And I think during this time of illness, too, he's having a very special impact on the church.

Because people, you know, many of whom are suffering, many of whom are -- are ill, they see in the way he's handling this great inspiration. So, I -- I think he's been doing this now for a long time. And, you know, he's a shepherd with the smell of the sheep, as he often says.

And he wants to be among the people healthy or sick. I think in both of these manifestations, he's -- he's having a big impact on the church.

WHITFIELD: The Vice President of the United States is at the Vatican in Rome. And The Holy See, which -- which is the Vatican website, you know, says that they shared an exchange of opinion on migrants, meaning when -- when the vice president was meeting with leadership there at the Vatican. But the vice president's office failed to mention any conversation specifically about immigration, saying the topics involved faith, religious persecution, and President Trump's pursuit of world peace. What do you believe the exchange of ideas and thoughts might have been during the vice president's visit?

BARRON: Well, I think Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher, I -- I know Archbishop Gallaher rather well because were together at the synod last October in Rome. They're speaking out of the context of Catholic social teaching. So in regard to immigration, for example, that a country has a right to secure its borders. At the same time, we always reach out to everybody in a spirit of -- of welcome and -- and deep respect and, you know, trying to find the -- the political strategy that -- that honors both those principles. That's Catholic social teaching.

And, you know, Democratic politicians, Republican politicians on our side will approach those things in strategically different ways. But the church keeps speaking consistently out of its own social teaching tradition. I think, certainly regard to the war and peace issues, the church is always trying to broker peace as much as we can.

[15:30:05]

And so I think, you know, they're probably, they found a lot of common ground in the Trump administration's attempt to find some reconciliation of the Ukrainian-Russian dispute. I'm sure that was a major part of their conversation. I think they'd find actually quite a bit of common ground.

WHITFIELD: Today, you know, many people, not just in the U.S., but really around the world, say they are living in troubled times. What are you hearing from your congregations?

BARRON: Well, you know, in a way, we're always living in troubled times. I -- I don't know a moment in American history that wasn't really troubled times, where there's been division. I'll tell you one thing, we should never look to politicians or to politics to -- to soothe these divisions. What we need, it seems to me, is a shared moral and spiritual framework.

What concerns me is the disaffiliation from the churches, that so many people, especially young people, have been over the past 30 years disaffiliating from the churches. That's a serious societal problem. And that will leave us in the state of -- of division and disagreement.

When we come together around a shared moral and spiritual vision, look at the civil rights movement in our country in the middle of the last century. That was great Christian leaders and Jewish leaders summoning us to a shared spiritual vision. So I think that's the key to troubled times. Don't look to politics or politicians. Look to God, finally, to find peace.

WHITFIELD: Bishop Robert Barron, thank you so much and happy Easter.

BARRON: God bless you. Thanks. WHITFIELD: The tradition of the White House Easter egg roll will now be sponsored by Meta, Amazon, and several other companies. Privately funded without taxpayer dollars for many years, last month the White House solicited corporate sponsors for the annual event. CNN's Betsy Klein is joining me right now with more on all this. Betsy, so these sponsorships span a wide range of companies. What can you tell us?

KLEIN: Yes, this all started, Fredricka, back in March when I obtained this nine-page pitch document from an outside event production company called Harbinger. And among the opportunities ranging from $75,000 all the way up to $200,000, naming rights for key areas, sponsor logos on event signage, custom branded baskets and giveaways, mentions in official event communications.

But it was really unclear at the time whether any companies were going to sign on and what exactly that would look like. And we're now getting a little bit of a preview from the White House on what to expect on Monday. Some of these big tech companies signing up along with key associations, really underscoring the lengths they have gone to -- to establish relationships with this White House.

Of course, many of these companies have lost billions of dollars in value as a direct result of President Trump's tariff policies. But we are learning that among the sponsors, and this is according to an official press release from the Office of the First Lady, this money going to the White House Historical Association is a reading nook courtesy of Amazon, a bunny hop stage courtesy of YouTube, AI-powered experience and photo opportunity courtesy of Meta, and a ringing of the bell photo opportunity courtesy of the New York Stock Exchange.

Again, all of the money raised by Harbinger is going to go to the White House Historical Association. Any funding left over is going to go to future White House events like Halloween and Fourth of July on the South Lawn.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, you know, does, you know, offering, I guess, this kind of opportunity for some of the corporate sponsorship also mean that, I guess, it -- it allows them a certain level of access to the White House?

KLEIN: Certainly. And I talked to a wide range of ethics experts, lawyers, officials from former White Houses on both sides of the aisle who universally said that this went against regulations on profiting and private gain for private companies.

Now, I talked to Richard Painter. He was a White House counsel under the Bush administration. He told me that this document would never have passed muster in his day. Of course, we have consistently seen the Trump administration openly flouting rules and norms on the South Lawn. Just last month, we saw the president with Teslas and Elon Musk. We also saw the RNC hosted on the grounds back in 2020, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Betsy Klein at the White House, thanks so much.

[15:34:44] All right. Still to come, crowds are gathering this weekend to mark the 250th anniversary of the start of America's fight for independence. We'll have more straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right, parts of the country are enjoying sunny Easter weather. CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar explains how storms, however, moving across the country have the potential for heavy rain and flooding.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Roughly 40 million people are under some type of severe weather. And that stretches from Texas all the way up into the northeast. You've got a lot of cities that are going to be impacted by these storms. And you're talking damaging winds up around 60, even 70 miles per hour. Hail that could be golf balls or even larger. And yes, the potential for some tornadoes exists, especially along the Mississippi Valley region and stretching back into the Southern Plains.

[15:40:20]

A lot of these storms have been ongoing since this morning, but we really start to see them ramp up overnight tonight. As you can see, more of those storms about 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 p.m. really getting going across portions of Oklahoma and Texas. The system is progressing eastward. It just doesn't really look like it is, and that's because it's a very, very slow moving system.

So even by around 9:00, 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, it's still raining across some of the same portions of Oklahoma and Texas, while some parts of it are starting to begin to spread eastward into the Ohio Valley and Tennessee Valley as well. By Sunday evening, that big line begins to form, but again, still looking at Wisconsin all the way back to Texas.

So still some of those same areas looking at some of these storms over and over again, so not only do we have the potential for severe thunderstorms, but we also have the potential for flooding simply because these areas are just going to continue to get rain in the same spots. So you have the potential for some flooding, especially in the red area here, but really anywhere that's highlighted on this map has the potential for that flooding,

And the reason is widespread totals of 2 to 4 inches, but there will be some isolated pockets that could pick up 5 or even 6 inches of rain. Keep in mind for a lot of these areas, while it's been dry the last few days, they had a tremendous amount of rain at the beginning of the month, so that ground is still pretty saturated in several spots.

By the time we transform into Sunday, you're still looking at another round of severe weather. A little bit slightly east compared to where it is today, but still Saint Louis, Kansas City, Tulsa, even down into Shreveport. Still looking at the potential for some tornadoes, some damaging winds, and some large hail. WHITFIELD: All right. Allison Chinchar, thanks so much.

All right, coming up, today, marks 30 years since the worst domestic terror attack in America. In a moment here, what former President Bill Clinton had to say about the tragedy? And -- and how the nation can overcome extreme polarization.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:46:57]

WHITFIELD: Today marks a grim milestone in U.S. history. It has been three decades since the deadliest act of domestic terrorism, the Oklahoma City bombing.

Today at a memorial event marking 30 years since that horrific attack, 1995, former President Bill Clinton spoke about how this tragedy impacted and united the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That bombing profoundly shook the country and did more to all of you. But in the end, it brought out the best in America.

First responders, doctors, nurses, construction workers from all across America put their own lives on hold and showed up here,

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That bombing killed 168 people, including 19 children. Hundreds more were also injured when that rental truck filled with explosives was detonated outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the morning of April 19th, 1995.

CNN's Ed Lavendara spoke with two people whose lives were forever changed that day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Watching these grainy home videos with Eddie Raines is like stepping into a frozen vault.

EDYE RAINES, CHASE AND COLTON'S MOTHER: That was every day around the house. It was just monsterville.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Traveling back in time to see her two boys, three-year-old Chase and two-year-old Colton.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I got cold on my sheet. Whoa.

RAINES: It's like seeing a picture come to life.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I said shut up.

LAVANDERA: When you hear their voices.

RAINES: It's weird. I don't ever watch this stuff ever.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): When the world first saw Eddie Raines, April 19th, 1995, she was a 22-year-old mother running around the Oklahoma City federal building. Live news coverage captured her agony in the moments just after the bombing that killed 168 people, including 19 children.

LAVANDERA: In that moment, could you have envisioned what your life would be like 30 years later?

RAINES: On the day that it happened, you think it's the end of the world. It feels like it's the end of the world.

LAVANDERA: What is it that you specifically remember?

RAINES: I remember how loud I wailed and screamed and cried. I can almost hear myself in the back of my head.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Her brother, who was a police officer, would find the bodies of Chase and Colton in the rubble. They were in the day care center on the second floor of the federal building, too close to where Timothy McVeigh parked the moving van filled with nearly 5,000 pounds of explosives.

LAVANDERA: When you think of your boys, what do you -- what do you think?

RAINES: They were such happy, like precious, wonderful little creatures.

LAVANDERA: The idea that you don't get to see what they would have become has to weigh on you.

RAINES: I do wonder, like what? What would they be? I -- I don't know. So, I wonder about that all the time.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): But six children did survive the bombing. They were called the miracle babies.

[15:50:00]

PJ Allen was just 18 months old.

PJ ALLEN, SURVIVOR OF OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING: When they found me out inside the building. I was on fire.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The blast burned more than half his body. Rocks and debris penetrated his skull, and when he left the hospital several months later, it was a headline making moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going home.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): For almost ten years, Allen lived with a breathing tube because his lungs were so badly scorched. ALLEN: Which gives me a unique voice that I have now.

LAVANDERA: It is a unique voice. That's a great way to look at it.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Today, he's 31 years old, living in Oklahoma City. He has no memory of that day, but has spent a lifetime searching for meaning.

ALLEN: I believe that we all survived for a reason, and it's up to us to go through life and try to figure out what that is. For me, I believe that trying to find a way to give back is my purpose.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Allen found that work as a technician repairing military planes at Tinker Air Force Base and always fully aware that he's a direct link to one of the darkest moments in American history.

LAVANDERA: Do you get angry about it when you -- never.

ALLEN: Too lucky to be alive, to take a moment feeling any type of hatred.

LAVANDERA: You perhaps, maybe more than -- than many people, realize how grateful it is to take each breath that you have.

ALLEN: Oh, yeah. Definitely, don't ever take life for granted.

RAINES: He said, I love you, mommy.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Just days after the bombing, Edye Raines spoke with CNN showing Chase and Colton's untouched bedroom.

RAINES: It's all I have left.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): In those early days, the weight of the future seemed unbearable.

RAINES: What do you do when -- when people ask you? Do you have children? What do you say? Well, I did have children. My children are dead. What do you say? You don't know what to say.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Raines would go on to have two more children. Thirty years later, she's learned to live with the memories of Chase and Colton.

RAINES: The first 10 years there were -- there was a lot of anger. I was angry. After this long, you can't just really harbor that hatred and resentment.

LAVANDERA: And do you think most people have found some form of peace?

RAINES: I think everyone has dealt with our situation with grace and dignity. I mean, as much as you can.

LAVANDERA: Right.

RAINES: What else do you do? You can't change it.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Ed Lavandera, CNN, Oklahoma City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:57:08]

WHITFIELD: Paul Revere rode again in Boston last night. The city staging a reenactment of Revere's ride 250 years ago. The ride also included the lighting of lanterns to signify the British were coming. Celebrations also saw this reenactment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A parade today in Concord marked the end of Paul Revere's famous ride and where the Revolutionary War began. It's part of a year-long celebration of the American Revolution.

And from the past to the now present and future. And they're off. More than 20 robots joined thousands of runners in a first of its kind man versus machine half marathon in Beijing.

Coming in a variety of shapes and sizes, the two-legged robots were assisted by their teams only slightly veering off course there. The robot contestants were allowed fresh batteries during the race. A man ultimately triumphed over the bots with the first robot crossing the finish line in 2 hours 40 minutes.

All right, an all-new episode of Have I Got News For You is coming up tonight on CNN. Host Roy Wood Jr. and team captains Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black. Welcome guest political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin and comedian George Wallace. Here's a quick preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD JR., COMEDIAN: Before we get started, quick fun fact about George Wallace. His mama was one of the first DOGE cuts. They cut 600 pounds from the budget.

GEORGE WALLACE, COMEDIAN: Hold on, hold on. Now, wait a second. You're not going to sit here and insult me. I come down here and you're going to talk about my mama? Your mama's so fat when she gets on the elevator. Oh, it's going down. And I did meet your mom at the airport, you got a job sniffing luggage. Come on.

WOOD JR.: Time for three facts about Pedro Pascal.

MICHAEL IAN BLACK, COMEDIAN: I was hoping you were going to say time for three facts about George Wallace's mama.

WALLACE: Listen, he can talk about my mama, but keep your stay in your lane, OK? Stay in your lane, OK?

WOOD JR.: Pedro Pascal, our facts are --

WALLACE: Because I know your mama, too. Your mom is so stupid she's walking by the YMCA she said, look baby somebody spelled Macy's wrong.

WOOD JR.: Time for three facts about Pedro Pascal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Yikes. Tune in to see Have I Got News For You tonight, 9:00 Eastern.

[16:00:00]

All right, thank you so much for watching me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN Newsroom with Jessica Dean starts right now.