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Violent Tornadoes Rip Across Mississippi, Killing At Least 6 People; At Least 31 Dead, 100 Plus Injured After U.S. Strikes Vs. Houthis In Yemen; Trump Warns Iran, Houthis' Main Backer, To "Immediately" End Rebel Group's Support; "She's Passed Out": 911 Call In 2022 Idaho Killings Released; Trump Signs Stopgap Bill To Keep Government Funded Through Sept. 30; 51 Killed As Fire Rips Though North Macedonia Nightclub; Peruvian Fisherman Found Alive After 95 Days Lost At Sea. Democrats Grappling with How to Move Forward; WH Intensifies Campaign to Deport Foreigners in Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired March 16, 2025 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:10]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Welcome to CNN This Morning. It's Sunday, March 16th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

Right now, tornado watches are in effect in three states. A powerful and deadly storm system is pushing east. Now, the damage in some communities is extensive and threat is not over. Allison Chinchar is standing by with your forecast.

Also this morning, a new roadblock for the Trump administration. A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Trump from using sweeping wartime powers to quickly deport some migrants. The judge even ordered any planes already in the air to turn around and come back to the U.S.

Also, for the first time, we're hearing the chilling 911 call from a surviving roommate in the Idaho quadruple murder case. You'll hear what she told police after finding her roommates.

And wait until you hear the details of this story. A Peruvian fisherman found alive after being lost at sea for 95 days. We'll tell you how he survived. His story is ahead on CNN This Morning.

But we're beginning this morning with a powerful deadly storm system that is currently making its way across the eastern U.S. At least 33 people are dead across six states from the storms after a strong string of violent tornadoes. The tornadoes left a path of destruction in several states overnight.

Video from a family in Tylertown, Mississippi. Take a moment, turn toward the screen and watch this. It shows just how powerful these storms were.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no. Oh, no.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The (INAUDIBLE) is gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a tornado.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My God. Oh, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Camper (ph) gone, babe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, man, man, man, man, man, man, man. Lord, Jesus. It's crazy.

Oh, man. Why you all be in Tylertown, man? Look at my car, man. Oh my God.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: I mean, that really drives home, how quickly it happens and how strong these storms are. Missouri saw the most deaths with 12 people killed from that violent storm that ripped through Friday night into Saturday.

And after surveying the damage, the National Weather Service determined a powerful EF3 tornado hit Bakersfield, Missouri. Three people were killed there.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

GOVERNOR MIKE KEHOE (R), MISSOURI: Last night's storms had a horrific path. Over 27 counties were affected significantly. And at one time last night, between midnight and 4:00 a.m., we had 150 fires. We had over 150,000 people out of electricity, multiple tornadoes, fatalities, looting, auto accidents, just you name it, kind of an Armageddon situation for emergency response.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Allison Chinchar is here tracking the latest for us. I've said it several times, even just since the start of the hour, that the threat is not over. There are active watches now.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think because we kept putting so much focus on Saturday. People kind of think, OK, well, that means it ended Saturday night.

BLACKWELL: No.

CHINCHAR: But it's not. It's still continuing to progress eastward. So you have a new tornado watch that we got last hour that's kind of playing into the mix here. But look at what the storm system has done just since Friday. Again, all of these dots that you see here represent some type of storm report. That could be a tornado report. It could be a hail report. Some of which were the size of baseballs or even damaging wind report. There's over 650 of those dots on that screen. And a lot of those wind reports contributed to this.

This is a look at the power outages across the country right now. The three hardest hit states so far are North Carolina, Georgia and portions of Missouri. And for Georgia and North Carolina, the threat is not over because we're going to continue to see this line of storms as it progresses eastward.

That new tornado watch now in effect for portions of North Carolina, much of South Carolina and the eastern portion of Georgia. That goes until 2:00 p.m. this afternoon Eastern Time. And again, it's because the line is continuing to slide east. You also have several warnings up and down the line. Tornado warnings, but also severe thunderstorm warnings.

One of those tornado warnings just kind of went through downtown Augusta, not very far from Augusta National Course that's there. It's now a little bit farther to the north. But again, a lot of this line of thunderstorms is going to continue to spread into South Carolina, taking aim at Columbia, South Carolina, as we go through the next hour or two.

All of this area you see here, this has the potential for the severe thunderstorms today. Yes, the threat is slightly lower than we saw yesterday, but it's not zero. And all of these places still have the potential to have a tornado, to have damaging winds, which could bring down trees or power lines, or even, yes, the potential for some additional hail.

Here's a look at the timeline for this particular system as it slides off to the east. You're going to see it spreading eastward. Places like North and South Carolina, even into portions of Florida, but also into the mid-Atlantic as we head into the afternoon.

[07:05:08]

And some of those storms are actually going to get stronger as we go into the afternoon, because now they've got the sun out. They've got the heating of the day to help fuel a lot more of those stronger thunderstorms as we go through the afternoon.

Then into the evening, it continues to slide east. And even into the overnight, it's still not quite done just yet. By tomorrow morning, the big concern is actually going to be portions of the northeast.

Here's a more zoomed-in look of ?the Northeast tomorrow morning. It is going to be very soggy for that Monday morning commute. Places like New York, Boston, Hartford, Connecticut, all of these areas likely going to get drenched as you are headed out to work or perhaps even to school.

You've got the colder air behind it. So in the places like the green and white mountains where you've got those higher elevations, and the temperature is cooler, you're actually going to be dealing with some snow component too.

So again, this right here, this is the whole system. And it is large. It stretches from Canada all the way back down to the Gulf Coast. And you've got a little bit of everything mixed in. We've got wind advisories, very strong wind gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour in some spots.

You also have the winter weather that we just talked about. And then the severe component. And again, just to reiterate. We are going to continue to likely see additional tornado watches continue to get at it as we go through the day as that line continues to spread easterward.

So even if you were not under a tornado watch right now, that doesn't mean you're in the clear for the rest of the day.

BLACKWELL: All right, Allison, thanks so much. We'll check back in just a moment.

Let's get a closer look at some of the destruction throughout the south overnight. The town of Calera, this is central Alabama, just south of Birmingham, saw substantial damage, but there are good news here, no reported injuries.

Jon Paepcke, he's from our affiliate WVTM, he has a look at the damage for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JON PAEPCKE, WVTM REPORTER: I'm going to let my photographer, Mel Stevens, get a little bit closer look because it's kind of dark out here, but you can see this is the actual maintenance building. And I know that because I've actually had my RV worked on here many years ago.

And you can see the wind just basically collapsed the ceiling, the roof of this building onto an RV that was being worked on. There's debris on the ground. If we take a look to the left, Mel, move a little bit further down along the fence here, and there's a downed power line.

We got to be careful that we don't get too close to that, of course. It's got to be safe. You can see another RV that has been flipped over on its side, a little bit behind me here. And there's another RV in front of it that actually it slammed into.

I don't know if there's any other RVs that are damaged. When we were actually pulling up here right off I-65, coming off the exit, all the RVs that are along the interstate looked like they were unharmed. It wasn't until we made it to the backside here that we noticed the damage that you're seeing now.

Now, if you also -- you can notice the power line, like I said, it was down. The winds that came through here snapped this power pole in half and laid it down near along the ground. There's debris that's up in the trees in the distance, as you can also see that.

But there's a lot of damage in this area as we were driving on the way over here from where that mobile home park was, actually, and from the school as well. We saw debris in the roadway in downtown Calera on Highway 25. So it's going to take this community a few days, if not weeks, to clean up after the storms that passed through tonight.

Back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, Jon Paepcke, for us there in Calera, Alabama, thanks so much, our affiliate WVTM for that report.

At least 31 people are dead and 101 injured in Yemen after the U.S. launched airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthis.

President Trump characterized it as decisive military action against the rebel group, which has targeted ships in the Red Sea. CNN Correspondent Paula Hancocks joins us now from Abu Dhabi. So we understand, Paula, that the airstrikes came with a stern warning to Iran from the president. Tell us about it.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Victor, yes. At the same time as we saw the U.S. military targeting bases and missile defense systems of the Houthi rebels, we also saw a post from the U.S. president on Truth Social saying that he would not tolerate vessels being attacked, saying they were going to use overwhelming lethal force until the objective was achieved.

There was a specific message within that post for Iran itself saying, "Iran, support for the Houthi terrorists must end immediately". So while we are seeing this, what President Trump called decisive action against the Houthis, there is also a far wider message here.

The Houthi rebels are part of this so-called axis of resistance. They are funded by Iran. They are equipped and trained by Iran, as a number of other proxies in the region as well. And what we have seen is this is somewhat of a continuation of the previous administration's policy.

[07:10:03]

We did see U.S. president -- former U.S. President Joe Biden targeting these Houthi bases to try and stop them, attacking ships in the Red Sea, in the Gulf of Aden, and these commercial ships. But what we are hearing now is that this is going to be more sustained. This is going to continue for longer.

One source familiar with the matter said that this will happen in the days and weeks ahead. It will be more sustained and there's been more significant intelligence gathered according to a military source to make sure that they have the knowledge of exactly what can be targeted in the longer term.

We did hear a response from Iran as well. The Iranian foreign minister posting on social media saying the U.S. has no authority or business dictating Iranian foreign policy. But it is just another message between Tehran and Washington and we are seeing what we saw overnight with more than 30 killed and more than 100 injured with these attacks on Houthi bases and different areas in Yemen.

A far wider message that the Trump administration is giving to Iran and certainly we have heard from the Houthis themselves that there will be retaliation. They have said in the past that they would stop these attacks on shipping once the ceasefire in Gaza came about but they have recently said that the ban, they call it, on allowing ships to go in this area has now been put in place again because Israel has stopped all humanitarian aid from getting into Gaza.

So, this certainly has the potential to escalate further. We are expecting further U.S. military and other allied military including the United Kingdom attacks on those Houthi bases, leaders and missile defense systems. Victor?

HANCOCKS: Paul Hancocks with the report from Abu Dhabi. Thank you.

Still ahead on CNN This Morning weekend, a tearful reunion after 95 days apart. Coming up, the moment a fisherman who had been lost at sea since December was reunited with his family.

Also break out your bracket, it's the day college basketball fans have been waiting for all year. Coy Wire is here with a preview of selection Sunday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:10]

BLACKWELL: We have an update on the murder of four Idaho college students who were brutally killed back in their home. This was in 2022. Authorities released the disturbing and frantic 911 call in which you can hear a crying woman tell dispatchers that one of her roommates is unconscious. And now I have to warn you that this may be disturbing.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has details for us.

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's 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.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911, location of your emergency?

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is the address of the emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 1122.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

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 mention seeing a man in the house the night before. Listen to that moment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I just tell you what happened pretty much?

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really know but pretty much at 4:00 a.m.

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'll come -- come one. Let's -- we got to check. But we have to.

She's passed out, what's wrong? She's not waking up.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

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 30-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 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.

[07:20:16]

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.

BLACKWELL: Julia, thank you for that report.

That tornado outbreak that's already left nearly three dozen people dead is still firing this morning. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is back to track the threat for millions of people from Florida to Pennsylvania.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:08]

BLACKWELL: President Trump signed into law that stopgap funding bill to fund the government until the end of September. The Senate passed the bill on Friday, just hours before the midnight deadline. Trump praised Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for helping to advance the Republican-led bill and avert a government shutdown.

This morning, the investigation into the disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student in the Dominican Republic continues. Yesterday, the attorney general interviewed Joshua Steven Riibe, the last person known to have seen the student, has been under police surveillance and questioned multiple times since she went missing March 6th.

The 22-year-old American is not considered a suspect in the case and has been not accused of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the search for that young woman, Konaki (ph) -- Konanki, rather, continues with no signs of violence found on her sarong and flip-flops discovered at the beach.

Fifty-one people are dead, more than 100 injured at a nightclub in North Macedonia. This is video posted on social media, giving you a look inside the venue. Pop group playing on stage. You see here the sparks from some pyrotechnics, some fireworks used during 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. It's highlighted there in the upper left. More than 150 people were injured. The justice minister said those involved in that pyrotechnic show will be held responsible.

A Peruvian fisherman found alive in the Pacific Ocean. Get this. He spent 95 days lost at sea. Maximo Napa Castro set out from the southern coast of Peru. This was December 7th. He was thrown off course by bad weather.

He was discovered last week, severely dehydrated, in critical condition, 61 years old. He survived by drinking rainwater, eating insects, birds, a turtle. He was released from the hospital yesterday.

And of course, we continue to track the storm system that is pounding much of the east this morning. Tornado watch is still in effect right now, and the danger is far from over.

Allison Chinchar is back with us now. And this is stretching from the Deep South all the way up the coast.

CHINCHAR: It's -- you really have to understand how massive the storm is. I mean, it goes from Canada all the way down. And the whole way, it's producing tremendous amounts of weather, very strong weather in some of these states.

So we take a look at what we've got going on right now, because in the last hour, we did get that brand-new tornado watch. So you now have four states that are under tornado watches. That includes portions of northern Florida, Georgia, south and North Carolina.

Now the ones in Georgia, southern Georgia, and then Florida, that's valid until 10:00 a.m. Eastern time today. The one that's a little bit farther to the north, that is valid until 2:00 p.m. Eastern time today, as that system continues to slide east.

We've had off-and-on warnings, tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, up and down this entire line. And we still have several warnings active as we speak, including a tornado warning and several severe thunderstorm warnings just to the north of Augusta as they make their way up towards Columbia, South Carolina. That's where the main line of this is going to head.

Keep in mind, some of these tornadoes, they're very quick to spin up. They spin up, they last for a few minutes, and then go away. So a lot of these things, you don't have a lot of time to prepare. So take that time now to get to that safe place, get where you need to be ahead before the storm actually arrives.

And again, we talked about it with Victor. Look at the scope of this. Again, you have rain all the way in Canada, all the way back down to Florida, and pretty much everything in between. Now, on the backside where you have the colder air, you're looking at some snow and very windy conditions.

Everywhere else, the main concern here is going to be damaging winds and the potential for severe thunderstorms. The main threat is really going to be this yellow area you see right here.

But even in the surrounding green areas, you could still have some damaging winds, 50, 60 miles per hour. That is more than enough to bring down some trees and power lines. The other concerns going forward will still continue to be the potential for some tornadoes and also some hail as we go through the rest of the day today and even through the evening and overnight hours.

BLACKWELL: All right, I know you'll be watching it. Allison Chinchar, thank you.

The Democratic Party, the divide is deepening. After Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and others sided with Republicans to pass the latest spending bill, what's the best path forward for the party? We'll discuss that next.

Also, a new episode of the CNN original series, "Twitter: Breaking the Bird", focusing on its increasing influence on the world of news and politics. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We now live in an age for media that a single voice can have as much power and relevance in -- on the Web, that is, as an entire media network.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a race to a million followers between Ashton Kutcher on one hand and CNN Breaking News, and it became sort of a media story of, like, which one was going to win.

KURT WAGNER, AUTHOR, BATTLE FOR THE BIRD: This is a huge deal, right? I mean, you're reaching a new audience, a mainstream audience that you might not otherwise get access to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ashton famously won, and it was a new medium, and there was like a new way of being entertaining that just hadn't existed before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A new episode of "Twitter: Breaking the Bird" airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:35:00]

BLACKWELL: Well, Congress managed to avoid a government shutdown Friday, but the road to get there, it was rocky, especially for Democrats. Let's talk about that now. And a lot more with CNN Legal Analyst Michael Moore, host of NPR's "Morning Edition," Atlanta, Lisa Rayam, and race and culture reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ernie Suggs. Welcome to you all.

So, coincidentally, Chuck Schumer's book tour starts tomorrow, right? So, the town halls we've watched for Republicans, he may see that when he gets to Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore tomorrow.

But, Michael, let me start with you. When you look at the Democrats now and they're disappointed, so many of them, with Chuck Schumer. I had a Clyburn on -- Representative Clyburn on yesterday who said that he blew a hole in the relationship with House Democrats can be mended. But what do you see?

MICHAEL MOORE, CN LEGAL ANALYST, PARTNER, MOORE HALL IN ATLANTA AND FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Yes, you know, I don't know what the long game was for him, except that maybe he decided to shift his vote so that senators who were coming up for re-election had a pass. So, in other words, he decided he could take the hit as the leader and he could let people who were coming up in -- especially in swing states, those seats that are coming open, they could say, well, we voted no. So, he may have taken the fall.

The problem is that he played it all the way to the end and then he pulled the other nine with him. And so, I sense the frustration. How it plays out? I don't know, but I wouldn't want to be on the book tour.

LISA RAYAM, HOST, "MORNING EDITOR" ON ATLANTA'S WABE RADIO (NPR): I don't know. Was this also surprising though? Isn't that how politics works though? You know, it wasn't real surprising to me. I don't know. Was it surprising to you?

ERNIE SUGGS, ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION, RACE AND CULTURE REPORTER: It wasn't surprising, but I think his reasoning was sound that he did not want to government shut down. Now, how that plays with his party, that's the thing. That's the discussion that he should have had with his party because now the party is fractured and the party is already -- the party came into this whole situation fractured, now, it's worse.

MOORE: It may be unusual too because it was sort of what a statesman might do about keeping the government open and we haven't been seeing that over the last few months.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

MOORE: Right? We've been seeing just pure gut political decisions aimed at a base as opposed to the good for the whole.

SUGGS: And that's the irony of the whole thing, because he did what he thought was right. And that's not what we've seen in the White House and that's not what we've seen in Washington over the last four or five years. He thought what he did was right, but it's kind of fractured his party more than it has been.

RAYAM: So, now, all this chatter about what to do next and we don't know, what do they do next, right?

BLACKWELL: Because that's the question from some Democrats that they have lost such confidence in Chuck Schumer that as you go into the debt limit talks and you go into the president's agenda talks, is he someone who can be trusted in the room alone? Annie Grayer and Edward- Isaac Dovere at CNN have a new piece out where they speak with three dozen Democrats on the Hill who say they don't trust him as much as they used to.

SUGGS: Yes. I mean, I think what we're seeing now is a shift politically in Washington in the Democratic Party, where you have these old heads like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and you have these people like AOC who are coming in behind them who want to have a voice, want to have action, and they need to move these people out. They want to move these people out, and this is an opportunity with Chuck Schumer's decision that he can be moved out. At least if he's not moved out physically, it can be moved out metaphorically as the face and the voice of the party.

MOORE: I think the Democrats just want to hear a plan, right? I mean, they want to see some action, but they need to hear that we have a plan on how we're going to tackle the next four years.

RAYAM: America wants to hear a plan. This kind of uneasiness, I've never felt before, you know, here in America. BLACKWELL: Yes, Democrats want their leaders to fight, there's just no consensus on what that fight looks like.

SUGGS: Right. And who's leading the fight.

BLACKWELL: And who's leading the fight.

RAYAM: Who's leading the fight. Who's leading the fight. Don't have a clear leader at this point.

BLACKWELL: Well, let's talk about another story that we've been focusing on closely, that's Mahmoud Khalil, who's a Columbia graduate student, who is in custody for a little more than a week now in Louisiana. The administration says that he was here on a student visa. He had a green card. Legal permanent resident, married to a U.S. citizen, who is eight months pregnant.

We're going to show some video here of the protests across the country to free him. The question to the administration is, what is the specific conduct that justifies deportation? And there has been difficulty from the White House, from the State Department, from Homeland Security explaining specifically what it is.

MOORE: I think that's sort of the problem they have in this case and why you've seen some judges take notice and stop some of the executive action against him. I mean, not even getting into the protest. I mean, I think the university probably let it get out of hand. It got too far down the road. But here, they're basically said, we're going to deport somebody simply because they disagree with us.

And they use this sort of McCarthy-esque approach saying that, we're going to use the power of the government. It's almost like we're out hunting communists. Again, it'd be nice maybe if this administration cared more about that. But here, they're using this sort of McCarthy- esque approach to just to say, he's gone simply because his views don't line up with the ones that we have right now.

[07:40:00]

Well, that's sort of what America is that we blend it all. We don't just throw --

RAYAM: America was. America was, right?

MOORE: Well, right. But we just don't throw people out.

RAYAM: Yes.

MOORE: Again, I'm not getting into whether or not it got out of hand and some of the demonstrations, things that may have been said, you know, that we're anti-Semitic, that's not the point. The point is right now they're using the power from an old statute, you know, aimed at protecting the security as opposed to simply targeted an enemy or a spokesperson who disagrees with the label of an enemy.

SUGGS: But this is also scary in a sense that, you know, we're all college graduates and we all knew what we did on college campuses to protest and to have our voice. And this is an attack on free speech, but it's also a tactic because so much great thought comes out of college campuses. So, much change in America has come out of college campuses.

And what we're doing now is the country is attacking that and we're putting fear in college students. We're putting fear in protesters that if they say something against the government or against the White House that they could be expelled or the worst-case scenario, kicked out of the country.

BLACKWELL: Columbia has announced that they suspended, expelled, and revoked the degrees of at least 11 people who took over Hamilton Hall last year. I mean, I had one of Khalil's attorneys on yesterday who talked about the myriad of times that groups took over Hamilton Hall and their degrees were never revoked. It is on this specific issue that -- and in this administration in which this happens.

Another thing that has been proposed by the administration that if Columbia wants to negotiate to get the $400 million of grants and contracts that had been revoked, they have to hand over control of their Middle Eastern Studies Department to a receivership for five years. I don't know that I've ever heard that happening.

SUGGS: You never heard that because this is a different -- we're in a different age. We're in a different age where colleges and high schools and school systems across the country are in a point where they have to really figure out how they're going to negotiate with the White House, how they're going to deal with the White House, they're going to -- how they're going to have to present themselves. And that's becoming a problem in Columbia University right there in the middle of New York City and Ivy League school, which is another, you know, quote/unquote, "problem," is the prime example of where we're going as a country.

RAYAM: I was going to say, again, the anxiety and the malaise that's setting over this country, that's the bigger problem and the bigger question and the bigger discussion that needs to be had.

MOORE: If you think about how what a dichotomy it is when this administration is doing away with consent orders that tell police departments that you can't abuse prisoners, they're dismissing those cases, let's just say we're taking our hands off, do what you want to do but you have to come in now, leveraging funding for a college, only if they'll do what they want them to do. So, it's an odd place for them to be in. And it'll face a court challenge without probably any doubt.

BLACKWELL: Yes. We're about a week and a half into the target fast related to their divestment from their DEI programs. Pastor Jamal Bryant, one of the organizers of it says that 140,000 people have registered for it. We've seen the drop of the target stock price. They expect their growth to be at about 1 percent. We see that with some companies with target specifically. But on the other hand, you've got Delta, Costco, Ben & Jerry's, which is always politically active, saying they're holding on to their DEI programs. RAYAM: Apple. Hold onto that Apple phone.

BLACKWELL: I wondered one influence -- and Apple. Does one influence the other? Because for so long that the divestment from DEI has come without reputational damage, without brand damage for the several years. And now, with target, is that the example that's maybe given some companies a moment to say, we need to think a little more about this, even if they still go in that direction?

MOORE: I think probably that's right. I mean, I think that, you know, they're looking at internal numbers and marketing numbers and doing those things anyway. And not to mention the temperature of what's out there in the country right now. So, it's not -- I'm not totally surprised to see some movement either way. I mean, whether you're talking about Tesla stock, whether we're talking about targets, I mean, that these things that we're seeing, not just DEI, but other policies we're seeing have a broader effect.

SUGGS: Well, I've saved some money this month.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

RAYAM: (INAUDIBLE) for sure. For sure. Yes, I'm surprised that the outcry isn't louder. I thought it would be a little louder than it is. It's not as loud as I thought it would be.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Last thing here, which stood out to me as we all sit here on a Sunday morning at 7:45, Vanna White did -- she did a podcast in which he talked about the scheduling of the show. And yes, I see in the preview monitor, you might as well show it. I was on "Wheel of Fortune" when I was in college.

RAYAM: Were you really?

[07:45:00]

BLACKWELL: Yes, that's me in the center of my Howard sweatshirt on.

RAYAM: Oh, wow. Did you win?

BLACKWELL: A couple thousand dollars, a little pocket change. We taped five shows that day. And because Vanna said they tape six now, she works fewer than 35 days a year.

RAYAM: I love it. I love it. What a gig.

BLACKWELL: Right?

RAYAM: What a gig. I love it.

BLACKWELL: 331 days off. I mean --

RAYAM: And she makes how much?

BLACKWELL: I don't know, but a lot.

SUGGS: I need to call her agent.

BLACKWELL: Right.

MOORE: I need to get a lawyer. Negotiate the contract, right?

RAYAM: Yes. Good agent there. Yes.

BLACKWELL: -- I mean -- and it was very nice. They take three during the morning, take a break. And then, in the evening, come back and take the rest of the week. But --

SUGGS: So, Victor, since you're an alum --

RAYAM: I'm not mad at it.

SUGGS: Since you're an alum of "Wheel of Fortune," is that your next gig, that 331 days off?

BLACKWELL: I mean, listen, I don't know if CNN is going to offer me 331 days off. But I'll take a good 30 if you got it. All right. Michael Moore, Lisa Rayam, Ernie Suggs, thank you for coming in and having the conversation.

RAYAM: What a pleasure.

SUGGS: Thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

RAYAM: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. March Madness hit an overdrive today. A resident brachiologist, bracketologist? Is that what the word is, Coy? Coy Wire is checking in with a look at which college teams could be the top seeds in this year's NCAA tournament.

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[07:50:00]

BLACKWELL: -- attract the powerful storm system, sweeping the East coast. New video now in a CNN. It shows just how powerful these winds were. Look at this. It's a school bus tossed by the storm onto the roof of the high school in Central Alabama.

CNN's Allison Chinchar is back with us now. I spoke with someone who is running the fire department there in Kalir, in Central Alabama, talked about what happened there. We're seeing more of the damage. What's ahead?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So, what's ahead is we are anticipating another tornado watch to come out. It could be moments from now or certainly within the next hour. This is going to include Southeastern Georgia and portions of Northern Florida, because that's where the line is starting to slide into. We already still have plenty of other tornado watches in effect for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and then other portions of Florida. The ones to the west are valid until 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. The ones farther off to the north and east, those are valid until 2:00 p.m. Eastern time today, and that's likely how long that new one will end up being is probably between 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. this afternoon.

You've got several severe thunderstorm warnings and even tornado warnings in effect right now. We have a tornado warning just to the north and west of Columbia, South Carolina as we speak, another one down to the south of Macon. This whole line is going to continue to slide east, taking with it the potential for severe storms.

This is a very large storm in terms of scale. It goes from Canada all the way down to the gulf coast. Pretty much everywhere in between is dealing with some type of weather. This is the area where we have the best potential for those severe thunderstorms today, essentially from Pennsylvania back down through Florida. All of these cities are going to be in the line for that. You're looking at the potential yes for additional tornadoes. You could also see damaging winds 50, 60, 70 miles per hour. That's more than enough to bring down some trees, power lines and also the potential for some small hail in some of these places, maybe around quarters, maybe up to golf balls.

Here's a look at the timeline. Again, this morning, it's going to continue to slide into the Carolinas. So that by the afternoon, now you're looking at Raleigh, Charleston, Savannah, even Washington, D.C. Then it continues to slide out as we head into the evening hours by late tonight, finally starting to see most of an end to it on the southern side. But now, it really begins to ramp up across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. And that's where it's going to continue into tomorrow morning.

So, on that morning commute tomorrow, it's going to not only be very windy, but also likely dealing with the potential for a lot of rain for cities like New York, Boston, and Hartford.

BLACKWELL: Far from over. Allison Chinchar, thanks for watching it for us all morning. All right. Get ready to fill out those brackets. Election Sunday, 30 more tickets to be punched. Our Sports Anchor Coy Wire is here. March Madness, feels like it's -- we're here already.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I know. Yes, because of the madness that we're already seeing. You always do really well in the brackets. I don't know if any of you all have ever noticed. He's always at the top of our CNN anchor bracket challenge. Must be that "Wheel of Fortune" experience.

BLACKWELL: All right. I knew you wouldn't let it go.

WIRE: One of those great stories that we have already brewing, it's coming out of New York City. St. John's winning their first Big East title in 25 years. They take down Creighton 82-66 in the tournament final. RJ Luis scoring 27 of his game high, 29 in the second half breaking Chris Mullen's 1985 Big East tournament title game record. Look at him putting on his shades. Future is bright. These players weren't even born the last time the Johnnies won the title. Coach Rick Pitino, the legend in year two, breathing life into this program. Here he was message -- with his message after the win. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK PITINO, ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY HEAD COACH: To all the St. John's fans, this is for you. It's not -- this is for you. We've said it often, that St. John's is New York's team. So, all of you are part of this Big East Championship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. We have some first timers punching tickets. On the women's side, Grand Canyon up just one with about 10 seconds to play. They missed the shot, lose the rebound, but steal it back to beat U.T. Arlington 65-62. So, watch this. Coach Molly Miller getting blasted with some ice-cold water in the locker room as the Lopes advance to the NCAA tourney for the first time in program history. She's moonwalking. Look at her getting jiggy with it.

[07:55:00]

OK, coach. Dancing away into March Madness. 34-year-old J.J. Spahn hit a spectacular long-range putt, taking a one-shot lead into the final round of the Players Championship. He's ranked world number 57. One great day away from the biggest win of his career. But with the threat of severe storms, organizers in Florida pushing today's start time more than three hours earlier than last year's. They'll tee off in just a few minutes here, at 8:00 a.m. this morning in hopes of avoiding late afternoon storms.

The great eight, Alex Ovechkin, and now just eight goals away from history. The all-time NHL goals record of 894 set by Wayne Gretzky. Sweet redirect there for the score and his catch 5-1 win over the Sharks. Ove broke his leg November 18th. He returned 40 days later. He's 39 years old and he scored 19 goals in 33 games since then. This is truly a remarkable feat. We are witnessing 15 games left to break it to get those eight goals for the record.

BLACKWELL: All right. You all will both be busy this weekend. Thank you very much. Thank you for sharing your morning with us. Inside politics with Manu Raju is up next.

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