Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Storm Kills At Least 4 In St. Louis As Millions Remain Under The Threat; 7 Inmates Still On The Run After New Orleans Jail Escape; Cassie Wraps Up Testimony In Sean "Diddy" Combs Trial; Audio Released Of Biden Interview With Special Counsel; Republican Hard-Liners Defy Trump, Johnson As Megabill Fails To Advance. Israel Launches New Major Military Offensive in Gaza; Secret Service Questions Ex-FBI Director Over "86-47" Post; Moody's Lowers Perfect Credit Rating for U.S. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 17, 2025 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:30]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN This Morning. It's Saturday, May 17th. I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for being here.

We're following several new developments this morning, including severe storms that left a path of death and destruction in the Midwest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, man, it's a tornado, man. We're in the tornado. Oh. Oh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Officials have confirmed deaths in at least two states. Search and rescue operations are ongoing. And we're tracking the threat of more dangerous weather.

Officials in Louisiana are looking for seven inmates, including some accused of murder who escaped from jail. So all caught on surveillance video and the local sheriff says the inmates likely got help from someone inside the sheriff's department.

Cassie Ventura, she wrapped up her emotional testimony in the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial Friday. We'll tell you what we learned from her testimony this week and what to expect when court resumes Monday.

Also, audio tapes of former President Biden's testimony in the classified documents probe. Those are out at The Time. Special counsel Robert her called Biden a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory. We'll play them for you coming up.

All right. Let's get straight to the breaking News. At least five people are dead in St. Louis, Missouri. This is from those severe storms that swept through the Midwest Friday. Officials in Kentucky are also reporting multiple deaths from possible tornadoes.

Authorities are conducting rescues after the storm ripped roofs off buildings, blew out windows, tore through the trees and tore the power lines down. More than 700,000 homes and businesses across a dozen states are without power this morning. And some families are waking up this morning with no home, just thankful they survived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO REDNOUR, LIVES IN MORGANFIELD, KENTUCKY: I went in the house and I looked out the side window. And when I got when I started out the side window, it looked like all that stuff was coming from up instead of you couldn't see, I couldn't see the tail or nothing, but it just lifted like it's lifting everything up. And I turned around, I run back in there. I told everybody, get in the closet, get in the hallway. So I got in the hallway and put my hands over everybody and it started blowing the windows out and you talking about praying. I prayed harder than anything I could ever do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Yes. That storm threat is not over. Millions are still under severe weather threats today. High winds, damaging hail, they're expected along with possible tornadoes. CNN's Derek Van Dam is with us now.

If you look at some of that video, you can understand the man saying he's prayed like he's never prayed before. But where's the threat next?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK, so we still have this ongoing line of thunderstorms that brought the havoc to Kentucky yesterday. There was one location south of Louisville, this is the Somerset, Kentucky region that had three tornado warnings in less than two hours. Talk about storm fatigue. That is extremely, extremely scary, especially when you're talking about the damage that we know that these storms can produce.

There were 28 confirmed tornado reports just yesterday alone. But look at the large swath of severe wind gusts and large hail as well. There were all in all, about 129 tornado warnings issued by humans from the National Weather Service. It's an important factor there. Right. And currently those storms are ongoing. There are still severe thunderstorm watches across the Southeast even though these storms are kind of losing their punch.

We still have some storms that are warned, including just to the west of Birmingham, Alabama. They have a severe thunderstorm warning currently issued within the next five to 10 minutes. Birmingham, you could have wind gusts in excess of 58 miles per hour. That's actually not the main line of severe storms we're expecting today.

Later this afternoon and evening. Look at Dallas, you have an enhanced risk of severe storms. Can't forget it across the northern interior of the -- of New England. We have another risk of severe weather for you today as well. The advancement of these storms as they continue to move east will fizzle out across the south states.

But then look what happens as they bubble up across Central Texas and move across the Deep South through the next coming days. This is part of a multiday severe weather setup that lasts today through tomorrow and into the first parts of the workweek next week. So we'll keep you ahead of the storm here at CNN.

BLACKWLEL: Derek Van Dam, thanks so much.

Authorities are searching for seven inmates that are still on the run after escaping from a jail in Louisiana.

[06:05:02]

Ten inmates escaped through a hole they made behind a wall. This is behind a toilet. They ran out of the facility, crossed a highway. So far, only three have been caught. The inmates left a note behind before escaping. Said too easy. Lol. Investigators believe the inmates may have had some help from inside the sheriff's office. The sheriff also blamed poor infrastructure and understaffing for the lapse that led to that escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF SUSAN HUTSON, ORLEANS PARISH: Monitor phone calls all the time. There are 1,400 people in this jail over the city council 1,250 limit. So can you monitor every single person every day? No, we don't have the bodies to do that. But we do monitor and we rely on tips and we do -- we have an intelligence unit that monitors what's going on in the jail. There's a lot of things at any given time going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Three staff members were suspended without pay pending an investigation. Now the inmates who remained on the loose, they faced an array of charges. Murder, aggravated assault with the firearm, armed robbery. The FBI is assisting in the search and offering a reward for tips leading to arrests.

Cassie Ventura, a prosecution star witness in the federal criminal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, wrapped up a dramatic and emotional testimony Friday. Ventura, who is Combs's ex-girlfriend, took the stand, testified for about 20 hours over four days about physical and sexual abuse, allegedly at Combs's hand.

Combs is charged with racketeering and sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty. CNN correspondent Kara Scannell has the latest developments from the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cassie Ventura, the government star witness in Combs sex trafficking trial, capped a week of testimony with hours of grueling cross-examination. Combs' attorneys tried to find inconsistencies in her statements and one thing that they focused on was her potential financial incentive. They asked her if the $20 million she received from Combs to settle her civil lawsuit was why she canceled a tour. She said that it wasn't. And this was something that the prosecution brought back up again to give Ventura the final word on this.

And in an emotional moment on the witness stand, Ventura was asked if she would give back that $20 million if she didn't have to endure any of the freak offs, she testified, I'd give that money back if I never had to have a freak off. If I never had to have freak offs, I would have had agency and autonomy.

That is when Ventura broke down crying. She added, and I wouldn't have had to work so hard to get it back. Referring to her agency and autonomy.

Now after court, her attorney, Doug Wigdor spoke to reporters and he read part of Ventura's statement. Here's what he said.

DOUG WIGDOR, CASSIE VENTURA'S ATTORNEY: This week has been extremely challenging but also remarkably empowering and healing for me. I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors and can help others who have suffered to speak up and also heal from abuse and fear. For me, the more I heal, the more I can remember. And the more I can remember, the more I will never forget.

SCANNELL: Prosecutors called Dawn Richard, a singer who testified she saw Combs attempt to hit Ventura over the head with a skillet of eggs. She said that then Combs dragged Ventura upstairs to his bedroom where she said she heard glass breaking and screaming. She's expected to return to the witness stand on Monday. Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right, Kara Scannell, thanks so much. Here with me now to discuss the impact of the testimony is retired judge and Court TV anchor Ashley Willcott. Judge, thanks for coming in.

ASHLEY WILLCOTT, JUDGE (RET.): Always. Thank you for having me on, Victor.

BLACKWELL: So let's start here with Cassie. As I said, nearly 20 hours over four days. What do you think is the most valuable part of her testimony for these prosecutors?

WILLCOTT: Explosive testimony. The most valuable part is insisting that regardless of how text might sound, this was not done by consent. She was a victim of domestic violence and it was a system that Sean Combs had in place for the abuse, for the sex, for the trafficking. And that system is what's needed to prove the racketeering.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And so you told my producers, again, we're one week into an eight-week trial, but you don't see that they're making the racketeering case. Tell me why.

WILLCOTT: Not yet. Because you have to show the criminal enterprise. Yes, he's guilty of crimes. Look at the video, of course, domestic violence. But Victor, they have to connect that. They have to say he was using the people that worked for him to actually engage in a system again of criminal enterprise with lots of different people.

And so that part's not there, the domestic violence against one individual. Absolutely. A system in place where he's using all his people to commit all these different crimes. We're not there yet.

[06:10:05]

BLACKWELL: The defense attorneys work to try to undermine her claim of rape. On Friday, she testified that the rape happened in August of 2018 as part of her civil suit in 2023. She said that it was September of 2023. Now, the prosecutors came back in the redirect and said that, is there any question in your mind that you were raped? And she said, no. So is the inconsistency of the month really damaging?

WILLCOTT: I don't worry about it too much, because here's the reality. I think that the jury's going to understand this is a victim. And with a victim, are there going to be some inconsistencies, some trauma that's been caused? Absolutely. She was so steadfast in the details to say this was rape. I'm not too worried about that ruining her credibility.

BLACKWELL: All right, Dawn Richard, she was on the stage stand for just a bit. She'll be back, of course, on Monday. She is a former member of a group that Combs created, Danity Kane also was in a group with him, Diddy Dirty Money. She filed a civil lawsuit against Combs last year, alleging sexual battery, sexual harassment, false imprisonment. What are you expecting from her testimony?

WILLCOTT: We're expecting from her testimony that she is going to support what has already been said by Cassie Ventura, that she's been subject to domestic violence, but that she also witnessed some of that against Cassie Ventura. So now we're starting to get additional individuals that have been subject to different sexual activities without the consent of each of them.

BLACKWELL: Now, as I mentioned, Richard has filed this civil suit. The difference between Cassie Ventura and Dawn Richard is Cassie Ventura's case is settled. Right.

WILLCOTT: Absolutely.

BLACKWELL: And so this case is still pending, the Richard case. Do you expect that the pending civil case will inform how either team questions her or approaches her testimony?

WILLCOTT: Well, I think that if it were settled, then it's subject to disclosure in a criminal case. And so she would then say how much she settled for. So take Cassie Ventura. Her testimony, Victor, was she settled for $20 million with Sean Combs. That can be used against her to say, all right, you know, this is the incentive, or for her, depending on which side you take.

So by not being able to say, this is how much I settled for, it doesn't affect the credibility of the witness because we don't have a number that she's attached to whatever he's done to her.

BLACKWELL: OK, so let's look at the other side of that because we've got the $20 million settlement from Sean Combs and his companies. Cassie Ventura also testified that she's expecting $10 million from her civil case against the Intercontinental Hotel, which was the site of that assault that we all saw on surveillance video. So when you're talking about these major settlements in the jury's mind, does that undermine her testimony at all?

WILLCOTT: Well, I think the reason it doesn't too much is because she's disclosed it, because she's straightforward about it. So they know there's a number attached to it. But think about it. She could walk away and never say anything about him because she's gotten so much money from him.

So sometimes I think a jury might think, wow, she's willing to sit up here in the public eye and disclose really horrific details of sexual abuse and physical abuse in spite of the fact she has all this money, she could walk away. Why is she here?

BLACKWELL: Yes. And there was the moment where even after the disclosure of these numbers, she said that she would give it all back. As Kara said, give it all back if she never had to engage in the freak off. It was an emotional moment. What do you think the impact of that is?

WILLCOTT: Huge. Because not only emotional, that's the first time you see a breakdown on the witness stand.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

WILLCOTT: And so when you see that in combination, that makes you really realize, wow, it was as bad as she's just described.

BLACKWELL: There was also this question of the availability of or the time that each side had to question Ventura because she's very pregnant, eight and a half months. And the judge wanted to wrap it up this week. The defense, he has hurried along. He's given them a time limit here. If this gets to an appeal, is that a potent argument? Is that, listen, we wanted to delay this trial, but the judge says we have to start in May. And then when we got to the star witness, weren't given all the time we wanted.

WILLCOTT: What a great question. First of all, part of the problem is the state was not restricted. They got to do their direct as long as they wanted. Then the defense was restricted. They had until 4:30 on Friday to finish their cross-examination.

The reason I don't think it's an appellate issue is because the defense actually finished around noon. So they didn't even utilize all of the time they were provided. Now if they had gone to 4:30 and said, Judge, we can't finish, and the judge still said too bad, then I think it would be a real issue.

BLACKWELL: All right, Judge Ashley Wilcott thank you.

WILLCOTT: Thank you, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right.

[06:15:00]

You can stay up to date on the Sean Combs trial with CNN's new podcast, Trial by Jury Diddy, hosted by CNN's Laura Coates. The special counsel who investigated then President Biden's handling of classified documents called him an elderly man with a poor memory.

Well, now we have the audio of that interview as there are new questions about who knew what, about the former president's decline.

Plus, President Trump returned from the first Middle East trip of his second term to a roadblock in what he calls his big, beautiful bill. Why some House Republicans refused to advance it. Also, for the first time, one of the Newark air traffic controllers who had to take that trauma leave goes on the record. What he had to say about losing communications and the weeks of cancellations and delays at the airport.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:27]

BLACKWELL: There are new questions this morning about the state of former President Joe Biden's physical and mental capabilities during his time in office. Friday, Axios published audio of then-President Biden's interview with former special counsel Robert Hur and the now closed probe over Biden's handling of classified documents.

The interview happened in October of 2023. Now the transcripts of those discussions were made public last year. These are the first audio recordings of the interview to be made public. I want you to listen to how the former president answered a question about where he kept documents as he was actively working on after left office in 2017.

(BEGNI AUDIO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't know. This is what, 2017? 18, that period?

ROBERT HUR, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL: Yes sir.

BIDEN: Remember, in this time frame my son has either been deployed or is dying. And so it was -- and by the way, there were still a lot of people at the time when I got out of the Senate that were encouraging me to run in this period.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Among other things, this interview with then President Biden and the subsequent Hur's assessment of the sitting president that he was a political flashpoint in the 2024 presidential race. While Hur ultimately declined to bring charges against Biden, he did conclude that the former president, quote, willfully retained and disclosed classified materials and described the president as a sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.

This morning, fresh off his trip to the Middle East, President Trump is facing a divided GOP after a budget bill failed a key committee vote last night. Now the House Budget Committee is set to meet again tomorrow as they attempt to advance President Trump's agenda. All of this is Trump is back at the White House after securing several major wins in his first Middle east trip this term. CNN White House reporter Camila DeChalus is with us now.

So Camila, walk us through the key takeaways of the president's trip.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Victor, there were two major themes during this trip. One was Trump being the deal making. He announced several initiatives and commitments on the part of this four-day trip, such as a $600 billion commitment for Saudi Arabia to invest in U.S. businesses that he saw as a very big win or even the 96 billion investment that now there is a deal with Boeing.

These are really big items that Biden -- that Trump really touted, saying that these were major wins for the US. The second really big announcement to come out was him announcing that the U.S. is going to uplift sanctions on Syria. And it's pretty notable to also mention that this was the first time in 25 years that a U.S. president sat down with a Syrian president. And that really set the topic that this is now the Syria is now open to really doing global business.

Now, Victor, as you mentioned, Trump is now coming back from this trip and he's met with a lot of fractions within the GOP party that don't necessarily have agree with some of the things that are in his budget. He can pass all these executive orders, but what's really going to be crucial for him to carry out his agenda is really going to be the legislative branch.

And so he needs to come together and really have the GOP party coalesce so they can push forward with some of the things that he's really trying to get off in this bill.

BLACKWELL: Camila DeChalus, thanks so much. With me now, Jake Traylor, White House correspondent for Politico. Jake, good morning to you.

JAKE TRAYLOR, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: So let's start here with this Mideast trip. The White House on television in front of the curtain, very enthusiastic about the trip. Are the conversations with the staffers behind the scenes off camera? Are they as satisfied with what the president accomplished over the last week?

TRAYLOR: Yes, Victor, they are. Because look, this trip really, in a lot of ways was exactly what Donald Trump and his administration wanted. They're viewing this as a success publicly and also behind closed doors. Look, Trump announced more than $2 trillion in economic investments between the United States and the three nations that he visited, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, you know, standing ovations for lifting Syrian sanctions.

[06:25:09]

Receiving the highest civilian honor in the UAE. Trump was welcomed at these royal palaces with fleets of camels and applause and American flags. This is the exact type of trip that Donald Trump and his administration wanted to have. I think it's interesting to contrast that with what's happening back at home amidst his warm welcome in the Middle East, is that there is quite ethical stir going on around him choosing to receive a $400 million Qatari jet, jumbo jet to be the new Air Force One. Continued criticism around some tariffs as well as his mega bill not getting through committee yesterday. So this was very much the trip Trump wanted.

But I think now as he's back on American soil, he faces some of the criticism that he faced before he left. And that's going to continue to increase in this upcoming week. So exactly the trip he wanted, but still at home facing some of the same issues that he had when he took off.

BLACKWELL: Let's start with the most recent one. The Supreme Court blocking the administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport a group of Venezuelans in Texas. This was an unsigned decision, but dissension from -- dissents from Thomas and Alito. The president posted on social media, the Supreme Court won't allow us to get criminals out of our country. The significance of this decision, considering that this doesn't close the door to it totally, this just sends it back to the lower courts.

TRAYLOR: That's right. This is certainly a loss for Trump's administration, but it's not that deafening blow per se. The attempt was to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants. That would have significantly, essentially sped up the deportation process. It would have avoided the kind of regular, normal, required vetting that is done before removing people from the country.

Of course, there were lawsuits against us quickly from civil rights groups hitting back cards saying you can't just use a centuries old war law to skip due process. And so, yes, yesterday Trump calling the ruling a bad and dangerous day for America. But you're right, this is not end the attempt from the White House altogether.

The justices send the case at issue back to an appeals court to decide the underlying questions within the case, including whether the president's move is legal and how much notice the migrants targeted actually should receive under an act like this.

BLACKWELL: All right, the big beautiful bill. A handful of conservative Republicans and all the Democrats voted down this in the Budget Committee. They actually -- the House Budget Committee will gavel in late again tomorrow night to try to get the agenda out of committee. Chip Roy is one of the most outspoken congressmen who says that it doesn't do what it says it does. He wants more changes to Medicaid, saying that the work requirements cannot wait another few years. How far apart are they? And there must be a degree of confidence if

they're expecting by late Sunday they'll be able to move this out of committee.

TRAYLOR: Victor, it is interesting, right? We keep kind of hearing these quotes of, well, it has to pass eventually, it has to get through eventually. And you know, that hopefully is the case, but we don't know that for sure. There is a lot in what Trump called this big, beautiful bill, extending his 2017 tax cuts, introducing new tax benefits, implementing Medicaid reforms.

And you're right, we had five Republicans ultimately voting against this massive reconciliation measure and a 16 to 21 defeat. Now, this was also a band of conservative hardliners who are pushing for steeper spending cuts, joining the Democrats in voting against this multi trillion dollar legislation and truly ultimately leaving its fate a bit uncertain. Despite that setback, the House Budget Committee is reconvening to reconsider the bill.

I think this really does point to the fact, though, that while Donald Trump was away in the Middle east having these kind of big successful economics trading deals that he was making back home, even though he is posting on Truth Social, he was not able to do what we've kind of known Trump to do historically, which is behind closed doors, twisting arms, making calls, pushing people to get over the line.

I wonder if Trump was in the United States back at the White House this week if we would have seen five hardline conservatives dissent against him. I'm going to be very curious as he's back in American soil now, what he does to get this bill over the line that he's put so much behind. So much of his economic policy is wrapped into this, as he says, big beautiful bill.

BLACKWELL: I started the block by reporting on the audio recordings of former President Biden's interview with the former special counsel Robert Hur. Let's play more of that.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BIDEN: What month did Beau die? Oh God, May 30.

HUR: 2015.

BIDEN: Was it 2015 he was died?

HUR: It was May of 2015.

BIDEN: Trump gets elected in November of 2017.

HUR: 2016 --

BIDEN: -- 2016. All right, so, why not 2017 here?

HUR: That's when you left office in January --

BIDEN: Yes -- HUR: -- of 2017.

BIDEN: OK.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, ANCHOR, CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND: And so, you're starting to see some Democrats who backed his re-election now kind of say that, that was a mistake. Congressman Ro Khanna said that it's clear now that the President should not have run for re-election. There should have been a primary.

What do these rolling disclosures, we've got this Jake and Alex's book that's coming out soon. What do those mean for the Democratic Party that's still trying to find their footing in the minority here, in opposition to President Trump?

JAKE TRAYLOR, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Yes, Victor, that's the question, and I would say more than anything it's important that Democrats get answers pretty quickly. We're seeing time and time again right now is different Democrats take the stage to really combat what the Trump administration is doing.

We're talking Gavin Newsom in California, AOC, Bernie Sanders on their tour, Pete Buttigieg and cedar -- and Cedar Rapids, Iowa earlier this week. They have these speeches. They have these rallies with large turnouts in numbers against Donald Trump with these Democrats. The question they seem to continue to kind of fault on is, did you know about this?

How much did you know? And should Donald Trump have or -- should rather, Joe Biden stepped out sooner? Why were you not vocal about that? We're seeing a lot of these Democrats right now kind of toe this line, and it's very important, as you said, rolling new information coming out with these new books with this -- her audio kind of indicating Joe Biden should have gotten out earlier and people knew that.

BLACKWELL: Right --

TRAYLOR: It's now on the onus for Democrats to decide how they answer that question and sooner rather than later.

BLACKWELL: Jake Traylor, good to have you. Thank you. A walk on the beach led James Comey to an interview with the Secret Service. Coming up, why a photo of sea shells laid out in four numbers has landed the former FBI director in some trouble. Plus, we're tracking severe storms across the south this morning with meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Victor, unfortunately, it was another night of deadly and destructive tornadoes, and the severe weather threat continues through the weekend and into next week. I'll tell you exactly where to keep an eye to the sky. Coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

BLACKWELL: Israel says it has launched a major new offensive in Gaza. The Israeli defense forces say that they carried out several attacks over the past 24 hours, and it moved in troops to target key areas there. The latest strikes come just hours after President Trump completed his trip to the Middle East.

He returned without a ceasefire deal. On Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said Israel's offensive in Gaza since October 2023 has killed more than 53,000 people. Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service about a post he shared online. Sources say he was interviewed at their Washington D.C. field office, they're investigating this post.

It showed the numbers 86-47 spelled out with sea-shells on a beach. It sparked some controversy given that 86 can mean get rid of and matches, you know, 47, Trump's current term in office as President. Trump supporters say it was a call for violence. Comey took the post down, but it's not yet clear if criminal charges will be filed.

The nation's credit rating just went down. Moody's ratings lowered the score on Friday, citing America's growing debt and interest payments. But two of the other -- the three other major credit rating agencies that already downgraded the U.S., Moody's had held its perfect AAA rating for the U.S. since 1917.

The downgrade could shake up the markets and even raise interest rates. All right, let's return now to the breaking news. Severe weather, at least, five people dead in St. Louis, Missouri, after severe storms hit the Midwest on Friday. And this morning, millions of people are still facing threats. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins me now. Where are these storms headed?

VAN DAM: OK, so, they're still ongoing across the deep south, but it will re-fire today across parts of Texas. So, that's the next area we're going to watch in this multi-day severe weather setup. I want to show you some astounding footage that just came in to CNN. Look at this. Coming out of Fort Knox, Kentucky, there is a tornado on the ground.

This is near London, Kentucky. Unfortunately, there are confirmed fatalities with this twister that rolled through several dozen miles across southern portions of the state. This caused destruction. Roofs ripped off -- the roofs of buildings, and unfortunately tore through communities across that part of the country. Now, this is the area that we're watching for today.

And I want to take note across central Texas, storms will bubble up later this afternoon. This is the line of storms moving through now, watch out just south and east of Birmingham, that's where we have the potential for winds over 58 miles per hour this morning. Victor?

BLACKWELL: All right, Derek, thank you. A veteran air traffic controller at Newark airport is now sounding an alarm. Ahead, why he says the airport needs more resources as it faces blackouts and delays.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

BLACKWELL: We're hearing from an air traffic controller whose team manages planes flying into Newark International Airport. He says it's like playing 3D chess at 250 miles an hour. Jonathan Stewart is his name, and he told the "Wall Street Journal" why he took trauma leave after what happened earlier this month left him shaken. The CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has more. Pete?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Victor, the FAA has confirmed to me that Newark approached controller Jonathan Stewart is the latest to take trauma leave.

[06:45:00]

The FAA is also investigating the case that Stewart says prompted him to take leave in the first place. Stewart told the "Wall Street Journal" that the Newark approach control facility in Philadelphia is unsafe, and the stress is insurmountable. He now joins five of his coworkers who took trauma leave after the April 28th Newark approach control meltdown.

That was the watershed moment that really brought all these issues to light. Controllers lost radar and radio contact for about 90 seconds, something one Newark controller told me is the worst thing that can happen on the job. Stewart told the "Journal" that he took the 45-day leave after he says two planes nearly collided head-on on his watch on May 4th.

Here is what Stewart said about the decision to take trauma leave, something United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby initially categorized as controllers, walking off the job, but he's since walked that back. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN STEWART, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: To say that someone would basically game the system and take trauma leave when they were not traumatized is insulting at best, and just quite frankly, misinformed. No way, shape or form was what happened. Nobody walked off the job of their own free-will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: In addition to that April 28th failure, two more major failures occurred on May 9th and May 11th. Though, the Trump administration insists in the latest case, a software patch and a backup telecom system kicked in. One more interesting detail here, Stewart told the "Journal" he lost faith in his radar scope because of all those system failures, so he resorted to writing down flight numbers in a notebook as a backup. Victor?

BLACKWELL: Pete Muntean, thank you. Coming up next hour, how ten inmates escaped from jail in New Orleans, and why authorities say this may have been an inside job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

BLACKWELL: In his latest documentary, "Animal Farm", CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates what may sound like science fiction to many, xenotransplantation. That's the practice of using animal organs for human transplant. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What you're seeing is the future of transplantation. A heart, a liver, a kidney. These are organs that are grown not in the body, but in the lab.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're using a pig organ scaffold and re- cellularizing that with human cells. Also, another group is 3D printing that scaffold, re-cellularizing that with human cells. So, multiple ways to generate a humanized organ for overcoming the shortage.

GUPTA: The potential, organs on demand.

(on camera): Could you get to the point where you could create a personalized organ for somebody?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Wow. A teenager in Alabama who survived a shark attack says that golf has helped her recover. Now, Lulu Gribbin is working with Alabama lawmakers to help make the water safer for others. CNN's Patrick Snell joins us now. Patrick, good morning to you. I know you have this really inspiring story.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, good morning to you, Victor. It really is an incredible story. It's one of courage. It's one of dedication and perseverance, but it's also one of huge inspiration as well, with once again, the power of sport rising to prominence as it becomes front and center. Just take a look, really powerful.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LULU GRIBBIN, SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD ADAPTIVE GOLFER: I remember being in the water with my friends, we were diving in the water for sand dollars, and we were just having fun, and then things took a turn and my life changed forever.

UNIIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?! They need to get out.

SNELL (voice-over): While on vacation with her family in Florida last Summer, Lulu Gribbin was attacked by a shark, changing her life forever. GRIBBIN: One leg and one arm doesn't define who I am, so, I'm still

the same person. The very first time I woke up, I knew what everything that had happened, and the first words I said were, I made it. It was near-death because I lost two-thirds of my blood. And I think it's very important to just be grateful that I'm alive here today.

CHRIS BIGGINS, PGA OF AMERICA GOLF PROFESSIONAL: It's just heartbreaking when we found out the news, but instantly, I started thinking, you know, if she recovers, if she gets through this, then she can play golf, because I've seen what golf has done. Golf is like a medicine for me and for many others.

GRIBBIN: Like that.

BIGGINS: I have a lot of experience in adaptive sports. I have raced with a lot of paralympic skiers and playing the adaptive golf circuit, and everyone's disability is different, and requires a little different adaptation. We're going to fine-tune and find a way to give her the best advantages and have her perform the best despite her disability and limitations.

GRIBBIN: I really like golf because it lets me to just be myself and stay competitive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What a shot.

BIGGINS: It's probably the most fun I've had as a PGA professional. She's an athlete that wants to get better, that tries as hard as she can, and just is an inspiration to me while I'm teaching her.

GRIBBIN: When I'm on the golf course, I'm just a normal golfer, just hitting a golf ball. It might look a little different, but it really helps me to just take my mind off how different I am, and just allow me to just have fun and focus on the sport.

BIGGINS: She showed me that Lulu was way more than just Lulu, the girl who survived a shark attack. She's Lulu, the golfer. She's someone impressive and an athlete.

SNELL: Now 16 years old, Lulu is trying to help make the water safer for others. She's working with Alabama lawmakers to create an alert system on cell phones that will notify beachgoers if there are any sharks nearby.

[06:55:00]

BIGGINS: Before my attack, there was another shark attack, and if I would have known, I would not have been in the water, and my life would have been completely different. And I think it's very important that we put this in to keep the beaches safe. I can overcome anything that I put my mind to. No obstacle will be able to stop you if you don't let it, and just like how important it is to never give up and to always persevere even when life throws curveballs at you.

(END VIDEOTAPE) SNELL: So, very inspiring. Victor, I'm just so inspired hearing those words from a remarkable teenager. And Lulu is actually launching her Lulu Strong Foundation as well to raise awareness for the cause, which is extremely important, but also to fund research to advance technology as well for amputees. Remarkable work she's doing, and it really is, as I said, a really powerful cause. Right back to you.

BLACKWELL: Yes, you know, what really struck me from that story is that after the attack, when she woke up at the hospital, her first words were not about what she'd lost, but "I made it", "I made it." Patrick Snell for us there, thanks so much. All right, we continue to follow the breaking news, now, at least 14 people have been killed after severe storms ripped through the country. We've got your forecast where these storms are headed next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)