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CNN This Morning
At Least 14 Killed In Severe Storms In KY, MO; Millions Remain Under Threat Of Tornadoes And Damaging Winds; Three Inmates Captured, Seven Remain At Large After New Orleans Jail Escape; Trump Wraps Up Tour After Announcing Several Mideast Deals; Defense Attorneys Tried To Show Inconsistencies In Ventura's Testimony; Trump Wants To Meet With Putin After He Skipped Peace Talks; Audio Released Of President Biden's 2023 Interview With Special Counsel; Knicks Into Conference Finals For First Time In 25 Years. Aired 7-8a E.T.
Aired May 17, 2025 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:58]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: CNN THIS MORNING, Saturday, May 17th. I'm Victor Blackwell. There's a lot going on 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 a tornado. Oh, (BLEEP). Oh, (BLEEP).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Officials have confirmed deaths in at least two states, and search and rescue operations are happening right now, and we're tracking the threat of more dangerous weather.
Officials in Louisiana, they're looking for seven inmates, including some accused of murder who escaped from a jail. This was caught on surveillance video, and the local sheriff says that they likely got help from someone inside the sheriff's department.
Also, Cassie Ventura, she wrapped up her emotional testimony in the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial. We'll tell you what we learned from her testimony this weekend, what to expect when court resumes on Monday.
Also, a CNN exclusive, an internal FEMA memo says the agency is not ready for hurricane season. It's just two weeks away. The red flags raised in the memo. That's coming up.
We begin with the breaking news. At least 14 people now have died after severe storms tore through the Midwest overnight. Nine of those deaths are in Kentucky. Another five people killed in Missouri.
Authorities are conducting rescues after the storm ripped roofs off buildings, blew out windows, tore trees and power lines down. More than 700,000 homes and businesses across a dozen states are without power this morning.
Some families are waking up to just piles of what was left. They're thankful they survived.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went in the house and I looked out the side window. And when I got, when I started on the side window, it looked like all that stuff was coming from up. And so, 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 and 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 windows out. And you're talking about praying. I prayed harder than anything I could ever do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: It could be a dangerous Saturday. The storm threat continues with millions still under severe weather threats today. High winds and damaging hail are expected along with possible tornadoes. CNN's Derek Van Dam joins us now.
Derek, I mean, that video next to you is just stunning. Tell us what we're seeing and then what happens next.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. So, this was part of a long track tornado that unfortunately caused the fatalities in Laurel County, Southern Kentucky. And you can see the twister illuminated by the lightning in the background, but there is the resulting damage.
Look at the roofs taken off of these trees. Let's get right to the graphics and talk about where the threat is now. So all in all, we had nearly 30 reports of tornadoes for this storm system that continues to press through the southeastern U.S. But we're talking several hundred reports of severe wind gusts and large hail as well.
So, these storms, they are losing some of their punch. And that's good news. We still have a severe thunderstorm watch across parts of the Carolinas and into Central Alabama. That expires by about noon today. And then we look to this afternoon and evening for another re-firing of storms across Central Texas. This is part of a multi-day severe weather setup that we are currently in.
It will continue tomorrow and last right into the first parts of next week. So a very active stretch of severe weather with the potential of tornadoes. Really, all hazards on the table with this current run. So here's a look at tomorrow's severe weather forecast. Already an enhanced risk across the central plains.
And then, we look into Kansas City and Oklahoma City for Monday to start off the work week. And already signs pointing for another mid- Tennessee and Ohio River Valley threat for the day on Tuesday, an area that does not need to see more tornadic activity. This is the peak of tornado season. We're currently right smack dab in
the middle of it. May living up to its name as the busiest tornado month of the year. Victor?
[07:05:08]
BLACKWELL: All right, Derek. We'll check back in a moment. Authorities are searching for seven inmates who are on the run after escaping from a jail in Louisiana.
Ten inmates escaped through a hole they cut into a wall behind a toilet. They ran out of the facility, crossed the highway. So far only three have been caught.
Now, the inmates left the note behind this kind of gloating scroll on a wall: "Too easy. LOL." Investigators believe the inmates may have had some help from inside the sheriff's office.
CNN's Rafael Romo joins me now with more on this. This is is remarkable and also when you consider the charges that some of these men have been convicted of.
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right and people are very angry understandably because they were not notified soon enough and as you would expect that some Louisiana officials are not mincing words about what happened especially after Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hudson acknowledged that she believed the inmates received assistance in their escape from individuals inside their department.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams calls the escape of 10 inmates a "complete failure" of the most basic responsibilities entrusted to a sheriff or jail administrator. Overnight, Victor, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office announced three of those inmates who escaped Friday morning have been recaptured including 21-year-old, Robert Moody.
The sheriff's office said he was caught thanks to a tip and are still asking the public to provide information to help them capture the rest of them. As you can imagine people in New Orleans and Louisiana are both concerned and outraged about the massive jailbreak, something that became evident last night during a press conference that became confrontational.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, no one's watching live video all night at the jail?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't say no one was watching live video but there are over 900 cameras --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did nobody see --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are over 900 cameras in this facility.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it's just, how did no one see a massive jailbreak? But it's your job, it's your job to monitor every single person in this facility every day.
Do you want to say you're sorry to the people of New Orleans for having this happen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are underfunded, understaffed, underpaid, so we do our best to hire staff and retain them but like everyone else we're short.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMO: Shocking admission there and as we have previously reported, several of the inmates are accused killers. They made it out of the jail around 1:00 a.m., Friday morning, after breaking open a door, and then breaching a wall behind the toilet. They left graffiti messages above the hole they crawled through. The message said, "We innocent," and the words, "Too easy, LOL."
Another video released by officials shows the inmates running across Interstate-10 into a neighborhood where authorities say they found clothing. Officials say all the inmates should be considered armed and dangerous, but again so many questions about this, Victor, and why it took seven hours for officials to let the public know this was happening.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and I'm sure we'll hear more questions for the sheriff there especially as he says that they likely had some help from someone inside. Rafael Romo, thanks so much.
All right, President Trump wants the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court order that has blocked his administration from conducting mass firings and major reorganizations at federal agencies.
The case could have enormous effects on Trump's ability to reshape the federal government as he would like. Trump is back at the White House this morning after securing several major wins in his first Mideast trip this term.
CNN White House reporter Camila DeChalus is with us now. So Camila talk about some of these takeaways from the president's trip.
CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, there were two major themes that came out of this Middle East trip.
One was deal making. This was a trip that Trump really touted a lot of the deals that he had with some of these countries and a lot of investments that he secured into U.S. businesses. Specifically one that was $600 billion from Saudi Arabia and that was a commitment that they're going to invest in U.S. companies and that was something that Trump has really touted himself as.
The second really big one was that the U.S. announced that they are going to uplift sanctions on Syria and it's pretty notable that this was the first time that the U.S. has ever sat down with a Syrian president in 25 years. So, Victor, White House officials have now told us that they really view this trip as a really success and that Trump did what he really sought out to do when he was running for office and that is try to secure more economic business and also try to inject more wealth into the U.S.
And it's pretty notable that how he's doing this is really by securing these deals. Take a listen to what he said in an interview with Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're closer now to them than ever before. You could see the relationship. You could get a buddy expert and pay them a lot of money and they could tell you. No, there's just a relationship that I have with all three that's just very exciting.
[07:10:10]
I was even saying, you know, I mean, we're like so friendly not a normal situation where you, you know, you're OK with a leader or whatever, but this is a very important region. This is the energy capital of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DECHALUS: As Victor, as you can see, Trump is really trying to tout himself and capture himself as a deal maker, and that's very essential to some of the economic promises that he made on the campaign trail.
But it's pretty notable to see that he really did not touch upon any of the regional conflicts that are happening And especially with one of the biggest global challenges between peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, he really didn't mention any developments that are happening in that area, and that is something that his administration says that they are going to continue to focus on.
BLACKWELL: Yes, of course, there's also the talks with Iran and Israel and Hamas. Still, some challenges there. Camilla DeChalus, thank you so much.
Cassie Ventura, the ex-girlfriend of Sean Diddy Combs, finished four days of dramatic testimony on Friday in Combs's federal trial. Ventura detailed graphic allegations of repeated physical and sexual abuse against her by Combs for years. Combs pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking.
CNN entertainment correspondent, Elizabeth Wagmeister, brings us the latest and shares what's next in this trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For a second day in a row the government's star witness Cassie Ventura, facing tough questions from Sean Combs his defense team who suggested Ventura still wanted to stay in a relationship with Combs even after this 2016 assault, which Ventura said happened when she tried to escape a freak-off a drug- fueled sex session with Combs and a male escort.
"Not a good vibe. We need a different vibe than Friday," Ventura texted. "F-Friday lol," Combs replied, "I don't even want to do that again. "Lol true," Ventura said. When Combs said he loved her, Ventura replied, "Love you."
The 2016 hotel assault allegedly happened just a day after Ventura promoted her latest movie, telling CNN.
CASSIE VENTURA, ACTOR: When it comes to relationships, I think that you always need to be confident walking into the situation. And if you're not happy, it's not the place for you.
WAGMEISTER: But Ventura stayed with Combs as the defense highlighted Combs was intoxicated during the assault.
"When you get effed up the wrong way, you always want to show me that you have the power and you knock me around," Ventura said to Combs and a message read in court, "I'm not a ragdoll. I'm someone's child."
Ventura's husband, Alex Fine, left the courtroom before the defense challenged her claim that Combs raped her in Malibu following a dinner in 2018. Ventura also confirmed she voluntarily saw Combs the next month at a friend's party, and had consensual sex with him even though she was dating her future husband.
Later that year, after the memorial for Combs's former partner, Kim Porter, Ventura wrote Combs, "You posted that Kim was your soulmate. What was the 11 years all about?" The prosecution downplayed loving exchanges between Ventura and Combs.
"Were there periods during which Sean was kind and loving?"
"Yes," Ventura said.
"Did those periods ever last?"
"No," Ventura said, adding that, "Combs's mood swings affected my whole life, my career, my self-worth, I was basically a sex worker," she said.
In wrapping its cross-examination, the defense highlighted Ventura's canceled 2023 music tour, and the $20 million settlement Ventura got from Combs a day after filing her civil suit against him.
"As soon as you saw that you were going to get the 20 million, you canceled the tour because you didn't need it anymore, right?"
"That wasn't the reason why," Ventura replied, later saying, she felt overwhelmed and wanted to be with her kids.
Combs his attorney asked, "Do you hate him now?"
"I don't hate him," Ventura replied. "I have loved for the past and what it was."
After Cassie Ventura wrapped up her four-day testimony, her attorney, Doug Wigdore, came outside the courthouse right here behind me, and he praised his client for her bravery and said how proud he is of her.
He also read a statement that Cassie wrote for him to read aloud to the media. She said that this week was incredibly challenging and that she is glad to put this chapter of her life to rest. And she also said that she hopes that her testifying gives survivors of sexual and domestic violence power and strength.
Now, next week, we are expecting to hear from Cassie's mother who, during Cassie's testimony, she said, witness, some of her bruises after she was abused. So she will likely testify about that. And we are also expecting to hear from one of Cassie's former best friends who will likely also corroborate some of her account. Victor.
[07:15:10]
BLACKWELL: All right, thank you so much. Stay up to date on Sean Combs' trial with CNN's new podcast, "Trial by Jury, Diddy," hosted by CNN's Laura Coates.
A Russian drone strike this morning killed nine people in Ukraine just hours after the country's representatives met for the first direct peace talks in three years. We have the latest there ahead.
Plus, the Atlantic hurricane season starts in a couple of weeks. We're going in depth on CNN's exclusive reporting that FEMA is not prepared to respond to any tropical system that could slam into the U.S. That's later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:20:27]
BLACKWELL: Ukrainian officials say nine people were killed today when a Russian drone hit a bus in the northeastern Sumy region. Seven others were injured. Now, Ukraine's national police called it a cynical war crime.
Russian state media reported that Russian forces targeted Ukrainian troops who were staging equipment in that area. The attack comes after the two countries sent negotiators to Istanbul on Friday for the first face-to-face talks in three years.
Some progress was made on prisoner swaps and possible future talks, but a Turkish official says that Russia shot down the idea of an unconditional ceasefire, a key request from Ukraine and its allies.
Joining me now to discuss is CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen. Peter, good morning to you. It was just a week ago that the European leaders with Zelensky in the room, they were on the phone with Trump and they were going to put forward this ultimatum to President Putin.
The 30-day ceasefire starts Monday or the sanctions come. Here we are a week later, even after these talks. How much progress has been made since that meeting and since the meeting this week in Istanbul?
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Victor, good morning. I would say overall not much. Prison swaps that were agreed on Friday in Istanbul of a thousand prisoners from each side being swapped are pretty routine, so that's not some big advance. As you mentioned, there's some sort of notional idea to get together again.
It's good that the sides met for the first time in years, but Zelenskyy was a no-show, Putin was a no-show, Trump was a no-show, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a no-show -- so really not much was kind of concretely accomplished.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and since the president has said that there's not really going to be much until he sits down with Putin, does that hollow out the ultimatum moving forward from Europe about we've got to have this 30-day ceasefire or there will be consequences?
BERGEN: Well, I mean, I think the president is correct. I think if he sits down with Putin, at the end of the day, Putin is the decider. And right now, the Ukrainians want the ceasefire, the Russians don't.
The Russians also want to reclaim or get territory that they've been seeking since 2022 when they first invaded a country in the east. The sides are not very close together. So, I mean, I think President Trump is correct.
Until he sits down with President Putin and really negotiates hard with him, if he can do that, my guess is there won't be much movement because at the end of the day, the United States has, I think, more leverage than some of these individual European countries who actually spoke to Trump yesterday, kind of, I think, basically saying not much was accomplished in this meeting in Istanbul.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about Iran because the president suggested that a U.S. proposal has been sent to Iran as part of these nuclear talks. He says they have the proposal. The Iranian foreign minister said, you know, we don't have any proposal directly or indirectly. What do you make of this conflict? Is it that the media, that we misinterpreted the president's words or that the Iranians are not being public about something that has been sent? What do you see?
BERGEN: My understanding is that some kind of proposal may have gone to Oman, which is, you know, basically the kind of playing the role that Qatar plays with Hamas when there's negotiations between the United States and Iran.
And, you know, the big sticking point, Victor, I think, on the Trump administration has sort of put out conflicting signals is are the Iranians allowed to enrich at all uranium?
Steve Witkoff, the Middle East negotiator for Trump, has said that they can enrich up to four percent roughly, which is not dissimilar to what the Obama nuclear deal was in 2015. So it'd be kind of ironic if we end up right back where we were in 2015 with the Obama deal.
The Iranians say that, and also the Trump administration has also said, you know, we don't want them to enrich at all. So there's sort of been mixed signals on that. But I think the Trump administration position right now, which of course can change, is the Iranians can't enrich at all.
If they have a civilian enrichment program, they have to get nuclear fuel from other countries. They can't have their own capacity. So that seems to be the main sticking point right now.
On the other hand, President Trump, I think, would like to make a deal. The Iranians, I think, are really desperate for a deal. You know, their economy is in very, very poor shape. They've lost a lot of leverage they used to have with Lebanese Hezbollah taking a lot of hits from Israel. They lost their ally in Syria, Assad.
They are, you know, I think that they are ready to make a deal. And Trump himself has said that he is ready to make a deal. So hopefully something will come with this.
BLACKWELL: Yes, it'll be interesting to see if it's anything like the JCPOA, how the president will defend that considering how he derided the Obama administration for years for making that deal with Iran.
[07:25:56]
Peter Bergen, thank you so much for your time this morning.
BERGEN: Thank you, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Still ahead, a line of severe and potentially deadly storms are moving across the southeast. CNN meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, is tracking it. He's with us next.
COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:30:39]
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news into CNN. Officials say 16 people are now dead after severe storms ripped through the Midwest overnight.
This morning, millions of people remain under threat. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins me now. That number continues to tick up as the show goes on, and the threat continues through the week.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Devastating night for so many people lives changed forever in an instant. It was a dangerous and deadly night last night. And the month of May living up to its name as the busiest time for tornado season. Statistically speaking, we're talking about May into June having the most number of tornadoes.
And what we saw yesterday was definitely a tornado outbreak. We're talking about nearly 30 confirmed reports. That number continues to go up through the course of the morning, as does the fatality count, unfortunately.
But it wasn't just tornadoes, remember, it's not only a tornado that can cause damage and destruction. It is the severe wind gusts, and there were several 100 reports of severe wind gusts causing damage.
In fact, all in all, there were 584 severe thunderstorm warnings and 129 tornado warnings reported in the past 24 hours. That's incredible. Storms are still ongoing across the southeast, although, they are losing some of their pumps this morning. That's good news. We still have a severe thunderstorm watch across the Carolinas and Central Alabama. That's found through about 12:00 Eastern Standard Time.
But let's talk about the storms that just rolled through Birmingham. They are marching eastward heading towards Atlanta. You'll get a bit of lightning, heavy rainfall, but we're not anticipating any significant severe weather for the ATL.
But later this afternoon and evening, we're going to focus our attention across the state of Texas. Dallas, heads up, keep an eye to the sky today, because these storms will bubble up as we get the daytime heating from the sun, even a few thunderstorms across the northern interior of New England. So, this is something we need to monitor as well, kind of a sneaky severe weather threat for that region.
But this is part of a multi-day severe storm threat that starts today, last year with the first half of next week.
BLACKWELL: As you say, is that time of year?
VAN DAM: It is.
BLACKWELL: Derek, thank you.
VAN DAM: All right, Victor.
BLACKWELL: There are new questions 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.
All of this was surrounding the now closed probe over Biden's handling of classified documents. This interview happened in October of 2023. Transcripts of those discussions were made public last year, but these are the first audio recordings of the interview to be made public.
One portion of the interview here, Biden has trouble recalling dates, including when President Trump was elected. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As Trump gets elected in November of 2017.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was 2016.
BIDEN: '16 -- 2016. All right. So -- why do I have 2017 here?
ED SISKEL, FORMER BIDEN'S WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: That's when you left the office, January of 2017.
BIDEN: Yes, OK. But that's when Trump is sworn in, in January. SISKEL: Right.
ROBERT BAUER, BIDEN'S PERSONAL LAWYER: Right, correct.
BIDEN: OK, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: CNN's Jake Tapper has more for us.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ACHOR: What we hear from these excerpts of the Hur report interview in October 8th and October 9th, 2023 is a president, Biden, who is not functioning the way one would want and expect a president of the United States to be able to function.
He is having difficulty with dates. He loses his train of thought quite a bit. You might remember also, the President Biden asserted executive privilege to block these audio tapes from coming out even after the transcripts have been released.
The transcripts released right before Robert Hur testified before Congress were buried in a lot of the coverage of Hur's testimony, where he was attacked by Democrats for his apparently offensive characterization of President Biden as somebody who he was not going to prosecute for mishandling documents, because Robert Hur said he would come across to a jury as a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory, which -- when, of course, that is, if anything, a charitable version of how Biden comes across in these tapes.
We also have to remember that this is during the period of time when his close aides and family members start really sequestering him off from even members of his own cabinet, administration, democratic officials, donors, because of these moments of non-functioning Biden that are happening with an increased frequency.
[07:35:16]
I want to throw to another clip. This one is a clip of when Robert Hur, who is investigating mishandling of documents by President Biden -- then-former Vice President Biden in 2017-2018, wants to ask him about this period where he moves from the vice president's residence to a house on Cambridge Road in Virginia. And that is where the conversation begins. Let's roll that clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I don't know. This is what? 2017, '18 time period.
ROBERT HUR, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL: Yes, sir.
BIDEN: Remember, in this time frame, my son is -- either been deployed or is dying, and, 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 VIDEO CLIP) TAPPER: So, what you heard there is Robert Hur just trying to talk about the investigative matter at hand, which is when Joe Biden shared these classified documents with others. But vice -- then-Vice President Biden is unable to figure out when this time period is 2017 to 2018, he says, you have to remember, that's when my son Beau was either deployed or dying.
Now, Beau's death is obviously tragic, but that happened in 2015 not 2017, 2018. And Beau deployed in 2008-2009. So, he really doesn't have a grasp on dates, even dates surrounding one of the most important, significant and traumatizing events of his life, the death of his son, Beau in May 2015.
And you might remember later on when the Hur report comes out, and Robert Hur explains to the world that while he thinks President Biden mishandled classified information, he isn't going to prosecute him, because he would come across as a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.
President Biden blames Robert Hur for bringing up Beau's death. Robert Hur, as you heard, did not bring up Beau's death, and yet, the Democratic establishment led by President Biden, also, Vice President Kamala Harris and others, went after Robert Hur for that false assertion, but also for characterizing President Biden in a way that, frankly, seems rather charitable.
Yes, anyway, we have a lot more about this. My co-author, Alex Thompson. Alex Thompson, who broke this, release of this tape with Axios, with his -- and his colleague Marc Caputo at Axios.
Alex Thompson and I have a book coming out on this topic, "Original Sin". It drops Tuesday, and you'll find out much more about how bad it really was behind the scenes. Back --
BLACKWELL: All right, Jake. Thank you.
Couple of weeks from the Atlantic hurricane season, and FEMA's own report says it may not be prepared for potential disasters. Coming up, a closer look at the challenges the agency is facing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:43:14]
BLACKWELL: A CNN exclusive now, weeks before the start of the hurricane season, the government's Disaster Relief Agency says that it is not ready. Those exact words come from FEMA's own internal review obtained by CNN.
And after CNN published the story, FEMA responded calling our story "grossly out of context."
Well, joining me now to discuss is former NOAA administrator Richard Spinrad.
Good to have you, sir. Let me just go over some specifics of this assessment and a quote from the agency: "As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood. Thus, FEMA is not ready."
Now, the acting administrator, Mr. Richardson, tried to smooth over the sharpness of that admission on a call this week by saying that FEMA is, "not necessarily unprepared," also, that "We are, to some degree, to a great degree, ready for disaster season '25."
What is your reaction to this admission?
RICHARD SPINRAD, FORMER ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: Well, good morning, Victor.
And my reaction is, there should be no question about it. There shouldn't be any doubt as to the readiness of FEMA or NOAA and the National Weather Service. And so, consequently, even a hint of a doubt that they have not trained or equipped or staffed to the level necessary to deal with -- oh, by the way, not just the hurricane crisis, but your story. Just a few minutes ago, talked about the bad tornado season we're having.
So, I am deeply concerned about the potential consequences for the American public.
BLACKWELL: And, of course, FEMA responds to the fires, to the floods, all the natural disasters. The president signed this executive order back in mid-March to try to shift the responsibilities of FEMA toward the states.
[07:45:05]
How much can the states do? I mean, the next question after this. admission is, if FEMA is not ready, are the states ready?
SPINRAD: So, I think we all recognize the states have varying degrees of capability and resources to deal with natural hazards like this. The trouble is, these disasters don't know political boundaries, as it were.
And so, consequently, the damage that's done by a fire or hurricane is going to be independent of the resources that a particular state has.
And, oh, by the way, the value of having the national federal capability is that you can coordinate these resources and surge, if you will, to provide staffing to those areas that need it most.
The relationship, for example, between the National Weather Service and FEMA is one that requires long-term planning. Deanne Criswell, the former FEMA administrator and I, regularly would meet to talk way ahead of time about how to prepare, how to staff, how to make sure the resources are there.
And the value to NOAA in that relationship was that we would get a sense of what nationally, the highest-level requirements would be for the kind of products and services that the weather service provides. So, having a federal capability to coordinate to kind of level the playing field in terms of resources provided to publics around the country is critical, in my opinion.
BLACKWELL: So, this can be anxiety inducing when you hear that FEMA is not ready. I lived and worked in Florida for seven years and covered more hurricanes and nor'easters and natural -- the fires, natural disasters that I can count.
So, as an individual, a property owner, a homeowner, what do I do with this?
SPINRAD: Well, I think it just puts the burden of being prepared even more on the shoulders of the local jurisdictions, the individuals, the store owner, the company executive, and that means getting familiar with where to go, both in terms of getting forecasts and projections and predictions, and then, what to do.
So, be prepared is, is the motto, and take a little extra effort to get online. Make sure you know where to go to get the information you need. Make sure you've got a connection to weather radio, to an app that can provide you the up-to-date information.
And in effect, recognize you're going to end up being less reliant on the federal resources if these kinds of cuts to services, staffing, and equipment actually play out.
BLACKWELL: Yes, and that's often the time that people need their government most.
Richard Spinrad, thank you so much for your time this morning. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:52:12]
BLACKWELL: For the first time in 25 years, the New York Knicks are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals. Andy Scholes here now.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Victor. I mean, some New York Knicks fans have been waiting their whole lives for this moment. Other super fans, you know, like Spike Lee, they have been waiting since the year 2000 to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It was a party all night long in Madison Square Garden, both inside and outside. The Knicks is coming out on a mission to put away the Celtics in six. They had a huge second quarter, outscoring Boston by 21. They led this game by as many as 41.
And all the celebs courtside, you had Timothee Chalamet, Ben Stiller, they are all having a blast. Knicks would win 119 to 81 for their first series clinching win at home since 1999.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JALEN BRUNSON, POINT GUARD, NEW YORK KNICKS: Definitely one of our better performances. But I still feel like we have a long way to go. Just the confidence we have in each other and everything and just knowing where we are, we're going to continue to be unsatisfied.
MIKAL BRIDGES, SMALL FORWARD, NEW YORK KNICKS: Guys, climb -- climbing up light poles, stuff. So, yes, it's crazy, man. But you know -- you know, great for them, happy for them. You know, obviously, I'm new here, but I just know how much New York loves their sports, especially the Knicks. So, we just so excited to be a part of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Yes, the scenes outside MSG after the win, were just wild. Fans were climbing poles. One guy even climbed a giant electronic billboard. Talk about having zero fear of heights. That certainly doesn't seem safe.
The Knicks, they now move on to face the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game One is going to be Wednesday in New York.
All right, in Charlotte, meanwhile, it's moving day at the PGA Championship, and that's where we find our Patrick Snell. Pat, Jonathan Vegas, holding on to the lead. It would be quite the story if he's able to pull this off. What can we expect today in round three?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. Andy, yes, it absolutely would making history every step of the way. The first man from his country to be leading a golf major, an incredible storyline, especially when you consider how he grew up in his homeland, learning the sport, trying to play the sport of golf courtesy of a broomstick and a rock. It's truly remarkable. Things may not bode well historically, though, for him, when it comes to majors, he's never had a top 20 finish. He'll be hoping to change the course of history.
Keep an eye on Scottie Scheffler. This is a man who very much and he knows how to win majors. He is lurking with menace. He is just three shots back at the moment, and he is a big, big presence. If you're leading the tournament, you know Scottie Scheffler is right behind you.
And how about this? A snake on the loose at the PGA Championship, former champ, Shaun Micheel was out on the course at the par five number 10, as the slithering reptile caused quite the stir out there, I will say. In the end, a brave tournament volunteer ushering it off the course in the end.
[07:55:07]
What happened next, Andy and Victor? We also had snapping turtles earlier in the week. Back to you.
SCHOLES: Hey, never know what you're going to get out there on the course there. Well, Pat, we're looking forward to it. Thank you for that report there from Charlotte, the PGA Championship. Looked like a harmless rat snake. It was a big one, though.
BLACKWELL: Yes. I mean, that should be a paid position, not the volunteer. Someone on -- with a check should do that.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHOLES: Someone paid that's go get the snake?
BLACKWELL: Yes, yes.
SCHOLES: I wouldn't have done it.
BLACKWELL: All right. Thanks, Andy.
SCHOLES: All right.
BLACKWELL: All right. "FIRST OF ALL," is coming up at the top of the hour. Top spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security is here, several immigration headlines to talk about.
Plus, a Trump appointed prosecutor is under scrutiny for offering a plea deal to an L.A. sheriff deputy found guilty of excessive force. His defense attorney and the attorney of the woman he's seen throwing to the ground are both here.
Also, a voice you'll recognize and the blues like you've never heard it before. Morgan Freeman is on the show to talk about his new passion project, mixing genres you wouldn't expect to go together. Those stories coming up after a short break. On "FIRST OF ALL".
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