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The Situation Room

Interview with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA); Tornado in Alabama; President Biden Holds Press Conference; Sheriff Reports, Five Deaths in Calhoun County, Alabama, after Tornado Touchdown; Boulder Shooting Suspect Held Without Bail in First Court Appearance, Mental Health Evaluation Ordered; Georgia Governor Signs GOP Bill Restricting Voting Access. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 25, 2021 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is off today.

I'm Pamela Brown in THE SITUATION ROOM with breaking news on a very dangerous storm system in the South. Multiple deaths and injuries are now reported in Alabama, after a tornado touched down near Birmingham. We're getting new reports from the scene there.

Also, tonight, President Biden says that he makes no apologies for rolling back Trump era immigration policies. He faced intense questioning about the border crisis during his first full-scale news conference. The president was vague about his response to recent mass shootings. He said action on gun control is a matter of timing, but he failed to explain what he plans to do.

The president stressed that the pandemic has been his top priority since taking office, and he set a new goal of reaching 200 million vaccinations during his first 100 days.

Let's go right to Alabama for the latest on life-threatening weather.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam on the ground there.

What are you seeing, Derek Van Dam?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we have witnessed significant damage across this Eagle Point community where I am located right now. This is south and east of Birmingham.

And what you're looking at behind me is the tornado that moved through this community just hours ago. And you can see some of the shrapnel from the homes behind me. There's also some tiling from roofs. Trees have obviously been snapped. There's also been light poles and electrical poles that have been completely taken out.

And this is going to be -- this is just a taste of the damage that is in this area, because, in our attempt to report this evening to you guys live tonight, we have been turned around multiple times by local authorities, because they don't want to clog up the roadways within this area, trying to do search-and-rescue operations.

They have gone through two search-and-rescue operations in the Eagle Point community to my left. They have had to cease that now, according to the sheriff I just spoke to, because there is another tornado to our south and west. They are concerned it could take a very similar path to the area where we are standing, where the damage has taken place around here.

And so you can imagine they want to rush to completion their search- and-rescue operations for the damaged houses that have been impacted by the tornado so far. We have got another couple of hours in daylight, but once the sun sets, that's when the hazards exponentially rise, because, when you start talking about large, destructive, potentially violent tornadoes in the shroud of darkness, you can imagine what that means for people, not being able to see an oncoming tornado, let alone hear.

That's why it's so important to have several different ways to receive your emergency management alerts, from your cell phones to the sirens to your NOAA weather radios. These are all crucial tools to keep you and your family safe.

BROWN: That's really important information.

Derek Van Dam, thanks so much.

And with us on the phone is Sheriff Matthew Wade Of Calhoun County, Alabama.

Sheriff, first off, if you would tell us, just how bad is the damage there? How urgent is the situation?

MATTHEW WADE, CALHOUN COUNTY, ALABAMA, SHERIFF: Well, about 2:40, a tornado crossed the Coosa River coming into our county.

And we immediately started getting reports (AUDIO GAP) damage, of people trapped. And we're up to at least five fatalities at this time. Of course, we're worrying about the second storm that's coming through, possibly on the same track as well.

But there is numerous homes damaged, numerous people injured and at least five fatalities.

BROWN: And I just want to confirm with you. You said five fatalities so far that you're aware of, right?

WADE: That's correct.

BROWN: OK.

And you had said people are trapped in their homes. What do the search-and-rescue efforts look like at this point?

WADE: Well, we're very lucky that (AUDIO GAP) can work together. And we have had multiple agencies from around our county and outside our county come to our rescue. And we have had search-and-rescue teams (AUDIO GAP) sending people out and trying to get them medical attention.

BROWN: How are you balancing the search-and-rescue efforts, knowing that another tornado is potentially on its way to the same area?

WADE: Well, we sign up. Our law enforcement, our public safety, that's what we do. And that's we're going to do. We're going to make sure we protect people the best we can, and we will just get it done.

BROWN: Tell me, what are you bracing for tonight?

WADE: Well, we're hoping for a little bit of God's favor, and maybe we cannot have any more tornadoes.

But if we do, we will do our best to make sure we protect people. But I just really want to encourage people to not stay in mobile homes, to heed the sirens, the warnings, to have a weather alert plan. And don't stay at home. We have plenty of tornado shelters that just need to used by people.

[18:05:15]

BROWN: All right, Sheriff Matthew Wade, thank you very much. Stay in touch with us, as we continue to get updates about this unfolding, urgent situation in Alabama.

Now let's check in with the CNN Severe Weather Center and meteorologist Tom Sater.

Tom, you're tracking this very dangerous storm system.

TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Pamela, this is almost identical to what we had eight days ago, 55 million Americans looking at this outlook.

But notice this area of pink. This is rare. It's a high risk. We didn't have any last year. You may have one or two a year. This is the second in a week. Many of these towns and communities that we're talking about were hit not once, but even twice over a week ago, and with injuries south of Tuscaloosa. Now we're having injuries and fatalities.

Tornado watches. This is a particularly dangerous situation. That's an extra alert with this watch that says these are long-tracked, long- duration. Some of the tornadoes today were having a half-mile-wide swathe or even larger. And then you have got another watch to the north. And that includes -- this all includes eight states.

It's not severe to the north, although it is moving in this direction. But all the activity really will not come to an end until after the cold front moves through, let's say Birmingham, around midnight tonight. And then, in the darkness, as Derek mentioned, it's just frightening. Colors of pink are tornado warnings. Notice Birmingham again. Some of

these communities continue, one after another after another, but it only takes one thunderstorm. One super cell thunderstorm that's traveled 200 miles has dropped all these tornadoes, and with that, the destruction. We had a police officer in Florence, Alabama, who is in the hospital, struck by lightning putting out barricades.

We have got 30 to 50 homes destroyed 15 miles south of Birmingham. And now we have got another one. I mean, it's just one after another. So, again, the threat is going to be with us into the wee hours of the night. Please make sure, if you live in this area, to make sure your emergency alerts, Pam, are set on your cell phone.

It'll help beyond measure; 73 years ago, today, we had our very first tornado warning issued in Tinker Air Force Base. They have saved lives for 73 years. We need it more than ever tonight.

BROWN: We sure do.

And we're also learning five deaths in Calhoun County alone in Alabama.

SATER: Yes.

BROWN: We just learned that from the sheriff.

Tom Sater, thanks for bringing us the latest. We will continue to stay on top of this severe weather and bring you updates as we get them.

And now let's turn to President Biden's news conference today.

CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins was there.

Kaitlan, the president was asked about a wide array of issues, from immigration to Republican efforts to restrict voting rights.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pam, this was his first formal press conference since taking office in January.

It looked a little different than the normal crowded press conferences you see, especially the first one a president has, where there are a lot of reports in the room. This time, there were only 30 of us, given the coronavirus and the restrictions, of course, around the pandemic.

But President Biden did take questions for over an hour on several different, and he also set a new goal on vaccinations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Please, please sit down. Thank you.

COLLINS (voice-over): Tonight, President Biden taking questions from the White House press corps in his first formal news conference.

BIDEN: I have not been able to unite the Congress, but I have been uniting the continue.

COLLINS: Two months after taking office, Biden was pressed on multiple fronts and became animated over Republican efforts to limit voting rights.

BIDEN: The Republican voters I know find these despicable, Republican voters.

COLLINS: Biden also said the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 votes to pass legislation in the Senate, is being abused in -- quote -- "a gigantic way" and sounded open to reform.

(on camera): At John Lewis' funeral, President Barack Obama said he believed the filibuster was a relic of the Jim Crow era. Do you agree?

BIDEN: Yes.

COLLINS: If not -- why not abolish it, if it's a relic of the Jim Crow era?

BIDEN: Successful electoral politics is the art of the possible. Let's figure out how we can get this done and move in the direction of significantly changing the abuse of even the filibuster rule first.

It's been abused from the time it came into being, by an extreme way, in the last 20 years. Let's deal with the abuse first.

COLLINS: (voice-over): Facing multiple questions on his handling of the surge at the southern border, Biden said his administration is doing everything they can to process children faster.

BIDEN: Well, they're already getting better, but they're going to get real -- they'll get a whole hell of lot better real quick, or we're going to hear of some people leaving, OK? We can get this done.

COLLINS: The president blamed his predecessor for the lack of space for the record numbers of migrant unaccompanied children.

BIDEN: What we're doing now is attempting to rebuild. He, in fact, shut down the number of beds available. He did not fund HHS to get people, to get the children out of those Border Patrol facilities, where they should not be.

[18:10:08]

COLLINS: He also promised to let reporters into Border Patrol facilities where overcrowding is happening without saying when.

BIDEN: We will commit to transparency, and as soon as I am in a position to be able to implement what we're doing right now.

COLLINS: After urging the Senate to move on House-passed gun bill this is weeks this week major pushback from Republicans, Biden offered no timeline when he will take executive steps.

BIDEN: So, we're going to move on these one at a time, try to do as many simultaneous as we can.

COLLINS: Instead, Biden making clear his top legislative priority is the infrastructure bill.

BIDEN: All the things that relate to infrastructure. It's amazing. There's so much we can do that's good stuff, makes people healthier and creates good jobs.

COLLINS: Biden opened the press conference by setting a new goal on coronavirus vaccinations.

BIDEN: Now, today, I'm setting a second goal, and that is: We will, by my 100th day in office, have administered 200 million shots in people's arms. That's right, 200 million shots in 100 days.

COLLINS: With 2.5 million injections happening per day, the U.S. is on track to meet that goal by day 100 of his presidency.

BIDEN: I know it's ambitious, twice our original goal, but no other country in the world has even come close, not even close to what we are doing. I believe we can do it.

COLLINS: At 78 years old, Biden is the oldest president to ever assume the office. And he said today he plans to run again in 2024.

BIDEN: No, the answer is yes. My plan is to run for reelection. That's my expectation.

COLLINS: But when it comes to who Biden will be running against, he answered with this notable question.

BIDEN: I don't even think about -- I don't have -- I have no idea. I have no idea if there will be a Republican Party. Do you?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Pam, he also got several questions on foreign policy, including whether or not he is going to stick by that May 1 deadline set by former President Trump with the Taliban to get all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.

He said he thinks it's going to be really hard to make that deadline. And this is really the first time we have heard President Biden talk about what the timeline he believes is going to look like, but, of course, this is an issue he has long cared about. He advocated for withdrawal for several years.

And so now he was saying that he does not think the troops will be all out of there by May 1, but he also said he doesn't think they will be there by next year. And he actually said -- quote -- "It is not my intention to stay there for a long time."

BROWN: All right, Kaitlan, stay with us, as we bring more of our team into this conversation.

We have Abby Phillip and Governor Kasich, Sanjay Gupta as well. Abby, let's start with you.

This is the first time Biden has answered questions in a formal news conference. What stood out to you?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Biden really held the line on a longstanding position that he's had, which is basically that he's not going to get distracted by a lot of the debates and the pressure that he's receiving, frankly, from even within his own party.

He has a clear vision for what his administration needs to do now and in the coming months, and it's pretty limited. It was the COVID relief bill, which they have already accomplished. And the next thing is infrastructure. And there's a lot of talk among Democrats and a lot of pressure about removing the filibuster in order to do other things, like voting rights or immigration or even increasing the minimum wage.

And Biden really held that off and said, my priorities are here. I still care about those things, but I think we need to work on making sure that people have jobs and a livelihood.

And that was a very clear message to the base about priorities. And it's something that I think is consistent with where Biden has been all along, which is that he's not going to get pulled too far to the left if he doesn't feel like that's not what needs to be done for him to be successful as president.

He thinks he's going to be judged largely on the economy and the COVID situation.

BROWN: And, Governor Kasich, he essentially left it up to Republicans on whether they want to work with him. Is the ball in the Republicans' court right now?

JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all, I watched the biggest chunk of this today, and I thought his demeanor was terrific. He was very calm and very likable.

And I agree with Abby completely. Interestingly enough, Bill Clinton, when he first became president, had too many things on his agenda. And what he did today, what Joe Biden did today was to focus. The next thing beyond the COVID was on infrastructure. And he didn't get taken away from that. He stayed on it and stayed fixed on it.

In terms of Republican cooperation, look, I'm going to make one point here. He passed a $1.9 trillion package and couldn't get one Republican to vote for it. So, you can talk bipartisan, but you're going to have to give something.

[18:15:10]

And I don't think they gave from the 1.9. And I don't think the Republicans were willing to come up much from where they were, but at the same time, you would think that you would get at least one Republican on that whole package to vote for it. Didn't happen. So they're going to have to do better to be able to make things

bipartisan. It's not just that Republicans are going to have to vote. They're going to have to move themselves. And perhaps the infrastructure package is the best place to get that done, because, listen, Pam, every congressman, every senator, they just want to go out and cut ribbons for the new highway that's being opened.

So, we just have to see. And then the detail will be, how are they going to pay for it? More debt on our children, not great. Raising taxes is going to affect everybody, a problem. We just have to see the details on that.

BROWN: All right, I also want to talk about COVID, Sanjay, because Biden has now made it clear today in this announcement that he is aiming to reach 200 million vaccinations in his first 100 days.

He has already hit his previous benchmark way ahead of time. Why not aim higher this time around, or is this another example of underpromise, overdeliver, you think?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think that's what it is. I mean, I think -- and they have said as much.

Andy Slavitt has basically said, that's going to be our posture when it comes to this, underpromising, over delivering. But if you just do the math, I mean, there's 35, 36 days left in these first 100 days. And we know that the vaccination rates is already to 2.5 million people per day, so they should exceed that, if things stay the way that they are.

But we know that there's these mass vaccination sites and other things that are starting to increase in pace as well. So, they should -- they should outpace that. And, hopefully, they will, because we have to move as fast as possible.

BROWN: And there were other issues on the table.

As we know, Kaitlan, Biden responded to your question by agreeing with former President Obama that the filibuster is a relic of the Jim Crow era. How do you square that with his reluctance to make any major reforms right now?

COLLINS: Well, it's been very interesting over -- Joe Biden has had such a long public career, with so many statements, dating back, of course, to when he was a senator himself, and the statements he used to make about the potential of the elimination of the filibuster and warning people about what it could look like if it was eliminated outright, and the consequences, of course, when the shoe is on the other foot, and the other party is in charge.

And so today, he said, yes, he did agree with that characterization. But, of course, the next natural question is, well, if that is what you really think about this, then why not get rid of it? If it is a relic of the Jim Crow era, why would you keep it?

And he basically answered by saying he thinks it's been abused. He wants to focus on that first. But he does seem in many of his answers, as you have seen how they have progressed since he was on the campaign trail running against other Democrats, that he's inching closer and closer to that potentially being something.

Of course, the other side of this is that the Senate Democrats have to make this decision. People like Joe Manchin and several other moderates are not on board with this. But I do think once he gets past his infrastructure plan, which he made clear is his next big priority, not guns, it's infrastructure, that this filibuster and voting rights and gun rights and immigration, all of that, it is all going to be a major conversation for what he is doing next.

BROWN: And the questions he got, Abby, in large part, especially early on, were about immigration. He faced a lot of questions about the situation the border.

Did you hear any new solutions from him today, besides laying blame with the previous administration?

PHILLIP: You know, I think, in terms of solutions, we know that the administration is focused on trying to make sure they have a place to put these children who the thousands of them are in need of a place to stay, currently in facilities that are not meant to hold children.

But the place where my ears perked up when Joe Biden was talking when was that he was asked a question by Cecilia Vega about a child who was sent up to the United States by his parent. And Joe Biden seemed to -- was asked whether that child would be allowed to stay. And the question was hinting at, what is the policy going to be going forward for these children? Will they be allowed to stay? Or will they be sent back eventually?

And he implied that particular child whose parents were still back in their home country would probably be put on a plane and sent back. This is a big question that is still open-ended for this administration. What is going to be their policy to actually process these children, beyond where they're laying their heads every night and sleeping while they are in the United States?

Will they be allowed to stay? And I think we got some hints that not everyone is going to be allowed to stay, and there is going to be a process that may involve many of these kids being sent back.

[18:20:00]

BROWN: Yes, it did raise the very important question of, what is the endgame here?

And, again, Sanjay, again, there were lots of questions on immigration and filibuster voting rights, not on COVID. Were you surprised Biden, President Biden didn't get more questions on the pandemic response beyond this vaccination goal? Or were there other issues you wished he had been able to address?

GUPTA: Yes, I mean, I was I was actually really surprised by that. I mean, he started off by talking about this. This is a pandemic, as we all know, has led to the loss of more than

500,000 American lives. I mean, this is a huge -- the biggest public health disaster of our lifetime. I was surprised there weren't more questions about it.

A few things. I mean, one is that we know he had a -- he gave a speech a couple of weeks ago where he talked about the fact that every state should open up eligibility for the vaccine by May 1. But it's the states that have to do that. And a lot of states are not doing that. That's going to be a big topic, a big issue coming up over the next several weeks.

Schools. There has now been this new CDC guidance saying you could shorten the distancing from six feet to three feet. Teachers unions are saying we don't think the evidence is good enough on that. So what's going to happen with schools? What's this going to mean for students now? What's it going to mean for them in the fall?

What has been the impact of this overall on our hospital system? The U.S. hospital system in many places has been left in shambles. Medical staff have PTSD. How are we going to prepare for the next pandemic? There's lots of things that we still need to be talking about. And part of the reason we get so caught off-guard with this pandemic is because we weren't talking about these things before.

Hopefully, we will learn these lessons for next time.

BROWN: Final thoughts to you, Governor Kasich.

And President Biden really railing against Republican efforts to restrict voting across the country.

KASICH: Yes, I would say this.

Any of these efforts that would reduce, for example, early voting hours or roll back absentee voting or end voting on Sundays, I would be against, and I think Republicans ought to en masse oppose those efforts to restrict that. I think that should be something that should be loud and clear out of Republicans, because, frankly, when people vote legally, it's good for democracy, it's good for what happens here.

The other thing I'd mentioned quickly, Pam, is the gun legislation. And it's going to be interesting to see if there's something, something that can pass that House and Senate that can find some bipartisan support in the area of guns. It may be a red flag law, may be limiting the loophole for gun shows.

We will have to see, because there's Democrats who don't like it as well. But the gun issue, it just keeps coming back and back and back, and we have to see if some cooler heads will prevail, and they will get something through that will make some progress on this issue.

BROWN: Right, because, sadly, I hate to say it, it does not appear that mass shootings are going to go away anytime soon.

Thank you all so much for coming on for that robust discussion in the wake of President Biden's first press conference.

And just ahead in THE SITUATION ROOM, we will get another update on tornado deaths in the South, as millions of Americans are at risk of severe weather.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:26:48]

BROWN: We're monitoring severe weather in the South, after a deadly tornado hit in Alabama. We're going to get an update on that just ahead.

But we are also following all the top takeaways from President Biden's first formal news conference.

And we are joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington. And she is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Thank you so much for coming on. Lots to discuss after President Biden's first press conference.

First, I want to get your reaction to this. Were you surprised to hear that, after two mass shootings, Biden clearly signaled his top priority is infrastructure, not gun reform?

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): Yes, Pamela, it's so great to be with you.

You know, I was a little surprised by that. At the same time, I know that, from my meetings with the White House, that the president is really focused on making sure that he can get people back to work, that we can take on a very bold infrastructure package, and not just roads and bridges, but also human infrastructure, care workers, paid family leave, things that people are going to feel immediately in their pockets and in their lives.

He may also believe that it is up to us in Congress to move gun reform legislation through. The House has already passed two major pieces of gun reform legislation, both the background checks bill and the Charleston loopholes bill. And I think we should pass the assault weapons ban as well, which had more than enough votes to pass in the last session.

So, he may be just saying, Congress, you take care of that for now, I'm going to stay focused on infrastructure, because he understands he's got to deliver.

BROWN: And, as you know, on the two House bills on gun reform, even Democrats Joe Manchin, he's not on board. You have got to get the Republicans on board too.

And that's why the filibuster is such a big topic of discussion, it was at the press conference today. As far as that goes, how can President Biden flatly agree that the filibuster is a relic of the Jim Crow era and yet make no commitment to reforming it right now?

JAYAPAL: Well, he's moved. And we're happy to see that.

The Progressive Caucus -- and I'm leading a letter right now with moderates and progressives around reforming or eliminating the filibuster, because it's very clear to us it is a relic and it is going to block any progress on anything that we committed to voters that we would deliver.

He has been moving. If you might remember, just a month or two ago, he said he didn't believe in any filibuster reform. Today, he is saying he believes in reforming a talking filibuster. But he also didn't close the door to something more. And I thought that was significant as well.

It's going to take a little bit of time, I think, just from a practical perspective, to get to the place where all the Democrats are ready to do this, and to really make the arguments to everybody that no progress is possible and we cannot go back to voters and say, you know what, you gave us the House, the Senate and the White House, but because of some arcane procedure, we couldn't deliver.

That's just not going to work. And so we may see some bills going up and then failing, and then that helps us to create the momentum to get all our Democratic senators on board.

[18:30:00]

BROWN: Another big topic of discussion today was immigration. President Biden defended his handling of it, saying that the majority of unaccompanied minors are 16 to 17 years old and it's not the same as ripping babies from their mothers' arms. Is that good enough to you, when we've seen for ourselves the overcrowded jail-like Border Patrol facilities hundreds of thousands of these kids are in.

JAYAPAL: Yes. This is a very complex situation because, you know, I was at the forefront of calling out the Trump administration for these inhumane and cruel policies, like family separation. I will say that there is a difference between the Biden administration and the Trump administration. Trump had no regard, whatsoever, for any of the laws around immigration. In fact, he stopped all legal forms of immigration, including folks who are coming across the border seeking asylum.

I think Joe Biden is in a different situation, but the leash is very short. We all understand that the Trump administration destroyed all of the infrastructure to actually process people who are coming across the border, in fact, worse than that, they pushed people over into the Mexico side so there was a huge buildup. And then you add to that all of the climate disasters that have created even more migration from the northern triangle countries. And you've got this tinderbox of people coming across the border.

But the reality is, we've got to rebuild the infrastructure Trump destroyed to be able to process these kids. Sending FEMA down was very important, because they can help to do that processing. But now we've got to make sure we are sticking to the 72-hour time limit. I think that's too long in and of itself, but that's the law so at least let's stick to that time limit.

And then let's quickly process people, understanding that kids are particularly difficult. And the best thing we can do is get them in with their families, something that the Trump administration refused to do and put up barriers so that family members were afraid to come forward because of the public charge rule, because of other requirements that would have made them deportable in particular instances.

BROWN: All right. Representative Pramila Jayapal, thank you so much for coming on the show.

JAYAPAL: Thank you, Pamela.

BROWN: And just ahead, we'll get another update on the very dangerous weather across the south right now and the damage from a tornado touchdown.

And is the Colorado shooting suspect aiming for a mental health defense? We're going to tell you what happened at his first court appearance.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

BROWN: We are getting new information on a deadly tornado in Alabama and more life-threatening weather tonight.

Let's go back to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Birmingham on the scene there. What's the latest, Derek?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Pamela, it has been an extremely dangerous day. And going into the evening here in Birmingham, Alabama. I'm just south and east of the city in an area known as Eagle Point. The community behind me was hit hard by the tornado, one of the many tornados that have touched down within this state. Residents here, about 200,000 people, have a very difficult night ahead of them, because we're only a couple of hours away from darkness, and that makes the threat level even more dangerous here.

Let me show you what's taken place. You can see the home where the tornado actually ripped the entire roof off behind me, some of the damage into the house directly behind it. But if my cameraman can just pan out a little bit, I want you to see the nature of tornados and how difficult they are to actually predict, because they have been known to hop and skip from location to location, causing damage to one house and not to another. This is very characteristic of tornados. It happens.

You can also see that the trees were just completely snapped like toothpicks, more of the same with the power lines as well. We are still under a high risk for severe storms. The storm prediction center has a level five out of five. That is their highest category. They've had two high-risk categories this month so far, which is saying something. It's been a very active severe weather season for this particular portion of the United States.

I talked to some of the local sheriffs within this area. We cannot get access to this Eagle Point community, because they are trying to assess the situation. But they had to stop the search and recovery effort because there is the potential for more tornadic super cell thunderstorms to move through a very similar location.

Checking the latest radar, it does look like that tornado that I'm referring to now that's on the ground is to our south. But you can see the weather here still very turbulent, the skies are very angry. Look how quickly the clouds are moving behind me, just gives you an indication of how much wind change and levels of atmosphere showing that tornados are still possible here at least through the evening and into the early part of the overnight before the storm moves east. Pamela?

BROWN: All right. Derek, it looks like they could be in for a double dose of severe weather tonight. Thank you so much for the latest there.

VAN DAM: Yes.

BROWN: And now the Mayor of Helena, Alabama, Brian Puckett, joins us on the phone. Mayor, you are just south of Birmingham, what are the conditions like on the ground there? How badly are you getting battered?

MAYOR BRIAN PUCKETT (R-HELENA, AL) (voice over): Yes. Well, thanks for having me on, Pamela. So we did have a tornado touchdown in central, the center part of our city about 1:30 today. So we've had severe damage through our old town area with businesses, residential areas and now we're just preparing for this next band, looking like it might go a little bit south of us.

[18:40:01]

So we're going to prepare our first responders to see how they can continue helping our residents but also aid our sister cities down south as well.

BROWN: Right, because there are still search and rescue efforts going on. I imagine how are you dealing with that?

PUCKETT (voice over): Yes. So our first responders have done a tremendous job as soon as the tornado got through our city. We were able to get boots on the ground to be able to assess the damages, determine that there were no injuries in Helena, which with the amount of structure damage we had in houses that were done, we are completely grateful, thankful and prayerful that we had no injuries and no losses.

BROWN: That is really remarkable when you look at all the damage there, that there were no injuries, no losses. What are you bracing for in the coming hours? How should people try to stay safe?

PUCKETT: So we still encourage all of our residents to have their weather radios on, their weather apps to get notifications and continuously heed the cautions, get into their safe spaces when those tornado warnings are approaching us. So we're relying on social media getting out the message, but also our residents doing everything they can in their part to put their helmets on, to get in their safe space and make sure that their families are taken care of.

BROWN: Okay. Mayor Brian Puckett, thank you so much. Stay safe yourself and keep us updated on the latest there on the ground.

And just ahead in The Situation Room, the suspected gunman in the Colorado shooting massacre is likely facing additional charges beyond ten counts of murder.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:46:05]

BROWN: In Colorado tonight, prosecutors say they are preparing more charges against suspect in the grocery store massacre.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov has more from Boulder.

So, Lucy, the alleged gunman had his first court appearance today.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He did, Pam. He only uttered one word. There was no facial expressions, no visible emotion. The whole thing over in just under 6 minutes.

We do expect additional charges to be filed in the weeks ahead. But both the investigation and the legal process are expected to be lengthy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV (voice-over): The chilling moment as the suspected gunman is wheeled into the room.

JUDGE THOMAS F. MULVAHILL, BOULDER COUNTY DISTRICT: Sir, do you understand those rights as I've explained them to you this morning? I need you to answer out loud.

AHMAD ALISSA, SUSPECTED GUNMAN: Yes.

KAFANOV: That's the only time 21-year-old Ahmad Aliwi Alissa spoke, charged with ten first-degree murder counts, and one count of attempted murder in Monday's attack in Boulder.

He appeared in court with three public defenders.

KATHRYN HEROLD, LEAD ATTORNEY, COLORADO PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE: Our position is that we cannot do anything until we're able to fully assess Mr. Alissa's mental illness.

KAFANOV: The accused gunman sitting there, showing no emotion during the six-minute hearing.

MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, BOULDER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The first step of what will be a lengthy process for us to secure justice for the victims, their loved ones and this community.

KAFANOV: The judge ruled that Alissa will remain in jail without bond as investigators and his defense team prepare for the case. He has yet to enter a plea.

MAYOR SAM WEAVER, BOULDER, COLORADO: We heard from the suspect's family that he may have had mental health challenges. From our standpoint right now, we're focused on the victims and the families.

KAFANOV: Those victims honored last night at this solemn vigil. Among those grieving, Christina Maes, here to remember her fallen co-worker, Rikki Olds.

CHRISTINA MAES, KING SOOPERS SUPERVISOR: She always had a smile on her face. She was always so energetic. She was just a loving person that you could even ask for.

KAFANOV: Another friend of Rikki's, Logan Smith, watched as the gunman shot and killed the 25-year-old.

LOGAN SMITH, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: I wanted to run over to her, but I knew that there was a shooter inside and I couldn't.

KAFANOV: He says the gunman stood a few feet from where he hid.

SMITH: One of the scariest things about it all was the silence until police arrived and yelled at him to get down.

KAFANOV: We're also learning today that handcuffs used to restrain the gunman after he was released from the hospital belonged to slain Officer Eric Talley.

Boulder Police tweeting: It was our distinct honor to use Officer Talley's handcuffs to formally process him into the jail.

Hundreds lining the streets yesterday to bid this hero a farewell.

His sister describing the moment she found out he died.

KRISTEN BROOKS, SISTER OF OFFICER ERIC TALLEY: My mother called me and she was just screaming, and she said his daughter had called her, his young daughter and said, nana, daddy's dead. I didn't know other people had been killed. I just knew at that moment that Eric was gone. And with that, everything about Eric was gone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV: Pam, that added charge of attempted first down degree murder, that comes from an alleged attack on Boulder Police Officer Richard Steidell. He was one of the first on the scene. He was combing that store for any signs of a shooter when he discovered the body of Officer Talley. Shots rang out. Officer Steidell made it out alive. Officer Talley tragically did not. His funeral now set for next Tuesday -- Pam.

BROWN: So sad.

Lucy Kafanov, thank you very much.

And we have incredible and shocking new video just into CNN from what appears to be inside the storm in Pelham, Alabama where deadly tornado touched.

[18:50:01]

Let's look.

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BROWN: And we are staying on top of that severe weather in Alabama.

But in the meantime, just ahead, in THE SITUATION ROOM, Georgia's governor has just signed a major election overall bill that will restrict voter access in the state. We're going to talk about it with global human rights leader, Martin Luther King III.

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[18:55:47]

BROWN: Just moments ago, Georgia's Republican governor signed a sweeping election overhaul bill imposing new restrictions on voting in the state.

Joining us in THE SITUATION ROOM, global human rights leader, Martin Luther King III.

Thank you for coming on.

Look forward to hearing your reaction about this bill the governor in Georgia, Governor Kemp, just signed into law. It's one of many efforts under way across the country to restrict voter access.

What impact will this law have on voters in your state of Georgia?

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS LEADER: Well, first of all, it's a very sad day for this state. It bodes to moving back to Jim Crow era kind of legislation. The impact certainly has the potential to reduce voters, particularly of color, who normally would have -- all voters would have a longer time to vote.

I think there's something in that legislation that says you can't even bring somebody water. How inhumane can these legislators be? Starting -- even though the governor didn't vote, he approved it by signing the legislation.

It's not surprising. It's greatly disappointing that our state has gone in this direction.

What it means is that people are going to have to be more vigilant, black people, young people, older people, poor people are going to have for more vigilant. It's unfortunate this trend is happening across America and over 40 states across our nation.

It used to be a time where if you called someone a racist, they would want to retreat. But now it seems to be in vogue and all right to be a racist. It's a sad day in America, quite frankly.

BROWN: And you -- you view that bill that he signed as a form of racism?

KING: Excuse me?

BROWN: And so, you're saying that you view the bill that he signed as a form of racism?

KING: Oh, absolutely. There's no other reason why would you put something in place -- you said we had a great election back in January, on January 5th. And, of course, last year in November. There were no flaws or anything. So, why would you restrict?

We're supposed to be expanding the right to vote to make it easier for more people to vote, not restricting the right to vote. It's a travesty. It's tragic.

And I think voters -- maybe this is going to backfire. The hope is that more and more people will vote, because they made it so much more difficult by what they have done, which should be unconstitutional.

And when you think about the fact, we lead the nation and the world in promoting democracy, but we are blocking democracy at home. It's a sad day in Georgia and a sad day for America.

BROWN: I want to get your thoughts on what we heard from Joe Biden today. He said he agrees with former President Obama that the fili buster is a relic of the Jim Crow era. You wrote about the filibuster in a new op-ed for CNN.com called "This is what my father would have done."

So, what would your father have done about this?

KING: Well, number one, perhaps it would have been additional mobilization efforts before it got to this particular point. In fact, I would say if my father had lived, we would be probably dealing with different issues, not issues we're dealing with right now. Right now, the only thing we can do is to mobilize and organize and to get more and more people registered, and when the voting starts, to vote immediately. Those are the only provisions I'm aware of.

Now, the final provision may be if the Senate passes, you know, S-1, which is being talked about and Senator Schumer and Senator Klobuchar and many others are on board to do that. If that happens, some of this will be addressed.

BROWN: I want to get --

KING: And the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. BROWN: Very quickly, I want to get your reaction to what Cindy Hyde-

Smith said about voting on Sunday, basically saying that you shouldn't be able to vote on Sunday because that's the day to praise God.

KING: Everybody has their opinion is what I would say. I think that in the communities of color, and many other communities, after church, Souls to the Polls, people are led to the polls, because we must -- certainly we can praise God all the time, and go to church on Sabbath Day, but also we can participate in the government.

BROWN: OK. Martin Luther King III, thank you so much for that.

KING: Thank you.

BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown. Thank you for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.