the rubble. ♪ well, we hope that saturday may 7th so far has been good to you. i know it's early, but we're grateful you're waking up with us. you, too, alex. >> thank you for having me. so great to be back with you. >> always. we will begin with the stalled efforts to free more civilians from that battered steel plant that has come under attack by russian forces in the city of mariupol. >> right. evacuations were supposed to resume today after 50 civilians were freed from the plant in mariupol yesterday. so far there are no signs that process has restarted. we know at least 100 civilians, including a number of children by the way, are still trapped in underground bunkers. >> ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy has accused russia of using blockades as a form of torture, he says, because people are being starved. zelenskyy says organizations are not being allowed to get into mariupol to get the people there badly-needed food, water and countless other supplies. >> and president biden's announced additional security aid for ukraine. the president says the u.s. is providing $150 million worth of equipment, including artillery and radar. >> we want to take you live to ukraine right now. cnn correspondent scott mclean joins us live from lviv. scott, we're watching mariupol very closely. is there any indication that something could happen today in terms of getting those civilians out of that plant? >> reporter: so alex, sometimes no news is good news. and hopefully this is one of those times. the reason that people are optimistic is because ukrainian officials during these evacuation missions have tried to say as little as possible. they don't want to do anything to potentially jeopardize the success of the operation. yesterday was proof that sometimes good things happen after no news when the russians announced late in the day that 50 people, including some children had successfully been taken out from underneath of that plant. the ukrainians soon announced the same thing. those 50 people each announced had been evacuated it appears were the same 50 people. and they were taken east actually of mariupol toward the russian border, toward a village in ukrainian-held territory to a reception center or a filtration center where they stayed the night. the hope was that they would move again today in the direction of zaporizhzhia, but even that process could take a long time. now, there are still very likely some 100 or so civilians still trapped, including children, underneath of that steel plant. the hope from the ukrainian officials is that those evacuations would resume today. it's a time-consuming process, though, of course because we're talking about a four square mile site with many under ground cavities. people aren't all just staying in the same one, so you have to go through and collect all of those people. the strategy to take people east when most people will opt to go west toward ukrainian-held territory is an odd one, but ukraine's deputy foreign minister says it is all part of russia's pr tactics. >> they say, oh, ukrainian army, they are committing propaganda, saying to poor people that ukrainian army is being shelling the city and then they open up their territory, the russian territory, for evacuation but indeed and in fact it's called forcible deportation when they bring thousands of ukrainians via russian territory, thus depicting themselves as saviors. >> reporter: now, even if all of the civilians were to get out today, that still leaves an extremely difficult situation for the soldiers left inside there. there could be hundreds of them or more. it is unlikely they'll be able to fight their way out to safety. they say they will not leave under any circumstances without a gun in their hand. many of them are wounded. the president volodymyr zelenskyy said that he is working on diplomatic options to try to get them out, including working with some influential countries in those negotiations, alex. >> all right, scott mclean, we appreciate it so much. thank you. for more on everything that's going on in ukraine, we're going to turn to washington post columnist, max boot. max, thank you so much for being with us this morning. i want to talk a bit about all the reporting about intelligence and the intelligence sharing from the u.s. to ukraine. we know that they have been providing ukrainians with intelligence. but now there's a question of how specific that is. particularly when it comes to this question of killing russian generals, a number of russian generals have been killed. but the u.s. is claiming that they are not providing specific targeting information when it comes to those generals or the sinking of that flagship, mas ka va. what do you make of this line that the biden administration is trying to walk in terms of the exact nature of the intelligence that they're sharing? >> obviously the biden administration is trying to help the ukrainians in every way they can without risking an escalation into a wider war with russia. that's the line that they're walking. so that's why they have been clarifying that, no, they're not putting a target on the heads of russian generals but they are providing the ukrainians with information on russian headquarters which obviously can be used to target the people inside including generals or in the case of the mos ka va, the russian warship that was sunk by the ukrainians, they're saying they provided intelligence on the ship. but it was, you know, the ukrainians who independently did their targeting. i suspect that's probably the case. the interesting thing, of course, is that the administration and people in the intelligence community are not averse to leaking information about the u.s. intelligence contribution to these ukrainian military achievements. and that's caused some controversy with some people suggesting that this is too provocative to russia to talk about the u.s. contribution. but i don't think that the administration is overly perturbed by this. i think this is a form of deterrence for russia to let them know that we have their number, to let them know how much we're doing in the case of helping ukraine and also to deter them from further -- russia from further escalation in the future because they are basically telegraphing the kind of capabilities that we have and that we're contributing to the ukrainian war effort. >> but we have seen some frustration, i'm thinking in particular of press secretary john kirby at the pentagon over these leaks. do you think that that is because there could be significant russian retaliation if there is a perception that u.s. intelligence is helping with these significant victories on the battlefield for ukraine? >> i wouldn't be overly paranoid about it. i don't think the administration is overly paranoid. if they were paranoid, they would not be providing all of this intelligence and they would not be providing all this weaponry, all of which is being used to kill russians. but remember, russians who are illegally inside of ukraine who are committing a war of aggression against ukraine, committing atrocities in ukraine so legally and morally ukraine is 100% in the right and obviously we don't want to poke the russian bear too much because it is still a country that has 6,000 nuclear weapons, but i don't think that anybody is being paralyzed by fear of russia going nuclear because putin is not suicidal and so far he has been fairly cautious in the use of force. there's no suggestion that he's about to attack a nato country. and the reason he's not going to do that is i think he understands that he would suffer terrible retribution from nato, that his armed forces are incapable of defeating the ukrainians, how are they going to fair against nato military. so i think, you know, we should certainly be cognizant of not trying to escalate the war too much, which is why president biden has said that we're not going to impose a no fly zone or have u.s. military direct combat with the russians but i think anything short of that is fair game. >> could we look ahead to monday, victory day. we'll see that big parade across red square. president putin will be giving as he does every year a big speech. do you believe he will announce some kind of victory? and is there potential for him to announce some kind of escalation as well to change his terminology from this special operation that he's been calling it to actually formally declaring war against ukraine? >> i don't know what to expect exactly. i think we're getting conflicting reports on that. certainly i do expect that he will declare victory, even though there are not a lot of actual russian victories to be had because it doesn't cost them anything to say that we're winning. i'm sure he will say that. whether he will declare war or total mobilization, i don't know. that would be a significant upping of the ante but would not deliver any kind of added military capabilities in the short-term because russia does not have a lot of reserves on stand by. this is not a country that has a national guard in reserve ready to throw into battle the way the united states does. it would take them a long time to mobilize and to train reservists who don't receive any regular training, who don't have units to fall into, who don't have equipment set aside for them. this would be a very lengthy process. and it would raise the stakes not just for ukraine but for putin because it would really bring the cost of the war home to russia. and if russia snot able to make greater military progress after having mobilized and called upon conscripts and really brought the war home for russian households, i think that would really cause discontent and grumbling and could potentially undermine the basis of the putin regime. so, you know, i just don't know if he's going to take that gamble or not. >> you wrote this week in the washington post about some of the ripple effects that we could see from ukraine's success against russia. you write, if russia fails in ukraine, it will send a welcome message about the perils of mounting wars of aggression that should resonate to beijing. given how hard russia is finding it to invade a neighboring state, imagine how much more difficult it will be for china to mount an amphibious assault across the taiwan strait. max, it would be much harder for taiwan's friends to supply it during a war against china than ukraine's supplying it in its war against russia. but do you think that what we're seeing now is giving president xi some kind of pause? >> i think it certainly should because the west is not rolling over, the ukrainians are not rolling over and fighting back very effectively. what i highlighted in that article is the impact of largely defensive weaponry, in particular missiles, sensors and drones which have had a devastating impact on russian tanks and even on russian warships. you know, some of those same systems, many of those same systems are in taiwan. we should certainly provide taiwan with more of those to deter any kind of russian attack. so, you know, what i argued in that article citing a retired marine kernel is that the defensive really has the upper hand in warfare right now, at least at a tactical level, where these sensors and missiles, which are relatively low cost can destroy very expensive, major weapon systems from tanks to warships. and you know, those are the -- especially warships and aircraft, those are the kinds of systems that china would need to invade taiwan, which would be very difficult military operation. so, you know, if taiwan is well equipped with the sensors, drones and missiles, they can impose a massive cost on any chinese invasion. but as you suggest, you know, because taiwan is an island, it would be much harder to resupply taiwan in a conflict than it is with ukraine with a land border to nato. that makes it that much more imperative to get this equipment into taiwan right now before a chinese invasion. >> max boot, i appreciate the conversation this morning. >> thanks for having me. so this morning south korean authorities are strongly condemning north korea for firing a suspected short range ballistic missile, likely launched from a submarine into is the waters off the east coast of korean peninsula. want to go to will ripley who is watching this very closely. he's in taipei for us. will, good to see you this morning. the sheer number just this year, this is the 14th projectile north korea has fired this year. and there's a difference between this and what we have seen in the past six months. talk to us about that. >> reporter: you know that number, christi, 14 is noteworthy because it's more than all of 2020 and 2021 combined, but this launch is different because it is believed to have been fired from a submarine into the waters off the korean peninsula. now, this missile was fired purportedly around 2:07 local time, 1:07 a.m. eastern coming days after a presumed missile test. interestingly north korea didn't report that test on wednesday. we're not sure why. but we do know, as you said, this marks the country's 14th missile launch this year. and so submarine launched ballistic missiles are some ways more dangerous than intercontinental ballistic missiles like the one north korea launched back in march, submarine can sneak up to enemy shores whether it be south korea or japan where u.s. has a major military presence and fire this missile and travels at very low altitude. this particular missile never reaching an altitude higher than 40 miles and yet it traveled almost 400 miles. that means it could literally fly in under the radar and be all but impossible for existing weapons systems to shoot down if there was even enough advanced warning. that's why this is concerning even though we should point out north korean submarines are older diesel technology, not like the u.s. silent nuclear submarine fleet. the fact that they're perfecting and demonstrating this technology is certainly concerning for the south koreans, americans and japanese and much of the world but particularly this region. moon jae-in convened national security council where they strongly condemned this launch and pointed out it's in violation. president moon, christi has three days left of his presidential term. the new south korean president takes over on may 10th. he tried so hard over the last five years of his term to make peace with the north koreans and here he is in the final days of his presidency with a barrage of missile tests and intelligence from the united states and japan that a nuclear test, north korea's seventh nuclear test could happen as soon as this month. >> will ripley, we appreciate the update so much. thank you. coming up, new clues in the alabama man hunt for an escaped inmate and corrections officer. we'll tell you what authorities have found and whether they're any closer to tracking the twosome down. plus, right now crews are searching for survivors after a deadly explosion rocked a hotel in cuba. now officials are revealing what may have caused that blast. but for someone to be able to work from here, there has to be someone here making sure everything is safe. secure. coconsistent. so log in from here. or here. asassured that someone is here ready to fix anything. anytime. anywhere. even here. that's because nobody... and i mean nobody... makes hybrid work, work better. it's still the eat fresh refresh, and subway's refreshing their app. so you can customize your favorite footlong, set a pickup time, and jump the line! oh, here she goes! ugh, i thought she was actually gonna jump. just use this code and order on the subway app! the mosquitoes are just all over the backyard. quiet please. 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casey white, who are not related, were traveling in. >> the car had been in a tennessee tow lot for about a week. it's a roughly two-hour drive north from where the two disappeared at a county jail in florence, alabama. cnn's nadiamiro on casey white's violent past. >> reporter: casey white is scheduled to stand friel tr capital murder trials related to the 2015 death of connie ridgeway this summer. last friday he escaped forcing ridgeway's family including her son through a roller coaster of emotions. >> my feelings are all over the place. not sleeping well. >> reporter: white's criminal history date bax to 2010. court documents allege he beat his brother in the face and head with a ax hedge hammer handle landing him in prison in 2012. he was released nearly four years later. in october, 2015, connie ridgeway was murdered in her apartment in lauderdale county alabama. police questioned white at the time but did not charge him. and just months later, in december, white went on a crime spree that included a home invasion, carjacking and a police chase. he was indicted on 15 counts in march 2016 and later convicted on seven of those charges, including attempted murder and robbery. he was sent to prison with his first possibility of parol in 2061. but in 2020, lauderdale county district attorney says white admitted to killing connie ridgeway. he was then brought to lauderdale county detention center to be arraigned on murder charges in october 2020. white pleaded not guilty. and that's where he is believed to have met and started his relationship with corrections officer white, while there deputies discovered white was allegedly planning an escape that included taking a hostage. he was send back to prison. >> he was immediately returned back to the department of corrections. he was brought back to our facility on february 25th of this year. we do know and have confirmed that they were in touch via phone during that two-year period while he was in prison and she was still working here. >> reporter: white was placed on the most restrictive custody level, housed in a single cell, restrained and accompanied by armed guards at all times. sheriff singleton says white was brought back to the detention center in february. inmates have come forward with new information about the two of them. >> they were saying he was getting special treatment. he was getting privileges, getting extra food on his trays that vick ki white saying that he got that other inmates weren't getting. >> reporter: austin williams says there should have been extra eyes on casey white and anyone who was associating with him. now he's worried more people could be hurt by white while he's on the run. >> no one is in safe who is in contact with him. he could snap at any moment. he could snap at anything. that's it. >> reporter: we reached out to casey white's attorneys multiple times over the past week and we have yet to hear response. friday, alabama governor adding an additional $5,000 reward for information leading to the capture and arrest of casey white and vicky white, bringing their joint total for reward up to $25,000. christi, alex? >> thank you so much. criminologist and attorney casey jordan with me now. casey, it is good to see you again. sadly talking about this case, though. but i want to jump off that point that there are, as i understand it, some protective actions that have been taken for potential targets of his. is it likely that he would go to a place that he knows to try to go after somebody he did not get before? >> i don't think he would be that foolish. i mean a lot of planning went into this escape. it was not impulsive. it appears that casey and vicky had been planning this for years. the plan was very well executed because it's a week later and we don't know where they are. so i don't think he would mess up his escape by going after anybody at this point. my feeling is that they are now experiencing a little bit of guarded elation that they may have gotten away with it. i think they are getting as far away from alabama as possible. and right now, you know, they're never going to actually be able to relax. always sleep with one eye open. always look over your shoulder. never really certain if the police are closing in. the last thing he'll want to do is do anything high risk that would bring attention to him that might get him caught. too much planning went into getting out. >> so, now that they have the car that they believe -- that authorities have the car that they believe was their get away car, that car was kind of the first and last real piece of evidence that they have to find them, now obviously other than the physicality of the suspects and their pictures, but in terms of which direction did they go and are they alone and how long can they hide? all of that has to be figured out. are tips from the public the key here? >> they really are. let's hope that law enforcement has a lot more information than they're sharing with us, but i believe that sharing that information with the public is how they're going to get caught. i mean, again, it's been a week. and yes, we have tips pouring in from all over the country. that makes it more challenging than difficult because they all have to be considered. and all of these sightings have to be checked out. remember, vicky white spent a year in the correctional system. she knows how law enforcement works. she knows how investigations work. she's not a stupid woman to the extent that she knows how police are going to be looking for them. so, assuming that they're still out there, they're going to have changed cars. i think they've probably left the country. but it's going to be very important for people not just to look for casey white who is 6'9". he'll stick out like a sore thumb. you can't miss somebody that tall. consider that casey white may have changed his appearance and color to dark brown or black and occurs to me in talking with other law enforcement on this, you might want to look for a woman pushing a man in a wheelchair because you can't tell how tall somebody is when they're sitting down. so, we need to consider different scenarios of what they could look like right now, where they could be so that everyone is on the lookout for this couple. >> okay. two questions here for you, one is vicky white was described as an exemplary employee. she had respect of her colleagues. she had an unblemished record. i think you're uniquely equipped to try to profile vicky white. first, what do you make of her? secondly, kate ivy said they pose a major threat to the public. do you think he poses a threat to her? >> yeah. let's just deal with what everybody is thinking is very unlikely that she's still alive or less likely as time goes on. quite simply, she is a very smart woman in terms of intellectually being able to plan this escape and yet incredibly naive. she no doubt thinks she is in love with this man. it's the so-called bad boy syndrome happens mostly with women attracted to criminal men and no doubt she thinks she is in love with him and that they'll be walking in the beach like in shawshank redemption down the line. so you've got to consider that she brings no value added to this man who we established is a violent criminal. everyone who knows him talks how dangerous he is. and once he is out, and has a car and has her money, maybe $100,000 in cash that she had with her, there is really no incentive for him to keep her alive because she creates a liability to him getting caught. so obviously we hope she is recovered alive and that we get her side of the story. but as time goes on, i would argue that it's far less likely that she is alive and unless there is some angle she has on him where he needs her more than she needs him. >> wow. casey jordan, so appreciate your expertise and taking the time for us this morning. good to see you again. thank you so much. >> great to be here. thank you. it's going to be the next fight in the roe versus wade s saga. ahead, how manufacturers plan to go up against states that are looking to ban access to so-called abortion pills by mail. ♪ neutrogena® beach defense® the suncare brand used momost by dermatologists and their families, neutrogena® for people with skin. ♪ ♪ bonnie boon i'm calling you out. everybody be cool, alright? wee got bonnie right here on a video call. we don't take kindly toideo calls. oh, in that case just tap to send a message. we don'take kindly to messages neither. in that case how 'bo a ringcentral phone call. we don't take kindly to no... would you can it eugene! let's just hear her out. ha ha ha, i've been needing a new horse. we've got ourselves a deal. ♪ ♪ ♪ ringcentral ♪ this is not the stallion i was imagining. we are her teachers, her therapists, chefs... oh, that's why we're tired. it's because we're doing it every single day, all day. how do you like learning at home? i kind of don't like it. i kind of don't like it 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abortion pills that are sent by anyone besides a qualified physician. cnn's tom foreman reports supplier of these medications say that they intend to continue sending these pills to the u.s. no matter what. >> reporter: for those intent on ending abortions in parts of the united states, the biggest barrier may now not be politics but pills, which researchers say are effective, available and now used for more than half of all abortions. >> abortion activists have been quietly building a whole new business model to target young women on their phones, to click, get information and receive abortion drug by mail. >> reporter: the food and drug administration approved mail order supplies of the so-called abortion pills with the prescription this past december for women in the first ten weeks of pregnancy. advocates insist it is less invasive, more december cite and just as safe as surgical abortion. >> oftentimes people choose this for various reasons. they want to manage their abortion in their own home with their family and in a surrounding that they're comfortable with. >> we have incredible increase of request of help. people are really, really scared of what's going to happen. >> reporter: that's why some abortion rights supporters such as women on waves based in the netherlands say they are facilitating the drugs to women in the u.s. they're promising to step up no matter where the women are or what state laws say. >> what i'm doing is legal under the laws where i work from. and actually i have a medical oath to do this. i'm a doctor. my oath is that i help people that are in need and that is what i am doing. >> reporter: in many states where lawmakers are trying to stamp out abortion rights, the simple truth is they have written a lot of special lines in their laws to keep outside providers of these pills from accessing their population. but, abortion rights defenders say it's only five little pills and they believe there is a way to get them to the women they see in need. tom foreman, cnn, washington. >> our thanks to tom foreman. we're seeing wave after wave of pandemic precautions are being lifted. but the white house is warning that the u.s. could soon see a wave of covid-19 infections this coming fall and into the winter. >> yeah. listen to this number, health officials say as many as 100 million people could become infected. and that reignites their calls to congress to provide more pandemic funding. c nn's jasmine right live in wilmington. good to see you this morning. talk to us about this warning. >> reporter: yeah. it's a significant warning, christi. it comes as the administration has repeated will called on congress to give them more money so they can continue to respond to the pandemic as cases rise in this country but also as administration is trying to shift to that return to normal way of life. so a senior administration official tells cnn that the u.s. could potentially see 100 million covid infections this fall and winter. and now this is based on a range of outside models that those inside the administration really track closely and is based on the underlying assumption there will be no extra mitigation factors. that includes no additional funding from congress for the administration to respond to this pandemic. now, in an abc interview recently white house covid response coordinator dr. ashish jha didn't talk about these numbers specifically but he talked about a potential surge in the fall that could be fueled by some of these sub variants. take a listen. >> with waning immunity, with omicron as contagious as it is in each new version becoming more contagious, i think it stands to reason we may very well get a large surge infections. so right now we're doing everything we can to prepare for that, to make sure americans are protect and ready if that surge were to come. >> reporter: so that preparedness includes the white house asking congress to pass a covid funding package of about $110 billion. down from the negotiated that $10 billion expected to pass in april, but lawmakers left congress in april without passing, so now this is another time where the white house is renewing their calls, trying to get that funding to respond to the pandemic. christi, alex? >> jasmine wright, we appreciate it. thank you. so we're learning at least 25 people are dead after that massive explosion ripped through a havana hotel. we have the latest on where officials believe there might still be survivors. it's more like 5:15. man: mom, really? ♪ it wasn't me by shaggy ♪ you're never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your discover card. this is the sound of nature breathing. and this is the sound of better breathing. fasenra is a different kind of asthma medication. it's not a steroid or inhaler. fasenra is an add-on treatment for asthma driven by eosinophils. it's one maintenance dose every 8 weeks. it helps prevent asthma attacks, improve breathing, and lower use of oral steroids. nearly 7 out of 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(upbeat music) - let's get into the numbers. - why would a company do that? especially with hr and payroll software. with paycom, employees enter and manage their own hr data in a single, easy-to-use software. visit paycom.com and schedule a demo today. ♪ i want to show you what's happening in cuba this morning. emergency crews are combing through rubble for survivors after at least 25 people were killed, dozens more have been hospitalized. this was because of this powerful explosion that happened yesterday at a luxury hotel in havana. >> cuban officials say they believe a gas leak caused the blast. cnn's patrick oppmann is live in the cuban capital of havana. patrick, this is absolutely tragic. what else you learned about this blast? >> reporter: well, the death toll continues to rise. it's now 25. and overnight one survivor was pulled miraculously from the rubble. we're not hearing any sounds of heavy equipment now because the searchers are -- >> i'm so sorry. sounds like we lost patrick's audio there. those are some of the pictures we're getting in. as you heard, he said overnight they did pull one from the rubble alive. so, those are the pictures that we're getting right now. thank you patrick. we'll try to get your audio back in just a bit. cnn's pete muntean is talking about this, right, alex, the airlines across the nation slashing thousands of flights. >> yeah. they're slashing those flights because of schedules that are being cut down in part because of a shortage of commercial pilots. >> yeah. so let's go to cnn's pete muntean with a look at the argument airlines are making to hire new pilots with less experience. >> reporter: just this week airlines argued this should change. it's called the 1,500 hour rule. that's how much experience new airline pilots must have but airlines call it a hurdle keeping people out of the strirks but those who fought for it in the first place, say it cannot change now. airlines latest push to curb flight cancellations caused by a shortage of pilots cannot happen say john and marilyn. >> this was her younger years but all her kids. >> reporter: their daughter ellie was an board a flight 3407 the night of february 12th, 2009, when it plunged into a buffalo neighborhood. ellie was among 45 passengers and 4 crew who were killed. >> i didn't get an opportunity to walk my daughter down the aisle. >> reporter: after the crash, the family fought to mandate more pilot experience. new airline pilots once required to have 250 flying hours now need 1500 hours, but some airline executives say that requirement is contributing to the shortage. >> this is not a safety issue. and i think it's important that some of the politicians start to act and take this up because if they don't, they're putting the industry in jeopardy. >> i just flabbergasted that someone can say this worked perfectly, perfectly for 13 years. we haven't had a plane crash. but we would like to change it. >> reporter: a change in regulations would be felt most at smaller, regional airlines. contracted by major carriers to operate short routes they make up 40% of all flights in the united states. >> rule of the land. >> reporter: regional airport association president supports substituting some flight time for classroom time. >> we should not be talking about roll back or repeal but add and replace and enhance so that he we can open up training pathways to people who have not had access. >> reporter: this week, an executive from jet blue said pilots from other countries operate safely despite looser regulations. earlier this year, i asked united airlines ceo scott kirby whether the rule should change. >> i won't wade into the debate about the number of hours is. >> reporter: ntsb investigators found the pilots of flight 3407 did not properly recognize an aerodynamic stall. ellie ooerks family says it was due to lack of experience, something they insist regulators never forget. >> we put rules and regulations in place that prevented plane crashes largely and that's the legacy. let's not lower our safety standards. that's our legacy. >> reporter: work is just starting on a new faa reauthorization bill on flight 3407 families fear that a change will get slipped in. this crash was the last major downing of a commercial airliner in the united states. a total of 50 people were killed. that includes one person on the ground. christi, alex? >> our thanks to pete muntean for that important story. now across the south, thousands are still in the dark this morning after storms ripped through the region. where the rain is moving to. that's coming up next. more protection, more sun, more joy. neutrogena® beach defense® the suncare brand used most by dermatologists and their families, neutrogena® for people with skin. when you join ihop's new rewards program, the international bank of pancakes, and start stacking pancoins toward free food, you get a smile on your plate. download the app and join the rewards program today. derriere discomfort. we try to soothe it with this. cool it with this. and relieve it with this. but new preparation h soothing relief spray is the 21st century way to do all three. even touch free. preparation h. get comfortable with it. check out this vrbo. come on. ♪ ♪ ♪ it's still the eat fresh refresh, and subway's refreshing everything, like the baja steak and jack. piled high with tender shaved steak, topped with delicious pepper jack cheese, and kicking it up a notch with smoky- baja chipotle sauce? yep, they're constantly refreshing. y'all get our own commercial! subway keeps refreshing and- ♪ well, if you're waking up with power, be grateful because there are thousands of people who don't have it thanks to heavy rain and winds that hit the south. >> allison chinchar, there's a lot going on out there. what are you seeing? >> we have showers and thunderstorms to contend with and florida looking for strong to severe thunderstorms and secondary system making its way into the central u.s. bringing the potential for damaging winds and hails what's left of that original system. so, yes, still expect rain showers, philadelphia, washington, d.c., baltimore, much of new jersey and maryland as well. the southern side of that same storm, that's what's bringing showers and thunderstorms to miami, tampa, ft. lauderdale and then the secondary system, the bulk of that really develops in the ladder half of the day, especially this afternoon and into the evening hours. in the southern tier, the focus here is really going to be the heat. 120 cities have the potential to break record high temperatures, starting today and could last all the way through wednesday. san antonio, for example, about 20 degrees above their average high, looking at 105. stay hydrated out there this weekend. >> triple digit temperatures already. unbelievable. allison chinchar, thank you so much. we hope you'll join us again in just an hour's time. until then, "smerconish" is coming up next. >> absolutely. we hope you make good memories today, but first cnn's original series "nomad" continues with his first trip to south korea. here is a preview for you. >> so what is this? >> this one of the oldest markets in korea. started with different types of clothing, textile, a lot of wholesalers started the market. and naturally grew out to be a lot of food stalls. >> this is incredible. i think we're going to eat good. what's that home wrecker over there? >> oh, i'm getting that. >> what's this? >> this is blood sausage. >> i love blood sausage. >> can we get some booze? >> that's right. >> i'm ready to go. how old am i? >> with 37. is that how much you decide you eat and drink? >> no. in korea the first conversation starts with how old are you? >> what? >> korea has a very strict social hierarchy. you have to respect the eld we are. >> how old are you? >> 38. >> i can't disrespect you is what you're saying. >> catch an all new episode of "nomad with carlton mccoy" tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. we'll see you in an hour. ♪ (drum roll) ♪ ♪ (energetic music) ♪ ♪ ♪ (camera shutters) the all-new lx 600. ready for any arena. ♪ ♪ finding the perfect project manager isn't easy. but, at upwork, we found him. he's in adelaide between his daily lunch delivery and an 8:15 call with san francisco. and you can find him, and millions of other talented pros, right now on upwork.com we need to reduce plastic waste in the environment. that's why at america's beverage companies, our bottles are made to be re-made. not all plastic is the same. we're carefully designing our bottles to be 100% recyclable, including the caps. they're collected and separated from other plastics, so they can be turned back into material that we use to make new bottles. that completes the circle and reduces plastic waste. please help us get every bottle back. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? 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ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. hybrid work is here. it's there. it's everywhere. but for someone to be able to work from here, there has to be someone here making sure everything is safe. secure. consistent. so log in from here. or here. assured that someone is here ready to fix anything. anytime. anywhere. even here. that's because nobody... and i mean nobody... makes hybrid work, work better. out-of-state corporations wrote an online sports betting plan they call "solutions for the homeless". really? the corporations take 90 percent of the profits. and using loopholes they wrote, they'd take even more. the corporations' own promotional costs, like free bets, taken from the homeless funds. and they'd get a refund on their $100 million license fee, taken from homeless funds, too. these guys didn't write a plan for the homeless. they wrote it for themselves. is america at war? i'm michael smerconish in philadelphia. what is the line that would officially denote that the u.s. is at wor with russia? consider that this week "the new york times" reported the u.s. provided intelligence about russian units that allowed ukrainians to target and kill many of the approximately 12 russian generals ukraine says have died in action. intel was also provided that helped kyiv attack and sink the flagship of russia's black sea fleet, the moskva.