hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the united states and all around the world. you're watching cnn newsroom. and i'm rosemary church. just ahead, the u.s. house passes a debt ceiling bill. but there's zero chance it will get through the senate. we'll look at what, if anything, is up for negotiation when it comes to budget cuts. plus, thousands of civilians are caught in the middle of a deadly conflict in sudan. many desperate to leave the country for their safety. we'll look at that. and later, the lawmakers, business leaders and celebrities who gathered at the white house for a state dinner honoring the south korean president. good to have you with us. republicans in the u.s. house have passed a bill to raise the national debt limit and cut spending.

they say it will put the country on the path of fiscal responsibility and avoid an economic catastrophe. but democrats are not onboard. they want a stand-alone bill that lets the u.s. pay its debt out spending cuts. >> we just passed a bill. it's not our job to modify it. we're the only ones to lift the debt limit to make sure this economy is not in jeopardy. >> more from phil mattingly. >> for weeks, kevin mccarthy made clear, he knew the legislation republicans were trying to get through the house floor had no future. it was dead on arrival in the senate. the president objected to it. but he thought it would force president biden to the table. start rising the debt ceiling as the calendar gets closer and closer to a catastrophic default. the white house response, to

republicans succeeding in that bill, nothing has changed. making it very clear, the republican bill is a nonstarter and will not set up a meeting between president biden and speaker mccarthy over the debt limit. they are happy to discuss longer issues, but they want a clean debt ceiling increase. they want it off the table. think are willing to have negotiation. if it wasn't clear from white house officials, the president, just a couple hours before the vote, made it clear himself. >> happy to meet with mccarthy but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended. that's not negotiable. they wrote reagan all the time and they quote trump. i'm paraphrasing, it would be a crime to not extend the debt limit. >> what is jarring about this moment, the white house has made clear this may be how things

worked in the past. the sequencing and the way congress works, in the last 14 years related to the debt ceiling standoffs. the republicans pass a bill to get to actual talks. they don't want to do the same thing that's been over over the last 13 years. they want to take this off of the table as a point in leverage for one party in government that holds one clhamber in congress. that means they're not moving anytime soon, which is a problem if the republicans don't put a ca clean debt ceiling bill on the floor. and they have made clear, they don't won't. someone has to break. they are completely against one another. white house officials feel like they hold the political high ground on this issue.

they believe that republicans will have to break. whether they do, the u.s. economy may depend on it. phil mattingly, cnn, the white house. >> disturbing new details are emerging about the air national guardsman accused of stealing documents and posting them on social media. prosecutors say that what he took is far more than what is reported. he is due in court for a hearing on whether he will have to remain behind bars while awaiting trial. he has not entered a formal plea. >> reporter:s say teixeira reviewed hundreds of documents and conducted key word searchs in what appears to be deliberate effort to disseminate secrets. he has a history of making violent threats and had access

to an arsenal of weapons at his massachusetts home. when they searched the property, they found a laptop and gaming console smashed inside the house. the woman who accuses donald trump of sexually assaulting her decades ago in a department store dressing room is expected back on the witness stand in the hours ahead. e. jean carroll is suing the former president for battery and defamation in a civil case. on wednesday, she began her dramatic testimony, describing in chilling detail the alleged rape. under direct examination by her attorney, she is not settling a political score but a personal one. she said during testimony, quote, i'm here because donald trump raped me. and when i wrote about it, he said it didn't happen. he lied and shattered my reputation.

and i'm here to try to get my life back. carroll is expected to face cross-examination by trump's legal team later today. the former president has denied the allegations and had this response in 2019. >> i have no idea who this woman is. this is a woman who has accused other men of thing, as you know. it is a totally false accusation. >> on wednesday, trump took to truth social and called carroll's lawsuit a scam. following that, the judge issued a warning to the former president's attorney, that any statements about the case could open trump up to, quote, a new source of potential liability. meantime, donald trump has settled a legal setback in appeals court. the circuit court in washington rejected the former president's emergency attempt to prevent

mike pence from testifying about their direct conversations. that order is the latest boost to the federal investigation into trump's actions after the 2020 election and will likely lead to pence's testimony before a grand jury. trump could appeal or press the issue at the supreme court. but it's unclear if he will do either. clashing in and around the sudanese capital get the cease-fire of the pair military forces. the head of the army will extend the truce by another three das and has agreed to talks in south sudan. the forces have not responded to the proposal yet. each side has repeatedly accused the other of violating the agreement. the fighting in its second week has claimed more than 500 lives according to the health ministry

and wounded nearly 4,200 people. many sudanese people from old to young are feeling a sense of despair. >> translator: i'm afraid this war will continue, resulting in the deaths of more innocent people and the destruction of su sudan. i hope this war will end. steph basari is tracking this live for us. good morning to you, stephanie. what are you learning about efforts to evacuate more people out of sudan, amid this conflict and growing humanitarian crisis? >> good morning, rosemary. the latest countries, mr. countries, evacuating citizens. and the latest countries to do so, india, which has just over 1,000 of its citizens. and chanfrance has evacuated

citizens, also. many are posting on social media that they are not getting a favorable response. some are saying they are getting a template response from the american government, who has not started a extraocoordinated evacuation. they say the conditions are not conducive to that currently. many americans say they have to make what they call life-and-death choices to leave sudan. they are going to egypt and port of sudan and neighboring countries like chad also. we mustn't lose sight of the sudanese people. they are left to fend for themselves and no one is coming to save them. and they are making desperate choices to get out of the

country, amidst a backdrop of dwindling food supplies, lack of power and criminality and lawlessness in the country. we had a prison break a few days ago. some of the members of the former regime were broken out of prison. the situation is looking increasingly desperate. and hospitals struggling, despite a cease-fire with a growing number of victims of gunshots. and doctors really under pressure. the general picture in sudan is very bleak. most of the aid workers have been forced to evacuate staff. many sudanese are feeling abandoned. >> understandably. stephanie, joining us from lagos, many thanks. some health experts are warning about a possible humanitarian crisis.

about 60% of hospitals in khartoum are no longer running. as david mckenzie reports, those that are still open, are struggling to keeping up with the casualties. we're going to warn you, some of the images you're about to see are disturbing. >> reporter: a brave doctor takes us inside a front line hospital in khartoum. the team is barely coping at this hospital. they talk about cease-fire. but there is no cease-fire. the wounded keep coming in. the same staff has been here for seven days. they are facing a deluge of civilian victims, many with gunshot wounds. wiping away the blood, because the casualties never stop. my son was wounded, says this man. many hospitals aren't working.

>> i'm astonished how we are able to continue. we don't sleep. i wouldn't call what we do s sleeping. i'm surprised we're managing. >> reporter: the doctor says everything is running out. they are giving smaller doses of medicine to ration their support. we use the equipment and the instruments more than once, she says. we can't sterilize properly. there's too many wounded. >> translator: soon, we will have no bandages, no medication, no anesthetic drugs and no oxygen. the situation is bad, with every meaning of the word. >> reporter: bad and it will get worse, unless help comes soon or the fighting stops. more than two-thirds of hospitals are shut in the capital. hospitals are being targeted with heavy weapons by both sides, which they deny.

as foreign governments spirit their diplomats and nationals out of sudan, the doctor says her conscience compels her to stay. >> translator: i believe the number of casualties and wounded will increase when the foreigners are evacuated. god knows if we will be alive or dead. >> reporter: sudanese blood is one blood, she told us. i beg you to silence the sound of the rifles. david mckenzie, cnn, johannesburg. severe storms are threatening more than 40 million people across the southern united states right now, with forecasters warning of large hail, flash flooding and isolated tornados in parts of texas, all the way east to florida. some areas have taken a hit. tennis ball-sized hail pummeled the central town of dublin,

forcing a bull to take shelter. there were 61 hail reports across the southern u.s. on wednesday. many in central texas. and video from florida shows the storms are not just impacting texas. a strong hailstorm pelted the town of palm bay in florida. and firefighters in melbourne, florida, captured this video, as they drove through a heavy hailstorm of their own. on thursday, the storms are expected to push east, putting areas along the u.s. gulf coast at increased risk. still to come, not one but potentially two trials for alexei navalny. russia is accusing him of extremism and terrorism. from diplomacy to deterence. the u.s. and south korea mark a shift in their strategy for handling north korea. those details just ahead.

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plenty of pomp and pageantry in washington, as u.s. president joe biden hosted south korean president yoon suk yeol. they used their strengthening to deter north korea. they attended a glitzy state dinner with event and the menu to highlight the deep ties between the two countries. the u.s. agreed to deploy a nuclear-armed submarine to south korea. and president biden delivered this stark warning to pyongyang. >> look, a nuclear attack by north korea against the united states, allies or partners is unacceptable and will result in the end of whatever regime were to take such an action. >> cnn has more on the security

agreement from the pentagon. >> reporter: for the first time in some 40 years, since the early 1980s, the u.s. will send a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine to south korea, in a show of force against north korea and a sign of how important the u.s. views the alliance between washington, d.c. and seoul. between the u.s. and south korea. president joe biden calling it iron-clad. it's a signal how the u.s. views the indo-pacific, as the u.s. shifts its focus to china and the indo-pacific region and away from the wars in the past and the middle east. this is a tacit that diplomacy with north korea has not worked. the white house has tried to create a bridge or line of communication with north korea but pyongyang has not responded. in response, the u.s. has increased its exercises, its military cooperation with south korea, as north korea has pushed the bounds of military testing,

its ballistic missile launches and more. the u.s. responding by showing how close it is and getting even closer to south korea. the u.s. hasn't said how soon that nuclear power ballistic missile might show up in south korea. normally the movement of ballistic missile submarines is a closely held secret and something that's generally very highly classified. we did just see the u.s.'s service in guam. perhaps that will be the sub making a stop in south korea. this is something we'll keep an eye on. kristie lu stout joins me from hong kong. he will be visiting u.s. congress. how will he frame that allowance? >> at 11:00 eastern time, president yoon will mark 70

years of the u.s./south korean alliance. and his address will come after the key agreement, aimed at deterring north korea. the united states has agreed to give insight to nuclear planning and there's a u.s. commitment to deploy a nuclear-armed submarine in south korea for the first time since the 1980s. in agreement, south korea will not pursue its own nuclear arsenal. >> translator: president biden has confirmed his ironclad commitment to south korea. our two countries have agreed to immediate bilateral consultizations and will use the full force of the alliance, including the united states' nuclear weapons. >> on the back of this deal, there's two open-ended questions. will this deal be enough to reassure south koreans? opinion polls have showed a

majority of people in south korea support their country having its own nuclear weapons. analysts say it remains to be seen if they're going to be satisfied with this agreement. and the critical question, of course, is it going to work? is the deal going to deter north korea? we know last year, north korea fired a number of missiles. it continues to fire more weapons b, including new ones. and biden did repeat the u.s. offer to pang yang to hold talks. and he offered the stark warning, the end of the regime that launches the nuclear attack on the u.s. or its allies. we're awaiting comment from pyongyang. back to you. >> an unexpected and fun moment at the state dinner when the south korean president sang for everyone. how was that received? >> it was received with a standing ovation. it was quite the evening of entertain, the white house state dinner on wednesday. you had broadway stars out in

force. they were singing hit show towns from "les mis" and "south side story." but the highlight was when the south korean president took the mic to sing "american pie." take a listen. ♪ a long, long time ago i can still remember how that ♪ ♪ music used to make me smile ♪ >> he's good, right? he received a standing ovation. and the u.s. president presented him with a signed guitar from don mclean. what a talent. rosemary, i think we need to book him for your birthday. >> great idea. great song. love don mclean. and i bet that made his day, that guitar.

kristie lu stout joining us from long c hong kong. when we come back, china won't call it a war. but claims it wants to make peace in ukraine. details on xi jingping's phone call to kyiv.

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china's president xi jingping has spoken by phone with his ukrainian counterpart for the first time since russia invaded ukraine. mr. zelensky called it a meaningful conversation and agreed to exchange ambassadors

with beijing. but the chinese government readout never even mentioned russia and referred to as the ukraine crisis. let's go live to london, where nada bashyr is following developments. how significant is this call between the leaders of china and ukraine? and what might come out of this? >> this is a call that the ukrainians have been waiting for for some time now. of course, a whole host of topics are focused on this. this is a signal of china ramping up its efforts to position itself as a mediator or a peacemaker between russia and ukraine. we've seen the efforts the last few weeks. they're looking at corporation and the trade and economic front, and crucially on the diplomatic front. and a key priority for zelensky, a way the two can work together

when it comes to the war in ukraine, or russia's invasion of ukraine. there were some differences. president zelensky did express some optimism on that front. take a listen. >> translator: today, i had a long and mostly reasonable conversation with the leader of china. typically these types of talks are seen as a chance to create new opportunities. right now, there's an opportunity to give new energy to the relations between ukraine and china. >> despite that optimism, both nations stand in very different positions when it comes to the war in ukraine. president xi has a close and strong relationship with president putin. he made a visit in the last few weeks. and president xi put forward a peace processual, that made no mention of russia's illegal invasion of ukraine. that is, of course, a key focus for president zelensky, for the ukrainian government, when it comes to any sort of peace

proposal. they continue to demand the full and immediate withdrawal of all russian troops. and president zelensky reiterated that in his call with president xi, saying there can be no peace with territorial compromises in ukraine. and the war continues to bombard. just overnight, we have seen continued attacks, further shelling in the zaporizhzhya region. confirming more than 80 russian attacks in zaporizhzhya, killing 200 people. residential buildings were targeted in this tack. and further civilians were also targeted. ukrainian authorities say four missiles were launched from the black sea, killing 1 person and injuring 23 others. >> nada bashir joining us live from london. many thanks. alexei navalny says he is

facing a new terrorism case that would result in him remaining for decades behind bars. navalny is accused in a separate extremism case and was in court on wednesday for that hearing. fred polite ken has more on this. >> reporter: as alexei navalny speaks by a video link, his sound is abruptly cut off. it looks like they will limit the time through the court documents he was able to say, then the audio is muted. while some were chuckling, the situation for alexei navalny has become more serious. the court ruled navalny has ten days to review hundreds of documents from an extremism case against him. and his supporters say, navalny has learned he will be charged with terrorism. now, alexei will have two large trials, his spokeswoman treated. first on extremism, most likely,

it will begin before tend of may. then, on terrorism, up to 3035 years. navalny's health is deteriorating in part because he is limited to the food he can get in prison. his daughter told cnn. >> he buys the food, which, is you know, oats. it's nothing luxury us. he buys the oats. the oats are brought to him, shown to him, and then, are just destroyed. >> supporters say it's his organization that's been banned, they believe at the behest of vladimir putin. navalny has called on russians to protest putin's invasion of ukraine, where moscow forces is making no progress. and ukraine says it's preparing for a major counteroffensive.

his forces feel abandoned by the russian army. the ukrainian army is fully ready to move and cut our flanks, he says. nobody has ever covered our flanks. all of the stories about preventing the ukrainian reserves from entering bakhmut are total crap. not a single shot was fired by the russian army. while russia's forces struggle on the battlefield against ukraine, the attrition on the opposition continues. after the hearing, he was sent straight back in solitary confinement supporters say. three u.s. newspapers are making a point push to get journalist released from a russian jail. "the wall street journal," "the washington post" and the new york times are onie runnin full-page ad demanding the release. it shows a joint letter from the

editors and publishers with #istandwithevan. he was a reporter that was detained on espionage charges last month. the newspaper denies allegations against him. the feud between walt disney and ranon desantis heats up as e company files a lawsuit against the governor. we'll have that after a short break. good thing there's resolve. love the love. resolve the mess..

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a judge in missouri has temporarily blocked new limits on care for transgender people just a few hours before they would go into effect. the restrictions would apply not

only to minors but to adults, as well. c cnn's ken la talked to patients going through great lengths to get the care they need. >> we're hoping to get as many people establish ed for care as possible. >> reporter: and the clock is ticking. for patients like 19-year-old cary, a missouri resident crossing state lines to kansas because of the battle over gender-affirming care. how long have you not felt like you? >> since i was 14. like, you're not correct. >> some of the side effects of testosterone are permanent. >> reporter: all patients are beginning gender transitions. a pop-up clinic to beat the dead line set by emergency rule. established patients can continue care once the order goes into effect. but new patients face a slew of

r requirements that would limit access. how do you view this executive order? >> i view it as someone is afraid of something. so, they are trying to eradicate people. we are terrified. i was afraid since i was 15. sit there and talk with us. listen to what we're saying. we're not trying to indoctrinate anyone. this is us. >> reporter: in another room, andy moved up an appointment to beat the order. >> it's a constant disconnect from my own body and my own being. i look in the mirror i feel like an imposter and a stranger. i'm going through a personal journey and can hopefully start to feel comfortable, in my own skin, and feel like i recognize the person in the mirror after i see the changes.

>> reporter: across missouri, it's uncertainty and panic among patients. >> this the angela, i'm calling from planned parenthood. i was calling to an firm your appointment. >> reporter: scheduling patients across missouri. >> i think we have a fight in front of us. >> what are you hearing? >> i have patients calling me from all over missouri that are scared. they don't know where they will get their care. >> reporter: in a shifting battleground of politics and legal orders. >> you want to believe people when they tell you who they are or what they want for their life. an you don't want to say, wow, i believe you, that you're transgender. maybe we should phone your local politician if they agree. it's hard not to feel like your local politician is in the room with you. >> next, i will go over screening questions with you. >> reporter: rejected by some family members, he fled tennessee a year ago and is

ready to move again, unsure of what happens next in missouri. >> i can't live in any state that won't let me be who i am. i have a 24-hour plan of, they do this, you have to leave, in those 24 hours. clothes are packed up in the trunk. i feel like a refugee in my own state, in my own country. >> reporter: the emergency rule was set to go into effect at the stroke of midnight. but the ruling from a state judge, a late ruling from this judge, essentially resells the clock. the judge says she wants time to consider more arguments and read more briefings. the new deadline is monday evening in missouri. florida governor ron desantis is in israel for a speech. the latest stop of an international tour by the likely republican contender.

his visit to israel as his battle with disney has taken a turn. disney has filed suit against desantis and its oversight board, that took over the tax district that disney controlled for decades. >> reporter: walt disney parks and resorts filed a federal lawsuit in court. it alleges that desantis engaged in a year-long harassment to ban the teaching of gender identity in public schools. according to the lawsuit, the company's first amendment rights were violated by desantis and there was a government campaign of retaliation, orchestrated every step by governor desantis, as punishment for disney's protective speech. desantis' office criticized

disney and said, quote, we are unaffair of any legal rights that a company has the to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state. the lawsuit is the latest escalation in a year-long fight between desantis and disney. one of the state's largest companies. it now heads to federal court where a judge will decide who is the victor. for cnn in st. petersburg, florida. a new point of contention in the political tensions between the u.s. and china. this time, it's about this giant panda. we'll explain after a short break.

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a giant panda has been caught up in geopolitical tensions between washington and beijing. ya ya the panda was sent home to live out her golden years as the u.s./china agreement has expired. but ya ya has become ammunition for the growing anti-u.s. sentiment in china. >> reporter: once a symbol of beijing's good youwill, now, th center of tensions in china. ya ya arrived in america with her playmate two decades ago as an emblem of growing bilateral friendship. but recent videos showing the panda looking skinny with scraggly fur, has sparked outrage in china. many people accusing the zoo of

mistreatment. videos on chinese social media claiming the pandas are being ab abused, went viral against the backdrop of growing anti-american sentiment. the rumors fanned by propaganda. and chinese social media users are using this panda in russia, claiming videos of an active panda proves russia is taking excellent care of the bear. saying this is helping the russia/chinese relationship. chinese and american scientists launched a joint investigation concluding that ya ya has a fur and skin condition that does not impact her quality of life. and has received excellent care. but that message is not getting through. outside the panda exhibit at the beijing zoo, i ask people if they have heard of ya ya the panda. this man says, yes, she is

abused in america. an 11-year-old boy tells me, i heard the u.s. is treating the panda poorly. this man says, isn't russia taking good care of pandas? pandas are happy over there, not like in the u.s. and this man, with his granddaughter, tells me, pandas in russia are very happy. why? russians and chinese are friends. at least russia is not sanctioning china. ya ya will settle in this beijing zoo. china has used pandas as a diplomatic tool. they are on loan to 20 countries. the united states has not received one since 20 years ago. they are usually loaned on ten-year leases and cost $1 million annually. the memphis zoo planned to send them back because the lease is expiring. but one died two months ago at the age of 24. the average life span for pandas is usually under 30 years. that didn't stop rampant speck

la speculation and led to calls to bring ya ya back to china. the message, even featured on billboards from new york city to major cities acros richard nixon's historic trip to china, his wife visited pandas in beijing. >> on behalf of the people of united states, i'm here to accept the precious gift. >> reporter: months later, china spent a pair of pandas to the national zoo in washington, d.c. now, decades later, this panda's return to china, symbolic. not growing friendship but growing animosity between two superpowers. >> china's foreign ministry cleared up some of the controversy on wednesday, saying ya ya was treated just fine.

>>. >> translator: the memphis zoo has good procedures and ya ya has been under good care. she is deeply loved by the american people. the cooperative research on giant pandas has fascinated the protection of the animal and people-to-people exchanges. china will work with other partners to make contributions to the engaged species. i'm rosemary church. have a wonderful day. cnn newsroom continues next. mildewy tiles? can-do. these? yup, it's s the can-do can. nothing g kills more germs on more surfaces than lysol disinfectant spray. lysol. what it takes to protect.

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