hello. and a warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and

all around the world. i'm paula newton. smoke from canadian wildfires blocks out the sun in new york, creating the worst air quality of any major city in the world. he was asking me to choose between him and the constitution. i chose the constitution. >> mike pence talks about his former boss and january 6th at a town hall after officially entering the race for the gop. and lionel messi is coming to play for intermiami. so, 75 million people in the united states and millions more north of the border are breathing a noxious smokey haze spewed by wildfires in canada. it shows smoke engulfing new york over a three-hour

period. look at the skyline. it nearly vanishes behind a thick, orange haze. by 2:00 p.m., new york's air quality is the worst of any major city in the world and designated hazardous at its most severe level. smoke is coming from more than 100 fires active in central quebec this hour. officials warn the smoke could blanket much of the u.s. and canada for the next several days. authorities are urging people to stay inside and use a mask if they do go outside. >> living in new york for 35 years. i've never experienced anything like this. for years, we were wearing masks indoors and taking them off outdoors. now, it's the reverse. >> extreme wildfire smoke and limited visibility has delayed 2,000 flights in the united states. this was the approach into la guardia airport on wednesday.

the federal aviation administration ordered a ground stop into la guardia. officials through boston, philadelphia, baltimore and washington, d.c. could be impacted. the transportation secretary pete buttigieg says the faa is fully prepared. as the thick band of smoke moves south, the air quality in new york is expected to improve ever so slightly. jennifer grey has the layest on the forecast. >> reporter: dense smoke has blanketed much of the northeast, portions of the mid-atlantic and ohio valleys today with incredible amounts of smoke filtering in the city. the pictures we've seen out of new york city, have been incredible. looks like there the smoke is peaking and will start to improve later today. look at the pictures from wednesday, throughout the day, progressively, the smoke got worse and worse. you could barely see the

skyscrapers during part of the afternoon. around 4:00 eastern time, new york city ranked number one for the worst air quality of any major city. but new york city has been on the top ten list for the last couple of days, while the smoke has really been a problem. what is driving all of this is a sta stagnant weather system we've been in. winds are being funneled out of the north. the northerly wind is pushing that smoke into portions of the u.s. we're not going to see much of a change until we change the weather pattern. that could be quite some time. while the smoke gets better for new york city, it will get worse in portions to the west. we could see better air quality thursday. but we're going to see the winds driving down into the ohio

valley. that's where the smoke is going to get worse. you can see that on the map right here. wednesday, 9:00, thick smoke over new york city. by the time we get into later this morning or this afternoon, it starts to improve across new york. we see areas of it in d.c. but the areas of red are pushing into the ohio valley on friday afternoon. it improves for some but will worsen for others. that's the trend over the next couple of days. and unfortunately weeks to come, until we get a change in the weather pattern. here's the fires and you can seal the satellite picture from space. all of the smoke diving straight south. it's very early in the fire season for canada. we're just getting going. we have a lot more of this to deal with.

it's been a staggering year for wildfires. in 2023, we've burned 9 million acres. that's triple what we burned for 2022. and 2020 was a low year. we're really up there. and it's early in the fire season. we can continue to see smoke across portions of the u.s. for weeks to come. daniel westerfal is an air pollution adviser to the state department. the pun is intended here. you are in the thick of it. what do you have to say to people about what it's like and how dangerous breathing air is or could be right now? >> it's hard to find the words to describe how unprecedented what we're seeing is. this exact hour, the air quality is well into the unhealthy

range. a little down from its peak in the hazardous range from this afternoon. but still quite bad. this could lead to all kinds of different issues, like coughing, squeezing, stinging of the eyes, irritation. it's good for people to stay indoors at this hour. >> in terms of if you do have to go outside, clearly n95 is a good idea? >> i think so. a lot of people are making that point. a well-fitting n95 that's capable of filtering out the particles. and the key is that it's well-fitting without leaks around your mouth. >> we had our education about that from covid. you're inside. inside is also can be dangerous in the sense that you have to be

careful about what kind of air you're breathing in your own home. >> a rule of thumb might be whatever the concentration of the particles is, indoors will be half that. when we have concentrations as high as they are outside, half of that is pretty high for indoors. it's important to take precautions inside, as well. if you have a hepa filter, you can run it. if you have air conditioning, you can run it. >> for those lucky enough to have them, run them indoors. it's the key question everyone wants to know. is climate change to blame for this? is there empirical evidence that may come out in the future?

>> that's right. i think it's likely that climate change has increased the likelihood of this event. the research is probably ongoing to make this connection more quantitative and more robust. we do know the symptoms of climate change, such as worsening droughts, changes to the precipitation, intense heat, drying, all those things are thought to worsen wildfire intensity, frequency and amount of burned area. >> thisunprecedented event. >> our research is showing these events may be more common in the future. we see the wildfire phenomenon

affecting air quality in the western united states often. coming over here to new york, that's a little new one. given the severity of the wildfires is getting worse, as the temperatures increase and things get drier, these will continue to happen into the future. >> even if it's a sunny day, we can't take our clear, blue skies as a sure thing. >> that's right. this event might be motivating for a lot of folks to understand the impacts that we have on our environment and on the skies and on the climate. hopefully we can turn this into a positive moment, as well. >> and one of cooperation. canada and the united states are trying to mitigate what is supposed to be a dangerous fire

season. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. the u.s. state department has informed donald trump he is a target in the classified documents investigation. that's according to sources familiar with the matter. it's a clear sign that prosecutors may be close to indicting the former president. it's an indication that the special counsel's investigation is focused on trump's actions, not just the people around him. prosecutors are looking at the documents at mar-a-lago in florida. there's 100 classified documents in a search there. the newest candidate in the republican race for president was asked about the documents investigation, during a cnn town hall several hours ago. and mike pence did pull some punches. he says he does not want to see the justice department indict his former boss. he argued it would be divisive

to the country and send a terrible message to the world. >> i had no business having classified documents for my residence. and i took responsibility for it. president biden had no business having them, as well. and the same with former president trump. i would hope for them to be a way to move forward, without the dramatic step of indicting a former president of the united states. we've got to find a way to restore confidence in equal treatment under the law in this country. >> joining me from l.a., professor of critical theory and social justice. she is a democratic strategist. and from washington, charlie dent, former republican congressman and director of the aspen institute congressional program. we're in full swing in this gop campaign.

mike pence, for a man who spent years side stepping criticism of his former boss, he is leaning into criticism a little more. but not that much. how much do you think this will work for his campaign at this point? >> well, to win a presidential campaign, or any campaign, a candidate needs to draw a sharp contrast against the front-runner. donald trump is the front-runner. side stepping criticism of donald trump is not going to help him. mike pence needs to decide if he wants to take on trump or not. he stood side-by-side with donald trump up until the moment of insurrection. right now, mike pence is trying to run as a pretrump

conservative. fiscal conservataconservatism, national security. he may have missed the moment. that's not where the party is. it's populist, protectionist. >> he did try to lean into the criticism of the president in ways he hasn't in months and years. >> i thought it was a tepid critique. i agree that he might have been an excellent candidate a decade ago. he referred to his spouse. he talked about his shift from catholicism to becoming an e evang evangelical. it opportunity feel like he's in this race to win it. it's so strange. he's not going after desantis, he has to get through. and he's not going after trump. he was asked questions directly and side-stepped them. you have trump at about 50% polling.

you have desantis around 25%. and then, you have pence and nn nikki haley way down. pence will not move ahead in the pack unless he pushes and competes with desantis and trump and he's not doing that. >> speaking of his former boss, more breaking news about donald trump and his legal woes. will this make a difference to people politically? >> if former president trump is indicted, this gives an opportunity for his opponents to blast him. this man has been indicted once so far. he could be indicted two more

times. it's a chance for republican candidates to say, this is too great a risk. do you want a man as the nominee, the standard-bearer, who has been indicted and convicted? that's where they need to nail him. after he was indicted over the stormy daniels payment, they called it a witchhunt and said trump was being unfairly. and trump's poll numbers went up. they should be on the attack. >> is that going to make a difference? he has a vice grip on the nation here? >> i think it will feed into a persecution complex that he has developed. and more indictments come down, the more brand loyal followers will support him. i don't know how the competitors can do damage to donald trump. charlie is pointing out that in

the aftermath of the stormy daniels indictment, everyone -- the folks that should have been competing with him are not, because they're worried about disaffecting the followers. these are followers that he's spent 5 1/2 years, telling them, the world has moved on. and the world doesn't appreciate them anymore. i don't know how you beat donald trump when he has a strong narrative. >> donald trump is still center stage. chris christie jumped in. and jake tapper said you're an enabler of the president. what's happened now? >> i thought i could help to make him a better candidate and better president, if he won. and i didn't want hillary clinton to be president. turns out i was wrong. i couldn't make him a better candidate or a better president. >> he was wrong. what do you think?

>> it's refreshing he is willing to admit that. chris christie may not be the perfect messenger, but he's chosen the right target. to beat donald trump, somebody needs to take him on directly and frontally. draw that contrast. maybe chris christie is preparing to weaponize himself. and perform the service like a guided missile on donald trump. it might not elevate his own candidacy at the end of the day. but the republican party cannot win with donald trump at the top of the ticket. how much losing can the party take? underperformance in 2018. 2020, losing the presidency and the senate. and 2022, the republicans underperforming in the house races. christie understands this. maybe it should be about making winning great again for the republican party. it can't be done with trump at

the top of the ticket. they're not going to win if they don't make the case, why they need to fire him. >> there's a new slogan. last word on chris christie. what do you think? >> he's puolling 1% for a reaso, because he's going after the candidate that's most liked. he's throwing himself in the race, not to win but trying to be the voice of reason. it's telling that chris christie knows he's not going to win but in the race to go after trump. >> interesting to see how this progresses. there's limits who can be on the debate stage. we'll see how that comes together in the following months. thank you so much. especially on a momentous political day. appreciate it. up next, rescuers work to reach residents trapped in the flood zone of ukraine. the major developments in a live report ahead.

neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 k key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: t think bigger. pepcid complete works fast and lasts for powerful heartburn relief. with an antacid that starts working in seconds- and a acid reducer that relieves occasional heartburn all day. other brands can't do both. pepcid comete.

we planned well for retirement, but i wish we had more cash. you think those two have any idea? that they can sell their life insurance policy for cash? so they're basically sitting on a goldmine? i don't think they have a clue. that's crazy! well, not everyone knows coventry's helped thousands of people sell their policies for

cash. even term policies. i can't believe they're just sitting up there! sitting on all this cash. if you own a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more, you can sell all or part of it to coventry. even a term policy. for cash, or a combination of cash and coverage, with no future premiums. someone needs to tell them, that they're sitting on a goldmine, and you have no idea! hey, guys! you're sitting on a goldmine! come on, guys! do you hear that? i don't hear anything anymore. find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com. he snores like an angry rhino. you've never heard an angry rhino. baby i hear one every night... every night. okay. i'll work on that. the queen sleep number c2 smart bed is now only $899. save $200. plus, 48-month financing on all beds. shop now only at sleep number.

ukrainian president zelensky is issuing an urgent plea, requesting a clear and swift humanitarian response following the dam collapse in the south. he calls the damage there catastrophic. we can see for ourselves from that video. a regional commander says 600 square kilometers of kherson area is flooded. and ukrainian forces are rescuing as many people as possible, and that's despite continued russian shelling. 1,500 residents have been evacuated from the ukrainian-controlled areas. now, the united nations is stepping in, as russian forces are offering no help to get residents out of the areas

occupied by russia. >> the occupied part of the kherson region is catastrophic. the occupiers have abandoned the people without rescue or water, they are left on the rooftops in flooded communities. >> claire sebastian is joining us live from london. you're looking at the pictures and thinking, this is what ukrainians needed at this point. what more are we hearing from zelensky? >> as we get more pictures, the scale and the scope is getting worse. we're hearing this morning from the governor, the ukrainian governor of the kherson region, who says 68% of the flooded land is on the bank of the river.

as you heard from zelensky, he is accusing russia of not doing enough to help people and abandoning people in the villages. we have extraordinary footage from wednesday. using a drone to drop water to a household on the bank of the river. ukrainian military is helping people in russian occupied areas. you can see the before on the left. on the right, devastated flooding. looks like every street has been flooded. another image shows a grain facility there. sub submerged. and that's the infrastructure in this region.

10,000 hecktars of farmland will be flooded. upstream, of the dam is the z zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. they will be stepping up a presence there. and we talked about the situation on the ground. take a listen. >> there wasn't seem to be an imminent risk of the dry up of the water available there. the situation is serious, in so far as we're seeing the diminishing between five and seven centimeters per hour. it's steadily going down.

we have to monitor it carefully. >> talking about the reservoir that used to supply water to the zaporizhzhya plant. you can't pump the water upstream. given the ukrainian government that it will take five years to rebuild the dam, they have to come up with a plan "b." >> the scope of this is profound. appreciate the update. the vatican says last night went well for pope francis, as he underwent abdominal surgery. he underwent a three-hour surgery to prepare a painful hernia. they decided to operate because his pain and symptoms were getting worse. he has two foreign trips planned this summer, to portugal and mongolia. still to come, the bombshell announcement from lionel messi,

about where he will play next. it caught the soccer world by surprise. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. toelp keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger.

bug spray works best... when your family actually wears it. ♪ get odor-free eight hour protection from mosquitoes and ticks without the ick.

zevo on-body repellent. people love it. bugs hate it.

one of the top golfers on the pga tour is speaking out about the new partnership with liv golf. rory mcilroy says he needs a lot of answers. feels the move will eventually be good for the game. mcilroy was one of the leading critics of liv golf. mcilroy says he has mixed emotions.

>> i still hate liv. i hate liv. i hope it goes away. i fully expect that it does. it's hard for me not to feel like a sacrificial lamb. feeling like i put myself out there and this is what happens. again, removing myself from the situation, i see how this is better for the game of golf. there's no denying that. >> after a year of criticiziing liv golf, jay monahan is defending the partnership. a lot of players were shocked by the news. >> i understand the criticism i'm receiving around the hypocrisy and me being hypocritical, given my commentary and my actions over the last couple of years. i'm confident we've done

something in the best interest of our sport and of pga tour members. >> news comes as the top u.s. diplomat is in saudi arabia. antony blinken had meetings with iraq and the united arab emirates. good to see you, scott. by secretary of state standards, blinken is on the ground in saudi arabia for quite a long time. he joins a long list of diplomats trying to strengthen their ties to the kingdom. why now? when joe biden was a candidate, he said he would make a pariah out of saudi arabia. >> you're right. the trip is long for secretary of state standards. that should be an indication of the importance that the u.s. places on this region. and the saudis muscling their way into a position of influence in the global game of golf is a perfect example of the growing

saudi soft power that the americans will tell you, you just can't ignore. if you ignore the saudis, someone else will fill the vok qume. we've seen china and russia trying to have a greater influence on the middle east. less than 24 hours after antony met with the crown prince, he was on the phone to vladimir putin. the u.s. will talk about shared values. freedom, human rights and things like that. the saudis don't share those values. on this trip, the u.s. is expressing shared interest, like peace, security, and economic prosperity. there's plenty of that to go around. u.s. exports help 165,000 american jobs. there's plenty of human rights

issues that americans could be rising with the saudis. in advance of this trip, the u.s. afls briefed the press. they asked what they would be asking, and they weren't specific at all. u.s. officials say the human rights were raised generally. and in specific cases. they wouldn't say what the specific cases were. human rights may be a pillar how the u.s. engages around the world, it doesn't seem to be a pop top priority on this trip. >> another thing that's irking the united states, are production cuts, on the price of oil. any indication they are talk about that? >> from the u.s. perspective, they view this, they can't control what opec-plus does. they can't control what the saudis do. they tried to get the saudis to

do what they wanted. where low gas prices are a good thing. production cuts haven't moved global oil prices that much. from theperspective, they don't think it's a big deal. and that one is low on the agenda. >> interesting, scott. secretary of state remains on the ground in saudi arabia. thanks so much. it's not quite a done deal. but football legend, lionel messi, has announced he will play for inter miami. there was speculation that messi would return to barcelona. or head to saudi arabia for lucrative final years there. knowing this would be so good for the north american game. the g.o.a.t., greatest of

all-time, is coming. millions of mls fans all over the world welcome you. >> reporter: these are heady days for sports fans in south florida. but excitement went into overdrive on wednesday, news that lionel messi is coming to town. he's now on his way to major league soccer and inter miami. to paraphrase lebron james, messi is taking his talents to south beach. >> translator: i made the decision i am going to miami. i haven't closed it 100%. i'm missing some things. we decided to continue my journey there. >> reporter: this month, sports fans in the region have been enjoying the miami heat and the florida panthers runs to the nba finals and the stanley cup final. but the messi news is huge.

in expected messi to move to saudi arabia, with whom he has close business ties and who his generational rival is already playing. this is perfectly timed, as well. the united states will be co-hosting the next world cup, along with canada and mexico. we look forward to that. one last note. even though messi's contract is not set in stone, mls teams set to play intermiami in the coming weeks are seeing ticket prices for those matches go through the roof. nose bleed seats in atlanta are over $100 apiece. fans are excited. prince harry has wrapped up his testimony in a british court. what caused the duke to get

emotional on the witness stand? are you still struggggling with your bra? it's time for you to try knix. makers of the world's comfiest wireless bras. for revolutionary support without underwires, and inizes up to h-cup. find your new favorite bra wtoday at knix.com,

keeps flaring, put it in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when uc got unpredictable, i got rapid symptom relief with rinvoq. and left bathroom urgency behind. check. when uc got in my way, i got lasting, steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check. and when my gastro saw damage, rinvoq helped visibly repair the colon lining. check. rapid symptom relief. lasting, steroid-free remission. and a chance to visibly repair the colon lining. check. check. and check. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin cancer; death, heart attack, stroke, and tears in the stomach or intestines occurred. people 50 and older with at least 1 heart disease risk factor have higher risks. don't take if allergic to rinvoq as serious reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. put uc in check and keep it there, with rinvoq. ask your gastro about rinvoq. and learn how abbvie could help you save.

it was an emotional day for prison's prince harry as he continued to give testimony. he appeared uncomfortable. at times he clashed with the lawyer for the group newspaper. >> i know you have been following this case closely. can you bring us up to speed on the prince's testimony? what happens now as the case

goes forward? >> we saw him face hours and hours of testimony. and he was pressed on the details of his allegations. he is accusing them of obtaining information from unlawful means. they went through a number of public events in the mid 1990s and 2000s, he says contained private details and could only be obtained in illegal tactics. including conversations with his father. and details around his relationship with former girlfriend chelsy davy. at one point, he believed there was a tracking device on her. he faced the pressing from the lawyer, how he believes he was hacked. where are the details on that. saying he was entering the realm

of speculation. that led to a show of emotion from prince harry. he was asked how he felt to be accused of speculation. he paused before becoming choked up and said it was a lot to go through the articles. we're hearing from jane kerr, former "mirror" journalist, whose name appears on 10 of the 33 articles assessed in court at the moment. she denies any wrongdoing and says if private investigators used the mirror group and were engaged in unlawful activities, it had nothing to do with the journalist that would have not instructed that activity. >> appe te. thank you. coming up for us, disney's newest movie star is getting lots of praise for her performance in "the little mermaid." but audiences in asia and south korea aren't reacting as warmly.

we'll tell you why when we come back. supporting 6 key indicatators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigigger.

meet the portable blender we can barely keep in stock. blendjet 2 gives you ice-crushing, big blender power on-the-go. so you can blend up a mouthwatering smoothie, protein shake, or latte wherever you are! recharge quickly with any usb port. best of all, it even cleans itself! just blend water with a drop of soap. what are you waiting for? order yours now from blendjet.com before they sell out again!

nates painful finger sticks, helps lower a1c, and it's covered by medicare. before using the dexcom g7, i was really frustrated. all of that finger pricking and my a1c was still stuck. my diabetes was out of control. (female announcer) dexcom g7 sends your glucose numbers to your phone or dexcom receiver without painful finger sticks. the arrow shows the direction your glucose is heading-- up, down, or steady-- and because dexcom g7 is the most accurate cgm, you can make better decisions about food, medication,

and activity in the moment. after using the dexcom g7, my a1c has never been lower. i lead line dancing three times a week, and i'm just living a great life now. (donna) it's so easy to use. dexcom g7 has given me confidence and control, everything i need is right there on my phone. (female announcer) dexcom is the number one recommended cgm brand. call now to get started on dexcom g7. ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't know that if she owns a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. even a term policy. even a term policy? even a term policy! find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com. join me in the finish 24 hour challenge. start by cooking a lasagna.

skip the rinse and load your dishes. 24 hours later when your dishwasher is full, let finish quantum clean your dishes. if the stains aren't gone, your lasagna is on finish. disney's live action movie "the little mermaid" is tanking in china and south korea, thanks in part to a racist backlash. people are complaining that aerial is played by a black actor. christy lu stout is here from hong kong. you've been tracking the story. can you walk us through what is going on? >> reporter: this live action reboot of "the little mermaid" is underperforming in china and

south korea, amid racist criticism. halle berry has been highly praised. but that's not enough to win over would-be viewers who can't get over the fact that disney cast her in the role. the film has found success in many countries around the world. the film has made $125 million globally. but china has contributed a very, very small amount. according to a chinese box office tracker, the film made $2.7 million in its first five days. compare that to the latest "spider-man" that brought in $20 million in the first five days of opening in china. some people in china have been sharing objections to the film.

one on a chinese box office platform said, the fairy tale i grew up with has changed vond recog recognition. and chinese state media has egged on such responses. quote, the controversy surrounding disney's forced inclusion of minorities in classic films is not about racism but its lazy and irresponsible storytelling strategy. unquote. disney declined to comment. some of the reaction in south korea. one user said the movie had been, quote, ruined. using #notmya#notmyairial. less to the 643,000 fans that showed up for the latest "fast

and furious" sequel. if you ever wanted to live a pampered life, like barbie, a new restaurant can give you the chance. the place has everything. bright colors. roller skates and a life-sized barbie doll box. there's another location open in new york. while the cafe doesn't have any connection to mattel, it coincides with the barbie movie coming out in july. i have a barbie airplane. full confession. thank you for watching. we're up next with more cnn newsroom.

moderate-to-severe eczema. it doesn't care if it's girl's night... fright night... or the big night. make your move and get out

in front of eczema with steroid-free cibinqo. not an injection cibinqo is a once-daily pill for those who didn't respond to past treatments. and it's proven to help provide clearer skin and relieve itch fast. once-daily cibinqo proactively treats eczema, whether you're flaring or not. cibinqo can lower your ability to fight infections including tb. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. do not take with medicines that prevent blood clots. serious, sometimes fatal infections lymphoma, lung, skin and other cancers, serious heart-related events, and blood clots can happen. people 50 and older with heart disease risk factors have an increased risk of serious heart-related events or death with jak inhibitors. it's time to get out in front of eczema. ask your doctor about once daily cibinqo.

hello and a warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world.