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At Least 21 Killed in Russian Missile Attacks Across Ukraine; Trump Accuser Back on the Stand Monday in Suit Against Trump; Arab Astronaut Makes History as Space Station Get Updated. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired April 28, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

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KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Russian missile strikes across Ukraine targeting innocent civilians and apartment buildings. At least 21 people have been killed so far. Our teams on the ground are seeing crews pulling the bodies from the rubble. The urgent search for survivors this hour, CNN is on the scene in Central Ukraine.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A historic day in space, the first ever Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk is floating outside the International Space Station now. More on the mission during this nearly seven-hour walk.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The fight over transgender rights now a major flash point on the college campuses as students protest controversial speakers. We are following these developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

BOLDUAN: New images are coming out of Central Ukraine this morning, and they break your heart. The devastation left behind by a Russian missile attack as part of a wave attacks that we are seeing. You can see just the pieces of the concrete hanging off of this building. Look at how many crews are on the ground. You see the smoke on the air, the heavy equipment all in a desperate search to try to find anyone alive and to help them.

This is an apartment building in Uman. This is not a military installation, an apartment building, a residential building. Since the attack, it's been an all-out race against the clock as rescuers are trying to find survivors. But over the last few hours, they have pulled out body after body from the rubble. At least 19 civilians have been killed in Uman.

And this is just part of a barrage of missiles that hit several cities. A woman and her two-year-old child killed in Dnipro overnight. Missiles and drones also were shut down over Kyiv.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, he is tracking the story from Zaporizhzhia. First, we want to go to CNN's Nic Robertson who is on the ground in Uman, where we've been seeing these bodies coming out right in front of that residential building, right where you are. Nic, what is the very latest you're seeing?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPOLMATIC EDITOR: 3 of those 19 people you talked about being killed here are children. The rescue workers are still looking into the basement area. If you can zoom in on them there, those firefighters, you will notice that there are far fewer of those firefighters than there were before. I think what we are beginning to look at here, at least as far as the basement of this building is concerned, and, remember, when the siren is going off, many people hide in their basements and we've seen bodies pulled out of here in the last hour or so.

The diggers are clearing out the basement. They're looking to see if there is any more bodies coming out. But it looks like they are getting to the end of that. But, David, if you tilt up, you can see higher up there on the eighth, and the ninth floors, right up high in the building. The apartment is completely pancaked.

And we know from a neighbor here that her friend was in one of those eighth floor apartments. The lady survived, the husband is in the hospital. But somewhere in that rubble up there, they believe, is a 13-year-old girl and her 7-year-old sister believed still up there. The police say they are going to continue to search through the debris here.

They are bringing in a DNA team so that relatives who are here gathered around the site can give their DNA to the police so that they can use that in this recovery effort. The police say they're going to continue to work into the night. 109 people registered living in this building, not clear how many were in their beds when the missile struck.

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But eyewitnesses say that they just heard the roar of the missile coming in. One lady told us she literally put her kids in the bathtub, put pillows on their heads, hoping they would survive. She had no idea what was going to happen.

The mission here, though, it does seem to be, from the number of the workers there, it does seem to be slowing down. And I think that gives you an idea that this is really not rescue anymore. This is recovery.

BOLDUAN: Yes, that is going to go on for a long time now. Nic, thank you for that.

NPW, let me get over to you, because what this is speaks to is a big question of what is this next phase of the war that we are looking at that could be starting in earnest right now. What are you learning about Ukrainian preparations for counteroffensives?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: They are being very tight-lipped about what they're doing and what they potentially plan, even where it may indeed happen, which makes the comments we heard from Oleksii Reznikov, the defense minister, today a little more surprising. He said, preparations for the counteroffensive are coming to an end. In a global sense, we are already in a high percentage mode. The next question is up to the general staff, essentially military commanders. As soon as it is God's, the weather, which is fascinated between intense sunshine and rain here over the last week, and the commanders' decision, we will do it.

Now, this is from a government who have been quite clear they're not going to go into details about when this starts, announce its beginning. And so it is interesting to hear a cabinet official of this level make comments like that, saying, to some degree that they're ready to go. We have seen a lot of activity around the frontlines ourselves, not necessarily something that suggests conclusively that we're seeing the beginning of this counteroffensive, but, frankly, we probably wouldn't be able to, and also there're restrictions on our reporting too.

So, a real sense of building of anxiety here, of tension, anticipation as well, and then also explosions too on pinpoint Russian targets in the southern areas of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. That is being persistent over the last week and certainly built up yesterday, Nova Kakhovka and Melitopol, two key targets in Ukrainian crosshairs.

A lot riding on this, though, Kate, in terms of Ukraine's strategic success that they need to be swift, they don't want to get caught into long battles of attrition around Russia's heavily manned trench network they've dug for defense here and they need to show NATO and the U.S., who have been supplying weapons, money, training here, that they can pull this off. And we may see that in the hours or weeks potentially ahead.

BOLDUAN: Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much. Nic Robertson on the ground in Uman as well in this latest attack, following this attack, thank you guys, both. John?

BERMAN: All right, Kate. This morning, more than 50 million people are in the path of possible severe weather tornadoes tore through the south. The roofs of several homes are now lying in splinters on the ground after they were torn off near Tallahassee.

Out west is a different danger, severe flooding from rapid snow melt has forced Yosemite National Park to close today. Flooding is also causing widespread destruction in the Midwest as the swollen Mississippi River continues to rise.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now. Derek, let's start with the severe weather. Where is the threat today?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Okay. So, it looks like Texas is the bull's eye once again. They've had a rough week. I will show you some imagery in just a moment, but it's really that I-35 corridor between, let's say, Dallas-Fort Worth to Austin, all the way to San Antonio, that is our greatest risk of severe storms. Storm Prediction Center has a level 3 of 5 where that shading of orange is located. Large hail, that is a distinct possibly, we can't rule out a tornado as well.

But when we focus in on this hail threat, that hatched area that we put there, that is the Storm Prediction Center recognizing that this particular location where it's hatched has the potential for two-inch in diameter or larger-sized hail. So, to put that in perspective, that's about the size, or if not larger than what we experienced earlier this week across the central portions of Texas, that is an image coming out of Waco. That is gorilla-sized hail. I mean, just incredible to see what it did.

Now, we have got these super cell thunderstorms that have these powerful updrafts. That is kind of the cornerstone of what happens with these storms out in Texas. And we get the raindrops that get kind of undulated around in the upper parts of the atmosphere, 30,000 feet, above that freezing line, they get so large that they become heavy and they fall to the ground. Look, John, I like a good grapefruit in the morning for breakfast, but falling from the sky, that is not what you want to experience.

BERMAN: I was going to say, we have gone from like lacrosse ball to tennis ball-sized hail all the way to softball and grapefruit. That is a serious escalation and dangerous. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much for that. Sara?

SIDNER: In an unprecedented move, former Vice President Mike Pence has testified before a grand jury that is investigating Donald Trump's actions surrounding January 6th and the attack on the Capitol. Sources tell CNN Pence's testimony lasted for more than five hours.

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He has publicly denounced Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but this is the first time Pence had to speak under oath about his direct conversations with the president that he served.

Now, it was another emotional day in court for former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. She is suing Donald Trump for battery and defamation. Carroll was grilled by Trump's lawyers during cross- examination yesterday. Lawyers pressed Carroll on why she didn't scream or report the alleged assault to police when it happened. She said she was too panicked to scream, adding, quote, I am telling you, he raped whether I screamed or not. I don't need an excuse for not screaming.

Carroll alleges Trump raped her in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s and then attacked her character when she eventually spoke publicly about what happened. He denies that.

CNN's Kara Scannell joins us now. Kara, what else did Trump's lawyers focused on yesterday during that really intense cross-examination?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Sara. So, this cross- examination lasted about four hours and the most intense moments were the ones that you described when he -- Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, repeatedly asked Carroll why didn't she scream if she was fighting for her life and a battle in that dressing room. He also was focusing on her recollection of some other things and also her motive, right? He was saying, he got her to agree that she only went public with this story. She says this attack occurred in '95 or 1996, and she went public with in 2019 when she wrote a book. And she agreed that the only time she went public was when she was pitching this book. So, she acknowledged that on the stand.

But she also said that she was motivated by other women coming forward because times had changed. I'm going to read a little bit of her testimony. Here is what she said. I was afraid Donald Trump would retaliate, which is exactly what he did. I waited until other women. I was not a pioneer. I am a follower. I saw other women coming forward after Harvey Weinstein and thought, who am I not to stay silent? So, she said that she was inspired by those stories even though she was afraid initially that he would retaliate against her. And she says that's exactly what happened. And part of this lawsuit is a defamation claim for Trump denying this, calling it a hoax and saying that she made it up to sell this book.

So, Carroll will be back on the stand on Monday for more cross- examination. Trump's attorney said he is only about halfway through. So, we're going to expect she'll be on the stand for a while. Then it will follow by other witnesses, two friends that she confided in, as well as two other women who have accused the former president of unwanted sexual advances. Sara?

SIDNER: And we should mention to people the reason why we can't see all this is because it is -- cameras are not allowed in the court. Thank you so much, Kara Scannell, we appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Still ahead for us, a new warning for Americans still in Sudan, the U.S. government telling them to get out of the country now.

Plus, a train derailed right into the Mississippi River. Four people were hurt here. A big question now is whether the hazardous material on board could affect the water.

And a groundbreaking moment at the International Space Station, the historic achievement high, high, high above the Earth. We'll be right back.

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BERMAN: On the radar this morning, the surviving roommate in the stabbing attack that killed four University of Idaho students has agreed to speak with the attorney of suspect Bryan Kohberger. In a court filing, an attorney for Bethany Funk agreed to make her available for an interview after initially fighting it. Kohberger and his attorney believes that Funk may have information that is, quote, unique to her experiences.

This morning, officials in Wisconsin are reassuring the public that there are no hazardous material or is no hazardous material leaking into the Mississippi River after a train derailment sent two cars into the water. Both train containers were carrying paint. Other cars in the train were carrying lithium ion batteries and oxygen. So, Hazmat crews are on site to monitor that. Four train workers were injured. Fort Lee Military Base in Virginia has just unveiled its new name. It was originally named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, but now the base known as Fort Gregg-Adams, in honor of two black military officers. Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams was the first black officer in the women's army auxiliary corps in World War 2, and Lieutenant General Arthur Gregg retired after nearly a 36-year career ending as a three-star general. He is now 94 years old and the only living person to ever have a base named after him.

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LT. GEN. ARTHUR GREGG (RET.), U.S. ARMY: I hope that this community will look with pride on the name Fort Gregg-Adams and that the name will instill pride in every soldier entering our mighty gates.

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BERMAN: And I am sure it will. Fort Gregg-Adams is one of nine army installations being renamed to remove the names of confederate officers. Sara?

SIDNER: Stepping out of the international space station and into the history books, that is the reality for Sultan Alneyadi, as he becomes the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk. He and NASA Astronaut Steve Bowen are upgrading the power channels on the International Space Station.

CNN Aerospace Analyst Miles O'Brien is joining us now to talk about this mission. Can you give us a sense of what they are doing right now? We are looking at -- these live picture, right, that we're looking at right now? Yes, we're looking at the live pictures, very cool.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST: Live from space. This is the helmet cam for Steve Bowen.

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He is the first submarine officer to be brought on board at NASA as an astronaut. His companion on the spacewalk is Sultan Alneyadi, who they are calling the sultan of space. This is an important step for the United Arab Emirates, which has become very aggressive in its space program, really starting a space program from scratch a little more than 15 years ago. This is the second Emirati to fly into space, the first spacewalk. They have a satellite orbiting Mars. They had a mission to the moon, which didn't go well a few days ago, but they promised to get back at it. So, it is interesting to see the UAE really show its presence in space.

SIDNER: What does it mean that they are trying to upgrade the station's power channels?

O'BRIEN: Yes. You know, the solar rays are a little bit old. And so, basically, they are going to bring in some more upgraded solar power capability and this is laying the groundwork for those solar rays to be installed on a later spacewalk. This is spacewalk number 86, Sara, for the International Space Station. And I remember reporting back in the early days no one was even sure they could do meaningful work in space, and here we are on spacewalk 86 approving this million-pound structure can in fact be modified and improved with human beings in the void.

SIDNER: There is so much change in how we see what is happening in space and who is allowed to do this because now there are a lot of the private companies that will let the public go at some point in time. How do you see the future of space? Do you see one day that being somewhere where people would go, someone like me or you?

O'BRIEN: Let's hope so, Sara. If you go with me, I think we could have a pretty good time. But, yes, I think the dam is breaking finally after all these year. For the longest time the number of people who have flown to space was on the order of 500, we're now at about 600 people. It would be nice to get about 600 people every day, wouldn't it? And we're not too far away from that. Things are really changing rapidly. We have seen what is happened with Blue Origin, with Virgin Galactic and, of course, with SpaceX. And the United Arab Emirates wants to build a space tourism port in this country to allow the tourists to access space.

And this is clearly a trip for those of us who can weasel our way in free or have deep pockets, but, ultimately, ultimately, if you think about how the airlines began, it was all rich people flying in Ford tri-motors, and now all of us get on airplanes and fly all over the world. So, you have to take that first step. It does involve rich people first, but slowly but surely, we are opening up this frontier, which is exciting.

SIDNER: We are, by the way, looking at the sultan of space, as he's now being called, looking at his helmet cam right as he tries to create or fix the power situation there putting on those new panels, really, really cool, and one day, maybe you can help me finagle that free thing you were talking about, a free ride to space. I take it with you any day, Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: Let's do it. I'm in. Let's do it.

SIDNER: It's a plan. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Miles O'Brien is on my list of the first to get that free ride. It's so good. All right, thank you, Sara.

Still ahead, the countdown to King Charles' coronation, and CNN is there, a new look at King Charles and the challenge ahead for the monarchy and what the British people really think of the new king.

Plus, scary moments as people are rushing to evacuate Sudan. A Turkish plane was shot at as it was trying to land in Khartoum. Details on that, ahead.

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[10:25:00] SIDNER: Welcome back to CNN News Central. Our top story this morning, apartment buildings are smoldering in Ukraine after a new wave of deadly Russian attacks overnight. In the hard-hit city of Uman, the death toll has risen to at least 19 people. And in Dnipro, a mother and her two-year-old child were also killed. Rescuers are right now searching for more survivors in both of those cities. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Now to the crisis in Sudan, where the latest ceasefire is very clearly not holding. Take a look at this video from the capital Khartoum, you can very obviously see smoke rising in the distance from the airstrikes. Even evacuations are now being targeted. New photos show a bullet hole in a Turkish plane that was shot while trying to get the citizens out. The plane was able to land safely, thankfully.

But this latest incident, though, really highlights the dangers of not only getting out of Sudan yourself but even trying to help people get out of the country. American Teacher Deana Welker is sharing her harrowing story of getting out, how she was able to get from Khartoum back to North Carolina.

Before she left, she took this video of the smoke you can see from outside -- that's from outside her apartment building. She also recorded the sounds of loud gun fire and explosions. Listen.

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CNN's Kylie Atwood, she is at the State Department for us with the very latest on this. Kylie, what.