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At Least 23 Killed In Russian Missile Attack On Apartment Building; Melting Snow Worsens Flooding Along Upper Mississippi River; Two GOP-Led State Legislatures Fail To Pass Abortion Restrictions. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired April 28, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: At least 23 people killed after major missile attacks across Ukraine. Several apartment buildings blown up. This is Ukrainian officials say that counteroffensive preparations are coming to an end. We're going to take a closer look at the future of the war in Ukraine.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Flooding is also causing widespread destruction in the West as the swollen Mississippi River continues to rise. And making matters worse, millions across the south are under threat of storms, hail, and even tornadoes. We'll show you who is at the greatest risk.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN HOST: And a major win for abortion rights in two Republican-dominated states. Bills restricting abortions failed. And failed because a handful of conservatives actually helped the block there. We are following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We begin this hour in Ukraine where a vicious new Russian attack has killed nearly two dozen civilians. Here in the central city of Uman, a high-rise apartment building was struck by a missile and destroyed. Bodies are still being pulled from the rubble but at least 23 are already confirmed dead and then includes four children. Officials on the scene expect that number to climb.

CNN's Nic Robertson is live in Uman. Nic, you arrived at the scene shortly after the missile struck. How were search and rescue efforts going right now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): They're still going on, Boris. 16 hours now since the missile what the Ukrainian officials described as a stealth cruise missile, a KH-101 slammed into this building here. I'm going to step out of the way. David's going to tilt up the camera there.

And look at those firefighters. 16 hours into the mission. They're right up there on the top of the building. We -- they took us up there earlier to take a look. They told us they were going to tie ropes around themselves, upsell off the side there, and clear out those upper floors.

We know from -- we know from an eyewitness here that she believes that the two daughters of a friend of hers who lived on the eighth floor up there, a 13-year-old girl, a seven-year-old girl still unaccounted for. The mother survived. The father is in hospital. But friends and the family believed the two girls are up there somewhere.

The firefighters searching through the rubble. They said that they would clear the lower floors first. They've done that and now they're moving on to the really hard bit high up there.

But as you can see, it's dark here now. It's nighttime. It's floodlit, but this effort is going to continue. The massive flooding here of relief workers, recovery workers, rescue workers, and the police even have a DNA team here to help relatives identify family members who may be recovered from the building.

There are police psychologists here as well. We've seen them counseling, some of the grieving families. This happened at 5:00 a.m. in the morning time here. People, most of them asleep in their beds. 109 people registered living in this apartment. More than half of the 46 apartments in there just blown apart, destroyed.

This isn't going to stop here this evening. The recovery workers -- rescue workers say they're going to push through the night until the job's done, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And this is just another example of the many times that it appears Russians have targeted civilian infrastructure. This is an apartment building, not an apparent military target. Nic Robertson from Uman, Ukraine, thank you so much for that report.

And, Brianna, we're seeing this barrage as Ukrainian forces are now putting the finishing touches on their counteroffensive.

KEILAR: Yes, that's right. After months of speculation, Ukraine's defense Minister says preparations for a highly anticipated counteroffensive are coming to an end. Military officials have long made efforts to conceal the start of any new military campaign.

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We have Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, retired, with us now to talk about this. General, you have three key conditions to this counteroffensive being successful. First, is that Russian forces must decisively be defeated. Another is that key terrain must be seized.

BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, RET. (U.S. ARMY): Yes.

KEILAR: Can you tell us -- walk us through which areas are most important strategically starting in the east?

KIMMITT: Well, first of all, I think it's to decisively defeat the Russians and take key terrain, at the end of this counter-offensive, they need to end up at a place where they can conduct further campaigns. It's not just enough to push them back. They've actually got to take some areas such as getting all the way here in the south, down towards the Azov Sea.

They've got to be able to split that land bridge between Crimea, get into pretty much the rear of the Russian lines. And if they can finish the campaign in that position, perhaps focused on Mariupol or areas further south, that would be a significant victory for them.

KEILAR: And then looking at Kherson, what do you see here?

KIMMITT: Yes. Again, this is the area that I think I would be looking at. Getting down here pretty much where the land bridge connects Crimea to the Donbass, that would be my area to attack. But again, I think the Russians are going to expect that, so it's probably the case that that's not where they will attack.

KEILAR: Let's talk about if they're ready for this. If they have everything that they need. At this point, you have the head of NATO saying that 98 percent of the stuff --

KIMMITT: Yes.

KEILAR: Let's call it the stuff that they've been promised has been delivered. Walk us through what they have and what position they're in.

KIMMITT: Well, first of all, they must have tremendous operational security because what is coming out in the public domain, certainly will not appear that they are ready for this type of counteroffensive. The troops may or may not be completely trained on those combat vehicles. The best is yet to come. The Abrams tank, for example.

But this really comes down to the advantage that the Ukrainians would have over the Russians. So, this would tell me that not only they're pretty much ready, but they want to start a counteroffensive now because they believe that the Russians will only get stronger. So, it may be that the Russians are at their most vulnerable position now.

KEILAR: The Abrams -- this is the Abrams tank, right that we're looking at here?

KIMMITT: Right.

KEILAR: This is the Leopard tank, which they are more prepared with. They're not expecting the Abrams tank in time. What is that? Is that going to mean anything materially for them, do you think?

KIMMITT: Well, when you have an offensive, you want to be able to quickly punch through the tough frontlines of the enemy. This is probably one of the better weapons systems along with their artillery that could be able to break through those Russian lines and push deeper into those objective areas that we were talking about.

KEILAR: All right, we're going to be watching, right?

KIMMITT: Yes.

KEILAR: This could be a very pivotal moment. General, thank you so much for taking us through that.

KIMMITT: So am I.

KEILAR: Jim?

SCIUTTO: All right. Here at home in parts of the Midwest, the snow, it's melted, and so the river is rising. Experts warn the snow melts could cause some of the worst flooding along the upper Mississippi in 20 years. Have a look at Davenport, Iowa. Floodwaters there have already swallowed much of the riverfront area and the threat they say could linger for weeks.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has been covering. So, Chad, walk us through these concerns. I mean, yes, a lot of snow --

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yes.

SCIUTTO: Heats up, snow melts, a lot of water.

MYERS: Yes. And it heated up quickly, and that snow melted rapidly. Didn't really even see any flash flooding with rainfall. This was literally all snow melt started up here in the north, Minneapolis, now finally coming down a little bit. But that bubble of water is headed downriver into other bigger cities.

Now, notice what this bubble looks like. It's a flat line going up slowly. Most of the time we show you flash flooding it looks like this because it goes up very fast. That's the flash part.

This is a river flood. And just because the current level is 20 feet and a little bit higher in Davenport, doesn't mean there's 20 feet of water anywhere except in the bottom of the river. It's 20 feet higher than what the datum is, what the Army Corps of Engineers say this is where the river should be. 20 feet higher than that. And a lot of the town is well above 15 or 20 feet tall higher than the river should be.

So, this isn't widespread. It's in second-floor buildings. It's not like that. The river spreads out. The Mississippi River is very, very wide.

And that's the reason it's so fertile because this river has been flooding for hundreds of millions of years. And that ground there is so very fertile. That's why we grow things on it because it floods, it gets nutrients, and then it grows things. But now, we are getting these floods into places where people live, Jim.

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SCIUTTO: Gives, it takes away. All right, moving further south, lots of red in the southern part of the country there on Texas. What's happening?

MYERS: There will be another severe weather event today. Maybe not quite as bad as what we had on Wednesday, but that was just enormous hail. But right now, I'm not seeing anything on radar. It's sunny, and that's part of the problem. We are going to get storms that are going to fire up here in this orange and in the yellow area and there will be hail that will be two to three inches arch. You don't believe me? This was what fell on Wednesday.

It's a guy's hand right there. This was three-inch hail. And that's a possibility today from Texas, doubt Dallas all the way down to Waco. This is only a couple of hours from right now.

And right now, the radar is blank. But this is going to fire up and they will be big hail makers. There will even be a potential for a few tornadoes.

But this is really a hail and a wind event for today. It moves to the east and even moves into Florida for tomorrow. There could be some strong weather there as we work our way into your Saturday afternoon, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, we know you'll be watching. Chad Myers, thanks so much.

MYERS: You bet.

SCIUTTO: Boris?

SANCHEZ: As Republican-led states across the country push bills cracking down on gender-affirming care and abortion, the governor from the key swing state of Minnesota has signed bills protecting those rights. He's going to join us live next.

And in Alaska, a tragic accident during an army training flight. Three soldiers killed after a collision between two helicopters, the second such accident in less than a month. We're going to take a closer look at what's going on.

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SANCHEZ: Abortion rights supporters are celebrating a pair of unexpected victories today after lawmakers in two Republican-dominated state legislatures failed to pass bills severely restricting abortion access. In Nebraska, some people were moved to tears after the so- called Heartbeat Act failed by a single vote. In South Carolina, senators rejected a bill that would have banned nearly all abortions in that ruby-red conservative state.

In both cases, it was key Republican lawmakers that oppose their own party's proposition for new restrictions. In the last hour, a South Carolina Republican senator told me that the fight for middle ground is her main focus. Listen.

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PENRY GUSTAFSON, REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR, SOUTH CAROLINA: I do not think we have a right to abortion, but we may not have a right that it is the reality. And I've always said it needs to be legal, safe, and rare -- really rare. But there's got to be some gray area because life is not simply black and white.

I recognize that. And over 70 percent of South Carolina recognizes that. Most of us feel in our state there should be restrictions. So, it's just reaching a happy middle or at least a general consensus among the bodies. And the South Carolina House will not accept our stance, the Senate.

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SANCHEZ: In Minnesota, lawmakers took a proactive approach to protecting abortion. The state's Democratic governor signed new legislation further preserving the right to abortion. Governor Tim Walz also signed a new law, making access to gender-affirming care. A position in the -- forgive me, making that a law. He also passed a bill protecting or rather going against conversion therapy for gays in Minnesota.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz joins me now. Governor, forgive me for that confusion. We appreciate you sharing part of your afternoon with us. You made abortion a central issue in your campaign. It helped you win reelection. Why was this a top priority?

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN): Well, thanks for having me, Boris. First of all, I'm glad to see in South Carolina and Nebraska, they're trying to moderate. But it -- but it's not all that complicated.

The reason we made it Central is, is that it's a basic human right that people have the right to make their own healthcare decisions. And let's be clear, abortion services are healthcare. Gender-affirming healthcare is healthcare. And the idea of trying to split the hair on this or trying to decide that government should be involved with that is simply not the way it is.

And here in Minnesota, we're watching this hate and bigotry. It's all around us. It's in the Dakotas, it's in Iowa. And we've just decided we're going to be an island of decency, and we're going to trust people to make their own decisions.

And it's important now more than ever, to firewall up the laws. We know what the Supreme Court's doing and will continue to do. We want to make sure that folks know you come here, you're protected, and these are your decisions.

SANCHEZ: Governor, you describe your decision and this new law as making Minnesota an island of decency. Several states around you have placed very severe restrictions on abortion, so you're seeing an influx of patients in your state seeking care. Are you concerned at all that that might strain resources?

WALZ: Well, it will strain resources. They make it more difficult. And we know that reproductive health care is something that is absolutely critical. We're seeing in states that are passing these laws. They're having a difficult time.

At my announcement and signing ceremony yesterday, we had what -- a physician from Wisconsin call herself a refugee because she is now performing the duties that she needs to do in rural Minnesota where she's protected and able to do it. So, yes, it will strain the resources but we'll continue to put more resources into that. This is something that's been a right in this country for 50 years.

Again, I'll disagree with the legislature from South Carolina. It is a right. It is a basic human right. It extends and runs across the spectrum.

And it's not the government's decision to -- I hear these governors talk about freedom, freedom to be in the exam room, freedom to be in your children's locker room, freedom to be in your bedroom. That's not what we believe in Minnesota. And I think now more than ever, we need to take that proactive message and push back on this.

People's lives are at risk. Healthcare is being compromised. We know what the impact is. And these folks are just bullying.

They're bullying folks who are the most vulnerable. They're bullying them for political and spending time and money on bathroom bills. It's ridiculous. We're trying to create jobs, we're trying to move to a clean energy economy, and we're going to shore up these basic protections.

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SANCHEZ: Governor, on that note, the Supreme Court could potentially make a decision to take up a case on the most commonly used abortion pill in the country, mifepristone. Does that speak to you that there should be an urgency among lawmakers in Congress to enshrine abortion as a right?

WALZ: Yes. Absolutely, Boris. And we're worried about it. You know, we're trying to stock up the best we can.

Look, Minnesota is home to the Mayo Clinic's and the best health care in the world. And all of the Professional Medical Associations agree with this. They agree with it on a gender-affirming care, they agree with it on abortion, they agree with it on access to these drugs, and so they absolutely should.

We absolutely know. When someone tells you who they are, believe them. The Supreme Court has told us who they are.

So, yes, I think there's a real sense of urgency. We're feeling it here. We're continuing to do everything we can proactively knowing that we're seeing states around us.

And again, those women and those individuals are least able to either travel or to be able to get this care going to be put at risk, and for what? For demonization and short-term political gain. These are people that never thought about bathrooms, and never thought about transgender children until they decided that there was a political gain for them.

We're going to make it very painful. And you're seeing it in Nebraska, you're seeing it in South Carolina, you either come around to where the vast majority of people at where decency and compassion live, and -- or you're going to face consequences at the ballot box. And that's a good thing.

SANCHEZ: Governor, as this law was still in its early stages, Republicans described it as too extreme. They tried to promote a number of amendments, specifically around late-term abortion that you rejected. Is that something you might reconsider, late-term abortion isn't very popular.

WALZ: It's a straw man. It doesn't happen, Boris. These are cases when those types of things happen, it's because the decision was made to protect the woman's life to make sure that those decisions are made by healthcare providers.

They know that. They know the incredible rarity of these situations. It's not as if someone's making these decisions based on you know, just a late decision that they didn't get around to making. That's just nonsense.

And again, and they continue to split hairs. The extreme position is what you saw in North Dakota, no exceptions for rape or incest, six weeks when most women don't know that they're pregnant, and putting those people at risk. I just reject it in its entirety, that we know who the extremists are, we know who are telling that, and the American people overwhelmingly know that night.

I just think the biggest thing here is what we think here in Minnesota, calling that out going on the offensive. And look, this is not anything special. What's happened in Minnesota now is that individuals will make their own healthcare decisions based on what all of the evidence and all of the practice amongst all the major medical providers agree is the right way to go. That is the only thing we did here. So, if there's an extreme position, you're seeing it and it's all around us.

SANCHEZ: And, Governor, on the new law protecting gender-affirming care, what do you say to folks that argue that puts minors at risk?

WALZ: Well, it does not. What put minors at risk is an elevated risk of suicide and the -- and not having the care that again, the American Pediatric Association, the American Psychiatric Association, providers across the country and across the world, understand that these are things that need to be affirmed to. Once again, they send out you know, graphic videos, just that are things that do not happen, that again, are decisions that are being made by parents, by individuals that are really trying to figure out only how they can have a place to live in the world and just live who they are.

And so again, they will not report the facts. They will not listen to the people involved in this. And I would just say this.

Of -- these are the very folk telling us that it puts children at risk. They all voted against providing meals for kids in school here in Minnesota. So, I've kind of lost patience with that, oh, this puts kids at risk. These are folks that aren't interested in doing gun legislation. They're not interested in providing meals. They're not into providing health care to every child which we're doing on all those fronts.

So again, I'm -- these are -- these are arguments that are as old as time. They're not going to work anymore. Protecting our children's not a second amendment issue. It's a basic safety issue. You can protect and have firearms at the same time you can protect your children, so I reject that argument.

SANCHEZ: Governor Tim Walz, thank you so much for the time. We appreciate the conversation.

WALZ: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Jim?

SCIUTTO: The CDC is now investigating a rare and mysterious cluster of brain infections in kids. We're going to show you what to look out for, what could be behind this.

And Mayor Eric Adams of New York is pleading with FEMA to stop giving money to cities that are then using those funds to send migrants to New York City. Ahead, what more he's asking of Congress and the Biden administration?

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SIDNER: A wave of Russian missiles hit Ukraine overnight and what could be the deadliest attack on civilians in months. In the city of Uman, more than 20 people were killed, including children when a missile hit this apartment building just cleaving off the entire corner of it as you can see here.. And in a video provided by a Ukrainian official, you can see the aftermath of the strike. We do want to warn you though this video is graphic.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I never thought this would happen. A rocket hit our building.

We're all covered in blood. I don't know. Our windows were blown out.

This is the room where children were sleeping. It's good that we're all alive. We're just all covered in blood.