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Lviv Target By Russian Missile Attacks; President Biden Says Putin Cannot Remain In Power; Putin Plans A Korean-Style Split For Ukraine; U.S. Defending Democracy Abroad But Faces Another Story In The U.S. Senate; U.S. Markets Observing War In Ukraine. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired March 27, 2022 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: What does it make you think?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He's a butcher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NEWS HOST: Meantime, Ukrainian troops and armed civilians have reclaimed several villages from Russian forces in a series of counterattacks. The next round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is set for Tuesday in Turkey. And while the Kremlin claims, Russia will now focus its sights on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. ambassador to NATO says there is no evidence of that yet.

Just yesterday in Lviv, in a far western part of Ukraine, that was the target of Russian missile attacks. CNN's Arlette Saenz is with us at the White House, but let's begin with CNN's Salma Abdelaziz who is in Lviv. Salma, what's the late on these missile strikes? What can you tell us?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Yes. So, just a couple of hours ago actually, Jim, we heard air raid sirens again. I think what's happened over the last 48 hours has really shattered the sense of safety across this community. This was a refuge. This the place that people come to when they flee from violence.

But yesterday at about 4:30 local time, several missiles struck a fuel depot right in the center of the city. A couple hours later, approximately, yet another strike. This one according to Russian Ministry of Defense was on a radio repair center. They said it was being used to modernize Ukrainian weapons.

The timing of this is also concerning. Just before President Biden was about to give his speech in Poland, the mayor of Lviv saying that President Putin was sending a message by firing these missiles right in the heart of Lviv, right before that speech from President Biden. But also it shows a significant shift in strategy for the Russians, now, unable essentially to dominate the air, unable to continue their advance on the ground, on the battlefield taking major losses. Thousands of troops killed according to NATO sources and U.S.

officials. They are resorting to using these long-range missiles. Firing from the relative safety of Russian air space or from the sea with naval warships. And what they're targeting here is military infrastructure, is logistical buildings, is the supply route essentially that supports and bolsters the counteroffensive for Ukrainian forces on the front lines in the east and in the capital.

And we know that that counteroffensive according to Ukrainian officials has been able to make small gains. Now, Russia for its part had just announced the second part of its operation where it said it would only be focusing on the east of country, but somehow we had these missiles landing in the west.

So you have to take that messaging with a grain of salt and it's still very much feels like from border to border because Lviv here, we're just about 50 miles from the Polish border right on NATO's doorstep. As President Zelenskyy said, from border to border it continues to feel like anywhere in Ukraine could be a front line.

ACOSTA: No question about that. And Arlette, this weekend President Biden delivered a major speech in Warsaw, Poland, as you know. And it was in Warsaw where we're told he ad-libbed this moment about Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: For god's sake, this man cannot remain in power.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You know, Arlette, the White House quickly tried to clarify those remarks. What's the latest on that? There's a lot of Americans out there who agree with what the president said yesterday. That Vladimir Putin shouldn't remain in power. Cannot remain in power given what he's done.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jim. And, you know, these remarks from President Biden were very carefully crafted as the White House was hoping he would lay out the stakes of what is going on in Ukraine. But with just nine words, President Biden went completely off-script and really the spotlight has now been shining on those comments alone. Aides were surprised. It was not initially in the president's remarks.

But pretty soon after, even before President Biden departed from Poland, the White House was seeking to clarify what he meant. And that is something that was also reiterated by the Secretary of State Antony Blinken this morning. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The president, the White House, made the point last night that quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else. As you know, and as you've heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy regime change in Russia or anywhere else in that matter. In this case, as in any case, it's up to the people of the country in question. It's up to the Russian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: But you know, even with those explanations, the comments still reverberated around the world. Russia was very quick to respond with a spokesperson for the Kremlin saying that it is not a decision for Biden to make but one for the Russian people to make about who should be in power in their country.

And here in the U.S., President Biden has also faced some criticism from Republican lawmakers who say that this essentially, one of them, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho saying that this was a horrendous gaffe that essentially escalates the situation.

[17:05:01]

The U.S. has been very careful about the language that they've used in the past regarding regime change. But really over the course of the past few weeks you've seen President Biden repeatedly really up the ante, increasing and escalating the rhetoric he's been using about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yesterday after meeting with refugees, bluntly calling Putin a butcher. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right. Arlette Saenz, Salma Abdelaziz, thank you both very much. We appreciate it.

And President Biden's unplanned comment, unscripted comment that Putin cannot remain in power stirred up a lot of debate here in Washington. And as Arlette was saying, here is Republican Senator Jim Risch on the president's comments earlier today on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM RISCH (R-ID): I think most people who don't deal in the lane of foreign relations don't realize that those nine words that he uttered were it would cause the kind of eruption that they did. But anytime you say or even as he did suggest that the policy was regime change, it's going to cause a huge problem. This administration has done everything they can to stop escalating. There's not a whole lot more you can do to escalate than to call for a regime change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And we're joined now by former defense secretary under President Clinton, William Cohen. Secretary Cohen, great to see you. You know, the president said what we're all thinking and what most people outside of Russia had been thinking for years. Senator Risch called it a "horrendous gaffe." You know, is the D.C. bubble, you know, people inside the beltway, are they just making a bigger deal out of this than it really is? What are your thoughts?

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, I think they're making it bigger than it is. After all, this is the leader who might now be complaining that President Biden is suggesting he not remain in office. President Putin intervened in the American elections in 2016 because he didn't want Hillary Clinton to be president.

So, for all of the Republicans now to get agitated, this has escalated well beyond normal circumstances, I think you have to go back and think about what Putin tried to do and I think did do in our own elections here where he was invading and intervening in our political system. Let me come back to the whole notion.

What President Biden was saying is, how can a person this evil be leading a people that great? The Russian people are great people. If they had a choice, they would never have voted to go into Ukraine to kill their brothers and their sisters and their cousins and their uncles. So this is a one-man operation who's gone in here to kill people in a neutral country, not threatening him, with 44 million people now perhaps at least 4 million less maybe even 10 million before this is all over.

And what Biden was saying basically how can a country this great be led by someone so evil who has -- he has bombed innocent people. He has killed thousands of women and children. He has put them in a position of starving. He has kidnapped them, taking them back to Russia. And suddenly Republicans are getting concerned about this particular statement?

Going back one administration. You would need a John Deere front loader to clean up all of the rhetorical mistakes that were made by the former president. So, I don't get too excited here. I think that most Americans feel that Putin doesn't deserve to be the president of a great country and that we will never be back on the same terms as they were before.

Once he takes off his butcher's apron and washes his bloody hands, we'll never going to be back to doing business as usual with President Putin. I think President Biden was basically saying that.

ACOSTA: And you make a good point because I remember when I covered the Trump White House, you know, Trump allies would say that Trump uses what they described as strategic rhetoric when he said things like fire and fury with regard to North Korea and so on. That there was a strategic aim to it. You know, try to keep the adversaries off guard and so on.

Whether or not you put in a stock as to, you know, whether Donald Trump at the time was engaging in any of that, you can put that to the side, but it sounds as though what President Biden was doing was essentially saying, how could Vladimir Putin stay in power given everything he's done?

And that, you know, Secretary Cohen that raises another issue and it was something I wanted to ask you about this latest information coming from President Zelenskyy. He is saying that the Russians, and you just talked about this to some extent a few moments ago, that the Russian forces have basically kidnapped and removed some 2,000 children just from the city of Mariupol over the last several days. That is an ungodly, ungodly development if that is what's happened.

[17:10:00] COHEN: He has violated every rule of the international law and order as such. And this is the great irony here. Here is Putin invading another country and saying I decide what the rules of engagement are going to be. No, you can't bring aircraft into this fight to help save the Ukrainian people. No, you can't have surface-to-air missiles that would take my aircraft down. I decide what the rules are going to be, not you.

And this is where I think the western world has to recognize that what Putin is doing is setting the rules in his favor and telling you to stay out. The vindicated report, he's like an arsonist who has set fire to a home filled with innocent people, and then he stands back and he threatens you that if you try to put the fire out he will set the whole neighborhood on fire.

That's exactly what he is doing with Ukraine now by threatening the United States, oh, I have chemical weapons. I might use them. I have tactical nuclear weapons. I might use those so stay away, don't give any help that might help the poor Ukrainians at this point. So he's violated every rule. He is, in fact, a war criminal. He is in fact, a killer of children. He's a kidnapper. All of these things.

So I think that President Biden is right to say, how in the world can a great country like Russia, filled with Russian people who would take to the streets if they knew the truth that what is taking place? How can they be led by someone as evil who would kill children, kill women, attack cancer wards, maternity wards, humanitarian lines on the way out of the country and still be in charge? That is something I think the Russian people, once they find out, they will make a decision and say this is not somebody who should be leading us.

ACOSTA: And on Tuesday, delegations from Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet in Turkey for another round of talks. Can we expect anything concrete or realistic to come out of these negotiations? I mean, is it just sort of a form of kabuki theater? I mean, what are the Ukrainians getting out of this when all of these atrocities are happening all around them, carried out by Russians?

COHEN: I think it's just another stalling tactic on the part of the Russians. They have lied to the west, to us, the entire west every step along the way. Oh, we're just going to have a training exercise. There are only 90,000. There are 120,000, 150,000, 190,000, but they were only there to train and exercise. And by the way, we would never attack a residential areas or civilian areas.

They violated every one of those promises so we shouldn't take anything they say at face value. And if in fact they do want to negotiate, we'll have to see what the terms they would set. I think we'll be pretty stringent and unacceptable. So I think this is going play out for some time to come provided the west continues to give President Zelenskyy what he needs. Provided we give him all that he's asking for.

Provided that we understand that this is not just a battle for Ukraine, because President Putin said I want to roll back everything to 1997. I want all of those countries that are in NATO, all 15 that were added since 1997, I want them out.

ACOSTA: Right.

COHEN: So this is not just about Ukraine. It's about him deciding what the new world order and the shape of that geography is going to look like.

ACOSTA: All right. Secretary Cohen, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

COHEN: Good to be with you, Jim. Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to be with you. Coming up, Vladimir Putin is now eyeing a Korea-like divide for Ukraine according to the Ukrainian military intelligence chief. What is Putin's strategy there? Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov joins me live next. There he is. We'll join him in just a few moments. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

ACOSTA: Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine by nearly every analyst account has not gone according to plan. And Ukraine's military chief thinks the Russians might be trying to split Ukraine into two regions much like North and South Korea. Russian forces have made progress in the south of Ukraine creating a partial land corridor between their border and Crimea and other occupying cities that have been taken over by the Russians.

I'm joined now by Garry Kasparov. He's the Chairman of Human Rights Foundation and Renew Democracy Initiative. He's also a former world chess champion and author of "Winter is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must be Stopped." Garry, great to you have back. Appreciate it.

What do you make of this theory coming from the Ukrainians that the Russians may try to split Ukraine into two and claim that as a victory? Does that sound plausible to you? That that would be on the minds of the Russians as we speak?

GARRY KASPAROV, CHAIRMAN, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION AND RENEW DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE: It seems so. I think that the generals who are running the operation, they somehow convinced Putin that his plan to take the entire Ukraine left of the Dnipro River (inaudible) including Kyiv, this was a fantasy.

I think Russians now are trying to fortify their positions near Kyiv and they'll try to cut most of the east Ukraine from Kharkiv all the way down south to Kherson and claim victory. It's a realistic plan from their perspective. I still think they'll fail, but not it's far more realistic than trying to attack Ukraine by entire perimeter.

And the latest reports by Russian generals, their briefings, indicate that the operation now in the hands of those who are trying to salvage what they can and to give Putin at least some political cover to claim victory.

ACOSTA: And what are your thoughts? I mean, do you think the Ukrainians would stand for something like that? And what should be the international -- what should be the international response to something like this?

[17:20:00]

You know, to give Russia this face-saving gesture to split the country into two? I mean, that seems to me to be an unacceptable option.

KASPAROV: Absolutely, it's unacceptable. I don't think it changes anything from our perspective, from Ukrainian perspective, from the free world's perspectives. I think it's very important now actually to decide what are the goals of this war? What is the strategy?

I think Ukrainians made it very clear. They want to stop the war and they are even willing to return to demarcation line of February 24th, prior to Russian, the latest Russian invasion, though they would never recognize Russia's sovereignty over east part of Donbas and Crimea.

President Zelenskyy said that he would be willing to make this compromise, temporary compromises, in his very lengthy and detailed interview with Russian independent journalist operating for abroad, just you know, yesterday. And it's still, it doesn't mean that, you know, the war can end, you know, the moment Putin wants to claim victory.

And I believe that the free world should recognize that Ukraine should be given every means possible to win the war. And also I think that's most important now. It's alongside with supplying Ukrainians with weapons they need like surface-to-air missiles and anti-warship missiles and other heavy equipment that could help them turn the tide and counterattack.

It's to declare that sanctions that are crippling the Russian economy will stay until Russia clears the entire Ukrainian territory, Crimea included. That's the most important weapon in the hands of the free world. And I want President Biden and other leaders of the free world to make it absolutely clear to Putin, to his cronies and to Russian people that the sanctions will not go away the day Putin decides to declare a cease-fire.

ACOSTA: And I want to ask you because I thought this was fascinating. The Russian military now admitting they have suffered casualties during this war, during this invasion. Although their numbers, of course, are far lower than the estimates that you're hearing from the Ukrainians and the rest of the world. What does that mean, though, that the Russians are admitting that they are suffering losses at this point? What's your read on that?

KASPAROV: Oh, it's just -- it tells us that they know how bad the situation is and the numbers they admitted, they are 10 times lower than Ukrainians, and I think that Ukrainians have much better accurate arithmetic because they document everything. They have a list of people who have been in prison, taken -- POW's and also killed in action.

And it's -- considering this is all the report that we receive from the battleground from all the sources, Russian casualties are mounting to at 16,000, 17,000 killed in action. And you could easily multiply this number by four adding wounded. So which means that 40 percent of the entire Russian group that started this war has been already taken out of action.

And that explains why Putin is bringing troops from all over the place, from Far East, from Tajikistan, from Republic of Georgia, from Armenia, so all Russian military bases. They need, you know, fresh, fresh meat to throw into the battle. And just, you know, it also explains why in the middle of the operation they're changing the strategy trying to consolidate the gains.

ACOSTA: And, you know, if Putin starts to feel like he's losing, who knows? Maybe that day will never come, but is that when he starts to consider using chemical or nuclear weapons and how should the world respond if, god forbid, something like that were to happen?

KASPAROV: Putin cannot recognize that the war is lost. He knows that dictators do not stay in power if they show weakness. And losing the war, that's the -- that's the road to perdition for any dictator, Putin included. So that's why we should understand that, you know, a wounded beast is the most dangerous one. So whether he is willing to give this order, I don't know. I would say it's not 50/50 call, but it's definitely not slim to none.

But most important thing is not what Putin decides. How many people around him? How many generals and admirals who'll be willing to carry this order? That's why I also suggest that in NATO countries, America, and western allies, they should make it very clear that any Russian military base or a warship that is using tactical nuclear weapon or chemical weapon will be immediately eliminated.

I don't believe it's an escalation. It's a warning to those generals and admirals, the senior officers of Putin's army that they will pay with their lives immediately if they cross this red line. Again, it's not about Putin. It's about sending warnings to those who have to carry his criminal orders to use WMD's.

ACOSTA: All right. Garry Kasparov, great to see you. As always, thank you very much. Always enjoy having you on. We appreciate it.

[17:25:00]

KASPAROV: Thanks so much.

ACOSTA: Thank you. President Biden was in Warsaw, Poland this weekend supporting Ukraine's desperate fight for democracy. But what about the threat often seems to be on the brink here at home? Hold on for that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: The United States Senate is often described as the world's greatest deliberative body, but consider how Nebraska Republican Senator Ben Sasse some things up as he weighed in on this week's confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:29:57]

SEN. BEN SASSE (R-NE): And I think we should recognize that the jackassery we often see around here is partly because of people mugging for short-term camera opportunities, and it is definitely a second and third and fourth-order effect that the court should think through before it has advocates in there who are not only trying to persuade the nine justices, but also trying to get on cable that night or create a viral video.

(END VIDEO)

ACOSTA: Sasse's remarks came shortly after his GOP colleague Ted Cruz sparred with Judge Jackson. But the Nebraska Republican's illustration could have easily applied to much of the back and forth this past week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): One portion of the book -- says babies are taught to be racist or anti-racist. There is no neutrality. Do you agree with this book that is being taught with kids that babies are racist?

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Senator -- I do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they were racist or though they are not valued.

In the law, there are different crimes that people commit --

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): Judge, you gave him three months. My question is do you regret it or not?

JACKSON: Senator, what -- I regret is that in a hearing about my qualifications to be a justice on the Supreme Court we've spent a lot of time focusing on this small subset of my sentences.

With one click, you can receive, you can distribute tens of thousands. You can be doing this for 15 minutes and all of a sudden you are looking at 30, 40, 50 years in prison --

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Good. Good.

JACKSON: I understand, Senator, that what I'm trying to do --

GRAHAM: Absolutely good. I hope you are. Good.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): Allow her to finish please.

GRAHAM: I hope you go to jail for 50 years if you're on the internet trolling for images of children and sexual exploitations. So you don't think that's a bad thing, I think that's a horrible thing.

DURBIN: That is not what the witness said and she should be allowed to answer this question once and for all, Senator.

CRUZ: Why are you not allowing her to answer the question?

DURBIN: You're over the time by two and half --

CRUZ: There's not another senator here that did not allowed her to answer the question. I'm not asking another question but allow her to answer the question, Chairman Durbin.

UNKNOWN: Thank you, Chairman.

CRUZ: Why do you not want the American people to know what happened in the Stewart case or any of these cases? Chairman Durbin, I have never seen the Chairman refuse to allow a witness to answer a question. You can bang it loud as you want.

DURBIN: No, I can just tell you. At some point you have to follow the rules.

SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-TN): Can you provide a definition for the word "woman"?

JACKSON: Can I provide a definition, no.-

BLACKBURN: Yes.

JACKSON: I can't.

BLACKBURN: You can't?

JACKSON: Not in this context. I'm not a biologist --

BLACKBURN: So you believe the meaning of --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Not exactly a shining moment for American democracy. The last senator in that super cut, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn attempted to extol the virtues of American democracy last week tweeting, "The Constitution grants us rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- not abortions." The problem is that phrase, life, liberty and pursuit of happiness appears in the Declaration of Independence, not the constitution.

Blackburn should know that and should have deleted that tweet four scores and seven years ago. But last time we checked it's still up on her twitter account. Senate Sasse may be voting against Judge Jackson's confirmation, but he offered up a rare moment of candor when he seemed to suggest that some in his own party are more concerned about scoring points, owning the libs and lining up their next T.V. interview.

The GOP's primary line of attack on Judge Jackson is that she's soft on crime and out of step with their views on the Constitution. But contrast that with the party's near total silence on the revelation that the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Ginni Thomas, was texting with then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about Donald Trump's anti-democratic, unconstitutional quest to overturn the 2020 election results.

Ginni Thomas texted this to Meadows on November 10, 2020, "Help this great president stand firm, Mark. You are the leader with him who is standing for America's constitutional governance at the precipice. The majority knows Biden and the left is attempting the greatest heist of our history."

Mrs. Thomas repeatedly encouraged Meadows to push the big lie all in an effort to stop the election from being certified. And this was all happening as her husband was on the high court weighing whether to overturn the election results. GOP leaders are defending this uniquely influential D.C. power couple and the Thomases have declined to comment. But again, not exactly a banner day for American democracy.

[17:35:00]

With the images of Russia's heinous attacks on Ukraine flooding into American living rooms, President Biden has insisted that the U.S. continue to support the Ukrainian resistance because democracy must prevail in the face of Russian aggression. Mr. Biden has framed the struggle as he often has as one of democracy versus autocracy.

But American democracy isn't really on a roll these days. Good thing the Ukrainians are. U.S. allies expressed grave concerns that American democracy is on the decline. It's hard to argue with that, not only because of what happened this past week or what happened January 6th, but also because some of the main culprits behind the insurrection have yet to be held accountable.

Being a defender of democracy on the world stage ought to include leading by example. It's a lot more difficult to defend democracy when you're not its best role model. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

ACOSTA: We're following breaking news in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv where our CNN teams on the ground reported hearing a loud explosion and sirens. We're working to learn more about this. We will update you once we have more information to share.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin warn Ukraine has uprooted people on a scale we have not seen since World War II. According to a global humanitarian aid group, more than 3.8 million refugees have fled Ukraine in just the last month since Russia invaded. And CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Lviv in western Ukraine. And Ed, you've been speaking to some of these refugees. It's just heartbreaking to hear from them. You've been doing amazing work out there talking to them. What are you hearing from them? ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the dynamic

for many of these refugees has changed substantially in the last week. And that has really a lot to do with the fact so many of the refugees that are crossing into Poland, we have noticed, in the last few days, are really coming from the far eastern areas of Ukraine. And these are families that have seen some of the worst fighting so far in this war.

So, it's significant that they are able to get to Poland. It's also taking a considerable amount of time longer for many of these people. And remember, one family that we spoke to had to kind of use a system of being driven to a couple of different places before being able to get to a city that had a train route out of Ukraine and into Poland.

So, the obstacles in front of many of these refugees to get to safe countries has changed somewhat in the last week. We're not seeing the high number of refugees that we saw in the early days of the war, but now more than a month in to this, this -- you're still seeing a steady trickle.

Tonight we drove from Przemysl Poland, which is right there on the border. Those are the locations you see from the train station where so many people have arrived, and we crossed through the border checkpoint. As we came out, there was probably a line of cars of people waiting to leave the country, probably about a mile long, and that takes a long process to get through those border checkpoints.

But even though we're not seeing the numbers that we saw several weeks ago, you're still seeing a pretty steady flow of people trying to get out of this country.

ACOSTA: All right. Ed Lavandera, it's just so heartbreaking to watch. Thank you so much for that report. We appreciate it. And to find out how you can help Ukrainian efforts on these humanitarian causes, go to CNN.com/impact and help impact your world. And now, here's CNN's Christine Romans with your "Before the Bell" report.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jim. Investors trying to make sense of Russia's war in Ukraine and how Putin's aggression will feed into the uncertainty gripping markets. JP Morgan analyst cite three key factor roiling markets. A commodities price shock due to the war in Ukraine, rising interest rates, and worries about a supply chain crunch in China due to COVID.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABRIELA SANTOS, GLOBAL MARKET STRATEGIST, JP MORGAN ASSET MANAGEMENT: Ultimately, we do think the market can rebound and can end the year in positive territory. With that said, not quite yet. We do still think volatility can stay with us on a day-to-day basis for a little bit longer while we get some clarity on those three big issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: More clarity on the U.S. economy comes this week when the March jobs report is released. Economists predict 450,000 jobs were added back and the jobless rate expected to slip to 3.7 percent. Jobs are plentiful and wages are rising. It's a bright spot in the economy even as consumers feel the sting of higher gas prices and other inflation pressures. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:00]

ACOSTA: The Academy Awards are tonight. Yesterday, Oscar winner Sean Penn joined me live from Warsaw and I asked him if he wanted to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking at the Oscars and this was his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN PEANN, ACTOR: If the academy has elected not to do it, if presenters have elected not to pursue the leadership in Ukraine who are taking bullets and bombs for us along with the Ukrainian children that they are trying to protect, then I think every single one of those people and every bit of that decision will have been the most obscene moment in all of Hollywood history and I hope that's not what's happening.

If it turns out to be what's happening, I would encourage everyone involved to know that though it may be their moment, and I understand that, to celebrate their films. It is so much more importantly their moment to shine and to protest and to boycott that Academy Awards. And I, myself, if it comes back to it, I -- when I return, I will smelt mine in public.

[17:50:04]

I pray that's not what's happened. I pray there have not been arrogant people who consider themselves representatives of the greater good in my industry that have not decided to check in with leadership in Ukraine. So I'm just going to hope that that's not what's happened and I hope that everybody walks out if it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And CNN has reached out to the Oscars for comment and we have not heard back. CNN's Stephanie Elam joins me though now live from Hollywood and the red carpet. Stephanie, is President Zelenskyy and Ukraine a topic of discussion where you are right now on the red carpet? Are you hearing some of the stars talking about this?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORESPONDENT: Definitely. It's on the mind -- it's been on the minds of everyone when we've gone to these awards show. We've seen it. We saw that at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and here. And I just had a chance to catch up with Will Packer who is producing the Oscars broadcast tonight and I asked him specifically whether or not Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy, would be addressing the Academy Awards. Take a listen to his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL PACKER, FILM PRODUCER: We're going to acknowledge what's going on in Ukraine and do it in an appropriate way for a show like this, and a platform like this. I think that you have to be, you know, really aware of what this is, what this industry is and what this platform is. And I think some platforms are more appropriate than others especially when you talk about, you know, leaders of a war-torn country that certainly we support, but we're going to definitely do right in terms of acknowledging it while still trying to keep this in an upbeat and celebratory occasion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: So, obviously with that answer it leads me to believe that perhaps not, that President Zelenskyy will not be a part of this. But, still, what happens during the broadcast will be noting Ukraine and also what stars do when they win will be a part of it. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): Red carpet glamour, a world away from the war in Ukraine.

BRYAN COX, ACTOR: -- really, really awful what's happening.

ELAM (voice-over): But Hollywood isn't ignoring the humanitarian crisis this award season.

MICAHEL DOUGLS, ACTOR: We're getting a great lesson and a reminder about what true democracies are about.

ELAM (voice-over): Heavy hitters like Michael Douglas and Lin Manuel Miranda showing their support for the blue and yellow while on the red carpet. And at least one star protesting in the street.

JAVIER BARDEM, ACTOR: In my humble opinion, it's better to support the idea of a peaceful resolution.

ELAM (voice-over): Best actor nominee, Javier Bardem telling CNN he joined protesters at Madrid's Russian embassy to demonstrate his support outside of Hollywood.

BARDEM: It's very delicate to say anything when you are having a beautiful, safe life and a safe environment.

ELAM (voice-over): Set to present at the Oscars is Ukrainian-born actress Mila Kunis.

MILA KUNIS, ACTOR: Today, I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian.

ELAM (voice-over): She and husband Ashton Kutcher have raised $30 million for Ukrainian refugees.

KUNIS: This is just a beginning to a very, very, very long journey.

ELAM (voice-over): With widespread support for Ukraine, insiders say this Academy Awards will likely be different from the Trump years when the politics were more divisive. MATTHEW BELLONI, PUCK NEW FOUNDING PARTNER: If the stars get up and

start talking about Ukraine, it might be a way for people to rally behind them, that the politics element of the show won't be divisive. It will be united.

COX: The president of Ukraine was a comic, you know. He was a wonderful comic performer.

ELAM (voice-over): "Succession" star Bryan Cox with the most dramatic speech so far at the Screen Actors Guild Awards calling for support of Russian artist who are at risk if they condemn the war.

COX: And I think we should really join in celebrating them and hoping that they can actually make a shift, as I believe they can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (on camera): And, Jim, you asked me whether or not people are focused on what's going in Ukraine. I can tell you, I've had more conversations about the war in Ukraine and this invasion than people are talking about COVID now. Of course, granted to get on the red carpet we had to take about three COVID tests to be here. So, there's that part of it.

But still, that's not what people are talking about when they are talking about something that's affecting the entire world. They are talking about what is going on in Ukraine.

ACOSTA: No surprise there, but Stephanie, I thought it was fascinating you caught up with the Oscar's producer there, Will Packer, and he made it sound like it's not going to happen. But we will see some kind of tribute to Ukraine tonight, I gather.

ELAM: For sure. The show is definitely going to acknowledge it. How they do it is different. Also, we don't know what President Zelenskyy is doing. He may be too busy as well. Multiple things in the move, in play here.

ACOSTA: No question about it. No, he certainly has a very full plate and I guess what Sean Penn was saying yesterday was while wouldn't it be remarkable to have him on the stage via video link talking about something as extraordinarily important as what's happening in Ukraine.

[17:55:00]

But, Stephanie Elam, thanks for breaking that down for us and getting that late-breaking information from Hollywood. We appreciate it. Good to see you.

ELAM: You, too.

ACOSTA: We'll see what happens tonight. That's the news. Reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. I'll see you back here next Saturday. Pamela Brown takes over the CNN NEWSROOM live after a quick break. Goodnight everybody.

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