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Biden To Speak At Commissioning Of Nuclear-Powered Submarine; Russian Troops Slowly But Noticeably Moving Out Of North Ukraine; Russia Strikes Major Oil Refinery In Ukraine; Young Ukrainians Offer Shelter And Refuge In Lviv; U.S. Small Business Owners On Edge Due To Inflation. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired April 02, 2022 - 11:00   ET

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

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[10:59:31:

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Live pictures right now out of Wilmington, Delaware as we wait for President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to arrive at a commissioning ceremony for the USS Delaware in Wilmington.

And there you see the motorcade as it makes its way to this port area as we heard Oren Liebermann explaining earlier.

This vessel was actually commissioned a couple of years ago but because of COVID, of course, no one was able to be in attendance and it was sort of a submerged commission that took place. And now the real thing with all the pomp and circumstance. We heard some of the music earlier.

But you see there the president arriving, lots of folks in position and in attendance taking pictures, waiting to hear what the president has to say as well as Dr. Jill Biden, the first lady, who will also be speaking about the commissioning of this submarine called the USS Delaware.

It is a nuclear-powered submarine and we hope to hear more about the significance of this day from the president and the first lady.

We'll continue to watch those pictures and take you back to Delaware live as the president and the first lady arrive.

So for now, let's turn to Ukraine where there are heartbreaking new developments today. Ukrainian officials say a new round of Russian shelling is hitting evacuation convoys and interrupting rail traffic in eastern Ukraine.

We're also learning that Russian forces launched a series of strikes targeting a key oil refinery in the central part of the country.

And it comes just a day after Russian officials say Ukrainian helicopters swooped into Russia to destroy a fuel depot. Ukrainian officials still have not confirmed nor denied that they would be responsible for that.

Overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy giving an update on Russian troop movements saying Putin's forces are slowly but noticeably moving out of the north of Ukraine.

This morning, Ukraine's flag hoisted proudly over the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, once again, weeks after the facility was captured by Russian forces.

And there are new satellite images now showing Russian troops leaving a strategic airport outside of Kyiv which was captured on the first day of this invasion.

And all of this happening as new evacuations are under way in several besieged eastern Ukrainian cities. Seven corridors set to open today. This after thousands escaped the violence on Friday. But over 100,000 still remain trapped in the ravaged city of Mariupol.

We have team coverage of all of these developments. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in the key southern port city of Odessa. But let's begin with CNN's Phil Black who is in Lviv.

So Phil, NATO warns that Russian forces are repositioning rather than withdrawing. What more can you tell us about what's happening?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Yes, that's right, Fredricka.

So Ukrainian and western governments are very certain that the Russians are pulling back as they said they were going to do. There's now clear evidence that that's happening as Zelenskyy has said. It is most noticeable around the capital Kyiv where there were positions as recently as a few days ago that the Russians had maintained -- that they had fought for really fiercely in order to try and encircle the capital. They now really do appear to have given up on that plan.

You can see it in satellite images from space. These fortified dug-in positions have simply been abandoned. And that's what president Zelenskyy says. Some have been given up, others have been expelled or forced back as a result of Ukrainian counterattacks.

This is not a point of celebration here because the belief is, that these forces are going to replenish probably across the border in Belarus and then they're going to be reassigned to combat positions probably in the east or the south of the country.

And the Ukrainian government believes that's what the Russian government is -- the Russian military is going to focus on. Expanding its control in the east and the south and then really consolidating that control, digging in there, in such a way that it could be very difficult to remove them, we've heard from a presidential adviser today unless Ukraine gets bigger, heavier weapons.

They believe that sort of scenario is one that the Ukrainian government is not currently -- Ukrainian military, I should say, is not currently equipped to deal with, will not be easy to drive them off Ukrainian territory in that case. Meanwhile, Russia has continued its campaign of striking fuel supply and storage areas all across the country. There was another one just this morning in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. This is just simply the latest, as I say, in a series of strikes.

There was one here in Lviv, just a week ago and it has been part of this concerted effort by Russia to really knock out the Ukrainian military's fuel supplies in the hope of destabilizing their ability to further defend the country.

And it does, as you touched on, come just one day after a strike on a Russian fuel supply point in Russian territory in the city of Belgorod which Russia says the Ukrainian attack helicopters were responsible for.

[11:04:52]

BLACK: And yet here we are more than 24 hours later and the Ukrainian government is still approaching this in a pretty vague, ambiguous way, insisting that it can neither confirm nor deny that Ukraine was, in fact, responsible for carrying out a strike as seemingly as bold as that, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Phil Black, thank you.

Ed Lavandera in Odessa. Russia launched a few missile strikes in the Odessa region on Friday. So what more can you tell us about what's happening there?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, about Friday night we heard about a minute-long barrage of air defense system blasting into the sky here over the city of Odessa, as you mentioned, a key port city.

We understand from various military officials here in Ukraine that those three missiles were fired from the Crimean Peninsula toward the Odessa region.

But exactly what was struck or if those missiles were intercepted, we don't know at this point. Military officials here saying that Russia did not strike the intended targets. That's what they're saying so far. And also, that there are several people wounded on the ground.

But many more details than that have not really been exactly clear. But it really does come as a shock to this city after having enjoyed several days of relative quiet here.

This strike last night here in Odessa kind of reinvigorating those feelings of concern, as many people here in the Odessa region bracing to try to figure out what's going to come next in this process of Russian forces regrouping, resupplying and that sort of thing and then trying to figure out where they're going to go next, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Lavandera, Phil Black -- thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. Joining me right now to talk more about the latest developments on the

war in Ukraine is Susan Glasser. She is a CNN global affairs analyst and a staff writer for the "NEW YORKER". Susan, always good to see you.

President Zelenskyy says Russian troops are slowly but noticeably moving out of northern Ukraine. The Pentagon believes Russian forces are regrouping in Belarus. So how do you assess what's happening?

SUSAN GLASSER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, well, those are obviously not incompatible. Basically what's happened is a little bit more than a month into the war, Russia has been driven back from Kyiv and from one of its central objectives in the conflict which was to decapitate the regime and to take its capital city. And that is a remarkable defeat for Russia.

Now, it doesn't mean that the war is over. It doesn't mean that the war will end in an overall defeat for Russia. But I think that's one thing we can say pretty confidently is that they have pulled back from attacking Kyiv right now and that's really something that would have shocked a lot of people if you said it at the beginning of the war.

WHITFIELD: And then, of course, these newest reports from Ukrainian officials that Russia is shelling evacuation convoys, which is supposed to be, you know, off limits and that's taking place in Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine.

So really this kind demonstrates these negotiations are rather futile. I mean Russia, Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted. So what should the international community -- should be doing? Why does it continue to have hopes, I should say, on continued negotiations?

GLASSER: Look, you know, in the end, wars do end through political means, through negotiations. And so it's always worthwhile to talk even if there's very little hope in the outcome, you know, for both sides.

But I think you're right to be skeptical right now because of Putin's failure to achieve any, any of his stated objectives in -- launching this war of aggression so far. It's very hard to see him climbing down and just sort of walking away from it in some kind of negotiation. There's not even a fake victory for him to claim yet.

And so I think that's why you see this focus on acquiring territory in order, potentially, to establish that pretext.

But then there's the problem for President Zelenskyy which is to say at this point, negotiating away any territory does not just potentially open up Putin to come back in a few years and gobble up more of Ukraine. So it's very hard to see that we're close at all to any kind of negotiated end to the war right now.

WHITFIELD: Russia says Ukrainian helicopters struck a fuel depot in southern Russia yesterday. Ukraine still hasn't confirmed nor denied it.

If it is true, it would be the first military strike in Russia by Ukraine -- again, if it is true. How does that elevate this conflict?

GLASSER: Look, I think it's a dramatic -- it's a sort of morale booster for Ukraine. It's a signal and a very unwanted one to Putin that we will come after you. But you know, it has the feel of, you know, the Dolittle raid in World War II or something. It's not a new front, per se.

And I don't think you're going to see Ukraine doing a lot of cross border attacks. But it certainly sends a powerful message to Russia, you know, which is that we're not just going to sit here and take it.

[11:09:57]

WHITFIELD: And of course, so much is hard to believe what comes out of Russia and so the U.S. has revealed this week that intelligence has it that it could be the case that Putin is being misinformed by his own advisers about how Russia is doing in its invasion of Ukraine. What's behind releasing that kind of information?

GLASSER: Well, you know, throughout this conflict, we've seen, I think, a real change in behavior on the U.S. side and almost real-time releasing of information. Before the war they did that in order to persuade skeptical Americans and European leaders that the war was happening.

You'll recall that there are many commentators as well as senior officials in allied governments who just didn't believe that Putin was actually going to use that army of 190,000 troops on Ukraine's border.

So partially it had this purpose before the war of convincing people it was going to happen. Now I think you see it as a front in the information war in part to needle Vladimir Putin and to say we -- you know, we are making fun of how badly you misestimated and did not understand the state of your own military and the will of the Ukrainian people to resist you. That's an enormous intelligence failure.

Remember that Putin, former KGB lieutenant colonel -- that's a pretty big insult for the U.S. (AUDIO GAP) the idea that he's misinformed and he doesn't have proper intelligence.

And now we're at the five-week point with Russia invading Ukraine. Are the sanctions making a huge impact?

GLASSER: Well, it's, you know, increasingly unfortunately opaque what's happening in Russian society. One of the terrible side effects of this war has been that it offered the excuse and the pretext for Vladimir Putin to destroy much of what remained of independent media inside Russia. And of course, many independent journalists have had to leave the country fearing that they would be thrown in jail under this harsh new rule where you can't even call the war a "war" in Russia anymore.

So our information sources, unfortunately, are limited and, you know, there's a sense that it would take longer term. But remember, Russia is a major energy and oil and gas superpower in the world. That's its power. China and India and others have not cut them off.

And so they still have major sources of revenue and also the Europeans are still buying a certain amount of Russian energy.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And while you were talking, we were looking at some images of people lining up, large crowds, people lining up and grabbing what appeared to be rations. I mean who would ever have thought to have seen images like this?

GLASSER: Well, unfortunately, there's a long and terrible history of the Russian people bearing the brunt of their leaders' catastrophic mistakes and this may well be a situation where ordinary Russians, once again, are forced to absorb, you know, hardship as a result of disastrous leadership in the Kremlin.

WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Glasser, always great to see you. Thank you so much.

GLASSER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Here in the United States in just a few minutes, President Biden delivering remarks at the port of Wilmington in Delaware at the U.S. Navy's commissioning of a nuclear-powered submarine.

CNN's Oren Liebermann is live for us there in Wilmington. And Oren you explained earlier that this ship has actually already been commissioned but now in a more formal way with people in attendance, including the president and the first lady. The significance of this particular nuclear-powered submarine?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Of course. Not only the significance of the timeline, that sort of shifting timeline because of COVID, the USS Delaware, a Virginia-class attack submarine was actually commissioned in April 2020 with the first U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned at sea submerged. And it was simply a matter of the times there, right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

There wasn't a chance for the ceremony we're seeing here behind us, part of the tradition, the history and the culture of the Navy. So that will happen today. That ceremony getting started here behind me, the lieutenant commander speaking just a moment ago.

But of course the world has fundamentally changed between April 2020 and now. As we watch what happens with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that, of course, is what we're waiting to hear. Will President Joe Biden in his remarks make any mention of that, especially one day after the -- his administration authorized another $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine. So that's what we're looking for.

In terms of the ceremony itself, we'll hear from a few speakers, not only Biden, but First Lady Jill Biden. She's the sponsor of the submarine which mean she plays an important role in the submarine's history, its milestones like this one, and she becomes in many ways a part of the submarine. We also expect to hear from the Navy secretary, perhaps Senator Tom

Carper and some others throughout the course of this commissioning ceremony.

[11:14:57]

LIEBERMANN: And then you'll see the sort of traditional end to this when all the sailors, some of whom are standing behind me, run on to the submarine and the it is commissioned.

This is actually being called a commission commemoration because the commissioning itself happened a couple of years ago. But this is what we would normally see as part of the -- as part of the ceremony, as part of the circumstance, as part of the history behind this submarine here behind me.

The submarine itself has a crew of about 135. To give you an idea of scale, it's about 370 feet long, if I remember correctly, and that's what we're seeing here. The USS Delaware, again, a Virginia class attack submarine.

The speeches here should start in just a little bit as the ceremony gets under way. We will of course, listen and we'll keep you posted here.

WHITFIELD: Ok. So things are under way. The Delaware governor was just introduced. And then I wonder too, Oren, as we're waiting for the president who I think I'm told was just introduced as well, at least verbally, I'm wondering if this ceremony is kind of dual purpose.

A, you know, was there a decision that this was absolutely necessary particularly after COVID, it was a submerged commissioning of this ship. But the other purpose then that is delayed -- the other purpose is that this is the U.S. opportunity to flex its muscle, particularly during this Russia invasion of Ukraine. Is that a stretch or is there some correlation?

And there's the president. And I'll have to cut you off, Oren, if the president starts to speak. But you go for now.

LIEBERMANN: There is, of course, a message behind any of these commissioning ceremonies, especially with a tool, a weapon, as powerful as a U.S. attack submarine, and that's a message not only to Russia, but to the world, the power of the U.S. military force.

Was it necessary in terms of the culture and the tradition and history behind the Navy, yes, this will be a part of any commissioning.

As they're playing, I think "Hail to the Chief" here behind me, we do also expect to hear the 21-gun salute in a moment. That will be deafeningly loud. I may have to cover my ears.

But again, it is part of that message about what the U.S. is capable of that you see this sort of commissioning ceremony and you see the importance behind it to the history of the Navy and to the future of the Navy here. WHITFIELD: Also I want to bring in as we do listen now -- and there's

the 21-gun salute, Oren. So we'll give you a break for now.

I do want to bring in former secretary of the U.S. Navy Ray Mabus. You're in a position where you will be able to hear more clearly despite the 21-gun salute there. So what is your thinking about the commissioning of this nuclear submarine right now, even though it already had a ceremonial commissioning two years ago, as Oren explained, and now here is the more formal commissioning.

Why is this important and who does this best serve?

RAY MABUS, FORMER SECRETARY OF U.S. NAVY (via telephone): Well, it's -- the commissioning of a ship is an important milestone in its life and the fact that it was administratively commissioned a couple of years ago, you need the ceremony. You need the visual of this happening.

And as was explained before, the order that the sponsor, Jill Biden in this case, gives at the end of the ceremony, bringing the ship to life and the sailors running on board. that is a very powerful image and message of the American military, about our readiness and about the advanced weaponry that we have. But also the great submarines that we have.

I was privileged to name the USS Delaware and name then-second lady Jill Biden as the sponsor. And it's really important I think that this is happening and wonderful to see.

WHITFIELD: I love that you said that. It really brings this vessel to life. It's a Virginia class attack submarine. Is there anything more you can tell us about what that means? I mean for those of us who are unfamiliar with the various classes of submarine, what's the distinction here?

MABUS: There are two basic classes of submarines. One, our ballistic missile submarines. That's our nuclear deterrent. They're called boomers.

And then there are the fast attack submarines, like this one, like the Virginia class. And they are cutting-edge, they are absolutely by a long shot the best submarines in the world. They're nuclear-powered. They can go and deploy for -- basically for as long as is necessary and they can stay submerged for as long as is necessary.

[11:19:52]

WHITFIELD: Wow. So who gets to serve on this Virginia class attack submarine? It sounds, just by your description, I mean what an honor to be deployed on this type of submarine.

MABUS: Well, you have a community in the Navy and when you join either as an officer or enlisted -- and you have to volunteer for submarines.

So the entire crew has to go through a huge amount of training. The officers on the ship have to go through nuclear power school, they have to go through submarine school, the enlisted have to go through a very, very tough regimen to do this.

And our submarines are really the best of the best. We've been powering our submarines with nuclear since the mid-50s. And in spite of all of the naysayers that said you never develop a nuclear power plant on a submarine, there has never been an accident, never been a nuclear problem with a submarine.

WHITFIELD: Well, it's incredible. I mean, the best of the best, as you say. You got to be a special breed among a special breed to be able to serve on a submarine. I've had an opportunity to visit a docked nuclear submarine. I couldn't handle it, of course, with a claustrophobia, but all of our service members are in a class in and of themselves.

So, Secretary Mabus, we're going to take a short break for now, is my understanding. And then when we come back, perhaps the president will be speaking and, of course, we'll take that live.

We'll be right back.

[11:21:42]

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WHITFIELD: All right. Live pictures again in Wilmington, Delaware. You see the president of the United States and first lady Dr. Jill Biden there sitting as they're listening to the remarks from Delaware Governor John Carney. Soon the introduction being made for the president and his remarks that will soon be made. All of this with the commissioning -- really the second commissioning -- but this one the first on-land commissioning of the USS Delaware, this nuclear submarine.

And of course, when those remarks happen, we'll bring them to you live.

Meantime, new hope today for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Several evacuation corridors are expected to open. That's according to Ukraine's deputy prime minister. Just last night, a massive convoy carrying civilians from war-torn Mariupol arrived in Zaporizhzhia.

CNN's Ivan Watson shows us what they meet when they arrive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Ukrainian authorities are here waiting, police checking the documents of the new arrivals. There is a war very much under way, a deadly war and serious national security threats.

After people are processed here, there is a major volunteer and city government effort to welcome the newly-arrived evacuees and to give them temporary shelter, warm meals. People are tired. There are little kids who have been on this bus, I would estimate, for at least 11 hours. Little kids who have witnessed a modern-day siege and perhaps the destruction of their homes and explosions in just a terrible environment.

Now, the International Committee of the Red Cross is trying to reach the city of Mariupol itself and failed. Said it was not allowed -- permitted to go through. There are still believed to be about 100,000 or more citizens, civilians of Mariupol still trapped there in the combat zone as well as a force of Ukrainian troops that are still holding out against a vastly larger number of Russian military forces that have encircled the city and besieged it for weeks now.

So while this is a glimmer of hope after many failed attempts to evacuate civilians, there's still a lot of work to be done to protect the people still trapped in the combat zone.

These are some of hundreds if not thousands of exhausted Ukrainian civilians who have just been evacuated after an incredibly long journey by bus from Russian-occupied territory and from the combat zone around the city of Mariupol.

So you have dozens and dozens of buses which left the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk at around noon and it wasn't until around 11:00 p.m. that they finally reached Zaporizhzhia which is supposed to be only about normally two and a half hours drive away. So what's going on right now is after a very difficult journey, people who have endured weeks of artillery bombardment and air strikes in their home city and fled it had not been allowed to travel further.

They've finally been brought here to Ukrainian-controlled territory. For some people here, this is a family reunion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Heartbreaking images. Ivan Watson, thank you so much.

And many young Ukrainians are staying in their besieged country trying to help their fellow Ukrainians.

CNN's Don Lemon visited a refugee shelter in Lviv put together by quick-thinking young Ukrainians.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADIYA OPRYSHKO, UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST: This was a photo studio and TikTok room. And now it's still shelter.

[11:29:56]

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: When bombs started falling on her country, 29- year-old journalist Nadiya Opryshko knew she had to act.

OPRYSHKO: One day, morning, 24 of February, we woke up and we understand that the war is coming, all territory of Ukraine.

LEMON: So everything changed?

OPRYSHKO: Everything changed.

LEMON: So she and her friends founded what might be Lviv's most eclectic shelter in a building she calls the Wild House.

On the first floor, a coffee shop and bar along with a clothing shop. Upstairs, a performance space. All of it used to shelter evacuees when the war began.

OPRYSHKO: We are who are young, whose who feel that he can be not just passive on this war, we decided what we can do.

We have place and we understand that a lot of people like our friends started to come to Lviv and they need place to stay.

Next day we take first things that we can take from our place, like pillows, like medicine, food.

LEMON: They provided housing for more than 300 people.

OPRYSHKO: There was big table. You can take some tea, coffee, everything was free.

LEMON: now evacuees live here. Across the hall from a barbershop.

Oleg Malapura (ph) is one of those stranded here, unsure when or if he will be able to return to his home in the Donetsk region.

OLEG MALAPURA, EVACUEE: I have no idea. I dream about this, but it's very hard and I think some years I need wait.

LEMON: But he's grateful to have a safe place in Lviv, found through his friends.

MALAPURA: Thanks God, thanks my friends, thanks my lack of faith but I find this place.

LEMON: As the war continues, Opryshko is working to place the displaced in an informal network of 20 small shelters across the city.

OPRYSHKO: We want to give caring support and other people.

LEMON: Doing good in the midst of the bad.

OPRYSHKO: When people, kids, families, they're in danger, you need to do the best what you can. So we did.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Don Lemon, thank you so much.

All right. At any moment now we will hear the remarks coming from the president of the United States and Dr. Jill Biden. They're all at this ceremonial commissioning of a nuclear submarine named USS Delaware.

We'll be right back.

[11:32:53]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right. The job market is red hot. Employers added 431,000 jobs in March. The unemployment rate is now at a pandemic low, 3.6 percent. President Biden said yesterday that rising inflation is still the big battle right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: More and more Americans get jobs as they do. It's going to help ease the supply pressures we've seen. And that's good news for fighting inflation. That's good news for our economy and it means that our economy has gone from being on the mend to being on the move.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: For now, though, inflation is inflicting real pain on everyday Americans. I think everyone is feeling the pain, whether you're at the pump or whether you're in the grocery store.

CNN's Nadia Romero is with me right now. So Nadia, you spoke actually with one small business owner and what are some of the concerns that are being expressed?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think it's hard because there are so many layers when you look at the economy, Fred. So we have the president telling us about how we have this great job growth, that businesses are booming all across the country.

But when you look at another layer, when you talk to those small business owners, they say they're being impacted by inflation at just dramatic rates.

We went to one metro Atlanta bakery. They have been in business only for about seven or so years and they're seeing the price of just about everything go up for them.

Basic ingredients. I mean you try to make a cupcake without flour or sugar or butter, all of those things have sometimes -- at some points doubled over the past couple of years and they're still trying to figure out how to make a profit and not pass on so much of that down to their customers.

So listen to one of the owners talk about what it's been like for her not just ingredients but also keeping together a good workforce.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASCHA ADELEYA, CO-OWNER OF KUPCAKERIE: Ingredients for sure. And then, you know, also when you are busier, labor goes up and we want to pay our employees a competitive wage.

So that in turn increases labor costs. So it kind of just all hit at one time. But definitely ingredients. Like I said, the bill ended up doubling what it had been when pre-COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: That hurts.

ROMERO: When you listen to just how every line item has gone up, so we sat down and we went over their invoices and even the owner, her husband, said to me, I can't believe it. Like seeing it in black and white makes it even more real.

So that they've had to raise their prices just a little bit, gas prices are affecting them. They deliver cupcakes. They'll come right to your door. But it costs them more now because of gas prices and in every way they're being impacted.

[11:39:54]

WHITFIELD: And that's a tough decision that a lot of business owners are having to make. I mean they are feeling the real pinch of higher prices for all of their ingredients and they're debating on whether to raise some of their prices because they don't want to lose their customers and they also have to pay their employees.

ROMERO: They do. And this is a small business owner, right? and so they don't have a bunch of investors lined up. They can't waiver (ph) the storm as well as a big box store. So raising their price, their customers may notice and they could just very easily go to a different store.

They're hoping that their customers will be loyal. They are expecting baby number two. They're also expecting to open up their second Kupcakerie too. So they have a lot going on --

WHITFIELD: Expansion in a lot of ways. Well good luck to them. I'm going to visit Kupcakerie, too because I love a good bakery.

All right. Nadia Romero, good to see you. Thank you so much.

All right, at any moment now, President Biden will speak at the ceremonial commissioning of a nuclear submarine named for his home state of Delaware -- the USS Delaware.

[11:40:56]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

New today, Ukrainian officials say they have finally reclaimed the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, raising their country's flag over the complex weeks after it was captured by Russian forces.

But there remain questions about why the Russians left so quickly and how much radiation they may have been exposed to.

Here's CNN's David McKenzie.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the early stages of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, you'll remember those images of Russian tanks entering Chernobyl, the site of the worst accident in nuclear history.

And now in the recent hours there's been questions raised about the state of Russian soldiers that departed the Chernobyl area in recent days, within the last 24 hours, in fact.

There is a statement from the state-owned nuclear agency in Ukraine saying that they believe that Russian soldiers had built fortifications and dug trenches in the red forest. Now that is an area that saw the worst fallout from that nuclear accident in 1986. Now radiation levels have of course, dropped drastically since then. But that state-owned agency says that those soldiers were panicked before they left.

CNN couldn't independently verify that assessment, but there is a worry that they could have had some level of radiation exposure. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke to CNN on Friday saying there were some levels of raised radiation, but after so much time since that accident, that the levels overall in Chernobyl are low.

They are requesting information from the Russians about possible exposure and he's looking to go to the site as soon as possible.

David McKenzie, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Thank you, David.

All right. At any moment now President Biden will speak at the ceremonial commissioning of a nuclear submarine named after his state, the USS Delaware. We're listening in and we'll take you there live.

[11:47:43]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, we want to take you straight to Wilmington, Delaware, and the ceremonial commemoration of the USS Delaware. Here's the president.

(LIVE EVENT):

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My name is Joe Biden. I am Jill's husband.

It's always a good day when I get to celebrate Delaware or spend time with service members and their families or introduce Jill. That's a trifecta in my family.

Governor Carney, Senator Carper, Senator coons, Congresswoman Blunt- Rochester, Secretary del Toro, Commander Horton -- all the crew members and families of the USS Delaware. I'm genuinely honored to be with you. This latest ship to carry the USS Delaware is part of a long -- part of a long tradition of serving our nation proudly and strengthening our nation's security -- security of the United States of America. Not just us but our allies and partners around the world as well.

In fact, it's already been doing that for some time. So I just want to say thank you to everyone -- to everyone involved in bringing this submarine to service, for those who laid (ph) the keel, for those sailors who will crew it and all through all the years to come.

And I want you to know that I've had an incredible partner. Jill has watched over the progress of the USS Delaware for years. The daughter of a navy signalman during World War II, the mother of a member of the Delaware National Guard, the grandmother of children who experienced having their father deployed away from home for years at a time.

She always holds our military and their families in her heart, and that is not hyperbole. That's real. And I'm deeply proud of the work she's doing as first lady with joining forces initiative she started with Michelle Obama when she was vice president and now carries on.

As first lady, she's been to more military installations around the world. She's hosted more than 20 events for military families. And she's working -- working to expand economic opportunities for military spouses who, by the way, in the worlds of Keats, they also serve not only stand and wait and submarine spouse stands and waits a lot.

And they help military kids for the support they need and to make sure survivors and caregivers have the resources they deserve. It's a true passion for Jill and for our entire family.

As your commander in chief, I believe it is our sacred obligation as a nation to prepare and equip those troops that we send into harm's way and to care for them and their families when they return home.

Now, now it's my honor to introduce your first lady, the sponsor of this great vessel, Jill Biden.

(SHOW)

WHITFIELD: You heard the president of the United States there introducing his wife, who's been working really hard on this USS Delaware over the years. It's already been commissioned once at sea and now this formal commissioning of the vessel right here on land.

I want to bring in now CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann. He's got more information on how this came to be, CNN White House reporter Jasmine Wright, and former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus.

Oren, to you first, about the significance of this more formal commissioning after it was already commissioned at sea.

LIEBERMANN: Well, this is part of the Navy's history, part of a ship's history. And remember a ship is not just a thing to the Navy, it is a she, it's a living being, and this becomes part of its story and part of its life, which is part of the explanation as to why this is so important.

First Lady Jill Biden is the sponsor. She has taken part in that story, the milestones of the ship for it to get to this point. And this of course, even if isn't the commissioning itself which took place back in April 2020, a couple of years ago, it is still an incredibly important milestone for the ship, for the VIPs that are here, for the guests, for the crew of the ship itself.

It is worth noting that when the ship was commissioned a couple of years ago it became the first ship ever to commissioned in the U.S. Navy at sea, submerged. And it was simply a matter of the times because that was right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic when the world pretty much shut down.

But now, in better times, this ceremony is able to take place with the USS Delaware.

[11:54:55]

LIEBERMANN: We heard from President Joe Biden just a minute ago. Interesting what he talked about and what he didn't talk about.

He chose not to talk in any direct way about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He did make reference to the importance of U.S. naval power and the importance of the U.S. military helping to secure not only the U.S. but its allies, but he didn't go further than that really.

Instead he spent much of the rest of his speech essentially introducing his wife, Jill Biden. She is now speaking behind us in her role not only with the ship but in what she does professionally and the importance of today's event for her, for the ship, for the crew, and for others.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Oren.

And so Jasmine, you are traveling with the president. Is this the expectation that that's the most we'll hear from the president, his introduction of his wife, Dr. Jill Biden?

Or is it anticipated that there will be an opportunity, perhaps not right there on stage, but another opportunity as you and others with the White House travel with the president that he will be making any other remarks?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, there are always potentially opportunities for the president to speak, say if he goes to church later on today as he's known to do on Saturdays when he is in Wilmington, if he wants to answer questions from reporters.

But in terms of his remarks, I think we can look at this as fulsome (ph) remarks. Of course, Oren is right. What was important is what he talked about. Talking about First Lady Jill Biden's excessive attention really, incredible attention to military members.

He said that she has hosted more than 20 events for military families as first lady but also what he didn't talk about, which is Ukraine. Although, we know that it's certainly something top of mind for both the president and the White House at large, constantly as these weeks have gone by.

And since the Russian invasion, we know week by week the president has talked to not only allies in Europe, from Italy, from Germany, beyond to also President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, having some of those just that week.

And the last time, Fred, that we really saw the president engaging with troops in really a personal matter was when he took that snap trip to Brussels and Poland both to shore up the alliance that the U.S. has with its NATO allies.

And when he talked to military members in Poland, including 82nd Airborne Division, he said that what they are fighting for is a wider fight between democracies and oligarchies. But also he said that it is a fight to see exactly what the future is going to look like for the children, the future of freedom here.

So certainly, this is something always that the president says is on top of his mind, the security and I think we heard him touch a bit on it though he did not make that direct link to Ukraine.

We heard him touch a bit on the security as well as the security at large here.

WHITFIELD: Former secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is back with us. And Mr. Secretary, I love what you were talking about earlier with this Virginia class attack submarine. You said this really is a fast-attack submarine. There's nothing else like it. And the best of the best will be serving on this submarine.

Explain to everybody why it is so important to add yet this vessel, the USS Delaware, to the Navy's arsenal of ships.

MABUS: Naval power is the foundation of America and of our country and of our military. And these Virginia class-attack submarines give us the ability to do so many things. They have a myriad of missions including delivering Special Forces like SEALs to patrolling the world's waterways undetected. And it gives us a military edge. It gives us protection for this country.

And the fact that this one is named Delaware and has the first lady as sponsor, because a sponsor becomes an integral part of the ship and will be a part of that ship's life for as long as it is in the fleet. But this -- these sorts of ships, they're more expensive than conventional submarines, but they give us an edge, and you never, ever want to send United States sailors or any troops into a fair fight.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks to all of you -- former secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Oren Liebermann, Jasmine Wright. Appreciate it.

We'll continue to monitor and listen and watch. And we thank you for being with us.

Hello again, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We begin in Ukraine. Russian forces launching a series of new attacks as civilians try to escape. Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine hit evacuation convoys and railways. The Russians also striking a key oil refinery in the central part of the country.

[11:59:58]

WHITFIELD: These new assaults coming just a day after Russian officials say Ukrainian helicopters crossed into Russia for the first time, destroying a fuel depot.