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Zelenskyy Reacts To Horror From Bucha Calling It Genocide; Manhunt Underway After Mass Shooting In Downtown Sacramento; C.D.C. Announces Pandemic-Era Migrant Restriction To End May 23. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 03, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:05]

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

We begin with the breaking news out of Ukraine. Gruesome new images are giving us a small glimpse at the horror of what is happening on the ground there as Russian troops withdraw from the town of Bucha, near Kyiv.

The pictures of what is left behind are very disturbing, extremely graphic, we do want to warn you, but we believe it's important for you to see them to understand what is happening within that country.

These new images into CNN showing bodies of at least 20 civilian men lying on a street in Bucha, some of the men executed with their hands tied behind their backs. And CNN is now able to confirm the existence of a mass grave there as well.

A CNN team saw at least a dozen bodies in body bags piled inside the grave, some partially covered, the Mayor of Bucha saying there could be up to 300 victims buried at that site. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying today Russia's actions are genocide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Some things that they have done, when we find people with -- with hands tied behind their back and decapitated, such things I don't understand. I don't comprehend.

The kids who were killed and tortured, so it wasn't enough just to kill for those criminals. Maybe they wanted to take gold or washing machines, and they were killing them, but they were also torturing them as they did this.

Indeed, this is genocide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's go to CNN's Fred Pleitgen who was in Bucha today. You saw this mass grave, firsthand. Tell me about your other impressions. FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there,

Fredricka. Well, first of all, Bucha is indeed completely destroyed. There are very few buildings that are still intact, like many of the other places around the northwest of Kyiv, where of course, the Russian forces held large parts of that area, but there was also some pretty heavy fighting as well.

And we were going through Bucha accompanied by the Ukrainian National Police and they then actually took us to a church and it was on the compound of that church, we walked around to the back and that's where we saw this mass grave.

Now on the part of the mass grave that we were at, which was still uncovered, there were about a dozen bodies, maybe a few more and most of them were in plastic bags. You can see it here. Unfortunately, some of the limbs were still sort of out in the open of some of these bodies.

However, the National Police that we were with, they said that there were many, many more. They said between 150 and 200 possibly, you've said the Mayor of Bucha has said around 300, possibly any of those numbers are certainly very much possible because the people there had told us that they started filling this mass grave, essentially, when the Russians moved into that area and occupied that area simply because there were so many civilian casualties under that Russian occupation that took place.

So that mass grave has been filling up, more and more people have been buried there, and I can tell you, it was an extremely sad sight for us to be there.

There was a gentleman there who was with a neighbor and a family member who just broke down in tears and was crying, he was looking for his younger brother and was convinced that the younger brother was now in the mass grave, that all the hopes he had had of finding his younger brother alive, those were all obviously then crushed at that moment, and that person was just absolutely beside himself.

So it's a very, very sad scene there in Bucha. And unfortunately, Fredricka, one that we've seen play out in other places, to the northwest of Kyiv as well. We visited several other locations where we unfortunately saw similar things, absolute destruction, and in some places, still bodies on the street as well -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so that means, one can only guess that this scene is being replicated many times over. The difference is access. You know, you and other crews are still unable to get to other cities that really may be replicas of this horrific scene.

PLEITGEN: Yes, absolutely. It certainly is something that could very well be the case. And look, I have now been in three or four districts to the northwest of Kyiv and to the west of Kyiv after Russian forces pulled out of those districts. There was one, you know, the main highway that goes to the west where there also, we found cars, some of which had been shot at with dead bodies in front of those, in some cases badly burned dead bodies. There was another district that we were in today called Borodyanka, it

is not a district, it is actually a town called Borodyanka where we also saw massive destruction there, and a family there actually invited us into their house and said that they had Russian soldiers who were staying there and they showed us that the whole had been ransacked.

[15:05:12]

PLEITGEN: There were alcohol bottles standing, around their entire clothes had been thrown on the floor. But then they also took us into their backyard, Fredricka, and they showed us there was a dead body laying in the backyard, a dead man with his hands tied behind his back, his feet tied together, and severe bruises on his legs. And we also found out in that dead body was the shell casing of a gun next to the head of that dead body, obviously showing that that person had been essentially executed.

So those are the things that we're seeing on the outskirts of Kyiv, and it truly is incredible to see some of this, that some of this would happen in such a short period of time. Of course, the Russians have withdrawn from any of those places now, leaving behind a lot of their destroyed tanks. That's the other thing that we're seeing a lot. The Russians definitely took a lot more losses than they've been letting on -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right now, Day 39 of this invasion. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much.

Leaders around the world are condemning Russia's actions in Bucha and calling for investigations into possible war crimes. CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House for us, so Arlette, how is the Biden administration reacting to all of this?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the Biden administration today is expressing shock over these scenes that are playing out in that town of Bucha, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, describing it as a punch to the gut. Now, while Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has called and said that this amounts to genocide.

Both Blinken and the NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg today refrained from calling it a genocide, but the State Department is insisting that Russia must and will be held accountable for this pattern of brutality that they've been conducting in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: You can't help but see these images as a punch to the gut.

There needs to be accountability for it, but I think the most important thing is we can't become numb to this. We can't normalize this.

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: Until and unless the Kremlin de-escalates, until and unless the violence diminishes, and until and unless these kinds of atrocities come to an end, so I suspect you will very soon see additional pressure applied.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: And Blinken said that the U.S. and State Department are continuing to gather information and document these possible war crimes to help with any investigations.

Of course, the United States last month did say that they believe that Russia was perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine, but there is still that formal investigation as the International Criminal Court is investigating whether those war crimes have been committed.

Another step to watch here in the U.S. is whether more sanctions might be applied in the wake of these horrific scenes that we've seen play out over the course of the weekend. The U.S. has always insisted that they have additional measures, additional sanctions that could be on the table.

So in the coming days, we will see whether the administration might trigger those sanctions going into effect, especially they have seen these brutal scenes playing out over and over by Russia in Ukraine -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Arlette Saenz at the White House. Thank you.

All right, let's bring in Lieutenant General Mark Hertling now. He is a CNN military analyst and a former Army Commanding General for Europe and the Seventh Army. Good to see you, General. So what's your reaction to these images that we're seeing coming out of Bucha?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, first Fred, what I'll do is provide you from rote memory, the definition of a war crime. The laws of war prohibit willful killing, torture, pillage, rape, looting, or inhumane treatment, which is, they're all defined in law of captured combatants or civilians. And anyone who orders or commits or aids and abets others in doing any of those things, is responsible for the crime.

How do I know that by rote memory? Because I've had to memorize that several times, taking Law of War classes before I took command of large organizations. So any Commander that knows this kind of thing is going on, within their unit, or who even may not know it is going on, but has suspicions of it is responsible for it.

So as a Commander in combat on multiple occasions, I was always on the lookout for this kind of behavior. And, you know, there are certainly instances, there were small instances of U.S. soldiers committing crimes in combat against the enemy or against local citizens, but those individuals were immediately tried and disciplined for their action.

But when you see it on such a large scale, this is part of the Russian plan. This is something we've been seeing for so long. These are not new war crimes. These are just additional war crimes in addition to what we've been seeing in Mariupol and Chernihiv, and other cities where there has been deliberate targeting of the civilian population. It's just now we're seeing it up close and personal and it is such a disgusting behavior.

[15:10:07]

WHITFIELD: So, while there might be consequences later, seeing -- the world seeing these images now, do you believe this will elicit a real game change?

HERTLING: I certainly hope it does. We've been talking about this for a while, and many of us have been anticipating these kinds of crimes occurring, and I think some of us has said, we need to be prepared as much of a hammer as we've dropped so far, the rest of that hammer should come down across the international community on Russia.

They should know that they are now -- that Mr. Putin especially, but also his Generals should know that they are international pariahs. They will never be accepted on the world stage again, that their country should be continued to be sanctioned on the hardiest measures, in my view, and they should be eliminated from attending any kind of international or global conference or get together.

All of those things should happen, and I believe that United States and other countries will begin a more forceful enforcement of some of these things.

WHITFIELD: So those are in the international --

HERTLING: And in addition to that, as Arlette said just a minute ago, this has to be formally submitted to the Criminal Court in The Hague, as part of ICC complaints by multiple nations.

WHITFIELD: So some of the things you spelled out are things that the international community needs to consider, but as it pertains to the U.S., what do you suppose the conversations are like right now in the White House and State Department about what the U.S. is willing to do? What's the next step it is willing to do besides sanctions, besides offering money or military assets?

HERTLING: Well, you know, Fred, I've said before that there has been -- you know, a few weeks ago, we had this discussion about a Tiger Team in the White House. That's something that is ongoing in the different levels of government between State, the Defense Department, the National Security Council, they have been deliberating on what they should do for certain activities committed by Russia.

I would bet this falls into one of those categories of additional considerations, and I think soon, we will see the President as well as our allies and partners, coming to a conclusion on what an announcement should be. And truthfully, not having been in those meetings, I don't know what the repercussions would be. But I would suggest having been in those meetings in the past that there is a synchronized list of events that will happen next, and I think they're going to be painful, more painful on Russia.

WHITFIELD: U.S. military aid, while it may stall the war, as Congressman Garamendi just mentioned to me last hour, it doesn't necessarily help end the war. In your view, what will? HERTLING: You know, that is the question of the day. And Fred,

truthfully, I'm not even going to try and answer that because nobody can provide the accurate answer. A lot of people who are getting on TV saying this will cause it or that will cause it. They're all wrong. It is all in the minds of the President of Russia. He is the one that is continuing to commit these atrocities and continue to execute this campaign, whether it's the one he initially started to execute over a month ago, or the one he is thinking about continuing executing, it's all an attempt to subjugate a foreign nation.

And the only thing that will stop this is Mr. Putin either stopping it on his own or having his Army completely destroyed, not defeated, but destroyed on the battlefield. And I think that we will see that soon because he has lost a very large percentage of his combat force already, and I think he is struggling to determine what to do next.

But I think his Army, his military is on the verge of being destroyed, not defeated and there's a difference between the two.

WHITFIELD: General Mark Hertling, thank you so much. Appreciate you.

HERTLING: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come, police in Sacramento are asking the public for information about a shooting that left six people dead and another 10 injured, the latest on the search for suspect or suspects.

Plus, D.H.S. is preparing for a worst case scenario at the Southern border after news that a Trump-era restriction will soon be lifted. We will take you live to Texas, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:18:40]

WHITFIELD: A manhunt is underway after a mass shooting in downtown Sacramento earlier today, six people were killed and 10 more injured. Right now, police don't have any details surrounding the shooting other than saying a large crowd had gathered at an intersection when shots rang out around 2:00 AM.

City officials spoke out moments ago demanding an end to the sickness of gun violence. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR DARRELL STEINBERG, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: This morning, our city has a broken heart. This is a senseless and unacceptable tragedy, and I emphasize the word "unacceptable."

Thoughts and prayers, of course are appropriate for the victims and their families and the people who are still -- who are fighting for their lives now in the hospital, but thoughts and prayers are not nearly enough. We must do more as a city, as a state, and as a nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And we'll keep you updated on the story as it develops.

All right, the Biden administration is ending a Trump-era immigration rule putting restrictions on migrants coming into the U.S. because of the pandemic, the rule and May 23 decision, which has drawn ire on both sides of the aisle, and today White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain admitted that more work needs to be done at the border.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joining us live now from Hidalgo, Texas.

[15:20:06]

So you spoke with people trying to seek asylum and what did you learn?

[15:20:11]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did, Fred. We spent the morning just across the Rio Grande in the Mexican city of Reynosa in speaking to these families that have been waiting now for well, for many of them, for months for that Title 42 to expire, we found that news that came from the Biden administration on Friday, it is still spreading even two days later, and people are barely finding out right now that they may have an opportunity very soon to legally enter the United States and seek asylum.

And remember, these are families that have been waiting in these makeshift tent shelters, not just here in Reynosa, but really all throughout Northern Mexico, these families that have been waiting in squalid conditions for months, I met one man today that said he has been waiting there for over a year, waiting for Title 42 to be lifted, to have that opportunity.

And what I heard over and over again is, in this community that you can see from the air and then also from ground level, is that all of them have that date in mind, May 23rd when the Biden administration announced on Friday that public health authority will be allowed to expire and possibly allow many of these migrant families to finally enter the United States through a port of entry and petition for asylum.

Among them, Liliana Lopez. We met the 34-year-old mother from Honduras earlier this morning, who in December -- rather in November, illegally entered the United States and because of Title 42 was quickly deported back to Reynosa where she has been waiting with her 11-year-old child, until now, when she says come late May, they plan to try again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILIANA LOPEZ, HONDURAN MOTHER (through translator): This announcement makes us all very happy. Thank God, I may soon have a chance to enter the U.S. and petition for asylum the legal way and with my family.

Sadly, I've seen many parents forced to send their children across the border alone because of the conditions we are forced to wait in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So many parents just like her, including Sonia Vasquez, a 40-year-old mother from Guatemala, who is also waiting with her 12- year-old child across the border and waiting for that opportunity.

But look, Fred, everybody is also very well aware that the lifting of Title 42 is far from a guarantee, and we heard that today, as you mentioned, from the White House Chief of Staff basically reiterating what we've heard from other Cabinet members, that still, all of these asylum cases will be subjected, that the streamline process, that all of the cases have been going through and deportations will still continue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON KLAIN, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: We have people showing up with asylum claims from places like Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brazil -- people fleeing regimes where they are feeling persecution coming here to make asylum claims.

I think the goal for everyone should be to make sure those asylum claims, those claims of people fleeing persecution are heard in a proper way, those who deserve protection from persecution, get that protection, those who don't are properly sent back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And finally, the question that will remain leading into late May is whether or not the U.S. government will actually have a streamlined process in place to be able to receive families just like the one that you just heard from right now.

There is concern that all of these communities that have popped up in northern Mexico, there will be many people who basically petition the U.S. government and the concern is that that could lead to overcrowded detention facilities on the north side of the border here in the United States.

WHITFIELD: All right, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much in Hidalgo, Texas.

All right, coming up. More unbearable than war, why thousands of refugees in Poland are actually trying to go back to Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:06]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

More than four million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the invasion, more than half of them have fled to safety in Poland, but some refugees are making the difficult decision to return back home to their war-torn country in the middle of this invasion, still.

For more on this, let's go to CNN's Kyung Lah who is in Warsaw, Poland. So Kyung, tell us more about what you're seeing and hearing from refugees who are getting frustrated in Poland?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, we're actually starting to get used to some of these images, seeing Ukrainians with all their belongings on these train platforms, carrying everything they own just to you know, make it to safety. That the differences is that we're here in Warsaw and the people that you're seeing here, they are heading to Lviv.

They are not staying in Poland, choosing instead to head home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (voice over): At the bus station in Warsaw, Poland, the platform is hacked. But not with people arriving from Ukraine.

They are heading back: Reality of life as a refugee more unbearable than war. Katerina Vovk says after two weeks, she is returning to Kyiv.

LAH (on camera): What is it like trying to live away from home all this time?

KATERINA VOVK, RETURNING TO KYIV, UKRAINE: So bad. Because you don't know what is wrong with your relatives with your family.

LAH: It's not a permanent way to live.

VOVK: Yes.

LAH (voice over): The Polish government says two and a half million Ukrainians had come in since the war began. As of this weekend, 442,000 have gone from Poland back to Ukraine.

Housing is a problem as Poland struggles to absorb the influx of women, children, and the elderly.

Poland's residents had welcomed Ukrainian families into their homes, but leaving on strange floors and out of bags can only go on for so long.

[15:30:06]

LAH (voice over): Poland allows Ukrainians to work and collect government assistance, but there is the red tape standing in long lines with fellow war refugees to file the proper papers.

And then there's childcare and schooling, trying to raise kids with new language and cultural barriers. Poland wants to help, but nearly six weeks into this war, the signs of strain are getting harder to ignore.

MAYOR RAFAL TRZASKOWSKI, WARSAW, POLAND: The Polish people will welcome Ukrainians whatever happens because they are fighting for our freedom. And we do understand that, but of course, there is a certain limit -- human limits what we can do.

LAH (on camera): When you say you're at capacity, what do you mean?

TRZASKOWSKI: The population of my city has grown almost by 20 percent in a month. So of course, it puts an enormous strain on the city on its services, and we are doing our best. We are welcoming everyone who needs help, but you know, improvisation has to end.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (on camera): So we are seeing a lot of mothers, a lot of children on this platform. Tonight, we spoke with a pregnant woman who says that she is going home to Ukraine because she doesn't want to have the baby alone in Poland, in a foreign country.

Another woman who has a business in Ukraine, who says here in Poland, her heart has been shattered into a million pieces that she just can't stay here any longer.

So a lot of these decisions are very emotional. The bus here for Lviv has just arrived, Fredricka, this bus leaves in about 10 minutes.

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. That is extraordinary. But then I wonder, have any of them expressed to you that while they miss home, and it is very frustrating being a refugee at the same time, they are afraid of their journey back and what they're going to see when they get there.

LAH: Yes, you know, they are not -- the people we are talking to are certainly aware of what is happening. They are watching the news as it is being delivered on CNN. They see the social media reports. They know what lies ahead.

But they're also saying they know the reality here. They already know what Poland can offer and they want to try to go home.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my. All right, Kyung Lah, thank you so much for bringing us that perspective. It's amazing.

Joining me right now to talk about the Ukrainian refugee crisis, Melanie Nezer. She is the Senior Vice President with HIAS, which is a nonprofit organization that works with governments to resettle refugees in the United States.

Melanie, so good to see you.

MELANIE NEZER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HIAS: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: So what's your reaction when you see that point of view that there are Ukrainian refugees who are so frustrated about what it is to be a refugee, that they are willing to risk their lives again, and return to the war zone?

NEZER: Well, I think that really demonstrates the complete uncertainty and lack of control that a person has when they find themselves in this situation, being a refugee. And I think it's -- you know, for the rest of the world, those of us who are not in this situation, it is on us to really make sure that people have options and are welcomed and have as much control as they can over their futures in this really unsettled time.

WHITFIELD: So while the White House has announced a plan to welcome as many as a hundred thousand Ukrainian refugees to the U.S., there are very few details that have been made public about how that process will unfold.

What do you know about what that process might be like for them?

NEZER: Well, we don't have details either, but there are a limited number of things that we can do to welcome these Ukrainians who are fleeing war and persecution, and I do want to say that, we, at HIAS have gotten literally thousands of phone calls from people across the country that want to help.

I mean, there has been an outpouring of support, people who want to host Ukrainian refugees, who want to go to the field and help don't do that, but people who really do see this crisis as something that hits close to home, and we are really gratified by the outpouring of support.

There's also a concept in international refugee policy called responsibility sharing. So just because Poland, as you saw on that last segment is bearing really the responsibility for hosting the vast majority of Ukrainian refugees, it doesn't mean that the rest of the world should just sit by and let that happen. There is a role that the U.S. can play.

So, in this announcement of a hundred thousand Ukrainians admitted to the U.S. The Biden administration didn't give a lot of details, but there are a couple of hints at what the Biden administration might do.

One of those things is they could admit Ukrainians as refugees, which is a permanent status, which gives people a lot of control over their lives. They can decide to stay here on a permanent basis, or they can decide to go home.

Now, I think most of the people, and you're hearing this come out of some of these stories, although this crisis is changing day by day, who wants to come to the U.S. aren't the ones who have relatives back in Ukraine that are really just kind of waiting for things to settle down to go back, but many of them have relatives here in the U.S.

[15:35:05]

NEZER: So if you, for instance, had a brother in the U.S. and you were in Poland and you are a refugee, you might want to go stay with that brother for the duration of the conflict. So admitting someone in refugee status gives them that option, that choice, and that control.

Another option is humanitarian parole, that's a temporary status. It's a little less of a -- you know, it leaves people in limbo, but it is one option, and is certainly on the table.

There is also a private sponsorship. It is something that is where U.S. citizens and residents can get together and sponsor particular relatives, that's a new program that's been set up since the Afghan refugee crisis. So there are a number of things that the administration can do, but we don't know one or how many over the time will come.

WHITFIELD: Okay. And all those things still take some coordination. So say, for aid groups in the U.S., such as yours, you know, at the ready. Do you feel like the existing groups will be able to handle this very large number of a hundred thousand people, in addition to, you know, assisting refugees from other places who also are allowed to be processed in this country.

NEZER: You know, of course, the refugee resettlement system is under a lot of strain. The prior administration really did all it could to contract the system. So, you know, we are building back, slowly, but surely trying to build back capacity, and then Afghanistan happened, and now this crisis is happening.

And of course, we have asylum seekers at our border that we are working with. So we are definitely stretched, but it's not just the resettlement agencies that engage in resettlement. It is people, it is volunteers, thousands of volunteers from church groups, synagogue groups, citizens who want to help.

So if we make a commitment to do it together, it'll be a challenge for sure, but it can be done. And many of these Ukrainians also, as I said, have family members here, which does ease the transition along.

WHITFIELD: All right, Melanie Nezer, thank you so much for your time. And I know there are a lot of people who are awfully grateful for the big hearts that you and so many of your colleagues are extending.

Thanks so much.

NEZER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, the U.S. will provide $50 million to help neighboring Moldova to assist with the impacts of the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

What the U.N. Ambassador just told my colleague, Bianna Golodryga, a CNN exclusive, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:59]

WHITFIELD: The U.S. says more help is on the way for Ukrainian refugees. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations says the U.S. is pledging $50 million to Moldova to assist with the influx of refugees.

CNN's Bianna Golodryga is in Moldova, which is where she was born, and she is traveling with the Ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: You know, I have been watching the news reports of refugees crossing borders into Poland, and as I looked at the map, Moldova is the smallest country, it's the poorest country and per capita is taking the most.

BIANNA GOLODGRYGA, CNN SENIOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Moldova is a very vulnerable country, not only financially, right, but it's a neutral country. And it doesn't have the protection of umbrella organizations like NATO, like even the E.U., they applied for rapid membership.

Given all of that, given that there are new threats coming from Ukrainian officials telling Moldovan officials that they think Russians may be eyeing the Ukraine next, what more can the U.S. do and is willing to do to support this country, not just financially, but its own security?

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: You know, I will be meeting with the President and the Prime Minister later today, and that will be part of the discussion I will have with them, in terms of what else can we do to give you more confidence about your security to address the problems that you might foresee in the future, and I will take that back to Washington and share it with other Cabinet officials to see how we can better support them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that was CNN's Bianna Golodryga with the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

All right, many of you have asked how you can help the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and for more information, you can go to cnn.com/impact.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:48:21]

WHITFIELD: All right, many golf fans were surprised, but elated this morning by a tweet from Tiger Woods. The five-time Masters Champion said he is heading to Augusta, Georgia today to practice and even hinted he might compete in the upcoming Masters tournament.

Woods has not played an official tournament since the Masters in November 2020, which came months before that horrible car accident -- who can forget that -- where he seriously injured his leg, in fact, almost lost it all together.

CNN's Don Riddell is with me to talk more about all of this.

I mean, it's a fabulous part of a comeback story that everybody loves, and if anyone can do it, it's Tiger Woods. But what is really behind this? Is it, you know, really seriously to be competitive, or is it, you know, he misses his peeps?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: I mean, well, all of the above.

WHITFIELD: All of that. RIDDELL: I mean, he loves it. I mean, this would be what -- the 25th

Anniversary since he just destroyed the course, 12 strokes in '97.

WHITFIELD: Nice.

RIDDELL: He loves the comeback story. It was 2019 when he won there, his first major win in 11 years. So if it's going to happen anywhere for Tiger Woods, maybe it's going to be at Augusta, but it does seem a little bit too soon, and even he has acknowledged that.

You know, we saw him play at that kind of family event with his son, and they did pretty well at the end of last year, but even within the last couple of months, he has been saying, look, you know, I can putt well, I can chip well. My short irons are okay. But he hadn't even really been hitting, you know, the big stuff, and you're going to have to do that at Augusta.

And the other thing about Augusta, and he knows, because he has been there, the place is like a giant roller coaster.

WHITFIELD: It is chilly.

RIDDELL: Yes, you know --

WHITFIELD: It's a monster. You've got to be fit.

RIDDELL: It is up a hundred feet down 90 feet.

WHITFIELD: Even as a spectator you've got to be fit to keep up.

RIDDELL: Exactly, and you're not going to get a golf cart at Augusta.

WHITFIELD: Right.

RIDDELL: So you know, could he even hack just the walk? We'll see.

Apparently, he played there the other day with his son and Justin Thomas.

[15:50:08]

WHITFIELD: Really?

RIDDELL: We're hearing he's going to be here for the next few days. He doesn't have to decide until his tee time on Thursday. So that's what he means by game time decision. He is going to leave it until the very last second.

WHITFIELD: Right.

RIDDELL: It does still seem like a long shot, but who knows?

WHITFIELD: Right. But you know what? It's a nice message in hopefulness, too. I mean, he has symbolizes so much throughout his career, throughout his journey, and I mean, audiences of all kinds have learned so much from him. And perhaps, this is yet another lesson that he is helping to demonstrate, which is, you know, you just never give up, you know, and you have to be led by a hopefulness.

RIDDELL: Right. He's never done that. He is 46 years of age.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: He so desperately wants to keep playing and playing well. I'm not sure if he's going to enter just so we can finish last and miss the Cup, but I wouldn't think he'd want to be a part of a performance like that.

But as you say, so much excitement, Rory McIlroy is saying, it would just be phenomenal if he could play. The fans absolutely adore him at Augusta. It'd be great for the event.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: But we'll see. He doesn't mind pain by the way.

WHITFIELD: And for his kids, particularly his son.

RIDDELL: You know, he doesn't mind pain, 2008 U.S. Open, basically he won that on one leg.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

RIDDELL: And if you look at the footage back, every time he hits the ball, he's like -- so ...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: There might be a lot of that if he is playing.

WHITFIELD: Right, we saw him struggling with a lot of pain through the back pain, through so much. And I mean, this probably -- this pain probably dwarfs that one, you know, but I mean, only he could tell us that, but he's going to demonstrate -- I mean, he's a champ.

RIDDELL: And as you say, he could have lost his leg, and that is the big thing is, you know, does he have enough strength in his right leg and his right foot, which he's lucky to have, by the way.

WHITFIELD: Right.

RIDDELL: So, it's going to be a really interesting week seeing how this goes.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's exciting. It's exciting. And plus, you know, the Azaleas are peeking like always. It's just beautiful to watch, I mean, anything happening at the Masters anyway, but of course, all eyes are definitely going to be on him.

RIDDELL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, Don Riddell, thank you so much.

RIDDELL: Cheers. WHITFIELD: Good to see you.

All right, so at this time of year, hillsides like this one in Lake Tahoe are usually buried under several feet of snow. Well next, the stunning new data that reveals just how bad the Western drought has become.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:56:55]

WHITFIELD: All right, new evidence now that California's drought is worsening. State officials say the current snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains will provide just four percent of the average water they see this time of year.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is near Lake Tahoe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, a winter wonderland where people come to enjoy the snow, but this is taking the fun out of it,

In California's last snowpack survey of the wet season, just two and a half inches of snow were measured containing the equivalent of only one inch of water. That's a mere four percent of the April 1st average.

Most of the seven readings here were on dirt and grass.

SEAN DE GUZMAN, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES: As of April 1st, where we should be in terms of our snowpack, we should be standing on roughly five feet of snow so my feet should be roughly right here.

ELAM (voice over): Think of the snowpack as a frozen reservoir. The state says it's responsible for about 30 percent of California's water, including drinking water.

ELAM (on camera): It's a beautiful day out here, but that's actually part of the problem. These rushing waters is because the snowpack is already melting, but not all of this water is going to make it to California's reservoirs, which are already low.

DE GUZMAN: We could be losing it down into the groundwater, down into the soil so that would also help replenish the groundwater.

But at the same time, we could lose some through evaporation.

ELAM (voice over): Winter in California started off wet, but hopes of a drought busting rainy season quickly dried up. By March the state had notched the dry is first three months of a year in its recorded history.

WADE CROWFOOT, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY FOR NATURAL RESOURCES: Some would consider this a wake-up call. I disagree. The alarm has already gone off. Climate change is here and it's been here across the American West.

ELAM (voice over): According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more of Northern California sank into extreme drought, so did parts of Utah and New Mexico. Even worse, parts of Oregon and Nevada are in exceptional drought.

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): We're encouraging people to do the commonsense things.

ELAM (voice over): Last summer, California Governor Gavin Newsom called on residents to cut their water consumption.

NEWSOM: A 15 percent voluntary reduction not only on residences, but industrial commercial operations and agricultural operations.

ELAM (voice over): Now the governor is urging local leaders to institute bans on watering grass, near commercial and industrial buildings. But for residential areas, no mandatory cuts for now.

KARLA NEMETH, DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES: We may really see some mandatory water restrictions in place by the summertime.

ELAM (on camera): As Secretary Crowfoot pointing out that those reliably wet winters that we used to get in California say 50 or 100 years ago, are just not something we should bank on any longer, and therefore, he says that residents in California and throughout the West really do need to change the relationship with water and learn to use less.

Stephanie Elam, CNN, near Lake Tahoe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

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