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Horrors Of Russian Invasion Revealed In Bucha, Ukraine; Russian Shelling In Mykolaiv, Ukraine Left One Dead, 14 Hospitalized; Russian Military Confirms Strike On Odessa Fuel Facility; Manhunt Underway After Mass Shooting In Downtown Sacramento; U.S. Reacting To Images Of Dead Ukrainians In Bucha; Orban's Ties To Putin In The Spotlight Ahead Of Elections; Americans Feeling Impact As Federal COVID-19 Funds Dry Up. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 03, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right, we begin with this breaking news. Shocking new images which show the brutality of what is happening in Ukraine as Russian troops withdraw from the town of Bucha near Kyiv. The pictures of what is left behind are disturbing and extremely graphic. And we do warn you about that but we do believe that it's important for you to see them to understand what's happening within the country.

These new images into CNN showing bodies of at least 20 civilian men lying on a street in Bucha. Some of them 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 a grave. Some partially covered. The mayor of Bucha saying there could be up to 300 victims buried at that site.

And new satellite images taken just last week showing an overhead view of that mass grave on the grounds of the Church of St. Andrew in Bucha.

Today Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling Russia's actions genocide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): According to the law and what they have done, and I want to apologize to you and to those people who are watching us now, but for 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, and your question is absolutely fair, but I don't have the answer. I don't know what law or what imprisonment term would be adequate for this. As the father of two children and as a president, I think that these people, if they are put behind the bars, this is one too little for what they have done.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Is this genocide?

ZELENSKYY (through translator): Indeed. This is genocide. The elimination of the whole nation and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine. We have more than 100 nationalities. This is about the destruction and extermination of all of these nationalities. We are the citizens of Ukraine and we don't want to be subdued to the policy of Russian Federation. This is the reason we are being destroyed.

(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's very few buildings that are still intact. Like many other places around the northwest of Kyiv, where, of course, the Russians forces held large parts of that area, but there were 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. 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 in to 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, and that all the hopes he 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.

[16:05:03]

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 streets 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's certainly something that could very well be the case. 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 near 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 Borodianka. It's not a district, it's actually a town called Borodianka, where we also saw massive destruction there. And a family there actually invited us into their house and said they Russian soldiers were staying there and they showed us that the whole place had been ransacked. 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 lying 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 on that dead body was a 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 in 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 many 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: Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much.

We're also getting new reports that Russia forces are holding nearly a dozen Ukrainian mayors captive and have killed one of them. And earlier we learned of more strikes in Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine and that's where we find CNN's Ben Wedeman.

Ben, what are you learning?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard and saw the missile strikes, multiple missile strikes on this city today. The first one was briefly after midday. What we saw was what appears to be clustered munitions that were rained down, slamming into a residential district, very close to the center of the city. This is an area where civilians lived. There's nothing military in the area. We saw lots of -- windows were shattered. We understand from the regional governor of Mykolaiv that at least one

person was killed, more than a dozen wounded. Now he put out a video of himself walking down the street, and he said that the Russians were trying but failing to cause panic in the city at a time, according to him, that people who fled Mykolaiv are starting to come back. Now, this -- and, in fact, into this evening we did hear what sounded like some sort of strike on the edge of up to.

And, of course, this is a city that has come under repeated barrages over the last, basically, since the war began, and, of course, we're also hearing from the Ukrainian deputy prime minister that Russian forces have detained 11 Ukrainian mayors, and apparently executed one of them in the areas under Russian control. Now CNN cannot independently verify that claim.

The deputy prime minister said that the Ukrainian government would alert the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and other international organizations to the capture of those mayors, but what we are hearing from people coming out of the areas that have been taken by the Russians is that Russian troops seemed to be simply stealing, looting, intimidating every step of the way. There doesn't seem to have been any attempt in the areas they control to establish any sort of order -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

So the Russian military is now confirming it was responsible for a strike on a fuel facility this morning in Ukraine's key port city of Odessa.

CNN's Ed Lavandera arrived on the scene of that attack shortly after the missiles hit.

[16:10:01]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just before sunrise, multiple air strikes struck a fuel storage facility here in the city of Odessa. A key port city on the southern coast along the Black Sea. This is the most significant attack Odessa has seen since the war in Ukraine started.

Just after the attack, we were able to make our way to the scene. It's mostly an industrial area of the city, but there are a number of apartment buildings and homes on a hill overlooking the fuel storage facility. We spoke with several residents in that area who described the terrifying moments of the blast, of windows being shattered, people scrambling to take cover in those initial moments as the fires and explosion continued to rage there, just several hundred yards away from where they were standing.

So terrifying moments here this morning. But what is also interesting and the residents that we spoke to, three different people tell us that they had been hearing reconnaissance drones flying over the area for several days. And many people had the belief that something bad was about to happen because of that. Russian military officials say they fired high-precision missiles at these targets from land and sea locations. That they were targeting this fuel storage facility because it is providing fuel to Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian military officials say that there were no injuries at the blast site, but throughout most of the day, even hours and hours after the blast happened, firefighters at that scene are still continuing to fight the blaze.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Odessa, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's now bring in Colonel Cedric Leighton. He's a CNN military analyst.

Colonel, so good to see you. So that Russian forces would strike this fuel facility in Odessa today, can you give us an idea what this says about the Russian strategy?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: So, Fredricka, what it looks like is that they are moving in to try to work an invasion or an amphibious ending of some type in Odessa or in the Odessa region. That does fit in line with some of the things that we have seen them do. They have deployed amphibious ships as well as surface combatants in the Black Sea. Those surface combatants have the capability of sending missiles into Odessa such as, you know, what we see on the screen right now.

And that is something that is in line with the Russian strategy to in essence squeeze Ukraine as tightly as possible, eliminate its port, that major port there of Odessa as a viable means of resupplying Ukraine and as an economic lifeline for the country. And that will then be done in concert with their activities in the east, in the Donbas region. So I think this is I think their new tactic, or at least a new way of -- into a workable war plan for them.

So they think they can get Odessa. They think they can get the eastern part of Ukraine. And I think that's what we'll see a lot more action in the next few days.

WHITFIELD: All right. And now let me ask you about these horrific images coming out of Bucha, and how it also demonstrates the torture of people. How do you see this influencing the international community and the response to this Russian invasion?

LEIGHTON: Well, it's pretty clear to me after having seen the pictures and listening to the description from Fred Pleitgen that this is genocide. There is no other way to describe it. Genocide is normally defined as the deliberate elimination of a nationality or an ethnic group, and this is a function of that, is what you see here in Bucha and probably in other towns, sadly, throughout Ukraine, that are now under Russian control.

So this seems to be a systematic pattern on the part of the Russian forces. This is something that absolutely must be handled by the International Criminal Court. The International Court of Justice in the Hague. War crimes are clearly being committed here and they need to be prosecuted.

WHITFIELD: How do you see this potentially impacting considerations the U.S. is making in terms of its continued involvement or if it will pivot to a different kind of involvement and commitment as a result of these images?

LEIGHTON: Yes. That's going to be a very interesting journey I think for the United States and for other NATO countries. The images that we see are somewhat reminiscent of what was seen in Bosnia, you know, in the late 1990s. And it's also somewhat reminiscent of World War II, quite frankly, and of course, we got involved very much so in World War II. We got involved in the Balkans as well. There could very well be -- to do more, take a more active military role in this.

[16:15:04]

The difficulty that the U.S. administration will have, if there is public pressure to do that, is going to be that they need to bring all of the NATO nations on board, or at least a majority of them in order to have an effect on the ground in Ukraine.

Do I see military forces, NATO military forces in Ukraine? Not at the moment, but it might take a few more pictures like the ones we saw, and that could happen. You know, no matter what we're told, you know, by our leadership at the moment I think it's something that is distinctly possible, and it's something that, you know, is, you know, a possible outcome, which, of course, is a very dangerous path that we could be on here.

WHITFIELD: So far the U.S. has committed millions in military arsenal to Ukraine. Much more is on the way. Earlier today I spoke with Congressman Garamendi who said this kind of military arsenal does stall the war, but my question is, if it now means trying to end the war, how will this happen?

LEIGHTON: Yes. I think you need a bit more than the types of equipment that are coming into Ukraine right now. Not to diminish what's going on there because it is actually a very substantial logistical effort that is being handled quite well at the moment by the NATO forces as well as for the United States. So this logistical movement is definitely going to help the Ukrainians at least in the short term.

The Ukrainians, though, are going to need a lot more in order to maintain the viability of their country and to be able to move the Russians even further back, and that's going to require not only these types of weapons, whether it be drones or long-range artillery, and certainly defense assets, but it's also going to require far more personnel who are going to go in and serve as advanced forces for the Ukrainian military in order to combat the Russians directly on the ground. That said, that's I think what will probably be the next phase in this conflict.

WHITFIELD: Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And now more very sad news out of Ukraine. Ukrainian photojournalist Maksym Levin was killed by Russian troops according to Ukraine's attorney general. Known as Max, he worked for a number of Western news outlets including Reuters and the BBC. His body was found with two gunshot wounds and his body was found north of Kyiv. One of Levin's friends described him as an energetic and tenacious reporter who often looked like he had no fear.

This morning Ukrainian President Zelenskyy issued a decree posthumously awarding a medal for bravery. He was just 40 years old.

And still ahead, a manhunt under way in California after more than a dozen people were shot in downtown Sacramento. Six of them killed. Details, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:22:18]

WHITFIELD: A manhunt is under way after a mass shooting in downtown Sacramento earlier this morning. Six people were killed and a dozen 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 a.m. Police still do not have a suspect and are asking for the public's help.

CNN's Josh Campbell joining me right now. So, John, I imagine the city is looking at surveillance video. What more did you learn from their press conference?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. City officials are pleading with the public to help law enforcement with this ongoing manhunt. They're asking anyone with information about the shooter or with video from the scene to call the police. This after a deadly night in the California capital. This was two blocks from the state capitol building in an area with several restaurants and bars.

Six people have been confirmed dead. At least 12 injured. Now in that press conference a short time ago local officials also took issue with the pattern we often see after these kinds of mass violent incidents. We hear calls for thoughts and prayers, but rarely is that followed by any action. Watch.

(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) CAMPBELL: Now, at this point authorities don't know whether they're dealing with one or multiple shooters and they have not yet released a suspected motive. There is a video circulating on social media showing a physical altercation involving a group of people just as those shots rang out. That video has not been confirmed by CNN but Sacramento police said a short time ago they are aware of it, they are asking for anyone who has additional video to contact authorities.

Again, Fred, a deadly night. Yet another mas shooting in the United States. Six dead, 12 injured. The shooter is still at large.

WHITFIELD: All right. Josh Campbell, thanks so much.

All right, still ahead, the new brutal images from Ukraine painting a stark reality of Putin's war. The Ukrainian president calling it genocide. How is the White House responding? We'll go there, live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:29:13]

WHITFIELD: We're continuing to follow the breaking news out of Ukraine where a mass grave has been discovered in the town of Bucha along with executed civilians laying in the streets. And we do need to warn you that the images you're about to see are graphic.

A CNN team was there on the scene and saw bodies lying in this mass grave. The horrifying discovery made by -- made, rather, as Russian troops were withdrawing from the region. The European Union calling it a massacre and vowing fresh sanctions and the secretary general of the United Nations saying this on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: It is a brutality against civilians we haven't seen in Europe for decades, and it's horrific and it's absolutely unacceptable that civilians are targeted and killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:30:06]

WHITFIELD: CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House for us.

So, Arlette, is anything coming out of the White House in terms of how they are looking at these pictures and how it's challenging what they're going to do next?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, the Biden administration today is expressing shock over these scenes coming out of Bucha over the weekend, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken describing it as a punch to the gut. Now while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that this amounts to genocide, both Blinken and the NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg today refrained from labeling it a genocide, but the State Department is insisting that Russia will be held accountable for what they see as a pattern of brutality Russia is waging in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, 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, 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 also said that the U.S. is gathering information, documenting these possible war crimes that could be committed in Ukraine by Russia. Of course, last month the U.S. said that they do believe that the Russian aggression that they've seen over the course of this five-week war has amounted to war crimes, but there is that formal investigation that is under way by the International Criminal Courts.

Another step to watch in coming days is whether the U.S. will implement additional sanctions in response specifically to these horrific scenes that have been shown out of Bucha. Additionally the U.S. is sending in more military equipment. One thing that U.S. -- that sources have told CNN is that the U.S. is going to help facilitate the transfer of Soviet-era tanks from allied countries into Ukraine.

One official saying that that could be a matter of days, not weeks, but it's clear that the U.S. will have some kind of response in the coming days to these violent and horrific scenes that we've been seeing out of Bucha as this war continues and this aggression from Russia continues against Ukraine.

WHITFIELD: Arlette Saenz at the White House. Thanks so much.

All right, so the war in Ukraine is putting increased pressure on Putin's political allies and upending a major political race in Hungary. Details on that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:37:16]

WHITFIELD: The polls have just closed in a high-stakes election in Hungary and results are beginning to trickle in. It's shaping up to be the toughest election in more than a decade for the country's right- wing prime minister.

CNN's Matt Rivers has more on how Viktor Orban's ties to Vladimir Putin are in the spotlight as he seeks a fifth term.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Viktor Orban, by most measures, is the E.U. leader closest to Vladimir Putin recently. Just three weeks before the war began, Orban took a trip to Moscow, welcomed by Putin across a very long table.

National elections in Hungary on Sunday will test whether Orban's 12- year run as prime minister will go another four years. And his relationship with Putin is suddenly at the center of Hungarian politics.

What began as a campaign focused on local issues now has opposition leaders determined to link Orban with Putin and his bloody war in Ukraine. With political attack ads painting Orban as Moscow's puppet, a strongman leader determined to side with authoritarian Russia, instead of the democratic West.

This ad saying, quote, "We want Hungary to be a Western country again. If you're voting for Orban, you're voting for Putin."

Or this one saying, quote, "Orban, tell your friend of 12 years, don't kill."

Orban has undeniably supported Putin, vetoing sanctions against Moscow over the years and expanding the Russia-Hungarian partnership.

GABOR TOKA, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY: For Russian policies of Viktor Orban, which are a very important building block of his entire political position, are now exposed.

RIVERS: And with Putin's popularity plummeting, the opposition calculus is simple. Orban plus Putin equals a winning political strategy. But not so fast. Because Orban is fighting back. Call it a flip-flop, call it a pivot, but Orban is no longer Putin's best buddy. Even though he's not openly criticizing him personally, the Hungarian leader went along with initial E.U. sanctions against Russia, has described the invasion as Russian aggression.

And despite being vehemently anti-immigrant for years now has let in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the past few weeks. He says, "We are a great country, which gives everything to people who are fleeing trouble."

Since the war began, Orban has refused to let weapons pass through Hungary to Ukraine or provide military aide. But he's deflected any criticism of that by claiming he is simply a man of peace. Counting on the notion that many Hungarians want nothing to do with the war.

TOKA: The gut reaction of most of the public is that, oh, oh, oh, we should just not get involved with this thing, yes?

[16:40:05]

RIVERS (on-camera): And Orban has taken advantage of that sentiment.

TOKA: And that's what they are trying. RIVERS (voice-over): Whether it works remains to be seen. But polling,

which isn't always reliable in Hungary, has Orban and his party out in front. One big name the opposition hopes will change that?

ZELENSKYY (through text translation): Listen, Viktor, do you know what's on in Mariupol? You have to decide for yourself who you are with.

RIVERS: That's of course Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has criticized what he calls Orban's lack of support for Ukraine's fight for its existence. But it's not clear if that will be enough.

At an anti-Orban rally on Saturday, Ukraine flags flew and the crowd help pushing the Orban-Putin narrative. But not many people showed up. Whether that's an ominous sign for the opposition or just the result of cold, rainy weather, we'll find out when the votes come in.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Budapest, Hungary.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And we are just learning that Hungary's Viktor Orban has taken the lead as results are now coming in.

All right. Despite Russia's brutal attacks, signs of hope ring true on the streets of Odessa.

People lined the streets to hear various singers and performers from balconies keeping spirits high in war-torn Odessa.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:46:18]

WHITFIELD: In two days the federal program that reimburses health care providers for testing and treatment of COVID will stop taking new claims as the federal funds for COVID relief come to an end.

Joining me right now is Dr. Zeke Emanuel. He is vice provost of Global Initiatives for the University of Pennsylvania and a former health adviser to President Obama, and, there's more, author of the book, "Which Country Has the World's Best Health Care."

Dr. Emanuel, good to see you. So as COVID funds run out, what is not going to be covered by the federal government from this point forward in two days?

DR. ZEKE EMANUEL, VICE PROVOST OF GLOBAL INITIATIVES, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: Well, paying for COVID testing and treatment for -- and vaccines for people who don't have insurance, research on new treatments and new vaccines and international assistance to other countries where we know that both Delta and Omicron came from to try to prevent new variants of concern from arising in those countries. There's just a lot of things that are not going to happen. WHITFIELD: So if COVID is here to stay, then what should be the

expectation in terms of how long the federal government would be paying for things like what you just spelled out?

EMANUEL: Well, I think we are going to have to invest for the long haul. First of all, we're going to have to invest to get our surveillance systems up in really high grade. We're going to have to invest to get indoor air quality improved in all public buildings. We're going to have to invest in new therapies and new vaccines.

Where it's not a huge amount of money, probably overall we're talking about $300 per American for the first few years, but we do need to invest and this is an investment. This is insurance to -- make sure nothing bad happens in the future or that if something bad, we're protected as well as we could be. So I think we need to look at it a little different than we're just spending money. We're actually investing in the long term.

WHITFIELD: So that investment is one thing. The Biden administration right now is requesting $22.5 billion in supplemental COVID relief funding. Will that be enough?

EMANUEL: No. That will be -- that's good, but it's not enough, and this sort of stopping and starting on payment is also not good. It prevents planning. It prevents efficiency. A business wouldn't do this while we're going to fund for the next couple of weeks and then we're going to re-examine and fund again, or maybe we won't fund again. That is no way to run a -- or to solve a problem that we know is here for the long term.

And the discussions in Congress about $10 billion are way, way low, and Congress itself knows that that $10 billion is just a down payment the administration is going to have to be back in a few months. Again, no way to efficiently run a program for a virus that has already wreaked havoc, almost a million deaths in the country. $7 trillion in economic losses. You have to invest for the long term.

WHITFIELD: So what are your concerns for the uninsured if there's no additional funding?

EMANUEL: Well, they won't be able to get vaccines and boosters. That they won't get vaccines at all, and if they unfortunately come down with COVID, that they might not get the treatments that they need especially if they have co-morbid conditions and might be threatened by hospitalizations or death. All of those things are really, really critical to fund and to protect Americans.

[16:50:02]

Remember, if someone in the community has COVID, even if you're vaccinated, you could get it, too, or someone you know who's maybe older or younger and hasn't gotten a vaccine or is immunocompromised could be threatened. We have to take care of everyone in the community to protect ourselves.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Zeke Emanuel, good to see you. Thank you so much. EMANUEL: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then there were two. Talking basketball now. NCAA, it's the final week of March Madness and an epic battle was fought last night in New Orleans.

CNN's Andy Scholes gives us the breakdown of what went down and what's to come.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Fredricka. Duke and North Carolina is one of the best rivalries in all of sports. But the Tar Heels definitely have the upper hand right now. North Carolina beat Coach K and Duke in its final home game and here in New Orleans last night they did it again in the first ever NCAA tournament matchup between these two.

And I'll tell you what, this game, it's certainly lived up to all of the hype. It was awesome. Duke was trying to keep Coach K's legendary career going all the way to the title game. After 42 years at Duke, Coach K retiring after this run. This game, it came down to the final minutes. The teams just trading haymakers. Trevor Keels giving Duke the lead here. Brady Manek, though, comes right back with a three for North Carolina.

Then it was Wendell Moore Jr.'s turn. North Carolina had a one-point lead with under a minute to go when Caleb Love hit the shot of the game. This three here put them up by four. They would hold on to win 81-77. And Coach K's legendary career coming to an end at the hands of the Tar Heels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, DUKE MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH: There's a code. I'm just concerned about these guys. I mean, I see, you know, they're already crying on the court and -- I mean, that's the only thing you could think about and then going into the locker room, you know, I've said my entire career, or when I knew what the hell I was doing, that I wanted my seasons to end where my team was either crying tears of joy or tears of sorrow, because then you knew that they gave everything. And I had a locker room filled with guys who were crying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: So Coach K doesn't get the fairy tale ending here in New Orleans but he leaves as the most accomplished men's college basketball coach in history and most career wins, most tournament wins. 13 final fours to go with his five national championships.

Meanwhile, check out the scene back on North Carolina's campus. Fans rushing the court at the Dean Dome watch party. Then many of them flooding the streets in Chapel Hill to continue that celebration. North Carolina is going to take on Kansas now for the national championship. The Jayhawks, they jumped out to an early lead. Led wire to wire beating Villanova 81-65. Kansas trying to win their first title since 2008.

Tip-off tomorrow night, 9:20 Eastern on our sister network TBS.

Fred, the women, meanwhile, they will play their championship game tonight in Minneapolis. UConn taking on South Carolina. It's going to be a great one. The Huskies trying to win their 12th national title. The Gamecocks trying to win their second.

WHITFIELD: Andy Scholes, OK, tonight, it's going to be a nail biter and so will tomorrow. A lot of good stuff to come.

All right. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta in just a moment.

But first, the 2021 Top 10 CNN Hero, Dr. Ala Stanford, sprang into action beginning of the pandemic testing and vaccinating Philadelphia's hardest hit black and brown communities, and today she's still working to protect her community from the virus and bring people the health care that they deserve.

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DR. ALA STANFORD, 2021 TOP 10 CNN HERO: So we started in the midst of this pandemic with testing. Then vaccination. We were seeing folks that hadn't seen a doctor in a decade. We were just literally putting a band-aid to a much bigger problem with health inequities and health disparities. So I opened the Doctor Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity. We are a multidisciplinary clinic.

We take care of newborns through grandma and grandpa, and that is the next step. To not just save lives but really impact an entire lifetime with people. But after Christmas, there were so many people sick. Literally wrapped around this building to get COVID testing. The positivity rate was 45 percent. So we had to stop primary care and just focus on testing, and vaccination. The need here right now is so great. I feel that this is where I'm supposed to be.

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WHITFIELD: Man, is she incredible. To find out how you can support Dr. Stanford's work and nominate your own CNN Hero, go to CNNHeroes.com.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington, and we begin with breaking news.

New horrors revealed as Russian troops abandon parts of northern Ukraine.