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After Major Failures, Putin Appoints New General With Brutal History; Aftermath Reveals Cruelty Of Strike On Crowded Train Station; Murdered Ukrainian Mother Identified By Her Distinct Nails; Mitch McConnell's Moral Red Lines; Tiger Woods Return; Chef Keeps Community Fed. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 10, 2022 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:17]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Russia's war on Ukraine has a new commander with a history of brutality. Vladimir Putin has handed the reins to Army General Aleksandr Dvornikov after a haphazard effort to take Kyiv has failed. The general's resume includes overseeing horrors in Aleppo, Syria as Russia as backed the Assad regime in the bombardment of densely populated neighborhoods causing mass civilian casualties.

He could bring a new level of coordination to a major assault that is now expected to focus on the eastern Donbas region. Some residents in that area are now being urged to leave just days after an evacuation attempt at a train station was brutally thwarted by a Russian missile. Officials now say the death toll there has risen to 57. And you can see some of that dramatic footage on your screen now.

Today nine evacuation corridors were opened in southern and eastern parts of the country, and time is of the essence. There are brand-new satellite pictures showing an eight-mile-long Russian military convoy approaching the regional capital of Kharkiv. Already a Russian strike in Dnipro has destroyed the airport there. An adviser to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is predicting that a meeting with Putin could happen after a major battle for Donbas.

The U.K. also revealing disturbing new intelligence saying Russia's withdrawal from northern Ukraine shows civilians were disproportionately targeted. That is very clear in this video. Among the evidence, mass graves, hostages used as human shields and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

We now go to CNN's Nima Elbagir in Kyiv.

Nima, what more can you tell us about this general appointed by Putin to take over forces in Ukraine. It sounds like a track record that the Ukrainians have to worry about.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's sending a dual message, isn't it, Jim? One internally with regards -- with an eye to his propaganda to the Russian populace that this is the commander who delivered a Russian victory in Syria, backing Assad's force there. But also to the international community. This is the commander who is responsible for much of those appalling images, for much of Russia's impunity, much of Russia's targeting of civilians, the destruction of civilian areas.

Given everything that we've heard about the international community's push to hold Russia to account for its war crimes, what are perceived as its war crimes here in Ukraine, to appoint this general at this moment says that Putin is almost reveling in this impunity. He is reveling in his ability to continue to do what he has always done.

The problem, though, is that the conditions in Syria were very different. The strategy that Aleksandr Dvornikov was able to carry out in Syria relied on a lot on superior air power. That's not so possible here. Not only because of the ability that the Ukrainians have shown to shoot down Russian airplanes, but also because of the military support that is being provided to the Ukrainians by both the U.S., the U.K. and others, that is very much centered on anti-aircraft capability. So that is very much off the table for the general.

The worry is, though, with this buildup in the east, that so much now is at stake. And speculation that Putin has set this self-appointed deadline of the anniversary of the Soviet -- of the Nazi surrender to the Soviet Union and this idea of being able to have a victory parade in the Red Square. There is clearly a lot of pressure on this incoming general. But there's also a lot of pressure on the Ukrainians.

As you said an adviser to the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said that what happens in the east now, in Kharkiv, in Donbas and its surroundings, is crucial because based on that will be whether or not the Ukrainians are willing to continue to sue, to negotiate for peace, whether that will then allow Zelenskyy to be able to meet President Putin from a position of strength, Jim.

ACOSTA: Right. It's really going to determine who has the leverage if those talks ever happen.

Nima Elbagir, thank you so much for that report. We appreciate it.

And joining me now, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst and former commanding general of U.S.-Europe and Seventh Army.

General, the Biden administration is surrounding the alarm about this new commander that Putin is going to unleash. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: This particular general has a resume that includes a brutality against civilians in other theaters, in Syria, and we can expect more of the same in this theater.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Yes. The White House is actually expecting brutality against civilians to continue. What do you expect?

[16:05:03]

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, I expect it, too, Jim. This general, Aleksandr Dvornikov, his nickname is the butcher. That should give you all indicators that you need to know. I mean, I've had many nicknames in my career, Iron, Yaeger, Outlaw, but never something like the butcher. Throughout his career he's been assigned to multiple districts within Russia. He's gone to the Frunze and Voroshilov Academy. That's typical for a Russian general.

He fought in his early ranks, when he was a young major lieutenant colonel in the first Chechen war in Grozny and from 2015 through 2016 he was the first Russian military commander in Syria, where many atrocities occurred in places like Idlib and Aleppo. So this is his representation and it fits in very well with the style of Russia's war.

And the fact that he's been given the mission, as has been reported through intelligence, to have significant progress by May 9th, which is the date of the Mayday Parade in the Kremlin, or in Red Square, I would anticipate we're going to see a lot more attempts at trying to cower and kill civilians within Ukraine as well as attempting to meet some of the operational objectives of linking the southern areas with Russia and also to achieve success in the Donbas.

But I'm going to make a prediction for you, Jim. He is not going to succeed by the 9th of May. That's too fast. He doesn't have the forces to do that. Some of the reinforcements he's getting from some of these so-called regenerated units are not going to contribute to the fight, although it's going to continue to be a tough fight. He is going the take it out on Ukrainian citizens.

ACOSTA: And General, we know that intense fighting is happening in the eastern part of the country. An adviser to President Zelenskyy says he believes Ukraine will have to win a major battle in the eastern Donbas region to force Russia to the negotiating table. Do you agree with that? Can they do it?

HERTLING: I do. I do. I think they're going to continue. I think the Ukrainians are going to continue with their approach toward an active defense trying to suck Russian forces in from some of the key areas. Their routes coming from the north of Kharkiv and some of the other cities where they have gained progress. They are -- the Ukrainians are going to try and beat them at the town of Izyum and some of the towns south of there before they're able to encircle.

The fact that there was an attack today on Dnipro, Jim, I think is significant. More so than any of us realize right now, because what the Russians are attempting to do is to eliminate the resupply corridors of Ukrainian forces. And that airport at Dnipro is critically important to that. So you're seeing a back and forth on both sides. Russia using precision weapons on some military targets while using arbitrary weapons against civilian targets where they can kill as many as they possibly can. So it will be a tough fight. I continue to believe that Ukraine will

put up the effort to conduct hasty attacks and a hasty defense against the incoming Russian troops.

ACOSTA: And we have these brand-new satellite images showing a Russian military convoy. It's about eight miles long. We've seen what has happened to previous Russian convoys. They didn't do so well when they were bogged down. What stands out to you in some of these new images?

HERTLING: Yes, two things, Jim. First of all, everybody is saying, why aren't there Ukrainians attacking this? Why aren't they going after this column? My response to that is all in good time. It will happen. The other thing that stands out to me is the Russians continue to stay on the roads.

There are several reasons for that. Certainly, the terrain and some of the territory, the roads are good in the western -- excuse me, the eastern part of Ukraine. So they can use those roads. But the thing is, and I'll throw this out there, everything I've seen while watching the Russians train, they don't have maps.

They usually have one or two vehicles in a column that has a map that knows where they're going. But the rest of the vehicles are just following the leader. You can't do maneuver warfare if your forces don't have maps and have the agility to move around. So this is one of the reasons why I think Ukraine's force, very adaptable, very agile in terms of their maneuver will be able to eventually go after this convoy.

It has some frontline weapons in it, some tanks and some air defense units. But that -- excuse me, this 12 1/2-mile column now is mostly resupply vehicles. And in this fight in the Donbas, which will be attrition warfare on both sides, resupply and logistics continue to be important.

[16:10:03]

Now you're hearing that from me. I'm a former tanker. But when you're talking about big operations like this, if you forget logistics, or you don't have logistics, you are going to lose. And Russia has not adapted yet in terms of their resupply activities. So they're going to have problems fighting in the Donbas.

ACOSTA: Yes. And it's bedeviled them before. Bedeviled them around Kharkiv, and it may yet again in the eastern part of the country.

All right, General, thanks so much. Enjoy your Sunday evening. We appreciate it.

HERTLING: Appreciate it, Jim. Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Coming up, broken glass. Abandoned luggage and blood on the floor. CNN goes inside Ukrainian train station just days after a Russian missile attack on civilians.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ACOSTA: And we're able to see firsthand now the gruesome aftermath of a Russian missile attack that killed more than 50 people and injured dozens at a train station in Ukraine. They were among thousands of people there who posed no threat to the Russians, simply trying to escape the violence.

And CNN's Ben Wedeman is at the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): At 10:30 in the morning Friday, as many as 4,000 people were here at the Kramatorsk railway station waiting to be evacuated, when there was a large blast overhead that rained down thousands of pieces of shrapnel on the crowd below. At least 52 people were killed.

You can still see the blood all over the ground. As many as 100 people were wounded. All the injured have been evacuated out of this city to the city of Dnipro and the capital Kyiv because of course there is a profound fear that there is going to be a massive Russian assault on the eastern Ukraine.

Here we can see there is a shoe that's been ripped apart by shrapnel. There is just blood everywhere.

The authorities in this part of Ukraine have urged all civilians, especially women, children, and the elderly to leave as quickly as possible because of fears of that Russian assault. This is a city where just to the east of here, there have been intensive Russian bombardments on Ukrainian positions.

So the evacuation continues prior to the blast on Friday, they were dealing with about -- handling about 8,000 people leaving the city. Now the evacuation effort has moved elsewhere because this station is no longer functioning.

Here inside the station, more blood on the floor. Many of the wounded were dragged inside for fear there might be yet another blast. This is the luggage of those who were killed and wounded, left behind. There is more blood here on the floor. Cleanup crews are just almost 48 hours after the blast coming to clean up. But here we see more glass on the floor. What happened here can only be described as a massacre.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN reporting from Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Absolutely chilling. That horrific attack was on Friday. On Wednesday, two days prior, the group Doctors Without Borders was at that station, heroically loading patients on to trains to get them to safety in Lviv.

I'm joined now by an emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Ukraine, Alex Wade.

Alex, thank you so much for doing this, being with us, and for all the work that you do and your organization does. Let me ask you about this attack because it was a close call for your organization. Has it changed how your teams are operating in the country or how you're handling some of these evacuations?

ALEX WADE, EMERGENCY COORDINATOR, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS IN UKRAINE: You know, yes, managing security in this context is incredibly complex, and it's something that changes day by day. And so incidents like this, we do have to consider what the risks are, if it's a change in context and if it changes how we can operate. For the time being, as you mentioned, we have an evacuation train, which was there just the day before, bringing patients out.

And so of course we want to keep this train operational because it's serving a dual function of allowing patients who are in the east to come west to seek treatment. But also of emptying frontline hospitals of these patients so they have more capacity to receive more patients in the future if they have to. So we want to keep that operational. Right now we're still in the process of trying to understand and figure out how to keep that operational while also keeping the team on that train safe.

ACOSTA: And our Ben Wedeman was just showing us just awful pictures of what took place there at that train station, you know, just shrapnel, blood, people's belongings just strewn everywhere, you know, outside on the platform of that train station. And it raises the question, and I think this question has been asked and answered multiple times, but I'll ask you, Alex, do you see enough evidence to say convincingly that yes, the Russians are intentionally targeting civilians, that this is a part of their war plan? What's your assessment of that?

WADE: You know, the truth is at this point, we are unable to definitively answer that because no one has the proof to say that those who fired the rockets, what their exact target and intent was. So at this point for us, it would be speculation to say that. What we can confirm as people can see and know is that many times structures that are protected by international humanitarian law such as hospitals, ambulances, civilians, noncombatants, innocent civilians have been collateral damage in this war.

[16:20:07]

And whether they're being targeted or not, at this point we don't have the proof to say one way or the other, but we can say no matter what the case is, it's completely unacceptable. Hospitals should not be bombed. Because people need to seek care in hospitals. Innocent civilians should not -- who are trying to evacuate and seek safety should not have to pay the cost with their lives because they want to seek passage to a safe place. So whether it's targeting or not, I think this is something that --

ACOSTA: You're not saying that these are accidental in every case? You're not saying it's accidental in every case?

WADE: It's -- I don't have the definitive proof to respond and say yes or no. But what we can say is either way it's unacceptable and it shouldn't be happening, and more should be done to ensure that it doesn't.

ACOSTA: It sure looks like it from everything that we've heard from our teams on the ground in Ukraine that it's happening time and time again.

Let me ask you, Alex. I understand you have a team in Dnipro right now where the airport has been destroyed and there is heavy shelling. What are they witnessing on the ground there?

WADE: Yes, we have a team that's there. And so today and even last night there was more intensified shelling there. So that's something we are concerned about because we have teams operating in that area. Teams that are accessing from there, the east in the Donbas, which is the area which one believe there's a high risk of increased activity in that area. So we're monitoring it every day, and we're trying to continue to access these areas for as long as possible to get supply into hospitals and to treat patients who are in those areas to help get patients out.

So it's something that in day to day, we're monitoring and we're trying to adapt our strategies to stay active in those areas for as long as possible.

ACOSTA: And in Mariupol, the hardest hit city in Ukraine, the Russians have basically cut it off from the world. Have you had any progress in recent days getting help inside the city, getting people out? What are the challenges there?

WADE: Very frustratingly, no, we haven't. This is probably one of the deepest frustrations for us is that the places such as Mariupol with the highest need are the places where we have the least access to. And we're worried about that situation repeating itself elsewhere. We have not yet able -- been able to get into Mariupol. We of course are constantly negotiating and following other negotiations that are occurring to try the get access in.

But so far we have not been able to have the guarantees of safety. If we send a team in, that would allow us to send in a team to bring in supplies and to bring in a medical team to help the population there that's been stuck for a long time and is still suffering.

ACOSTA: All right, Alex Wade, thank you very much for your time.

WADE: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Coming up, the people caught in the crossfire of Russia's brutality. We can now tell the story of this woman murdered by Russian troops while simply riding her bike.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:27:32]

ACOSTA: There have been many stories from Ukraine that have captured the world's attention, and we have an update on one. But first, a warning that what you're about to see is disturbing. We now know the identity of the Ukrainian mother gunned down by a Russian tank while riding her bike through the town of Bucha. Her final moments captured on chilling drone footage.

CNN's Phil Black brings her story to us now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iryna Filkina in a happier time before the Russians came. It's likely this video shows Iryna after the invasion in early March just moments before her death. She's seen cycling through Bucha, heading towards a large number of Russian vehicles. As she approaches a corner, she dismounts. One of the vehicles fires. She moves around the corner out of sight, and it fires again and again, at least five more times.

Then a large muzzle flash from a second concealed vehicle. Moments later, smoke rises from near that corner. A different video, geolocated by CNN, to the same corner shows a dead woman on the ground next to her bike. Other images of that body clearly show her hand and her distinctive nails. The woman who only recently taught Iryna how to apply makeup recognize them instantly.

ANASTASIA SUBACHEVA, MAKEUP ARTIST: It showed hearts on her finger because she started to love herself. This woman was incredible.

BLACK: Olga Shchyruk didn't need to see the nails to know that was her mother's body. She tells me she doesn't know what she feels now. It's such a void, she says. When I saw it was my mother, the war faded away. The war ended with her and I lost the war.

Olga says her mother called her while she was cycling that day, not long before she was killed. She'd been sheltering at her workplace and decided to go home because she thought it would be safer.

(On-camera): Tell us about your mother. How would you like the world to know her?

(Voice-over): She says Iryna had a hard life overcoming obstacles, only really starting to live in the last two years. But she could do the impossible and inspired others to believe they could, too.

[16:30:00]

Elsewhere in Bucha, someone recorded the moment three men were found. All shot in the head. This video is how Olga Gavriluk found out her son, Roman (ph), and son-in-law, Sergei (ph), had been killed. She says, "I don't want to live anymore. The grief. I cry day and night. I don't know how to live."

Images from Bucha have taught the world undeniable truths about the brutality of Russia's invasion. For some, that knowledge is deeply personal and impossibly painful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Very, very worrying report there. Thank you very much. Coming up, Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, raises eyebrows with a response about his moral red lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN SWAN, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, AXIOS: You are known for playing a ruthless style of politics. Where do you draw your moral red lines?

MITCH MCCONNELL (R), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I didn't realize I was known for playing ruthless. I thought -- my wife thinks I'm a really nice guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST: My life. It's a gift, a dream, a curse. I shall explain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three, four, five, six.

BOURDAIN: I got very lucky. One minute I was standing next with deep fire. The next, everything in my life changed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the radio on.

BOURDAIN: I was unqualified for the job. I was in deep waters and fast-flowing ones at that. The currents could change at any time, without warning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was definitely searching for something, and it was kind of agony for him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was such a romantic about life, about families, and reality was never going to live up to exactly how he pictured it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was about Tony learning how to be a better person.

BOURDAIN: (INAUDIBLE.) Oh, how is this food related? (INAUDIBLE) if I know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Sometimes a non-answer speaks volumes. Take a look at what happened when Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, fielded a question about where he draws his moral red lines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SWAN: Moral red lines, where do you draw them?

MCCONNELL: I'm perfectly comfortable with the way I have conducted my political career. And I'd be happy to respond to any specificity you want to apply to the term -- what was it?

SWAN: Moral red lines.

MCCONNELL: Moral red line. Yes.

SWAN: You said Donald Trump's actions preceding the January sixth insurrection were a, quote, "disgraceful dereliction of duty." And that he was practically and morally responsible. Morally responsible, your words. For provoking the events of that day. How do you go from saying that to two weeks later saying you'd absolutely support Donald Trump, if he's the Republican nominee in 2024?

MCCONNELL: Well, as the Republican leader of the Senate, it should not be a front page headline that I would support the Republican nominee for president.

SWAN: After you said that about him, I think it's astonishing.

MCCONNELL: I think I have an obligation to support the nominee of my -- of my party. I don't get to pick the Republican nominee for president. They are elected by the Republican voters all over the country.

SWAN: I fully understand that. But take Liz Cheney, for example.

MCCONNELL: You want to spend some more time on this as well?

SWAN: I actually do because I actually -- no, no. I genuinely want to understand this. I really want to understand how you think about this. Because Liz Cheney, who has the same view of yours of January sixth. She said she doesn't want Donald Trump anywhere near the White House, and she's going to work to not make that happen. Because she thinks that there are some things more important than party loyalty.

MCCONNELL: Yes. Well, maybe you ought to be talking to Liz Cheney.

SWAN: No. But I'm not trying to -- I really -- it's not a gotcha. I'm just actually trying to understand, like, is there any threshold for you of what (INAUDIBLE) on the moral level?

MCCONNELL: Well, you know, I say many things, I'm sure, people don't understand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Jonathan Swan with Axios did a good job there.

Joining me now is CNN's Senior Political Analyst John Avlon. He's the author of the new book, "Lincoln And The Fight For Peace." Also with us, CNN Political Commentator, and host of PBS "Firing Line," Margaret Hoover. Great to have you guys back. It's been a while. Thanks so much for joining us.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you, Jim.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to see you, Jim. ACOSTA: Yes, great to see you.

Margaret, let me start with you first. I mean, McConnell did his best to avoid answering that question. What did you think of that?

HOOVER: Well, I'm sorry, I'm not going to have a deeply satisfying answer for anyone. What we know is Mitch McConnell doesn't answer questions he doesn't want to engage with. And for Mitch McConnell, you know, that hypothetical question doesn't get him anything.

I mean, the real truth is when he said, I don't get to pick the GOP nominee. Well, he might have had a say in it, if he had whipped 17 Republican senators to join with Democrats and vote to convict. But he didn't do that.

And he did go to the floor and call it morally reprehensible. He hasn't gone back on that. But he gains nothing by engaging in this back and forth with Swan so he just doesn't. And he's responsible to his voters in Kentucky, who, by the way, love Trump. And he's responsible for his majority in the Senate.

[16:40:00]

HOOVER: So, you know, I'm not surprised that McConnell didn't choose to engage in that question.

ACOSTA: Yes.

HOOVER: But it's not satisfying for you, for me, for those of us who would like to see a stronger stance.

ACOSTA: Yes, John --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: I was going to say, his nickname -- you know, people like to say his nickname is cocaine Mitch, not moral McConnell, not moral Mitch.

AVLON: Yes. Look, I mean, Margaret's right about him being sort of a creature of power and doing what's political. And -- but let's be honest. What that answer effectively means is party over country. And that was also a flow-through of another point he made to Jonathan Swan which is he said he wouldn't commit to holding hearings if the Supreme Court vacancy came up in the last two years of the Biden Administration. Which is deeply troubling, in terms of a destruction of precedent.

I want to take McConnell at his word that he is an institutionalist. But, you know, if you're open to supporting somebody who tried to overturn an election, and open to not holding a hearing on a Supreme Court nominee, at any point in a -- in a -- in a president's term, if he's not from your party. That's not an institutionalist. That's party over country.

ACOSTA: And, Margaret, I was wondering what both of you all thought about what happened last night down in North Carolina. Trump just endorsed Dr. Oz in a very tight race for the Republican nomination for the Senate in Pennsylvania. It was an endorsement that Dr. Oz sought, and -- but does it actually help the Democrats in Pennsylvania? What do you think? What do you both think?

HOOVER: Well, I mean, that race, essentially between McCormick and Dr. Oz for that Republican nomination, is, you know, within a couple of points. I mean, it's within the margin of error. And so, that endorsement could be quite meaningful.

It comes with a particular sting as the wife of the other candidate was a senior staffer for Donald Trump in the White House, Dina Powell. They also have senior Trump White House staff on board, Stephen Miller.

ACOSTA: Right.

HOOVER: And McCormick had gone a long way against what many people, who have known him for a long time, think were consistent with his principles and his beliefs. He's more of a Bush era, like George W. Bush era, Republican, I think, at his heart. And he had to bend over backwards, really in ways, in order to try to get that nomination, trying to get that vote.

So, it just goes to show what we all know and were reminded. There is no loyalty in Trump world.

AVLON: That's right. That's right. Well, look, it's a smack in the face for a candidate who tried to strengthen his Trumpist flank. And it isn't -- it's just a reminder. Yes, loyalty is a one-way street with this guy. You can contort and prevaricate and try to compromise all you want. And, you know, he's going to go with whatever the flash or former crazy is at any given moment.

ACOSTA: And I have to ask you both about this bizarre feud between Marjorie Taylor Greene and "Late Night" host, Jimmy Kimmel. Let's let Jimmy Kimmel explain this one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "LATE NIGHT": On our show Tuesday tonight, MTG, Klan Mom as we call her, earlier in the day called three of her fellow Republicans pro pedophile for supporting Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court. Which is lovely -- a lovely thing to say. So, I made a joke. I said, where is Will Smith when you need him? And the audience laughed.

And then -- so, she saw it and she decided she was going to try to get some political mileage out of this. This is what she does, instead of working. She tweets. After she saw it, she tweeted, ABC, context my employer, this threat of violence against me by Jimmy Kimmel has been filed with the Capitol Police. She called the police and reported this. Not only did she call the police, she called the same police she voted against giving a Congressional gold medal to for defending our Capitol against the insurrection she helped incite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I mean, John, you know, she's OK with calling people a traitor. She's all but stalked people up on Capitol Hill. But, you know, Jimmy Kimmel tells a joke, and, you know, that's where she draws the line? I mean, what's up?

AVLON: Yes. Look, she's trolling. But it's just one more, you know, seditious snowflake for that particular file. I mean, this is free speech for me but not for thee. This is -- this is when you elevate trolls, all you're going to do is get this kind of a -- of a food fight. And it's -- of course, it's pathetic and hypothetical and it's Marjorie Taylor Greene.

HOOVER: But also, Jim, what this is is an opportunity for her to fund- raise. Right?

AVLON: Right.

HOOVER: She sees that Jimmy Kimmel has gone after her. She gets to fund-raise off of it. Because do you know what? She is fund-raising like crazy with small dollar donations. Jimmy Kimmel elevates her (INAUDIBLE) and makes her the victim.

And, by the way, do you know why she's so crazy fund-raising right now? She's got a primary opponent, who's a legitimate primary opponent, in a new district that has been redrawn to be 10 points less Donald -- in favor of Donald Trump. And she's polling behind Donald Trump by 15 points. And, in Georgia, it's an open primary. Democrats and Independents can vote.

She actually is running scared. And so, she's using every opportunity she can to fund raise and to elevate her own status.

[16:45:00]

HOOVER: And, by the way, she doesn't represent the people in her district, because she's not on any committees.

AVLON: Right.

HOOVER: So, she's got all day --

AVLON: To get in Twitter fights.

HOOVER: -- to make hay out of things. To get in Twitter fights with Jimmy Kimmel.

ACOSTA: Right. And, you know, "The Washington Post" attended this screening, at Mar-a-Lago last week, of this election conspiracy theory movie called "Rigged."

AVLON: Yes.

ACOSTA: "The Zuckerberg-funded Plot to Defeat Donald Trump" is the title of it. Trump was there. And "The Washington Post" offered some color as to what occurred at this event. And it describes this movie poster advertising the movie with Zuckerberg, devilishly grabbing cash. The poster was perched by the pool for a cinematic sunset, as guests strutted about clinking glasses.

And, apparently, Trump said he was looking forward to the screening more than "Citizen Kane," "Titanic" and "Gone with the Wind." You know, I mean, you know, if they're looking for fraudsters at Mar-a- Lago, I don't know why they just don't look in the gold-plated mirrors that you find around the resort.

And, you know, to both of you, we've been talking so much, and I'm serious about this, about Ukrainians calling the Russian relatives who don't believe the truth about the war. And yet, we have so many Americans in this country who are clinging to this big lie that Trump was cheated out of the last presidential election. It is -- it is remarkable.

AVLON: It is remarkable. But that's the stark reminder of how dangerous disinformation can be. And what we're -- you know, you don't want to draw a direct parallel. But what Russia does, under Vladimir Putin, to tell people not to believe what they see with their eyes and their ears. Listen to the state.

And then, what Donald Trump has done to push this new self-serving lost cause cosmetology, the big lie, clustered around with all these conspiracy entrepreneurs, creating new chum for folks who are acting just as much (INAUDIBLE) people who buy the Russian bunk, is a dangerous sign of an Achilles heel in our psyche. And Trump is feeding into it. And anyone who is encouraging it is enabling it.

HOOVER: What he said.

AVLON: For once.

ACOSTA: What he said, exactly.

HOOVER: What he said. What he said.

ACOSTA: Also, it parallels with a very fine book you penned as well about the civil war and Lincoln. I mean, it's such an important read. I hope everybody picks it up. John and Margaret Hoover, Avlon, thanks so much for coming back. It was great to see you again. We really appreciate it.

AVLON: Always good seeing you. Be well.

HOOVER: Great to see you. Great to be back.

ACOSTA: Thanks a lot. All right. Appreciate it.

Coming up, Tiger Woods takes fans on a roller coaster ride of emotions at the Masters. A live report from Augusta is next.

[16:47:29]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ACOSTA: Tiger Woods' dramatic return to the Masters will not end with him winning a sixth green jacket. Despite a disappointing weekend, you could argue it was triumph for him just being out there, some 14 months after a devastating car crash.

CNN's Patrick Snell joins us from Augusta National. Patrick, this was not the finish that Tiger and all of his fans wanted, but he was all smiles coming off the 18th green today. And it was just great seeing him out there.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, incredible stuff. Jim, you say it absolutely right. You know, look, Tiger Woods, yesterday, shot a 78 here at Augusta National. That was his worst ever round at the Masters in 93 career rounds as a professional. He matched that today. He matched his worst ever round. Another 78 on Sunday, finishing at 13 over for the tournament.

But it matters not. It matters not one bit. Woods had already said, look, just by being here this week, this is a victory for me. This is a huge success. I have witnessed, firsthand all week, the euphoria of the crowds. They adore him here. They admire him here. They hang on his every word, on his every shot. This place has been an absolute cauldron of passion in honor of Woods all week.

And on Sunday -- on the closing holes on Sunday, Jim, it wasn't just the 18th. It was all the holes around (INAUDIBLE.) It was all the galleries giving him a huge ovation. An emotional Woods afterwards speaking to reporters. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: This tournament has meant so much to me and my family. You know, this entire tournament. I mean, you go back to the year I was born was the year that a first black man played in the Masters, in Lee Elder. He was an honorary starter last year. He was there when I won in 1997. Twenty-five years later, here I am playing again. A lot of different things could have happened. But in 14 months, I'm able to tee it up and play in the Masters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: And when will Tiger Woods play another major? Well, he has since revealed that he will play the open championship in July of this year. That's at the home of golf in St. Andrews in Scotland. Jim, back to you.

ACOSTA: All right, glad to see him back. All right, Patrick, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

At the start of the pandemic, many restaurant workers lost their jobs as restaurants started to shutter. But this week's CNN Hero, Chef Kim Calichio, could not let her community go hungry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM CALICHIO, CHEF: I had a choice to either sit here in my house and be overwhelmed, or I can do whatever it is that I could possibly do without thinking about whether it's going to work or not.

We're going to do two apples, the bunch of bananas, two tomatoes.

We started a GoFundMe to direct deliver groceries to families across Queens.

And these guys.

And within a week, we raised $10,000. We thought the pandemic was going to be over in two weeks. So, we were, like, we'll spend this 10 grand, and then we'll go back to work. And that never happened.

Hola, Louise (ph).

This first week, we delivered 25 grocery packages to 25 families. And within a month's time, we were delivering 400 to 500 groceries to families every single week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And to learn more about the story, go to CNNheroes.com.

[16:55:19]

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