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Ukrainians Battle Russians Near Kharkiv; Russia Sets Sights On Southern Ukraine; Ukrainian Prime Minister: Mariupol "Biggest Humanitarian Catastrophe" In A Century; Suspect Named In British Girl's Disappearance; Oligarchs And Families Die Mysteriously; High Inflation Could Impact Midterms; Biden Issues Executive Order On Earth Day Legislation; Young Ukrainian Swimmers Stranded In Turkey. Aired 5- 6a ET

Aired April 23, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a Russian general says the Kremlin's goal is to take, quote, "full control" of southern Ukraine. A look at why that region is significant, coming up in a live report from Lviv.

Plus, we're live in Paris, where French voters prepare to decide on their next president.

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BRUNHUBER: Russia's military now confirms its objective in Ukraine is to take full control of the Black Sea coast and establish a land bridge between Russia and Crimea. Ukraine's president warns, if that happens, Russia's aggression will spread to other countries.

Mariupol officials say an evacuation column will be attempted again today. It's supposed to get underway right about now. An estimated 100,000 civilians are still inside the battered city.

As Ukraine's Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this weekend, Ukraine's president he is hopeful against prevailing against Russia, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The 58th day of our defense is coming to an end. It ends on Good Friday, one of the most sorrowful days of the year for Christians, the day when death seems to have won. But we hope for a resurrection. We believe in the victory of life over death and we pray that death loses. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Britain's ministry of defense says Russia has made no major gains in the past 24 hours. Its air and sea forces haven't established control in either domain. And Russian troops continue to face heavy fighting in Mariupol, despite Russia's claims the city has been liberated.

And moments ago, we got this: the head of the Kharkiv region military administration said Russian forces have continued shelling the city of Kharkiv as well as the region. We bring you details as they become available.

We have CNN correspondents across the region. Our Matt Rivers is in Lviv. Nic Robertson is in Brussels and Jomana Karadsheh is in Istanbul.

Let's bring in Scott McLean, live in Lviv.

That revelation that Russia wants to take full control of the Black Sea coast and establish that land bridge, what more are we learning about this and about the implications for the whole region?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's difficult to understate the implications, Kim. This came from a Russian military commander yesterday. He said the goal of the stage two of the operation, which has begun, is to solidify Russia control of Eastern Ukraine and expand terrible there and also control southern Ukraine.

They still have a lot of work to do. Ukrainian troops still have a toehold in Mariupol where they continue to hold out and refuse to surrender. And Ukraine is still in control of Mykolaiv and Odessa. Right now, it seems like it's a long way from the front lines as well.

That commander said the reason why that Black Sea coast, the southern part of the country, is so important is because it would give Russia a connection to Transnistria. It's not in Russia or even in Ukraine; it's in Moldova.

So now we're involving a whole separate country. This part of Moldova, I should say, is a separatist area. Russian troops have been there since the 1990s. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that Russia shouldn't be focusing on Russian speakers there but perhaps speakers in Russia, listen.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): To be honest, the territory in which Russia should take care of the rights of Russian speakers is Russia itself, where there is no freedom of speech, no freedom of choice, where there is simply no right to dissent, where poverty thrives and where human life is worthless.

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MCLEAN: So the government of Moldova, obviously not very excited by this revelation. The foreign minister of that country summoned the Russian ambassador to discuss, saying Moldova is a neutral country and that all parties, including Russia, should respect its borders and that Russia has long agreed to respect the internationally recognized borders of Moldova, which include Transnistria.

BRUNHUBER: Scott, you can imagine their consternation.

Now the battle for Mariupol and those still trapped there, what's the latest?

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MCLEAN: So there is a glimmer of good news and that is that authorities say there will be a humanitarian corridor organized today. It began organizing an hour ago -- or at least it was supposed to have.

It is supposed to start rolling around right now. It's unclear whether that's actually happening or how many people were able to join up on this. It's beginning from a mall on the western edge of the city and going to Zaporizhzhya in Ukrainian-held territory.

This mall, where the corridor is beginning, is a long way from the Azovstal steel plant, where Ukrainian troops continue to hold out there. There are also a number of women and children and men sheltered underground at that steel plant.

We're seeing new video from underneath this very cavernous facility, which is quite deep, according to this video. All over the walls, you can see the Russian word for children spray painted on them, just to make clear for Russian troops, in case they were to come in that direction.

The Ukrainian troops bring the kids some food and supplies and candy when they arrive. And the kids look in remarkably good spirits, considering what they've been through. But many of them haven't seen sunshine in almost two months and virtually everyone is begging for some kind of humanitarian corridor or some kind of assistance getting out.

It's very unlikely that any of these people will be able to join this humanitarian corridor, even for the rest of Mariupol. The difficult thing, Kim, for people who have escaped from the city, it's very difficult to get any reliable information.

So people very likely won't hear about this humanitarian corridor. When they do flee their homes, they're often relying on their instincts or rumors, hoping they can link up with a humanitarian corridor to safety.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, we'll be following that to see whether indeed they're able to get more people out of that city. Scott McLean, reporting from Lviv, Ukraine. Appreciate it.

Ukrainian officials say weeks of bombardment have killed up to 20,000 people in Mariupol. Those who were able to get out told Matt Rivers about their harrowing experience.

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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "So many should have been evacuated but the Russians kept shelling. They're not human beings. I don't know who gave birth to them. Horrific. We were just thinking about our survival. I don't know how I'll tell my son about such terrifying events.

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BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian officials say they've located apparent mass graves in a nearby village. CNN can't independently verify the claim but the satellite imaging company Maxar says there appear to be over 200 new graves.

The United Nations says so far it's documenting the unlawful killing of some 50 civilians in Bucha. And a new report from Human Rights Watch found evidence of summary executions and other unlawful killings in Bucha along with enforced disappearances and torture.

We want to warn you the next video is graphic. Ukraine's top prosecutor said last week her office was investigating nearly 6,000 alleged Russian war crimes. More proceedings are opening every day.

She spoke with CNN earlier and said there's also evidence of rape and sexual assault.

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IRYNA VENEDIKTOVA, UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR GENERAL: Even old women, when I was in Borodyanka, I try to be on such places by myself and speak with policemen, with prosecutors on the ground, with witnesses. And when I was in Borodyanka, it was the same day when they started the criminal case about rape in the old women.

That's why, yes, unfortunately, we have such operative information.

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BRUNHUBER: So for more on all of this, we're joined by Federico Borello, the executive director of the Center for Civilians in Conflict. He joins us live from The Hague in the Netherlands.

Thanks for being with us. In places like Bucha, Mariupol, the scope of the possible crimes, the details emerging, even for experts who might be used to dealing with the worst in humankind in war, trying to document it clinically, just on an emotional level, it must still be absolutely horrifying to see?

FEDERICO BORELLO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR CIVILIANS IN CONFLICT: Yes, Kim. It's always horrifying. Every time is more difficult than the prior time, because there is an irrational hope that we all have when we see something like that, that this is the last time. We know it won't be but there is hope that humans will not do that to

humans again. The danger is secondary traumatization (sic) for investigators. It's always present and psychological support must be available to them.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I mean, you think of all of the victims as well, who are going through all of this, who are living through it. In terms of, you know, documenting possible crimes.

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BRUNHUBER: Obviously doing it during an active war is probably the biggest obstacle for investigators. But on top of that, Russian forces must be actively trying to cover up and get rid of evidence.

Given all of that, how hard will it be to document any more crimes?

BORELLO: It is always hard to document war crimes. You always need to prove the crime scene, that linkage to the perpetrator and the intent to actually target civilians.

However, it is never possible to wipe out all evidence, no matter how hard you want to try, particularly when the crimes of such magnitude and those that seem to be perpetrating in Bucha happened. There are mass graves, there are bullets, shells, there are witnesses, there are satellite images.

It is impossible to wipe out all the evidence.

BRUNHUBER: In terms of sort of adding to that evidence, how important is user generated evidence, the social media posts, smartphone video and so on?

And what are the challenges of using that as evidence in a court, when it might be hard to ascertain its, you know, whether it's reliable or not?

BORELLO: Yes, this is a rapidly new development for the international prosecution of war crimes. But it's a very important one. The potential for user generated evidence, for visual evidence is immense, as crimes can be recorded live as they happen.

In fact, the International Criminal Court successfully used videos in the conviction in the case in Mariupol, the destruction of casual (ph) property in Timbuktu (ph). The challenge as you alluded to is always to prove the authenticity of this crime, of the video, audio or whatever it is, that this was taken by this person at that time and that it is authentic.

And this is, in fact, evidence can help a lot. The other challenge is the body of. We're likely to be submerged by an amount of material. And so it's extremely important to dedicate the resources to sift through this material and find the one that is actually relevant.

BRUNHUBER: Now, you know, at the end of the day, skeptics will say there's no chance that any top leaders, including Putin, will actually face justice, in terms of, let's say, imprisonment, for instance, because, in Russia, at least under the current regime, they're all basically untouchable.

So will any findings be anything more than just symbolic?

BORELLO: Well, first and foremost, we showdown not underestimate a symbolic value for victims to have the crimes that their (INAUDIBLE) suffer acknowledged in a court of law.

Secondly, it's extremely important to establish a historical record, as we will see the (INAUDIBLE) as we always see that take place over the next years and decades. And it's important to have a historic record.

But most importantly, things change. Omar al-Bashir, the former president of Sudan, was untouchable after being inducted -- indicted by the ICC, International Criminal Court, for many years.

And he is not anymore untouchable now because he has been deposed. Ratko Mladic, who was the commander of Bosnian Serb forces, was arrested 16 years after being indicted when he was living a life in hiding.

So because these crimes have no statute of limitations, which means that you can always prosecute a war crime, as long as the suspect is still living, who knows what will change. And it's extremely important to gather and preserve evidence for that day.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. You're all facing a long and potentially dangerous road. But best of luck with your sad and very important work, Federico Borello, with the Center for Civilians in Conflict, thank you so much.

Well, amid the latest attempts to get civilians out of Mariupol, we want to look now at the refugee crisis created by Russia's war in Ukraine.

The number of people fleeing Ukraine has surpassed 5 million. Most are going to Poland. Have a look at this family who fled to Serbia after their hometown of Mariupol became the target of nearly constant bombardment.

Much of the city is flattened, burned or just gone. We've learned that a humanitarian corridor may be open today but Ukraine's prime minister says, in the past, Russia hasn't stopped bombing long enough for people to escape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENYS SHMYHAL, UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER: There are many civilians, women and children, protecting and still fighting against Russian armies. But they're still there. We are speaking to our partners and we try to say, create human corridors. Let all these people, civilians, even protectors, military people, to go from there.

Because now they are bombing this territory, absolutely destroying everything, every building. Even the shelters where people are hiding they are bombarding.

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SHMYHAL (through translator): This is the biggest humanitarian catastrophe during this and maybe during last century.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The fighting has hit Ukrainian children particularly hard. According to recent U.N. data, nearly two-thirds of Ukraine's 7.5 million children have been forced to flee their home. Earlier CNN spoke with UNICEF spokesperson Toby Fricker about what he was hearing from families fleeing the war zone. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOBY FRICKER, UNICEF SPOKESPERSON: We've been meeting some families arriving in Zaporizhzhya at this sort of transit center, where we are positioned. We see families coming from across not just Mariupol when they can and when the corridors work safely but from also across the southeast.

I met a family yesterday who had managed to make it out with 12 other cars. They formed their own convoy and took a massive risk. And they made it, thankfully safely. They said they have a 5-year-old and 7- year-old girl. They had spent literally a large part of the last nearly two months since the war started hiding underground.

So the situation was incredibly difficult. They had been through a horrific time. And the only positive side was that they had made it out. And the two children were playing again in this child protection space that we have. And the joy on their faces was incredible, just to have some toys was a massive relief, I think, at that point.

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BRUNHUBER: To find out how you can help people in Ukraine, who need shelter, food and water, please go to cnn.com/impact. Just to let you know, our CNN audience has donated $7.5 million. But obviously more help is desperately needed.

All right. Coming up, our other top story: French voters will decide who will lead their country for the next five years. We'll go to Paris on the eve of the election that will have consequences far beyond France.

Plus, the major development in the disappearance of the British girl, Madeleine McCann. Investigators have named a suspect 15 years after she went missing. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, some political analysts say the French vote with their hearts in round one of the elections but with their heads in round two.

But heads or hearts, they'll be choosing between these two candidates in Sunday's presidential runoff. Incumbent president Emmanuel Macron is facing far-right challenger, Marine Le Pen. And whoever comes out on top, the election is expected to have a far-reaching impact, both at home and abroad.

So for more on this, Jim Bittermann joins us from Paris.

Jim, where do we stand right now?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're kind of in this never-never land, Kim. The fact is, for the next 36 hours or so, until the polls close tomorrow night, the candidates themselves can do no campaigning, no leafletting.

We can't broadcast any public opinion polls, anything like that. They can't even change their website. This is a period of time in which the French voters are supposedly taking it all in.

And in the weeks of campaigning, the noise we've heard on the campaign trail and the various issues that they're most concerned about. And we hear that those issues are the rising cost of living, the environment and the Ukraine. Those are the top three issues, among French voters.

And so they'll be choosing between these two candidates on exactly those issues. And there are quite a few differences, even though the Left here complains that, in fact, there is not much of a choice because of the fact that this is a center right candidate and extreme right candidate.

And there could be a very high rate of abstention. And pollsters are telling us if they're advanced, that there could be a lot of people who abstain or cast illegitimate ballots what they call vote blanc, which is to say, putting in a white piece of paper or no piece of paper in their voting envelope -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. It was interesting. I was in France when the election kicked off. The sense of apathy was palpable even then. So you're saying it was definitely reflected when I was there.

But looking at the implications for Europe, quickly, what difference might it make in terms who wins this election, not just for France but for Europe at large?

BITTERMANN: Well, it could make a big difference. Mr. Macron, of course, has been very pro-European all through his five-year mandate. Madame Le Pen is very anti-Europe. And she wants to drop out of European institutions, for example.

So it could make a big difference that way as well as it could make an impact on the way other countries are going. The rise of populism, we've been talking about, with Brexit and with the Hungarian elections and other elections.

Is there really a rise of populism here?

And the bellwether could be France, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Fascinating battle. Thank you very much, Jim. Appreciate it.

Be sure to join us Sunday 8:00 pm Paris time and 2:00 pm in the U.S. for special live coverage of that election here on CNN.

It's a case that has been captivating the world for almost 15 years now. British girl Madeleine McCann disappeared during a family vacation in Portugal back in 2007, when she was only 3 years old.

Investigators were in the dark about what happened to her. No one has ever been charged in the case. But as Nina dos Santos reports, officials now have a suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Portuguese authorities said on Friday they'd identified a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, one of the most high-profile mysterious missing person cases to have captivated the world's attention and also a case that hasn't really moved forward for quite some time now.

They didn't specifically name the individual in question.

[05:25:00]

DOS SANTOS (voice-over): But the Portuguese authorities said they had been liaising with German authorities, who, in 2020, said they had an individual in custody in jail, serving time for separate, unrelated offenses, who they believe knew what happened to her all those years ago.

That suspect was identified at the time as Christian B. But authorities said they didn't have enough evidence to charge him with a particular crime at the time. And he still hasn't been charged.

The latest move, what it does from a Portuguese legal perspective, is to keep this case alive just before the statute of limitations was set to expire on May 3rd. That would have been the 15th anniversary since she disappeared on a family holiday back in 2007.

Having said that, sadly, German authorities already said two years ago they were working on the assumption back then that Madeleine may no longer be alive -- Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: More than 30 people are dead, dozens injured, after another deadly blast in Afghanistan. The Taliban say the explosion hit a mosque in Kunduz province during Friday prayers. This is the latest in a wave of explosions to strike Afghanistan this week. Most of the attacks are claimed by ISIS affiliate and Taliban rival

ISIS Khorasan but we haven't heard a claim of responsibility in the latest mosque blast.

For international viewers, "AFRICAN VOICES: CHANGEMAKERS" is next. If you're watching here in America, I'll be back after a short break. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States and Canada, I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Ukrainian deputy prime minister has announced a humanitarian corridor from the besieged city of Mariupol. This follows a brief halt on evacuations due to security concerns. In a statement on Telegram, he said, quote, "We're trying to evacuate the women, children and elderly again today."

Now we've been telling you about Ukrainian soldiers and civilians holed up for weeks inside Mariupol's steel factory. Video from the troops shows them delivering supplies to the women and children huddling in the bomb shelter. This is what one boy said about the ordeal.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We all really want to return home. We want to return to our lives, to see our parents, yes, relatives and so on. We really miss them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Russia's military now confirms its objective is to take full control of Ukraine's Black Sea coast. President Zelenskyy warns that, if Russia is successful, Moscow's aggression will spread to other countries.

Ukrainian military officials in Kharkiv say Russian forces continue to pound that region with artillery and claim Ukrainian troops have regained some territory. Britain's defense ministry said that Russian troops haven't made major gains in the past 24 hours.

And Russian troops are facing heavy fighting in Mariupol, despite Russian claims that the city has been liberated.

In Ukrainian troops in a small town outside of Kyiv are being honored for halting Russia's initial assault on the capital. Russian shelling left extensive damage. Two Russian business tycoons and members of their families died in two

separate countries all within 24 hours. Now investigators want to know if they're connected to each other or the war in Ukraine. Nic Robertson has the details.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Coincidence or Kremlin revenge: 55-year-old Sergey Protosenya and his wife and daughter found dead in their home in Spain Tuesday.

And Vladislav Avayev, a 51-year-old former VP at Gazprombank, and his wife and daughter found dead in their Moscow apartment Monday.

Russia's state news agency says Moscow police are investigating the deaths of Avayev and his family as a murder-suicide; tantamount to saying, "nothing suspicious here."

Spanish police are now guarding Protosenya's luxury house north of Barcelona. An official source close to the investigation says the bodies of his wife and daughter, which showed signs of violence, were found inside the home and Protosenya's body was found outside in the garden.

The neighbors described them as wealthy but often traveling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He had nice cars. I thought they were Romanian from what I understood. And besides, you could see they were people with money.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The investigative source says Spanish police have sealed their probe into the deaths, no leaks that might prejudge their case; two different investigations, two very different jurisdictions.

Historically, Spain's judiciary significantly more transparent than Russia's. Russia's investigators releasing this ultra-short four- second video of the crime scene inside the Avayevs' apartment. The family's employees reportedly alerted a relative that parents and daughter weren't answering calls from within their locked apartment.

Police found all three dead from gunshot wounds.

Suspicious deaths of Russians overseas and at home are nothing new. Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned and killed in London 2006.

A British coroner questioned the apparent suicide in his locked bathroom of oligarch and Kremlin critic Boris Berezovsky near London in 2013.

In 2018, the attempted murder by deadly Russian nerve agent Novichok of former spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter.

So, too, in Russia: Putin critic Alexei Navalny poisoned, nearly killed with Novichok in 2020. [05:35:00]

ROBERTSON (voice-over): But one Russian death in particular has uncanny parallels with Avayev's, death inside a locked apartment, not entirely dissimilar to Boris Berezovsky's death. In 2018, aspiring journalist and occasional Kremlin critic Maxim Borodin fell from his fifth floor balcony in Yekaterinburg, 1,000 miles from Moscow.

ROBERTSON: His neighbors found his body here, crumpled in the street, his death is a mystery.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): I covered Borodin's death. When officials spoke, many felt there was a cover-up.

ROBERTSON: A spokesman for the regional interior ministry tells us that Borodin's apartment was locked from the inside, a fact, he says, that indicates no one left the apartment. Most likely, he says, there were no strangers in there.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Borodin's journalist colleagues didn't buy the official line, either.

EKATERINA ORSEEVA, DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "NOVY DEN" (through translator): According to our sources, this is obviously not verified. But they're saying that it was a targeted action on someone's order.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): There is no evidence Protosenya or Avayev were Putin critics. There is evidence, however, that, despite Kremlin demands for loyalty among the elite, some previously silent Putin allies are coming out against him.

Today, as Putin's war polarizes Russians for and against, suspicions of shady Kremlin killings will likely linger long after Moscow's investigators close Avayev's case -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Brussels.

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BRUNHUBER: And news just coming into CNN. The head of the Mykolaiv region military administration reports overnight shelling by Russian forces. There are no reports of casualties. The officials also announced a curfew in effect from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am, ahead of local Easter services.

The Federal Reserve hopes raising interest rates will get inflation under control in the U.S. It's at levels not seen in 40 years. Consumers have been hit by rising energy and food costs, driven by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Jeff Zeleny has more on that and how the economic worries could impact midterm elections later this year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIAMA DAVIS, OWNER, THE BEEHIVE: When you go to the grocery store, it feels like you're shopping in Hawaii.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But Mariama Davis lives in Georgia and feels the sting of inflation for herself and customers at her boutique, The Beehive.

DAVIS: The idea that eggs are $3 now, is that's a lot. And people have their families to feed. So if they have an option between buying a gift or putting food on the table, I'm going to expect folks to put food on the table.

ZELENY (voice-over): Six months before voters decide if Democrats maintain control of Congress, a sour mood is hanging over the economy. As inflation looms as a major issue in a national election for the first time since 1980. Some blame President Biden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ever since Mr. Biden took office, everything has been going up.

ZELENY (voice-over): Others do not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a number of things. I wouldn't just blame President Biden solely.

ZELENY (voice-over): Yet it's a problem he owns. And one of the biggest challenges facing the White House.

At Daddy D'z Barbecue, owner Christianah Coker-Jackson sees inflation everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love that.

ZELENY (voice-over): From paper goods, to the cost of meat, to how often people are dining out.

CHRISTIANAH COKER-JACKSON, OWNER, DADDY D'Z BARBECUE: We're not seeing the same amount of traffic that we normally do. And I think that's a fear of just spending with the talk of inflation, inflation, inflation. Customers are scared.

ZELENY (voice-over): And as a Democrat, she's scared of the consequences come November.

COKER-JACKSON: If we can't get out and vote for the midterms, then all the work that we did in 2020 is not really going to matter, because then we're going to have a handicap president.

ZELENY (voice-over): Georgia is also a hot political battleground, which Biden narrowly won in 2020. This year, it will help determine whether Democrats hold the Senate by re-electing Raphael Warnock. His early campaign ads trying to redirect any economic blame.

RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA): What if I told you shipping container companies have been making record profits, while prices have been skyrocketing on you?

That's why I'm pushing to hold them accountable.

ZELENY (voice-over): But that message is competing with loud Republican criticism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Biden's ruining our country.

ZELENY (voice-over): Jen Jordan, a state senator who turned a suburban district from red to blue and is now running for Attorney General knows that Democrats face headwinds but she said Republicans have not offered a positive alternative.

JEN JORDAN (D), GEORGIA STATE SENATOR: We're still in the middle of a pandemic, right?

And so what people do is they respond to, you know, how are they feeling?

[05:40:00]

JORDAN: How are their lives, right?

And they're always going to tag the president for that. But look, we have got a million miles to go before November.

ZELENY (voice-over): Back at The Beehive where we first met Davis a year ago, she then urged people to give Biden time.

DAVIS: Just be patient, like it's coming. Everything doesn't happen overnight. Folks know that.

ZELENY (voice-over): Now she adds this caveat.

DAVIS: Patient or just frustrated, just frustrated. Just would like to get the relief that we need so we can start operating how we used to.

ZELENY: Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, a startling new report on the state of Europe's climate, from record temperatures to record rainfall. A look at what scientists are saying has to be done. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: President Joe Biden marked Earth Day on Friday by signing a new executive order meant to protect America's forests. But executive orders aren't enough to reverse the effect of climate change.

The last two years, the hurricane season has been so active, they ran out of letters in the alphabet used to name storms.

And the North Pole just recorded temperatures 50 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. While at the South Pole, it was 70 degrees higher than normal. U.S. government estimates damage from extreme events like floods, fires and drought cost almost $150 billion last year.

CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir spoke earlier about what Biden's executive order means.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: I think a lot of President Biden's greenest supporters love old growth forests and are happy to see today's executive order. Those old growth, big old trees are the biggest and oldest carbon capture machines we have left on Earth until we invent something better.

[05:45:00]

WEIR: But it's probably not going to offset what we had last week, which is opening up federal lands and more drilling and fracking, even putting in a use it or lose it clause, encouraging more drilling.

That was disappointing to his green base. Also opening strategic oil reserves, encouraging allies, you know, to basically fight the Putin- Ukraine war, you know, to get through it with oil when it could have been a moment to, you know, shift to something is that is both safer for life, as we know it and national security, Something more renewable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: And a new climate report for Europe has similar findings. With record high temperatures, along with daily rain records, the climate crisis is showing no regard for borders.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BRUNHUBER: Several dangerous wildfires are burning throughout the U.S. this week, from the Southwest into the Rockies and the Plains. More than 4 million people under a level three extremely critical fire threat; 12 million are also under red flag warnings or fire weather watches.

So if you'd like more information about climate change and how you can help, please go to cnn.com/specialsworldCNNclimate.

Well, a young group of swimmers from Ukraine became stranded in Turkey when the war began. After the break, we'll hear from the members of the team and the messages they have for families back home. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Well, imagine going to another country for a short camp, only to be stranded because your homeland was invaded. That's what happened to a group of young disabled swimmers from Ukraine, who are now in Turkey.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh spoke to members of the team, who tell her this experience has brought them immeasurably closer.

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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just days after these young disabled Ukrainian swimmers arrived in Turkey, war erupted back home. And what was supposed to be a two-week training camp has now turned into two months of being stranded here, separated from their families during the most difficult of times.

At this public pool in Istanbul, they continue their training. It's also a distraction from the one thing that's on everyone's minds.

KYRYLO GARASHCHENKO, UKRAINIAN SWIMMER: I just try to not think about it. It's a lot of information about war. I just try to little bit and don't think about it.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): Twenty-four-year-old Kyrylo Garashchenko, a Paralympic silver and bronze medalist, is the oldest member of this group of six from the Eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya.

Ilia Sharkov, who's just 15, dreams of becoming a Paralympic champion. But all he wants right now to be is with his parents who live in the Russian occupied city of Melitopol. To call and see their son, they have to drive 50 kilometers from their home for internet access. Ilia wants us to send them a message.

"My dearest father and mother, I love you so much," he says. "I wish you happiness and health. Say hello to my grandparents and my aunt."

Sixteen-year-old Victoria and Kamila (ph) speak with their families every day.

"They're happy we're in a safe place and not in Ukraine now, that we don't need to stay in air raid shelters and do not hide," Victoria tells us.

Kamila (ph) struggles to express how much she misses her family. Twelve-year-old Vitaly (ph) is used to traveling. But he's never been away from his parents for this long. Sometimes the coaches find the children, especially the girls, crying because they miss their mothers.

"They lack affection," Coach Iryna tells us. "We give them affection, warmth and they give it to us probably even more. In the evening, they don't let us go and ask to hug and kiss us."

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KARADSHEH: This single mother doesn't want to talk about missing her own family, her 6-year-old daughter, who lives with her elderly grandparents. It's too upsetting, she says. She can't abandon her team and traveling across a war zone with the disabled young people is just too risky.

"Every day, my heart is torn two ways, between my home and these children," she says. Istanbul's Kasimpasa sports club has opened its doors to these Ukrainians, giving them a free place to stay and hot meals every day.

The group, which has also run out of the money, has had to rely on the kindness of strangers, who send them things like clothes and fresh fruit.

The best and toughest part of the day for Mykyta is talking to his mom.

"Are you sleeping well?

"Are you eating?

"You have lost weight, my son," she tells him. "I worry about you. We hope the Ukrainian armed forces will throw the enemy out soon and you'll come back and we will hug you."

"I want to go home so much," he tells her.

No one knows when they'll be able to go home. But they say this ordeal has turned their team into a family that will get through this together -- Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.

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BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Our breaking news coverage of the war in Ukraine continues on "NEW DAY" with Christi Paul and Boris Sanchez. You're watching CNN.