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Evacuations Begin From Mariupol Steel Plant; Multiple Explosions Reported In Historic Port City Of Odessa; President Biden Prepares For Role As Comedian-In-Chief At D.C. Event; China Defends Harsh COVID Strategy, Calls It A "Magic Weapon"; Orlando Bloom Discusses Meeting Ukrainian Refugees Who Fled To Moldova, Producing New Documentary On UNICEF's Work Over Last 75 Years. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired April 30, 2022 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:05]

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

The Russian siege of Mariupol about to enter its third month. In a situation that's been liken to a concentration camp, hundreds of civilians, mostly women and children, are sheltering in the dark under a steel plant that Russia has been hitting for weeks. Today some of those people got out. A Ukrainian commander inside the plant says civilian evacuations have begun but the numbers less than two dozen, a small fraction of the exodus that is needed.

These new satellite images show near complete destruction at the site.

Also today air-raid sirens and explosions in historic Odessa. Local officials and witnesses say a Russian strike hit the airport. But in the east earlier today Ukrainian fighters struck Russian positions. Ukraine's military says 14 Russian attacks have been fought off in the past 24 hours.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is on the ground in central Ukraine.

Nick, a very dangerous situation in Mariupol. What is the status of these evacuations?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, I mean, for once now we do have Russian state media and Ukrainian military and officials on the ground saying something pretty similar, which is 20 people, six of them children, according to the Ukrainians, injured. Women and children, have managed to begin their evacuation out.

Now a Ukrainian commander on the ground there from the Azov battalion has talked about how this evacuation was supposed to start at 6:00 a.m. The convoy didn't actually get through until 6:25 p.m. What is unclear at this stage is which direction the evacuation is going.

There are two, obviously, Jim, one is towards Ukrainian held territory in Zaporizhzhia to the east of where I'm standing, and the other is into Russia where tens of thousands it seems of people from Mariupol have been forcibly taken and then put through filtration camps there. So definite awful binary choice for -- they're not choice, potential different directions for those initial evacuees and then a lengthy journey ahead.

But possible glimpse of light here after multiple occasions where these corridors have simply not come off that maybe something might be changing. I think the conditions on the ground in there with 100,000 people still held by Russian forces in there, disease becoming a serious issue, maybe expediting decisions in that regard -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And Nick, what about the strikes in Odessa? I mean, that is a key target for the Russians. What more can you tell us?

WALSH: You know, I should say, Jim, since this war began there have been strikes in and around Odessa. What is different, though, about this, it appears that the airport outside of the city has been struck by missiles. I think this is in keeping, three explosions, witnesses say, and combat jets from the sky. This is in keeping with Russia's game plan here to leave Ukraine uncertain where it's going next.

I mean, it's not a stroke of genius, frankly. They seem to just hit different places around the country at times to make it unclear quite where the focus is. This, though, plays into the broader narrative. And we've seen it too with suggestions that maybe in the breakaway region of Moldova, Transnistria, there may be some kind of heightened military activity, feeding the notion they put out about two weeks that the second phase of their operation would be to push west along the Black Sea coast of Ukraine, so vital to its economy.

That's where Odessa is and that might be why we're seeing these explosion and we're seeing this sort of bid to leave Ukraine wondering if that is Russia's eventual target. I have to say I'd be surprise they've tried to get around Mykolaiv, the major port city between where I'm standing in Kherson which Russia controls, and Odessa, and the Russians have failed to do that again and again, quite clumsily.

So this may be a distraction and it may well be that the forces we're seeing trying to get themselves on the move here for Russia may be in fact headed east, up towards Zaporizhzhia and the eastern front where Russia is also pushing to. But it is slow progress for the Russians. They're throwing it seems everything at this Donbas offensive and we're not seeing the kind of speedy advance that frankly would suggest this is not going to be some lengthy war of attrition over the summer -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Very interesting analysis, Nick Paton Walsh, as always. Thank you.

CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling joins me now.

General Hertling, great to see you. First, I want to get your thoughts on this news that is just coming into CNN and Ukrainian military officials are confirming this, that some civilians are being evacuated from that besieged Mariupol steel plant. This cease-fire is at odds with Putin initially saying that he wasn't even going to let a fly get through. What do you make of that development? LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, this is a siege,

Jim, and what Russia is attempting to do is continue to squash hope. You know, they'll let a few people out.

[15:05:02]

The other hundreds or so that are still in there will be thinking to themselves, are we next? Can we get out somehow? Can we get help -- someone to take care of our health and our injuries, take care of our babies? But as part of the psychological warfare of this, in a siege warfare, you may let a small number of people out from the siege while you continue to bombard it, lay out the siege. So I think that's what the Russian military is doing.

They've certainly suffered a great deal of casualties, have spent much more time, over a month, in Mariupol, than they wanted to. And this is just a way of them, the Russians, not incurring more casualties, more slowdowns but still maintaining control of that key port city.

ACOSTA: And General Hertling, we have some new video that we want to show our viewers, we were just showing it a few moments ago but I want to get response to it. Some video of Ukraine's military saying that they've had 14 Russian attacks fought off in the past 24 hours. Some of this footage is pretty dramatic. What can you tell us about that?

HERTLING: Well, in looking at that footage, Jim, it appears to be the landing of a bunch of multiple launch rockets from Ukrainian positions on Russian advances. And as we've talked about so many times what Russia has attempted to do is use their massive amount of artillery to cause a breakthrough, send small number of forces through the lines to determine what is out there, and can they find weaknesses in the Ukrainian defenses.

And what's happening in every one of those occasions from reports I'm seeing and certainly from this video, Ukraine is answering back when there's any kind of maneuver through those broken lines. So the Ukraine forces are continuing to do an exceedingly good job. There are reports that they are continuing to destroy tanks and BMPs, that the Russian maneuver is absolutely horrible. That it hasn't gained any advantages since what we saw in the north.

So I think we're going to see more and more of this as the week goes on. And again, just like in Mariupol, the Russians being delayed in this attack coming out of the Donbas, the Russians are already a week behind their schedule. And what they're doing is pressing small number of forces forward. And every time they do that, they're being engaged by the Ukrainian forces.

ACOSTA: Yes, I think that video is showing us from time to time we're seeing evidence that the Ukrainians they just have some serious fire power on their hands and they're able to unleash it pretty effectively.

General, let me ask you about Odessa. It's been the site of multiple explosions today with the Ukrainian military saying the runway at the city's airport had been damaged. Nick Paton Walsh was talking about this a few moments ago. That area is right on the Black Sea. If it falls into Russian hands, that has some significance to it. I mean, that is -- that will have some impact.

HERTLING: It has always been an objective of the Russian federation to take the entire coast of both the Azov Sea and the Black Sea, Jim. And the Odessa is the prize. That is the key port facility along the Black Sea. They must take that but they haven't shown the capability to generate the ground forces. What we're probably seeing with those strikes on the Odessa airport, and I'm hazarding a guess here, but there have also been reports of caliber cruise missile launches from Russian submarines in the Black Sea.

There's also reports of them being reloaded in some of the ports with caliber cruise missiles. So that's a capability that Russia continues to maintain, but what I said so many times in the past, with any kind of artillery, rockets or missiles, you can certainly damage equipment but you can't secure that ground. In order to do that, you need infantrymen, tankers on the ground planting a flag there, and Russia just has not been able to generate the forces needed to get to Odessa, either from an amphibious assault or going west from Mariupol.

I don't think we're going to see the Russian forces get anywhere close to occupying or laying siege on Odessa, but they will continue to bomb it for sure.

ACOSTA: All right. General Mark Hertling, great to see you as always. Thanks so much. Appreciate the insights.

HERTLING: Thank you, Jim. Thank you.

ACOSTA: Coming up, the White House Correspondents' Dinner is back tonight after two years off due to COVID. The bottom line, what will President Biden have to say about the former guy.

And later Orlando Bloom will join me live to talk about his important work with Ukrainian refugees as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:13:47]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm a mellow sort of guy. And that's why I invited Luther, my anger translator, to join me here tonight.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY, COMEDIAN: Hold on to your lily-white butts.

OBAMA: In our fast-changing world, traditions like the White House Correspondents' Dinner are important.

KEY: I mean, really, what is this dinner? And why am I required to come to it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: That was former President Barack Obama relying on an anger translator to get a few things off of his chest during the White House Correspondents' Dinner 2015.

Tonight President Biden is preparing to deliver his own high-profile routine at the Correspondents' Dinner. An opportunity to showcase what people close to him insist as a genuinely good sense of humor. Still Biden's open mic night comes at a tough time with the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and the stock market plunging.

[15:15:00]

And joining me now to talk about this, Jeff Mason, a past president of the White House Correspondents Association and a White House correspondent for Reuters. Also with us the very lovely and talented, amazing April Ryan, White House correspondent for TheGrio and a CNN political analyst as well. April, we should mention, is going to be honored later tonight for 25 years of covering the White House.

Congratulations on that. Good to see both of you.

April, let me start with you. A former speech writer told CNN that Biden is a president who has used the expression, not a joke, folks, he always says that. Not a joke folks. More than he actually tells jokes. So what do you expect, April? You know Joe Biden pretty well. Is he going to be funny?

APRIL RYAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the president has no voice but to be funny. He has to be smart, witty, relatable and funny. As you said earlier, even at a time of potential recession as many people, financial analysts are predicting, a time of COVID, at a time of Russia waging war on Ukraine, at a time when people are still just so uncertain. But he has to be relatable.

He has to make people laugh even through the pain. And then are moments, even after the jokes, they get to a point of soberness. To talk about the moment and offer hope and optimism. But tonight, Jim, we are back after two years later in the midst of COVID, trying to be COVID conscious and safe. But the president, this is an audience he has got to win. Not just in the room but around the nation and even the world.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. I mean, the American people are going to see a side of Joe Biden that maybe they haven't seen in some time.

And Jeff, you were the president of the White House Correspondents' Association when Trump refused to attend the dinner. I remember being there that night and seeing you on the dais, and trying to make the most of it and you did that just perfectly.

JEFF MASON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: Thank you.

ACOSTA: I remember the night being dedicated to the First Amendment instead which was a very important message I think to send to the entire world at that time. It's going to be different tonight. What are you looking for tonight, Jeff? I suspect the president will say something about how the press is not the enemy of the people, because we've heard him talk about that before.

MASON: Well, and I think the fact that he's coming despite the concerns about COVID is a sign that he really wants to show this is a break with how the last administration handled the press and handled this dinner in particular. So I think there's some symbolism that he will probably nod to in his remarks in addition to his presence there. That said, I don't think it's going to be that different.

I think this dinner will continue to celebrate the First Amendment. And that's how it should be. So I think that theme will continue to be highlighted tonight. And then we'll see, you know, as April rightly said, there's a balance at these things. We've got the war in Ukraine, which, of course, is hanging over everyone's thoughts. It's also a dangerous time to be a journalist, for journalists in Ukraine and around the world.

And those types of themes are also important at a dinner like this. It's also, I can tell you, it's not an easy room. And I have addressed the room and other presidents have addressed the room. And it'll be a challenge for President Biden but I also think he enjoys kind of letting his hair down, as it were, and I think he will try to have fun tonight in addition to getting out a serious message at the same time.

ACOSTA: Jeff, are you trying to say that not the best senses of humor in that room at all times? Is that possibly --

MASON: No, no. People have a sense of humor. It's actually just kind of hard to get the room quiet. I can speak from experience on that.

ACOSTA: That's true.

RYAN: That's true.

MASON: But I think everyone will be quiet for President Biden.

ACOSTA: To get everybody down to business. And April, some of the most successful moments at these dinners come when the president can poke fun at himself as George W. Bush famously did. Let's take a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BRIDGES, PRESIDENT BUSH IMPERSONATOR: The media really ticks me off. The way they try to embarrass me by not editing what I say.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT: I always look forward to these dinners.

BRIDGES: It's just a bunch of media types. Hollywood liberals, Democrats like Joe Biden. How come I can't have dinner with the 36 percent of the people who like me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What do you think, April? Do you think we'll see some of that from Joe Biden?

RYAN: You know, Joe Biden kind of resembles George W. Bush a little bit about the respect of the media and the editing piece. But at the end of the day, tonight is going to be a night where all eyes will be watching the president to see what he says, how he laughs at himself, how he laughs at others. What is hilarious to him, what is not funny. And also you have to remember the comedian that's going to be there, Trevor Noah.

ACOSTA: Right.

RYAN: It's hard for a comedian to follow the president of the United States of America with those jokes that they have played in front of a crowd already as he prepares to go before the large crowd of about 2600 people.

[15:20:06]

And I'll never forget being on the board of the White House Correspondents' Association and how we would always get the temperature of the president and of the room about before they went on as we would banter with them before he would go up. And it's a hard night. It's a hard room. But we are expecting laughter in a moment of crisis. We need that.

But also, there will be, once again, a moment of optimism. And I think this president is -- he has to deliver tonight. I mean, his poll numbers are down. This is one of the things that could help do something with his numbers, to push them upward. For people once again to feel like he's relatable, like he is them. And that's the piece that he has to bring back to the forum, to the forefront again.

ACOSTA: And Jeff, Landen Parven, a former speech writer for both Reagan and both Bushes, offered this advice. If we can put this quote up on screen, I would probably do something that relates to his age in terms of talking about the good old days or, you know, what it was like to work with Woodrow Wilson, that kind of thing or maybe the age thing is explaining Twitter or Tinder or something that recognizes that he is not necessarily like everybody in that audience, that he's from a different era.

And we knew Ronald Reagan could joke about his age. This is Ronald Reagan. Let's watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They also said that preparing me for a press conference was like reinventing the wheel. That's not true. I was around when the wheel was invented and it was easier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What do you make of that, Jeff? What do you think?

MASON: Oh, you know --

ACOSTA: A good area to pursue there, you think?

MASON: I don't know if necessarily jokes about his age is the direction that he or this White House would want to go. But I do think just being able to poke fun at yourself broadly goes well at an evening like this. And honestly, you know, poking fun at yourself but poking fun at the press, like we also will take some jabs tonight I'm sure from Trevor Noah and perhaps from President Biden.

ACOSTA: You think?

MASON: Yes. I mean, that, you know, this dinner is -- it's about -- it's about getting to be in the room and hang out with sources, journalists and their sources in a way that is not the kind of aggressive relationship that we sometimes have. And I think that does -- that's important, too. And I think we all have to have a thick skin if there are a few jabs either way. But I would think President Biden would poke fun at himself in some way, even if it's not necessarily about his age.

ACOSTA: Yes. And having been the recipient of some of those jabs you just have to sit back and laugh. That's the only response.

MASON: Exactly.

ACOSTA: And finally, April, you are celebrating 25 years of covering the White House at an event right after the Correspondents' Dinner. Get this, Chris Tucker is hosting, Mary J. Blige is performing. I have to ask you, are they OK with sharing the stage with an even bigger celebrity in April Ryan?

RYAN: You know, Jim, it is humbling. I grew up in Baltimore, a place where so many people have said failure is built in your very existence. And for me to become a woman to question five American presidents and for them to call me by name, well, four I know called me by name. The other one, you know, it's a whole other story.

ACOSTA: Had his own way, yes.

RYAN: But, yes, he had his own way. It's humbling. It's humbling. I just reported and along the way 25 years came, being the longest serving black female journalist at the White House. It's not by coincidence or happenstance. I'm just blessed, humbled and so thankful.

Tonight, I'm going to have tears. I don't know, I'm tearing up right now. It's just -- to be able to be trusted, to be able to give the news to people about what affects them from the highest office in the land, and for people to respect that and believe it and take it and use it for their life, it's humbling. And I'm just honored.

ACOSTA: It really is. Well, April, we are honored to have you here with us today. And I've always felt like I was honored and blessed to be with you at the White House when I was there myself. I know Jeff feels the same way.

Great to see both of you.

MASON: Congratulations, April.

ACOSTA: And congratulations, April. What an accomplishment, what an achievement. It's going to be fun to raise a glass in your honor later tonight.

RYAN: Yes, dance with me. Come up.

ACOSTA: Will do.

RYAN: I call you my brother from another mother. We got to dance tonight together.

ACOSTA: My sister from another mister, as I like to say, as well. All right, I'll see you later tonight. Both of you.

April and Jeff, great to see you. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

And you know him from "Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," but for Orlando Bloom, one of the most important roles that he has is as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador. His unforgettable experience meeting with Ukrainian refugees including small children who've had to flee the violence in Ukraine.

[15:25:03]

Orlando Bloom joins me live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: The Chinese government defending its zero COVID policy as a, quote, "magic weapon to prevent the virus' spread," but for the people who live there the day-to-day is anything but easy.

CNN's David Culver reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lockdown in China is like nowhere else on earth. Here you see a man getting swabbed for a COVID test through the fence.

[15:30:00]

Using a megaphone, health care workers call for others to get tested.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

CULVER: The country's zero-COVID strategy turning millions into virtual prisoners across the nation.

Outside of Beijing, these residents forced to hand over their apartment keys so community workers can lock them in from the outside. For those who refuse, crews drill holes to chain the doors shut.

In northeastern Jilin Province, no need for a lock. Workers installing steel bars to keep people from leaving the building.

Right now, across China, at least 27 cities are under full or partial lockdown. CNN's calculation estimating that directly impacts up to 180 million people, more than half the U.S. population.

For over two years now, China's COVID containment has become more extreme --

(SHOUTING)

CULVER: -- fracturing everyday life.

In Shenzhen, a city not under lockdown, babies kept off the subway. The reason? They didn't have negative COVID test results. It's now mandatory to get access to most of public life in the city. To accommodate the new rule, they've opened 24/7 testing sites.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(LAUGHTER)

CULVER: A delayed test result had this groom in Xinjiang watching his own wedding ceremony via livestream, not allowed to enter the venue, laughing off the insanity of it all.

China's zero tolerance for any new cases comes from the top. President Xi Jinping's tasked Vice Premier Sun Chunlan to oversee major outbreaks.

In Shanghai, that means working with the city's most senior official, Communist Party Secretary Li Qiang.

Their orders are carried out by the municipal government, which runs the quarantine centers, and coordinated at local levels with thousands of communities.

Those local workers are literal gatekeepers, determining who goes in and out of each compound, facilitating food deliveries, and managing our health information.

(on camera): In addition to very regular PCR tests, each day, we're also required to do rapid antigen tests. We then upload the results to this government app.

And then we take a screenshot of that and a picture of the test, and we share it publicly with our community group chat so that all our neighbors can see we're negative.

(voice-over): The community group chats can serve as a helpful way to source food. But always as a space to call out neighbors, sometimes becoming a witch hunt to kick out positive cases and have them sent to quarantine centers.

DALI YANG, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: It has become quite common for local authorities to basically say we have a wartime situation, and therefore we have to apply emergency measures, and therefore you have to simply follow orders.

CULVER: It reminds some residents of the Cultural Revolution from the '60s and '70s, a painful era of political and social chaos sparked by extreme policies.

Criticism of Beijing's zero-COVID strategy is not tolerated from anyone, including the son of a Chinese billionaire who was also sent to a crowd quarantine facility in Shanghai. Wong Sachong (ph) banned from Chinese social media after criticizing the policy. His profile with 40 million followers erased.

But not everyone is silenced.

(BANGING)

CULVER: Back in Shanghai, many residents confined to their homes adding to the growing chorus of dissent.

(SHOUTING)

(BANGING)

CULVER: As COVID cases surge across China, millions now sentenced to lockdown.

(SHOUTING)

CULVER: Their release date, unknown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And up next, Actor Orlando Bloom on his unforgettable trip to visit Ukrainian refugees. There he is. We'll talk to him in just a few moments.

[15:33:48]

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:38:25]

ACOSTA: Russia's senseless war against Ukraine has set off a refugee crisis the world has not seen since the 1940s. And the number of people we're talking about is truly shocking.

The United Nations said nearly 13 million people have been uprooted in Ukraine, forced by the fighting to leave their homes behind just to stay live. That's just inside the country.

So farm more than five million people, almost all of them women and children, have fled in fear, some to neighboring Moldova.

That's where UNICEF goodwill ambassador and actor, Orlando Bloom, got to meet some of the families and children who have left their entire lives behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ORLANDO BLOOM, ACTOR & UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: When we see conflict like this, and you realize that it's all about the children and what their future will be. And it's so uncertain because nothing is certain when they're fleeing a war.

Bucharest. OK. Who did you come with?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

BLOOM: Your mama?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yes..

BLOOM: Have you got brothers and sisters?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yes. Brother.

BLOOM: One brother. You and your brother?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yes.

BLOOM: OK.

And where did you come from today?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Odessa.

BLOOM: Odessa. OK. How long did it take?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Around four hours.

BLOOM: OK. You left this morning?

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Yes.

[15:40:03]

BLOOM: OK. And who did you come with?

Thank you so much. Oh. Thank you. That's so sweet. My daughter will love this. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Amazing stuff.

And Orlando Bloom joins me now. He's also the executive producer of the new documentary "If You Have" about UNICEF's work over the last 75 years.

Orlando, great work.

And your heart breaks for these kids caught in the middle of such brutality.

What was it like to talk to them? What was that experience like for you?

BLOOM: As you can imagine, it's heart wrenching, as a father, to be at the border and to see these women and children as they cross.

And one of the mothers that I met had fled the night before. Her neighbor's home had been bombed. And her child was visibly distressed from the circumstances of their departure.

She had taken just the bare minimum of clothes and personal belongings, along with her two children and her grandmother. Leaving behind her husband and anyone mandated -- the men between the ages of 18 and 60, I believe, stay.

So it was just -- it was just so painful to see just the fear and sheer terror.

And I think part of it is the fleeing of war but it's also, where will they go from there? Where are they going to be able to find a home? Where are they going to be able to relocate themselves? And how long will that be for?

Many of the refugees want to stay close to the border. They want to return home to Ukraine. They don't want to leave partners behind.

UNICEF has done a remarkable job of setting up what's called the Blue Dot. So it's a child-friendly space for women and children to go to.

There are young -- I believe you saw in the video there, you saw these young helpers creating a safe space for kids to play and try to get rest and eat a meal and think about what they might do, where they might go, and where they can find refuge and help.

It's remarkable to see. The work that UNICEF is doing -- and it's heartbreaking, to humanize and understand the pain and conflict.

Particularly, this is a child refugee crisis conflict -- crisis, sorry. You can see the amount of women and children coming across is heartbreaking, as any father, husband, partner, could imagine.

And yet, of course, we're so far, it's hard to grasp at times.

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: It really is. BLOOM: That's the tragedy.

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

BLOOM: It's not stopping. While it's not as big a news cycle story, it's not ending. And that's the thing that just cuts me up.

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

BLOOM: And who can really understand that.

ACOSTA: You wrote a beautiful piece for "People" magazine, in which you said, in part -- and I think you were getting to this a few moments ago -- "As a father, I would do whatever it took to protect my children. Yet, I can barely comprehend the devastating decisions these mothers were forced to have to make."

What did the mothers have to say to you during the visit you had there?

BLOOM: Yes. I mean, I think what -- you know, this one mother that I recall meeting and -- it was -- her eyes were swimming in her head, honestly the stress and fear.

And she was -- she said, in fact, which was rather heart wrenching -- while she had family in, I believe, Canada, she had not heard from them. But she was hoping that the kindness of strangers she could depend on perhaps more.

Which was so tragic because the neighboring country of Moldova, which I had flown into, on the border, had been remarkable.

Families, host families who -- I met one man who is actually a toy maker as well as an engineer, and he's opened his home to, at that time, it was 14 families.

And I was there at the beginning of the conflict, within the first month of the conflict. It was remarkable. He created a safe space. And he called them, which was so touching, his special guests.

Which I thought was just how we should be seeing and trying to understand this crisis. You know, these are human, these are women, mothers and children.

And we need to understand that, within that -- and they are -- he was talking about like lighting a fire in the heart and creating a safe space for them to feel they could open and share their stories, which was something he felt so grateful and privileged to experience.

Which I think is the right kind of attitude to have towards this refugee crisis, you know?

ACOSTA: Yes. And it's so massive that it's hard to get your mind around how big of a problem this is, how big of a crisis this is.

[15:45:07] And, Orlando, I have to wonder, since you were in Moldova, there are fears Moldova could be next for the Russians. Were you picking up on fears of that there when you were talking to people?

BLOOM: Of course, there's a lot of anxiety throughout Europe. I think the history of war and invasion is not so old that people aren't, you know, really conflicted.

There are, you know, the elderly generation that have memories of previous invasion and conflict. So, of course, there's a lot of anxiety throughout Europe, I would say, and certainly Moldova.

And it's -- it -- this -- this is a war that needs to stop. It could go for -- you know, we just don't know how long it's ongoing.

But I think the great fear for UNICEF, as an ambassador for the children, and understanding is when you have refugees and conflict like this, the lack of education, the -- what that does to a generation.

The worst thing -- the last thing you want is a lost generation of children and where they find themselves.

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

BLOOM: That's one of the great fears, yes.

ACOSTA: No question.

And just recently I spoke with Sean Penn about his experiences in Ukraine. And his experience being with Zelenskyy when the war started.

Today, we're seeing images of Angelina Jolie making an unexpected visit to Lviv, meeting with Ukrainians affected by these Russian bombing attacks.

What is it that you think is inspiring celebrities, actors, folks like yourself to actually get on the ground and use, you know, the position that you have to spread the word about what's happening there? I guess, why are you doing it?

BLOOM: Look, I've worked with UNICEF since about 2009 and I've seen firsthand the remarkable work they do around the world to save the lives of women and children, consistently, effectively.

They're very well versed in crises and in refugee crises and in all the things that need to happen to create a safe space for children and to protect the women and children and children of the world.

And I think that, you know, when we started to see the conflict unfold, it was so shocking because, in this day and age, social media means that we can see everything on our devices. And it's a whole -- you know, there's a whole other component to that.

So for those who are paying attention and being interested, there's -- the brutality and horror of war is -- is a daily experience that we can see.

You know, this is -- this is -- you know, it could be us. That's the thing. It's not like it -- it's happening in Europe. It's happening in central Europe in this day and age. It doesn't -- it's unfathomable.

ACOSTA: Yes.

BLOOM: And I think that's the reason that you're seeing people come out to keep the awareness as well, because I think, you know, we all -- you know, it is -- it isn't ending.

There are millions of refugees crossing the border. There are millions of refugees, women and children specifically, needing help and homes and safe spaces.

And I think that's -- as the news feed cycle continues, and this seems to be an ongoing thing, it's almost like fatigue around it. And yet, for those women and children I saw, this is the most devastating thing you can imagine.

And I think --

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

BLOOM: -- as soon as we start to recognize that we have a debt -- that we owe it to these women and children to end it. We're all connected. So I think that's probably why.

ACOSTA: Yes, absolutely. And it makes perfect sense.

Orlando Bloom, you've doing amazing work over there. Thanks for everything that you're doing. You're making a huge difference. And you can see it in the faces of those children.

Orlando Bloom, thank you very much. I have to say, as a "Lord of the Rings" nerd as well, thanks for your work onscreen.

BLOOM: Thank you.

ACOSTA: And be sure to check out his documentary. This is also important to watch. It's called "If You Have," about UNICEF's work.

Thanks to Orlando Bloom. We appreciate it.

[15:49:21]

We'll be right back.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife is second generation black-American in France. And then her father is French-French. But that makes for --

CARLTON MCCOY, HOST, "NOMAD": French-French, that's the interesting thing, huh? There's always the asterisk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is.

Right now, the whole dialogue is getting complicated because certain conservatives that want people of color to just say that they are French.

MCCOY: Which is weird because I think, in America, it is like we're used to the hyphen phrasing. Like, everybody in Jersey is like Italian-American.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

MCCOY: You know, my family is, oh, no, we're African-American.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The thing about France is, since the Revolution, when we said all men are created equal, they said (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). They took it verbatim, up to a point.

MCCOY: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But, at least on paper --

MCCOY: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- that meant that it was illegal to discriminate. It was like rules against taking census on account of race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:55:00]

ACOSTA: Catch the series premiere of "NOMAD" with Carlton McCoy, tomorrow at 10:00 p.m., only on CNN.

This week's "CNN Hero" co-founded a college to help students like her sister, who was born with Down Syndrome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, everybody.

DEANNA PURSAI, CNN HERO: The College of Adaptive Arts is a lifelong equitable collegiate experience for adults with special needs of all different abilities who historically have not had access to college education.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You hit that right there.

PURSAI: We have 10 schools of instruction. And they get the same access to the array of classes that any college student can select.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out and reaching for the sun.

PURSAI: I want for every student that walks through our doors to be treated like the thinking intellectual like they are. I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, too.

PURSAI: My experience with my sister, Angel, has helped me be a better more authentic transparent person.

I'm so humbled each and every day by their depth and ideas and ways to make the world a better place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Lovely stuff.

That is the news. Reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Have a good night.

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