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Evacuations Begin From Mariupol Steel Plant; Nancy Pelosi Makes Unannounced Trip To Kyiv; Multiple Explosions In Odessa On Saturday; Deadly Attacks In Afghanistan During Ramadan; World Bank Warns Of Economic Damage From China COVID-19 Policy; Ukrainian Father Documents Daily Life In War Zone; Cleanup Begins After Tornadoes Sweep Through Kansas; Johnny Depp And Amber Heard Continue Court Battle. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired May 01, 2022 - 04:00   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.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton live at CNN headquarters.

And we begin with an unannounced visit to Ukraine by a group led by Nancy Pelosi. Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted this video to his social media accounts. It shows Pelosi leading Democrats in the visit.

She says that it is a message of solidarity with Ukraine, telling Zelenskyy that, "our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done."

To the south, a glimmer of hope is emerging for people trapped in Mariupol. After weeks under siege and numerous failed evacuation attempts, around 20 civilians managed to leave Saturday. But that is just a tiny fraction of the thousands that are said to still be stuck in the city.

Meantime, missile strikes hammered southern and Eastern Ukraine. In Odessa, witnesses reported hearing several explosions. And Ukrainian military says that the runway at Odessa's airport had been destroyed. And Ukraine's president vowed to rebuild.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are restoring electricity supply, communications, water supply and gas supply. We are doing everything to return normal medicine, educational services, access to financial institutions.

We are restoring roads. Of course, there is still a lot of work ahead. The occupiers are still on our land and still do not recognize the apparent failure of their so-called operation.

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NEWTON: For more on the visit to Kyiv by U.S. lawmakers, we want to bring in Matt Rivers, who is joining us from the capital.

And Nancy Pelosi, we didn't know anything about it. It was under some kind of an information blackout. And it seems now that the visit is over, that they posted the videos.

How significant is it, given the kind of dignitaries that have come to Kyiv in recent weeks?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it is very significant. Look at what happened over the last week. It was just a week ago that I was in this same position, doing live shots about the secretary of state and Secretary of Defense from the United States, coming here to meet with President Zelenskyy.

And then a few days later, you had President Biden reaffirming his support for Ukraine by even increasing the support by asking Congress for additional support.

And then now here is Nancy Pelosi with a senior congressional delegation. The United States is sending a message, clearly, that they are in it for the long haul to support Ukraine.

We saw the video that President Zelenskyy put out, announcing that the meeting had taken place. In that meeting he strongly thanked the United States, saying that the United States is a, quote, "leader" in supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Clearly very appreciative of the fact that the Speaker of the House came here on this unannounced visit. Meanwhile, we heard from the Speaker herself in that meeting. I'd like to play you some of what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom. And your fight is a fight for everyone. And so our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: "Until the fight is done," is what she's saying. Of course she's just continuing the strong showing of public support for Ukraine that we heard from President Biden. It was just a few days ago that he specifically requested from Congress some $33 billion in additional aid for Ukraine.

That money, that funding will go toward a mixture of humanitarian aid and heavy weaponry, the kind of weaponry that Ukraine has been asking for, for a long time.

And, of course, Pelosi will play a key role in getting that request through Congress, turning it into a legislative package that President Biden would eventually sign and send those weapons here to Ukraine Zelenskyy so long has been asking for.

And this visit following normally what we see, that, when there is a high level VIP delegation, due to security concerns, generally those meetings are not announced until after they happen. That did not happen last week, when President Zelenskyy announced that the secretary of state and Secretary of Defense were coming before they arrived.

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RIVERS: Clearly both sides working out how to have the visits and announcing it later.

NEWTON: And Nancy Pelosi has tweeted a video and also says that they want to continue the visit in Poland, obviously talking to that NATO ally about what comes next and what more that they can do.

Matt, I know you've been on the ground for some weeks now and following the situation in Mariupol closely. Every day we think there is hope for an evacuation; 20 people, when there are thousands in desperate need.

Are we hearing anything on the ground that that perhaps was some kind of a test run to evacuate more civilians?

RIVERS: Yes, we can certainly see it as such. It is difficult to get information out of Mariupol, because the communication infrastructure has been damaged. That 20 people figure coming from a commander inside that Azovstal steel plant complex, which is where the civilians and fighters, the last remaining Ukrainian resistance pocket, is located.

With the commander saying that 20 people got out, with the goal of getting to the city of Zaporizhzhya, but we can't verify that they made it there. But there is so much more need. But 20 people is the best news we've heard out of Mariupol in weeks.

NEWTON: Matt, thanks so much. I know that you will stay on top of what is going on there. Appreciate it.

Joining me now from London is Orysia Lutsevych, a research fellow and director of the Ukraine Forum at Chatham House.

And I thank you for joining us, as we have this breaking news, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on the ground there in Kyiv. You know, it perhaps is symbolic.

But how important do you think these visits are?

And what kind of a message do you think it sends to Russia crucially?

ORYSIA LUTSEVYCH, CHATHAM HOUSE: These visits are very important. And we've seen not just only U.S. high level officials but also European Union, president of the European Union, head of the council, head of the foreign affairs. They are all coming to show they stand with Ukraine and Ukrainian people. Remember, we are seeing the largest conflict on the European continent

since the Second World War. And there was a feeling where Ukrainians were saying that people are on our own, with this dark force that President Putin unleashed on Ukraine.

And these visits exactly demonstrate that Ukraine is not alone, that there is a 40-country strong coalition, supporting financially, militarily, with humanitarian aid and that Ukraine can win and can persevere and defeat Russia.

NEWTON: I want to talk about what is going on in Mariupol. We were talking to Matt about those 20 civilians that were evacuated.

Do you have any hope that there will be a breakthrough here?

I'll note that it seemed that in some way shape or form, the U.N. secretary-general had gone to see Putin last week and seemed to have some kind of an understanding. And yet we entered the same demoralizing cycle, where they announced that there might be a humanitarian corridor. And then no one is rescued.

LUTSEVYCH: It is very heartbreaking. I remember, from the very early days of this war, we were trying all the effort possible, through civil societies, through experts, understanding conflicts, how to help Ukrainians, humanitarian efforts to evacuate civilians.

And all the people who understand how Russia fights say it is close to impossible, because Russia uses civilians as hostages. They do not respect Geneva Convention. They actually want to inflict the civilian damage to put pressure on the top leadership of whenever they are fighting the war, to capitulate.

And this is exactly the pain Putin wants to inflict on President Zelenskyy, on Ukrainian armed forces, to break their backs, to say, look, if you want to save your women and children, you have to back off. You have to let us win.

That is why there is very little hope that Russians will respect any kind of rules and save civilian lives. It is heartbreaking.

NEWTON: And given that, though, and as well as Ukrainian defenses have held up until now, there does seem to be this issue of whether or not Russia is trying to escalate things further, widen their assault.

We've had the port city of Odessa struck a few times now. We had the incident earlier in the week that happened in Moldova. Still not clear what those explosions there were about.

What is the capacity for Russia to continue this in the months to come, meaning to continue to press forward in the east?

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NEWTON: But at the same time have these destabilizing strikes, not just in Odessa, perhaps Moldova but also in the capital, Kyiv?

I mean, they had missile strikes there when the U.N. secretary-general was visiting.

LUTSEVYCH: Absolutely. I think they have the capacity to press. Russian armed forces are 10 times larger in manpower than Ukraine. They have much more armored tanks, armored vehicles. But some experts say that they are running out of high precision ballistic missiles.

Think about it, they have fired over 1,300 missiles on Ukrainian cities. So they are doing a mass destruction by missiles. Some places like Mariupol, 80 percent destroyed. Smaller towns, 70 percent, 60 percent of civilian housing is destroyed.

And they will continue this, of course, as much as they can but also as much as Ukrainian armed forces will allow. That is why that meeting that took place in Ramstein last week, with a very strong coalition of 40 nations, setting up a special Ukrainian coordination task force, to provide rapidly Ukrainian air defense, a counter navy, you know, equipment.

And more armored vehicles, more tanks, this will change the situation on the ground and clearly will allow Ukrainians to contain Russian aggression, not to allow Putin to have any victory that is solid and convincing and also possibly counterattack in the south around Kherson. So we'll see a lot of battles going on in the southeastern of Ukraine.

NEWTON: It was interesting, that NATO meeting earlier in the week. It does seem that that is a pivot in terms of the U.S. and its allies' strategy going forward. Appreciate your input.

And now, when we come back, more deadly violence in the Middle East. Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians break out as two separate shootings kill people on both sides of the conflict. We'll have that for you straight ahead.

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NEWTON: Israeli police arrested two Palestinians they say are suspects in the killing of an Israeli guard late Friday night. Earlier, they detained two others in connection with the attack.

This comes during a rise in violence that started in early March. In a separate incident, the Palestinian authority of health said Saturday that Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank.

The Israeli military says it was conducting counterterrorism activity when a number of people threw Molotov cocktails at the soldiers. Journalist Elliott Gotkine is joining us.

This whole cycle, to and fro, is fairly familiar. Israeli officials say the suspects are now in custody. But it has to be an unnerving situation for all at this point.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Of course, it is a concern. Before the past month began, there was hope that there wouldn't be an uptick in violence. There were calls to ensure that there was a peaceful month of Ramadan and also Passover and Easter, which all kind of coincided at the same time this year.

Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. We have seen clashes between Israeli security forces and worshippers and Palestinians at the al- Aqsa mosque. And as you say, in this latest incident, we saw gunmen killing an Israeli security guard north of Jerusalem.

Now, according to the security forces, this security guard actually put himself between the gunman and a female security guard, who reportedly was his fiancee, to protect her and she was unharmed. And as you said, the suspects were detained later on Saturday.

And then in a separate incident, we also had clashes between security forces and Palestinians. A 27-year-old Palestinian man was killed. And then there were further clashes with security forces at that man's funeral.

Unfortunately, there seems no sign that this uptick in violence that we've seen is going to be abating anytime soon. We've seen 13 Israelis and two foreign workers in Israel killed by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs over the past month.

We've seen 31 Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli security forces since March 22. But if there is a positive, it is that we haven't seen a wide-scale escalation of the sort we saw almost a year ago, when, of course, there was a major conflict between Israel and the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

And we saw major clashes inside Israel, too. That hasn't happened. So I suppose you look for positives wherever you can find them.

NEWTON: Absolutely. And as you point out, the violence certainly, about this time last year, was quite grave. And again, we'll continue to keep an eye on this. Appreciate the update.

Meantime, police in Afghanistan say an explosion in a Kabul residential neighborhood killed one and wounded three others on Saturday, the incident highlights the growing security concerns in the Afghan capital.

A day earlier an explosion at a mosque killed at least 10 and wounded dozens more. Arwa Damon reports a wave of deadly attacks in recent weeks has people increasingly on edge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this packed marketplace in Kabul, shoppers wander through the stalls of dried fruits, nuts and sweets. They are preparing for the Eid and for their holiday. But despite the bustling scene, the anticipation of laughter and loved

filled gatherings with friends and family, there is an inescapable sense of caution, unease. This is a crowded public space. And in Afghanistan, that means potential danger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The security situation is still not good. There is some security but the kind of security that people were expecting is still not there.

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DAMON (voice-over): This was the first Ramadan in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained control of the country last summer. And even though the Taliban said it would bring security to the country and protect its often targeted minorities, like Shia communities, a series of brutal attacks have rattled several Afghans cities in recent weeks.

Mosques have been targeted, especially during Friday prayers. On Friday, a blast ripped through a mosque in Kabul. Witnesses say there were so many wounded, it took hours to transport the victims to hospitals.

There was a similar attack the previous week at a mosque in Kunduz province in the north of the country, killing at least 33 people. The fear so pervasive, worshippers say, it's never far from their minds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was very much preoccupied with thoughts and fear. I was thinking a suicide attack or explosion would happen at any moment now. Or the mosque would be attacked. Not only me but every Afghan has this fear in his heart.

DAMON (voice-over): The Taliban condemned the attacks on the two mosques. And also targeted recently, a school and a learning facility in a Shia neighborhood in Kabul, where at least six people died nearly two weeks ago.

The ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, which often targets Shias and a tribe of the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for several attacks during the Ramadan period.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How long will such incidents continue?

Afghanistan's situation is so bad, we have no secure place to live.

DAMON (voice-over): Many are questioning if the Taliban government can actually live up to its promises to bring stability to the country. And so, as Afghans celebrate Eid this year, that sense of apprehension they have lived with us for so long, it just continues -- Arwa Damon, CNN.

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NEWTON: Meantime, it has been hotter than a normal spring in parts of the world. On Friday, two cities in Pakistan set a new record for the highest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere for that date, Friday, 47 degrees Celsius or 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

At the same time, the country's minister of climate change warns of possible glacial floods in the area due to the heat wave. The minister also says this will be the first time in decades that Pakistan is experiencing a springless year. Officials say the temperatures are likely to keep rising over the weekend.

India is also sweating through hotter than normal weather. Temperatures during the prolonged heat wave have been above average by several degrees since March, particularly in the northern and northwestern regions, including New Delhi. Monsoon winds and rains are expected to bring some relief but not before June.

Universal Studios Beijing will be closed beginning on Sunday, because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The theme park did not say when it might reopen. And after several weeks in lockdown, Shanghai reported nearly 7,900 new COVID cases on Saturday. And 38 deaths.

But those numbers are down slightly over the past few days. Now Shanghai is the engine of China's $18 trillion economy. And the city's strict COVID lockdown could come at a heavy cost. Kristie Lu Stout explains for us.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: It's China's biggest and most affluent city. And the streets have been empty for weeks. Shanghai is battling its worst ever COVID-19 outbreak, determined to crush it with its zero COVID policy. It comes at a steep cost to its economy and has implications for the world.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're forecasting that the lockdown in Shanghai will rock China's economy. Shanghai is an economic powerhouse for China. It holds one of the two stock exchanges. Shanghai's port accounts for something like 3 percent of global carfare (ph) throughput at any given time.

STOUT: Shanghai's home to the world's busiest container port. It remains operational. But according to logistics platform Project 44, on April 18th, some ships have been diverted away due to truck shortages.

But the containers are piling up at the port, waiting on average for 12 days before they are picked up and delivered, compared to just over four days in late March. Shanghai is also a major aviation hub.

But the outbreak has forced the suspension of many flights, causing air freight rates to skyrocket. All of this is putting even more pressure on global supply chains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is having a supply shock. A lot of these shipments now can't leave the ports, can't leave the airports in Shanghai. And these are goods which are ultimately going to Europe and the U.S. It's going to push prices up. We're going to see more inflation pressure. STOUT: The zero COVID strategy has also forced many factories in

Shanghai to suspend operations. The Apple supplier, Pegatron, has suspended production at its Shanghai plant and Volkswagen and Tesla's factories have been shut for weeks.

Production has resumed at Tesla.

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STOUT: With CEO Elon Musk saying this, "Tesla Shanghai is coming back with a vengeance."

But the company warned it, too, is not immune from supply chain problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Authorities in Shanghai are trying to get essential production plants open under what they call a closed loop system. That means that their staff is actually sleeping on the premises, on the factory floors, eats there, don't leave them, don't go home.

But the problem is a lot of staff don't want to do that and there's a shortage of parts to get these factories reopened. So it will be a global problem.

STOUT: An analyst warns that the economic pain caused by the zero COVID strategy could spiral out of control, saying this, quote, "Implementing the strategy in an excessive manner by itself could lead to disruption on the supply chain, mass unemployment and then could translate into social political instability, exactly what the zero COVID strategy wants to avoid," unquote.

And yet, Shanghai's weeks-long lockdown still has no end in sight with the bottom line from China watches to the world, brace yourselves for the fallout -- Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

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NEWTON: And I want to thank you for joining us. For international viewers, "INSIDE AFRICA" is next. But watching here in the United States or Canada, I will be right back and we'll bring you up-to-date on the latest in Ukraine. Stay with us.

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NEWTON: Welcome back. I'm Paula Newton. We want to bring you up-to- date with the latest developments in Ukraine.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she sent a strong message of support with her unannounced visit to Kyiv. She led a group of U.S. lawmakers who met with President Zelenskyy, something Pelosi called an extraordinary honor.

The congressional delegation heads to Poland next for talks with Polish leaders. Meantime, there is a glimmer of hope for hundreds of people believed to be trapped in a besieged steel plant in Mariupol.

A Ukrainian commander says that 20 civilians were evacuated Saturday. He is hoping that evacuations will continue Sunday and will include not only civilians but also wounded troops.

And President Zelenskyy is warning Russia that its military is in for more losses if the invasion continues. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): The Russian command is well aware that thousands more Russian soldiers will be killed and thousands more will be wounded in the coming weeks.

But why do the Russian soldiers themselves need this?

Why do their families need this?

Russian commanders lie to their soldiers, saying that they will face some serious responsibility for refusing to fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Meantime a Russian military unit accused of atrocities in Bucha has been redeployed near Kharkiv, according to the head of Ukraine's regional administration in that city. Ukrainians say they have liberated several towns in the area recent weeks. But as ITN's Rebecca Barry reports, Russian artillery is not giving a break to Kharkiv.

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REBECCA BARRY, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what living on the front line of Russia's invasion looks like. Homes in Kharkiv no longer resemble that. A child's toy disfigured. A metaphor for so many childhoods. And yet for people fleeing a nearby village, the city offers relative safety. There's little sanctuary left in this part of Ukraine.

"Our home was burned last night," says Tatiana (ph). "The house burned down. We have no place to stay. It's scary."

Meanwhile, Russia released this footage of a ballistic missile launch as it concentrates its offensive on the east of Ukraine.

"They have enough artillery and aircraft to destroy the entire Donbas," says Ukraine's president, "just as they destroyed Mariupol. The city, now a Russian concentration camp," he said, "in the middle of ruins."

This is what he's talking about, a seaside city now apocalyptic.

YULIIA FEDUSIUK, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER'S WIFE: Every day, people are dying and, every day, they have less food, water and medicine.

BARRY (voice-over): The wives of Ukrainian troops trapped there are calling for international help to evacuate both civilians and soldiers.

FEDUSIUK: Mariupol have to have a chance and not only civilians. We come here to rescue alive soldiers, too because -- sorry.

BARRY (voice-over): Yuliia, like so many Ukrainians, wants the world to listen and take action.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: And our thanks there to Rebecca Barry of ITN.

As she was telling us, millions of Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes. Alex Dayrabekov and his family are among those who have been forced to run. We first introduced you to Alex last month on CNN.

He is a father of three, using social media to document daily life raising a family, if you can believe it, in a war zone. Here is a video he posted, singing a Beatles tune to his newborn son.

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NEWTON: Such a beautiful video. And there is another one that he shared. He says it shows what is left of his apartment building after a Russian attack in Irpin. We checked in with Alex Saturday and he says that he will not let the war dampen his spirits.

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ALEX DAYRABEKOV, IRPIN REFUGEE: This has lasted for eight years, not just months. So we are kind of used to that. Of course it is a totally different level. But you know, we're going to stay as long as needed.

Ukrainians are ready to survive. Ukrainians are ready to fight. And we will fight to the end. If it takes months or years, doesn't matter, we need to liberate our land.

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NEWTON: As you can imagine, from what we've shown you here on CNN, the number of Ukrainians who have fled their country because of war continues to grow. It now stands at more than 5.4 million people. That is according to a U.N. estimate. And that is roughly the same as the respective populations of Slovakia or Norway.

Think of it. The U.N. also says far more Ukrainians are stranded near battle lines because of security concerns and damage to roads and bridges.

Actress Angelina Jolie, meantime, was seen in Lviv Saturday. She visited children at a boarding school, a medical institution and also went to a train station to meet with the displaced. There she expressed here gratitude to the volunteers.

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ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTOR AND SPECIAL ENVOY FOR UNRWA: Very complicated, yes. But I imagine just to have a room, where somebody shows that they care and is listening, is so important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: The Ukrainian journalist says she ran into Jolie during a coffee run in the outskirts of Lviv. The journalist said many other people inside the cafe did not even notice Jolie. The U.N. Refugee Agency says they're not involved in her visit and she's in Ukraine in her personal capacity.

Actor Orlando Bloom has been meeting with Ukrainian refugees as well, paying a visit to those who fled Moldova. And he says their new reality is, in his words, "heartwrenching." He told CNN's Jim Acosta it is partly because the refugees can't imagine what is next.

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ORLANDO BLOOM, ACTOR AND UNICEF GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: It was just so painful to see just the fear and 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: And Bloom also says that he met a family whose town was bombed just the night before. And they escaped with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Unfortunately, those stories are all too common. If you would like to safely and securely help people in Ukraine who might be in need of shelter, food and water, please go to cnn.com/impact. You will find several ways to help. And tens of thousands of you have already done so.

Parts of the U.S. hit by almost 2 dozen tornadoes this weekend. I'll remind you the weekend isn't over. The latest on the storms sweeping the country from the CNN Weather Center, that is ahead. (MUSIC PLAYING)

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NEWTON: Cleanup is underway in Kansas after at least seven tornadoes swept through the state Friday night. On Saturday, crews worked get the power back up in the area. City officials say several people had minor injuries but, thankfully, no deaths were reported.

Dozens of homes, meantime, were hit and the extent of the damage is still being assessed.

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KLOEY VALENTINE, TORNADO VICTIM: It's really sad. I hate seeing my family cry because they lost everything. I hate that all these things are like gone. I keep thinking like what now and like I have nothing but like trying to stay positive because last night was really terrible, a lot of tears. So it's just hard to see.

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NEWTON: It certainly is hard.

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NEWTON: Meantime, the country music world is remembering one of it most iconic singers.

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NEWTON (voice-over): Naomi Judd passed away suddenly Saturday at the age of 76. The Judds rose to fame with hits like "Love Can Build a Bridge" and "Mama, He's Crazy." They went on to win countless awards and, of course, become country music royalty. Chloe Melas has our details.

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CHLOE MELAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wynonna Judd and Ashley Judd, the daughters of Naomi, released a statement about their mother's death, writing, "Today, we sisters experienced a tragedy.

"We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief. And know that, as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory."

A ton of celebrities both in country music and Hollywood have taken to social media to express their condolences.

Carrie Underwood tweeting, "Country music lost a true legend. Sing with the angels, Naomi. We're all sending up prayers for the Judd family today."

They were a dynamic country music duo with five Grammy Awards, with a ton of hit songs, 14 number one songs in their decades-long career. And on Sunday they were supposed to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Back to you.

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NEWTON: And we will be right back after a short break.

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NEWTON: Actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard had a bitter divorce and now their defamation court case is revealing just how troubled their once glamorous marriage really was. Polo Sandoval wraps up the week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was back to the witness stand for actor Johnny Depp at the start of week three in his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard. Both Depp and Heard are accusing the other of acts of physical violence during their relationship. They've both denied the allegations.

JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: The only person that I've ever abused in my life is myself.

SANDOVAL: Depp is suing Heard for $50 million over 2018 "Washington Post" op-ed which she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.

Depp was not mentioned in the piece, though, he maintains it cost him lucrative acting gigs. Depp sitting on the stand concluded on Monday but not referring to his marriage to Heard as horrific.

He also recalled a recorded conversation between the two actors after an incident in which part of Depp's finger was severed off by a bottle allegedly thrown by Heard.

AMBER HEARD, ACTRESS: I really did think I was going to lose my life and I thought you would do it on accident. And I told you that. I said, oh my God, I thought the first time.

DEPP: Amber, I lost a -- finger, man, come on. I had a -- a mineral can, a jar, a can of mineral spirits thrown at my nose. HEARD: I mean, you can see, tell people that it was a fair fight and see what the jury and judge think. Tell the world, Johnny. Tell them Johnny Depp, I, Johnny Depp, a man, I'm a victim too, of domestic violence.

DEPP: Yes.

HEARD: And I -- you know, it's a fair fight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you say in response when Miss Heard said, tell the world, Johnny, tell them Johnny Depp, I, Johnny Depp, a man, I'm a victim too, of domestic violence?

DEPP: I said yes, I am.

SANDOVAL: During cross-examination, Heard's attorney brought up a barrage of bad press that pre-dated the op-ed, that he argued may have been what derailed Depp's career.

BEN ROTTENBORN, AMBER HEARD'S ATTORNEY: "Where did it all go wrong for Johnny Depp after a string of flops and a ton of bad press, Johnny Depp's star power looks as wobbly as Jack Sparrow on a plank."

Did I read that right?

DEPP: You read that very well.

SANDOVAL: On Tuesday, a forensic psychologist hired by Depp to assess Heard, told the jury that she suffers from several personality disorders and that she does not suffer from post-traumatic stress from her marriage to Depp.

SHANNON CURRY, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: One of the primary things I learned was that she had a very sophisticated way of minimizing any personal problems.

SANDOVAL: Heard's lawyers in turn grilled the psychologist about possible bias toward Depp and questioned her analysis. Also this week, Heard's op-ed piece dominated testimony as the jury was told about the ACLU's involvement in helping her draft it.

You see, Heard continues to be an ambassador for the organization, focusing on women's rights.

Depp's attorney brought up ACLU email, showing people inside the organization knew that when Heard wrote about alleged abuse in her marriage, she was referencing Depp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it also true that there were some at the ACLU who expressed their belief that excising those references to her marriage and divorce from Johnny Depp made the op-ed less impactful, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is correct.

SANDOVAL: That line of questioning could be significant because Depp claims the public knew who Heard was writing about in her essay.

However, it will be up to the jury to decide if that's Heard's fault and if it's defamation. Heard is expected to take the stand as her side's first witness with weeks still to go in the trial, it's unclear when that will be.

SANDOVAL: Elon Musk was listed as a potential witness in this case. He dated Amber Heard not long after her marriage to Depp ended. Also according to testimony from the ACLU attorney, he donated about $0.5 million to the, part of a larger pledge from Heard.

However, sources close to Musk's legal team confirm that he will likely not testify though they did not say exactly why.

[04:55:00]

SANDOVAL: Already the jury has heard from about two witnesses in addition to Johnny Depp and the list of witnesses continues to grow -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: To Washington now and the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner. And it made a grand return Saturday after a two- year hiatus because of the pandemic. The black tie event featured President Joe Biden, journalists, government officials and, yes, celebrities.

The night was filled with jokes, roasting Mr. Biden, the Republican Party and the news media, including CNN. Here is part of Mr. Biden's lighthearted speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm really excited to be here tonight with you, the only group of Americans with a lower approval rating than I have. That's hard to say after what we just saw.

This is the first time the president attended this dinner in six years. It's understandable. We had a horrible plague followed by two years of COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: All right. The dinner is not just a party, it, of course, honors journalists for their work, raises money importantly for scholarships and pays tribute to the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and the media in the United States.

Now supporting relief efforts in Ukraine can now be as easy as, yes, ordering a beer. Anheuser-Busch is brewing a popular Ukrainian beer to sell in the United States. The lager will be sold in numerous cities starting this month. Profits will benefit people impacted by the war plus the company will donate at least $5 million to aid groups.

OK. I'm Paula Newton. We'll have more of our breaking news coverage from the war in Ukraine in a moment. Stay with us. This is CNN.