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Leaked Draft Opinion Suggests Supreme Court May Overturn Roe Versus Wade; Ukraine Hopes To Evacuate More Civilians From Besieged Mariupol; Israel Outrage At Sergei Lavrov's Claim That Hitler Was Part Jewish. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired May 03, 2022 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:33]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton at CNN World Headquarters following the latest developments in Ukraine.

But first to our breaking news out of Washington where a bombshell report indicates American women could soon lose their constitutional right to a safe and legal abortion.

Now, the news website POLITICO has drafted, pardon me, published a draft of what it calls a Supreme Court majority opinion that would strike down the landmark ruling Roe vs. Wade which legalized abortion nationwide in 1973.

Now, angry and somber abortion rights supporters have been gathering outside the Supreme Court. But to be clear, the final opinion here has not yet been released. And until it is, abortion is still the law of the land, although it seems unlikely that those votes will change, given of course the conservative majority among the justices.

Now, we have to say the publishing of this draft opinion is already a stunning breach of Supreme Court confidentiality and secrecy. You see it there POLITICO actually published 98 pages the entire draft. CNN cannot confirm the documents authenticity. CNN legal analyst Joan Biskupic reports now from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (on camera): This is seismic news coming from the Supreme Court in a draft opinion obtained by POLITICO the court appears poised to overturn the landmark decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in the United States. This means nearly 50 years of legal access to abortion in any state may soon change.

States could have the option of banning abortion entirely. Once this ruling is officially handed down. A number of states already have laws ready to be enacted to limit or outright ban abortions.

As the law stands now, in America, states cannot ban abortion before about 23 weeks of pregnancy. The case at hand brought on by the state of Mississippi will entirely change that precedent. What is also shocking is how we came to learn about this decision.

Normally we hear at the very end once a decision is complete from the Supreme Court. We hear from a majority and we hear from a dissent. But this first draft of the majority decision was made available in an entirely unprecedented way. And for some people might further bring into question the legitimacy of this Supreme Court.

According to POLITICO and our own reporting confirms this, Chief Justice John Roberts would be dissent in an opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade. And he will be even more concerned about the outcome of this ruling now. Joan Biskupic, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NEWTON: You heard Joan discussed the stunning implications of this. CNN's Don Lemon spoke to two of our legal analysts earlier. And here's what they had to say. But why the Supreme Court may be looking to strike down Roe versus Wade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE VLADECK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's an argument that I think a lot of us have been expecting that I think the conservatives have been previewing for, you know, a few years now. And the argument is basically that, you know, the Constitution does not protect a right to abortion, that the Supreme Court erred in 1973 when it recognized under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment, a right for pregnant individuals, pregnant women to obtain pre-viability abortions, and that the court is right in the wrong that that could -- that the -- that its predecessors putatively made, you know, 49 years ago.

Don, I think one of the many, many, many layers here is not just what this opinion if it becomes the law of the land means for abortion in America, but what it means for other rights, that the Supreme Court has tied to the same constitutional provision to the due process clause of the 14th Amendment rights that we take for granted, rights to contraception, rights on the part of same sex couples to get married.

You know, I think that part of -- this is such a bombshell not just for abortion, and not just for the course institution, but for what it portends beyond abortion. If this court continues to exercise this kind of power going forward.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Jennifer, Alito said that the notion of stare decisis does not compel unending adherence to Roe's abuse of judicial authority that is according to POLITICO. What do you say to that and explain what that means?

[01:05:04] JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, stare decisis is the court's adherence to precedent, it's the notion that once a court makes a decision on a matter of law that it will continue with that decision and subsequent decisions and subsequent considerations.

And so throwing stare decisis out the window. Now, this interim report says that it's not, you know, it wasn't right in the first place, really is kind of a thumb in the eye towards this notion of judicial precedent and judicial restraint.

And in fact, you know, the examples that Justice Alito gives are almost offensive. You know, he talks about Plessy versus Ferguson, which, of course, is the famous separate but equal decision saying that African Americans, as long as they had a space for doing whatever it was traveling, eating, et cetera, that's good enough as being in the same spaces as everyone else. That was overturned by Board versus-- Brown versus Board of Education. So he says, oh, you know, look, sometimes we get it right in the end.

But taking something like that, and equating it to this, where you have a progression across the years and the decades where, you know, women couldn't vote at the start of our country, they at one point couldn't enter into contracts themselves were they couldn't own property. I mean, we have progressed.

And so the notion that we've progressed and women have rights, those rights are now being taken away. And that's to be equated with the overturning of a decision that was clearly wrong from the get go like Plessy versus Ferguson is frankly offensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now to the war in Ukraine, U.S. and Western officials believe Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9. That's Victory Day in Russia marking the defeat of the Nazis in World War II.

And remember to this point, Russia has only referred to its invasion as a special military operation. Now meantime, Russian forces appear to be pushing further to the west in Ukraine.

Local officials report a number of Russian missile strikes on the city of Odesa, Ukraine's president says a 14-year-old boy was killed and another team wounded in an attack on a dormitory. There are also signs that Ukrainian forces are fighting back. Video posted online shows the aftermath of a large explosion at an airfield and a Russian held area near Kherson. Neither side though is commenting on the cause.

Ukraine meantime is claiming success in regaining territory around its second largest city, Kharkiv, but to the south of Kharkiv, the U.S. diplomat reports highly credible intelligence that Russia may try to annex the separatist held Donetsk and Luhansk regions known as the Donbas as well as Kherson along that southern coast.

And for more now in the situation in Ukraine, we want to turn to our Isa Soares, who's there following all the developments in Lviv. And Isa, as we do and most mornings there in Ukraine, we are wondering if that evacuation of civilians is now underway in Mariupol or if you've had any information on that.

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Yes, they've been it's been a somewhat of a confusing picture. We know that we are expecting the second round of evacuations take part but it's been incredibly desperate situation growing even more, even worse, actually in the besieged city of Mariupol itself. Remember about 100,000 people or so stuck in the city of Mariupol.

Now the City Council says the evacuation efforts are due to resume, Paula, in the coming hours but it's not clear if those plans involve civilians that will trapped inside the bombed out as Azovstal steel plant. Of course we saw those evacuations on Sunday.

Now, around 100 were able to make it out on that part -- of that plant on Sunday, but another round evacuations planned for Monday. Well, that never happened. A Ukrainian commander inside the plant says they've been under constant bombardment since early Monday and this video really appears to confirm this report. It shows a large plume of smoke rising over the city from an area near the plant.

Meanwhile, some evacuees did begin arriving in Zaporizhzhia on Monday. The city under Ukrainian control is often where people fleeing Mariupol go first. We've seen our correspondent Nick Payton Walsh there.

Meanwhile, condemnation is growing over recent remarks from the top Russian diplomat who suggested Adolf Hitler had Jewish blood. Sergey Lavrov was actually trying to argue on Italian TV that some of the worst anti-Semites are Jew. And the fact that Ukraine's President Jewish means absolutely nothing.

He insisted Russia still needed to quote denazify the country. The Ukrainian president had this to say. Had a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): How could this be said on the eve of the Anniversary of the Victory over Nazism. His words mean that Russia's top diplomat is blaming the Jewish people for Nazi crimes. No words.

[01:10:04]

Such an anti-semitic thrust by their minister means Russia has forgotten all the lessons of World War II. Or maybe they never studied those lessons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, meanwhile, Israel has issued a furious response. CNN's Hadas Gold reports now from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Lavrov's comments during an interview Sunday repeated unfounded conspiracy theories to justify Russia's claim that they're denazifying a country with a Jewish president by claiming that Hitler had Jewish blood, and that quote, the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews, comments that were widely viewed as seeking to blame Jews themselves for the Holocaust.

Israeli officials expressed outrage over the comments and some in the Russian ambassador for talks. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett calling them lies and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's said that they were unforgivable and outrageous, as well as a terrible historical error, and that the comments were the lowest level of racism.

Lapid also said that while Israel is trying to maintain good relations with Russia, the line has been crossed and demanded that the Russian government apologize.

Now, while Israel has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, accused Russia of war crimes and has sent multiple playing loads of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, they have not yet fully joined Western sanctions against Russia. It's part of Israel's delicate balancing act of sorts between the country so that it can act as mediator. The Prime Minister of Israel has been talking regularly with both Zelenskyy and Putin and because of Israel's own security concerns.

Russia's military presence in Syria, which is on Israel's northern border means Israel relies on Russia's tacit compliance for freedom of action against Iranian backed targets in Syria.

So now the question will be as the atrocities in Ukraine mount and with such outrageous comments from Russia's Foreign Minister, will Israel continue with its current stance or will it go further? Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SOARES: Well, joining me now from Bangkok, Thailand, author and political scientist Olesia Zakharova. Very good morning to you, Olesia. I really want to pick up where, where our colleague Hadas Gold left off, but your thoughts on what we heard from Lavrov there yesterday.

OLESIA ZAKHAROVA, POLITICAL SCIENTIST: The votes of Lavrov are going with their main line of Russian narrative that everybody is guilty in their problems by themselves or Ukrainian bombed themselves and Jewish are also responsible for those atrocities. So it's like the same narrative they used when blaming in Ukraine in Bucha, for example, and other atrocities.

SOARES: Does this narrative though, Olesia? Does that resonate in Russia?

ZAKHAROVA: Actually, to be honest, in the last days, TV channels almost didn't discuss this question, this topic. I mean, yes, there are some outlets who reported about -- reported worse of Lavrov, but to the channels focused on absolutely different things. They are focused how much Russian soldiers help civilians who were rescued from Azovstal, how Russian soldiers help people bring in food, clothes, medicines, and transported them in the same places.

And also, some -- they also showed some events devoted to the victory in the second world war, making some parallels that the hero is more of our grandparents is almost the same what today's Russian soldiers do in Ukraine. So that question almost wasn't discussed on TV channels.

SOARES: So very much trying to prepare, prepare us all for what may come on May the ninth and we have heard, Olesia, from U.S. as well as Western officials who believe Vladimir Putin could formally declare war in Ukraine as soon as that key date for Russia of course, May the ninth.

Why would he declare it given clearly what we've all been seeing on the ground? What does he get from declaring at home?

ZAKHAROVA: Excuse me, do you mean declaring the war?

SOARES: Yes.

[01:15:04]

ZAKHAROVA: It's difficult to say because -- but I can say that probably if it happens, probably it would be like the continuation of the narrative the (INAUDIBLE) in Ukraine. And today's events, what's happening in Ukraine, just proof that there are fascists there. And if before we could just maybe saw some of them, now we see that this is, like the main whole politics of Ukraine. So we need to fight against fascism against (INAUDIBLE).

And although was their main goal before and still this goal is pronounced on TV channels that the main goal of this special military operation is to defend Donbas republics and people from fear.

But in parallel, there are many, many episodes about fascism and how our grandparents fought against it. So this is our duty to continue this, like fair and just and (INAUDIBLE) fight. So I think that if he decides -- decided to declare the war, he would explain it these reasons that we need to fight a war.

SOARES: It doesn't seem like the narrative has changed, or will change at all, even with that announcement, but Olesia on a personal note, I see that you are in Bangkok. I know I've been told that you left Russia, because you were worried about your research and how it may be received. Talk to me about this climate of fear as well as sponsorship that you have faced.

ZAKHAROVA: Faced in Russia, sorry, I didn't hear clear.

SOARES: Correct. That's right, in censorship.

ZAKHAROVA: Yes. Yes. Actually, the outlets where I published my articles was prohibited recently by General Prosecutor, and also I taught in the university. And actually in the beginning of March, some people from police came to the university, telling students that they should be very careful what teachers say. And if teachers say something wrong or against Russian, especially military operation, they should tell them.

So, it became impossible for me to do my research, because my research was devoted to Putin's discourse and how some democratic concepts like human rights or democracy or freedom was disguised in this discourse and how it maintained the regime.

So yes, it became actually dangerous to stay in Russia and I couldn't do almost anything, even teaching according to my views according to my opinion.

SOARES: Well, Olesia, I'm glad that you are safe. Let's stay in touch. Olesia Zakharova, appreciate your time. Thank you, Olesia. And I'll have much more from Lviv in the next hours ahead.

But first I want to go back to Paula Newton in Atlanta. And Paula will stay on top of course of the evacuations if they do happen this morning from the city of Mariupol.

NEWTON: Yes, absolutely things still desperate there .Meantime here there have been families are remembering the loved ones killed in the Russian invasion. We'll hear how they're coping with their grief, next.

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NEWTON: Battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces and if pinned during the early days of the Russian invasion has left behind a city in ruin. And it's people grieving the loved ones they have lost. CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to some residents who went to the cemetery to honor their military death.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): In the Irpin cemetery, they came to remember the people this country will never forget. Women and men, civilians and soldiers, dozens are buried here in freshly dug graves. Tatyana Blyznuk came to speak to her husband Oleksandr (ph), a taxi driver turned soldier killed by a motor, March 13th.

TATYANA BLYZNUK, HUSBAND KILLED IN THE CONFLICT (through translator): Look, once we joke that we will die on the same day. And to be honest with you, it happened. But he's in the sky and I'm here. It's not leaving.

COOPER (on camera): You feel like you have died as well?

BLYZNUK (through translator): Yes, together with him. When he died I felt it. I knew that something had happened. I got the call in the early morning but I already felt it. It was the worst moment of my life. COOPER: Does it help to be here?

BLYZNUK (through translator): This is our tradition to come to this remembering day. But in general, we come here every two or three days. I come here to talk to him and it gets easy to me. I tell him what was going on in my life, how I'm living without him.

[01:25:08]

COOPER (voice-over): There was heavy fighting and her pain for weeks, and many Ukrainian fighters died, holding back the Russians and helping civilians escape. But even some of those evacuating came under attack.

On this Remembrance Day, priests walked among the dead, and volunteer soldiers came to pay their respects. Touching the graves of their brothers in arms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): These people are heroes. They were not trained military. They were ordinary men. They came to defend their city and gave their lives for this city and for civilians who were standing behind them.

COOPER: For Ihor Krotlkyh (ph) family, there is comfort in that. Ihor (ph) died March 21st. His eldest son was wounded with him and is now in the hospital. Ihor's (ph) wife Alla came with their other son Savali (ph) just 10. He's dressed in a uniform to honor his dad.

(on camera): How have you been able to go on?

ALLA KROTLKYH, HUSBAND KILLED IN THE CONFLICT (through translator): Al; of us are staying in the hospital. I don't know how we manage. But now I know that in the hospital, it's easier for me, because I know how to live there. But how to live outside the hospital, I don't know.

We can't leave our house because it was destroyed. There are no windows, no heating, no water. On Monday, my eldest son will have an operation, but I believe that everything will be all right because I don't know how it could get any worse.

COOPER: What do you want people to know about your husband?

KROTLKYH (through translator): He has no shooting. He was very strong, very brave, courageous. He told me honey, everything is all right. I asked him, we will win? And he said to me, sure. It can't be any other way. He was sure of it. It's a shame that he died one week before our city was liberated and he did not see it.

COOPER (voice-over): While she spoke, Savali (ph) cried silently at his father's grave. For a child of 10, the loss is hard to comprehend. Anderson Cooper, CNN, Irpin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Still to come here for us. We're tracking reaction to breaking news as political publishes what it says is a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v Wade.

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[01:31:52]

NEWTON: And breaking news this hour, the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a woman's right to abortion. Politico has published, what it calls a majority draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito.

The decision itself would be stunning. But the fact that it has gone public before any official ruling is also unprecedented.

CNN's Don Lemon spoke to two political experts about the Politico. They say a Supreme Court decision potentially overturning Roe v. Wade could impact the upcoming midterm elections.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: It's a category five political and social hurricane in this country. As you point out, in one fell swoop, something that was a right for women for the last 50 years has been taken away.

We do not know all the ramifications of this yet at this point. But I want to point out that this is something the Republican Party has worked on for decades assiduously, at the state level, at the federal level, in the judiciary trying to get to this moment.

And it is something, as I think one of my colleagues pointed out earlier that Democrats, while they talked about it a lot have effectively said, you know, they didn't do it in the way Republicans did. They didn't protect it in the way Republicans fought it.

And in the end now, you have this conservative majority on the Court and the Democrats are going to face a midterm election very soon and then a presidential election. And they're going to have to decide how they battle this out. How they use this in order to get those voters out there to the polls to understand that elections have consequences.

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We haven't seen anything like this in our lifetime -- the wholesale withdrawal of a basic right. And so, you know, it's really hard to think of a precedent for this.

But I will say, if you are a Republican strategist privately heard right now you would say that this is not good. We do not need this. We were on the path to winning a big victory in the fall.

The wholesale overturning of Roe v. Wade maybe the one thing that could change the dynamic. Because the people who have in polling expressed the strongest objection -- remember, the vast majority of Americans, 70 percent of Americans or more have said they did not want this.

But the people who are most vociferous about this were people under 45. Democrats, obviously women. And yes. These were the votes who Democrats were particularly worried about in the fall. Will they come out? Will they participate? There's been polling suggesting that the enthusiasm wasn't there. This could galvanize those voters, Don.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:35:00]

NEWTON: And more reaction now from Illinois Governor Democrat. He's a Democrat. J.B. Pritzker who slammed the potential anti-abortion decision from the Supreme Court. Here's what he said to CNN earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Well, if this leak is true, this is a terrible day for our nation. It's a disgraceful decision. It's a scary day for women.

In Illinois, we took steps to protect women's reproductive health because we fear that this day would come. And, let's be clear after the Supreme Court decision, women will still be getting abortions.

But in 26 out of 50 states, those abortions will be unsafe and potentially deadly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: He's alluding to the Democratic -Republican divide in those states, Alabama's anti-abortion governor Kay Ivey is slamming what she calls a leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion. She tweets in part, "This unprecedented leak is concerning, outrageous and a blatant attempt to manipulate the sacred procedures of the U.S. Supreme Court. Those responsible should be held accountable."

Now our coverage of Russia's war on Ukraine resumes after a short break.

Coming up, why Moldova is worried it could be the next stop in Vladimir Putin's war of choice.

[01:36:17]

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NEWTON: People are, of course, living on edge in Moldova. The country is increasingly concerned that the war in Ukraine could spill across the border.

CNN's Randi Kaye visited some of the towns on Moldova's border with Transnistria, a separatist region where Russian troops have been stationed for years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the village of Cosnita. It is actually the last village before the border with Transnistria. Almost everyone here told us they did not want to be interviewed. One woman told us quote, "The less you talk, the more you live."

That is where we met Tanya. She fled Odessa, Ukraine with her two children only to end up here just a few miles from Transnistria, and feels under threat again.

The Russian troops are very close to here. Does that concern you?

She tells me, yes, she is very afraid. She is very scared. She says her bags are packed and she is hoping to get to Poland or somewhere safer very soon.

Are you worried that Russia will invade Moldova?

Yes, of course, she is afraid for Moldova. She says Moldovans are really good people who took Ukrainians in.

Down the road, further from the border with Transnistria, we found a village called Vadul Lui Voda. People here were much more willing to speak with us. Are you nervous?

EFRAM, MOLDOVAN RESIDENT: No. No. I feel very good. I know that I can stay for my country. Yes.

KAYE: You don't have a bag packed to go.

EFRAM: No. No. I will stay here. And I will protect my family and my house. Yes.

KAYE: So you would stay and fight?

EFRAM: Yes. Yes, of course. Why not? It is my country.

KAYE: How do you feel about living so close to Transnistria?

EFRAM: I feel ok. But I understand that there is a problem. There is a problem that exists a lot of time. Yes. And I think now it's moment to resolve it.

KAYE: The trouble with Transnistria is its proximity to Ukraine and its relationship with Russia, which has kept troops there for decades.

If Putin's troops are somehow successful in taking control of southern Ukraine, they could create a land corridor stretching to Transnistria. And some here fear eventually into Moldova and deeper into eastern Europe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very, very.

KAYE: This man tells me he's very worried for what may happen in Moldova.

Can Moldova defend itself against Russia, do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. It is not, no.

KAYE: No, he says. Then asks me, have you seen the Moldovan army? He says Moldova is a friendly neutral state that happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This woman tells me she too, is very worried about Russia invading through Transnistria.

"For now, it's not a threat," she says, "but if that changes, she and her husband plan to runaway.

This woman came all the way from Canada to check on her family. Are you worried for your family?

REINA, VISITING FAMILY IN MOLDOVA: Yes.

KAYE: She grew up here and is familiar with the threats of a Russian invasion. She wanted to make sure her brother and sister and mother in law have all they need to escape.

REINA: We tried to have them with money but actually to prepare maybe the documents, just in case. Just in case to have the passports.

KAYE: So many Moldovans deciding whether to stay or go as they wait for what Putin does next.

Randi Kaye, CNN -- Cosnita, Moldova.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, the west has been quick to condemn and punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. But many other countries are sitting out the conflict and staying on the sidelines.

Coming up next, I'll speak with a guest about those countries. But why those countries don't want to be involved.

[01:44:43]

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NEWTON: A heat wave gripping India and Pakistan has reached record levels, putting the lives of millions at risk. Parts of India suffered through average temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius or 100 degrees Fahrenheit last month.

In Pakistan, meantime temperatures reached 47 degrees or 116 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday in the southeastern province of Sindh (ph).

Experts warn the climate crisis will cause more frequent and longer heat waves across both countries.

Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has been following the weather. He's with us now from the CNN Weather Center here in Atlanta.

And we've heard it before, right? This is extremely dangerous. Heat can kill.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is. You know, and what's fascinating is our bodies have evolved to perfectly be able to combat some level of heat. We have our blood vessels that dilate and bring that heat to the surface. We sweat. That's what evaporates off of our skin. That all allows us to cool off.

But many times when temperatures are touching 47, 48, 49 degrees across some of these regions in the last several f weeks, land temperature is now exceeding 62 degrees on the surface of the ground. These sort of temperatures your body is going to have a tough time really combating.

And the concern across some of these regions of the world, in particular, India is some data showing that since -- as of 2021 only 13 percent of Indian households had air conditioning units.

So not only are you not getting any aid when you're inside your property, the excessive heat kind of builds and, you know, overnight hours won't see much in the way of cooling.

[01:49:53]

JAVAHERI: These levels of heat with humidity are extremely dangerous. So across portions of Bikaner (ph) which is across northwestern India, Monday afternoon's high temperature, the world hottest observation right there at 47.1 degrees.

Work your way into New Delhi, eight consecutive days temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees, 19 days in the month of April temperatures pushed above 40 degrees.

And again, this is the hottest time of the year but climatologically that brings us right around to 39.8. So we're exceeding that by a wide margin in the last couple of days.

And the seven-day forecast looks as such across Delhi, sunny skies across the board. In fact, it even gets warmer here as we go in towards the latter portion of the week and kind of showing you when we think the heat will finally taper off is going to be the onset of the monsoon takes place in the latter portion of June into July where the moisture really picks up and the temperatures come back down.

So a lot of people looking forward to that time of year, Paula.

NEWTON: Yes, really cannot come soon enough. Pedram, thanks so much.

JAVAHERI: Thank you.

NEWTON: Appreciate it.

Meantime, India's prime minister is in Europe right now to -- he is set, in fact, to visit Denmark in the next leg of his three-day trip. Narendra Modi spent Monday in Germany meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. They held talks on multiple subjects, but of course, most importantly Russia's war on Ukraine.

India has long-standing ties with Russia and has remained neutral in fact throughout the conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We believe that no party can emerge victorious in this war. Everyone will suffer losses. And that is why we are for peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Joining us now from Washington is Irfan Nooruddin. He is the senior director at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center as well as professor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

And really good to have you weigh in on what is really becoming so problematic for so many countries.

We just take India, right? I mean they're really emblematic of dozens of countries where they find themselves in this conflict on the sidelines.

Why is that? and why do you think India, in particular, has found it difficult to really weigh in in more of a consequential way?

IRFAN NOORUDDIN, SENIOR DIRECTOR AT THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL'S SOUTH ASIA CENTER: India does -- is emblematic of so many countries feeling really torn, which bring I think genuine concern for the plight of the Ukrainian people and they had many citizens who are trapped in Ukraine now when the conflict began who have to be evacuated. And yet feeling like they cannot possibly come out publicly to condemn Vladimir Putin and Russia.

In India's case, this is both complicated by history. Russia and the Soviet Union before it. Very firm friends of India. There's a lot of warm feeling, historically between the two countries.

India also receives a great deal of armaments and military (INAUDIBLE) from Russia, in fact. They are expecting a pretty significant delivery of very cutting edge weapons system from Russia.

And at the flip side, it is also set up this larger question of what exactly are we asking countries like India, to do. And the Indian foreign minister very wokely (ph) said, at the end of the day Europe, Germany, the United States are buying more oil and gas from Russia in a day than India does in months.

So really begging the question of, you know, India and many countries feeling that they're being asked to do things that are quite unfair to them as poor developing countries.

NEWTON: And Europe now is moving towards perhaps trying to get to an oil embargo if not a natural gas embargo.

I want to point to the fact that this may change though in the coming months. Do you believe that as the scope of this conflict widens that a lot of positions will have to change?

I mean just take Israel in the last few days. You know, their position, they wanted to be an honest broker perhaps to some kind of, you know, diplomatic solution.

Then Russia's foreign minister publicly does something that is inaccurate at best, anti-Semitic at worse and they are forced to call out Russia. Do you see some of the positions that countries have taken become more and more untenable in the weeks and months to come?

NOORUDDIN: I think so. As we find out more about the atrocities being committed on the -- against civilians. You know, the horrific scenes that reporters have bravely brought to the world from Bucha. You know, they're going to hear so much more about the horror that has been unleashed on Mariupol and other parts of Ukraine.

It makes it harder for countries to stay on the sidelines because the humanitarian consequences of inaction become that much more visible to the whole world.

And so countries like India that pride themselves on being representatives of the developing world, really, this long-standing champion of nonalignment, but representing also, you know human rights, democracy, freedom in the world. How can it stand on the sidelines as more and more of those atrocities come to light?

NEWTON: I want to ask you about the sanctions regime. You make another good point that millions -- billions of people really around the world are not affected by the sophisticated, you know, sanctions regime in place for the financial institutions.

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NEWTON: And yet, I put to you, as Russia continues to put really food security around the globe at risk, do you think this will further change the geopolitical situation?

NOORUDDIN: I think it does, but in complicated ways. On the one hand, you know, the best it was able to do -- it has at the end of the day only been two and a half months since this horrible conflict began. And in the first month, they put together the most sophisticated targeted set of economic sanctions. And frankly, that exceeded what I think many commentators thought was going to be capable.

You know, six months ago, we were wired that the NATO could mount a (INAUDIBLE) response to anything as (INAUDIBLE) post Afghanistan. So that sophistication, though left much of the world really on the sidelines.

They don't have financial leverage over Russian, you know, oligarchs. They don't trade with Russia for the most part. Russia's not very well integrated into the global economy except when it comes, as you point out to food and fertilizers. And of course when it comes to oil and natural gas.

NEWTON: Such an important perspective for us to get in there. I appreciate it, Irfan. Thanks so much.

NOORUDDIN: Thank you.

NEWTON: I'm Paula Newton at CNN Center. Stay with us. We will have more on that Supreme Court opinion that was published.

Plus, Isa Soares picks up our coverage live from Lviv, Ukraine.

We'll be back with you right after a break.

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