Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Politico: U.S. Supreme Court Draft Opinion Would Overturn Abortion Rights Ruling Roe v. Wade; Evacuation Efforts Stalled at Mariupol Steel Plant; Officials: Putin Could Declare War on Ukraine May 9; Families Remember Loved Ones Killed in Irpin; Ohio Votes Today in Closely Watched Republican Senate Primary. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired May 03, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, look, work is exhilarating, we expect to hear news if not today, then in the coming days.

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: And I know you'll stay on top of that. Clare Sebastian for us in London. Thanks very much, Clare.

And still to come right here on the show, we will have much more of course. And our breaking news on the Supreme Court draft opinion that might overturn Roe v. Wade.

Plus, in Irpin, Ukraine, families are remembering their loved ones killed in the Russian invasion. We'll hear how they're coping with their grief. That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Protests have erupted outside the U.S. Supreme Court after a stunning report that American women may soon lose their constitutional right to end their pregnancies. News website, Politico, says it's obtained a draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would strike down Roe v. Wade. The landmark ruling that legalized abortion at the national level. The decade abortion has remained one of the most contentious issues of the U.S., much to the shock of other Western countries where it's not really a major issue.

CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of the Supreme Court's draft opinion. But the release of the document appears to be an unprecedented breach of the top courts confidentiality and secrecy. The final opinion from the justices is not expected until late June. Votes and language can change before then. But that seems unlikely given the course conservative majority.

[04:35:00]

CNN conducted polling on abortion and overturning Roe v. Wade earlier this year. The finding showed that just 30 percent of Americans wanted the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark ruling. The vast majority, a whopping 69 percent said no, they do not want to see the court take such action. Overall, more than half the country, 52 percent said that should -- the ruling be overturned. They would want their state to become a safe haven for women who want abortions but cannot get it where they live.

Meanwhile, conservatives who have long sought to undermined or overturn Roe v. Wade are slamming the release of the Supreme Court draft opinion. Republican, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey tweeted --

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. My prayer is that Roe v. Wade is overturned and that life prevails.

CNN senior lead legal analysts Preet Bharara says that the Supreme Court decision could impact the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PREET BHARARA, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: What's this going to mean for politics? What's this going to mean for the midterm elections? What's this going to mean for the other side of the aisle, who for a long time state in loud terms that they cared about the court. But because some of these things have been on their side and the president have been on their side, particularly Roe and Casey and some other things, you know, I don't want people to send mailed to me. But there has been a little bit of complacency about this. The conservatives have care more about the court and have cared more about changing what they haven't been able to do legislatively -- like this issue -- through the court, than the liberals have been.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Democrats are promising to turn abortion rights into a major campaign issue. The Democratic National Committee released a short statement saying, quote, make no mistake, reproductive rights will be on the ballot and this midterm election is more pointed now than ever before. Former Democratic presidential candidate had this to say to our Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): If this opinion is issued, it will be against the wishes of 80 percent of Americans who believe that women should have the right to make their own health care system. It would trigger the laws in over 20 states that have already said that they will outlaw abortions in their state. It will create a patchwork of laws against the country. And my prediction, Don, is that it will drive women to the polls and men, anyone. That 80 percent of the public who believes that a health care decision should be made by women and their doctor and not by Ted Cruz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf tweeted abortion is and will remain legal in that state. And he vowed to veto, but he, called any anti-choice legislation that lands on his desk.

That's our story, we'll keep following for you. Let's go back to Isa thought who's in Lviv with the latest on Ukraine. SOARES: Thanks very much, Max.

And we have an update on evacuations from the besieged city of Mariupol. The city's mayor says an evacuation convoy has now started moving towards Ukrainian held territory in Zaporizhzhia. The convoy reportedly includes many people evacuated from the bombed-out Azovstal steel plant on Sunday. However, the mayor is less optimistic about the fate of civilians who remained trapped inside the plant which is under bombardment. And officials say another convoy that was due to leave the area today is still stuck near Mariupol.

Meanwhile, Russian forces appear to be pushing further to the west. Local officials report a number of Russian missile strikes on the city of Odessa. Ukraine's president says a 14 year old boy was killed and another teen wounded in an attack on a dormitory.

But there also signs Ukrainian troops are holding their ground. According to the latest update from Ukraine's military, they've pushed back 12 Russian attacks in the Donbas region over the past day. Meanwhile, U.S. as well as Western officials believe Vladimir Putin could formally declare war in Ukraine as soon as May 9th. That is Victory Day in Russia. And it marks the defeat of the Nazis from World War II. Up till now, worth remembering, Russia has called its actions in Ukraine a special military operation.

And, Pope Francis, however, reportedly believes that May 9th will bring something far different. According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the Pope says that Hungary's Prime Minister told him Russia plans to end its invasion of Ukraine on May the 9th. The Pope met with Viktor Orban late last month. He tells the Italian paper the May 9th date would explain Russia's recent escalation in the Donbas region and targeting of the Black Sea port of Odessa.

Well, the battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Irpin during the early day of the war has left behind really a city of ruins.

[04:40:00]

And its people leaving the loved ones they have lost. CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to some residents who went to the cemetery to honor their military dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (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 mortar, March 13th.

TATYANA BLYZNUK, HUSBAND KILLED IN THE CONFLICT (through translator): 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 living.

COOPER: 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.

COOPER (voice-over): There was heavy fighting in Irpin 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, for the city and for civilians who were standing behind them.

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

COOPER: How have you been able to go on?

ALLA KROTLKYH, HUSBAND KILLED IN THE CONFLICT (through translator): All 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 live at 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 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, Savaii (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) SOARES: So much loss and so much outbreak right there in Irpin. And

Max, with that, after the break with other news including exclusive details with key testament from Ivanka Trump to the House Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. That story is just ahead. You are watching CNN.

[04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Primary voters go to the polls today in the U.S. state of Ohio and former President Donald Trump looms large as Republicans like to nominate a U.S. Senate candidate. Nearly all Republican candidates campaign for Trump endorsement, but only J.D. Vance got it. Polling shows him on top of a crowded Republican field.

But at a rally in Nebraska on Sunday the former president may have confused Ohio voters. He told the crowd here in endorsed J.D. Mandel, a mash-up of candidates. Vance and Josh Mandel.

In Georgia a special grand jury has now been selected to hear evidence about whether former President Trump and others tried to illegally interfere with the 2020 vote. The probe was launched after Trump made his infamous phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So, look, all I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which has won more than we have because we won the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Well on Monday 23rd, on Monday 23 jurors and three alternates were seated. They'll have investigative authority including subpoena power to compel people to testify. The Georgia District Attorney also says her office will look into fake electoral college certifications, that Trump backers put forward in the state.

Now in a CNN exclusive the chairman of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is giving us insight into testimony from the former president's daughter Ivanka Trump. House Democrat Bennie Thompson tells CNN the testimony was not against Donald Trump himself but was useful in confirming other key testimony about what was going on inside the White House that day. And Thompson said this.

There were questions asked about what she was doing at the time that the insurrection was occurring at the Capitol, and she told us. They asked certain questions about her awareness of what her father was doing, she told us. So, in that respect -- we been able to fill in a light of the gaps.

In addition to Ivanka Trump, her brother Donald Trump Jr. is also expected to testify and work is underway to schedule his appearance. Now still with CNN. We are tracking severe weather in the U.S.

including this reported tornado in Oklahoma. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us next.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: The U.S. is on the brink of reaching 1 million COVID related deaths since the start of the pandemic. That grim milestone is expected to happen within the next few weeks. New infections are also rising again. Johns Hopkins University says cases climbed in 37 states in the past week and hospitalizations are up 10 percent.

And in New York, the city's COVID risk alert level has been raised from low to medium. An uptick in cases triggered the move.

Now in Washington U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will be back in the White House today after testing negative for COVID-19. Her spokesperson says she'll continue to wear a mask when around others for another five days. Harris tested positive nearly a week ago.

It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it actually happened. A Shanghai care home resident was mistakenly sent to the morgue on Sunday but was still alive. The person is now in stable condition. The video of the incident was posted on Chinese social media triggering a wave of criticism. You can hear a person in the video saying in Chinese, quote, the nursing home is such a mess. They sent a living person on hearses and said they were dead. The undertaker staff said they were still moving. I can't believe such a thing happened.

In response to the backlash, the Shanghai government says four people were dismissed over the incident.

[04:55:00]

Now tornadoes spun up in central Oklahoma on Monday. This one was captured near the town of Omega. CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is tracking it all for us.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, good morning, Max. The ongoing threat here for severe weather really an incredible pace of severe weather in the last several weeks. And you take a look, we had four reports of tornadoes, the vast majority about 70 of which related to bury strong winds exceeding 70 plus miles per hour in a few spots. Some large hail as well. And in fact, you work your way towards Seminole Oklahoma. Look at the hailstone measured four inches in diameter. That is softball size hail coming down across portions of Oklahoma. Not only destructive, very dangerous, and certainly damaging there when it comes to what played out.

The height of the storm, we had over 90,000 lightning strikes in the 12 hour period. As the storms roared across the Central United States. But the good news is we do expect clearing skies across this landscape going into Tuesday afternoon. The threat for severe weather shifts a little farther towards the

east. The southern tier o it here, we're going to have a level one risk, and a little farther towards the north across the Ohio Valley that is the slight risk, a level two on a scale of 1 to 5. And the biggest threat once again going to be damaging winds, large hail, certainly don't expect it to be as large as what we saw across the Plains. But if you're tuned in around Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, some of these areas could see a few strong thunderstorms into the afternoon hours. And again, limited risk a little farther toward the south of this region.

Now going into Wednesday, another round of severe weather in store, this time back again across parts of Oklahoma and northern Texas. That's a level three. Some strong tornadoes possible, large hail once again back in the forecast, and beneficial rainfall across this region as well. We've had quite a bit of drought widespread across the Central United States, some beneficial rainfall in store for at least next couple of days across this region -- Max.

FOSTER: Thank you, Pedram. That does it here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in London, our coverage continues in "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:00:00]