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Women Protests Over a SCOTUS Draft; Roe v. Wade a New Political Thug of War; E.U. Phasing Out Russian Oil; A Sigh of Relief for Azovstal Evacuees; North Korea Launch its 13th Missile Test. Aired 3- 4a ET
Aired May 04, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church in Atlanta.
Just ahead this hour, CNN projects Trump backed candidate, J.D. Vance, has emerged victorious in Ohio's Republican Senate Primary. We will have more from Cincinnati.
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Isa Soares live in Ukraine, where we are awaiting word on more evacuations from Mariupol and other nearby towns. This follows a successful operation to bring dozens of people from the Azovstal steel plant to safety.
CHURCH: Shock and fury are being felt all over the United States after the revelation that the Supreme Court could be on the cusp of ending a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, a right that millions have held sacred for nearly half a century.
Protests have erupted everywhere from the steps of the Supreme Court to capital cities across the country and many places in between. The outrage was triggered by the leak of a draft opinion that indicates the Supreme Court is preparing to strike down Roe versus Wade.
That is the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion rights the law of the land. Polls show most Americans support Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Vice President blasted the Supreme Court and conservative Republicans for, quote, "weaponizing the issue."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: How dare they? How dare they tell a woman what she can do and cannot do with her own body?
(APPLAUSE)
HARRIS: How dare they? How dare they try to stop her from determining her own future? How dare they try to deny women their rights and their freedoms? (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Many conservative Republicans are thrilled about the likely demise of Roe versus Wade, but they are not showing it. Instead, they are expressing anger over the leak of that draft opinion.
CNN's Paula Reid has details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: The leaked draft sparking protests across the country.
CROWD: The people united will never be defeated!
REID: And prompting questions. Chief Justice John Roberts --
UNKNOWN: Do you plan to investigate the leak?
REID: Seen here leaving his home Tuesday, issued a statement calling the leak an egregious breach. He has directed the marshal of the court to investigate. The court confirms the draft is authentic, but cautioned it does not represent a decision or position of any member on the issues in the case.
The nearly 100-page opinion says that the majority of justices are prepared to uphold a Mississippi law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks and overturn Roe v. Wade which established a right to abortion 50 years ago, leaving it to individual states to determine abortions legality.
Justice Samuel Alito, author of the draft, stating there is no inherent right to an abortion. Writing, the Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.
Alito says Roe was egregiously wrong from the start, and that its reasoning was exceptionally weak. And the decision has had damaging consequences. The opinion is not expected to be published until late next month, and could still be modified as a draft opinion circulate and justices can change their vote.
Sources tell CNN that Roberts did not want to completely overturn Roe. It appears Alito was joined in his majority by Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, even though Kavanaugh and Gorsuch called Roe the law of the land during their confirmation hearings.
BRETT KAVANAUGH, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT: It is an important precedent of the Supreme Court.
NEIL GORSUCH, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT: That's the law of the land, I accept the law of the land, Senator, yes.
REID: Senator Susan Collins, who voted in support of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said today in a statement the draft opinion was completely inconsistent of what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office.
[03:04:55]
President Biden called the draft decision radical and echoed concerns that this decision could serve as a template for limiting other individual rights previously recognized by the court like same-sex marriage --
CROWD: Women will decide their fate!
REID: -- and access to contraception.
BIDEN: If the rationale of the decision as released or to be sustained, a whole range of rights is in question.
REID: But in the wake of this draft opinion, Democrats are vowing to fight to protect abortion rights.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It will go down as an abomination, one of the worst, most damaging decisions in modern history.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): We can pass a law to protect every woman's right to an abortion, and we should do that.
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): If this turns out to be the opinion of the court in this issue, it could have a major impact on the outcome of this election.
REID: Republicans are condemning the leak itself.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Whoever committed this lawless act knew exactly what it could bring about.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Whoever did this leak should be prosecuted and should go to jail for a very long time. This has shaken the independence and the ability of the judiciary to function.
REID: Paula Reid, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: We already know the court's action on abortion will be a major campaign issue in this year's midterm elections. And apparently, so will Donald Trump. We are seeing the first evidence of that in Ohio. CNN projects that J.D. Vance, endorsed by Trump, will win the republican senate primary. He's best known of author of the bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy."
Vance will face Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan in November in what's expected to be one of the most hotly contested races.
Well, now for the latest on the situation in Ukraine. Let's bring in my colleague Isa Soares in Lviv. Isa?
SOARES: Very good morning to you, Rosie, thank you very much. Now I want to update you on some breaking news that we've had in the
last few minutes.
E.U. announcing a sixth package of sanctions really on Russia oil, proposing a ban on all Russian oil. Meanwhile, what we are hearing from the British intelligence of what the -- what's happening on the front lines. Russia struggling to breakthrough Ukrainian defenses.
New video shows Ukraine's artillery and attack drones, continue to be effective against Russian armor in the east. A number of Russian military vehicles lie destroyed in this village south of Kharkiv, and this video shows Ukrainian forces hitting at least two Russian military positions under Russian occupied Snake Island.
You will recall of course Snake Island gained worldwide attention at the beginning of the invasion when Ukrainian troops refused to surrender. Meanwhile, Ukraine is assessing the damage after several regions were hit by a Russian missile strikes in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, here in Lviv, the mayor says that two people were injured. These images, you can see there, really shows a power station on fire in the aftermath, of course, knocking out electricity for parts or much parts of the city. Water supplies, we've been told, have also been affected. Ukraine report severe damage to railways and infrastructure.
The Pentagon press secretary told CNN's Wolf Blitzer striking those targets is all part of Moscow's strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: They've been doing this sporadically over the last couple of weeks, Wolf, in what we believe this is an attempt by the Russians to try to hit targets that they believe are affecting the Ukrainian's ability to resupply or reinforce themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now, I've mentioned a few seconds ago, news out of the E.U. from Von der Leyen there, Ursula Von der Leyen of the European Union. E.U. Commission president commenting in the last few minutes that we now propose a ban on Russian oil.
Finally, she says, we now proposed a ban on Russian oil, and let's be clear, it will not be easy, but we simply have to work on it. We'll make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, so clearly it won't be straight, straight away to maximize pressure on Russia while minimizing the impact on our economies.
This of course will be the sixth package of sanctions on Russia from the E.U.
Let's get more on this, I'm joined by Oleksandr Danylyuk, he's a former Ukrainian finance minister, former Ukrainian national security chief, and a member of Ukraine's military. Alexander, thank you very much for joining us.
I was going to talk to you about what we've seen in Lviv in the last night. But let me ask you about this sixth package of sanctions, and this ban on Russian oil. Your thoughts? Is that enough?
OLEKSANDR DANYLYUK, FORMER UKRAINIAN FINANCE MINISTER: Well, clearly, this is a step in the right direction, we've been advocating for these sanctions for since the beginning of the war, really because they are effective. Were they sufficient? No, especially because there are some exclusions, also we understand that the oil Russia will redirect to China, to other suppliers who are not part of the embargo.
[03:10:04]
But the more Russia is isolated eventually, you know, it will have its effect. As you know, it's --
SOARES: Yes.
DANYLYUK: -- since the beginning of the war E.U. alone paid for the gas and oil almost $50 billion to Russia, $50 billion. And now this money is being used to attack Ukraine. They attack us with missiles. Every missile cost at least $7 million. And last -- yesterday they sent -- they launched around 20 on us. So they have plenty of resources, they receive money including from our partners. So that means to stop.
SOARES: Yes. We know this won't be immediate, though, Oleksandr. We know this won't be immediate. They are going to be phasing it out. But what you're saying is, it's a step in the right direction, and I know this is something that the Ukrainian officials have been calling for, for some time.
DANYLYUK: That's correct, yes.
SOARES: What do you think, I mean, obviously, you're talking about the impact this will have, do you think this will be enough to cripple Russia economically, to stop it, of course, in its advance here in eastern Ukraine?
DANYLYUK: Unfortunately, the line breaks up. So, in terms of advancing, you know, I think it's important to understand the context, right? Russia is -- Putin, the president, he likes the historical, you know, symbolic dates, so the 9th of May is a symbolic date. And I think by the 9th, he wants to wrap up kind of a trophy for Russian citizens, to look like he is victorious, trying to overshadow his losses near Kyiv, Chernihiv, near Kharkiv.
So, he is now concentrated and focused on getting as much as possible wrapping up by the 9th. So that's what -- that explains the heavy attacks now on Kramatorsk, on Sloviansk, which is in eastern Ukraine, also totally kind of illogical attack on Azovstal in Mariupol.
Strategically, for Russia, it has no significance. But just need to, they want to basically fully take control of Mariupol and also deliver it as a, sell it as a victory to Russian citizens. But in fact, you know, Russia, now it's much smaller trophy that they expected to get from the very beginning, much more trophy. And this is due to the --
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: Well, Oleksandr --
DANYLYUK: -- bravery of our military forces, and the military supplies that we received in the United States and other allied partners.
SOARES: Oleksandr, I'm going have to leave it here. Unfortunately, the connection isn't great. We'll try and reconnect with you, but you made some very good points in terms of what we had been hearing that perhaps Russian generals were under pressure to give Putin some sort of victory ahead of that May 9th Victory Day.
The deputy mayor of Lviv who joined me last hour, saying perhaps Mariupol will be that. We have been seeing evacuations as of course for several days now out of Mariupol, and inside the Azovstal steel plant. About 100 or so civilians were evacuated and arrived in Zaporizhzhia yesterday. We are expecting some more humanitarian corridor, evacuation corridors from Mariupol today. As soon as those get in the way we shall bring them to you.
Of course, not all have gone according to plan given the hostilities and the intensity of the missile attacks on Azovstal steel plant. If you're just joining you -- joining us, let me bring you up to date with the breaking news in the last few minutes.
We've heard from the E.U. Commission president, who in the last few minutes announced a ban on all Russian oil. So Russian imports, saying, finally, we now proposed a ban on Russian oil. This is what she tweeted. Let's be clear, it will not be easy, she tweets, but we simply have to work on it. We'll make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion to maximize pressure on Russia while minimizing the impact on our economy.
This is something of course that Ukrainian officials have been calling for for some time in a way to hamper, of course, to hamper Russian defense and Russia's attack here in Ukraine.
We'll stay on top of this story for us, and then we'll go to Clare Sebastian a bit later. We'll have much more on what this ban entails.
Meanwhile, CNN's, Nick Paton Walsh was in Zaporizhzhia when evacuees from that Mariupol steel plant, I was mentioning there arrived, he spoke with two women about some of the horrors they endured while trapped underground. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:14:59]
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Five buses only, but within them the world's hopes of a way to deliver innocent Ukrainians to safety from Russia's onslaught. Just over 100 civilians the first to leave the basement of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, bringing with them stories of the circle of hell they lived in underground for weeks.
This is Olga. After two months in the dark, she struggles in sunlight still. I ask, if she can see OK. "Bad," she says, "I can't see anything in the sun." Aged 78 and she keeps saying, "completely alone." Her entire life is in these two bags.
Forty-eight hours earlier, she was pictured in the Ukrainian military video just walking out of Mariupol cheerfully across a bridge. Now, via the U.N. and Red Cross, talks in Moscow and Kyiv and countless Russian checkpoints, she is here. Worried, she cannot fend for herself as a wound to her leg isn't healing because of her diabetes.
The head torch that was her only source of light is still around her neck, her toilet rolls in her pocket.
OLGA, AZOVSTAL EVACUEE (on screen text): Everything I own, I have with me. I went to the basement with just a bag and left with it. I thank the boys who carried me out. Thanks to them. Lord, bless them. I can't say anything bad about our soldiers there, Azov or not Azov. They had me in their hands, brought me out. One of them wanted to lift ,e up but I said you can't. They took each other's hand to lift me. It's hard to carry an old lady like me.
WALSH: Also coming off the bus is another familiar face. Anna with six-month-old Sviatoslav (Ph). Embraced by her brother, one of many family reunions here.
She was also seen in the same video as Olga leaving Mariupol. The day after Sviatoslav (Ph) turns six months old. She is a French teacher in happier times.
How do you feel now?
ANNA, AZOVSTAL EVACUEE: Now, I feel happy and exhausted because two months in the basement.
WALSH: How do you live for two months in a basement with a four- month-old boy? How do you eat?
ANNA: Now, I smile because I can smile, finally because all these months, I was crying a lot every day. Emotionally, it was really very, very difficult. When we didn't have any hot water for him, we just took a candle, and we heated water on the candle.
WALSH: The busy world she has emerged into now different for her.
ANNA: For me now word -- how to say --
WALSH: Air strikes.
ANNA: Yes, yes. It is the most difficult and the most scary world. Because now I, when I, sorry, it's emotional. WALSH: It's OK. of course.
ANNA: Now, when there is a lot of noise, I have like a reflex to hide myself.
WALSH: What are you going to tell him when he is older?
ANNA: I'll just tell him that he was really very, very brave boy, very brave. He's very calm. He is the best child in the world I can say.
WALSH: Yes. He is sleeping well, so that's good.
WALSH: Yes, yes, and also, I can say that I don't want for him to repeat this story, or to repeat this story with his child.
WALSH: Yet, the terror they've all witnessed will fill a loathing that won't pass quickly.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: A brave little boy and a brave mommy too, I think it's important to note.
And still to come, right here on the show. Yet another apparent missile launch by North Korea. And it comes just days after Kim Jong- un vow to ramp up his country's nuclear arsenal. We'll have a live report from Seoul for you next.
[03:20:00]
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CHURCH: North Korea is believed to find another ballistic missile a short time ago. South Korea and Japan today it was launched into the waters east of the Korean Peninsula. It comes just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to bolster his nuclear arsenal.
And CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now live from Seoul. So, Paula, what more are you learning about this?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we certainly been hearing a lot from North Korea this year. This, by our tally, is the 13th missile launch from North Korea this year alone. You compare that to last year, 2021, they had just eight, in 2020, they had just four. So clearly, they are in the testing mode.
Now this particular one this happened just after midday today. From what we heard from the Japanese side is that it had an altitude of 800 kilometers, a distance of 500 kilometers. The South Korean side had a slightly shorter distance and altitude. But at this point they are not saying exactly what they believe this particular missile was.
[03:24:56] Now it has been roundly condemned by both sides. The South Koran side had national security council meeting that they condemned it, saying that it brings -- it's a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and as North Korea to stop any actions that threaten the Korean Peninsula.
But of course, that is an administration that it's on its way out. A new ministration and president comes in next week. Rosemary?
SOARES: All right, Paula Hancocks, joining us live from Seoul. Many thanks. And we'll take a short break here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm Isa Soares coming to you live from Lviv, Ukraine.
If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date. Well, breaking news in the last 10, 15 minutes. The E.U. has announced a sixth package of sanctions against Russia in the last few minutes, including a proposal -- proposing a ban on Russian oil.
Just moments ago, E.U. Commission president tweeted the following. It will not be easy but we simply have to work on it.
CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now from London. And Clare, this is clearly an important move by the E.U., but from what I understand, it won't be immediate, an immediate ban. Talk us through this package of sanctions.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Isa, first of all it's not in effect yet. The member states have to -- have to approve this, so that is the next step. Second of all, the ban they are proposing is not an immediate one. This is a phased-in ban. She said that crude oil products would be phased out of Europe within six months, and refined products by the end of the year.
So, they want to do this in an orderly fashion. The reason of course so that member states can find alternative suppliers and sort of not impact their economies too much. But we know a lot of the work has already been done, Germany has already, for example, cut its reliance on Russian oil from 35 percent down to 12 percent.
So, some of that work has already been done. But this was not the only measure in the sixth package, Isa. They also have done various things including listing high-ranking military officers and individuals who they say were committing war crimes in Bucha. They have now de-SWIFTED SpareBank, which is the biggest bank in Russia that is part of the proposal.
SOARES: And like you said, it hasn't been approved, but where with this leave, Clare, Hungary and Slovakia, who are more reliant on supplies. Will they veto it, and where does that end up then?
SEBASTIAN: So, Isa, the sense that we've been getting as this has been debated amongst the E.U. and various elements of it have come out in reports. Is that the E.U. wants very much to put on a show of unity here, they don't want to push through this package without or member states on board.
So, the report that's been leading up to this that rather than putting Hungarians or Slovakians in a situation where they would veto this, they might actually be carve out for them, they might be a longer transition period, or even an exemption from the oil ban. That would allow the E.U. to put forth this sixth package as a block, rather than in a fragmented fashion.
So that is potentially what we're looking at here but not confirmed as of yet.
SOARES: Clare Sebastian, thank you very much. Clare Sebastian there with our breaking news this hour. And we'll head back to Rosemary Church in Atlanta after a very short break, with a preview of this week's U.K. elections. Why pollsters are predicting a rough night for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. That's next.
[03:35:00]
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, voters in the U.K. will be casting ballots this week in what many analysts see as a key test for embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is on the campaign trail, trying to score a win for his conservative party and local elections. Polls opened Thursday. In England nearly half of councils will hold a vote, that's more than 4,400 seats up for grabs.
And in Wales and Scotland, all council seats will be contested. Key issues include the COVID crisis, a rising cost of living, and the party gate scandal.
Despite holding multiple lockdown breaking parties during the pandemic, Johnson insists his conservatives are fit to lead.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The greatest asset that conservatives have, our conservative values. That's what really matters, and I think that's where people will be focused on.
ABDELAZIZ After an investigation, London police issued more than 50 penalty fines, including one to Johnson himself. Another inquiry, led by a civil servant Sue Gray found a failure of leadership at 10 Downing Street, and a culture of excessive drinking.
The British House of Commons is set to carry out a third investigation into whether Johnson knowingly misled parliament when he denied violating any rules. These elections, the first held since the scandal broke late last year, will be seen in part as a referendum on Johnson himself, this expert told us.
ROBERT FORD, POLITICS PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER: It's a very, very bad night for the conservatives on Thursday, then the chances of some sort of leadership challenge will definitely become higher. So, in that sense, it will be treated as a referendum on his leadership by the people who get to decide his future.
KEIR STARMER, LEADER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY: Its polling week and in the few weeks --
ABDELAZIZ: For months, Tories have consistently trailed behind opposition Labour in the polls. Now the pressure is on for party leader Leir Starmer to make the most of this political moment, or he could face backlash from his own ranks.
STARMER: This is the cause of the conservatives. Twelve years of their failure. Britain deserves better, and labor in power delivers real change.
[03:40:03]
ABDELAZIZ: The conservative party could lose dozens of seats in control of key local councils, potentially damning results for Johnson.
FORD: So, these elections will be treated as a signal about where the British public think the country is going under Boris Johnson's leadership, and whether or not they want to see a change of course.
ABDELAZIZ: At stake, the future of one of Britain's most controversial prime ministers, and the future of the party that led the U.K. out of the E.U.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, Inside Africa is next. For those of you here in the U.S. and Canada I'll be right back with more news after the break.
[03:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: More now on our top story this hour. The growing backlash to a draft opinion that shows the U.S. Supreme Court may be poised to end a woman's right to an abortion by striking down Roe v. Wade. The news has sparked strong reaction and protests across the country including in Washington in front of the Supreme Court.
Vice President Kamala Harris said if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade it will be a direct assault on freedom. According to the good market constitute which supports abortion rights, 26 states could feature abortion bans if Roe is overturned. And last hour I asked CNN legal analyst Areva Martin what impact the
draft opinion will have on women if it becomes the court's final decision.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This decision will have a catastrophic impact on women all over this country. If this draft becomes a final opinion over the next couple of months it will prohibit women from having control over their reproductive health.
This is something that's been in the works for decades by Republicans. So as they are fighting about the leak, they don't want to talk about the substance because this is what they have planned. This is what they had hoped for. And now everything that they had wanted out of the three justices that were appointed by Trump, they're getting.
Susan Collins her comment about Kavanaugh and Gorsuch saying something inconsistent to her versus what appears to be their decision with the respect to this draft opinion, I find that so disingenuous.
Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett. All of these justices are members of the Federal Society their positions on abortion were well known before they had that conversation with the senator, before they went before the Senate confirmation hearing.
They have shown us what they would do. Susan Collins and other Republicans on the Senate confirmation hearing and within the Senate itself refuse to accept what they had demonstrated and in fact, they embrace them for that very reason. Because they had a commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade and we are at this day a lot sooner than any of us thought we would be here. But as shocked as we are, Rosemary, we are not surprised.
CHURCH: Yes, indeed. And of course, Chief Justice John Roberts calls this an egregious breech and will launch an investigation into who was behind the leaking of this draft opinion. What is your reaction to the actual leaking of this document and how extensive will this investigation likely be to find whoever is responsible for the leak?
MARTIN: The response has been astonishment. People who are astonished to see that something that should be kept in secret should be completely confidential until the decision is finalized and published that a leak actually occurred.
We see the left and the right kind of pointing fingers at each other. We see the Republicans outraged about the leak but not outraged about what this does for women. Not outraged about how this will eliminate a fundamental right that women have had in this country for nearly 50 years.
We don't see those Republicans standing up saying that this is unfair. It's unjust, that there are no laws, as we heard our vice president say, that control men's bodies. That dictate how men can use their bodies. But yet, these four men and one woman, the five conservative justices who are authoring or who are supporting this decision have made this decision that they alone, despite the fact that over, you know, half or more than the majority or large majority of Americans are in support of women having their right to choose.
Yet these five individuals are making this incredibly jaw dropping -- jaw dropping shocking decision. It has just sent ripples through the entire community. And that's why we see these protesters out saying that this is just absolutely unfair.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Our thanks again to civil rights attorney Areva Martin talking to me earlier. And endorsement from Donald Trump apparently still carries a lot of weight with Republican voters in Ohio.
CNN projects Trump-backed author J.D. Vance will win the state's GOP Senate primary after a bruising campaign.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more now from Cincinnati, Ohio.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: In one of the first big primary nights of the 2022 midterm campaign season, a big Republican victory in Cincinnati for J.D. Vance who emerged the victor in a crowded primary field for the U.S. Senate.
[03:50:04]
Now this is the race to replace retiring Senator Rob Portman. He was running against a field of five other major candidates and emerged as the winner at the end, thanks to the endorsement from former President Donald Trump. This has been viewed as a test of the former president's strength inside the Republican Party and one of the first people J.D. Vance thanked tonight was Mr. Trump.
J.D. VANCE (R), OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE: I have got to thank the 45th, the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. Ladies and gentlemen, one for giving us an example of what could be in this country. Ladies and gentlemen, remember 2019 when wages were going up and not down. Remember 2019 when workers were doing well in this country. Not struggling terribly. Thanks to the president for everything for endorsing me.
ZELENY: J.D. Vance of course best known for that bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy" has never run for public office before. In his first campaign he not only defeated several seasoned Republican candidates, he also introduced himself to Ohio voters.
Now for the next six months forward he'll be running against Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan who Vance accused of trying to act like a Trump Democrat. Of course, this will be one of the most competitive races in the fall campaign. But more importantly, urgently, this is a big test of the former president's strength going forward.
He's offered endorsements in several House, Senate and governors' races. The strength will be tested throughout the month of May if he's a king maker in his party, the first try on that stop here in Ohio, Mr. Trump showed that he still is.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Cincinnati.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: I spoke earlier with CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein and I asked him what J.D. Vance's victory says about the power of Donald Trump endorsement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's still Donald Trump's party. I mean, unquestionable. I think it's hard to imagine that J.D. Vance would have won the nomination without his endorsement. Donald Trump, you know, endorsed an unusually large number of candidates and he's got a bunch of tests coming up in May. He's not going to win all of them. In Georgia the governor's race is probably going to go to the incumbent governor that he detests and his candidate isn't going to win.
But anybody in the Republican Party who thought that they were capable of putting Trump in the rearview mirror, this is a reminder that it is not really plausible at the moment. Ohio is a state that has a tradition of moderate Republicans. I mean, George Voinovich, and John Kasich and Rob Portman, the senator who is stepping down.
This was not a night for moderates either in the Senate race or in House races. It was a reminder that in virtually every state this is a Trumpian party at this point for better and worse for Republicans.
CHURCH: And Ohio, Ron, was previously a swing state. Now it is red. So, this Republican Ohio Senate primary will play a critical role in deciding --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
CHURCH: -- who has control of the Senate in November. How will Vance likely go up against Ryan do you think?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, I think Sherrod Brown, the Democratic senator from Ohio who is kind of a holdover from an earlier more competitive era is the only Democrat I believe who won statewide in the past decade in Ohio. It is the classic rust belt state that has been moved right by the sharp realignment of working-class non-college white voters toward the GOP.
And you saw that in the results tonight where Vance ran strongest in those southeast Ohio can -- counties closest to the Pennsylvania border that used to be critical for Democratic victories in the state to run well there. That Where Trumpism appeal was strongest in the primary as it has been in the general election.
It's interesting that in the big metro areas as we have seen in other parts of the country, the Trump -- Trump appeal wasn't nearly as strong. Vance didn't run nearly as well in Columbus and its environs, and Cleveland and its environs.
Tim Ryan the Democrat is a blue collar, tough on trade, Democrat, again, throwback kind of Democrat. But his map is probably going to be as any chance in this it's going to be running up the score in those suburban areas.
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CHURCH: And our thanks to CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein for his perspective there.
Well here in the United States, a spinoff of the Omicron BA.2 sub variant is driving up COVID cases. The CDC estimates more than one in three new cases last week were caused by this offshoot. Health officials are keeping a close eye on the upward trend. The states with the biggest uptick in cases over all are shaded in red and orange on this map.
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Meantime, federal officials are aiming for a June time line to decide who should be eligible for additional COVID vaccine shots in the fall. The composition of these vaccines may also be updated by June to target specific variants.
Well, the U.S. State Department classifying pro-basketball star Britney Griner as being wrongfully detained in Russia. Now this means the U.S. won't have to wait for Griner's case to move through Russia's legal system. And the U.S. will seek to negotiate her return through President Biden's special envoy for hostage affairs. Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February and accused of smuggling narcotics.
Thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. Our breaking news coverage continues live from Ukraine after the short break. Stay with us.
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