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Ukrainians Give Up Fight at Mariupol Plant, the City's Last Stronghold; Biden in New Video Calls Formula Shortage a Top Priority; Amber Heard on Stand for Cross-Examination. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 17, 2022 - 10:30   ET

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

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[10:30:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, the White House has announced that President Biden will host the leaders of Sweden and Finland on Thursday, a key public show of support as both those countries take steps towards joining NATO having avoided that had step for many decades. It comes as Sweden and Finland just announced they will hand in their NATO applications on Wednesday.

The Kremlin responded earlier today saying their admission to the military alliance would, quote, not make much difference, notable, since the Kremlin has identified NATO as a threat many times in the past, but the Kremlin says because those two countries have long participated in NATO drills, no big deal.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, shifting messaging there perhaps.

Also this morning, the Ukrainian military says it's ordered the last remaining fighters at the of Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to surrender. The Kremlin claiming those who give up the fight will be treated in accordance with international laws.

SCIUTTO: They have just pummeled that place and there were hundreds of civilians in there too.

Further west, Ukrainian officials are reporting heavy casualties north of Kyiv now as a result of Russian missile strikes overnight.

CNN's Melissa Bell is live in Kyiv.

[10:35:01]

Tell us more about explosions, as I'm sure you heard, as they took place in the capital.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, they are slightly outside of Kyiv. In fact, we drove through the area where they took place overnight, Desna, which is a sprawling military complex between here and Chernihiv. That was the site of several missile strikes overnight. What we're hearing from Ukrainian authorities is that there are many dead and many wounded, although we don't have an exact figure for now. This, of course, in the context of stalled negotiations between Ukraine and Russia when it comes to trying to find a solution to the war. Overall, Ukraine has said that Russia is not in a mindset in which it wants to negotiate.

Now, more immediately and being watched very closely from here in Kyiv, not least, Jim, by those family members of those many hundreds of fighters that have been holed up, you mentioned a moment ago, in the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, those negotiations continue. But we understand that they are very tense and very uncertain and everyone is being very careful about them, even the family members of those many hundreds of fighters, some of whom we've been speaking to today really only found out on the news last night that the evacuations had begun. They are all hoping that their loved ones are amongst the more than 260 that have now been evacuated.

Have a listen to what Tatyna had to say about her husband that she's hoping is coming home. She had been cooking food just in case he's amongst those who have come out and just in case those he's amongst those might be handed over.

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TATYNA, MOTHER OF AZOVSTAL PLANT FIGHTER: We so hope that he will return, that this will happen. We've been waiting for it for so long. We love him very much and are waiting for him.

LERA, DAUGHTER OF AZOVSTAL PLANT FIGHTER: I really want my dad to come back. Our family has been through so much since 2014. Poor dad, really.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Now, that family, two-time, are refugees, they'd fled in 2014 to settle in Mariupol, and that mother and daughter you just heard from then fled in mid-March as a result of the shelling of the city and now they are settled outside of Kyiv desperately waiting for news of their husband and father.

But, again, the fate of even those who have been evacuated to this hour extremely uncertain, as Erica just said a moment ago, Russia says that they will be treated in accordance with the rules of law, so, essentially, from the point of view of Russians, these -- of Russia, these are prisoners of war that have surrendered. From the point of view of Ukraine, the many fighters that they are hoping they will be able to get their release of, Jim and Erica.

SCIUTTO: We should note, Russia does not have a good track record following the rules of war, including attacking civilians. So, I fear for those guys.

HILL: Yes. It is an excellent point. Melissa Bell, I appreciate it. Thank you.

Still ahead here, the search for an answer to that baby formula shortage, how the White House is trying to address the supply and the panic. We'll be joined by a White House official with more on what they are doing to help. That's next.

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[10:40:00]

HILL: The FDA predicts it will be a few more weeks before baby formula supplies begin to get back to normal. In the meantime, the American Academy of Pediatrics issuing a new advisory saying that for short periods of time, parents with babies six months or older can give them whole cow's milk if no formula is available. That's raising its own questions, which, again, best addressed likely with a pediatrician when it comes it comes to the supply though.

Well, joining me to answer some of those questions, Director of the White House National Economic Council Brian Deese. Brian, good to have you with us this morning.

Let's start on where we stand with formula on shelves. So, the FDA says it is it's making it easier to import certain infant formulas. Can you give me a date? When will parents start to see that products be accessible to them on store shelves?

BRIAN DEESE, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Well, absolutely. It's a very serious situation and we're trying to take decisive action to address it. The key, as you say, is trying to increase supply and we're doing that in a couple of ways.

The first is we need to get that plant in Michigan that folks have heard about, the Abbott plant, up and running. The FDA has reached an agreement with Abbott to do so. That's important.

Second, the FDA has now issued guidance to allow for the importation of formula, as you mentioned. That's a process that's going to take a little while. This is infant formula, after all, so we have to do this safe, even as we do this very quickly. But the FDA has committed to do this in an expedited fashion.

And, third, we need to work with manufacturers here in the United States to ramp up their production. And on that front the other two big manufacturers besides Abbott have committed to run all out and have already increased their production significantly. Together, those steps will help to really increase supply.

HILL: Okay. So, let's go over some specifics on those three steps. We'll start with the easiest one, which is increasing supply from other manufacturers. How quickly can that product, how quickly will parents see that product be available? Do you have a date?

DEESE: It's already happening. So, the two other large manufacturers have committed to a 30 percent and 50 percent increase in production, which is already happening because we've been working this issue now for several weeks. But that goes to the second issue, which not only increasing supply but getting that supply where it needs to be.

The single most important step on that front, we've been working very closely with the major retailers in the country, is waiving all of the normal time requirements that keep retailers from putting on their shelves all of the available supply that they have.

[10:45:14]

So, typically, there are restrictions on what size and what type of formula can be put on shelves. We need to waive all of those. We also need to waive the restrictions that allow consumers to buy whatever is available. That's a process that we are working right now with the states.

HILL: One question on that, though, one of the concerns -- you're saying waiving restrictions on what consumers can buy. There are legitimate concerns about people stockpiling. Are you saying that you want to take away some of the restrictions that different stores have put in place to limit the amount that one person can buy?

DEESE: No, not at all. It's a great clarification. When I say limit the restrictions, I mean on what type of formula an individual consumer can buy under the WIC program. We should be giving parents and mothers in the WIC program the ability to buy any type of formula.

The restrictions on the amount formula are prudent. We've worked with the retailers to do that. And it helps avoid hoard-buying and also a really unfortunate tendency of people to buy and then try to sell at exorbitant prices online.

HILL: Right, which is also -- thanks for clarifying that, because that has -- is something we've spoken with directly about.

I'm going ask you for short answers on these because we're a little tight on time but I know people need the answers. You said it's going to take a little bit of time for the imports. Give me a timeframe on that, if you could, weeks, months, a year?

DEESE: I'm going to let to the FDA speak to the specific timing because, again, these are decisions that need to be made carefully based on safety but also quickly based on urgency. I think we've heard from the FDA administrator this morning, they acted very quickly to get this importation guidance out. I expect they will act as quickly as they prudently can.

HILL: Okay. So, we'll still wait on the number there.

When it comes to reopening that Abbott plant, I know there's this agreement, but it could be as long as two months once it's back up and running before any of that product is available, is my understanding.

As we look at all of this, there are short-term solutions being put into place. When it comes to long-term solutions, there's been a stockpile. That idea has been floated, perhaps additional funding continuing to open up the market to other outside suppliers outside of the United States. Where do we stand on those long-term solutions so that this doesn't happen again?

DEESE: We're very focused on these immediate term steps because this is an urgent problem, and we want to solve, do everything we can to solve it in the short-term. HILL: But can you look at both at the same time?

DEESE: In the longer term -- yes, in the longer term we need to look at structure of this market, and it is an example, like others we've seen during this pandemic, where we have a supply chain, where it's overly reliant on three providers and in many parts of the country only one provider. That's the kind of thing that as we look at building more resilience in our supply chains we're going to have to take a hard look at.

HILL: Also questions about whether we need to take a look at the FDA and how things are handled there, that's going to be for another interview. Brian Deese, I look forward to having you back. Thank you.

DEESE: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Let's hope they find a solution soon.

The other story we're following today, Amber Heard is back on the stand today as cross-examination continues in the defamation case against her by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. What we have heard so far is coming up next.

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[10:50:00]

SCIUTTO: Actress Amber Heard back on the stand today, you can see her there. Cross-examination still under way in the $50 million defamation suit filed against her by her husband -- former husband, Johnny Depp. This morning, his attorney generals grilled her about a night in Australia when Heard allegedly threw a bottle at Depp and cut off the tip of his finger, says Depp.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That night in Australia after you cut off his finger with a bottle, you weren't scared of him at all, were you?

AMBER HEARD, ACTRESS: This is a man who tried to kill me. Of course, it's scary. He was also my husband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: CNN's Chloe Melas joining us now.

So, Amber Heard facing some tough questions on the stand on cross- examination, often happens, but especially here, they are really going after this alleged abuse that she has detailed in her testimony.

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Yes. Well, look, yesterday and into today, Erica, this cross-examination has gotten so heated. Obviously Depp's team, legal team, trying to poke holes in everything that Amber has said.

It all goes back to the 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post in which she says she was the victim of domestic abuse. Well, his team is saying, well, where are the photos? There are some photos of some redness, maybe slight bruising. But you claim that he assaulted you with a liquor bottle, a glass bottle. You claim that you bled profusely. Where are those images? You took images of slight redness but you didn't take images of your more severe injuries.

And that is kind of one of the biggest things because she did take photographs of the room. She took pictures of a mirror which had incoherent writing, which she claims that Johnny Depp wrote after he sliced the tip of his finger.

Now, she claims she did not throw a bottle at Johnny Depp that cut his finger. She claims that he actually smashed a phone cutting his own fingers. So, again, it's he said, she said. He said, she said.

And Depp's legal team this morning trying to poke holes in this writing on the mirror, which you can see right there, saying that it appears perhaps that maybe she wrote it or she tampered with it.

[10:55:02]

So, again, all of this coming to a head, and Johnny Depp is potentially going to take the stand once again. But we're going hear from multiple witnesses, potentially Ellen Barkin, who had a relationship with Depp at one point, is going to potentially take the stand.

So, this is just getting more dramatic, more contentious. The court of public opinion, so many moments are going viral, but this is expected to wrap up around May 27th.

HILL: Wow. There's a lot there. Chloe Melas, I appreciate you following it all for us. Thank you.

SCIUTTO: And thanks so much to all of you for joining us today. I'm Jim Sciutto.

HILL: And I'm Erica Hill.

Stay tuned. At This Hour with Kate Bolduan coming your way after this quick break.

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