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Hospital Treats Mass Shooting Victims For Second Time In Five Years; Two More Mass Shootings As Nation Grapples With Buffalo And Uvalde; Six People Shot In Downtown Chattanooga Saturday Night; How To Talk To Children After Traumatic Events; Lawmakers Pressured To Take Action After Uvalde Shooting; Olena Gnes: A Mother's Diary Of War In Ukraine. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired May 29, 2022 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:03]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: This is the town center of Uvalde, Texas. It is now a growing memorial to the 19 children and their two teachers murdered. The first lady reaching out to the images of the innocent smiling 4th graders who were murdered in their classroom. The president caressing the face of one child's photo.

Well, just 12 days ago, the Bidens were in Buffalo, New York, to honor the 10 people murdered there in a racist attack on a supermarket. And yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris attended the funeral of Ruth Whitfield, the oldest victim of that attack.

And across the country this weekend, there has been another explosion of gun violence. Today in Texas the president was met with shouts of "Do something."

President Biden responding to the shouts of "do something" with quote, "We will, we will."

Our correspondents are covering all the angles, Lucy Kafanov is focused on the community seeking comfort and answers, and Nadia Romero covers the outbreak of gun violence over this holiday weekend.

Let's begin with you, Lucy, at that memorial in Uvalde's town square. So many families are suffering with trauma and heartbreak. How did the community respond to the visit from the president and governor?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the focus, Pamela, is really on the victims, the 19 little boys and girls who lost their lives alongside the two teachers. And you mentioned the word trauma. I've been thinking sort of about these concentric circles of trauma that get formed in the aftermath of a mass shooting event like this. Not just for the victims and their families, for this community as well.

And we've seen people streaming in here all day in the 100-degree heat to pay their respects to those who lost their lives. But also on the unsung heroes. The first responders, the trauma nurses and doctors who are tasked with keeping the survivors alive.

My team and I were able to get access to San Antonio's University Health Hospital, to the trauma unit that is keeping the victims alive as we speak from the Uvalde shooting. And it's taking a personal toll. These are very well-trained doctors and nurses, and yet as parents and as humans, they are impacted. And for them, Pam, it's not their first mass shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get the glide scope in there, please.

KAFANOV (voice-over): At San Antonio's University Health Hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of us would be in a level one alpha as one came in. Anesthesia is on their way. Blood bank is on their way.

KAFANOV: Doctors and nurses prepare to receive the most critically wounded. It's one of the busiest trauma centers in the nation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have your light?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I got a 21.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Perfect.

KAFANOV: And CNN got exclusive access inside as pediatric trauma medical center director Dr. Lilian Liao and her team demonstrated preparations for a mass casualty event.

DR. LILLIAN LIAO, DIRECTOR, PEDIATRIC TRAUMA MEDICAL CENTER: Anesthesia is here. So, Helen, get up there with Kelly so we can back her up in case it becomes a difficult airway.

KAFANOV: Today, it's a drill.

LIAO: This is one of the teams that we formed on the day of the mass casualty event. We formed multiple teams such as this.

KAFANOV: But it wasn't a drill on Tuesday when a teenage gunman burst inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, murdering 19 children and two teachers, injuring at least 17 others, officials say.

LIAO: It's devastating. You know, I think the same thing that every other person in this country is thinking, you know, how horrible their last moments were. Right. And what that scene looks like.

KAFANOV: The trauma unit prepared to receive dozen of Uvalde's wounded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The blood. The blood has been checked.

KAFANOV: The nurse Pauleen Davis recalled the agonizing wait for patients and a grim realization.

COLLEEN DAVIS, TRAUMA PATIENT CARE COORDINATOR: After a while, you start realizing more aren't coming. And you start realizing why, and then the weight of that just kind of sets in and it stays with you for the rest of the day and all the days after. KAFANOV (on-camera): Four of the victims were brought right here to

University Hospital. Three little girls and the shooter's grandmother. For the doctors and nurses working here, it unfortunately wasn't their first mass shooting.

(Voice-over): Less than five years ago, a gunman slaughtered 26 people at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, just 34 miles southeast of downtown San Antonio. Dr. Liao was on duty.

LIAO: None of us anticipated that we would be involved in yet another mass casualty event. It's not something we imagined.

KAFANOV: Trauma nurse Kristell Flores was working alongside Dr. Liao in 2017 as patients wounded in the church massacre began to flood in. She can't believe it's happened again.

KRISTELL FLORES, TRAUMA NURSE: I immediately got like this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. And deja vu, basically because it was even in the same location where we got notified from Sutherland Springs.

[19:05:07]

KAFANOV: Flores is haunted by the lives her team couldn't save.

FLORES: Just keep replaying things on my brain, I'm thinking like, what if they would have gotten here, like, 30 minutes after the first notification? Probably would have saved a lot of people but it's just very -- just what ifs, what ifs, what ifs, and just doesn't change the outcome.

KAFANOV: Like many of her trauma center colleagues, Flores is also a parent.

FLORES: She just turned 6 and she's in kindergarten, and today is his last day of school and I have a 1-year-old. It's just hard. And just trying to get home.

KAFANOV: Dr. Liao says she copes by focusing on the good. Her team, her family and her little ones.

LIAO: That's what you want to amplify. At a time like this is amplify being grateful and the kindness that the world shows rather than focusing on the negative because that can really put you in a wrong place moving forward.

KAFANOV: She breaks down when talking about the invisible scars the surviving children will carry.

LIAO: You know, I kind of thought back to -- when I was 10 years old. And -- so when I was 10 years old my family emigrated to this country. And my biggest challenge was learning to speak English and you just can't imagine what these children are going through. And it is really unfair. It is really unfair.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KAFANOV: And Pam, the trauma centers all across the country support one another in the aftermath of these shootings. When he walked into University Health Hospital you see this huge banner from Aurora which suffered its own a mass shooting in 2012 signed by all the nurses and doctors in support of University Health. They themselves have sent out banners all across the country including to Florida after the Pulse shooting.

The PR woman at the hospital breaking down into tears off camera saying I don't know how many more of these banners I have to make -- Pam.

BROWN: That was such a moving piece. And we just want to note to our viewers that coming up in the show, we're going to be speaking to a doctor about how parents should talk to their kids about this. What kids -- how can kids should process this. All of those questions as we just fill these strong emotions from this awful shooting there where you are in Uvalde.

Lucy Kafanov, thank you.

And we have seen clear evidence over the past 24 hours, that gun violence never stops in America. With two more mass shootings.

CNN's Nadia Romero is tracking it all for us. So, Nadia, what is the latest?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, when you speak with the Gun Violent Archive this is a group that keeps track of mass shootings. So when four people or more are shot in a single incident, that's considered a mass shooting. And so far this year, remember we're not even halfway through the year. We're already at at least 220 mass shootings. That includes two that happened just over this weekend.

And we're also tracking two officer-involved shootings as well. Let's talk with Taft, Oklahoma. Police there telling us that they just have now a suspect in custody following one person who was shot and killed, seven others who were shot and all happened at a Memorial Day weekend festival. An outdoor festival with some 1500 people, supposed to be fun, ended up with crime scene tape and one person dead. A suspect in custody that happened within the last half hour.

Then we head over to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and there just a mile from the Tennessee Aquarium six people were shot including two with life threatening injuries. Listen to the town's mayor talk about his frustrations about who's involved and how this keeps happening there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR TIM KELLY, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE: Here's the bottom line. Teenagers acting out, pushing the boundaries and getting into trouble is not new. Kids have always gotten into scuffles with each other. It's a tale as old as time. What is new is that they now have access to handguns and firearms that leave behind bodies instead of bruises and bruised egos. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And there seems to be so many people on edge right now because of all these mass shootings and the ones that have happened most recently. Take a look at this chaotic scene that happened inside the Barclays Center in New York City.

So you can see people yelling and running. Right? People were saying there's an active shooter. And people were hiding and fleeing for what they thought was -- they were fleeing for their lives from gunfire. Well, New York City Police Department telling CNN that there was actually not a shooter. That wasn't gunfire. It was some kind of a sound disturbance, but still, Pamela, people thought that they were in the midst of another active shooter.

[19:10:03]

That they could have been the victim of another mass shooting, and that is what is on so many people's minds right now -- Pamela.

BROWN: It is. Everyone is on high alert. Nadia Romero, thank you.

Well, Patrick Hickey was working as an Uber driver in Chattanooga last night. He says he was waiting for his next passenger when gunshots rang out. Moments later he was on the ground administering aid to one of the victims and police are still looking for the person who fired those shots.

Patrick, thank you for joining us tonight. So walk us through what happened.

PATRICK HICKEY, HELPED CHATTANOOGA SHOOTING VICTIMS: It was just a normal night for me. I was waiting on my next ride and about 45 to 50 yards behind me it was one shot started and then it sounded about like two dozen. There were young kids and teenagers running, some of them tripping on the ground. Not knowing if they were hit themselves. After that kind of settled down and the shots stopped.

I got out of my car. One of the victims is about 15 feet away from my car. Grabbed a shirt out of my trunk and started to put pressure on that victim and somebody said there were two more victims just around the corner. One of them with a head shot wound.

BROWN: Wow. So you immediately jumped into action. Like you said, it was just a regular night for you. You're picking up passengers as an Uber driver, and then this. You know, I think there's so much distress and disbelief out there right now about just this constant spate of shootings. It is one shooting after another. You know this personally now after you've just survived one. Did you ever think you'd be in this situation?

HICKEY: Not at that part of Chattanooga during the day. There are thousands of families out there, women and children, out there playing near the river park and just enjoying their day. That point of night you don't expect it either just because it's the night life that Chattanooga has and it was definitely a shock to me. It wasn't a rough part of any neighborhood. It was pretty much right there in the heart of Chattanooga. So it definitely came as a surprise not to me -- not just to me but to a lot of other people as well.

BROWN: And it's a reminder that really no one is immune from being, you know, involved in some capacity in a mass shooting. In your job, you were helping to treat the victims. But you know, you could have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, too. And that's the reality we're living in in this country.

As you process what you just went through, do you have any sort of message for people in the wake of this?

HICKEY: It's just watch all around you. You never -- obviously stuff like this at schools and grocery stores and in the heart of the vibrant city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, something like this happening, you know, just talk to your family, talk to your kids. Teach them respect about weapons and how to respect other people, and you know, pressure your politicians into getting something done.

It's hard to take the gun out of every hand of every criminals that's out there but there are steps that we can take to make sure that something like this does not happen again and I don't want it to sound like a broken record, but something needs to be done.

BROWN: Right. It does. I myself remember several years ago I was in a really nice part of town that like you said there were always families out and about. It was nighttime and there was a shooting just a block away from me and we all heard and we thought, is that what we think it is? And sure enough it was.

And, you know, once you go through an experience like that you realize, wow, like it really could, it could happen to me no matter where I am, no matter what time of day, it could happen to me. And it's just awful that this is the reality.

Patrick Hickey, thank you for coming on, for sharing your story.

HICKEY: Thank you. Have a good one.

BROWN: Well, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. And coming up, a conversation all parents need to hear. How should we talk to our children about tragic events like Uvalde? The director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Dr. David Schonfeld, joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:28]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANA RUIZ, MOTHER OF ROBB ELEMENTARY SURVIVOR: He does have a lot of night terrors. He does talk and scream and cry in his sleep. And I'll ask him, do you remember, like you know, what you were saying yesterday, and he'll like no, no.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Daniel, you don't remember any of that?

DANIEL RUIZ, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: That was Daniel Ruiz and his mother talking with our Dana Bash today. And Daniel's teacher was shot by the gunman in Uvalde, Texas. Daniel hid behind a table while waiting for someone to rescue him. And he's just one of the children trying to cope with the trauma of what they went through.

Many parents around the country are at a loss on how to talk about another mass school shooting with their young children. Dr. David Schonfeld from the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles is here to help us with that.

Hi, Doctor. So over the past 30 years you've traveled to schools after deadly shootings as part of a recovery effort. What have you learned that could help parents who wonder not only what they should say to their young children but if they should talk about this type of violence at all with someone so young?

DR. DAVID SCHONFELD, NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCHOOL CRISIS AND BEREAVEMENT: Certainly. Well, the first thing is yes, they should talk with children about this particularly since I'm sure at this point most children have already heard about it. And so we want to make sure that they know that the adults around them are there to talk about it, give them information and to provide them support.

BROWN: And is there an age, though? You know, starting at, you know, age 6, 7? I mean, do you have any advice on that front?

SCHONFELD: I tell people that as long as children are old enough to have a conversation and to be aware of what's going on around them then they should have the conversation.

BROWN: OK.

[19:20:08]

SCHONFELD: You know, I responded to the shooting that happened in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and worked with the school system to provide support to the students there, and the question came up about what age to start with. And I remember there was one parent who worked there and she had a young child who's about to start kindergarten and she decided that she want to let him know what had happened so they kept the television off, they didn't have any conversations over the summer when this had occurred.

And then after several weeks had passed, she mentioned at dinner that they could go see a Disney film and apparently her son just said we shouldn't go to the movies, there's someone there shooting and killing people. And when she asked how he found out, he told her that he had actually overheard it from another child when he was at a swimming lesson while he was in the pool. So the point is you really can't protect children from information that everyone is talking about. You can only protect them -- well, not really protect them but prevent them from coping with it.

BROWN: So let's talk a little bit more about that because as a parent, the first inclination is to try to ease a child's fear to tell them everything is going to be all right, you don't have to worry about this. But kids face so many potential threats today that can't be brushed aside. The reality is given the rate we have seen in this country there will be another school shooting. What should a parent say instead of don't worry, everything is going to be fine?

SCHONFELD: Well, first off find I think you have to find out what the child is actually afraid of. Because if we try and offer reassurance without asking children what they're really afraid of then really all we're doing is telling them why we aren't afraid. And when two people each talk only from their perspective, I call that arguing. It's not a very good way of providing reassurance.

So start by finding out what the child's fears may be. It can be very different than what the parent is concerned about. But then I would avoid saying don't be worried. If children are worried about something that's worrisome, we need to allow them to have those feelings and we really should help them figure out how to cope with their distress, rather than pretend that they don't or shouldn't have those feelings.

BROWN: So just very quickly what would you say then to this little boy that was on CNN who said he was at the school there in Uvalde and witnessed some of the shooting, heard it. He says, you know, there probably will be another school shooting, I don't want to go back to school. What kind of coping mechanism would you advise for this little boy?

SCHONFELD: Well, first off, it's obviously a lot more complicated and significant when the child was involved in the incident.

BROWN: Of course.

SCHONFELD: But I do think that parents need to try and express overall a hopeful perspective. They need to acknowledge that they have some distress themselves and worries and fears, but then talk about what they do to deal with those worries and fears. And I think parents need to realize that while these events should never occur, even one is way too many, they are still fairly rare events, and so you emphasize what is being done to keep children safe and why you feel it is OK for them to return to school. But then go back to, how do you feel about it and what would make you feel safer?

BROWN: All right, Dr. David Schonfeld, thank you so much. That was really helpful.

SCHONFELD: Thank you.

BROWN: Well, after these tragic shootings we always hear people say things need to change. But we never see it, do we? Coming up, a reality check on guns. Can Republicans and Democrats find common ground to get something done to stop all these mass shootings?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [19:28:07]

BROWN: Once again the pressure is on for lawmakers to do something about America's gun problem. That's not new. It happens every time there's a mass shooting and we've seen a lot of those in this country but there is something about the incident in Uvalde that is showing us some possible cracks in previously staunch positions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): I'd like to see a restriction on assault weapons if not a total ban. I'd like to see improvements on our background checks and I'd certainly like to see a red flag law. If somebody exhibits to law enforcement to a probable cause that they're going to commit an act of violence against themselves or others that they can have their weapons taken from them for a period of time.

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): I got to tell you, I mean, 99.9 percent of people that own AR's, we all know are not going to walk into a school and do this but the problem is for those that support the Second Amendment like me, we have to come to the tables with ways to mitigate 18-year-olds buying these guns and walking into schools. My side is not doing that. Look, I have opposed a ban, you know, fairly recently. I think I'm open to a ban now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Is it too much to hope that there's room for compromise on Capitol Hill this time around? Joining me now for this discussion, CNN political commentator Alice Stewart and CNN political commentator Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta.

Great to see you both, ladies. Mayor, I'm going to start with you. In the conversations you're having with fellow Democrats do you sense there's an opening here to work with Republicans, taking even just moderate steps to prevent future shootings even if it's not exactly what Democrats ultimately want?

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I do think there is an opening. And my sense is that everyone recognizes that there will have to be compromise on both sides. And we know that previously the Senate has passed an assault weapons ban, 1994. That was passed by then Senator Joe Biden. I would be very surprised if we get that far this time.

[19:30:02]

But I think everyone recognizes that the country is calling for even the smallest steps of improvement in this area, whether it be in background checks or other areas that can that we can agree on. And I think it's important to signal to the American people that Congress is willing to work together on this important issue.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And Alice, there are so plenty of Second Amendment posturing in your party. Let's listen to what Congressman Dan Crenshaw had to say about any attempt to expand Red Flag Laws. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAN CRENSHAW (R-TX): We're essentially trying to do with the Red Flag Law is enforced the law before the law has been broken and it is a really difficult thing to do. It's difficult to assess whether somebody is a threat.

And now, if there is such a threat that they're threatening somebody with a weapon already, well, then they've already broken the law. So why do you need this other law?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Is most of the party with Crenshaw on this? Even though Texas Senator John Cornyn is openly working with Democrats on bipartisan gun legislation and this is obviously a key thing that lawmakers are looking at.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Most of the party is in the understanding that we're in a new era and a new time and we need to make new changes, and I'm encouraged that we had Mitch McConnell encourage Senator Cornyn to take the lead on this issue and Cornyn is saying we're in a new sense of urgency that we've never had before and they do want to see change.

I'm reminded of a very compelling statement that Mayor Bottoms said last year when there was a mass shooting in Atlanta. And she said, when there is a crime against a community, there's a crime against us all. We are all in this terrible sense of grieving and pain.

And Republicans I'm talking to, they are saying, yes, we need to come to the table, there are discussions being made, e-mails that are being distributed, conversations are being had by members of the GOP. They're not in session right now. So nothing can happen until they're back in session.

But they are having these conversations, but they're looking at this not as much about a gun control issue, but a gun violence issue. And recognizing this is a complicated problem that needs comprehensive solutions. And they're looking at certain aspects of gun control, but more than anything, looking at the component, also in this mental health, behavioral health, open doors at schools, making school safe, and also law enforcement training.

So they're willing to negotiate, but there also needs to be a compromise on both sides to really have change.

BROWN: And we're going to go back to what exactly gun control measures could be on the table, but I want to ask you, Keisha, what are the issues that Democrats are most flexible about? And do you really think this time is different? Because we've seen this over and over again, where these horrible mass shootings happen, Republicans and Democrats talk and there is, you know -- and then the time passes and the attention goes elsewhere, so nothing happens.

Do you think this time is different? BOTTOMS: I do believe this time is different, and the country is

fatigued. We just had a mass shooting in Buffalo. We just saw a mass shooting in Chattanooga yesterday evening, and it's become almost a daily occurrence.

And when you have children involved, it takes it to a completely different level of resolve to get something done. And this is the moment that leaders are elected for, to make difficult decisions.

So it's difficult to speculate on what will be compromised on, but I think the American people have to also understand many of these negotiations will not happen in public, they will happen behind closed doors as is sometimes appropriate with complicated issues. And I am very optimistic that something positive will come from this awful tragedy.

BROWN: Alice, I want to go to you on this. We have a listing of all the mass shootings that were carried out with legally purchased guns. Several of the recent mass shootings we've seen were from people under the age of 21, buying AR-15s and then engaging in a mass shooting. Where could Republicans be most flexible?

STEWART: There are many areas that they have already agreed in private that they're willing to look at, expanding background checks, making sure there is an integrated system with the mental health community as well as the law enforcement community and there are shared intelligence with people that are selling guns and making sure that there are background checks done at -- certainly at gun stores as well as gun shows. That's an important component of this.

But also looking at, there have been already in some states these Red Flag Laws that I support. I think that is a good first step. Some are concerned about this being a Federal law, but more at the state level.

Also looking at banning bump stocks, I think is important and looking more closely at the sales of AR-15s to people that are younger, 18 years old, 19 or 20.

[19:35:11]

STEWART: These are all issues that could have an impact and could make a difference, and most Republicans that I've talked to, virtually everyone says they're willing to have these conversations, because enough is enough and this is the time that they realize we need to make a change.

BROWN: On raising the age limit, it is interesting, because as you all know, there's a Federal law that says you can't buy a handgun until you're 21. But that's not the case with AR-15s, these assault style rifles.

And Dan Crenshaw was on basically saying, look, it becomes a slippery slope, if you then raise the age to 21. You know, are you going to raise it then when a 22-year-old engages in a shooting? What would you say to him very quickly, Keisha? BOTTOMS: Yes, I will just remind people that as it relates to assault

weapons that if the assault weapon ban had been in place, then the shooter would not have had access to that weapon, it's important to note because they are weapons of war to kill, in the way that this gunman carried out the killing of these innocent children and teachers.

BROWN: All right, thank you so much.

STEWART: I would just say -- Pamela, just real quickly.

BROWN: Go ahead, very quickly.

STEWART: I do believe if a madman wants to get his hands on a gun and commit such a tragic incident, unfortunately, they will do so. What we need to do is make sure that we can take every step that we possibly can to make sure that madmen don't get guns, but law-abiding citizens have access to their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

BROWN: But it's hard to when you look at all the guns, more than 400 million in this country, more guns than people, but -- and this is a complicated issue. This conversation will continue.

Thank you, Alice, and Keisha.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:41:25]

BROWN: Coming up at the top of the hour, CNN brings you the story of a woman and her family trying to survive the war in Ukraine.

Our Anderson Cooper has a preview.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Pam. You know, we've all seen a lot of images from the war in Ukraine. But this is really something that we haven't seen. It's the war through the eyes of one mother as she shelters in a basement with her three children in Kyiv.

Her name is Olena Gnes, and before Russia invaded, she was a tour guide and she posted videos about her family and about Ukraine on YouTube.

But when the bombs started falling, she decided to keep rolling, to keep a video diary of what she and her kids and her husband were experiencing. She and her kids moved into a basement shelter and they've spent the entire war there every night, never knowing if they would survive through the night.

I talked to Olena on "360" since the early days of the war, and I was finally able to meet her just a couple of weeks ago in Kyiv. But when I realized how much video she'd shot and I started to watch it, I realized what an extraordinary thing it was. It's a view of war that we've rarely seen before. It's very intimate

and poignant. It's very personal. And Olena is just lovely and thoughtful and a caring person.

This is the war diary of Olena Gnes. Here's a brief clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (voice over): In the morning against all odds, Kyiv is still in Ukrainian control.

OLENA GNES, KYIV RESIDENT: So the latest update is that we are alive. I am alive. This is Darena (ph). She is sleeping on the floor. There are some other people in the shelter. Woke up. It's already morning.

It's like more than seven o'clock in the morning.

Katya and Taras (ph) are sleeping on a small sofa here.

It's very important that we survive this night. Now, the day has come. You know at night, everything looks much more scary for people.

So as you can see, even many people left the bomb shelter right now because it's more than seven o'clock in the morning.

COOPER (voice over): Many in Kyiv are leaving, long lines of cars clog the roads heading west. Train stations around the country filled with families trying to get out.

Olena decides she and the kids will stay.

GNES: I feel safe here. The chances for us to die here in Kyiv are equal to the chances for us to die on the road somewhere. And another thing, I want my children to be alive of course, but both physically and spiritually. I want them to be strong. I want them to be free.

COOPER (voice over): Olena's husband, Sergey (ph) bring supplies for his family. He has volunteered to fight despite having no military training.

(SERGEY AND CHILDREN speaking in foreign language.)

TRANSLATION (KATYA): Daddy, what were you doing today?

SERGEY: I can't tell you, Katya. Bye.

COOPER (voice over): He leaves quickly to rejoin his unit.

(CHILDREN speaking in foreign language.)

[19:45:04]

TRANSLATION (DARAS): Mom, I want to go to Daddy.

GNES: Me, too.

KATYA: Where did Daddy go?

GNES: He went to defend us.

KATYA: To war?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER (on camera): Her family like so many others have been through so much and it's given them great strength to know that the world is watching. So I really hope you can catch this tonight. I think you'll see the war through her eyes in a whole new way -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, Anderson looking forward to watching this. Thank you.

"A Mother's Diary of War" airs in just a few minutes, 8:00 PM Eastern right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:42]

BROWN: The Supreme Court opinion that leaked earlier this month suggesting the Court would overturn Roe v. Wade has sparked outrage all over the country.

Actress and activist, Dakota Johnson is one of those in Hollywood sounding the alarm. This week, Johnson and the President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, Nancy Northup spoke to CNN about the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAKOTA JOHNSON, ACTRESS AND ACTIVIST: No one should be forced to have a child regardless of their circumstances, and no one should be forced to resort to unsafe methods of having an abortion.

I really believe that -- I believe in reproductive freedom. It's a lot about shifting the narrative. I think it's about normalizing the conversation around abortion, and I think it's about people getting out and voting state to state and all levels of elections for candidates who are pro-choice.

NANCY NORTHUP, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: My greatest fear is that the Supreme Court does issue an opinion like the leaked draft opinion that would fully overturn Roe, send it back to the states that so many states would be seeking to block access to abortion care and that means that you know, people who are struggling to pay the bills, people who live in rural communities, communities of color, young people are going to have the hardest ability to get access to care.

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BROWN: The Mississippi Court case that will decide the fate of abortion in the U.S. is still pending at the Supreme Court. The late culinary icon, Julia Child has been inspiring at home and

professional chefs with her unmistakable voice and light-hearted approach to cooking for decades. The new CNN film "Julia" tells the story of the legendary cook, who changed the way Americans think about food, TV and the roles of women.

I talked to the directors of the film, Julie Cohen and Betsy West, and I asked them why they wanted to tell Julia's story.

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JULIE COHEN, CO-DIRECTOR, "JULIA": Well, you know, she is beloved and fascinating and so entertaining, but I think what drew us to this story was kind of joyous, unexpected importance. When she burst onto television with the French chef in the early 1960s, she really blew America's taste buds and Americans' mind. She was introducing us to whole new worlds.

BROWN: She certainly was, and Betsy, one thing viewers today might not have an appreciation of is just how much food and cooking in America changed because of Julia Child. What did a typical dinner in America look like right before Julia took off?

BETSY WEST, CO-DIRECTOR, "JULIA": Well, I can tell you from personal experience, a lot of frozen food, you know canned mushroom soup, salads, processed food, and not very good ingredients. Americans were not eating particularly well before Julia Child came on the scene.

BROWN: And given Julia's emphasis on fresh ingredients and French technique, you might expect her to take cooking very seriously, but the reality was Julie, she wanted cooking to be fun and approachable for everyone, right?

COHEN: Yes, well, you know, she really struck that balance so well. On the one hand, she was so entertaining, she would make mistakes you'll see it again, you know, you'll see it in our film. You know, like, things are flying all over the kitchen, she is tasting as she goes, she is cracking jokes. She's hilarious and approachable.

But that said, behind it, if you were watching that show, you were really learning serious stuff about the technique of food preparation, French cooking, and all of the basics because, you know she was really serious about food and a great teacher as well as an entertainer.

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BROWN: Thanks to Julie Cohen and Betsy West. Be sure to tune in, the all-new CNN film "Julia" premieres tomorrow night at eight Eastern right here on CNN.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Sunday.

Finally, tonight, we pay tribute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to this country.

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BROWN: The fact that this is Memorial Day weekend strikes another somber note in America. As we pause to honor all the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. We leave you with this Moment of Remembrance.

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