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CNN INTERNATIONAL: Battle For The Donbas Intensifies As Russian Forces Push Forward With Their Assault; Husband Of A Murdered Teacher In Uvalde School Shooting Dies Of A Broken Heart; Ukraine's National Football Team Plays First Match Since Russia's Invasion; Uvalde School Massacre Response; Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee; Lockdown Loosened In Shanghai; Depp-Heard Verdict. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired June 01, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello everyone, I'm Lynda Kinkade, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. Tonight, the battle for the Donbas intensifies as Russian forces push forward with their assault on a key city. We'll have the latest from the ground and the U.S. plans to send in more weapons.

Then, a grieving community in Texas farewell. A murdered teacher and her husband, the family says died days later of a broken heart. As more questions arise over the police response. And later this hour, Ukraine's national football team plays their first match since Russia's invasion, and emotions are running high.

Well, just before we get to our coverage of the war in Ukraine, we need to let you know though, a verdict has been reached in the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial. That verdict is expected at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, just an hour from now. We'll have more on this later in the show. Well, as Russia appears closer than ever to seizing the entire Luhansk region, the U.S. now confirms that it will send Ukraine advanced weaponry that could help change the course of the war.

The governor of Luhansk says Russia now controls 70 percent of Severodonetsk. That city is the main focus for now of Russia's offensive in the Donbas region. Ukraine describes the situation in Severodonetsk as very difficult, but says it hasn't given up the fight. The U.S. has given Ukraine a huge boost by fulfilling its request for more advanced rocket systems like the one you see in this video.

They will extend Ukraine's reach, allowing it to attack targets in nearly 80 kilometers away. Russia has accused the U.S. of adding fuel to the fire. The Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Moscow knew all along what the consequences of its actions would be.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: The Ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on Russian territory. There is a strong trust bond between Ukraine and the United States, as well as with our allies and partners. President Biden was very clear with President Putin about what the United States would do if Russia proceeded with its aggression, including continuing to provide security systems that Ukraine needs to defend itself against the Russian aggression.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, I want to bring in Melissa Bell in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, and Alex Marquardt in Washington. Good to have you both with us. Melissa, I'll start with you because Russia's invasion of Ukraine is approaching 100 days. The U.S. now preparing to send in these advanced rocket systems. What difference will they make?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are precisely the sort of weapons that Ukrainian armed forces have been pleading for, for several days now, because that balance of power does appear to have shifted along the line. Of course, you mentioned Zap -- you mentioned Severodonetsk, that town to the northeast of where I am standing, that appears to be falling fully into Russian hands.

Ukrainian forces continue to fight for it, but that does appear to be the next city that is likely to fall. But it is all along that line, including here in Zaporizhzhia, that you get a sense of just how important and the difference that, that weaponry is likely to make. It isn't simply a question of range and what we've now had confirmed, it is that the weaponry that is going to be providing -- provided to Ukraine includes long-range rocket systems that can reach up to 49 miles at the Russian positions here where I'm standing are about 30 miles away.

And what we've been seeing over the course of the last couple of days, of villages to the south of Zaporizhzhia being shelled. And the point about the weaponry that's now being delivered, not just the rocket systems, but also the target ammunitions. It isn't just a question of range, it's actually a question of technology.

What the Ukrainians have been asking for is the kind of weaponry that will allow them to better target those artillery positions that have been used already so far to such devastating effect over the course of the invasion so far, Lynda.

KINKADE: All right, Melissa, I'm going to come back to you in just a moment. I want to go to Alex in D.C. Alex, in an opinion piece in the "New York Times", the U.S. President explained his reasons for sending in these advanced rockets, and saying we're going to make it clear. He said, "we're not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders." Was that aimed at a Russian audience?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president was kind of cleaning up their -- also, this notion that he had put forward a couple of months ago that President Putin cannot stay in power.

[14:05:00]

And he said that it's not up for the U.S. to decide, but he does want to make clear in giving over these rocket systems, that these are meant for the Ukrainians to defend their territory. And you played that clip of Secretary of State Tony Blinken saying that they had gotten assurances from the Ukrainians that these rockets would not be used to fire into Russia.

What the U.S. and the Biden administration have been repeating today as the rollout of this aid package has been announced is, they believe these are precisely the rockets and the rocket systems that Ukraine needs. However, that is different than what Ukraine has been asking for. Let's just be specific about what Ukraine is getting. It's a system called the HIMARS, and we just heard from the Pentagon just a short time ago, saying that Ukraine was only getting about four of these systems in this first tranche of aid.

And with those HIMARS systems, they will be getting rockets that as you mentioned or as Melissa said, can go up to around 50 miles or 80 kilometers. But President Zelenskyy and others have said that they need ammunition that can go over 100 kilometers, around 100 to 140 kilometers in order to take back territory, in order to open up sea routes through the Black Sea. The reason Secretary Blinken and President Biden wrote in his op-ed that they are giving these weapons is to give Ukraine the strongest possible hand at the negotiating table.

That is, Lynda, an acknowledgment that we are now in a grinding face of this war, and that eventually, one day, this war will end through a diplomatic negotiation. Now, President Zelenskyy may have given the U.S. these assurances that they will not use these rockets to fire into Russia, but Russia certainly is seeing this as a provocation.

We have heard that from the Kremlin as well as from the Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov, that these rockets from these advanced systems, they believe, are an escalation of the type of weaponry that the U.S. is sending into Ukraine. One more note from Secretary Blinken earlier today, when asked how he saw this war unfolding, he said it was impossible to predict how long it would go. But he said we are still looking at many months of conflict. Lynda?

KINKADE: Yes, it certainly seems like this is going to drag out. Alex Marquardt for us in D.C., thanks very much. And Melissa Bell, I want to go back to you because Ukrainians are still facing a fierce battle in that Luhansk city of Severodonetsk. And of course, in that Russian occupied city of Melitopol, we saw that car bomb exploding. Talk to us about the Ukrainian resistance.

BELL: It's a crucial factor of course in a war that involves of course the counter offensive, now that Ukraine have launched to the south of here to try and retrieve some of the positions around the city of Kherson. But again, because of the vulnerability of so many of the cities -- and I mentioned, you hear the sirens that's going off here in Zaporizhzhia right now, it is also a question of the resistance that's been mounted inside.

Now, you mentioned Melitopol, it is not very far to the south of here, in fact, the mayor of that city, remember, had been kidnapped, we met him a couple of days ago, and he told us that, that city has seen over the course of the last few months since the start of the war, hundreds of Russians killed by partisans inside the city trying to fight back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (voice-over): An explosion in the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol, blamed by Moscow on Ukrainian resistance. And on Sunday, Melitopol is Ukraine, chanted in the heart of a town that's been in Russian hands for nearly three months. Yellow ribbons more defiantly displayed than elsewhere in Russian-held southern Ukraine. From Crimea to Kherson, symbols of silent resistance.

But Melitopol noisily resisted from the start. After the early chance of its people were silenced, and when the town's mayor was kidnapped by Russian forces in early March, some locals turned to armed resistance.

MAYOR IVAN FEDOROV, MELITOPOL, UKRAINE: It was very dangerous --

BELL: Now, a Ukrainian government-held Zaporizhzhia, Ivan Fedorov says Melitopol will never give up.

FEDOROV: They can kidnap, they can kill, they can make some truths, but we can't give support because our citizens don't want to live in Russia. I know it. Melitopol will return to Ukraine.

[14:10:00]

BELL: Melitopol fell quickly. And even as Russian forces pulled back to the south and east of the country, remained on the wrong side of a line that has hardened.

MYKOLA KRASNY, UKRAINIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE (through translator): Russia is using hybrid methods of occupation. That means the Russian federation is trying to identify and destroy centers of resistance, Ukrainian partisans. Such people are often uncovered and will sometimes disappear in Russian prisons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea of the yellow ribbon was --

BELL: Which is why the yellow ribbon movement has become key, according to its spokesman in Kyiv. He tells me the ribbons allowed people to pass on the message that Ukraine is present here, that there is no other south than under the Ukrainian flag.

(on camera): Here in Zaporizhzhia, there is also a sense that, that line between Russian-controlled Ukraine and the rest of the country is hardening even as it continues to move forward. We can hear here the regular sound of outgoing artillery fire, but we can also see an emerging refugee crisis.

(voice-over): Hundreds of families living in their cars as they try to get back to their homes, now in Russian-controlled cities.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Now, Lynda, we've been back in that camp today, speaking to some of those Ukrainians angry that they can't get back to their cities and southern Ukraine. And when Ukrainian officials have said is that, one of the problems they're facing is with that, dealing with that humanitarian situation, allowing them back in is the danger to the south, and the fact that communications now in the greater Zaporizhzhia region have been cut. So, of the five districts, three are entirely without communications. Lynda?

KINKADE: Wow, our thanks to you and the team for your reporting there on the ground for us. Melissa bell, thanks very much. Well, at least, 243 children have died, 446 others have been injured in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began nearly 100 days ago. That's according to Ukraine's general prosecutor with UNICEF citing similar figures.

Well, infrastructure the children depend on continues to be damaged or destroyed, including more than 2,000 schools and 250 healthcare facilities. UNICEF now says the war in Ukraine has brought devastating consequences for children at a scale and speed not seen since World War II. All this as Ukraine marks Children's Day today. Joining me now from Kyiv is Murat Sahin; UNICEF's representative in Ukraine, thanks so much for your time.

MURAT SAHIN, UNICEF REPRESENTATIVE IN UKRAINE: Thank you, Lynda, thank you for your time. It is day 98 of the war, we are just heading to 100 days. It has been hell for 5.2 million children across the country. They lost homes, they lost their parks, they lost their friends and they lost their homes. And now there's -- side and great in Kyiv. So --

KINKADE: And I understand, you've worked for UNICEF for 23 years, you've spent 11 months in Ukraine as a representative there. You recently went to Bucha, a town that has been absolutely devastated. And you spoke to children I understand from those regions. What are you hearing from kids who have survived atrocities in Ukraine?

SAHIN: It's frustrating. I was last week in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Kropyvnytskyi on the eastern part of the country. This week, I'm in Kyiv, the previous week I was in different parts of the country. So, what you see in different parts of the country, thousands of stories. In the east, it's running for safety, it's having access to health, having access to education, having access to safety, mental support, even a bottle of water is a big thing in Zaporizhzhia, in Dnipro and elsewhere.

Today, I was in Bucha, celebrating the International Children's Day. In this part of the world, growing as a child is tough and difficult. I visited hospitals, I visited schools, I visited a spinal center, a center that will be bringing a bit of safety and calmness, a place that mothers and children can socialize, it's -- and connected with the social services. I met these amazing people.

Among thirty(ph), there was no one in Bucha. Today, I've seen almost a 1,000 children and their parents back to Bucha. What they're asking is, can we get our schools back? Will the hospitals be working and providing vaccinations? Yes, it will happen. We are working closely with the government. But today, when I visited a school in Bucha, where 1,900 students study, half of the school cannot be rehabilitated, that's the assessment of the engineers. Starting today, for fixing and constructing a school, it won't be

ready by close of September. So, a lot is on plate, we are on the ground, we are working with partners, whether it is the east, central or the west, the children need peace now, the children need vaccination now, the children need socialization during Summer time so that we can get them back to school and back to learning.

[14:15:00]

They have lost a lot during the two years of COVID, they have lost a lot during the last 100 days. And the uncertainty of tomorrow is still ahead of them. But we are on the ground, partners are on the ground, amazing to see families are getting back and they're asking the best for their children, which is access to health, access to education, playing with their friends, and a safety and safe environment. We need peace now.

And we are calling for access to -- safer access to eastern part of the country so that we stay and deliver and we reach the most vulnerable people that are under shelling, that are under war now. And also for those in the least areas like Irpin and Bucha and other places, we need to establish more return back to normalcy.

KINKADE: This Friday marks 100 days since this invasion began. In terms of the trauma for kids now back in the capital and in other cities, how long could it take these children to recover from what they've gone through?

SAHIN: They will remember this for years to come. Last night I was having dinner with another layperson, and she was saying, hey, during the Chernobyl explosion, she got a call saying that you need to leave the city in one hour. She got her child and ran to the train station and left the city here. So the next time she had this kind of trauma was today.

She didn't forget Chernobyl and she's not forgetting 90 days back. So, she will remember this, her grandchild will remember this for the rest of their lives. It's very difficult. Even we have all the means now, very difficult to get all these trauma the children are facing now and families are facing. Economy is affected, but we are on the ground, partners are on the ground, thanks to so many champions for children from around the world.

All the past 100 days, we reached all 2 million people with essential health supplies, all 2 million people with access to drinking water or 500,000 children and parents with psychosocial services or 300,000 people with -- back to learning. So all the next 100 days, we will increase. We will increase our capacity, the government is functioning, the system is functioning, and we need to get more resources to children so that this trauma is minimized over the Summer period, as much as we can.

KINKADE: Exactly --

SAHIN: But pleases -- KINKADE: Huge challenges in the days, the weeks, the months ahead.

Murat Sahin from UNICEF, continue with your wonderful work on the ground. We thank you for your time and do urge our viewers to go to CNN Impact and find ways that you can help too, thanks very much.

SAHIN: Thank you so much.

KINKADE: Well, still to come tonight, we will get the latest on last week's devastating school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. What the Uvalde school police chief is saying now about his role in the investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:00]

KINKADE: Well, students and staff won't be returning to Robb Elementary, following last week's massacre in Uvalde, Texas. The school district issued a statement a few hours ago announcing the news, but it didn't address a discrepancy over how the shooter was able to enter the building. Here's one of the big questions here. And last week, officials said a teacher left a school door propped open and that the shooter used that door to get in.

Then Tuesday, they said the teacher did close the door, but that it didn't lock. Our Nick Valencia is standing by in Uvalde, Texas. Nick, certainly, every day, the story sort of changes. Bring us up to speed with what the latest is.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there continues to be shifting details, Lynda, it's almost as though every day, there's a new detail that emerges, that is just as damaging or more so than the day before. We have learned a different narrative about last week, whether or not this door was propped open by a teacher, her lawyer saying that it was closed, but it somehow didn't lock. That was confirmed and verified by the Texas Department of public safety.

But earlier, the big questions were being put to Pete Arredondo, who is the incident commander there, who decided not to allow those officers who were inside the school to enter the classroom where that gunman was barricaded. There's a lot of questions that he has not answered. He's not spoken publicly, which is why Shimon Prokupecz confronted him as he walked into his office in the school district. But as you'll hear, he was very limited on his answers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE ARREDONDO, POLICE CHIEF, UVALDE SCHOOL DISTRICT: As you all know obviously, we're not going to release anything, we have people in our community being buried, so, we're going to be respectful --

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: All right, I just want your reaction to --

ARREDONDO: We're going to -- we're going to -- we're going to be -- we're going to -- we're going to --

PROKUPECZ: The directing it wrong, saying that you were responsible for the decision --

ARREDONDO: Right, we're going to be --

PROKUPECZ: To go into that room. How do you explain yourself --

ARREDONDO: We're going to be --

PROKUPECZ: To the parents --

ARREDONDO: We're going to be respectful to the family --

PROKUPECZ: I understand that --

ARREDONDO: And your point --

PROKUPECZ: But you have an opportunity --

ARREDONDO: Oh, sure, and we're going to --

PROKUPECZ: To explain yourself to the parents --

ARREDONDO: And just so, you know, we're going to do that eventually, obviously.

PROKUPECZ: When?

ARREDONDO: And whenever this is done, we'll let the families quick briefing, then we'll do that obviously. And just so -- just so everybody -- and just so everybody --

PROKUPECZ: Do you understand how the families -- how the families --

ARREDONDO: Just so everybody knows, we've been in contact with EPS every day just so you all know.

PROKUPECZ: They say you're not --

ARREDONDO: Every day.

PROKUPECZ: They say you're not cooperating --

ARREDONDO: I've been on the phone with them every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Wait for the families grief to end, but if you're anyone who's gone through loss before, you know that, that grief never ends. You just manage it. And there's no timeline for grief. It's almost an insult to those residents I've spoken to here, who have pointed their outrage and anger at Pete Arredondo, saying his decision-making skills cost lives that day.

I did speak to residents here who also were insulted by the fact that he was sworn in, really, in a very slick way by the locals here. Sworn into City Council. Some were actually wondering whether or not his opponents may be sworn in instead. We were told by the mayor, initially, that a ceremony would not take place. It officially did not. It wasn't public, anyway, but those City Council members were sworn in, including Pete Arredondo to the surprise of many here in Uvalde, Lynda?

KINKADE: Yes, all right, Nick Valencia staying across the story for us from Uvalde, Texas, thanks very much. Well, we are learning that the bipartisan group of U.S. senators working on possible gun reforms is optimistic that a small package of measures could come together in the next few days. And in New York, state lawmakers are trying to tighten their state's gun laws. The governor there saying they introduced ten bills that include raising the minimum age to buy a semi-automatic rifle to 21, and banning most civilians from purchasing bullet-resistant vests.

Well, I want to bring in Cameron Kasky, who helped organize the March for our Lives student protest, after surviving the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Thanks so much for joining us.

CAMERON KASKY, CO-FOUNDER, MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: So you survived the mass shooting at your school in Parkland, Florida, back in 2018, which saw 17 students and staff shot dead. And in the years since, we've seen mass shooting after mass shooting, last week, the one at the elementary school in Texas. Do you relive the trauma when another mass shooting happens? What goes through your mind?

[14:25:00]

KASKY: I, you know, people who have been through this kind of thing -- a lot of different kind of things. But you know, what's often traumatic is -- for bipartisan legislature that's ultimately just silly Like -- I mean, the thing you learn about bipartisan legislature in America is that it's mostly just Democrats folding to appear as though they are doing something when the only loss that Republicans will ever get behind are not the ones that are going to be in any progress.

Limiting people from buying bulletproof vests? The concept that that's going to stop any shooting is so insane. If it weren't so bleak, you would laugh -- traumatized right now, really happy to see beyond just the horrible shooting, it's the fact that we've got plenty more to come with the type of horrible governing that we're seeing.

KINKADE: And I have to ask you about the National Rifle Association, a big lobby group, pro gun here in the U.S. In the ten years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, they've spent some -- more than $100 million to elect Republicans who support extreme -- an extreme agenda, extremes like allowing people who are banned from flying to go and buy a gun, no questions asked. To allow 18-year-olds, no questions asked, to buy an AR-15 military style rifle.

As you can see, we've got a graphic here showing what the NRA spent on elections in the last few years, and in the last federal election, 29 -- over $29 million to help Donald Trump and the Republicans. Back in 2016, it was over $54 million. I have to ask you, you run an organization, you co-founded an organization called March for Our Lives. There are similar organization like Moms Demand Action, and Every Town for Gun Safety. How -- do you consider joining forces with those groups? How do you take on a lobby group like the NRA?

KASKY: Well, I will say, the NRA does spend a lot of money getting Republican politicians elected, but there's another part of this that a lot of people don't talk about, which is the fact that the gun lobby spends a lot of money, not just the gun lobby, the gun manufacturers, and they put so much money behind this. And the gun manufacturers make a lot of money when people like President Biden throw money at the police and the military.

When we were adding to military spending and police spending, we're giving money to the gun and weapon manufacturers, who are then spending that money to get Republicans elected. We are walking them into their elected positions. Now, I'd like to clarify something, I do not run March for Our Lives, March for Our Lives is way too smart to have somebody like me running it. I was one of the original co- founders of the group, but right now, I'm out here in support.

I don't know anything more American than the fact that I tried to put on my old T-shirt from my student protest that is about school shootings, and it literally didn't fit because I'm too -- I'm too old now. So --

KINKADE: That's extraordinary, isn't it?

KASKY: I'm here in my small size protest shirts. You see, this is CNN International, people around the world know that the portions here are just way too big. Anyway, in terms of building solidarity within the gun control movement, there is an effort between the organizations right now to unite right now, to create this -- to make the most of this moment in the culture where people in America are looking at this problem again.

Which, of course, is ignored every time there's more than a couple of days in-between shootings. But now that this energy exists, now that it can be honed again, there's a lot of unity within the organizations. I can't speak too much to the actual structures in play, but I can tell you that where everybody is uniting and everybody is trying to get something done here.

KINKADE: And talk to us about what is planned. I understand there's another march for our lives planned for Saturday, June 11th. What's on the agenda? Which cities, countries are getting involved?

KASKY: I'll tell you this. We've got, I think over 350 marches organized around the country. I don't know if that's the country or the world -- I'm not entirely sure. But we've got over 350 marches planned, we've got a -- we've got a lot of different survivors from different shootings around the country coming together to make sure that everybody's represented in this situation. Because this new march, this is not about Parkland, this is not about Uvalde, this is not about a Aurora, this is not about Sandy Hook. This is about the fact that right now, we -- the people who are

organizing for stronger gun laws, which people in the country who might be watching this that are not in the United States would consider a no-brainer and something that is absurd, we even have to organize for. It's hard when there's a Democrat in office because the party doesn't want people to see how upset everyone is. We want everything to seem like it's going well.

We want everything to seem like it's positive, and therefore, any sort of public displays of dissatisfaction with the -- with the systems, so-to-speak, are looked upon as counterproductive and negative. When in all reality, these are needed because we need the politicians who are getting these children killed to see the fact that we are not going to be OK with that.

And it's very unfortunate to be putting pressure on politicians that, only two years ago, we were all working to elect. But we got them in office. They are our employees and they need to behave.

And they are not behaving. They are putting all of their own financial and self-interest before everything else. It is pathetic. And they should all be ashamed of themselves.

KINKADE: Cameron Kasky, good to get your perspective. Thanks so much for joining us. And as you mentioned, June 11th, March for our Lives protests happening in cities around the world. Thanks very much.

(CROSSTALK)

KINKADE: Still to come tonight, crowds flood the streets of Shanghai as eases of COVID lockdown. Details on the gradual reopening and the caveats that come with. It

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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KINKADE: Welcome back I'm, Lynda Kinkade, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Britain is celebrating an unprecedented anniversary over the next few days, a platinum jubilee for its reigning monarch. Four days of public holiday will commemorate 70 years on the throne for Queen Elizabeth.

Festivities will include a concert on Saturday, featuring the band Queen, as well as the Queen of Motown, Diana Ross, and many others. There will also be a special service at St. Paul's Cathedral to reflect on the queen's remarkable reign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought, let's just go overboard. It only happens once in a lifetime. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You'll never, ever, get this opportunity again

to celebrate the reign of a monarch who's reigned for 70 years. Not in my lifetime. Probably not in Amber (ph)'s lifetime, either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Richard Quest is on the story for. Us

[14:35:00]

KINKADE: Richard, Queen Elizabeth was just 25 years old when she became queen. She's already got a beautiful yellow hat and outfit ready to go. Plenty of celebrations.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: This is this evening's paper in London, the London "Evening Standard," as we get ready to start celebrating the platinum jubilee.

And it's worth noting, I came back to Britain because I wanted to be here for these four days of celebrations. It's going to be extraordinary. And not only is it a case of thanking Her Majesty for dedication, duty and responsibility and all those things but I think a lot of people in Britain remember and, for example, I remember the silver jubilee.

I was at school and getting a coin from the local council. And you remember the golden jubilee and you remember the -- all the events. And then you suddenly put it into context, that for people in this country and, indeed, Australia and Canada and Commonwealth countries as well, the queen has been part of our lives since we were born.

And I was surprised, coming back here, just how everybody has taken to this. I'm sure there are some diehards, Republicans, sort of groaning away and miserable about the whole thing. But by and large, the mood is festive.

KINKADE: And she has witnessed a great deal of change over the last 70 years.

Why, at 96 years of age, do you think she remains so popular?

QUEST: Because she once said in a speech, there are very few people who do things for life. There are very few things you are given for life. And that's what she said.

Has she put a foot wrong?

Yes. We can all point out the infelicitations (sic) and the mistakes that were made. But then let's anybody who's gone and done a job for 70-odd years and not made even more mistakes of more draconian and dramatic proportions and then they can start criticizing.

And the truth is, I think what happened with Americans, for example, look at the queen and they look at the royal family and they see what they believe is a soap opera. But I think what happens in Commonwealth countries and those where she is still head of state, certainly, for example, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, there's a constitutional role that she plays.

In the case of Canada and Australia, it's delivered through the governor general. In the case of the U.K., it's delivered through the prime minister.

But in the reality is, the royal family, the monarch, the sovereign, call it what you will, is still at the center of the constitution. And she's done it spectacularly. And I can hear some people saying, oh, good Lord, Quest's gone fully in the head.

(LAUGHTER)

QUEST: But the reality --

(CROSSTALK)

KINKADE: Quest likes a party and now you're going to get four days of party right across the country.

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: Street parties. There's a street party on Sunday. I'm going to make the most of its and I'm going to eat liberally and have fun.

KINKADE: You should. Have a glass of champagne or two. Richard Quest for us in London, thank you so much.

One war, almost 100 days and the impact being felt by hundreds around the world. We're going to have more on that story coming up, as prices for gas and food surge over the war in Ukraine, the White House is also launching a month-long plan to refocus its attention on the economy.

Joe Biden says the priority is addressing inflation, as well as helping ordinary Americans. Average gas prices are at a record new high at $4.67 a gallon. That's according to the American Automobile Association.

And that's more than 30 percent higher than before the start of the war.

And in a stunning admission, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told CNN she got it wrong last year when she said that inflation wouldn't be a long term threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I think I was wrong then about the path that inflation would take. As I mentioned, there have been unanticipated and large shocks to the economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Shanghai is hoping to turn its own economic troubles around by easing tough COVID restrictions. After two months under lockdown, the city is allowing most residents to leave their homes and return to work. But officials will keep some measures in place and could bring others back if needed. CNN's Selina Wang shows us how residents are reacting.

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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sprinting with shopping bags, residents racing to get out. After more than two months of a brutal, citywide lockdown, Shanghai is finally cracking open the seal.

The city's main train station, packed with people trying to escape.

But actually getting out of here is a treacherous journey. The city says it will fully resume transportation today but earlier, people have been seen trekking miles across highways, dragging their luggage or strapping it to bikes, even journeys of dozens of miles or more, not swaying their determination.

[14:40:00]

WANG (voice-over): The train station parking lot has become a campsite, some leaving days earlier than their departure time, terrified they could be locked down again if they stay at home. The masses outside the train station, a stark contrast to the rest of Shanghai, hundreds of thousands still remained locked in but even the lucky ones allowed out face a laundry list of restrictions. There are check points everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is definitely not freedom.

WANG: This Shanghai resident and her son who wish to remain anonymous for fear of persecution from authorities were finally allowed out after more than 80 days. Her only solace is seeing her son outside and smiling for the first time in a long time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My child now has depression because of the lockdown. He started waking up at night and crying and shouting and saying there were people wearing masks in his bedroom and he stopped eating.

WANG: That harsh reality, miles away from what the government wants to show. Watch this state T.V. reporter pull the microphone and camera away during a live interview, when the resident starts to complain about the lockdown. She says I've never lived through anything like this, being locked inside your home and not allowed to go out, what a big joke.

Officials say the city will start returning to normal in June but residents are doubtful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So this does feel like endless, endless nightmare.

WANG: Her freedom lasted less than a week, one COVID case found near her so she's back to lockdown. For over two months, Shanghai had its freedom taken away, residents imprisoned at home or forced into quarantine centers like these. No one knows when this nightmare will fully end -- Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

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KINKADE: Still to come tonight, we are minutes away from the verdict in the sensational case of Johnny Depp and actress Amber Heard. A legal analyst will break down what we can expect when the verdict is read.

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KINKADE: We just got word a short time ago that a verdict has been reached in the sensational trial pitting actor Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The verdict is expected to be read in about 15 minutes. Depp is suing for $50 million, accusing Heard of defamation of character over allegations --

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KINKADE: -- that he was abusive during their marriage. The trial began in April and has made headlines worldwide because of the Hollywood celebrities involved in this case. CNN legal analyst Areva Martin joins us now for more.

So Areva, over the past few days or so, we've had seven jurors deliberating about 14 hours.

What are they weighing in this case and what are we likely to expect?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Lynda, it's pretty simple. Both parties are, as you said, alleging that the other person defamed them. And in a defamation action, the questions are pretty simple.

Did the person make a statement about the other person?

In this case, did Johnny Depp make a statement about Amber Heard?

Because she's claiming, his lawyers did.

And did Amber Heard in this case make a statement about Johnny Depp in that "Washington Post" op-ed?

Then the question becomes, was the statement true or false?

We've heard lots of testimony over these six weeks about abuse and who abused whom, was it Depp abusing Heard or vice versa?

And then you move to the question of malice. Because these are both public figures, the defamation can't just be a statement made about the person. It had to be made with malice.

And legally malice means the person knew at the time they were making the statement that it was false or they were reckless, engaged in conduct so reckless they should've known that the statement was false.

And then, you get to the question of damages.

Did that statement, if it was false, did it damage that person's career?

We both know both are claiming their TV careers, their movie careers, their Hollywood careers, were damaged by the alleged statements made by each other.

So the jurors are having to weigh this case because you have Johnny Depp as a plaintiff, who has sued Amber Heard. And Heard has countersued Johnny Depp. So they've got to decide on both cases.

We're going to hear a verdict about Johnny Depp's case. And then there's going to be a separate readout from the jury about Amber Heard's countersuit.

KINKADE: And we've heard some pretty damning testimony, some pretty icky details coming out on both sides.

What stood out to you most?

And does the court of public opinion weigh on this case at all?

Will the jurors obviously, have to ignore what's being said in the public domain?

MARTIN: Great question. We know that the public has pretty much been on the side of Johnny Depp. We've seen fans line the streets as he's driving into the courthouse every day, fans making him breathless (ph) and making other items to give to him as he arrives at the courthouse.

We know there's been tremendous activity on social media platforms, expressing support. Millions and millions of viewers have tuned into this trial every day, as has pointed out on TV and other networks.

So the court of public opinion has squarely decided that Johnny Depp should be the winner. But we know is that that opinion of those people, outside of this courtroom, it should not matter.

The jurors should only decide what has been presented in the trial, the evidence. But jurors are people. And we know they bring their lived experiences to the deliberation process. There are five men, younger men, we're told, on this panel.

It has to be a unanimous opinion by all seven jurors. And we know younger men in particular have different views about domestic violence and violence against women. They tend to be more likely, in some, cases, to support women.

And we've heard hellacious allegations against Johnny Depp by Amber Heard, violence, physical and sexual abuse by Johnny Depp.

So if those male jurors in particular believe those allegations by Amber Heard, that means Johnny Depp has a pretty uphill battle in terms of winning in this case.

KINKADE: We'll be following that verdict closely. Areva Martin, good to have you with us. Thanks so much.

We are just looking at live pictures of that courtroom. Amber Heard walking into that court right now. We understand that Johnny Depp is in the U.K., where he'll be watching via video link. We saw him over the weekend.

Some surprise performances by Johnny Depp on stage in the U.K. He'll be watching the verdict from. There we will be bringing you that verdict live, when it happens in about 10 minutes time. Stay with us, we're going to take a quick break will be, right back.

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

Moments ago, Ukraine's national football team kicked off its first competitive match since Russia's invasion. They are taking on Scotland in a World Cup qualifier with a far deeper meaning than just football. The players are hoping the match will lift the spirits of their weary country men and women, after more than three months of war.

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KINKADE: Thanks for joining me, I'm Lynda Kinkade, the verdict of the Heard and Depp trial is about to happen. Let's take a listen.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Johnny Depp actually brought this civil case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, Because of a 2018 "Washington Post," op-Ed where she says that she had to speak out against sexual violence and that two years ago before that that she became a public figure and a face of domestic abuse.

It was two years before that that she had gone to court to get an ex parte restraining order against her estranged husband, Johnny Depp. And that hit the headlines everywhere.

The reason in this trial you have heard so much testimony about their fights, their arguments, alleged domestic violence, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and financial abuse is because the credibility of really both parties is at hand here.

Amber Heard's credibility is front and center, because she is the one that wrote that op-Ed. And Johnny Depp is saying it's false, what you wrote about me. You have stopped my career. And I have to do something about it because you lied in that op-ed. And now it's in the hands of the jury to determine if that's so.

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