Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Huge Blast Cripples Part Of Critical Russian Bridge To Crimea; Biden Warns Of Russian Nuclear Threat; Fort Myers Beach Residents & Business Owners To Return Sunday; Officials Warn Storm Zone Residents Of Scammers; NFL & Players Union Agree To Update Concussion Protocol; Federal Prosecutors Weighing Charges In Hunter Biden Probe; Former Wagner Commander Takes CNN Behind The Lines Of Putin's So-Called "Private Army". Aired 8-9p ET

Aired October 08, 2022 - 20:00   ET

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

[20:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Don't miss the all-new season tomorrow night at 9:00 right here on CNN.

And the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This morning, a truck was blown up on the automobile part of the Crimean Bridge creating another bottleneck for the Russian forces in southern Ukraine already struggling with logistics.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through translation): We have waited for the moment the bridge burns. I think all the Ukrainians have waited for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translation): Emotions are very positive. The news is good.

BROWN: A remarkable warning from President Biden that he sees the direct threat of a nuclear war for the first time in 60 years.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through transition): They begin to prepare their society. That is very dangerous. I think that is dangerous. I think it is even dangerous to speak about it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kim Jong-Un wants the world to know that his arsenal is there, that it's capable. He's fired seven missiles just in the last two weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These actions are provocative. They're dangerous.

BROWN (voice-over): Six killings in northern California, and at least one possible suspect.

STANLEY MCFADDEN, CHIEF, STOCKTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: We want our communities to pay attention to how he walks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of people are scared to come out at night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just scary, period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: I'm Pamela Brown in Washington. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A massive bridge, the longest one in Europe, is crippled in a millisecond. And it's very bad news for Russia.

Look here. This is the exact moment that Russian president Vladimir Putin suffered his latest blow in his unprovoked war against Ukraine.

The blast from an apparent truck bomb knocking out three of the four lanes of the bridge that links mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula., it's annexed territory in the south.

Now a huge bottleneck chokes a critical supply route for Putin's war in Ukraine.

Now we should note, Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for in attack, but it is most certainly at the very least celebrating it.

Ukraine quickly unveiled this commemorative postal stamp that it will issue, and, yes, that's an apparent nod to the so-called unsinkable "Titanic."

Let's go to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and CNN's Fred Pleitgen -- Fred?

PLEITGEN: Hi there, Pamela. You know, it's a blame game going back and forth between the Russians and the Ukrainians right now as far as that explosion is concerned.

An advisor to Ukraine's president coming out earlier today and suggesting it might have been an inside job by Russian security services. No real evidence to back that up, however.

The Russians, for their part, squarely pointing the finger of blame at the Ukrainians. However, the Ukrainians have not acknowledged that they were behind the explosion.

Nevertheless, it definitely is a huge blow to Vladimir Putin and his war effort in Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The devastating blow to Vladimir Putin's war effort in Ukraine both strategically and symbolically. The Kerch Bridge that links Russia's mainland with occupied Crimea on fire and heavily damaged.

Moscow's Investigative Committee acknowledging that severity of the attack. SVETLANA PETRENKO, RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE (through

translation): According to preliminary information, a truck exploded on the automobile part of the Crimean Bridge from the side of the peninsula in the morning today, which caused seven fuel tanks to ignite on a train heading toward the Crimean Peninsula. As a result, two lanes partially collapsed.

PLEITGEN: This CCTV video appears to show the moment of the blast. A truck is seen driving on the lane leading toward Crimea when, all of a sudden, there's a massive explosion. Though it's not clear whether it is a truck that actually blew up.

Russian officials saying several people were killed in the attack.

Moscow already pointing the finger at Ukraine. But so far, no claim of responsibility from Kyiv's leadership.

"Crimea, the bridge, the beginning, everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled," an adviser to Ukraine's president tweeted.

While Russian authorities say fuel and food supplies to Crimea are insured, videos released on social media show long lines forming at gas stations on the peninsula hours after the blast.

The Crimean Bridge is a vital supply artery for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, but it's also a prestige project for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin personally drove a truck across the bridge when it was opened in 2018.

The attack came just a day after Putin's 70th birthday, leading Ukraine's national security adviser to tweet this video, apparently mocking Russia's leader.

(SINGING)

PLEITGEN: Ukraine's postal service was quick to issue a stamp commemorating the bridge explosion. Residents in the capital taking selfies in front of the main postal service.

[20:05:01]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): We have waited for the moment the bridge burns. I think all Ukrainians waited for it. We are very satisfied it's finally happened.

PLEITGEN: Moscow says it got the railway section of the bridge up and running again quickly.

But the damage to the road section is more extensive, creating another bottleneck for Russian forces in southern Ukraine already struggling with logistics.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PLEITGEN: To elaborate a little bit, Pamela, on the bridge being opened again for traffic, we've seen some images coming out of some cars rolling across that bridge.

It really is only a trickle of what you would normally see roll across the Crimean Bridge. It seems the one lane is partially open from four lanes that would normally be open.

As far as the rail traffic is concerned, yes, the Russians have been able to roll some trains over that bridge. But at a much slower pace than you would normally see.

So this certainly remains a bottleneck. And with that, an issue for Vladimir Putin, especially as his forces are struggling in the south of Ukraine anyway on the battlefield, and as far as logistics are concerned, as well -- Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Fred Pleitgen, in Kyiv, thank you so much.

The latest blow to Russia comes amid growing fears that a desperate Vladimir Putin could resort to nuclear weapons in the face of humiliating losses there in Ukraine.

And President Biden this week intensified those concerns by saying Putin's threats have left the planet under the greatest threat of nuclear Armageddon since the Cuban Missile Crisis. "Armageddon," the president's word.

Now the White House has faced an avalanche of questions over the president's remarks with officials playing cleanup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY (voice-over): Russia's talk of using nuclear weapons is irresponsible. And there's no way to use -- to use them without unintended consequences. It cannot happen. We won't be intimidated by Putin's rhetoric.

We have not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture, nor do we have indications they are preparing to use them. But Putin can de- escalate this at any time. And there's no reason to escalate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Earlier tonight, I spoke with former NATO supreme allied commander, General Wesley Clark, and Alice L. George, author of "Awaiting Armageddon: How Americans Faced the Cuban Missile Crisis."

Here's some of our conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Do you agree with the president making this comparison to such a terrifying time?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALICE L. GEORGE, AUTHOR: I think we're fortunate that there hasn't been another time in the last 60 years where we've been concerned about the use of tactical nuclear weapons on a battlefield.

However, I don't think it's a really good comparison because the Cuban Missile Crisis was about strategic weapons between the two -- the two superpowers and could have devastated those nations and could have left the world without its -- without the leaders and could have caused damage to other countries and fallout, radioactive fallout in other countries.

So I think that while this may be the worst one since 1962, it's nowhere near as bad as the missile crisis was.

BROWN: General Clark, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has weighed in. He has commented on Putin's repeated hints to use nuclear weapons. And he thinks those comments are strategic.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translation): They begin to prepare their society. That is very dangerous. They are not ready to do it -- to use it, but they begin to communicate.

They don't know if they will use or they will not use. I think that is dangerous even to speak about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Do you agree? Is President Putin preparing his own people for the possibility of a nuclear strike? What do you think, General?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: I think he is preparing. But I also think that President Zelenskyy's right. Putin doesn't know if he's going to use it or not.

But as Alice George said, it is a difficult moment.

But Pamela, there's a couple of things that are different. You know, in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Russians thought that they could push the United States out of Europe by putting the missiles in Cuba. So it was a direct U.S./soviet confrontation.

In this case, we have Ukraine in the middle of this. And what the Russians want to do is deter U.S. and Western support for Ukraine.

If we were to give into this, we would be acknowledging that the nuclear power can invade anyone it wants without any consequences. And this is the problem.

So it's very difficult to imagine Putin having an off ramp given by us. He's got to find his own off ramp. And really the only off ramp that's available is he needs to pull out.

BROWN: Former NATO commander, General Wesley Clark, and Alice George, thanks so much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff calls the latest North Korean missile launches a, quote, "serious provocation." The North Koreans fired two short-range ballistic missiles off their eastern coast earlier today.

[20:10:06]

And that marks the 25th missile launch of the year and the seventh in the past two weeks. It's a significant uptick in weapons fire as of late.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command says these launches pose no immediate threat to the U.S. or its allies.

Well, for some residents of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, Sunday morning will bring discovery and very likely some heartbreak.

The city is allowing residents and business owners back tomorrow for the first time since Hurricane Ian to view the damage and see what is left of their property.

Meanwhile, people needing federal help are encountering long FEMA lines like this one in Fort Myers. You see right here. While they wait, some are falling prey to scammers.

CNN's Nadia Romero is there tonight.

Nadia, fill us in.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Pamela. This has still been the hub of activity for so many people in Fort Myers who really lost everything during the storm.

Behind me is where people had been lined up early this morning before the doors even opened.

The first person in line told me he arrived at 4:00 a.m. So five hours before he could have a chance to sit down and talk to someone from FEMA.

He was in Sanibel Island. He said he lost everything. He's staying in a motel. He's starting from scratch. He went inside to try to get some help.

And as people come to try to get help, unfortunately, we're learning about people becoming victims right now because the scammers are out looking for targets.

This is a sign we're seeing just everywhere around here: "Unlicensed contracting is a felony during the existence of a state of emergency."

They're trying to remind people that you really have to pay attention to who you're giving your money to and who's telling them who can help them.

And I want you to hear from one woman who arrived here today. She lost her car, she lost her -- her livelihood, her job, and found out she was an identity theft victim.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN DETTOR, FORT MYERS RESIDENT: I have no income and no car. And I went in to apply for FEMA and just found out that somebody's already applied a fraudulent claim using all my information and my Social Security number.

So I have to call the fraud hotline now to see what's going on. And they told me that this is becoming a big problem. That people are filing using somebody else's information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Along with talking to FEMA, people came to talk to their home insurance agencies.

Also to get a reminder about safety. So many people still without power. So they're using generators. You'll see signs here letting them know that there are free carbon monoxide alarms.

This has been a message we've heard from first responders, and now we're hearing it again here.

To have these available, so as you're using generators to heat or power your home, to make sure that you have these up to keep people safe.

Pamela, when we talk about storms, we talk about what happens in the aftermath, people losing power, people, unfortunately, dying because of the generators and carbon monoxide poisoning.

It's just yet another thing these storm victims have to deal with -- Pamela?

BROWN: Yes. Thanks, Nadia.

I feel so bad for that woman who has to deal with fraud. She needs help and can't get it now. Just awful that that is happening.

For more on how to help the victims of Hurricane Ian, we have links to resources at CNN.com/impact.

Still ahead for you on this Saturday night, we have some exclusive reporting from CNN's Melissa Bell showing Vladimir Putin's private army in complete disarray and faltering on the front lines in Ukraine.

Also ahead, the death toll from a gas station explosion in Ireland now at 10 people, teenagers and children among them. The latest on the investigation there. Plus, sources telling CNN that prosecutors are apparently weighing

charges on two fronts against the president's son, Hunter Biden. What might the timing of this leaked information tell us? Michael Zeldin is here to discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:17:57]

BROWN: The NFL and players union have agreed to update the concussion protocol following a review of the scary injury sustained by Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

Tua was allowed to re-enter and play in back-to-back games despite showing clear signs of a concussion.

Now team doctors have to look for ataxia. That's any sign of issues with balance, motor, coordination, or dysfunctional speech. If they have it, they cannot go back into the game.

Here's what legendary sports broadcaster, Bob Costas, had to say about the change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB COSTAS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Just another layer of protection to prevent somebody from playing because they want to play.

We know that players historically say, "I want to get back out there, I want to be there for my team," et cetera, et cetera." That gladiator mentality is not in their long-range best interests. This is another safeguard against that happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: Let's bring in CNN's Coy Wire for more.

Coy, you spent nine years in the NFL. You have seen your fair share of head injuries. What is your reaction to the change? Do you think it's enough?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (via telephone): Hi, Pamela. I've seen and felt my share of head injuries.

My initial reaction is with this term ataxia being added to the mandatory no-go or cannot continue to play symptoms, you know, you're going to have team physicians and unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants and spotters in the booth who are supposed to look for signs of neurological impairment.

They're going to be looking for the ataxia, which you mentioned is the abnormality of balance or stability, motor coordination. If any evidence of that is found, the player can't return to play.

But the immediate question, Pam, is how is that much different than before? Right? As a former player and see something of the reaction from former

players and -- the protocol already stated that players showing signs of a concussive or sub-concussive shouldn't have been allowed to re- enter the game.

[20:20:58]

So even with this addition, Pam, there's still a judgment call by the -- the physicians, by the consultants, as there was before when it comes to determining whether a player should be allowed to re-enter a game after suffering a head injury.

I spoke to one high-ranking NFL official before this announcement came out, Pam, who told me that he felt some of the doctors and consultants had become, quote, "lackadaisical" in regard to following protocol, Pam.

So this feels like nothing more to me than a, quote, "reset," which the NFL exec told me, as well, that he felt was needed.

So we'll see. We'll hope that, you know, we can be more thorough when trying to find out whether a player should return to a game or not.

BROWN: Yes. That's really interesting that that official told you that. You know, perhaps this is a way to, quote, "reset," to get attention of those who may have become lackadaisical.

Last week, the man who first diagnosed CTE, he told me, a doctor, he thinks any player with a concussion should have to sit out the whole year.

But then just a few minutes ago, you heard Bob Costas. He talked about the gladiator mentality. Players have to always want to get back on the field.

How do football players balance that drive to compete with what doctors say is best for their health and their safety?

WIRE: It's -- it's one of the most difficult things a player experiences, Pam, especially toward the latter part of their career, right?

When you're first in the NFL trying to make a team, trying to make impressions, show that you belong, you're covering up an ankle injury, you're covering up that shoulder that you know might need surgery.

But you don't even tell the trainers, you don't even tell the team because you don't want to give them any reason to think that there's a sign of weakness or vulnerability in you, that you may become a liability to the team.

And so there's a lot of covering up that happens as a player.

I will also say, Pam, that there's examples when it comes to head injuries -- and I can give a personal example -- where players don't know that they have them. My rookie year, we were playing the Detroit Lions in the pre-season

game. It was the third and short, and I knew that they were going to run the ball.

I knew it was going to be my job to tackle the guy. I gave it everything I had. My head hit his shoulder. His shoulder was shattered. He never played again.

I was unconscious. I don't remember -- the next thing I remember was sitting on the sideline and my teammate said, oh, that was a nice sack, Coy. I said, oh, who got the sack? He said, you did. He's like, trainers, come get Coy.

I played another entire series, sacked a quarterback, almost blocked a punt, and had no recollection until I watched it on film the next day.

BROWN: Wow.

WIRE: So that's an example, Pam, where players sometimes maybe -- you know can fake their way through or make it through without even realizing that they have a serious head injury.

And that's why this is scary because there's so much gray area. And the protocols definitely did need a reset. They needed to have more attention called to it.

Because it's a very important issue that we're still, despite all the changes that have been made since 2013 when this was first implemented, in this concussion protocol, there's still so much room to grow and to get better, right?

BROWN: Yes.

WIRE: So hopefully, those injuries we're seeing are not in vain and that we are better on the other end of this thing.

BROWN: Let's hope so, for sure.

Coy, what a story that was. I think so few people in this world could share experiences like you have had with concussions in the NFL. So we really value your insight on this important issue.

Thank you so much for your time tonight, Coy.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:28:06]

BROWN: Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has long been a popular target of conservatives and right-wing media for activities they maintain deserve the scrutiny of justice officials.

Now this week, some actual fodder, as sources say federal prosecutors believe they could charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase.

A final decision has not been made and is not expected before the midterm elections.

Let's talk about there with Michael Zeldin, former federal prosecutor and host of the podcast "That Said, with Michael Zeldin."

What is your reaction to this reporting? I mean, I've covered DOJ. I know that sometimes federal prosecutors weigh a lot of different factors before they actually file charges, even if they believe evidence is there.

Obviously, the stakes are higher, this is the president's son. What do you think?

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I'm very suspicious of leaks that come out within the 60-day window when no charges are supposed to be filed in cases that have political implications.

The initial reporting was agents believe. Now we have some additional reporting that says federal prosecutors may have enough information.

So, to me, there's a lot of sketchiness around whether or not there's really sufficient evidence to charge, convict, and have the conviction be affirmed on appeal, which is the guidelines that prosecutors have to follow.

BROWN: We'll have to see. You know, it's interesting that President Biden obviously as president has pardon power. If his son was charged, if, he could potentially pardon his son. Right?

ZELDIN: Yes. And Bill Clinton pardoned his brother. And I think Hugh Clinton, Hugh Rodman, Hillary Clinton's brother, got pardoned. And Billy Carter got pardoned.

[20:29:56]

So these things happen. but they usually happen in the waning days of the last days of a presidency. I don't think it'll happen here, but you're absolutely right, Pamela, that it's a possibility.

BROWN: Speaking of Pardons, big news this week as President Biden says he will pardon all federal offenses of simple marijuana possession and for the first time, Vice President Kamala Harris reacted to this news a short time ago. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are also changing, you all might have heard that this week, the federal government's approach to marijuana because the bottom line there is nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, it's not decriminalization yet, but is it a big step coming from this administration?

ZELDIN: Absolutely. Many states, I think 37 have decriminalized it in some way. The fact that it's still criminalized at the federal level, creates all sorts of problems. Marijuana businesses can't get banking because it's still a federal offense. It could be a money laundering crime to take marijuana money from a state which is legal and put it into a federal system. So, it's a big hot mess, the difference between state and federal. So, unifying it is a big deal.

Of course, for people who have been convicted of civil possession at the federal level, very few, but it's nice to have them pardoned this way. But really, the action has to take place at the governor level, as President Biden said, where many more states have to figure out what they're going to do about sentencing around marijuana and decriminalization of simple possession.

BROWN: Right. That's not something a pardon can influence.

ZELDIN: Right.

BROWN: So, the president said even as federal and local regulations of marijuana change, important limitations on trafficking, right?

ZELDIN: Right.

BROWN: We're talking about marketing and underage sales should stay in place. Clearly, he doesn't want to overstep here and dictate changes to the Justice Department. Obviously, a big line from him has been we're independent. The White House is independent of the Justice Department.

ZELDIN: That's right. And I was deputy chief of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drugs section in the Justice Department, spent much of my career prosecuting drug trafficking, and I believe in prosecuting drug trafficking but I think there's a distinction between simple possession and trafficking, and I think that the White House has its policy positions that it has to advocate and then the Justice has to make -- Justice Department has to make charging decisions on a case by case basis based on the merits of the investigation.

BROWN: All right, thank you so much, Michael Zeldin. Much appreciate it.

Still ahead, teens and the child among the dead after a gas station explosion in Ireland, officials calling it one of the worst civilian tragedies they've seen in decades there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:36:59]

BROWN: When the gas station explosion is being called the largest Irish civilian casualty in decades. 10 people including two teenagers and a young child were killed in Friday's blast at a filling station in the northwest of Ireland. Police say they believe it was a tragic accident and they call it a terrible tragedy for their community. It's just awful.

And now to a CNN exclusive. As Putin's war in Ukraine drags on, it appears his private army of mercenaries is struggling. Russia's notorious military operation known as the Wagner group is now desperately looking for new recruits after major losses on the battlefield even offering clemency to prisoners to get more men in uniform. CNN's Melissa Bell has the story. And we do want to warn you some of the images that you're about to see are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The chaos of Ukraine's front lines through the eyes of a Wagner mercenary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Legs, guts, arms, boys you told me stop.

BELL: A video shared exclusively with CNN by a member of Vladimir Putin's so-called private army, one of those that have you seen enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, bro. I'm sorry.

BELL: A far cry from the slick propaganda used by Wagner to entice recruits to the depleted Russian frontlines. Long kept in the shadows by Moscow, the Elite paramilitary group, or the musicians, as they call themselves, now lionized for their role in Russia's springtime victories. Like the surrender of Azovstal or the fall of Mariupol, the mercenaries' experience initially making all the difference to Moscow according to this former Wagner commander.

MARAT GABIDULLIN, FORMER WAGNER MERCENARY: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Without their active assistance, the Russian armed forces would not have been able to move forward at all.

BELL: The Kremlin didn't respond to our requests for comment. But a month-long, CNN investigation has found what the war has cost Moscow's elite fighting force, its men, its confidence, and its allure. Marat Gabidullian says Wagner fighters are paid $5,000 a month to do the work regular Russian soldiers can't or won't.

GABIDULLIAN: There is not enough motivation, only money. Russian piece for the American dollars.

BELL: Through their telegram channels and through intercepts, Ukrainian intelligence keeps a watchful eye.

ANDREI YUSOFF: Speaking in a foreign language.

BELL: Morale within Wagner is low says Andrei Yusoff (PH). It wasn't designed to participate in a full-scale war.

GABIDULLIAN: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're dissatisfied with the overall organization of the fighting, the inability to make competent decisions to organize battles, and of course this means losses.

[20:40:00]

BELL: This video shared with CNN by Ukraine's Defense Ministry shows a mercenary desperately asking why there is no body armor for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are no more flak jackets, no more helmets either.

BELL: Of the estimated 5000 Wagner mercenaries sent to Ukraine, 1500 have been killed, according to intelligence sources in Kyiv. In Russia, that meant recruitment drives. From front pages to billboards, the W orchestra is waiting for you, says this one, with a number to call and no experience needed. A recruiter telling CNN through WhatsApp that barring thuggery, terrorism, and sexual impropriety, all criminal convictions are negotiable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Speaking in a foreign language.

BELL: A man who appears to be the founder of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, personally offering clemency to prisoners for six months of military service, the elusive oligarch no longer denying ties to the group that the war in Ukraine has both exposed and transformed.

YURIY BELOUSOV, UKRAINE'S WAR CRIMES PROSECUTOR: This really shows that these guys are in trouble so they really don't have people there. They're ready to send anyone. There's no criteria for professionalism anymore.

BELL: And that can mean more possible war crimes, especially on the retreat. This video shared with CNN by a Wagner soldier appears to show mercenaries lining up the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers. In a chilling conversation, they debate whether to booby trap them or shoot those who come to retrieve them before realizing that they're out of ammunition.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: Well, still ahead, the data is clear, new polling shows Americans think that there is a mental health crisis in the U.S. Up next, ride along with Dr. Sanjay Gupta as he travels to a city with an innovative strategy to help those in need.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:46:26]

BROWN: Well, the United States has a mental health problem according to most Americans. A new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nine in 10 Americans think the United States is suffering a mental health crisis. Unfortunately, not everyone who needs help is getting it. The survey asked respondents who think that they need help, why they avoid getting it. And the top reasons were being too busy, being unable to take time off of work, being unable to afford the cost, and being afraid or embarrassed to seek care.

And in some instances, Americans don't have anywhere to go for mental health services. That's especially true for kids. The American Psychological Association estimates that 80 percent of U.S. counties don't even have one child psychologist. Take that in, wow. The poll also found that 20 percent of Americans have called 911 because they or a loved one was having a mental health crisis.

CNN's Sanjay Gupta went inside one of these call centers to see who's on the other end of the line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911, what's your emergency?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): 911. Dialing those three numbers activates one of the most sophisticated response systems anywhere in the world, police, EMS where the fire department shows up to your door within minutes in most cities. But what if the help you need is different, less physical health, more mental?

JORDAN HYLAR, CRISIS RESPONSE CLINICIAN, HEART: Good morning, my name is Jordan. I'm a counselor in the 911 call center. OK.

GUPTA: So, what happens in these situations is that the 911 call gets diverted over here to Jordan because there's some concern that there may be a mental health component to it.

HYLAR: Let me just kind of summarize what I heard to make sure I understand what's going on, OK?

GUPTA: Jordan Hylar is a crisis response clinician here in Durham, North Carolina.

HYLAR: And these are all the calls that are currently --

GUPTA: And she is part of something new, something increasingly necessary. It's called HEART, Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team.

So, your goal is to say, look, if someone is dealing with a mental health crisis or something like that.

HYLAR: Yes.

GUPTA: It should be treated differently than the standard 911 call.

HYLAR: Yes, in the sense that we, as clinicians have more training in mental health and just assessing people who are struggling with that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have he ever hurt you physically?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. When was the last time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last week when he pushed me to the floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel kind of dangerous to myself. Not anybody else. I would like to go to the hospital.

GUPTA: And too many calls like this one, a mother distraught calling 911 about her daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a 27-year-old daughter who has mental issues.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is she a danger to herself right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it doesn't appear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel unsafe? Do you feel like she's going to hurt you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I don't know what to do.

GUPTA: And just like EMS should the need arise, HEART goes into the field as well.

So, this is a Community Response Team and there's no weapons.

ABENA BEDIAKO, CLINICAL MANAGER, HEART: No weapons at all.

GUPTA: Nobody's carrying weapons.

BEDIAKO: No, no weapons.

GUPTA: That's a different vibe right away, right?

BEDIAKO: Yes.

GUPTA: See somebody approaching even you know, if they're well- intentioned if they're carrying a weapon and a badge, it's a different feel.

BEDIAKO: It's a different feel entirely, exactly. So, we've come truly open and wanting to engage.

GUPTA: Abena Bediako, a mental health clinician is teamed up with Allison Casey in EMT and Christopher Lawrence to provide peer support.

[20:50:05]

BEDIAKO: We are off to feed a neighbor who we've encountered before. My initial encounter with him was through a trespass to 911. Someone had called about him living out on that property.

ALLISON CASEY, EMT: This is -- we're actually not far from here. GUPTA: What you are witnessing is one of the most common calls they get, trespassing. And this is a private property here, though.

CASEY: Yes, it's owned by a private.

GUPTA: The HEART team works to defuse the situation.

CASEY: We'll let them know that we're helping you to move. They'll leave you alone.

GUPTA: This pilot program was born in part after a tragedy that gripped the nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Floyd, there was obviously police sent and we know what happened tragically.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boy, you got him down, man. Let him breathe at least, man.

GEORGE FLOYD, MURDERED BY POLICE OFFICER: I can't breathe.

GUPTA: Do you think that having a team like this would have made a difference in George Floyd's case?

BEDIAKO: I think so to have us there to advocate for him possibly, to step into that space for the neighbor and for the officers to just give a different perspective.

GUPTA: Yes.

BEDIAKO: Let's see if we can provide a resource that you need right now at the moment so that it wouldn't escalate. If we can be there for them even in that brief moment, it could save a life.

GUPTA: Yes. If HEART does deem a situation unsafe, it also has the option of dispatching a co-response team, which pairs police officers with a mental health clinician. But so far, there are no issues today.

BEDIAKO: We are heading to the location.

GUPTA: I noticed you use the term neighbor. Is that -- is that how you refer to everyone that you're helping as a neighbor?

BEDIAKO: Yes. Very intentional because they're not subjects. They're not patients or clients like it could be me that you aren't may have to have one day. It could be you, you know. So --

GUPTA: Everyone's a neighbor.

BEDIAKO: Everybody's a neighbor.

GUPTA: And so, the HEART team works the streets, helping a community of neighbors more anxious and depressed than ever, providing a dose of humanity. And yes, HEART. In the hopes, they can help those who can't always help themselves.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:58:07]

BROWN: Well, dog sitting for Rottweiler puppies is easily a dream job until you get hurt doing it. Here's CNN Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's easy to fall for four adorable Rottweiler puppies, but this is the kind of fall that isn't just embarrassing. When you're part of a super cute puppy video, your wipeout becomes a global joke.

JAMES PHILIPSEN, FACEPLANTED WHILE DOGSITTING: The entire world has been making fun of me.

MOOS: James Philipsen was dog-sitting for a sister-in-law who owns Morpheus, Memphis, Medusa, and Midas on a farm in Washington State.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're very lovable puppies, and they just want to be wherever you are all the time.

MOSS: So when James kept trying to keep them inside the gate, they kept wanting to follow him out. Back and forth they ran and then all turned you out. James blamed it on his own uncoordination. He says it was really painful.

MOOS: Are you OK? I mean, did you get hurt?

PHILIPSEN: So that's the worst. So it really wasn't that bad.

MOOS: The story does have a 10-week-old puppy hero named Memphis.

PHILIPSEN: This puppies just comforting me and then he just starts crawling in between my legs.

MOOS: Next, Morpheus comes and tugs on his hoodie string. Eventually, James dragged himself upright and resumed trying to corral the pups, at one point tossing one.

PHILIPSEN: I feel terrible for that. I went back and like cuddled those puppies.

MOOS: Finally, the dog sitter was able to shut the gate, bringing to a close a story that left James with his tail between his legs. Make that a hop.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[21:00:06] BROWN: Well, don't forget, you can tweet me at @PamelaBrownCNN, you can also follow me on Instagram with the same handle. Thank you so much for joining me this evening, I'm Pamela Brown. The CNN original series, "THE MORDUCHS: EMPIRE OF INFLUENCE" is up next. Have a great rest of the night.