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Ukrainians Defiant, Determined As War Enters Second Year; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Rallies Nation As War Enters Second Year; EPA Halts Hazardous Waste Shipments From East Palestine; Court Docs: Rep. Scott Perry Was "Persistent" In Contacting Executive Branch Around 2020 Election; Poll: Most U.S. Voters Say America Should Continue To Help Ukraine; People With ADHD Struggle To Find Adderall Amid Shortage. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 25, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:28]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Today Ukraine battles its way into a second year of war, defying Russian expectations and denying Moscow the swift victory it expected. This was the view one year ago yesterday as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine launching its unprovoked war. To mark the anniversary, Western allies bathed their landmarks in the colors of Ukraine's flag and more importantly pledging more financial support. The U.S. has announced a $2 billion aid package.

But Ukraine has paid a stiff price of its own. According to the United Nations, eight million Ukrainians have fled their country. Of those who remain, 18 million are in dire need of assistance. That's nearly 40 percent of the population.

Let's begin this hour in Ukraine's capital. CNN's Melissa Bell is in Kyiv.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, a day after those ceremonies held here in the center of Kyiv to mark the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion and to celebrate the fact that Kyiv had been able to stand, no sign of the nationwide strikes that so many Ukrainian officials had been warning about, and Ukrainian civilians had been preparing for. But rather, for the first year anniversary and ever since, an intensification of the fighting along the frontline on the eastern front.

Specifically news from Bakhmut, which according to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, that group that has been so key in providing more manpower as Russian forces try to encircle the town. Yevgeny Prigozhin claiming the two important villages to the north and northwest have now fallen.

We've also been hearing from the Ukrainian side in the shape of Ukrainian commander saying that for the infantry trying to hold this town, which will be symbolically hugely important as a gain to Russia but also strategically so as it pursues its aim of trying to take the whole of the Donbas. The Ukrainian commander explaining that the infantry there were running out of what they needed to try and hold their lines, specifically lacking airplanes, tanks and long-range artillery.

This as the Western allies continue to pledge more support to Ukraine, Ukrainians continue to say that they need more help if they're going to hold firm -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Melissa Bell reporting from Kyiv. Thank you for that.

And joining me now, Cedric Leighton, a retired Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst.

Colonel Leighton, thanks as always for being with us. Earlier this afternoon a Ukrainian military commander said on national television that his troops are unable to push Russian forces from the Bakhmut region on the eastern front. The first shipment of heavy battle tanks arrived in Ukraine yesterday. More on the way.

What is your sense of it when you hear that kind of talk coming from the Ukrainians? Is that a cause for concern? What do you think?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Jim. It really is a cause for concern. It really goes to the whole timing aspect of all of this. You know, the Ukrainians have been asking for a lot of equipment, but they've also proved that they can use it and they want to use it in a very effective way. So what I think we're going to be seeing here is a movement by the Ukrainians to vacate at least part of Bakhmut and let the Russians take it for at least a bit.

The Ukrainians have to be careful, though. You know, what they've been dealing with of course is a huge onslaught of Russian manpower coming at them ill-equipped, ill-trained, not led well, but nonetheless it's a lot of troops that are moving in their direction getting mowed down. But their young ammunition and the weapons that the Ukrainians have can only go so far.

So what you're seeing is a probable strategic withdrawal from Bakhmut and an attempt by the Ukrainians to hold the line before they move up the road toward the other parts of the Donetsk region.

ACOSTA: Yes. And some of the video that we're showing right now to our viewers, I mean, this is some heavy fighting and some very difficult wintry conditions.

You know, Colonel Leighton, the White House has announced another $2 billion military aid package for Ukraine. President Biden, though, was asked about one weapon and whether or not it will be headed to Ukraine, and he is saying that that is not happening, talking about the F-16 fighter jet. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now. He needs tanks. He needs artillery. He needs air defense, including another HIMAR. [16:05:02]

Those things he needs now that we're sending him to put him in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall. He doesn't need F-16s now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: What do you think about that, Colonel Leighton?

LEIGHTON: Well, I think he does need F-16s now, that is Zelenskyy and Ukraine, but here's the big caveat to that. In one sense President Biden is absolutely right, that at the moment because none of the training has started for the F-16, the pilots aren't trained, they, you know, really don't have the capability at the present time to transition from Soviet-era jet fighters to the F-16, it really doesn't make sense to give it to them at this particular moment in time.

What should have happened, and of course hindsight is always 20/20, is that we should have done the training about two months into the war, like in April or so of this past year, and then we would have had the capability right now to move them into this weapons platform. But the F-16 isn't the only thing that the Ukrainians can use in order to achieve some degree of air superiority over their battlefield.

They can use drones. They can use of course some of the Soviet fighters that they still have, and they can also, once they're ready for them, use some of the European fighters like the Typhoon. So there are other ways to do this, but not having the F-16s is not good for the Ukrainians at this point in time.

The president should have at least said that the Ukrainians might get them in the future, that would give them enough hope. It would also send a message to the Russians that this was possibly coming down the pike for them.

ACOSTA: Yes. And you mentioned drones. CNN has learned, we should point this out, that China is thinking about providing drones to the Russians in all of this. How worrisome is that?

LEIGHTON: It can be quite worrisome, Jim. And what we have to remember is that the Chinese have a fairly active drone industry. Go to any hobby shop and you'll find the drones are available and they're made in China, at least many of them are. So it is something that, you know, is of concern.

The Chinese have a lot of military applications for these drones and it's going to challenge the Ukrainians when it comes to this kind of thing because the Ukrainians, while they've been very effective in using drones from the very beginning of this war, now the air space is going to get even more contested between the Iranian supplied drones and now possibly the Chinese supplied drones, both on the Russian side. It could make for some very difficult moments in the air battle over Ukraine at this point.

ACOSTA: And, Colonel, let me show you and our viewers a time lapse of the past year of Russia's true presence in Ukraine. Russian forces in red, Ukraine's claimed counter offensives in yellow. Since last summer, it's striking how this ground war has been mostly contained to Eastern Ukraine and at southeast. Russian forces have not expanded across the vast majority of Ukraine. We're seeing that time lapse play out there over the last several seconds. It's remarkable what the Ukrainians have accomplished.

LEIGHTON: It is, and I think it surprised almost every professional observer because we had visions of, you know, Czechoslovakia in 1968 when it literally took just three days for the Soviets at the time to take that country and move it from a, you know, semi-free communist state to a more ironclad member of the Warsaw pact back in those days.

So that was the history. But the fact of the matter was that the Ukrainians have a very different fighting ethos. They learned a lot from the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea in the Donbas region.

ACOSTA: Absolutely.

LEIGHTON: Completely different command structure and that makes a big, big difference.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. All right. Well, Colonel Leighton, thank you so much. Appreciate the insights as always. Good talking to you.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Jim. Good to be with you.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to be with you.

And from the day of the invasion to this very minute Ukrainians have one constant. Its war time leader President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

CNN's Brian Todd takes a look at the man who has rallied his nation and much of the world to stand up to Russia's naked aggression.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): His exchanges with Ukrainian soldiers on Friday were vintage Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy told his army they would be the ones to decide whether Ukraine will exist in the future or not, but one year after Russia's invasion, few doubt that Ukraine's fate hinges in no small part on the man who's emerged as an effective war time leader.

JOHN HERBST, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: The man has a spine. And obviously when you are truly David fighting Goliath, if you don't have a spine, you lose.

[16:10:06]

BILL TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Twelve months later he is the hard bitten leader. I mean he has been through a year of trial like no other leader.

TODD: And from the first moments of the war it seemed like Zelenskyy was up to the challenge, like when he posted a video message on Facebook from the streets of Kyiv with his Cabinet on the second night of the invasion.

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): The president is here. We are all here. Our military is here.

TODD: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since dominated the narrative, from a stirring appearance before Joint Session of the U.S. Congress.

ZELENSKYY: Ukraine is alive and kicking.

TODD: To what he said to the British House of Commons.

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, on the streets.

TODD: Compare that to what Winston Churchill said after the evacuation of Dunkirk.

WINSTON CHURCHILL, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.

BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: He has successfully mimicked Winston Churchill himself. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has mobilized the United States of America.

TODD: Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor remembers Zelenskyy in the early months of his presidency as a good natured, somewhat naive politician. How has the war changed Zelenskyy?

TAYLOR: He's less jovial. He's less -- he's more focused. He's more determined. He's more somber. I mean, this is a hard -- a hard time to go through and he's had it all on his shoulders.

TODD: Still, no one's been able to keep Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the front lines in places like Kherson and Bucha. Compare that to Vladimir Putin's isolation in the Kremlin.

KEITH DARDEN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: He appears fearful. You just get the sense of a man alone, whereas Zelenskyy is among his people, among his team and in the fight.

TODD (on-camera): The analyst we spoke to say that unless Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes some colossal and unforeseen mistakes, his legacy will likely be very impressive. If Ukraine wins the war, he'll go down as one of the greatest leaders of the century. If Ukraine loses, he's remembered as a tragic hero.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: The head of the NTSB says the train derailment in East Palestine was 100 percent preventable. So how do you stop what happened in Ohio from happening again? I'll ask former Transportation secretary Ray LaHood about that. Plus, hear why a D.C. district court judge is ordering a Pennsylvania

congressman to turn over 2,000 phone records to the special counsel and that counsel's criminal investigation into January 6th.

And later, Dilbert dumped. Why multiple newspapers are cancelling cartoonist Scott Adams' comic strip?

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:17:17]

ACOSTA: Today the EPA is ordering Norfolk Southern to stop all shipments of hazardous waste from the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Officials in Texas and Michigan say they did not receive any warning that contaminated water and soil would be dumped in their states. This comes as the head of the NTSB said the derailment was 100 percent preventable. She spoke as the agency released its preliminary report on the disaster.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is tracking this for us.

Polo, this just seems to be getting worse and worse.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This certainly has potential to expand that controversy, Jim, in terms of the response that we have seen after that derailment earlier this month. Now we need to be clear that so far officials in Michigan and in Texas say that they have no reason to suspect that this disposal in their states is happening in an unsafe manner or with any sort of ill intent but the question remains, why were they not at least notified?

Now let's start in Harris County, Texas, for example, the most populated county in Texas. The chief executive there, Alina Hidalgo, saying that she found out that basically what was said this firefighting water, the water that was left over there in fighting the fire after the derailment, that about -- that millions of gallons of that were headed to her state. And she found out about that, she says, by watching the news.

So she's certainly raising some concerns there that officials on the ground, including of course the rail company, have not shared the manner in which they are disposing of not just the water but also the toxic soil as well.

Now in terms of Michigan, we also have heard from lawmakers there in Michigan as well saying that they have now confirmed that some of the contaminated soil, at least 4800 cubic yards of the contaminated soil that has been removed so far, have been taken to Wayne County, Michigan, to be disposed of in a facility that is dedicated to actually do that.

So there is, again, no question as to whether or not they're following the right procedures, but what you're hearing now, Jim, now weeks into this is the big question of why authorities are not at least reaching out to authorities in those states.

Meanwhile, I should mention that just in the last hour we did hear from FEMA officials on the ground there in East Palestine including state officials, one from the local EPA. I want you to hear directly what she says as she reminds the people who have been asking for more information from the very beginning, that that's what the state plans to do, share more details.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNE VOGEL, OHIO EPA DIRECTOR: On the Web site the governor's commitment to you, the people of East Palestine, has been we will be transparent, we will stay here, we will be here as long as it takes to clean it up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: That's basically where we stand now. State officials now vowing to continue with transparency. But now officials in two additional states, in Texas and Michigan, saying that they're not getting enough transparency from the rail company.

[16:20:04]

ACOSTA: And Polo, what more are investigators finding as they look into what caused this derailment?

SANDOVAL: Yes. So the NTSB basically released a preliminary report finding that in short that it was wheel bearing failure that caused that derailment back on February 3rd that basically a temperature of the bearing as it began to get hotter after a fire started the train passed to what are described as wayside defect detectors which are basically supposedly to detect axel problems on passing trains. But they did not trigger an alarm because the heat threshold was not met at that point.

So it wasn't until a third detector eventually picked up the high temperature. But by then, it was too late. The devastating chain of events had already been set in motion. But officials did say with the NTSB that the crew did nothing wrong. In fact they had initially started to brake, to lower the speed of the train, but clearly it was the deceleration then that triggered that catastrophic result.

Now in terms of what could have been done to prevent that, the NTSB is saying they're still months away from answering that question.

ACOSTA: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you very much.

Freight trains, they are a vital link in America's supply chain, but they can also carry dangerous toxic cargo, and East Palestine, Ohio, is far from communities at risk. This map shows the vast web of freight train tracks that crisscross the country. Many trains on these networks carry hazardous materials through neighborhoods where people live, work and play.

And joining us now to talk about this is Ray LaHood. He served as transportation secretary under President Obama.

Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for being with us. Let me ask you just to bounce off of what Polo was reporting on a few moments ago, should these states have been notified ahead of time by Norfolk Southern that they were transporting some of the soil and water that was used in East Palestine into their communities? It just sounds as though the PR nightmare continues.

RAY LAHOOD, FORMER SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: Well, Jim, I don't know if there's any legal requirement, but you would think given all of the bad publicity that they naturally would have reported that the water and the contaminated earth was being transported to those states.

So I don't know if there's any rule or regulation, but I think common sense would have dictated that they would have done that after the CEO appeared on, you know, with Jake Tapper in the town meeting and declared that there was going to be transparency. I mean, obviously this should have been part of that.

ACOSTA: Right. And let's talk about the rules and regulations. I mean, according to a report from the NTSB, five of the 38 cars that derailed were carrying more than 115,000 gallons of vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. Why aren't there stricter requirements on trains that carry these types of cargos, reinforced cars, better fail-safe detectors, braking systems? Why don't we have all of that in this country?

LAHOOD: You know, Jim, while we were at DOT we put into place some very, very tough rules and regulations having to do with safety, that was our number one priority in all modes of transportation, unfortunately some of those were eliminated during the Trump administration, and some of the safety metrics were also eliminated. And, frankly, back then Congress went along with that.

And unfortunately, I think -- well, I think fortunately now you have an administration that is really going to step up with some very, very strong safety rules and regulations when it comes to transporting highly chemical products through these towns and across the country. But there really needs to be not only to hear the recommendations of the NTSB. Unfortunately, that will be a while.

I think DOT could step up and make some recommendations to Congress right now, and for all those members of Congress that are out there, you know, talking away about this, they could pass some legislation to really stiffen the rules and regulations for the transport of this highly chemical material.

ACOSTA: Well, let me ask you about what might be standing in the way of that, and that might be the industry. The Association of American Railroads claims that if railroads weren't moving the amount of freight that they do, it would take over 99 million additional trucks traveling on public roadways. It would take four times more fuel than rail to handle things Americans rely on every day. I mean, that's what the industry says.

It is said I think pretty widely around Washington that this industry has a lot of power here. How much power does this industry have?

[16:25:06]

LAHOOD: Well, Jim, I don't know that they have any more power than the airline industry or the trucking industry. I think what we need to come to grips with is the idea that more safety metrics, more rules and regulations, and perhaps some laws need to be passed quickly in order to assure communities all over America that this transportation is going to be safe. And the industry ought to be on the front row of helping the Congress make this happen.

When we had the Colgan Air crash when 49 people perished in Buffalo, New York, the families stepped forward, but also the airline industry stepped forward and we implemented a rule for more pilot training and less hours of pilots working in the planes. And the industry came forward.

That's what needs to happen here, Jim. The industry, the Congress, the members of Congress that represent these communities really need to step up now and enact some really tough rules and regulations that provide for the safety that will give the peace of mind to communities around America that this transportation system is going to be safe.

ACOSTA: And you had mentioned just a few moments ago that the Trump administration did scrap this Obama administration era regulation requiring trains carrying hazardous substances to upgrade their braking systems. Just this past week we saw former President Donald Trump basically on a campaign stop in East Palestine, Ohio, going into McDonald's and so on. He pointed the finger at President Biden.

Some of this is raising questions as to whether or not the president should go to East Palestine. Do you think he should go?

LAHOOD: Well, I think he's got his EPA administrator there and I think he's got his secretary of Transportation has been there. He's got his FEMA folks have been there, and I'm sure there's consideration and discussion being -- going on right now in the White House about whether he'll make a visit there.

The president has always been inclined to go to these communities where these tragedies have taken place and meet with the people, and I'm sure there's discussion of that. He just got off of a big trip that we all know about that's been widely discussed, and in his absence he sent representatives of his administration.

He was also on the phone with people in the community, Jim. And -- but I have no doubt there's discussion going on about whether the president should go there or not. His people are on the ground and I think they will continue to be on the ground until a number of these issues are resolved.

ACOSTA: And not to put you on the spot, Mr. Secretary, but if you were over at the Transportation Department, would you advise it?

LAHOOD: I definitely would. I would. I would advise President Biden, who, as I said, when there's a tragedy and when there's an incident in our country, he is almost always on the scene of those to get the information, to talk to people and to make his commitment that his administration will do all that they can. And so I think that debate's probably going on within the White House as we speak.

ACOSTA: All right. Former Secretary Ray LaHood, thanks so much for your time this afternoon. We appreciate it.

LAHOOD: Thank you, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you.

Coming up, CNN's exclusive reporting into how a box of classified documents ended up in Trump's office months after the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago property. How did that happen?

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:33:12]

ACOSTA: New developments surrounding a Pennsylvania Congressman who tried to help Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election.

Republican Scott Perry has been fighting to keep his cell phone data from DOJ investigators since it was confiscated by the FBI last year.

Court papers released last night say the phone data shows Perry was, quote, "proactive and persistent" in contacting the executive branch after the election.

And that he was in regular contact with then-President Trump and his powerful supporters, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.

CNN senior legal analyst, Elie Honig, joins us now. He's a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. And author of the great new book, "Untouchable, How Powerful People Get Away With It."

Elie, Congressman Perry has been embroiled in a legal battle for months over his cell phone records. How damning is this?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: Jim, Scott Perry tends to fly under the radar a little bit compared to some of his higher profile colleagues in colleagues, like Kevin McCarthy, like Jim Jordan, who were part of the effort to overturn the election.

Scott Perry was even more integral, as this judge found. Perry mostly lost his legal argument here.

He was using something called the Speech or Debate Clause, which basically says members of Congress cannot be subpoenaed, but only about their legislative work.

The judge basically said, the vast majority of what was in Scott Perry's phone does not qualify for protection. A very small slice does.

He's going to have that information available to investigators. He's going to have to answer questions.

ACOSTA: Fascinating.

Let's turn to Georgia because, I mean, as you and I have talked about so many times, this is the case that worries some of the Trump folks on that team.

A judge who oversaw the Georgia grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election is clarifying what jurors can and cannot say.

[16:35:02]

Not surprisingly, the judge told them they cannot discuss deliberations but they're free to talk about the final report.

This comes after the foreperson -- and I know you talked about this earlier this past week -- went on this media blitz and said all sorts of things.

Let's listen to that and refresh our memory on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY KOHRS, FOREPERSON, GEORGIA SPECIAL GRAND JURY IN TRUMP PROBE: We definitely heard a lot about former President Trump and we definitely discussed him a lot in the room. And I will say that when this list comes out, you wouldn't -- there are no major plot twists waiting for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, Elie, I know you're wincing over this and lots of other folks were uncomfortable with what this foreperson was saying, and that she was out there, maybe enjoying it a little too much.

Your sense of it after digesting this for a few days?

And, I mean, what do you make of some of Trump's attorneys just sort of, you know, almost "the sky is falling," acting as though this just blows to smithereens the whole case? Isn't that stretching things as well?

HONIG: I do think that is a stretch, Jim. I don't think it destroys the whole case. But it's bad for prosecutors. It's an unnecessary headache for prosecutors.

It's certainly going to result in a motion to dismiss if there's ever an indictment by Trump's attorneys, which I don't think it likely to succeed but why have to deal with this as prosecutors.

The judge clarified, correctly, that the flashpoint here is whether this grand juror got into, quote, "deliberations." The judge actually passed when asked, do you think she crossed that

line? He said, well, that's not for me.

It's a close call. Just in that clip, we heard the grand juror say we discussed, we talked about him in the grand jury room, meaning Donald Trump.

Well, one could interpret that as deliberations. What is the grand jury talking about?

She also mentioned certain other specific witnesses by name. She told us what the grand jury made of them.

She said, for example, we found Cassidy Hutchinson credible. We found Mark Meadows less credible.

The argument is going to be that that crossed the line into talking about deliberations.

That said, Jim, it's important to keep in mind, she's part of a special grand jury. This is not the grand jury that can indict. They're just providing sort of advisory opinions.

ACOSTA: Right.

HONIG: So that may ultimately make a difference in favor of the prosecutors here.

ACOSTA: Right. And there would still have to be a jury that would decide a case --

HONIG: Of course.

ACOSTA: -- if the former president were indicted. The jury would decide that case, not this jury, a different jury.

Just very quickly, just to button up CNN reporting on the box of documents that turned up at Mar-a-Lago. Your sense of that latest development?

The Department of justice wants to know how these -- how this other box just turned up after these other searches.

HONIG: Yes, two big questions. How did it get away from Mar-a-Lago while the search was happening and then find its way back after?

The other thing that jumped out to me from the reporting, Jim, is we now know some aide was uploading some of those classified materials

ACOSTA: Right.

HONIG: -- to a computer or a laptop.

If I'm a prosecutor, I need to know who gave the idea to do that, who gave the instruction to do that? Why, and what was done with those documents? So really important questions for prosecutors to dig into.

ACOSTA: Lots of questions. They're busy down there investigating this case.

HONIG: Yes.

ACOSTA: All right, Elie Honig, thanks as always. We appreciate it.

HONIG: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right, coming up, as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its second year, the U.S. is sending billions of more dollars in aid to Kyiv as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vows to stand by Ukraine as long as it takes. How long could that take? That's next.

You're live in CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:42:37]

ACOSTA: As Russia's war in Ukraine now enters its second year, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says he still believes victory is his.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRINAIAN PRESIDENT (though translation): If we will do our homework, victory will be inevitable. I am certain there will be victory. I don't think. I want it this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: As both sides dig in, how likely is it that an end to this horrific conflict will end?

CNN's senior data reporter, Harry Enten, joins to run the numbers by Harry Enten.

Harry, what do the numbers tell us about whether there is an end in sight any time soon?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes. Essentially, I looked at all interstate conflicts dating back since the end of the Second World War, and what we essentially see is that most wars, in fact, end within a year.

This is actually on the other side of the median. So at this particular point, we have already gone on longer than most wars between countries do go on.

In fact, you can see on your screen right there, a good portion, about one-fourth of them, end in less than 30 days. We are well beyond that at this point -- Jim?

ACOSTA:: It shouldn't be surprising for this Russian invasion of Ukraine to go on for years, that it might go on for years.

ENTEN: It absolutely could. If you look at the wars that go beyond the year, what happened? You can see that, in fact, the majority, on average, go on over a decade, since 1946.

So essentially, what you essentially have are really short wars or really long wars. And right now, we're already past the year mark.

We obviously have no idea how long this war will actually take. But historically, in wars since the Second World War, there have been a number of them that have gone on for a decade or more -- Jim?

ACOSTA: Harry, the president is coming off this big trip to Ukraine. There have been questions in recent days about whether the U.S. would supply F-16 fighter jets.

Ukraine is getting funding and weapons from the U.S., other allies around the world.

How many Americans here in the U.S. continue to support that exactly? Is it going up? Is it going down? What are you seeing?

ENTEN: Yes. So what we see is the majority of Americans, in fact, continue to support us giving arms and money to the Ukrainians, 64 percent.

You do see that there's a partisan divide whereby the clear vast majority of Democrats, 79 percent, do versus a bare majority of Republicans.

[16:45:01]

Though I should point out, on any issue where you can get a majority of Democrats and Republicans to agree, that's a very rare issue. I think you obviously know that -- Jim?

ACOSTA: Yes, that does not happen very much here in Washington.

But are things on the decline? I mean, is that something that the Biden administration has to be mindful of, do you think?

ENTEN: I think they do. You know, so essentially, there's a separate question I'd ask: Are we essentially doing the right amount by Ukraine? Are we giving them too much? Are we giving them too little?

What we see is the U.S. is doing too much for Ukraine in this war for Russia. We see, overall, that number is now up to 33 percent. Last April, it was just 14 percent.

Among Republicans, it was 22 percent in April and now that's up to 51 percent among Republicans -- Jim?

ACOSTA: Harry, I know you crunched this as well. Is there one thing that would make Americans less supportive of what's going on in Ukraine right now, the American efforts in Ukraine?

ENTEN: Yes. I think if they had the idea that the Ukrainians were losing.

At this particular point, the majority of Americans believe the Ukrainians are winning, 51 percent to 34 percent, over Russia.

The vast majority of Democrats believe they are winning. Republicans are split even.

So there is this collation that believes Ukraine is winning and want to send aid If they believe that Ukraine is losing, I wouldn't be surprised if there is, in fact, less support for Ukraine going forward.

ACOSTA: All right. And the Ukrainians are, in fact, doing quite well in their battle for freedom at this very important milestone in that struggle.

Harry Enten, thank you very much as always.

ENTEN: Thank you.

ACOSTA: We appreciate it.

Be sure to check out Harry's podcast "Margins of Error." You can find it on your favorite podcast app or at CNN.com/audio.

We'll be right back.

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[16:51:07]

ACOSTA: The prescription drug, Adderall, has been in short supply and almost impossible to get since October Adderall is commonly prescribed for those with hyperactive disorder. Those that take it are scrambling to find alternative medications.

CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, has more on how this is impacting patients and those around them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT Over the past few months, sometimes when patients show up at pharmacies to fill their Adderall prescription, they're being told there's none available.

One such patient is Clara Pitts in Utah.

(SINGING)

COHEN (voice-over): Clara Pitts is from a musical family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just go ahead just this section right there.

(MUSIC)

COHEN: She studies hard at piano.

(MUSIC)

CLARA PITTS, ADHD PATIENT: I've been using this spreadsheet since 11th grade.

COHEN: A high school senior with a heavy load of AP and honors classes, Clara's dream, to get accepted at nearby Brigham Young University.

And these pills have helped a lot, Adderall, because Clara has ADHD. She started taking Adderall in the 10th grade.

C. PITTS: As soon as I got my medication, I started getting 100 percent on every test, to the point where my teacher forgot later in the year that I'd ever struggled.

COHEN: She even won a national merit scholarship. But then, I few months ago, just before exams, right when her BYU application was due, she got this text from her mom, Rebekah, who was at the pharmacy:

"There's some manufacturer shortage and they don't have any. I don't know what to do. Honestly, I'm just sitting here crying because I can't get you these meds."

REBEKAH PITTS, CLARA'S MOTHER: And I spent several hours calling, I think, eight pharmacies. I felt really emotional about it in that first week or two that, strangely, like I had failed my child, even though it wasn't my fault.

It was hard to tell her and try to help her to understand, we won't be getting this medication any time soon. And I felt scared for what that would mean for her as a senior.

COHEN: Clara is one of many Americans impacted by recent widespread drug shortages, of cancer drugs, antibiotics, pain medicines, and, since last fall, Adderall.

The FDA says one reason is that demand for Adderall has increased from 35.5 million prescriptions in 2019 to 45 million last year.

Plus, some companies that make Adderall tell the FDA they've had shortages of an active ingredient or supply constraints. Another company just says "other" as a reason for limited supply.

The FDA telling CNN, manufacturers are working to meet the demand. And the FDA is helping with anything we can do to increase supply.

The FDA doesn't give many details about what's gone wrong or how they're going to fix it. And experts who study drug shortages say that's part of the problem.

DR. YORAM UNGURU, JOHNS HOPKINS BERMAN INSTITUTE OF BIOETHICS: I think transparency is extremely important. It's really difficult to be able to anticipate and let alone come up with meaningful solutions if you don't know what the problem is. COHEN: Clara did get a prescription for a different ADHD medication, but she says for her it's not the same.

In the meantime, her hard work at school has paid off.

C. PITTS: Rise and shout Clara. "I am happy to offer you admission to Brigham Young University."

COHEN: Acceptance at her first choice college.

C. PITTS: I'm going be a Cougar, Mom. I'm so glad.

COHEN: Thrilled, but still hoping to get Adderall to help her through it.

COHEN (on camera): One of the things Adderall has in common with some of the other drugs in shortage is that it's not terribly expensive. Relatively speaking, pharmaceutical companies are not making a lot of money off of these drugs.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Thanks, Elizabeth.

In the meantime, Chattanooga, Tennessee, is framed by the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. One of those peaks, Lookout Mountain, deserves a closer look.

Here is this week's "OFF THE BEATEN PATH."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[16:55:06]

DOUG CHAPIN, CEO, ROCK CITY GARDENS: Welcome to beautiful Rock City Gardens on top of Lookout Mountain, just about five miles from downtown Chattanooga.

Rock City is about a 12-acre botanical garden. And there is about a three-quarter of a mile trail that meanders through the rocks, over and under, in between different rock formations, like Fat Man Squeeze and the bridge, and enjoying our high falls, a 90-foot waterfall.

At the midway point of the trail, there's Lover's Leap where you can see seven states on a clear day.

COREY HAGEN, DIRECTOR, REFLECTING RIDING ARBOORETUM & NATURE CENTER: Located at the base of Lookout Mountain, this is a Reflection Arboretum and Nature Center. It's a really unique location because of all the different habitats that you can walk through.

We also have an area for rescued animals where you can see the native species of animals. We have about 10 miles of hiking trails.

The only exception we make to motorized vehicles are the electric Swincars from Electric Sports Innovations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They swing and they go around the turn.

HAGEN: They offer tours here on our trails.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Push it once to go forward.

HAGEN: People who might have mobility issues can access every part of our property using the Swincars and really just enjoying this beautiful environment that we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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