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Mass Shooting In Dadeville, Alabama, Four Dead And 15 Wounded; DeSantis Goes After Trump In New Ad; Russia Forcibly Taking Children For Intimidation; Fox News Defamation Case Begins Tomorrow. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 16, 2023 - 17:00   ET

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

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: What a story and what a production. The curtain, however, now comes down. One final time tonight for "Phantom of the Opera" in New York. The show has had nearly 14,000 performances over the last 35 years on Broadway and the majestic theater will sit empty now for the first time since Phantom opened in 1988, that is after the performance tonight.

All right, thank you so much for joining me today. Our curtain is now falling. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta right now.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. We begin tonight with the sad reality that it has happened again. Another mass shooting in America. This one in a tiny Alabama town with teenagers making up most of the victims. Here's what we know at this hour.

Four people are confirmed dead and Dadeville, Alabama. Spokesman for a local hospital says 15 teenagers suffered gunshot wounds and were treated. Another hospital says it received multiple patients. The attack was tied to a sweet 16 birthday party in this community of 3,000 people.

Let's go live now to Dadeville and CNN's Isabel Rosales. Isabel, what's the latest that we're learning there?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Jim. Good evening to you. We are learning that one of the four victims who was killed right behind me at this dance studio that was a venue, we're told by witnesses, for a sweet 16th birthday party. That victim has been identified as Phil Dowdell. That is per the DJ who was here last night when the shooting happened.

Also, a senior pastor and leader in the community here, and the assistant football coach for Dadeville High School where Dowdell was at. He was a senior. Michael Taylor, that coach, saying that he knew Dowdell since he was nine years old. He is in total disbelief at the news. He says that Dowdell was a freak athlete blessed with any sort of sport, any ball that you put in his hand. He was good at track, football, basketball and was about to graduate next month.

He had a scholarship, the coach says, to play football at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. Here's what he had to say about Dowdell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL TAYLOR, ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH, DADEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL: I feel that guy, you know. He was a comedian, humble, churchgoing guy. Grandmother kind of gave him a scripture every morning before he went to school, you know, to make sure he was always on point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: And we are learning from the DJ, Keenan Cooper, again, who was here and witnessed the shooting firsthand that that party was for Dowdell's sister, his younger sister. So, as you can understand, an incredibly traumatic situation for this family. Cooper, the DJ, says that he did not hear a fight or a disturbance, anything leading up to it. It simply seemed as though somebody began firing shots in the middle of that room in the middle of a party and then he just saw bodies dropping.

Horrible scene for any child to see, for anyone to see. This is why we've heard from the superintendent here of the district that they will be bringing in counselors to help these students with this grieving process beginning tomorrow. Jim?

ACOSTA: Isabel, what are the next steps in the investigation? Is there any sense as to what the motive was in all of this?

ROSALES: And we're getting so many limited details. Honestly, Jim, the details that we are getting are from people in the community, many of them growing increasingly frustrated by how little they're hearing from police around here. But we have seen FBI, ATF, local and state authorities going in and out of this building for hours, collecting evidence.

And if they're following the status quo, that's what they're going to do. They're going to catalog every piece of evidence, do forensics on it. They're also going to be on the lookout in these buildings. There's a bank next door. They're going to be on the lookout for cameras. Anything that might have captured what happened before, during and after. And also, the Fifth Circuit district attorney's office is here as well.

So, you can imagine that they're going to be looking at potentially any search warrants to continue to piece together what happened here. As far as motive, we don't even know who the shooter is at this point, Jim. So, we don't have that information. We're hoping to learn more at a press conference slated for 6:00p.m. eastern.

ACOSTA: All right. Of course, we'll be covering that as well. Isabel Rosales, just a devastating situation in that community. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.

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The White House is weighing in again on gun violence in America in the wake of the Alabama shooting and recent mass shootings in Louisville and Nashville. President Biden is calling gun violence rates outrageous and unacceptable. CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz joins us now. Arlette, what else is the president saying?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, President Biden said the nation is once again grieving after that shooting in Alabama, as well as the shooting in Louisville, Kentucky overnight. And the president in the statement voices frustration over the inaction that has recently been seen when it comes to gun reform measures.

The president wrote in this statement, quote, "What is our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear? When parents have to worry every time, their kids walk out the door to school, to the movie theater, or to the park? Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising -- not declining. He added, this is outrageous and unacceptable. Americans agree and want lawmakers to act on common sense gun safety reforms. "

The president went on to say, "Instead, this past week, Americans saw national Republican elected leaders stand alongside the NRA in a race to the bottom on dangerous laws that further erode gun safety." That final line, a reference to the National Rifle Association's convention that was held this week, where several Republican lawmakers, including some 2024 candidates, were on hand.

One of those candidates is former President Donald Trump, who said that there's not a gun crisis in this country. Instead, it's an issue that pertains to mental health. Now, the president in his statement did have praise for one Republican, and that was the governor of Tennessee, praising his decision to sign executive orders strengthening background checks in the wake of that devastating shooting at that school just a few weeks ago.

Of course, the Tennessee governor's wife lost a very dear friend in that shooting. But the president went on to push for Congress to enact further gun reform measures. Of course, the president wants to see an assault weapon ban and universal background checks, but that -- there simply is not the appetite for that up on Capitol Hill. Once again, though, so much of the focus in the past few weeks has been on gun reform including at the state level as we've seen this wave of devastating mass shootings across the country.

ACOSTA: It's wave after wave after wave. Arlette Saenz, thank you very much. Now to Capitol Hill where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are demanding answers about exactly who has access to American classified intelligence. This after a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman allegedly leaked numerous secret documents through a social media platform.

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SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): I have a lot of questions about why were these documents lying around? Why did this particular person have access to them? Where was the custody of the documents and who are they for? Those are important questions. We can ask in the intelligence committee so that we can have stronger oversight.

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): The access that he was having to this information should have been cut off. He should have never been having access to this level of classified information that could hurt the United States. He had no reason -- there was no need to know for him of the information that he was accessing. And the Department of Defense admits in the affidavit that they had the ability to track him.

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ACOSTA: And here with me to discuss, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who also served as CIA director under President Obama. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for being with us. From what we know right now, should the suspect in this case, Jack Teixeira, even had -- should he have even had access to these documents? Did it make any sense to you when you heard that this young man had access to that kind of sensitive information?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: All right. I don't think there's any question, but that somebody who's a low-level Air Guardsmen should not have had access to some of the highly classified information that was out there. There's no reason for it. He doesn't need it.

And I think the fact that there are literally thousands upon thousands of people who have access to classified information is something that really has to be looked at very seriously in order to limit access and make sure that it is more secure.

ACOSTA: And how much damage do you think has been done as a result of these documents being released and put out there? It's quite an embarrassment for the U.S. I mean, with allies all over the world. I'm sure they're -- they've been burning up the phone lines over to the White House trying to get to the bottom of this.

PANETTA: Well, the interesting thing that I'm seeing is that we really don't know the full extent of the damage that's been done. We get new revelations almost every day now involving just exactly what was in the leak of this classified information, which tells me that this stuff has spread all over the place.

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But make no mistake about it. Anytime there was a leak of highly classified information, it is going to damage our national security and that's happened here. There are sources that are at risk, those that provide that information are now vulnerable. It impacts on our allies, our trust with our allies, even though they're -- they know that we all spy on one another.

The fact is, when this information does come out, you've got to repair that relationship again. Add to that the battlefield information with regards to Russia and Ukraine clearly affects military decisions that are critical as to what happens with that war.

And then add to that just our reputational damage and the damage to our trust. If you're going to have intelligence relationships with others, there has to be a relationship of trust, and that's been damaged.

ACOSTA: And what guardrails do there need to be in place to make sure this doesn't happen again? And Mr. Secretary, I have to ask you because I know you've been in various roles, Chief of Staff, CIA director, Defense Secretary. I mean, is this the kind of situation where the president or the Chief of Staff (inaudible) at the White House is maybe demanding some resignations over this?

PANETTA: Well, there's no question this is a giant wake up call, alright. And anytime this happens, whether it was Snowden, whether it was others who have revealed this kind of information, what happens is that you suddenly have to take another look. Stop becoming complacent about what happens with regards to intelligence.

I think there are several areas that have to be looked at. I'm glad the president directed both the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to not only investigate, but determine how we improve security. Number one, ask the question are we classifying too much? Should we tighten up on the classification process to secret and top secret and not include all of these other areas that are part of the classified information?

Secondly, who should have access and how do we secure that access? If you're going to have access, shouldn't you have somebody else in the room, particularly if you're a low-level airman? Shouldn't you have a superior officer or somebody else in the room to make sure that it's secure?

Thirdly, what about clearances? Shouldn't we have a review process on clearances? We provide a clearance as was provided here, but then when somebody like this goes astray and starts getting involved in chat boxes with others, shouldn't we have the opportunity to be able to take a look at that and determine whether he should retain his clearance?

And lastly, oversight of social media. This stuff was out there for almost a month before it was detected. We should be looking regularly at social media because clearly that is going to be the media where this kind of information is going to wind up going.

ACOSTA: And what do you make of some of these leaders on the far-right like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green defending Teixeira? I'm sure you've seen some of that out there. I mean, there are actually some folks who were defending this.

PANETTA: Well, you know, if you really are concerned about protecting the United States of America, what she said is just the opposite. What she's doing is basically saying we ought not to protect our most classified information, which in my mind undermines our national security. And for someone to say that, what they're essentially saying is we

should not protect ourselves because the only way we protect ourselves is with good intelligence about our adversaries so that we can make the right decisions.

What she's saying is oh, no, let's not protect that information. Let's just throw it out there so our enemies and our adversaries all have access to this very sensitive information. I think it's grossly irresponsible, particularly for an elected official to take that position.

ACOSTA: And while I have you, I'm sure you just heard a few moments ago. We have suffered another mass shooting in this country. You worked inside the White House during the Clinton administration. The Clinton administration tried to tackle this problem passing an assault weapons ban, signed it into law. It expired during the Bush administration. What does it say about this nation's security that so many of us are afraid of mass gun violence in America?

PANETTA: You know, it's shocking every time these mass killings take place.

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It just reminds us of the dangers within our own society that we're not paying attention to, whether it's mental problems, whether it's too many weapons that are out there, whether it's the problem of basically not overseeing the distribution of both ammunition and weapons in this country in a way that can limit you know who has access to those kinds of weapons.

I just think that ultimately and I'm really glad that somebody in Tennessee recognize that you have to take some steps here. I think that's the bottom line right now, is we can't just keep excusing it. We have got to take steps. Yes, they can be small steps. I understand that, but taking any kind of steps right now would send a signal to the American people that we aren't just ignoring what is obviously a danger within our own society.

ACOSTA: Yeah. Ignoring is not going to work. That's for certain. All right, Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for your time. Secretary Leon Panetta, we appreciate it as always. Thank you so much.

PANETTA: Good to be with you coming.

ACOSTA: Good to be with you. Coming up, the gloves are off between two of the likely top GOP presidential nominees and did DeSantis aligned (ph) ad that is taking aim directly at former President Donald Trump, that's coming up.

And an alarming report from Ukraine where an official says Russia is trying to deport Ukrainian children in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region. We'll have a live report on that.

And later, opening statements in the blockbuster Dominion versus Fox News trial begin tomorrow. What could we expect from that $1.6 billion defamation suit as it plays out in court. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

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ACOSTA: A new campaign ad out today from a super PAC that wants Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run for president made its national debut this morning. Let's take a look.

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UNKNOWN: Donald Trump is being attacked by a Democrat prosecutor in New York. So, why is he spending millions attacking the Republican governor of Florida? Trump's stealing pages from the Biden-Pelosi playbook, repeating lies about social security. Trump should fight democrats not lie about Governor DeSantis. What happened to Donald Trump?

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ACOSTA: Joining us to talk about this, Al Franken, former U.S. senator and Scott Jennings, senior political commentator and former special assistant to President George W. Bush. Al, it was only a matter of time before these two started going after each other and they seem to be doing that quite a bit now. Any thoughts on who comes out on top?

AL FRANKEN, FORMER U.S. SENTATOR: Well, right now, because of the indictment, a lot of special MAGA Republicans, but a lot of Republicans have come, you know, yeah, to support President Trump and DeSantis has gone down. That's on the first indictment. I don't know if that will be the same on the fourth indictment.

The thing about this ad I noticed is this kind of defensive. It's not him talking about anything he wants to do. It's about social security and of course, Republicans have been all over the place on cutting this. Rick Scott when he headed this Republican Senate campaign committee in the last cycle said they were going to make cuts in social security and Medicare.

Scalise and McCarthy had both talked about that. Then they've kind of reversed themselves and you had that moment in the State of the Union speech where President Biden called them on it and they said, you lie, and of course, he wasn't lying. And so, this seems to be a very defensive start to the DeSantis campaign.

ACOSTA: And Scott, I mean, what do you think? Does this help Democrats that have Trump and DeSantis going at each other? It gives Joe Biden, President Biden, a little more time to announce. Essentially, he can postpone that and let these guys duke it out.

SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, it's a primary and just like the Democrats in 2020, I think we can expect these Republicans to go after each other a little bit. Donald Trump's never been a shrinking violet when it comes to lobbying attacks, and I don't think DeSantis is going to be either. The real strategic challenge for DeSantis here is that he's fighting

off Trump who's been attacking him, but he's also got the other problem of having to consolidate the non-Trump lane of this primary. So, DeSantis is by far on top of that lane, but he still has a bunch of other people out there who are also trying to bring him down. So, he's really kind of fighting a two-front war.

He's certainly at the top of one side of it. But fighting off Donald Trump while you're trying to do that is no easy task. I thought this ad was good. I thought it helped reframe some of the attacks and push back against Trump. But he's going to have to keep doing that because Trump will be relentless in what he does to DeSantis here I'm afraid.

ACOSTA: And All, I mean, we have another mass shooting in America. This time it's in Alabama, 15 teens shot, four dead. An "Associated Press" NROC poll last summer showed that 71 percent of respondents say U.S. gun laws should be stricter. Al, I know you have some strong thoughts on this. You've proposed an assault weapon buyback. What do you think? I mean, how much longer can the country wait before getting really serious on this issue?

FRANKEN: I voted for assault weapons ban. I voted for an assault weapons ban. And I think that Republicans are on the wrong side of this issue now, on the wrong side of a couple issues. This was -- guns were kind of a single voter issue at one time, you know, pro-gun people, Republicans, that was their issue. And then they were single issue Republicans on abortion and they wanted Roe ended.

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And Democrats, one single issue on it, but now they are. And you saw that in Wisconsin because once Dobbs happened, lots and lots of young people, lots of older women, lots of even Republicans now, this is an issue for them. And you saw, again, you saw this in Wisconsin. There's a big -- I think Republicans are in trouble on both of these issues.

ACOSTA: Scott, what do you think? I mean, this latest mass shooting happened after an NRA convention in Indianapolis where you saw several of the major Republican contenders all giving speeches are Republicans out of touch on this.

JENNINGS: Well, first of all, Congress did pass some legislation in a bipartisan way last year so, I think the Congress at this point is gone as far as it's politically able to go. So, it strikes me that any legislative action on this is going to take place at the state and local level for the foreseeable future. That's number one.

Number two, yeah, there was a shooting in Alabama, but if I might just take a personal aside here and say, I'm sitting in Louisville, there was a mass shooting in Louisville last night. We had a bunch of people gathered in a public park and --

ACOSTA: Right.

JENNINGS: -- there was gunfire. Two people died. Several others were injured. And that comes on the heels of the other mass shooting at the bank that we had earlier this week, which also bookended several other shootings that happened in between.

So, this city, in which I sit today has been erupting in gun violence this week, and the people here are on edge about it, just like people everywhere are on edge about it. Not all these crimes are the same. Not all the criminals are the same. And maybe not all the solutions are the same, but it's a rising issue in American politics. Both parties have a responsibility.

I don't have all the answers, but I get a strong feeling that Congress is going to be not moving on this. And so, at the state level, to me, that's where the next set of actions are going to come, Jim.

ACOSTA: Is it a good idea for all these Republican contenders to go to -- to go to an NRA convention, do you think, Scott?

JENNINGS: Well look, Republicans believe that its people and criminals that are the problem. Democrats believe it's guns that are the problem. And I don't think that's going to change and so the two parties are fairly well set in their philosophies about what the root of this issue is and they just really aren't all that close together on it.

So, I don't expect Republicans to stop campaigning on gun rights. I mean, being a supporter of the Second Amendment has been a pillar of the Republican Party for quite some time. No, that's not going to change between now and the next election.

ACOSTA: Al, last word to you.

FRANKEN: You can support the Second Amendment. You can support the Second Amendment and not be for these assault weapons that are really machines of war and we -- we're not talking about banning guns. We're talking about -- and you're talking about states, Scott, making laws. Well, basically the Supreme Court limited what states can do in their last session. That was a terrible decision that the court made and it's going to limit what states can do. This has to be done in Congress.

ACOSTA: All right. Al Franken, Scott Jennings, it's an issue that is not going away because these shootings keep happening. That is for sure. Gentlemen, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.

Coming up, Russia once again accused of deporting Ukrainian children from occupied areas. We'll take you live to Ukraine next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

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ACOSTA: Back to our top story of mass shooting in the small town of Dadeville, Alabama. At least four people have been killed, another 15 teenagers apparently have been shot. The attack was tied to a sweet 16 birthday party in this community of just 3,000 people.

And on the phone with me right now is a local minister who knew at least one of the victims. Senior Pastor Ben Hayes serves as the chaplain for the Dadeville police department as well as Dadeville high school's football team. Pastor, thank you so much for being with us and for joining us on such a terribly sad day. How is your community coping tonight?

BEN HAYES, SENIOR PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN DADEVILLE (via telephone): Well, as well as would be expected, we're a close-knit community, a small town. Everyone knows everyone else. We're all connected. The roots in this community go deep and wide. And I think at this point, everyone is still in shock, disbelief that this happened because things like this do not happen in Dadeville. That's not who we are, but the community is coping and we're, I think, we'll see ourselves come out of this stronger and better than before.

ACOSTA: And do you have any idea what happened? How did we have a situation where kids are gathered for a sweet 16 birthday party and all of a sudden there's a mass shooting?

HAYES: Well, it was a large group. They were having a good time at their birthday party. It was a family gathering with friends and fellow students that had come out to celebrate this young lady's birthday. And then as things happen, people do stupid stuff, and we see someone pull a gun and start shooting. There are rumors and innuendos about what started it, but I'm not sure that if we have any true motives at this point.

ACOSTA: Somebody pulled a gun inside the party. Is that what you're hearing or was it somebody outside shooting into the party?

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HAYES: Yes, it was someone inside the party that had come. He was from outside of our community, but he was at the party and he began shooting and kept shooting as he was backing away.

ACOSTA: And any sense as to what the motive might be?

HAYES: No. There have been things stated that it was some teenage drama where boys and girls just got tied up and things that were above their heads and angers -- tempers flared and the gun was drawn. But nobody knows really for sure at this point.

ACOSTA: Yeah. No, I'm sure and it has to be sorted out by the local authorities, obviously. But Pastor, let me ask you this and I know you -- since you serve in that community down there, you deal with all kinds of folks from all walks of life.

But one thing that does go on quite a bit down there in Alabama and really part across lots of parts of this country is that there's a lot of folks who have firearms and I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on gun control and gun safety and the fact that so many folks have guns and we have so many mass shootings in this country. Any thoughts on that?

HAYES: Yes. You know, I've been asked that question a number of times today and my answer has been the same throughout. It's not going to make a difference how many laws we have passed? It's not going to make any difference how many police officers we have on the streets.

The only thing that's going to change this situation is when hearts are changed, and of course, we teach and we believe that it -- that change comes through relationship with Jesus Christ, and that's what we want to get across to our young people, our students, our entire community because he's the one that changes heart.

He is the one that gives hope. He's the one that can help us to deal with these stresses. And that's the key to this. Nothing is going to change until we see hearts changed.

ACOSTA: And I have to ask you, how is your community going to pull through this?

HAYES: We're going to pull through it well. We're going to come together. We have a prayer vigil here in just a few moments where we've got pastors from all different churches, the community coming together. We're going to sing. We're going to pray. We're going to read scripture. We're going to tell stories. We're just going to celebrate the lives of these young people. We're going to pray for the ones that were wounded.

And we're going to specially lift up our first responders and our educators because they're hurting right now. At 3:00 this morning, there were at least 15 of our Dadeville high school teachers and staff members at the hospital, talking to families and ministering to them. And I think that bodes well for our community because that's who we are. That's who Dadeville is.

ACOSTA: All right, Senior Pastor Ben Hayes, thank you very much for your time. Our hearts go out to your community and we hope that healing begin -- healing process begins as soon as possible. Thank you so much.

HAYES: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Now to the war in Ukraine. The recent war crimes charges against Vladmir Putin cast a new spotlight on Ukrainian children have disappeared since the war began, and there are new allegations that Russian forces are taking more Ukrainian kids from their parents as an intimidation tactic in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Our Nick Paton Walsh joins me now from Zaporizhzhia. Nick, what more do we know about these latest allegations, excuse me, of child abduction by Russian troops?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This is something we're hearing from the Ukrainian military spokesperson that, an unspecified number of children have been taken from their parents and transported from the Zaporizhzhia region, presumably deeper into occupied parts of Ukraine.

And Russia itself, using buses that are part of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant essentially aimed from an (inaudible) these children are taken, according to Ukrainian officials. This aimed as an intimidation tactic towards locals there by the Russian occupying authorities. Now, we've seen a lot of this over certainly allegations of a lot of these charges by Ukrainian officials over the past months, as you say, leading to war crimes indictment against Vladimir Putin and his key representative for children, Maria Lvova-Belova.

And I suppose part of this, it continues now as the tension grows around the potential Ukrainian counter offensive. We're also hearing too, this on Monday. We heard suggestions that in fact from Kherson, children were indeed being returned to that area from parts of occupied Ukraine, where they were held by Russia.

In fact, we saw ourselves over a week ago now how a Ukrainian NGO had assisted parents to make a very perilous and lengthy journey from Ukraine through Belarus and Russia itself.

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And then back circuitously into parts of occupied Ukraine to collect their children and children whose safety and well-being they've been charged with by their parents who couldn't make difficult journey themselves.

So, this latest set of allegations, part of a broader pattern that Ukraine charges, backed up now by war crimes indictment from the International Criminal Court is part of a pattern of behavior potentially involving over 20,000 children indeed. We met some of the returnees ourselves in Kyiv and then later in Kherson.

And at times they are from very complicated families, parents who initially say in two cases that we spoke to that they send their children to occupied areas to the, quote unquote "care of Russians for a brief period," perhaps a couple of weeks to what they thought was a holiday camp, and then were unable to get them back.

So, complicated stories here, certainly, but one that's touched an emotional raw nerve, obviously amongst Ukrainian families here, and that Ukrainian officials are pointing out persists with this latest set of allegations from (inaudible), not far from where I'm standing, Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very much. Today is Orthodox Easter and many Ukrainians are celebrating the holy day amid the brutality of war. In the town of Slovyansk, the holiday comes just two days after a Russian strike on residential buildings that killed 15 people. One of those killed, a two-year-old boy. Here's CNN's Ben Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Air raid sirens. And the sermon. It's Orthodox Easter in Slovyansk, a town battered Friday, Good Friday, by deadly Russian missile strikes. That didn't stop residents from packing the church with worshippers spilling outside.

I always pray for Ukraine, for our children, says 73-year-old Anya. I asked for peace as soon as possible, to live a little bit longer without war. We don't want to die. Anya and others have brought bags and baskets of food to be blessed. In these troubled times, more people than ever attend church even if some are reluctant.

(On camera): Not everybody could make it to Sunday services. These emergency workers have been here all night because they believe there are still more bodies under the rubble.

(Voice-over): This was the deadliest strike on Slovyansk since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. An S300 missile gouged out the top floors of this apartment block, killing, among others, a little boy. A child who died was only two-years-old says Tatiana. His father is still there. If only they could lift those slabs, they could rescue him.

That family, like many others fled Slovyansk early in the war, but came back after the Russians retreated last autumn. Officials say around 30,000 residents have returned in recent months. I knew all of those who were killed, says Lilya, a neighbor. It's horrible.

Elsewhere in town, another missile landed in a playground. As fate would have it, Friday was cold and rainy, the playground was empty. The Easter services here go on for hours, allowing those shaken by recent attacks to renew their faith that this war will eventually come to an end. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Slovyansk, eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Up next, what to expect when opening statements begin tomorrow in the Dominion versus Fox News defamation lawsuit. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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ACOSTA: It's been called the media trial of the century, Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion case against Fox News is set to begin tomorrow. The trial could have major implications on the limits of the First Amendment and whether Fox can be held legally accountable for airing false election fraud claims. CNN's Marshall Cohen joins us now with a preview. Marshall?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: On Monday, we're expecting opening statements in the Dominion Voting Systems' defamation case against Fox News. Twelve jurors and 12 alternates will have a front row seat to history, and they'll have to decide if Fox is on the hook for potentially a billion dollars in damages.

Now, to understand this case, you need to go back to the 2020 election. After Donald Trump lost, Fox News put people on air who falsely accused Dominion of rigging the election by flipping millions of votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. That was a lie and Dominion thinks it has the goods to prove it was defamation too. The company has uncovered e-mails from Fox employees who said at the time of those broadcasts that the vote rigging claims against Dominion were, quote, "dangerously insane, mind blowingly nuts and complete BS."

But Fox put it on the air anyway and that's how we get to today. That's how we get to this trial. So, things are kicking off Monday in Wilmington, Delaware. Some of the biggest names in right-wing media are expected to testify. People like Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch, top Fox News personalities like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity and many of the top executives at Fox News as well.

For its part, Fox News denies wrongdoing. It says it is still proud of its 2020 election coverage. The network has argued that this case is a cherry-picked publicity stunt and that Dominion is undermining the First Amendment and putting press freedoms at risk. Jim, this trial is expected to last about six weeks. This thing is not going away anytime soon. Jim?

[17:50:00]

ACOSTA: Coming up. We are learning more about the victims of the mass shooting tied to a sweet 16 birthday party in Alabama. We'll take you live to the scene, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh embarks on a treacherous journey through the Darien Gap, a lawless jungle real (ph) with danger alongside migrants hoping for a better life on the other side. The first installment of the highly anticipated program, "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" premieres tonight at 8:00 here on CNN.

Another programming note, also tonight, on "Searching for Mexico," Eva Longoria visits Nueva Leone, which borders her home state of Texas. Here's a preview.

[17:55:01]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVA LONGORIA, HOST, EVA LONGORIA: SEARCHING FOR MEXICO: Come and get it. Come and eat.

(Voice-over): Our hardworking crew has earned their lunch.

(On camera): Oh my god. It's (inaudible).

UNKNOWN: It's chorizo.

LONGORIA: Chorizo de banana. Deer chorizo.

UKNOWN (TEXT): That is machacado, also venison.

LONGORIA: Eggs with deer, deer, sausage, deer meat.

(Voice-over): It's venison served five ways.

LONGORIA: Frankie, I'm going to give you a little bit of everything. You guys need a tamale.

(Voice-over): Our British sound recorder is Nathan has taken a break so he can try his first ever tamale. This is huge. UNKNOWN (TEXT): You have to tell the gringos that they have to remove the leaf.

LONGORIA: You have to take the leaf off.

UKNOWN: She's going to drop this on my head. W

UNKNOWN (TEXT): Don't film me.

(LAUGHTER)

LONGORIA: Nathan, ate the leaves. He's not supposed to eat the leaf.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: "Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico" airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. here on CNN. We'll be right back.

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[17:59:59]