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Authorities In Texas Searching For Gunman Suspected Of Killing Five People Including An Eight-Year-Old; First U.S.-Led Effort To Evacuate Private American Citizens From War-Torn Sudan Completed; Russian Missile Attack Hits Apartment Building In Ukrainian City Of Uman Near Kyiv; WNBA Star Brittney Griner Holds First Press Conference After Returning To U.S. From Russian Prison; President Biden To Speak At White House Correspondents' Dinner; Women Republican State Lawmakers Prevent Anti-Abortion Bills From Passing In South Carolina And Nebraska; Economics Reporter Discusses How Ticket Sales For Taylor Swift Concerts Reflect State Of U.S. Economy; U.K. Prepares for Coronation Ceremony Of King Charles III And Queen Camilla; Two Veterinarians In Ukraine Rescue Pets Abandoned During Russian Invasion. Aired 2-3p ET.

Aired April 29, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

New details this hour. Authorities in Texas are urgently searching for a gunman suspected of killing five people at a home in Texas, including an eight-year-old among the dead. The suspect fled the scene before police arrived, leading to today's desperate manhunt. CNN's Ryan Young is following this for us. So they've put out a picture, you've got a name. Any developments on the search?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Finally some movement, because we've been talking about this for the last few hours. What you want to see is that picture that's up of Francisco Oropeza. The reason we want to put this phot up is because, obviously, we're trying to help the sheriff's department in that area about 45 miles outside of Houston find this man.

From what we've learned so far, the neighbors next door heard some gunshots, and they went next door and said, they asked him, could you stop shooting, we have a young child who is trying to go to sleep. He responded very angrily and said I can do whatever I want. And at some point, he went next door, according to the sheriff's department and started shooting people. Five people killed execution-style. Listen to the sheriff talk about this shooting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF GREG CAPERS, SAN JACINTO COUNTY, TEXAS: My understanding is that the victims came to the fence and said, hey, could you mind not shooting out in the yard. We have a young baby that's trying to go to sleep. And he had been drinking, and he says, I'll do what I want to on my property. (END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Fred, when you think about the details of this, you have an eight-year-old who was shot as well. There were also two children that were found under the bodies of two women who seemed like they were shielding the bodies of the children. Horrific.

And obviously with this man, Francisco Oropeza, what they're looking for, his I.D. was found. They had ring doorbell camera that showed him arriving to the house, apparently, according to the sheriff's department. Right now, they think he's about 12 miles away from the scene. They are tracking him, according to the sheriff. But there are no answers in terms of where he might be now, what this manhunt is doing, and who is helping them in the search for him. They've talked to his wife, but so far so many unanswered questions. The idea that someone could be shooting next door and then go into this house and do this is just unimaginable.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so unsettling on so many levels. Keep us posted as they continue with their manhunt and investigation. Thank you, Ryan Young.

Now to Sudan, where the first U.S.-led effort to evacuate private American citizens from the war-torn country has just been completed. CNN's Oren Liebermann is at the Pentagon. Oren, what more can you tell us about this evacuation of American citizens from Sudan?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this comes after American citizens in Sudan, private citizens, had grown increasingly frustrated and angry as what they saw as a lack of action from the U.S. government to assist them, to help them get out. Remember, it was last weekend we saw the U.S. use military helicopters to evacuate the embassy in Khartoum, including family members and several other nationals from other countries.

But after that, the U.S. said it was simply too dangerous to go in and get others out, even as we watched many other countries go in and get their own citizens and American citizens out.

Now the U.S. sending in a convoy, not armed or manned by military personnel, but a private convoy, or rather a government-funded convoy, to go in and get out American citizens. We don't know how many buses or other vehicles, and we don't know how many American citizens were evacuated or locally employed staff or other nationals. What we do know is the State Department said hundreds have been evacuated through their efforts, so that would include this convoy, aircraft from other countries getting out American citizens, as well as other convoys evacuating American citizens.

According to the State Department, this convoy went to Port Sudan on the Red Sea there, and that's when they were met by Navy ships and other capabilities that would take them to Jeddah and Saudi Arabia where they would get assistance to go on to other locations. How did this play out over the last several days? On Thursday, American citizens who had registered with the State Department got an email saying essentially the government is preparing to do something, it could happen in the next couple of days.

Be ready. On Friday they were told to pack essentially just a few items, some food, water, travel essentials, and limited to one travel bag. They were then told to meet at a golf course. And that's when this convoy headed out from Khartoum to Port Sudan. That is many hours of travel, hundreds of miles long.

American citizens who have made this route through other means have spoken with CNN and said it was a difficult journey going through warring factions here, having to deal with both the Sudanese armed forces and the faction they're fighting with the RSJ.

So you can imagine the danger and the trepidation of everybody making this journey. but we've learned State Department, DOD, saying they provided surveillance overhead. This first convoy getting out. The State Department saying anybody who wants to get out, an American citizen who is not in this convoy, can register now. So Fredricka, perhaps another effort in the works.

WHITFIELD: OK, because what, there are something like between 16,000 and 19,000 Americans who are in Sudan, not necessarily part of the diplomatic corps. So did they give you any indication about how many made it into this convoy?

LIEBERMANN: No, we don't have a number on that. And it's important to point out that of those 16,000 plus American citizens in Sudan, many are dual nationals, so Sudanese Americans.

[14:05:03]

And at least as of right now, the U.S. government has indicated the number of American citizens who want to leave is not a large number, somewhere between dozens and hundreds. They've given no indication that they have thousands to get out. But, Fredricka, crucially, as we see the fighting continue, and as it gets worse with eyewitness reports of fighting right near the palace in central Khartoum, that number could go up very quickly, putting even more pressure on the U.S. government to do something here and do more.

WHITFIELD: Great distinctions made. Thank you so much. Oren Liebermann, appreciate it, from the Pentagon.

As we continue to monitor the evacuation efforts of stranded Americans in Sudan, we want to share with you the story of a U.S. teacher who safely made it out. Deanna Welker took this video inside her apartment in Khartoum a couple of weeks ago, where you can hear the sounds of gunshots coming from outside. Her journey back to the U.S. took several days. This is part of what she experienced and witnessed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNA WELKER, ESCAPED SUDAN: Over the last year-and-a-half, there have been protests. The military has been using tear gas and possibly rubber bullets, we don't know. But this was not that. We knew that immediately. You heard what was going on right outside my doors. We saw military people outside our building, but that wasn't totally uncommon. We were sort of used to that, thinking, OK, is there going to be a protest? But, yes, then that started, and everybody knew this was not the same.

We immediately had contact from our administration at the school saying, stay away from windows, get down low. But, yes, I spent the whole day literally right there on the floor, listening to that all day, all night, didn't sleep. Next day, same thing. And by the next night I was so tired that I actually was asleep when I got woken up by a call saying, pack one bag and get out now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, Welker made it home safely to North Carolina on Wednesday.

And now to some tense moments in the skies over Syria. According to U.S. Central Command, Russian pilots tried to dog fight U.S. jets over Syria earlier this month. It released video of two of the troubling incidents. U.S. officials said the Russian jets didn't appear to be trying to shoot down the American jets. In one of the incidents, a Russian jet did come within 2,000 feet of a U.S. aircraft and violated coalition airspace. Former Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton said last hour it seems the Russians were trying to provoke a larger incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: They're in essence using dogfight like maneuvers in order to bring the Americans into a combat-type situation. That type of international incident, of course, would have major repercussions and American pilots have been instructed not to respond to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: U.S. officials say this is part of a recent pattern of more aggressive behavior by Russian pilots.

Now to Ukraine, where the search for survivors has ended after a Russian missile attack hit an apartment building in the central town of Uman. The attack killed at least 25 people including six children, and it's believed to be the deadliest strike on civilians since January. It damaged more than 10 apartment units and other civilian targets. Military commanders say Ukraine's forces were able to shoot down 21 of the 23 missiles fired in the attack. Here is CNN's Nic Robertson.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Fred, this is the last of the recovery we're looking at here, they're digging out the rubble. If you look up the building there, you can see how much has been cleaned out. The firefighters have been working all through the day. This has been a mission of over more than 30 hours to try to recover everyone who was lost in this apartment building.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ROBERTSON: Residents asleep as a Russian missile ripped through their apartments. Rescuers in this small central Ukrainian city Uman on the scene fast. Serhyi was one of the first.

SERHYI ALEKSEEV, UMAN RESIDENT (through translator): There were terrible screams of children. The explosion was very powerful. The houses started to shake in the nearby areas. The first one we pulled out was a living woman, who was put in an ambulance. But she died in hospital.

ROBERTSON: The death toll climbing through the day. This lady telling us she heard the missile, put her kids in the bathtub and pillows over their heads, and hoped they'd live. Fighting back tears, she said so many children live here. A gaping concrete and rubble wound where those innocent lives shattered, families and friends desperately awaiting news of loved ones.

[14:10:04]

This lady telling us her friend on the eighth floor survived, but the friend's two daughters, one 13 years old, and the other just seven, are still missing. A firefighter takes us up to see those top floors, onto the roof, nine floors above the recovery teams.

You can see how the building has literally collapsed down here. There should be building right out here, and the floor the pancaked down with the roof tipping over down there.

From here, the damage even more devastating than below, more than half the building's 46 apartments destroyed.

So the firefighters will come up here, and as they've been doing all day, in this dangerous mission here, literally putting themselves in danger to try to recover, to clear out the site, to bring solace.

Ukrainian officials believe all this devastation caused by a single Russian KH-101 stealth cruise missile. It is the single deadliest strike on civilians since January, 109 people registered living here. As night fell, many of them still unaccounted for.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ROBERTSON (on camera): So the last few hours now, the fire service have told us they've stopped their recovery mission. They believe they've found everyone that they can find. The death toll now 25, six of them children. The last two people to be added to the death toll, they actually haven't been able to find their bodies.

Of course, that is terribly traumatic news for all those waiting here to find out about their loved ones. Traumatic because the reality is the ferocity of the impact and the fire has meant that the job for the firefighters here has been tough, but it's been just impossible for them to find everyone, Fred?

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much, Nic Robertson in Ukraine.

In her first press conference since being released from a Russian prison, Brittney Griner speaks out on how she was able to dig deep and survive behind bars for nearly 10 months. Hear her story in her own words next.

Plus, some Republican female lawmakers in two conservative states helped block further abortion bans. Hear why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:16:40]

WHITFIELD: Four months after being released from Russian custody, WNBA star Brittney Griner had her first full press conference this week. She was both jovial and emotional, saying she will never travel overseas again unless it is to represent the U.S. in the Olympics. Griner was asked about how she has bounced back from such an ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How have you found the resilience personally to be here with us?

BRITTNEY GRINER, WNBA STAR: You know, I'm no stranger to hard times. So you crying, you made me cry.

(LAUGHTER)

GRINER: Just digging deep, honestly. You're going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. This was a pretty big one. But I just kind of relied on my hard work, getting through it. And I would say to everyone that is wrongfully detained right now across the world, stay strong, keep fighting, don't give up. Just keep waking up, find a little routine and stick to that routine as best you can.

I know that's what helped me, just finding little things, if it was just, whatever it was, just keep pushing, because we're not going to stop. We're not going to stop fighting. We're not going to stop bringing awareness to everyone that's left behind right now.

The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap. A lot of us go over there to make an income to support our families, to support ourselves. So I don't knock any player that wants to go overseas and make a little bit extra money. Never going overseas to play again unless I'm representing my country at the Olympics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Christine Brennan joining me right now. Christine, great to see you. She was just so graceful, so poised. And it really was something to listen to her, and to even see that she's got some humor. And she talked about how even humor helped carry her through it. This is a remarkable amount of determination on display here from her. What were your thoughts when you listened to her and saw her?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Certainly, Fred, it was great to see her, and to know that she was detained for nearly 10 months and has been back for a little more than four months, it was quite the scene. And she is going to start playing in the WNBA season, which begins in

mid-May, and she will be able to go around the country and not only play basketball, but as we heard the message there and what her team, the Mercury and, of course, the entire WNBA is going to be doing is talking about this group called Bring Our Families Home. And it's all going to switch and change from the focus on getting Brittney Griner home to getting everybody else home.

[14:20:00]

So talk about taking something horrible and turning it into something that is a change for good, and we will see the logo of Bring Our Families Home on the Mercury court. They will go, every city they go to, they're going to be doing promotions and PSAs. They'll have letter writing campaigns to try to get the others home.

So Brittney Griner understands, Fred, the good fortune to get home in the midst of that terrible situation, and now she wants to help others, which really is in keeping with the WNBA, what we saw in the bubble, Black Lives Matter, the murder of George Floyd, and we're seeing the WNBA and Brittney Griner rise again to make things more than just themselves.

WHITFIELD: Continuing to inspire on so many levels. So Griner also spoke about the struggle to return as an elite athlete. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRITTNEY GRINER, WNBA STAR: In coming back from basically doing nothing, not having any gym or anything to be at, getting back into it was hard. It's still a process. Just the little things, doing a plank was so simple before, and couldn't even stay up very long in just a regular plank when I first came back. Because as an athlete, you always want to be where you left off.

And I left off playoffs, finals in Chicago. And I wanted to be that player when I started back. And just everybody telling me to give myself grace, and it's going to take time. But that's the hardest thing do to a pro athlete, because we always want to be right back at our tip top shape. So it's been a struggle, but like I said, it's liberating as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I mean, she exudes determination, and that's what it's going to take to get her to the level she wants to be. And again, what do you think, returning to the season, playing again, is going to feel like for her?

BRENNAN: It's not going to be as easy as it would be when she was 22. She's 32 now, she'll be 33 later this year. So it's going to be hard. We certainly don't expect to see her playing full games, and of course really no one would, Fred. But for her to get back on the court and to slowly get back into game shape I think is something that is not an unreasonable thought. She mentioned planking, how hard that was. She said when she was first

shooting a basketball again, it was outside during her recovery time, and that was an adjustment. So she obviously has had to deal with so many things that she would have never thought would be thrown in her path.

And I think she will be a fascination. I think ticket sales, TV ratings will go way up for the WNBA. People want to see her. And I think they'll do just fine. She is a two-time Olympian. My sense is she wants to be, she'll be on the Olympic team next year in Paris. Obviously, that's the team that hasn't lost since 1992, the women's basketball team.

So it's a great time for women's basketball, lots of interest in this sport from the college level with Caitlin Clark and LSU, all the way to this. And I think the athletic side of this will be absolutely fascinating to watch, Fred, as we watch this superstar get back into her game and wanting to play the game she loves.

WHITFIELD: Absolutely. So many of us admire her for so many reasons already. I'm among those. I already bought my tickets, so I'll be there cheering her on as well.

So she mentioned the pay gap. That is the reason why many go overseas. Do you think now there will be, I guess, added ammunition, so to speak, to try to do something about the pay gap so that it removes the incentive and the need of having to go overseas to supplement the income?

BRENNAN: Fred, you're doing your part. You bought tickets. People have to buy tickets. At this point it's really capitalism. And if people want to see the WNBA players stay here and are concerned about the pay gap, you have to buy tickets, you have to buy the products, you have to watch on TV, you have to support it. It's basic capitalism.

And the pay gap, how significant is it? It's huge. Brittney Griner, the top players in the WNBA make basically about $200,000 to $250,000 for their three, four-month season. The NBA players make over $40 million. So $40 million for the men and about $200,000 for the women, and that's why they go overseas to supplement the income and make more money in places like Russia, other places in Europe, et cetera. So that is a continuing conversation, and people have to support women's sports. That's the bottom line.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it has to move from conversation to actual action and some real change come about. Christine Brennan, great to see you. Thank you so much.

BRENNAN: Fred, thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Tonight, White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Biden is set to talk about wrongfully detained Americans like Griner.

[14:25:05] The dinner also giving Biden a rare chance to flex his comedic muscles in front of entertainers and members of the media for this uniquely American tradition.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Priscilla Alvarez at the White House. So Priscilla, what should we expect from tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner beyond what I just mentioned?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN REPORTER: Well, Fred, this is going to be the first time that he attends since launching his reelection campaign, which happened earlier this week. So as you mentioned, it is a rare window into where he gets to flex those comedic muscles, but also talk about his reelection campaign priorities and other topical issues, as he typically does from the podium, like the economy or the ongoing war in Ukraine.

But of course, he is expected to talk about wrongfully detained Americans, especially because "The Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich is detained, and wrongfully detained, according to this administration, in Russia currently, and that is top of mind for many members of the media attending this dinner and for the administration.

A White House official told CNN, quote, he will be, Biden, will be speaking to the importance of the First Amendment, how critical press freedom is around the world, and his unwavering commitment to bring home wrongfully detained Americans and Americans abroad.

Now, it won't just be President Biden we're hearing from. We're also going to hear from "Daily Show" correspondent Roy Wood Jr. who gave CNN a little preview as to what he'll be saying tonight. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD JR., HOSTING TONIGHT'S WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER: There was a lot of stuff that happened this week, there were many things that happened this week, and those things have to be discussed in a fair way, in a very fair way.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Kevin McCarthy, I think is bracing for that. So don't worry.

WOOD: Trust me. I'm not going to lose my job. I'm not trying to get in trouble, OK?

(LAUGHTER)

WOOD: That's the most important part of the Correspondents' Dinner is leave employed.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: So we'll see what jokes he has up his sleeves tonight. But President Biden, and there you heard from Roy Wood Jr., all speaking tonight.

WHITFIELD: Always a fun time and enlightening, too. All right, Priscilla Alvarez at the White House, thanks so much.

And remember, you can tune in tonight for CNN's live coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner at 8:00 eastern right here on CNN.

Next, anti-abortion bills fail in Republican-led legislatures, thanks in part to Republican women. How they're going against their own party and why they say they will keep doing it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:45]

WHITFIELD: Right now, there are new signs of unease among some within the GOP over abortion rights after measures that would have severely restricted the procedure failed in the deep red states of Nebraska and South Carolina this week. CNN's Dianne Gallagher reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

PENRY GUSTAFSON, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE: There are millions of women who feeling like they have not been heard. "And that's why I'm standing up here this long. And I've never done this before."

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lawmakers in two conservative states, South Carolina and Nebraska, rejecting extreme abortion restrictions Thursday by the slimmest of margins, just one vote.

For the third time since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade last summer, the South Carolina state Senate, where Republicans outnumber Democrats nearly two to one, blocked a ban on abortion in the state with limited exceptions for rape and incest. The five women senators, three of whom are Republicans, led a filibuster where they spoke for days about biology, backlash, and the concept of control.

KATRINA FRYE SHEALY, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE: Once a woman became pregnant for any reason, she would now become property of the state of South Carolina.

SANDY SENN, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE: Abortion laws have always been, each and every one of them, about control.

GALLAGHER: In Nebraska Thursday, tears and cheers after lawmakers killed a bill that would ban abortion around the sixth week of pregnancy, often before someone knows they are pregnant. A vote to break a filibuster failed by just one vote when two senators abstained, one of them the bill's co-sponsor, 80-year-old Merv Riepe, who said he had done more research and offered an amendment moving the deadline to 12 weeks. That never got a vote.

MERV RIEPE, (R) NEBRASKA STATE SENATE: The six-week ban appears to be a winner-take-all position, and the pushback will be strong, it will be immediate, and it will be funded heavily, as now seen in other states.

GALLAGHER: His warning on the pushback felt nationally in the first real test after the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling gave states the final decision on abortion. Kansas voters shocked Republicans with a resounding rejection of restrictions at the polls.

But since then, several states have enacted new laws severely limiting abortion access, especially in the south, though some states remain tied up in the courts. South Carolina did pass a six-week abortion ban, but the Supreme Court struck it down. So as neighboring states shut down access, South Carolina has seen a sharp increase in out of state patients seeking abortion care.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

GALLAGHER (on camera): Right now, abortion is currently legal in both South Carolina and Nebraska until about 20 weeks or so. But further restrictions are not necessarily off the table, especially in South Carolina, where there's still about a week of the session to go.

And the State Senate did pass a bill that they say addressed the issues that the State Supreme Court has with the six-week abortion ban with some exceptions. But according to those senators, those three Republican women, the House will not entertain any kind of legislation that is not a total ban on abortion. Fred, those senators said that they feel the two chambers are at an impasse.

WHITFIELD: Dianne Gallagher, thanks so much.

She's a decorated artist and a musical icon already, but is Taylor Swift also an economic bellwether? We'll explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:39:06]

WHITFIELD: All right, it's the latest stop in Taylor Swift's highly anticipated heiress tour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And they're shaking it off right next to us right here in Atlanta in the CNN Center. Swifties are in a blank space, or maybe in a lavender haze, camped out to be the first into the stadium and get their hands on the coveted tour merch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the entire era. It's everything, it's every concert we've been to, we've seen every one of these songs. So we're super pumped. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've grown up with her. I've listened to her

since I was like three. I've been an actual fan, knowing that I'm a fan, since I was in, like, second grade. And I've never been to a show. And so this was like the perfect opportunity. It's all the albums, all the eras.

[14:40:02]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just remember being in health class and I saw the tickets post up because I have the website bookmarked on my computer. And I like, I just remember seeing it, like, mom, mom, mom, we have to get these. And then the next day come home, and we have them, and I just screamed my head off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Dedication, and for all of you non-Swifties out there or anti-heroes, here is a look at some of the tour numbers for you. Taylor plays a three-hour show, actually, it's like a three-plus hour show with about 44 songs. And on Ticketmaster right now tickets are about $1,000 a pop, and that's delicate, because on some resale sites you will see red, tickets are reportedly up to $40,000.

With me now is Bloomberg News economic reporter Augusta Saraiva. Augusta, good to see you. So you wrote a piece for Bloomberg called "Welcome to Swift-onomics. What Taylor Swift reveals about the U.S. economy." So what is Swift-onomics?

AUGUSTA SARAIVA, BLOOMBERG NEWS ECONOMIC REPORTER: Yes, I did write a story on Taylor Swift and what she tells us about economics, because I did try to get tickets myself a few months ago, and it was impossible. And I was looking at prices, the cheapest ones were going for $2,000. And this is Swift-onomics.

What you are seeing right now is a lot of pent-up demand for someone like Taylor Swift. And in a way the pandemic just made everything worse, right? So the Heiress tour is the first one in almost five years for Taylor Swift. So you have fans that waited at least that to see here live, and the ones that can afford it are willing to pay everything and anything. So at the end of the day, it's a story about supply and demand, right?

WHITFIELD: You heard in those young ladies' comments, they were like, I just had to have it. It didn't matter how long they were going to be online waiting for tickets, but it had to happen. And their moms looked like they were right there, like, yes, we had to make this happen.

So what do you think this, I guess, says about the broader economy? I mean, it's tough times. Everything is very expensive. But it looks like sometimes people are willing to dig very deep if it means this little moment of escape, a little fun.

SARAIVA: Yes, exactly. And as I said, I wrote this piece back in November when people were starting to talk about a possible recession, whether exactly what was next for the U.S. economy. And what we saw was exactly this pent-up demand when it came to Taylor Swift. And one of the economists I spoke to for this piece, she called concert tickets an affordable luxury, right.

So even in times of crisis, you need to find ways to have fun. So you might not be able to afford a luxury, I don't know, a luxury trip abroad, but you might be able to go see your favorite artist, and you might be able to go to the movies. So that's exactly what we saw with Taylor Swift.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. So, to get a ticket for this tour, I mean, people covet it, they'll do whatever it takes, they're getting on planes. So there's more than just buying the tickets. There are hotels nearby that are booked for tonight's Atlanta show and tomorrow's show. People have gotten on the road.

I mean, they will just do whatever they have to do in order to get there. So what do you suppose it is about Taylor Swift? What's with the draw? I mean, yes, she's got amazing hits and so many of them. But there just seems like something very unique about her and the draw. What is it?

SARAIVA: I feel like in a way it's the pop star in her, it's the fact that she released multiple albums during the pandemic, right. So it wasn't that people wanted to go to listen to one specific song. So in her case, there was, speaking of economics, there was a demand for multiple songs.

And of course, Taylor Swift is not the only one. It's just that when we saw those $40,000 tickets, of course it called our attention. But actually I just did another story a couple weeks ago and we spoke from people traveling from other countries to the U.S., not only to see Taylor Swift, but also Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen. As I said, it's --

WHITFIELD: Janet Jackson was here in Atlanta last night.

SARAIVA: Yes, exactly. So people are excited to see their favorite artist. And as I said, if they can afford, what is holding them back?

WHITFIELD: Yes. Do you think, besides the artists that you just mentioned, there will be other artists who might learn from how she's rolling out her show and might craft things a little differently, knowing what fans are expecting now for a concert? They want some bang for that buck.

SARAIVA: Look, I'm an economics reporter, not an entertainment one, but if Taylor Swift taught us anything about how consumers feel right now, they're really willing to spend if they have the means to do so. So we might as well see the same for other artists going forward.

[14:45:07]

WHITFIELD: Right. All right, Augusta Saraiva, thank you so much. That was fun. Still wish we had tickets, right? Couldn't get those tickets.

SARAIVA: Of course.

WHITFIELD: Darn. Maybe next go-around.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: Another aftershock from the emergence of the new weight loss drug Ozempic. Jenny Craig is reportedly warning employees of mass layoffs and will close some of it's 500 weight loss centers in order to, quote, wind down physical operations.

[14:50:01]

The company is also in the market for a buyer, according to NBC News. "Bloomberg" reported this week that the company is carrying a quarter of a billion in debt and may file for bankruptcy if they don't find a buyer. Traditional weight loss brands like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers are scrambling to keep up as new drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy and Rybelsus, designed to treat diabetes, have delivered a seismic shock to the industry.

And a little bit of good news for the coupon kings and queens among us. Bed Bath & Beyond may be going under, but you can still use their iconic white and blue coupons at other retailers like Big Lots and the Container Store. Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last weekend and stopped accepting coupons this week. So if you do want to make use of that 20 percent off, you'll have to take your deal hunting elsewhere.

The coronation of a new British monarch has only been televised once before when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned 70 years ago. And now as final preparations are under way for the crowning of King Charles III, many are asking questions about what this moment and this man mean in a modern world.

This week on "The Whole Story," CNN's Erica Hill travels to London in search of those answers, meeting with leading British scholars, journalists, and some of those closest to Queen Elizabeth and King Charles himself.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, this was such a fascinating assignment, and we learned so much. We have such an interesting take when you're coming from the other side of the pond. One of the things that is really inescapable is, of course, if you think of King Charles, you can't help but think of the late Princess Diana, and who is now Queen Camilla, and what we learned about the relationship between Charles and Camilla may surprise you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH HEWSON, ROYAL EDITOR, TALK TV: When we talk about Camilla and her PR, it was a slow, steady playing the long game, from public enemy number one to where she is now, soon to be queen, crowned in Westminster Abbey. She's got a consciousness about her public image. I think she's also

conscious, perhaps, of her husband's ego or, indeed, the ego of the institution of royalty to which she belongs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Charles was very jealous of Diana's popularity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the reason Camilla fits in better with him than Diana is because she doesn't upstage him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So Fred, as you heard there, so much talk about just how integral Camilla, now Queen Camilla, has been to Charles for decades now, how she was there while he was married, after the marriage to Princess Diana ended, in the shadows, slowly making her way to the public stage, and how important she is now.

What's also fascinating that we learned about is her relationship with the press and how maybe that could help the royal family as they're out and about more, and there's certainly a demand these days in the U.K. to hear more from the royal family, and even on important topics that maybe they're not usually accustomed to addressing. So we're getting into tall of that and much more, so I hope you can join us on Sunday night, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Can't wait. Erica Hill, thanks so much. And be sure to tune in, "The Reign Begins, Charles and Camilla, One Whole Story," one whole hour airs this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. And the coronation of King Charles III will also be televised with all of its pomp and pageantry right here on CNN next weekend.

For now, thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. SMERCONISH starts right after a quick break.

But first, Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered a flood of refugees, many of them were pet owner who had to leave their dogs and cats behind for what they hoped would be only days. For two veterinarians who specialize in exotic animal rescue, the situation led them to a new mission, caring for these beloved but abandoned pets. This week's CNN Heroes salutes Ukraine's vet crew, Leonid and Valentina Stoyanov. Anderson Cooper shares their story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENTINA STOYANOV: A lot of people think that this situation in Ukraine will be three, four days, so a lot of people just closed animals in apartments, in houses, and think that everything will be fine.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: For more than a year now, the Stoyanovs have been rescuing and caring for dogs and cats by the hundreds in Ukraine. Despite the danger, they put their lives at risk, even driving to the front lines to vaccinate and feed animals.

[14:55:03]

LEONID STOYANOV: Russian army a lot of times shooting our car and we have a lot of holes.

VALENTINA STOYANOV: Each animal for us, it's like our family.

COOPER: The vet crew's work earn them support from millions on social media. They say it's all those encouraging messages that keep them going.

VALENTINA STOYANOV: A lot of people write us, guys, hold on, you are heroes. It's huge, huge support, and we are very grateful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: They are heroes, indeed. To get the full story and nominate your own hero, go to CNNHeroes.com.

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