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Manhunt Underway After Five Killed, Including Eight-Year-Old In Texas Home; Two Banks Submitting Bids For Troubled First Republic; First U.S. Government-Organized Convoy Reaches Port Sudan; Interview With Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA); DeSantis Reacts To Trump's Growing Lead In Polls; Speaker McCarthy Criticizes DeSantis' War on Disney; CNN To Air White House Correspondents' Dinner At 8 P.M. ET; Interview With Alexander Vindman, Former National Security Council Member. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired April 29, 2023 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:49]

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

In Texas, a manhunt is believed to be still underway for the accused killer wanted for a horrific shooting attack. This is 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza. He is a Mexican national living north of Houston in the town of Cleveland. Five people are dead, including an 8-year-old child.

Let's get the latest right now from CNN's Ryan Young. What more are you learning about what caused this shooting, Ryan? It is just absolutely horrific these details we're hearing.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Troubling, horrific, and you think about it, apparently it started because some neighbors went next door and asked the man to stop shooting his gun from his porch.

That's because they had a baby they wanted to be able to get some sleep. The man was firing his gun over and over.

At some point, according to the sheriff, the man walked over with one of his guns that he had at the home and then started shooting. Five people are dead, including an 8-year-old. And there were two women who were also trying to protect two other children that were in that building. They were both killed.

So you understand the horrific nature of this. Of course, police have been trying to find this man since the shooting. The FBI has also joined this.

But when you listen to the sheriff, you can understand the pain that's going through that community and the fact that he says this is the worst case he's seen in his 41 years of law enforcement. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF GREG CAPERS, SAN JACINTO COUNTY, TEXAS: Two of the juveniles were found up underneath two of the deceased women that were in the bedroom. In my opinion, they were actually trying to take care of them babies and keep them babies alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: You've got to ask yourself just what happened here that would drive this man to open fire. They have talked to his wife, they've and found other guns.

This is the man right here, Francisco Oropeza. He is 38 years old. They actually had his Mexico national card as well. They believe he went to a wooded area about 12 to 13 miles away from the scene. We also are monitoring right now from one of our affiliates in Houston.

It looks like there may be a news conference within the next hour, Jim, so we might be getting some new information. You can see that setup right there. We're desperately looking for more information in this case, especially with the impact in this case, a child being killed and four others.

Ten other adults in that house, so many questions. But like you said before, a horrific shooting that didn't seem to need to happen.

ACOSTA: That's right, absolutely. And Ryan Young, we will go to that press conference or bring you the latest from that press conference just as soon as it happens.

You're absolutely right, we need some more information from the scene there in San Jacinto County in Texas.

Ryan, thanks so much.

Let me turn now to Shannon Watts. She created Moms Demand Action after the 2012 Sandy Hook School shooting and she's been s tireless advocate in the fight for school safety -- school gun safety in this country.

Thank you so much Shannon, for being with us. We appreciate it so much. Let me just ask you if you don't mind for a few moments, your thoughts on what took place in Texas.

I mean here we have a situation where it sounds as though neighbors simply just wanted this man to stop firing his gun in his yard late at night. And according to what the authorities are saying, he goes next door and almost execution-style takes out members of a family, including an 8-year-old child. What are your thoughts on that?

SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER, MOMS DEMAND ACTION: It's unfathomable and heartbreaking. This is the shameful reality that we have in this country right now. A shameful reality created by the gun industry which is that we have people who are disgruntled or paranoid, armed to the teeth, and they are terrorizing our communities over simple disagreements or misunderstandings. And we're seeing that happen again and again. I mean this is the

second mass shooting in Texas in less than a week. You know, Texans own more guns per capita than any other state. If more guns made us safer, it would be the safest state in the country. Instead, it has rising rates of suicide and homicide by gun. And in fact, it is home to four of the deadliest mass shootings in this country.

[17:04:53]

WATTS: So more guns are not making Texans are safer. In fact the opposite is happening. And yet lawmakers in the state right now are standing in the way of legislation like a bill that would raise the age to buy long guns like the assault rifle used today in this horrific mass shooting. They are refusing to pass these data proven laws while working to pass laws that would incentivize arming teachers.

It just makes no sense and it is incredibly immoral.

ACOSTA: And here we have a situation in Texas. It sounds a little bit like some of these other cases where we've seen recently where somebody rings the wrong doorbell or somebody pulls into the wrong driveway and a homeowner or somebody like that comes out guns blazing.

But you combine that with what appears to be, it sounds as though, a mass shooting here in this case in Texas. And it just -- it keeps happening over and over again to the point where we were talking to Chief Ramsey in the previous hour. Law enforcement just can't keep up with this.

WATTS: That's right. There have been more mass shootings in this country than there have been days of the year. That's something that should concern all of us. Whether it's mass shooting tragedies started by domestic violence or simple accidents, like in Texas where a cheerleader tried to get into the wrong car by accident and someone opened fire on her.

You know, this is the logical outcome of allowing gun lobbyists to write our nation's gun laws. But I want to be clear, we are making huge progress. We passed 500 gun safety laws in the last decade. We've stopped the gun lobby's agenda every year in state houses 90 percent of the time for the last eight years.

And we are getting ready in our organization, Moms Demand Action, for a huge Mother's Day of action where we're asking people to get involved where they live. They can text the word "Fed Up" to 64433 and we will plug them into that work.

But it really will take all of us using our voices and our votes on this issue.

ACOSTA: And Shannon, your organization, speaking of what's happening at the state level, applauded a bill passed by the Vermont Senate on Friday. What is that legislation like? Why were you happy that that occurred? And why is it that we seem to see all of the movement on this issue or essentially almost all of the movement on this issue happening at the state level, not really happening at the federal level as much?

WATTS: Well, you know, last summer we did pass the first federal gun safety legislation through Congress in a generation. We have a different makeup of the House today. But that legislation will save thousands and thousands of lives and it actually looks at the issue of gun violence holistically. It's not just focused on one piece of it.

And so that was a profound breakthrough that we're hopeful we can build on, specially based on the outcome of the next election cycle.

But the legislation you mentioned in Vermont, you know, that hasn't been a state where it has always been easy to work on this issue. And this is a huge breakthrough. The fact that we're passing legislation there through the legislature that will help prevent gun suicide.

And it does that by expanding the state's red flag law. It allows not just police but family members to petition a judge for a temporary restraining order that removes the guns from a person who is a danger to themselves or others. It institutes a waiting period.

And we know that data shows us that these kinds of laws actually do save lives. And not just ultimately from suicide, but domestic gun violence and mass shootings and on and on. So we're excited to see that legislation passing the state there.

But also just this week, we've passed good gun laws in places like Washington and Colorado and Hawaii. So progress is happening. But we need it to happen everywhere. We are all only as safe as the closest state with the weakest gun law.

ACOSTA: All right. Shannon Watts, thank you very much. Again, I want to remind our viewers, we're following the latest that's happening in San Jacinto County, Texas. The sheriff there may be holding a press conference shortly.

You're looking at some live pictures there from our affiliate KHOU as we continue to follow this manhunt that is underway for the gunman suspected of killing five people, including an 8-year-old child, in a Texas home.

We'll bring you the latest on that as it comes in.

There is the suspect that they're looking for at this hour, Francisco Oropeza. He is the suspect in that Cleveland, Texas shooting. We'll bring you the latest on that as it comes in.

In the meantime there appears to be a lot happening behind the scenes regarding one of the troubled banks federal regulators have been worried about so much. Shares of San Francisco-based First Republic have been plummeting since March 1st and closed at $3 a share yesterday. This amid speculation that the FDIC would step in and take over the troubled lender but that has not happened as of yet.

Joining us on the phone right now is CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans. Christine, you know, some of these other banks are reportedly submitting bids to buy First Republic. That is a very interesting development. What are you hearing?

[17:09:56]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So no one is commenting officially but I can tell you from my sources, everyone is working around the clock here.

On Friday night we knew that First Republic was really looking to find a buyer, looking for its options so that it continues, you know, to serve its clients and we can keep this bank afloat here.

I think by Monday morning it's going to look a lot different. You'll probably have a buyer. We know that there are a couple of banks, according to the "Wall Street Journal" and according to "Bloomberg" who have submitted bids for this. And the FDIC, you know, barring finding a buyer, the FDIC would probably have to take this bank over.

It's just not -- it's just not going to be able to stand on its own two feet here anymore. I mean the stock is down 97 percent from before that banking crisis began -- banking stress, I should say, that began in the beginning of March.

And you know, part of the problem here, Jim, is this was a bank that really caters to wealthy clientele and so small businesses, medium- size business and wealthy people who had more than the $250,000 insured maximum deposits there.

So when things started to look a little iffy, people started to pull their money out. And we know from last week's earnings report, $100 billion walked out of the door of First Republic to go to other banks and that's just really been a very difficult blow to get over for this bank.

So a lot happening behind the scenes. I'm pretty sure we're going to have some sort of resolution before the opening bell on Monday. And if, you know, the past is any guidance for us, the FDIC steps in here and makes sure that insured deposits, people will be able to access their money right away, one way or the other.

And we know the two banks that reportedly are in the game here PNC and JPMorgan Chase, they both have experience buying, you know, troubled banks before in the last financial crisis, so there is some history here, I think, that is a guide.

But First Republic looks like it's in its last moments as an independent bank here.

ACOSTA: Well, that will certainly settle some jitters down on Wall Street, no question about it.

All right. Christine Romans, thank you very much for that update.

ROMANS: You're welcome. ACOSTA: We appreciate it. Great to talk to you.

Now to the escalating conflict in Sudan. The first U.S.-led convoy to evacuate American citizens from Khartoum has reached Port Sudan. The U.S. initially resisted spearheading a civilian evacuation despite last weekend's successful airlift of American embassy personnel and their families.

CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now from the Pentagon. Oren, last weekend, you and I were talking about this and the administration was flatly saying, no, no, just diplomatic personnel, not some of the other citizens -- dual citizens there in Sudan.

But things changed. What more can you tell us about this evacuation?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Pressure built up on the administration, not only from journalists asking why are all these other countries going in to get their citizens and American citizens, but we're not seeing a large, concerted effort from the U.S.

At the same time, private American citizens in Sudan were growing increasingly frustrated, even angry at what they saw as a lack of action from the U.S. Government following exactly what we talked about last week, the evacuation of the embassy and embassy personnel and family members.

Now we see the U.S. establishing a convoy. Not operated by military personnel but contracted through the Defense Department with DOD providing overhead surveillance, State leading this, to get a convoy of American citizens from Khartoum, the center of Sudan essentially, its capital, out to port Sudan where there are U.S. Navy ships and other ships and then on to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia where American personnel are there to help them as they continue on their journey.

This is a very long convoy, hours long, hundreds of miles in the process here. The U.S. not saying how many people were on this specific convoy, but they do say that hundreds have been evacuated through not only this convoy but also the other convoys from other countries as well as the military aircraft we've seen flying in from other countries.

So this has been a process, one that came in over the last couple of days before all these people on this convoy effectively met at a golf course before they were convoyed out. The State Department now saying if you still are interested in leaving the country as an American citizen, reach out on a form they have. So it suggests there may be more efforts to get American citizens out of there, Jim.

ACOSTA: It sounds like they've got a lot of work ahead of them.

All right. Oren Liebermann, thank you very much.

We're waiting for a press conference, we should note for our viewers here, in Texas as a manhunt continues for the suspect who police say killed five, including an 8-year-old child.

Stay with us for the very latest. That's coming, we think, in just a few moments. Stick around.

[17:14:22]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: In Texas, a manhunt is under way for a man accused of killing five of his neighbors, including an 8-year-old child. Police say the rampage started when a neighbor asked the man to stop firing his rifle in the front yard.

Joining me now is Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California. Congresswoman, thanks for joining us.

I want to ask you about some of the investigations into former President Trump in just a moment, but I want to begin with yet another mass shooting in this country. There have been at least 174 so far this year.

We were just talking with Shannon Watts, who as you know is a tireless advocate for gun safety in this country. And she's been talking about how there's been so much work done at the state level, not so much at the federal level. Why can't we see more congressional action on this issue?

REP. ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA): Because Republicans in Congress refuse to do it. Even though Republicans in the country want to do something, their representatives in the House and Senate refuse to do anything. So hopefully that will change because, you know, we're the only country in the world that has mass shootings practically every day.

You know, some of my colleagues say, well, it's a mental health problem. America isn't the only place in the world where people have emotional upset. But we're the only one with mass shootings. And the difference is guns. We need to do something about assault weapons. We need to do something about background checks and the like.

[17:19:53]

LOFGREN: So I hope that the Republican voters around the country who want something done will make sure that their representatives change their behavior or replace them with someone who will.

ACOSTA: Let me ask you about former Vice President Mike Pence. He testified for more than five hours before a grand jury investigating the January 6th attack, the one that's dealing with the special counsel here in Washington.

Are you hopeful that this means the special counsel investigating Trump in those efforts to overturn the 2020 election is nearing a decision on possible charges? Is that an indication that you think the viewers should take away from this?

LOFGREN: Well, you know, we don't know where they are. But generally investigators, including the January 6th committee, work our way up. And certainly the former vice president is towards the top of who would know things about the ex-president. He's not the only one. Certainly the former chief of staff Mark

Meadows knows a lot and he refused to appear before our committee. But I would seem -- it would seem to me that they're getting towards the end given this interview.

Obviously we don't know what was said, but he was there a long time and he was in a position to know a lot about what the former president was doing.

ACOSTA: And Congresswoman, as you know, Trump has been ratcheting up his advocacy for people charged in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. And perhaps you saw this a couple of days ago in New Hampshire, obviously a key early primary state. He praised a woman convicted of defying police orders at the Capitol that day. What was your reaction to that when you saw that?

LOFGREN: Well, his shocking embrace of violence just continues and actually is escalating. That rioter, that insurrectionist, has apparently said that she thinks all of the members of the House and Senate who voted to certify the election properly should be executed. And that is who he is embracing.

So his use of violence to try to overturn the election has now been escalated. I think it is certainly a risk to our democracy.

ACOSTA: And as you know, President Biden will speak tonight at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. It comes a month after Russian authorities arrested Evan Gershkovich, "Wall Street Journal" reporter based in Moscow. We know the president is going to be stressing his unwavering commitment to bringing home wrongfully-detained journalists and other Americans people but what does this case tell us about what's happening in Russia? People like Paul Whelan, Brittney Griner and now Evan?

LOFGREN: Well, certainly the Russians have become increasingly authoritarian and increasingly adversarial to the United States.

I agree with President Trump (SIC), we need to take steps to get our hostages released, but it's a delicate balance because if you go too far in a trade to get Americans released, you tend to incent bad actors, bad nations to seize other Americans.

So it's a very delicate task that the president faces. And I think he's done so in some cases successfully. I credit him for that and I hope that he continues to have success. But as I say, it is a very difficult prospect that he faces.

ACOSTA: All right. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

LOFGREN: Any time. You take care.

ACOSTA: All right. You too.

The White House Correspondents' Dinner starts just a couple of hours from now. President Biden is among the big name guests who will be there. So what can we expect?

"Vanity Fair" special correspondent Molly Jong Fast and Republican strategist Doug Heye join us for all of that next and all the big political topics out there. We'll talk about that in just a few moments. Stay with us.

[17:23:57]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Tonight's White House Correspondents' Dinner gets underway in a couple of hours from now. It's a chance for Roy Wood Jr. of "The Daily Show" to lob some one-liners at the likely 2024 presidential candidates. But Roy does not harbor any illusions that his zingers no matter how sharp will cause anyone to change their minds about politics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD, JR. HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Do you think that the Ron DeSantis jokes I've got in the clip for tomorrow, do you think that Ron DeSantis tomorrow is -- you know what, man, you're right. Go ahead and put the black history back in them books.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A glimmer of where this is going?

WOOD: We would hope that -- I saw you and (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a breath and then like a flame went out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: All right. Joining the discussion, "Vanity Fair" special correspondent Molly Jong Fast and Republican strategist Doug Heye, former communications director for the RNC.

Doug and Molly -- great to see both of you. Doug, we all remember how Obama's jokes, I was there that night when it happened, about Donald Trump lit Trump's fuse and had a lot to do with him running for president in 2016. You know, he was motivated by some revenge at that point. How do you think Trump will respond this time around, or DeSantis for that matter, because it sounds like Roy Wood might be taking some wood to Ron DeSantis tonight?

DOUG HEYE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Jim, I was in the room at that White House Correspondents' Dinner as well and there were a lot of laughs at Donald Trump's expense. I'd argue that either Trump did or is getting the last laugh or there's not a lot of laughs since then because of this.

And look, clearly this isn't going to inspire Ron DeSantis to take this position or that position. But a lot of what Trump was doing, when he talked about draining the swamp, he was talking about this dinner as a sign of what the swamp is.

[17:30:00] Obviously, we can have larger conversations of what the swamp is or whether or not Trump was a swamp when he was in the White House. But that's what he campaigned against, in effect.

And so Ron DeSantis, if he's the subject and will be the subject of a lot of jokes, will probably respond, if he responds, in that same vein, that his is what's wrong with Washington and changing the culture of Washington.

Obviously, there's an audience for that in the Republican primary. It's obviously also not something that voters, writ large, are thinking too much about.

ACOSTA: Yes, I think, under Trump, it was the same swamp, different alligators, Doug.

But, Molly, let's take a look at how DeSantis responded this week when a reporter asked him in Tokyo -- he was on this tour around the world. But a reporter asked him in Tokyo how he felt about lagging behind Trump in the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Governor, polls show you falling behind Trump. Any thoughts on that?

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I'm not -- I'm not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Molly, what did you think about that?

MOLLY JONG FAST, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "VANITY FAIR": He has every opportunity to be this charming, charismatic candidate, and every opportunity we see a guy who is sort of a little bit -- you know, look, Trump -- there are many, many, many problems.

But one of the reasons why he was able to win the nomination was that he was able to engage with others. And that is one of the hallmarks of being a successful presidential candidate.

You just see again and again with DeSantis, he comes across as sort of angry and a little bitter and a little belittling. And, you know, I don't think people want to have a beer with that person.

ACOSTA: Yes.

And, Doug -- and we should note to our viewers from time to time we might show you some pictures from the red carpet at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

But Doug, let me ask you about this gentle rebuke, I guess you could call it, from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as McCarthy addressed DeSantis' feud with Walt Disney.

Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I don't think the idea of building a prison next to a place that you bring your family is the best idea. I think it would be much better if you sat down and solved the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I mean, Doug, that was pretty remarkable. This was talking about when DeSantis was sort of jokingly threatening or maybe not jokingly threatening to build a prison next to Walt Disney.

But is that battle to Disney damaging DeSantis on the Hill? You talk to a lot of Republicans up there. What are they saying?

HEYE: They're not saying a whole lot about this issue at this point.

Trump and his campaign skillfully rolled out a lot of endorsements when DeSantis was in D.C. last week, a lot of those being Florida members, which took some of the air out of DeSantis' tires.

But you're not hearing a lot of conversation on the Disney issue specifically with House Republicans. I was in the Rayburn Building this week talking to a couple of Republican members. It's just not what they're focused on.

But Kevin is right. So much of our politics -- and Jim, you and Molly know this -- is a tit for tat, who can own who. Owning the liberals is a big thing in conservative politics.

Clearly that's what DeSantis is trying to do. That can make sense in an amateurish communications way.

But when you do that, when you're also saying, hey, let's build a prison next to this very popular tourist site, that is called the happiest place in America because a lot of kids go there, really not a smart idea on messaging or obviously on the substance.

And that's why you've seen some of the pushback from Kevin McCarthy on this. I think Kevin was 100 percent right. I'm glad he said it.

ACOSTA: Molly, I guess DeSantis is finding out it's not a small world after all when it comes to this kind of politics.

JONG FAST: Yes. Look, ultimately, Republicans are supposed to be for capitalism, right? So capitalism is not destroying businesses because they do stuff you don't like, right? That's crony capitalism.

And so I do think ultimately, it's a very anti-business message that he's showing, which is if you do something I don't like, I'll try to kill your business.

And a lot -- Republicans have done well historically on saying they're pro-business. So this is clearly not pro-business. I think DeSantis tried to run to the right of Trump and he's just made a mess of it. HEYE: Jim, if I could say that, Molly --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Go ahead, Doug.

HEYE: Molly hits a point there. Conservatives are talking about is this a model of conservatism or not? So it's not an issue for House Republicans per se.

But in the larger conservatism community, they are talking about this, and these actions aren't what we would define as conservative.

ACOSTA: Molly and Doug, thanks so much, guys. Appreciate it. See you tonight.

HEYE: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Hopefully, I can make it. See you tonight.

We're looking at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer right there. He's on the red carpet at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Once again, don't miss it, it's later on tonight. President Biden hosts Roy Wood Jr, from "The Daily Show," at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. That's live right here at 8:00 on CNN.

[17:35:02]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking China's president, Xi Jinping, is asking for help getting children back after Russia took them, abducted them from Ukraine. We'll speak with security advisor, Alexander Vindman, coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: All right, you're looking at live pictures right now at the red carpet at the Washington Hilton where, in just a couple of hours from now, the White House Correspondents' Dinner will get under way.

Tonight is one of the biggest days in the nation's capital. President Biden and Roy Wood Jr Of "The Daily Show"" will be headlining this event.

Of course, it's an event that provides money to young journalists who are coming up via scholarships.

Also calls attention to the plight of the free press around the world, journalists around the world.

They'll be paying special attention to the case of Evan Gershkovich, the "Wall Street Journal" reporter currently being detained in Russia. There will be discussion of him tonight.

[17:40:05] And you can see one of my former colleagues, ABC's Jonathan Karl, right there on the red carpet enjoying some of the local paparazzi as they're snapping his photo going through.

But you'll see lots of members of Congress, journalists and so on flowing through this area in just a few moments from now.

We are hopeful, as we get going here, that we'll have the headliner of this event, Roy Wood Jr. We understand he might be able to join us in just a few moments so stay tuned for that.

But as we were just talking about with Molly Jong Fast and Doug Heye a few moments ago, this is one of those events every year, depending on your feelings, about the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Sometimes folks roll their eyes at this sort of event and say there's the swamp in action.

But it's also an event to unwind a little bit, listen to some jokes poked at folks here in Washington and get some money to some young journalists which is always a good cause.

In the meantime, shifting gears to the situation in Ukraine, search- and-rescue operations are over right now in Uman, Ukraine, following a deadly Russian missile strike that hit a residential building. The attack left at least 23 people dead, including six children.

The Ukrainian military is preparing to launch a counteroffensive. President Zelenskyy says his troops still need certain types of weapons and more ammunition to fight the Russians there.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman joins us now. He's the former National Security Council European affairs director.

Colonel Vindman, great to see you as always. We appreciate it.

When this counteroffensive does get under way, and I suspect we'll see it under way, what do you think we should see? What should we expect?

LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBER & U.S. ARMY, RETIRED: Hey, Jim, good to see you as always.

First, you mentioned Uman. I think most of your viewers probably don't know this, but that city is considered a holy city for a sect of Orthodox Judaism. There are pilgrimages to that city on a regular basis.

And it's frankly kind of shocking that this country claims to be fighting Nazis but in fact behaves itself as Fascists.

With regards to the movement, the counteroffensive, frankly, in my base scenario, the most likely course of action is Ukraine will be highly successful.

There is an extreme scenario in which Ukraine is able to get all the way down to the sea to Mariupol, but that's unlikely since they haven't been property resources for that fight.

But they have the fighting spirit to achieve major gains, something like Kharkiv and Kherson we witnessed last night.

It's highly unlikely they won't achieve major gains. They are a valiant and a fighting force that are fairly well equipped and will pack some punch.

ACOSTA: They certainly packed a punch so far.

But, Colonel Vindman, I have to ask you about this as being very disturbing.

In a call earlier this week, President Zelenskyy said he had asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help with the return of Ukrainian children that were forcibly deported to Russia. We've reported on this forcible deportation issue for many months now.

But what does this say, Colonel Vindman, about Ukraine, that they have to go through -- that Zelenskyy has to go through Xi Jinping to help get these kids back? It's just unbelievable.

VINDMAN: Sure. So I think frankly it shows that Zelenskyy is quite shrewd. I experienced this firsthand in my interactions with him on the phone calls when he was getting Donald Trump's request for help against the Bidens.

He took the offer for Chinese help to mediate, which is frankly irrelevant, and the Ukrainians - it's a nonstarter from the Ukrainians' standpoint because it's an effort to freeze the battlefield and pivoting to something that the Chinese can deliver.

It would be in the Chinese interests to kind of demonstrate their bona fides if they can help with the repatriation of kidnapped children. So I think it's a very kind of -- it's a savvy move to get the Chinese to play some sort of constructive role, not just rhetorically or nonstarter peace efforts.

I think it's useful. But we also have to recognize that Russia has a seat on the U.N. Security Council. Russia itself hasn't been the target of any real kind of attacks. The Ukrainians are mainly focused on liberating their territory.

So there is no real other recourse to liberate those children without external pressure --

(CROSSTALK)

ACOSTA: Well, I was going to ask you, Colonel -- right, but I was going to ask you a follow-up.

What does it say about the horrendous human rights situation in Ukraine that you have all of these children that have been forcibly deported? It sounds as though Zelenskyy, as you said, is being very shrewd about this but doesn't have a lot of options in terms of getting these kids back and has to go to China for help. [17:45:05]

I mean, I understand he's playing the politics of this in the shrewdest way possible. But it does go to, does it not, this terrible human rights situation with these children?

VINDMAN: It does. I think he's doing two things. First of all, he's giving the Chinese a chance to play a constructive role and something that could maybe help get some of those children back earlier.

But I am frankly slightly more hopeful that, as this war gets into negotiation phase, part of the deal is going to include the repatriation of Ukrainian citizens that were kidnapped. Thousands and thousands of children.

So once the Ukrainians conduct the counteroffensive, the pressure will be on Putin to either do another round of mobilization or pivot to negotiations.

As part of those negotiations, he's going to have to return Ukrainian service members. He's going to have to return Ukrainian children. I think that's part of where this conflict is going.

ACOSTA: All right, Colonel Alexander Vindman, always great to talk to you. Our time is a little tight this afternoon but we'll get you back very soon. Really appreciate it as always. Thanks so much.

Back to the red carpet at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. President Biden, Roy Wood Jr hosting this year's event. That comedian who's co-hosting the event, he joins me now live from the red carpet.

Do I have Roy -- there he is right there, Roy Wood Jr Of "The Daily Show."

ROY WOOD JR, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Yes, you do!

ACOSTA: Yes, we do.

WOOD: Hello, Jim!

ACOSTA: And of the White House Correspondents' Dinner as well.

I guess, you know, can you give us a preview? I know you can't give any spoilers right now, but maybe a little bit of a taste of what's to come?

WOOD: Jim, there is just so much chaos in the world right now. I don't even know what I'm going to do yet.

Look, this is -- these are all the cards. These are all of the bits, and I don't know which ones are going to get done. Trevor Noah was cutting jokes last year while Biden was on stage. So you can have in your head what you think you're going to do.

We don't know. Five more people might get fired before I even go in there tonight, Jim. It's crazy. People are losing jobs left and right for doing nothing more than just telling lies on television.

If you can't tell a lie on TV where else can you tell the lie?

ACOSTA: Well, that is a problem at one particular channel.

Let me ask you, Roy, hosts of the White House Correspondents' Dinner are not known for pulling their punches with the politicians.

Who are you going to be having some fun with tonight?

WOOD: We've got to go at everybody. I don't want to come in here and make some situation where you're throwing jokes only at one side of the room.

Biden and them have some scandals that I think it's fair to speak on. I think it's fair to speak on what's going on with the president and whichever scandal you want to pull up about Trump, if you're really being real about it.

Also when a governor goes to war against a mouse in Florida, it has to be spoken about. I'm sorry. You don't cross Mickey.

ACOSTA: And how did you prepare for tonight, Roy? I know you're a pro at this. This is what you do.

Any special preparations we should know about? Any special exercises maybe?

WOOD: Nothing -- nothing really out of the ordinary. I mean, it's jokes so you run them in the comedy club.

There's also certain parts of the material that you know is just for the people in the room. It's elected officials. It's members of the media. So you want to make sure that you're doing something that speaks to their craft and what they do.

But at the end of the day, this is a performance like every other performance I've done for the last 25 years in my career.

So you approach it on getting on stage, and whatever they don't laugh at, don't say that again.

(CROSSTALK)

WOOD: Or it was funny and you all don't have any sense of humor or you're drunk.

ACOSTA: Well, that is a problem in Washington. It might be one or the other or both.

But let me ask you, Roy, as you know, there are times when the comedians do very well out there. There are times when it doesn't work out so well. I mean that's pressure.

WOOD: Yes, it's definitely pressure. But it's also a privilege. It's an opportunity to get on stage and not only crack a joke or two, but I get an opportunity to spit whatever I want back at elected officials and try to hold them accountable a little bit.

I don't think there's some magic joke tonight that's going to fix all of the policies that are jacked up in Washington. But if you can at least say it, then at least the people that are suffering in those situations can feel like somebody has got their back.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. You're doing a public service, there's no question about it, Roy. Just know that I will be ducking under the table if you look in my direction.

But thank you very much for being with us, Roy. Great talking to you. Good luck tonight.

WOOD: No, you good. You good. If there's anything to talk about at CNN, it's not you.

[17:50:04]

ACOSTA: That's a good point. Let's not go down that road right now if you don't mind.

But anyway, we don't want to give any spoilers away.

WOOD: No.

ACOSTA: We'll let you do that later tonight.

Roy, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Good talking to you.

And make sure to tune in tonight. The White House Correspondents' Dinner. It airs on CNN at 8:00 Eastern. Roy Wood obviously, he is fired up and ready to go.

We'll be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: As the United Kingdom prepares to crown King Charles III, what does this moment mean to the modern world. CNN has a special look on "THE WHOLE STORY" tomorrow night with Anderson Cooper tomorrow night at 8:00.

[17:55:04]

Our Erica Hill has a preview of "The Reign Begins: Charles and Camilla."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR & NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jim, this is such a fascinating look at where things stand in 2023.

Because after the passing of Queen Elizabeth -- she was on the throne for 70 years -- questions that maybe always existed in the United Kingdom and beyond are getting new attention today, including what the monarchy does in 2023, and how long it may be here. (CHEERING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The king is acutely aware, like his late mother was, that they're only there as long as the public wants them to be there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Britain, among 18- to 24-year-olds, specifically, where now more than 60 percent would support abolishing the monarchy.

HILL: The way I understand it, there is no real rule about how the U.K. would go about abolishing the monarchy.

We have no constitution. Others have constitutions. So that political world has to be there to abolish the monarchy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The monarchy does depend on taxpayer's money. It receives 80 to 90 million pounds every year. Every year, that goes through the parliamentary process.

(voice-over): Last year, the royal family cost each U.K. taxpayer roughly $1.60. While that number is admittedly low, amid rising inflation, it is the optics that really add up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The current generation are about to go through a cost-of-living crisis. It is his problem now. In the future, it might be Williams' problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: So, Jim, there are a lot of questions. This man, this moment.

There are also a lot of questions about the queen. And we'll get into that, too. Who is Queen Camilla? How important, how integral has she been to King Charles over the last several decades?

And how important is she for the monarchy and the family as a whole as they try to assess this moment, and what the monarchy will mean not just in 2023 but beyond.

Lots to dig into. We had a great time doing it. And I think you may hear a few surprises along the way -- Jim?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: All right, thanks, Erica.

Don't miss "THE WHOLE STORY" with Anderson Cooper, "The Reign Begins, Charles and Camilla." You will see it tomorrow night at 8:00, right here on CNN.

A manhunt in Texas right now for a man suspected of carrying out a mass shooting. The latest is next, here on the CNN NEWSROOM.

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