Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Manhunt Intensifies After Five Killed, Including Eight-Year- Old; FDIC Running Auction To Buy First Republic Bank; Ukraine's President Says Counteroffensive To De-Occupy Territories Is Coming; Second Convoy Of U.S. Citizens Reaches Port Sudan; Tornado Rips Through Florida Community, Damages Homes; Stalling Over Debt Ceiling As Financial Emergency Approaches. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired April 30, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: As a kid, like running back Bijan Robinson. His first team he ever played for named the Falcons, he wore number eight, well, Fred, Bijan, as fate would have it for him, he was drafted number eight by the Falcons. Right here to Atlanta he'll go, rise up.

And bottom left of your screen is Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn in tears after the team drafted his son Deuce Vaughn in the sixth round yesterday. The team let dad make the call and be the one to tell Deuce that he'd made it to the NFL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS VAUGHN, DALLAS COWBOYS TEAM SCOUT: Hey, buddy.

DEUCE VAUGHN, CHRIS VAUGHN'S SON: How's it going?

C. VAUGHN: It's going good. This is Dad. My phone wouldn't work, and look at here, man. You want to come to work with me next week?

D. VAUGHN: I wouldn't mind that at all.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Deuce Vaughn is just 5'5", the shortest player ever measured at the NFL combine. Dad said that he didn't know that his team was going to draft him or if his son would be drafted at all, Fred. He said it was the best phone call he's ever made in his life.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Oh, my gosh, that made me so (INAUDIBLE). All right, Coy Wire, thank you so much for bringing that. Loved it.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me, I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Armed and dangerous, that's how police in Texas are describing the suspect in a horrific mass shooting. 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza has not been seen since Friday night's attack in Cleveland, Texas. Investigators say he opened fire on his neighbors when they asked him to stop shooting his rifle outside so that their baby could sleep. Five people were killed, including an 8-year-old. Authorities are expected to give an update on the manhunt at any moment.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is there in Cleveland, Texas. He's joining us now on the phone.

So, Ed, what has been said thus far?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, the last we had heard from law enforcement investigators is that the trail for 32-year-old Francisco Oropeza has gone cold on Saturday. However, investigators are -- just moments away at some point here in the next few minutes scheduled to hold a briefing with reporters covering the story for an update.

We don't know exactly what they plan on saying or exactly the nature of what this update will entail. But the search in the manhunt has continued well overnight and into this Sunday afternoon as well. All of this stemming from the deadly shooting that took place Friday night just outside of the town of Cleveland, Texas, which is about an hour's drive northeast of the Houston area.

And that's where investigators say Oropeza was upset with his neighbors who had asked him to stop firing his firearms on Friday night because one of their babies was trying to sleep in their home. And it was after that confrontation, if you want to call it that, that investigators say Oropeza walked over to that neighbor's house. There were 10 people inside. And he started shooting people, killing five in all.

And there were five other people, including several small children who survived the attack. But Oropeza left the scene and then that manhunt has continued since that Friday night shooting. Investigators say they are continuing to search, and that search has continued since Friday night. This is the sheriff here in San Jacinto County who spoke with reporters yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF GREG CAPERS, SAN JACINTO COUNTY, TEXAS: He could be anywhere now. The tracking dogs from Texas Department of Corrections picked up the scent, and then they lost that scent in the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So that's what -- some of the last comments we've gotten from investigators here talking about that trail going cold. We don't know if that information is about to change here, Fredricka, in the next few moments as we await to hear from the special agent in charge of the FBI Houston field office, which has essentially taken over this investigation as they continue to search for this suspect. And he'll also be joined by the sheriff here in San Jacinto County. But that is the headline from here in Cleveland, Texas, this afternoon. WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much. We'll continue

to monitor the start of that press conference, that update.

All right. Meantime, a dangerous roof collapse in Ohio has reportedly sent 14 people to the hospital. Officials say the roof of a porch fell during a house party near the campus of Ohio State University. As many as 45 students were reportedly on top of the roof when it collapsed. The injured were transported to a nearby hospital and are in stable condition.

And now to major developments in the fate of the First Republic Bank. A source tells CNN that the FDIC is holding an auction to buy the bank with the bidding closing just minutes ago. "The Wall Street Journal" previously reported that JPMorgan Chase and PNC Financial were among the major banks vying to take it over.

With us now, CNN reporter Matt Egan and Ryan Patel, senior fellow at the Claremont Graduate University's Drucker School of Management.

[16:05:04]

Good to see both of you. Matt, you first. What's going on? What's the latest with First Republic?

MATT EGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the big question right now is whether or not a white knight will emerge to buy this ailing regional bank, First Republic. Just a few minutes ago final bids were due in the auction that is being held for First Republic by the FDIC.

Now, no word yet on whether or not any big banks have bid enough to satisfy regulators. But we should find out pretty soon. In the past we've seen that U.S. officials have tried to come up with solutions during the middle of a bank crisis before global markets open. And the clock is ticking. Markets open in Tokyo in less than two hours.

Now, First Republic has been teetering really for weeks. This bank's stock price is down by 97 percent since the bank crisis began in March. March 1, it was trading at $122. And look at that. It's now below $4. And for some context, this is not some tiny bank. It held $233 billion in assets as of the end of March. That means if the FDIC did step in here, this would be the second biggest bank failure in American history.

Now, First Republic really had been the envy of the bank industry for a long time because it caters to rich clients. The problem, though, is that the Silicon Valley Bank implosion last month, that made a lot of uninsured depositors, those above $250,000 that made them nervous. And First Republic disclosed just how nervous last week. The bank said that a stunning 41 percent of its deposits left the bank during the first quarter alone. That equated to a loss of $72 billion in deposits.

Fredricka, now we wait to see if the FDIC will decide to take control of First Republic or if another big bank will come to the rescue.

WHITFIELD: So, Ryan, how do you see it? Could potentially be the case that another big bank doesn't bid enough for First Republic and FDIC says, no, it's going to be, you know, our property after all?

RYAN PATEL, SENIOR FELLOW, DRUCKER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, CLAREMONT GRADUATE UNIVERSITY: Well, I think that's the worst-case scenario. I think the FDIC is probably behind the scenes working to make sure the bids are in. Just to be clear, those bids that they're making, they're binding. So when you think of JPMorgan, it's reported JPMorgan, BOA, PNC is another one that's in there in the mix. They could potentially not bid enough.

But I have a felling, if you think about it from the FDIC perspective and the government's perspective, you know, that is the best-case scenario to make sure that there (INAUDIBLE) to make sure somebody gets it because at the end of the day, if the FDIC picked it over, the government is involved, it's more of a loss. So you kind of -- you know, it's kind of a negotiation this aspect. Obviously the bids are in. But I would have a feeling, when you're on banking side who were making some of these bids, there are bids that are kind of really extreme, they're saying, well, what if they take it? And there's banks who want to take this and be able to add it to its operational aspect --

WHITFIELD: All right. Ryan, I'm sorry. I have to interrupt you there. We have to go to San Jacinto County, Texas, for an update on the manhunt for the person allegedly who shot and killed five.

CAPERS: San Jacinto and Liberty Counties have thrown in 5,000 for a total of $55,000 so far for this suspect's arrest. Today is, or tonight is going to be the Texas police officer's memorial. We had a constable die in our county about a year ago, maybe a little over. And I was supposed to walk his wife -- be her escort tonight.

I have elected not to do that. I have called her. I have talked to her. She understands. My main intent and focus is 100 percent on capturing this suspect. The deputy's name was Neil Adams. And he was a constable for San Jacinto County in Precinct One.

Tonight, or this evening here in about an hour and a half, at 4:30, they're doing a vigil for the 8-year-old that went to Northside Elementary in Cleveland, Texas. Once again, I would love to be there, but I'm going to be here looking, searching for this suspect.

My heart is with this 8-year-old little boy. I don't care if he was here legally. I don't care if he was here illegally. He was in my county. Five people died in my county. And that is where my heart is, in my county protecting my people to the best of our ability.

[16:10:00]

We have over 150 policemen here yesterday looking for this suspect. Today, it's well over 200 and more officers from other agencies are coming in to help us find this suspect. It is my number one priority to find him, as it is everybody that's out here looking for him. With that, I'm going to turn it over to the special agent, Mr. Smith.

JAMES SMITH, FBI HOUSTON SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Good afternoon. I would like to announce that the FBI is also offering an additional $25,000 for the apprehension of this subject. So it brings the total amount of the reward to $80,000. If anybody, whether you are here in this county or this state of Texas or around the country, have any tips, we're asking you to please call 1-800-FBI-Tips. 24/7 this phone line will be available if anyone has any information that could lead to the arrest of this subject.

Like the sheriff has said, we have over 200 law enforcement personnel from federal, state and local agencies trying to bring this subject into custody so we can bring justice to those five victims and to ensure this community is safe. We cannot continue down this path until we get him apprehended and arrested. So, again, we're asking everyone for your help so we can bring this suspect or this monster, I will call him, to justice. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sheriff?

CAPERS: Yes, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Could you speak to the status of the other children who were found in the home?

CAPERS: Well, the three children that we loaded that night and put in the ambulance, they were covered in blood from the same ladies that were laying on top of them trying to protect them.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Where are they now?

CAPERS: They're safe. They're with family. And they are -- they're safe.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: This question really for either of you two gentlemen. Can you tell us a little bit about the search? Have you narrowed it down at all to a certain area where the suspect might be? Has he been able to get far? What do you know about where he might be?

SMITH: Right now we just don't know because if we did, we would have him in custody right now. We do not know where he is. We don't have any tips right now to where he may be. And that's why we've come up with this reward so that hopefully somebody out there can call us. I pretty much can guarantee he's contacted some of his friends. We just don't know what friends they are.

And that's what we need from the public is any type of information because right now we're just -- we're running into dead ends.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The longer this goes on, does it get harder?

SMITH: Well, yes, it does get harder. It will get harder.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you all believe that the suspect is still in the area?

SMITH: We do not know. Like I said, right now we have zero leads.

CAPERS: I mean, I can tell you that right now we're going door to door with these 200 officers. They're going door to door, knocking on people's homes, or knocking on people's houses, asking questions, looking for tips. This $80,000 is, in my opinion, a real good motivator to have somebody turn him in. We currently are having billboard poster signs made 4 foot by 5 foot written in Spanish so that that community can help itself.

And if they read that sign, they will know that there's an $80,000 reward out for this man. And that's just today. Who knows what tonight or tomorrow will bring. But we're looking for closure for this family.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Fifteen to 20 miles away, was that going off GPS or just gut feeling? What's the change to go door to door now versus when you told people that he was probably 15, 20 miles away?

CAPERS: OK. I don't remember saying 15 to 20 miles away. I might have said five. But -- we're not going to get into hashing that out. But we have been going door to door. We didn't have the personnel right at the get-go to do that. I have a very small county. And with the help of the FBI, the Harris County, Montgomery County, all these agencies, Liberty County, I could sit here for five minutes and tell you who all here.

But with their help we're sending them people door to door looking for any kind of a lead, a camera, a ring camera, a security camera, anything that they might be able to tell us.

[16:15:03]

They knew him. They knew he went here. They knew he did this. They knew he did that. That's what we're --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you talk about the photo? You guys sent out a wrong photo of the suspect.

SMITH: Yes, I can comment on that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: That (INAUDIBLE) out and you're also now saying to spell his name with an S and not a Z. Can you explain that?

SMITH: Well, as you can see, an investigation like this we're receiving information from a whole slew of agencies and the citizens. And it was a mistake on our side of it. We identified it. We acted quickly to remove that photo and we went back -- we looked at what we had, and now we're 100 percent confident we have the right photo out there. But it was a mistake. We will own up on it.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) his photo was shared, he's a truck driver out of the Ft. Worth area. His family says their lives are in danger now as well as his career. What would you tell them?

SMITH: Well, we've already talked to him. All right? I don't want to go further into the discussions we've had with him. So --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE).

SMITH: I will say we've spoken to him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sheriff --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One more question, everybody.

SMITH: I'm sorry?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you been able to interview the suspect's wife? Has she been any help at all?

CAPERS: Yes, ma'am, we have. She's been interviewed two or three times. And she's in constant contact. If we need her, she's available and vice versa. We're available for her as well.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: My understanding is that she was also threatening the family as well, or going against the family, telling them stuff. Do you know anything about that?

CAPERS: I'm unclear on what you --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The wife, the wife. She was also telling them that it was their fault.

CAPERS: That's news to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

SMITH: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, gentlemen.

WHITFIELD: All right. As you heard, $80,000 reward along with 200 plus officers from various jurisdictions, all part of the ongoing manhunt looking for 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza. And then while tonight a vigil will be held for the 8-year-old who was among the five killed Friday night.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:17]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Ukraine's president says that an operation to retake more of its territory from Russia is coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE (through translator): Let's be honest. First, there will be a counteroffensive. We are preparing for it. It will happen. I really believe that it will be successful and we will be able to de-occupy our territories. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Observers say that counteroffensive could be at any moment.

And meantime, Russian mercenaries say they're running out of ammunition in the town of Bakhmut. The head of the Wagner Group is warning he might pull his fighters from the battle there if they don't get resupplied.

CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is in Ukraine for us.

So, Nick, what more do we know about how Ukraine's planned counteroffensive would unfold?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: We know very little. And that's exactly how Kyiv wants it. They have said publicly they're not going to say where or when or how this is going to begin. A lots, though, of the analysts sort of speculating that Zaporizhzhia, where I'm standing in the south, essentially the part of occupied territories that links the Crimean Peninsula occupied by Russia in 2014 and the rest of occupied Ukraine that that may end up being the target.

But frankly we could be in for surprises here certainly. Ukraine has, it's clear, been doing precision strikes on parts of Russian infrastructure in occupied areas particularly in the Kherson area along the Dnipro River and also in (INAUDIBLE), not far from where I'm standing in Zaporizhzhia. And also, too, in Crimea, hitting an enormous fuel depot there. Massive fire that burned overnight. A lot of efforts taken just to put that fire out.

Suggestions, too, that tonight we may be seeing more strikes in various parts of the country, possibly by Russian aviation as well. This increased tension building certainly over the past week, perhaps the preclude to the counteroffensive or even maybe its early stages.

For Russia's part, though, as you said, a public series of comments by Yevgeni Prigozhin, probably one of the more well-known military figures in Russia, head of the Wagner mercenary group, who've been so much part of the brutal fight Russia's put up for symbolic but not strategically that important city of Bakhmut. Thousands dying in that.

He's basically said we're not getting the ammunition, the artillery shells that we need. Only 2 percent of what he says they need. And pointed the finger squarely at Russian's defense officials for not supplying what they say they actually need.

Now, I should point out, Prigozhin has got a history of making statements often without evidence that later turn out not to be correct. But it's interesting that given we are hours, possibly days away from this counteroffensive beginning, a real test of Russia's armed forces that he's publicly stepping out and pointing fingers towards defense chiefs back in Moscow, one of whom in fact appears to have been removed in the past days. The deputy defense minister responsible for a lot of the activities

here in Ukraine taken from his post. What does this mean? Well, it means Moscow is really airing its disputes in public. And that's not a good sign if they're trying to be unified and focus ahead of fending off the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The Ukrainians silent and it does appear from what we're seeing here also beginning to move, too. A lot riding on what happens in the weeks ahead. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, thanks so much.

All right. Still ahead, we're just learning about a second U.S.-led evacuation convoy that has reached the Port of Sudan. We'll have details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:29:17]

WHITFIELD: All right. This just in to CNN a second convoy of U.S. citizens has arrived in Port Sudan. It is part of a U.S. government- led effort to evacuate its citizens from Sudan where fighting began two weeks ago between rival military factions. The first convoy arrived yesterday and brought citizens out of the capital to Port Sudan and then on to Saudi Arabia.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House for us.

Priscilla, what are we learning about this second mission?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned there, Fred, this is now the second convoy in the latest development in that effort to evacuate U.S. citizens from Sudan where there has been fighting.

Now, according to the State Department, nearly 1,000 citizens have been evacuated. And they have provided some detail as to how these convoys have been organized and protected.

[16:30:00]

That includes military surveillance overwatch, coordination with other nations on flights and convoys, as well as, diplomatic outreach to U.S. citizens in Sudan.

Now, the State Department has also said that fewer than 5,000 citizens have sought guidance from the government. Now, of course, the U.S. and the White House, in particular, has been under pressure to get U.S. citizens out of Sudan amid the fighting. We have heard from family members who have relatives there, some of them dual citizens who have been trying to leave the country.

So, we anticipate that there will be more developments as the U.S. tries to assist those citizens who are trying to leave. Again, this is the second convoy. The first arrived to Port Sudan yesterday. So, we'll see what develops from here.

WHITFIELD: Perfect. All right. Thank you so much, Priscilla Alvarez at the White House.

All right. And this is pretty hard to believe, but take a look at this video. A car literally flipped into the air after a tornado ripped through Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. That same storm system now moved north, the latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:35:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Parts of Yosemite National Park have reopened today for daytime use only. Portions of the park were forced to close, Friday, over flooding concerns as warm temperatures were beginning to melt the enormous amount of winter snow. The National Park Service is reminding visitors to avoid approaching river fronts because they are, "Running high and are extremely dangerous."

And take a look at this, incredible video. A tornado barreled through Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Sending a car right into the air, as you're about to see, and then leaving behind a trail of damage. The National Weather Service says, the tornado was at least an EF-1 with winds of 100 miles per hour. And now that same storm system is expected to reach part of the mid-Atlantic and New England, states with more than 10 million Americans now under a severe storm threat.

Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy began his first trip abroad as house speaker with a stop in Israel. He's leading a bipartisan delegation with 16 other members of Congress. The group of lawmakers paid a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem where they paid -- where they prayed, rather, for peace in the United States and for Israel. McCarthy is expected to address Israel's parliament tomorrow. The first U.S. House Speaker to do so since Newt Gingrich back in 1988. Israel also celebrated its 75th anniversary of statehood last week.

Meanwhile, back home, the battle lines over the debt ceiling are once again being drawn on Capitol Hill, with only weeks to avert a potential global financial crisis. Just a few days ago, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy narrowly pushed a bill through the House to raise the debt ceiling and impose $4.8 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade.

But with President Biden refusing to negotiate over paying the nation's bills, Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked on the high-stakes issue going into another pivotal week on Capitol Hill. CNN's Alayna Treene joining us right now. Alayna, what is the next step in this standoff?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Fred, Kevin McCarthy accomplished a major feat this weekend, pushing that bill through the House, but he has a much greater challenge ahead in trying to navigate how to avoid a default, and that debt limit bill did not bring Congress any closer to accomplishing that goal. The White House and Democrats are slamming this bill as an unserious

proposal that is dead on arrival in the Senate. They're also digging in on their refusal to negotiate any sort of spending cuts that are tied to the debt ceiling. And that leaves Congress in a dangerous stalemate over how to find a way forward in a bill that both sides could support.

And so, really the question now is what's next. Republicans argue that next step is for President Bide to the sit down with Republicans and begin hashing out a deal. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer was on CNN this morning reiterating that position. Here is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM EMMER (R-MN): The White House, since this Congress began, has had no ideas whatsoever except jacking up taxes and spending even more money for a country that is in trouble financially. We got to get this right, Dana. And the Senate -- the Schumer Senate, they have no ideas either. It's just repeated rhetoric.

So, to say it's dead-on-arrival in the Senate, when you've got even Joe Manchin suggesting support for this type of approach, I think that's not exactly accurate. Our recommendation is we pass it through the House, take it up in the Senate and pass it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, Fred, Emmer is saying, take it up in the Senate and pass it, but the votes just aren't there in the Senate which is run by Democrats. And so, the bill will die there. And really, I would say Democrats are also refusing to even consider that Republican bill as a jumping off point for a future deal. And so, there's not really a big chance of seeing any sort of further passage of that.

But I will point out that there are beginning to be cracks in the Democrat's position. Emmer mentioned Senator Joe Manchin, He's one of a growing number of Democrats who are urging President Biden to move forward and start negotiating on this. And really, it's all about timing. Congress is running out of time. The current estimates put the deadline for when a deal must be reached at some point in July.

And meanwhile, Congress is out this week or the House at least is out on recess this week. And so, it doesn't look like there will be any further action at least in the immediate next few days on this. And so, we'll have to wait and see whether a meeting will take place in the coming weeks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna Treene, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

TREENE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, excitement is building across the pond. The coronation of King Charles III is just days away. We'll look at how the U.K. is preparing and who will and who will not be there, straight ahead.

[16:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're just days away from the coronation of King Charles III, an event that has only been televised once before when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned 70 years ago. And now, as final preparations are under way, 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.

[16:45:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR AND NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, we know there's so much focus on this family. Not just the families, the royals, but that family dynamic. All of the stuff that happens behind closed doors, specifically what is the relationship right now between King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry. We know Prince Harry is going to be at the coronation. He's flying solo. The Duchess of Sussex staying home with the kids. But what will we see from him? It's interesting because some of the experts we spoke with said what they see in Harry reminds them a lot of his father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a great deal of similarity, I think, between the Prince of Wales. At times raging against the machine and saying, I want to do this and I want to talk about that. And by the way, I know what I'm talking about and I'm not afraid to say it. Who does that remind you? Reminds me massively of Harry.

HILL: In his book "Spare", Harry writes that Charles had always been discouraged from hard work, he told me. He then advised that the heir shouldn't do too much. Shouldn't try too hard for fear of outshining the monarch, but he'd rebelled. Is Charles a rebel? Does anyone feel he is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't call him a rebel. I think that he has developed a sense of self-awareness and gone at things in a different way, but I wouldn't say that that would be -- I wouldn't call that rebelling.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he would like to see himself --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- as a rebel in revolutionary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: King Charles is not rebellion, certainly not revolutionary, I wish he was, but I doubt he would do anything to wrong (ph) the book.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charles had points when he was absolutely raging against the machine, and exactly the same way Harry did. There are so many parallels. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, rebellious King Charles? Rebellious Prince Harry, I'll let you decide. But that's not the only interesting and perhaps somewhat controversial take that we got from some of our experts in these discussions. These fascinating debates. We're also going to dive into the monarchy itself. What is its role in 2023?

How do people in the U.K. and beyond feel about it? What about its history? What is the royal family doing to address the not so pretty past here? All of that is ahead. So, I hope you can join us tonight on "The Whole Story" as we took a look at the reign, "The Reign Begins: Charles and Camilla". Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Can't wait to see it. Erica Hill, thank you so much. So, tune in tonight "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper" at 8:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

All right. Let's talk about the excitement and the preparation with Emily Nash, she is the royal editor at "Hello!" magazine and joins us now from London. Hello, Emily. All right. So, what should we expect --

EMILY NASH, ROYAL EDITOR, HELLO! MAGAZINE: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: -- what should we expect next Saturday? Is this going to, you know, be a mood that is a nod to tradition or modernity or both?

NASH: Well, we're going to see an amazing blend between something that has its roots in a thousand years of British history. The coronation ceremony with quite a few modern twists. It's going to be the most inclusive and representative coronation service that's ever been held in this country. We have lots of women taking part for the first time, women clergy members. We have people from all different faith backgrounds also taking part. And this is a real departure from what is fundamentally, you know, a traditional Christian ceremony.

HILL: So, what can we count on in terms of what kind of demeanor we see in King Charles and now people have to get used to saying Queen Camilla?

NASH: Well, you know, everyone knows the king very well. They know him -- they've known him as the Prince of Wales for many, many years. We know his likes, his dislikes. We know more about him than we ever knew about his late mother. And that said though, people have seen a difference, I think, since his reign began upon the death of his late mother in September. He has had to navigate a more difficult tight rope, I suppose. He's not able to speak out as openly on issues that he has done in the past because he has to remain neutral.

And Camilla herself had an incredible transformation over the past 20 years or so. She's gone from being one of the most hated women in the country. You know, she was widely blamed for the breakdown of his marriage to Diana. And yet, you know, their love story has endured. And she has put in the hours. She's put in the hard work. She's dedicated herself, both to the monarchy and the incredibly supportive to the king. I think people realized that she's made him happy. WHITFIELD: And then, you know, Emily, I wonder -- you know, what kind of presence we'll see in King Charles. Because the queen was very careful, very calculated about when she was visible. The occasions in which to do so. And I wonder if he might be more visible because he wants people to get used to the fact that he is king and hi, you know, leadership, his monarchy will be different than that of his mom.

[16:50:00]

NASH: Absolutely. And you know, he has no time to waste. He's 74 years old. He is going to be the longest serving -- well, he is the longest serving heir ever. He'll be the oldest monarch ever crowned in this country. And he wants to get out there and do what he can in the time that he has left to him, as he famously said in the days after his mother's death. And he understands that he has to be visible.

But also, that the monarchy has to be relatable, approachable. We've seen him already being a lot more tactile than his mother ever was. On walkabouts outside the palace. I do think he's going to do things in his own way.

WHITFIELD: What about his sons? I mean, you know, all eyes are always on William and Harry. And we know, you know, how tenuous things have been recently involving Prince Harry. But then do you think the, you know, that the monarchy is struggling with how, you know, do, I guess, Harry and William adorn their dad? I mean, what are their roles visibly? I mean, what can we expect?

NASH: Well, they're going to be in stark contrast next Saturday. You know, we're going to see Harry, I think, very briefly coming perhaps just for the ceremony itself. There are reports that he's going to be leaving immediately afterwards to go back to California.

Whereas William is playing a very central role in this ceremony. He will kneel before his father, place his hands between the king's hands, and pledge an oath of allegiance. He will say, he's going to be his liegeman of life and limb. These are words that we last heard when the Duke of Edinburgh said them to the queen at her coronation.

These are very strong ties of royal blood, as they're described in the liturgy of this ceremony. And I think that that will stand in sharp contrast on the day given what we know about their relationship behind the scenes.

WHITFIELD: Powerful moments. The world will be watching. Emily Nash, thank you so much.

NASH: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And don't forget, everyone, you can watch the coronation of King Charles III beginning at 5:00 a.m. eastern time next Saturday right here on CNN.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered a flood of refugees, and many of them were pet owners 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 CNN Heroes salutes Ukraine's vet crew. Anderson Cooper shares their story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAL STOYANOV, VETERINARIAN: A lot of people think that all 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 AND CORRESPONDENT: For more than a year now, the Stoyanovs (ph) 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.

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

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

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

V. STOYANOV: A lot of people write that, guys, hold on. You are heroes. It's huge, huge support, and we are very grateful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. To get the full story and to nominate your own hero, go to cnnheroes.com. We'll be right back celebrating for heroes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:55:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIE NELSON, SINGER: On the road again, like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We're the best of friends, insisting that the world keep turning our way. And our way, is on the road again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, nice. That is how legendary singer-songwriter Willie Nelson is celebrating his 90th birthday this weekend, performing next to fellow music legend Snoop Dogg on stage at the Hollywood Bowl. All weekend a star-studded group of friends and musicians, rather, are celebrating Nelson, the best way they know how, with a concert. Superstars like Neil Young and Chris Stapleton also joining in on the show last night as well.

And Willie will be back onstage tonight with a bunch more of his friends for one more giant night of music. Happy 90th to Shotgun Willie. An American icon. All right. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The newsroom continues with Jim Acosta in a moment. But first, before we go, another American icon we've got to talk about. This week, a celebration of life for a Pennsylvanian who was the longest-living U.S. Olympian. At 101, Herbert P. Douglas passed away last weekend in Pittsburgh. I had the great honor of knowing him. He was my late dad Olympian, Mal Whitfield's best friend.

Mr. Douglas had many distinctions. In 1948, London games bronze medalist in the long jump, who later became a longtime business executive in the liquor and beer industry. Founder of the International Amateur Athletic Association and creator of the Jesse Owens Global Award for Peace, honoring Nelson Mandela and Ted Turner, just to name a few.

An incredible mentor and friend to so many athletes, students, scholars, business people, and Olympians.

[17:00:00]