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War Cabinet Member Benny Gantz Delivers Ultimatum To Benjamin Netanyahu; President Biden Arrives In Atlanta Ahead Of Morehouse College Commencement; Biden To Headline NAACP Dinner In Detroit Tomorrow; Sean "Diddy" Combs Shown In 2016 Video Assaulting Former Girlfriend; U.S. Overdose Deaths Decline For The First Time In Five Years; Ukraine Evacuates Areas Near Kharkiv As Russian Forces Attack; Dentist Provides Dental Care For Those In Need. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired May 18, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Arizona's attorney general made the announcement on Twitter saying, quote, "The final defendant was served moments ago," tagging Giuliani and tweeting, "Nobody is above the law." An attendee of the party told CNN that Giuliani was served papers by two agents of the Arizona attorney general's office in the late hours of his birthday bash in Palm Beach, Florida, Giuliani is expected to appear Tuesday for an arraignment in Phoenix unless he is granted a delay by the court.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and we begin this hour with breaking news.

Israeli war cabinet member and former deputy prime minister Benny Gantz delivering an ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he must choose between victory and disaster, and telling him the war cabinet must agree on a plan for the Gaza conflict by June 8th. Gantz is threatening to leave the coalition government if Netanyahu does not meet his expectations.

CNN's Elliott Gotkine is in Tel Aviv for us and we're hearing now that there's a response from Netanyahu?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office deriving, dismissing Benny Gantz's words as washed up words, and saying the Gantz's plan would result in a defeat for Israel against Hamas and also the abandonment of the hostages who were abducted by Hamas on October 7th. Of course specifically what Gantz's plan is calling for is all efforts to be made to rescue the hostages, to bring them back to Israel, and also, of course, to defeat Hamas at the same time.

So what I think we're seeing beyond the specifics of these words is that the divisions that were underground, if you like, that managed to keep a lid on these divisions over the past few months, these have now come out into the open. Just the other day we heard from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant explicitly criticizing the prime minister for not coming up with a coherent plan for the day after Gaza, and how that is running the risk of resulting in these victories that Israel has had in the Gaza Strip being for nothing.

And we've seen, for example, Hamas regrouping in northern parts of the Gaza Strip where Israel had previously said that the job was done. But going back to Benny Gantz's words and it's worth noting that there's little love lost between Gantz and Netanyahu, that Gantz was meant to replace Netanyahu in a deal to become prime minister in a previous government, which Netanyahu managed two wriggle out of by failing to approve a budget and opinion polls suggest that if there were elections tomorrow, Benny Gantz wouldn't just beat Netanyahu, he would trounce him.

But going back to those words from Benny Gantz, what he has said is that Netanyahu in his words must choose between victory and disaster saying that if Netanyahu chooses to lead the nation into the abyss, we will withdraw from the government, turn to the people and form a government that can bring about a real victory. The problem for Gantz is that if he were to leave this government Netanyahu still has the numbers so long as you can keep his far-right ministers in the fold, in his government, that Netanyahu doesn't need to go to the people.

There doesn't have to be an election until they are planned in a couple of years' time. So although that would clearly perhaps change the way that Israel conducts the war, Gantz is no dove, but he certainly seems to be slightly less a right-wing than Netanyahu and certainly some of Netanyahu's bedfellows in the government, that if Bernie Gantz leaves the government, then the trajectory of this war could lead to the military efforts of Israel, particularly the effort in Gaza being definitively made a priority over the recovery of the Israeli hostages who are being held in the Gaza Strip.

And just briefly, Fredricka, the points that Gantz saying is that Netanyahu needs to come up with a plan that is going to defeat Hamas, return the hostages and also have a plan for the day after that doesn't involve Hamas or Fatah, the faction run by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, and also to make progress on the normalization with Saudi Arabia and also to do something that will enable the tens of thousands of people displaced from the northern parts of Israel because of attacks from Iran-backed Hezbollah, to allow them to move back to their homes -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then in addition to that, Israel is saying today that it recovered the body of another hostage from Gaza. What more can you tell us about that?

GOTKINE: Thats right. This is 53-year-old father of two Ron Binyamin. Now he was out biking. He was a very keen cyclist. He used to go cycling every Saturday. And so it was on October 7th, which was a Saturday. He went off on his bike and he was killed the IDF says at a junction just east of the northeastern tip of the Gaza Strip, when Hamas broke through the fencing around the Gaza Strip.

[15:05:06]

He was killed and his body was abducted back into the Gaza Strip. Israel now saying that it's recovered that body. In fact, it recovered it along with the bodies of three other hostages on Thursday night. There are still 124 hostages being held in Gaza, about a quarter of whom, Fredricka, are believed to be already dead.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elliott Gotkine in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much.

All right, new today, President Biden is campaigning in Atlanta. He just made the first of several stops that he is planning for the Peach State. Later today, he is hosting a private fundraiser. It's all part of a larger effort to grow support among black voters. Tomorrow he is speaking at the commencement for Morehouse College, where there are growing concerns about pro-Palestinian protests interrupting the ceremony. The school says, they will allow silent protests, but warns that the event will be stopped if demonstrations become too disruptive.

CNN's Nick Valencia spoke with some Morehouse students who say they don't want that to happen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When you talk to Aylon Gipson about his upcoming college graduation, you can see he's excited. COVID canceled his high school commencement in 2020 so this one is extra special.

AYLON GIPSON, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GRADUATING SENIOR: I think most are like me that are a little bit enthusiastic but most just want a peaceful graduation without protests.

VALENCIA: For the 21-year-old Morehouse senior getting President Joe Biden as the commencement speaker is, in his words, pretty cool, even if he does see why some of his peers think the choice was controversial.

GIPSON: I personally don't agree with some of the things that the White House has done.

VALENCIA: But you still want him to come here even though --

GIPSON: I still do want him to come.

VALENCIA: Yes.

GIPSON: Because I agree with his full body of work.

COLIN ROYAL, MANAGING EDITOR, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE SCHOOL NEWSPAPER: There's been mixed reactions, some for, some against.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Morehouse student newspaper managing editor Colin Royal says mostly the invitation created confusion on campus.

ROYAL: The fact that we weren't really in the loop for that was kind of concerning, especially when we have somebody of that magnitude and somebody that's been involved in a lot of things that students have protested against.

VALENCIA: Who would you guys much rather have as a commencement speaker? MARQ RIGGINS, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GRADUATING SENIOR: I am inclined to

say Andre 3000.

VALENCIA (voice-over): They joke, but Marq Riggins and Noah Collier have been on the frontlines as two the most vocal critics at Morehouse to Biden's invitation.

RIGGINS: I exist as more than a prop for a photo-op.

VALENCIA: Draped in keffiyehs, the pro-Palestinian activists tell us about what they call U.S. imperialism, which they say Biden has amplified by his arms support for the war in Gaza while at the same time overlooking their concerns as black men.

NOAH COLLIER, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GRADUATING SENIOR: He completely dismissed us by calling us violent, by calling us antisemitic, and --

VALENCIA: Are you?

COLLIER: No. In no way shape, or form are any of us antisemitic. Because if we were, we would not be engaging in these protests. The idea of antisemitism does completely contradiction and conflicts with the values that we move with.

DR. DAVID A. THOMAS, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE PRESIDENT: Was part of my calculus that he would say yes to us because he's in this presidential race? Absolutely.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Morehouse President David Thomas invited Biden to be the commencement speaker back in September. Today, he defends the decision as well as the school's choice to give Biden an honorary degree.

THOMAS: What I want them to walk out thinking is the president of the United States came to give the commencement speech at Morehouse College because Morehouse College matters in the world, and therefore what I do with the privilege of having gone to Morehouse means I should matter in the world.

VALENCIA: In the longstanding tradition of Morehouse's student-led activism Thomas says he will give space for protests on Sunday, but will take a hard line if protests are disruptive.

Gipson was among a small group that met with the White House ahead of Biden's visit. From that conversation he says it's clear not only does Morehouse matter, but he says on Sunday, Biden has a chance to show the men of Morehouse that they matter more than every four years.

GIPSON: I don't want him to come here and campaign. I know he's going to tell some of his accomplishments. I know he's going to talk about some of the things he's going to do for black people. I'm expecting to hear that, but I also want to hear an authentic speech about why he's here for us.

VALENCIA: And perhaps why they should be there for him come November.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA (on-camera): This week, Morehouse faculty voted in support of giving President Biden an honorary degree. Meanwhile, student activists have taken to social media to encourage graduates on Sunday to turn their back on President Biden during his commencement address they say as Biden has turned his back on Palestine.

Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

WHITFIELD: Also tomorrow President Biden will be attending the NAACP's Fight for Freedom dinner in Detroit. Joining us right now the president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP, Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony.

[15:10:04]

Dr. Anthony, welcome.

REV. DR. WENDELL ANTHONY, PRESIDENT, DETROIT BRANCH NAACP: Thank you, Miss Fredricka. Great to be with you.

WHITFIELD: All right. So how much are you looking forward to the president and his remarks at the dinner?

ANTHONY: Very much so. As you know the Detroit branch has been privileged to host a number of presidents over the years. We've hosted Bill Clinton twice. Al Gore as vice president. We've hosted Kamala Harris a year prior to her ascendancy as vice president. We had Joe Biden when he was vice president, and now he comes back as president.

He comes at a particular significant time because of all the issues that we face in the nation and around the world, and so we're very excited to have him to come. He comes to Detroit, which is also very close to the heartbeat of the Arab-American community outside of the Middle East. The largest assembly of Arab-Americans reside right next door to us. So he's coming to touch the community. We're very excited about it.

We're going to present him with the James Weldon Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award for a lifetime of service to a number of people or for a number of issues and policies. And that's the crux of the matter. The NAACP believes in policies, not a D, not an R, not an I, but a P, policy. What is your policies as it relates to the priorities of our organization?

WHITFIELD: When you extended the invitation to the president, did you also invite him to address certain policies? What is it that you want him to talk about?

ANTHONY: Well, it's beyond me to tell the president of the United States what he or should not -- should or should not do. However, since you asked and I'll be glad to respond, I would hope that he would be who he is. Number one, don't try to be nobody else. Be Joe Biden. Be the person who has lost family members to cancer, to a tragic accident. Be the person who understands how to touch the common person. Be the person that you were when you came and you walked the line with auto workers.

You know, Fredricka, I, and I hope that's all right to call you Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ANTHONY: I have auto workers in my church. And as a result of the increases in wages they now had made more money, making more money, and we want the auto companies to be solvent as well as the workers. Now they save more money to put tires and (INAUDIBLE). So that's a good thing.

We also want him to address, and hopefully he will, he's smart enough to know, that loan elimination is very important. There are people in my church who benefited from the loan liquidation program that he has instituted, which the Supreme Court backed away from, and which other folks are trying to fight.

And isn't it something that this is 2024 and we have a Supreme Court that has a justice that's flying the flag upside down in front of his house, who's deciding on cases of immunity, but insurrectionist and the man who caused this and then blamed it on his wife, when we have another person who's creating diversity on the court, i.e., Ketanji Brown Jackson?

So we hope and we believe that he will speak to the issues that speak to our heart. But there are a number of them, and we are not a one- issue people because we have too much at stake, too much on the table. Our democracy is at stake. Our freedom and our education is at stake. This is 70 years after "Brown versus the Board of Education." And people really want to take us back 50 to 100 years.

Well, we ain't going back. We've come too far to turn back now. And we believe that any candidate, anybody who has the policy program that is matching up with the priorities of the NAACP, ought to be heard and ought to be considered. Giving gold gym suit with red bottoms, that's not policy. Having your picture behind a prison wall behind bars on a T-shirt, that ain't policy.

There's an expression in our community. Don't for the okey-doke. And we ain't going for the okey-doke. We want policy. We want programs. We want to feel and hear and touch and believe that you feel and touch and believe what we do.

WHITFIELD: OK. Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony, I'm sure the president hears you loud and clear and is likely to deliver on all of those aspects at the dinner tomorrow, and as he also receives that lifetime achievement award from the NAACP chapter there.

[15:15:00]

Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you being with me.

ANTHONY: Thank you so very much. WHITFIELD: Still to come, thousands of Ukrainians have evacuated areas

in the Kharkiv region after Russia launched a surprise cross-border offensive into Northern Ukraine. We have the details. Plus exclusive video obtained by CNN shows Sean "Diddy" Combs physically assaulting his then girlfriend during a 2016 altercation. How the Los Angeles County district attorney's office is reacting to the video, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:13]

WHITFIELD: The shocking video exclusively obtained by CNN that appears to show Sean "Diddy" Combs hitting and kicking his then girlfriend Cassie Ventura inside of a hotel. This happening in 2016. Now has the attention of the Los Angeles Police Department. In a statement from the department, it says they are aware of the video. They go on to say there is not an open LAPD investigation involving Mr. Combs.

The Los Angeles district attorney is also reacting saying if the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister walks us through her exclusive reporting, and we do warn you that what you're about to see is very disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New surveillance footage obtained exclusively by CNN appears to corroborate some of the allegations of abuse against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. The video, captured on multiple cameras, shows Combs wearing only a towel, assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hallway at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.

A lawsuit filed by Ventura in November last year and settled the next day referenced actions that seem to match those seen in this video. There is no audio. According to the complaint, Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Miss Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye, which, according to the lawsuit, prompted Ventura to try and leave the hotel room. The surveillance video obtained by CNN begins as she enters the hallway.

The complaint says, "As she exited, Mr. Combs awoke and began screaming at Miss Ventura. He followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her." The complaint goes on to say, "He grabbed her and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her." In the surveillance video, Combs can be seen grabbing Ventura and throwing her to the ground. As Ventura lies on the ground, Combs then kicks her twice and attempts to drag her on the floor back to the hotel room.

Ventura is seen picking up a hotel phone. Combs seems to walk back to the hotel room then returns and appears to shove her in a corner. Moments later, he can then be seen throwing an object in her direction. According to Ventura's now settled lawsuit, the pair began dating several years after they met in 2005. They parted ways in 2019. Combs' attorney said the decision to settle was in no way an admission of wrongdoing.

Ventura declined to comment on the video, but her attorney told CNN, "The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Miss Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light."

The video hasn't been seen publicly before and comes on the heels of a series of civil lawsuits alleging Combs' involvement in sex trafficking and sexual abuse, allegations that Combs has repeatedly denied.

Authorities searched Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of an ongoing federal investigation carried out by a team that specializes in human trafficking crimes. In a December 2023 statement, Combs responded to the claims in some of the lawsuits, saying, "Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear. I did not do any of the awful things being alleged."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WAGMEISTER (on-camera): Clearly very disturbing footage and violent actions that we are seeing coming from Diddy who up until this point has denied many of these allegations from all of these lawsuits that he is facing. Aside from this lawsuit from Cassie, which she settled back in November 2023, he is facing five separate for lawsuits and he has been fighting back through his lawyers.

In fact just last week, we reported on a motion that he filed to dismiss a lawsuit from a Jane Doe, that claim she was 17 years old, a minor at the time of her allegations. And just a few days before that, he filed a motion to dismiss a portion of an entirely different claim. It'll be interesting to see now how this may impact all that Diddy is facing. But we have yet to hear directly from him.

WHITFIELD: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you so much.

All right, we know that Cassie Ventura claimed she was subjected to years of repeated physical abuse by Sean "Diddy" Combs in a federal lawsuit filed in November. That suit was quickly settled with no admission of wrongdoing by Combs.

Joining us now to talk more about this, Dr. Gail Saltz, a host of the podcast, "How Can I Help?" She's joining us right now from New York.

[15:25:03]

Good to see you. I mean, this video is incredibly shocking and disturbing. How do you assess what everyone is seeing for the first time in the last 24 hours?

DR. GAIL SALTZ, HOST, "HOW CAN I HELP" PODCAST: Well, it is disturbing. And it is physical abuse. There's just no question about it. And unfortunately, it isn't shocking in the sense that one out of every four women in this country have in the past or currently in a situation where there's intimate partner violence and one out of every 10 men. It is unfortunately too common and it cuts across socioeconomic demographics, racial demographics, cultural, religious, gender.

You know, it can happen in any scenario, but usually -- and this is, you know, when you see this video the person committing abuse is the one who has the power and the control and the victim does not. And that is what the abuse is about. So this is very disturbing because really it goes on. And that's only what we can see in the hallway. It goes -- this is not something happened, a loss of temper in a moment, you know, this goes on and that is very, very concerning.

WHITFIELD: And given that we are seeing a portion, you know, in that surveillance video, and people can draw a lot of, you know, conclusions based on what they saw, as you just mentioned, there's a before those recorded moments, there's an after those recorded moments. And what kind of -- I guess is it fair to say, are there commonalities that you're seeing in what is exhibited in that video based on what you know about, you know, violent, you know, violent occurrences in these domestic abuse kind of cases?

SALTZ: Well, often what starts as emotional abuse, an attempt, you know, at criticizing the person, belittling them, shaming them, lowering their self-esteem, again, all in the service of sort of power and control in the relationship can escalate and can escalate into physical violence with, you know, no concern for what damage may be being done. And then, you know, often the question is, why does the person stay, you know, this person continue to be in this relationship for some years after this.

And it's because in fact power and control has been garnered. And the victim often feels that there is no escape. They can't imagine escaping or they're caught in a cycle of, you know, I did this but it's because I love you, you know, you're nothing without me. You need to be with me. They may even afterwards say, you know, I did that because of course you deserved it. But really I love you and I'm just demonstrating my love. You really should stay with me.

All kinds of justifications, rationalizations, gaslighting, where often the woman doesn't even know what is real, what is reality here, or they're afraid to leave. They're afraid they'll have -- they'll lose their children. They'll lose their pets. They'll lose their home. They'll have no money. They'll have no means. Often an abuser has separated them from any friends or any family they had. That's often an early sign.

And so they have no one to turn to and they feel afraid. So we don't know in this case, you know, what went on before or after. We don't know any of those things, but these are the common sorts of things that do happen.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Very important information, Dr. Gail Saltz. Thank you so much.

SALTZ: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: And for the first time in five years, drug overdose deaths are down in the U.S. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:31]

WHITFIELD: All right, new numbers released this week show that for the first time in five years, drug overdose deaths in the United States have declined. But despite the positive trend, the overall number of drug overdose deaths is still too high.

CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard is here with more on all this.

So walk us through these numbers.

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. Well, these numbers come from the CDC and they show that last year more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses. I mean, it's --

WHITFIELD: It's a big number.

HOWARD: Big number. So sad. But that number is a 3 percent drop from the number we saw in the previous year in 2022. But despite that recent decline, these numbers are still high because they're happening at the end of a surge that we just saw from 2018 to 2021. So they're declining from an already high place. So the question now is, will this decline continue? Will they spike again? What's going to happen next? We have to watch the data.

WHITFIELD: And then what's the why? I mean, what's the answer to why this is happening?

HOWARD: Fentanyl, yes, fentanyl is playing a big role in this and fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid. And we know that synthetic opioids are associated with about two-thirds of overdose deaths. Now, fentanyl itself, it's 50 times more potent than heroin, 100 times more potent than morphine, Law enforcement reports show we're seeing more fentanyl out there, so we know that this is a major player in the number of lives lost.

WHITFIELD: My goodness. All right. Well, let's hope the numbers continue to go down.

[15:35:01]

HOWARD: I know.

WHITFIELD: We need that kind of positive news.

HOWARD: Yes. Yes, absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jacqueline Howard, great to see you. Thank you.

All right, up next, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh follows residents evacuating near Kharkiv and Ukraine, even as Russian drones and bombs can be heard nearby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: They can hear a drone here. So hard to tell with the wind and the trees and the artillery. But that's a constant threat for them now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:40:05]

WHITFIELD: All right, starting today, all Ukrainian men of fighting age must register with the military. That includes Ukrainians living outside the country. Anyone between 18 and 25 will go through basic training. The new law comes as the country faces a shortage of equipment and manpower in the war with Russia.

Also new today, Ukraine is evacuating residents in the Kharkiv region as Russian forces mount an offensive there. Officials say Russian shelling is moving closer and closer to the area.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh accompanied Ukrainian soldiers this week, even as Russian bombs nearby and drones raced overhead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATON-WALSH (voice-over): When nightmares recur, they're often the same. Here they get worse. The border town of Vovchansk bearing the blunt horror of Moscow's race to take as much as they can in the weeks before Ukraine starts feeling American military help again. Every street aflame, Russians deeper inside the town.

Policeman Maxim is answering one of 35 calls from locals on Thursday to evacuate. The day before, three colleagues were injured. The shelling never stops.

MAXIM, UKRAINIAN POLICE (through text translation): Quiet. Everybody get down.

PATON WALSH: Three people still coming out, and you have to imagine quite how desperate for these final people the situation must be to leave.

(Voice-over): Mikola (PH) and his wife hiding in their basement, but despite staying through the first Russian occupation and then liberation two years ago, they found the airstrikes last night just too much. They're joined by Maria, their mother, who can't hear the shelling or anything too well.

Thousands evacuated since Russia invaded again around here five days ago. Why everyone has to leave is clear again as we drive out, as it is with almost every part of Ukraine Russia covets. Just utter destruction, little left to rule over. This is their first moment of calm in many days. Entire lives in plastic bags. She's saying it wasn't like last night was scary and everyone else was

talking about significant bombardment, more that it was just better to get out of there. 85.

(Voice-over): An armored ride to a new world knowing they may never get back to their homes, tormented for days by shelling.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): Aerial bombs, everything. And mortars.

PATON WALSH (through text translation): Did you see the Russian soldiers?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): No. They are over there, on the other side of the river, and we were on this side. They were shooting close to us. Firing machine guns and everything.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): We head back in with another police unit who soon learned two of the houses they must rescue from are impossible to reach. As we wait, they hear a buzzing noise.

They think they can hear a drone here. It's so hard to tell with the wind and the trees and the artillery, but that's a constant threat for them now.

(Voice-over): Then our security adviser spots it. They raise their weapons, but will firing make them more of a target?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through text translation): What if it's ours?

PATON WALSH: Three drones, one large one that hovers, and two small ones whizzing about. Exposed, powerless, if we run for cover, they might come for us. All we can do is hide in the trees and hope that if we are seen, the Russians instead have a better target in mind. But they come right overhead. That noise, either the sound of death or someone deciding you're not worth their payload.

We decide to leave, but again, we cannot travel fast enough to escape the drones, only expose ourselves and pray they lose interest. Perhaps they did, we'll never know, but behind us, Ukraine is aflame again because however the West's interest in this war wanes, Putin's burns brighter than ever.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Vovchansk, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And when we come back, authorities in Houston are racing to clean up and restore power after deadly storms hit the city. The mayor just gave an update. What he said, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:49:36]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're hearing from Texas officials after a powerful storm left a trail of destruction across Houston this week, and threatens to bring more this weekend. More than half a million people across Texas are without power right now and it could be days before it returns. This threatens to leave residents in sweltering conditions as the heat rolls in.

Houston's mayor spoke last hour at a press conference detailing efforts to keep everyone safe. Take a listen.

[15:50:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR JOHN WHITMIRE, HOUSTON: We're seeing, as the commissioner expressed, what collaborative government looks like. And we're not through. There's going to be a recovery period. We're going to be working with FEMA and the congresswoman's office and other levels of government to see that we do everything we can to make people whole. So it's going to be a few more days.

I am here to assure everyone that the levels of government represented here today are working together. We're not worried about who gets the credit. Together we will get through this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Officials also announced that cooling centers will be open for residents and they urge everyone to stay vigilant during cleanup. Conditions in the region are expected to intensify posing a risk for isolated tornadoes, more damaging wind gusts and hail.

All right, it's time now for "Champions for Change," a look at the unsung people whose ideas and innovations are dramatically improving lives, business and society.

Today CNN's Laura Coates has a personal story about a dentist who is providing both dental care and hope for people who need them most.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. DONDRE SIMPSON, DENTIST: Dude, how you doing, man? Doing good?

KATRINA UPTON, NEW FOUNDATIONS HOME FOR CHILDREN: He does so much more than clean teeth.

SIMPSON: Awesome.

UPTON: He gives cheers, he motivates, he's like a therapist. He's so much more than a dentist.

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: How are you?

You have demonstrated philosophy of providing care and respect and dignity to anyone who needs your help.

SIMPSON: I do what I do because this is what God put me on this earth for.

COATES: I'm actually the daughter of a dentist who really devoted his life to public service and ensuring dental care was given to people who are most in need. He would go into the prisons. He really believed in meeting people where they were.

You also wanted to go into the prisons I understand as well. Not only to provide that service, but you recognize in many ways that why should they be denied the dignity of care?

SIMPSON: There's a shortage of diminished in prisons around the country. Most inmates, I'll say 99.9 percent of them, they really are grateful that they get to get out of pain. If I can be courteous and kind and respectful and do much the job and treat you good, regardless of who you are, where you are, that's my goal.

UPTON: This is New Foundations Home for Children. We have kids in the foster care system. We have kids in the juvenile justice system. He serves an underserved population. He's not making a lot of money off of these kids. He comes because he feels led to be here.

JEROME PRICE, DENTAL PATIENT: I got here around 2019 because I had a foster home that was and that didn't work out. As he cleans my teeth, he talks to me about my ambitions. He remembers everything I tell him and I'm not his only client.

SIMPSON: So that's mind-blowing to know that like to plant a seed in somebody, unknowingly for just doing my job? Doing the way that I do it, it will influence them to make good decisions and be more productive citizen.

UPTON: He's absolutely creating a brighter future for these kids.

DR. HAZEL HARPER, DENTIST: After he graduated from Howard, he practiced with me for about nine years.

SIMPSON: My Aunt Hazel, she's the reason that I am a dentist today.

HARPER: And I wanted to make sure that we were treating Medicaid population patients that had public insurance and my goal was to make sure that Dondre knew that in life everyone needs to be treated with dignity and respect.

COATES: My father's work inspired me to be a "Champion for Social Justice." He is someone who could have done anything with the mind that he has and he always chose to re-invest into the communities. I used to work for him in his office. Now he did fire me because I talk too much. I'll never forget the smiles in that office. And, you know, I am a black woman in America. Intergenerational wealth has often alluded intergeneration.

But what has not alluded us is the passing down of the knowledge of the community service that imparts a sense of morality and justice within us. And so to hear that he was inspired by his aunt and to feel compelled within himself to take it forward is the highest form of intergenerational wealth. And in matt, we are family. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And be sure to tune in tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern for "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE," a one-hour special.

And finally today meet Major League Soccer's newest superstar. Fans call him Raquinho and he's taking the league by storm.

[15:55:01]

Here he is on the pitch during a match between the Philadelphia Union and the New York City FC. Look at him go. It took the grounds crew armed with a trash can quite a few attempts there and yes, they finally got him. The MLS tweeted, quote, "Unofficially, Raquinho, the raccoon, spent 161 seconds on the field tonight, which was the most by a raccoon in MLS history."

And the trading card company Tops, well, is now selling Raquinho's trading card for the bargain price of $8.99.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The NEWSROOM with Jessica Dean starts right after this.

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