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Ukraine Braces For Retaliation After Drone Attack On Moscow; Carter Center: Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Has Dementia; Sackler Family Granted Immunity Against Civil Lawsuits In $6 Billion Settlement. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 31, 2023 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:30:28]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: This morning Ukraine is bracing for a retaliation from Russia after the Kremlin claimed Ukraine is responsible for the eight drones unleashed on an affluent region of Moscow Tuesday. Ukraine has denied any involvement. This also follows an overnight bombardment on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least one person.

Here is some new video just in to CNN. So you can see here missile debris falling from the sky nearly hitting a bus.

Joining us now is the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko. Good to have you with us this morning, Mr. Mayor.

You know, we've been speaking with our correspondent Fred Pleitgen. I know you know -- you know Fred as well -- who is saying it's been a somewhat quiet night in Kyiv, the first in several nights.

The Kremlin spokesperson has said that look, they're now trying -- that these drone attacks in Moscow are trying to provoke Russia. Ukraine has denied involvement. But basically, there's some reassessment happening on Russia's part.

Are you concerned about what that could mean for your city?

MAYOR VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV, UKRAINE (via Skype): I am concerned because last week it was a terrible week. The last four days -- every day, Russia send rocket missiles to our hometown -- kamikaze drones -- and two people died and almost 20 people injured. And a couple of buildings -- apartment buildings were destroyed. And people spent many, many hours in shelters -- in safety place and right now, actually, people are nervous. But, thank you.

You know, it was -- the attack was not successful for Russia because we should almost everyone -- the kamikaze drone air one missiles. But some part of rockets fall down and struck the buildings.

HILL: You talk about people being understandably nervous in Kyiv. Just give us a sense of what is it like on a day-to-day basis for people more than a year now into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. KLITSCHKO: It's difficult to explain. Yes, of course, my opinion is

the Russians sending missiles to our hometown -- they try to bring the press more to the people. People have to be nervous and the people have to take the cares to leave the city to -- as refugees to spend the time much more safety place outside of the country.

The Russians need Ukraine us without Ukrainians. It's no explanation was the reason. But instead, the people are very angry. Very angry and ready to stay and ready to defend our homeland. HILL: They want to stay. As you say, they want to defend the

homeland.

Have there been any talks given the recent increase in attacks that you just mentioned about potential evacuation?

KLITSCHKO: No. We don't talk about operations. Thank you for the support as the missile systems and what we receive from the United States from our partners. Better systems actually work pretty well and should help (INAUDIBLE).

Also, the Russian's super rockets Kinzhal. We -- Putin present us superweapon. It's -- nobody can shoot down the rockets but the reality is total different.

HILL: President Zelenskyy has said there's a date set now for this counteroffensive we've heard so much about. What are you anticipating from that counteroffensive?

KLITSCHKO: Yes, of course. We expect offensive and right now we collect the weapons from our partners. And right now, we are much better protected. It's much more stronger than a couple of months ago than a year ago. Yes, of course, it's very important with the (INAUDIBLE). It's the spirit and will to win but the weapons play a very important role. And that's why a thousand times thank you very much for defensive weapons -- critical -- important for us.

And we expect in the next couple of weeks offensive from our forces. Everybody expect that. The more information I can give you because it's not my part of responsibilities. It is a question to Zelenskyy or the general commanders of (INAUDIBLE).

[07:35:06]

HILL: When we see these other attacks happening -- even attacks that we've learned about overnight in Belgorod -- what is the message that sends to your city? What does it say to the people in Kyiv?

KLITSCHKO: Can you repeat the question, please -- sorry.

HILL: With reports of attacks in the Belgorod region, what is the message you think that sends to your city -- to residents in Kyiv?

KLITSCHKO: So we received just bad messages from the Russia federation. They, every day, explain about the worst-case scenarios. They want to occupy Ukraine. They may expect Ukraine as dependent countries and to see Ukraine as part of Russian federation. I tell to everyone we see the future of our homeland is part of

European family. It's part of democratic war and for what we're fighting right -- we're fighting for that.

HILL: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, appreciate you taking the time to join us today. Thank you.

KLITSCHKO: Thank you.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, tension between the United States and China escalating again. Here is what we know.

A Chinese fighter jet intercepted an American spy plane over the South China Sea and after that, the U.S. military says China carried out an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver -- and those are the words of the Pentagon -- against an American plane that was conducting basically routine operations in international airspace.

The spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says, quote, "The U.S. has posed a serious danger to Chinese national sovereignty and China will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely defend its sovereignty and security." That coming from the Chinese government.

Also, this just in to CNN.

HILL: News here this morning. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie who, of course, first ran for president in 2016, we learned does plan to announce his candidacy for the 2024 race. That is set to happen next Tuesday, according to sources familiar with his plans.

Christie, who has been outspoken -- maybe that's putting it mildly -- against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, set to make that announcement at a town hall at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.

HARLOW: Of course, a big deal given how close he was once to Trump. That he worked on the transition, et cetera.

HILL: Absolutely.

HARLOW: And what his lane's going to be? It's going to be really interesting. Is he going to get in sort of the culture wars lane of DeSantis? Is he going to get into the not-culture wars lane of an Asa Hutchinson or an expected-to-announce Chris Sununu?

HILL: Chris Sununu. It will be interesting to see. And if it is in that other lane, is there someone who can really make that a viable lane at this point?

HARLOW: Yes, fascinating.

Also this.

HILL: Lots to happen. Meantime, former first lady Rosalynn Carter diagnosed with dementia,

and it's a condition that you may well be familiar with -- perhaps someone in your family. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to join us to discuss how friends and family can help when they are faced with this common illness.

HARLOW: Also, watch this.

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Car crash caught on tape as car flies off the back of tow truck ramp.

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HILL: Wow.

HARLOW: That's a car in Georgia flying off the back of a tow truck. How it happened and how the driver survived. That's ahead.

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[07:42:30

HARLOW: Welcome back.

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has been diagnosed with dementia. The Carter family put out a statement and here's what they say. That "She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains, Georgia and visits with loved ones."

So how many other families are touched by diagnoses like these? A lot.

HILL: Yes.

HARLOW: Maybe your family. It hits so many people.

Joining us now is our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

HARLOW: Ninety-five years old.

GUPTA: Good morning.

HARLOW: How surprising or not surprising is this?

GUPTA: Yes. I mean, she was known to be pretty healthy. I mean, we've --

HARLOW: Right.

GUPTA: -- followed, obviously, her and President Carter for years. President Carter -- a lot of people have known about his melanoma diagnosis. But she was generally pretty healthy.

It is a risk factor age for dementia. We only know that she has dementia. We don't know specifically what type of dementia.

But if you look overall, once you get beyond 65, that's when the likelihood of being diagnosed goes up. It's not inevitable by any means, but about one in 10 people over the age of 65 are ultimately diagnosed with Alzheimer's-type dementia, for example.

But as you can see there, as you get older than that then -- 75 to 84 -- it's a higher percentage. And then the highest, 85-plus. She's 95 years old. It sounds like she was doing pretty well until at least (INAUDIBLE) so I don't know how precipitous a decline this was. But age is the biggest risk factor overall, especially for Alzheimer's dementia.

There are other things as well -- family history, race. If you've had poor heart health, which sounds like she did not. Traumatic brain injury in the past. Again, it sounds like she did not. But those can be risk factors.

So I guess not that surprising given her age. But keep in mind -- again, pretty healthy up until recently.

HARLOW: Yes.

HILL: And how do you spot these signs? How do you know, for example, if there is someone in your family? How can you tell if --

GUPTA: Yes.

HILL: -- it's dementia versus simply just getting older and being forgetful?

GUPTA: This is probably the question I think we get more than any other is are there just sort of age-related changes that happen over time versus things that would be more conclusively something that indicates dementia. And it can be challenging.

If you look at just typical age-related -- I tried to make a list for you of things that sort of separate the two.

Alzheimer's dementia -- forgetting the name of a family member -- someone you know well -- versus typical age-related changes -- forgetting the name of an acquaintance. That's different.

[07:45:04]

Trouble finding the right word. That might be something that's more typical. But if you're having trouble suddenly naming a very familiar object. You get the idea here of the differences.

The way we often think about it in the medical world is at the point that it starts to interfere with your daily life -- your ability to actually conduct your activities of daily living, that's when there's a -- there's a concern that this could be actually dementia -- Alzheimer's dementia, for example. It can be difficult to diagnose. There can be many things that mimic it as well. So you've got to sort of just be certain about that, which I'm sure her doctors have done. HARLOW: I think for anyone who has a family member suffering from dementia you want to know how you can help. What should you do? What should you not do, right? Are there even treatments --

GUPTA: Yes.

HARLOW: -- that are somewhat effective to help them along the way? No cure --

GUPTA: Yes.

HARLOW: -- but what can we do?

GUPTA: Yes. I mean, one of the -- one of the first things -- and I say this as someone who is a -- who is a brain doc -- you do want to be certain of the diagnosis, and it can be challenging. But there are many things that can mimic dementia as well.

People who have hearing loss, for example. Many times that is confused with the dementia diagnosis. It's not that they're not remembering things, it's that they didn't hear those things in the first place. It may sound very obvious but you want to rule out other things first.

You also want to make sure someone stays in familiar surroundings.

And you can look at the benefit of medications. There have been a couple of new medications that have been approved. For more than a decade, we went without new medications so that's kind of a pretty big deal. But there's also certain medications that people take that may be worsening their symptoms as well. So think about adding certain medications but also eliminating certain medications.

I think in terms of the interactions that someone has with someone who has dementia now that the diagnosis has been confirmed and you're doing everything you can to try and slow down the progression, these are simple things. I wrote about this in my book. It comes from the Alzheimer's Association.

But you've got to have patience. Don't interrupt. Try and ask yes or no questions more than anything else. And again, give visual cues -- things that keep someone in familiar surroundings. As soon as the surroundings become less familiar it's going to worsen, often, the symptoms that someone might be experiencing.

HILL: Such great -- such great points and so helpful I think for so many people --

HARLOW: Of course.

HILL: -- who are struggling with this.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, always appreciate it, my friend. Thank you.

HARLOW: Thinking of Rosalynn --

GUPTA: You got it. HARLOW: -- and former President Carter and their family.

All right. Ahead, the billionaire family behind Purdue Pharma in a $6 billion settlement. It means they'll now be protected from civil lawsuits over their role in the opioid epidemic. We're joined next by a mother who lost her son to that crisis. What she thinks of the settlement.

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[07:52:01]

HILL: A historic ruling in the legal battle over the opioid crisis. A federal appeals court in New York ruling the Sackler family will be immune from any current or future lawsuits. That's in exchange for a $6 billion settlement.

Now, the Sackler's company, Purdue Pharma, first introduced the opioid drug Oxycontin in the 1990s and promoted it as non-addictive.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Less than one percent of patients taking opioids actually become addicted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rate of addiction amongst pain patients who are treated by doctors is much less than one percent.

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HILL: Since 1999, more than half a million people died from an opioid overdose in the United States, according to the CDC.

The Sackler's $6 billion settlement will go to funding opioid prevention and treatment. About $750 million of that settlement will be reserved for survivors and family members who lost loved ones to opioid addiction.

In a statement yesterday, Purdue Pharma called the ruling a victory and said the settlement is the, quote, "...best option to help those who need it most, the most fair and expeditious way to resolve the litigation, and the only way to deliver billions of dollars in value specifically to fund opioid crisis abatement efforts."

The Sacklers echoed that sentiment saying they are pleased with the court's decision and describe the deal as, quote, "critical to providing substantial resources for people and communities in need."

Joining us now, the mother of an opioid crisis victim, DeDe Yoder, who lost her son Christopher, at the age of just 21 to his epidemic. She was in court with the Sacklers for the first trial. Also with us, the attorney general of Connecticut, William Tong, who opposed the immunity deal. It's good to have both of you with us this morning.

So, DeDe, understandably, I know that yesterday you were still sort of wrapping -- WILLIAM TONG, (D) CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Good morning.

HILL: -- your head around this settlement -- around this deal. How are you feeling this morning?

DEDE YODER, MOTHER OF AN OPIOID CRISIS VICTIM: I am feeling, basically, relieved and pleased that it has gone through. I mean, of course, nothing is ideal in this sort of situation but I think it is the best that we could have gotten. The alternative would have been thousands and thousands of lawsuits that could have spread -- gone on for years and years. And I just don't think that would have helped anything. I mean, I hate to sound like I'm agreeing with the Sacklers but I do think it -- I am pleased that it's happened.

HARLOW: Mr. Attorney General, when it comes to you, you put out a statement calling the decision both significant and imperfect, but then you went on to say you recognize that you had pushed this as far as we could.

What does this settlement mean for people in Connecticut? What will it change in your state?

TONG: First of all, there's no victory here. And at the end of the day, no amount of money and no amount of justice will make this right for DeDe and her family, and Christina Gagnon and Liz Fitzgerald, in Connecticut, and their sons.

[07:55:02]

But at the end of the day, we pushed as hard as we could. This deal -- the $6 billion is for 40 percent more than the deal that I opposed and took to court and overturned until the Second Circuit reinstituted the $6 billion deal yesterday with its decision.

And this $6 billion deal will fund treatment and prevention. It gets the Sacklers out of the opioid business. It shuts down Purdue Pharma. It gave DeDe and families like Dede's the opportunity to address the Sacklers and tell them how they wrecked their lives. And it gets money to families like DeDe's -- fully, $750 million or more. And that's what's so important about this settlement in that it gets money directly to victims and survivors.

HILL: You know, as the attorney general just mentioned, DeDe, you did have the opportunity to address the Sacklers in court. You told them about your son. You told them about what he was prescribed when he was a teenager suffering from sports injuries, which so many parents can relate to --

YODER: Yes.

HILL: -- and what that ultimately did to him.

Do you feel that you were heard?

YODER: Not really. They -- we were on a Zoom call with them for probably three hours and I didn't see -- they didn't even blink their eyes, basically. I mean, they just sat there. I really don't know that they heard us but it still felt good to have that time to address them.

HILL: Would it make a difference if there was a direct apology -- if there was a direct acknowledgment?

YODER: I don't think they have any credibility so I don't know that it would mean anything to me. I mean, they've been lying from the very beginning to the whole world about their wonder drug, Oxycontin, so I don't think I would believe that.

And there's my Chris.

HILL: In terms of -- you know, Mr. Attorney General, you talk about what this will do in terms of treatment. In terms of what will happen in the state of Connecticut and how you were pushing for more. Ultimately, there is some criticism, as I'm sure you're aware, in terms of the funding here.

According to Forbes -- and I just want to make sure I get this correct -- the Sackler family was worth about $11 billion in 2020. Patrick Radden Keefe who, of course, wrote the book on the Sacklers, has pointed out that there's so much money that they can -- that the return that they can actually earn on that fortune would cover a large chunk of this penalty.

And so, there's talk about --

TONG: Yes.

HILL: -- how they could actually be richer at one point in time.

How do you address that?

TONG: Yes, we -- that's why we went so hard after the Sacklers. Because let's be clear, they tried to use the bankruptcy laws and now it appears have successfully used the bankruptcy laws to shield themselves. But the Sacklers are not bankrupt. No Sackler will have to sell a boat, or a car, or a home, or a piece of art, or a piece of jewelry while people still continue to die here in Connecticut and across the country.

But since I've become attorney general, not just this settlement of $6 billion but together, we've put together settlements totaling more than $50 billion, which will return hundreds of millions of dollars to Connecticut. And most of that money will go to funding treatment, prevention, and addiction science in Connecticut and across the country.

HILL: In terms of how that funding will be used, this part of the fight may be over for you, DeDe, but I know that your battle actually continues in honor of and in memory of your son, Chris. This is a large part of your work now is ensuring that this doesn't happen to other families.

YODER: Absolutely. I'm an ambassador for a nonprofit group called Shatterproof. And these -- Gary Mendell, who started Shatterproof, also lost his son the same way. And they -- we spend a lot of time with passing legislation, helping the community, developing services for addiction treatment. So, yes, there's a lot to be done.

And I do also want to add that even though the Sacklers cannot be -- are not civilly -- can't be held civilly liable, they can still be held criminally liable, and I think they should be. You know, there is -- there is nothing stopping anybody from holding them criminally liable. I mean, they caused -- or they caused the death of over 500,000 people. So it just -- I don't know why that isn't a next step.

HILL: Mr. Attorney General, we're just about out of time but do you see that happening in the future?

TONG: Look, I agree with DeDe. They should go to jail. At the end of the day, in Connecticut, the attorney general doesn't have criminal authority but we've said over and over again that they should be held accountable, and I totally agree with her.

HILL: Attorney General William Tong, DeDe Yoder, thank you both for being with us this morning. I really appreciate it.

YODER: Thank you so much.

HILL: CNN THIS MORNING continues right now.

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