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New Day

Russian Soldier Gets Life in Prison; Ukraine's First Lady Speaks Out; Bear-Proof Your Money; Pfizer's Vaccine for Kids; Justin Thomas Wins PGA Championship. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired May 23, 2022 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:33:01]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We have this just in, the first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes in Ukraine has been sentenced to life in prison. The 21-year-old soldier pleaded guilty last week, and he learned his sentence just moments ago.

So, let's get now to CNN's Melissa Bell, who is live just outside of the courthouse in Kyiv.

What can you tell us? Do we know what the sentence is, Melissa?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We do. In fact, 21-year-old Vadim Shishimarin (ph) almost physically bowed his head in disappointment as the translation of the sentence was read out to him this morning, Brianna, just a short while ago. The soldier himself has just been escorted away from the court. It will be life in jail. It was the maximum sentence he faced. He had pled for clemency on the grounds, and this had been his defense lawyer's point as well, that it is not these foot soldiers at the Russian army that should be paying the price for the mistakes that their leadership had made. That it was the Russian Federation itself. And the fact that it has sent these soldiers into war unprepared, unknowing, for the most part, of what it is they were getting themselves into that should really be the one to be facing judgment at this stage.

Clearly, this was, though, a civilian court judging Vadim Shishimarin on the facts of the case as laid out by the prosecution, that he had killed an unarmed civilian in the first few days of the war. The 28th of February, Brianna, he and his column of tanks had come into Ukraine, they hit a mine, he and several other soldiers had escaped in a stolen car. They come across the unarmed civilian and Vadim Shishimarin had been given the order to shoot him. He had resisted that order, but it had been given. We heard from another soldier traveling with him also testified this week on the order to shoot in a way that could not be refused. He now will spend the rest of his life in a Ukrainian jail.

And I think one of the other interesting developments this morning, Brianna, is the change of tone from the Kremlin over this case. In the last few days, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Kremlin, had said that he had not been following the case.

[06:35:04]

They didn't have many details about it. That has now changed. And in his latest press conference, he said that the Russian Federation, Moscow cares deeply about the fate of its soldiers and has been following and will continue to follow this case closely, even if it cannot do much about what now happens to Vadim Shishimarin himself.

KEILAR: Yes, so important to note, he knew it was wrong. He admitted that he knew it was wrong and he resisted it initially.

Melissa Bell, thank you so much.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: In a rare, joint interview, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the first lady of Ukraine say the war has torn apart their family, just like it has for millions of their fellow Ukrainians.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux live in Lviv for us this morning.

Really interesting to hear them speaking together, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really is. And I -- the Ukrainians I spoke to say that the first lady was popular and well-liked before the beginning of the war. She had graced the cover of "Ukrainian Vogue." She is a mother of two, an architect. And before the invasion of Ukraine, some of her initiatives include just improving the school lunches for kids around the country, that she was promoting equal rights for women and also the Ukrainian language and culture throughout the world.

But, of course, after the invasion, their roles changing dramatically as the rest of the world got to see her husband in his presidential role on the streets, very public in defiance of the Russian military, walking with his military in the streets of Kyiv and other parts of the country. The first lady, in an undisclosed location, really not being seen that much.

But she was asked a very personal question here. Her husband, very much known around the world, but has he changed? What is he like personally?

Take a listen.

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OLENA ZELENSKA, FIRST LADY OF UKRAINE (through translator): I can't say the war has changed him. Just as he was a reliable husband and man before the war, so he is now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So she says he has been consistent. But she talks a little bit about the experience that their family has had. As you know, it was really initially Russia, Zelenskyy, the president, was target number one. And Zelenska, the first lady, was target number two. And so she did go into an undisclosed location, but she used Instagram and social media to encourage those around the country, saying that she would not have fear, that she would not panic, she was calm and confident.

And, today, in this interview, she really tried to relate to many of the families, the men and the women, the husbands and wives who have been torn apart and separated by this war.

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ZELENSKA: Our family, like all Ukrainian families, is now torn apart. We didn't see each other for two and a half months. We only talked on the phone. Thank you for this opportunity because now we are spending some time together. We are dating on TV.

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MALVEAUX: And using a little bit of humor there. She also was asked in the interview whether or not the war has taken her away from her husband or her husband taken away from her, and she said no one takes away her husband, not even the war, John. But she also, on a more serious note, has really been pushing humanitarian efforts during this crisis, really trying to help Ukrainian children, particularly those disabled, to leave the country, get the help they need and also to bring in critical medical supplies to hospitals, incubators, those types of things for babies and children in those war zones.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, but so many families have been split apart in Ukraine. Millions of refugees leaving the country. And so often the men stay back and fight or are involved in the military there. So it is, I think, probably refreshing -- not refreshing, but I think -- I could think most Ukrainians could empathize with the first couple there as they talk about that, Suzanne, for sure.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely.

BERMAN: All right, thanks so much for being there for us.

President Biden says a recession is not inevitable. What you should be doing to protect your money. Christine Romans here with tips on how to bear proof your finances.

KEILAR: Plus, a disturbing new report says leaders of the Southern Baptist Church mishandled allegations of sexual abuse and intimidated victims. We have the new details just revealed.

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[06:43:55]

BERMAN: This morning, President Biden says a recession in the United States is not inevitable despite shrinking retirement accounts and rising gas and grocery bills. So much is out of your control. How can you bear-proof your money?

CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans here with that.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. Look, it's tricky here, right? We begin the week with high anxiety about your money, rising prices, a falling stock market, the "r" word flashing. Anyone with a 401(k) is seeing their retirement fund shrink. A little over a year of gains has been wiped out. The Dow just had an eight- week losing streak. That's the longest since 1923. The S&P is on the verge of a bear market. That's a 20 percent drop from its high. The major averages for the year down anywhere from 15 to near 30 percent.

Now, not everyone has a portfolio but everyone eats and drives, right? A new record high gas price recorded overnight just in time for summer travel. Inflation overall near a 40-year high. There are Covid disruptions, chip shortages, supply chain bottlenecks, now this baby formula is hard to find.

It is a lot and it's reflected in our most recent CNN polling.

[06:45:02]

Seventy-seven percent of Americans say current economic conditions in the U.S. are poor. There's just so much of that that is out of your control. So let's look at what you can control.

First, your job. Super important to note, the job market is strong, really strong. The economy added more than 400,000 jobs last month. The jobless rate at pre-pandemic levels. It's a great time to look for a pay and lifestyle upgrade. Wages are rising, especially for job hoppers. In the first quarter, people who quit their job and got a new job in the same industry, their pay bump was nearly 18 percent.

Second, your savings. Always a good time to add to your rainy-day fund. The good news is that during Covid Americans stashed a lot of money away for that rainy day. The typical family today is in better shape than after the '08-'09 financial crisis. But higher interest rates are coming. They're here, actually. That means you need to pay down credit card debt. The balances are gong to get more expensive. So, add to your savings, pay down the debt.

Finally, third, your house, probably your biggest asset, it's worth more today. Home prices rose almost 15 percent in April. If you're thinking about moving or downsizing, it is a seller's market.

And to your portfolio, stay invested. Stock markets go up and down. You cannot time the market. Don't wait for a bear market to log into your 401(k) either. It's always a good time to make sure your portfolio is balanced correctly. It should be stocks, bonds, stable assets adjusted for your age and risk tolerance.

And case in point, looking at U.S. futures, they're up today. It was a really scary, ugly week last week. They're going to bounce this morning. You know, you can't play around in the stock market like professionals can. Just stay the course.

BERMAN: It's awfully nice to see that green, I will say that.

ROMANS: There could still be another run for the -- for that bear market in the S&P. I mean we're going to have a tough road here. You know, it really will be because you've got so many cross-currents happening in the economy. Just control what you can --

BERMAN: Yes.

ROMANS: Add to your savings. Pay down the high interest debt. And seriously consider -- not you or me, but seriously consider getting another job because the job market is great. Not you. Not me.

BERMAN: Thank you for that clarification. Important clarification.

Christine romans, thank you very much for that.

This morning, the data is in on Pfizer's third vaccine dose for children under five after a controversial delay. We'll break down what they found.

Plus --

KEILAR: More on the big news this morning. Biden administration officials caught off guard by the president saying that the U.S. will respond militarily if China invades Taiwan. China now responding.

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[06:51:55]

KEILAR: Just in to CNN, Pfizer reporting that three child-size doses of its Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective for kids ages 6 months to 5 years.

So let's bring in CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Long awaited information about vaccines for this age group. What can you tell us, Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, I know you've been waiting for this for your four-year-old little cutie pie and many other parents have been waiting for this as well.

These vaccines work a little bit differently for children 6 months to 5 years. So, let's take a look at what Pfizer is announcing.

So they're announcing data on just a little bit over 14 -- I'm sorry, 1,600 children who got all three of these doses. It's two doses, three weeks apart, and then, this is what's different, a third dose two months later.

Now, Brianna, I think that we all know that this may end up being a three-dose vaccine for everyone and this may be the first time it's official, but it's three doses.

Now, this little baby dose, the little children dose, is one-tenth the size of the dose that is given to people who are older.

Now, the data shows that the vaccine is safe and effective.

Now, I'm going to give a number here. They said it was actually 80 percent effective. And these vaccinations ended in the omicron era. So that's pretty amazing.

However, and that's why I'm sort of being kind of tentative here, this is interim data. It is not final data. So that 80 percent number is pretty amazing. It may not pan out when they finish this. But, still, it will protect your child from Covid, from this data that Pfizer is putting forth. We await their -- the final version of this data.

Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Elizabeth, thank you so much for that.

Elizabeth Cohen live for us.

COHEN: Thanks.

BERMAN: So, an outpouring of emotion when a Ukrainian player drapes his country's flag over a championship trophy.

And listen to this.

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CROWD: (INAUDIBLE).

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KEILAR: That is video from a concert in St. Petersburg, Russia. And what they're chanting is f the war.

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[06:58:09]

BERMAN: Justin Thomas an epic comeback in the final round to win golf's second major of the year, the PGA Championships. This after Tiger Woods withdrew from the tournament.

Andy Scholes with more in the "Bleacher Report."

At kind of the last round here, Andy. There were a lot of misses the last hour of this.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, J.T. got some help to win this tournament, that's for sure, John.

And this last round of the PGA Championship taking place without Tiger Woods yesterday. He had made the cut, but in round three had his worst round ever at the PGA Championship. And instead of putting more miles on his surgically repaired leg, Tiger withdrew from the tournament Saturday night. But he likely had a big smile on his face watching the end of this tournament because his good friend Justin Thomas coming up with the third largest comeback in major championship history. J.T. was down seven strokes to Mito Pereira to start the day. Pereira needed a par on 18 to win this tournament, but he hit a tee shot into the water. That would send J.T. into a playoff with Will Zalatoris, and he would come out on top to win the second major of his career.

All right, to the NBA. The Golden State Warriors now a win away from the NBA finals after beating the Mavs in game three. Steph Curry scoring 31 points, including this no-look three late in the first half. Luka Doncic and the Mavs didn't really appreciate the way Steph celebrated, leading to players from both teams needing to be separated after having some words. Luka had 40 points in this game but was on the wrong end of a monstrous dunk. Andrew Wiggins flying through the air, slamming it on Luka in the four quarter. That was an exclamation point on this game. And 109-100 the final. Warriors take a commander 3-0 lead. No team has ever blown a 3-0 lead in the NBA. Game four is tomorrow night.

All right, and, finally, we had an incredible ending in the Premier League yesterday. Manchester City down 2-0 to Aston Villa late in the second half. They had to win in order to claim the EPL title.

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And fans, they were pretty distraught in the stadium until City scored three goals in a five-minute span. Everyone started going