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New Day Saturday
Buildings Damaged, Thousands Without Power After Kansas Tornado; Situation Becomes More Dire Inside Mariupol Steel Plant; Mother Of American Killed Fighting In Ukraine Speaks To CNN; FDA: Covid-19 For Kids Under 5 Could Come As Early As June; L.A. County Sheriff Opens Investigation Into Reporter Who Wrote Story On Possible Cover-Up In Department. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired April 30, 2022 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[08:00:21]
AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. It is Saturday, April 30th. I'm Amara Walker in today for Boris Sanchez.
LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Amara nice to hold down the fort with you this Saturday. I'm Laura Jarrett in for Christi. Paul.
A lot to get to. We start this hour with at least 40 million people are under the threat of severe storms. This follows at least 14 tornadoes reported across Kansas and Nebraska.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my god.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: Oh my gosh is right. Authority says at least one tornado touchdown in the Wichita area yesterday, damaging homes, cars, and at least 50 to 100 buildings there.
WALKER: The worst damage happened in the town of Andover where authority say most of the roads are closed. With the sun now up in Kansas, authorities we'll be able to get a much more detailed and closer look at the damage last night. Andover's Fire Chief laid out the tough task ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAD RUSSELL, CHIEF, ANDOVER KANSAS FIRE AND RESCUE: We know that there was a direct tornado strike that started in Sedgwick County and traveled into Andover. We had many buildings in Andover take very tough damage. Total in the path. There were 966 buildings we believe. We do not have a damage assessment on how many of those were damaged.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: All right, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar joining us now and we know Allison that least 14 tornadoes were reported across Kansas and Nebraska. The threat is not yet over. What do we know?
ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's right. The same system is continuing to move on. It's been a very active past 24 hours. As you mentioned, a total of 15 tornado reports, over 80 damaging wind reports and 60 hail reports. Some of those were the size of baseballs and even softballs. So very large hail tornadoes, obviously a big concern and the damage that was caused is going to be a little difficult to clean up today because we have high wind warnings and wind advisories for some of the same locations that had those damaging storms. So you've got 30 to 40 mile per hour winds in some of these areas to contend with while you're cleaning up a lot of the damage from those storms.
But the storms are not over yet. They're continuing to shift off to the east. So states like Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma is where we're seeing the activity for now. It's not as bad as it was last night. But now that the sun is out, once you start to get the heating of the day, that's when we really expect these storms to fire back up again, especially this afternoon and into the evening hours. Anywhere from Milwaukee all the way back down to Waco and Austin, Texas have the potential for some strong to severe thunderstorms. The target point for some of the biggest storms, likely this yellow shaded area you see here, so that includes Chicago St. Louis, stretching down towards Little Rock, Arkansas. Damaging winds, large hail very similar to what we saw yesterday. And yes, even some isolated tornadoes still possible today.
As we mentioned, while there are ongoing storms right now, the bulk of the severe thunderstorms will develop this afternoon and continue into the evening hours as the storm progresses eastward. This means if you were in some of these affected areas tonight, please make sure you have a way to get those emergency alerts before you go to bed just in case a watch or a warning may come out after you go to sleep.
This is a multi-day event because we have several different systems. Tomorrow we have a secondary system that will mainly impact Texas and Oklahoma. By Monday it begins to spread north and also eastward with those potential. So here's a look at the two systems. This is the first one impacting areas of the Midwest today shifting East. Then by the time we get into Sunday, there's that secondary low-pressure system that begins to develop severe thunderstorms for Texas and Oklahoma. By Monday it continues to make its way ever so slowly off to the east. So not only will severe thunderstorms be a concern, but you may also have to contend with flooding ladies, because the secondary storm is expected to move a little bit slower than the first one.
JARRETT: Not welcome news, folks just have to hunker down and try to stay safe the best way they can. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.
CHINCHAR: Thanks.
JARRETT: Now to an update on the war in Ukraine for a new drone video shows smoke rising from this steel plant in Mariupol, the last stand for Ukrainian troops defending the city. Hundreds of soldiers and civilians have been trapped in that plant for weeks now. A senior Ukrainian official says Russia is rejecting any proposal to help save the people have Mariupol because it is symbolic for the enemy to destroy the city and its defenders.
Russian forces meantime intensifying their attacks in the east, but Ukrainian forces say they are holding off the Russian assault on several fronts. Ukraine says its forces fought off 14 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions over just the past 24 hours.
[08:05:10]
WALKER: Yes, heavy shelling by Russian troops struck a key railway hub and supply line. Ukraine says Russia continues to strengthen its presence in the area.
Now the situation inside that steel plant in Mariupol is growing more desperate by the day and now the plant is coming under attack from Russian ground forces.
CNN correspondent Scott McLean has more.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are Russian troops making a break for cover in the streets near the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. One of them is shot along the way. This fellow soldier attempts to pull him to safety amidst heavy fire. When Ukrainian deputy commander says that Russia is not only bombarding the plant from the sky, but now also attacking from the ground.
SVIATOSLAV PALAMAR, DEPUTY COMMANDER, AZOV REGIMENT (through translation): As of today, there have been attempts to storm the territory of Azovstal. This is infantry, this is enemy military equipment, but those attempts have been beaten off as of this hour.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, which is leading the fight from the plant, says that recent bombing left some sellers and bunkers cut off by rubble. He's not sure if there are survivors trapped inside. He says bombing also hit a field hospital. The number of wounded soldiers to more than 500. The city mayor puts the number of injured at more than 600.
(on-camera): How many do you think will survive the next day or two? PALAMAR (through translation): I'm not going to say how long we could be here. But I'm going to say that we're doing everything we can to stabilize them.
MCLEAN (voice-over): With the soldiers in the plant are hundreds of civilians, mostly elderly women and children they say as young as four months old. Ukrainian officials say are also running low on food and water. Thursday, the UN Secretary General arrived in Kyiv determined to broker a deal to safely evacuate civilians from the plant after securing an agreement in principle from Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MCLEAN (voice-over): Friday morning, Zelenskyy's office announced an operation to evacuate civilians was planned for Friday. But no other details.
Palamar said a convoy was in route but had yet to arrive. He is also hoping for a deal to allow soldiers to get out, though perhaps it's a long shot.
(on-camera): Would you rather die fighting then surrender yourself to the Russians.
PALAMAR (through translation): We are not considering the terms of surrender. We are waiting only for guarantees of exit from the territory of the plants. That is if there is no choice but captivity, we will not surrender.
MCLEAN: Petro Andriushchenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol says getting soldiers evacuated safely would take an international intervention or a divine one.
PETRO ANDRIUSHCHENKO, ADVISER TO THE MAYOR OF MARIUPOL: I really want something like miracle, Look like a Pope has to sit to the main bus from Zaporizhzhia and driving to Azovstal to take to the bus our soldiers and get back.
MCLEAN (on-camera): You don't think that it makes sense for the soldiers at the steel plant just to surrender themselves to the Russians?
ANDRIUSHCHENKO: (INAUDIBLE).
MCLEAN (on-camera): That might be the best thing to do.
ANDRIUSHCHENKO: Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLEAN: Now the fighting from that plant is being led by the Azov Regiment. And that is precisely why the adviser to the President said this morning that he doesn't believe that the Russians are interested in helping anyone get from out -- from under that plan because the Azov Regiment for the Russians are symbolic. They began as an ultra- nationalist extremist militia. They have since though folded into the mainstream Ukrainian military, but the Russians hold them up as a powerful propaganda tool, trying to make the point that they are part of the de-not suffocation in their words, that needs to happen in Ukraine.
The UN Secretary General was here in Kyiv earlier this week trying to broker some kind of a deal between the Ukrainians and the Russians to get people out from under that. But that adviser to the President says that the Russians so far had been unwilling to talk and unwilling to compromise. Laura.
JARRETT: All right, Scott McLean. Thank you for your reporting as always.
President Biden weighed in on the first American killed fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, calling the death of Willy Joseph Cancel very sad adding that he left behind a little baby.
WALKER: Willy Joseph Cancel was just 22, a former Marine who was working as a private contractor. His mother says he volunteered for the mission.
Now, Oren Liebermann spoke to Cancel's mother about her son's drive to him help others.
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[08:10:02]
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Willy Joseph Cancel, this wasn't his war. The 22-year-old had already served his country in the Marines but after Russia invaded Ukraine Cancel's family says he felt the need to leave Tennessee and join the fight.
REBECCA CABRERA, MOTHER OF AMERICAN KILLED IN UKRAINE: Even before he left to go to Ukraine, you know, he was proud because he wants to do the right thing and, you know, fight alongside the underdogs and help them with things that he thought was important.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Cancel's mother Rebecca Cabrera says her son was the one to stand up when everyone else stood back.
CABRERA: Everybody that he's come in contact within his life, so that they were proud to serve next to him to be a part of his life. And just everybody remembers who he was. You know, he was a hero and, you know, he was doing the right thing no matter how people feel about it.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Cancel's mother says he started working for a private military contractor shortly before the war. Cancel agreed to go fight in Ukraine. He arrived in a country still defending on multiple fronts in mid-March. Russian forces inching towards Kyiv and carrying out more strikes on Western Ukraine. His mother says she was told he fought with men from different countries before he was killed in action.
His body has not been recovered because of the danger, his new Brothers in Arms mourning his loss. MIRO POPOVICH, U.S. CITIZEN FIGHTING IN UKRAINE: It makes me feel sad and I'm grateful for his sacrifices. Unbelievable that you are able to -- that he was able to go here and put an ultimate sacrifice for my home country of Ukraine.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Cancel leaves behind a wife and a seven- month-old baby, a family left without a father and a husband. His brother-in-law says he was the type to fight for what's right, regardless of the outcome.
He's not the only one, Ukraine's military created an international legion for foreign fighters. A Ukrainian official said more than 20,000 volunteers and veterans from 52 countries wanted to join. Though how many served is unclear. The U.S. has set billions of dollars in weapons to Ukraine to help them fight Russia. But the White House says American citizens should stay out of this fight.
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We know people want to help. But we do encourage Americans to find other ways to do so rather than traveling to -- rather than traveling to Ukraine to fight there. It is a war zone. It's an act of war zone. And we know Americans face significant risks. But certainly we know a family is mourning, a wife is mourning, and our hearts are with them.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Cancel's mother says the call was too great. The cause too important one for which Cancel gave his life.
CABRERA: He knew they needed help. And it was just something that he felt that he could help him because he had the experience and the training and the knowledge to go and help them.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: All right. Joining me now is Kimberly Dozier, a contributor, excuse me for Time Magazine, and a CNN global affairs analyst.
Kim, good morning to you. Thanks so much for joining us.
My first question to you is, are we seeing a new phase in this war where the world is coming to the realization that we're in for a long drawn-out battle? I mean, there's no credible diplomatic track that exists right now. Right? And if anything, the war could widen on several fronts?
KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Absolutely. It seems like ever since Secretary of Defense Austin and Secretary of State Blinken convened that meeting of 40 nations in Ramstein Air Base that everyone has realized this is going to be something that lasts at least through this year, and then maybe many more years because Russia has dug in. And the kind of atrocities that Russia is accused of committing means that peace talks with Ukraine really aren't likely to go anywhere.
President Zelenskyy has always said that whatever he agrees to at the negotiating table has to be agreed upon, voted upon by all Ukrainian citizens in a referendum afterwards. And I can't see Ukrainian citizens okaying anything that for instance, would give up any Ukrainian territory. Instead, we see things like the British Foreign Secretary talking about, you know what Ukrainians shouldn't just fight to take territory back to where it was before the February invasion. They should keep going. Take back all the territories in the Donbass and the Crimea. That is a new attitude from the west.
WALKER: Yes. So clearly, as you said, both sides are digging in. And it seems like the U.S. has adopted a new strategy. I wonder what you made of different Secretary Lloyd Austin's comments that he made on Monday in Poland in his news conference after his trip to Kyiv. Take a listen.
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[08:15:10]
LLOYD AUSTIN, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine. So, it has already lost a lot of military capability. And a lot of its troops, quite frankly. And we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: So was this an announcement of a broadening of U.S. strategy where initially, it seemed like the U.S. was getting involved to help defend Ukraine, and now it sounds like there's this long-term goal of damaging Russia, at least militarily so that they cannot do something like this again in the future.
DOZIER: Well, the Defense Secretary is careful never to get out in front of the President on anything. And the Pentagon spokesperson has since those remarks said our policy is not regime change. But speaking from a military perspective, they do want to Russian -- to weaken Russia's military, because every European official I've spoken to, thinks that Russia, if they're successful in Ukraine, will keep going possibly following through with a threat made by a Russian general, to see some territory in Moldova.
A map is circulating around on social media put out by Russian outlets and pro-Russian activists, that shows a new map of Russian territory, not just in the Donbass and the Crimea, but with a landbridge all the way to Moldova. The Defense Secretary and countries across Europe want to put a stop to that.
WALKER: Yes, clearly, this conflict is far from over. That is the grim reality.
Kim Dozier, appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much.
DOZIER: Thank you.
JARRETT: Still ahead for you, a parent who have been counting the days to vaccinate their little ones against COVID may not have to wait too much longer. More on that, next.
And later a reporter cut off while just try to get answers from the L.A. County Sheriff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe you need to start clarifying exactly what you did with this. And when did you who did you get it from? And when did you get it? So that's a question for you to answer. So with that, we're not going to take a question for you. Anybody else has a question?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JARRETT: The controversial video uncovered by that reporter coming up this hour.
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[08:21:44]
JARRETT: Welcome back. Some good news for parents with young children. Parents like Amira and myself have been waiting a long time for this (INAUDIBLE) kids as young as six months to five years old, may soon be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine as early as this June. Now that's according to the FDA latest schedule.
WALKER: I'm definitely looking forward to that date. If it comes to fruition, Laura and it comes just days after Moderna filed emergency use authorization of their COVID vaccine for this age group.
CNN's Nadia Romero joining us now. So Nadia, what more do you know about the possibility of kids under six being able to finally get the vaccine?
NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Amira, Laura, we're talking about 18 million people are youngest of the population that make up this group that could potentially get the Moderna vaccine if FDA vaccine advisors recommend this emergency use authorization. As Moderna says it's about a quarter of the dose they would use for an adult to account for the size of these children. And they're pointing to the data that the study that they had a clinical study with data that just was released 6,700 kids in that age group participated in this clinical trial. And they say they didn't see not a single death and a very small number of hospitalizations leading Moderna to say that this is safe and effective for kids who are six months old, all the way up to five years old.
Here's the Chief Medical Officer at Moderna explaining why he believes it's safe for your kids too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BURTON, CMO, MODERNO: First of all, we looked at safety, you know, as a dad, as a physician, that's obviously what we always want to look at first, particularly in this, you know, very young group. The safety was very reassuring exactly what we've seen in older kids and other populations, some injection site pain, a little bit of fever, but no excess risk of high fever. So that was very reassuring.
And then John, when we look at antibody levels, we wanted to see levels that was similar to what we found in young adults. So it's 18 to 24. And it's that's exactly what we found. So overall, I think this is a very reassuring result and good news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMERO: So 38 states are reporting seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases within the last week. We're also seeing some mask mandates coming back, like in San Francisco, the Bay Area Transit implementing their mask mandate until mid-July.
And so because of that Dr. Anthony Fauci says, listen, the pandemic is far from over. But we are in a transition phase, transitioning back to a normal way of life without so many mandates, without lock downs. And potentially this vaccine for kids ages of six months to five years old could be another layer of protection that their parents have been waiting for more. Laura.
JARRETT: I don't know about a transition phase, but I am ready for my toddler to get that shot. Nadia Romero, thank you
All right tonight the annual White House Correspondents Dinner will return after a two-year hiatus due to COVID of course. President Biden will be taking extra precautions while attending to avoid catching the virus.
WALKER: Yes, Mr. Biden's attendance marks the first time a sitting president has been at the event with members of the press since 2016. But the widely attended gala is raising a lot of concerns that it could become a super spreader event.
CNN's Jasmine Wright joining us now from the White House.
[08:25:02]
Hi there Jasmine. As we know President Biden is in that higher risk age group. What kind of precautions will he be taking tonight?
JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. Well, he will be taking precautions. But I think one thing that we can know for sure is that President Biden will be a party time president, but with an astro camera. So things that the White House has identified that he will do includes that he will skip the dinner portion, as you can see on the screen here, he will skip the meal during the event, he will arrive later really to limit his exposure to the thousands of people that are expected to be there about 2,000 is the number that we know. And of course, he will wear a mask when he is not speaking. And that highly anticipated speech. Remember the President's speech on this night every year is something that people look forward to, of course, it will be streamed live. And something that folks really look for a President before, of course, former President Trump disrupted the tradition.
And so we know that President Biden really has been working until the last hour. The White House said yesterday to get the speech in order. He's taking submissions from folks that he knows, from comedians, some speech writers really trying to find the right tune. Of course, Jen Psaki, White House press secretary yesterday said that he's funny, he's going to be funny in the speech, but he's also going to strike the right tone, really trying to celebrate free press in the First Amendment. It's a reason why he is coming tomorrow, despite, of course, the concerns that this really large gathering tonight will have for the President. Of course, we know that he is older age, more susceptible to some of the more negative effects that the COVID virus can bring.
And so, in addition to those precautions that he's taking, really we know that the White House itself has been pretty strategic they say in trying to limit the exposure that the President has to people who could potentially be carriers of that COVID virus. Of course, we know that the Vice President tested positive just last week, and other officials after really a large gathering just a few weeks ago at the Grid Iron Dinner tested positive, really in a confluence of events for a White House official.
So, it's something that is top of mind for the White House with the President coming to the dinner tonight. But they say that they are taking precautions, of course, as the President focuses on trying to get the speech right, trying to meet the moment that he's in, in the first time that the White House is having one of these dinners since the pandemic has begun.
WALKER: Yes, look, it's been a tough year right, dealing with this pandemic, the war and of course, it's the economy. I think a lot of people are looking forward to these moments of levity.
Jasmine Wright, thank you.
And be sure to join us tonight for our live coverage of the White House Correspondents Dinner, the event is returning after a two-year hiatus due to COVID as we've been saying it's all starts here at 7:00 p.m.
We'll be right back.
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[08:32:46]
JARRETT: A Los Angeles Times reporter is being singled out by a powerful sheriff at a news conference after the newspaper released leaked video showing a deputy kneeling on the head of an inmate who had been handcuffed.
WALKER: That was followed by a story about a possible cover up of that violence. Now L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva claims there is a press conspiracy against him. CNN's Nick Watt has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An inmate gets punchy at a sheriff's department lockup. In this footage recently obtained by the Los Angeles Times, you see a deputy's knee on the now handcuffed inmate's neck or head. This week, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced another investigation.
SHERIFF ALEX VILLANUEVA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: Here are the three individuals that we want to know a lot about.
WATT (voice-over): An investigation into who leaked that video. He pointed at a picture of the L.A. Times reporter who broke the story.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this Los Angeles Times reporter under investigation by the department?
VILLANUEVA: Well, the act is under investigation. And all parties to the act are subjects of the investigation.
ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN, LOS ANGELES TIMES REPORTER: It was, you know, uncomfortable and bizarre and a little bit surreal to see my photo up there. It's obviously alarming, of course, when a powerful government official would do something like that.
WATT (voice-over): Raises the question, why? Well, this potentially excessive use of force by one of his deputies was kept from the public. The video only surfaced last month, but it happened more than a year ago, just as jury selection began in Minneapolis for the trial of Derek Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd with a knee on the neck.
Sheriff Villanueva blocked and stalled an investigation, states one of the sheriff's underlings in a freshly filed claim to obstruct justice and avoid bad publicity for his re-election campaign.
VILLANUEVA: Well the foundation this entire lawsuit is false. Everything in this lawsuit is false.
WATT (voice-over): The scandal prone Villanueva faces voters in June. Right now, questions over a helipad built by his home apparently without permission, reports the L.A. Times based on a department audit. Also, an investigation into alleged gang activity among his deputies.
VILLANUEVA: There was absolutely no actionable information on here for anybody, but it made for a good clickbait for the L.A. Times.
[08:35:04]
WATT (voice-over): On this incident, Villanueva claims he wasn't shown the video until eight months after it happened, acted swiftly, launched an investigation. He blamed subordinates for any earlier lack of action.
TCHEKMEDYIAN: Yesterday, we heard for the first time an eyewitness who says that they were personally in the room and saw him watch the video five days after the incident happened. WATT (voice-over): A high ranking official, she says she didn't cover it up, Villanueva did, and later tried to demote her. Villanueva is the most powerful sheriff in the land claims, this is all a deep conspiracies against him.
VILLANUEVA: There's a lot of people working in concert in coordination that includes the L.A. Times, that includes people that, obviously, want to defeat me electorally, that includes the board appointed inspector general and the civilian oversight commission. A lot of people work in overtime.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATT: Now back in 2018, Villanueva called himself a Democrat and, one, he's moved to the right since then. He refused to enforce a vaccine mandate within his department. He publicly blamed Democrats for the homelessness crisis out here. The question is going to be, can he win re-election, appealing to a pretty different constituency by talking about things like conspiracies involving the press.
Now, he declined our request for an interview but he has clarified on Twitter that that L.A. Times reporter is not, in fact, a suspect. And he will not be pursuing criminal charges against her in his investigation into who leaked that video.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
WALKER: That is a fascinating story. Nick Watt, thank you.
A new report from Microsoft says Russia is using cyberattacks in its war in Ukraine. Why? That's next.
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[08:41:31]
JARRETT: A new report out from Microsoft this week is shedding light on just how brazen alleged Russian cyberattacks have been in Ukraine. The data shows at least six different Kremlin linked hacking groups have conducted nearly 240 cyber operations against Ukrainian targets during this war. Microsoft's vice president says Russia's use of cyberattacks against Ukraine appears to be strongly correlated, and sometimes directly timed with its military operations on the ground.
Joining us now to dive deeper into this threat, the former Director of U.S. Cyber Security at the Department of Homeland Security, Amit Yoran. So nice to see you. You're the chairman and CEO of Tenable, I should mention. I want to get your reaction first to that assessment by the Microsoft V.P. about the level of coordination behind these alleged cyberattacks.
The report says that the suspected Russian hackers may have been collecting intelligence on Ukrainian military partnerships months before the invasion. What does all of this tell you about the cyber capabilities we're looking at here? AMIT YORAN, FORMER DIRECTOR OF U.S. CYBER SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Yes, Laura, this is incredibly consistent with everything we already know. We've been hearing for years from the intelligence community and we have decades of experience dealing with the Russians and other aggressors in cyberspace. So this is dramatic news if you've been living under a rock.
But if you've been paying close attention, you see very consistently, attacks being used by Russia or actors on behalf of the Russian government in conjunction with military operations. And this goes back almost a decade back to the original Russian invasion of Crimea.
JARRETT: The report says that the physical and the cyberattacks on Ukraine are especially coordinated when they involve telecommunications infrastructure. So for example, there's a cyberattack on a Ukrainian broadcast company last month on the same day that Russia launched a strike against a TV tower in Kyiv. What does this tell you about Russia's strategy and how do you combat it?
YORAN: This is classic military operations, attacking lines of communications and attacking supply lines. They're all part of a coordinated effort when you see aggressive military action. So we've seen knocking out of satellite communications in conjunction with military tax, we've seen going after and knocking out Internet services, and other high value communications targets to prevent Ukraine or Western governments from providing and mounting an effective defense. Luckily, they haven't been tremendously successful today.
JARRETT: Last month, the President warned business leaders here in the U.S. He thinks that a retaliatory Russian cyberattack against the US is frankly eminent. How do you assess that threat now? And is the U.S. prepared?
YORAN: I don't think the President of the United States nor the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the NSA, GCHQ in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and other governments around the world would put out calls for action if the threat were not credible and imminent. So I think this is something that U.S. businesses need to take very seriously.
And the good news is that you can do a lot to protect yourself in cyberspace. The simple truth here is that we are not helpless, right? We just can't behave negligently. We have to take action to apply basic cyber hygiene to our systems.
[08:45:03]
Find out where you have vulnerabilities. Patch those vulnerabilities. You have to monitor and respond to the attacks that you do see, and you have to protect the digital identities that matter to your business.
JARRETT: All right, Amit Yoran, thank you for your time and expertise this morning, sir.
YORAN: Great speaking with you.
WALKER: Up next, inflation is near a 40-year high. That means renting an apartment may not be cheaper than buying a house.
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WALKER: High demand and low supply have sent home prices soaring. And with rising mortgage rates, many Americans just can't afford to buy.
JARRETT: Yes, it's all having a major ripple effect on rent prices and forcing many people to make some tough decisions right now.
CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more on this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[08:50:00]
LAURA GUILMAIN, FLORIDA RENTER: Less and less and less.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Laura Guilmain and her daughter Carsen (ph) have 30 days to find a new home.
(on-camera): How many properties do you think you've explored?
GUILMAIN: Thousands, thousands.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): For three years, Guilmain has been paying $2,100 a month for this three bedroom in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. But last month, she got a letter from her landlord.
GUILMAIN: Due to unforeseen circumstances --
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Her new rent $3,200 a month. An attorney for her landlord tells CNN, rising property taxes and mortgage rates are to blame.
GUILMAIN: I freaked out. We can't afford. We can't do it.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): There's a housing affordability crisis. Home prices are sky high, forcing more Americans into a competitive rental market.
Guilmain, a single mom and disabled veteran is reliant on rental assistance from Housing and Urban Development or HUD. She already had fewer options. But now landlords looking to capitalize on rising rents are less willing to accept the strict guidelines of her rental voucher.
(on-camera): How critical is the HUD voucher to your existence?
GUILMAIN: That is our existence. Without it, we would be homeless.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Rents are rising across the country, up a record nearly 20 percent on average in two years. Double that in cities like Memphis, Tampa and Riverside, California. But the Miami Palm Beach area tops them all at 58 percent nearly three times the national average.
GUILMAIN: When there's a hurricane, it's illegal for gas stations to jack up the prices. Why is there not a cap in the state of Florida? Why am I looking at a 43 percent increase?
YURKEVICH (voice-over): In fact, it's illegal in Florida to impose rent controls.
SARA ESPINOZA, FLORIDA RENTER: Actually it gives me a lot of anxiety.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Sarah Espinoza is facing a 106 percent increase on her rent in Coral Gables, Florida.
ESPINOZA: Put it together.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): For 22 years, she's called this three-bedroom home. She raised her son here. She says the $1,700 she pays in rent is below market value but the $3,500 for new landlord is charging is out of her budget.
ESPINOZA: It's not reasonable at all. I guess by now, everybody's just price gouging because people need somewhere to live.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): She set a new budget of $2,800. This week, she found an apartment right next door, but it's smaller and over budget by $400.
(on-camera): How's that rationalize in your mind?
ESPINOZA: It doesn't. It doesn't rationalize at all. And I just think it's very unfair. It makes me upset.
GUILMAIN: Anyhow, many people have reached out.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): For Laura and Carsen (ph), their search continues with no prospects in sight.
(on-camera): So where does that put you?
GUILMAIN: Puts me on the street.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YURKEVICH: Just a handful of states have rent control protections in place, the majority do not including right here in Florida. Now inflation is very high and more people are moving to Miami than anywhere else in the country, that is expected to push rents even higher.
But on a local level, the city of Miami just passed a new law which requires landlords to give tenants 60 days notice if they plan to raise the rent more than 5 percent. But of course, that doesn't help people who are trying to pay their rent or find affordable housing.
Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, Miami.
JARRETT: Our thanks to Vanessa for that report. Some new reporting just in to CNN. Nearly every building on that sprawling Ukrainian steel plant. The last holdout in Mariupol which we mentioned at the top of the show has been destroyed. That's according to new satellite images from Maxar Technologies.
WALKER: Yes, some roofs are completely collapsed, and some buildings have been reduced to rubble. Now CNN has previously reported that Ukrainian forces and hundreds of remaining residents as young as four months old have taken refuge in the deep basements at that steel plant.
It's unclear from the satellite images taken on Friday whether any of the military strikes have destroyed any of the basement facilities. It's unclear how many survivors we're talking about. We will continue to follow the developments throughout the day.
JARRETT: Thank you so much for joining us today. We will be back right here tomorrow.
WALKER: Thanks so much for joining -- for being with me, everyone and to you Laura. Smerconish is up next. But first, here's a quick preview of what you'll see in the second season of "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.: It premieres tomorrow night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STANLEY TUCCI, ACTOR (voice-over): There's nowhere on Earth quite like Italy. Every mouthful here is an eruption.
TUCCI (on-camera): It's so good.
[08:55:04]
Cheers.
A city in the sea. Let's go.
TUCCI (voice-over): If you want to know the best to eat, ask a gondolier.
TUCCI (on-camera): I'll try it.
TUCCI (voice-over): And note for any vegetarians watching, Umbrians eat a lot of meat.
TUCCI (on-camera): I surrender to the pork.
Look at that. Oh, gorgeous. That's a revelation.
TUCCI (voice-over): There are more Italians here than in Bologna or Pisa. And whatever you've heard, the food here is incredible.
TUCCI (on-camera): I don't even want to talk anymore. I just want to eat it. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A new season of "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy" premieres tomorrow at 9:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
