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New Day Saturday

Ukraine's Evacuation Efforts; Russia's war on Ukraine; 14th Ballistic Missiles Launched from North Korea; Testimony in Depp-Heard Defamation Trial Resumes on May 16; Ukrainian Hospitals in Need As Casualties Grow; Kentucky Derby 2022 Begins Today. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 07, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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


[06:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, welcome to your "New Day" We are so grateful to see you. I'm Christi Paul.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Alex Marquardt in for Boris Sanchez this morning. So great to be back with you.

PAUL: So good to have you.

MARQUARDT: There is hope that evacuation efforts could resume today to rescue civilians trapped in underground bunkers in that besieged steel plant in the Southeastern Ukrainian City of Mariupol. This is amid heightened fears that Russia could soon formally declare an escalated war on Ukraine.

PAUL: And a red-hot economy is fueling a better-than-expected jobs report, where we're seeing jobs and wage gains, and how the Fed is hoping to bring down the inflation without sparking a recession if that's possible.

MARQUARDT: Plus, the new twist in that manhunt for an escaped Alabama convict and the corrections officer, who allegedly helped him get away. Why police are saying that finding their getaway car puts the search back at square one.

PAUL: Also, how the renewed fight over abortion rights is signaling a major shift in how Democrats and Republicans prepare for the midterm elections.

I hope the coffee and the breakfast is just what you need this morning. Good morning to you on this Saturday, May 7th. We are so grateful that you're waking up with us. Alex, good to have you with us. Sorry for the early alarm clock yet again for you.

MARQUARDT: The coffee is starting to catch up. We'll get through this.

PAUL: Very good.

MARQUARDT: So nice to be back with you, Christi. There's so much going on this morning.

PAUL: Yes.

MARQUARDT: So, let's get right to it. We are beginning with those stalled efforts to free more civilians from the battered steel plant Azovstal in Mariupol, Ukraine.

PAUL: Yes, evacuation efforts were supposed to resume today after 50 civilians were freed from the plant in Mariupol yesterday. But so far there are no signs that process has restarted. At least 100 civilians, including a number of children, are still trapped in underground bunkers there.

MARQUARDT: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is accusing Russia of using blockades as a kind of torture by starvation. Zelenskyy says that organizations are not being allowed to get into Mariupol to provide that badly needed food, water, and other supplies to those who were still trapped.

PAUL: Now, the Biden Administration is increasing the amount of intelligence it shares with Ukraine two months into the Russian invasion now. Sources say, U.S. intelligence played a role in successful strike -- the successful strike, I should say, against the Russian flagship Moskva. Administration officials insist there are clear limits on the intel that it shares with Ukraine.

MARQUARDT: For more, let's go straight to CNN's Isa Soares in Lviv, Ukraine. Isa, are we seeing any sign of progress in Mariupol so far today?

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A very good morning to you, Alex and Christi. Well, all eyes are very closely watching, monitoring the situation in Mariupol, in particular, the Azovstal stall steel plant that's being besieged for weeks, of course. And like you clearly stated there, Alex, we -- we've been told by both sides, both the Ukrainians and the Russians, have been saying to expect evacuations. But look, it's now 1:00 and there are no signs, whatsoever, that we can see that those evacuations are underway.

There was a glimmer of hope for a select few on Friday, 50 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant. We saw buses -- a couple of buses with civilians inside. We don't know how many of those are civilians, how many are children. But as you could see there, they were being really evacuated with the help of the U.N., with the help of the Red Cross.

And we know they're supposed to be making their way to Ukrainian-held territory of Zaporizhzhia. But look, it's worrying signs given, you know, what we have seen in the last three days, the intensity of the airstrikes and the intensity of the shelling on the besieged city of Mariupol, and in particular in -- of the steel plant where there are still civilians inside, 100 civilians we've been told as well as 600 soldiers. Now, I spoke to a deputy mayor of Lviv just earlier this week, in fact, and I asked him whether they, the soldiers, were part of this evacuation plan. He told me they weren't. So, clearly a huge concern. And that is why we've had President Zelenskyy calling, pleading really for a way to get them out. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are also working on diplomatic options to save our military who remain in Azovstal. Influential mediators are involved including influential states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:05:00]

SOARES: We'll keep an eye on that. In the meantime, returning to the battlefield, we have heard from the military for -- Ukrainian military for the first time saying that Russian forces have begun to blow up their bridges in the East. So, very telling indeed. Alex.

PAUL: So, what -- yes, what do we know about the Ukraine's contention that Russia's destroying those bridges in an effort to prevent counterattacks there?

SOARES: Yes, this is something, you know, that they, the Ukrainians hadn't told us officially. This is the first time, Christi that we -- I've been hearing from them on this. But what they are saying is that for the first time the Russians are blowing up these bridges in the North of the country. So, it's the North and the East and near Kharkiv, in particular. And the strategy here is to really try and slow the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Now, we cannot independently confirm this, but I'll tell you this, Christi, that in the last few weeks what we have seen is Ukrainian forces reclaiming some of the towns around that area. Christi.

PAUL: All right. Good to know. Isa Soares, we so appreciate the updates. Thank you so much.

Also, to tell you this morning, South Korean authorities are strongly condemning North Korea for firing a suspected short-range ballistic missile likely launched from a submarine into the waters off the East Coast of the Korean Peninsula.

MARQUARDT: So, for more, let's go to CNN's Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley who is in the Taiwan capital Taipei. Will, this is the 14th projectile the North Korea has fired this year. What is different about this one?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What's different about this one is where it was launched from, presumably a submarine. And also, its altitude and the distance that it traveled. It reached a maximum altitude of just under 40 miles, but it traveled almost 400 miles. Why is that dangerous potentially? Because a North Korean submarine could approach the coast of South Korea or Japan. Both countries have U.S. forces stationed there and fired this missile that would essentially fly under the radar, a surprise attack if you will.

It would be all but impossible for existing missile defense systems to shoot down or certainly very challenging indeed. And some of the short-range ballistic missiles North Korea are nuclear-capable as well. But even if it was just a conventional missile, of course, it would be devastating, and the North Koreans know that and that's why they're demonstrating this technology.

So, here is what we know as of right now. It was likely, as I said, launched from a submarine off the simple area, a coastal city in North Korea, it was launched into the waters off the Korean peninsula, heading in the direction of Japan. It was fired around 1:07 a.m. Eastern Time, 2:07 local time in the afternoon. And it comes just days after another ballistic missile test that happened on Wednesday. A test that North Korea did not publicize interestingly. We're not exactly sure why that is.

But as you mentioned, it marks the country's 14th missile launch this year. That 14 number is significant because it's more than both 2020 and 2021 combined. And the U.S. and Japan are saying, Alex and Christi, that a North Korean nuclear test could happen as soon as this month because there's work being observed at their nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, which they checked down five years ago. They claimed it was destroyed irreparably. I was there. They blew up the tunnel entrances. Well, guess what? They've now dug new tunnels. They're building a new command center. So, we need to watch very carefully to see what happens in the coming weeks from Kim Jong-un.

MARQUARDT: And South Korea's military is calling these seriously threatening acts that must be immediately stopped. Will Ripley in Taipei, thank you so much.

Now, the U.S. labor market has just added slightly more jobs than were expected in April. The American economy is on pace to recover all the jobs that were lost from the pandemic by the end of this summer.

PAUL: It sounds good, doesn't it? However, the topic on -- I know, most of your minds that you're thinking about this morning is the record-high inflation we're seeing and the high prices. CNN's Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans breaks all of it down for us.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Christi and Alex, another strong jobs report. The U.S. economy added 428,000 jobs in April. That's better than expected. And unchanged from March's revised numbers. At this pace, all of the jobs lost in the COVID recession will be recovered by this summer. It's also a really great number in normal times. A far cry though from the millions of jobs gained during the recovery.

It's not that companies don't want to hire. It's the labor market is very tight. There are a lot, a lot of open jobs in America. These numbers would probably be stronger if only they could find the workers. The unemployment rate held steady at the pandemic low of 3.6 percent. It's a long way down from the April 2020 peak of nearly 15 percent. Where are the jobs? We're seeing gains across the board with big jumps in leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, professional and business services, too. Wages also jumping 5.5 percent from a year ago. A strong gain but also a potential inflation signal. Employers have to pay more to lure workers, something the Federal Reserve is watching very closely. The Fed raised interest rates by half a percentage point this week. That's the biggest hike in 22 years.

[06:10:00]

The Fed is trying to cool red-hot inflation without sending the U.S. economy into a recession. Christi, Alex.

PAUL: Christine, thank you so much.

There is a key discovery this morning in the search for missing corrections official and inmate facing murder charges. Authorities announced that they located the car they previously believed Vicky White and Casey White were traveling in.

MARQUARDT: The car that, that Ford SUV you're looking at there had been in a Tennessee tow lot for about a week, roughly a two-hour drive North from where the pair disappeared from that county jail in Florence, Alabama. CNN's Ryan Young has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Seven days after authorities began searching for Alabama fugitive Casey White and corrections officer Vicky White, investigators are encountering more setbacks. U.S. Marshals have located their getaway car but have no new leads on where the pair is now.

SHERIFF RICK SINGLETON, LAUDERDALE COUNTY, ALABAMA: We're sort of back to square one as far as vehicle description right now. They found the car but who knew where they were going.

YOUNG (voiceover): CNN talked to the tow truck driver who moved the car last Friday. He said it was found abandoned in the middle of the road, blocking traffic in Williamson County, Tennessee, about two hours North of the detention Center, and only four hours after the fugitives were last seen.

SINGLETON: We're assuming where it was abandoned, and it was abandoned so quickly that they probably had mechanical problems with it.

YOUNG (voiceover): When police got to the tow yard, they saw the SUV had apparently been spray painted and the empty vehicle was locked.

CHAD HUNT, COMMANDER U.S. MARSHALS GULF COAST FUGITIVE TASK FORCE: Now, what we're doing, in addition to canvassing the area, doing some interviews, we're looking at all those tips that were specific maybe to that area. So, it really, you know, reinvigorates, you know, the investigation for us. And it gives us a trajectory to carry on this investigation.

YOUNG (voiceover): Vicky and Casey White, who are not related, took off last Friday morning. Surveillance video shows the pair leaving the correctional facility in a patrol car under the guise of going to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. Officials are trying to find out more about the so-called special relationship between the officer and the inmate which allegedly dates back to 2020 when Casey White was serving time in State prison and was brought to Lauderdale County for an arraignment on murder charges. The Sheriff's office says Vicky had access to about $90,000 withdrawn from a number of local banks.

SINGLETON: They had plenty of cash.

YOUNG (voiceover): Court documents showed that Vicky White sold her home two weeks prior for $95,000, well below the current market value. Vicky White stayed at a hotel the night before their escape near to where her getaway car was parked.

SINGLETON: But we do know that she was spotted on video at the Quality Inn directly behind Logans.

YOUNG (voiceover): The day of their escape was supposedly Vicky White's retirement date. Until then, she was a model employee at the prison. The fugitives are believed to be heavily armed and considering the violence of Casey's past crimes, the sheriff's office still has concerns for Vicky's well-being.

SINGLETON: We've all -- I mean, anything could set him off. And, you know, at any time he could just lose it and decide she's a hindrance to him and, you know, hurt -- harm her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: And thank you to Ryan Young for the report there. I will keep you posted on that throughout the morning.

Also, the Senate will vote next week on a bill to codify abortion rights. What we expect from that vote and how the renewed focus on the issue could supercharge the already high-stakes midterm races across the country.

Also, after weeks of testimony, Amber Heard is heard essentially. The actress recounts her explosive fights with actor Johnny Depp. All kinds of new allegations you're going to hear from her in a moment. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:15:00]

N MARQUARDT: The Senate will be voting next week on a bill to protect access to abortions nationally after a leaked draft opinion obtained by Politico revealed that the Supreme Court is potentially poised to overturn Roe versus Wade later this term.

PAUL: Yes, the legislation is expected to come up short of the 60 votes that are needed to pass, even one rare Republican supporter of abortion rights has signaled that she will not support this bill. CNN Congressional Reporter Daniella Diaz with us now.

Daniella, good to see us this morning. Talk to us about what the expectation is from Senator Susan Collins and others this week.

DANIELLA DIAZ, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Christi, Senator Susan Collins signaled to reporters earlier this week that she's not going to support this legislation, the Women's Health Protection Act which the Senate actually voted for previously in February and it also failed then because she does not agree with certain language in the legislation.

I want to read a statement from her which really explains the nuance of why she's not supporting this legislation. She said, it supersedes all other Federal and State laws including the conscience protections that are in the Affordable Care Act. It doesn't protect the right of Catholic hospitals to not perform abortions. That right has been enshrined in law for a long time.

She really explains here she does not agree with all the language in the legislation. In fact, she actually introduced her own legislation with Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, another moderate Republican senator that would codify Roe versus Wade, which of course includes this detail that catholic hospitals have the right to not perform abortions. It's unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is going to put that legislation on the floor for a vote.

But really the bigger picture here is democrats don't even have their whole caucus united on this issue. In fact, Senator Joe Manchin has described himself as, "A pro-life and proud of it". A lifelong abortion opponent. He always is the one that tends to break with his party on issues, especially of course now abortion rights. He did not support this legislation when it was put to a vote in February. We don't expect him to support it next week. But really the bigger picture here is a lot could change between now and June which, of course, is when we expect the Supreme Court to issue their formal opinion on Roe versus Wade. Until then, of course, a lot of this conversation is going to continue on abortion rights and what Democrats, of course, plan tad to do about it. Christ, Alex.

MARQUARDT: That's right. This is not a done deal yet but it is highly likely. Daniella Diaz, thank you so much for that report.

[06:20:00]

Now, here to discuss that vote taking place next week in the Senate and all the latest in Washington is CNN Political Commentator Errol Louis. He's a columnist for "New York Magazine" and host of the "You Decide" podcast. Errol, thanks so much for joining us early this morning. As Daniella was just saying, this vote is expected to fail, not just because of the filibuster but also because Joe Manchin means that all Democrats are not on board. So, why is Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, bringing this up for a vote knowing that it's not going to pass? Is it purely for the symbolism?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMMENTATOR: Good morning. It's not simply symbolism. The reality is, especially going into a midterm election, what Leader Schumer has signaled is that he wants everybody on the record. It's one thing to tell a reporter, oh, I'm sort of pro-life or I'm not in favor of this particular bill and I've got another one. To have a dramatic high stakes vote and to have everybody on the record, I think, clarifies issues going into the midterm elections.

There are many, many senators that would love to say absolutely nothing about this issue and have it just go away. Chuck Schumer is going to make it a little uncomfortable for those people to remain apathetic or to try and remain invisible. And of course, there's a big movement that's going to be mobilized and this will provide them with the targets they need to let people know. If you want a different outcome on these kinds of votes, you're going to have to change the lineup and the personnel in the Senate.

MARQUARDT: We do know, Errol, that the majority of Americans support abortion rights. Now, we've got new polling from CNN that shows the majority of independents and even 30 percent of Republicans, as you can see there, are in favor of a nationwide abortion rights law. So why is this not reflected in the way that lawmakers vote?

LOUIS: Look, it's a bit of a broken system to a certain extent. Given those numbers, one wonders why there are, you know, 25, 26 States where there are severe restrictions. And why so many states are moving to try and completely eliminate the right to choose altogether. Americans are not of one mind. Most people think that this is essentially a private decision that a woman and her caregiver should be able to make on their own.

Where the politics gets a little sticky is that you have different States, you have different factions of -- especially the Republican Party who are saying, no, that's not good enough. We're going to be intrusive. We're going to regulate this. We're going to eliminate this. We're, you know, we're going to fight a 50-year-long battle, which is essentially what happened among Conservatives to name justices to the court with the specific goal of trying to get the outcome that they seem to be on the verge of getting out of the Supreme Court.

So, you know, there's a minority here that has been very determined and has made its way all the way through the State legislatures and into the Supreme Court. And they are really hellbent on imposing their will on the rest of us.

MARQUARDT: There's a really interesting moment, Errol, last night. President Trump held a rally. It was in Pennsylvania in support of his preferred candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz in that critical senate race in Pennsylvania. He did not really talk about the prospect of Roe versus Wade being overturned, just a passing reference, I believe. And if that happens, it'll be in large part due to those three justices that he nominated to the bench.

So, given what we know about President Trump-loving to weigh in on controversial topics. And given the fact that if this is overturned it'll be in large part because of what he did in office. Why isn't he out there at a rally for a Republican primary race trying to take more credit for this?

LOUIS: Yes, I think what we're seeing there in microcosm is a question that has loomed over the entire week, which is that after 50 years of fighting for this outcome, why haven't there been victory rallies? Why aren't people elated that they finally got what they want?

Well, look, they know, and Donald Trump knows this very well that just as you suggested, this is not entirely popular. That there's going to be a backlash. That there's going to be people who hold them accountable. And having lost one presidential election already, I don't think Donald Trump wants to set himself up for a repeat of that in 2024. So, he knows very well that he's going to have to try and sort of play it cool for now.

It will be very interesting if and when the final decision does come down, what people will tell their antiabortion base in the Republican Party. What will they say to them? They want credit for it and they want the votes that come with it. They don't want the backlash and the full implications of it. It's going to put them in a very interesting situation. And I think we're starting to see already Donald Trump, who would boast about anything related to this, all throughout his presidency now wants to say nothing about it at all.

[06:25:00]

MARQUARDT: Yes, it's really remarkable. You're not hearing Republicans crow about this. Instead, you're hearing them complain about the fact that there was this leak, which is historic in its own right. But that's another topic for another time. Errol Louis, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

LOUIS: Thank you.

PAUL: Still ahead, actress Amber Heard is on the stand with another day of pretty emotional testimony against Johnny Depp. What she said and how it could impact the jury.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Well, it will be more than a week at this point before testimony resumes in the Johnny Depp, Amber Heard defamation lawsuit. Court adjourned in the middle of Heard's testimony.

MARQUARDT: Johnny Depp is suing his ex, Amber Heard for $50 million over a 2018 "Washington Post" op-ed that she wrote in which she described herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse.

[06:30:00]

She didn't mention Johnny Depp in that piece, though, he now maintains that it cost him lucrative acting gigs that he could have made millions of dollars from. Now, Heard filed her own $100 million countersuit against Johnny Depp, and that's still ongoing. Now, a warning that you may find some of the details, some of the testimony from this case to be quite disturbing. CNN's Polo Sandoval reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amber Heard took to the witness stand in her defense for the first time during week four of Johnny Depp's defamation trial against her. AMBER HEARD, ACTRESS: This is horrible for me to sit here for weeks

and relive everything.

SANDOVAL: It was a start of two days of emotional testimony from the 36-year-old actress. During her first two days on the stand, Heard offered the jury a glimpse of what she alleges was constant physical and sexual violence suffered at the hands of her then husband, allegations, Depp denies.

HEARD: Was trying to get through to Johnny, and I couldn't see him. I couldn't see him at all. And my head was bashing against the back of the bar, and I couldn't breathe, and I remember trying to get up, and I was slipping on the glass. My feet were slipping, my arms were slipping on the countertops, and I remember just trying to get up, so I could breathe, so I could tell him that he was really hurting me. I didn't think he knew what he was doing.

SANDOVAL: Heard maintained she could do little to make the abuse stop during the couple's short-lived marriage.

HEARD: Nothing I did made him stop hitting me, nothing. So, you know, I tried for over a year, maybe two of just not responding physically, not responding verbally, just staring at him, I tried to freeze, I tried to go to a different place, I even threatened to leave him, you know, and tried to leave him, and then nothing was working.

SANDOVAL: Depp previously testified that he was the one who endured physical and verbal abuse from Heard, though Heard could recall only one instance in which she struck Depp, saying it was in defense of her sister who was present during an argument between the couple.

HEARD: I for the first time hit him, like actually hit him square in the face. He didn't push my sister down the stairs.

SANDOVAL: Though we concluded with what may be some of the most graphic testimony that the jury has heard so far. During an explosive fight in 2014 at a rental home in Australia, Heard claimed Depp used a liquor bottle to sexually assault her. During that testimony, Depp seemed to look away from the witness stand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you recall what Mr. Depp was saying to you when he had the bottle and was pushing it against your pubic bone?

HEARD: He said that he would -- kill me.

SANDOVAL: Heard testified that she left Australia feeling destroyed and heartbroken.

HEARD: The discomfort I was feeling afterwards just pale in comparison to how scared, shocked I was. I'm scared. I just married this man.

SANDOVAL: Outside of the proceedings, a Depp spokesperson called her testimony convoluted and the performance of her life, writing the upcoming cross-examination from Mr. Depp's team will be most telling, and will certainly highlight the many fallacies Miss Heard has now attempted to pass off as fact. Heard's team responded, calling Depp's behavior during the trial as pitiful as it was in their marriage. Heard's testimony picks up on May 16th with closing arguments expected May 27th. Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Joey Jackson; a criminal defense attorney and CNN legal analyst with us now. Joey, first and foremost, to your assessment of which of these two up to this point since they've both taken the stand may have been more effective.

JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, Christi, good morning to you. It's about the objective facts, right? In evaluating this, remember they're both actors. They're both very talented, and they've both been here before with regard to having a performance of any kind. So you really have to hone in on the facts, and those facts start with whether or not, she, that is Amber Heard is a victim of domestic violence.

Now, harkening back, this case is about defamation. What is defamation? It's a false statement or something written, right, in this case, a 2018 "Washington Post" op-ed in which you make a false representation that injured someone's reputation. That representation by Heard not naming Johnny Depp at all, was about the fact that by the time she was of college age, she was really subjected to domestic abuse.

And so, that's a representation. Johnny Depp believing that it was all been concerning him in this article, and that was fabricated and therefore sued.

[06:35:00]

So, when he testified, of course, he, being very talented talked about him being a southern gentleman, and about how she manipulated and abused him. On a cross-examination, Johnny Depp was confronted with various audio with him behaving badly, video of him behaving badly, and a number of other things. And then of course, she goes and tells a compelling story. She is yet to be cross-examined.

But if you look at the objective facts with respect to some of the things, they said Johnny Depp did, drugs, alcohol, et cetera. If you look at various things in terms of what they have them doing on videotape, it seems pretty clear it was a tumultuous relationship, and it also seems pretty clear that she, Amber Heard feels very strongly that she was a victim of domestic violence, and I think that at the end of the day is what you have to put your finger on because that's what she said in the article. And so I think that carries the day in large measure in my view, Christi.

PAUL: So, Joey, when we look ahead to what's going to happen with cross-examination, because these are pretty strong allegations that she's made, when you talk about domestic abuse, when you talk about sexual assault as she highlighted in this testimony, how do you confront that at cross-examination because it's a sensitive topic.

JACKSON: It is very sensitive, and that's a great point. And remember, because this is a civil case being heard by a civil jury in Virginia, seven jurors, right, having to evaluate this case, it's not like a criminal case where you have different portions of the indictment or criminal complaint, where you have to say, did you engage in act one? Did you engage in act two?

Did you engage in act three? The reason I raise that issue, Christi, is because the jurors have to conclude based upon her testimony whether really, she believed and felt and in fact, it was occurring that she had some bad moments with him that could be construed as domestic violence.

And so, that's the core of the issue because that was her representation, that she felt she was the victim of domestic violence. In cross examination, she'll certainly be confronted with, you know, issues with respect -- we heard before, her, you know, ability to really confront him. Did she confront him? At which times? Various instances. Her behaving badly on tape, her behaving badly in an audio perspective.

Her being confronted with maybe text messages that she had put out there. I think doctor's testimony, we saw the battle of the experts, couples evaluated them, her mental status and her mental health, she'll be confronted with all that, and it will be ugly, but does that take away from the various instances which are documented with respect to the abuse that she believes she endured, and that's what this case is all about -- was she lying about that?

And to this point, I mean, she puts on -- it's pretty compelling that there was something tumultuous occurring that she certainly could have perceived as domestic violence and abuse.

PAUL: All right, Joey Jackson, thank you for walking us through, we appreciate it. We'll be right back.

JACKSON: Always, thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:40:00]

PAUL: Well, with Russian ground attacks underway in Ukraine, hospitals and health facilities inside the war zone are struggling to keep up with the growing number of casualties, the dwindling medical supplies that they have. There's an American doctor, though, working with a team of physicians from both the U.S. and Ukraine to help. And he is with us now.

Emergency physician Dr. Frank Duggan, he founded the nonprofit Health Care Volunteers International that aims to use technology to offer emergency aid to people in need around the world. Dr. Duggan, thank you so much for being with us. Thank you for the work that you do. What are you experiencing there in Ukraine? I mean, being -- traveling to offer emergency aid to people is not foreign to you. But compare for us what you're seeing now in Ukraine to what you've seen in the past. FRANK DUGGAN, FOUNDER, HEALTH CARE VOLUNTEERS INTERNATIONAL: So I

think in a lot of ways it's similar to a disaster response. For example, like an earthquake in Haiti. There's certainly a difference in the injury patterns that you're seeing, obviously, a lot more ballistic injury type of stuff. The resources are fairly limited depending where you are in the country right now, and there's obviously the security issues which makes this very different from a usual type of volunteer mission.

PAUL: That's what I wanted to ask about. In a situation where there's been a natural disaster, perhaps -- and you can correct me if I'm wrong here -- when you get there, the natural disaster itself is most likely over. The danger in this situation is not. How do you manage people physically, and you know, the mental and emotional care that they need?

DUGGAN: So I think that -- I think that the collaborative effort is really needed in a situation like this, because you're really kind of touching on all areas of medicine that need to be used to derive a good response. Some things can be handled very well through telemedicine like mental health issues. Other issues, you know, are stuff that's on the ground. The Ukraine doctors are really quite skilled. I think that their greater need is getting the supplies and equipment to enable them to continue to practice as well as they can.

[06:45:00]

PAUL: Dr. Frank Duggan, we so appreciate the work that you're doing there. I cannot imagine what it's like for you. But thank you for sharing with us what you're seeing and thank you for the work that you're doing.

DUGGAN: Yes, I appreciate your time. Thank you.

PAUL: You as well. Take good care.

MARQUARDT: It's critical work. Now, pull out your oversized hats, perhaps sip on a mint julep, the Kentucky Derby is today. We're live at the track at Churchill Downs next. But first, join Stanley Tucci as he explores the delicacies and culture of Italy's Piedmont region. A new episode of "STANLEY TUCCI: SEARCHING FOR ITALY" airs tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

STANLEY TUCCI, ACTOR: Finished?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TUCCI: Oh, all right. Elisabetta(ph) cooks everything herself fresh every day. But it seems embracing the traditional means also doing without modern appliances.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TUCCI: Got you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TUCCI: I would love it actually.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TUCCI: My new favorite word --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

TUCCI: Oh, my God. That is amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: How can you watch that and not instantly get hungry? Well, that is tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:50:00]

MARQUARDT: It is derby day, and after two years between hats and drinks, Churchill Downs today is expected to be filled to the brim.

PAUL: Very nice. And a very dapper Andy Scholes I might point out live from Louisville for us this morning. Andy, oh, you are ready for this!

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. Oh, yes, Christi, Kentucky Derby always is one of the most exciting sports days of the entire year. And I tell you what? All the fancy suits, dresses, hats, fascinators, certainly back in full force this year. They had more than a 100,000 people here yesterday at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Oaks, and they're expecting more than 150,000 today for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby.

And I'll show you the favorites as of right now for today's Kentucky Derby. There's been a lot of changing on this favorites leader board as you might say. Right now, Epicenter and Taiba are co-favorites at 5-1 odds. Epicenter is trained by hall of famer Steve Asmussen. He's had 23 horses in the Derby but has never won.

Epicenter, certainly a great horse, he's won four of the six races it's competed in. Taiba meanwhile used to be trained by Bob Baffert, but the legendary trainer is suspended from Churchill Downs for two years after last year's Medina Spirit was disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.

So Taiba is now trained by former Baffert assistant, Tim Yakteen. This is only Taiba's third race, no horse has won the derby in its third race since 1883. Now, for most people coming through the gates or watching at home, the Kentucky Derby, it's a one-day event, but the work here at Churchill Downs, it never stops. And for this week's difference makers, we highlight the Backside Learning Center, which provides support and resources for race-track workers and their families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERRY STANLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BACKSIDE LEARNING CENTER: The horse-racing industry, you know, it really requires a very special kind of person, a very special kind of workforce that is very dedicated. The work here is 365 days a year.

As the population of workers back here started to really transition more into an immigrant labor force. There was a real concern over just safety and, you know, just communications. So the original idea was to establish a school that would offer English language classes.

GUELSER CARDONA, CHURCHILL DOWNS EXERCISE RIDER: As soon as I got to the United States, my brother told me that I had to come to a learning center if I wanted to learn English, you know.

STANLEY: In about 2014, we started family programming. We had about eight participants, then we had some kids and mothers that came. The mothers received English classes and the kids got homework help, and now it has grown to about 80 children that we serve through this program.

CARDONA: We need help at the learning center too, you know, because a lot of people just go to watch the races, you know, and they think that it's only the fun side. But I would like that they know that some people that work here like me at Churchill Downs, in the Backside, we are trying to do our best job to send that horse trekking, trekking at different time, you know.

STANLEY: We have, you know, close to 50 community partners that we actively partner with, and so, we help people to kind of access whether it be Summer camps, legal supports, you know, assistance with housing.

[06:55:00]

So, making sure that people feel welcome in this country, in this community, and appreciate it for the hard work that they do. I think as we try and connect either through, you know, volunteerism or just, you know, building friendships and relationships with members of our -- you know, the greater Louisville community, we have a lot to learn from the individuals that work back here. So it's important like for the horse racing industry, but also for our community and our society at large.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: And post time for the Kentucky Derby today, 6:57 Eastern, and Christi, if you're looking for a horse to pick, keep in mind, favorites do quite well here at the Kentucky Derby. They've won six of the last nine races. I will have to tell you, though, they have lost the last three. So -- but just keep all that in mind if you're trying to pick a horse you think might win today.

PAUL: All right, hey Andy, have a good time there, take good care. We'll be right back.

SCHOLES: All right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)