building this life for my children that exists without me in it as well. >> i should do the show when my children are napping. that's what it comes to. don't miss "parental guidance" on wednesday on cnn+. i hope you like it. you can see it on tuesdays and saturdays. the news continues. i'm going to hand it over to wolf on "cnn tonight." >> i'm wolf blitzer. this is "cnn tonight." we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. "i'm not walking anything back," na vow from president biden today getting defensive in his first existential explanation on his ad lib heard around the world this weekend. >> for god's sake, this man cannot remain in power.

>> that remark about ladvladimi putin at the close of president biden's address in poland on saturday has been looming over the white house ever since. it's had some aides scrambling to counter some of the comments. they said he does not mean regime change, but he said that's not what he meant. >> i'm not walking back anything. i was expressing more outrage that i felt and i'm expressing no apologies for it. no one talked about taking down putin. the last thing i want to do is engage in a land war or nuclear war are russia. it's more of an aspiration that he shouldn't be in power. people like him shouldn't be ruling countries, but they do. the fact they do doesn't mean i can't express my outrage about it. >> the president said he wasn't talking about taking putin down, though the rhetoric on russia's leader has only been toughening by the day. he's now calling putin, and i'm

quoting him, a butcher, a killer, a war criminal, a brut, a pure thug, a murderous dictator and someone who can't be in power. he changed that today to shouldn't be in power, but can president biden stay away from that kind of language? first, though, to the very latest of russia's invasion in the ukranian capital of kyiv today. an official there said russian forces are attempting to block supply routes. new video shows how viciously the russians keep attacking kyiv. russian forces consolidate control around the city, but ukraine's military says it is maintaining a so-called circular defense. a mariupol city official will also be with us tonight with what he's hearing. stand by for that.

meanwhile, russia is also continuing missile strikes in western ukraine, including in the city of litz. that's where massive fires are raging. there is certainly no peace or cease fire in the meantime tonight. let's go to our cnn correspondent fred pleitgen. he's joining us from kyiv, the capitol. fred, as we hear these reports from the deputy defense minister that russian forces are trying to block supply routes to the capitol, what does that increase in shelling look like on the ground? you're there. >> reporter: well, it's pretty constant. i would say that the operations that we see here on the ground certainly have picked up pace. it's been quite interesting over the past week or so, wolf, in that we have seen a lot of shelling but that seems to have increased once more. in fact, the video we're seeing right now is when we went to one of these suburbs above kyiv, north of kyiv, and there the

russians tell us they haven't been able to make much headway on the ground but they're doing massive shelling, destroying houses on the ground there. it's been a day of air ride sirens, but first and foremost, it's been a day of mass sifr sh -- massive shelling. we heard it with plumes of smoke northwest of the city, and that's largely where the russians have been concentrating. ukranian forces said today they've regained 100% full control of the suburb of iirpin. we've been talking about that place the last few days. it's been highly contested. the ukrainians say they have all of that, but there certainly is shelling going on. they also say, as you rightly point out, wolf, that the russians are apparently trying to make corridors around the city. that was a deputy defense minister seeming to suggest they're trying to stop ukranian supply routes. so far the ukrainians say

they're pushing back on that. they've stopped any sort of attempts at russian advances and are launching counteroffenses themselves, and they say that's been quite effective, wolf. >> what's the status tonight, fred, of mariupol, which is certainly key of protrussian fo in the south and east? >> reporter: there's been confusion today when the mayor of mariupol in a statement was quoted as saying, we are in the hands of the oppressor, and there were some who believed mariupol had actually fallen to the russian military, but that certainly doesn't seem to be the case. as the ukrainians point, they still have circular defense positions, as they call it, and it seemed as though the mayor of mariupol there was referring to the fact that these humanitarian corridors they've been trying to establish depend on large parts on the russian military because that city is simply encircled. the urgent plea that was uttered by the mayor of mariupol is he says the civilians there really need to get evacuated as fast as

possible. there are, of course, still a lot of people in that city but it is completely destroyed. we keep seeing these images like we're seeing right now, those hugennihilated annihilated, completely burned out and destroyed. there's no electricity, no water, there's very little in the way of food. it is a full-on blockade that's going on there. so certainly an urgent plea, but at the same time the ukranian defenders of that city saying they have not given up. the defense of that city continues, and they certainly say they are going to continue to put up a fight even as though they are absolutely surrounded by russian forces, wolf. >> fred pleitgen reporting from kyiv, the capitol. fred, be careful over there. we will stay in touch. here to give us more perspective on the diplomatic front is retired officer james fridas. he's also the officer of "2034."

let me get your reaction of the president's latest remarks, his remarks doubling down on his view that putin shouldn't remain in power. he made it clear it was his own personal feelings and not necessarily official u.s. policy. but does airing a view like this pul put the u.s. potentially on more dangerous ground as far as putin is concerned? >> i don't think so, wolf. let's keep this in perspective. putin has invade aid nd a neigh. he destroyed it. he killed people with nerve gas. for the president to simply say, in all honesty, he should not be in power doesn't move the needle a shred. what this speech ought to be remembered for, wolf, is none of that. it ought to be remembered for the pledge to nato by the united states. the president said, it's a

sacred obligation. and more importantly, even, than that, direct shot to vladimir putin, he said, don't even think about it. you know, that's american english, but it is a pretty clear signal, don't even think about attacking a nato country. that's the real message of this speech. everything else is white noise. >> yeah, but the white house immediately, within a half an hour or so, walked back what the president was saying. that was pretty awkward, wasn't it? >> i don't feel terribly awkward about it. you know, we've all, those of us who have been around you, me, we know joe biden. he's emotional, he thinks about things like we do, like a person does. and for him to say putin should not be in power, normal human reaction. again, what this speech was all about was reassuring europe, focusing the american people on the importance of this. and by the way, putting a shot across putin's bow saying to the

people in russia, who are starting to doubt, as i hope they are, whether putin is taking them in the right direction, i thought it was a very effective speech overall, wolf. >> i was there and saw in warsaw listening very, very closely. in a recent op-ed in bloomberg, you say it's becoming increasingly clear that putin could resort to a nuclear or chemical attack because his effort to take over kyiv, the capitol, has stalled. you said a chemical weapon would be more likely. here's what the president said today. listen to this. >> he said a chemical weapon used by russia would trigger a response in kind. >> it won't trigger a significant response. >> what does that mean? >> i'm not going to tell you. why would i tell you? you've got to be silly. >> the world wants to know. >> the world wants to know a lot of things. i'm not going to tell you what the response would be, then russia knows the response.

>> what do you think, is it better that putin doesn't know how the world would respond, or would laying it out further deter him from launching some sort of chemical attack? >> i think you can make a case on both sides. but i'm going to go with strategic kambiguity here, wolf. let putin figure it out. we've said, we won't do that, we don't do this, we won't ever do that. i think it's time for putin to wonder what's coming next. i'll give you a couple options. if putin uses a chemical option, i would say nato no-fly zone. nato response number two, cyber. we don't have to respond in kind with a chemical weapon. we don't have to do that. we can broaden this to respond in ways that will make putin very uncomfortable. that's what we ought to be thinking about.

let's let putin try and figure it out for a change. >> strategic am biguity, that's important for sure. putin seems to have some concessions ahead of these peace talks, including ukraine would consider neutral status ahead of this peace deal, meaning nato membership would be off the table. how significant is that? >> i think it's important, wolf. and if you think about how this ends, here's one for folks to go back and google. look at the winter war with finland, 1939. russia invades finland, the fins fight them to a standstill much the way the ukrainians are. it ends with finland taking neutral status, but finland stays and sails on as an independent sovereign nation.

the russian intent in 1939, to dominate all of finland. the fins were ready, i think the ukrainians were ready, we've helped them. i think that's probably how this ends up with some kind of neutral status, but we've got a long way to go. we've got to continue the fight. above all, wolf, we, the west, need to support the ukrainians so they can create the conditions for a sensible settlement here. >> you've got to give the ukrainians a lot of credit over these first 33 days of this war. admiral james seretas, thank you so much for joining us. >> thanks, wolf. coming up, escaping the siege in mariupol. families who could barely see out their car windshields are talking to cnn about the horrors they witnessed back home. i'll be joined by a local official as the city's mayor accuses russia's military of genocide. yes, genocide. that's next.

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the mayor of mariupol is ordering a complete evacuation saying the city is now in the hands of the occupiers. he's referring to russian troops that are now surrounding the area from all sides. 90% of the homes are damaged or completely destroyed after these first several weeks of fighting. i'll speak live with the mariupol city county deputy who fled with his family in just a few moments. stand by for that. but first senior correspondent ivan watson talks with evacuees racing to get away from the attacks and their devastation. ly. >> reporter: shattered by russian artillery. the windshield of a car that a ukranian family used to make a two-day escape to the port city of mariupol. we meet natasha in the ukranian

city of zaparija. the day before yesterday, an artillery shell hit her house, she says. half the house is gone. this is what was left. >> translator: if russia sees this, i want them to know they're not defending us, they're killing us. they seem to think they're defending us, and that's just not true. >> reporter: this park a gateway to a territory for 100,000 citizens who fled mariupol. they look shell-shocked. they arrive draped with flags that say "children", and some show up in yellow school buses. they were bombing us, she says. bombing us with planes and tanks.

alisa's aunt said she suffered a concussion for days after a strike her her home. >> translator: i walked among corpses. there were soldiers without heads, without arms. they are lying there. no one is gathering them. there was such fear that i felt like i was under water. i wanted to wake up. and now i am here and this feels like some kind of dream. >> reporter: inside the superstore, volunteers and the city government are trying to help. evacuees arrive at this support center where they are offered warm meals and support to travel deeper into ukranian territory. there is also a bulletin board where some people are offering free repair of shattered car windows. and there are also postings here looking for information about missing loved ones.

for some who survived russia's modern day siege, this is the first hint of safety they've had in weeks. outside julia and her son s stanislav have just arrived. stanislav appears chatty and upbeat, but his mother remains unsteady. when the russians bombed, they hid under the dining room table surrounded by pillows. >> we were sheltering in town. until now my ear still hurts from the shock wave. >> reporter: the unlikely safe haven provided in this parking lot is precarious. ukranian officials say russian troops are positioned barely a half hour's drive away from here. >> ivan watson is with us right now. ivan, as you stated, these russian troops are only a half hour away from where many of these ukranian families are escaping to. how concerned are these families

from mariupol about their safety? >> reporter: very concerned, and especially because if you consider that their homes were being shelled for weeks, they were living in basements and trying to hide and run for cover, and then as they tried to escape, they then have to go through the checkpoints manned by the same army that devastated and destroyed their whole city. i was at that same superstore again today witnessing, as many vehicles were coming in again, and some people said, it's nice, it's quieter here, but i'm going to get moving because it does not feel safe here. we do hear air raid sirens. the kind of people who have already fled mariupol, they're not taking any chances. they want to go deeper into safer parts of ukraine, if there truly are safer parts of

ukraine, given the scale of this terrible war. >> or they can try to leave the country if still possible. ivan watson reporting for us. be careful over there yourself. thank you very, very much. i want to get to max ine bordin. how are you and your family doing? i know you had surgery not too long ago. >> we are doing okay. today and the last few weeks in mariupol it is precarious, and our modern city today is totally bombed and today toetally

destroyed. most of the buildings are destroyed, but buildings we can rebuild. the loss of people, i don't know a real count, and no one knows because no one can really, because of war, count these people. but i think it's more than officials tell us, more than 5,000 people. i think it's more like 10,000, because a lot of people don't leave when russian planes bomb with explosive bombs. the situation now, the main aim is to get the people from mariupol, get out of the city. they need to help ukraine do this. >> we're seeing pictures of these residential areas, these apartment buildings, these schools, these hospitals that have totally been leveled,

totally been destroyed with these russian bombs. what do you make, maxim, of the mayor's comments that the city, and i'm quoting now, are in the hands of the occupiers? what can you say about that? >> it's hard right now to imagine the real situation in mariupol, but we need to fight russian munitions. mariupol is not totally taken, but the situation now, as we understand, number one is to get our people from there. a lot of the people, most of the people don't have water, don't have food supply, and don't have electricity for at least three weeks. the main problem is humanitarian

corridor. but russians don't let them and have a picture of people on the russian side. but most of the people who emigrate to the russian side, they do it not because they love russia, but because they don't have any choice. and when they need to choose between die and go to russia, they choose go to russia. so it's not their direct will most of the time. >> what do you know, maxim, about president zelenskyy's claim that russian forces took nearly 2,000 children out of your city of mariupol? >> we only have some pieces of information, but i think it's not foreseeable in the 21st

century to take any children out of the country. we live in ukraine, and only local government can choose what to do with our people, not another country. it's not normal. >> as you know, and as you've said, the people of mariupol, they don't have electricity, they don't have heat, water or supplies. what more can you tell us about the actual conditions on the ground for those ukrainians who are still there? >> condition is catastrophic. there are a lot of people who died not because of russians but because of health problem. they can't get real help in the medical building because there is no medicine.

as i know, russian site shows on their tv that they will give some food or some supplies, but we know in reality what is amount of these supplies. the ukranian side, about three weeks ago we got off buses and trucks to get help to mariupol. but russian side said no. so it's -- they know what they're doing, and it's catastrophic in the 21st century to see people can take hostages. >> maxim bordin, thank you for joining us, mariupol city deputy. good luck to mariupol and all the folks throughout ukraine right now. we wish you only, only the best.

>> thank you. russia is also stepping up its invasion of ukraine's cyberspace in the hopes of further crippling the country. russia attacked one of the bigger telecom companies today. we're going to take a look at the widening cyber warfare. we will discuss when we come back. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! flonase all good. i have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. with skyrizi 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months, after just 2 doses. skyrizi may increase your risk ofnfections and lower your ability to . before trement, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches or coughs, or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. ♪ nothing is everything ♪ talk to your dermatologist about skyrizi.

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ukranian officials now say one of the largest telecom providers was hit by a shell today. there are now no phone or internet connections inside ukraine. it was neutralized but the hack continues. this begs the question, as russia's ground war stalls, could this be a precursor to a more destructive wide-scale attack? let's discuss with former secretary will. they've seen a wave of these cy cyberattacks, but it's been on a relatively smaller scale. if they have the ability to launch something more destructive, why do you think the russians haven't done that already? >> maybe a couple of reasons.

number one, they're worried that the ukrainians may be having access to u.s. technology which can help prevent a more widespread cyberattack. they have to be worried that perhaps some of the technology that the united states and the nato countries have could be given to the ukrainians to target them as well. other reasons, they've used it before in georgia, they used it in ukraine in 2014. this is not something that's unique. i think they're calibrating it is right time to use it and do they have the kind of resilience they can bounce back once the attack ais inflicted? we know they used some tactics in the french election, so they use cyber warfare in social media, other ways of influencing

people, but in terms of cutting off communications, radio communication, telephone communication, and secure communications if they can. >> president biden today said he doesn't care what putin thinks about his comments that he shouldn't be in power in russia. should he? >> i think putin should care. i don't think he does. i think putin has one thing in mind only, and that's to crush the ukranian people, to destroy their country. if they don't raise the white flag, then he's going to try and level the country and just lay it to waste. i'm going to conquer this country, and whether you give up early or late, that's my goal. so i think president biden is exactly right. i don't think the russian people should have a man like this in office representing them and directing them to a course of conduct and down the path of history, which is going to be, i

think, disastrous for them in the long term. i think president biden had it just right. >> the kremlin spokesman, i don't know if you heard about this yet, mr. secretary, but just now gave an interview to pbs and said russia will only use nuclear weapons, and i'm quoting now, when there is a threat to russia's existence and not as a response to ukraine. do you take him at his word? >> i don't take anything out of moscow at this point. they've lied on every occasion that we've watched the military buildup, the promise not to invade, the promise not to target innocent civilians, the leveling of hospitals, schools, maternity wards, cancer wards. no, i don't take them at any of their words. i think we all have to follow what they're doing and try to prevent it as best we can. we have to keep our eye on the prize and that is getting the kind of weapons and equipment that president zelenskyy needs

to defend his country. it goes back to the days what you were covering d.o.d., i think, when president bush 41 said he hoped he would see a europe that is whole, free and prosperous. whole, free and at peace. well, as long as president putin is going to continue to act the way he's acting, the european people will never be at peace. they may be whole or almost whole. they won't be at complete peace because president putin is determined to go back and try to reconstruct the soviet empire under the russian flag. that's something we have to keep our eye on, and that's why president biden needs to be praised for what he did, and that is to marshal the nato countries in a short period of time to get them all on board saying, we're going to suffer this heartache as well. prices will go up, but we have to bear that, but we cannot stand by and bear witness to

slaughter of thousands of civilians and displacement of 2 million ukrainians. that is president biden speaking from the heart. i don't think president putin cares. i don't think he's influenced by words, he's only influenced by deeds, and that's what we're trying to do is help president zelenskyy defend his country. >> it wasn't that long ago we thought the cold war was over. not only is the cold war back but there is a real war going on in europe right now and it's awful. secretary cohen, thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. appreciate it. more on the exploding humanitarian crisis just ahead. we'll take you to poland. that's where nearly 4 million ukranian refugees are turning for help and shelter. but is there a limit on how many people they can handle? we'll have details when we come back.

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large out-of-state corporations have set their sights on california. they've written a ballot proposal to allow online sports betting. they tell us it will fund programs for the homeless, but read the fine print. 90% of the profits go to out-of-state corporations, leaving almost nothing for the homeless. no real jobs are created here. but the promise between our state and our sovereign tribes would be broken forever.

these out-of-state corporations don't care about california. but we do. stand with us. so many ukrainians refugees are fleeing into poland that the population in warsaw alone has increased by some 20%.

and with cities like mariupol calling for total evacuations, that number could surge even higher. our senior national correspondent kelly law takes us inside a convention hall that is packed with 20,000 refugees at any given time. >> reporter: nothing can help five-year-old yaun understand how he and his mother ended up here, a packed convention hall filled with thousands of ukrainians. >> he's always afraid. >> reporter: he's afraid to sleep alone, says his mother, after nights in this basement, as russian missiles leveled his neighborhood two hours north of kyiv. everything is fine, she tells him. are you sure there's nothing flying here, he asks.

>> they think maybe they came for some kind of vacation. >> reporter: they don't comprehend because they're too young. >> yes, too young. >> reporter: multiply to yuan 5,000 times and that's how many they're trying to help, with 5,000 refugees here a day. >> i must work and i don't have to think about such things too much because it's really difficult and it's such a tragedy. it's better not to think about that. >> reporter: the 1.5 million-foot area is now a gateway to the world where refugees begin a real process, finding a temporary life beyond. they're waiting to go somewhere? >> yeah, they're getting to

estonia. >> reporter: those with no destination yet wait. how long has this been going on? >> less than a month. >> reporter: less than a month. that becomes more challenging as the war stretches on. thank you, warsaw, says this ukranian woman, one of 2 million refugees who have arrived in poland, more than 300,000 in warsaw alone. poland will welcome ukrainians, whatever happens, because they are fighting for our freedom, and we understand that. of course there are human limits of what we can do. >> reporter: when you say you're at capacity, what do you mean? >> wea've offered as a country free education, free health care to all of our guests. which means our schools are going to be filled within weeks, that our hospitals are going to jam. >> reporter: warsaw's mayor says no one will be turned away, but he needs help to help yuan, his

mother and the people of ukraine. the polish people accepted us well, she says. >> good people. >> reporter: good people. >> yeah, good people. >> reporter: kelly law is joining us from warsaw. the mayor said there is a limit to provide the help these folks need. what do you think of the crush this has put on the city of warsaw? >> reporter: the mayor, when he was talking about those numbers, actually boiled it down in a very simple way, very understandable way, i think, for most americans. he said that in his city of warsaw, there are now 30% more school-age children, children who need to go to school, than there were a month ago. so if you imagine your child's school room. imagine it being 30% bigger, the strain on textbooks, what kids need, what the teacher has to

do, the chairs you have to provide. that is one snapshot of the strain on this city. expand that out now to everything else that the city has to provide for these ukranian refugees. the social help, the psychological help, the structure, all of it. so that's what the mayor is talking about, the strain on the city. despite that, wolf, and you know this from walking around this beautiful city is you're not seeing anybody sleeping on the streets or tents in the street despite the influx of the city, and that is truly remarkable. they just don't know how long they can keep this up. >> got to give those polish people a lot of credit taking in these millions of refugees. mostly women and children and the elderly, the men between the ages of 18 and 16. they're fighting in ukraine. kelly law, excellent, excellent report, thanks very much. they have just voted for the referral of two former trump

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test test. more ground coverage in ukraine coming up. but we turn to other breaking news in the january 6th select committee members just voting moments ago to recommend criminal contempt of congress charges against then-president trump's former deputy chief of staff dan scavino and peter navarro. they would be the third and fourth trump aides to face criminal charges as opposed to the 750 people who have cooperated with the select committee. representative lorraine lurie joins us now. thank you so much for joining us. i know you called on the attorney general to, quote, do your job. what makes you think he's any more likely to move on these two cases given that he hasn't

charged mark meadows who the house referred to the committee more than three months ago? >> wolf, it's incredibly important first of all that people uphold their constitutional duty when a subpoena is preferred, that people have a duty to show up and speak to congress. it's a little baffling to understand why three months later we're still waiting for action on that one. these two new contempt charges, these are people who were very close to the president. as i said during the hearing, seems the closer we're getting to the president's inner circle, the more people are not speaking. what are they covering up? the truth is, is that we need these to be acted on quickly so we can get information. it's 800 people who have come before the committee. they haven't objected to subpoenas or informal requests to provide information because the work of the committee is

important. we can't let something like this happen again to overrun the halls of the capitol in an attempt to prevent the transfer of power peacefully. >> i know your committee didn't make a decision on whether to interview ginni thomas, the wife of u.s. supreme court justice clarence thomas. why no decision? what more do you need to know in order to make this decision? >> wolf, as with other potential witnesses, we don't comment ahead of time for all witnesses we've reefed out to. there are many people who have valuable information for the committee and we hope to hear from all of them so there's really nothing that i can say specifically about this witness or any other potential witnesses who might be coming in the future. >> senator blumenthal suggested you may need to speak with justice thomas himself. given the evidence you've seen so far, congresswoman, should the committee speak with the supreme court associate justice? >> there is no evidence

specifically presented to the committee at this point that would lead us in that direction. but of course if he has information that he thinks is meaningful for it committee, we would like to have him share that information with us as well. >> should justice thomas recuse himself from any cases involving the committee, for example? >> so as far as cases and supreme court justices, you know, it is really their discretion and role on the bench to decide if there's a conflict of interest. justice thomas hasn't recused himself so far, so i would leave that to him to explain why he made that decision. >> one federal judge today said, and i'm quoting now, the court finds it more likely than not that president trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the joint session of congress on january 6th, 2021. a month ago was your committee

saying mr. trump may have engaged and/or fraudulent acts. what more could the department of justice need to open up a formal criminal investigation? >> well, you know, the citing that you read there was relative to a case for documents from dr. eastman who's a lawyer who cracked -- came up with these crackpot conspiracy theories of how we could overturn the election. and that was to have the judge rule to turn over emails relative to his activities surrounding january 6th and promoting these false conspiracy theories. you know, we are a legislative committee that is designed to determine the events leading up to january 6th and provide legislative recommendations to prevent something like that from happening in the future. so i really can't comment on any investigations that the justice department has ongoing, but i know that they will seek to hold anyone accountable who has broken the law. >> congresswoman, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. we'll be right back. ted cas.

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thanks very much for watching. a special invitation, log on for the premiere of our brand-new streaming network, cnn plus. that debuts 7:30 p.m. eastern. you can sign up at cnn plus.com. "don lemon tonight" live from ukraine starts right now. don is joining us. don, i was watching saturday night when all this was unfolding. you were in lviv, relatively safe area, all of a sudden i see you there and they had just attacked oil depos not far from where you were. how scared were you? >> i was more careful than scared. and i would say surprised that they actually hi