the front line and one of the territorial defense force soldiers there i talked to said there's been a decided up tick in shelling coming from the russian side. he says he is not sure whether or not that might be the russians introducing their scorched earth policy, shelling the area more than they had before, or whether or not they might be covering some sort of retreat. again, unclear. what we saw today was a lot of shelling. here's what we saw. even after russia announced it plans to withdraw most forces from around kyiv, the fighting continues. residents we spoke to told us they don't believe moscow's words are for real. on one hand, they retreat. on the other, they transfer efforts to other positions, alexander says. it is difficult to talk about withdrawal. i do not believe in it, it is probably just a rotation, he says. a regrouping of their troops.

despite forces being stalled for weeks, russia claims it will withdraw because it achieved military objectives and wants to make a positive gesture to ukraine, moscow's negotiating team said after talks in istanbul. a decision was made to radically at times reduce military activity in the kyiv and chernihiv direction says the russian defense minister. but the russians also made clear this is not a cease-fire and sounds of heavy battle reverberate around the capital. the territorial defense forces at this checkpoint say if the russians do withdraw, it is because they lost. >> it was obvious that the russians will be defeated on the battlefield and diplomatic field and political field. it was out of the question. >> reporter: many hope the battle for kyiv could end soon, the toll both in blood and infrastructure is massive and

parliamentarian says he is not sure ukrainians can ever trust russia again. >> how long to make relations better before there can be trust between russia and ukraine again? trust with the russians. >> maybe hundreds of years. every people in ukraine lost all their house of relatives, of friends in this world. our children, they listen to bombs and it is for ages. >> reporter: it is unclear whether the russians really are withdrawing, as the pentagon was saying, they see small movements but it is not clear whether that's a massive force going away. as you can see also, they leave behind anger on the part of the population here in kyiv, really unclear how long it could take before relations could be mended.

of course, it is far from that even being started. then we also have to keep in mind kyiv is one area, you have chernihiv as well that the russians are talking about, it is completely encircled and level on the scale of mariupol we are hearing. >> fred pleitgen, thank you so much for joining us live to discuss. mike kquigley met today in washington, d.c. with members of ukrainian parliament. what did they share about the situation on the ground and what did they tell you they need? >> interesting to the point you were just making. they thought this was not just repositioning by the russian army, it was also face saving. proud of the fact they stopped russian efforts at kyiv and that putin was looking for an excuse to pull his troops away. it was a powerful meeting.

they were all women, mothers, but messages were particularly powerful. one described an alert on her phone that had gone off because her two-year-old son was in an area with an air raid taking place. they talked about the trip here where they walked across the border and driven to warsaw so they could fly here and i think their take away was compelling. they said to us weaponry is humanitarian aid. when the enemy targets civilians and children, their needs are weaponry, first and foremost. >> is the u.s. doing enough? is nato doing enough to get the ukrainians the weaponry they need? >> you know, i think the biden administration has done a masterful job uniting the west, moving as far as we have, but frankly this is a war on the water, war on land, in the air, and you can't fight it on a

limited basis. we need to give them all of the resources they need. i think javelins and stingers are particularly effective, but they need surface to air, the planes to battle the russians on equal footing. >> the biden administration today is not obviously buying the line from the kremlin that they could withdraw from the capital region of ukraine. how concerned are you that there will remain a serious threat to kyiv, that this is just more russian lies like the lies we heard before they attacked ukraine when they said they weren't going to attack ukraine. >> i think my colleagues hit it right on. this is a temporary repositioning. some of the russian army is in belarus, restocking, getting ready for further attack. i don't think there's anything you can believe comes out of the kremlin on this fact, and i think we should believe our allies and those having to fight the russians on a day-to-day

basis. >> the russians might be repositioning near the capital, but they're pounding, brutally destroying cities such as mariupol and kharkiv. what does that tell you about russian intentions here? >> you know what it makes me think of, ukraine is fighting the fight. ukraine's cause is the fight and the reason we formed nato in the first place. when i see those cities getting leveled and innocents being butchered, i wish people would say they're not a member of nato, right? they are why we formed nato and we should give them all the aid they need to fully combat the forces they face. >> fred pleitgen reported, ukrainians say it will take generations for any trust to be restored, assuming there is some peaceful resolution to this.

what might the russians need to do in order for the west to ever trust them ever again? >> i think a couple of things. it would have to begin with regime change, one that they complete on their own. i also think they're going to have to help ukraine build their country back to where it was and give ukraine the understanding that if they want to join the eu and nato, that's their choice, that they are a sovereign democratic country. they can't force demilitarization, weakening the prey they face. but still, will probably take generations. >> we're seeing broad strokes of a possible road map to a truce or cease-fire, it would include talk the future of -- tabling the future of crimea, ukraine would look at pledging military neutrality, with security guarantees.

do you think that's a deal president volodymyr zelenskyy should be willing to take? >> again, our guests said the ukrainians are negotiating with a gun to their head. i am hoping they're not forced because they aren't getting everything they need to make a deal they shouldn't do. this has to be a decision made by a sovereign democratic country with protection from the west and realization that i think they firmly believe they can't trust russia right now and that they're probably skeptical that truce talks have any merit, that the russians intend to do nothing else but stall. >> mike quigley from illinois, congressman from illinois. it was supposed to be a safe place. not even children written outside the theater twice, not even that stopped them from bombing a ukrainian theater with hundreds of civilians inside. we talk to a family that survived after this. skechers. cut! you see willie,

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continuing with the world lead. one of the most flagrant of the incidents in vladimir putin's brutal invasion of ukraine has been this month's attack on a mariupol theater serving as shelter for hundreds of civilians. the russian word for children was written so clearly outside the building twice, it could be seen from satellite images, yet putin's forces bombed that theater anyway. and at least 300 ukrainians died in the attack. only recently have we gotten videos from inside the building after the attack. now cnn's ivan watson found someone in the theater with her family, shared with him this harrowing story. >> reporter: this was the

mariupol drama theater before vladimir putin invaded ukraine. a cultural and architectural symbol of the city, and when the russian military laid its deadly siege on mariupol, the theater became a safe haven. >> six people with a cat go on the street, russians started shooting us. we were running with craziness, then we go to the theater, and you know what, in the theater was a lot of people, it will be okay, we have food. give us tea. they said you should find a place where you could, like a bed. >> reporter: this woman and her family recently escaped mariupol. >> i am from mariupol. >> reporter: on the morning of march 16th, she and her mother and cat joined those sheltering in the theater. families were huddled there in

the dark, feeling protected by signs children in russian that volunteers posted outside the building. shortly after arriving, maria went to check whether an uncle that lived nearby was still alive. >> now i am hearing noise of the plane, bombs plane. this is bombed every day. >> reporter: she returned to the theater to find it destroyed. >> i understand my family is in the theater and everyone is screaming the names, like momma, poppa. i am calling mom, gala. >> reporter: footage of the aftermath shows dazed civilians covered in dust while the roof over the main auditorium had completely collapsed. >> when the theater was bombed, my sister was standing with the window, the window was like blow

up. she is fallen down. my mom was in another part of the theater and fall into her. >> reporter: they were wounded but survived. >> your sister, is she doing all right? >> no. >> reporter: shortly after the initial strike on the theater, maria says what was left of the building came under a fresh artillery attack. >> everyone start screaming that theater is on fire. we should run. and we running, but russians bombed it, so running from the theater and bombs was like this deep. >> reporter: it eventually took nine days for maria and the family to get through russian check points and reach relative safety in ukrainian controlled territory. >> you seem positive and upbeat? >> i am very lucky, you

understand? like thousands and hundreds of people still in mariupol and they bombed them. they have no food, no water. they have no medicine, nothing. and i have my arms, i have my legs. don't need more. >> reporter: and my family. this is a two-year-old cat and she survived the bombing of the mariupol theater with her family. and they're now headed to western ukraine in this bus. no one knows how many people may have died under the rubble. russia has denied its forces bombed the theater and russian state tv showed what was left of it after russian troops moved into this part of the city. judging by the damage the russian reporter claims, it was bombed from the inside. he alleged there's information that ukrainian nationalists organized a terrorist attack

here, a claim people inside the theater strongly reject. are you angry now? >> no, i want russia just go away, this is ukrainian territory. i don't understand why they come in and tell me it is not my land, they're not fighting with army, they're fighting with every citizen, you know? they bombed hospitals, they bombed houses of peaceful people. they're not fighting with the armies. >> reporter: maria and her family rushed to a waiting van. the driver will take them for free to western ukraine where maria hopes her sister can safely recover from her injuries. jake, everybody that flees mariupol, they suffer an additional in dignity. they have to go through russian check points, so people like maria have their phone searched by russian troops, the same troops that destroyed her home

and her city and during that process, she says one of the russians wanted to pet her cat. she had to keep it quiet. her thought was don't you dare touch my cat with your bloody russian hands. this again to the russian soldier part of the force that invaded and occupied her country. she said she felt safe here, but her family was not going to stay here. it has been spared the ground war, but it is just 20 miles away from russian tanks and that's part of why they left as soon as they could. they do not want to take another risk with the russian military. jake. >> ivan watson with that powerful report live from ukraine. thank you so much. let's discuss all of this and more with senior global affairs analyst. bianna, before we get to what's going on, let's reflect on the human face of this. thankfully maria and her family

survived, you see her sister with a blank stare. hopefully she will recover. there are people, thousands are being killed, but beyond that the wounded and emotionally traumatized. scars that will never go away. >> these are figures we're just starting to learn about. after the war, imagine the devastation and the toll, human toll this has taken upon ukrainian citizens. what you also notice is the resolve, right, and the fight in maria, saying i will stay here, fight these russians, this is our country, why are they here. there are millions of people just like her. that calculation was putin's biggest mistake, putin's mistake, that they would welcome him with open arms. you heard president zelenskyy give that to russian journalists, he believes 99.9% whatever was told to vladimir putin convinced him the operation would take three or four days, they would capture kyiv, came in dressed uniforms,

preparing the parade, welcoming ukrainians back to their home land of russia and that ukrainians wanted to overturn the zelenskyy administration. clearly that wasn't the case. now what happens? his back is against the wall. >> earlier there was a russian kremlin claim that they were removing troops from outside kyiv area and since then our reporting and what we're starting to hear from the pentagon and state department, the white house is very skeptical of this. not only skeptical of what the russians are claiming but also cautioning the ukrainian people that this repositioning they're saying, maybe they're taking a few soldiers from outside kyiv, but get ready. listen to what the house communications director said about all of this. >> i think we should be clear eyed about the reality of what's happening on the ground and no one should be fooled by russia's announcements. we believe any movement of

forces from around kyiv is redeployment, not a withdrawal, and the world should be prepared for a major offensive against other areas of ukraine. everyone should expect that we're going to continue to see attacks across ukraine. >> to be very clear, she was reading some of the words, in a major offensive, one of the terms she was reading there, that's a warning to people not only in kyiv but all over the country like this is going to get worse maybe. >> it is also one of the situations we should take putin at his word, that was the word he said over the last summer when he said that ukraine is not a legitimate state, that it has long been part of russia and that it is being run by nazis and the zelenskyy administration. how he saves face, comes around now, forget what he says to the russian people, he is in charge there, he has firm position, how does he save face globally to say it was just about the donbass region, or having

ukraine accept crimea is russian at the expense of tens of thousands of soldiers, we are right to be skeptical, ukraine is right to worry as long as vladimir putin stays in power, he will want to seize that one way or another. >> an intelligence official told cnn or maybe announced in general that he thought putin at this point was going to try to cleef ukraine into two, border areas in the south and east, occupied ukraine, the rest would be free ukraine, although in peril. do you think that is what he will end up doing? >> it may be what his next approach is, right? but when you see ukrainians like maria, you see volodymyr zelenskyy not relenting, not leaving kyiv, i don't know how the russian military can accomplish that. you're seeing tens of thousands of russian soldiers dead, seven generals according to ukrainians that have been killed.

mercenaries are being brought in. whatever putin thinks the next phase may be, what he will be able to settle on is one thing. what is practical and can take place is another. he clearly wants sanctions lifted. he is trying to take a breath, recalculate, given losses. i don't think it will end anytime soon. >> good to see you. the gop lashing out at one of its own members, not the first time. talk to a former republican congressman about the future of the republican party. that's next. otta do it fast. [limu emu squawks] woo! new personal record, limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, libertrty, liberty, liberty. ♪ can a company make the planet a better place?

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gap in white house call logs for donald trump during the height of the violent insurrection on january 6th, according to "the washington post" and cbs news. the gap first reported by cnn in february is raising more questions than answers, considering a slew of reporting showing calls did occur between then president trump and lawmakers during the insurrection. now sources are telling the post and cbs that the committee is investigating if trump used back channels or phones of aides or a burner phone. former techs congressman and former cia officer has a new book out called "american reboot." an idealist guide to getting big things done. came out today. congressman, thanks for joining us. good to have you here. congratulations on the book. want to start with donald trump who you were critical of in office and also in the book, not necessarily his policies as opposed to things, a shady log

situation going on, federal judge said he likely committed a crime. supreme court justice, ginni thomas facing questions about her role in january 6th. your book is about pragmatic idealism, how things can get accomplished. how are you staying idealistic about the republican party, a party you love. >> i say idealistic, as i chris cross the country, i see americans that care about their country. 72% of americans think the country is not on track. we don't have to stay on this track. we can provide something better. that's one of the reasons i wrote the book. where we should be going. some of the nonsense of the last couple years doesn't have to be the case, wasn't the case a number of years ago. i believe our best days are ahead of us. >> two-thirds of your house republican colleagues voted to undermine the election results

in pennsylvania and arizona based on lies about what was going on in those states. i don't doubt you would not have voted that way, am i correct? >> you're correct. >> i guess the question is how do you stay idealistic knowing kevin mccarthy, the leadership of the republican party are election liars? forget the stuff that you agree with, which is 95% of it, they're against election fairness. >> the house changes almost every year anyway. you always get new people. when new folks that are running, republicans will take the house back in 2022. almost a fait accompli, likely to take back the senate. we have to have good candidates coming in that are going to be doing things based on values of the gop, not that's politically expedient. that's what happens in washington. a lot of decisions that lawmakers make are done because of political expediency because they're talking to the fringe of the party, the people that vote

in primaries. l last cycle, 90% of house seats were decided in primary. instead of talking to the middle, you talk to the lunatic fringe, that's why you see things like here. doesn't have to be that way. if you change the way folks come to washington, d.c., you'll see behavior. >> how do you change that, redistricting made it so that as you know, not just republicans, democrats, battles in the primary because of gerrymandering and the rest. >> it is simple. the way you change is the way i got elected. i was a black republican elected in a 71% latino district. nobody thought i had a chance. i had as tough a primary as most do, also had a general election, this was a district that was truly a jump ball. anybody could win from either party. i have different people to vote in the election. i dig into this, into the numbers in the book. when you look at in the last

nonpresidential election 54,000 people was the average number of voters in the primary, that's not a lot of people. number of folks that vote in general election and not primaries is a lot. it is about putting food on the table, a roof over their head, making sure people they love are happy. why do you have low turnout? we're not providing something to majority of people they want to support. it is hard. don't get me wrong, what i am talking about is difficult, hard, but worthwhile. if we want to keep this the american century, we have to fix this problem and send people up here that are going to get big things done. >> you write critically about former chairman of the committee, house intelligence committee, adam schiff. you write during his first impeachment, schiff used his position to further undermine trust in the democracy, the president's misconduct can't be

decided at the ballot box. we can't be assured the vote will be fairly won he said during impeachment proceedings. i don't know if he was making those to create contrast but by perpetuating the myth that the russians cooperated with trump. this became an excuse for president trump to take a page out of the democratic play book to undermine election results after he lost to joe biden, another appalling effort to destabilize our democracy. you really think that adam schiff inspired donald trump's false election claims, that you could compare the two? i understand you disagree with things schiff said and did, but what donald trump did was -- >> i have been clear about what donald trump has done. you know that. we talked about that a lot. here is my problem with someone like chairman schiff. he understood. he is a smart individual. he has a lot of experience in many of these issues, and he was always talking about there's

more than circumstantial evidence. >> in russian gate. >> and he continued to say that. it made people he is chairman of the house intel committee, he must have access to something none of us did. when it all came out, he didn't have that kind of access. that helped erode trust in institutions, that continued drum beat by chairman schiff caused some of this problem. now, the insurrection on january 6th is unacceptable. i have been clear. but we have to look at everybody playing a part in eroding trust in all our institutions, not just at the federal and state level, it is in the media, it is in academia, and we need people that are going to actually do what i say in the book, audio and video must match. what you say must also match with what you do. and unfortunately both political parties lack doing that. >> open invitation to chairman schiff now to come back and

respond to this, out of issue of fairness. the book is "american reboot." it is out today from simon and shuster. thank you so much. good to see you. a city of more than 20 million people at a standstill, no one allowed to leave their apartments, not even for life-saving medical treatments. we look at the extreme lockdown. that's next. ♪ (jazz music) ♪ (thank you, have a nice day.) ♪ (trumpet solo) ♪ (bell dings) (pages slipping) ♪ ♪ ♪ (trumpet solo) ♪ ♪ (typing) (bell dings) ♪ ♪ (cheering ♪ ♪ (typing) ♪ ♪ ♪(trumpet solo) ♪

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in the health lead, the omicron subvariant, ba.2, is the most dominant strain of coronavirus in the united states according to the cdc. we haven't seen a national surge in cases yet in the united states. the key indicator, hospitalizations, is sloping down. now around last summer's numbers. but not all countries are seeing this downward trend. in china, expo centers have been converted into quarantine centers. david culver is in shanghai for us, the hard hit city of 25

million has ground to a complete halt. >> reporter: emotions in shanghai are at a breaking point. chinese social media showing people shoulder to shoulder to get vegetables, stocking up ahead of a lockdown. they want to shut in two faces, first the eastern half, and then the west. in all, 25 million people confined to their homes. already desperate stories emerging. this one pleading for permission to leave her compound saying her husband needs his cancer treatment. this latest omicron fueled surge in cases is china's worst outbreak since wuhan two years ago. yet for some living in the international financial hub, shanghai, this is unlike anything experienced here

before. video circulated showing hundreds of covid patients filling crowded hospitals, so as to keep in line with president xi jinping's zero covid policy, shanghai turned stadiums and exhibition centers into centralized makeshift hospitals. this video from shanghai expo center, said to hold more than 6,000 patients. on twitter, chronicling an experience with mild symptoms, taken to the expo center, given a bucket and rag to wash up every day. just about every day outside you hear a blaring loudspeaker with a new announcement. on this cold rainy day, another mandatory covid test. my neighbors and i hurried to the nearest test site. >> oenly let us out for the tes and then back in. >> reporter: once done, the neighborhood gate is locked back up. they had one confirmed case pass through, treated like a crime

scene. since confirming the first omicron case in mid december, the average new daily case count surged from double digits to more than 5,000. more than 65,000 active cases and counting. it spread to 29 provinces and regions. lockdown and mass testing bring life to another halt and could have global economic impacts. china's province an industrial hub with steel making center, locked down. china silicon valley just reopening after putting 17 million residents under lockdown for a week. back in shanghai, the latest lockdown forcing tesla's factory to hit the brakes on production. and disneyland to shut its gates. this bustling metropolis powering down. to the outside world, the scenes are apocalyptic. china once again trying to prove it can contain the invisible

villain. david culver, cnn, shanghai. >> thanks to david culver for that report. from battle fields of iraq and afghanistan to the highest court in the united states, how one veteran's fight to breathe is taking him to the supreme court. stay with us. real meals. real good. all of knorr's high quality pasta and rice sideses are now made with no artificial flflavors or preservatives. knorr. taste for good.

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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. in our politics lead, a major change in the presidential nomination process for the democratic party. iowa and new hampshire could soon lose their status as the first states to have their say in the primary and caucus calendar. numerous members of the

democratic national committee rules and by laws committee expressed support for a proposal that would completely restructure the party's current nominating process in favor of a new format that would prioritize states with more diverse battle grounds in the early nominating contests, meaning white states of iowa and new hampshire move later in the calendar. a final decision could come when the committee meets next month. political reporters forced to travel to those states in the dead of winter every four years will be certainly watching closely. turning to buried lead stories, stories we feel aren't getting enough attention. hope for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. they heard the case of a veteran leroy torres. he was forced to resign from his post as a texas state trooper after experiencing the lung damage he developed from exposure to burn pits while serving our country overseas. torres is not the only one

suffering from effects of burn pits wihich would be illegal to burn in the united states but not throughout iraq and afghanistan where they were used to incinerate waste, food, old uniforms, medical waste, jet fuel, chemicals, human feces, whatever. it left many veterans with long lasting side effects, the worst which is cancer. talk with the man at the he's also the co-founder of the burn pits 360 veterans organization. he's joined by his lawyer. leroy, you served in iraq in 2007. explane what the lasting effects have been for you and what happened with the texas department of public safety. >> good afternoon, thank you for having me today. i was exposed during my deployment to iraq. and now for the last 13 years,

been suffering with a lung jaur. as well as 2018 with a toxic brain injury. and this is what has been a high cost to pay from the price of war. of course, i was forced to leave the public safety because of this illness associated with toxic exposure. >> so the case was argued today. what might a win in the supreme court mean? what would that look like for you? >> a win in the supreme court would mean that it would be a hurdle for my case for us to take it back to texas and to be the merits of the case for my job loss. >> what about more broadly in terms of other victims and survivors of these toxic burn pits. it's a toxic pits. it will to be compensated and be

a able to remain employed. >> so the house and senate have each passed their own legislation aimed at helping former service veterans exposed to burn pits to better get act ves to medical services, the bill still needs to be reck sield. the differences need to be worked out before the legislation is ultimately sent to president biden to sign into law. do you think that process will be resolved student. we remain hopeful it will having the pass the house. now it moves on to the senate and remain hopeful. after the time we spent advocating alongside thousands of veterans, we hope this will move forward to president biden's desk for signature. >> one of the big sticking points has been presumption, meaning somebody is exposed to burn pits. a few years later they develop an unusual cancer or some other adverse health reaction.

the veterans affairs department has been in the past demanding proof that it was cause that the sickness, the illness was caused by the burn pit. presumption would be that the that it was causesed by that. in that light, president biden noted his son beau was exposed to burn pits and he has hypothesized that beau may have developed brain cancer that took his life because he was exposed to a burn pit while serving in iraq. though biden has been clear most recently during his state of the union address to note there's no direct evidence of this. i wonder as somebody that has been arguing the case what you make of this. there is no clear evidence that that's why beau died. but do you give beau biden and joe biden the same presupgs that many veterans ask for at the va?

>> i believe that i to. it's been something that there's been much research has been done on the issue of toxic exposure itself. i strongly believe this is an issue that affected him as well as thousands of others that were exposed to the burn pits. >> thank you so much. best of luck when it comes to the final supreme court decision and we'll stay on the story and report on that supreme court ruling. we'll be right back. real meals. real good. all of knorr's high q quality pasta and rice sides are now mamade with no artificil flavors or preservatives. knorr. taste for good.

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you can listen to the lead wherever you get your podcasts. our coverage continues now with wolf blitzer. he's in the situation room. i'll see you tomorrow. happening now, breaking news. at russia claim it is will scale back its assault on battered kyiv. the u.s. is warning no one should be fooled by the kremlin. we are now getting new very disturbing reports of major artillery and rocket fire heard in the city. we'll discuss the battle around the capital and russia's military strategy with the top pentagon spokesman john kirby. also tonight, vladimir putin's forces are pressing on with their brutal bombard the of southern ukraine. at least a dozen people are dead in an attack that hit and decimated a government building. we are also seeing more of the devastation in mariupol where more than 100,000 ukrainian

civilian remain trapped without power, water or heat. our correspondents are standing by in cain with the refugees in poland and top officials here in washington. we want to welcome our viewers noo the united states and around the world. ooip wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room". this hour, our cnn teams are on the ground in kyiv just heard major artillery and rocket fire. the barrage is likely adding to the skepticism here in the united states about russia's new claim that it plans to scale back its assault on the ukrainian capital. casey anthony is live in kyiv. kaitlan collins is live at the white house. we'll go to them in moments. but first alex march court has more breaking news on the war.

>> reporter: new signs that russia's war in ukraine may be entering a different phase. the russian ministry of defense announced on tuesday it intends to drastically reduce hostilities on two fronts. fpz around kyiv and the northern city that has been battered by the russian assault. it's an acknowledgment a top general said that russia's effort to take kyiv had failed. so it is focusing elsewhere. but the biden administration is warning of more violence to come. >> nobody should be fooling ourselves by the kremlin's now recent claim that it will suddenly reduce military attacks near kyiv or any reports that it's going to withdrawal all its forces. has there been some movement by some russian units away from kyiv in the last day or so, yeah, we think so. small numbers. but we believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal. and we all should be prepared to

watch for a major offensive against other areas of ukraine. >> today in turkey, a new round of talks took place between ukraine and russia, which the turkish foreign minister suggested had made the most significant progress to state. tony blinken expressed skepticism say ing the u.s. has yet to see signs of real seriousness by russia. >> we are focused on what they do, not what that say. it's the continued brutalization of ukraine. and its people. and that continues as we speak. >> an adviser to the ukrainian president said enough progress had been made for a possible head to head meeting between zelenskyy and russian president vladimir putin, which zelenskyy has been asking for and putin has been rejecting. but while officials talk, the russian bombardment continues. the russian focus now is ukraine's south and east.

in the southern city, an administration building was hit on tuesday morning. the impact of the blast visibly shaking this camera. at least 12 people were killed emergency workers say and more than 30 wounded. the port city of mariupol is a shell of its former self. over 150,000 residents are still besieged without water, power or heat. >> translator: we had a beautiful life, just beautiful. now we have nothing. just nothing. >> reporter: cnn, washington. >> go live right now to the ukrainian capital. cnn cease chief international anchor casey anli christiane am there for us. how much progress can be made during these talks with russia as their forces still bombard ukraine every day.

>> reporter: faz on queue cue, the air raid sirens are going off. and it has to be said that the russians have said that whatever they plan to do, it does not amount to a cease-fire. what we have observed over the last few days is that this assault on kyiv has been stalled. and we understand the forces are digging in we have to wait and watch and see if there's any significant and meaningful movement away from this capital city. even if there is, you can again hear the sirens going off. even if there is movement away, the russians have made it clear that that would just be a shifting, a repositioning because the actual officials have said they want to concentrate on the donbas r region, which they already occupy. that would entail them try ing

to get the full land bridge in the south and would explain why they are so heavily had engage ed there. at the same time, these missile strikes are going to other places like mariupol and also when what you just mentioned that administrative building with so many people killed and injured today. even in lviv, there was some more strikes. so this kind of thing is bound to go on. but it is the first amount of progress that both sides report at the negotiating table. we never see hostilities until there's a final accord. in this case, you really, really have to distrust and verify. >> the sirens are still going off. if you need to go downstairs to the bunkers, please do that right away. obviously, we're all concerned. as you mentioned, the russian assault on the southern part of ukraine continued big time today. what's the latest there?

>> reporter: it's really intense fight ing. particularly there, the most specioused ukrainian combat units are said to be because they have been engaged in this fight for the last eight years. it never let up. the russians the to not just keep hold of what they currently control, which is a small portion of the don area, they want the entire thing. so that might account for twhat they are saying in terms of movement. and in addition, there's going to have to be some kind of dpoerks. the ukrainians are not just going to give up that portion of east and south. it might take a long time around the negotiating table. they might have to agree to something that they revisit in several years. but the other big issue from the ukraineen side even if there was some kind of as cease-fire now

and the russians have rereduced their objectives, at least be verbally, no more do you hear about demilitarization, regime changing, no more do you hear that. what you want from the ukrainian side is security guarantees so if ever they are threatened like this before as a neutral country, as a non-nuclear country, they want guarantees from allies. that's going to be difficult to figure out. >> christiane amanpour, we'll get back to you. stay safe. also tonight, president biden is taking a wait and see attitude about russia's next moves in kyiv. let's go to our chief white house correspondent kaitlan collins. so what's the latest? >> reporter: you can hear the signs going off. that's part of the reason why the white house has heavy skepticism of any russian claims there's any kind of scaling back of their military operations underway. this is skepticism that stretches from the president to the pentagon to the state department. all raising concerns about whether or not russia is actually conducting a

withdrawal. they seem to think that's not happening. >> we'll see. i don't read anything into it until i see what their actions are. we'll see if they follow through what they are suggesting. >> reporter: you can hear the president there reacting to these claims today when a reporter asked about it. he was very doubtful. he also had just gotten off the phone with leaders of france, italy, germany and the united kingdom. they maintained a consensus about the claims. they want to wait and see what it is that russia actually does not just what russia says. the president said that in the meantime, they are going to keep those sanctions in place. they are going to continue sending that military assistance to ukraine. you heard this blunt waj from the pentagon about what is behind this thinking. what's behind this skepticism given russia has lied about what they have been doing all along. they still don't call this an invasion. the pentagon said today we believe they are reposition ing.

this is not a real withtrawl. they want to see stronger signs of deescalation here the at the white house before they go anywhere near believing this is what russia is pursuing. >> absolutely. kaitlan collins at the white house, thank you very much. just ahead, we're going to get a new u.s. assessment of russia's true intentions in kyiv and why the kremlin is publicly claiming it has plans to kalscale back t war. i'll speak with john kirby, that's next. once upon a time, at the magical everly estate, landscaper larry and his trusty crew... were delayed when the new kid totaled his truck. timber... fortunately, they were covered by progressive, sot was a happy ending... for almost everyone. i've always focused on my career. but when we found out our son had autism, his future became my focus. lavender baths always calmed him.

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that it plans to scale back its assault on the ukrainian capital. just a few moments ago, we got an update from the pentagon. >> joining me now is press s secretary john kirby. thank you for joining us. russia claim it is will, quote, drastically reduce hostilities around kyiv. you say nobody should be fooled by what the russians claim. but is this an admission that russia simply cannot achieve one of its initial goals namely capture ing the ukrainian capit. >> we do believe they have failed in that what we believe is their strategic objective to overtake and occupy the capital city. clearly they have failed to do that. they kept them out and pushed them back in some places as a matter of fact. so yeah, we do believe their failure to move on kyiv, which was a goal of theirs s driving this announcement today. we also said nobody should be fooled by this we haven't seen a

lot of movement to leave kyiv right now. we think this is a repositioning, probably to use troops elsewhere in ukraine. >> you stressed earlier today that the threat to kyiv, the capital is not over by any means. is that threat from aerial bombardment or is there any scenario you think russia tries to regroup and relaunch a ground offensive to capture kyiv? >> right now the city is still under the threat of airstrikes and bombard the. that's where most of the v violence is happening inside kyiv. we believe that outside kyiv, the russians are in largely defensive positions for the last several days they have not moved closer to the city. now again, we'll see if what they say is true that they are going to withdraw forces. we vice president shaven't seen that. but could they with the forces they have could they begin to try to advance, we have enough force if they wanted to move forward, they could do that.

that said, we continue to see the ukrainians fight back. we believe we would meet with ago is cant resistance if they tried. >> you stress ed the word small. small numbers of russian troops moving away. is the suspicion these troops are repositioning to attack eastern ukraine. >> we believe they are going to reposition. we're not convinceds that real withdrawal or retreat we'll see how this plays out over time. we can't tell if these troops are repositioned exact ly where they will go. we don't have insight into the plan of that level of specificity. that said, the russians have said themselves that they are going to reprioritize the eastern part of the country. the donbas region, so it follows that if they are going to reposition troops, that would be one place that we would look for them to do that. >> the top u.s. general europe told congress that he believes ukraine can stall the russian offenses in the east the same

way they did around kyiv but stopped short of saying they could push back the russians completely. what do you expect from the new phase as this war drags on? >> it's going to largely depend on what the russians mean by reprioritizing the donbas and the east. how much reenforcement do they add there. how aggressive and how offensive in terms of the operations are they going to be. we have seen just in recent days that they have picked up the pace of offensive operations in the donbas. we have also seen some indications that they are locking at reenforcing their power there is. so we're going to watch this closely, but i agree that ukrainians have proven adept at pushing back the russians, at stalling their efforts to gain ground and actually retaking some of that ground. what remains to be seen is what happens in the donbas. one of goals of the russians is to pinch off the donbas area and to try to hold and fix ukrainian

armed forces there so they can't come to the aid of their colleagues further west in the country. >> the general also admitted there could be a gap in u.s. intelligence that led the u.s. to overestimate russia's capability and underestimate ukraine. did the u.s. ever expect that six weeks into this brutal war ukraine would be launching counteroffensives and regaining control of key cities? >> it's a terrific thing to see they are fighting so bravely with the security assistance in so many kaun kohn tries, with the training other allies have given them. it's clear that the russians overestimated their ability to maneuver, their ability to fuel and to feed and to keep their forces in the field effectively and they underestimate d the ability of the ukraines to fight back. to some degree, we have all noticed that. the ukrainians have been much more effective than anyone thought they would be. >> really been a very, very

impressive surprise. the pentagon press secretary john kirby, thank you so much for joining us. >> you bet. breaking news continues next. we'll go live to poland for the latest on the refugee cry cyst. mothers and children now facing long lines to be processed as they face an uncertain future. s to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. it's clinically shohown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hungeger and support muscle health. try boost® today.

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uncertain future. cnn is in warsaw for us. >> they fled from russian m missiles and wait for polish papers. all they want is to be in ukraine. we have been waiting for four hours yells this woman out of frustration. i have a special needs child. but every refugee here almost all of them women and mothers has needs. the more than 2 million ukrainian refugees in poland will have to show document fws they want a pole ish national number for official services. the children waited for 3:00 in the morning. six hours later they got that national number so she can work. i wish i could continue my old life.

it was taken away, she says. i have to live here by force. st while she's grate tofl build a safe life for her children, i want to go to ukraine, she says. you hear the story repeated again and again from the women pulled from their lives. stuck in a purgatory of passing time while a war rages at home. >> this is where you live? >> yes. >> reporter: this cot is her life now. >> i work in ukraine. >> you're a police officer? >> she was. she now grabs a neon vest instead. she's a volunteer at a refugee center where she herself arrived in early march fleeing bombing in kyiv. most refugees leave here in days for temporary housing or other countries. but it's been a month and she refuses to. unless it's to dpo home to her

life in kyiv where her brothers are on the front lines. >> to you think you'll see them again? >> no. >> reporter: yes, she says, they talk twice a week at most. i think everything will be fine, she says. at least i hope for it. not just any brothers, but everyone. but life outside the war doesn't stop. even though she wishes it would. if i have to, she says, i'll do it. >> reporter: the extraordinary thing is in talking to these refugees, they honestly believe that this temporary life that they are building is just that, temporary. they see the news images that

you're playing on your show, wolf. they hear the news, they explain this and digest it with the children, yet they still believe they are going to be able to go back to ukraine sometimes to destroyed towns and pick up where life paused. >> we hope that happens. these are truly heartbreaking stories. thank you very much. let's discuss what's going on with the unicef spokesperson. tell us a what conditions are like right now for ukrainian refugees where you are? you're in lviv. tail light us what they are like. >> unfortunately, things are still vicious here in ukraine. i wish i had better news. and just a few hours ago, just before curfew started, i was at the hospital here. the children's hospital sitting with a young girl who had been shot. in the last day or two, tried to get out of kyiv with her father, with her mother, shot in the leg.

this young girl and her father shot in the hand and luckily they were rescued by medics, but she's innot in a good way. we had to go. the air raid sirens, the stress, children in a bunker, moms breast-feeding a a good hospital above them, but everyone far too terrified to be there because incredibly hospitals and medical centers seem to been cont continuously targeted in this country. pz. >> it's really so awful. these folks must be exhausted, the ones you're meeting with after more than a month of war. what's the cumulative effect of all of this trauma, especially on the kids? >> they really are. cumulative is dead right. it's a strain that is sort of wild being up to a point now where i have seen them in temporary little classrooms. kids who are shut down, children

who cry out of nothing. children who are well aware of what's going on with parents. there's things that they do here and they do make a difference. online learning, we have a lot of that whether it's classrooms or songs or folk tales, we have volunteers living in bunkers where children live like kharkiv just being with children all night. again, vsongs, games, anything. so there are real things we can do, but we're so concerned as well about those areas we can't reach. those areas where children remain under siege and where humanitarian workers can't get to. so i'm really pleased that unicef, where there's counsellors for those kids or medical services for moms having babies in bunkers, but there's still these cities that are under siege and being suffocated. they keep us awake at night. >> i know you have speaking with

these refugees shortly after the war began. as this invasion drags on and on, what gives them hope that one day god willing they will be able to return to their homes? >> yeah, just the love of this place. i don't want to sound cliche, but i heard this comment from dozens of people. their dream is either to be back in ukraine or just to stay here. two to three days ago i sat with a pregnant woman having twins, she's about to go through an instant family. and she was a travel agent. so she travels to other countries all the time. i said are you going to poland to have these children in safety? she said no, i don't want to go anywhere. this is my home. it's my dream for my children to live here. even though her grandparents are in another city, her husband is in another city. it's this mentality, this passion for this new nation, given when they got

independence, it's their dream to be here. whether they are in poland, it's their treatment to come back. their children to be in playgrounds and schools again here with grandparents here, all for those moms and families to stay here. and to stay with husbands and fathers. >> the spokesman, thank you for what you're doing and whe appreciate it very much. for information on how you can help humanitarian efforts in ukraine, go to cnn.com/impact and help impact your world. there's more breaking news coming up next. the strike on a government building kills at least a dozen people in a key city. we have new video. we'll go there live to ukraine, that's next. tense about hydrati. neutrogena® hydro boost lightweight. fragrance-free. 48 houour hydration. for that healthy skin glow. neutrogena®. for people with skin.

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building. our senior international correspondent ben wedeman is on the scene for us. at least a dozen people died in this attack. update our viewers. >> this was an attack that took place at 8:45 this morning local time on the regional governor's headquarters. a very large building at the heart of this city. then an area with many rz den shl buildings around it. a missile or bomb slammed into that building basically creating a massive hole. the latest we have is that 12 people at least 12 people were killed. at least 33 people injured. now it looked like it was almost a direct strike on the gov governor's office. however, he said on his telegram channel that the reason why he wasn't in the office was that he had slept late. we were in the area afterwards

and i don't know how many dozens, hundreds of windows were shattered as a result of that explosion. security was very tight around the governor's headquarters. and this is a strike that shock ed people here because the impression was that even though for instance this evening we heard air raid sirens, we heard twhat sound like heavy bombardments on the outskirts of the city, the forces have been pushed back from this city and we have seen in recent days life slowly beginning to get back to normal. the other day we were in a supermarket not only full of people, surprise ingly full of products as well. as life seemed to be going back to normal thrks strike this morning was a huge shock for the people in this city. >> certainly was. ben wedeman, be careful over there. thank you very much.

there's more news we're following right now, including official white house records from the day of the capitol insurrection that show a gap of more than seven hours in phone calls placed to or from the former president donald trump. our senior legal correspondent paula reed is working the story for us. cnn first reported this big gap a month ago, but what more are we learning tonight? >> we have learned that the house select committee is now investigating that gap in the white house phone records on january 6th. and whether former president trump tried to use back channels to conceal who he was speak ing with as the capitol was under attack. as you noted, cnn reported that the records turned over to the committee show no calls to or from trump for several hours during the insurrection. today "the washington post" reporting that gap stretched for just over seven and a half hours. sources have previously told cnn

trump had a habit of of asking aids to call certain people for him and the use of private cell phones was common in the trump white house and those calls were rarely tracked or recorded. now all of these revolutions adding to the pressure on the attorney general to pursue investigations or even bring charges against trump or his allies. last night members of the committee vented their frustrations with garland because the department of justice still has not acted on the house's criminal contempt referral against former trump chief of staff mark meadows. now the full house will vote on the new recommendation to refer two more trump advisers who are refusing to cooperate. one committee member directly call ing on garland to, quote, o his job so they can do theirs. >> thank you very much for that update. there's more breaking news just ahead. we'll take a closer look at the reality of life in kyiv right now. even as russia claims it's

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we're now in the breaking news. crews in kyiv reporting the sound of major art tul ri and rocket fire. cnn's chief sbshl anchor christiane amanpour is in the ukrainian capital where she spoke to maeb of the parliament earlier as air raid sirens sounded. >> reporter: day 34 of war and the sounds all around.

>> that sort of disturbs your day all the time. you learn to live with it. >> reporter: ukrainian mp says after a month of this, she like her president and country folk, belief the russians will never take this city. though fighting does continue in the suburbs. she wanted to meet here where ukrainians stood up for their rights in 2014 and brought down poutin's wrath and his revenge. ukraine's dramatic resistance surprised the whole world, including vladimir putin. >> three days they gave us. putin thought he would be here in a matter of hours. we are doing this for our survival. when the survival instinct kicks in, people can do amazing things. people become superheros. this is what you're witnessing in ukraine. >> reporter: she's arm ed with her guns, the ak-47 is the a home today, but she shows me her pistol held close to her heart. >> when we spoke in the first week of the war before i got here, you said my machine gun

and my man cures. your resistance takes many things. and you're actually carrying your pistol now. >> i am. i do have my pistol with me. and i carry it actually with me all the time. >> did you ever imagine in your life as an mp in 2022 in ukraine you'd be forced carry a gun around. >> no, never. i'm very much anti-gun. this gun coaused a lot of problems because in order to recharge it, you have to do this thing and it was the nails, it was impossible. they had to all come off. >> just so people are clear. the idea of beauty, self-maintenance is also resistance. >> all jokes aside, it's an important element for all women who are fighting alongside the men folk here. the women still want to be beautiful. they still want to have dignity as women. and to be human. >> he basically said that

ukraine doesn't exist as a nation. >> we say to him, life goes on. we carry on living. your fighting against us is in the background now. and we'll go on fighting it for as long as we have to, but we will go on living at the same time. >> she is still an mp, parolment is still passing laws. and since an army marches on its stomach, this, too, is their fight, their war effort. so the ordinary becomes extraordinary. feeling this trendy brunch and bar has turned into a wartime canteen. chopping onions in a frnz sit of efficiency and purpose. >> to you feel you're going to win? >> of course. >> you said you must destroy the russian army. >> they help turn of the 600 meals a day for the army and territorial defense, for hospitals and shelters.

outside she shows me the pictures of her three young children, who she has had to send away for their safety. >> this is my baby from this morning. she's going to be 10 months in a couple days. >> it must be painful to be without her. >> it is. she's sort of looking at me like really, mommy. really, you're going to be away from me? >> reporter: staying on the frontlines with this struggle comes at a huge personal cost, but she has no doubts. >> i am where i have to be. things happen for a reason. i'm a firm believer in that. there's a reason i was elected in 2019. we have a task. we have a duty. and we will complete it. then we will see where life take us. >> christiane amanpour, cnn, kyiv. >> thank you. just ahead, a new green light for many older americans to get a second covid booster shot. and growing fallout over

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the cdc following the f.d.a.'s lead and giving a green light to a second booster shot for people age 50 and older. let's get details from cnn medical analyst. doctor, should most americans 50 and older take advantage of a second booster shot? >> i think most americans 50 and older should get the first booster shot, actually. i think everyone eligible should do so. and yet only half of americans who are eligible to get that first booster got it. so that's the first thing.

the second thing is that we know that vaccination plus that first booster still protects you very well including against severe disease. and so some people may want to have an additional level of protection if you're over 57, chronic conditions over 50, you may want to get that fourth dose. its not something that everyone needs to be getting right now. >> many people this means getting four covid-19 shots in a span of about a year. is there any down side of getting too many boosters or getting them too often? >> well, there's a practical down side which is that the additional benefit of that fourth dose over the third dose appears to be pretty short lived. and so many people may decide to wait until there is a real surge. right now, the case levels in the u.s. of covid-19 are pretty low. some people may decide to wait until there is a higher case count before they get that fourth dose. but on the other hand, if you have chronic medical conditions, you may still decide that for your health, you want to make

that individual decision to get that fourth dose now. >> some people might want to maximize the protection, space out the time between the shots. can they put off their booster until, or should they get one as soon as possible? that's a lot of people are wondering. >> it really depends on your individual circumstance. if you had oem micron and vaccinated and boosted, i wouldn't get that additional dose. on the other hand, if you're vulnerable that you could end up in a hospital if you got any respiratory infection, it's a good idea to get that fourth booster dose. >> thank you very much. we're also following the growing fallout from the slap that stunned the world. top officials in the motion picture academy are getting ready to meet to consider taking action against will smith. our brian todd is working the story. what you are learning? >> wolf, the fallout is considerable tonight and

widespread. major hollywood players are weigh in. the key question looms, how will th academy hold will smith accountable? >> tonight, growing questions whether will smith also disciplined for this moment at the oscars. >> that was a nice one. okay. i'm out here -- oh, wow! wow! >> two sources with knowledge of the situation tell cnn board of governors of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences will meet tomorrow. the main priority, discussing possible action and consequences for smith for slapping comedian chris rock. an uncensored japanese feed shows smith's response. >> will smith just smacked the shit out of me. leave my wife's name out of your. [ beep ] mouth. >> wow, dude. >> yes. >> it was a g.i. jane joke.

>> keep my wife's name out of your mouth. >> among the academy, whoopi goldberg and oscar winner and host herself. >> there are big consequences. >> there has to be. >> well, yeah. nobody -- nobody is okay with what happened. >> her co-hosts on "the view" says smith's reaction was violent and inexcusable, 24 hours after the incident, smith apologized to chris rock in a statement saying his emotional reaction to a joke about his wife was inexcusable and unacceptable. "i would like to publicly apologize to you, chris. i was out of line and i was wrong. i'm embarrassed." but some voices in hollywood are coming down hard on smith including jimmy kimmel. >> insaulting chris rock and then winning the oscar, it's like storming out of the house after breaking up with your girlfriend and coming back in because you forgot your keys. >> smith's mother speaking out publicly for the first time since the incident.

>> that's the first time i've ever seen him go off. the first time. >> smith's wife, actress jada pink et smith was the target of rock's joke about her shaved head. >> jada, i love you. g.i. jane ii, i can't wait to see it. >> it's not clear if he knew that her hair loss results from a condition. her brief message on instagram today, this is a season for healing and i'm here for it. what might the academy do with will smith? >> they could penalize him, say he's not going to be allowed back. they could issue a formal censure. i hope it doesn't get back to talking about recinding the award which makes no sense. >> while will smith's professional future is being closely watched, so is chris rock's. he's returning to the stage for a comedy tour and one secondary ticketing marketplace says the ticket sales for rock's show are hot and getting more expensive. going from a minimum of $46 per ticket to a minimum of $341 a

ticket. this seems to be helping chris rock in the immediate. >> all right. brian, thank you very much. i'll be back in a half hour on our new streaming service, cnn plus with a debut of "the newscast." and at 9:00 eastern for cnn tonight. stay with us. lots of news. erin burnett starts right now. >> up next, breaking news. kyiv under attack. our crew on the ground reporting major rocket fire tonight. russia claims it is scaling back on attacks there. plus, cheating death. a survivor of the theater bombing, the single deadliest attack of the war so far. speaking to cnn about how she narrowly escaped death. and a super yacht belonging to an unnamed russian businessman seize bid authorities tonight inside so-called infinite wine cellar. fresh water swimming pool. so what is that yacht's connection to vladimir putin? let's go