hello, welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i'm john vause. ahead this hour, from neutral to nato. with finland now publicly pushing for rapid membership of the defense alliance, the kremlin warns that's a direct threat to russia and will trigger retaliation. unprecedented. five republican congressmen subpoenaed to testify before the house committee investigating the january 6th insurrection on capitol hill. and the staggering toll of covid in the u.s. 1 million dead in 843 days.

live from cnn center, this is "cnn newsroom" with john vause. nato is now on the eve of an historic expansion with the leaders of finland publicly pushing for rapid membership of the alliance. an announcement that triggered threats from the kremlin. the foreign ministry there said this was a red call change in policy by finland, as well as a treaty violation. finland declared neutrality at the end of world war ii but, the brutality of putin's war in ukraine has shattered stability in europe. and officials in finland say all is quiet on their 800-mile long shared border. >> of course it's a very bumpy moment because of the russian

attack against ukraine. i hope one day there is a peace and we have a peaceful neighborhood and cooperation continues normally, but we are not yet there. >> the war in ukraine, military leaders describe intense shelling in the luhansk region. plumes of smoke from fighting along a key river separating ukrainian and russian forces. ukraine's military has destroyed several pontoon bridges to slow a russian advance. in chernihiv, three people reportedly killed and 12 wounded by russian attacks on two schools. mos cow says they were targeting command posts and ammunition depos. and a number of villages are once again under russian forces in the kharkiv region. cnn's nick paton walsh begins our coverage. >> reporter: the quiet pines around the east of kharkiv are slowly revealing their trauma. the kremlin is being pushed back so fast, we are only nine miles from their border. being closer to the motherland

that russia absurdly claims it is offered no mercy to these civilians. as they liberate village after village, pushing the russian forces back towards their own border, this is the sort of atrocity, frankly, that they keep coming across. this car hit by a tank shell as the convoy fled. the troops from the kharkiv city territorial defense tell us the intensity of the fire no match for the innocence of those onboard. a 13-year-old girl and three adults killed by russian troops here in early may, said ukrainian officials. are you saying the concentration of bullets is on the driver's side and the passenger door behind, showing gunmen who knew what they were doing? just up the road, two russian corpses that lay here now

buried, but for days, they sat with their prayer books and sleeping bags and grenades in the spring sun. the rpg hit there, yes? >> rpg, yes. >> reporter: their aging armor derailed by a single rocket-propelled grenade, we're told. this fresh convoy fleeing a village up the river further evidence ukraine is pushing towards russia's fragile supply lines from across the border. up on the hill, a rare sight -- a modern russian t-90 tank. these drone images show its destruction. one of russia's newest tanks, kind of the pride, really, of this invading force, what's left

of it. but the big concern here is they're hearing a drone above us and while we don't know if that is ukrainian or russian, we are going to keep moving. you could not be much closer to russia here. yet still, these tiny pine edles feel brutalized, trapped in an endless fight. some of those who remain seem unaware of the details of their occupation and liberation. that does not mean they are unshaken. >> reporter: disbelief here that

russian savagery from across the border now eclipsed by how fast it has retreated back towards it. nick payton walsh, cnn, ukraine. >> angela stent is a senior fellow and author of "putin's war." she's with us this hour from washington, d.c. angela, thank you for taking the time, it's good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> okay, so, finland's foreign minister seemed to have a remain calm and carry on approach with regard to any threat from r russia. here he is. >> in this kind of situation, of course, you have to be prepared for all kinds of threats and all kinds of action and so forth, so, we don't expect anything, but we are prepared for everything. >> it would seem very unlikely they're not expecting any response from russia. given the fact that military action is unlikely because, you know, they're bogged down in ukraine, what will the response from moscow look like? >> well, the russians have

threatened to deploy more nuclear weapons in the vicinity, but they already have nuclear weapons there anyway. there could be cyberattacks. there have been cyberattacks already against finland. beyond that, i don't think there's very much more that russia can do. we do know that up until now, russia has respected nato membership, if there's a country in nato that hasn't been attacked by russia. and the interim, between the application and the ratification, the russians could be up to some mischief, i really do think that the way they're bogged down in ukraine, there's a limit to what they can do. >> and that seems to be the big takeaway as far as russian military power goes, that it's not as fearsome or as effective as it was once thought to be and this sort of goes all the way back to the war that the soviets fought with finland back in

1939, the winter war. >> yes, they certainly did, and the finns resisted valiantly. drove soviets back in the end, the soviets at that point prevailed, but the finns put up a very tough fight, so the russians should maybe remember that going forward if they're thinking about provoking finland into something. >> well, we heard from the former russian president medvedev, the deputy chairman of russia's security council, he warnled of the increased probability that an ongoing proxy war will turn into an open and direct conflict between nato and russia. "there is always such risk of it turning into a full scale nuclear war." most want to believe that even for vladimir putin, nuclear war is a bridge too far, but is that based on fact or just wishful thinking? >> well, it's based on the fact that since 1949, when the soviet union first developed its own nuclear weapons, both the united states and the soviet union and

now russia have respected the fact that there is deterrence and the principle of mutually assured destruction. if you strike me, i will strike you back and it will be totally catastrophic. so, you would really have to be suicidal to launch a full-scale nuclear attack. now, of course, the russians have also hinted that it would be the possibility of using a tactical nuclear weapon, which is not a weapon that could reach the united states, but that would cause significant damage, not only in ukraine, let's say it was detonated in ukraine, but also, to russia itself, with all the fallout. so you really would have to be -- you know, have lost all sense of sort of reason and be extremely risk taker to do that, and that's why, i think, people are beginning to believe that these threats are being deployed, particularly from mr. medvedev, who is having somewhat of a comeback, having been forgotten about for awhile, just

to intimidate the west and deter the united states and other nato countries supplying weapons to ukraine. >> and finland and sweden joining the alliance bolsters th them. that seems to be quite a big win for putin. how did we goat this point? >> well, putin, i think, is very careful, at least for the past decade, cultivated relations with countries in the middle east, russia's gone back to africa after withdrawing when the soviet union withdrew from there and even in latin america. and of course he is focused very much on cultivating the relationship with china, particularly since the annexation of crimea in 2014. so, china has backed russia throughout this war. it doesn't condemn russia, it won't sanction russia. it may not be comfortable with the scale of violence and brutality in ukraine. and it has said it respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of ukraine, but it

hasn't done anything, as i said, to criticize russia. >> angela, we'll leave it there, but a very good point to finish on. thank you so much, angela stent. thank you. >> thank you. in an unprecedented move, the house committee investigating the jan 6th riots on capitol hill has subpoenaed five republican congressmen, all thought to have crucial information. all five are expected to refuse to testify and that includes the top house republican, kevin mccarthy. and four others, outspoken is up po supporters of former president donald trump and his lie about the 2020 election being stolen. >> these are people who were involved in discussions with the president, they were in communication with white house staff on january 6th leading up to it. clearly have relevant testimony. they need to do their duty, they need to juchuphold their oath a come in and testify. if they don't, we will discuss what the appropriate remedy is.

>> with midterm elections less than six months away and democrats expected to lose their slim majority in congress, the committee is running out of time to get results. republicans have described the investigation as political theater and will shut it down if they take the house. up next here on cnn, one pandemic, 843 days, 1 million lives. president biden marks a grim milestone and honors the americans who lost their lives americans who lost their lives to covid. and has helped over one million people. it was proven superior at helplping people stay alive and out of the hospital. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto. you're a one-man stitchwork master. but your staffing plan needs to go up a size.

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marking the staggering number of americans lost to covid-19. >> 1 million covid deaths. 1 million empty chairs around the family dinner table. each irreplaceable. >> reporter: the president lowering flags at federal buildings to half staff to come them rate the somber milestone and highlighting the global toll as he virtually hosted world leaders for another pandemic summit. >> millions of children have been orphaned, with thousands still dying every day. now is the time for us to act, all of us, together. >> reporter: on thursday, databases used by the cdc and cnn were just shy of 1 million u.s. deaths, but expected to surpass that number soon. as other nations pledged billions to continue their fight against covid-19, biden called on congress to authorize more funding so he could do the same. >> we have to invest now -- now. we have to secure political commitments now. we have to start working to

prevent the next variant and the next pandemic now. >> reporter: the white house has asked congress for $22 billion for treatments and vaccines, but the proposal has languished on capitol hill amid disagreements over immigration. >> i continue to call on congress here at home to take the urgent action to provide emergency covid-19 funding that is vital to protect americans. >> reporter: the president's top aides are warning there will be consequences if congress fails to pass more funding soon, but they've baffled some experts by declining to say which models are behind their infection projections. >> we're looking at a range of models, both internal and external models and what they're predicting is that if we don't get ahead of this thing, we're going to have a lot of waning immunity, this virus continues to evolve and we may see a pretty sizable wave of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths this fall and winter. >> reporter: lawmakers held a moment of silence to mark the 1 million americans lost to

covid-19. that comes, of course, as house speaker nancy pelosi also said they are still negotiating what it is going to look like when they do pass an aid package, though the parameters of that, while we know it's been scaled back to about $10 billion, are still far from certain on the size and, of course, when that package actually gets passed. kaitlan collins, cnn, the white house. pyongyang has announced the first covid death in north korea. the reclusive nation reported 18,000 so-called fever cases on thursday. and the death of six people. so far, the country has identified more than 350,000 fever cases. more than 185,000 people are in isolation. kim jong-un has ordered all cities into lockdown, calling it the most important challenge facing the ruling communist party. well, evidence of possible war crimes are found everywhere across ukraine and now cnn has identified the scene your russian general who ordered some of those atrocities. our exclusive report in a moment.

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well, the world has watched as russian artillery has devastated ukrainian cities and ukrainian lives seemingly with immunity. the u.s. and the international community have accused russia of war crimes but what has been difficult is tying specific germs to specific crimes. the key to carrying out war crimes prosecutions. in kharkiv, cnn has seen the aftermath of attacks using cluster munitions. that's a war crime. cnn can reveal the commander responsible for these attacks and the string of atrocities he did not just in russia's latest war in ukraine, but in the 2014 war in donbas as well as in

syria. we have this exclusive report and you may find the images in the report disturbing. >> reporter: a devastation of civilian homes and lives. throughout the last two months, we have witnessed atrocities in ukraine. more mortar strikes very, very close. they want us to start moving. while we know these are russian actions, it's been difficult to draw a direct line from individual atrocities to a specific russian commander. until now. cnn can exclusively reveal that this man, colonel general alexander zhuravlyov is the commander responsible for this. munitions targeting civilians in the city of kharkiv, east ukraine. a war crime under international law. >> you can see more artillery rockets being fired from russian territory towards the territory. i would say around kharkiv. i don't know if you can hear this right now. >> reporter: this is the start of the war. cnn's senior international

correspondent fred pleitgen saw artillery being fired from russia towards the city of kharkiv. sam kiley was in kharkiv and could hear the shelling moments later. >> can feel the concussion against the glass. >> reporter: we soon learned from experts these were smerch rockets. built in the early '80s at the end of the soviet era, this multiple rocket launch system scorching the earth as it fires is a pride and joy of russia's armaments, as seen here in this propaganda documentary. this is what they're capable of delivering. cluster bombs. one smerch rocket releasing many smaller explosives, scattering bombs, amplifying the devastation. these attacks captured on social media both in kharkiv and both from the same day are a clear

example of their indiscriminate nature. when used in this fashion against civilians, it's considered a war crime. the use of smerch rockets are key in our findings of who is responsible. because they are unique to one unit here -- one commander. after months of forensic work, we can reveal the trail of evidence leading to zhuravlyov, using social media videos to guide us, we returned to some of the scenes of the attacks, focusing on february 27th when three civilian targets were hit and eight more on february 28th. we start in the pavlova neighborhood of kharkiv. this is shrapnel from those missiles that fell on your neighborhood, lillia tells us. this shrapnel was found in one of the rooms. she takes us to see a smerch rocket that fell 200 yards from her apartment block. in this once affluent area.

"i remember the whistling sound of the missiles. i know that the missiles were flying and that they were accompanied by fighter planes or drones." you can see the hole that it came through, you can see the way that the rocket buckled when it hit the car. you can also very clearly see that this is a smerch. it's not the only rocket coming from this direction on this day. less than a half mile down the road, another hit. helping to situate us, this kiosk, that water cooler, they're key landmarks. the bodies landed here down this road. those blue doors you see, that's where the cluster munition shrapnel imbedded. this video filmed moments after the attack where four people, including a child, were killed. another smerch launch cluster bombs. we know this because one of the unexploded bombs was found only 280 yards away. notice the date. 2019. russia stopped selling arms to

ukraine in 2014. this confirms this is a russian cluster bomb. 1 1/2 miles away, another strike, more suffering, and no sign of any legitimate military targets. "people were cueing for food and then something just hit. people started running here," she says. this is the exact moment of impact. look at it again. frame by frame, you can see the scale of the rocket and proximity to innocent civilians. we are here in kharkiv. notice the five hits along this line from the 28th. they're pretty much in a line. apart from three here, which line up with the hits from february 27th. we can trace these lines 24 miles to a point of convergence here, across the border in

russia, well within the range of a smerch rocket. where we have a satellite image from the 27th showing the launching position. notice the plume of smoke and the tell-tale burn marks of a smerch launch here, here, and here. in collaboration with the center for information resilience, we can also tell you who is firing from this position. the 79th russian artillery brigade. part of the western military district which borders ukraine and is under the command of zhuravlyov. according to open source information reviewed by cnn, military experts, and intelligence soushss, they are the only unit in this district equipped to launch smerch rockets. and only the commander has the authority to order the 79th ab artillery brigade to launch the rockets. and this was just in the two days that we analyzed. these stills shared exclusively with cnn by kharkiv prosecutors show the russian armaments

raining death. among them, many smerch rem remnants. experts say this is among the heaviest bombardments in recent history. zhuravlyov is no stranger to these brutal tactics. atrocities targeting civilians. they're very similar to what we saw in syria in 2016. so, it shouldn't come as a surprise that zhuravlyov also led russian troops during the siege of aleppo. he is the architect of the devastation you see here. for leveling aleppo, he was awarded the highest honor granted to russian officers. hero of the russian federation. yet syrians have documented his war crimes. >> russian. >> reporter: despite the direct line from the impunity the world afforded russia and syria, to

the atrocities suffered by civilians here today, the question remains, what will the world due to stop this cycle? >> we have asked the russian ministry for defense for comment, as well as the kremlin, but we've yet to receive a response. cnn shared with the u.s. state department our findings, noting the lack of action taken against the colonel and other russian generals. they would not comment on those acts or other information reviewed but say they continue to track and assess war crimes and reports of ongoing violence and human rights abuses. united nations now outs a number of ukrainians -- counts the number of ukrainians at more than 6 million people. another 8 million people, nearly one-fifth of ukraine's pre-war population, are currently displaced within the country. u.n. fears millions more will be forced to leave ukraine just to stay alive. many arriving at border

crossings with only the clothes they have and the belongings they can carry. if you would like to safely and securely help the people of ukraine, please go to cnn.com/impact and there you'll find a number of ways you can help. still to come here on cnn, thousands gather to mourn the death of an al jazeera journalist killed in the west bank. palestinian leaders now promise justice will be done.ink sh e's . don't worry. the lexus rx built for modern families. $1,500 lease casash available on 30 month 2022 rx lease programs. we need to reduce plastic waste in the environmement. that's why at america's beverage companies, our bottles are made to be re-made. not all plastic the same. we're carefully designing our bottles to be 100% recyclable, including the caps they're collected and sepated from other plastics, so they can be turd back into material that we use to make w bottles. that comples the circle and reduces plastic waste. please help us get every bottle back.

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at least 11 people died off the coast of puerto rico when a boat believed to be illegally transporting migrants capsized. the overturned boat was spotted by u.s. officials late thursday morning. none of the passengers appeared to be wearing life jackets. crews were able to pull 31 survivors from the water. a search and rescue operation is under way. the funeral for slain al jazeera journalist shireen abu akleh will be held in a few

hours. on thursday, thousands gathered in ramallah to mourn her death and remember her life. >> reporter: as mourners chant nearby, friends and family console one another as a casket carrying their slain loved one and colleague arrives in ramallah thursday. soon after, the memorial procession of shireen abu akleh begins, thousands gathering here to commemorate the veteran palestinian american journalist, fatally shot in the head wednesday while covering and israeli military operation in the west bank. now palestinian leaders vowing that justice will be served to those responsible for her death. >> translator: this crime is not the first of its kind. tens of palestinian journalists have fallen before shireen. we hold the israeli occupying forces fully accountable for her killing. we will not let them hide behind their crime and will not let it go unpunished. >> reporter: the palestinian authority president rejecting israeli government calls for a

joint investigation into her death. instead, he promises to bring a case to the international criminal court. israeli officials initially accused palestinian militants of likely being the ones who killed abu akleh in cross fire, but have since clarified that the circumstances of her death are unclear. the al jazeera correspondent has reported for decades from the region. disturbing video from the immediate aftermath shows abu akleh lying on the ground in full protective gear with insignia that clearly shows she's a member of the press. abu akleh's producer was also shot, but is now in stable condition. >> translator: suddenly, one of them shot at us. they didn't tell us to leave. they didn't tell us to stop. they shot us. the first bullet hit me, the second bullet hit shireen. they killed her in cold blood. >> reporter: the israel defense

forces say they were in the area to conduct counterterrorism operations, after a series of att attacks prompted the raids they were covering. in a statement, the idf chief of staff says they have set up a special team to investigate her death. a death causing outrage among pales palestinians. the tensions still high thursday as protesters scuffled with israeli police in jerusalem, as her death adds another tragedy to an enduring conflict she covered for so many years. i'm john vause at the cnn center in atlanta. "world sport" is next for our viewers on cnn international. and for those watching in north america, coming up next, more than a dozen homes in one of california's most affluent areas gone up in flames. the very latest on the coastal fire when we come back. buick to start my enclave. starting your buick enclave. i just love our new alexa. dad, it's a buick.

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in southern california, evacuation orders remain in place for neighborhoods where a fast-moving wildfire has destroyed some expensive real estate. dozens of homes have been damaged and hundreds of firefighters still trying to bring the fire under control. at last report, the coastal fire was about 15% contained. cnn's nick watt has late details. >> reporter: multimillion dollar mansions eaten up by fast-moving flames. this is one of california's most affluent neighborhoods. >> feel like it's the end of the world, honestly. and i just hope we can all get through this. >> reporter: hundreds of homes, as well as a luxury golf resort evacuated. firefighters dousing homes in the hope of saving them. some using water pulled from the country club pond. two firefighters injured. >> we have a fresh group going out today. they're going to be out there

for 24 hours. >> reporter: this is not back country fire. this is near the beach and densely populated orange county. just south of l.a. damage assessment already under way in the ashes. basically this is what happened. the winds whipped in from the pacific, across that golf course and then pushed these flames through the canyon, up the hillside, threatening these ocean view mansions here, destroying some of them, including this, a $10 million home. winds are gusty, pushing the flames, but the winds aren't terrible or unusual. it's the acres of bone dry brush that's the major problem. >> with the climate change, the fuels, beds in this county, throughout counsel california, throughout the west, are so dry that, you know, fire like this is going to be more common place. >> reporter: the fast-moving fire seared through that dry brush, ballooned to roughly 200

football fields in just a few terrifying hours. january, just 1% of this state was in extreme drought. today, it's 60%. the january-april 2022 period was the driest on record for california. so says the u.s. drought monitor. >> this fire is not controlled or contained yet. we still have a lot of work to do. it's very steep terrain out there. we're going to get a little more heat, nothing significant. we are going to get those west winds again. >> reporter: this fire broke out yesterday afternoon. the cause of the spark as yet unknown. nick watt, cnn, california. $40 billion of military and humanitarian aid to ukraine that easily passed through the u.s. house this week has now stalled in the senate on thursday because of one republican. that's senator rand paul. he insisted the bill include a special inspector general to oversee how the money is spent. while broadly agreeing it was a

good idea, both the republican and democratic senator leaders say time is short and changing the legislation at this point would simply take too long. >> for heaven's sake, let's get ukraine funding done asap. we must keep our promise to the people of ukraine, and i hope the junior senator from kentucky does not stand in the way of keeping that promise. >> a vote in the senate is expected monday to get the bill monday. final passage could come later in the week. the white house says it is working to address the serious supply shortage of baby formula in the united states. announced limited steps thursday, such a cracking down on price gouging. the white house press secretary described other issues they're hoping to combat. >> what we are seeing, which is an enormous problem is hoarding. people hoarding because they're fearful. that is one element of it and people hoarding because they are trying to profit off of fearful

parents. so, that is also something we're focused on. >> these measures come after president joe biden met with manufacturers and retailers. various recalls are being blamed for the shortage, along with inflation, as well as supply chain issues. manufacturers say they are producing at full capacity, but it is not enough to keep up with demand. as joe biden mourns 1 million americans who have died in the coronavirus pandemic, the u.s. president is calling on congress to authorize $10 billion in new funding to fight covid. >> today, we mark a tragic milestone here in the united states. 1 million covid deaths. 1 million empty chairs around the family dinner table. each irreplaceable. >> 1 million dead. 1 million americans dead from the coronavirus. by far the highest death toll in the world. a number unthinkable 2 1/2 years

ago when this pandemic began. cnn's chief medical correspondent sanjay gupta looks at how we got here. >> reporter: few of us imagined the overwhelming scope of this tragedy. more than 1 million lives lost. far surpassing the 1918 flu pandemic or even america's in louisiana, maria's peterson devoted her life to carries for others as an icu nurse. last year she traveled to tral america on her last medical mission. she leaves behind her husband and teenage son. if virginia, teresa's parents remember their daughter as an ape vids re-- avid reader. the 10-year-old was known to bandage her classmates cuts and

scrapes. similar heart aches. in new york, a hispanic community hit hard. >> there are moments we can't explain with reason. we have to walk in faith. feel our own vulnerability to care for ourselves and others. >> reporter: in the border county of hidalgo, texas, more than 35000 d deaths in a county less than a million. >> i'm not sure every one has slowed down enough to see who is missing. what gaps them. >> reporter: gaps that may never fully heal. in maryland, the first black u.s. secretary of state, general colin powell passed away.

his leadership helped shape american foreign policy at the turn of the century. >> we understood even among allies ace agreements arise and what is important is to come back together. >> reporter: in gnnashville the music world lost kenny malone. johnson single get down was a global sensation. in new hampshire, william and carol stewart died holding hands. married for 44 years, hthey had nope each other since they were four years old. she believes her parents were soul mates. >> i love you and i will see you

again someday. >> reporter: in california, a mother and father leave behind five children. she died about a week after giving birth to her fifth child, baby girl. her husband daniel, died two weeks later. they never met their newborn. the children now live with grandparents. in florida, family torn apart. lisa wilson had gone door to door trying to get people vaccinated as part of her work for the county. despite her best effort to save lives, she lost six relatives in span of three weeks burying her own 89-year-old grandmother, uncle and four cousins. in communities everywhere, families, friends and loved ones find symbols of remembrance with flags at the mall, a burning candle, monarch butterflies in

el paso. in los angeles, teen madeline commemorates her city's fallen through a patch work quilt that's now a global project of lae healing. >> behind every square is a person. not just a person who died but a person who lived. they still are in people's hearts and memories. >> reporter: one of the quilt scare squares offer a message of hope. please don't live in fear. there will be a better day. >> thanks to cnn chief medical correspondent for that report. before we go, check out this exciting every been seen image. it's the picture of a super massive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

they describe it as the beating heart of the swirling milky way. it's about 27,000 light years away from earth. it's four million time bigger than our sun. what's once unseen is now seen. thank you for joining us. michael holmes joins you after a short break. have a great weekend.

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hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm michael holmes. coming up, russia's latest threat. ukrainian troops make more gains. we'll take you to the front lines. an unprecedented move. the january 6th committee takes aim at the top house republican, kevin mccarthy. they are the first images of their kind. the closest we have been to a black hole far, far away . welcome. nato is on the eve of a historic expansion with the members of finland pushing for rapi