tv Anderson Cooper 360 CNN June 17, 2022 8:00pm-9:00pm PDT
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call the barnes firm and find out what your case could be worth. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪ it was 50 years ago today -- john berman in for anderson -- two and a half sergeant peppers ago, burglars acting on behalf of an american president broke into the watergate headquarters of the democratic national committee and began the scandal that would be, until now, the single greatest assault on american democracy in this country's history. in a moment, a conversation with bob woodward and bernstein, whose reporting did more than most to make it clear that watergate was for more than the simple break-in it first appeared to be. it's worth mentioning now because contrary to the
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impression people might have today, knowledge about what watergate truly was in size and scope and the threat to democracy it posed did not come all at once all neatly wrapped up in a bow. it was revealed in day by day slices of the truth by bob and carl and so many others. that notion seems just as true tonight, 50 years later, when it comes to the latest assault on democracy. almost since the day capitol was attacked, so many that it's hard to keep track, and harder still to be surprised or imagine any of it changes what we think we already know. yet this week, the house january 6 committee, even as it tries to bundle up the scandal and tie a bow around it, has also delivered plenty that is new. and today promised more. listen to committee member zoe lofgren today on cnn talk about donald trump's effort to strong arm georgia secretary of state brad raffensperger after the election. >> i think we've all heard the infamous phone call where then-president trump was trying
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to force raffensperger to find votes, essentially just make stuff up so he could become the president again. but we'll go through a variety of issues that we think will be revealing. not everything has been out in the public so far. >> that's next week. and just what it is remains to be seen. as for this week, though, we learned plenty. first, the degree to which this is also a money scandal that, according to the committee, most of the quarter billion dollars the trump campaign raised from mostly small donors after the election did not go to the so-called official election defense fund as advertised. the fund, according to testimony, did not even exist. >> i don't believe there is actually a fund called the election defense fund. >> is it fair to say that election defense fund was another -- i think we called it a marketing tactic? >> yes. >> a marketing tactic, he said. before the hearing, it was
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suspected the president was using the election lie to raise money for other things. but this week we heard campaign insiders confirm it. also this week we learned what former attorney general bill barr did not think to tell the public when he left the administration when he was praising the president on the way out. >> i was like, boy, if he really has believes this stuff, he has, you know, lost contact -- he's become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff. >> also this week, committee testimony revealed that even the people pushing the plan to have the vice president overturn the election on the 6th knew it was historically, legally, and constitutionally indefensible at the time. here's what former white house lawyer eric herschmann said, recounting a conversation with john eastman, who delivered the plan. >> and i said, hold on a second, i want to understand what you're saying.
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you're saying that you believe the vice president, acting as president of the senate, can be the sole decision maker as to, under your theory, who becomes the next president of the united states? and, you said yes. i said, are you out of your effing mind? right? and i, you know, that was pretty blunt. i said, you're completely crazy. i said, you're going to turn around and tell 78-plus-million people in this country that your theory is this is how you're going to invalidate their votes because you think the election was stolen? and i said, they're not going to tolerate that. i said, you're going to cause riots in the streets. >> according to hershmann's testimony, eastman replied with words to the effect of, there's been violence in the history of our country before. and according to other testimony from a former pence lawyer, eastman conceded to him that
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this scheme would likely lose 9-0 in the supreme court. all these things are new. so is the information according to committee investigators that the mob came within just 40 feet of the vice president that day. and that the former chief of staff had been to brief the former president on violence at the capitol before the former president sent that tweet attacking mike pence. we saw those photos for the first time this week and learned from the hearings not only that john eastman had taken the fifth 100 times but also sent an email to rudy giuliani asking to be put on a list of people seeking pardons. it was already a lot. then today, the former president spoke out. he, of course, slammed the work of the committee and railed on mike pence, called mitch mcconnell a hack, referred to january 6 as, quote, a simple protest that got out of hand and dangled pardons for the participants. >> most people should not be treated the way they're being treated. and if i become president
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someday if i decide to do it, i will be looking at them very, very seriously for pardons. >> the former president at the faith and freedom conference today in nashville. much of it was the continued lies of the election loss. we're not going to give them oxygen. it is worth noting he said, quote, the greatest danger of our nation is the destruction of people from the people from within. perspective now from someone that was at the capitol with colleagues and coworkers under siege, declaring gallego. the fact that the former president continues to push these lies about what happened that day and continues to publicly trash the vice president, the former vice president, what does that mean for the chances that these hearings can convince any supporters about the reality of what happened? >> look, i'm not sure that this is aiming at trying to convince
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his supporters. i think there may be a small group, maybe 5% to 10% of people that we can convince that this was a insurrection, that this was an attempt at destroying our american democracy. that's who we should be aiming for. there is a strong 30% of trump supporters that we're just never going to get. the same thing happened in watergate. there were 30% of republicans that were never going to accept the fact that richard nixon was behind watergate. this also builds a public case for merrick garland to do something. we basically had laid out a very strong argument, the house did, about what the president's intentions, motivations were, and what his actions were. i don't know what else you need after that. i'm sure that the -- our house committee will actually reveal even more. but i think there's two audiences that should be paying attention to what this committee is saying. >> you recently tweeted, eastman needs to end his life penniless and broke if we
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can't find a way to put him in jail, end quote. you're referring to john eastman, who was at the center of so much of this. aside from consequences he does or does not face, what will accountability look like for you at the end of this? >> well, certainly, eastman going to jail, him being disbarred, no longer serving on boards of, you know, colleges or non-profits or anything of that, i really want him to be broke and penniless for the rest of his life. he actively participated in a coup knowing what he was doing was both illegal and would never have been supported by the supreme court or people of the united states. he doesn't deserve mercy. these types of traitors need to be cast from society if for anything just to show other people there are consequences to trying to overthrow your government. >> you've spoken about what you were prepared to do on january 6. you're an iraq war veteran. you were teaching colleagues in the house chamber how to defend
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themselves by stabbing rioters in the eyes with pens. as you watch these hearings, does this all come roaring back? >> i mean, it never left me. you know, i'm a very -- not lucky but kind of unlucky person in the sense that i've had ptsd. so, i've been able to deal with whatever i've dealt with that day. i know a lot of my colleagues are traumatized from it and they're constantly being reminded about it. what it does tell me is that my instinct that day was correct. this was larger than i thought. this is organized. you know, the idea that this was a mob that just kind of decided how to attack the capitol is just -- it's actually very similar to what we see all the time during insurrections where you have terrorists using civilians that are out there protesting as a yield and a cover for movement for them to attack us. and that's actually what happened that day.
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those proud boys, those fat guys that call themselves oath keepers, you know, really were using the mob as a way for them to move into the capitol and really try to take down a democracy. >> gr >> congressman, appreciate you being with us. have a nice weekend. >> you too. joining us, the aforementioned bob woodward and carl bernstein. bob is the author of "peril" and carl has a memoir out called "chasing history: a kid in the newsroom," and together they just put out a new 50th anniversary edition their masterpiece on water gate, "all the president's men." it was 50 years ago tonight that the watergate break-in happened. i know you've been asked to compare watergate to what's happening now. talk about the difference in how you perceive the reality as it unfolds to you. how were you learning things differently this time? >> okay. but to set the table here a little bit, john, just two hours ago, carl and i came from the
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meeting over in the senate caucus room where it was a reunion of the people who investigated watergate in the senate, in the house, in the special prosecutor's office. and the key figure in all of this was senator irvin, who was the chairman of the senate watergate committee. and he addressed that question in his final report. carl and i think brilliantly because senator irvin asked the question, what was watergate? and he nailed it by saying it was an unconstitutional, unlawful effort to really destroy the process of nominating and electing a president. and then at the end of this very lengthy report, he asked the question, why watergate? and his answer was, the lust for
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political power. that's what we see happening right now 50 years later. i mean, it is -- it is one of these deja vu all over again, and the problem is nixon left, resigned, when it was made clear to him that the republicans were going to -- actually had abandoned him. and trump lost in 2020, but he insists he really won. and it's quite clear he's going to run again. and he's got whatever the percentage of the republican party behind him. and the january 6 committee has laid out in watergate-style very compelling evidence that the president and the people around him broke the law.
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i think there is zero ambiguity in their evidence that it was an effort by trump and his lawyers and his staff to subvert the process, the legal process, constitutional process, of certifying who was the next president. and that happens on january 6th. and they sent in this idea that somehow this was a -- kind of a stroll in the park. 1,000 people to the capitol. and look at the extent of the violence and the destruction of the capitol. unimaginable. so, there's a day of reckoning coming on this. >> carl, to one of the points bob was making there, why is it that i guess it was 52 years ago and two months that richard nixon was forced to resign -- i guess actually 48 years ago --
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that richard nixon was forced to resign, yet donald trump is gearing up to run, probably, it looks like, for president again. what's changed? is it a social or political shift that there is just no more shame? >> i think you have to look at what happened in watergate because the system worked in watergate at every level. the press did its job. the legislative branch did its job, created the senate watergate committee by a 77-0 vote. republicans supported creation of that committee. the house january 6 committee has the support of maybe five or seven republicans. the judiciary, the judicial branch of government did its job all the way up to the supreme court, which rules 9-0 -- 8-0, pardon me, that nixon must turn over his tapes. and right now we see, involving the supreme court, the wife of the supreme court justice who obviously is deeply involved and
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endorsed this plot to sabotage the united states democracy, to undermine the u.s. democracy through a coup attempt by a president of the united states. we didn't have a coup attempt in watergate. nixon left office voluntarily. so, the judicial branch did its job. and then you go on to the legislative branch. we've talked about that. the republican party did its job. everybody involved, the courageous judge. the whole system worked in terms of enmeshing with every step. compare that today. our institutions involved in this january 6th insurrection and trying to deal with the aftermath of it are hamstrung. and also the people of the country, by the time richard nixon was forced to resign office, maybe 60% of the country
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according to the polls thought nixon should be convicted in a senate trial or he should resign. there is no such consensus in the country today about donald trump even though his offenses, his criminal offenses, his sedition, the attempt to inspire an insurrection against the united states. with all that, there is no evidence so far that a large majority of the people of this country feel strongly that donald trump should be prosecuted, that he has broken the law, and that his aim was to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. >> the duly elected president of the united states, joe biden, could take office, rather than trump's objective of staging the coup and continuing illegally to occupy the oval office. >> bob, quickly i want to play something for our viewers. this is what president nixon said near the end of his farewell speech to his staff in the white house. let's watch. >> always give your best.
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never get discouraged. never be petty. always remember others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. and then you destroy yourself. >> so, bob, what did the moment say to you, the idea that hate is political poison? did nixon genuinely believe and accept that? and could you ever imagine donald trump have that sort of reckoning? >> it was a blinding insight. whether it was sincere or not, i think it's an important one that hate does destroy. and if you look at the record of his presidency from the tapes and many of the actions, it was the poison. it became the essence of let's settle scores at all costs. so, here is the ingredient we
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need now in the media, in the public, in the congress. and that is patience. what this committee is doing is exactly the slow process of gathering facts, documents, witnesses, audios, videos. and may patience be a part of everyone's day in the coming summer months. >> bob woodward, carl bernstein, it's been an honor to get to speak with you today. i know you've had a busy day commemorating this historic day. so thank you. >> good to be with you. next, a heartbreaking revelation from uvalde, texas, about how a single decision might have changed everything about the mass shooting that took 21 lives. later, reporting on the fate of two american volunteer fighters missing in ukraine.
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underscores the tragedy of it. the revelation by "the new york times" of a shot not taken by police at a moment that might have prevented the killing of 19 children and two teachers. jay goodman broke the story and joins us now. david, thank you for being with us. can you just lay out your reporting about this officer who had a chance to so that the gunman before he entered the school? >> thanks for having me. this is a situation where officers were arriving really minutes after the first 911 call came in of a gunman at the school. and a lot of focus of the investigation into the police response has been on what happened inside the school and why it took so long for those officers to go into the room and actually confront and kill the gunman. but what turns out happened outside the school before the gunman even went in was that one of the uvalde police officers who arrived within minutes at the scene actually had a opportunity to take a shot at this gunman.
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and what he told a deputy sheriff from a neighboring county who i spoke to was that they were under fire at that time, and he passed up the opportunity to take that shot because he feared that that shot might go awry and hit one of the children that he said he could see behind the gunman. so, in that split second moment where he made that decision and hesitated, the gunman went inside the school. >> so, the officer didn't shoot because he was afraid of hitting the kids behind him in the school? >> that's what he told other officers and he told apparently investigators according to this deputy sheriff. and, you know, to be fair, the deputy sheriff i talked to who also responded to the scene at robb elementary school said this was a very difficult and fraught decision for an officer. you're coming into a scene that you don't know what's happening. when the officers arrived the gunman was shooting outside of the school. and those officers felt that they were under fire themselves and worried that were they to
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open fire at this gunman and they missed and unfortunately in that scenario may have hit a child, that they might have been blamed in some way for doing the wrong thing. so, that hesitation, that moment sort of hesitation -- this is really we're talking about seconds here, according to this deputy sheriff, that allows this gunman to go inside. >> and according to your reporting, this is a kind of second missed opportunity for officers who arrived at robb elementary in addition to the other officer who drove past the gunman and didn't see him in the parking lot? >> that's what's amazing about this. there's been a lot of criticism of the police response. but in actuality, the police were on scene incredibly fast. you have not only these officers -- one of the officers who had an opportunity to take a shot had an assault rifle-style gun. he had one of these police assault rifles that they have and didn't take that shot. a different officer from the uvalde school district arriving a minute before these officers
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did and drove past the gunman. this was a very chaotic moment, obviously, and he was rushing to the scene and apparently drove through the parking lot and didn't see the gunman, who at that moment, according to officials, had been crouched in some fashion in the parking lot. so, you have these two sort of moment where is officers are on scene and this gunman is outside but they're not either in a position or don't feel that it would be appropriate to sort of confront him at the moment. >> why is this only coming out now? >> well, this has been a very -- as you probably know -- very frustrating story for a lot of reasons, in part because many of the agencies that are involved in this have not held briefings, have decided not to make public information available in connection to this. it will be four weeks that it's taken place this coming tuesday. and we still don't know a lot of
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the details and we don't have a lot of official, you know, sort of laying out of the facts of what happened there. so, we're kind of getting bits and pieces of the events through various people that have some knowledge but not a complete picture of it. and that's been really unfortunate. there was actually a hearing in uvalde this week held by the texas legislature. but they did that hearing behind closed doors, and that's been the approach so far, to treat this -- i was told by a sheriff from uvalde, this is like a plane crash and you give the investigators months to investigate a plane crash. why can't they have months to investigate this? that's kind of their posture, but we're not getting a lot of information from them. >> four weeks almost. four excruciating weeks for the families there. david goodman, we appreciate you joining us. and sharing your regulator. >> thanks for having me. >> we did ask the uvalde police department for comment about this but have yet to get a response. coming up, the latest of the gun safety bill in the senate spawned by the tragedy at robb elementary and the reception the
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john cornyn, who is leading negotiations for republicans, senators may be closer to a deal than we previously thought. talks have hit a road block over two provisions. earlier today, senator cornyn heard an earful from his fellow republicans back home at a state convention. [ booing ] cnn's jessica dean joins us now from capitol hill with the latest. jessica, there was optimism about the negotiations that congress could come up with compromise on guns. then things seemed to slow down. but where do negotiations stand? >> it's interesting, john, that you mentioned senator cornyn's comments that he was very optimistic today telling the "texas tribune" he was quite optimistic. when i saw him yesterday when he was departing to go back to texas, he was leading a meeting of four senators, who had been trying to hash this out.
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and he said it was time to fish or cut bait. he said decisions had to be made. he had to get back to texas, but they were all going to stay in touch. we know that they are continuing to talk over the weekend. remember that monday is a federal holiday, so the senate will not be in session. and then they've got just a short week before they go on a two-week recess. so, they're really up against a tight timeline here. they had wanted to bring this to the floor before they got to that recess, john. but things move slowly in the senate. and that's when you have a bill text. they're trying to get that text drafted. members want to see this before they vote on it. they are still haggling over several key issues that are holding them up in this process. but they have all kind of expressed they would like to get this done and they are going to continue to walk over the weekend. and we know that their staff had begun drafting that bill text before they left yesterday, john. >> what are the key issues that are the points of contention, jessica?
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>> right, we can really zero in on two issues. one of them is closing the so-called boyfriend loophole, which is who can get their hands on a gun if there's been some sort of domestic violence, something like that. and they're having trouble defining what is a boyfriend, what is an intimate partner. they told us yesterday they're trying to look at state statutes where they may be able to get guidance from there. the other thing is how to get funding to states that have red flag laws or intervention programs that they've also been called and how to make sure that that's properly allocated, who it's going to, what happens if the state doesn't have red flag laws or crisis intervention programs in place. as one of the senators told me, senator thom tillis, a republican, told me yesterday they really are hoping there. again, those are the sticking points they've continued to circle over the last several days and last couple of weeks. those continue to be the contentious points that they have to work through before they can bring that bill text to their colleagues and the floor. >> we're all standing by if john
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cornyn may have spent something specific with that optimism today. jessica, thank you so much for your reporting. up next, new information on the two american volunteer fighters who have gone missing in ukraine. we will speak to the fiancée of one of the men in just a moment. s to help restore my barrier, so i can lock in moisture, feel hydrated, and look healthy. cerave facial moisturizing lotions.
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there are videos out tonight apparently of two american volunteer fighters missing in ukraine. we will not show footage or even frames of them or repeat anything the two men might have told their apparent captors under duress, as it's clearly a piece of propaganda. in a moment, i'll be joined by the fiance of one of men. first, let's go to barbara starr at the pentagon. barbara, where do these videos appear, and what can the state department learn from them? >> these clear propaganda videos appeared on russian social media channels. very few clues about where the men are, who is holding them. and that right now is the challenge for the biden administration to try to find them. >> reporter: it was in the
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fighting north of kharkiv where two americans went missing last week less than five miles from the russian border. the u.s. government, working with ukrainian authorities, to find them. >> i have been briefed. we don't know where they are. but i want to reiterate, americans should not be going to ukraine now. >> reporter: now, this photo from a russian blogger has emerged of alexander drueke and andy tai ngoc huynh appearing to be bound in the back of a russian military vehicle. video later emerging of an interview they did with pro-russian media. cnn is not showing the video, as the two appear to be speaking under duress. mow the state department is working to verify their status. >> they said that there is a photograph that is being circulated on the russian media, and they're working hard to verify it. we're very hopeful. >> retired staff sergeant drueke, an army reservist from
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2002-2014 served in kuwait and iraq. drueke's mother, bunny, tells cnn her son wanted to lend his skills to train those who were coming to ukraine to fight. >> he felt that if putin wasn't stopped now, he would just become bolder with every success and that eventually he might end up on american shores. >> reporter: former marine corporal huynh served in the marine corp. last serving in camp pendleton california. huynh's fiance, joy black, described to cnn the last time she heard from him. >> he told me he loved me very much and he would be unavailable for two to three days. he had a gnawing at his heart and a big burden on him to go and serve the people however he can. and just -- i know it's not a
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great situation, but i'm very proud of him. and i just want to see him back safely. >> reporter: one of their comrades in ukraine, whose identity we are keeping hidden, exclusively telling cnn's sam kylie, drueke and huynh were captured rappel -- repelling an assault. a kremlin spokesperson told cnn, we do not know anything about it, when asked about the missing americans. the u.s. also confirming a third american went missing in ukraine in april. cnn has learned he is retired captain grady kurpasi, a 20-year veteran of the marine corp. a friend who served with him for years says he has cell phone data that shows he could be being held in the russian-controlled city of kherson but acknowledges they do not have proof that he's alive. >> i think it is a calling to help and just be humanitarian.
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there is no real plan to his mission. just he wanted to go out there and try and help. >> reporter: all three of the missing americans having served in the military puts them in unique danger if captured by russians. >> you routinely are swimming and are immersed in these kinds of sensitive programs. i'm not certain of the level of that exposure, but i can guarantee the russians are going to try to extract that information. >> barbara, what more did one of the men's comrades tell our sam kiley? >> well, he told sam that there was every indication, a very strong belief that the two men you saw in those pictures, the ones that are in the propaganda pictures we're not showing, they did this out of a heart felt desire to go help in ukraine. they didn't do it for money. they didn't do it for any kind of glory. these are two men, two americans, former members of the u.s. military, who simply wanted to help. and what should be said is everyone understands that, but
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the administration, once again today, even president biden urging americans not to go to ukraine, not to go to the combat zone, that it is simply too dangerous. john? >> barbara starr, thank you so much for your reporting. joining us now, joy black, whom you saw in barbara's report. he is andy tai ngoc huynh's fiancée. i can only imagine how hard this is for you. i know you spoke with anderson on wednesday. have you learned anything new about your fiance, his location, his condition since then? >> nothing really official that we can give out. obviously probably seen in the media, there's various -- there's pictures but nothing official from the state department. >> what have you heard, if anything, from the state department or the u.s. embassy in ukraine? >> they're trying really hard. they've assured us multiple times that they're doing everything they can to get to the bottom of this. and they're working really hard at this.
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and we couldn't appreciate it more that they're taking this really seriously. >> can you talk more about his military experience or knowledge he acquired in the marines and how he hoped to help the ukrainians? did he go intending to fight on the front lines? >> he did not go intending to fight. he -- once he had decided he was definitely going to go, he just knew that he wanted to help any way that he could, whether it was humanitarian, passing out water, anything like that. wherever the lord pulled him, that's where he was going to go. as for his military experience, i met him in the last year of his service, so most of it was in the past tense when told to me. but i know he had lots of excessive combat training. he was deployed in okinawa. we've gotten to hear from a lot of his military buddies who served with him in okinawa just about andy. and we really appreciate all that as well.
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>> i'm glad you have that family to support you right now. what would you say to andy if you could get a message to him? >> that we love you. you're still with us. we're doing everything we can to get you back. we reached out to so many people. and, you know, we're really trying to get you back and i can't wait to see you and alex back here safely again. >> i think the whole country is pulling for you and pulling for that to happen. joy black, as i said, i can only imagine how hard this is, especially with the knowledge of these videos coming out today. i really do appreciate you joining us tonight. be well. >> thank you. all right. cnn's ben wedeman and his team take us inside some of the heaviest fighting in eastern ukraine and talks to the residents, most of them elderly, who hoped to get out. many, however, cannot. we want to make it clear is not from near the front lines. ben is on the front lines. that's next.
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before the break we were discussing the war in ukraine, and new video that appears to show two americans held captive there. fighting is particularly intense in the east of the country where russia is trying to grind away wins and territory near its border. our ben wedemen is there, not near the front lines. he and his team have been on them, in the areas where the russian shells have dropping to document life in a once peaceful city. >> reporter: a portend of things to come, a city that has been in the line of fire for months. a school basement serves as shelter for dozens of residents.
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she shows us where they sleep, the only light provided by our camera. everyone is outside now, she says, because it's too dark and hard to breathe down here. outside they wait as soup cooks over a fire. there's no gas, no power, no water, she tells me. we have nothing. most are old, tired, terrified and beyond despair. i'm alone says 82-year-old masha. my legs are tired, i can't go anywhere. she's leaving. we thought it would calm down but it only gets worse and worse, she says. i can't take these sounds anymore. natalia is leaving, too. the windows in my house are broken, she says. there's a huge crater by my house. it's the end of the world.
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the sunny weather belies what has become a post apocalyptic existence. resi residents line up for unfiltered water so they can wash and flush toilets. almost four months of war with no end in sight, frustration flares. where's our mayor, where's our governor, he asks. they should have come here at least once. just across the river savage street fighting rages in severdonetsk. it isn't near the front. it is the front. at 3:00 in the afternoon russian aircraft this this building. this building was serving as a shelter for people. three were killed, and it really goes to show there's nowhere here that's safe.
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she was in that building, her husband injured in the strike. yesterday he was crushed under the rubble, she says. she can do nothing but weep as she waits for a ride to see him in hospital. >> our ben wedemen joins us now from creastern ukraine. what are you learning? >> yes, those negotiations are ongoing according to ukrainian officials. the ukrainians are insisting as a minimal condition a complete cease-fire is in place if those civilians around the latest number we've heard is 568 including 38 children -- if that humanitarian corridor is going to go ahead. the russians, however, have put
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out a proposal that, yes, they'll let them leave but only to russian controlled territory. at this point the severodonetsk area is completely cut off. the three bridges across the river into ukrainian territory have been destroyed. and we understand from one official that anybody who tries to get out, any civilian trying to leave that area has a 99% chance in his words of being killed. john? >> ben wedemen, brave reporting to you and your team. thank you very much. we'll be right back. hey! it's your dry skin. every day we lose ceramides i need to seal in moisture. cerave delivers three essential ceramides to help restore my barrier, so i can lock in moisture,
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a line-up of some of the top black artists and musicians. and much more will take the stage at the hollywood bowl this sunday. former first lady michelle obama will also deliver special remarks during this televised event. the event airs live sunday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. the news continues this friday, so let's hand it over to laura coats and "cnn tonight." laura? >> hey, john. looking forward to that concert. everyone have a great weekend. i'm laura coats, and this is "cnn tonight," and i've been waiting. i mean, we all have, haven't we? waiting to learn what the january 6th committee had found out, waiting to see who might testify, waiting to hear from the people who already spoke to the committee, waiting to see what was happening behind the scenes not just at the white house but also inside the capitol where the vice president and both chambers of congress were really running for their
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