moments ago we're learning of new explosions in odesa. cnn's scott mcclain joining us live from lviv. what more could you tell us about all of this? >> reporter: hey, fredricka. so as you mentioned, this is news out of mariupol. that we are getting from russian state media who say that 25 people have been allowed to leave that sprawling steel plant and get out. sixm them are under the age of 14, they say. now we're not in a position to verify that information because we're not in mariupol. but the mayor's office had said previously that there was reason for optimism because the russians were allowing some people to move from one neighborhood nearby to the steel plant to the other side of the river to potentially link up with a humanitarian corridor. now it wasn't clear whether that would include the people from the steel plant, but it seems based on this reporting if it is true, that may be the case. and if it does turn out to be the case, that would be a major breakthrough in a situation that is bad and only getting worse. these are russian troops making a break for cover in the streets near the azov steel plant in mariupol. one of them is shot along the way and a fellow soldiers attempts to pull him to safety amidst heavy fire. one ukrainian deputy commander said that russia is not only bombarding the plant from the sky, but now also attacking from the ground. >> as of today there have been attempted to storm the territory of azov. this is infantry, this is enemy military equipment. but those attempts have been beaten off as of this hour. >> reporter: deputy commander of the azov regiment leading the fight from the plant said that recent bombing left some cellars in bunkers and not sure if there are survivors trapped inside. and bombing hit a field hospital. the city mayor puts the number of injured at more than 600. >> how many do you think will survive the next day or two? >> i'm not going to say how long we could be here. but i'm going to say that we're doing everything we can to stabilize them. >> reporter: with the soldiers in the plant are hundreds of civilians. mostly elderly women and children they say as young as 4 months old. ukrainian officials say they are also running low on food and water. thursday the un secretary general arrived in kyiv to help evacuate civilians from the plant after securing an agreement there principle from vladimir putin in moscow. friday morning zelenskyy's office announced an operation to evacuate civilians planned for friday but no other details. palau mar said a convoy was en route but yet to arrive and he's also hoping for a deal to allow soldiers to get out though perhaps it is a long shot. >> would you rather die fighting than surrender yourself to the russians? >> we are not considering the terms of surrender. we are waiting only for guarantees of exit from the territory of the plant. that is if there is no choice but captivity, we will not surrender. >> petro an adviser to the mayor of mariupol said getting soldiers evacuated safely would take an international intervention. or a divine one. >> i really want something, something like miracle. it is like to have to -- so driving toward the steel plant -- [ inaudible ]. >> you don't think that is makes sense for the soldiers at the steal plan just to surrender themselves to the russians? >> that might be the best thing to do? >> yeah. >> reporter: now we just managed to make contact with the deputy commander of the azov regiment inside sheltering under that vast steel plant and he's not aware of any civilians being able to get out. but perhaps that is not surprising because he also stressed that the soerm soldiers there are trying to stay in a different part of the plant from the civilians for their safety so the civilians don't get -- don't get targeted in the same way that russians are targeting the soldiers, fredricka. >> so sad and terrible. scott mcclain, thank you so much. let's talk further about this and so many other things. congressman john garamendi is with me, a democrat from california and a member of the house armed services committee. so good that you could join us. so that encouraging to you to hear that my colleague is reporting that possibly 25 people may have been able to get out of that steel plant when we understand that hundreds of civilians and soldiers are there in mariupol? >> with the every life that is saved, every life that is able to continue on, we should take that as a good thing. however, this entire war is horrible. totally unnecessary from the beginning and thousands of people have already died. and at some point, i fear that all of us will just be hardened and our heart will not bleed for these horrible incidents going on, both the soldiers as well as the civilians. of course all of the civilians should be able to evacuate. of course the russians are just terrible and an atrocity all across the country of ukraine with civilians being caught up and being unable to escape. you take a look at city of mariupol, the russians have simply destroyed it. just destroyed it. for what. >> for what purpose? so that putin could have a victory? i'm running from here, fredricka, the united states simply must continue to turn up all of our efforts and it much more -- the equipment and the heavy artillery, make sure that that gets there and putin cannot win. he'll take mariupol. but in a cost of human life. but it is unexplainable tragedy. >> do you feel like all of the arms and resources that the u.s. has been dedicating to ukraine is being distributed, it is one thing for it to arrive in country, but what are your concerns about how it is being distributed so those that are able to use it to defend their country are able to do so quickly? >> well, i'm absolutely certain that the ukrainian military and the ukrainian government is making every effort and having great success at moving that equipment into the war zones that are available for the ukrainian army. it is really important that it get there. i was talking with some parliamentarians from romania yesterday and they were making a pitch that the romania artillery, which is already the same artillery that the ukrainians have available, that that artillery be transferred immediately into ukraine. frankly, i think it is a very good thing. the ukrainians know how to use it. this is the same as theirs. american artillery, it is a different of caliber. even so, that is being made available. >> russia has cut off some gas exports to poland and bulgaria. they're also growing concerns about moldova's security. are we looking at russia simply becoming even more aggressive? >> oh, absolutely. there is no doubt about it. russia is using long range missiles to attack every city in ukraine and clearly they are widening the effect of the war into poland and bulgaria. however, united states government, the biden administration is making it possible for additional oil supplies to flow into the european theater. however, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will solve the gas problem that will exist. i do know that poland has been working for several years and really intensely in the last year to get off of russian gas, to find alternative supplies. some of that is available through lithuania, where a liquid petroleum facility has been built. and those pipes and pipelines do flow into the -- into poland. whether that will be sufficient to make up the loss is unknown. would you suspect that it will be insufficient. >> so congressman, if it appears that russia is becoming more aggressive, what is it going to take to make it stop? >> victory by ukraine. plain and simple. victory by ukraine. that is why the nato countries and the european union are pushing more and more military equipment into ukraine so that it will be available for the ukrainians. i do not believe and i think it was clear from the interview that preceded mine, that the ukrainian military is about to give up. they're fighting to the death. they do not want to be captured by the russians. it appears that in mariupol, which is the most consequential situation at the moment, that the ukrainian military is simply going to fight until eerm-- unt either they win or they die. that kind of courage and dedication will ultimately win this fight. we'll see other communities are similarly fighting to the end. that will make all of the difference. and therefore we need to fight along with them by providing the necessary equipment, the necessary support, the humanitarian as well as financial support for the ukrainian people. >> we will live it there. congressman john garamendi, thank you so much for your time. >> thank you, fredricka. the united nations is reporting that almost 5.5 million people have fled ukraine since the start of the unprovoked invasion. the majority of the refugees are now in poland. cnn national correspondent erica hill is in warsaw for us where the tide of refugees continues to grow. >> reporter: from coffee, to clothes, laundry, to day care. two months into this crisis, refugee shelters like this one outside of warsaw have found their rhythm. offering a place to rest and regroup while people try to determine what, and where is next. we will go back to our home in mariupol, this dad tells me. if it is under the ukrainian flag. they left two weeks ago. making their way to warsaw through crimea and russia. >> you were able to leave with your family? do you want to go fight for ukraine? >> yes, i left with my family. but to fight? i don't know. it is a difficult question for me. i can't answer. >> reporter: there is so much that can't be answered. including how long this will last. the need is massive. there are volunteers working in this space 24/7 to deal with all of the donations. but if needed, they could push all of this back to accommodate more beds and as many as 6,000 refugees. currently they're averaging 3,000 people anight. but officials say there is no way to know what the numbers will be from one day to next. olive fled with her mother and two young daughters at the start of the war. now, she's one of several psychologists volunteering to help those who just arrived, increasingly they're from the hardest hit areas. >> there have no easy stories here. either you spent a month in a basement or ran from shelling or don't know when you could go back. you don't have anything here. >> reporter: making it simple moments all the more important. the goal is to make this space as comfortable as possible. but the truth is no matter how warm or welcoming, no one wants to be here. they'd rather be back home. and fred, the tough part is even for all of the volunteer and staff running shelter, nobody nows how long it will be needed. to give you the sense of what do need and logistics, in a spab of a month they use a ton of toilet paper and coffee cups. it never ends, it is tough to plan when you don't know what is coming. >> the need is great and it is not waning. sadly. erica hill in warsaw, poland, thank you so much. all right, still ahead, a former attorney for president trump is going to hand over 10,000 pages of emails to the january 6 committee. details on that next. ie-style c. it's sweet, it's tangy, it's tender, it never misses. you could say it's the steph curry of footlongs. you cocould, but i'm not gonna. subway keeps refreshing and refrfreshing and re... at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner with access to financial advice, tools and a personized plan that helps you build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. did i tell you i bought our car fr carvana? 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>> reporter: well, fred, the battle here is still on going for the house as they're seeking documents from lots of people, especially john eastman who is in court. so we've talked about his emails many times before. in this situation, there was a set of emails, about 800 documents, that is more than 10,000 pages that he had held back from the house committee saying these are attorney/client privilege. so they may indicate communications that he thought should be confidential between him and donald trump. a few weeks ago he got a ruling from a judge about a different set of emails where the judge said, no, you can't claim privilege over these things for various reasons. and so eastman now is acknowledging that order, still going through more emails that he had after january 6, or i'm sorry after the election, up to january 6. and he's now saying, i could give you a little bit more to the house committee. so they're getting things gradually. and all of this comes as house is fighting with eastman in court but with lots of other people too who are trying to hold back various information from them. just yesterday, we still are seeing filings in this case from mark meadows against the house, where he's trying to keep back additional text messages and documents he has. cnn has reported and seen and the house has obtained more than 2,000 text messages from meadows. but there are still things they're fighting over. and a lot of this, it comes down to timing. so there are these fights that are ongoing but at the end of the day, they are in court, they could move fast or slowly, but the chitty wants to have things in order for the comes weeks because they're heading for hears in june. we just heard that this week. >> a lot of drip, drip, drip, potentially of a big flood. we'll see. kaitlan, thank you so much. all right. still ahead, an extreme drought is gripping the west coast and triggering historic water restrictions in california. what this means for millions of residents straight ahead. y and . you readady to go fishing? 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[ cheers ] are we actually going? yes!! and once in a lifetime moments. two tickets to nascar! yes! find rewards like these and so many more in the xfinity app. all right, throughout the west and southwest of this country, one of the worst droughts in decades is sparking concern as head of fire season. and as water levels drop in area reservoirs, some officials are concerned of a potential energy crisis for millions would rely on dams for power. cnn's camilla bernal joining us live from california with the latest on this. so you're in sylmar, california, in front of a section of the los angeles aqueduct. so just how bad is this water crisis right now? >> reporter: well, officials are telling me, look, we are running out of water here in southern california. it is bad no matter how you look at it. and you could see the evidence of this mega drought all throughout the region. but in particular, in lake mead which provides water for more than 25 million people. it is original valve put in in 1971 is now sitting above the water. and, look, officials realize that this was going to be a problem in 2015. they started building another valve that goes deeper into lake mead. and that is what is being used at the moment. it is t started operating this week. and while people are still getting their drinking water, everything is running smoothly, this goes to show just how big this problem is. just how low these water levels are. and it is not just lake mead. so many of the lakes and res voirs in the region and california are at extremely low levels. in fact, it is part of the reason why here in southern california officials are telling millions to conserving water to be mindful of how they use their water in their everyday lives. about 6 million people are being told that beginning june 1st they could only water lawns once a week. we spoke to the metropolitan water district of southern california and the general manager telling me that the situation could even get worse. here is what he said. >> if i don't see the response between now and september, then i will go in a mandating a full ban of outdoor watering across the service area that is impacted. that is serious. and i'm ready to do it. >> reporter: and they have never done this before. they have never told people to only water lawns once a week. they say it is serious and everybody needs to pay attention. fred. >> got our attention. camilla bernal, thank you so much. and also getting our attention. a manhunt underway right now in alabama for a capital murder suspect and the corrections officer who said she was escorting him to the courthouse. vicki white was transporting a man for a mental evaluation but nothing of the sort was scheduled and neither of them showed up. later that day officer white's patrol car was spotting in a shopping center parking lot at around 11:00 a.m. and then around 3:30 p.m. other officers tried to contact her, but her phone went straight to voice mail. well last hour i spoke with laud lauderdale county sheriff rick s singleton about why this might have happened. >> she knew she was not to leave there alone with him. that tells us that something was up. she carried him out of the detention center to a scheduled court appearance that was nonexistent. so, you know, we don't know if she was coerced, threatened to carry that plan out or she did it willingly. >> officer vicki white was armed with a 9 millimeter handgun and authorities are considering casey white armed and dangerous. all right, in an amendment to their lawsuit filed earlier this spring, gabby petito's parents allege that during the search for the young woman, brian laundrie's parents knew their son had killed her and knew the whereabouts of her body, end quote. in the new lawsuit, her parents claim laundrie's family went on vacation to a florida park in early september and failed to inform them that she was dead or where her remains might be located. petito's body was found in teton county, wyoming, where a coroner ruled she died by strangulation. laundrie's remained were later found in a florida reserve and a medical examiner ruled he died by suicide. and this quick programming note. stanley tucci is back. new episodes an new food and discoveries. stanley tucci searching for italy, the new season premiers tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. right here on cnn. >> there is nowhere on earth quite like italy. every mouthful here is an eruption. >> oh, it is so good. >> cheers. >> a city in the sea. let's go. if you want to know the best place to eat, ask a gondolier. a note for any vegetarians watching, they eat a lot of meat. i surrendered, to the port. >> oh, look at that. oh, gorgeous. >> that's a revelation. >> there are more italians here than in malonia and pisa and waver you've heard, the food here is camera. i don't want to talk, i just want to eat it. >> a new season of stanley touchy searching for italy premiers tomorrow at 9:00 on cnn. ♪ there's heather onon the hedges ♪ ♪ and 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( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ) as the invasion into ukraine continues, the world is hearing more and more stories of russian atrocities. nick paton walsh introduced us so one girl who said she was raped by a russian soldier and a warning the details are disturbing. >> it is from these gentle shrugs of vimmages and lady and clean in the great expanses of kherson that some of the war's ugliest crimes are being dragged foot light. this is dasher. she's 16. and was six months pregnant when just over a month ago, russian forces came to her village. here her family were in the basement sheltering from bombs, the cold and the russian shooting in the air, she said. at dusk, they brought the children out to the kitchen to eat where they there were soldiers, one drunk. [ speaking foreign language ] >> his sober colleague then came in and told the drunk attacker to stop. to no avail. and left. [ speaking foreign language ] by then night had fallen in the cold house. she heard the russians say her attackers name was blue. he was from donetsk and had a criminal past. he tried to attack her again, she said, until russian snipers later came to help her. while still some of the russian soldiers in that unit even were disgusted by what happened and tried to move her and part of her family away to safety. and then began a process in which russian soldiers seemed to try to get her to go back on the claim she had made. two days later she was taken to a russian paratrooper commander who she said began shouting at her like her attacker had. [ speaking foreign language ] it seems they did believe her, but the fate of the her rapist remains unclear. while we can't independently verify her harrowing story, ukrainian prosecutors told us they have investigated the case and confirmed this attack which she said was a war crime. but like so much here, the question why is the one without a humane palatable answer. [ speaking foreign language ] there are lives here that you could see russian has changed forever. but also those whose trauma sits beneath the surface and lives on. nick paton walsh, cnn, kherson region, ukraine. i want to bring in now fredricka berello, from the center of civilians in conflict and he joins me now from the hague in the netherlands. so good to see you, so as we watch and listen to that little girl tell about her horrific experience, where does the war crimes investigation begin on a case like this? how do you prosecute this? >> yeah, well it begins right there. it begins from the courage of young woman like her that came out with her story. because for decades, the perpetrators of such heinous crimes have counted on the silence and the shame of the victims. and so, this is the first most important aspect, will this younger want to speak to a prosecutor and give all of the details. and then the second thing to is to identify the perpetrator and there are two ways of prosecuting this case. one is prosecuting the rape as a crime in itself and the second is 'prosecuting it as a war crime that is happening in ukraine. in the first case, the officer should be identify and tried and in the second case we will need to see where that investigation goes. >> so the international communal court, while it has its processes when other countries like the u.k. most recently said it is sending its own investigators into ukraine to help. to help investigate war crimes. how will all of these resources be combined? >> yeah, it is important to combine resources because the evidence is so much and especially it degrades over time. so the more investigators are on the scene at the same time the better. provided they are coordinated as you said. and i've seen a statement by the prosecutor who was welcoming this support from the u.k. and other countries and promising it would be a two-way street for sharing information because cases could be prosecuted and the icc could be prosecuting in u.k. or ukraine or elsewhere. it doesn't matter in the end as long as the crimes are prosecuted somewhere. >> so how do you hold senior officials accountable. because it is one thing to get the low hanging fruit like blue from donetsk. there is a name and a location. holding that person potentially accountable. and maybe pictures assist also. as well as eyewitness accounts. but who is giving the orders or making allowances? how do you get to those people? >> well that is precisely the purpose for the creation of the international communal court to prosecute those bearing the greatest responsibilities. those that order the crimes. and therefore you need to prove -- in order to get there, three things. first the crime scene. so you need to prove that a crime has been committed and then the linkage to this individual, was the individual this commander of battalion that a commander even further up the chain. and secondly, the intent. was there an intent to target civilians and commit a war crime. once these three elements are proved, then you have a case. >> and help us understand what are the things that are considered evidence? what -- what do investigators check whether it is in bucha, where we hear horrible atrocities taking place and grave sites and in mariupol where we're also seeing mass graves. what is considered evidence of war crimes? >> yeah. a lot of things are evidence. first, victims and witness statements. they are considered evidence. second, physical evidence gathered on the field. spent bullets to blood stains to whatever else could be found on the scene. then we had social media. we have digital evidence that these days is becoming overwhelmingly available to prosecutors and then a very important source of evidence is the evidence that comes from person taters. whether it is defectors willing to speak or intercepted communication that is very pre precious when you want to prove intent. three weeks ago the german government released publicly information that its intelligence has intersected commune between russia and officers ordering to kill civilians. that evidence is extremely powerful. >> yeah. fed rico boreello at hague. thank you so much. you have a huge job and hugely important. thank you very much. >> thank you very much. all right, despite horrific conditions in mariupol, the people there are also refusing to give up hope. in a video posted on twitter, war-weary border guards singing the national anthem in a small basement at mariupol's steel plant. in the recording you could hear what appears to be anyone infant cry in the background and they end their song with the phrase victory will be for ukraine. 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and then you realize they're asking to you come to an orgy and watch them do cocaine in front of you. >> that lands him a meeting with the officials. >> eelt have to earn my trust back. >> members of his own party are seeking to stop him from getting a second term. >> we're starting to see this coordinated drip campaign. >> gop candidates backed by state republicans. >> they call it instagram famous. famous for what they post online. >> and they're leaning heavily on cawthorn's slate of scandals. >> so what does this mean for the may 17th primary. well look, north carolina's 11th district is very red. and madison cawthorn had plenty of baggage when they elected him the first time. but he's not a new comer any more. there are 7 republicans running to replace him. and that is where most of the state gop support is concentrated. thom tillis is actively campaigning for one of his challengers. to win the primary without a runoff, you have to get 30% plus one. now look, may 17th, it sounds like it is a long ways away but early in person voting in north carolina started today. >> thank you so much for that. and thank you for joining me today. i'm fredricka whitfield, the cnn newsroom continues with jim acosta right after this. but before we go -- this week's start small and think big. >> clearly tahoe is an incredibly unique recreational water source company offering guided tours and clear kayaks. so theyen ashl guests the experience of scuba diving without having to get wet. it is gorgeous. you have the opportunity to paddle around and take in the rocky shoreline, snowcapped mountains and at depth at 65, 70 feet below the surface, our team is passionate about educating, preserving and protecting lake tahoe. sometimes we see stuff that doesn't belong. we'll paddle over a tire or a guardrail or a piece of a boat. we welcome our guests to help us log these large items and we go down with a team of scuba divers to remove the trash. we take guests along areas of the shore line they can't otherwise access and even do night time star gazing tours an eco tours. the tours are an amazing way to kick back and relax and take in the bright night sky. we start the with just the five boats and one tour and we've grown to five locations with over 100 kayaks. and we now have the opportunity to launch experiences from a vessel and enable guests to explore any area of tahoe in a completely clear kayak. at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner with access to financial advice, tools and a personalized plan that helps you build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner. i am a business hotel. i eat, sleep, and breath efficiency. i'm looking for someone who appreciates high rois and even higher rpms. i would be honored to be your perfect somewhere. ♪ ♪ ♪ we believe there's an innovator in all of us. ♪ that's why we build technology that makes it possible for every business... and every person... to come to the table and do more incredible things. do your eyes bother you? 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