all russian oil imports by the end of this year. earlier than planned and remove the biggest bank from the s.w.i.f.t. network, a big impact for financial transactions. all this as russia says it will destroy, attack nato convoys of weapons headed into ukraine. let's begin this morning though with cnn international security editor nick paton walsh in ukraine. this is remarkable. so you met with some of the people, really, a handful of people able to escape the steel plant on buses. there were many more buses. they're not being used. what does that tell us about all this? >> reporter: look, this is according to a source i spoke to close to the evacuation effort. we saw for the world's five buses emerging with just over 100 evacuees from the azovstal steel plant and 50 others according to the ukrainian presidency that didn't get out. i understand that there were another 50 that were part or close to that evacuation effort that did not end up having people upon them. remember, jim, this initial evacuation effort was trying to do a number of things. firstly, get the people who have been evacuated from azovstal, the first 100. appears to be under way now, but also, that convoy to move would attract the civilians to latch on to it and get part of it in their own vehicles and join some of those buses as well but the other buses, 50, i understand, remained empty and did not take people out. unclear where the vehicles themselves are at the moment but i think this shows you a moment of relief and hope on our screens yesterday as that small number of people emerged from azovstal, that was a small number and the larger hope that more could get out was not realized and i think is fair to point the finger directly at the russian federation because they essentially control all of that territory and who can get in or out. the broader question is who can get out today. here, the utterly devastating news around the steel plant today. highly unlikely anyone is going to be getting out over the past hours or the future hours to come. the mayor of mariupol saying they've lost contact with the defenders of people inside the steel plant, artillery, air strikes, you nape it, being fo focused on there and that area, quote, reliably blocked. for sure, we know hundreds of civilians in there, possibly 30 children. ukrainian soldiers defending it, some ukrainian soldiers wounded there as well so serious fears for exactly what happens to those people there. here's what we heard though from one woman who emerged from the rubble and spoke to us yesterday about what it was like there. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: just one of so many people who came out yesterday having had a terrifying two months in the darkness, blinking as they saw the sunlight for the first time, particularly olga. saying you can't see much and it's still, after two days of moving and that onslaught may be some horrifying bid by moscow to try to gain some sort of control or final statements of domination over this steel plant ahead of the victory parades, h may the 9th that russia wants to run but terrifying for those in the facility. >> those people could get out if russian forces allow them and haven't shown much interest in doing that and lives hang in the balance. nick paton walsh, thank you so much. well, the eu is proposing some new sanctions against russia to punish putin and the economy there for his, quote, brutal aggression against ukraine. cnn's anna stewart with more. what new targets with these sanctions and how soon do they become a reality? >> so this is actually the sixth round of eu sanctions, but i think this is the most significant yet, just in terms of what they're outlining in this proposal. one of the biggest ones disconnecting russia's biggest banks from the swift international payment system, that bank had had an exception up to this point and also, a ban on russian oil this year. now, that is a big advance on the current plan, which was to end their reliance on russian oil by 2027 and this would mean the eu follows in the steps of the uk, canada, but they are the biggest oil customer. $95 billion worth of revenue. so this would really cost russia. it would hit it hard. the problem always with these sanctions though is at even the kremlin spokesperson say these are a double edged sword because it will have a cost for europe. they rely on russia for a third of the oil em ports and need to replace that and this is a market that's tight, prices are high and it will impact some eu member states more than others. germany was opposed a few weeks ago. they are on board. that is absolutely critical. but some other member states, hungary, slovakia, they have been opposed and looking at some of the comments we've had today, they still are. an exemption will likely have to be a part of the proposal today to get them on board. it has to be a unanimous decision. the problem is, if you grant some an extension, others may want it as well. from bulgaria at this stage. lots to work on, but a very strong proposal. jim? >> meanwhile, russia still raking in billions, really, from gas and oil exports. anna stewart, thank you. primaries in ohio were a boost to former president trump's known to be a king maker in the republican party. the race garnering the most attention, replacing cnn rob portman. suggesting jd vance won the gop nomination after a late boost from an endorsement from trump. kristen holmes live in cleveland this morning. do we know from the numbers how much that endorsement moved this race? >> reporter: well, jim, if you look at vance's trajectory, it indicates that the endorsement really played an enormous role here in this race. remember, vance was trailing in the polls until donald trump endorsed him which not only gave him a boost, as you mentioned, but propelled him to the top of the pack where he clearly remained until victory last night. this is something vance himself seemed to acknowledge in his victory speech. take a listen. >> i have absolutely got to thank the 45th, the president of the united states, donald j. trump, ladies and gentlemen. they wanted to write a story that this campaign would be the death of donald trump's america first agenda. ladies and gentlemen, it ain't the death of the america first agenda. >> reporter: it's important to note, jim, outside groups poured millions of dollars into this race trying to not let vance be the candidate, but yet, still he did prevail again with the endorsement after the former president and viewed this election as a litmus test for the president. how strong was his grip still on the republican party and if last night is any indication, the former president still holds an enormous amount of power and influence over the party. we did hear from sources close to trump that, he was, quote, relieved at the result, aware of the impact this could have on his brand. will go up against tim ryan, the democratic congressman who won his primary last night. in the fall, rob portman's seat, this is just the beginning of a very busy primary season and there are a lot of other trump endorsed candidates. we'll be watching that very closely, jim. >> crikristen holmes, thank you. the concern is trump candidate stronger in the primary than the general. and a concern that some of the folks to win the primary will weaken, gaining back senate control. do the numbers from what we saw so far support that? >> i think mitch mcconnell may have concerns in specific places about that. i'm not sure he's overly concerned about ohio, a state that donald trump won twice in '16 and '20 by 8 points and trending more republican than the classic version of ohio you and i think about from a while back, the mother of all battlegrounds. there are some other places where mitch mcconnell and donald trump have been sort of not aligned in this race, in races, but ohio wasn't one of them. so mitch mcconnell may not think jd vance is like, the best candidate possible, but he didn't get involved here in some way that was significant to try and prevent jd vance from becoming the candidate. here's the thing that i think is important to note about trump's sway here. there's two things. there is, yes, donald trump in a crowded field of trump-aligned candidates can pick one and help get them over the finish line. and jd vance did exactly that. so credit to donald trump. he does have that kind of midas touch, but that's not the dynamic of every one of these primaries going forward. we'll see how others play out, jim. but the other thing here, it's not just his ability to back someone to be the winner. most of these candidates were running in a very trump maga aligned way. so i think that's the far bigger point here is that donald trump's version of the republican party is the dominant version. they were all, except one really seeking his endorsement. yes, vance got it and it helped him over the hump. that will stand to help donald trump's stature and prowess inside the party, especially as other 2024 potential hopefuls look at him, but i think this is a party still very much in his image. >> forgive me for discussing beyond donald trump, because other issues move voters right now. what are the driving issues? certainly, inflation, pocketbook issues, economic approval ratings for biden. central. what do you see and in primaries, an indicator for the general election, as issues driving voters? >> there is no doubt that the economy and inflation is everything right now, in this political climate. we are seeing an american electorate that is perceiving the economy in very negative ways, and that is hurting president biden's standing, especially on that key issue of the economy. his numbers are way underwater. and, you know, the economy drives vote choices. how people experience it, the prielss prices they're paying at the grocery store, the pump, that really matters and see where we are in november. that is the overhang issue. >> abortion rights. >> i was going to say. and now, just this week, we have seen this issue with this leaked brief from the supreme court about being poised to potentially overturn roe v. wade. democrats are now trying to seize on that to see, hey, we've seen in all the numbers about the midterms that the democratic enthusiasm sat a disadvantage. republicans are more enthused to get out and vote this year. well, now democrats are saying, have we, with this supreme court decision, found the issue that can enliven our base and bring back some of the independents that have drifted away in the last year and a half with biden's term? >> the focus in 2020. is that a mover here? david chalian, always great to have you. this morning, a damning report of the department of homeland security. the dhs watchdog said the agency led by a trump appointee for acting secretary appears to have deliberately downplayed russian interference in the 2020 election in part due to politics. homeland inspector general, delayed an alternate intelligence report related to russian meddling. the report also states then acting dhs secretary participated in the review process multiple times, a formal role in the process. followed up on a july 2020 meeting claiming that wolf had asked for the product to be held, why? it made trump, president at the time, look bad. interviewed wolf who denied saying this. still to come, the leak of that supreme court draft opinion showing the power of the new conservative majority, how it could undermine other decisions that previously had precedent, had been reviewed by this court and by others over the years. also happening now, court trial just resumed in virginia in the johnny depp defamation case. we are expecting amber heard to take the stand for the first time today. allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! ! flonase all goo. whwhy do people who live with generalized myasthenia gravis want a new treatment option? because we want to be able to get up and get ready for work. becausthe animals need to be cared for, and we like taking care of them. because we want to go out to dinr with our friends. because, in faly photos, we want to be able to smile. a new fda-approved treatment for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis could help them do more of the daily activities they care about. to learn more, go to now4gmg.com and talk to your neurologist. my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...the burning, the itching. the stinging. my skin was no longer mine. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. tremfya® is the first medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis... ...and it's 6 doses a year after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®... ask your doctor about tremfya® today. asya agulnik md: st. jude was founded with an understanding that no child should die in the dawn of life. to work with many partners all over the world, nothing stops in the way of us achieving that mission, not even war. marta salek md: when there is a need, people stand up and do what is right and ensure that they restart medical therapy as quickly as possible. carlos rodriguez-galindo md: any child suffering today of cancer is our responsibility. it's started. somewhere between a cuddle and a struggle, it's...the side hug. tween milestones like this may start at age 9. hpv vaccination - a type of cancer prevention against certain hpv-related cancers, can start then too. for most, hpv clears on its own. but for others, it can cause certain cancers later in life. you're welcome! now, as the "dad cab", it's my cue to help protect them. embrace this phase. help protect them in the next. ask their doctor about hpv vaccination today. lisa here, has had many jobs. and all that experience has led her to a job that feels like home. with home instead, you too can become a caregiver to older adults. apply today. it's 5:00 a.m., and i feel like i can do anything. we've been coming here, since 1868. there's a lot of cushy desk jobs out there, but this is my happy place. there are millions of ways to make the most of your land. learn more at deere.com when my genetic reports told me about my heart health, i was able to take action. and i got a kit for my mom, too, so she can get her own meaningful health info. this mother's day, start a new health journey together with mom with $50 off every kit. a draft opinion leaked that the supreme court is poised to strike down roe v. wade after 50 years, a great deal of uncertainty in the u.s. about what follows. little doubt about how powerful the conservative majority on the court and more broadly in the judiciary has become. the decision, also the power of that conservative majority is gloria brown marshal. constitutional law professor at john j. college and author of "she took justice: the black woman, law power." first, i wonder if you could paint a picture for our viewers, particularly women about what this country will look like in terms of abortion rights, assuming the court goes ahead with this decision as the draft opinion shows the stance. half the country will have it and half will not. >> well, half the country will have it and those states that do allow the termination of pregnancies will see an influx of women arriving to those clinics. they will see people coming from across the country to try to have some control over their body and their pregnancies. you will also see at the time in which this decision is rendered the trigger as they've been called, these decisions by many of the state legislative bodies to implement immediate bans on abortions and so perhaps criminalizing abortions, and therefore, the arrests and almost a type of brown shirt calling out of neighbor against neighbor who may be planning on having an abortion, who might be participating in the -- just think about it. the people then pointed out, we saw in these other states, they wanted to criminalize and say that anybody who knows anything about a person who was getting an abortion, participating in it, can be then called to account and the last thing we need to consider is the fact that there will be women trying to perform their own abortions. and so they're going to be health hazards and deaths that come from that. >> it's worth noting not all anti-abortion advocates have maximalist positions. the most restrictive laws including no exceptions for rape, incest or even danger to the mother's health. others do support exceptions. and then at the other end of the spectrum, some people who support the rights but are comfortable with some changes, for instance, to the timeline on viability from the 24 weeks as it stood under roe v. wade. i wondered, does that then lead, as states would be granted this power, to a patchwork of different standards from state to state around the country? >> oh, definitely. there will not only be a patchwork for different standards, but there will be mass confusion, and the problem that we also have is the fact that this opens up to a court that is, with women's health. this went beyond what mississippi wanted, and so that also means we have a u.s. supreme court that's not in a credible position to decide these challenges when a woman or other groups do challenge the state law. when there's a complete ban, that means, where do we go from here? federal courts will have more power to make these individual decisions based on what each state legislature wants to do. >> it's a great point because there have been some discussion of a roberts compromise that might reduce the timeline rather than just saying to the states, you could do whatever you want. i do wonder, are there going to be court challenges in the future, even to blue states or abortion rights states, if it's right to call it that in the future? in other words, a state such as new jersey or new york maintains these rights, are those guaranteed or might say see core challenges to fail at the supreme court? >> i think you're right there. why wouldn't a challenge against the state that has abortion go forward with the sense that it would have a positive income for anti-abortion activists because the supreme court said there is no, if this draft opinion goes forward as they render the decision at the end of june, that there is no right under the constitution to have an abortion but so disinjgenuous of this opinion in that there's so many rights we enjoy today that are not clearly articulated within the constitution. for this opinion of the legal rights that there's nothing in the constitution that says abortion, there's nothing in the constitution that says many rights and based on what's in the draft, the history of tradition of this, the rights in this country, we're talking about 1787 when the constitution was drafted. what were the positions and rights and traditions for african-americans, for immigrants, for women during that time period. what traditions and rights are we looking at? what rights do we have now that are not clearly articulated in the constitution that we want to enjoy and how does this open us all up to having our rights away, we can say butchered, the supreme court is deciding, cherry picking the constitution to decide what rights we're supposed to enjoy, what rights we're not supposed to have based on the conservative agenda. >> it's a great point. things like same-sex marriage or even interracial marriage, not explicitly guaranteed in the constitution. gloria browne-marshall, thank you so much for joining us. we are following breaking developments, sad ones out of ukraine. new fighting at that azovstal steel plant in mariupol as well as refugees being blocked just trying to get out of there to save their lives. hear from a ukrainian journalist who's been reporting close to the front lines. ♪ ♪ nice suits, you guys blend right in. the world neededs you back. i'm retired gregeg, you know this. people have their money just sitting around doing nothing... that's bad, theyey shouldn't do that. they're e getting crushed by inflation. well, i feel for them. they're taking financial advice from memes. [baby spits out milk] i'll get my onesies®. ♪ “baby one more time” by britney spears ♪ good to have you back, old friend. yeah, eyes on the road, benny. welcome to a new chapter in investing. [ding] e*trade now from morgan stanley. if your moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms are stopping you in your tracks.. choose stelara® from the start... and move toward relief after the first dose... with injections evertwo months. stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. feel unstoppable. ask your doctor how lasting remission can start with stelara®. janssen can help you explore cost support options. since i left for college, my dad has gotten back into some of his old hobbies. and now he's taking trulicity, and it looks like he's gotten into some new healthier habits, too. what changes are you making for your type 2 diabetes? maybe it's time to try trulicity. it's proven to help lower a1c. it can help you lose up to 10 pounds. and it's only taken once a week, so it can fit into your busy life. trulicity is for type 2 diabetes. it isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. it's not approved for use in children. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, changes in vision, or diabetic retinopathy. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with sulfonylurea or insulin raises low blood sugar risk. side effects include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration, and may worsen kidney problems. the choices you make can help control your a1c. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. you're a one-man stitchwork master. but your staffing plan needs to go up a size. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire there are lots of choices when it comes to your internet and technology needs. but when you choose comcast business internet, you choose the largest, fastest reliable network. you choose advanced security. and you choose fiber solutions with speeds up to 10 gigs available to more small businesses than any other provider. the choice is clear: get unbeatable business solutions from the most innovative company. get a great deal on this limited time price with internet and voice for just $49.99 a month for 24 months with a 2-year price guarantee. under district attorney gascón, i prosecuted car break-ins. all repeat offenders, often in organized crime rings. but when chesa boudin took office, he dissolved the unit and stopped me from collaborating with the police on my cases. now home and car break-ins are on the rise because repeat offenders know they can get away with it. chesa boudin is failing to do his job. there's a better way to keep san francisco safe. recall chesa boudin now. breaking news this morning. sad news for the ukrainians trying to save their lives in mariupol. the source tells cnn 50 buses that are supposed to be used to evacuate civilians from mariupol end up leaving empty, not used. no one got out. russian forces left some evacuees leave the azovstal steel plant but not a wider group of civilians. many remain behind. the mayor says that heavy fighting is now broken out. new fighting in the steel plant this morning. concerns that it may have been breached by russian forces. political editor and c.o.o. of the kyiv independent, alexei suroken, good to have you on. i wonder what your reporters are hearing about the latest on the fighting in the azovstal steel plant. the ukrainian commanders now lost contact with the remaining fighters inside there. >> unfortunately, we have information that apparently azovstal was breached, that fighting is going inside the plant and we obviously heard reports every day that the azovstal plant can fall two days ago, a month ago but unfortunately, today looks like it's about hours until the plant will be seized by the russians. >> based on what we know about how russian forces operate against civilians, but also against possible prisoners of war, opposing fighters, what is the likely fate of the people still holed up in that plant? >> unfortunately, i don't even want to imagine what can happen to defenders, especially knowing that the battalion is widely, the russian propaganda uses the battalion and calling it neo-nazi, meaning obviously something bad may happen to defenders. also, we have reports that russia is planning a military parade in mariupol, and unfortunately, we have reports that many prisoners of war may be shown by russian propaganda during the may 9th celebrations in russia. >> i want to ask you this. these people, hundreds of civilians have been holed up in that plant for weeks now. we had nick paton walsh on earlier. 6 month old baby. a third of the baby's life hiding underground. there were calls for humanitarian corridors, there were calls for rescue plans, internationally supervised rescue plans for the civilians and the fighters. did the west fail here? >> yes. i think the united nations and the red cross failed to save those people that are currently bombed in azovstal. >> well, we're seeing, i think, that baby there that we were talking about a third of its life underground. what does that say going forward because the russian invasion is not over. there's the potential that russia surrounds other civilians in other cities and we know that they now control other cities such as kherson, some people, such as prisoners, russian forces. do we have to expect more of this, sadly? >> unfortunately, many people in the west saw that bucha was a one time thing, a russian special battalion with the atrocities but talking to the front line and people in recently liberated areas, we know that russian troops are committing war crimes all over ukraine, and unfortunately, what happened in bucha and borodianka and mariupol will happen again and again until russians are kicked out of ukraine. >> it's not isolated, it's a way of doing war. when you met with ukrainian forces on the front line, you've never been more convinced that ukraine will win the war, why? why do you have that confidence? >> because seeing that, for two months, the ukrainian soldiers that are obviously lower numbers than invading russians with far less ammunition and weapons are holding on, conducting counteroffensive operations and saying that if we had more weapons, we would already liberate, not only kherson but cr crimea. their morale is high and they'll believe everything they can to protect their lives. >> we'll continue to watch closely oleksiy. families of americans unlawfully detained abroad. some of them for many years. pleading with the biden administration to take more action. we're going to hear about one family struggle to bring their loved ones home, two of them from iran. that's coming up. bonnie boon i'm calling you out. everybody be cool, alright? with ringcentral we can pull bonnie up on phone, message, or video, all in the same app. oh... hey bonnie, i didn't see you there. ♪ ringcentral ♪ this isn't dry food or wet food. it's not burnt brown pellets. the farmer's dog makes it simple to feed your dog real food. it's real meat and veggies. freshly-made. developed with vets. delivered right to your door. that's why dog lovers are choosing the farmer's dog. a smarter, healthier pet food. delivered. visit tryfarmersdog.com and get 50% off your first box of food. the sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now. why choose proven quality sleep from sleep number? because the sleep number 360 smart bed is really smart. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts to help keep you both comfortable all night. it's also temperature balancing, so you stay cool. it's so smart it knows exactly how long, how well, and when you slept. sleep number takes care of the science, all you have to do is sleep. and now, save $500 on the sleep number 360 c4 smart bed, queen now only $1,299. lowest price ever! only for a limited time. to learn more, go to sleepnumber.com ♪ ♪ ♪i'm so defensive,♪ ♪i got bongos thumping in my chest♪ ♪and something tells me they don't beat me♪ ♪ ♪ ♪he'd better not take the ring from me.♪ this morning, families of americans unlawfully detained, russia, iran and other countries, they're protesting in front of the white house. they hope to secure a meeting with president biden that could then lead to their loved ones returning home. also joining in on the protest are family members of trevor reed, the marine veteran who luckily was just released from russian detention last week. the father told cnn this morning that president biden needs to step in and help get other americans back to the u.s. as he did with trevor reed. >> i can't think of a thing more important for the president to do than protect individual americans who are being targeted by the enemies of our nation. all presidents, all parties are reluctant to meet with hostage and detainees. it's a lose-lose. i think you've see republicans and democrats in congress are united on this issue. our republican representatives and senator praise the president for his actions and you don't see that very often anymore today. >> yeah. bipartisan effort there. let's get to cnn's john harwood at the white house. so john, there are different circumstances with each of these detainees, different countries. it's not an easy gain here for any administration of any party. what is the status of white house efforts and how big of a challenge? >> reporter: it's a huge challenge, jim, as you know, because if you're the administration, negotiating to get these individuals out in countries with whom we have fraught relations on various fronts is extremely difficult. it takes place in private. but the only way the families can get the administration into those extensive serious private negotiations is by putting public pressure on them. that's what we saw with the family of trevor reed. we saw that over the weekend with the family of austin tice being held for ten years in syria. he's going, their family is going to get a meeting with the president, and trevor reed's family having seen others left behind while trevor was released are stepping forward today to try to assist them. but think about the complications, with respect to trevor reed and paul whelan, one of those who's left behind. his family members are here today. this is a situation where involving a country with whom the united states is in a hostile conflict through the proxy of ukraine. the united states is helping ukraine fight a war against russia. brittany griner caught up in the jet stream with iran and the sixco six with venezuela and administration at odds, of course, with the total yaitariar authoritarian maduro regime and global oil supplies, the administration officials trip to venezuela a few weeks ago that drew tremendous criticism for the yu meeting with the maduro regime, working on these hostages in addition to whatever they were doing with respect to the oil market. so very difficult situation if you're the families, the only answer for you is to put public pressure on and that's what's happening today. >> gosh, understand their pain as they do. john harwood at the white house, thank you so much. one of the family members still appealing to president biden. the person in washington today, the brother and father are now detained in iran. the brother was arrested and detained 2015, accused of being a spy for the u.s. he was sentenced to ten years in prison. so his father goes to around 85-year-old baquer, landed, he was also arrested. since been, but in poor health and remains barred from leaving the country. joining me now, good to have you on this morning. >> hi, jim. good morning, jim. thank you for having me on. >> first of all, you have some communication in prison there but your father out suffering through health challenges. tell us how they're doing now. what are they able to tell you? >> jim, it's been a nightmare beyond description. i mean, this nightmare has been going on for my family for the past 6.5 years, through three u.s. administrations and presidents. i've not been able to see my father and my brother for over 6.5 years, and i wake up every day with horror and fear that i will never see them again. especially my father. my mother is not doing well, and 85-year-old man who's gone through multiple operations. a few of them while in custody and my brother has been helped for such a long time under devastating conditions. and every day that goes by, the family becomes more devastated, more hopeless, and there's nothing worse for families like mine to be felt we are in darkness without any light, any hope of our family members being reunited. that's where we are today. >> let me ask you this. the case of trevor reed, the u.s. negotiated his release with russia in the midst of perhaps the worst period in u.s./russia relations in many decades. and the war in ukraine. does that give you hope that the u.s. and iran could perhaps negotiate your brother and father's release? >> my hope, of course, is renewed when i see what has happened. at the same time, my disappointment grows. i see what happens when we and other families are pushing, if the president takes decisive action, if he takes and makes difficult decisions and if he deploys the tools that he has under his power, we will seek immediate results as we did with the trevor reed family and that's exactly what will happen with my family as well as others, if the president can make those difficult and grave decisions today. many families including mine can be reunited almost immediately. >> do you feel that the biden administration and by the way, i know you've criticized previous administrations, the obama administration and trump administration during which your brother has been held there for having a failed policy, but do you believe the biden administration is making enough of an effort? what is standing in the way, in your view? >> clearly, not enough has been done. my brother and my dad have been left behind on three or four different occasions. so i just don't understand now my brother, being held hostages, and what is standing in the way are those decisions that the president and president biden needs to make and the white house needs to make. enabling the release of my family members as well as other hostages. it's been difficult to say the least. we know that it requires difficult decisions, but they're necessary as we see, as we saw with the family case how quickly after so many years of suffering, once the president was engaged and that's what we are calling for is president biden's engagement and direct involvement because, undoubtedly, his engagement and his decisive action is what has been lacking and what the results are. >> i know your family has gone through so many years of suffering here, and i do hope, i do hope you find some relief soon, but babak, thank you so much. >> thank you, jim. coming up next, the psychologist who testified that amber heard has ptsd from her alleged abuse by johnny depp. now back on the stand, this time, she is going to be questioned by depp's attorneys. we'll have the latest in this case coming up. inspired by nature, onetouch verio reflect® meter shows instantly if you're below, within o or above your range. it cheers yoyou on and provides guidance. connected to your healalth and your phone. visit onetouch.c.com today. did i tell you i bought our car from carvana? yeah, ma. it was so easy! i found the perfect car, under budget too! and i get sevedays to love it or my money ck... i love it! i thought online meant no one to help me, but susan from carvana had all the answers. she di't try to upsell me. not once, because they're not salespeople! what are you...? guess who just checked in on me? mom... susan from carvana! [laughs] we'll drive you happy at carvana. what do you think healthier looks like? cvs can help you support your nutrition, sleep, immune system, energy ...even skin. so healthier can look a lot like...you. cvs. healthier happens together. ♪ ♪ if you're on medicare, it pays to check the singlecare price before you fill your next prescription. i think we got it. don't overpay for your prescriptions. check the singlecare price. you might just save up to 80% on your meds. this thing, it's making me get an ice bath again. what do you mean? these straps are mind-blowing! they collect hundreds of data points like hrv and rem sleep, so you know all you need for recovery. and you are? i'm an investor...in invesco qqq, a fund that gives me access to... nasdaq 100 innovations like... wearable training optimization tech. uh, how long are you... i'm done. i'm okay. 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. ♪ no matter who you are, being yourself can be tough when you have severe asthma. triggers can pop up out of nowhere, causing inflammation that can lead to asthma attacks. but no matter what type of severe asthma you have, tezspire™ can help. tezspire™ is a new add-on treatment for people 12 and over... that proactively reduces inflammation... ...which means you could have fewer attacks, breathe better, and relieve your asthma symptoms. so, you can be you, whoever you are. tezspire™ is not a rescue medication. don't take tezspire™ if you're allergic to it. allergic reactions like rash or an eye allergy can happen. don't stop your asthma treatments unless your doctor tells you to. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection or your asthma worsens. sore throat, joint and back pain may occur. avoid live vaccines. by helping control your asthma, tezspire™ can help you be you. no matter who you are, ask your asthma specialist about tezspire™ today. out-of-state corporations wrote an online sports betting plan they call "solutions for the homeless". really? the corporations take 90 percent of the profits. and using loopholes they wrote, they'd take even more. the corporations' own promotional costs, like free bets, taken from the homeless funds. and they'd get a refund on their $100 million license fee, taken from homeless funds, too. these guys didn't write a plan for the homeless. they wrote it for themselves. happening now, testimony of johnny depp's defamation trial against actress amber heard. heard is expected to take the stand for the first time today. but her legal team called a forensic psychologist first and that witness now being cross examined. the psychologist says that she diagnosed heard with posttraumatic stress disorder from her marriage to depp, contradicted what the expert witness testified last month. >> when mr. depp was drunk or high, he threw her on the bed, ripped off her nightgown and tried to have sex with her. these weren't in loving moments. these were angry moments. moments of dominance, moments of him trying to get control over her. >> cnn entertainment reporter chloe melas is following the trial. question, of course, is what impact heard's testimony is to have? >> we think that we are just a few hours away from amber heard finally taking the stand. jim, it's been several weeks of hearing johnny's side. they called witnesses like his sister, forensic psychologist who last week says that she diagnosed amber heard with borderline personality disorder, all coming in the midst of amber heard reportedly firing her public relations team because she wasn't happy with the court of public opinion in johnny's favor and with don hughes being cross examined. audio recording admitting to actually physically hitting johnny depp and having dr. hughes sort of trying to defend amber's actions and saying johnny depp, backing away from that particular fight was admirable but interesting to see what amber heard has to say from dr. don hughes there was physical and sexual violence allegedly by johnny, which both of which he's denied. johnny says that he is the one, jim, that has been the victim of domestic violence when he was married to amber heard. >> question, of course, here, is the careers krein particular, johnny depp. >> what a complicated situation. amber heard in the "aqua man" franchise, having her removed from the film. no word with the actual film studio is even taking that seriously. johnny depp, yes, he hasn't had a major movie since "pirates of the caribbean," the franchise dropped him and that's why he's suing amber heard saying it's hurt his career but the court of public opinion heavily in johnny's favor right now. so i would say that even if he doesn't win this defamation suit, which he didn't win the previous one and really high bar to prove defamation, jim, i think actually it's oddly helped his career. >> wow. remarkable, chloe melas, thank you so much for covering this for us. thank you to all of you for watching us today. at this hour, with kate bolduan starts right after a quick break. so, wait. i don't always have to wear reading glasses? see for yourself. use vuity™ with caution in night driving and hazardous activities in poor light. also, if your vision is not clear, do not drive or use machchine. contact your doctor immediately if you have sudden vision loss. most common side-effects are headache and eye redness. ask your eye doctor about vuity™. and see for yourself. learn how to sign up and save at myvuitypoints.com if you have this... and you get this... you could end up with this. unexpected out-of-pocket costs. which for those on medicare, or soon to be, is a good reason to take charge of your heah care. so consider this. an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan from unitedhealthcare. why? because medicare alone doesn't pay for everything. and what it doesn't pay for, like deductibles and copays, could really add up. even thousands of dollars a year. medicare supplement plans help by paying some of what medicare doesn't... and making your out-of-pocket costs a lot more predictable. call unitedhealthcare today and ask for your free decision guide. learn more about plan options and rates to fit your needs. now if you like this... greater freedom... you'll love that medicare supplement plans have no networks and no referrals needed... see any doctor. any specialist. anywhere in the u.s. as long as they accept medicare patients. these types of plans also give you more flexibility when traveling in the u.s. your plan goes with you... anywhere you go in the country. even better, these are the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. call unitedhealthcare today for your free decision guide. so if you have this and want less out-of-pocket costs... and more peace of mind... consider adding this. an aarp medicare supplement plan. take charge of your health care today. just use this...or this to call unitedhealthcare about an aarp medicare supplement plan. this is breaking news. hello, i'm bianna golodryga in for kate bolduan. president biden expecting to shore up the u.s. economy. the half point interest rate hike, that's something the central bank has not done in more than two decades. all of this, of course, aimed at fighting soaring inflation. cnn's john harwood live at the white house. what exactly can we expect to hear from the president? >> reporter: we expect, bianna, for the president to talk about the fall in the deficit this year, a trillion and a half dollars reduction in the deficit. it's going to try to attribute that to the economic growth that's occurred in this administration. a bit of a misleading statistic