publicly. so what does this mean for the minority leader's future? and idalia's destruction. we're going to take you to some of the hardest hit areas in florida as we check in with a woman who told us on tuesday she was not going to evacuate. so what happened? let's go out front. good evening, thanks for joining us. i'm erica hill in for erin burnett. out front tonight, not guilty. former president trump entering that plea in georgia today for all 13 counts he's facing there and opting not to appear in court for his arraignment. this marks a shift for trump. for almost five months now he has seized on previous court appearances and last week's arist in atlanta to galvanize supporters and of course raise money. tonight we're learning the judge in georgia will allow all arraignments next week to be shown live on camera. and that's a big deal because keep in mind trump's federal cases in florida and d.c., they don't allow cameras. so could that have been a factor in his decision? trump is also looking to distance himself from his 18 codefendants in the georgia case. today he formally asked the judge to separate his case from his codefendants and asking for a speedy trial, one that could start october 23rd, less than two months away. and we have to clock ticking. trump has been intensifying his attacks on the district attorney fani willis, writing recently she should be impeached. today georgia's governor brian kemp shutting down calls to oust willis or to defund her office. >> up to this point i have not seen any evidence that d.a. willis' actions or lack thereof warrant action by the prosecuting attorney oversight commission. >> he went onto say calls to hold a special session would actually be unconstitutional and in his view unsuccessful. also tonight we're standing by for a crucial decision that could have major ramifications on trump's upcoming trial. at any moment a georgia judge could rule whether to move mark meadows' case to federal court. both sides have just filed additional briefing, so any ruling on the issue possibly could apply to donald trump. let's begin with evan perez out front live in washington tonight. evan, how likely is it trump could see his case severed from his other codefendants, and what would that mean for him? >> well, it would mean he'd not have to go to trial in two months, as you just pointed out. and the former president's lawyers have some good reasons. they laid out some good reasons to the judge why he should sever the case. his lead lawyer in atlanta he says he has a trial in another case in florida that will happen soon and that one will conflict with the former president's ability to get ready for such a trial. he says there's no way donald trump could be ready for trial by october. as you know there's a couple of other defendants that have already moved to do a speedy trial in part because they want to be separated from the other defendants. so for those reasons it's probably very likely that the judge will allow the serving of the former president's case. and of course, erica, one of the things we're waiting for we fully expect like mark meadows donald trump will likely ask to try to move his case to federal court. he's going to make a lot of the arguments that meadows is making including, of course, the fact he believes he should be immune as the former president. so one of the things we anticipate happening is they're watching to see how the meadows case turns out. as you pointed out we're waiting for that judge to rule at any time before the former president makes his request. of course he has 30 days from the day of arraignment which was of course today. >> we will be watching for that. evan, appreciate it. thank you. out front now ryan goodman, special counsel for the defense department former special prosecutor. the judge ruled this would happen. it's something trump will never have to worry about in a federal case because cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms. by opting not to appear and avoid those images, do you see that as part of a legal strategy from trump's team? >> i think so. i think that he wants to avoid the rolling cameras both at the arraignment in terms of the image that creates of him in which he can't control the frame. it's not just one shot but the entire episode of him going before the court and being overpowered by the criminal justice system and then the trial itself being televised is something that i think could be very damaging to him politically but also legally because that is something everybody would then see. and it could affect the jurors in the d.c. case, which is a bigger case against him. i think as a legal strategy as well there's every reason for him to be trying to get into federal court and avoid these live camera shots. >> it's interesting because we know there's been a push for some time to allow cameras in federal court. it's still not happening but a push especially when it comes to high profile cases. it's not just the defendants but also hearing the evidence and reading quotes and reading about it after the fact. what do cameras change when they're in the courtroom? >> well, it's just about transparency, erica. there's so much spin and misinformation happening right now about what the evidence is and isn't. if people tune in to watch this trial or watch news clips later put together by the media with cameras in the program they will see themselves what the evidence is just like a juror would. and that's just far different from hearing people characterize the evidence in their own terms with their own interests, so it's really to the benefit of all of us that all of the united states could see what the evidence is in these cases even though as you just said it's actually not going to happen in federal cases this time around for trump. >> but the ask will continue. we're waiting for the judge to rule on motions that were just filed by both fulton county and mark meadows teams. this is about moving the case out of fulton county and into federal court. they had to submit those motions today. so, ryan, i think you just finished going through these. what stands out to you here in additional arguments and additional filings? >> there's one piece new in these filings. they basically say, look, mark meadows you could say lied or not credible because he denies on the stand he had any role in his words in coordinating the false electors and then the d.a. says we presented him with the exhibit which e-mail exchanging correspondence with jason miller about coordinating the electors and he's not a government official. that's damaging to him and the judge can't really credit mark meadows testimony because he's not a credible witness and that's what mark meadows has. it's a close call. i don't think there's like a clear shot by either side, but the d.a. does also raise a good argument which is that the judge has recently asked them after they had the hearing what if i decide some of mark meadows acts were in his official duty and some were not? the dacht a. says, well, if you do it that way he actually has no defense. if some are not it means you as the judge believe he acted beyond his official duty. and if you act beyond your official duty you don't have a federal defense and you can't get into federal court. >> if meadows is unable to win that argument, jennifer, what's the impact on the other codefendants who have also filed to move their cases into federal court? >> so i think we're all going to have to wait for that ruling because mark meadows has the strongest case to move into federal court. here he actually was a federal official, and unlike jeff clark works directly for the president. really it is true a lot of his job was doing what the president wanted him to do. if he loses this bid and the state wins their remand function, then none of these defendants are going to win their movement to federal court. if he does win and gets to stay in federal court, then i think the judge will have to go through and consider them. there's this kind of piggybacking effect, which is why i think we haven't seen any movement on those yet. >> anxiously waiting to see what we hear from the judge. brian kemp knocking down the effort by one state senator pushing for a special session and wanting to investigate fani willis. going onto say this. >> the bottom line is that in the state of georgia as long as i'm governor we're going to follow the law and the constitution regardless of who it helps or harms politically. and in georgia we'll not be engaging in political theater because it only inflames the motions of the moments. >> ryan, i think it was notable too he said not only would it be unfeasible but also that it's unconstitutional. do you agree with the assessment? >> i definitely agree with his assessment there has been no evidence presented she acted unlawfully, and if that's true why would you setup a session, and i think it's a powerful moment. it's like a teaching moment on the rule of law above politics, and that's a conservative southern republican governor making that statement. trump has raised these concerns about the d.a. and the courts have said she's done nothing that would even amount to her getting offered the case let alone getting her defunded or thrown out of office. i think when governor kemp says there's a lot behind it and the real place to take these issues is in court. >> appreciate it. thank you both. out front next senate minority leader mitch mcconnell cleared to work after freezing for the second time in just a matter of week. this as we're just learning republican leaders are now holding discussions about the 81-year-old leader's future. plus trips on private jets, luxury vacations. supreme court justice clarence thomas finally disclosing the gifts paid for by a republican donor. there's still, though, a lot we don't know. the reporter who first broke this story is my guest. and we take you to the front lines of ukraine to see the very women who could be leading the fight against russia. special report ahead. i need it cool at night. you trying to ice me out of the bed? 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(light acoustic music plays) (eagle screeches) (energetic music plays) there he is! it's right there! ♪ oh, he's straight ahead. he's straight ahead. straight ahead. go go go. ♪ cover more ground in the kia sportage turbo-hybrid. kia. movement that inspires. tonight senate minority leader mitch mcconnell is, quote, medically clear to keep up his work schedule. that's according to the u.s. capitol's attending physician who says he's consulted with mcconnell and his neurology team, this after mcconnell froze publicly for the second time in four weeks raising questions about the 81-year-old's health. manu raju who's been breaking this news on mcconnell has been out front on capitol hill. what more do we know about the senator tonight? >> reporter: yeah, he has been trying to assure his colleagues that he is fine, that he's able to do the job and trying to send signals privately everything is essentially normal. he's carrying on with his schedule. in the immediate aftermath of that moment yesterday phoning his colleagues somecluding some of his top allies including senator john thune, john cornyn and others and they sounded back he's fine. even attending a fund-raiser saying that mcconnell was sharp and engaging there and releasing a statement trying to alleviate any concerns about his fitness. there's still major questions particularly why he had those pausing episodes and whether or not this will impact his ability to run the senate. in talking to some republicans including one congressman today he said there are more questions that need to be answered. >> it's tough. obviously the fall he had was more -- it was more damaging than most people thought. >> reporter: so the big question right now on capitol hill is exactly how long senator mcconnell can continue to remain as republican leader. his confidants are indicating he has no plan to step aside before the end of this current congress which ends at the end of next year. but the question will be will he continue to run the republican conference he has run since 2007 being the longest party leader in the entire history of the united states senate. will he try to do that from 2020 and beyond? that seems to be a growing skepticism beyond capitol hill he'll continue beyond the congress and that could setup a significant leadership scramble that could define the republican party for years to come. and next week the senate returns after a five-week recess. mitch mcconnell will face his colleagues for the first time since that episode and undoubtably the questions will remain. >> out front now dr. jonathan rhiner. i have to say one of my first thoughts when i heard this light-headedness and dehydration is that freezing up is not generally a symptom of those two. maybe you lose your balance, you blackout, you feel nauseous but you don't freeze-up. is that a typical symptom? >> no. i think everyone has had an episode where they feel a lilt height headed. perhaps they've had a fever for a couple of days and the fever breaks and they're dehydrated or out in the garden and typical symptom of dehydration is li light-headedness, not inability to speak for 10 seconds. the note from moynihan at the office of attending physician is really limited to what his patient will allow him to say basically. and what basically his patient wanted him to say is that he was clear to go back to work, and that doesn't surprise me because this has happened before and undoubtedly been evaluated in the past, can then he made this comment about dehydration and light-headedness as a common symptom of people who have had a concussion, and that's undoubtedly true. but what he doesn't really say is that the symptoms from yesterday were related to that. so sort of true, true and unrelated. i think brian is limited to what his patients will allow him to say. >> he did notes he spoke with his neurology team, with mcconnell's neurology team. you mentioned this note he can only say so much. what would he be cleared to do? >> he's clear to go to meetings and give speeches. there's really no clear set of guidelines for how you clear a politician. we know how to clear airline pilots and secret service agents and police officers. they have a certain set of physical duties they have to be able to fulfill to do their jobs. but for our aging members of congress there are no set guidelines. there's also no way to remove a member of congress who becomes physically unwell. actually the only officer in our federal government who can be removed because of disability is the president. so there really is no way to remove a senator. so what basically dr. moynihan was saying is that there's no evidence something acute happened to him or something new happened to him and there was no further acute work up necessary and he can resume his job. that's basically all he was saying. >> in your experience and being based there in washington, d.c., do you think this will be enough to silence folks, to have him feel comfortable with how he's doing health wise? and i say that, too, because what i've noticed is genuine concern. >> yeah. the problem is that we've seen this recur in just five weeks. and if it happened once, perhaps it's a one-off event. when it happens twice in basically the same setting, you know, giving a remark and such a public figure who'll be before the cameras frequently, it'll happen again. and if it happens again the voices suggesting perhaps the senator step down from his leadership or leave the senate entirely will become even leader. i think what senator mcconnell is going to do is have to decide whether he's going to make those changes at his own pace or be forced out because it is not unlikely this will happen again in a very public way. >> always appreciate your insight. out front now republican governor of new hampshire, chris sununu. i'm wondering if you have concerns about senator mcconnell's health and his ability to carry out his role as minority leader. >> look, senator mcconnell has done a phenomenal job. and i think as you said rightly so it's all concern. everyone wants the best for him. this is a guy who works incredibly hard, but when you have multiple episodes like this, his age is involved and there's something else there. as the doctor just mentioned yousk two episodes in five weeks, so i think he and his staff are going to have to have a hard discussion about. >> in terms of discussion he's known for being private about his health. which is understandable. given the power of his position do you think he and his staff need to be more transparent here? >> i guess. i don't know what to be more transparent about other than what the real medical condition is. as mentioned if this keeps happening and there's no reason to think it won't, that creates an issue. and let's remember this isn't just speaker mcconnell. obviously we have great concern for him. we have the senator from california. we've had our own president who's had issues. obviously age is playing a role in washington right now and not in a positive way, unfortunately. and there's just an opportunity here to say, okay, no hard feelings. it's health, age, we've got to move you out of a leadership position and bring other voices in. there's lots of folks that can do these jobs. and we say thank you and bringing some new leadership. >> last question because i do want to get to other topics, but you do bring up age. senator feinstein and mentioning president biden. are people ready to have that conversation? >> americans are ready that's for darn sure. this is not a new tearative. i think it's bubbled up quite a bit when you have presidential leaders on the ticket quite elderly, frankly. both in the 80-year range. we have issues with a congress senator -- a cup of senators now not being able to fully perform their jobs. and in these type of leadership roles you need to be on the job, 100% being able to move at any given time. and that is the pressure on these jobs. this is america at stake. there's a lot at stake for this country for 330 million americans. leadership whether we agree with their policies or not can give 100%. >> republican presidential candidate nickki haley was aske by a news outlet in new hampshire whether she'd be open to choosing donald trump as her vice president, and she did not rule it out. why do you think so many aspiring republican leaders find it so hard to walk away from donald trump? >> i can't speak for governor haley, ambassador haley. i don't think anyone wants donald trump as a vice president. i don't think donald trump wants the job as vice president. i think that would be a disaster in the make frg a whole bunch of different reasons. my focus is making sure these candidates are the best version of themselves, which is great debate and that was an amazing moment, first time in six years republicans across the country got to see republican leadership without donald trump, and it looked pretty darn good. so i think it gives people a lot of hope it isn't just a trump message going to lead the republican party. >> you may be a fan of her as a candidate. why did you think it's so hard for candidates to quit the former president? do you see that vice loosening? >> yeah, no, i think what's going on is that recent polls have shown up to a third or more of the president's recent support is willing to go to another candidate. we always talk about that 35% base corp that won't move, there's another 35, 50% that is willing to move. that supports him today but willing to move to another candidate. it makes sense why candidates would be a little more hesitant. it's not everybody's style. they have to show separation. you have to understand they're trying to wean that 15% into their camp to be the one or two candidates to take him on. >> cnn has obtained audio of really an urgent appeal for a massive sum of money by the ceo of ron desantis' super pac. this is on the first republican debate where he told donors, quote, we just need your help getting 50 million more by the end of the year and 100 million by the end of march. 50 million over the next four months, what does that tell you about the state of ron desantis' campaign? >> they're obviously pretty optimistic. they're obviously pretty optimistic about their position and how those dollars should be spent. i know the governor -- as the governor should he's managing the hurricane. he's put his campaign on suspension and really took care of the state of florida. he did a great job of it, and they obviously feel they can find a lot of separation. you need funds to do it. all the candidates have to spend time raising money but that tells me they're pretty optimistic. >> governor, appreciate your time. thank you. out front next supreme court justice clarence thomas finally on the record about the luxurious gifts he's received from a gop megadonor, and it is raising once again the question whether justices should abide for the ethics code. plus the heart breaking new sat satellite images out of florida which suffered a direct hit by hurricanane idalia. ♪ ("un monde pliable" by jeongpill song) ♪ ( ♪ ♪ ) (camera shutters) ( ♪ ♪ ) (camershutters) ( ♪ ) ( ♪ ♪ ) ( ♪ ♪ ) our ears connect us to the moments that matter. give them the nutrients they need with lipo. it's formulated with ingredients clinically shown to protect your ears from dizziness, ear ringing, and even hearing loss. never miss a moment with lipo flavonoid. i'm saving with liberty mutual, mom. they customize your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. you could save $700 dollars just by switching. ooooh, let me put a reminder on my phone. on the top of the pile! oh. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ oh. okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. together we provide nutrients to support immune, muscle, bone, and heart health. yaaay! woo hoo! ensure with 25 vitamins and minerals and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. ♪ how can you sleep on such a firm setting? gab, mine is almost the same as yours. almost is just another word for not as good as mine. save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, free home delivery when you add a base. shop now only at sleep number. tonight new financial disclosures from supreme court justices clarence thomas and samuel alito revealing gifts and travel paids for by conservatives. alitop new filing reveals a trip he took to rome. thomas is disclosing for the first time private jet trips paid for by gop mega donor harlan crow. there were two trips on crow's plane. also listed three properties thomas sold to crow, transactions that were not previously disclosed by the justice but had been revealed by propublica's justice elliot who had led the investigations into bill yan airs. in looking at these amended disclosures does that lay to rest the ethics concerns surrounding the justices? >> it certainly answers some questions. i mean this is the first time we've gotten an extensive statement from justice thomas. as mentioned he actually admitted for the first time he failed to tis close this real estate deal he sold properties in georgia to harlan crow, this wealthy businessman and political donor also his friend. it's the first time in 25 years he's disclosed private jet flights provided by harlan crow last year. i think disclosure is one level of it. the other level is whether public officials should be accepting this private jet travel or free vacations from anyone. we've spoken to a lot of federal judges at this point who say they can't imagine taking anything like this. some of them have told us they're careful about even letting someone buy them lunch. i think it's better to have the entrance paerns we didn't have in the past but there's the core issue of the gifts themselves. >> there's still a lot we don't know. as mentioned this is the first time in 25 years we've seen reporting of these flights. justice thomas noted that the omission of these dealings with harlan crow was, quote, inadvertent. do you think ultimately there'll be a full public accounting of the gifts he's received over the years? >> that's a good question. the committee has sent out letters asking for just that, and so far they haven't been getting anything. it's an open question whether democrats on that committee will try to escalate that and maybe issue subpoenas. we at propublica have reported justice thomas has taken more than 30 free vacations i think around 30 now private jet flights, and those are just -- that's just what we discovered through a lot of shoe leather reporting. he certainly has not come clean about what's happened over the last 20 years with his new court filing. >> it was hard to miss thomas' attorney taking a shot at your reporting in a lengthy statement he put out. but at one point saying the reporting at least in the way i read it in his words here had been a terrible precedent through political blood sport through federal ethics filings. what's your response to that? >> yeah, i mean to us this is basic good government issue. i've been covering ethics for a long time and written about democrats and republicans. i think most people can understand if you have a powerful public official like a supreme court justice who's taking hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars of gifts from people who have at the very least ideological interests related to the supreme court or the public official's job, that's something that should be out in the open at the very least whether it should be happening or not. so we welcome the conversation. we're excited to see this lengthy statement for the first time in months after reporting about this. but don't agree that there's anything wrong with this basic journalistic truth. >> harry enton is with me now. the information did raise a lot of questions about the ethics of supreme court justices. how about public opinion inwhere does public opinion land these days? >> you know when i was a kid i thought the honesty and ethics of the supreme court justices is to be really, really high, right? about a third say they're low, another say they're average, another third say they're high. this to me is rulickdously low given how high generally speaking people in the past have held up supreme court justices. we no longer hold them up as these heroes. we hold them up as either average or below average. >> those numbers are astounding. given that, given what people see in terms of their ethics, their honesty what do you think should be done? >> they think there should be a formal ethics code that a lot of people in the legislative have to agree upon. look at this 90%. where do you ever find 90% of americans agreeing on anything. >> you don't. >> or north of 80% republicans, independents, 96% of democrats. there's universal agreement on this, erica. >> yeah, i think there's also been a lot of surprise in recent months since more of this reporting has come out there's not an ethics code. i find that in conversations with people. give me a sense has public opinion changed over the years? how significantly. >> yes. one of the things i think there's this real question about especially as you've had these supreme court rulings come down over the last few years that controversial whether it be justice thomas or ethical quandaries he's land himself in is whether or not the supreme court has too much power. and what we see is while still the majority of americans don't believe that, look at the trend line we've seen on too much power over the last few years. you go back to 2019 and see it was just 21%. you jump forward now to 2023, look at that. it's nearly doubled to 40%. >> in four years. >> in four years. you very rarely see that type of public movement in such a short period of time, so i think what we're seeing with justice thomas and sort of the controversy surrounding the supreme court, the american public wants to tap on the breaks a little bit. and they say you know what maybe they do have too much power and we need to take some of it back. >> we'll see. out front next picking up the pieces. you'll hear from a woman who told us just two days ago she was not going to evacuate despite hurricane idalia heading straight for her. how is he tonight? plus heart stopping video of ukrainian soldiers coming within feet of heavily armed russian fighters.. stay with us. 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new school year, there's something new happening in california's public schools. jessie: they're called community schools. david: where parents and families, students and educators are making decisions as one. damien: it's a real sense of community. leslie: we saw double-digit gains in math, in english, and reading scores. david: it's an innovation that's transforming our public schools. narrator: california's community schools: reimagining public education. tonight we have some really remarkable images to share with you showing the devastation that idalia brought to florida. so in stain hatchy, residents say they have power and no running water now. able to get to cedar key to see that damage first-hand, he's out front. >> reporter: broken tree branches, toppled fences, pieces of wood and other debris scattered everywhere. heather greenwood is cleaning up around the cedar key bed and breakfast she helps manage, grateful the business and her nearby home are still standing after idalia. >> look at what is positive about it all. i mean our house is still standing. some are not. but nobody lost their life. all of our cats were still here. >> reporter: greenwood who spoke to out front just before idalia hit -- >> i'm going to make sure that i'm around to be able to help out the people that did stay. >> reporter: -- now says she feels blessed as she helps her community recover and rebuild. >> it's on one of the highest points of the island. the storm surge would have had to be above 15 feet. >> reporter: cedar key officially saw a storm surge of nearly 9 feet. and with many homes and businesses destroy, not everyone in the area is as upbeat as greenwood. >> it's devastating and sad. it's very sad. heart breaking. we're just going to pull together and come together. >> reporter: idalia left a path of destruction in georgia and south and north carolina, but florida suffered the worst of the storm including tampa bay, clearwater beach, and st. petersburg, which also experienced record storm surges. cities like crystal river saw entire areas flooded. these satellite images showing the before and after. >> people losing homes, losing businesses, really, really a lot of work that needs to be done. >> reporter: florida governor ron desantis toured more damaged areas today promising funding help for all 25 counties that fell under the hurricane warning. president joe biden formally declared florida as a major disaster area. >> i know it's going to be a lot of work, but we will get everyone back on their feet. >> reporter: a hopeful message for people who lost everything during the storm including these home owners in horseshoe beach, which sits squarely in the middle of the big bend area. >> my dad always said if we had a direct hit right off the gulf it would not last. >> it's very painful. i tell, you know, my daughter i can't hardly even talk about it. i love that old house right there, you know, like a family member. >> wow, carlos, i'm sure at this point reality setting in to residents of the area now they can take in the full impact of the storm now that recovery begins. how are they feeling tonight? >> reporter: that's exactly right, erica. so the damage really is widespread. and the challenge going into the next couple of days is going to be getting all of this debris off of that island. a lot of the folks we spoke to on cedar key say, look, they really feel things out here could have been a whole lot worse. we made our way inland throughout the day, and we saw a lot of the homes there really appeared untouch. erica, the power is back on in cedar key, but without running water some of the folks we talked to out here said, look, we're going to drive back onto the mainland to spend the night. >> appreciate the reporting and we're so glad you found heather. we've been trying to get in touch with her. glad to know she's okay. out front next we're going to take you inside the secret training for ukrainian women playing a 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(vo) ask your doctor about once-weekly mounjaro. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [baby crying] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ wherever you go. wherever you stay. all you need is one key. earn and use rewards across expedia, hotels.com, and vrbo. tonight, ukraine's military gaining back more territory on the southern front. that's according to ukrainian officials and russian military bloggers. in new video, you see a drone capturing fierce fighting around bakhmut with ukrainian and russian soldiers just feet apart when opening fire on each other. drones continue to play major role in this war. tonight christiane amanpour is "outfront" with ukrainian women learning how to operate them on the battlefields. >> any support is welcome in ukraine, especially if it appears blessed by jesus, say these drone students, set up in an abandoned church, working on their simulators and convinced their cause is just. >> we do whatever we can now to resist, because russians want to kill all. this is genocide. >> reporter: next door in the construct and repair class, yulia solders, tweaks and teaches. this part is fairly simple and fun, she says. and did you study engineering? what are you in normal life? >> a writer and a film director. >> you're a writer and a film director? and now you're a drone operator? >> yes. >> we're not allowed to disclose the locationy yulia and the others put theory into practice. here in this innocuous looking field, with a rudimentary obstacle course, this could almost be child's play, but with deadly results, of course. these are all civilian drones that the ukrainians are repurposing for their current war effort. they can be bought off store shelves. but this signifies a turning point in the conduct of modern warfare. a fife hundred dollars drone that has been weaponized can take out vehicles and weapons systems worth millions. software engineer started the victory drones initiative. >> the most advantages, it's one of the most cost-effective weapon, and it's also weapon and it could be used as reconnaissance. for reconnaissance purposes, if you see the enemy, you can hit enemy, you can hide your soldiers. >> but enemy can see you? >> yeah, if you don't use security measurements. >> like hiding or disguising their signals, because the russians are adapting fast. she says they're mostly crowd funded and have deals with the ukrainians military to train frontline troops. tens of thousands so far in what's become indispensable strategy. that was just practice, dropping a water bottle full of sand. but just a few days ago, the group says one of their former trainees took out this russian tank on the eastern front. they can also wipe out artillery positions and troop carriers. how long did it take you to learn to fly? many of these citizen soldiers are women, busting stubborn myths. and yulia of course agrees. in fact, she assembles the drones her husband flies too. and a lot of women have taken up this fight? >> yeah, we're all people, and we're fighting for our existence. >> and the women are really proud, they tell us, of being called to their frontline duty, whatever it might be. and since we've been here covering this invasion, we've seen a huge exponential jump in the number of women who have joined the actual armed forces, and the military authorities here say that since russia's first invasion back in 2014, women's participation has jumped more than 2 1/2 times. so it's a big deal. as they said to us, we're all people, and we are all defending our country. erica? >> it's great. what a fantastic story and quite an effort as well. christiane, thank you. "outfront" next, the university of nebraska serving up a world record and a big win in women's sports. so you only pay for what you neeeed. that's my boy. now you get out there, and you make us prououd, huh? ♪ bye, uncle limu. ♪ stay off the freeways! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ hi, i'm sharon, and i lost 52 pounds on golo. on other diets, i could barely lose 10-15 pounds. thanks to golo, i've lost 27% of my body weight, and it was easy. (soft music) wake up, achievers. you're making the most of every hour of your life. except the hours that you're sleeping. so why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table? this is a next level bed, for a next level you. my circadian rhythm is kicking your circadian rhythms butt! it's not a competition. i know, but i'm still winning! so, it is a competition. save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, free home delivery when you add a base. shop now only at sleep number. 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(vo) learn more. it's your vision, it's your verizon. tonight, talk about turnout. more than 92,000 fans packed the university of nebraska's memorial stadium, there to cheer on the women's volleyball team. actually, let's be really specific here. 92,003 people. that set a world record for attendance at a women's sporting event, and also shattered the ncaa's volleyball attendance record, which had been just over 18,700. take a listen here as the crowd erupts when the nebraska women make their way out of the tunnel to the court. i mean, the applause is deafening. the huskhuskies, happy to repor won 3-0. they're five-time national champions. and they've sold out a record 306 consecutive regular season matches. what a run. congratulations. finally tonight, the rock star behind tutti frutti and good golly miss molly, little richard. he was an innovator. a new cnn film explores his fascinating and complicated life and the often untold stories about the black queer origins of rock 'n roll. here is a look at the new film "little richard: i am everything." >> ready, set, go, man, go -- >> man, heaven on earth. he was so hot, we play something like five nights a week. two or three shows a day. ♪ >> remember the 1950s, there is legal segregation, black kids are not able to listen to music in the same spaces as white kids. >> black and white musicians weren't allowed to play together. >> they have one night for white and the next night for african american. >> but the white kids would come to the black kids concert too. >> don't miss little richard "i am everything" monday night on cnn at 9:00 p.m. thank you so much for joining me tonight. "ac 360" starts right now. tonight on "360," america's best known traveling defendant and former president decides to skip the flight this time and plead to his latest charges from