Dramatic High Wire Circus Act Goes Horribly Wrong; Ukraine Sees More Violence Today
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the top stories we are following for you right now. A terrifying moment as circus performers drop about 30 feet in a stunt called the human chandelier. What we are learning about how it may have happened. And protesters in Ukraine stormed a police station today breaking windows and doors, another intense clash just days after dozens of deaths. What that means for the ongoing crisis coming up. And as if controversy was hanging heavy on the L.A. Clippers, the team that is, the players, they did not show it. The team had a huge win last night. But now the front office is facing big changes as well.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is CNN's breaking news.</s>WHITEFIELD: All right, we begin with this breaking news. A dramatic high wire circus act in Providence, Rhode Island that went horribly wrong. It happened during a performance known as the human chandelier. Nearly a dozen people are injured. Nick Valencia is joining me with more of the details -- Nick.</s>NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I just got off the phone with the hospital spokesman. They are in Rhode Island. She told me that at least 11 people related to this circus act have been transported to the hospital. One of them is listed in critical condition. And as we reported earlier, we know at least nine of those taken to the hospital, Fred, were performers. Eight of them as part of this human chandelier, an act where the acrobats are suspended by their hair earlier. You spoke to a spokesman of the parent company who told us what happened.</s>STEPHEN PAYNE, CIRCUS SPOKESMAN: This apparatus have been used for multiple performances each week since the show launched back in January. And each and every time that we come to a new venue, all of the equipment that's used by this performer, with this group of performers as well as all the other performers is carefully inspected. We take the health and safety of our performers and our guests very seriously.</s>VALENCIA: Now, there is video out there of this incident. We're working on bringing that to you. I've seen the video and it appears that these performers fell at least 20 to 30 feet. That's also what witnesses are telling us. And there was no safety net or suspension underneath them. And as we are talking earlier that really speaks to the confidence of these performers. The circus had just gotten in town on Friday. They were expected to until Monday. This show immediately after the incident happened was canceled. No word on when the show will continue, if at all in Providence, Rhode Island.</s>WHITEFIELD: And you know, just in being looking at the video, these performers that were on this apparatus, it looked as though as soon as the curtain revealed them, maybe they had two moves, kind of like a split type of move and then a pike kind of move and then suddenly it all came crashing down. But really, what strikes me, too, and it's a remarkable accident but really what strikes me is your description of they were suspended by their hair?</s>VALENCIA: By their hair. And it is called that hair hang apparatus. Anytime you are connected to an apparatus where you really have no ability to move. You know, you are really suspended by that and if something went wrong. This is an apparatus that we were told by the circus spokesman that had been used between 12 and 14 times per week since January. They say they take the safety of the performers very high and that's the number one priority. They had tested their apparatus before the show. Clearly, Fred, something went wrong.</s>WHITEFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Nick. Keep us posted on this and, of course, on the progress of all of those injured, 11 now, right?</s>VALENCIA: Eleven now.</s>WHITEFIELD: All right, thanks so much. All right, overseas, we're also focusing on what is taking place in Ukraine. The site of the deadliest clashes in months there is now seeing even more violence today. Just two days ago, more than 40 people were killed after a riot ended after a fire in Odessa. Dozens of activists were detained after that. Well today, hundreds of pro- Russian activists stormed the police station demanding they be released. Police did end up letting dozens of people go. They were greeted with hugs and cheers as you hear right here. And in a calmer moment in Odessa, Ukraine's acting prime minister met with local leaders. He offered his condolences for those who died this week and he said that Ukraine has to unite. Odessa is in the southern part of the country hundreds of miles from the clashes in eastern Ukraine, closer to the border with Russia. CNN senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh has seen what has been happening in that region firsthand.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You can see the mismatch between Ukraine's military on its rebellious militants of what is left of this barricade outside</s>WHITEFIELD: All right, thanks so much to Nick Paton Walsh for that report. And for more on this crisis, I'm joined now by Christopher Hill, the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq. He is now the dean of the Joseph Corbel (ph), school of international studies at the University of Denver. Good to see you. All right. So this whole crisis really does highlight Ukraine's continued vulnerabilities in its 23 years of independence. And is the issue here, that Russia sees this effort as rescuing Ukraine or simply taking it back to the Russian Empire?</s>CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: I think from the Russian point of view, they have a great interest in continuing this kind of violence. I mean, their whole narrative as that the Ukrainian authorities, Kiev, can outrun the country. They are "pitting their army against the people," quote-unquote. So I think the Russians have a real interest in keeping this type of crisis going o, hoping it can even go to a kind of civil war and basically justify whatever it is that they want to do.</s>WHITEFIELD: But then what? It crumbles, it goes into the civil war, then how does Russia, if that's the psychology here, turn it into their favor?</s>HILL: Well, certainly, there has been an organic relationship between Ukraine and Russia. That has been a fact for hundreds of years. But the issue right now is you have a Ukraine that has been extremely split between pro-Russian and a more nationalist Ukrainian view. Obviously Russia, to try to absorb all of Ukraine, would be a big problem for it. I mean, it would be absorbing a lot of problems at this point, absorbing a lot of burned out buildings at this point. But keeping the crisis going and therefore keeping Russian options going, I think it's what they have in mind in the short term. And as for a long term, don't assume that they really know at this point what they want to do.</s>WHITEFIELD: And then you talk about, you know, the western countries like the U.S., President Obama, Germany, chancellor Angela Merkel who said collectively that Russia could face more sanctions if Ukraine is not stabilized in time for its election later on in May. Sanctions don't seem to be working.</s>HILL: First of all, I don't think sanctions are going to work for the short-term crisis. Maybe in the long term, if you want to further impoverish the Russian economy and therefore build up antipathy for Putin, may they will work. But for the short term they are not going to work. And moreover, the danger with sanctions is the more we push them, the more we get push back from the Europeans and the more we create the possibility that the U.S. and Europeans will have a different view on this. The one thing we have going for us throughout this crisis is that the U.S. and Europe have been very much together on it.</s>WHITEFIELD: Ambassador Christopher Hill, appreciate your insight. Thank you.</s>HILL: Thank you.</s>WHITEFIELD: All right, When we come back, we're going to talk about that scandal and the NBA. Donald Sterling's estrange wife now is speaking out. Hear what she has to say about upcoming changes in the Clippers' front office and the status of the team's ownership.