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How a Religious Festival Turned into a Massacre; Health Experts Warn against Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions; U.S. Finds Russia Poisoned Navalny, Joins E.U. in Sanctions; Mental Health Concerns Rising among Children; Biden: Mental Health Concerns Rising Among Children; Attacks on Asian Americans Surging Across U.S.; NYT: Third Woman Accuses Gov. Cuomo of Unwanted Advances; Family Remembers Leonard Davis, 88, Who Contracted COVID Days Before Scheduled for COVID Shot. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired March 03, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, an unprecedented deal in the U.S. Two big drug companies working together to ramp up vaccines, increasing supply to vaccinate every American 2 months ahead of schedule.
The looming mental health crisis among children, the link between remote learning, depression, home and possibly suicide. Why many doctors say the biggest health danger for kids is to not send them back to school.
And the other sickness, a growing number of racist attacks on Asian Americans.
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VAUSE: We will have those stories in a moment.
First, we begin with a months-long CNN investigation that found detailed evidence of the massacre of dozens of civilians in Ethiopia. It took place in the country's north, where Ethiopian troops and allies from neighboring Eritrea launched a brutal military offensive against forces loyal to the regional government.
CNN spoke to dozens of witnesses, who said Eritrean soldiers went on a killing spree just days before a religious holiday. Despite an information blackout, our reporters uncovered atrocities that may have claimed thousands of lives. The images are disturbing.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bloody jacket, some rope used to tie the victims shoes worn by a Sunday school boy, the haunting remnants of a brutal massacre in a village in northern Ethiopia's Tigray region. A massacre perpetrated by Eritrean soldiers on Ethiopian soil.
Fifty-two out of the 54 pictures you see here are victims whose identities have been verified by CNN. This is the village of Maryam Dengelat, was CNN's investigation uncovered the murder of dozens, possibly even more than hundred civilians. Witnesses tell CNN people were murdered here over three days of mayhem. With video and communication limited due to an Ethiopian government-imposed blackout on the region and fear of government retribution rife, CNN has had to illustrate witness testimony through animation and use of actors voices to describe what happened in December last year.
One eyewitness Martha (ph), not her real name, told CNN they were returning from morning church service. When they got home, they were confronted by Eritrean troops. MARTHA (ph): They came to our house then they told us to get out. There were a lot of soldiers outside and they were saying, come out come out you bitch. We said we are civilian, we are civilians showing our IDs. They didn't ask any question. They just opened fire.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): To understand what happened here over the course of these three days, you need to understand what's been happening over the last few years in Ethiopia. Under the country's former rulers, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, Ethiopia waged hostilities with Eritrea for the TPLF almost 30 years in power. Ethiopia's President Abiy Ahmed won a Nobel Peace Prize for bringing all that to an end.
The Tigray region has always been distinct in culture and language and its leadership is battling for autonomy from Ethiopia's government. Now the two former enemies stand accused of working together to crush to graze fight for autonomy and civilians are being killed in what could be war crimes and something the ousted Tigray leader described as acts of genocide.
This video was secretly taken and smuggled out to CNN to avoid Ethiopian and Eritrean troops. It's footage of the graves that eyewitnesses described to CNN in harrowing testimony. Underneath the branches and sticks are the grave sites for the victims. Another eyewitness Abraham (ph), again, not his real name, was supposed to help clean the church at Maryam Dengelat before the festival.
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ELBAGIR (voice-over): Instead, he became a grave digger.
ABRAHAM (ph): They were all so young and they took them and killed them together in a field.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Among those he buried were 24 Sunday school children. Abraham (ph) and others registered the kids names as best they could. One by one, the shallow graves were uncovered and parents came to identify their children. Some was so badly disfigured, they could only be identified by their clothing. This is not the only massacre perpetrated in Tigray. Using satellite images and interviews with witnesses, Amnesty was able to find evidence of at least one other separate massacre involving hundreds of civilians, believed to be carried out in another city days earlier.
A day after the investigations by CNN and Amnesty International, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said, "Those responsible for them must be held accountable." Strong words, but will words be enough when the crimes described bear all the hallmarks of a possible genocide? -- Nima Elbagir, CNN.
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VAUSE: CNN put the findings of the investigation to the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea, along with the TPLF. In response, the Ethiopian government responded that it's fully committed to undertake thorough investigations of human rights abuses.
The TPLF said its forces were not in the vicinity before or after the massacre and called for a U.N. investigation to hold all sides accountable for atrocities committed during the conflict.
The U.N. Security Council will discuss the ongoing situation on Thursday. The Eritrean government has not responded to our request for comment. On Friday, the government denied its soldiers had committed atrocities during another massacre in Tigray reported by Amnesty International.
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VAUSE: A White House brokered deal between 2 big drug makers will dramatically increase supplies of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine. President Joe Biden announced there will be enough vaccines for every American adult by the end of May. That's two months earlier than announced.
But not everyone will receive the vaccine doses by them. Distribution problems could mean it takes much longer. And Biden and health officials are warning it's not time to relax restrictions.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is light at the end of the tunnel but we can't let our guard down now or be sure victory is inevitable. We cannot assume that.
We must remain vigilant, act fast and aggressively and look out for one another. That's how we will get ahead of the virus and get our economy going again and get back to our loved ones.
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VAUSE: This is an unprecedented agreement between 2 of the biggest drug makers in the world, Merck and Johnson & Johnson. Facilities will be operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to produce the vaccine. Here's details now from Nick Watt. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, vaccinate.
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Johnson & Johnson's vaccine just injected into American arms for the first time.
BARBARA SCHMALENBERGER, J&J VACCINE RECIPIENT: It's exciting, it's great. And I don't even feel a thing now.
WATT: But supply is a trickle, not a flood.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: It's a fairly limited supply to begin, but later in the month we think we start to see real numbers.
WATT: Merck will transform two facilities to manufacture the J&J vaccine in a deal just announced by President Biden.
DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: The local are forward to, but right now, we are in a dire time potentially.
WATT: The average daily COVID-19 death toll was falling. Not anymore. And average daily case counts now plateauing at about the level of last summer's surge.
DR. JEANNE MARRAZZO, BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA: This is a scary virus and we already know that, we underestimate it at our peril.
WATT: Study have a surge in Manaus late last year found the variant first identified in Brazil was likely to blame and could more easily re-infect people who've already been infected. The research is not yet published.
DR. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Variants are starting to take over and if they become dominant and we relax restrictions, I think we can absolutely see a huge spike.
WATT: Houston just became the first city in America to log cases of every major variant but --
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): It is now time to open Texas 100 percent.
WATT: And one week from tomorrow, the mask mandate will end and every business can reopen, no restrictions.
MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D-TX), HOUSTON: Quite frankly, to put it in very stark terms it makes no sense.
WATT: Meanwhile, team Biden is still sticking to two doses within a month of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
[00:10:00] DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF ADVISER ON COVID-19 TO THE WHITE HOUSE: Even though you can get a fair degree of, quote, protection after a single dose, it clearly is not durable.
WATT: And his worried about mixed messaging, U-turning, not everyone agrees. The former surgeon general today tweeting, good protection for many with one shot is better than great protection for a few, later adding, I'm not saying it's 100 percent the right way to go.
DR. RICHINA BICETTE, ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: I think that he should park his Twitter fingers for a few minutes.
In order to be fully protected, you need to get at least two doses. And until we see science saying otherwise, I think we need to stick with that vaccination schedule.
WATT: Starting Wednesday in Mississippi, no more mask mandates. Businesses can open 100 percent without any state imposed restrictions. It's based in part on vaccine optimism. President Biden just said by the end of May, there will be enough vaccines for all Americans.
In the meantime, those variants could cause some problems -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
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VAUSE: The number of people dying every day from the coronavirus in Brazil is hitting record highs, 1,600 deaths reported on Tuesday. Brazil has the world's second highest death toll after the United States. Despite the surge, the vice president says he's defended the government's opposition to a national lockdown.
He says the best way to stop the spread is with accelerated vaccination. So far, 3 percent of the population has received the vaccine.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will speak with regional leaders in the coming hours to discuss the nation's COVID restrictions. She is facing pressure despite an uptick in cases and a sluggish start to vaccine rollout. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This is not a birthday party or a wedding anniversary. It's Germans being allowed back to the hairdresser after months of lockdown, leaving both the coiffeur and his customers ecstatic.
"It's like Christmas, New Year's and my birthday combined," he says. "I am allowed to do again what I love most, working with hair."
Hair and nail salons are among the few businesses allowed to open again in Germany since the start of this week. Other than, that the country remains in a hard lockdown. Shops, cafes, restaurants, all shut. Chancellor Angela Merkel reluctant to allow for the restrictions to be loosened.
"First, we need to see how well we can manage contact tracing, the coronavirus warning app and reinforcements for health authorities, better test strategies and so on," she said.
"We then need to see how we can step-by-step allow for more openness without risking another exponential growth."
Public support for Merkel is waning in Germany, especially as the country's vaccination campaign is only slowly moving ahead.
This vaccination center we visited in Berlin is running like clockwork, mostly elderly and front line medical workers getting their shots. The managing director said most are grateful to get the vaccine.
MARKUS NISCH, VACCINE CENTER: Everyone is really happy to meet each other. That's why the old people are very grateful to be here and have the treatment.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): But the staff also acknowledged they could be vaccinating almost twice as many people each day if they could get their hands on more vaccine. The problem, this politician says, is that Germany relied on the E.U. to order vaccine doses and it didn't order fast enough.
KARL LAUTERBACH, GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Procurement of the vaccines was slow. Price considerations were overwhelming. Capacity was not given the attention it should have been given. So we lost time and we are basically suffering from a shortage of all the major vaccines.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The German government acknowledges there have been lapses in its vaccine rollout but says there will be a lot more vaccine available soon, as many citizens grow tired of waiting. Politicians tell them to be patient just a little longer -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
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VAUSE: The U.S. and E.U. have hit Russia with sanctions after the White House concluded Moscow poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny was arrested in January, returning from Germany, where he received treatment for being poisoned with Novichok. Seven senior Russian officials and 14 entities are the target of U.S. sanctions.
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NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We are exercising our authorities to send a clear signal that Russia's use of chemical weapons and human rights abuses have severe consequences.
Any use of chemical weapons anywhere at anytime by anyone, under any circumstance, is unacceptable and it contravenes international norms.
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VAUSE: The Kremlin denies any role in the attack on Navalny and says that it has found no proof he was poisoned and has dismissed the sanctions.
An ominous warning from the FBI director that domestic terrorism is spreading nationwide. in Senate testimony, Christopher Wray vowed to hold the rioters accountable for the insurrection which left 5 people dead. He also debunked right-wing conspiracy theories that anti fascists, extremists posed as Trump supporters actually were taking part in the attack.
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CHRISTOPHER WRAY, FBI DIRECTOR: We have not today seen any evidence of anarchist violent extremists or people subscribing to Antifa in connection with the 6th.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we have any evidence that the Capitol attack was organized by, quote, "fake Trump protesters"?
WRAY: We have not seen evidence of that, at this stage, sir.
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VAUSE: Wray defended the FBI's sharing of the threats on Capitol Hill before the riot but he acknowledged he did not see the threat report until after the insurrection.
Next on CNN NEWSROOM, the fight for control of Myanmar moves to the U.N. Police break up protests with stun grenades, tear gas and, according to one report, live ammunition.
Also signs of nuclear weapons set to be in North Korea. Why some say this should push Pyongyang higher on the Biden foreign policy to-do list.
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VAUSE: Police now on arrest in Myanmar with the Reuters News Agency reporting police used live ammunition to disperse a crowd of protesters, killing at least 4 people. CNN's Paula Hancocks is following the situation live.
Paula, what is the latest on the protests, which obviously seem to be continuing and spreading?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, at this point there is continuing momentum among the civil disobedience movement and that is despite what we have been seeing over the past few days, which appears to be an increase of force that the military or at least the police are willing to use against the protesters, which obviously begs the question, have they been ordered to use more force against the protesters to try and bring it under control?
But we are still seeing thousands upon thousands of people coming out onto the streets, across the whole country. It is very difficult to get a running tally of how many people have been injured or lost their lives. United Nations is trying to keep track of, it saying that they believe that at least 21 have been killed so far, 18 of those on the bloodiest day on Sunday.
Already this Wednesday we are seeing more clashes between protesters and the police. There has been widespread criticism of this increased use of force from around the world. We did hear from the military leader, the general, who said that he backed the police and believe that he thought that they were using, quote, "minimum force" but that is clearly not an opinion that is widely shared -- John.
VAUSE: Paula thank you, live in Seoul. It is disputed over who gets to represent the Myanmar before the Security Council. Thank you, Paula.
In the next wave of targeted attacks in Afghanistan, 3 women working in the media have been killed, warning some of what you're about to see is graphic.
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VAUSE (voice-over): Sources said that the women were gunned down on their way home from work.
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VAUSE (voice-over): Witnesses say that the attacker shot the women in the head before fleeing. A fourth woman survived but is reportedly in hospital, fighting for her life. Coworkers say the 3 women died were recent high school graduates, 18 to 20, and they were working in the station's dubbing department.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All of them were our colleagues for more than 2 years. They were very good people, I have no words. All I can say is that this was a brutal act against them. Killing them is a major sin.
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VAUSE: Police say the suspected attacker has been arrested and he has ties to the Taliban. Spokesman for the Taliban denies any involvement, this comes in a wave of shootings and bomb attacks in the recent months. They appear to be targeting journalists and government employees.
Satellite images obtained are raising concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons program. These images were captured on February 11th and show North Korea was trying to hide underground tunnels.
Will Ripley live in Hong Kong with details on this.
We know that North Korea is back in the nuclear business.
Is this confirmation?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. This is the thing, this site has been under U.S. and South Korean and probably Japanese military surveillance by satellites for many years. These tunnels have been seen for more than a year now.
But what North Korea is apparently doing according to the imagery is building structures to conceal the entrances to the tunnel.
What would be the purpose for this?
If they were going to move nuclear weapons into the suspected storage facilities, they would want to do that as much as out of the view of spy satellites as possible. Unless this is some sort of an attempt to show activity at a known nuclear site, to get the attention of the Biden administration, which, John, has not yet put out a statement on what their policy is going to be when it comes to North Korea.
CNN is told the reason for that is that the North Korea situation is still being studied by the Biden administration. But the fact that it has taken this long, well over a month, since the inauguration, is a sign that North Korea is relatively low on the new U.S. administration priority list.
North Korea has been known at the beginning of presidential terms to try and get the attention of the U.S. presidents. Perhaps this is a more subtle way of doing it as opposed to just pushing the button on some sort of missile launch, or a nuclear test, which North Korea has not done since late 2018, 2017, it's hard to keep track. It has been a while and it was a self imposed moratorium. The question is will that moratorium end if North Korea feel it is not getting the attention of the United States.
VAUSE: Just very quickly, there's also a theory that they do not need to carry out nuclear tests, they have all the information that they need.
RIPLEY: Well, they just displayed the new weapons back starting last October then earlier this year, including this new long-range ICBM that they have not tested yet. People believe that the North Korea has the capability of miniaturized nuclear warheads and put them in these missiles. But it is not clear if North Korea can launch one of these high enough that it would survive re-entry back into the atmosphere.
The only way to know that for sure is to do a test, John, that is why a lot of analysts believe that it is just not a matter of if but when.
VAUSE: Will, thank you appreciate you being with us.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, with much of the world turning the corner on the COVID pandemic, there is new challenge ahead, the long-term implications to our mental health, especially our kids. We will speak with an expert in mental health and pediatrics when we come back.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Well, the end of the coronavirus pandemic may be in sight health experts are warning of the long term fallout from our collective PTSD. With long stretches of isolation, lockdowns, stress, the lack of social structure caused by remote learning has been tough on children and teens, anecdotal evidence of a surge in the numbers being treated for depression as well as anxiety, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics is urging schools to reopen, a point echoed by the U.S. president on Tuesday.
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BIDEN: Right now, an entire generation of young people is on the brink of being set back a year or more in their learning. You can ask millions of parents, they understand. We're already seeing rising mental health concerns, due in part to isolation.
Educational disparities that have always existed grow wider each day. And our schools remain closed and remote learning isn't the same for every student, as you all know.
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VAUSE: Dr. D. Richard Martini is a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of Utah and he is with us from Salt Lake City.
Thank you for taking the time to speak to us.
DR. D. RICHARD MARTINI, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: It's a pleasure to be here.
VAUSE: Everywhere you look at seems like not just across the United States but around the world there are the signs of a mental health crisis among young people, from elementary school to college. There is no hard data linking remote learning to a rise of suicide and depression but there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that this is a crisis in the making.
What has been your experience?
MARTINI: I think that there are significant changing changes for children and adolescents of all ages. I think that the concern is basically all of the changes that have resulted in areas that are very important to them. So within families for example, there have been significant changes,
financial because of the number of family members parents have, lost jobs, they have to had reductions in income. There are family members who have gotten sick and some have gotten critically ill, some have died.
And even the circumstances of their illnesses has been very stressful for children and adolescents. Quite often these people are sick alone and they die alone. I think it is extremely stressful for families.
The other issue is how much isolation has gone on among these children and adolescents?
Contacts with peers, contacts with schools, in many cases, I think that these relationships are very important to them. And the loss of these relationships, the suspension of them has been very important.
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MARTINI: -- I think President Biden referred to the changes in academics, academic expectations, which has been lost over the past of the year and there is some uncertainty about what is going to happen, how they're going to catch up.
What is school going to be like?
And, of course, with all of these changes, there are particularly vulnerable populations, populations of kids for example who are developmentally delayed or have significant behavioral emotional problems. They tend to be kids who suffer a bit more.
Patients of mine who have developed learning problems, for example, it is difficult for teachers to maintain all of those special education programs.
VAUSE: I'm just wondering about the social impacts --
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VAUSE: -- I have a teenage daughter and social interactions with her peers is crucial and that has been on hold for a long time.
But when this first began, there was never the expectation that it would last for this long.
Is that why now, this feeling among doctors and social workers and health experts that the risk of the pandemic is not as great as the risk of keeping these kids apart for an extended period of time.
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MARTINI: I think that there, of course, needs to be balanced between what is medically appropriate and the social risks that are involved. I think that schools are making attempts to reopen and to bring these kids together in whatever ways that are possible. I think it's important for agencies to communicate to families and to
children what the risks are, what the concerns are, and what the plans are going forward.
I think one of the things about the situation is that it's not unusual for the emotional impact of a situation like this to lag, even when we talk about things like suicide or suicidal ideation. It's not unusual for, in any sort of significant traumatic event, for the impact of that to leg behind.
So I think people are getting concerned now that it's been a year and also because it's not clear going forward exactly what's going to happen. It's not unusual for them to be so concerned about children and adolescents in this situation.
VAUSE: Dr. Richard Martini, thank you so much. Yes, this is one of those issues they, obviously, they need to be looking at and looking at closely to find out exactly what the long-term consequences will be. But I guess we'll find out.
Thank you, sir. We appreciate you being with us.
MARTINI: My pleasure. Thank you.
VAUSE: Well, anti-Asian violence is on the rise in the U.S., and rights groups are demanding action. Ahead, we'll discuss what's behind the crisis and what can be done to stop it.
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VAUSE: Police and federal investigators are looking into a vehicle crash in Southern California near the Mexican border which left 13 people dead. Authorities say 25 people were packed into an SUV. The backseats had been removed. The vehicle collided with a semi-truck earlier on Tuesday. A number of passengers were ejected from the SUV.
The Mexican consulate says at least 10 Mexican nationals are among the victims. U.S. immigration officials believe possibly that human smuggling may have been involved.
Tuesday marked the birthday of the late children's author Dr. Seuss, but the day also became a reckoning for the beloved writer. Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced it would no longer publish the six titles right there on your screen.
The company says the books, quote, "portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong" and ceasing their sales is part of the commitment to represent and support all communities.
"The Cat's Quizzer" and "If I Ran the Zoo" have been singled out in the past for negative and stereotypical depictions of Asians.
But that's by no means a complete list. Dozens of other Dr. Seuss books will still be published. Those who mind don't matter. Those who matter don't mind. The U.S. has seen a sudden rise in anti-Asian violence which coincides with the timing of the pandemic. From New York to California, Asian- Americans have been verbally harassed, physically assaulted, and even stabbed.
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CNN's Amara Walker has details.
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NOEL QUINTANA, ATTACKED ON SUBWAY: He slashed me from cheek to cheek with a boxcutter.
AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Noel Quintana was attacked on a packed subway in New York last month at the height of the morning rush hour.
QUINTANA: I was screaming, a lot of blood oozing. So I was so afraid.
WALKER: Afraid he would die on his way to work after encountering this man, identified here by New York Police. Quintana, a Filipino- American, says the stranger repeatedly kicked his tote bag, and when he confronted him about it, the 61-year-old says he was viciously assaulted.
QUINTANA: So I asked for help, but nobody came for help.
WALKER: Quintana believes he may have been targeted because of his race.
QUINTANA: Because of the COVID-19, I think there are more Asians being attacked.
WALKER: According to Stop AAPI Hate, which tracks these kinds of attacks, there have been nearly 3,000 incidents against Asians reported across all 50 states since March of last year. The Asian advocacy groups says nearly all of them were unprovoked.
Though rights groups don't know the exact cause of the surge, they say a clear pattern of targeted hate has emerged since the pandemic began.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They told me to go back to China.
WALKER: In Los Angeles, 27-year-old Denny Kim (ph) says he was punched in the face by two strangers. The LAPD investigating the case as a hate crime.
On Thursday, police say a 36-year-old Asian man who was stabbed from behind in New York's Chinatown is now in critical condition. Although the NYPD said the suspect would be charged with a hate crime, no such charges have been filed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is driven by hate.
WALKER: In San Francisco, authorities say an 84-year-old immigrant from Thailand died after being violently shoved to the ground in January. A 19-year-old man facing murder and elder abuse charges.
ANDREW YANG (D), NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL CANDIDATE: It's been heartbreaking and devastating for me and so many Asian Americans.
WALKER: Andrew Yang, New York City Democratic mayoral hopeful, tells CNN that, while President Trump's rhetoric may have fanned the flames of anti-Asian sentiment --
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Kung Flu.
WALKER: -- racism against Asians is nothing new.
YANG: Certainly, having the president of the United States saying things like "Kung Flu" and "China virus" did normalize an association between the pandemic and people of Asian descent.
JASON WANG, CEO, XI'AN FAMOUS FOODS: Our employees are heavily impacted by this.
WALKER: Jason Wang, CEO of Xi'an Famous Foods, says violence against two of his Asian employees on public transit in separate incidents gave him no choice but to cut his business hours at all eight Chinese restaurants.
WANG: One was punched so hard that his glasses broke.
WALKER: Despite the pandemic forcing him to already close six locations, Wang says safety is more important than the bottom line.
WANG: One of the biggest reasons for that is to make sure that our employees feel at least a little bit safer about traveling back home.
WALKER: Even with many Asian-American celebrities like former NBA star Jeremy Lin and actress Olivia Munn speaking out about the hate, and lawmakers raising concerns about the disturbing trend.
SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D-HI): These are totally unprovoked attacks.
WALKER: Some feel crimes against Asians need to be taken more seriously.
CHRIS KWOK, BOARD MEMBER, ASIAN-AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK: Government is still figuring out how to properly serve Asian- Americans. And so, look, even prosecutors have to understand the nature of discrimination.
QUINTANA: I think that the Asians should speak up and work on solidarity so that the authorities would listen.
WALKER (on camera): Now, Noel Quintana, who is still recovering from that face slashing, tells me he's too afraid to ever ride the subway again or take any public transportation for that matter.
And I've got to say, I've spoken with many Asian-Americans in the past several days, and they tell me they don't remember a time where they actually had to stop and think about their safety before going about their daily routines.
In Atlanta, Amara Walker, CNN.
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VAUSE: Amanda Nguyen is CEO and founder of Rise, a non-profit civil rights group. She's with us this hour from Washington, D.C. Amanda, thank you very much for being with us.
And firstly, I guess an apology, because this story should have received a lot more attention a lot sooner than now, and we should have done better. So I'm sorry about that. And I'd like to know, how do you explain the lack of news coverage? And what's been the impact of that lack of coverage?
AMANDA NGUYEN, CEO/FOUNDER, RISE: My gosh. I think you're the first person to say those words. I didn't realize how much it would have an impact on me, so thank you so much.
VAUSE: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: To answer your question, quite simply, Asian-Americans, Pacific islanders, have been erased consistently, systematically, throughout our history, both our grief and also our contributions to this country. And so when it came time to speak up about these issues and I saw that mainstream media was not covering enough, I decided to ask people to help, and they did.
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VAUSE: So when there's no coverage of these events happening, does that sort of give a tacit approval for it to continue, in a way?
NGUYEN: Absolutely. Absolutely. It is that. And it's also not only journalists who aren't covering the story. It should be covered responsibly. And the decision should be up the chain, as well. That's why it's so important to have diversity of the news room, as well.
VAUSE: You know, America, racism, and hate, these three amigos have been around for a very long time. The relationship changes, has ups and downs. But American -- Asian-Americans have experienced it a lot over the years. But the last 12 months have been different. How so?
NGUYEN: There's no doubt that there has been a rise in attacks against the Asian-American community because of the pandemic and because there have been leaders like President Trump, who have used slur phrases like "China virus," "Kung Flu," to scapegoat our people, our community.
VAUSE: You know, there are some really obvious examples out there, and you've highlighted some of the worst, which have ended in a loss of life. But trying to go to school as an Asian-American in the midst of the pandemic. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHERINE OUNG, CHINESE AMERICAN STUDENT: Young Asian-Americans like me are feeling hate infect every part of our lives.
JESSE WATTERS, FOX NEWS HOST: I'd like to just ask the Chinese for a formal apology.
OUNG: Not only do we have to be afraid about our health, we have to be afraid about being ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Class basically just started. One of the girls said all Chinese people were disgusting. And so I literally, like, raised my hand and was like, "I'm Chinese." She didn't even say sorry. She just, like, blew past it, I guess, and then she, like, kept going on about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: That's from "The New York Times'" "Today's "Lesson" series. What really stood out in that very short video was total lack of empathy many had for those -- who were giving this abuse this way. They just didn't get it.
NGUYEN: Yes, absolutely. You hit it on the nail. It is about empathy. And that really stems from us being erased consistently over and over again. Look, silence erases our humanity. And so the problem is invisibility. In order for there to be empathy, our stories need to be told. People need to be educated about us. And that means that we need to be visible.
VAUSE: OK. So how does this get fixed? What's the -- I mean, is there a bumper sticker-style solution to all of this?
NGUYEN: Of course not. It's very complex. But the cold creeps forward when everyone calculates that it's wisest to stay silent another day, until someone takes that torch and charges into that nightmare.
And what we have seen is that that torch has been lit, and people are carrying it forth. And it's not only folks within the AAPI community that have spoken up for the first time about their grief and about feeling validated. It's also about cross-community solidarity.
I'm so grateful to people who have said, You know what? I am not Asian-American, but I stand with you. And so to anyone who's listening today, please, please know that your voice does matter, that our community is hurting right now and that you can make an immense difference.
VAUSE: Amanda, thank you so much. We really appreciate you being with us.
NGUYEN: Thank you. Thank you so much.
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT is after the break, and then I will see you at the top of the hour for another hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
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