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Remembering Prince Philip; More Universities Requiring Proof Of Vaccination; U.S. Reports One-Day Vaccination Record Of 4.6 Million Shots; Some Maine Residents Refusing Vaccination; Brazil COVID-19 Variant Spreads In South America; Over 80 Killed In Myanmar On Friday; Busy Weekend For Biden With Climate, Infrastructure On Agenda; Rare Tropical Cyclone To Land In Western Australia. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired April 11, 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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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here, in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for your company.
Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. A royal remembrance. We are learning details of Prince Philip's funeral, scaled back because of COVID restrictions.
A worrying surge of new COVID cases in Michigan. The U.S. government sending reinforcements to administer vaccines.
And:
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want democracy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want democracy. We don't want a military coup.
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HOLMES: As deaths continue to climb in Myanmar, CNN, with an exclusive look inside the country for the first time since the coup and witnesses' extraordinary acts of courage.
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HOLMES: From Scotland to the Strait of Gibraltar, gun salutes have honored Prince Philip on the second day of tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire.
HOLMES (voice-over): And you can see Cardiff Castle there. Prince Charles says his father would have been touched by the reaction to his death.
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CHARLES, PRINCE OF WALES: My dear papa was a very special person who, I think, above all else would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him and from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all of that. It will sustain us in this particular loss and at this particularly sad time.
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HOLMES: Mourners have continued to leave flowers at Windsor Castle where the duke passed away, aged 99. And we are learning more about the funeral which is going to take place on Saturday, April 17th. It will be a low key ceremony, in line with the duke's own wishes and COVID guidelines, of course, which allow for up to 30 people to attend.
Prince Harry will be flying over from California, though, Meghan, who is pregnant with their second child, is being advised by her doctor not to travel. Isa Soares is in Windsor for us.
So more flowers. Gun salutes, honoring of the man, including from the royal family, itself. Tell us about the scene there.
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, to you, Michael. So it's very early morning, here. But what we have seen for the last two days is mourners continue to come pay their respects, passing by Windsor Castle just behind me, taking a moment to reflect on the man, really, who -- who stood just a few steps behind the queen for more than 73 years, many, leaving flowers although, of course, they have been asked, by the -- the public is being asked not to do so because of COVID restrictions; instead, to leave a donation to one of -- of the Duke's more than 500 charities.
I expect, Michael, we will see more people coming today. The focus, though, will be, of course, on the funeral on April the 17th. We've got more details that you were outlining there, Michael. We know it won't be a full state funeral, as you and I were discussing yesterday, but a ceremonial -- really, a ceremonial event.
It will be pared down, significantly, because of COVID 19 restrictions. But it will still meet and reflect the duke's life and his work and reflect his wishes. I think that's really important.
Let me talk you through it so you -- so you really understand. There won't be any procession. The public won't be part of it because of COVID 19 restrictions. And I think the royal family and Prince Charles echoed that, saddened they can't actually involve the public. But it will be televised.
So on Saturday, the 17th of April, at -- at 2:45, 9:45 Eastern, a procession will take the coffin of the Duke of Edinburgh from the state entrance through -- through the quadrangle and into St. George's Chapel, which is just behind me. His coffin will be carried -- and this is a beautiful touch -- by
really a -- a -- a Land Rover that's been designed by the Duke himself. It's a beautiful touch. Behind, that will take him all the way to Windsor Castle.
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SOARES: And through that route, Michael, will be, we know, associations as well as many charities. Behind his coffin, we expect, walking behind, will be Prince Charles and the royal -- and the rest of the royal family. The queen, of course, will not -- will not be walking behind.
At 3:00 pm, as his body arrives at St. George's Chapel, there will be a minute's silence. And we know that his body will be interred at St. George's Chapel, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. And in terms of the mood in the country, tell us about that. I mean, the -- the -- the -- the -- you know, we have heard more from the family, as well, over the last 24 hours.
SOARES: We have. We have seen members of the royal family come to visit the queen. We saw, if you remember, Prince Charles, we know, visited the queen on Friday. We know, Prince Andrew, also, visited on Saturday as Prince -- and Prince Edward, that's his youngest son, came to visit the queen yesterday.
And the Countess of Wessex did say that the queen is doing very well. And I think, she has been kept incredibly busy, the queen, given the fact that she is the one that has to approve all the final details of the funeral, Michael.
But I think, the tone and the mood, of course, we are -- the country is in mourning. But I think it's reflecting people -- now, starting to reflect the incredibly rich life that the Duke of Edinburgh had and his years, many years, of service to the queen and the country. Michael.
HOLMES: Indeed. Isa Soares, early in the morning and good morning to you, in Windsor, England. Very early.
SOARES: Thank you.
HOLMES: And cold, apparently, too.
An influential U.S. COVID-19 model finds wearing masks is still critical as vaccinations continue to ramp up. It says some 14,000 lives could be saved in the U.S. by August if 95 percent of the population wears masks.
The CDC says new cases, though, are increasing. And it's especially happening in younger people. And have a look at the spike there, in Michigan, on that graph. The state just reported nearly 7,000 new cases on Saturday.
The federal government, in fact, sending 160 extra vaccinators there. And some hospitals in the state are delaying nonemergency procedures. They are getting too full. Many medical experts say pandemic fatigue, combined with the spread of coronavirus variants, are behind the surge in Michigan. Evan McMorris-Santoro with more.
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GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): The second we let our guard down, it comes roaring back
EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As COVID-19 cases soar to alarming levels in Michigan, a warning:
DR. JONEIGH KHALDUN, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: We are on track to potentially see a surge in cases that's even greater than the one we saw in the fall.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): The state's positivity rate is up to 18 percent and hospitalizations are climbing. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is asking high schools to go remote, youth sports to pause and encouraging citizens to skip indoor dining for the next two weeks.
WHITMER: To be very clear, these are not orders, mandates or requirements. A year in, we all know what works and this has to be a team effort. We have to do this together.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): Vaccinations in the state continue but not fast enough. The governor is pleading for more vaccines from the federal government, as the disruption of the supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccines continues to take a toll across the U.S.
WHITMER: We really should be surging vaccines to states that are experiencing serious outbreaks.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): The coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Response says the Federal government will offer states with outbreaks additional testing and personnel. But as of now, will not increase the number of vaccines.
JEFF ZIENTS, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: The virus is unpredictable. We don't know where the next increase in cases could occur. We're not even halfway through our vaccination program, so now is not the time to change course on vaccine allocation.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): This, as the CDC is aware of four states that have reported some adverse reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Several states even halting distribution of that vaccine.
The CDC is not recommending health department's stop administering Johnson & Johnson shots at this time and at least one county in North Carolina, plans on resuming doses as soon as Monday.
SYRA MADAD, SPECIAL PATHOGENS PROGRAM, NYC HEALTH AND HOSPITALS: Right now, the benefits certainly outweigh the risk but more information hopefully will come out to the general public. MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): And what could be promising news, drug maker Pfizer asking the FDA for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine to expand to children ages 12 to 15 in the U.S. Currently, it's approved for people 16 and up only.
DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I'm very optimistic about this. We need them to get the benefit of the vaccine but also it will help us to reach herd immunity a lot faster.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): And vaccine requirements are becoming part of the new normal. Analysis by CNN finds 16 colleges and universities and counting -- the latest, Duke University.
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MCMORRIS-SANTORO (voice-over): -- will require students to show proof of full vaccination before returning to on-campus classes this fall -- Evan McMorris-Santoro, CNN, New York.
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HOLMES: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a CNN contributor and epidemiologist and also a former Detroit health commissioner.
Doctor, good to see you. The U.S. sees bigger numbers, in recent days, as this U.K. variant becomes dominant, particularly, where you are, actually, in Michigan.
What are your concerns, even as vaccinations continue?
DR. ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: That's right, Michael. We have this unfortunate circumstance, where we have a set of dynamics that are leading to spread, particularly as you mentioned here, in my home state of Michigan.
The first is we have got B.1.1.7 enriching in some pretty profound ways. We are seeing growth about 7.5 percent every week or so. And that really is concerning because it's more transmissible. And it's, also, more virulent, more deadly.
The second is that, while we have vaccines on the way, they're still not, yet, here; 25 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. But that leaves another 50 percent that need to get vaccinated to get that bottom level of herd immunity that we need, to really clamp down on this pandemic.
And then, the third is that there has been a lot of, we will just say, aggressive reopening in the face of the oncoming vaccines. And I think, in some respects, the optimism about what the vaccine can do has far outstripped how much vaccine we have actually gotten into arms.
So you take those things together and you are starting to see the uptake we are seeing across the country. And it's concerning because are on the doorstep of the finish line and we just need to get across. So folks need to do the things we have been doing, masking up, backing up, washing up and hopefully, now, vaxing up.
HOLMES: Yes. I wanted to pick your brain, too, because when you talk about vaccination numbers globally, the statistics are really worrying. Only 2 percent of the global population has been able to get fully vaccinated, 2 percent. The wealthiest countries are vaccinating 25 times faster than poorer countries.
Dozens of nations haven't had a single dose. And there was a Duke study that suggested poorer countries might not have a vaccine until 2024. What happens in one country impacts others.
So how important is the global vaccination effort?
EL-SAYED: You are absolutely right, Michael. This is a global pandemic and we have to take the global part of it extremely seriously. And folks in this country are really worried about it because, A, we know that we have a global responsibility to making sure that the vaccines that are manufactured here, that they get out everywhere because, of course, it is critical for us to do our part to make sure that we are bringing down this global pandemic.
The second part of it, though, is it really is concerning because every single warm body that remains unvaccinated presents an opportunity for this virus to pick up more mutations, potentially a mutation that would render our vaccines useless.
And so, it -- it -- it really is a matter of not just the right thing to do for folks living in other countries but the right thing to do for folks living here, in the United States. And so, it is a real responsibility.
And we need to do what we can to make sure that we are getting vaccines out to everyone in this world to finally end a real global pandemic. So I really appreciate you bringing that up, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. No, it's a great point; don't vaccinate poorer countries and then you are going to end up suffering in wealthier countries, anyway. And I guess you touched on this but whether you are vaccinated or not, models are showing that wearing a mask could still save thousands of lives in the months ahead.
What do you say to those, even if vaccinated, who might relax on that front?
EL-SAYED: That's right. Look. We know that the dynamics of pandemics, they can move really quickly on us. And these vaccines are safe and very effective. And -- but the problem is, is that for these vaccines to have their full effect, we need blanket vaccinations.
And the way I think about vaccines is kind of like a blanket. If you put a blanket on a fire, right, you can bring that fire down. And so, these vaccines are like a blanket for this pandemic.
The problem, though, is if you slowly feed a blanket into a fire, what happens is that, that fire will eat up that blanket. And so, part of the effect here is that we need to get a lot of people vaccinated at the same time to achieve this idea of herd immunity, to bring this pandemic down.
And until then, it's critical that even vaccinated people do their part to prevent the spread of -- of -- of these diseases. And that means wearing a mask. I know, that a lot people find it uncomfortable.
But let's be honest, right?
It's a lot less uncomfortable than living in a world where there is a global pandemic, ongoing, because we haven't done our part to stop that from happening.
HOLMES: I'm going to find it weird to not wear a mask and I don't think I will ever touch a doorknob again in my life. But, yes, not much to ask. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, thank you so much, as always.
EL-SAYED: Michael, thank you.
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HOLMES: Now security forces in Myanmar are taking more lives this weekend. Meanwhile, several extremely brave civilians putting themselves in harm's way to tell the world how badly they want democracy. We'll hear from them, after the break.
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HOLMES: Now on Saturday, the CDC reported a new record, about 4.6 million coronavirus doses administered in the U.S. in one day. Not bad. It, also, says more than three-quarters of the doses delivered, so far, have been administered and almost 71 million people have now been fully vaccinated.
That's more than 21 percent of the total population in the U.S. But there is, still, a long way to go to get to the herd immunity levels using vaccines.
It seems political party lines often play a role in who is getting the shot and who is not. But that is not the only reason. As you can imagine, the hesitancy has health officials worried. And this -- this is the case, in Maine. CNN's Jason Carroll brings us that story.
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JEFF EDGECOMB, MAINE RESIDENT: I've always stayed healthy, so, I mean, I don't get sick. I eat right, try to stick -- you know, take care of myself.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Health officials in Maine are desperately trying to reach people like Jeff Edgecomb, a 60-year-old truck driver who has been eligible to get the COVID vaccine for more than a month, but has no intention of getting one.
CARROLL (on camera): Do you have any concerns about COVID being out there and not being vaccinated?
EDGECOMB: No, not really.
CARROLL (voice-over): Edgecomb is a supporter of former President Donald Trump. He is not alone in rejecting a COVID vaccination.
A recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows fewer than half of Republicans say they've gotten the vaccine or intend to do so as soon as possible. Compared with about eight in 10 Democrats and almost six in 10 Independents.
That vaccine hesitancy is happening despite many GOP leaders including former President Trump encouraging people to get vaccinated.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And so, everybody, go get your shot.
EDGECOMB: I'm not going to do it. I don't --
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CARROLL (on camera): You still not going to do it.
EDGECOMB: No. I am the way I am, you know, that's how it is.
CARROLL (voice-over): Joy Gillespie, a part-time hospitality and medical worker, also says her mind is made up she will not roll up her sleeve for a shot.
JOY GILLESPIE, RESIDENT, MAINE: I think it's a medical and a political. I'm not -- I'm kind of like up and down with the government as it is and I think that there's certain things that they put out. I don't think they even know.
CARROLL: Even though the vaccine has shown to be safe and effective, Gillespie thinks it was rushed and is concerned about possible long- term side effects.
GILLESPIE: I just have to watch, I guess, and pray that I don't get it.
CARROLL: Health officials in Maine are encouraged by a census survey in early March, showing four out of five unvaccinated adults in the state say they do plan to get the vaccine, one of the highest rates nationwide but, at the same time, acknowledge vaccine hesitancy could jeopardize their progress.
The state's CDC director cautions it's not just politics keeping shots out of arms.
DR. NIRAV D. SHAH, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, MAINE: It's not a monolith. There's a diversity of views, some folks have questions because they are skeptical of the government.
Other folks have questions because they are skeptical of pharmaceutical companies. Other folks have questions because they're skeptical of vaccines in general. And I think the trick that we as a public health community have to do is meet those folks where they are.
Androscoggin County has one of the highest percentages of positive COVID cases in the state. On this day, volunteers from a local health advocacy group are going door to door, urging Lewiston residents to sign up for the vaccination. They're targeting members of the immigrant community but they will engage with anyone.
ABDIKHADAR SHIRE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, A.K. HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES: Did you get vaccinated?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
SHIRE: You don't want to?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
SHIRE: What if I tell you that it's medically proven, it's approved by the doctors. I got my shots, he got his shots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SHIRE: All my team got their shots and I think it's safe.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I understand but I don't believe in it.
CARROLL: Health volunteers say conversations like this are not unusual.
CARROLL (on camera): Why the hesitancy you think?
SHIRE: Basically, it's something to do with conspiracy theories that's going around.
CARROLL (voice-over): The state is planning more outreach by mobilizing local doctors to address the concerns of those across the anti-COVID vaccine spectrum.
SHAH: They may not listen to me, they may not listen to someone in D.C., they may not listen to pharmaceutical company, but they will listen to their doctor.
CARROLL: Still, for some, there may be little convincing.
CARROLL (on camera): Is there anyone that could influence you perhaps to get the vaccine?
EDGECOMB: No.
CARROLL (voice-over): Jason Carroll, CNN, Portland, Maine.
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HOLMES: Paris police broke up a clandestine party at a restaurant that was being attended by more than 100 people. Now this happened in the eastern part of the city on Friday night. That's even though there is a 7:00 pm curfew and other restrictions, in place, to try to get COVID 19 under control.
Police say they have arrested the party organizer, as well as the manager of the restaurant.
Now we've been talking a lot about the state of the pandemic in Brazil. The country reporting the most COVID-19 cases, after the U.S. But much of South America is struggling, right now, to keep the virus under control, as CNN's Paula Newton reports.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 100 days since coronavirus vaccinations began in South America, a deadly COVID resurgence is striking the region.
"As a state, we have failed," said the Peruvian president Friday, apologizing to all who have lost loved ones in the pandemic.
Peru was among the countries suffering a second wave of infections, as hospitals struggle to keep up. The past week saw more dying, each day, than any, other time this year.
Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, also seeing fatalities rise to record levels. In Brazil, more than 4,000 losing their life, in 24 hours, as the country's outbreak spirals out of control.
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NEWTON (voice-over): During his weekly streaming address, president Jair Bolsonaro said the situation was very complicated. Despite surging deaths, the right wing leader continues railing against local governments that try to impose lockdowns or COVID restrictions. He's, also, deflected criticism for a sputtering vaccine rollout.
While, little over 10 percent of the population has received their first dose, it was in Brazil, where a coronavirus variant was first discovered, which experts now, partially, blame for the region's COVID resurgence.
Several countries have restricted flights and closed their borders with Brazil, as they renew efforts to fight rising cases at home, like neighboring, Colombia. It's curbed movement to and from Brazil and extended its coronavirus measures across the nation. In Argentina, a nighttime curfew began this weekend, until April 30th.
It was announced by the president, from his official residence, where he's self-isolating while he, himself, is infected.
Other countries, like Chile, are also reimposing measures, as previous hopes of an easing pandemic dissolve. Still, despite a grim outlook, right across the region, those who look can find small victories.
Hospital staff in northern Colombia cheered this 104-year-old woman, who recovered from coronavirus for the second time. She was discharged after a 21-day stay. One of the lucky to survive, her miraculous story, a rare moment of hope, as South America continues a grueling battle with COVID-19 -- Paula Newton, CNN.
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HOLMES: And when we come back on CNN NEWSROOM, $2 trillion and counting. President Biden prepares to push ahead with his massive infrastructure plan. And that's not the only thing on his agenda. We'll have the latest from Washington, when we come back.
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HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Now Myanmar's military is slaughtering its own citizens at a brutal and breathtaking rate. A monitoring group says more than 80 people were killed on Friday alone.
Now this latest bloodshed happened in the city of Bago. You can see how tense the fighting was there. Now the monitoring group says security forces used assault rifles, hand grenades and even rocket propelled grenades on people's houses. That brings the civilian death toll since the coup past 700.
Paula Hancocks following all of this for us, from neighboring Thailand.
Paula, that death toll keeps climbing. And yet, still the protesters, continue to come out.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Michael. I mean, this particular occasion on Friday in this -- the city of Bago, about 60 kilometers away from Yangon, the most populous city. And what we are hearing from local media and from AAPP, that's that Burmese NGO, is that as you say, more than 80 people were killed, in just that one day. Now we are hearing that there was attacks on protesters and on houses,
from early in the morning, until late at night. AAPP says that the -- the military was trying to turn it into a battlefield.
And clearly, when you use something like the heavy machinery, like rocket propelled grenades, that is what you would use on a battlefield. But the NGO's saying that it was more like a killing field.
Now we hear from -- from a news agency, quoting eyewitnesses, that the military was seen putting a number of bodies onto the back of trucks and then, driving them away. This is something that we have consistently heard, in different areas of the country, that the military has been taking bodies, away.
Now this, of course, makes it increasingly difficult for -- for places, like AAPP, to -- to tally, exactly, what that death toll is. They say, at this point, they believe it's 701. But every time, they report numbers, they say that the actual death toll is, likely, far higher. That is just the number that they can confirm.
Now this, also, came the same day, as the military sentenced 19 protesters to death, saying that -- that they had been involved in the killing of an -- of an associate of an army captain. Now we don't know the exact details of what, exactly, happened.
But it does show you the sense of -- of impunity; when -- when security forces and military open fire on protesters, there are no repercussions. But in this case, we do hear, from the military state- run television, that 19 people will be sentenced to death.
And also, we hear from the junta spokesperson, who says that things are getting back to normal, slightly, divorced from reality there, Michael.
HOLMES: Paula Newton there in Thailand for us -- Paula Hancocks, rather, apologize.
CNN's chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward has just returned from Myanmar, where she and her team were the first Western TV journalists allowed into the country since the coup. They were under military escort, the whole time, every movement, carefully controlled. Yet, they still had a chance see what's really happening on the ground.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By day, the junta continues its brutal crackdown, killing pro-democracy protesters who refuse to submit to military rule. At night, the raids begin as soldiers round up activists and drag away the dead their body's evidence of the military shoot to kill tactics.
Two months after overthrowing Myanmar's democratically elected government in a coup. The junta has been unapologetic in its ruthlessness and silent in the face of international outrage. Fearless local journalists and activists have risked everything to show the world what is happening while outside access to the country has been blocked?
But now the military has granted CNN the first access to visit Myanmar. From the moment we arrived, our movements are tightly controlled.
WARD (on camera): Gives you a sense of the intense level of security with us 123, another three over there six trucks full of soldiers accompanying our every move.
WARD (voice-over): At township offices across Yangon alleged victims of the protest movement dutifully await us.
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WARD (voice-over): They tell us they have been beaten and threatened and humiliated by the violators of pejorative term the military uses for the pro-democracy protesters.
In North or -- the local administrator complains that the demonstrators were noisy. It broke the law by gathering in groups of more than five.
WARD (on camera): Are you seriously comparing these infractions to more than 500 people being killed among them children? Are you saying that these are equal?
WARD (voice-over): Our minders are perturbed by the question and it goes unanswered. They take us to a shopping center, one of two attacked by arsonists overnight. Like many businesses in Myanmar they are partially owned by the military.
The strong implication from our minders is that the protesters are to blame. It's a similar story at several burned out factories. This is the third factory that the military wanted to show us. They say it's a clear proof that the protesters are violent that they have been setting fire to businesses like this, but the protesters say they had nothing to do with it at all.
And the factory owners who we've spoken to say they simply don't know who's responsible. Sandra's Chinese own garment factory was completely destroyed. She asked we not show her face.
WARD (on camera): Do you have any sense of what you will do now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Working for the government give me some sense heavy.
WARD (on camera): Who is the government right now in Myanmar? Sorry, is that a hard question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know.
WARD (voice-over): Every moment of our visit is carefully choreographed. When protesters begin posting about our movements on social media, the military cuts off Wi-Fi across the country. Still, from the window of our convoy we catch glimpses of reality.
Some people from the balcony just flashed three fingers at me. That's the "Hunger Games" salute, which has become emblematic of this uprising. I'm speaking very quietly because I don't want our minders to know what they just did because, honestly, it could be a very dangerous situation.
We pass a small protest, rejecting Myanmar's returned to more than half a century of repressive military rule. Their banner calls for a spring revolution. Our minders won't let us stop. Finally, after days of pushing, we are allowed to visit a public space an open market, we avoid approaching anyone mindful of the fact that we are surrounded by security forces. But within minutes, one brave man flashes the three- finger salute.
WARD (on camera): I saw that you made a sign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WARD (on camera): Tell me what you mean by making that sign?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No--
WARD (on camera): We don't want -- you just stand back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice, justice -- we want the justice.
WARD (on camera): You want the justice?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice, yes.
WARD (voice-over): Moments later, another man approaches.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not scare.
WARD (on camera): No scare?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing. We don't have a -- not scared. But every day, every day, just like this.
WARD (voice-over): As word of our presence spreads, we hear an unmistakable sound. Banging pots and pans is a tradition to get rid of evil spirits. But it has become the signature sound of resistance. This young teacher says she ran to talk to us when she heard the noise.
WARD (on camera): You want democracy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want democracy. We don't want military coup.
WARD (voice-over): You know we're surrounded by a military like this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't, I'm not afraid at all. If we are afraid we people around to we're not hit the bands in the pan.
WARD (voice-over): Like many young people, she sees her future being ripped away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't want to go back to the Dark Age. We lost our voice and we had democracy only for 10 years. We don't have weapons. We don't have guns. Just only we have voice.
WARD (voice-over): But even words can be punished here. Not wanting the situation to escalate, we decide to leave the market, as people honk their horns in support of the protest movement.
The junta has grossly underestimated the determination of its people and the growing hatred for the military.
In the capital, Naypyidaw, we finally have the opportunity to confront Myanmar's senior military leadership.
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MAJOR GENERAL ZAW MIN TUN, MYANMAR MILITARY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): I will tell you the reason why we have to crack down. The protests were peaceful from February 1st to the 8th. The reason for the crackdown was because they blocked civil servants.
The Security Forces are giving warnings. Firstly, shouting to break the crowds and then shooting in the air. And the crowds are throwing stones and using slingshots.
WARD (on camera): Are you seriously comparing stones and slingshots to assault rifles?
The military is using weapons against its own people. They really only belong on the battlefield.
TUN (through translator): The main thing is, they are not only using stones and slingshots. We have evidence they used gasoline and Molotov cocktails. You need to add those, too.
For the Security Forces, they use crackdown weapons for riots. There will be deaths when they are cracking down the riots, but we are not shooting without discipline with the rifles we use for the front lines.
WARD: So this is CCTV footage of 17-year-old Kwa Min Lah (ph).
Going past, what do you say to his mother?
You say that he was a violent protester?
Or what would you say to the father of 13-year-old, Tun Mak Nguyen (ph), also shot dead by your forces?
TUN (through translator): We have heard about the deaths of the children, too. There is no reason we will shoot children. This is only the terrorists that are trying to make us look bad.
WARD (voice-over): But the lies are paper thin. According to the U.N., as of March 31st, at least 44 children have been killed. Back in Yangon, our minders take us to another market, in a military area. Keen to show they have popular support, but the ploy backfires.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want democracy.
WARD (on camera): I understand.
A man just told me, "We want democracy" as he walked past. But he was too scared to stop and talk.
WARD (voice-over): Others are more bold.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please save our country.
WARD (on camera): Save your country?
WARD (voice-over): These people are not activists. They are ordinary citizens and they live in fear of the military.
WARD (on camera): You have goose bumps. You're like, shivering.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are not -- they are not human.
WARD: Yes. They're not human?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
WARD (voice-over): They are desperate for the outside world to know their pain. One girl approaches us, shaking.
WARD (on camera): I feel like you're very nervous. Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We are not safe anymore. Even in the night. There are shooters and the shooters shoot the children.
WARD: I don't want you to get in trouble. I don't want you to get arrested, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Thank you.
WARD: All right.
WARD (voice-over): She knows her bravery will certainly be punished, but this is a resistance movement built on small acts of great courage -- Clarissa Ward, CNN, Myanmar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now that woman was arrested as she was running away from the market. Ten others were, also, arrested just for talking to CNN. Thankfully, we believe, all were released after a couple of days.
Now there is more from Clarissa's team at cnn.com, breaking down what Myanmar's military says to justify their brutal crackdown and whether that matches reality.
We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Now Joe Biden is preparing to push ahead with his infrastructure plan, next week, after a weekend of meetings with top advisers. And there is another, big topic on the agenda, too, climate change. Arlette Saenz, with the details.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden spent Saturday meeting with senior members of his team here, at the White House. And one of those meetings focused on climate issues.
Vice President Kamala Harris was, also, in attendance for that meeting. And secretary of state, Tony Blinken, and the special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, were also seen arriving here, at the White House, on Saturday afternoon.
Now this meeting comes, as the president is preparing to host a virtual climate summit, with world leaders, later this month. He has invited about 40 world leaders to attend, virtually, this summit, including, China and Russia, though, the final attendee list has yet to be finalized and released.
Now on top of the president's meetings here, at the White House, on Saturday, his immediate focus is infrastructure, as he's preparing to host a bipartisan group of lawmakers here, at the White House, on Monday to talk about that massive, $2.25 trillion infrastructure and jobs proposal.
The White House has said he will have more meetings, in the coming weeks, as he is starting to launch those negotiations to try to get this package passed -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.
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HOLMES: Well, it seems, former U.S. president Donald Trump still holds sway with the Republican Party, despite losing the presidency and the Senate, last year. He just hosted Republican National Committee donors at his mar a lago club for a closed-door speech.
But of course, these things don't stay behind closed doors, do they?
A person in the room, telling us, Trump repeatedly insulted the Senate GOP leader, Mitch McConnell, at one point, describing him as a dumb SOB. We are told the former president, also, touched on the 2020 presidential election.
And guess what? Still, falsely, claims it was stolen from him.
Quick break. When we come back here on CNN NEWSROOM, ash from an actively erupting volcano covering this Caribbean island. We will bring you the latest.
Also, a tropical cyclone headed toward western Australia. We will tell you when it's expected to hit and why it is so rare. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Now the La Soufriere volcano is covering St. Vincent island in ash. It erupted at least three times on Friday and more again on Saturday, spewing huge plumes of ash and smoke into the sky, which have also reached neighboring islands, including Barbados.
Strong sulfur smells are drifting all the way to the capital on the other end of the island. Authorities say the volcano could continue erupting for weeks; some 7,000 people were ordered to evacuate before the first eruption.
Meanwhile, a rare tropical cyclone is threatening western Australia.
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HOLMES: And I'm Michael Holmes. Thank you for your company. "CONNECTING AFRICA" is coming up for our international viewers. For everyone else, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
