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Israeli Defense Forces Strike Building Used By Media Organizations Such As Al Jazeera And Associated Press; President Biden Speaks To Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu And President Mahmoud Abbas Of Palestinian Authority Regarding Ongoing Violence; New CDC Guidelines Allow Any Fully Vaccinated Person To No Longer Wear Mask Or Social Distance; Republican Congressman Andrew Clyde Draws Criticism For Comparing January 6th Capitol Riots With Normal Tourist Visit; Prices Rise In U.S. Fastest Rate Since 2008. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired May 15, 2021 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For this Chilean native, this job is a dream come true.

OFFICER CLAUDIO JIMENEZ, CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG POLICE: I had to learn English, I had to do everything that everybody does, and work hard and became a citizen. And then I became a police officer, which was my dream. So I see the need. And I think I can make a huge difference in my community.

GALLAGHER: Dianne Gallagher, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We start with our breaking news this hour. This is the moment an Israeli airstrike destroyed an office building in Gaza, home to two prominent international media outlets.

Both Al Jazeera and the Associated press say their staff was warned to evacuate before the missiles struck. The building collapses into rubble just moments after it was hit. An anchor for Al Jazeera English gave this emotional response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This channel will not be silenced. Al Jazeera will not be silenced, we can guarantee you that right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It's the latest in a week of escalations. Palestinian officials say 139 people have been killed in Gaza with another 1,000 plus wounded. Meanwhile, the rocket fire from Hamas keeps coming, now killing at least eight civilians. With me now, Nic Robertson in Ashdod, Israel, Arlette Saenz is at the

White House, and Brian Stelter in New York. Nic, let's begin with you. What is Israel saying about this strike?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: They're saying that there was a military installation belongs to Hamas' military intelligence operation inside that building. They say they take care to avoid civilian casualties, and the prime minister here in a phone conversation with President Biden made the point on that phone call that the people in that building were warned to get out prior.

We know that The Associated Press have said that that warning did come, and that the people, the journalists in the building and others who live in the building and apartments were able to get out. Also, the Associated Press has also said it has appealed for more information to the Israeli government, spoken with the administration in Washington as well.

Hamas for their part say that they will respond to this particular building being taken down, that they will respond to it by targeting Tel Aviv. They didn't specify precisely when, but they've already been targeting it with rockets today. So that is now a standing threat from Hamas.

And I think the Associated Press' statement saying by this building being collapsed perhaps is the one that is going to resonate around the world, and that is quite simply as that building has been destroyed and that journalists can no longer work from it. The world will see less and understand less of what is happening in Gaza tonight and the days ahead.

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Nic.

Let's go to the White House now. Arlette Saenz is there. We're learning more about the conversation President Biden has had with leaders there.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, President Biden has been working the phones today as there are growing concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza. We have learned that the president has spoken with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. That call with Netanyahu took place late this morning, and we are still awaiting a White House readout of what exactly the president relayed to the Israeli prime minister.

The phone call with President Abbas is the first known time that the president, President Biden has spoken with him since taking office. Earlier in the week secretary of state Tony Blinken had reached out to President Abbas, but this is the first time that a sitting U.S. president himself has had a conversation.

Now, the White House over the course of the past few days has urged they're trying to de-escalate the situation regarding Israel, and they have also said that Israel has the right to defend themselves. So we will see once we learn this detailed readout of what exactly the president said to both sides, we will see what tone they are adopting going forward.

The Israeli prime minister's office put out a statement saying that they relayed the actions that they have already taken and actions they are planning to take to the president in that phone call, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, also thanked the president for what he described is his unwavering support for Israel's right to defend itself.

But for the time being, we are still waiting for that White House readout, and this administration is watching very closely what is happening over there. The president working out of the Oval Office at one point this morning as they tried to de-escalate these tensions we have just seen building up over the course of the past few days.

[14:05:04]

WHITFIELD: Arlette at the White House, thank you so much. Keep us posted.

Brian Stelter, to you now. These media outlets, A.P. and Al Jazeera, say their journalists were in danger today even though they were given at least an hour warning. What are you hearing?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: That's right. These news crews scrambled to move their cameras and other gear out of this building with only a few minutes to spare. The Associated Press says these staffers could have been killed in this bombing.

Blowing up a news bureau, obviously a shocking act, but it is also shocking if Hamas is hiding inside that building. And that is the allegation from Israel, quite clearly saying this was being used as a military facility, and that the A.P. was basically being used as a form of a human shield.

Nic mentioned the comment from the A.P. CEO Gary Pruitt saying the world will know less about what is happening in Gaza tomorrow because of what happened today. And Al Jazeera is going even further in a statement, Fred, saying they believe that was the purpose of this bombing, quote, "The aim of this heinous crime is to silence the media and to hide the untold carnage and suffering of the people of Gaza."

Al Jazeera, of course, based in Qatar, taking a position there in some ways or in sympathy or solidarity with the people of Gaza and demanding that this crime, in their words, be investigated.

Let me also show you, Fred, how journalism advocacy groups are reacting by this incredibly unusual move by the Israeli forces. Here is the executive director of the Community to Protect Journalists Joel Simon saying today "We demand the Israeli government provide a detailed and documented justification for this attack given the possible violation of international humanitarian law."

I think the obvious question that comes to mind is, what were the Israelis supposed to do? If they are sure, if they had intelligence that can be vetted that Hamas was using these news bureaus as a shield, as a hiding place, what were the Israelis supposed to do? Conversely, you're going to hear a lot of calls, as you see from the Community to Protect Journalists, from people saying show the evidence, prove there was something happening here, and that these were not just journalists and civilians inside this 12-story building, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, some very strong statements being made and demands. Nic, Arlette, Brian, to all of you, thank you so much.

And now to the new hopeful signs in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Across the U.S. teenagers and parents got a big sigh of relief this week. The FDA and CDC now authorizing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15. And many of those teens are already taking advantage of that at one point. CNN's Paul Vercammen is at a vaccination site in Los Angeles where already the lines have been long and people are getting their inoculation. Paul, what do you see?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you, Fredricka, it's a great sight to see. Look over my right shoulder. These are the people who are recovering and moving their arm around after getting the shot. And we have seen a number of 12 to 15-year-olds come in to get their first vaccination. It's a big number in Los Angeles County, a half-a- million people are in that category. And we talked to one young man who was just thrilled to be getting a shot today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUCAS BRUMBACH, GETTING HIS COVID VACCINE TODAY: It means a lot, I probably have to say. It's really just kind of a matter of convenience because I just get to fully vaccinated, don't have to worry as much. And life will just be easier pretty much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And many of these teens telling us they are going to be happy to get outside, reunite with friends, and more.

Also, the big news is the mask coming off, the ruling by the government. We talked to the county health director, Barbara Ferrer, and she clarified what will happen in restaurants, which seems to be a source of tremendous confusion here in California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BARBARA FERRER, DIRECTOR, L.A. COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: So right now, the guidance is really clear in restaurants. People need to wear their masks when they're not eating or drinking. Most of the people in restaurants are eating and drinking, and so when you go into restaurants, mostly what you see is people who are at their tables without their masks on. And that's appropriate, and that's what the directives say right now.

But it also says if you're walking around waiting in line, going to the restroom, in a common area, please go ahead and put that mask on to protect everybody else. Also, workers who work in restaurants are covered under Cal/OSHA, and they do need to keep their masks on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: So a lot of the mask rules are now being redefined. But you've got that clarification on restaurants from the director of county health.

Reporting from Los Angeles, I'm Paul Vercammen. Now back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul, thanks so much for that.

Joining me now to discuss is Jessica Malaty Rivera, an infectious disease expert and the science communication lead for the COVID Tracking Project. Always good to see you, Jessica.

[14:10:03]

So the CDC announcing updated recommendations this week, relaxing mask guidance for fully vaccinated people. You say the guidelines are a step in the right direction. But then there are some elements that are lacking.

JESSICA MALATY RIVERA, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT: Yes. So as your colleague, Paul, mentioned, there has been some confusion, and there will be likely some mistakes because of lack of nuance in the communication. I was mentioned to a colleague of yours, too, that I struggled even with President Biden's social media announcement about this because it just emphasized the wrong words.

We should be emphasizing "fully vaccinated" in the context of mask guidelines changes, and not just taking your mask off, because it's causing businesses, schools even to start to change their policy a bit prematurely and without the full picture of the guidelines.

WHITFIELD: Do you also think it was premature to even do this?

RIVERA: Personally, I do. I am very encouraged by the trends that we're seeing nationwide with cases and hospitalizations and deaths, and it's worth celebrating, but not premature celebration. As of today, we're still at less than 40 percent of the population being fully vaccinated, and we're forgetting about large populations that include people who are under 18 who are now just starting between the 12 and 15 age group getting vaccinated.

But there's medically fragile people who can't get vaccinated, those who are immunocompromised where their immune response might be a little reduced, and essential workers like Paul mentioned, too. Those people are protected by a lot of laws to make sure they stay masked. And we need to be mindful of them because of access to vaccine appointments and paid time off.

WHITFIELD: OK, so you're a mom, I'm a mom. What is the advice that you want to give to parents about how many feel a little conflicted in terms of they may be vaccinated but they have children who are not eligible for a vaccine? And how do you set a good example, how do you ensure safety? What's a parent to do? RIVERA: It's really complicated. And that's why the CDC doesn't have very specific guidelines on this because there isn't a single answer to it. There's so many factors to consider. Whether or not your kids are in school, what your overall risk is for the family. That said, I am very encouraged that we now are getting 12 to 15-year-olds vaccinated, and we'll start to see the age groups that are eligible for vaccinations grow as time goes on.

But in the meantime, masks are still safe and a good idea for children who are two and older until they are fully vaccinated. And I think that parents and families can make individual choices based on risk and understanding who is vaccinated in their community and who is not.

WHITFIELD: How should we anticipate the next school year? What do you envision is a realistic and safe approach?

RIVERA: So I imagine that by the time we're at fall, I imagine that most kids who are between 12 and 15 will be fully vaccinated, which will be much, much easier to have things like reduced mask-wearing in schools. But the pandemic is still happening, right Fredricka. We're not over this season yet, and I think that we'll still have some modifications to how we are in school indoors this fall. But I feel better and better about it as we increase the vaccination access to children in various age groups.

WHITFIELD: The messaging effort is still out there. What would be your recommendation to the CDC about offering real clarity right now, since there seems to be so much confusion everywhere?

RIVERA: Right, yes. It's just nuance and context, right. We're making large, very celebratory claims like not needing to wear a mask, but look at what's happened. We're seeing schools change their policies, restaurants not really clear on what they should do, and even between cities and state officials having confusion about how they should proceed and whether or not they should change their policies.

So there just needs to be more nuance, and I think a little bit more patience, too. We just updated the guidelines on what it means to be traveling once you're fully vaccinated. I think that it would have been ideal if we had more coverage nationwide for fully vaccinated individuals before we made any sort of claims about not needing to be masked indoors.

WHITFIELD: Jessica Malaty Rivera, always good to see you. Thank you so much. Be safe.

RIVERA: Thanks. You, too.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, Congressman Andrew Clyde, a freshman Republican from Georgia, is taking plenty of criticism for comparing the insurrection to a, quote, "normal tourist visit." We'll play some of his comments next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:18:19] WHITFIELD: House Democrats and Republicans have reached a deal on an independent commission to investigate the deadly January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer confirming he will bring legislation to the floor for a vote next week. This comes amid a disturbing trend among some House Republicans to downplay or even deny the violence we all saw with our own eyes actually happen on January 6th.

GOP Congressman Andrew Clyde compared the Capitol riot to a, quote, "normal tourist visit." This despite a photograph surfacing showing him barricading himself behind furniture to prevent the rioters from getting into the House chambers. Here are his comments in full during Wednesday's Oversight Committee hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANDREW CLYDE, (R-GA): This hearing is called the Capitol insurrection. Let's be honest with the American people. It was not an insurrection, and we cannot call it that and be truthful. The Cambridge English dictionary defines an insurrection as, and I quote, "an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by violence." And then from the Century dictionary, "The act of civil authority, or governmental restraints, specifically the armed resistance of a number of persons to the power of the state."

As one of the members who stayed in the capitol and on the House floor who, with other Republican colleagues, helped barricade the door until almost 3:00 p.m. that day from the mob who tried to enter, I can tell you the House floor was never breached, and it was not an insurrection.

[14:20:00]

This is the truth. There was an undisciplined mob. There were some rioters, and some who committed acts of vandalism, but let me be clear. There was no insurrection, and to call it an insurrection, in my opinion is a bold-faced lie. Watching the T.V. footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures. If you didn't know the T.V. footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.

There were no firearms confiscated from anyone who breached the capitol. Also, the only shot fired on January 6th was from a Capitol police officer who killed an unarmed protester, Ashli Babbitt, in what will probably be eventually determined to be a needless display of lethal force. We heard earlier that her death certified ruled her death to be a homicide.

So based on the definition that I just outlined from two dictionaries, this question for former Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen, would you call the events of January 6th an insurrection or a riot with vandalism, similar to what we saw last summer?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so when confronted by CNN about the controversial statements, Congressman Clyde would end up dodging questions, claiming that those comments that you just saw were taken out of context.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ANDREW CLYDE, (R-GA): If you're honest in your statement --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's wrong about it? That's what you said.

CLYDE: Think about what you just said. You didn't take what I said in context at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So can you explain it? Explain to us. Explain to us.

CLYDE: You don't listen to what I said, OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did. Do you believe that January 6th was -- was an insurrection?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so this attempt by some lawmakers to, including him, rewrite history, is adding new urgency for an independent commission to get to the facts, the real facts, of that tragic day. CNN's Ryan Nobles has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The House Republican Conference overwhelmingly picking New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as their new conference chair and presenting a united front.

REP. ELISE STEFANIK, (R-NY) REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIR: Listen, the Republican Party is a big tent party, and my district is the story of the growth of the Republican Party.

NOBLES: But it may not be that easy.

REP. LOUIE GOHMERT, (R-TX): There have been things worse than people without any firearms coming into a building.

NOBLES: Rank-and-file hard-right members are now attempting to rewrite the history of what happened during the January 6th insurrection. Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert did so Friday from the House floor.

GOHMERT: There's no doubt people came here on January 6th to cause trouble. Most did not come here to cause trouble. Most came here to protest.

NOBLES: This despite harrowing stories of violence and chaos from that day that continue to emerge from police officers, some of whom were beaten and had their own weapons turned on them. OFFICER MICHAEL FANONE, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: I believe that

violent group would have killed individuals inside of the Capitol Complex.

OFFICER HARRY DUNN, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: For people to contradict that, it's insulting. It's a slap in the face.

NOBLES: This growing move to rewrite history comes on the same day a bipartisan deal was hatched to form an independent commission to look into what went wrong on that day. The commission will be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. They will have equal subpoena power, and the scope will be limited to January 6th and the events that led to the attack.

While the negotiations were bipartisan, the top House Republican, Kevin McCarthy, has yet to sign off. But Democrats say that won't be a problem.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON, (D-MS) CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: So we tried to take the politics out of it because the public deserves nothing less.

NOBLES: With a handful of far-right Republicans painting a different picture of what happened that day, drawing a clear conclusion as to what went wrong is now imperative. Liz Cheney, who lost her leadership post for telling the truth about the election, said GOP leader cannot ignore this trend.

REP. LIZ CHENEY, (R-WY): It's very important for people to understand the ongoing danger of a former president attempting to undermine the system in the way he is. And as Republicans we have a particular responsibility to stand up against that.

NOBLES: But the conservative provocateurs are only getting louder.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, (R-GA): We're going to visit Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, crazy eyes.

NOBLES: New video uncovered by the CNN KFILE team shows Marjorie Taylor Greene before she was elected to Congress taunting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outside her office door. This after Greene confronted Ocasio-Cortez outside the House chamber. AOC saying that MTG needs professional help.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, (D-NY): I'm concerned about her perceptions of reality.

[14:25:00]

NOBLES (on camera): And despite all this ongoing tension between Republicans and Democrats, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is prepared to move forward with plans to form this bipartisan commission to look into the events of January 6th. She says she will bring a bill to the House floor as soon as next week, despite the fact that the House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, has yet to endorse the proposal. Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Also coming up, building a house, doing renovations? Well, they you've likely noticed the sticker shock when it comes to lumber. Next, what other goods could cost more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:07]

WHITFIELD: Some pretty rough news for your bank account. From furniture to airline tickets to used cars, just about everything in the U.S. is getting more expensive. Consumer prices rose 4.2 percent in April from a year earlier. That's the biggest 12-month increase since September, 2008. Matt Egan is with me now, he's the lead writer for CNN Business. Matt, so good to see you. So what's causing this price hike?

MATT EGAN, CNN BUSINESS LEAD WRITER: Fred, what a difference a year makes. Last spring prices were plunging as the economy took this unprecedented dive. Now the opposite is happening, the economy is booming and prices are on fire. As you mentioned, prices up in April by the most since September of 2008. That was the month that Lehman Brothers collapsed.

Everything from gasoline and furniture to used car, airfare to chicken, is getting more expensive, in some cases, much more expensive. Lumber is another big one. It's causing home renovation nightmares and making new houses more expensive than they already were.

Part of this is natural. It's what you would expect when the economy recovers from any downturn. But the other part is the unusual nature of this downturn. When the pandemic erupted last spring, factories shut down, supply chains were scrambled. It was kind of like someone had turned the lights out on the economy. But unfortunately, the economy can't just go back up.

You can't just flip a switch and turn the economy back up to full steam. It does take time. And so I think what we need to remember, Fred, is that low-income families, the ones who were hit the hardest by this pandemic, they're also ones who got squeezed the most from higher prices.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. The Federal Reserve says moderately higher prices this summer will be temporary, but will it get worse before it gets better?

EGAN: Yes, Fred, it might. It all depends on how fast the economy recovers, how quickly companies can hire the workers they need, how quickly they can get the raw materials that they need to ramp up production. It's a big unknown. We do know that businesses are starting to get concerned. The consumer package industry, they actually sent a letter to President Biden this week warning him there's this perfect storm of rising raw materials and surging demand from consumers, and they're having trouble meeting it.

You mentioned that the Federal Reserve, they think that this is just going to be a short period and prices will cool down. And that would be a great thing. The risk is that the Fed has to actually step in and cool off the economy by raising interest rates dramatically. And Fred, that, of course, would threaten the economic recovery.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, a little added pain. Let's hope it is temporary. Matt Egan, thank you so much.

EGAN: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:37:05]

WHITFIELD: Major developments happening today in Ethiopia. The country announcing that it will postpone its general election after an outcry over human rights violations in the country's Tigray region following a CNN investigation. CNN reports that Eritrean forces are disguising themselves as Ethiopian military to block humanitarian aid.

This come despite promises by Ethiopia's prime minister to withdraw those forces. In response, the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, issued a statement condemning the violence, saying "The continued presence of Eritrean forces in Tigray further undermines Ethiopia's stability and national unity. We again call upon the government of Eritrea to remove its forces from Tigray."

CNN Nima Elbagir has been reporting on the crisis for months, mostly outside of the country. Now after being given access by the Ethiopian government, she was able to go inside to see what was happening firsthand.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been over a month now since the Ethiopian government promised the United States, the United Nations, the world that Eritrean troops had begun their withdrawal from the Tigray region. We went to Tigray see for ourselves whether that was really true.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ELBAGIR: A show of force by Ethiopia's national defense force in its Tigray region, a government visibly flexing control. We traveled outside of the capital Mek'ele across the region to see if the Ethiopian government has kept its promises to the world -- unimpeded aid access and the withdrawal of their Eritrean allies. The conflict for control of Tigray blazes one. Days earlier, this Tigrayan forces fighting for regional autonomy pushed out Eritrean troops from this town.

As we arrive, one young man, Kasa (ph), wants to show us where his father, brother, and cousin were taken and executed just days ago. The blood is still visible. It stains the ground. They didn't want to wash away his blood, he says. They wanted to leave it there. The body they took to the graveyard, but the blood, the place where his father was executed, the family still wants that place marked.

Just a few meters from where Kasa's (ph) father died, his brother and cousin were executed, murdered, he says, by Eritreans, the same Eritreans who are supposed to have withdrawn. We return with Kasa to his family. In total, just this one family lost seven loved ones less than a week ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): All of us have to run and hide when they come, even the women. They rape the women and then kill them. May God bring mercy on us because we don't know what we can do.

[14:40:07]

ELBAGIR: The Eritreans are not only still here, but a day into our journey and we've already found evidence of fresh atrocities. We hear that the holy city of Aksum to the west has been sealed off by Eritreans soldiers for 12 days. We need to see for ourselves. So we head out towards Aksum, but don't get very far. Something's not right. The team car behind us radios in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Locals said there was a shooting up ahead.

ELBAGIR: There's a car coming.

A U.N. driver flashes us a warning, but we decide to press on.

Hello. Salam. Can we go ahead? We're going to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem.

ELBAGIR: Thank you.

But the road ahead is blocked. We get out of the car with our hands up and identify ourselves to the Ethiopian soldiers.

Hey, hey, hello, hello, hello, CNN, CNN. We're CNN. Journalists. We are journalists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Impossible.

ELBAGIR: Sir, tell us --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before, ask our commander.

ELBAGIR: The soldier spots our cameras. They're incredibly tense.

It's OK, it's OK.

The soldiers close in on us. As we're pulled to one side, we turn on our covert camera.

Unless we are detained, we're not giving them the camera. We'll only go to the administration, the civilian administration. If you want to have detained a CNN team, then that's what's happened now, because we're not going to the camp willingly. They have now said that we are allowed to go and meet the general in a civilian location, but it is still against our will. But we're going.

On our way to the headquarters, we're able to hide our footage and we are later released.

At the local hospital, we find out why the soldiers didn't want us to film.

What happened? It's OK. You clearly are in shock. Just take a moment to breathe and then tell us what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We were in the bus station when the shooting started. We were running trying to get away. And that's what it happened.

ELBAGIR: This girl is so scared. She's covering her face. But she wants to tell us what happened, which is that a grenade detonated in front of a group of soldiers, and she says they started randomly opening fire on civilians. She is clearly not a soldier. She's a teenage girl, and she says that she was shot through the leg.

This is the main route to Aksum. It's a vital supply artery, but for 12 days now, nothing has been able to pass. First checkpoint, Ethiopian soldiers let us through. Ahead, we've been warned by senior Ethiopian military sources will find Eritrean soldiers. As we crest the hill, before we reach the second checkpoint, we turn on our covert cameras.

Hello, sir. Can I show you our papers? We're CNN. Journalists. We have permission to travel.

These are Eritrean troops, captured here for the first time on camera, a rag-tag army in their distinctive light-colored fatigues, some are also wearing a previously retired Ethiopian army uniform, a clear bid to sow confusion as to whether they're Ethiopian or Eritrean.

The Eritrean soldiers are telling us that we don't have permission to travel, even though the Ethiopian soldiers waved us through. The other thing is, Eritrean soldiers are supposed to have begun withdrawing, but here they are manning a checkpoint and blocking us from going forward.

Hello, sir. Salam. How are you? Journalists? We have permission. You're asking to us turn back? OK, we've been sent back.

Both Eritrea and Ethiopia promised these troops would withdraw weeks ago, yet this foreign force is still here and occupying, obstructing a key supply route with impunity. After calling the interim government, military contacts, and others, on our fourth attempt we make it through. Three days after setting off, we finally arrive in Aksum. A UNESCO heritage site, the holiest city in Ethiopia, and a place of pilgrimage, but even the act of worship here is a dangerous one. The war is never far away.

[14:45:03] At a local health facility, we see firsthand the consequences of this almost-two-week siege. Two-month-old Johanes' (ph) life has been hanging in the balance. His mother risked her life and his to get him past the soldiers encircling the city so that he can receive life- saving oxygen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When he first got ill, it was a hard time, so I couldn't bring him. There was an act of war, he got weaker, but I couldn't find transport. I had to travel difficult roads alone to get him here.

ELBAGIR: He's not out of danger yet. The hospital electricity flickers on and off, and they are still waiting to get more cylinders of oxygen. In the almost two weeks that Aksum has been cut off from the outside world, violence has spiked. We find this 24-year-old teacher.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They found us, they took our money, beat the man, and raped the two of us.

ELBAGIR: Do you know who did this to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eritrean.

ELBAGIR: Eritrean soldiers did this? I'm so sorry.

This is just one case that we are able to capture because we're here. But it's impossible to know how many more women this was done to while the city was closed off from the outside world.

Another health facility, Aksum Referral Hospital, soldiers walk in and out of the hospital with impunity. One spots the camera and runs off. They've run out of blood here. Doctors and medical students are donating their own, but it's still not enough. People who could have been saved are dying. Every patient you see here, the old, the young, the helpless, all injured in this conflict.

Our journey here has brought into focus the hollowness of Ethiopia's promises. As we leave Aksum, a line of soldiers encircles the hospital. There is no respite.

CNN reached out to the Eritrean and Ethiopian governments with multiple requests for comment, but they did not respond.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

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[14:51:53]

WHITFIELD: The Mississippi River is again open to water traffic as officials work to repair a damaged bridge in Memphis. CNN's Nick Valencia has more on what that means for the economy.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That major fracture in the two foot by three-foot steel box beam will take, at a minimum, of about two months to fix according to the state's chief engineer here. A permanent solution will take even longer, especially, he says, when you factor in the shortage of steel in the country.

Though the waterway here is open without restriction, which is alleviated what has been a problem all week for freight and barge traffic. This, of course, is a major artery for transcontinental transportation, and at the height there was about 1,000 vessels waiting to make their way up the Mississippi River.

The U.S. Coast Guard says they still don't know how many days it will take for all of those barges to clear through here. This, of course, though, is all coming at a cost, a huge cost, according to the Arkansas Trucking Association, of about $2.4 million per day. There's also concerns here among the locals for what they call the old bridge, or where all those 18-wheelers are being diverted.

They worry, and the concern, of course, is the sustainability of that old bridge and the impact and the wear and tear. The chief engineer here in Tennessee reassured us that it will be a minimal impact, infinitesimal, he called it, as they work toward a major fix here in getting things back to normal.

WHITFIELD: Nick Valencia, thank you so much for that.

And thank you for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN NEWSROOM continues in a moment with Jim Acosta. But first, a clothing designer in Little Rock, Arkansas, is inspiring others to fashion the life they want. Here's today's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LINDA ROWE THOMAS, CLOTHING DESIGNER: Once I select that fabric, I sketch it out. I make a pattern. I make the muslin for it, put it on the dress forums and bring it to life. From there fit models, and then there's the runway.

When I was two years old I was standing next to a heater with my six- year-old sister when it exploded. She didn't survive it. I had to dress myself that morning in a little fur coat. That is the reason I was only burned in my face and hands. On the left hand my fingers were amputated, and I lost partial digits on the right hand. The doctors told my mother that I would probably not have a good quality of life. Their prognosis was definitely wrong.

I would take the scraps from my mom's sewing projects to make doll clothes, and so she started to teach me to sew when I was five-years- old. I opened my showroom and production house here in Arkansas in 2015. The Romas by Linda Rowe Thomas Collection specializes in custom couture. My designs have been featured on the red carpet at the Golden Globes, New York Fashion Week, and so many more.

The name of my nonprofit is Designing Hope. It started out with me wanting to help burn survivors. In the process I realized that not everyone's stars are visible. I'm hoping that my life that my mother gave me gives someone else the encouragement to step out on their dreams.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. We begin with the deal to form a 9/11-style commission to look into the events of January 6th at the Capitol. It would be bipartisan, made up of 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats, with a final vote on it expected next week.