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Kyiv Comes Under New Russian Fire; Shipment Of New U.S. Military Aid To Arrive In Ukraine Region Today; GOP Lawmakers Encouraged Then Soured On Overturning Election; Zelenskyy Warns Russia Capable Of Using Nuclear Weapons In Ukraine; Florida Governor Signs 15-Week Abortion Ban Into Law. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired April 16, 2022 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:44]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

All right. Happening right now, Russia unleashing a new round of strikes across Ukraine. Thick, black smoke rising in eastern towns and cities. A massive fire at a fuel depot in the Luhansk region. And officials say shelling overnight almost damaged several gas pipelines.

Air-raid sirens blaring in eastern Ukraine and even in the capital city of Kyiv today. Kyiv's mayor in fact saying explosions killed at least one person and injured several others. And he's warning those who fled the city that they should not try to return.

We're also getting a vivid picture of the horrors left as Russian forces retreated from Kyiv. Ukrainian officials say bodies of 900 innocent civilians have been discovered there so far.

And in the south the besieged port city of Mariupol is a hollow shell of its former self.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAVLO KYRYLENKO, HEAD OF DONETSK REGION MILITARY ADMINISTRATION (through translator): The enemy cannot seize Mariupol. The enemy may seize the land that Mariupol used to stand on, but the city of Mariupol is no more. The city of Mariupol has been wiped off the face of the earth by the Russian Federation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ukrainian officials say Russia's renewed assaults in the southern part of the country are in retaliation for the sinking of a prized Russian warship in the Black Sea.

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning Russia could be on the verge of using tactical nuclear weapons.

Officials in Mykolaiv, Ukraine describe the situation there as increasingly hostile.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is joining me live from Odessa.

So Ed, the mayor of Mykolaiv says Russian troops attacked a kindergarten this morning. What more can you tell us?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are, yes images coming from the mayor of Mykolaiv who says that the city is once again under shelling today, at least three different missile attacks that have struck from what we've been able to gather so far.

And one of those locations appears to be a kindergarten building. The mayor of Mykolaiv says that one person has been injured. And this kind of essentially goes with what we have seen.

We were in Mykolaiv yesterday when various strikes hit that city. It all appeared very indiscriminate, targeting civilian areas and that has instilled a great amount of fear among the city's residents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice over):The cluster of explosions jolted this residential neighborhood in Mykolaiv Friday morning. Witnesses say some people were walking their dogs in a park at the time. One of the munitions struck just feet away from an Orthodox Church.

(on camera): You can see the impact spot of one of the munitions that went off this morning. And as you look around here, you can see the impact and the damage done to this church here as well.

Multiple people were killed and more than a dozen others injured. Paramedics treated victims on the scene. Across the street under the shattered windows of an apartment building this man told us he helped drag two injured people into a store for safety.

YURI ZAYTSEV, MYKOLAIV RESIDENT (through translator): Hear the noise, the noise of a rocket flying and explosions. That's what I saw and heard when I was in the shop. People ran into the store and I saw people scared. I saw people dropping to the ground from explosions.

LAVANDERA: The sounds of explosions inside the city started around mid-morning and appeared to strike at least three different locations. Mykolaiv authorities released this video of a private home burning after a rocket strike.

Mykolaiv strikes come as residents in southern Ukraine are worried about Russian retaliation for the sinking of the Moskva warship in the Black Sea and Russia's renewed offensive in eastern Ukraine.

In recent days, CNN has witnessed long convoys of families fleeing Russian occupied areas near Mykolaiv. This bombing struck a densely populated area.

[11:04:58]

LAVANDERA: Galina Mironchuk (ph) says she was brushing her hair when the bomb landed just outside her apartment window. The blast shattered the glass and shattered her sense of peace.

(on camera): Did you think something was going to happen to you?

(voice over): "I didn't think of anything," she tells me. "I thought that was the end of the world."

The recent attacks have also crippled parts of the city's infrastructure. The water has been out for three days. Forcing hundreds of people to get water from a river and natural spring.

This man evacuated his mother and plans to stay in the city to fight off the Russians.

(on camera): How worried are you that the Russians are getting closer?

(voice over): "It worries me a lot," he tells me. "That's why I sent my mother away. That's why we are getting ready. We are still working but if the Russians are close, I will fight them."

For now residents are left to clean up the bloody aftermath and brace for the next attack.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And Fredericka, the residents there in Mykolaiv now dealing with a fourth day without water we understand. And to give you a sense of why Mykolaiv is so strategically important at this moment in the war, just about 35 miles to the east of Mykolaiv -- this is along the coastline going back toward Mariupol -- is the city of Kherson. This is a city that has been under Russian occupation for several weeks now.

And if you travel to any area around Mykolaiv there you will find in those convoys of people that we showed you, people escaping Kherson who have been under very dire situations in that city for the last several weeks. So it's a huge difference between -- in that 35-mile stretch in that contested area.

You're essentially here on the western edge of the southern front of this war and that's why you see so much Ukrainian resources going into, essentially, holding the line here, trying to keep the Russian forces at bay.

And that will be a deciding and monumental kind of task here in the weeks ahead, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Oh my God.

So frightening to think what could be happening there, especially after you just revealed to us what's happening in Mykolaiv.

All right. Thank you so much, Ed Lavandera. Appreciate it.

As Kyiv is getting hit with new attacks today, in Lviv to the west, air defenses were activated in the early morning hours.

Here now is CNN's Matt Rivers' report.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred, we were awoken here in Lviv by air-raid sirens around 5:45 a.m. local time this morning. And while that's not uncommon here in Lviv what is a bit more uncommon is getting detailed information from the Ukrainians about what caused those air-raid sirens to go off.

So after they went off, we were under that air-raid warning for about an hour and a half, we got word from Ukrainian officials that the sirens went off because they say that Russian war planes that took off from air bases in neighboring Belarus, launched four cruise missiles to unspecified targets in the Lviv region with the Ukrainians saying that they successfully shot down those cruise missiles using air defense systems in this region.

But Lviv not the only area that was targeted by Russian attacks overnight. We know such an attack took place in a southeastern district of the city of Kyiv with the city's mayor saying at least one person was killed, several other people injured when a Russian attack damaged buildings in this southeastern district of the city with rescue workers continuing to be on scene throughout Saturday afternoon as officials work to get a better sense of the overall situation.

And we're also getting more word from the Ukrainians about the Russian military build up in the eastern part of the country with Ukrainian defense officials outlining how there are some 22 Russian battalion tactical groups or BTGs consisting of about 1,000 Russian soldiers each that are now centered around the city of Izyum, with the understanding that those troops could eventually move south and east into the Donbas region.

This is the part of the country where defense officials say this latest Russian ground campaign, this latest offensive will likely kick off in earnest in a much more scaled up way in the coming days and weeks from now.

So this is the latest going on around Ukraine at this point. Not only as we watch and wait for this offensive in the eastern part of the country but also more isolated attacks in other parts as well, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Matt Rivers, thank you so much.

And now we're just getting in this new video of shelling at a market in a town in the eastern part of Ukraine.

A CNN crew witnessed the strikes in the Luhansk region. The video shared on social media and geolocated by CNN showing burning buildings following an attack at that market earlier today. No word yet on casualties.

[11:09:54]

WHITFIELD: All right. The first shipment of newly-approved U.S. military aid for Ukraine is expected to arrive in the region today. A senior defense official telling CNN that the $800 million in weapons and equipment will be picked up at the border by Ukrainians and taken into the country.

Jasmine Wright joining us now from the White House with more on this. Jasmine, so what more do we know about this shipment.

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Fred, this shipment is expected to really try to meet the evolving needs of Ukrainian fighters as that fight is expected to shift to the Donbas region as we just heard Matt talking about really in depth. And that's supposed to be more of a clear and open type of battlefield, a bit different than that city warfare that we've seen in the first few weeks of that invasion.

And so for the first time the U.S. has really agreed to send more highly advanced weaponry to Ukrainians. And we're talking about in terms of what that shipment is going to look like.

We know that it includes those Howitzer cannons that are good for that long range targets as we could see on the screen here. Helicopters -- something that President Zelenskyy has personally advocated for from President Biden, something that would be good for them to transport things quickly along the battlefield. Switchblade drones, again for that long range targets and other types of equipment here.

And we know that when it comes to the reasons why they are switching to this higher power weaponry, John Kirby, Pentagon spokesperson talked about it in depth when he was on air with Jake Tapper just this week. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We think that the terrain there, which is a little like Kansas, it's flat, it's open like you described, Jake, will lend itself for the Russians to use mechanized forces in columns and open formations, artillery, short range and even long range fires.

Those are the kinds of capabilities that you want to make sure the Ukrainians have as well. But we're deliberately tailoring this package to try to meet the needs of the fight they have today because they are fighting in the Donbas today. And the fight that we think is coming in the days and weeks to come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So there we heard from John Kirby talking about the why. But let's be clear here Fred which is that some of these high power weaponry that are now approved to be sent just a few weeks ago some Biden administration officials were against sending them because they felt that they would be too escalatory. Viewed as that way by Russia. But again things have now changed down the line.

And it's something that Russia appears to have noticed as U.S. officials say that they sent a diplomatic note to the State Department really protesting formally the ongoing shipment of weaponry to Ukraine, really warning of unpredictable consequences if it should continue. And this happened as the U.S. was preparing that $800 million package of weaponry that is expected to -- at least some of the first shipments are expected to land in just the next few hours, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jasmine Wright, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, text messages reveal how two Trump GOP congressional allies lobbied the White House to challenge the election but ultimately came to sour on the effort. And the tactics deployed by Trump and his team. Our exclusive reporting straight ahead.

[11:13:08]

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Never-before-seen text messages show how two Republican lawmakers and Trump allies went from encouraging the White House's efforts to overturn the presidential election to warning against it.

CNN's Zach Cohen joining us now with more on this in this CNN exclusive.

So Zach, walk us through what the text messages reveal about the evolution of these two lawmakers' views on overturning the election starting with Texas Congressman Chip Roy.

ZACH COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Fred.

It's important to remember that these are two of former President Donald Trump's most ardent defenders in congress and yet they both ultimately reached a conclusion that the Trump team's efforts to overturn the conclusion, you know, they soured on it at the end.

Now starting with Chip Roy, on the day the election was called for Joe Biden, Chip Roy reaches out to then chief of staff Mark Meadows and says Dude, we need ammo, we need fraud examples, we need it this weekend. Making it clear that he's willing and ready to help in the effort to challenge Joe Biden's victory. But he's going to need evidence and examples of voter fraud to do it.

Now, as the next couple of weeks progressed, Congressman Chip Roy becomes a little bit more concerned about he's seeing from the Trump team.

A week and a half after that initial text he reaches out to Meadows again and says we need substance or people are going to break. Now, obviously having evidence and examples of voter fraud continues to be a theme and by late December Chip Roy has essentially seen enough and he's warned Mark Meadows that the president should call everyone off, referring to efforts to challenge and subvert the electoral college and overturn the election itself.

And then of course, Congressman Roy sent an iconic text message on January 1st saying that we are driving a stake in the heart of the federal republic. So when you look at that -- all those texts together at one time, it really speaks to the evolution of how Congressman Roy came from one of Trump's most ardent defenders in Congress and willing to help overthrow the election, to someone who clearly thought that that was a bad idea.

WHITFIELD: And then there is Senator Mike Lee. What about him. What concerns did he express in the text messages?

COHEN: Right. And like Congressman Roy, Mike Lee was initially very supportive and went and reached out to Meadows too with a message of support for the former president saying look, we -- you need to keep fighting Mr. President, stay strong. Really Encouraging the former president to fight and challenge the election outcome knowing that on that day that the election had been called for Joe Biden.

Now Lee in a similar fashion to Congressman Roy his concerns would grow over time. We see by November 19th, after he had already been pushing and advocating for various attorneys pushing conspiracy theories about the election and spreading unfounded claims, he reaches out to Meadows with concerns about one in particular.

[11:19:58]

COHEN: That's Sidney Powell, Trump's then attorney. He says "I'm worried about the Powell press conference," referring to a press conference where Powell and other Trump attorneys stood up and continued to publicly air various conspiracies about the election.

And then at this time, in the days that followed Senator Lee seems a little at a loss. He texts Meadows two days later, and says, please tell me what I should be saying.

Now, like Roy by the end of December, Senator Mike Lee started to reach the conclusion this was not the right path to take. He said I think we're now past the point where we can expect anyone do it without some direction and a strong evidentiary argument, referring to other senators voting to block certification of Joe Biden's win.

And then of course, three days before the capitol riot, Senator Lee texts Mark Meadows and says I only know this will end badly for the president unless we have the constitution on our side.

Now, Fred, of course, they did not and of course, it did end badly for both the former president and for the country on January 6th.

WHITFIELD: And so what might this mean for the broader investigation now?

COHEN: So these text messages are among those that are already in the possession of the January 6th committee. We know that they are a crucial part of their investigation as are other messages that Mark Meadows handed over voluntarily.

Now, it remains to be seen how those are going to be factored in but you can be sure that they will be and remain an integral part of their probe. WHITFIELD: And of course, you know, the suspicion is this is only a

tiny part of the massive amount of information the committee is actually collecting. What else do we know about the investigation?

COHEN: So just Mark Meadows alone handed over thousands of records, including thousands of text messages. And we know that the committee has obtained -- has interviewed over 850 witnesses so far.

Now most of their work is happening behind closed doors so it's difficult to know exactly what information they've received and what is still -- what questions are still left to be answered. But they've been doing work for months on this investigation, they're looking at public hearings and a final report some time in the next several months.

So it remains to be seen what that final product will look like but you can be sure that there's much more information out there and the committee will do its best to present it in a way that is compelling and you know, teaches the American people exactly what they found.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Everyone needs that transparency.

All right. Zach Cohen, thank you so much.

All right. Still ahead, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells CNN's Jake Tapper that all of the countries of the world should be prepared for the possibility that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons.

[11:22:21]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. There's a possibility that Russia's war on Ukraine could soon enter an even more deadly phase. Moscow has warned of unpredictable consequences if the U.S. continues to supply weapons to Ukraine.

And the Ukrainian president says the world should be prepared for Vladimir Putin to unleash tactical nuclear weapons. Our Jake Tapper sat down Friday for an exclusive interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and asked him about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: The director of the CIA warned that he's worried Putin might use a tactical nuclear weapon in this fight. Are you worried?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Not only me. I think all of the world, all the countries have to be worried because you know that it can be not real information but it can be truth, because when they begin to speak about one or another battles or involved enemies or nuclear weapons or some chemical, you know, chemical weapons they could do it. I mean, they can, for them life of the people is nothing. That's why. We should think not be afraid. I mean, not be afraid, be ready. But that is not the question to Ukraine. And not only for the Ukraine. For all the world. I think so.

TAPPER: A Russian warship, the Moskva, the one that Ukrainian soldiers told to F off, sank. The Russians say, and the Russians are liars, but the Russians say it sank on its own. Can you offer some clarity and evidence as to what happened to that ship?

ZELENSKYY (through translator): We know that it does not exist anymore. For us it is a strong weapon against our country. So its sinking is not a tragedy for us. I want you, the rest of the people, to realize that.

The less weapons the Russian federation that attacked our country has, the better for us. The less capable they are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And you can see Jake's full interview with President Zelenskyy on "STATE OF THE UNION" tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. only here on CNN.

All right. Let's bring in now Cedric Leighton. He is a CNN military analyst and retired U.S. air force colonel. Good to see you.

So we just heard President Zelenskyy say he is concerned about the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia and that all of the world should be concerned. So given that, how does all of the world protect itself or brace itself for that kind of potentiality?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. Fred, that's one of the biggest problems that we have right now. We're dealing with, in essence, what amounts to nuclear proliferation by a nuclear power potentially. So what I would say, you know, the world has to be prepared for the Russians.

[11:29:58]

LEIGHTON: I agree with President Zelenskyy that the Russians may very well feel that they are cornered enough that they may want to use something like a tactical nuclear weapon.

Now, that would give you a game changer because what it ends up doing is it ends up, you know, changing not only how the war is fought but the kinds of weapons that are fought within that war. And it would necessitate some kind of a response from countries that are not directly involved in the current fight in Ukraine.

So we have to be ready. We have to be ready to respond. And we have to make sure that the sanctions that would result from something like that would be sanctions that would really (INAUDIBLE) against Russia and probably would have to go beyond sanctions, frankly.

WHITFIELD: So Zelenskyy, you know, said don't be afraid but be ready. And that's what you're saying too be ready. But then what kind of military weaponry do you have at hand to respond to the potential use of any kind of nuclear activity?

LEIGHTON: Well, that points to a gap in our current weapons arsenal. We don't have something that is really good against a tactical nuclear weapon unless you stop the weapon from being launched in the first place.

So failing that, we, you know, would be in a situation where that kind of a weapon would be used before we could respond to it. And that, of course, is a horrible prospect, you know, to think about.

The way it would, you know, basically work is the weapon would be detonated and radiation would, you know, ensue from that and it could potentially affect NATO countries.

And if it does that, that could potentially invoke Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.

WHITFIELD: So let's talk about what we do know right now, sort of. We know, or at least Ukraine is expecting the first shipment of newly approved U.S. military aid for that country today. That's the expectation.

Here is a look at some of the equipment. There are helicopters involved that initially had been earmarked for Afghanistan. There are Howitzer cannons, 300 more Switchblade drones and ammunition.

What can you tell us about the importance of any number of that arsenal and how this will potentially give Ukraine advantage that it didn't have prior to this shipment?

Well, part of it has to do with quantity and on the other side it has to do with quality of the weapons that are being provided to Ukraine. So in terms of quantity and quality, the Switchblade drones are going to be a significant factor in this case.

The Ukrainians already know how to use drones and the Switchblade, especially the 600 model, is going to be a drone that will be I think highly effective against tank columns, against armored personnel carriers and it's going to be a drone that the Ukrainians if they get enough of them, which the numbers certainly indicate that there's going to be quite a large number being shipped to them.

If they get enough of them, they can make a big difference on the battlefield. And it's going to be somewhat similar but on larger scale to what happened between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the latest fight over a grown up (INAUDIBLE) where drones played a significant role and in essence routed a standard army in a way that wasn't expected.

This could happen again with the Russians if the Ukrainians employ them well and use the Switchblade 600s in a way that is not only innovative but also integrates intelligence into the whole picture that they have.

WHITFIELD: What are some of the challenges that you see in trying to disperse some of that weaponry once it's already across the border and into country?

LEIGHTON: So the big challenge is the road and rail network, you know, keeping that open. Making sure it's not attacked by the Russians either from the air war or from the ground.

The Ukrainians, of course, have to watch also against sabotage, the possibility that Russian regular units either from their military or from their intelligence services get into a situation where they can cut the roads or cut the railroads.

And we have to also remember that air transport is going to be very difficult within Ukraine so it's basically going to be ground-based transport that is going to get these weapons to the places that they need to be, in other words on the front line.

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. All right. So Russia's strategy -- at least part of the strategy that I think the world has come to know is that it wants to take hold of the Donbas region.

[11:34:57]

WHITFIELD: If they succeed in that, what are some of the potential consequences that you see?

LEIGHTON: So I think the -- one of the biggest things will be an economic consequence. I mean obviously Ukraine has huge economic difficulties that have been piled upon it by the invasion itself but if the Russians take the Donbas, it's going to be about a third to -- you know, a quarter to a third of the entire country in terms of geographic area. It's also an area that's rich in industry. It's rich in transportation areas and it's, of course, ethnically Russian.

But what's interesting about what has happened here is that I think the ethnic Russian population has basically turned on Russia because of the destruction that Russia has wrought on that area and they're very pro-Ukrainian based on what we see right now and the want to stay in Ukraine.

They don't want to go home to Russia, so to speak. They want to be part of a vibrant Ukraine that is democratic and that is able to, you know, handle things that are, you know, done in a way that allowed Ukraine to integrate into Europe.

And that part of the country, if it's taken by Russia, of course, would not be able to be integrated into Europe at least not in the short term.

WHITFIELD: Colonel Cedric Leighton, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Fredricka. Good to be with you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, a flurry of new abortion restrictions across mostly Republican-led states is leaving neighboring states to fill the gap in abortion care. We'll discuss all of that with the CEO and founder of a woman's health care clinic right after this. [11:36:37]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back.

A wave of new anti-abortion laws hitting four states this week. Florida is the latest after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. That's without any exemptions for rape or incest.

CNN's Nadia Romero is here with more on all of this, Nadia.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred. I mean when we look at all of these states that are following this trend, it really sparked with two states, Texas and Mississippi. Mississippi back in 2018 that passed their 15-week abortion ban. Now that case is before the Supreme Court. Then it was Texas back in September with their six- week abortion ban that many called the heartbeat bill and that went into effect in September.

Since then Republican led controlled legislatures all over the country have been passing these restrictive abortion bans. And we saw Florida and Oklahoma adding themselves to that growing list just this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMERO: Using their voices and risking their freedoms.

CROWD: No justice, no peace.

ROMERO: Katelynn Denehy (INAUDIBLE) and Sarah Parker lead Women's Voices of Southwest Florida, a nonprofit organized to defend reproductive freedoms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to speak out.

ROMERO: The group helped raise awareness when the (INAUDIBLE) county board of commissioners discussed the possibility of introducing an abortion ban.

SARAH PARKER, PRESIDENT, WOMEN'S VOICES OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: I had to sit down and I cried. We had put so many hours and so much time in that. And we want something.

ROMERO: but their message was not loud enough to drown out the will of Florida's legislature and governor.

PARKER: It makes me angry and it makes me sad and it makes me worried. It feels like we're going backward.

ROMERO: This week Governor Ron DeSantis signing a 15 week abortion ban into law --

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): There you go.

ROMERO: -- without exemptions for rape, incest or human trafficking.

DESANTIS: This will represent the most significant protections for life that have been enacted in this state in a generation.

ROMERO: Two days before DeSantis, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill that makes performing an abortion a felony except in the case of a medical emergency.

GOV. KEVIN STITT (R-OK): We want Oklahoma to be the most pro-life state in the country. We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma.

ROMERO: And also this week Kentucky's GOP-led legislature overwrote the governor's veto for a bill that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

So far 18 states have introduced legislation banning or limiting access to most abortion. 14 states have passed their restrictive legislation. Three states so far this year -- Kentucky, Florida and Arizona, following a 2018 Mississippi law prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now lets go and sign these bills.

ROMERO: Now some Democratic controlled legislatures aim to protect the rights of Roe v. Wade with new bills of their own. Maryland lawmakers expanding access to abortion.

ADRIENNE JONES, SPEAKER, MARYLAND HOUSE OF DELEGATES: We are preparing for some of the most restrictive abortion actions that we've seen in a generation.

ROMERO: In Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer filing a lawsuit to challenge the state's almost 100 year old abortion ban even though it's not enforceable due to Roe v Wade.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MICHIGAN): We have to take those current assaults on women's rights seriously and use every tool we have to fight back. This is not just a theoretical risk. This is a real and present danger.

ROMERO: With many states rewriting their abortion laws, all eyes point to the Supreme Court. The court heard arguments on the Mississippi law back in December. Legal experts argue a decision could be handed down in June right before summer break with pro-activists continuing their fight to the highest court in the land.

Maybe they'll come back and stand behind Roe versus Wade. I hope they do and I want to believe so.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:45:01]

ROMERO: SO Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also signed another bill into law that provides aid for mentorship and educational programs for fathers in Florida. It also comes with $70 million for youth and family support services but really Fred, that's a side bar to this 15- week abortion ban that the governor signed.

And we're seeing legal contesting all across the country with different groups like the ACLU battling against these legislatures as they push forward with these abortion bans.

O'DONNELL: All right. Thank you so much, Nadia. We appreciate that.

We're going to talk about this even further. For more on these abortion laws, I want to bring in Amy Hagstrom Miller, she's the CEO of Whole Women's Health which has abortion clinics nationwide. Amy, good to see you. So your reaction to these new laws?

AMY HAGSTROM MILLER, CEO, WHOLE WOMEN'S HEALTH: You know, unfortunately, I'm not surprised. I think we've seen this turn across the country when the status of the Supreme Court changed. It's sad to see this, because these values and these laws do not represent the feelings and beliefs of the majority of people in this country.

Most people support access to safe abortion, to be local in their communities. All of us know somebody and love somebody who's needed an abortion at some point in our lives and our loved ones deserve respect and compassion, they don't deserve to be forced to travel and sort of navigate the stigma-ridden. Shame-filled abortion restrictions.

WHITFIELD: So then how is your clinic helping people navigate the confusion that comes with some of these laws?

MILLER: Sure. So you're absolutely right that these laws are designed to confuse people, to scare people, to delay their access, these laws don't do anything to prevent the need for abortion or to support people to play on their families. They just banned abortion and forced people to travel.

At Whole Women's Health we have clinics in what were considered haven states and we also have clinics in places like Texas and Indiana. And so we have already been helping people travel from Texas to other places in the country where they can get access to safe abortion.

Keep in mind that the travel is actually more dangerous than the abortion itself. Abortion is very safe and it should be available locally in people's communities.

And people shouldn't have to travel hundreds of miles and wait, you know, four to six weeks to have a procedure that is main stream medicine and that almost, you know, 40 percent of people will need at some point in their lifetime.

This is an extreme issue. This is directly connected to the status of women and the health and safety of our families.

WHITFIELD: so as you mentioned from Texas to Indiana, what are the populations that are most impacted by these restrictions?

MILLER: Yes, thank you for asking that. Because these restrictions have much more impact on young people, on people of color, on people who don't have health insurance and who don't have the means to travel to get the abortion that they need.

Texas is already one of the lowest in maternal mortality outcomes even before the restrictions on abortion. Texas also has very few people with health insurance. And these impacts really affect those communities much more profoundly.

And I think we're seeing a division in this country both between the haven states and the restricted states. But we're also seeing divisions in people's access to health care generally in their communities.

And abortion has directly linked to the status of women in this country, access to safe abortion over the last 50 years has made our communities healthier, has made maternal mortality healthier, has made people's families healthier. And I think it's time we need to talk about the positive outcomes of access to safe abortion in this country over the last 50 years.

WHITFIELD: So now, what advice do you have for women in states like Florida and Oklahoma which have just enacted, you know, abortion bans similar to the one in Texas that your clinic continues to challenge?

MILLER: So my advice for people is to know that abortion is still legal in this country. That the people who are trying to restrict your access to safe abortion don't reflect the values of the majority of people here.

There are multiple networks in this country that are here to help you. Abortion funds, abortion clinics. We are here to guide you to the place where you can still get access to safe abortion. There are many networks helping people with travel. Helping people with funding.

Whole Women's Health and others all across the country are really trying to work together to mitigate the damage and the harm that is already being done by bills like SB-8 and the copy cats across the country. And we are preparing for the infrastructure that's going to be needed to help people after the Dobbs decision comes down this summer.

[11:50:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. Amy Hagstrom Miller, good to see you. Thank you so much.

MILLER: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Remember the phrase "herd immunity"? That's when enough people in an area develop immunity to a virus providing an invisible safety net around the more vulnerable.

So where does the U.S. stand now with COVID herd immunity? CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard has been following the latest developments.

[11:54:56]

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Fredricka, this topic of herd immunity is a hot one. And my colleagues here at CNN Health talked to Dr. Anthony Fauci about this. He said, quote, "The concept of classical herd immunity may not apply to COVID-19" and that quote "means we're not going to be without SARS COV-2 in the population for s considerable period of time," end quote.

So Fred, when you look at other infectious diseases that we've eliminated like measles, for instance, that required an extremely effective vaccine, enough people taking that vaccine, and a virus that doesn't change or mutate in significant ways over time.

Now, with the virus that causes COVID-19, we've already seen it mutate a lot. And while more than 65 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, we could still get that percentage up higher.

And as vaccine technology develops, there could be more effective and more durable vaccines in the future to increase our level of protection. After all, even if we reach herd immunity, there's still the risk of losing that level of protection. But these factors are all something to think about, Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Jacqueline Howard, thank you so much.

And we're back in a moment.

[11:56:13]

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