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Ukraine Refuses To Cede Mariupol Even As Brutal Siege Intensifies; Kyiv Suburbs Hit By Russian Rocket Attack; Missile Hits World Central Kitchen's Partner Restaurant In Ukraine; Jewish Center In Poland Opens Its Doors To Refugees Of All Faiths; Hate Crimes In New York City Up 76 Percent This Year Compared To The Same Period In 2021; Philadelphia To Renew Indoor Mask Mandates Starting Tomorrow. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired April 17, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:31]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour in Ukraine, the city of Mariupol under siege for weeks by Russian forces, defying an ultimatum to surrender.

Ukraine's prime minister saying today that the city has not fallen. The country's forces holding out as some 100,000 civilians are trapped in the city that has been bombed to ruins.

Defiant in the face of Russia's push in the east, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is open to negotiations, but he adds the assault on Mariupol makes that less likely. Zelenskyy also insisting that he will not give up any territory to end the war.

And as the fighting drags on, so do the atrocities. Search teams recovering bodies of over 40 innocent civilians killed when Russian shelling hit a high-rise apartment building near Kyiv.

And now, Austria's chancellor giving new details about his tense face- to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week and warning about Putin's possible mindset amid the invasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL NEHAMMER, AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR: I think he is now in his own war logic, you know. He thinks the war is necessary for security guarantees for the Russian Federation. He doesn't trust the international community. He blames the Ukrainians to -- for genocides in the Donbas region. I think he believes he is winning the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ukraine's foreign minister says the situation in Mariupol may be a red line in negotiations with Russia. I want to bring in CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman who joins me live from Ukraine. So Ben, there were also deadly attacks in the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions. What can you tell us about those?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the Kharkiv region at about midday there was a Russian missile strike on a residential area. Five people were killed. 13 wounded. And the missile -- there were multiple missile strikes within half an hour of one another which meant that first responders arrived on the scene were treating the wounded when the second missile strike came in. This is known as a double tap, a particularly cynical way to treat civilians.

In the Luhansk region in the city of Severodonetsk which is where we've spent quite a good deal amount of time, it's the easternmost city in Ukraine under government control. There a church was hit. Today, of course, is Palm Sunday in the Orthodox calendar, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And then, Ben, tell me about where you are and the precautions you have to take while doing a live shot just like this in the darkness.

WEDEMAN: Well, we do have a total blackout in the city as well as a curfew. We don't have too much light here. There's -- the city, we're in Kramatorsk and there are barely any people left in town. So basically, we need to keep a low profile.

There was a missile strike of some sort not far from the hotel where we're staying at today. No word of injury. Of course, it was Friday before last that the train station here got hit killing 59 people, wounding more than 100.

So this is an area that's very much in the crosshairs of Russian forces, as they amass for the much-anticipated offensive against this eastern part of the country. And this city, Kramatorsk is very much between sort of a -- anticipated it's going to be right in the middle of a pincer movement by Russian forces from the north, south and east.

[14:04:44]

WHITFIELD: Sadly, a real hotbed. Well, continue to be safe, you Ben and your crew. Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells CNN's Jake Tapper Ukraine is not willing to give up territory in the eastern part of the country to end the war with Russia. Here's more from Jake's exclusive interview from Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: How bad are things in Mariupol. And what can be done to help the people of Mariupol?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The situation is very difficult in Mariupol. It's clear that things won't get better. With each passing day, it's growing more unstable.

Unfortunately, it is difficult for different reasons. I will not talk about the cruelty with which the Russian authorities have treated Mariupol, the Russian military. There are two components. No one knows how many people died among the civilian population. If anyone gives you a figure, it would be a total lie. Hundreds of thousands were evacuated. Several thousand, tens of thousands were forced to evacuate in the direction of the Russian Federation.

And we do not know where they are. They've left no document trail. And among them are several thousands of children. We want to know what happened to them. Whether they are in good health.

Unfortunately, there just isn't any information on this. And regarding what population has remained there, we also don't have a definitive answer. One day, they say there are 50,000 or 60,000 left there. And then another day, someone says 100,000.

And now we have information that perhaps 10,000 people have died there. All civilians who stayed. We're talking about civilian deaths, not military.

About 5,000 children deported from this region to the Russian side because they didn't allow them to go to the Ukrainian side.

TAPPER: What do you say to people either in Ukraine or elsewhere in the world who say just give Putin the Donbas. Just give Putin eastern Ukraine. Stop the bloodshed. Let him have the territory? What would your message be about that?

ZELENSKYY: In the centuries-old history of Ukraine, there is the story that Ukraine has either taken some territory or needs to give up some territory.

Ukraine and the people of our state are absolutely clear. We don't want anyone else's territory, and we're not going to give up our own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's bring in Major General Dana Pittard. He is a retired two-star army general and a CNN military analyst. Also the co-author of "Hunting the Caliphate: America's war on ISIS and the Dawn of the Strike Cell". So great to see you.

All right. So we just heard President Zelenskyy talking about the fate of Mariupol and you -- we also heard earlier from the prime minister who said Mariupol, so far, is still in the grasp of Ukraine.

Do you see it as potentially vulnerable that Russia could take that city?

MAJ. GEN. DANA PITTARD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, good afternoon, Fredricka. Yes, I do. It's amazing how long Mariupol has lasted. It's due to the courage and will to fight of the Ukrainian defenders.

But based on just numbers alone, it is likely that the Russians will take Mariupol. I do not believe the Russians have enough troops or competence to take the Donbas region in the time table they want to. They want to be able to take the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine over by the 9th of May, coinciding with the celebration of the end of World War II, or in Russia, the Great Patriotic War. But I just don't think they have a force structure to be able to do that.

WHITFIELD: So then as it pertains to Mariupol, where you do see that there are vulnerabilities, what will it mean for Russia's strategy if, indeed, it does manage to take that city.

PITTARD: Well, for Russia, they will claim a victory because that will mean that they will be able to then have really a land bridge between eastern Ukraine all the way down to the Crimean Peninsula, which is something they have wanted to do. And right now, the city of Mariupol stands in the way of that.

WHITFIELD: Russia has also been shelling other parts of Ukraine this weekend, including the area around Kyiv overnight and in the west of the country.

What do you see happening here? When there are some reports that Russia doesn't have the moral, you know, appetite -- the soldiers don't have the moral appetite to hold it together. They are running out of resources, but this kind of movement tells us what?

[14:09:57]

PITTARD: Well, what it tells us is that they don't have the troops on the ground to be able to do anything in the Kyiv region. We have seen that. That's why they have withdrawn because they've been repelled by the Ukrainian forces.

So that's caused frustration with the Russian leadership, specifically Putin. So whenever they want, they think that they can shell or send missiles to -- towards the Kyiv region or even western Ukraine.

That is why the United States and NATO, working with Ukraine, need to declare a humanitarian assistance zone in western Ukraine. Really from Kyiv in the north all the way down south to Odessa, all the way west of Polish border. That would mean that NATO and U.S. troops would enforce that on the ground because there's no Russian forces there. And also enforce a no-fly zone over western Ukraine with air defenses.

That would make sure that Russia would not be able to just lob missiles and shell any time that they want to.

WHITFIELD: And Major General, I wonder if I can ask you about the Austrian chancellor and his assessment of Vladimir Putin after meeting with him last week. And this is a portion of how the chancellor describes what was a very difficult conversation with Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, NBC NEWS HOST: Does he believe he is winning the war or losing the war?

NEHAMMER: No, I think he believes he is winning the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: And it doesn't seem that anyone really can get in the mind of Vladimir Putin, but how important is it to hear someone who has met with him and had a conversation with him to see what his mindset is, that regardless of what is being demonstrated or shown, he is certain that he is winning this war. What -- how can that empower -- that kind of information empower Ukraine or any of the allies trying to help Ukraine?

PITTARD: Well, Fredricka, what it shows, I believe is that Vladimir Putin is so isolated. He's surrounded himself with yes men. And, in fact, maybe even getting delusional.

His forces have taken some terrible casualties. I mean more casualties in 50-some odd days than they received in eight years in the war in Afghanistan as an example. They've had problems with logistics. They've had problems with command and control. And they have had so many soldiers who have been killed, wounded or are missing. Either he is not getting those reports or he's ignoring that.

So getting into his head, which is difficult, that's why NATO and the U.S. must take the strategic initiative and make Putin react to them as opposed to the opposite.

WHITFIELD: Historian Max Boot wrote in the "Washington Post" this week that many of the issues the Russian army have had historically, they are having again in Ukraine, including corruption, brutality, low morale, poor planning, faulty logistics, bad intelligence, lack of coordination between units, over-centralization and a paucity of initiative on the part of junior officers and sergeants.

If it is indeed, you know, history repeating itself with Russia, is there a way in which to anticipate the outcome or how this ends?

PITTARD: Well, what Max Boot said is all correct. When I was multinational brigade commander in Kosovo, I had a Russian battalion which demonstrated all those issues that Max Boot pointed out.

But in this scenario, in this war in Ukraine, one thing that the Russians do still have, even with all their problems is they still have capability and they have mass. We have seen this war at least in eastern Ukraine go on now for eight years. I think we'll see more of that. The Russians will try a big push, and they will be repelled, but they will still hold ground.

So this war, if in fact, the Ukrainians want to reclaim all of their lost territory, is going to take years.

WHITFIELD: All right. Major General Dana Pittard, good to see you. Thank you so much and Happy Easter.

PITTARD: Thank you, Fredricka. You also.

WHITFIELD: Thanks.

All right. Still ahead, a restaurant partnered with celebrity chef Jose Andres and his World Central Kitchen, well, it was hit by a missile strike in eastern Ukraine. We'll talk with the CEO of World Central Kitchen after this.

[14:14:24]

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Russian shelling continuing to rock areas around the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Today a rocket attack in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary damaged power and water supply facilities according to the mayor.

It has become an all too frequent part of life for the thousands of civilians still surviving in the region.

Here now is CNN's Matt Rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Air raid sirens once again ring out across Kyiv Saturday, a city that has endured so much damage and destruction from Russian bombs once again hit.

Early Saturday, a Russian missile slamming into a southeastern district of Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring several others. The latest attack coming as more Ukrainians are returning home.

State border guard officials saying on Saturday that roughly 32,000 Ukrainians crossed back into the country in the previous 24 hours, something that makes Kyiv's mayor nervous.

He says "If you have the opportunity to stay a little longer in places where it is safer, do so. I understand there is no place like home. Nevertheless, the city of Kyiv was and remains the target of the aggressor and we do not rule out that further shelling of the capital will continue."

[14:19:48]

RIVERS (on camera): And here in Lviv, we woke up on Saturday morning to air raid sirens as Ukrainian officials say air defense systems managed to shoot down four cruise missiles that were headed to one or more targets in this region.

They didn't say exactly what those targets were but say the cruise missiles were fired by Russian war planes that had taken off from an air base in neighboring Belarus.

This as Ukraine's military says it's watching Russia ramp up in the eastern part of the country for a large-scale offensive expected to be launched soon.

Ukraine's calls for more weapons continue. He says, "The more and the sooner we get all the weapons we have

requested, the stronger our opposition will be and the sooner there will be peace."

Peace, though, elusive in the city of Kharkiv. Ukraine's second largest city has been under constant bombardment in recent days. Including here in a residential and business district in the center of the city. At least two people were killed and 18 injured, a scene likely to be repeated many times over in the coming weeks as Russia's renewed offensive in the east ramps up.

Matt Rivers, CNN -- Lviv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And east of Kyiv in the city of Kharkiv, workers for the charity group World Central Kitchen were working at one of their partner restaurants to provide meals for those in need when a missile struck the building.

Here's the video World Central Kitchen's CEO Nate Mook posted on Twitter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATE MOOK, CEO, WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN: Not too long ago, a missile hit here. As you can see, tremendous amounts of damage. Still a fire in the building there.

Right here is the kitchen area. It goes back. A lot of damage to the kitchen as well. A number of staff were wounded. They're at the hospital right now.

Nobody was killed in the restaurant, but we are told that one person was killed in this strike. This was a big hit, as you can see. Over a dozen cars burned out all around me. Pieces of cars in a tree here. Just a tremendous amount of carnage left behind for no reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And Nate Mook is with us now, joining us from Kharkiv. I mean Nate, first off, I am so glad that you and your colleagues are fine. What a horrific, frightening experience you all had. And to see that kitchen or the exterior of it, like you just demonstrated for us, take that seemingly direct hit and miraculously no one in the kitchen was hurt -- or was killed? I mean that's extraordinary but sadly the one person you said in the area was killed.

So how are you all doing? And just describe for me what you feel like today after something like that happened.

MOOK: Yes, you know, it really was quite miraculous that more people were not killed or even injured. Four staff from the restaurant were injured and taken to the hospital. I visited three of them today, three women that were still there. One was released. They have a number of burns on their bodies. But they are all in good spirits and they are recovering well. One of them, Yulia, told me that she's looking forward to getting back to work and preparing meals again back at the kitchen.

You know, it was just sort of timing. They are -- thankfully they weren't standing outside when this happened. They weren't by the front of the building. But, you know, really anything is possible when these missiles rained down.

And amazing to see in this picture that there are smiles in that picture even after what you went through together. So this is an important mission that you all are fulfilling. But after something like that and given that this conflict continues, are you rethinking whether this is something you need to be doing?

MOOK: You know, so we have very limited international staff from World Central Kitchen here in Ukraine for this exact reason. It is a dangerous, unpredictable situation right now.

So, so much of the work is being done by our incredible local Ukrainian partners here on the ground. Many of whom were already doing this work when we started to support them. They jumped into action to start cooking in the early days of the invasion. And World Central Kitchen has been able to come in and support their work.

So regardless of us, they are moving forward. They are determined. They see this as their way to support their country and defend their democracy and their freedom right now.

And so the work will continue, and as long as they are comfortable to do it and, of course, we trust their judgment on this, and how they are taking care of themselves and their staff. We will continue to do what we can to support them.

[14:24:50]

WHITFIELD: So clearly, you're learning a lot about the fortitude, you know, of these restaurateurs locally that you are partnered with. What are you seeing in the people in need, the people who are coming to the meals? What are you seeing in their faces? What are you hearing in their voices?

MOOK: Yes, you know, there really is so much need right now because so many families are cut off. Seniors that are stuck in apartment buildings that have nowhere to go. Markets and grocery stores are not accessible. It's too dangerous for many people to get in their car and leave certain areas and certain regions.

So this food really is a lifeline. And it's being delivered to families on the front lines, to seniors, to mothers, to children. It's also going out into villages around Kharkiv that are really truly in some cases completely isolated and cut off because Russian troops are nearby.

So, you know, as we go out and meet some of these families, it is a reminder to me of why we do this work and how grateful I am for the heroic Ukrainians that are every single day putting themselves in danger to support their fellow Ukrainians.

And you know, we meet some of these folks and they give you these huge hugs and they're so grateful. And you know, it's -- this is really why we do what we do.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean filling those bellies and getting great smiles from a lot of folks that you're helping. And it also seems like it's reciprocated. I mean here you are smiling about it and your colleagues as well after what you just went through.

Nate Mook, thank you so much. Continue to be safe.

MOOK: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, more than 4.8 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the invasion. We'll show you how one religious organization is helping those escape the war.

[14:26:41]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:15]

WHITFIELD: All right. Fifty-three days into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and over 4.8 million people have fled the country. More than half of those refugees have ended up in Poland. The massive exodus has nonprofit, humanitarian and religious organizations pushed to the brink to help the growing tide of refugees.

Jonathan Ornstein is the director of the Jewish Community Center in Krakow, Poland.

Jonathan, so good to see you.

JONATHAN ORNSTEIN, DIRECTOR, JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER IN KRAKOW, POLAND: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: So, your small Jewish center transformed into a humanitarian operation as soon as the Ukrainian refugees began to pour into Poland. Tell us more about what this experience has been like and the type of services that you are able to provide.

ORNSTEIN: So at the moment we saw what was happening and realized that many refugees would be pouring across the border. We made a decision straightaway. One was to do all we could to help people and not to differentiate. Although we're a Jewish organization, we're going to help everybody equally, as much as we could.

So straightaway, we started to provide services. We understood the greatest need was housing. So we have rented hotel rooms, apartments. We have currently over 300 people we're housing.

We started a collection center. Food, toiletries, medicine, toys, dog food, whatever, all that the refugees would need to our center, and that slowly trickle of refugees that would come in have become a huge amount every day. About 600 people a day are taking supplies, coming into our center and getting supplies.

We are feeding over a thousand people a day. We've opened a safe space for women, a day care for children. We're teaching English. We're teaching Polish. We're giving psychological services, legal counseling.

We're sending literally tons and tons of supplies into Ukraine and bringing people out. So we send trucks and buses in with supplies and then come out and bring food. So doing absolutely both inside Krakow, on the border and inside Ukraine. Everything we can do.

WHITFIELD: Through your aid, you described you're helping families, women, children, and they are bringing their pets as well.

Jonathan, this weekend, Jews celebrated Passover. And you hosted Ukrainian refugees for the celebration. So talk about the significance of the Jewish story, of flight, and what's happening in Ukraine today.

ORNSTEIN: Jewish people, we as a people know what it means to be strangers, know what it means to be refugees. The story of Passover is a story of exodus, a story of freedom. A story of being free from slavery and we're particularly mindful of that as a people. And because we know what it meant to be refugees and what it meant to be a stranger. We need to do everything we can to help others when they're in that predicament.

WHITFIELD: So, your community center is offering services to not only Jews but non-Jewish refugees. Tell us why you think it's so important to reach out to people of all faiths.

ORNSTEIN: Well, our Jewish community, we're in Krakow. And Krakow is an hour's drive from Auschwitz. And our Jewish community was a very strong community before World War II. We had 3.5 million Jews. Poland was 10 percent Jewish. And over 90 percent of our Jewish community was murdered in the Holocaust.

And that happened, one, because there was a dictator that wanted to get rid of the Jews, but it also happened for the -- to a large part because the world remained mostly silent. And we are incredibly mindful of this lesson that, if the world stood -- once stood silent, as we were being persecuted, as we were being killed, as genocide was being perpetrated against us, then we have a particular responsibility 80 years later not to be silent when this is happening to others.

[14:35:13]

WHITFIELD: You just described, yours is a small organization but you're doing big things. How much longer can you sustain, you know, fulfilling the need? What do you need in order to keep going?

ORNSTEIN: Luckily, the world has been very generous. Poland has been amazing as a country. Our supporters and friends all around the world have really helped us. We couldn't do this as a small organization, obviously. We're receiving financial support from all over the world, and we intend to do this for as long as it takes.

Whatever the needs are, we will try and do our best to provide them. We understand that we are on the front lines, and it's up to us. And these people need so much help. These people have nothing. They are coming across the border with backpacks, women holding children and we need to absolutely step it up and make sure that we can provide them with whatever they need. And we'll do it for as long as we can and for as long as they need it.

WHITFIELD: To you and all that you are helping and serving. Jonathan, Happy Easter and Passover. Thank you so much.

ORNSTEIN: Thank you.

WHITIFIELD: This quick programming note. The unbelievable true story of the man who took on Putin and lived to expose the truth. The Sundance Award-winning CNN film "Navalny" airs next Sunday at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

All right. Coming up, mass shootings in Pennsylvania and South Carolina leaving two dead and more than 20 injured. Details straight ahead.

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[14:41:21]

WHITFIELD: Mass shootings over the weekend in Pennsylvania and South Carolina leaving at least two dead and more than 20 injured. In Pittsburgh, two young people were killed and nine others injured when gunfire erupted at a large house party with about 200 people overnight. And then in Columbia, South Carolina, 14 people were injured at a shooting in a mall in Columbia. Nine of those victims were wounded by gunfire.

For the latest now, let's turn to Nadia Romero.

So this is sad. It's sad any day but here we are, the holiday weekend.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: How are police piecing these together?

ROMERO: Yeah. It was very chaotic at both scenes. In Pittsburgh and South Carolina. If we start with Pittsburgh, police found drugs, guns and alcohol at this massive party, largely attended by people who were under age.

Two people were shot and killed at this party in Pittsburgh overnight. And they were both boys under the age of 18. Eight others were shot. Police say the youngest victim was just 14 years old.

They say when they arrived, there were some 200 people who were all running away from this rented property. Some of them jumping out of windows trying to get to safety. That's why there were so many injuries. And police say, as Fred mentioned, this happened right before the

Easter holiday. And this has left the community traumatized from this event. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF SCOTT SCHUBERT, PITTSBURGH POLICE: It's heartbreaking. Here we are, Easter, and we have multiple families, two that won't see a loved one. Others that are going to be -- how can you even have a holiday when your child was involved in something traumatic like this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: Remember this happened at an Airbnb property. Releasing a statement to CNN reading in part, that we share the Pittsburgh community's outrage regarding this tragic gun violence. Our heart goes out to all who were impacted, including loved ones of those who lost their lives, injured victims and neighbors.

Now Airbnb says the person who rented that property has been banned for life from the platform. Police say they are looking for multiple shooters, but they don't have anyone in custody. They are asking the public to come forward with any videos, pictures or information.

Now, over in South Carolina, in Columbia, South Carolina, they do have one person in custody. This is 22-year-old Jewayne M. Price. He was arrested under unlawful carrying of a pistol. That's the one charge. Police say they do expect more charges to come as this investigation continues.

Now this is where 14 people were injured in a mall shooting in Columbia, South Carolina. Many people were lined up to get their pictures taken with the Easter bunny when shots rang out. And we saw multiple people being injured. Nine people shot. Five others who were injured. The police chief says that happened during what they're calling a stampede.

So the shooting happened and then everyone ran. They tried to get out. And that's when more people were injured. So that investigation is ongoing.

And, Fred, I spoke with a father who said he was inside the mall when it happened. His wife, his daughter, his son, they were in different stores when the shooting happened. They all had to run to try to get back together. The wife left the stroller with her cell phone so they weren't able to get in contact with her.

Imagine just the chaos.

WHITFIELD: Panicking.

ROMERO: Exactly. Both still under investigation.

WHITFIELD: Supposed to be a great time at the mall on the holiday weekend. Thank you for bringing us those details, Nadia Romero, thanks so much. All right. New statistics point to a troubling rise in hate crimes in

New York City. Data from the NYPD shows 194 hate crimes reported through April 10th of this year compared with 110 during the same period last year.

[14:45:09]

That's a 76 percent increase in reported hate crimes in the past year. The new data comes as the city continues to experience a wave of violent incidents in 2022.

Here's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An inexplicable burst of violence at a Brooklyn subway station. Part of what law enforcement experts say is a disturbing recent rise in gun violence and other crime in America's largest city.

ANTHONY BARKSDALE, FORMER ACTING BALTIMORE POLICE COMISSIONER: The criminals have now had years of success doing what they want to do.

TODD: The mass shooting in Brooklyn was the most recent of several high-profile attacks that illustrate New York City's crime wave.

In January, 40-year-old Michelle Go was killed after being pushed in front of a subway train by a homeless man.

A few weeks later, in a series of incidents at multiple subway locations in New York, a man stabbed four people, killing two of them.

In mid-February, Christina Yuna Lee was followed into her apartment building in Manhattan's Chinatown and allegedly stabbed more than 40 times by an intruder.

By February, in New York City, major crimes had gone up nearly 60 percent, compared to the same month last year. Much of it, experts say, is pandemic related.

PROF. CHRISTOPHER HERMANN, CRIMINOLOGIST, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: A lot of the pandemic-related issues revolve around unemployment, housing insecurity, food insecurity, and then a lot of that just leads to mental health stressors.

TODD: Gun violence rising in New York to disturbing levels. New York City has seen more than 320 shootings so far this year. A 72 percent increase from the same period two years ago. Analysts say that's not just a New York City problem. And they attribute it to a simple disturbing trend.

HERRMANN: In overall increase in the number of guns. We've seen record sales in 2020. We've seen record gun sales eclipsed in 2021. We assume that these are going to increase again in 2022.

TODD: New York's police department trying to attack that problem partially by going after so-called ghost guns in the city. Guns that are privately made and don't have serial numbers. Crimes in subways and other transit hubs have jumped significantly in New York over the past year.

DELOLA BUNCH BAPTISTE, NEW YORK COMMUTER: You don't even feel safe anymore. This is just -- you don't know what to do.

TODD: New York's Mayor Eric Adams, a former city police officer, vows to turn the crime wave around.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D), NEW YORK CITY: This is going to be a safe city. And we've been here before.

TODD: But experts warn of another possible spike as the weather gets warmer.

BARKSDALE: More people are outside. That's more interaction. With more people on the street, that gives criminals, what? More opportunities. Hey, there's somebody I can rob. Hey, you are riding around in your nice vehicle with your windows down listening to your music. I want that car.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): But analysts say we have to keep this in perspective relating to New York City. They point out that the murder rate there is far, far lower than it was in the late '80s and early '90s.

And Professor Christopher Hermann cites a figure in a study he's doing for John J. College that over the past ten years, only about 6 percent of all the streets in New York City had one or more shootings on them.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up -- we'll go live to Philadelphia, the city is set to reinstate its mask mandate in all indoor public places as COVID-19 cases quickly rise. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:53:01]

WHITFIELD: Starting tomorrow, Philadelphia is requiring masks once again in all public indoor places. It will be the first major U.S. city to bring back mask mandates since the winter surge. Philadelphia's health commissioner cites a rapid rise in new COVID cases.

And today, White House COVID coordinator Ashish Jha said decisions like these should be left up to local governments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ASHISH JHA, WHITE HOUSE COVID COORDINATOR: You know, local officials do have a lot of local knowledge of where is it spreading, in which communities? They are using other data. I have been supportive of local people making -- local leaders making local decisions, mayors and governors and I continue to be supportive. I think that's the right way to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Polo Sandoval is in Philadelphia for us.

So, Polo, how fast are cases rising there?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it was about a 50 percent increase in daily COVID cases. That's why they made that announcement on Monday to require masks at indoor public spaces starting tomorrow, as you point out. What are we talking about? Basically schools, businesses, restaurants, museums as well. And the list does go on.

Important, though, some of these businesses and institutions have a way around that. And they can remain mask-free, so long as they can ensure that everyone on the premises, both staff and patrons are vaccinated. We'll have to wait and see how businesses respond come tomorrow, when it comes to that.

Another important caveat is there are three data points the city follows in terms of their COVID response. At least the measures that are required. And at this point, the daily number of cases which, as of last Monday was 142 here in Philadelphia, is still well below what it would take in order to cross into level three.

So, still fairly manageable number. Hospitalizations, 44 as of last Monday. Also still well below the number that would be required to enter the next phase.

But nonetheless that third key data point which is the increase, that 50 percent increase, that's what the city is saying and why they'll be requiring masks yet again for a third time in indoor public spaces come tomorrow -- Fred.

[14:55:08]

WHITFIELD: Have you had a chance to talk to people and whether they accept that okay or no?

SANDOVAL: Already seeing people even outside, obviously, keeping those masks on. Certainly an indication that people will have to still adhere to that regulation once that actually kicks in come tomorrow. So, ultimately, I think tomorrow will be a big test to see how businesses respond and how the residents in Philadelphia will respond when that's actually in place.

WIHITFIELD: Right. All right. Polo Sandoval in Philadelphia, thanks so much.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right after this.

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