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Mariupol Mayor Reports New Mass Grave Near City; Ukraine Celebrates Orthodox Easter Despite Dangers Of War; France's High- Stakes Presidential Runoff; Alexei Navalny Calls For Information Front Against Russia; Soldiers And Civilians Still Holed Up In Steel Plant; DOJ Appealing To Reinstate Transportation Mask Mandate; Free Fentanyl Tests Available At Some U.S. Bars. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired April 24, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We want our kids to understand that God is with us. He helps us. We will win. And in this big day, the victory will be ours.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): As Ukrainians wake up every day to heavy shelling, their faith is still a place of refuge. What this Easter Sunday is like in a country fighting back against Russia's invasion.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Plus we'll discuss Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's call for a, quote, "information front against Russia."
But can it compete with the propaganda?
And we're live in Paris, where French voters are deciding their next president.
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BRUNHUBER: It is 11:00 am in Ukraine and Orthodox Christians in that country are celebrating Easter Sunday -- or trying to, amid ongoing Russian shelling. The latest assessment of the war says that it is not going well for Russian troops in the Donbas.
The intelligence update was released a short time ago and it says numerous Russian assaults in the Donbas have been repelled in the past week. It noted some Russian gains but said that they came at, quote, "significant cost" because of strong Ukrainian resistance.
That assessment underscores an anticipated visit to Kyiv today by U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The visit was announced Saturday by the Ukrainian president and will be the first high-level American delegation to Kyiv since the war began. There has been no confirmation of the visit by the U.S.
Russia's no holds barred assault is now entering its third month. On Saturday, a Russian missile slammed into a residential building in the southern port of Odessa. The mayor says eight people were killed, including an infant.
But the Ukrainians are fighting back. The defense ministry reports shooting down three Russian aircraft, five cruise missiles and nine tactical drones on Saturday and claims that two Russian generals were recently killed in the Kherson region. CNN is unable to verify those claims.
And in Mariupol, a planned evacuation of civilians on Saturday reportedly was derailed again by the threat of Russian shelling. President Zelenskyy says Russia's war crimes wouldn't go unpunished. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): New graves of people killed by the occupiers are being found. We're talking tens of thousands of dead Mariupol residents. Negotiations of the occupiers, on how they can seal the traces of their crimes, are recorded.
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BRUNHUBER: Correspondents are across the region. Matt Rivers is in Kyiv and both Scott McLean and Isa Soares are in Lviv. And we begin in Kyiv with the expected visit of top American officials sometime today and what Ukraine's leader hopes to get out of it. Here is Matt Rivers.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): High- profile visitors for the Orthodox Easter holiday in Ukraine. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters he would meet with top U.S. officials in Kyiv on Sunday.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I don't think this is a big secret. The people from the U.S. are coming to us tomorrow. I shall be meeting with the state secretary, Mr. Blinken, and the Defense Secretary. And we will be waiting for the time when the security situation allows for the president to come and talk to us.
RIVERS (voice-over): The U.S. State Department and White House declined to comment on the matter. But Zelenskyy said talks alone won't help Ukraine.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): Why is it important for leaders to come to us?
I will give you a pragmatic answer. Because they should not come here with empty hands now. We are waiting not just for presents or cakes. We are expecting specific things and specific weapons.
RIVERS (voice-over): On Friday, a Russian general made clear one of Moscow's goals in Ukraine by saying Russia intends to seize southern parts of the country to create a land corridor between the Eastern Donbas region and Crimea.
On Saturday, for the first time in weeks, Russia launched major strikes on the southern port city of Odessa, which Ukrainian officials say hit a residential building, killing at least eight, including an infant.
The Russian defense ministry said it was targeting a terminal which housed weapons supplied by the United States and European nations. There was also no letup in the bombardment of the Eastern regions of the country.
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RIVERS (voice-over): Kharkiv, once again, came under fire after a barrage of Russian shells fell on the city. And the governor of the Luhansk region urged civilians to leave if they could, describing the situation there as around-the-clock bombing.
The Ukrainian government add new curfews across the country, saying there could be an increase in Russian attacks over the holiday weekend. Fierce battles for the territory that Zelenskyy will no doubt press his potential VIP visitors Sunday for more help in trying to win -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: And U.S. President Joe Biden shared a message to commemorate Orthodox Easter, reading in part, "During this sacred season, we hold in our prayers all those who are suffering from the brutality of war and persecution.
"We mourn with all those who have lost loved ones or who fear for their safety and rededicate ourselves to working for peace with justice and for the freedom and security of all people."
Ukrainian authorities have imposed curfews after warning about the potential for increased Russian attacks during the holiday. But despite the danger, many are finding ways to celebrate. President Zelenskyy shared this message ahead of Easter.
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ZELENSKYY (through translator): Today was Holy Saturday for Christians of the Eastern rite, the day between the crucifixion and the resurrection. It seems that Russia is stuck on such a day.
For years, on the day when death trumps and God is supposedly gone but there will be a resurrection. Life will defeat death. The truth will defeat any lies. And evil will be punished.
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BRUNHUBER: Throughout Ukraine, there were emotional scenes as Orthodox Christians attend churches for worship, blessings and reflection. Earlier, the Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia spoke with CNN's Jim Sciutto. Here he is.
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ARCHBISHOP BORYS GUDZIAK, UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC ARCHEPARCHY OF PHILADELPHIA: I think that we all, as human beings, we, too, are human. We're devastated. But you know, this is the story of the human race.
Adam grabbed while God was giving. God gave Adam everything and said, don't take that fruit because you will die if you take it. And what we're seeing is a mega grab.
Russia has 11 time zones, it's 28 times as big as Ukraine. And yet the human being grabs for more and kills to do so. That is what Easter is all about. It is -- this week is full of this story, death/life, friendship/betrayal, heroism and, you know, just the worst that the human being is capable of.
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BRUNHUBER: Thousands of Ukrainians are estimated to have returned to their country for Easter. Many of the faithful say this year it's particularly important to spend time with family. CNN's Isa Soares has more from Lviv.
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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As fighting rages on in the east of Ukraine, in Lviv, a city that has mostly been spared by Russia's wrath, parishioners gather for protection and reflection, a somber affair for many this year.
"It is less festive this year," this mother of three says. "But we want to keep our traditions and we want our kids to understand that God is with us. He helps us. We will win and, in this big day, the victory will be ours."
Despite calls to stay home, young and old line up with their adorned food baskets for a blessing from above.
Around the corner, kindness shared with strangers.
SOARES: Very good.
SOARES (voice-over): An opportunity, too, for many Ukrainians to support the troops on the front line, with food donations and prayers.
"We are both sad and joyful in this day because we believe in our soldiers," this parishioner tells me. "We are worried for them. We are praying for them. And we are asking God to help all of us."
Others, though, are still too scared to venture to church this Easter.
So we meet Bilika Fortunes (ph), a young family that today is also feeling thankful.
"I think I've never been this happy in my life," tells me this young mother. Annamaria (ph) says she left Ukraine for Poland when the war started, alone, nine months pregnant and carrying a world of worry on her shoulders.
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SOARES (voice-over): "When we were separated from each other, it put a huge burden psychologically on us. We were constantly reading the news," she says. "And the situation in Ukraine in general, we were very worried."
Without her husband or family by her side and while her own country was being ripped apart by suffering, the 25-year old in her own agony gave birth to a little miracle, Baby Marita (ph).
And this gushing father couldn't be happier to have his girls by his side.
"I have realized that my wife is not just a woman, she is a hero," he says, "and that if I was in her shoes, I wouldn't be able to. I would have broken down."
A family finally reunited and counting their blessings this Easter in the long and dark shadow of war -- Isa Soares, CNN, Lviv, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: It is decision time in France, where voting is underway in the presidential runoff. The contest is a showdown between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. But no matter who wins, the election is expected to have a profound effect both in France and abroad.
Jim Bittermann is standing by outside a polling station in Paris where the voting is going on as we speak. He joins us with more.
So Jim, folks have been casting their ballots for a couple hours. You've been speaking to some of those voters.
What have they been telling you?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is pretty interesting actually. I asked them about their commitment to voting, because we talked about a lot of pundits here, talking about, ahead of time, the fact that people weren't going to vote because they weren't happy with the choice that they will be presented with today as they go to the ballot box.
The choice of Le Pen and Macron, center right president and a far right challenger; there is nobody representing the Left. And so some on the Left say that they weren't going to vote at all.
But I'll tell you, right here at this polling place, in fact, we've seen a big turnout this morning, as a line of folks waiting to vote -- and it takes about 10 or 12 minutes for them to get inside and cast their ballot, which is quite unusual for the French because, in French elections, you basically take a ballot paper, put it in an envelope and that is the vote. Takes you no time at all to vote.
And I have a voter going right by me, so I'll let her go by. And in any case, turnout has been, I would say, very high. And one of the first, in fact the very first person to vote this morning at this polling place, was a 70-year-old Lithuanian refugee.
She came with her mother, who is also a refugee living in France. They have been living in France since the '90s and, because of that, they have the right to vote. And I asked her, you know, exactly why she felt so passionate about voting. Here is what she had to say.
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VIOLETTE TRILIKAUSKAITE, LITHUANIAN EMIGRE (through translator): France welcomed us. France gave us everything. It's so lucky to have such a president in this period, someone on that level who made such sacrifices. He carried everything on his shoulders.
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BITTERMANN: And so basically she was very passionate about the idea that she had lived under Russian thumb, a Russian thumb with her mother under Stalin and she lived under Putin. So she wanted to really come out and vote today.
And she probably was going to vote for Macron but she also said that Le Pen also was kind of motherly in her approach. So it was a little ambiguous.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting in the context of this war especially. Let's look ahead, past this presidential election, to the legislative elections in June for the members of the national assembly.
What are we expecting there and how might that influence the power and the agenda of whoever wins the presidency?
BITTERMANN: That is what they call the third round of elections. They have to elect the legislature. And the legislature can have a big impact on whether the president gets anything done or not.
Mr. Macron has had the benefit of a legislature from his own party and doesn't challenge his program. But next time around, all of the sort of factions and kind of strains within the political system in France are going to be coming out in this legislative vote that is coming up in June.
And as a consequence, whoever the next president is, they are probably going to face a lot of challenge from the legislature.
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BITTERMANN: It will be difficult for them in any case.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right, we'll be watching for sure. Jim Bittermann, thank you so much.
Be sure to join us Sunday at 8:00 pm Paris time, 2:00 pm Eastern in North America for special live coverage of the French election. That is right here on CNN.
The leading critic of the Kremlin inside Russia refuses to let truth be a casualty of the war in Ukraine. Coming up, we'll look at how Alexei Navalny is fighting back from behind bars against Putin's disinformation campaign. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Russia's best-known dissident is calling for what he calls an information front against his country's war on Ukraine.
Alexei Navalny has been a thorn in the side of the Kremlin since launching his anti-corruption drive more than a decade ago. Efforts to keep Navalny from running for office led to mass protests. And then in 2020, he fell ill during a flight to Moscow. He was later found to have been poisoned with military-grade Novichok.
After recovering in Germany, he returned to Russia in January and was detained upon arrival. On February 2nd of last year, he was sentenced to more than two years in prison.
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BRUNHUBER: And in an extended series of tweets this month, Navalny called on Western leaders to support a social media ad campaign in order to break through Kremlin propaganda.
For more, let's bring in Vladimir Ashurkov in London, an associate of Alexei Navalny, a Russian dissident and the executive director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Thanks for joining us here.
So tell us how much, first of all, does Navalny know about what is going on in Ukraine and how does he get his information?
VLADIMIR ASHURKOV, RUSSIAN DISSIDENT: We communicate almost daily. A lawyer visits him for about an hour a day. And during that time, he scribbles handwritten notes to his family and to our team and reads whatever we send to him.
So he keeps current with the events. And he has been sowing his anti- war position throughout these last two months. BRUNHUBER: So with the war going on, the Kremlin is cracking down on
dissent even more harshly than it already was. You can be fined or even arrested for criticizing the war or even just for calling it a war and not a special military operation.
So how tough does that make the work of dissidents?
ASHURKOV: Well, it is quite tough. Just a couple of examples. The people are detained for going out in the streets and holding just posters with blank pieces of paper. Or just the word "war" with all the letters replaced by asterisks.
And a long-term critic of Putin regime, one of the bravest people I know, Vladimir Kara-Murza, has just been detained for two months for -- well, they blame him for speaking in Arizona parliament (sic) saying that this is war and condemning the actions of Russia.
So over the last two months, it has become almost impossible to raise independent voice against war in Russia.
BRUNHUBER: So I guess that is why this campaign that Navalny is calling for is so important. But it is one thing, you know, to say, we should have an information front to fight against Russian disinformation.
But in reality, as you know for many Russians, especially the older ones, state-run media is the first choice, if not the only option.
So how do you break through with these messages?
ASHURKOV: Well, Alexei Navalny got his recognition as most prominent opposition leader exactly through using internet and social media because he doesn't have access to state-controlled TV or newspapers. So he knows what he is talking about when he calls for a social media campaign.
Indeed, the information that Russians receive about the war is distorted in many ways. And such a campaign would open the eyes for many people, if it is done properly.
BRUNHUBER: I wonder how long it can continue?
I mean, some social media outlets, Instagram for instance, have been banned. YouTube is still allowed for now. As you say, Navalny gets millions of hits on YouTube.
But what happens if the Kremlin takes that down, too?
ASHURKOV: There are several layers of social media. In many countries, WhatsApp chats, Telegram chats are used for spreading information and you don't need a centralized social media like Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
And so if content is viral, if it is shared by a lot of people, I think that it will spread, especially if the last fortress of free social media, YouTube, is redistricted in Russia. BRUNHUBER: So despite the fact that the war isn't going as planned
for Russia, despite all the widespread destruction, the bloodshed, opinion polls show that Putin's popularity hasn't gone down; in fact, it has gone up.
So how frustrating is that?
And what do you think that it will take to change that?
ASHURKOV: I think it is really not possible to take the poll results in a context of such a restrictive environment as Russia at face value. People are just afraid to say what they think. So I think that the people have seen their standards of living go down over the last two months.
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ASHURKOV: The major grants that Russians have gotten used to have left. There is a stream of coffins coming from Ukrainian front. People are quite nervous. They may not voice their frustration yet in polls or publicly. But the dissent is advisably growing.
BRUNHUBER: And the question is, will they blame Putin for all of this?
I guess we'll find out. We'll have to leave it there, Vladimir Ashurkov, really appreciate your insights. Thank you so much.
ASHURKOV: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: And for viewers in the United States, tune into see more about the jailed dissident, "Navalny," and that premieres tonight at 9:00 pm Eastern, 6:00 pm on the West Coast, only here on CNN.
A boat carrying approximately 60 people sank off the coast of Lebanon Saturday. At least one person as died, a child. More than 40 people have been rescued, a government official tells Reuters. It happened near Tripoli in the north part of the country.
According to the state news agency, the boat was sailing, quote, "illegally" toward Europe and Cyprus. The Lebanese army, the Red Cross and other agencies are searching for those not yet accounted for.
For our international viewers, "INSIDE AFRICA" is next. If you are watching here in North America, I'll be back with more news after a short break. Please do stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Thank you for watching us here in the United States and Canada, I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Orthodox Easter Sunday is usually a happy celebration in Ukraine. But this year it has been marred by Russia's invasion as the war enters it 60th day. On Saturday, a Russian missile slammed into a residential building in Odessa, as people were marking the Easter holiday. Eight were reportedly killed, including an infant.
Russia's plan is now to take over the east and south. That would connect pro-Russian territories from Crimea and Moldova and essentially make it a landlocked country.
Secretary of state Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected in the country Sunday. Such visits aren't usually announced beforehand and Washington hasn't yet confirmed any plans.
Meanwhile Ukraine is promoting what it says are battlefield successes. The military says it took out two Russian generals and the defense ministry says that 17 Russian air targets were hit on Saturday, including three Russian aircraft, five cruise missile and nine drones.
Mariupol still remains a humanitarian disaster. Soldiers and civilians are holed up in a steel mill, running out of food, while a second mass grave has likely been discovered just outside of town. Scott McLean has the details.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Satellite images and aerial footage has long shown the scale of the destruction in Mariupol. It is difficult to know the full human cost of the siege but now there are new potential clues.
New satellite pictures of a cemetery east of Mariupol appear to show freshly dug trenches some 40 meters long. The Mariupol mayor's office says that these are mass graves. CNN cannot independently verify the claim.
What is not unclear is the dire humanitarian situation inside the city.
New video from the Ukrainian military shows women and children taking shelter underneath a steel plant, where Ukrainian troops are making their last stand. Inside, the Russian word for children is spray- painted on the walls.
A Ukrainian soldier says he's bringing gifts, candy and some food. The kids explain how they've passed the time. Many of the women and children are the families of plant workers here. And many have been there for 50 days or more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I want to get out of here and see the sun. We've been here for two months now and I want to see the sun because they switch the lights on and off here. When they rebuild their houses, we can live in peace.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We all really want to return home. We want to return home alive. We all want to see our parents and families.
MCLEAN (voice-over): There is little hope those wishes will come true anytime soon. Russian troops have surrounded the complex waiting for Ukrainian soldiers to surrender as food supplies dwindle.
For the rest of Mariupol, a humanitarian corridor opened leading west through Russian held territory to Ukrainian held Zaporizhzhya. Though the Mariupol mayor's office says that Russians tricked people into boarding buses bound for Dokuchaievsk, a town in Russian occupied territory.
CNN could not immediately verify the progress of evacuation efforts in the city. In a press conference in a Kyiv underground station, President Zelenskyy proposed to trade with Russia in exchange for Ukrainian civilians trapped in Mariupol.
ZELENSKYY (through translator): We offer as civilized people. We suggest humanitarian solution to the federation. We offer exchange on the civilians. We offer exchange of the wounded.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Zelenskyy said he's willing to meet with Putin but promise peace talks would be abandoned if Ukrainians in Mariupol are killed -- Scott McLean, CNN, Lviv, Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: So how long can the soldiers and civilians keep Russians at bay?
Isa Soares spoke with the director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative and he said Russia got more than what they bargained for.
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PETER ZALMAYEV, DIRECTOR, EURASIA DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE: There does seem to remain at least 1,000 civilians at that plant.
And I am not going to disclose but a significant number of fighters. And the Ukrainians have claimed that they have been able to resupply them.
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ZALMAYEV: That probably will go down in the history books as another incredible feat. These fighters are the ones that have kept Ukrainians fighting.
They have enabled Ukrainians to beat Russians back around Kyiv by tying Russian troops up in and around Mariupol. They have done an incredible feat there. They will go down in the history books.
And it will be very difficult for the Russians to dislodge them. It's been six weeks already. And so Mariupol is a preview of things to come. There are the towns of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, which the Russians will try to take. These are going to be more Mariupols, I think, and they should really think twice before attempting them. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Evacuations from Ukraine's war-torn areas are becoming increasingly difficult. And while some were able to evacuate from Mykolaiv Saturday, they had hoped to get civilians out of Mariupol but the effort was thwarted by the Russian military.
And for those who have managed to make it safely out of the areas of heavy fighting, they just want to find peace for their families. Here is what one refugee said in France.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We hope for a peaceful sky above us here and that our children will finally stop crying, be happier, less anxious and nervous. We hope for support from France. We have already had a lot of support in Moldova. People have helped us a lot.
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BRUNHUBER: So far more than 5 million people have fled the fighting in Ukraine to other countries. And the U.N. says more than 7.7 million are internally displaced.
So to find out how you can help the people in Ukraine who need shelter, food and water, please go to cnn.com/impact and just to let you know, our audience has already donated more than $7.5 million. Obviously, more help is desperately needed.
Still to come here on CNN, how some Americans are trying to get a handle on rapidly shifting COVID mask rules.
Plus the Western U.S. is dealing with several massive fires. We'll hear the latest from the CNN Weather Center ahead.
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BRUNHUBER: Condolences are pouring in over the passing of former senator Orrin Hatch. He was the longest serving senator in Utah history. He left the Senate in 2019 after serving 42 years on Capitol Hill.
The chairman of The Hatch Foundation called him a man of kindness and compassion and Mitch McConnell praised Hatch for his role in what he called major legislative accomplishments. Hatch was 88 years old.
The U.S. Justice Department is appealing this week's court ruling that struck down the federal government's mask mandate for travelers. Some airlines and transit agencies swiftly made masks optional after the ruling.
Passengers on those carriers are now able to decide how much risk they want to take when they travel. Opinions on masks, as you might imagine, are mixed. Listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to try to protect myself as much as I can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sitting in an airplane with the masks on was really kind of frustrating. So I'm so glad that they are gone.
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BRUNHUBER: So we asked CNN's Jacqueline Howard what many travelers are wondering.
Does wearing a mask now really protect you?
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JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: The short answer here is yes. Wearing a mask can still give you some protection, even if you're the only one masked. But how much protection depends on the mask type.
In one study released by the CDC earlier this year, wearing a cloth mask was associated with 56 percent lower odds of testing positive for COVID-19. Wearing a surgical mask was associated with 66 percent lower odds.
But for the most protection, wearing an N-95 or KN-95 was associated with 83 percent lower odds.
And that's compared with wearing no mask.
Now I spoke with an expert on aerosol particles about this, Chris Cappa. And he tells me that if everyone else is unmasked, those percentages could go down. That's because more particles from the unmasked people could release into the air.
But the bottom line, if your mask is on, that mask can still filter particles offering some protection.
Back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN asked two public health experts to weigh in on the Florida court ruling that struck down the federal government's mask mandates for travelers inside the U.S. and here is what they had to say.
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DR. SAJU MATHEW, PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN AND PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALIST: I think that my biggest gripe is how it was done.
You know, where is CDC?
CDC has been largely silent behind the DOJ saying, hey, this is not a good idea, we need to reinstate mask mandates. I would rather have this come from the CDC, from a scientific organization, from the world headquarters of the pandemic, rather than a judge in Florida.
And to lift a mask mandate in the midst of a surge, cases are still going up. We're grossly undercounting cases. The good news is, yes, hospitalizations are down and deaths are significantly down.
But we are still in a pandemic and I think that mask is one of very many tools. So I don't want to overstate the use of a mask but wearing a good N95 mask, a KN95 mask, goes a long way.
DR. JEANNE NOBLE, UCSF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: I think at this stage in the pandemic we really do need to get away from case counts. And in the vast majority of the states in this country, hospitalizations remain low and are falling. It is a question of when to pull back these mandates.
And the mask mandate in public transportation was due to expire in just two weeks' time. So you know, this may be a little bit formulaic in our discussion.
But mask mandates, public health mandates in general, do have a toll. Living in this chronic state of hypervigilance and fear is not great for our mental health. And so to impose a mandate to require something like masks, we really need to -- it needs to be effective and those mandates need to be consistent.
And a mask mandate on public transportation really, I think, fails those criteria. It is OK to attend an indoor basketball game with 20,000 other cheering spectators but -- without a mask.
But when you get on a very well ventilated airplane, you are mandated to put on a mask. And I think the average citizen finds that to be a bit inconsistent. And that can erode our faith in our public health officials.
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BRUNHUBER: Now to a warning from the World Health Organization. It reports at least one child has died from a hepatitis outbreak, which has spread to 11 countries. At least 169 cases of hepatitis in children aged one month to 16 years old have been identified across these countries.
Most of these cases have been reported in the U.K. An investigation is underway to learn more about the cause of the outbreak.
There are at least 20 active wildfires burning in New Mexico. That is according to the state's governor, who says that the risk season is incredibly and dangerously early.
The governor declared a state of emergency for several counties on Saturday. Wildfires have also impacted thousands of acres in Arizona and Colorado. Dozens of homes have been destroyed and evacuation orders have been issued in several communities.
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BRUNHUBER: Have a look here, this is a rally outside the White House on Saturday as part of Earth Day weekend celebrations. Several organizations, including the Sierra Club and the NAACP, called on the Biden administration and Congress to pass climate change legislation that has been stalled in the Senate.
They demanded, quote, "climate, care, jobs and justice."
Coming up, America's opioid crisis is reaching a deadly new record. We'll look at a new tool that could help keep people alive and why it is such a controversial idea. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Some news just coming into CNN: an adviser to the Ukrainian president's office says Russian forces are attacking the encircled Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. We recently brought you these images of both soldiers and civilians, mostly women and children, seeking shelter there.
Vladimir Putin claimed earlier this week that Russian forces had achieved the, quote, "liberation" of Mariupol but ordered his forces to stop short of taking the Azovstal plant. The sprawling complex is the last major bastion of Ukrainian defense in the city.
Drug overdoses in the United States are on a shocking rise and that has prompted bars across America to offer patrons free fentanyl testing strips. But some say it is only making drug use easier.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Some bars and clubs in the U.S. are now offering their patrons something else besides music and drinks, something new, a simple piece of paper that can detect the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
For decades, opioid overdoses have cast a shadow over the United States. In April, the CDC estimated annual overdose deaths reached an all-time high. Close to 107,000 people died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in November 2021.
And about two-thirds of those deaths involved fentanyl, a particularly deadly opioid. According to a report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, many of the illicit drugs in circulation in the U.S. are adulterated with fentanyl. It can prove fatal.
In Oakland, California, a harm reduction non-profit called FentCheck is taking matters into their own hands.
ALISON HELLER, COFOUNDER, FENTCHECK: We're going around to bars. And they all have bowls of free fentanyl test strips.
And we are just refilling them, making sure they're fully stocked for the weekend, making sure everybody can, because they're going to make choices, that they're making them with some safety and some informed consent.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Their efforts aren't limited to Oakland.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The non-profit is also distributing strips across other cities, like San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia.
The strips aren't just free, they're also easy to use. Drug users mix a tiny amount of the drug, whether it's heroin, cocaine or crushed-up pills, in an ounce of water. Then they dip the strip into a solution for 15 seconds and remove it.
The results appear like a pregnancy test. One line indicates the presence of fentanyl and two lines means no fentanyl.
HELLER: We're done with dead kids. We're done with accidental overdoses. Because even if, you know, we really do like to encourage recreational drug users to engage with harm reduction. And they cannot make it to the next step in their sobriety if they die that night. That's why this is important.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): While distribution of testing strips continues to grow in some major cities, not all states and cities are welcoming the idea. Some opponents have criticized those strips for enabling drug users.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just don't think it's a good policy to make it easier for people addicted to drugs to use drugs.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Still, the White House has made its support clear. Under the Biden administration's new drug control policy, the White House plans to expand access to harm reduction services, like fentanyl testing strips, by 25 percent in the next three years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact is that harm reduction saved lives.
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BRUNHUBER: If you or someone you know needs help with drug use or are requesting testing strips, go to overdoselifeline.org/get-help.
And that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Our breaking news coverage of the war in Ukraine continues on "NEW DAY" with Christi Paul and Boris Sanchez. You're watching CNN.
