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21-Year-Old Guardsman Arrested for Document Leaks; Protests and Clashes as Crucial Ruling Looms in France; Biden in Ireland: World Can Count on U.S. 'With Notable Exceptions'; Pyongyang Says It Launched New Solid-Fuel ICBM; 'Yellow Ribbon' Activists Push Back Against Russian Occupation; Cyclone Ilsa Breaks Wind Record as It Smashes into Australia. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired April 14, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:00:10]

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, he's only 21 years old, described as lonely and charismatic, and is now under arrest in connection to a massive document leak that rattled governments around the world.

Decision day in France, where the country's highest constitutional court is set to rule on a controversial reform law that hundreds of thousands are still taking to the streets to try to stop.

And U.S. President Joe Biden wines and dines with Ireland's political leaders as he prepares to honor his family history.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: And we begin with a major development in the leak of classified Pentagon documents posted online.

The FBI has arrested 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira. He will appear in a Boston courtroom in the coming hours.

The Air Force says his job as a guardsman was to help make sure that the military's vast global communications network was working properly. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland formally announcing the arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Today the Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: A government source telling CNN Teixeira had been under surveillance for several days before his arrest, and multiple U.S. Officials say he is believed to be the leader of an online chat group where the classified documents were posted.

"The Washington Post: spoke with another member of the group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wanted us all to be sort of super-soldiers to some degree: informed, fit, with God, well-armed, stuff like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The damaging leaks and Teixeira's arrest have prompted the Pentagon to tighten access to classified intelligence.

CNN's Kylie Atwood reports now from the State Department.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dramatic overhead video of a 21-year-old airman in the Massachusetts National Guard being arrested outside of his relative's home.

Suspect Jack Teixeira taken into U.S. custody in connection with leaked classified documents that have recently appeared on social media sites.

GARLAND: FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon without incident. He will have an initial appearance at the U.S. district court for the district of Massachusetts.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The arrest comes exactly a week after President Biden and other senior U.S. leaders, including the secretary of defense, were briefed on the leak, unleashing a fast-moving search by the U.S. government to identify the culprit, who was under surveillance for at least a couple of days before his arrest, according to a U.S. government source.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's a full-blown investigation going on.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The documents were leaked on Discord, a chat and messaging platform often used by gamers. "The Washington Post" spoke with a member of the group, who met the leaker online about four years ago and had seen the posted classified documents on Discord.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's talks of foreign intelligence agencies, who's supplying what in what wars, who's funding certain things? There's talks of nuclear weaponry. I mean, that's hardly touching the iceberg. There's just stuff that, if your tax dollars are funding these atrocities, than you should be able to know about it.

ATWOOD (voice-over): He said the wide-ranging U.S. secrets began appearing in the chat group 6 to 8 months ago, earlier than U.S. officials have so far publicly acknowledged.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that there was a goal nor some sort of accomplishment that he was looking for in sharing these documents. Of course, there's some anti-government sentiment. But that's not unlike most right-wingers in the modern day.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The group, known as Thug Shaker Central, included 20 to 30 people who bonded over military gear, guns and God, "The Washington Post" reported. And Teixeira was viewed as their strict but revered leader.

The Pentagon spokesperson described the leak as a deliberate criminal act and said steps are being taken to limit the number of people who have access to this top-secret information.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We continue to review those distribution lists, update them, make sure there's a need to know.

ATWOOD (voice-over): The Pentagon is also carrying out a damage assessment to determine the scope of the leaks' impact, and U.S. officials are seeking to quell the concerns of intelligence sharing allies.

While Biden said today he's not anxious about the leaks' impact on U.S. national security or operations underway --

BIDEN: I'm concerned it would happen. But there's nothing contemporaneous that I'm aware of that is (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

[00:05:06]

ATWOOD (voice-over): U.S. lawmakers remain concerned about the possible implications on the battlefield in Ukraine.

REP. JIM HIMES (D-CT): I've never seen a leak like this that may -- and I do emphasize may -- have a real effect on the battlefield in Ukraine, if, in fact, sources and methods have been compromised, that could translate into dead Ukrainians that didn't need to be dead.

ATWOOD: Now, Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in 2019. That was even before he graduated from high school. But he went through the training to be a cyber transport specialist. Essentially what that means is he was an I.T. specialist making sure that the communication systems work.

And, according to the U.S. government official familiar with this situation, the FBI was actually planning to arrest him when he went into work on Thursday. But when he didn't go into work, they positioned themselves outside of that family's home, and they arrested him when he came out.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: For more, I'm joined by Douglas London. He's a retired senior operations officer for the CIA and the author of the book, "The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence."

Great voice to have on this particular case, Doug. How does a 21-year- old national reservist get his hands on material like this? Does what's happened suggest changes are needed on the whole need-to-know process?

DOUGLAS LONDON, RETIRED SENIOR OPERATIONS OFFICER, CIA: Well, thanks, Michael. Looking at what we know, clearly, he had enough of a clearance to be on the system.

But we're also told that he had an information technology role, troubleshooting, which means it's possible he might have had administrative access that would have allowed him to get to servers or even accounts which contains intelligence that has nothing to do with his job.

So I think there are certainly some issues about need-to-know, but I would tell you, as a CIA case officer, going after somebody with admin access was one of my favorite targets because of the breath of information they can provide.

HOLMES: Yes, and to that point, that information, what -- from what you've seen, what damage might have been been caused to sources and methods in an intel sense?

LONDON: You know, it's really a hodgepodge, because what we've been told is a lot of these are briefing materials, slides for the joint staff, which means they're drawing on other intelligence products.

Now, in general, the intelligence community is very careful to write for what we call source protection, meaning you can transmit what we know without giving away how we know it, so people who need to act on the information can without exposing our sources.

But it's not as clear to me that these people took the same precautions as the intelligence agencies producing these products usually take.

So there's certainly some reference to the means of acquisition, whether it's signals intelligence and such, which would offer some clues to an adversary, though it's a snapshot in time on what we know. It's really how we know that brings some concern to me.

HOLMES: Yes. One thing I want to ask you about, and I know you've been interested in this, too. There are apparently altered or doctored documents in this trove of material. What does that suggest to you?

LONDON: It's a big takeaway, from my view, as somebody who's worked a Russian target for so many years, because the Russians came up pretty quickly publicly to say this was disinformation.

And then we see these apparent forgeries, which were done fairly haphazardly and perhaps in a rushed nature, just to get this information out.

In a lot of ways, the exposure of American intelligence, detailing this tremendous losses Russia's taking. I mean, casualty figures over 100,000 deaths, perhaps, which is more than double what the United States suffered during the entirety of the Vietnam War, does not paint a good picture of Russia. Nor does it paint a good picture of Putin's leadership. So I think he's as disappointed to see this public as we are.

HOLMES: Now Doug, it's interesting these documents surfaced in an online gaming group. I mean, maybe -- maybe this 21-year-old was just showing off. But what -- what are your concerns, more broadly, about members of the military gravitating to online groups and taking their their knowledge there, particularly groups more radical than a gamer chat room?

LONDON: It's certainly a concern. We've seen evidence that the military has been trying to deal with folks going online, expressing political views that can tend to be aligned somewhat with some of what we now refer to as racially and motivatedly [SIC] ethnic extremists. This is what is thought as the grab bag for everything from white supremacist to anti-government militias.

And there's, unfortunately, more online activity. Both are in social forums, as well in private groups among military members. We saw this with the attack on the Capitol in January 6.

And it's a touchy issue for the military to address, but I think one they really need to dig deeper into.

HOLMES: A man with more than 30 years' experience with the CIA, a perfect voice to talk to about all of this. Douglas London, our thanks as always.

[00:10:02]

LONDON Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: Turning our attention to France now, where in the coming hours, the nation's highest constitutional court is expected to deliver its long-awaited crucial ruling on whether the pension reform law will stand or fall, or fall a little.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets again Thursday in a fresh round of protests against the government's controversial plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Some demonstrations were peaceful. Others were not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Smoke bombs, projectiles and tear gas were fired as protesters clashed with police. At least 47 people were arrested in Paris, and at least 10 police officers were injured.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen with more from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Outbursts of anger rip across France.

PLEITGEN: I just got a full load of tear gas.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Police in Paris, charging a crowd of demonstrators.

Flares and sirens taking over the headquarters of luxury giant LVMH, which owns the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior and Tiffany's.

Chants from rail workers echo through the halls of the metro. Trash bins blocking off schools and streets, with garbage set ablaze.

These are the sights and sounds of rage by some protesters, stirring tensions in what was largely a peaceful day of protests across the country.

French citizens, young and old, coming together for the 12th day of nationwide outrage against President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pensions bill, which would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

FABIEN VILLEDIEU, SUD RAIL UNION REPRESENTATIVE (through translator): I would like if I was telling you that there is no fatigue. We are tired, but a mobilization is like a marathon. It's the last kilometers at the end that are the hardest.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): While protesters say they are here for the long run, the final hurdle for the bill comes Friday at the country's constitutional council.

The contested reform will either be greenlit, partly scrapped or, in a highly unlikely situation, entirely thrown out.

The court's decision will bring to an end a month of deliberations. However, French unions and protesters say they are going to continue to fight the reform, regardless of the ruling.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES And joining me now from Strasbourg in France is Dominic Thomas, CNN's European affairs commentator and professor at UCLA.

Thanks for getting up early for us, Dominic.

These latest protests, I guess, with the final chance for opponents of the reforms to be heard ahead of that constitutional council decision. What are the chances that it could reject some or all of the legislation, approve the lot? I mean, what's the usual position of the court on such matters? DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes, you're

absolutely right, Michael. They were heard, and loud and clear in many ways, applying pressure to the judicial process as they anticipate and the outcome here.

You know, historically, the constitutional court has tended to weigh in by tweaking the legislation it has -- it has reviewed, and I think that is the likely outcome here.

However, having said that, I think that, no matter what they do, if they question in any way, the kind of legislative legality of the process followed by Emmanuel Macron's government, or if they simply go ahead and rubber stamp it or green -- or green-light it, both outcomes will ultimately prove to be the catalyst for further protests and further demonstrations, because the opposition to this particular legislation is something that is simply not going to go away anytime soon.

And the more they get into this, the more they're motivated to undermine the Macron presidency over this particular issue, Michael.

HOLMES: And to that point, I mean, the protesters have been calling on Macron to resign. I mean, that's -- that's not going to happen, of course. But it points to how damaged he is politically by all of this. I mean, he has a -- he has a 25 percent approval rate.

THOMAS: Yes, it's remarkable. And you know, not only that, Michael, but it's really fascinating to see how even on the international scene where he enjoyed such favorability ratings, his comments pertaining to the United States after his visit to China kind of further pointed to his sort of stubborn nature and his sort of core belief that he knows what's right, both internationally and from France.

And it really is remarkable that he is willing, over pension reform, which historically in France has been such a lightning rod for process, to potentially derail his entire second presidency over this particular issue.

And no matter what the outcome of this is, having lost his legislative majority, it is going to be impossible for him to legislate moving forward. And we are just going to be exposed to more and more kind of paralysis, as in many ways, we see this fifth republic gradually being derailed by these mechanisms, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, because I was -- I was just going to ask you about exactly that. I mean, he still has years left before he faces another election, four years.

But what has this level and persistence of opposition to this policy move done to the rest of his presidential agenda and his mandate to carry out his other policies?

THOMAS: Yes, well, I think that, you know, historically, you know, traveling internationally might have sort of shifted the focus away from some of these domestic issues, but it ends up -- ended up really sort of compounding the problems that he -- that he faces. Right now, you have an extremely divided and polarized country in which Emmanuel Macron believed he has a mandate to enact these changes. He talked about them during his campaign.

What people will counter that with is by saying that, actually, in the runoff stages, they voted overwhelmingly against his opponent, Emmanuel [SIC] -- excuse me, Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate.

And so he doesn't really have that legitimacy. And he lost his Parliamentary majority and is the first president to lose that since they reformed the system in 2002.

And what they're seeing is a kind of lack of humility, an unwillingness to kind of coalition and build and to consult across the aisle and to work with the unions. And this has left him increasingly isolated and unpopular.

And ultimately what unites the opposition is their opposition against him? And we're seeing not just Emmanuel Macron struggle here, but ultimately, the whole future of this movement and, subsequently, the Renaissance Party that he built.

And that, I think, is going to be a major problem for him moving forward, with the people closest to him, asking him to kind of revisit this agenda that he's trying to push forward.

HOLMES: You know, I heard an analyst earlier say that, you know, this is -- this whole thing is chipping away at the cherished French way of life.

And you mentioned Marine Le Pen, and it sort of made me want to -- wonder what you think in the broader political landscape. Could all of this not, not just the reform on pensions, but other policies, as well. It's not just pension opponents who are out on the streets. But do you think all of that could help with the rise of a viable populist candidate in France?

THOMAS: Yes, well, it's deeply ironic, of course, because on the both occasions that he was elected, not only did he end up in the runoff stages against Le Pen, but the traditional socialist left and the traditional right have essentially become obsolete on the French political landscape.

You now have a far-left and a far-right. And both times, in 2017 and in 2022, he came to power precisely because people worked against Marine Le Pen and didn't want her.

But ultimately, the kind of demise of his government here is fueling these kind of populist responses. And a candidate like Marine Le Pen or her movement, her party, are benefiting from this kind of social collapse.

And you have a system in which people believe in a kind of social pact. France has one of the highest taxation rates in Europe. And individuals have paid into this, hoping they will have pension, education and healthcare. And you see Emanuel Macron here, hell-bent in his unrelenting assault

on the social system, and people don't want it. They don't want the retirement age raised further, and they don't want to have to work longer. They want to maintain the system. And they're going to fight for it against a president who is determined to and alter it and change that.

And historically, that has not worked out very well for French presidents.

HOLMES: Yes. the constitutional court decision coming down in the hours ahead. We shall see what happens.

Dominic Thomas, always a pleasure. Thanks so much.

THOMAS: Thank you.

HOLMES: Quick break here on the program. When we come back, a peace bell was rung. A tree was planted, and the U.S. president addressed the Irish Parliament. His messages for his ancestral homeland are next.

Also, North Korea says it launched a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile. What we're learning about the weapons test. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:21:12]

HOLMES: U.S. president will soon begin his final day in Ireland, and much of it will be spent tracing his family lineage in County Mayo.

Joe Biden's trip has been part homecoming and part politics. On Thursday, he met with the prime minister, Leo Varadkar, who thanked him and the U.S. for helping protect the peace in Northern Ireland.

Later in a speech to the Parliament, President Biden urged Ireland and the U.K. to work more closely to restore Northern Ireland's power sharing agreement, saying, quote, "Political violence must never again be allowed to take hold on this island."

And during a banquet dinner at Dublin Castle, Mr. Biden emphasized the deep ties and resilience of both the U.S. and Ireland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: So today, wherever there's a yearning for freedom, a struggle for change, a cry for justice, people around the world know they can count on Ireland. They can count on Ireland, and I believe they can count on the United States, with notable exceptions once in a while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: CNN's Kevin Liptak is live in Dublin. Notable exception there at the end of that sound bite, a little dig at we can guess who, I suppose.

But Kevin, speak to the broader messaging in what Mr. Biden said and the significance of the moment.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It is interesting. He is really using this trip to kind of springboard all of these themes that he talks about so frequently at home and abroad, the main one being this defense of democracy. And you heard that in his speech yesterday. He talked about the support for Ukraine, amid its invasion -- amid Russia's invasion.

And so the president really trying to shore up this alliance with Ireland.

But you know, in the end, Michael, this is not a trip with a number of policy objectives. This is really a personal trip for the president. Of course, he did want to talk to those lawmakers yesterday.

But you really did see him so much more comfortable in that environment that he sometimes seems at home, addressing this foreign Parliament much, much more well-received that he is sometimes received in the American Congress.

And you heard him say in the Irish language, I'm home, at the top of those remarks. He talked about his mother. He's talked about, a number of times on this trip, how he doesn't really want to go back home.

So the president really making -- making the most of this trip here.

And there have been some interesting moments where he has kind of let his guard down at times, talked about things that he isn't necessarily talking about back home.

The most interesting moment to me was when he referenced his age. In that speech yesterday, he talked about how he is at the end of his career, and that his age gives him this experience that helps them value these trips abroad, value these thing that he's talking about in his speeches, things like democracy.

And so certainly, the president, incredibly well- received here in Ireland. He'll continue that trip later today, exploring more of these family roots out in the West of Ireland.

HOLMES: Yes. It was interesting, too, because Northern Ireland has -- Ireland has, in many ways, built its modern economy on the strength of foreign investment, in particular, many U.S. tech and pharma companies.

And we heard the president in Ireland wanting to reaffirm that economic relationship, obviously important one economically for both nations.

LIPTAK: Yes. And the president, as much as this trip is about the past, the president also wants to talk about the present and, of course, the future. And it is so interesting. Ireland is such a changed country from the country that his ancestors left centuries ago, even from the country that Kennedy visited 60 years ago.

And so the president really did want to emphasize that. And he said in his speech that Ireland has so often been talked about in the past tense, but it is really its own story to write.

[00:25:05]

And of course, there are these very deep economic ties between the U.S. and Ireland, particularly in the technology sector. And the president really working to reinforce that, of course, not just with Ireland but with the broader European Union.

He also mentioned that when he was in Northern Ireland, as well. Of course, Northern Ireland no longer part of the European Union, as part of the Brexit, but certainly, with some unique investment opportunities.

And that was something of an interesting message that he brought to Belfast, was that it's not necessarily only about the violent past up there, but it's also about the potential future investments that the United States wants to be a part of.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. Great summary there, Kevin. Thank you. Kevin Liptak in Dublin, early morning there. Cheers.

All right. North Korea says the rocket that it launched on Thursday was a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile. State media reporting that leader Kim Jong-un guided the weapons test.

It was reportedly a solid-fueled ICBM, which can be more easily moved and launched quicker than a liquid-fueled rocket.

Joining me now, CNN's Paula Hancocks, live for us in Seoul. So -- so speak to the significance of this particular type of missile in the context of the North Korean program.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, this is what Kim Jong-un a couple of years ago had said that he wants to achieve.

Back in January 2021, he had effectively a weapons wish list, which he said he wanted to perfect over a five-year plan.

Now we're almost at the halfway point of that five years, and this is what he said he wanted to achieve, this solid fuel ICBM, intercontinental ballistic missile.

Now we spoke to some analysts who told us exactly why this is significant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANKIT PANDA, STANTON SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Solid fuel ICBMs, compared to their liquid propellant counterparts, are generally speaking, much more responsive in a crisis. That means that they can be used much quicker. They don't need to be fueled right before they're launched.

Think of a firecracker that's ready to go once the fuse is lit. A solid-fuel ICBM is something similar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So it's basically easier to handle for North Korea. It is quicker to be able to launch, which makes it far more difficult for the likes of the United States and South Korea to be able to detect and, if need be, to intercept a launch of this type.

So this is certainly something that is considered a significant development.

But what we've heard from the South Korean side is that they do believe this could well be a solid-fuel missile, but they don't believe that they have perfected this technology yet. They believe it will take more time and effort for North Korea to be able to say that they are able to -- to carry out this kind of missile, which they have already done.

But of course, it is just another move towards where North Korea wants to be. It is another improvement in its capability, which is of concern to many in the region.

And it also comes at a time when there is effectively no communication whatsoever between the North and South. We do -- we understand these hotlines that the -- that are carried out between the two Koreas. There's usually a phone call in the morning and then in the afternoon. The point of that is to make sure that there is no miscalculation, that they can lower the tensions, if need be.

But North Korea hasn't been answering those phone calls for the past week, and it's something that they often do when they're trying to show displeasure, for example, with the U.S. and South Korean joint military drills that we've seen over the past couple of months.

So there's no communication whatsoever between the two Koreas at this point, Michael.

HOLMES: All right, Paula. Thank you. Paula Hancocks there in Seoul for us.

Now months of grinding battles have taken a toll on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Just ahead, we'll give you a bird's-eye view of the city and the deep scars left by the fighting.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:31:32]

HOLMES: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for being with us. Now, a new video shows the sheer devastation that months of fighting

have left on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The footage, released by a Russian state-owned news outlet, shows entire city blocks just obliterated by the brutal battles. You can see there for yourself.

Ukraine says Russian forces launched dozens of attacks per day trying to take full control of the city. Kyiv also says Russia has lost close to 4,500 troops in just the past two weeks, a figure CNN could not independently verify.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is calling on NATO to play a bigger role in the security of the Black Sea. Ukraine's foreign minister making the appeal in his address to a security conference in Romania, where he didn't mince words, talking about Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I assume we all understand now that fear is not a strategy. It is time to work out a comprehensive security network for all nations on all the region that feel threatened by the maniac on the loose.

It's time to turn Black Sea into what the Baltic Sea has become, a sea of NATO.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Kuleba also called for a demilitarization of the region in his speech. In response, Moscow said the Black Sea will never be a NATO sea.

All right. We now want to show you one side of the war that's playing out behind the front lines. At the forefront of it are Ukrainian activists, who lead a nonviolent resistance in the areas occupied by Russia.

As they told CNN's Ben Wedeman, any pushback against Moscow is risky business.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Braving gunfire a year ago, residents of the city of Kherson came out to protest the Russian occupation.

It was there that a nonviolent resistance movement began, Zhovta Strichka, Ukrainian for "Yellow Ribbon." The Yellow Ribbons sprayed on walls tied to railings has spread with the movement throughout the areas under Russian control, with a particularly large and growing number of activists in Crimea.

We spoke with some of the movement's activists, who requested we conceal their identities due to security concerns.

"Every day 30 or 40 new people are joining," says Taras (ph), not his real name. These acts are small and symbolic, but under occupation, any act of

defiance comes with a huge risk.

Says Taras (ph), "All this resistance is very difficult, because the price of putting up one poster could be the loss of your freedom, or your life."

Katya (ph), not her real name, knows those risks. Twice, Russian police searched her home in the Kherson region.

"The invaders," she says, "expected to be met with flowers."

Last November, Russian forces retreated from much of the Kherson region.

According to Katya (ph), women make up the majority of Yellow Ribbon members. "Women have the power to fight," she says. "They want to contribute to the victory."

Small and symbolic, though these act may be, they've caught someone's attention.

[00:35:02]

In a recent televised meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to crack down on resistance, violent and nonviolent, in the occupied territories.

"You need to in a strong and efficient manner," said Putin. "Control over this situation must be reliably ensured."

Ivan (ph), also not his real name, is the operations tech brains. From occupied territory, he set up a chatbot, which allows Yellow Ribbon members to stay in touch and share material.

Russian operatives tried to infiltrate Yellow Ribbon via the chat bot. Their lack of subtlety is often a dead giveaway.

"IVAN" (PH), YELLOW RIBBON ACTIVIST: You're talking about, with Russians, they're really just, "Hello. Let's meet."

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Ivan (ph) shows us what one real activist has posted.

"IVAN": He sent us confirmation about his work. For example, he paint "Glory to Ukraine, glory to the armed forces" on one of the building in Luhansk.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Simple acts of defiance by a nebulous network of anonymous activists are driving home a blunt message to the Russian occupiers: You're not welcome here.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Still to come, a record-breaking cyclone slams into Western Australia. Where is it heading next? We're tracking Cyclone Ilsa for you. We'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Right now, Western Australia is getting walloped by a historically powerful cyclone. It also broke wind-speed records when it smashed into the coast, making landfall late Thursday night with the strength of a Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic.

The cyclone has potential to cause significant damage with its severe wind and heavy rainfall over the coming hours.

Meteorologist Britley Ritz is monitoring the storm for us.

I've covered cyclones up in that part of Western Australia, my home state. Tell us how bad this one was.

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it was pretty significant. Like you said, a Category 4 as it came onto shore for the Atlantic basin, that is.

But it is significantly weakened. Now, let's hit that friction of the land, so it starts to shred apart, and you're noticing the convection really weaken as it moves into Western Australia's inland areas and the eye itself completely got another indicator of weakening.

But the system made landfall just North of Port Hedland with wind speeds of 240 kilometers per hour, about midnight local time. A pretty significant high-end Category 4 storm, again, for the Atlantic basin. As it moved inland.

We have wind speeds at 218 kilometers per hour. That's a 10-minute wind speed at Bedout island, which is a new record the previous record, what's back in 2007, where we had wind speeds -- the same location, by the way -- at 194 mph.

[00:40:05]

The system itself one of many 13 storms of a Cat 4 equivalent since 1960. But it's the most recent since Tropical Storm Lawrence back in 2009.

The winds weakening as we move into Saturday, four o'clock, local time, as well as the rainfall. But still, these areas don't typically get a lot of rain. Keep that in mind.

So we're expected to pick up an additional, let's say, 50 to 100 millimeters. Michael, some of these areas like Alice Springs don't typically get that. We're usually about 16 millimeters, on average, for the month of April.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes, exactly. When these cyclones plowing into you, you're going to get a lot of flooding around those areas.

RITZ: Yes.

HOLMES: It can do a lot of damage to the agriculture sector, the sheep farms and the cattle farms up there. Yes.

Britley, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Good to see you. Britley Ritz there.

UNICEF says there has been a seven-fold increase in the number of child migrants crossing the treacherous Darien Gap in Central America. Almost 9,700 young people attempted the trek in the first two months of the year. Travel is a reported robberies, corpses, mutilations and rape in the dense forests along the route.

The 60-kilometer trek North brings migrants from Colombia to Panama. It is a crucial passage for those hoping to reach the U.S. and Canada. Coming up on the premiere episode of "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER," CNN's Nick Paton Walsh travels with a group of migrants as they make the arduous trek on foot through the Darien Gap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm literally meters from Colombia. The ground turns.

WALSH: People as they walk, just discarding their shoes. A real sense of the atmosphere changing, now we've crossed the border into Panama. People clumping together, perhaps fearing for their own safety. And this mud, it's just impossible to go and get your feet out of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

WALSH (voice-over): This man, who didn't want to be named, now with nothing on his feet, but his resolve. Pause and imagine where you've come from, if you're willing to do this barefoot with a woolen sweater and plastic bags.

Pierce your feet or break an ankle, and this mud may be your grave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Don't take me through the high parts. God help me. Give me patience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Tune in to see the full report on Sunday night, 8 p.m. Eastern in the U.S. That's 8 a.m. Monday in Hong Kong.

I'm Michael Holmes. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. WORLD SPORT after the break. I'll see you in about 15 minutes.

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