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Acts of Defiance During Russia's Election as Putin Wins; IDF Raided Al-Shifa Hospital; Peace and Hostage Negotiations to Continue Between Hamas and Israel in Doha, Qatar; Netanyahu Criticizes Schumer's Remarks on Israel Elections; Israel to Push with Miliary Action in Rafah; The Biden Campaign Raised $155 Million in Cash for the 2024 Elections; Three Ballistic Missiles Fired by North Korea, Fall Outside Japan's Territory; U.S. "Aware" Of Niger's Plan To End Military Agreement; Haitians Shelter In School To Flee Rising Gang Violence; Volcano Erupts For 4th Time: No Major Infrastructure Damage. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired March 18, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:00]

ROSESMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead.

Vladimir Putin extends his rule over Russia for another six years, claiming a landslide victory in an election where the results were always a foregone conclusion.

Ceasefire and hostage negotiations are set to get underway in Qatar in the hours ahead, but Israel's prime minister is already calling Hamas's demands outlandish.

And people in Haiti are trying to escape the rampant gang violence. We'll take you to a school transformed into a refugee camp.

Good to have you with us. Well, to the surprise of absolutely no one, Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to cement his grip on power with a fifth term, after the country wrapped up its three-day presidential election. With no genuine opponent running against him, the outcome was never in doubt.

So far, preliminary results show him with a commanding lead of almost 90 percent. A win means he will stay in office until at least 2030, continuing as Russia's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

In a post-election appearance, Putin called for national unity, but some Russians made their opposition of Putin clear during voting, with sporadic acts of defiance, which included setting fires at polling stations and the use of Molotov cocktails.

Russia's election came a month after the death of Alexei Navalny, who Putin addressed by name in wide-ranging remarks after the vote ended on Sunday. CNN's Matthew Chance has been following all the developments from Moscow.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, a landslide victory for Vladimir Putin in this Russian presidential vote, so no surprises there. But it was an extraordinary post-election address in which Putin answered reporters' questions at his campaign headquarters.

He confirmed reports, for example, that he'd agreed to swap jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who he named for the first time in the days before he died in an Arctic penal colony last month, which Putin dismissed as simply a sad event. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translation): A few days before Mr. Navalny passed away, some colleagues told me that there is an idea to exchange Mr. Navalny for some people who are in prison in Western countries. Maybe you believe me, maybe you don't.

The person who spoke to me had not finished his sentence yet, when I said I agree. But unfortunately, what happened, happened. There was only one condition, for him not to come back. Let him sit there. Well, such things happen. There's nothing you can do about it. That's life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Of course, Navalny's supporters accused Putin of killing the opposition leader as he ruthlessly silences critics of the Kremlin. And of course, Putin has denied any involvement. The presidential election, though, has been slammed by critics also as being neither free nor fair.

With high turnout, Putin received well over 80 percent of the vote, claiming a mandate to rule Russia for another six years. And he lashed out at criticism by taking a swing at the U.S. political system, suggesting that court cases involving presumptive Republican nominee and former president Donald Trump were politically motivated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PUTIN (through translation): Can it be considered democratic to use administrative resources to attack one of the candidates for president of the United States, including through the courts? The use of administrative resources, the judicial system, this has become simply ridiculous and a disgrace in front of the whole world for the United States and for your so-called democratic system, in quotes. I have every reason to believe that today we are not seeing any democracy, at least during the election processes in some Western countries, including the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Well, a warning there from the Kremlin leader about democracy. But in the aftermath of elections in which opposition candidates weren't even allowed to stand, critics say democracy in Russia has virtually disappeared. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

[02:05:00]

CHURCH: Alexei Navalny's widow urged Russians to turn out en masse, but residents of other countries did as well, as groups around the world gathered on Sunday in protest of Russia's election.

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After voting herself, Yulia Navalnaya described Russia's president as a killer and a gangster. She had joined calls to deface or invalidate ballots or to write in Navalny's name and told supporters she voted for her late husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YULIA NAVALNAYA, WIDOW OF ALEXEI NAVALNY (through translation): You are probably wondering what I wrote on the ballot papers, who I voted for. Of course, I wrote Navalny's surname, because it just can't be so that a month before the election and already during the presidential campaign, Putin's main opponent, already in prison, was murdered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Amid the many noon against Putin protests around the world, this one in London featured a memorial for Alexei Navalny surrounded by fresh flowers. And in the U.S., protesters held up the Ukrainian flag as well as a blue and white flag adopted by some Russian opposition members. They say Russia's current flag has become a symbol of blood, war and aggression, carrying what they call the flag of the wonderful Russia of the future.

Russian state media is claiming a high voter turnout in parts of Ukraine annexed by Russia. But critics say the voting has been coercive with poll workers escorted by armed men. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian elections a sham and insisted that Putin be held accountable in international court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): These days, the Russian dictator is simulating another election. Everyone in the world understands that this figure, as has often happened in history, has simply become addicted to power and is doing everything he can to rule forever. There is no evil he will not commit to prolong his personal power. And there is no one in the world who is safe from this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments and joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, how reliable are those voter turnout numbers and what might they indicate?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the occupied regions in Ukraine, Rosemary, I think it's safe to say there are really serious questions here. It's notable that the numbers that we have so far are obviously not quite complete just yet. But in terms of the Putin landslide, that looks like it's bigger in those occupied regions of Ukraine than in the actually internationally recognized borders of Russia, and so is the turnout.

But obviously, reports have been surfacing that these elections are taking place under a climate of coercion, potentially also intimidation, soldiers seen in videos. We can see even in Russia's most recent conquest, military conquest, of the town of Avdiivka in Donetsk, voting there, taking place under a very clear military presence.

So serious questions. The U.N. has made it very clear that holding elections in these occupied territories violates international law. Ukraine has made it very clear that it violates their laws as well. And this is what Russia has done in the past. We have the template, of course, with Crimea.

They take these military conquests and move very quickly to bring in political processes to make them, in their eyes, sort of permanent and irreversible. So, I think this is something very concerning for Ukraine and a sign of what more Putin means in terms of this war, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Clare, how is Russia marking the 10th anniversary of its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, as Kyiv says it will continue its fight to restore its 1991 borders, which, of course, includes Crimea?

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, you know, it's hard to overstate the importance of Crimea for Vladimir Putin. He saw a huge surge in popularity following the annexation in 2014. And this, now the second presidential election since that annexation, it's the second time we're going to see these celebrations folded in.

You can see the preparations on Red Square for a big concert marking the 10th anniversary of the annexation, which, of course, Russia refers to as reunification, signs saying things like 10 years in our home port. You can see it there. But obviously, inside Crimea, we see a very different reality from the celebrations we're going to see in Russia.

We see that Russia has introduced the same sort of repressive regime that it has inside Russia, proper, sometimes, in some cases, even worse. And we see also that Ukraine is not letting up in its efforts to try to retake that peninsula.

Military tensions have been rising. Ukraine has been attacking on land and sea with some success, claiming that Russia has now lost about a third of its Black Sea fleet headquartered in Sevastopol. So, that is the reality and a reality that you will not see reflected in those big celebrations today.

[02:09:58]

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Clare Sebastian joining us live from London. The Israel Defense Forces say their troops are conducting a, quote,

precise operation in the area of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. They say, based on their intelligence, the hospital is being used by, quote, "senior Hamas's terrorists to conduct and promote terrorist activity."

CNN cannot independently verify the IDF's claim.

The IDF has frequently targeted hospitals in Gaza, leading to widespread international condemnation. And this was the scene outside an UNRWA aid distribution center on Sunday as people lined up for flour. Hundreds of thousands of people are scrambling for food in Gaza as limited aid trickles in, with aid organization saying Gazans are facing famine.

A warning, the video we are about to show you is disturbing. Gaza's health ministry says more than 90 people were killed in the enclave in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to more than 31,600. CNN cannot independently verify these numbers.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in the region on Sunday, says Israel's proposed offensive in the southern city of Rafah could hinder peace talks with Hamas, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a plan for evacuating civilians from the city over the weekend.

Meantime, a senior Hamas official says their latest proposal is, quote, "logical and could bring about a breakthrough." But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling those plans outlandish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Well, time will tell, but Hamas's outlandish demands, and I'm not itemizing every one of them now, makes that deal a lot more difficult. But we're going to keep on trying, because we want those hostages back. We understand also that the one thing that gets Hamas to give them is to give these hostages to us, is the continued military pressure that we're applying there. So, we're going to continue military pressure, and we're going to continue to try to get those hostages out, and we've succeeded already in bringing half of them out. I hope we continue along that same course.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The latest round of hostage and ceasefire talks are expected to take place in Doha, Qatar, in the coming hours. CNN's Paula Hancocks has details.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the latest Hamas counter-proposal outlandish and unrealistic. He is, however, sending a delegation here to Doha to continue negotiations for a ceasefire.

Now, we know that the Mossad director, David Barnea, will be here, we believe, to have talks on Monday, according to a diplomat familiar with those talks, with Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Now, there were meetings on Sunday in Israel, there was a war cabinet meeting, where they decided the parameters of how far that mediation could go and what could be agreed to.

We've heard from a Hamas senior leader saying that they believe that the proposal they have come up with is logical and that the ball is now in Israel's court. Now, we know last Thursday Hamas said that their proposal was they wanted between 700 and 1,000 Palestinian prisoners to be released, in return for all female prisoners, including IDF soldiers, and also potentially the elderly, the weak, or the wounded hostages, assumed to be around 40, although there's no definitive figure on that at this point.

The sticking point comes after this phase one when Hamas has proposed that Israel fully pull out of Gaza militarily, and also there is a permanent ceasefire. We have heard consistently from Israel that that is not what they want to do, that even if there is a temporary ceasefire, they are still determined to launch this offensive in Rafah, which we heard once again on Sunday from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that that offensive would take in all a matter of weeks.

Back on Friday of last week, he approved the military and the evacuation plan for some 1.5 million Palestinian sheltering in Rafah, in the south of Gaza, although there's no timeframe for when it will happen. There is huge resistance to this plan, including from the main ally, the United States. The head of the World Health Organization, saying they are gravely concerned that this offensive could go ahead. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Doha, Qatar.

CHURCH: Aaron David Miller is a former Middle East negotiator for the U.S. State Department and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Appreciate you joining us.

[02:15:00]

AARON DAVID MILLER, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Rosemary, thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So, in an opinion piece for cnn.com, you wrote that in all the years you've worked for both Democratic and Republican administrations, you have never seen a pro-Israel politician give a speech like Senator Chuck Schumer did on Thursday, calling for new elections in Israel to replace Prime Minister Netanyahu. And Senator Schumer laid out the failed policies of Netanyahu's government.

But Netanyahu hit back, calling Schumer's comments totally inappropriate. What impact might the senator's speech have on U.S. Israel relations, do you think, given President Joe Biden is also frustrated by Israel's approach to Gaza and humanitarian aid?

MILLER: Yes, he is indeed. I don't think the president needed the majority leader to weigh in in order to give evidence and wait to the administration's frustrations with the Israeli government. But I have to say, Rosemary, I think the speech is more a reflection of two things. Number one, the estrangement of the mainstream Democratic Party, as evidenced by Chuck Schumer, the highest elected Jewish official in the country and the first Jewish majority leader.

His estrangement with the policies of the Netanyahu government, particularly the two extremist ministers. And number two, it reflects, given the Republican reaction to the speech, the degree to which the U.S.'s relationship, like so much, so many other issues in America, part of the argue culture in which we now live, has become a partisan and polarizing issue.

And for anyone who is interested in a healthy and resilient U.S.- Israeli relationship, both of those indications are not good. I think the president's frustrations are mounting. But I also think in six months and we're in the sixth month of this war, that as frustrated as Joe Biden is, he has still been very reluctant to pull any of the levers he could have pulled in policy in order to impose a serious cost or consequence on Israeli actions and policies.

CHURCH: And meantime, Netanyahu is making it clear his ground offensive in Rafah will go ahead, defying President Biden again. How will the U.S. president need to respond to Netanyahu crossing that line as the WHO chief says, he, too, is gravely concerned about an Israeli offensive in Rafah. And as Germany says, an offensive could hurt any chances for a peace deal.

MILLER: Yeah, I think that it's hard to know what's going to come first, although a ground campaign in Rafah is certainly not imminent. We're probably weeks away. I think the administration is hoping that sometime in the next several weeks, the Israel-Hamas hostage for prisoner exchange and for 45 days of calm, a temporary ceasefire, will somehow take hold.

If that happens, I think the Rafah campaign will at a minimum be delayed and perhaps it won't occur at all. I must say, though, that Mr. Netanyahu is not alone here when it comes to wanting to continue Israel's ground campaign against the four remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah. I think the large majority of the Israeli public, including Benny Gantz, perhaps the putative successor to Mr. Netanyahu, is also in favor of that campaign.

So, that's a tough issue on which the administration, should it choose, is going to take on more than Mr. Netanyahu. It's going to take on, I think, the vast majority of Israelis. I think the administration would be much more inclined, if they're going to use pressure, to use pressure in order to get Hamas and Israel to a deal soon.

CHURCH: Yes. Right. And on that topic, of course, in the coming hours, Mossad chief, David Barnes, is expected to lead ceasefire and hostage release negotiations with mediators in Doha, Qatar. But challenges remain after Hamas said Thursday it wants up to a thousand Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for all the remaining female hostages, the elderly, the sick and the wounded, which could mean we're talking about 40 hostages there. But Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire, which Israel will not agree to. How far might these negotiations get before time runs out?

MILLER: You know, I think that, sadly, in my experience, Middle East negotiations really only have two speeds, slow and slower. But I do think now that Hamas, actually both parties, may well be under pressure. The Israelis assert that they've killed one of the top four Hamas leaders, Marwan Issa, in an airstrike day before yesterday. The population of Gaza is suffering. Not that Hamas cares from a moral point of view, but from a political point of view, they'd like to.

[02:20:02]

And one of their demands is to ensure that Palestinians are able to return north to Gaza City. And Mr. Netanyahu also has to be aware of the fact that by some accounts of 134 hostages that Hamas and another group appear to be holding, 30 plus hostages were either killed on October 7, their bodies brought to Gaza to trade, or they died in captivity.

So, I think the destruction of Hamas's military capacity is the more important goal. But getting those hostages back, frankly, is the more urgent goal, because the longer this goes on, the greater the fear in the numbers of those held by Hamas may not be alive.

CHURCH: We will see, of course, what happens in the coming hours. Aaron David Miller, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

MILLER: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Still to come, President Biden hits an impressive campaign goal. Why money won't be an issue in this election cycle. Just ahead.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Irish leader Leo Varadkar at the White House on St. Patrick's Day. This comes ahead of his anticipated trip to Northern Ireland to mark the upcoming anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Mr. Biden, who has Irish roots, recognized the need for unity in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Whether you're from the red state or a blue state on this day, you're Irish green. America has a heart and soul that draws in the old and the new, home to people of every place on earth, from every place on earth. We all come from somewhere, but we're all Americans. We can never forget that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, the Biden team brought in $53 million in February. That includes his campaign, the Democratic National Committee and other joint fundraising teams. The president now has about $155 million dollars at his disposal. More cash than any U.S. Democratic presidential candidate has ever had at this stage of the election. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has details.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Biden campaign over the weekend announced another major fundraising haul, saying that in the month of February, they raised $53 million, now of $155 million cash on hand, marking a major advantage over Republican rival former President Donald Trump.

Now, fundraising has been a bright spot for the campaign. But this haul in particular was notable as the rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Biden has been crystallized in recent weeks, a moment that the Biden campaign has been waiting for up until this point.

[02:24:59]

Now, President Biden spent the month of February on a fundraising swing on the West Coast. That contributed to this fundraising haul, as well as the GOP primary in South Carolina. Now, they also had another record-breaking month in grassroots fundraising, with 97 percent of the funds raised under $200.

Now, senior campaign officials calling this a barometer of enthusiasm, even among those low approval ratings. And the president is expected to continue his campaign blitz this week with stops in Nevada and Arizona as he continues to shore up his coalition and try to secure that victory in November. Priscilla Alvarez, CNN at the White House.

CHURCH: Biden's campaign joined Democrats and a few Republicans in condemning remarks made by likely GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. At a rally in Ohio on Saturday he called people convicted of crimes on January 6th, patriots and hostages. He said some migrants cross into the U.S. illegally are, quote, "animals."

Most alarmingly, he predicted a bloodbath for the U.S. auto industry and the country if he's not elected in November. Former Vice President Mike Pence called his remarks about January 6th prisoners unacceptable. But Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and Representative Mike Turner are standing by Trump.

Still to come, the U.S. is responding after Niger announced it ending their military agreement. We will have a live report from after the break.

Plus, CNN is on the ground in Haiti as a growing humanitarian crisis grips the nation and people seek refuge from a surge in gang violence. Back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The U.S. is condemning North Korea after Japan says Pyongyang fired three test ballistic missiles. Japan believes all three missiles landed outside of Japan's coastal territory. The tests come just days after South Korea and the U.S. completed their annual military drills.

[02:29:59]

And as the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is in South Korea for a democracy summit. Blinken met with South Korea's president and they stressed the importance of deterring North Korea's aggression. The U.S. State Department says it's aware of Niger's plan to end a military agreement between the two countries, adding that the announcement came after, quote, frank discussions at senior levels during a three-day visit to Niger. The agreement which was signed in 2012 allowed military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. Defense Department to operate in the country. But Niger's military government says the accord was imposed on them and is, quote, profoundly unfair.

Joining us now is CNN correspondent Larry Madowo who is in neighboring Lagos, Nigeria.

So, Larry, what is the latest on this story?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, we're learning more about why the Niger military junta suddenly decided to revoke a decade-long military cooperation agreement with the United States just days after a high powered youth delegation met with the leadership there. The growing Russian military presence in Niger is at the heart of this dispute between the U.S. and Niger.

U.S. officials are telling CNN that they had a tense military junta leadership in Niamey, the capital of new share. And especially the status of what is called Air Base 101, and if that would be ceded over to the Russians. The U.S. operates two bases in Niger, Air Base 101, and the larger Air Base 201 in Central Niger. It's one of the largest drone bases in the world. It's where the U.S. spent $100 million to build it.

That's not part of this contingent, but Air Base 101 is where this major issue appears to be. Back in January, the Russian defense ministry announced that it was expanding its military ties with Niger and the other major issue here is that the us approach to dealing with the military junta leadership has always been that we're open to cooperating with you as long as you commit to return to civilian rule. The Russians don't do that.

Secondly, the Russians can sell weapons and other equipment to Niger much faster to tackle the terrorism issue that they're facing. And they don't have the same restrictions about human rights or a returned to civilian rule in the country.

That is the backdrop for this ongoing dispute and why suddenly after these tense meetings led by General Michael Langley commands the U.S. Africa Command, as well as Molly Phee, the U.S. assistant secretary for African affairs and other officials, this surprise decision was announced on Saturday.

General Michael Langley warned Congress earlier this month that Russia is trying to take over the entire Sahel, this region. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. MICHAEL LANGLEY, COMMANDER OF U.S. AFRICA COMMAND: I would say the Russian federations narrative drowned out the U.S. governments in the past years, they were accelerant. The Russian federation, not just through Wagner, stoked a lot of the instability across the Sahel. They did this through misinformation, disinformation campaigns. So I see or how we work could not doubled down on our efforts is through our own information campaign, but matched with our assurance efforts.

So, the U.S. believes that Russia is stalking instability across this wider region in Sahel. And also, taking advantage of that to profit off the natural resources, especially gold mines in Niger. On the other hand, the Niger military junta leader felt that they were getting lectured by the United States even after it's cancelled all military and foreign cooperation after the U.S. designated this as a coup. So why would you lecture us when you're not supporting us in any way?

That's why in that announcement of state TV, these spokesperson for the military junta said that the U.S. had been condescending to them and threatening consequences without offering them anything in return. So in the absence of that, they see Russia's a better partner, and that's the background for this current dispute.

It's not clear if now the military junta leadership initiative will force U.S. troops to leave immediately because once the deal is off, then that naturally follows. That should the next step, but they haven't said anything beyond that, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Larry Madowo joining us there from Lagos.

The Dominican Republic says it has evacuated 27 of its citizens from Haiti as the country grapples with a violent gang uprising. They will flown out on helicopters using an evacuation corridor set up by both nations. Dominican officials say those citizens asked to be evacuated because it's so difficult to get in or out of Haiti right now. Gangs are limiting access around the country, especially in Port-au-Prince.

CNN's David Culver is in Haiti's capital where people are camping out in a school trying to escape the rampant violence.

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DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So this was a school here in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. And every single classroom that we pass like this one here has now become a dorm room essentially.

[02:35:01]

There are dozens if not hundreds people who have made this a recent camp site. And as you can see, a lot of them are following surrounded are curious what we're doing because for them it's a distraction really. And you talked to a lot of these folks and they've come here in the past couple of weeks because of the most recent surge in violence and games taking more and more territory here in the city.

But these folks have also been on the run from their own home for months, if not years. She just got this small bag of rice and she's going to cook it up for seven people. And a lot of them tell me they don't know where their next meal is going to be. One little girl, eight years old, saying she goes to bed every single night hungry. And a lot of that is because in the past two weeks, in particular, supply lines especially for programs of international aid like the world foods work had been severed.

So while those organizations are trying desperately to get food in, it's not just about getting them into Port-au-Prince. It's been about giving them into communities like this. The challenges logistically are immense. They're dealing with this at a level that they have not faced prior. I mean, it's unprecedented, and the pain, the sensitive, the kids eyes and their parents who feel helpless at this point.

But for them, it's about pushing forward. I asked one woman how you get up every day and move ahead with the grace of God and then admitted in the same breath that sometimes they feel they'd be better off dead and living.

David Culver, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Now to a rare site in Cuba. Public protests, crowds of people gathered in Cuba second largest city on Sunday, protesting power cuts and food shortages. Now, as police and local officials tried to disperse them. Locally, Cubans have endured more electricity cuts and facing the scarcity of basic items. But Cuban government officials are blaming the shortages on U.S. sanctions.

Still to come, the latest on the volcanic eruption in Iceland, why some tourists say it was the experience of a lifetime. That's just ahead.

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CHURCH: Officials in Iceland say there's been no damage so far to critical infrastructure from the volcanic eruption near Reykjavik. The meteorological office says that while the eruption is not over, lava flow has slowed substantially. Seismic activity also decreased overnight. Airports on the island are operating normally.

Authorities have been warning for weeks that another eruption was imminent and for tourists there, this weekend, they say it was an eye- opening experience. CNN's Michael Holmes picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A siren wails at the world-famous Blue Lagoon spa in Iceland.

[02:40:01]

The orange plume lighting up the night sky means it's time to evacuate again. For some tourists, this is part of the excitement. One of the reasons they came to Iceland to see its active volcanoes. And there has been a lot of activity lately.

This is the fourth time since December that a volcano has erupted in southwest Iceland, less than an hour from the country's capital, Reykjavik. The fissure is estimated to be roughly three kilometers long and flowing once again towards the town of Grindavik, where emergency teams are working to reinforce the town's defenses.

HALIDOR GEIRSSON, GEOPHYSICIST: Most of the flow is going east of the town towards the sea. So it looks like the barriers are really doing the job they were designed for.

HOLMES: Grindavik was first evacuated in November after a series of earthquakes split open roads in a town heralding the reawakening of a volcanic system, which had been dormant for nearly 800 years, then larva first burst through the surface in December, followed by a second eruption in January that destroyed several homes and buildings in the area.

A third eruption last month, demolish to hot water pipeline and cut off heat to more than 20,000 people.

The last few residents of Grindavik who had returned to their homes have been evacuated again. And Icelandic authorities have declared a state of emergency for the area, calling this the most powerful eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula since 2021.

As in previous eruptions, the Blue Lagoon spa once again closed its doors, interrupting the vacations of some tourists. Some who may have gotten a little more of the Icelandic volcano experience they imagined.

MELISSA EZAIR, TOURIST: Like never experienced anything like that before. I'll be honest, I wasn't scared or anything. I hope everybody got out. Okay, but it really was experienced that, and I'm like at the same time, wow, how could this happen?

HOLMES: Michael Holmes, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The U.S. National Park Service is the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. are in peak bloom. And although it's extremely beautiful, it's also extremely early. Peak bloom is when 70 percent of the cherry trees lining the national mall and the tidal basin are open. That usually wouldn't happen for another two weeks.

But the U.S. Capitol just experience one of its warmest winters on record, temperatures rose to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly 27 degrees Celsius by late January. Climate change and very warm weather made this peak bloom the second earliest in D.C.'s history.

And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church.

"WORLD SPORT" is up next. Then, CNN NEWSROOM continues with Max Foster in 15 minutes from now.

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[02:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)