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New Day Saturday

Dozens Killed in Russian Airstrike on Crowded Train Platform; More than 4.4 Million Refugees have Fled Ukraine; Zelenskyy Calls Missile Strike on Train Station a War Crime; Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court; First Private Space Crew to Dock with International Space Station; Tiger Woods Battles to Make Cut in Return to the Masters; Doctor Helps Evacuate Kids with Cancer from Ukraine. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired April 09, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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


[06:00:20]

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It is an early 6:00 a.m. on this Saturday. We are so grateful to have your company. Saturday, April 9th. Thank you so much. I'm Christi Paul.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Christi. And I'm Boris Sanchez. We're thrilled that you are starting your weekend with us.

And we start with these words from Eastern Europe. Everyone involved will be held accountable. That's a vow from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responding to Russia's attack on a train station in Kramatorsk.

We want to warn you. Some of the images you're about to see are disturbing, but we feel it's important to share with you the full scope of what is happening in Ukraine.

Officials say the strike killed at least 50 people including five children. Nearly 100 people there were wounded. The station was packed with civilians, evacuees, people trying to escape the fighting in Ukraine.

PAUL: Now President Zelenskyy says the horror that the world saw in the town of Bucha is likely just the beginning. The images of - of civilians lying dead in the streets and the bodies being dumped in mass graves, it's shocking, it's horrific, but Zelenskyy says the situation and the town of Borodianka is much scarier. Even then in Bucha, he says work is underway to clear the rubble from the town, and he expects more victims will be uncovered.

SANCHEZ: The United States this week approved another $100 million in weapons for Ukraine, and it comes as Russian forces appear to be regrouping and shifting their focus to the east. A military governor in that Donbas region says that Russian troops are preparing for a massive break through attempt in that area.

PAUL: Our correspondents are covering the stories from multiple angles.

Salma Abdelaziz is along the Polish-Ukrainian border with an update on the refugee crisis. And Phil Black is in Lviv, Ukraine.

SANCHEZ: We want to start with Phil and the aftermath of that Russian missile strike on that train station that was apparently packed with civilians. Phil, President Zelenskyy calling it another war crime by Russia. What's the latest you're hearing about that attack?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris, Christi, good morning. Given how distressing those seems, or how graphic these images are, the nature of the death toll, 50 at least killed, including five children, hundreds injured of which at least a hundred were seriously so needed hospital treatment.

It is perhaps no surprise that President Zelenskyy is calling this a war crime, promising to hold everyone involved responsible. And indeed, it has been condemned by world leaders, human rights groups pretty much everywhere.

Russia, however, insists that it was not responsible for this. The U.S. assessment, we are told from officials, is that this was a short- range ballistic missile that was fired from within Ukraine but from a Russian position. And the Ukrainian military says that that missile was packed with cluster munitions. These are small bomblets that spread and explode across a wide area. And that's particularly distressing when you think that this is what targeted civilians because this is a weapon that is banned by many countries around the world.

PAUL: Phil, I want to ask you about something we're learning this morning regarding evacuation routes. So one regional military governor said that those routes will be adjusted after this strike. What have you learned?

BLACK: The Ukrainian officials, they really have no choice. They have to keep trying to get people out of the east. When you think that that is a region where towns, communities, and cities have already been bombarded seriously, the expectation is it's going to get there a lot worse very quickly because Russia is planning a big new assault in the east to break through Ukrainian lines and trying to consolidate a wide area of territory. It's no secret. The idea is - the thought is they're working towards a tight deadline, May 9th, which is a big military public holiday in Russia. So it's though it's going to be a particularly brutal operation.

And so for all of these reasons, they have to work out how to get vast members of people out of the east despite that terrible attack yesterday, which targeted people who were trying to do just that, evacuate, get themselves and their families to safety.

PAUL: Phil Black, thank you so much for great reporting and good information this morning for us. Take good care there, you and the crew.

SANCHEZ: The United Nations refugee agency now says that nearly 4.5 million Ukrainians have left their country since the beginning of Russia's invasion and another 7 million are displaced internally.

[06:05:00]

PAUL: Now with attacks on train stations, the threat to humanitarian corridors, the trip is so dangerous.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is with us from Poland's border with Ukraine.

Salma, I know for so many Ukrainians, this is their first stop after a very long and difficult journey. What are you seeing?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely. And Boris and Christi, people arrive here and yes, they've reached safety, but they are deeply connected to what's going on back home. They're asking about relatives. They're asking about their homes.

And we've been speaking to people here. And I want to introduce you to someone. This is Timothy.

Timothy, we were talking earlier, and I asked you about your home in Kyiv because you've left your home. And could you share with me again, what's happened to your home in Kyiv.

TIMOTHY SHAMOTA, FLED TO POLAND FROM KYIV: Yeah. My home in Kyiv, it's in a village Myla. It's called Myla. And my house was attacked by a tank.

ABDELAZIZ: Attacked by a tank, the house. You showed me a video of your home up in flames. I saw your mom was, of course, crying when you showed me that video. How does it make you feel knowing that you won't be able to go back home again?

SHAMOTA: I'm not able go home again. And so, I don't know. It's so strange and --

ABDELAZIZ: How does it feel when you're seeing all of these things still happening back home? What's going on in your heart when you're looking at these pictures?

SHAMOTA: I was so angry and sad.

ABDELAZIZ: Very angry and sad. And you still have, of course, family and friends back home. Do you worry about them all the time? Are you calling all the time and asking?

SHAMOTA: There is already migrates in Poland like in here. And other Ukrainians see this.

ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much, Timothy. And I'm very sorry about your home.

And Boris and Christi, this is what you hear all the time from families here, is they're worried about what's happening back home. They're worried if they will still have a home. But if you ask them, do you want to be a refugee? Do you want to stay in Poland? Do you want to stay in broader Europe? They will say no.

They still want to return to Ukraine. Many of them thinking it's just going to be a matter of days, a matter of weeks. Don't know how much longer it will take but what that's created is essentially a nomadic population of more than 2.5 million refugees every day trying to figure out where they sleep, where they stay, how they get their next meal.

SANCHEZ: And once they figure that out, as you noted, Salma, the crippling anxiety of not knowing what they could return to in Ukraine. A painful situation, indeed.

Salma Abdelaziz, thank you so much.

Let's dig deeper now with retired Army Major General and CNN military analyst, Dana Pittard. We also have with us Josh Rogin. He's a "Washington Post" columnist and a CNN political analyst as well.

General Pittard, I'd like to get your reaction first on the news of that Russian missile strike against a railway station. This is a - a critical exit point. This isn't a military installation. It's a station where civilians are trying to leave Donbas, a region that has been the focus of intense fighting by the Russians.

MAJ. GENERAL DANA PITTARD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Boris and Christi.

Obviously, the attack on the train station is horrible. Using a short- range missile where there's civilians. You're going to have civilian casualties. We've talked about the movement from the Kyiv region to eastern Ukraine by both Russian forces and Ukrainian forces.

Now the Russian forces were using what was called - we call exterior lines. They had to move through Belarus and Russia to get to eastern Ukraine. Now Ukrainian forces had an advantage because they had a shorter -- shorter way to go through the roads and the railways to get to eastern Ukraine, what we call interior lines.

The fact that the Ukrainians were also - Ukrainian forces were also using the rail lines is an issue. I think the Ukrainian government is going to look at the dual use of those lines between civilian refugees leaving and military supplies and troop movements going in there. But there's still no excuse for what Russia's done in this illegal horror.

SANCHEZ: Josh, I'm curious, because as the days go on, we've seen more and more evidence that Russians are potentially committing war crimes. I think it's hard to make the case that targeting a railway station is a step toward some kind of military accomplishment and achievement and a military agenda.

From your perspective, why isn't more of the world condemning this, countries like Israel or India that are kind of straddling both sides of this conflict.

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Boris, that's a really important question. The Russian foreign ministry actually admitted that the attack on the rail station was a war crime. Of course, they claimed it was the Ukrainian forces that attacked their own rail station, which doesn't make any sense. [06:10:05]

But the fact that they called it a war crime means that when the evidence does emerge, and it surely will, that these attacks can be attributed back to Russian forces. That war crime can be prosecuted. There's no statute of limitations. Blame falls on everyone from the guy who pulled the trigger all the way up to the guy who gave the order, and that's Vladimir Putin.

And as these war crimes mount in places like Kharkiv and Mariupol and Bucha and many more. More and more countries will be pressured and feel pressured to get off the fence. We're talking about India. We're talking about Israel. We're talking about lots of other countries that have tried to stay neutral for whatever reasons, some have security relationships with Russia, some have economic relationships with Russia. But more and more, again as these atrocities mount.

The people in these countries are shocked and mortified and they'll put pressure on their governments to an extent. And then the international community will eventually come around, I hope, to the realization that a country that's committing war crimes cannot be considered a member of the international community in good standing, and a country that wants to be a member of international community in good standing cannot remain neutral.

SANCHEZ: And Josh, I want to stay with you because you wrote about Israel's position in all of this this week. I believe we have a full screen. You wrote, quote, "Israel's balancing act of maintaining its ties to Russia while offering only tepid support for Ukraine is becoming morally and strategically untenable."

Make the case. Why is it strategically untenable for Israel?

ROGIN: Right. The Israeli government under Prime Minister Bennett has said that they need to maintain relationship with Russia and that Israel is a small country can be a go between. But according to many Israelis that I've talked to, including Natan Sharansky, the famous politician and human rights activist and who spent nine years in a Soviet (inaudible). That position is becoming untenable for a really important reason because the things that Israel stands for, democracy, freedom, and human rights, cannot be reconciled with their stance on -- of neutrality on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Moreover, the fact that Russia is continuing to attack Ukraine, means that the spillover effects will affect Israel. We're talking about an economic crisis, in energy crisis, in agricultural crisis. They add to the crisis that faces freed up and society. Those things Israel cannot wall itself away from.

Therefore, their neutrality is not only morally indefensible as the country that was born out of the holocaust and is committed to standing at such atrocities. But it's also strategically stupid because Israel has to live in this world like the rest of us. And the fallout of this war will affect them sooner or later. So the best way to end it is to help the Ukrainians beat Russia and push the Russians out of Ukraine now. And that means taking a side and arming Ukrainians the things it might give.

SANCHEZ: And General, last question to you. It seems pretty clear that the Russian military has had to recalibrate its efforts after series disappointments in Ukraine. And now, senior U.S. defense officials believe that Russia is actively trying to recruit some 60,000 new troops. The intelligence shows that Russian forces have not solved some logistics and sustainment problems. How do you read this intelligence in the context of the strength of the Russian military and their capabilities?

PITTARD: I think the intelligence is fairly accurate. The Russians have had morale problems. They've had logistics problems. They've had a lot of problems, command and control problems. But Russia, still, even with those problems has immense capability.

On April 1st, they had 135,000 conscripts come into the Russian military that will be trained and eventually be used at some point. So Russia has the capability, but what Russia does not have and Ukraine does have is the will to fight. And that's -- that's an intangible that can't really be measured. The Russians have had success in the past in eastern Ukraine. They're hoping to have more success again. You know, the war has gone on for eight years in eastern Ukraine. And they're trying hard to have some level or some kind of victory by the May 9th, 77th anniversary of the end of World War II, called the Great Patriotic War in Russia, which is a huge deal. So we're going to see much more activity in the east because of that.

SANCHEZ: We will certainly be watching, and we expect some kind of response from Vladimir Putin. We'll see how it might impact this invasion moving forward.

Major General Dana Pittard, Josh Rogin, always a pleasure to have you. Thanks so much.

PITTARD: Thank you.

ROGIN: Thank you.

PAUL: Still ahead. The country, the U.S., of course, confirming its first black woman Supreme Court justice. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's emotional message to all of the women who helped pave the way for this historic moment.

[06:15:08]

Also, we're standing by for another first. This one, millions of miles above us as the first private space crew is set to dock with the International Space Station. We're going to bring that to you live as it happens.

And a remarkable return. Tiger Woods making it back to the Masters, just 14 months after that horrific car crash. We're live for you from Augusta National. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PAUL: 19 minutes past the hour right now. Listen. This was a historic celebration at the White House. President Biden yesterday hosting the now confirmed and soon to be Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. She delivered a really emotional speech. Thanking the people who helped her along the way.

SANCHEZ: Judge Jackson also recognized the long road traveled before becoming the first black woman to sit on America's highest court. Listen.

[06:20:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, CONFIRMED TO U.S. SUPREME COURT: It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

But we've made it.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

We've made it. All of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Let's take you now at the White House and CNN's Jasmine Wright who's live for us. Jasmine, obviously, an emotional speech, not only by Judge Jackson but President Biden himself also becoming emotional.

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, that's right. President Biden definitely brought the emotions yesterday when he celebrated those historic moment. And he said that people will look back at this moment in time and see that real change did, in fact, happen. And that's frankly one of the reasons why he has strived to make his administration look like America so that young kids of color can look up and see their opportunities expanded.

Now in another part of this speech, Boris and Christi, the president really focused in on the Republicans that he said treated Judge Jackson poorly. Take a listen to this part of the speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But I have to tell you, what Judge Jackson was put through was well beyond that. There was verbal abuse. The anger. The constant interruptions. The most vile, baseless assertions and accusations.

In the face of it all, Judge Jackson showed the incredible character and integrity she possesses.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) Poise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So there we saw the president taking those really tense moments that we saw during the confirmation hearings head on. Now in another part, he also thanked the three Republican members that broke their ranks to confirm Judge Jackson including Senator Romney, Senator Murkowski and Senator Collins. But all in all, you're right, it was an emotional speech from the president who really leans in to celebrating this moment where he got his first Supreme Court nominee actually confirmed and potentially where could be his last. Boris, Christi?

PAUL: So I'm really interested, Jasmine, because I know that you sat down with some students from Georgetown Law School and watched part of this with them. What was their reaction to that moment?

WRIGHT: Well, overjoyed is the first moment - first word that comes to mind here, Christi. They talked so much about how they saw themselves in Judge Jackson, not only from their - form her own story and her own way that she has really brought herself to that moment. But just in terms of the confirmation hearing, really seeing themselves in those deep sighs that she took before she answered some of those more contentious questions from Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Hawley, saying they were proud of how composed she has been throughout this whole thing.

And that now because of her, they can see their own path to the Supreme Court, something that before Judge Jackson they may not have been actually able to see before. But when it comes to the future impact of what a Justice Jackson could bring, take a listen to them talking about what they are most excited for.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: What are you most excited for, for Justice Jackson?

ODUNAYO DUROJAYE, STUDENT, GEORGETOWN LAW SCHOOL: I think the legal field's going to change. I think it's not going to be not only 4 -- 5 percent of lawyers being black anymore.

JADE BAKER, STUDENT, GEORGETOWN LAW SCHOOL: I think it opens the door for something I want so many black girls to do more, and that's dream out loud. Dream out loud.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WRIGHT: So that last part, dream out loud. It reminded me of something that Judge Jackson said yesterday when she quoted Maya Angelou saying that I am the dream and the hope of a slave. And I know that that is something that these four women on the precipice of entering their own legal careers definitely felt. Boris, Christi?

SANCHEZ: A powerful moment indeed. Jasmine Wright from the White House. Thank you so much.

PAUL: Thank you, Jasmine.

Still ahead. I'm going to introduce you to a woman who was visiting a family in Poland when the Russian invasion began. And she decided to stay. Now that Tennessee doctor is helping kids with cancer evacuate from Ukraine. She's with us next. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:28:30]

PAUL: We've all seen really the gut-wrenching images of these families, these refugees who are trying to get out of Ukraine. Among them, this is something we might not have thought about before, but there are families of young Ukrainian children who desperately need to get somewhere to continue their cancer treatment.

My next guest is Dr. Marta Salak, a pediatrician and St. Jude research fellow who's been running a clinic in central Poland that helps evacuate these children, get them to hospitals all around the world so they can get what they need.

We are so glad to have you, Doctor. Thank you for being here. I want to ask you. I know that you're the director of what's called the Unicorn Clinic. What did you see? As I understand that you were visiting your family and you decided to stay. What did you see that made you say, I can't leave right now?

DR. MARTA SALEK, PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY-ONCOLOGY FELLOW AT ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Thank you so much for having me today.

When we -- when the war broke out in Ukraine, we were really closely speaking to our collaborators in Ukraine and in Poland and we realized that there was an urgent need to provide care to children who are diagnosed with cancer and blood disorders. We started by helping one or two families and then we realized more and more that there were many families who are hoping to evacuate and to restart their children's cancer therapy as quickly as possible.

And so, at first, the generosity of the Polish medical system and the doctors, especially Professor Monarski (ph) took on these patients, helped them establish care. But we realized that, you know, the Polish medical system cannot take every patient or that to both the Polish children with cancer and also the Ukrainian children.

[06:30:00]

And so, we established this unicorn clinic, which is really a triage center, where we can provide safe refuge for these families and these children, get them medical attention when needed, and then help them find centers near up in North America where they can restart care not only towards cancer, but also the psychological and social support that's needed to help a family that is displaced by war.

PAUL: Do you see evidence that these kids in your unicorn facility, in the clinic there, they find comfort in seeing other children? You know, we see these images, and I just wonder if there's ever a moment for them to just breathe.

SALEK: Not -- I think you hit the point really well right there. That the triage center is meant to be a place where they can feel safe, where they can see people in similar circumstances and to find comfort. And so I'm representing St. Jude Global, but we're only one of the partners that are really working hard to make this initiative happen. And so, at our unicorn clinic, we also have many staff members who are from Ukraine and from the Tablet Touch Key Foundation(ph), and also doctors who help provide support.

Because if the children and the families come to see us, they might not recognize me, but they recognize familiar faces from Ukraine, and this also provides them additional comfort and that feeling of safety and security.

PAUL: I want to really hone in to who these families are. "The Washington Post" have documented one mother and her child who had to evacuate. The husband and that child's father, of course, by law, had to stay. He was forbidden to leave the country. But here's what they said. "The couple and other family members have joined a group call on the Viber app each morning and evening. When he answers, that's when I know he's alive." It is unfathomable to think of what these parents and these children are going through, wondering if they're ever going to see their father or their husband again.

Do they talk to you at all about the emotional or psychological trauma that they have gone through, and how are you able to support that?

SALEK: Yes, of course. So as everyone grieves in different ways, there are families that are very open about the trauma that they've experienced, because these families have come from all over Ukraine, and areas that were more safe and those that were actively bombed. And so, I can't imagine what they've seen and what they've gone through and what these children have experienced, hearing air raid sirens, having to run from a hospital or to the basement or being in a shelter for a long period of time.

So, their experiences and journeys to us are very different. What we found is the best source of support for them is through with the help of someone on our team who is a child life specialist from the Tablet Touch Key Foundation(ph). And she has wonderful communication skills to help them live through the trauma that they've experienced, to help connect with family members who may have stayed behind in Ukraine, but also want to be reunified with them.

And whenever she identifies a need for a way that we can provide better psychosocial support, not only in Poland at the Unicorn Center or at one of the Polish hospitals. But even when we triage them to other places in Europe or North America, when there are needs identified, they touch base with her and she communicates with us so we can work with our collaborators to make sure that we really provide this whole package of care that takes care of the whole family.

PAUL: Dr. Marta Salek, we are so grateful for the work you and the teams are doing there. Please, let them know as well that, they are so appreciated. Thank you, take good care of yourself. SALEK: Thank you so much.

PAUL: Of course. And to learn more about ways that you can help the people of Ukraine, go to cnn.com-slash-impact, and thank you for doing so. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

SANCHEZ: And a historic first. A crew of four civilians launched into space on Friday. Here is the moment they left earth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job. Get yourself in, scared dragon. Godspeed, Axiom 1.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to dock this morning, rather in the next hour as part of the inaugural mission, the International Space Station for Texas-based startup company Axiom.

PAUL: Now, the four crew members, three-paying passengers and a former NASA astronaut serving as commander are going to be on this mission for ten days. CNN's Rachel Crane is with us live from Cape Canaveral, Florida. So, Rachel, talk to us about what the feeling is there this morning.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi and Boris, there was a lot of excitement here at Kennedy Space Center yesterday when that successful launch happened. Actually, I'm right now in Port Canaveral, and behind me is SpaceX's recovery vehicle. Now, this is where in just a few days the Falcon 9 Booster which we saw successfully land on their drone-ship yesterday will be pulling in.

But let me tell you about these astronauts and the journey that they've been on. They've been on board spaceship Endeavor for about 19 hours. And we actually heard from the crew just a few hours ago about their journey. Take a listen.

[06:40:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, day or evening or night, earth. This is the good ship Endeavor on our way to the International Space Station on this historic mission that we all have trouble actually not floating anywhere. I'm just getting used to zero G and having that entails and all the challenges that presents. But we're getting used to it, so by the time we get to the space station, we should be ready to rock. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CRANE: Christi and Boris, now Larry Connor, who is one of the paying passengers on board, also the pilot of the spacecraft, but I want to point out the spacecraft is flown autonomously. He went on to say that he tried to eat a muffin this morning and it didn't exactly go as planned. So, they are all getting acclimated to this micro-gravity environment.

Now, right now, the spacecraft is approaching the International Space Station where it's set to dock in about an hour. You can see live pictures of this happening right now. You can see Spaceship Endeavor from the vantage point of the International Space Station, the spacecraft is approaching the station from below. It's making a series of burns as it makes this approach before it will actually travel to the very top and attach to the International Space Station on node 2, the Zenith port.

And shortly thereafter after docking and they make a hard docking with, you know, latches and hooks, and they pressurize everything, there will be the hatch opening, and this crew of four will enter the International Space Station and there'll be a welcome ceremony. And the space station is pretty crowded right now, you guys. There's already seven people on board., so once they enter, they'll be 11. So there will be some people sleeping in the hallways, you guys.

PAUL: Oh, my goodness, will they even sleep?

(LAUGHTER)

Can you get used to sleeping as you float? I don't know, as you were talking about there. Rachel Crane, thank you so much, we'll be watching this. We will bring it to you when it happens, of course. So, listen, there is a wave of new coronavirus cases within President Biden's inner circle. And it's raising some questions about whether COVID-19 is making a comeback. It's also putting a new focus on CDC guidelines for handling COVID infections.

Now, the White House says it's taking precautions, but it's possible that the president will eventually contract COVID-19. This is coming just days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in close proximity to the president, and she along with at least ten high-profile political figures in Washington have tested positive for COVID.

Let's talk to Dr. Susannah Hills, she's a pediatric surgeon at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Hills, thank you so much for being with us, certainly appreciate your insight here. First and foremost, I want to ask you about this BA.4 -- BA.2 rather variant that is surging in Europe. Do you see any evidence of another false surge as we've heard some people talk about?

SUSANNAH HILLS, PEDIATRIC SURGEON: Well, Christi, I think, we have to assume that it's very likely this will happen just by the natural course, and how viruses work and how this virus has worked all along. It has the ability to mutate BA.2 is spreading rapidly across parts of Europe. I think right now, we have a lull in it, it hasn't picked up quite as rapidly here, although, it is the dominant strain possibly because we've had so many cases of Omicron recently, and there's some immunity from that.

But as that immunity wanes and we don't expect it to last for more than a few months, three months or so, and vaccine immunity also was going to wane over time. When we come into the Fall, I think we will be susceptible and we will likely see another surge.

PAUL: OK, so, the FDA advisors say that there is a plan that's needed for updating COVID shots and these vaccines. What do you think their plan should look like?

HILLS: Yes, I think it's really smart and really essential to be thinking about it now. First of all, we have to figure out how and be ready to have a plan for our kids when they go back to school in the Fall. We have to work on getting more younger kids vaccinated, the 5 to 11-year-old group is only about 27 percent fully vaccinated right now, that will wane over time.

Our younger children under the age of 5 don't yet have that option for protection, so we have to sort those issues out. In addition, we have to start thinking about how getting a vaccine that's going to last for longer than a few months. We -- I don't think we'll have a durable solution. We're continuing to have to require boosters every three, four months and for the indefinite future. However, that's going to take time.

So, we need to now be thinking about who we're going to make eligible for boosters and when? We've got to make children eligible for vaccines and boosters, and we've got to get the younger adults eligible as well for boosters. So all of these things need to be sorted out so we can work on them over the Summer and into the early Fall to be protected this Fall and Winter.

[06:45:00]

PAUL: So, you just brought up my point here, because we know case numbers right now, as I understand them, they're low, they're pretty manageable. But you say that second booster is necessary. Let's talk about a timeline and what that would mean because if I'm correct, would that not mean that a second booster would be needed in the Fall, would need to be given in the Fall. Relay the reality of a booster that would be ready by that time.

HILLS: Well, I think it's very feasible that we could have current boosters ready and available if we get the correct guidance from the CDC to move forward, and we could get people starting to be vaccinated over the late Summer and into the Fall. The longer-range goal -- and it's going to take a little bit of time, would be to get a vaccine and boosters of the different type that last longer, and we don't really have any randomized trials going on for a new vaccine with potentially longer-lasting immunity.

So, yes, we have to get the boosters we have currently available ready to be available to a broader group by the late Summer, early Fall, and the CDC's got to work on providing some guidance for that, in addition to working on providing potentially a vaccine with some longer lasting benefits.

PAUL: Yes, OK, Dr. Susannah Hills, thank you so much for taking time to talk us through what seems to be something we're going to be dealing with yet again. We appreciate you, thank you.

SANCHEZ: Tiger Woods, you all. Tiger is back where he belongs, playing at the Masters, but it was not an easy road to get back to greatness. Coy Wire is live from Augusta National with more on this next challenge and what Tiger still has to overcome. Plus, a quick programming note update. There is no one like Anthony Bourdain, a name known around the world, but this is the story you haven't heard from the people who knew him best.

"Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain" premieres tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN. Don't go anywhere, we'll be right back.

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[06:50:00]

SANCHEZ: Tiger Woods' remarkable return to the Masters will continue this weekend. The 46-year-old making the cut after a horrific car accident that threatened to end his career just over a year ago.

PAUL: Yes, Coy Wire is live from Augusta National in Georgia. And as I understand it, Coy, good morning to you. Tiger, he had an uphill climb to get into contention here. What are you hearing? What is the buzz there?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning to you, Christi and Boris. It's been a literal uphill climb. This is a grueling course and he's been powering his way through it. He's been on a physical and emotional roller-coaster all week, of course, that's nothing compared to the pain and all the rehabbing and the mental fortitude that it took just to get here. And we're seeing yet again we can never count Tiger out.

Yesterday, it was cold. It was windy, and that didn't help any of the golfers out there. Tiger bogeyed four out of the five holes, and you had to wonder if his body just wasn't going to be up for that kind of grind two days in a row, but he did settle in. He found his groove, beautiful chip shot on the eighth, set up his first birdie on the day, and he was off and running. He had three more birdies over the next six holes, making the cut, finishing one over, tied for 19th, showing all the grit that comes with being a five-time Masters champ. Here he is.

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TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: Could have easily kicked myself out of the tournament today, but I kept myself in it. And you know, tomorrow is going to be an important day with -- as cool and as tough as they're predicting. It's going to be quick and I need to go out there and put myself there. You know, if you're within five or six on that back line going into Sunday, you've got a chance. So I just -- I just need to get there.

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WIRE: And Tiger tees off at 1:00 Eastern and everyone is chasing world number one, Scottie Scheffler looking for his first career major. The 25-year-old tying the tournament record five shots clear the field after two rounds. Let's go to the difference makers. The Masters in the city of Augusta go hand-in-hand, that's why at the height of the pandemic, Augusta National donated $10 million to help build the hub for community innovation.

Eighteen months later, construction is complete on the new permanent centralized home for the local nonprofits helping connect with people who need a hand.

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IAN MERCIER, PRESIDENT & CEO, MEDICAL COLLEGE OF GA FOUNDATION: The whole idea here is to embrace this community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our goal is to provide resources that are critical for families and children to have a thriving community.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We define that as access to food that heals rather than harm. Healthcare that's free and available to the public in these communities, as well as educational support from birth through adult.

MERCIER: Access is a big barrier to health care. And so, COVID was something that really hit all communities very hard. For those that didn't have access to that quality health care, it really hit them harder than anyone. So we hope that the hub through, for example, the Harrisburg Family Healthcare Clinic, will provide that access, that open door.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The key to growing the relationship with kids and families in the community, I think is just to be as inclusive as possible and have these buildings open.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To have community spaces where community meetings can happen and we can involve the voices of those who live here and how we dream about what's next for these neighborhoods.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe that the community is really excited about this product.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We envision an area of surrounding these two buildings that is vibrant, that is full of mixed income housing, that has benefits like green spaces and art and has a community of all income types who are employed and are benefitting from all the resources that this downtown area can provide.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WIRE: Now, earlier this week, former Secretary of State Condoleezza

Rice, a member here at Augusta National toured the facility, she called it a game-changer. Saying that it's at the local level that we see the greatest energy and greatest compassion. The hub fully opens in June. Keep your eye out today for Scottie Scheffler, he hadn't won his first PGA tour event until just this past Super Bowl Sunday, he's 25 years old, on a roll, he said of his success. I was feeling pretty good until I got in the cart yesterday and somebody called me Zander, and that brought me back down to earth really quickly.

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SANCHEZ: He might wind up winning that green jacket. We'll keep an eye on him for sure. Coy Wire, thank you so much.

PAUL: Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: Thank you.

PAUL: Still ahead, a word this morning that evacuation routes out of Ukraine are being adjusted now after that Russian airstrike on a crowded train station that killed dozens of people. We have the very latest for you from Ukraine next.

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