Return to Transcripts main page

New Day Saturday

Parents Struggle To Find Baby Formula Amid Nationwide Shortage; White House Warns Of COVID Surges In Fall And Winter; January 6 Committee Subpoenas 5 GOP Lawmakers Including McCarthy; Manhunt Underway in Texas for Escaped Inmate Who Attacked Bus Driver. Aired 6- 7a ET

Aired May 14, 2022 - 06:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:00:35]

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Saturday, take a nice deep breath. You've made it to your weekend. And welcome to your new day. Here it is Saturday, May 14th. I'm Christi Paul. Hi, Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Christi. Great to be with you. I'm Boris Sanchez, thank you so much for starting your weekend with us. We begin this morning with the efforts to ease the nationwide baby formula shortage that has left parents scrambling to feed their children.

The White House and private companies say they're working to get more of that formula into the hands of parents.

PAUL: Throughout this pandemic, stores as you know struggled to keep shelves stocked with a lot of popular brands but a recall in February and then continued supply issues have really pushed parents to the breaking point. The White House is considering several actions aimed at easing the critical shortage now, but manufacturers say it may be weeks or even months before supplies at full capacity.

SANCHEZ: Potentially months. That is a scary thought for some parents who are now going to extraordinary lengths just to get the food that their babies need. CNN''s Adrienne Broaddus has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

COLLEEN HAFENCHER, MOTHER LOOKING FOR FORMULA: Like on here it'll say if they have it in stock.

ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's another full- time job.

HAFENCHER: I'm up with him at two o'clock in the morning. I'm looking for formula.

BROADDUS: Searching 10 hours every week. HAFENCHER: I start with typically the Similac website and then after that I go to Target after that I go to Meijer Mariano's, Jewel, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS.

BROADDUS: Colleen Hafencher is one of many parents on a hunt for baby formula across the nation.

HAFENCHER: This is really anxiety provoking and it's really worrisome when I get to work in the morning, I look for formula. When we're finally sitting on the couch for an hour at night, we're looking for a formula. So I haven't found any in about three weeks.

BROADDUS: She has supply for three weeks thanks to a friend and her aunt. But the shortage is affecting parents coast to coast, including those who can't and choose not to breastfeed and other children who needs specialty formula.

Angela Khanzach's (ph) daughter depends on specialty formula and his two bed.

ANGELA KHANZACH (ph), MOTHER LOOKING FOR FORMULA: So her body can't break down animal fats and proteins and the Neocate Junior as amino acid base. And it's been the only formula that she has been able to tolerate and actually gain weight and thrive on and the fact that it's not available anywhere is very scary.

BROADDUS: Nationwide, 43 percent of baby formula was out of stock for the week ending May 8. And in these eight states, that number had more than 50 percent, according to figures provided to CNN by date assembly. The problem caused by several factors, including a recall, inflation and a supply chain snag.

The Biden administration says it's working 24/7 to help ease the shortage, including importing formula from overseas. The Defense Production Act could be an option too, but the government doesn't know when it will get better.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I'm not going to stand here and tell your audience that I can give you a hard timeline that I can't give you. We are being candid about moving as quickly as possible. And we are relentlessly focused on this.

BROADDUS: However, Republicans say the Biden administration should have acted sooner.

REP. ANN WAGNER (R-MO): This is sadly, Joe Biden's America.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not a third world country. This should never happen in the United States of America.

BROADDUS: While politicians play the blame game. Parents are the ones left worried.

KHANZACH (ph): My daughter actually, so with her disease, she was actually just on life support a few weeks ago. She had gotten a cold and it collapsed both of her lungs. And so we just got out of the hospital and to have to go back to the hospital just for nutrition. Her grandmother purchased four cans and that was $349. Normally a case of four is 168. And so finding it as a necessity even if that means not paying my bills.

BROADDUS: Not paying your bills.

KHANZACH (ph): Yes. That's what that means.

BROADDUS (on camera): And the CEO of one formula company tells Reuters he expects to see a shortage until the end of the year. Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics says it's not OK for parents to add additional water to their formula, and they should avoid making their own. Adrienne Broaddus, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Thanks Adrienne for that report. And as you heard in her story, the Biden administration is now on the defensive scrambling to deal with this nationwide shortage as parents become increasingly desperate.

PAUL: Yes, yesterday the President pushed back on some criticism his administration was caught flat footed on a crisis that's actually been building for weeks.

[06:05:07]

CNN's Jasmine Wright, is with us now. Jasmine, talk to us about what is ahead how the president can and will move forward on this.

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, well, look, you're right. He is in a bit of defense mode here, really trying to defend the actions that his White House has taken so far when responding to this both urgent and nationwide shortage of baby formula.

And it comes really, as more and more questions continue to mount as to at least white publicly, this White House hasn't done more before we got to this point, which is where you see really bare empty shelves and parents kind of seeing really a crisis looming, although the White House has not really said that it is a crisis just yet.

So my colleague, Jeremy Diamond, he asked the President this question, exactly. Take a listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Taking those steps sooner before parents got to these shelves and couldn't find formula.

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: If we'd been better mind readers, I guess we could have but we moved as quickly as the problem became apparent to us. And we have to move with caution as well as speed. Because we got to make sure what we're getting is in fact, we're first rate product. That's why the FDA has to go through the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WRIGHT: So there we heard Biden talking about speed, but also about safety. Saying that it takes time, meaning that some of this product may not be on the shelves as fast as maybe this Biden administration would like to see it.

But in the meantime, Christi and Boris, they have taken a couple of different steps to try to mitigate the efforts trying to make these things better. First, yesterday, they announced that they launched the hhs.gov/formula website on the Health and Human -- Health and Human Services website really trying to assist parents as they go on this kind of quest for baby formula sort of formula.

Remember, it is the parents and the babies right now that are really at risk. So there you can see it on the screen kind of efforts really trying to make this process easier for parents.

Second, they said that they are working with manufacturers trying to up the products to put on the shelves. Now the FDA says that next week, they will have more for us on that -- on how they're trying to streamline that process.

And third, they've taken some steps, although they are kind of limited, they've taken some steps including importing baby formula from abroad. We heard an (INAUDIBLE) package right there. That's something that hasn't happened before they say as well as on the screen.

Here you see, urging states to allow a wider variety of formula bought without government assistance program, WIC saying trying to get flexibility so that parents can have more options when they go to that store among other efforts.

Now, the last thing under consideration here is that they could potentially put in place that Defense Production Act that allows the government to take more control over what is being produced in this country in terms of when it has -- when it comes to emergencies.

Now there is no word yet on whether or not this administration is going to go forward with it. But those are just some of the things that they are considering when they are responding to the shortage. Boris, Christi.

PAUL: Jasmine Wright, appreciate it so much. Thank you.

So, emergency room physician Dr. Anand Swaminathan is with us now. Doctor, thank you so much for being with us. We heard Jasmine there say the White House is not characterizing this as a crisis based on what you've seen thus far. Are we in crisis mode already? And could it get worse?

DR. ANAND SWAMINATHAN, EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: I think we are at least very close to crisis mode or not at this point, because we are seeing parents coming to the emergency department already with some of the complications of not having access to the formula that you need.

One of the big things that we are seeing, and we've seen over and over again over the years, is the dilution of formula, which is really dangerous. Parents need to know that it looks like it stretches the supply. But it's really dangerous to babies because they can't really control how they handle that water. And it can lead to electrolyte abnormalities that can be life threatening.

So we're already starting to see some of those complications. And what this really highlights is our over reliance on one or two sources of a critical component to our society, in this case is baby formula. But we've seen the same thing with medications. We're seeing it now with the contrast agents that we use for CAT scans, we see it with tests for COVID. We really have to move away from that over reliance on one or two sources of the things that we critically need to keep our society moving.

PAUL: I don't want to pass what you just said too quickly. I just want to reiterate and make sure that we understand you correctly. Do not you're saying, do not do parents dilute the formula with water because babies just can't handle that and it can actually be life threatening, correct?

SWAMINATHAN: That's absolutely right.

PAUL: OK. OK.

SWAMINATHAN: Don't try to extend that supply by diluting.

PAUL: OK, thank you. I just wanted to make sure that that was clear. So, when we look at what other options there are, you know, for those of us who have had kids, we kind of know the age ranges.

[06:10:05]

But what age say could you move a baby from formula to regular milk? There's so many options now with, you know, cow's milk, and almond milk and soy milk and what about cereal? Could you introduce cereal earlier?

SWAMINATHAN: This is a really tough thing because a lot of the younger kids, the infants, they really can't. They can't handle any solids. They can't handle cow's milk. I think it's really important for people to talk to their pediatricians and see what are the options at the age that your child is, can they move to some of these other products to supplement the formula that they usually would use?

I think it's important to reach out to local resources because there are some local resources that support parents that might be able to gain access, and even reaching out to hospitals to find out if there are supplies a formula that can be accessed for the community, especially in communities that are particularly hard hit by this that already have trouble with finding supplies or things like formula, reaching out to hospitals and local resources is going to be really important for parents to do.

PAUL: So talk to your pediatrician about what's right for your baby in terms of trying to maybe ship some things earlier than usual. I want to ask you about the projection from the White House that COVID and a surge will happen in the fall and winter months here. What is your assessment of the recent prognostications for that potential in the months ahead? And how potent do you believe a surge like that could be?

SWAMINATHAN: It's always very hard to predict when the surges are going to come. But from everything we know, we will see some type of surge, how large that surge is going to be, we still don't know. And again, it's hard to predict as we see new variants emerge.

What we do know is that Omicron is becoming more and more transmissible, it's becoming more and more dominant everywhere. And we don't have as great protection against Omicron, as we thought we did, especially in areas with low vaccine rates.

And as we move into the fall, as we lose congressional funding for pandemic support, we're really going to have a lot of problems. We're already in a surge in the northeast, in areas that are highly vaccinated. We're seeing an uptick in cases in the emergency department. We're seeing an uptick in hospitalizations. And that impact is going to be even greater as that serve spreads to other parts of the country where vaccine rates are low, where people are relying on prior infection to protect them, even though we have good data telling us that that's not enough protection.

And there's still time for those people to go and get a vaccine to protect yourself more, and especially going into the fall to be as protected as you can be.

PAUL: So Dr. Swaminathan, before I let you go, I want to ask you about the CDC warning regarding hepatitis, these unexpected severe cases that have been in children that they've seen. They actually call them mysterious cases. How dangerous are they at the end of the day to children and what's being done to pinpoint the cause.

SWAMINATHAN: We've only seen a small number of cases overall. But a significant number of those cases have progressed to acute liver failure. We've seen a number of kids that have had to get transplanted, and even some deaths in the United States. This is a global kind of thing that's affecting kids. And it really is still a mystery.

We're still trying to figure out what is the cause. Is this responding to a virus? Is it related to COVID-19? Is it related to some kind of inflammatory response? And what it really underscores is our need to continue to fund those organizations that are really pressing to track all these cases and try to find out what is the missing piece? What is the thing that is causing this that we can then start to work with to avoid larger numbers of cases.

PAUL: Dr. Anand Swaminathan, we so appreciate your expertise and your taking time to share it with us this morning. Thank you. Take good care.

SANCHEZ: U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday after a rough week of steep losses. The NASDAQ posted its best day since November of 2020. After some precipitous drops, and the S&P 500 had its best since May 4th, moving it away from bear market territory.

Still, many stocks, especially in the tech sector have been struggling. On Friday, Twitter stock fell more than 10 percent after Elon Musk announced that his takeover deal was temporarily on hold. CNN's Richard Quest has more on the state of the U.S. economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE (on camera): Boris and Christi there was a strong end to the week on Friday with the markets or higher, but it would be a mistake to think that the trend or the feelings had changed. The reality is that the deep economic problems persist. And they are inflation which is now over 8 percent and rising interest rates by the Fed, which is designed to squeeze inflation out of the economy.

You've also got issues with China, where the lockdowns are intensifying, and that's creating huge, huge supply problems for manufacturers all around the world, especially here in the United States.

[06:15:00]

And if that Maelstrom wasn't enough, you have the higher energy prices as a result of Russia's war on Ukraine, pushing up gas prices in the United States to record levels and making life extremely expensive and difficult for all.

And so that's the scenario that you've got. And that's why markets are so volatile at the moment. We have the NASDAQ, which is a bear market, which has losses of more than 20 percent on a sustained basis. And the big ones, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones, well, they are heavily down too.

So what to do in this market, basically wait and see. Because at the end of the day, we know interest rates are going higher, we know the volatility will continue. And whilst that might not be very comfortable, we also know eventually, things will get better. Boris and Christi.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PAUL: Richard Quest, thank you so much. Ukrainian forces launching a fierce counter attack against the Russians. We're going to take you live to Kyiv coming up.

Also, the first Russian soldier is tried for war crimes. What we can tell you about this trial thus far.

Also, the committee investigating the insurrection issues subpoenas to five Republican lawmakers. What they're saying now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:20:26] SANCHEZ: Ukrainian forces are pressing ahead with a counter offensive in the northeastern region of Kharkiv in Ukraine despite apparent efforts by Russia to stop Ukrainian advances, as Russian forces have retreated at least three bridges in that area were demolished.

The bridges are vital to Ukraine's counter offensive and targeting Russian supply lines. A satellite images from BlackSky show the collapse sections of these bridges. You see one there.

PAUL: And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine has retaken more than 1,000 settlements since the Russian invasion began. That includes several just from yesterday. And in another development, we've learned Russia has cut electricity to Finland days after Finnish officials announced their support for joining NATO.

CNN Correspondent Melissa Bell is with us live from Kyiv. Melissa, always good to see you. How significant is this detachment that Russia has made up electricity to Finland.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it tells us a lot about where Vladimir Putin is at the moment. And we'll come to what's happening here on the ground in Ukraine in just a moment. But remember that the context of this decision to cut off the electricity supplies is that Finland announced earlier this week that it was going to join NATO and that will announce so formally tomorrow. We expect a decision later this week from the Finnish Parliament.

And so a country that has essentially observed neutrality throughout the Cold War, as a result of what's happened over the course of the last three months has decided to join NATO, Russia then cutting off its electricity supplies.

Now we've just been reaching out to the head of Finnish electricity, who says look, this should have a fairly minimal impact. It is a fraction of the country's electricity supplies after all that come from Russia. But it does tell you that Moscow is responding to this latest setback, and the setback, I mean in terms of what Vladimir Putin's aims were when he began this invasion just under three months ago, where things are here on the ground.

Today, Christi and Boris, we've just been hearing, of course from President Zelenskyy speaking about that successful counter offensive in the north around Kharkiv, not only giving some peace and quiet loss to the residence of Kharkiv itself, but really gaining six settlements.

As you mentioned a moment ago, Christi, in those 24 hours to the east of Kharkiv, and that is significant because of course, it is those supply lines that are then threatened.

What's been fascinating over the course the last few hours to get an idea of what's happening in that industrial belt of Luhansk, where there's been that fierce fighting for the last few days.

The reason Russia, Russian forces had left part of Kharkiv or at least lessened their presence there was to focus on this Donbas region and specifically Luhansk. There has been fierce fighting over the last few days along a particular stretch of river. We knew it was difficult terrain for Russian forces. We'd been hearing from Ukrainians that they've managed to hold back the Russian advances. There are various attempts to cross this river and encircle the Ukrainian forces. What CNN has been seeing from satellite imagery is that that appears to be the case. Christi and Boris.

SANCHEZ: And Melissa, this is also really significant. The first war crimes trial of a Russian soldier is now underway in Kyiv. Bring us up to speed on that.

BELL: This was quite an extraordinary moment here in Kyiv. Yesterday, were up for -- one of the first times I can think of certainly a war crimes prosecution trial got underway, even as the fighting continues.

Now we -- this is a 21-year-old Russian who is accused of having skilled in the first few days of the war, an unarmed civilian who was riding his bicycle close to his house. His trial began yesterday was a preliminary hearing, but we got to speak to the prosecutor, the country Ukraine's prosecutor just ahead of and she explained that the reason Ukrainian justice was trying to go so quickly, Boris, is that they believe that by prosecuting these war crimes even now, and I think one of the things that's remarkable is that the Ukrainian judiciary at this stage should be sufficiently upright that this should be possible to show the war crimes will not go unpunished.

Now of course, that is about preventing more from taking place in the east of the country and showing Russian soldiers that there will be no impunity. That's what the prosecutor told us yesterday. And that's why she's trying to go ahead with his trials as quickly as she can.

PAUL: All right, Melissa Bell in Kyiv. Thank you so much, Melissa.

SANCHEZ: Coming up, an unprecedented move by members of Congress, the January 6 committee subpoenaing House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy over the January 6, the riot. Will he comply? The latest from a legal expert in just a few minutes. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:29:11]

SANCHEZ: The January 6 committee took an unprecedented step this week issuing subpoenas to five Republican House members who they say have valuable information about what happened during and leading up to the Capitol riot. The group includes House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has come under fire recently, after leaked audio revealed the GOP leaders private thoughts about the severity of the attack.

Let's dig deeper now with former federal prosecutor Michael Zeldin to talk about these unprecedented subpoenas. Michael, always great to have you. Appreciate you getting up early for us.

No one is anticipating that these lawmakers are going to comply with the subpoenas. So, what information do you think the committee is specifically looking for and could they get them without these subpoenas being fulfill?

[06:30:00]

MICHAEL ZELDIN, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, we have to remember that in most of these instances of these five congressmen, they have asked for their voluntary cooperation. So, this is step two in a process where they've said to them, please, be patriotic, please honor your duty to the constitution, please, come talk to us.

All of them have demerit(ph), and they have refused to come in. And so now, the subpoena. They have that authority. They do it in house ethics investigations all the time. So, we'll see whether they -- you know, put country over personal political ambition and show up. If not, then they have to get the same information from third parties.

SANCHEZ: And specifically about that information, what is it do you think they're looking for at this stage of the investigation? Because public hearings are set for just a few weeks from now in June.

ZELDIN: Right. There are gaps that exist especially between the communications of these members and Trump himself. Remember, McCarthy was the one who was calling Trump on the day of the insurrection, saying you've got to call this off. And Jim Jordan, the same, talking to Trump that morning. So, they really want to know what was Trump's state of mind during those phone calls. And those people become critical for that.

The others, Biggs and Mo Brooks, those guys were active involved -- actively involved in trying to overturn the election at the state level. They just want to know what actions they took, who they spoke to, especially with Mark Meadows, in order to fulfill this Green Bay sweep, this effort to prevent the certification of the Biden election. So, that's what they're trying to get at here. It's gap-filling stuff, Boris, mostly.

SANCHEZ: Public hearings again, just a few weeks away. The committee now finalizing its witness list. What are you anticipating those hearings are going to look like?

ZELDIN: Well, that's a great question. What we're hoping for is hearings that are compelling. What the American people need to know about what happened. You know, we're not going to have a John Dean water-gate-like moment or Alexander Butterfield which announced that there were tapes in the Oval Office. But they do need some compelling reason for Americans to listen because Americans, I think, have largely tuned out, notwithstanding the importance of this.

And so the question is, how do they construct this as if it were a Hollywood presentation to get people to listen? And it's not clear yet whether that's going to be possible.

SANCHEZ: Well, notably, federal investigators subpoenaed the National Archives this week. They were seeking to access classified White House documents that were taken to Mar-a-Lago, after president -- former President Trump left office. They're also requesting interviews with people who worked at the White House at the end of his presidency. What does that tell you at this stage in the investigation? I would have expected something like that to happen sooner.

ZELDIN: Well, what it tells us is that the investigation is still ongoing. That they're trying to put together the last bits of the puzzle, which is an investigation of this sort. National Archives have sent over 23,000 more e-mails and attachments. And they're also interesting in knowing what happened to the information that Trump took to Mar-a-Lago, was that an attempt to cover things up, to prevent National Archives Committee from getting stuff or was it inadvertent on Trump's part because of sloppy record-keeping.

So, all that stuff is still at play with the committee and with the National Archives and the Justice Department as they look into this whole thing.

SANCHEZ: So if investigators find that the former president may have violated the Presidential Records Act, what consequences could he face?

ZELDIN: Well, the Justice Department has said they have opened up an investigation into this, and it would depend on what the intent of the president was in removing his documents. If it was, as I said, sloppiness on his part, just stuff thrown into boxes at the last minute by a president who didn't think he actually lost an election, then probably nothing consequential. If, however, he knows there are smoking gun-type e-mails or other documents in there, and he was purposefully trying to keep them out of the hands of investigators, that's a criminal investigation that could lead to charges.

SANCHEZ: A historic few weeks ahead, and no doubt, they will have an impact on the midterm elections come this November. Michael Zeldin, always appreciate seeing you, look forward to having you again soon.

ZELDIN: Thanks, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course, thanks.

CHRISTI PAUL, CO-ANCHOR, NEW DAY WEEKEND: We have a lot more ahead on NEW DAY. But a quick programming note for you. Catch the next episode of "NOMAD WITH CARLTON MCCOY". He returns to his hometown of D.C. to show you a different side of the nation's capital. It airs tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:00]

SANCHEZ: Here's a look at some of the top stories we are following this morning. In Texas, authorities are offering over $22,000 for any tips leading to the arrest of an escaped inmate currently serving two life-sentences for capital murder. Forty-six-year-old Gonzalo Lopez reportedly broke out of his restraints and attacked the officer during the transport bus. He then crashed the bus about 2 miles away and ran off.

[06:40:00]

Right now, Lopez is on the Texas most wanted fugitives list as more than 300 law enforcement personnel are searching for him.

PAUL: And Russia's state news agency says a court has extended the pretrial detention of American basketball star Brittney Griner. And she was arrested back in February at a Russian airport and charged with drug smuggling. The Biden administration says Griner is being wrongfully detained. Yesterday's court hearing, you see her there -- this was her first public appearance since being held in custody. And according to the State Department, officials have confirmed Griner's doing, quote, "as well as can be expected under these difficult circumstances."

The White House joining the U.N. Secretary-General, calling what we're about to show you deeply disturbing. Israeli police were seen beating mourners carrying the casket of a veteran "Al Jazeera" journalist and removing Palestinian flag from the hearse.

SANCHEZ: The journalist was shot and killed earlier this week while reporting on a military raid in the West Bank. Let's get straight to Atika Shubert. Atika, you were there as the arrest unfolded. What can you tell us about what you saw?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we were actually in the hospital grounds when the funeral procession started on foot. And they tried to carry the coffin out, but were immediately blocked by Israeli riot police with batons and rifles. Police then charged the mourners, beating some of the pallbearers with batons. Now, at one point, the coffin nearly fell to the ground. There were stun grenades that were used to disperse the crowd as well.

Protesters -- sorry, excuse me, people in the crowd, mourners, were trying to also throw plastic bottles back at police in response. So, it was absolute chaos there on this -- on the ground. Eventually, the family was able to continue with the funeral by getting the coffin out in a hearse, by car. But even then, Israeli police ripped the Palestinian flags that were draped along the car. So, it was an extremely tense and emotional situation there.

Fortunately, the funeral was able to continue later on in the day. And Israeli police did allow people to have a much shorter funeral procession from the church to the cemetery. And in that, we saw thousands and thousands of Palestinians coming out, waving the Palestinian flag, singing Palestinian songs. I think what you have to really remember here is that Shereen Abu Aqleh wasn't just a veteran journalist for Palestinians, she was their voice.

Chronicling their daily lives and struggles under Israeli occupation. So, for them, she was a really beloved figure. And she was born and raised here in Jerusalem. This was her home. And it's one of the reasons why this really was such a close and emotional issue for so many Palestinians.

SANCHEZ: Atika Shubert, thank you so much for bringing us that report from Jerusalem. Stay with CNN, we're back after a quick break -- actually, maybe not, maybe we're sticking around, Christi?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [06:45:00]

PAUL: So, COVID cases in China are surging, and the country's zero COVID policy has officials using increasingly extreme measures to stop the virus from spreading now.

SANCHEZ: Right now, over 200 million people are under strict lockdowns, causing dozens of cities to become virtual prisons. You can imagine, that is causing frustration and pushback for many residents. CNN's Selina Wang takes us there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clouds of disinfectant sprayed over every surface. This is what's happening to the homes of people who test positive for COVID in Shanghai. The metropolis has been under the word's strictest lockdown for more than a month, but the rules are only getting more extreme. Before, only positive COVID cases and close contacts were sent to quarantine facilities like these.

Thousands of beds cramped together or just camping on the floor. But now, entire apartment blocks are being forced out of their homes over just one positive COVID case, sent to prison-like facilities like these. This video shows Shanghai residents arguing with police officers who showed up to take them to quarantine after someone on the floor tested positive.

The officer says while spraying disinfectant, quote, "it's not that you can do whatever you want, unless you are in America. This is China, don't ask us why?" Residents who tested negative and are vaccinated and boosted are terrified of being rounded up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our neighbors do not want to go. None of us want to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we don't want to get COVID.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it's safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're putting us in danger. You're endangering us. Your CDC does not know how to run a country. If you want us to -- die in China? To get COVID and die because you think this is the right way to make us go with other sick people?

WANG: CNN cannot verify the identity of the speakers or authenticity of this call that went viral on Chinese social media. Police have even kicked people's doors to pieces, to take them away to quarantine.

[06:50:00]

Some buildings are banned from placing any online orders, even food. Chaos and fighting outside of this Shanghai apartment. Residents claim they weren't given enough food. Some of the COVID workers beating the residents to the ground. As outrage grows over new restrictions that crush the last bit of freedom people had left, China's supreme leader Xi Jinping has vowed to double down on its zero COVID strategy, and to punish anyone who doubts it.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: When we talk about the zero COVID strategy, we don't think that it's sustainable.

WANG: The World Health Organization chief's comments were swiftly censored in China, along with the desperation people have shared online. In China, zero COVID has turned into an ideological campaign to show loyalty to the communist party. At least, 31 cities in China are under full or partial lockdown, impacting up to 214 million people, turning cities into virtual prisons all in the name of zero COVID. Selina Wang, CNN, Qingming, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Selina Wang, thank you so much. So, the Golden State Warriors are ready to make another run at a title. And they've got a vintage performance from two of their biggest stars. Your sports update when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:00]

SANCHEZ: The Golden State Warriors are finally back in the Western Conference finals, beating out a tough grizzly's team in six action- packed games.

PAUL: Coy Wire with us now. Hey, Coy. So, I know, the Golden State got all these stars. But this is the deepest run in the NBA Playoffs since, what, 2019?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they've been the five- straight champions -- title games. That -- into that year, they won three of them, but then they were decimated by injuries, right? Well, now, Steph, Klay, Draymond, all back, finally helping, ready to run it back. Klay Thompson rolling up to the Warriors, billion-dollar base salary on his bike -- wear your helmets, kids. And he kept on rolling too.

Klay coming in hot, hitting three-three pointers in the first, peddling eight of them overall on the night, game-high 30 for Thompson. And then, the other splash brother, Steph Curry, reminding everyone what made this team so special. One of his six threes, bringing the crowd to their feet and putting Memphis to sleep. Warriors win 110-96.

Boston bouncing back, forcing a winner-take-all game seven, with the defending champion Bucks in Boston tomorrow. Jayson Tatum's star continuing to rise, 46 points on the road last night, outdueling Giannis who scored 44, Celtics win, 108-95. Now, reporting for our sister channel "TNT" at game six was Stephanie Ready there. A trailblazing two-sport student-athlete at Coppin State.

She joined the staff of the men's basketball team as well, then became the first woman to coach a men's pro team as an assistant in the NBA's developmental league. Now, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Stephanie knows what it means to level the playing field better than anybody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE READY, BROADCASTER FOR NBA: I grew up playing basketball at the park when I was often the only girl. And sometimes, I wouldn't get picked just because I was a girl. So Title IX was impactful to me, because it allowed opportunities that would not have been there for me as a girl to play the sport that I loved. And then, as i said, once I got into college and understood what that meant legally, it was empowering.

It made me feel like I could do anything. I think that now, I have two children, and I'm seeing that my daughter has the same path, maybe for the first-time ever, that my son has. My son plays baseball, my daughter plays softball, and there's a professional softball league right here in the United States, and we enjoy watching those games in the Summer time.

The Women's College World Series for the NCAA championship, that's amazing television coverage. And it's fun to watch it. And so now, I look at my daughter, and I look at my son, and they can both choose the same path. If they choose it, it's there, it's available. It was not there when I was coming up. When I was a high school basketball player, the WNBA did not even exist.

(LAUGHTER)

If you wanted to continue playing professional sports, it was known, you had to leave the country. How sad is that? Girls had to grow up thinking about if they wanted to continue their athletic dreams, it would have to be away from home. That doesn't exist anymore. You can play volleyball, lacrosse, softball, basketball, run track, whatever it is. If you're a little girl and you want to pursue that as a profession, you can now do it in this country. It's amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: What an inspiration. Stephanie Ready also became the first full- time female NBA game analyst about seven years ago. She's still shining on our screens to this day, inspiring the next generation along the way.

PAUL: The generations including your kids, Coy.

WIRE: No doubt.

PAUL: The dad of two girls --

WIRE: They'll know all about Steph Ready, no doubt --

PAUL: Yes, you do --

WIRE: And that --

PAUL: Coy, thank you so much --

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Coy.

PAUL: Next hour of NEW DAY starts right now.

SANCHEZ: Buenos dias, good morning, and thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to your NEW DAY, it is Saturday, May 14th, I'm Boris Sanchez.

PAUL: Good morning Boris, I'm Christi Paul, thank you so much. We are always so grateful to have your company in the morning. Listen, there's a lot of desperation for parents right now.