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New Day Sunday

Fuel Depot On Fire After Russian Strike In Odessa; Biden Administration To Facilitate Transfer Of Weapons To Ukraine; Biden Administration To End Trump-Era Pandemic Border Restrictions; Death Toll From Russian Strike In Mykolaiv Rises To 36; CDC: Mental Health of U.S. Teens Worsened During COVID-19 Pandemic; Artists Prepare For Music's Biggest Night. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired April 03, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:08]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Buenas dias, good morning. And welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Sunday, April 3rd. We're thrilled to have you with us. I'm Boris Sanchez.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: Boris, it is so nice to be with you on this Sunday. I'm Laura Jarrett, in for Christi Paul.

SANCHEZ: Always a pleasure, Laura. Great to have you.

We start this morning with a Russian attack on a key port city in Ukraine, and new images that are reflecting the brutality of the Russian invasion.

Here, you can see explosions hitting the Black Sea port city of Odessa. The Russian Ministry of Defense today confirming a strike on an oil refinery and fuel storage facilities. A CNN team was there and witness witnessed the aftermath of the attack.

JARRETT: We're also getting a closer look at the horrific scene left by Russian troops as they withdrew from the town of Bucha. A word of caution here, these images are really graphic, and just disturbing.

The pictures from AFP show the bodies of at least 20 civilian men. These are human beings, laying in the street. Some have their hands tied behind their backs. The town's mayor said they were shot in the back of the head execution-style by Russian forces.

A member of Ukraine's parliament says that she was stunned by the brutality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: I have seen these bodies with my own eyes. I have seen the destruction, and this is something that I have never seen before in my life. We will work on fixing the destructions, but we cannot possibly return people who were killed. I cannot even imagine who gave this order and why. It was civilian people. They were not military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Meantime, Ukraine is bracing for more attacks in the eastern part of the country, as Russia shifts its strategy. According to U.S. intelligence, Russia's goal is to take control of the Donbas and other Eastern Regions by early May.

JARRETT: Yeah, given that Ukraine is asking for heavier weaponry, as Russia shifts its focus, as Boris mentioned, the U.S. is expected to help transfer Soviet era tanks to Ukraine. That's a first and that's according to a source familiar with the plan.

SANCHEZ: Our correspondents are fanned out throughout the region following the story from multiple angles.

JARRETT: Ed Lavandera is in Odessa. Phil Black joins us from Lviv and Jasmine Wright is traveling with the president in Delaware. We want to get first to Ed Lavandera in Odessa.

SANCHEZ: And, Ed, Russia has confirmed that its forces struck targets in that key port city. What's the situation like this morning?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that plume of black smoke that you see behind me is still the remnants of that fire at the fuel storage facility here in Odessa that continues to burn eight hours after the missile strikes just before sunrise.

This is what it sounds like. Our cameras captured the strikes as they were unfolding here this morning.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LAVANDERA: This was the sounds of the start startling way the city woke up, as you mentioned, a key port city in southern Ukraine. This is the most significant air strike this city has seen since the early days of the war, the second time that the missile strike has happened inside the city here in Odessa.

We were able to get to the scene shortly after, and we spoke with residents. We found that it was mostly an industrial area around that storage -- the fuel storage facility, but there were a number of apartment buildings, including just across the street when we got there, we could see windows that had been blown out by the impact. Startled residents simply standing there, taking it all in. Some people were still in their morning bathrobes as all of this unfolded. They were watching firefighters try to put out the flames.

Russian military officials say the strikes were launched from land and sea. It was multiple. We counted at least six different strikes that happened there at the fuel storage facility. Military officials here in Ukraine say that there are no injuries to report, that they continue to work out and to put out the fire, but one of the interesting things that residents there on the ground also told us -- is that three people told us that they had noticed there were drone, reconnaissance drones flying around in the area in the nights previous to this attack. So, clearly, Russian forces being able to pinpoint and target what

they say is a strategic location, but a startling way for many people in the city to wake up this Sunday morning.

[07:05:06]

SANCHEZ: Incredible that no one was hurt in those strikes.

Ed Lavandera, you and the crew, please stay safe.

We want to take you now to Lviv in western Ukraine. That's where we find CNN's Phil Black.

Phil, Russian forces are moving out of the areas around Kyiv.

Of course, as we've seen in some of the images we've shared with our viewers this morning, the situation is still extremely dangerous, not just for soldiers but for civilians as well.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there is a real warning to civilians from these areas not to go back just yet, Boris, because it's not safe, according to Ukrainian officials. The military say they say there are mines, in other cases they say bodies have been wired with explosives in order to detonate when disturbed.

So this is newly reclaimed territory for Ukrainian forces. The Russian forces have been there for some weeks holding on to it easily as they tried to encircle the capital. They failed to do so and they've been forced to give up that territory.

Now, which is a real point of some pride to Ukrainians. But it is tempered by the expectation of what's going to come next in this war, and that is the belief that Russia is going to refocus its efforts very specifically in a more targeted and consolidated way on claiming and holding territory in the eastern Donbas region.

Officials in the east say there is already evidence that it's under way. They've reported an uptick in arterially and other strikes over the last few days or so. They say that they have reason to believe that Russian units, new Russian hardware is already making an impact on that battle in the east, and there are pictures that certainly seem to suggest that the fighting there is already pretty intense.

And now the expectation that once Russia focuses on that area entirely, having pulled back from the north of the country, where they got bogged down and made very little progress, you might see Russian forces from the north and from the south essentially squeeze the Ukrainian forces in the middle, in the east.

And the idea is that they will seek to consolidate their control over that Donbas region, set up very strong lines of control, fortify, dig in the positions and at that point Ukrainian military officials believe they will be very difficult to dislodge.

There is also a theory that Vladimir Putin set something of a deadline to make progress in this area and that is the May the 9, traditionally, the day that Russia marks the defeat of Nazi Germany but in more recent times, it has taken on a more significant meaning, and that is a real celebration of Russian military glory.

JARRETT: Phil Black, thank you for your reporting, as always, appreciate it.

Let's move now to Jasmine Wright. She is traveling with the president in Wilmington, Delaware.

Jasmine, the Biden administration is planning to send some crucial weapons to Ukraine. What more do we know about that?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, that's right, Laura.

And it's clear that U.S. and its allies are trying to surge weaponry into Ukraine as the fighting is expected to shift the next few days and one can argue that they're planning to surge more advanced weaponry, something that Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has asked for Biden and other nations and specifically something that he's asked for saying that he needs tanks on the battlefield. So, a source familiar with planning has told CNN that the U.S. is expected to facilitate the transfer of Soviet air tanks from allied nations into Ukraine, specifically trying to bolster fighting as it heads to the Donbas region there.

And one thing we don't know is just how many tanks they are facilitating the transfer, but an official said that it could come, or it's likely to come in the next days and not weeks. Now if this does happen, it would mark the first time in this conflict that the U.S. has helped facilitate transfers.

And now this news, Laura, comes after the Pentagon announced on Friday that it is expected to send about $300 million in security assistance to Ukraine, and that includes new weaponry, like drones, guns, nighttime gear, really trying to bolster their fighting, as they seek to push Russia out of Ukraine. And one thing that officials have said over time is that they would in consultation with Ukrainians, try to assess what is need on the battlefields and now not included in that latest package from the Pentagon are these fighter jets that Zelenskyy has asked for and the Ukraine has denied.

But again, we see in real time the assessment that the U.S. is making, trying to up the weaponry here as this conflict continues -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right. Jasmine, thank you. Appreciate it.

Joining me now is Inna Koziar, a mother of two who fled Ukraine, and Igor Kuzmenko, her brother who lives in Pennsylvania.

Thank you both so much for coming new day this morning. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your stories. It's so important for people to hear what exactly this is like.

Inna, I want to start with you. You left Ukraine with your two daughters, teenage daughters at the start of this invasion.

[07:10:02]

Just tell us, what was that journey like.

INNA KOZIAR, ESCAPED KYIV WITH HER TWO KIDS: It was very dangerous, and I was worried about my kids all my way, and I was scared because we saw, hear explosion bombs next to my house, and until it was in (INAUDIBLE). We went to Lviv and then we went to the border and we had to leave our car because the line was just crazy and then after we passed, we went straight to Warsaw.

JARRETT: How many -- how many days are we talking about? What was this like?

KOZIAR: Two days, yeah. Yeah.

IGOR KUZMENKO, TOOK IN SISTER FROM UKRAINE: When do you leave? You left on Thursday right after the close bombardment?

KOZIAR: Yes, yes. Those bombs.

KUZMENKO: And then you got on a plane on Sunday. So they arrived to United States on Sunday night.

JARRETT: Igor, the image -- Igor, the images coming out of Ukraine as Russian forces are leaving areas around Kyiv now are just horrifying. There is nothing short of that. How are you processing what's going on at home? Are you even watching television to see what's going on?

KUZMENKO: Yeah. I don't know for the last months, I've been -- I couldn't stay away from my phone and tried to communicate with parents and relatives. Yesterday, we just learned that one of our cousins' son was killed in the areas that were liberated in Ivankiv (ph).

So, and we haven't heard about our cousin, too, because what heard she was wounded, and there was no contact anymore. So, we don't know, she may not be alive as well. So, it's horrifying.

JARRETT: I'm so sorry for your loss. And I know that this is just so much pain and insurmountable amounts of it as you're trying to process this.

Inna, you're trying to get your parents to the U.S., I understand. But they're stuck in Poland right now. Are you in touch with them?

KOZIAR: Yes. We keep in touch with them. Actually, they have nice people who are helping them. But they are alone and we always keep calls and always was together, and now, they want to be with us, and we also want to be with them, as possible, as soon as it's possible. And -- but they --

KUZMENKO: Yeah, they don't have -- so they don't have visitor visas to come in here. They have all the national passports and unfortunately, you know, they cannot get to us under the national passport. So we're trying to figure out a way for them to -- so we can reunite again, at least in the near future. So, Europe open -- yeah, go ahead, sorry. JARRETT: No, I don't mean to cut you off. But I'm just wondering,

your parents are in their 80s. Are there people helping with that? How are you navigating that process to get them to the U.S.?

KUZMENKO: Yeah, we -- so we had some connection through the Rotary Club here in Lititz with the Rotary Club in Szczecin (ph), Poland, and we have some people that got connected through some of the -- you know, exchange students that we had here in the U.S. few years ago in the Rotary Club, and they've been so helpful and we're trying to -- they took taken care of about 40 people from Ukraine.

And we're trying to really support the local community here and Rotary Club sent for 40 families. And our parents are one of those 40 people they take care of. But again, it's a temporary solution. We know it's not a long term, and our goal is to reunite.

JARRETT: Of course, and I know that you will not rest until that happens. But I am glad to hear that they are being taken care of and that's good news.

Inna, if there was one thing you would like our viewers to know about your country and the struggles it is facing now, what would you want people to know?

KOZIAR: I think we all want people to know that it can happen anywhere. So your choice has to be something like what you want to do in this life. You want to be kind person or you want to kill people just without any purpose, just because someone tells you to do that. So that's what I think we want people know.

And also we want to thank the community here cause everyone is helping and we want to be useful as well. But we can't now because we don't have any legal opportunities to do that, but very grateful.

KUZMENKO: I mean, status here. But we -- they have Social Security. They want to contribute. They want to be a part of the community, and just be thankful for everyone.

And unfortunately, right now, it's not the case, but hopefully in the near future, we have a program that will allow us to put them in some sort of useful way so they can contribute in a more meaningful way.

[07:15:07]

JARRETT: Well, given everything that you have been through already, I wish you all the best. And I will be thinking about your parents.

Thank you for sharing your story this morning. Inna Koziar and Igor Kuzmenko, thank you.

KUZMENKO: Thank you, Laura.

SANCHEZ: Still to come this morning, a church in a small Ukrainian town has become a temporary home for refugees fleeing Russian attacks. How they've made a daring escape, just ahead. Plus, border towns in the United States are preparing for a mass

migration as the Biden administration makes a controversial decision to roll back a policy that many say is harmful. Details just a few minutes away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion have arrived at the Mexico border city of Tijuana to seek asylum.

[07:20:02]

About 1,500 refugees have arrived, and officials say that more are expected.

According to volunteers, most are simply happy to be finally within reach of safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMAN DUBCHAK, U.S. VOLUNTEER: Most of them are tired. Most of them just want to get across and some of them haven't slept for days, so they're tired. Some of them are upset, but I think most of them are happy to be here and have a chance to cross over and be in a safe place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is allowing Ukrainians into the U.S., finding them exempt from Trump era border restrictions on a case-by-case basis. Now, Mexican officials say they expect all migrants to eventually enter the U.S. but so far, authorities have been slow to process them.

Speaking of those Trump era border rules, the Biden administration is getting rid of that policy that effectively blocked migrants from entering the U.S. during this pandemic. The CDC announced Friday that the public health authority known as Title 42 is going to end on May 23rd.

SANCHEZ: And now, homeland security officials are predicting as many as 18,000 people could soon be trying to enter the United States every day.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has more from McAllen, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boris and Laura, with the predicted surge in the number of families that are seeking asylum in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security says that it is currently preparing for a worse case scenario, and that means that we could potentially see in the coming weeks up to 18,000 asylum-seeking families show up at the nation's door step and that is certainly fueling some concerns and some border communities. But just to offer some perspective here, we heard on Friday from the

head of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary Mayorkas saying that they're currently seeing about 7,000. So, you compare that to what's expected there.

Those 7,000, according to the secretary, about 50 percent of them are actually expelled back south of the border so that leaves the with a fairly manageable number here. The concern now is with the removal of Title 42 in late May, which is that many of those families that have been basically trying to wait out that policy on the Mexican side of the border would likely make that short journey across International Bridge, just like the one that we're at, and seek asylum.

And when you see it from the air, courtesy of some of these images, some of these CNN drone images, you can see an encampment just not far from where I'm standing this morning in Reynosa, Mexico, basically an encampment that has been growing for the last two years. Many of those migrants, according to our sources, are some that have been deported back to the Mexican side and then there are others who have shown up into northern Mexico and decided to simply wait and see when Title 42 would no longer be an obstacle for them and the news coming from the Biden administration that that no longer can be an issue.

So, you can beat this morning, Boris and Laura, many of them are now preparing to make that journey on May 23rd when that public health authority is longer an issue for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Polo Sandoval from McAllen, Texas, thank you so much.

Let's bring in Jessica Riley to discuss the implications of this policy change. She's a staff attorney with Project Corazon, a program with good lawyers for good government that provides legal services to migrants.

Thank you so much for sharing part of your morning with us, Jessica. We appreciate having you.

So, obviously, the big news, the Biden administration says they're going to end Title 42 on May 23rd. You say that is not soon enough. Make the case. Why?

JESSICA RILEY, STAFF ATTORNEY, PROJECT CORAZON: Good morning, and thank you so much for having me.

You know, while we are very relieved to hear that Title 42 is finally going to end in May, this is long overdue. The fact that the government continues or intends to continue implementing this policy until May 23rd is very concerning because it means that individuals, families and children will continue to suffer. We have clients right now whose safety is at risk, people who have already been abused and tortured in Mexico and people who are sick with life-threatening medical needs and no way of accessing the care that could save their lives. They need help right now, not on May 23rd. There is no good reason to

continue expelling vulnerable individuals to dangerous conditions while preventing them from legally seeking asylum, which is a right under U.S. law and also a human right that we need to protect.

SANCHEZ: It's not just immigration hardliners that have opposed ending Title 42. There are moderate Democrats, like Senator Joe Manchin, who have voiced concerns about a potential surge of migrants to the United States. He said, quote: We are nowhere near prepared to deal with that influx.

What's your response to that line of thinking?

RILEY: Well, you know, the border has largely been closed to a asylum seekers for over two years now, and fact that people who have been waiting for so long and who have been suffering for so long, now that they're finally going to get the chance to have a legal avenue of seek seeking safety is a really positive thing.

[07:25:02]

Asylum seekers flee their countries and leave their families and their lives because they have to, because they are fleeing horrendous conditions, because their lives are at risk, their children's lives are at risk, not because of U.S. policies. And to be quite frank, much of the expected backlog is due to the government's own policies, such as Title 42, that has prevented people from seeking safety for years.

The government has resources, and they've had over a year to prepare. That's more than enough time. We've recently seen countries in Europe step up in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis on a much greater scale with limited resources, and almost no time to prepare. We can do this together. You know, the communities are ready and willing to work with the administration, and it's our legal and moral imperative to end Title 42 and to create a fair system that protects the rights of asylum seekers.

SANCHEZ: The distinction being between asylum seekers, people that make a case for coming into the United States and migrants perhaps that face difficulties but don't have an actual legal case, legal standing to try to apply for some sort of asylum. And I'm wondering when you think about the political considerations behind this, why someone like Joe Manchin might shy away from ending Title 42.

What your message is to those that may be trying to enter the country that aren't asylum seekers, as they face challenges in their countries, but don't have, again, the legal standing to try to seek asylum?

RILEY: Well, asylum law is complicated, and trying to prove that someone has a claim requires them to show specific elements. But everyone has the right to due process of law. Everyone should have the opportunity to speak with an attorney to understand what their legal options are without access to counsel, someone wouldn't understand what our processes are. So I think that, you know, we need to implement a system that provides

that due process and that access to counsel for people who don't know what their options are so that they can see what reliefs are potentially available to them and then to go from there.

SANCHEZ: I think there is tremendous yearning for a system that both parties can agree on. However, I think there is so much political incentive for both of them to disagree, that we may not soon see one.

Jessica Riley, we appreciate your perspective and time. Thanks for joining us.

RILEY: Thanks so much. Bye-bye.

JARRETT: All right. We are following breaking news this morning. Sacrament police confirmed to CNN multiple people have been shot in a shooting in downtown Sacramento. The incident took place early this morning just blocks from the state capital building. Right now, there is no information concerning the number of victims, the condition of the victims, or any information on a suspect. We are working to gather more details and will bring you any updates as we get them throughout the morning.

Still ahead for you, it's a place that brings people comfort in many different forms. A church in a small Ukrainian town has turned into a temporary home for those fleeing violence. Up next, how they were able to pass through Russian checkpoints unharmed.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:32:30]

SANCHEZ: It's been nearly a week since a Russian missile strike on a government building in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, but the death toll from that attack continues to climb.

JARRETT: Yeah, officials say the number of people killed now stands at 36, and the mayor of Mykolaiv says the city remains under attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR OLEKSANDR SYENKEVYCH, MYKOLAIV, UKRAINE: Last two days, we had fights on outskirts of the city from the Kherson area and we won in those fights, and Russian fell back, but they still gather their group of troops, of their troops and plan to go forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is live in Ukraine this morning.

Ben, good morning. We know some people there are still trying to escape the fighting. Tell us more about this.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all let me tell you that today just after noon local time, we heard a series of very loud explosions coming from the middle of the city. It turns out there have been multiple missile strikes on this city, using what appears to be cluster munitions in civil areas.

We saw streets where it's just apartment buildings, where glass has been shattered, one car was set on fire by the strike. We understand from the mayor's office that several people have been injured. We don't have details on that, but there really appears to be no method to this madness. Random strikes on a city that has already come under multiple strikes since this war began.

Now, yesterday, we were in an area about an hour's drive from here, where we discovered some people are getting out of the areas occupied by the Russians, taking advantage of the hunger of Russian soldiers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): Everything already all right, he sings, for every one of us -- words of comfort for those des desperately in need.

Popular singer and former lawmaker (INAUDIBLE) goes from village to village with a simple message.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smile.

WEDEMAN: This church in the village of Vistanka (ph) is now home -- temporary home for those who have managed to flee Russian-occupied territory.

Volunteering in the kitchen, Svetlana Lyashuk, find peace but not peace of mind.

[07:35:08]

It's really hard, says Svetlana, people here are very nice, but I just want to go home.

Vitaly Butuchel, a mechanic in peace time, now runs a complex operation, feeding and housing the displaced.

VITALY BUTUCHEL, VOLUNTEER: This war, this war makes us like a family, very close.

WEDEMAN: The church feels like an oasis of the ordinary, far from the madness outside.

Early evening and a bus approaches marked "deti", Russian for children. Alas, no guarantee of safety.

It's coming from the town of Snihurivka, under Russian control. But it didn't pass through a humanitarian corridor negotiated by the Red Cross.

The arrangement whereby these people are able to get out of the Russian-occupied areas to here is very simple. Men on the bus give Russian soldiers food and cigarettes, and the Russian soldiers let them pass.

Larisa Shevchenko made it out but remains tormented by fear for those who couldn't get away.

Everything is really bad, she says. Her parents are still hiding out in the basement. She hopes they'll get out tomorrow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (on camera): And what we're hearing from people who are leaving is it sound like a rain of madness inside the areas occupied by the Russian, because Russian troops are looting stores, breaking into people's houses, making no attempt to create an air of law and order, just taking what they can before perhaps they pull back -- Laura.

JARRETT: Ben, really extraordinary reporting, as always. Thank you.

So we know the pandemic was not easy on anyone, but the CDC says one group in particular faced an uptick in emotional abuse. How parents pass their stress down to their teens and what can be done to fix these relationships? That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:01]

JARRETT: Forty-one minutes back now.

This morning, the CDC says new data about teens and their mental health during the pandemic, quote, echoes a cry for help. This new survey reveals that mental health concern among teens in the U.S. spiked significantly during COVID-19, with more than a third of high school students say their emotions were negatively impacted for most of the pandemic.

I want to bring in Dr. Ariana Hoet. She's a pediatric psychologist for the nationwide children's hospital and clinical director of On Our Sleeves.

So nice to have you this morning. We really need your expertise here.

I want to start with these numbers, which are just disturbing. There is no other way to put it. The CDC says this week, 55 percent of teens reported enduring insults, putdowns or other forms of emotional abuse from a parent or other adult at home during the height of the pandemic lockdowns.

Doctor, that number seems in incredibly high to me, over half. Do you think this reflects the serious stress that parents were really under -- under this pandemic or are kids perhaps just more empowered to speak up these days?

ARIANA HOET, PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGIST, NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: That's a wonderful question. In the survey, they talk about we don't know if this in increased since the pandemic started or not. It's a survey that gives teens voice so we know that during the pandemic this was their experience.

We also know that when we have more stress, it increases the likelihood for aggression or anger, and kids were spending a lot of time at home because of home learning. And so it just increased those interactions with the already stressed out caregivers.

JARRETT: Yeah, of course. Everybody's at home. Parents are trying to work. Kid are trying to do school at the same time, and we worried we would see this with domestic violence as well. I'm not sure anyone had predicted these levels among teens.

I also want to ask you about this -- two-thirds of high school teens said they found it difficult to complete schoolwork during the pandemic, perhaps not surprising but students who said they felt close to people at school or felt virtually connected with significantly less likely to report mental health. And that stood out to me because it seems that virtual learning has both upsides and downsides.

We know about the downsides and how kids struggled but it seems like those virtual connections are important.

HOET: They are, and that stood out to me, too, that not only was school connectededness was important, feeling like a part of the school and connected to your peers and teachers, but that the virtual social connections were also a protected factor. So, even staying connected with friends virtually was important.

JARRETT: So, you're the clinical director of On Our Sleeves, a national program that aims to reduce stigma around children's health, a really important topic. I wonder, just tell me what are you seeing in your work and does this CDC d reflect your reality?

HOET: It does. It does. We definitely saw an increase in children expressing sadness, isolation, suicidal thoughts, and so again, this survey just gives that voice to the adolescents to tell us what they're -- their experiences were and gives us numbers for what we're seeing in our clinics.

JARRETT: What are the biggest risk factors for that?

HOET: So, you know, there are so many factors when it comes to mental health. The report highlights the stress of the pandemic, worrying about our physical health, our family family's physical health because of the virus, the isolation, the stress of online learning, and then there were the financial stressors of the pandemic, housing and security, food in insecurity.

All those things impact children's mental health. The report also highlights the experiences of racism some groups face and how under underrepresented groups were feeling that racism and that was impacting their mental health and their school success, too.

JARRETT: Doctor, the data shows about one in five teens seriously considered suicide and about one in ten students had attempted suicide during the pandemic. What are some healthy, actionable ways that parents can help teens start to begin the process of recovering from this true mental health crisis we've seen during the pandemic?

HOET: Parents and caregivers first have to monitor their children, right? Notice any changes in their behaviors, if their withdrawn all of a sudden, decreases in grades, not wanting to interact with other people, irritability or mentions of hopelessness or sadness or not wanting to be alive. That means as caregivers and parents, we have to talk to our children and engage in conversation with them every day to check in and sometimes we have to ask them directly, are you feeling sad? Are you having thoughts of suicide?

And we know that that doesn't in increase the likelihood that a child will hurt themselves. It actually is a protective factor to just ask directly.

JARRETT: Such a great point, having those conversations, being direct, not being afraid to have those tough conversations.

Dr. Hoet, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate your expertise.

HOET: Thank you, Laura.

And if you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. That number is 1-800-273-8255. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:10]

JARRETT: It's the biggest night for the music industry. The Grammy Awards are tonight in Las Vegas, hosted by Trevor Noah.

SANCHEZ: Let's get right to CNN's Chloe Melas.

Chloe, kind a big night but a bit weird for Kanye West. He has five nominations. But he's been banned from performing.

What do you think the chances are that he actually shows up?

CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I think that the chances are strong. I think that Kanye as we know is somebody who has a lot to say and he might take this moment to grab his own mike and say something interesting. I don't know if it will be as interesting as last week's Oscars ceremony but who knows what he could potentially say?

So, I say for one hope that he's there. Remember he is banned because he got into quite the public feud with Trevor Noah, who was actually the host of the Grammy awards coincidentally and Kanye was actually banned from social media for posting a racial slur about Trevor.

So we have not heard anything from Kanye since it all happened. So this could be a moment where perhaps he makes a public apology.

Now, other people who you guys can expect to see are Olivia Rodrigo, who had quite the year. Justin Bieber, who is going be up there performing.

Now, also don't forget last weekend, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins tragically died and the Foo Fighters were supposed to perform tonight. So you can expect a tribute tonight to Foo Fighters, to Taylor Hawkins.

Specifically, there is going to be a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, which is going to be emotional and really wonderful for all the people who loved him.

Now, I want to tell you guys about the coveted record of the year category. This is the ultimate category to be nominated in. You have Abba. You have Jon Batiste, who is leading the way with nominations, love his song "Freedom".

You also have Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. So, that would be really poignant to potentially see those two take the stage together. You have Justin Bieber for his song "Peaches"." Brandi Carlile, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, Lil Nas X, and like I said, Olivia Rodrigo, who had such a huge year. We are expecting here to win big tonight and Silk Sonic.

JARRETT: Hey, Chloe, just quickly, I'm wondering anything you're hearing about security at the awards tonight given what happened last week with the slap heard round the world?

MELAS: I think, Laura, that all award shows are thinking about just that, that it's not necessarily the people that you would expect like just audience members, that celebrities, too, can do things that are unexpected and jarring and quite dangerous.

So I would expect that there will be extra security tonight. But the Grammys have not said that they are making any changes. It's also going to be interesting to see which celebrities mention Chris Rock and Will Smith during their speeches, if any.

[07:55:02]

And does Trevor Noah address it as well?

JARRETT: Yeah. I'm sure. I'm sure he will find a way to delicately go there, if you will. We'll see.

SANCHEZ: And perhaps indelicately as well.

Chloe Melas, thank you so much.

MELAS: Thank you.

JARRETT: Now to this, some sad news to report this morning. Actress Estelle Harris has died at the age of 93. Perhaps best known for playing George Costanza's mother on "Seinfeld" and as the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in the "Toy Story" franchise.

SANCHEZ: She was hilarious. She also appeared in guest spots on numerous shows, including law and order, "ER" and "Mad About You". Undoubtedly she will be missed.

JARRETT: Yes.

SANCHEZ: Estelle Harris, passing away at the age of 93.

Thank you so much for starting your morning with us.

JARRETT: Boris, thank you so much for having me. You make Sunday a little less scary.

"INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" with Abby Phillips is up next.