their bombs, rockets, blockades. by logistics and their actual participation in the battle. who is bigger and greater. the ones kill us or the ones who say death to them? >> the biden administration has announced it has withdrawn support for the saudi offensive. it comes after six long years of war. for the children dying of hunger, it still hasn't brought peace any quicker. peace and help can't come soon enough. can you imagine what it would do to the community if the facility was shut down? for years the u.n. has been warning the famine is coming to yemen. they tell us famine has arrived. they're witnessing wave after wave of children in the red zone, severe malnourishment, desperate to keep their children in line are forced to make harrowing choices. >> just to get to the hospital i stopped eating and drinking, not even water, just to get him treated. >> these doctors are keeping track of the numbers spiking beyond what they ever imagined. >> the doctor is saying in 2020 this population, 23% of the children under 5 here were severely malnourished. in 2021 they think that number is going to go over 30%. there is no doubt in his mind, he says, that they here are in famine. nearly three years ago they condemned starvation as a method of war and demanded access to supplies and food preparation including water and fuel be carefully tracked. it clearly hasn't happened. what's more, the world has stopped caring. the u.n. needs almost $4 billion to stop this crisis. they received less than half that. numbers don't lie but numbers also don't reflect the full tragedy. this is hasanhadi, 10 months and struggling to breathe. he came into the hospital six days ago. he keeps losing weight even with the critical care he's receiving. hours after we left hasanhadi died. one more child in yemen that represents so much more pain. the doctors here are desperate for the world to see and to help. cnn, yemen. >> thank you so much for bringing this to us. i want to mention cnn has reached out to saudi arabia for comment but hasn't gotten a reply yet. thank you for watching, everyone. our coverage continues. since 2009, we've lost 33 million acres of grassland and wildflower habitat in the us great plains. air wick scented oils is partnering with world wildlife fund to reseed 1 billion square feet of native wildflowers and grasslands... making our connection to nature stronger. learn more at airwick.us you never leave the house without your luvs or your big dad energy. because...when you see a leaky situation you have luvs ready for that pro-level leak protection. luvs. parent like a pro. rely on the experts at 1800petmeds for the same medications as the vet, but for less with fast free shipping. visit petmeds.com today. well, want to welcome all of our viewers joining us from the united states and around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. stimulus checks should reach americans' bank accounts by the end of the month. >> the motion is adopted. >> enormous $1.9 trillion relief package passed the u.s. house in the final vote on wednesday. president biden expected to sign it into law with checks soon to go out. it's been one year since the pandemic was declared. president biden said economic relief was long overdue. >> this bill represents historic, historic help for people. everything in the american rescue plan addresses real need including investments. >> the most historic legislation any of us will be a party to. who knows what the future mabrey, but nonetheless on this day we celebrate. >> what do we say to america? we say to america, help is on the way. help is on the way. you will receive $1400 checks by the end of march. help is on the way. >> despite president biden's earlier efforts to get bipartisan support, no republicans voted for it. more from cnn's ryan noble. >> reporter: it is a done deal here on capitol hill offering the final passage of the $1.9 trillion covid relief package. it was passed largely on partisan lines. one democrat voting no, all the other votes were republicans voting no and democrats voting yes. president biden is expected to sign it into law by friday. the quick passage of the bill means the unemployment insurance benefits were scheduled to run out on march 14th can now be extended without any kind of hiccup. most stimulus checks should be in the bank accounts by the end of the month. and in schools to get them up and running. millions of young people out of poverty. millions voted against this. doesn't do enough to specifically target what's needed for coronavirus. they say there's no mechanism to pay for it. regardless, this is now law. the question becomes what is next for the biden administration and their agenda. maybe a lot more difficult to get packages passed through congress. he is open for things like infrastructure. it is going to be difficult to get them on board. ryan nobles, cnn, capitol hill. while president biden looks to pass it, his approach is similar. mexican facilities are overwhelmed. the number of children referred to the office of refugee resettlement during the month of february is expected to be, quote, historic. now they're urging migrants not to make the journey to the u.s. >> i want to be clear, neither this announcement nor any of the other measures suggest that anyone, especially children and families with young children, should make the dangerous trip to try and enter the u.s. in an irregular fashion. the border is not open. going forward, we will look for ways to provide legal protection while we continue to protect our laws. >> there's a battle building over the use of masks. georgia lifted a statewide mandate. boston continues to keep its order even after the attorney general threatened to sue. this is playing out after they raised concerns about the easing of restrictions. ed lavandera has concerns. >> reporter: feelings of dread after the statewide mask mandate is lifted. this houston restaurant owner says he doesn't understand why governor greg abbott is turning him into the mask police. >> we've been hurt the most and requiring us to take a side on the masks isn't right in my opinion. >> reporter: for some it's triggered an emotional reminder of what's been lost in the last year. 38-year-old jonathan vardiaz died of covid. the texas reopening is a kick in the stomach. >> my son left six children be behind. two of the youngest are 6 and 4. they don't understand why their daddy is not coming home. >> reporter: utah will lift on april 10th. in maryland starting this friday capacity limits will be lifted for restaurants, retail stores and other businesses with masking and spacing protocols staying. health officials are urging caution as more than a dozen states are easing restrictions with more in the coming days and weeks. >> when you start doing things like completely putting aside all public health measures as if you're turning a light switch off, that's quite risky. we don't want to see another surge. >> reporter: the renewed fight continues as america's fight continues. alaska is becoming the first state to open vaccinations to people 16 and older. >> we have a good possibility of getting herd immunity. >> more glouidelines will be released. >> travel. what about going out? what about getting a haircut? what about getting things like that? that's all imminent. >> as the country enters spring break season, the university of california davis is offering 500 students $75 to choose a staycation instead of traveling as a way to slow the virus spread. >> it's better than nothing and it helps people on the fence to stay or not stay. >> governor greg abbott has said texans have mastered the skills to avoid catching covid-19 but despite that, top health experts say after the reopening here, they are bracing for another surge of the coronavirus. ed laf vanderalavandera, cnn, d >> right now 400,000 children in a single country are at risk of death. six years of war in yemen are putting its most vulnerable at the greatest risk. stay with us, a rare access to yemen's unfolding crisis. and pressure on the palace to take more action as claims meghan markle made about race continue to have a real impact on the british media. live in windsor, england, next. stay with us. things a dog could do for you. and with resolve you never have to worry about the mess. love the love, resolve the mess. want to brain better? unlike ordinary memory supplements— neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference. major changes are coming to the way hong kong elects its legislators. in the past few hours china's national people's congress unanimously passed a law that paves the way for new rules. the measure is expected to produce democratic representation carry lam says it will stop the reckless moves from the past. chinese officials say managing hong kong is their business, no one else's. >> hong kong is part of china and this electoral system is part of china's electoral systems. internal affair will develop and improve a system and no external force shall interfere. >> brittain's foreign secretary is among those condemning the new law. dominic raab said, quote, this is the latest step by beijing contrary to the promises made by china itself. meanwhile, china's government is lashing out at a think tank report that says beijing bears responsibility for an ongoing genocide against the uighurs. they call the accusations a complete lie. it accuses china of violating the genocide law. dozens came to this after examining chinese state media, satellite images and witness testimony. there's new fallout following meghan and harry's interview with oprah. the media executive has resigned after more than 160 journalists of color objected to his organization's claim that racism plays no role in how the british press has treated the duchess of sussex. in windsor, there's increasing pressure on the royal family. this interview has sparked a lot more than just discussion. i'm frankly surprised at how quickly things have escalated. take us through what's been happening there. >> reporter: well, the big part of the fallout, the ripples from this interview keep coming whether it was the very high profile dramatic exit of piers morgan, a tv show host who had on monday said he simply didn't believe the duchess of sussex's claims that she felt suicidal. he didn't believe her mental health comments and a few days later he had to resign. we've had the society of editors which is a body in the u.k. that represents u.k. media following the interview saying they felt it was an attack on the media and saying quite quickly the u.k. media isn't bigoted. 250 journalists of color complaining co signing a letter against it. the executive editor tried to walk it back but he had to resign as well. it's galvanized nations to talk about issues of mental health and racism and conversations people are struggling with. this is a conversation that's happening. however, when it comes to the royal family, the couple did issue the racism and mental health in the wider community. they said it about the royal family. they recognize there's concerning issues they want to deal with this as a family. they see the family is at the center of the problem and they also suggested that the duke and duchess perhaps should have initiated the conversation privately rather than doing a public interview. there was a bit of a rebuke there as well. the whole nation continues to talk about this all quiet on the palace front. we had prince charles doing an official visit earlier in the week. of course someone did ask him what they thought of the interview. i don't think we're going to hear any answers any time soon. >> thanks so much. cnn's an into stewart in windsor, england. appreciate it. former u.s. first lady michelle obama spoke candidly to "people" magazine. >> depression is understandable in these circumstances during these times beings and to think that somehow we can just continue to rise above all of the shock and the trauma and the upheaval we have been experiencing without feeling it in that way is just unrealistic. what i have said to my children, to my brothers, i think one of the things that is getting me through is that i'm old enough to have perspective. >> clearly she's not alone. the u.s. centers for disease control said 41% reported mental health issues and 1 in 3 had symptoms of anxiety, depression. people everywhere can relate to michelle obama's concerns. it's been one year since the world health organization classified covid-19 as a global pandemic. tom foreman looks at how things have changed since last may. >> reporter: the nba season called a time-out for players of the utah jazz test toss pif. >> quite frankly, everybody was shocked. >> tom hanks and his wife developed chills, aches and were diagnosed. >> everyone was wondering when we were going to see someone fa famous. >> reporter: the world health organization declares a pandemic. >> one day it's like a miracle, it will disappear. >> reporter: it comes crashing home. >> to keep new cases from entering our shores we will be suspending all travel from europe to the united states over the next 30 days. >> reporter: overnight travel screams to a near halt. millions of workers told to stay away from the who was grappling with zoom calls. schools shutting down too. >> this could be the last time in this school. >> reporter: panic buying strips many grocery stores of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, neces necessities. food lines sprout up shockingly miles long. >> we're getting together and figuring out how we can help. >> reporter: confusion rains. people are told to wash their groceries and don't bother. wear a mask and maybe not. trouble will last a couple weeks, but then again. >> the worst is, yes, ahead for us. it is how we respond to that challenge that's going to determine what the ultimate end point is going to be. >> how difficult is this? >> this is a war zone. it's a medical war zone. >> in hospitals the worst times come fast. doctors and nurses pushed beyond exhaustion. >> today has been crazy. >> and more bodies than morgues can handle. many families say farewell by telephone. >> one patient expires. it's hard when it's a patient you've been fighting for. >> before that day in march, 28 covid fatalities had a been reported nationwide. by month's end it's more than 192,000 cases and over 5,000 deaths including minister ronnie hampton in louisiana who was diagnosed and dies a day later. >> i want you to know my faith has never waivered. >> reporter: now the number of fatalities in the u.s. is well over a half million, familiar mouse and regular folks. >> that's about one american dying every minute since march 11th one year ago. >> that's incredible. hundreds of thousands of children are dying in a country a top u.n. official calls hell. cnn investigation goes inside yemen's hospitals for how dire the situation really is and a moment of remembrance in japan as the country remembers ten years since the fukushima disaster. see every delivery... every yikes... and even every awwwwwwww... wait, where was i? introducing self protection from xfinity. designed to put you in control. with real-time notification and a week of uninterrupted recording... all powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determinatio. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. 400,000 children are at risk of dying right now in yemen as a six-year civil war rages on. that's according to the united nations world food program. now a heartbreaking new cnn investigation shows just how dire the situation really is. the biden administration says it wants to brianne end to the war partially funded with american tax dollars by no longer backing the saudi-led coalition backing the houthis. u.s. backing of the war started under president obama and escalated under president trump. it's been more than a month since they were allowed to dock with food at hodeidah. this goes against the united nations agreement and is making the situation desperate for parents. our reporters made a dangerous trip to get inside houthi territory in northern yemen. few foreign journalists have never been. we want to show you some of the images are difficult. >> reporter: derelict coast line. a story of war, blockade and devastation. for years the houthi area has been blocked. we were denied entry so we traveled at night by boat. we get a sense of the humanitarian disaster. along the roadside, hundreds of stalled food supply trucks with no fuel to move and a country in the grip of hunger, their cargo starts spoiling in the hot sun. the port of hodeidah is a supply port. it should be bustling but today it is eerily empty. the last time someone could dock is in december. we are about to witness the terrible impact of this blockade. desperate patients trying to get the attention of the doctor. if he signs these papers, they get some financial relief for their treatments. he doesn't get far before he is stopped again and again. since the yemen war started six years ago families have been in financial free fall. the fuel blockade has sped that decent into oblivion. this is the main hospital and we're surrounded by doctors and nurses rushed. is this a normal day? is it this busy all the time. >> this is not a busy day. this is a normal day. >> reporter: the doctor wants to show us some of the critical patients. >> every hour of every day they are receiving more and more cases of severe malnutrition that are this advanced because the parents can't afford to feed their children. they also can't afford to bring them to the hospital to treat them. >> reporter: the u.n. says pockets of yemen are in famine-like conditions but hudeidah is not one of them because it doesn't meet the metrics but they think the reality on the ground has outpaced the projections. mall nutrition numbers are spiking and at the same time this busy hospital is running out of the vital fuel that keeps its generators running which means babies like maria who doctors say at two months weighs the same as a newborn will die. yemen has been devastated by a civil war which has pitted houthis against the internationally recognized government and a u.s.-backed saudi government. we're in houthi territory, some of whose officials have been designated as terrorists for targeting saudi arabia. we've been granted a rather interview. we must meade in an undisclosed area because his aides say the threat of assassination. >> translator: not true at all. the battle is continuing. it has not stopped. >> reporter: do you trust america to take forward negotiations to bring forward peace? >> translator: trust comes from decisions. we have not seen any decisions made. >> reporter: one of your key slogans talks about death to america. how do you see this as pushing forward the negotiation and the possibility for peace in the future. >> translator: when we say death to america, they effectively kill us with their bombs, rockets, blockades. they provide logistics and intelligence support and their actual participation in the battle, who is bigger or greater, the ones who are killing us or the ones who say death to them? >> reporter: the biden administration has announced it is withdrawing support for the saudi offensive but it comes after six long years of war. for the children dying of hunger, it hasn't brought peace any quicker. peace and help can't come soon enough. over half the hospitals in this district are threatened. this is one of them. they need urgent support. urgent help. can you imagine what it would do to this community if this facility was shut down? look at the chaos that there is already here and that's while it's functioning. >> reporter: for years now the u.n. has been warning that famine is coming to yemen. doctors across yemen's north tell us famine has arrived. another hospital witnessing wave after wave of children in the red zone. severe malnourishment. impoverished mothers desperate to keep their children alive are forced to make harrowing choices. >> translator: just to get to the hospital i stopped eating and drinking, not even water, just to get him treated. >> these doctors are keeping track of the numbers spiking beyond what they ever imagined. >> reporter: the doctor saying in 2020 this population, 23% of the children under 5 here were severely malnourished. in 2021 they think that number is going to go over 30%. there is no doubt in his mind he says that they here are in famine. nearly three years ago the u.n. security council condemned the method of starvation as security warfare demanding access to supplies necessary for food preparation including water and fuel be kept intact. here and in other conflicts that clearly hasn't happened. what's more, the world has stopped caring. the u.n. needs almost $4 billion to stop this crisis. they received less than half of that. numbers don't lie, but numbers also don't reflect the full tra tragedy. this is a 10 month old struggling to breathe. he came into the hospital six days ago. he keeps losing weight even with the critical care he's receiving. hours after we left, he died. one more child in yemen that represents so much more pain. the doctors here are desperate for the world to see and to help. cnn, hodeidah, yemen. >> cnn has reached out to saudi arabia for comment but hasn't received a reply. outstanding reporting there. we'll be right back. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. call coventry direct to learn more. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement 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in congress. it was merely the blip on right wing media. fox news ignored the passage but many americans including republicans still care about the bill. here's the story. >> we're definitely feeling the crunch like most people. >> a lekso bell is a donald trump loyalist. he's willing to put party affiliation aside to support joe biden's $1.9 trillion relief bill. >> i think the country needs that stimulus. >> reporter: he's not alone. 61% of americans support it, one of the largest aid packages in history. bell's work as a promoter dried up during the pandemic. >> i'm mostly a stay-at-home dad right now watching my little guys and my wife is the primary bread winner right now. >> reporter: just 26% of republicans support the overall bill according to a cnn poll, but a majority approve of the family tax credits. one of those, an extra $1,000 per child for families that qualify. >> that's significant. you have two kids, that's an extra $2,000. >> it is. i think that people that have more than two children will be getting that much more of a break. >> in the suburbs outside of philadelphia frank herron said his restaurant survived because of two ppp loans. this bill calls for 7 billion in additional ppp money and 5 billion in grants for restaurants and bars. >> gave us a lot of confidence that we would be able to make it through. >> perron voted for trump twice and said while this bill is needed, he's concerned the massive price tag could boost inflation. >> i think it's very scary and the value of our money is going to decline. >> barbara janikowski was a republican for 40 years but this past november disappointed with trump and the gop she voted for biden and changed her party registration. she's all in on the stimulus bill. >> i think it's great because people are hurting. >> reporter: she and her husband, both retired, say the previous $600 stimulus checks did little to help with bills. this time she says they can save some of their $1400 checks. >> we also keep that money in case our children need help. if they would run into problems, that stimulus money would go to them. >> the motion is adopted. >> reporter: zero republicans voted in favor of the bill. >> shame on them. >> reporter: what does it say about the future of helping americans. >> them voting along party lines was wrong because it was not right for america. it was not right for you. it was not right for me. it was not right for my children. >> reporter: vanessa jurkavich, cnn, bucks county, pennsylvania. a memorial in japan marks ten years since the country was devastated by a tsunami and nuclear disaster. we'll hear from some who say they're still healing. try our new scented oils for freshness that lasts. crafted to give you amazingly natural smelling fragrances, day after day... ...for up to 60 days. give us one plug for freshness that lasts. you'd never wash your dishes in this. your dishwasher looks clean but, when grease and limescale build up, it's not as hygienic as 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remove weeds, cut them and water them. i can spend my whole day like that. >> reporter: for the kobaishis, gardening allows a chance to heal after surviving one of the worst disaster the world has ever seen. in 2011 a 9.1 magnitude tsunami occurred. about 22,000 people died or are still missing. it crippled the fukushima daiichi power station. the damage has been estimated at $300 billion and left hundreds of thousands of people without a home. >> translator: i kept wondering why on earth things have become like this. >> reporter: that includes the could kobaichis. >> reporter: >> translator: my husband was involved in designing the nuclear plant. when there was an explosion he said, this is bad. >> reporter: nearly 1/5 of the entire town's population were evacuated to this former high school. they spent roughly three years living in a classroom just like this nearly 200 kilometers away from fukushima prefecture and the homes they were forced to evacuate. this monument inscribed with the word hope forever marks the evacuation site. this experience for kurasawa nearly died. he showed cnn how he survived. >> translator: i remember seeing people who climbed trees like me being swept away. there were people in cars being swept away. >> reporter: he says he lost everything that day except for his life. a decade later the struggle to rebuild continues. >> translator: it's like my old self died and i tried to restore it but it's not possible. i do feel like i'm living a totally different life. >> reporter: it's a loss he says can't be quantified. >> this disaster is not over after the 10-year anniversary. this area, communities, people still need support, investment and attention. >> reporter: while many who have rebuilt homes elsewhere, the kobaishis remain displaced unlikely to ever return home. for shegeko, it took time to accept her live in quiet kazo city. when she thinks about the future she gets frustrated that the world will see a different version of futaba as the olympic torch passes through the town her family was forced to leave. >> translator: people may think it's much restored but if you travel much further there are many places a bab doned and ruined that people will see no picture of them. >> reporter: they won't see the reality of a still contaminated coast line. an economic and ecological disaster. cnn, tokyo. >> that wraps this hour of "cnn newsroom." i'm kim brunhuber. "early start" with laura jarrett and christine roman is next. dealdash.com, the fair and honest bidding site. an ipad was sold for less than $24; a playstation for less than $16; and a 4k television for less than $2. go to dealdash.com right now and see how much you can save. remember, shipping is always free. see yourself. welcome back to the mirror. and know you're not alone. because this... come on jesse, one more! ...is a reflection of an unstoppable community. in the mirror. president biden's first primetime address is tonight. new details on how he plans to sell his american rescue plan a year to the day after the pandemic began. record surge of children at the southern border. new information on where the children can be sent. >> later today, merrick garland will finally be sworn in as attorney general. he has a full plate on day one. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is ea"early start." i'm laura