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Russian Military Equipment Building Up; Russia: Video Shows Military Vehicles Leaving Crimea; Prince Andrew Settles Case with Accuser Virginia Giuffre; U.S. Wins Gold and Silver Medals in Men' Ski Slopestyle; Millions Brace for Storms as Cold Front Moves Across U.S. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired February 16, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

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ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In Trumbull, Connecticut, I'm Erica Hill, CNN.

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ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: A New York girl reported missing 2019 has been found alive. Police say she was hidden under this staircase inside a home north of New York City. She was found along with her mother who did not have legal custody. Authorities have searched for the girl in this house before but the residents always denied she was there. Detectives finally made a discovery on Monday after receiving a tip.

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CHIEF JOSEPH SINAGRA, SAUGERTIES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our officers were up and down those steps several times and never heard the child never made a sound. But the detectives said there was something odd about the stairs, just the way they were constructed, the way they felt when they were walking on them. And he said he took a closer look at the stairs and between two of the stair boards there was a crack. He used a flashlight, looked in there and he saw what he believed was a blanket at the bottom. So, they used a Halligan tool and he started removing the steps of the staircase and sure and behold they found a little pair of feet.

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SOARES: Police have arrested the child's noncustodial parents as well as another relative. The girl is now with her legal guardian.

Authorities in California arrested nearly 500 people in a statewide crackdown on human trafficking. That includes suspected traffickers and sex buyers. Police say they rescued more than 70 adult victims and eight child victims during the week-long operation. The Los Angeles county sheriff had this message. Have a listen.

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SHERIFF ALEX VILLANUEVA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: We and our partners stand with each victim of this heinous crime. You are the focus of this endeavor. We are here for you. We're here to help you reclaim your freedom from the binds of sex trafficking and to provide you with the support and tools to rebuild your lives.

To the traffickers, L.A. County Sheriff's Department and our partners will not tolerate the enslavement and trafficking of others in any form. We will seek you out. We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.

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SOARES: The seventh annual police operation helped dozens of federal state and local law enforcement agencies working together.

Russia says some of its troops are pulling back from the Ukraine border but satellite images of the military hardware tell a different story. We have the details for you just ahead.

Plus, with his reputation already in tatters, Prince Edwards reaches a settlement with Virginia Giuffre in her sexual assault lawsuit against him. We'll have the latest next.

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SOARES: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isa Soares in London.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Michael Holmes in Lviv in western Ukraine. I want to update you now on our top stories at this hour. And in fact, just ago, NATO Secretary General and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave some remarks ahead of a meeting of defense ministers. Russia's defense ministry has released video meanwhile that it says shows military equipment crossing the bridge from Crimea into Russia. This coming a day after Russia said some of its troops were being sent back to base.

Western officials are skeptical of that announcement, however. In a message on Tuesday, President Joe Biden warned of an invasion of Ukraine and said that it is distinctly possible that could happen. While it is still a question whether Russian troops are actually pulling back, the arrival of more military equipment to the border region is clear. Jim Sciutto reports now on the latest satellite images.

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New video from the Russian ministry of defense, as it claims that some units have completed their exercises and are now returning to their home bases. The Russian military did not identify the locations in the videos.

CNN, however, geolocated one rail yard where these tanks were being loaded onto a train. It's in Crimea. Asked if NATO has been able to verify Russian assertions that some units are going home, Estonia's prime minister told me, not yet. KAJA KALLAS, ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER: We believe it when we see it, but we don't see it right now. Russia has done this military buildup around Ukraine for already, months. So, nothing happens in a few days or a few hours, and we haven't seen any real de-escalation yet.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): And there is still plenty of Russian armor near Ukraine and moving closer still. Among the more recent arrivals, transport and attack helicopters. These, in an improvised base near Belgorod, just a few miles from the Ukrainian border.

Perhaps most notable, these images showing more than 60 helicopters at a disused airfield in northwest Crimea. There was nothing there just a few days ago. The helicopters shown are a mix of attack and transport aircraft, about 40 miles from Ukraine's southern coast.

Just off the coast, the Russian defense ministry's media outlet is reporting on the Black Sea navy drills, which involve some 30 ships. In satellite images, Maxar also detected that the Russian air force has deployed at least ten SU-34 strike bombers to an airport near Krasnodar in southern Russia. The air field is some 70 miles across the Sea of Azov from the Ukrainian coast.

It will be a few days before new satellite images and video can confirm that at least part of the force of 130,000 Russian troops have indeed moved away from Ukraine. For now, a substantial force on land, in the air, and at sea, remains on three sides of Ukraine.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Kyiv.

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HOLMES: And our thanks to Jim Sciutto for that report. I'm Michael Holmes in Lviv in western Ukraine. There will be much more on the tensions in Ukraine coming up on "EARLY START." That'll be in about 20 minutes or so. But for now, throw it back to Isa Soares in London -- Isa.

SOARES: Thanks very much, Michael.

Now to the investigation into the U.S. Capitol insurrection. The January 6th Committee has issued a new round of subpoenas as they examine the fake electoral plot aimed at overthrowing the 2020 presidential election. The subpoenas were sent to two members of the Trump campaign and four prominent Republican officials from battle ground states. Investigators are digging into efforts to send illegitimate letters from key swing states that former President Donald Trump's lost to Washington to delay certifying Joe Biden's victory.

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And we have an update on Sarah Palin's lawsuit against "The New York Times." Attorneys for the former U.S. vice presidential candidate say they are considering an appeal after jurors found the newspaper not liable for defamation. The judge in the case had already said he would dismiss the suit whatever the jury's verdict was because Palin's attorney did not prove actual malice.

There's a lot of speculation here in the U.K. about Prince Andrew's future and his role really in public life now that he's settled a sexual abuse lawsuit he was facing from Virginia Giuffre. Her civil suit had accused the Duke of York of abuse when she was just a teenager, if you remember. Alleging she was trafficked to him by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We don't know how much Prince Andrew will have to pay. But many are wondering how he will fund the settlement.

For more on this time I'm joined by CNN's Anna Stewart. And Anna, it seems to me at least from the papers here, that is the clarity that everyone wants to know. What will his future look like but also who is paying for this. I want to give our viewers just some of the taste of the papers. There is one so you can see there, the "12 million to halt sex claim." The Sun, here as well, "His Final Disgrace." And one last one, 10 Million Humiliation. One paper puts it at 12 million -- "The Daily Telegraph." Of course, we don't know. What does this all mean, Anna, as people ponder these questions this morning?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: I think it means, certainly, looking at the headlines, that he has not had his name cleared in the court of public opinion. And people want to know, yes, how much is this settlement, both in terms of the money he'll be paying Virginia Giuffre, but also to her charity which was part of the settlement agreement. We don't have a figure on it. And we don't know who will pay for it.

Because can Prince Andrew who has no discernible income apart from a very small naval pension, afford it. We don't know what the sum is. He did recently apparently, speculatively sold his chalet in Switzerland. Could that be used? Or will he be leaning on her majesty the Queen? Well, not in terms of the public purse, but of course, she's wealthy in her own right. So, she could fund it with the private estate herself. Those are some of the questions.

Also, should he lose the Duke of York title? He has already been stripped of his Royal highness title. He has been stripped of his military title. There is no return I would say for public life for Prince Andrew at this stage. But clearly, lots of people within the British public want to know more.

SOARES: What about the tone and the language? Because when I read it, it seemed to me like a huge win for Giuffre here.

STEWART: It's an incredibly short statement. It is very cleverly worded. Up to this stage it should be remembered that Prince Andrew's legal team called the claims frivolous. They said they were baseless. Prince Andrew said he'd never even met Virginia Giuffre. The statement yesterday said Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre's character. And at one stage, in October, he seemed actually accused her of just trying to make some money.

SOARES: Yes.

STEWART: She wants to achieve another pay day at his expense. So, in terms of the change of tone, a huge victory, but he hasn't accepted liability.

SOARES: Thank you very much, Anna Stewart there.

Now still to come right here on the show, Team U.S.A. aims to keep dominating men's slopestyle. But they've got some competition this year. We have the latest victory as well as defeat from the Beijing Olympics after the break with our Coy Wire.

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SOARES: And it is a good day to be part of Team U.S.A. in the men's free ski slopestyle. On day 12 of the Beijing winter games U.S. athletes took both the gold and the silver medals in the event with Sweden taking the bronze. Monitoring all for us, Coy Wire joins me now from outside Beijing with the latest from the Olympics. And Coy, a big, big day for Team U.S.A. on the slopes.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Good to see you, Isa. Temperatures were well below freezing though. We'll start with that in the men's slalom. Tricky slopes for them. 34 of the 88 competitors didn't even finish the opening leg. But the tall machinelike 24-year-old Frenchman standing six foot three or 1.91 meters, Clement Noel slithering his way through the gates was sixth heading into run number two. But his combined time of 1:44.09. Enough for his first Olympic medal and it's the color gold like his helmet. His long legs, they were like pistons navigating that course.

It's France's first Olympic gold in Alpine skiing since 2006. He was screaming and fist pumping afterwards. He edges out Johannes Scholes of Austria by .6 of a second to take the gold.

And now, in free ski slopestyle final action, it's Team U.S.A. taking those top two spots on the podium. Alex Hall grabbing gold. Nick Goepper grabbing silver and Jesper Tjader of Sweden wins bronze.

But 27-year-old Goepper is a three-time Olympian, three-time medalist now with two silvers and a bronze. He's overcome alcohol abuse, depression and he's become an advocate for mental health.

Now for the 23-year-old Alex Hall, he was born in Alaska, grew up in Switzerland with parents who are professors at the University of Zurich. Didn't even get coached up, Isa, until he was 16 years old. And now he stands today as a gold medalist in the Olympics. But this is further proof that the Americans actually dominate this event dating back to its debut in 2014. They have now won six of the nine medals awarded.

Finally, huge day for Slovakia in the men's hockey team defeating the previously unbeaten American team to advance in the semi-finals. It was a dramatic finish. Slovakia tying the game with 44 seconds to go sending it to a shootout. The youngest U.S. men's hockey team in decades, going 0-5 on the shootouts. So huge by goalie Patrik Rybar rising to the occasion. Denying the Americans their admirable run. Slovakia now, they're headed off one step closer to an Olympic medal after being the ninth ranked team in the world coming in to these games -- Isa.

SOARES: Coy Wire there for us. Thanks very much, Coy. I'll touch base with you tomorrow.

Now a U.S. woman has become the third known person cured of HIV thanks to transplant of stem cells from umbilical cord blood. New research reveals she was diagnosed with leukemia four years after her HIV diagnosis. After chemotherapy destroyed her blood cells, she received stem cells from an umbilical cord blood that had a mutation that makes cells resistant to HIV infections. Just over three years after that she had stopped taking HIV medication, they had no detectible virus 14 months later. Wonderful news.

And still ahead this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, millions of Americans are bracing for colder temperatures and stormy weather. Sorry.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And winter is coming back with a vengeance across portions of the Midwestern United States, into parts of Central Plains. As much as 8 inches in store, and you'll notice severe weather, spring-like pattern developing across portions the Southern U.S. We'll touch on this momentarily.

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SOARES: Now a cold front could bring snow, ice, flooding and wind to millions of Americans across the United States. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the forecast. Good morning, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Good morning, Isa. Yes, we do have a pattern change across parts of the Western United States. A colder air coming in after big- time heat over the last several days. But gusty winds have been in place. Some wintry weather across the higher elevations of Southern California. Take you about 80 miles east of Los Angeles 5,000 feet up. That's Lake Arrowhead, California. How about this. Thunder snow observed across the region kind of speaks to the inclement weather in place, the instability in the atmosphere. Not only do we see lightning during heavy snow but also about a 1/4-inch size hale and winds as much as 55 miles per hour across this region.

Hail even reported into portions of Los Angeles. But notice the winds they were howling. Still have some high wind alerts. Parts of California into areas even across into New Mexico as well. And we expect the gusty winds to persist as the system pushes towards the east.

But work your way towards areas a little further toward the east, whether it be the Central Plains or even for the Midwest, 4 to 8 inches of snowfall possible. Kansas City on into Chicago.

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And a just little further south of this region could see an area where even some ice secretion takes place and then work farther south from there. And we're talking about heavy rainfall potentials. Just a mess developing here over the next say 24 to 48 hours. And St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cleveland, some of these areas could see as much as three inches of rainfall. So needless to say, flooding going to be an issue. And then not severe element potentially in the works as well. It is a slight risk. So, not a widespread setup here for severe weather.

The biggest threat really going to be straight-line winds .some hail and few isolated tornadoes. Some of those areas that could see these impacts include Dallas, Wichita Falls, OKC, a little farther toward east we go on Thursday. And it will introduce Atlanta and Nashville as some of the larger cities, even Little Rock, in an area here where some of the severe weather elements possible into the afternoon and evening hours.

The temperature trend. Look at this. Atlanta climbs up to the middle 70s and then drops back down into the 50s. Nashville goes from 71 to 44. And a seesaw battle between the seasons here as Washington sees a surge in temperatures before dropping back down into the 40s -- Isa?

SOARES: Thank you very much, Pedram.

A new report on rising sea levels in the U.S. may trigger a sinking feeling for those living in coastal communities. That is because the sea level is set to rise as much in the next 30 years as it did in the past 100. The report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows scientists are growing more confident that U.S. coasts will see another 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise by 2050. They say that will lead to a significant increase in the frequency of coastal flooding. Already cities like New York and Miami have seen a rise in high tide flood events. The rise in sea levels will also amplify hurricane storm surges, coastal erosion, as well as wetland loss.

And that does it here for me on CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks very much for your company. I'm Isa Soares in London. Our coverage of the Russia/Ukraine crisis continues on "EARLY START" with Christine Romans and Laura Jarrett. You are watching CNN.

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