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Russia's War on Ukraine Continues; U.S. Federal Judge Halts End to "Remain in Mexico" Program; U.K. Tries to Tame Inflation; Firms and Charities Provide Essential Services in South Africa; Families Search for Answers About Halloween Crush; China Fights Rapid Rise of COVID Cases; Deadly Storms Leave Destruction In Southern U.S. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired December 16, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers watching all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. I appreciate your company.

Coming up here on "CNN Newsroom," a stark warning from Ukraine's top general, saying Russia will try again to seize Kyiv even as it suffers losses on the battlefield.

Plus, China's COVID problem. How the country is now trying to fight the outbreak as cases skyrocket.

And after dozens of tornadoes in two days, parts of the U.S. are now bracing for an onslaught of snow and frigid temps. We are live in the CNN Weather Center with the latest.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN newsroom" with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: We begin in Ukraine where air raid sirens are sounding across the country this morning. The deputy head of the presidential office is warning people not to ignore the alarms and to stay in shelters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

(BOMBING)

(DOG BARKING)

HOLMES: Meanwhile, this social media video posted from the Luhansk region, which is occupied by Russia, spectacular images there. A local telegram channel suggesting an ammunition depot might have been hit. Neither Russia nor Ukrainian officials are commenting on that thus far.

Now, to the north, the mayor of Kharkiv reports that Russian forces attacked critical infrastructure again. Authorities say Russian rockets hit a warehouse which had no connection to the military. And two people were killed in recently liberated city of Kherson.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): During another Russian shelling of Kherson today, a shell hit the Red Cross station. A woman, a paramedic, a volunteer was killed. Ny condolences to the family. Only since the beginning of this day, Russia has already shelled Kherson more than 16 times in just one day.

HOLMES: Meanwhile, the U.S. is planning to expand training for Ukraine's military. The Pentagon says it will train about 500 Ukrainians a month in Germany starting in January.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, the surge in fighting comes as Russia is reportedly preparing 200,000 fresh troops for a new offensive. CNN's senior international correspondent Will Ripley with more now from Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On the eastern and southern front lines of Ukraine right now, the fighting has been intense. There have been people who died in Kherson after day after day of Russian shelling, attacks that have destroyed most of the administrative building and have essentially cut the entire city of Kherson off from the power grid, meaning that people who are living there, whether they be children, whether they be senior citizens, they are living in the dark and they are living in the cold right now, cut off completely from their power grid.

To the east, in Donetsk region, the fighting has been fierce as Russians try to take Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces hold the line after relentless bombardment. And the bombardment is also coming from the Ukrainian side. Russian-backed officials in Donetsk say that they suffered the worst attack since 2014, some eight years.

Even though CNN cannot independently verify a lot of claims that the pro-Russian-backed government is making, what we have seen, our social media videos that have emerged show destruction, showing fires. Russians claiming that a cathedral was hit along with residential and commercial buildings. Even an entire intersection was on fire after dozens of rockets were fired from Ukraine.

This is the reality of the frontline conflict. It is draining resources, it is draining energy, and it is draining all of it at a time that the Ukrainians say they need to be looking ahead. They need to focus on what might be happening next.

In an interview with "The Economist," the head of Ukraine's armed forces said, without citing specific or credible intelligence, that he believes Russians are preparing some 200,000 fresh troops, and he said, this is a quote, "I have no doubt that they would have another go at Kyiv."

That's the Ukrainian capital. And, unfortunately, there is no way to know whether this is, you know, based on specific intelligence the Ukrainians have or whether they are using a tactic that the Russians have used very successfully throughout this war and the Ukrainians as well, which is to use information to their advantage and deliver misinformation out there.

Nonetheless, we did visit the northern border with Belarus where Russian troops have been increasing in numbers in recent weeks and there have also been joint military exercises in recent days and snap military inspections on the Belarusian side as well.

[02:05:08]

RIPLEY: The Ukrainians are there. They're fortifying their northern border as well, potentially preparing for yet another front line in this conflict, a conflict that the Ukrainians say needs more advanced air defense systems.

So, even before an official White House announcement of Patriot missile defense systems coming to Ukraine which was first reported by CNN out of the Pentagon, the Kremlin and the Russian embassy are already responding, threatening unpredictable consequences and saying that these Patriot systems, if they do come to Ukraine, would be a legitimate target. That is, of course, assuming that they can find and hit them.

Now, before Patriots can actually be deployed here, it is going to require a significant amount of training. Military experts say these systems are highly complex. They require large amounts of people working in unison to operate them effectively with little room for error. Other countries, other U.S. allied countries, when Patriots have been deployed, American forces are often there, personnel are often there to assist.

But that is not going to be possible here in Ukraine. The Ukrainians are going to have to learn how to operate these systems autonomously to stave off the constant Russian bombardment that has been targeting the civilian power infrastructure, including some weapons that currently the Ukrainians don't have the capability to defend against. The Patriot could potentially be a game-changer, but there's a long way to go between now and then.

Will Ripley, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Ukraine's defense chiefs, including the president, tell "The Economist" that there could be a major Russian offensive and even another attempt to take Kyiv, and it could start as early as the next couple of months. I asked CNN military analyst, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling how feasible that would be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, RETIRED LIEUTENANT GENERAL: When you are talking about the Ukrainian front lines, they are attacking in some places with small unit attacks and they are defending in other places like the Donbas. And there's this back and forth during each phase of the war. We have seen both the Russians and the Ukrainians shift in these areas.

What we now have, if you take a look at the front lines, if you have a pretty static defense in the east and in the southeast, you have the Ukrainians trying to take even more ground than they have already taken and the Russians are defending harshly to try to prevent that.

HOLMES: Yeah.

HERTLING: But here's the question. The lines have gotten smaller. They have gotten more compacted and it's more intense. So, if Russia is able to threaten another offensive operation from the north, it is going to peel Ukrainian forces away from the front lines that they currently have, and Ukraine does not want to do that.

Both sides of this fight are trying to build up their capabilities. Russia is doing it through trying to mobilize forces and train them. Ukraine is trying to do it by getting combined arms teams together to conduct large-scale counter offenses.

HOLMES: The head of Ukraine's armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, he said this. He said -- quote -- "The Russians are preparing some 200,000 fresh troops." Now, of course, there was a big mobilization earlier in the year. But the question would be, what are the qualities of those troops? How well trained? How well equipped, especially given the deficiencies we have seen in those areas?

HERTLING: Yeah. Well, you know, General Zaluzhny, who I happen to admire greatly, he understands -- there's a lot of people on the internet saying, hey, Ukrainians need to continue to push, continue to push, continue to go on the offensive. Any good general knows that military actions require tempo. And sometimes, tempo is fast, and sometimes, it is slow.

General Zaluzhny is really trying to figure out. Using patience and the buildup of a force in where he should go next and what can he do next are all important. And he is not going to -- knowing his leadership capability, he is not going to take any irrational action. He's going to measure all those things before he starts another offensive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Our thanks there to retired U.S. Army lieutenant General Mark Hertling.

Now, U.S. military support for Ukraine received a big boost on Thursday with the Senate's passage of a massive $858 billion-defense spending bill. The bill must pass legislation already approved by the House and now goes to the White House for the president's signature. Among the many provisions are measures aimed at bolstering U.S. support for both Ukraine and NATO.

House Republicans insisted on including language to repeal the military's COVID vaccine mandate. The U.S. Defense secretary had opposed that measure, but Democratic negotiators concluded it was the only way to get the bill passed. A U.S. federal judge in Texas has put a hold on the Biden administration's plan to end the so-called "remain in Mexico" program. The controversial Trump era policy allows the U.S. to send certain non-Mexican citizens who entered the U.S. back into Mexico.

[02:10:04]

HOLMES: Previously, those migrants were either detained or released into the U.S. while their immigration proceedings played out. CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke with Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar about the policy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. HENRY CUELLAR (D-TX): I do agree with the stay in Mexico, the protocol. But I think we need to do more to protect those individuals who stay there. You know, you can always think outside the box and bring the U.N. Refugee Commission that can come in and give them protection if they need that protection.

But the question is this: Why can we not have people do asylum in an orderly process? I am hoping that the administration will come up with a rule that they have been talking about. I don't know what they are going to do. I don't know if they have the fortitude to do the right thing without all due respect. But what we want to see is people -- if they want to apply for asylum, do it in an orderly process and not just come across river and go through ports of entry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The Biden administration is preparing for a surge in border crossings as it plans to end another Trump-era policy known as Title 42 next week. It lets federal agents return migrants to their home countries based on public health concerns.

British nurses walked off the job for the day on Thursday with as many as 100,000 members of the U.K.'s largest nurses' union participating in the historic strike.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The nurses want a pay raise that's 5% above the inflation rate, a total 19% hike. But they also say they are calling attention to the crisis in the country's national health care service after years of falling pay and declining standards.

GEOFF BRENNAN, PSYCHIATRIC NURSE: This group don't want to be here. They want to be in there. I don't want them to be here. I want them to be in there. But we got no choice. If we continue to just sit here and enjoy the conditions that are going on, they won't exist anymore.

IAN HENDERSON, OPHTHALMOLOGIC NURSE: It's more difficult to recruit nurses. So, they are used to have as -- 15 people were applying for one job. Now, I might have to put that job out several times before I get anybody. And that is the difference, that people don't want to come into nursing anymore.

HOLMES: Nurses will strike again on Tuesday. The U.K. is seeing a wave of industrial action this month. Transportation and border workers, teachers, postal workers, baggage handlers and paramedics have all either gone on strike already or plan to do so soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: British and E.U. regulators are taking a cue from Washington in their effort to tame the highest inflation in decades. They each raised interest rates by half a percentage point on Thursday, a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve did the same. Inflation on both sides of the English Channel is still in the 10% range, even though it did take down a little last month.

There is a concern that more interest rates hikes will push economies into recession, which is already looming in Britain, but regulators say they don't have much choice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE LAGARDE, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK: We decided to raise interest rates today and expect to raise them significantly further because inflation remains far too high and is projected to stay above our target for too long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW BAILEY, GOVERNOR, BANK OF ENGLAND: Now, we think we've seen possibly this week the first glimmer, that with the figures that were released this week, that it is going to begin to come down. But it's a little bit below where we thought it would be. That's obviously very good news. It's a long way to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: But across the Atlantic, inflation concerns took a backseat for a day on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BELL RINGING)

HOLMES: U.S. markets still took a nosedive after the U.S. Federal Reserve predicted the U.S. economy will barely grow next year. The DOW and the S&P are both losing more than two percentage-points, while the Nasdaq was down more than 3%. As Richard Quest reports, all that means the U.S. economy is facing headwinds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: This was the day when reality seemed to seep in. As interest rates rose in Europe, the ECB and the Bank of England both raised rates by half a percentage-point. And, of course, we have the late rise from the U.S. only 24 hours earlier.

The reality that is seeping in is that next year is going to see even higher rates with slower economic growth. Some might call that stagflation. Others are refusing to use that term. And there are still those that won't admit the reality that there will probably be a recession in the United States.

[02:15:02]

QUEST: Whichever way we cut it, the markets are unhappy because of what they see as the higher interest rates now moving very firmly into that phrase, restrictive territory. The very goal of these higher rates is to slow down economic activity.

And we saw that in the U.S. with the latest retail sales numbers which were down. We know that the consumers are starting to get exhausted, even though it might be Christmas. If we look into 2023, I'm afraid the economic omens are not that good.

Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Peru's supreme court has ordered former President Pedro Castillo to remain behind bars for the next 18 months over concerns he might try to flee the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD CHANTING)

HOLMES: A state of emergency was declared on Wednesday, but that did not stop Castillo's supporters from again protesting in the capital and elsewhere as they have for the past week. Castillo was forcibly removed from office last week after he tried to dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote. He is accused of rebellion and conspiracy. Castillo denies the allegations.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said he supports the African union joining the G20, saying -- quote -- "Africa belongs at every table where global challenges are being discussed." Now, that declaration came on the final day of the U.S.-Africa summit in Washington with the administration pledging billions in new investment. But after years of neglect by the U.S., some African leaders remain skeptical of America's resolve. Here's what the president said on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The choices that we make today and the remainder of this decade and how we tackle these challenges, in my view, will determine the direction of the entire world takes in the decades to come. United States is all in on Africa, and all --

HOLMES: Mr. Biden said the U.S. was prepared to invest some $55 billion in African nations over the next three years, and on Thursday pledged more than $2 billion in emergency food aid.

Corruption and mismanagement have plagued many African nations for decades and finding billions in new investments for the region won't be easy. In South Africa, where the president has been embroiled in scandal, many important public services are now handled not by the government but by mainly by charities or private companies.

CNN's David McKenzie with our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) evading a sophisticated criminal attack.

UNKNOWN: They're coming after us.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): You likely saw this viral video from South Africa. Attacks like this happen here all the time.

WAHL BARTMANN, CEO, FIDELITY SERVICES GROUP: So, mostly what we do is we do a live vehicle tracking and monitoring.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Some of the best protected vehicles and cash depots are tracked real time at Fidelity' nerve (ph) center in Johannesburg.

Are you a step behind or step ahead right now?

BARTMANN: We try and be one jump ahead of crime. But we know that they are very creative and they are well organized. So, we are looking at the training, we are looking at technology.

UNKNOWN: (INAUDIBLE) hijacking. One of our clients was hijacked in (INAUDIBLE).

MCKENZIE: The defense (ph) unit has come here to the east of Johannesburg. This location was the last spot that a signal came out of a vehicle that they think was hijacked.

(Voice-over): The search ends without a win.

(On camera): Is it frustrating when you see this has been thrown out?

UNKNOWN: Yes.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Why?

UNKNOWN: They get away with too much.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Did the bad guys win?

UNKNOWN: Yeah.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Active private security officers here outnumber the police roughly five to one.

Should the government be doing this?

BARTMANN: Well, that's why the industry is so big, because I don't think government is getting to all of it.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): All of this goes beyond security. On the streets of Johannesburg, private companies have to sponsor the pothole patrol. When a fire gutted one of Africa's most important public hospitals, online charity, Gift of the Givers, steps in. South Africans frequently joked that its founder should run the country.

(On camera): The fire service, safety, security, construction, water, all of this is being handled by private individuals or charities. What does that tell you?

IMTIAZ SOOLIMAN, FOUNDER, GIFT OF THE GIVERS: The message is very strong and clear. The country has lost faith in the government. That is the reality. And at the same time, the country has lost a lot of hope.

UNKNOWN: Every time, when I look at my kids, especially in this moment, and they see that I can't provide them with most of the things which they need, especially when it comes now to Christmas time --

[02:20:00]

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Hope is in short supply for Vincent (ph). He lost his construction job during COVID and says his wife left him.

VINCENT (ph), LOST JOB DURING COVID: It is survival of the fittest, to be honest. It's not -- I can't say it's easy.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): In (INAUDIBLE) formal settlement, the water runs through the streets. The electricity is more off than on. Vincent (ph) tried to set up citizen patrols, but they ran out of funds. He says the police come late, if they come at all.

The government says it is working to improve services. And millions (ph) depend on its social grant program. But rampant corruption and mismanagement hampered these efforts.

SOOLIMAN: At the end of the day, it is our country. And very clearly, the country does not belong to the government. It belongs to the people of South Africa. So, we can either set and mourn and cry knowing nothing can be done or within ourselves, we can do something, fix it, whatever we can.

MCKENNZIE (voice-over): The cruel reality in the world's most unequal society, the rich can afford to secure their lives, the poor are on their own.

David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The rapid rise in COVID cases in china has put the nation's health care system to the test. Coming up, what officials say the nation needs as it tries to (INAUDIBLE) the latest surge. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Victims' families are about to commemorate their loved ones who died in a horrific tragedy during Halloween celebrations in South Korea. In less than two hours, they will be holding a memorial service in Seoul to honor the 158 people crushed to death late October. For some families, it will be the first time at the site of the tragedy since it happened.

As Paula Hancocks now reports, the families are still dealing with grief and pain, and still looking for answers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A painful look at the last hours of their daughter's life. Oh Il-seok and Kim Eun-mi look through photos on her phone, trying to piece together how (INAUDIBLE) became one of the 158 victims of Seoul's Halloween crowd crush.

KIM EUN-MI, MOTHER OF CRUSH VICTIM (through translator): I can't look at the photos. They make me cry.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): The 25-year-old was photographed at 9:35 p.m. inside a bar. Then outside, in an increasingly crowded backstreet of Itaewon, 9:59 p.m., her father said she messaged friends to say she was going home. At 10:07 p.m., the last photo (INAUDIBLE) took with her friend. Her friend, who survived, says a few minutes later, a slow-moving crowd suddenly moved faster, Sucking them into the alleyway.

Her parents and older brother made frantic phone calls to hospitals and police. At 1:00, the following afternoon, they were asked to come and identify their daughter's body at a hospital morgue.

OH IL-SEOK, FATHER OF CRUSH VICTIM (through translator): That image of her keeps coming to me, so I can't sleep at night.

[02:25:00]

EUN-MI (through translator): It snowed yesterday and got cold. (INAUDIBLE) is buried outside. It makes me more sad.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Grief is becoming clouded with unanswered questions and anger.

IL-SEOK (through translator): I hope the truth will be revealed soon. We don't know how my daughter died. He body ended up there.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): A special investigation is ongoing. (INAUDIBLE) shared the first emergency calls for crowd control came in about four hours before the tragedy. So far, two police officers have been dismissed and arrested, accused of destroying evidence. The chief of police in the area has been suspended. One police officer, who wants to conceal his identity for fear of retribution for speaking out, says he arrived to see a pile of people in a narrow alley.

UNKNOWN (through translator): We could not pull people out from the bottom. There was too much pressure. I assume they had already died. People in the second and third layers were fading, crying out for help, but we could not pull them out.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): He says it was already too late when he arrived and safety planning should have been made in advance.

UNKNOWN (through translator): The problem with this now is that the people who should really be responsible are not taking responsibility. The direction of the investigation is not looking up, only down. There may have been mistakes trying to save just one more life but if you blame us, who would want to do this job?

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Political infighting and finger-pointing has no place in the home where (INAUDIBLE) grew up. Her parents read every birthday card, pour over every photo, struggling to cope with the life-changing tragedy that should never have happened.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Beijing is shifting responsibility for fighting COVID from government to individual citizens as cases surge across the nation. This all coming as China, of course, rolls back its heavily criticized zero-COVID policy.

And despite offers to help from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, Beijing says it can tackle the outbreak on its own through what it calls its -- quote -- "whole nation system." CNN's Selina Wang reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As COVID rapidly spreads throughout China, the Chinese government spin is that everything is fine, the China's COVID policy was a success and is still a success. Propaganda has taken a complete U-turn from declaring an all-out people's war on COVID to suddenly now telling people that your health is in your own hands.

There's a lot of state media headlines like this. In "The People's Daily," the headline reads, start by wearing a mask and be the first person responsible for your own health. In (INAUDIBLE), the headline reads, in the fight against the epidemic, everyone is the first person responsible for their own health.

Other articles are praising the last three years of zero-COVID and hailing this pivot as an achievement, including this commentary from "The People's Daily" that has gone viral. The key lines are -- quote -- "The virus has weakened, but we have become stronger."

Chairman Xi's insightful judgment, scientific and firm decision shows his reliability as a people's leader. It pointed out and provided crucial guidance for us to win this people's battle, total battle and precise battle against COVID.

A lot of people online, they are furious over that article. Some are calling it a lie that completely ignores the devastating impact of zero-COVID over the last three years, the trauma and pain that people faced during lockdowns. No apology or no admitting that the government has ever made a mistake.

State media has instead focused on how the government is responding. The government said it will train volunteers and retired health workers to boost manpower. The government is increasing the number of fever clinics. This social media video shows people waiting inside a Beijing stadium that has been converted into a makeshift fever clinic. You can see some lines forming and people waiting on benches.

We're already seeing hospitals under strain here in the capital, but the really big concern is what happens when people go back home for the upcoming Chinese New Year and COVID starts to spread more rapidly in the rural parts of China with weaker health infrastructure.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And we are just getting reports in of a residential fire in a suburb of Lyon in France that has killed 10 people. Five children among the dead. More than a dozen injured. At least four people in critical condition.

Witnesses say they are alerted to the fire by children shouting from a fourth-floor balcony of the seven-story building. Residents used a ladder to evacuate some 25 people from the second floor of the building. About 175 firefighters were on site. The fire is out. Police say the cause is unknown.

Still to come here on the program, after ripping through the southern U.S., an enormous storm system is pounding the northern states with miserable winter weather. We'll have the latest forecast when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. To our viewers all around the world, I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Now, a massive cleanup is underway across parts of the southern U.S. after deadly tornadoes ripped through the region. The National Weather Service confirmed that two EF-2 tornadoes struck the New Orleans area. They are particularly strong tornadoes. At least three people were killed, dozens injured in the hard-hit state of Louisiana.

The powerful twist has destroyed homes, down power lines, and residents in the impacted areas are having to cope with a disaster they never expected, especially at this time of year. CNN's Derek Van Dam has a story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELINDA CONSTANT, MAYOR OF GRETNA, LOUISIANA: It's about a mile-and-a- half stretch that is completely just inundated with destruction. This is not the place where we normally have tornadoes.

SIGMA LAWRENCE, GRETNA, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: We only used to light, what, hurricanes never tornado -- never a tornado.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voiceover): But it was a tornado that did this damage in Gretna, Louisiana, cutting a large swath across the city.

LAWRENCE: All you get here like a freight train, and you hear things just stained, glass is cracking everywhere. It was just horrible.

VAN DAM: The home where Sigma Lawrence lived had just been repaired after Hurricane Ida.

LAWRENCE: Then this happened. It was the most devastating thing in my life. I've never experienced something like this before. And it happens so fast and it just tore up everything in the neighborhood.

VAN DAM: Hers, just one of the communities battered by an outbreak of more than 50 reported tornadoes in the last 48 hours across the deep South, leaving deep scars in Louisiana. Roofs ripped off, homes flattened, trees splintered, power poles ripped from the ground.

UNKNOWN: Several million dollars in damage that we're dealing with.

VAN DAM: The outbreak blamed for at least three deaths.

GOV. JOHN BEL EDWARDS, (D-LA): Quite frankly, I am amazed that we didn't have more loss of life in Louisiana than we had, and I'm very thankful for it.

VAN DAM: The damage from the storm system spanning seven states from Texas to Florida. As it marches eastward bringing heavy rain and possible tornadoes to the Sunshine State, concern now growing up the eastern seaboard, as a developing nor'easter could bring over a foot of snow to New England and heavy rain to New York, Boston, and other cities.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL, (D-NY): We'll be ready for this. New York is ready as we always are. But we're ready, bring it on. Mother Nature, just keep at it.

VAN DAM: Strong winds and blizzard conditions already an issue in the Upper Midwest.

CORRINA KEUCHEL, DULUTH, MINNESOTA RESIDENT: Just stay ahead of the snow because of her -- I think supposed to be getting a lot more of it. It's about two steps forward one step back with it still coming down.

VAN DAM: Well back down south, residents left to pick up the pieces after this wicked start to winter.

Well, earlier on Thursday, the National Weather Service surveyed the damage from the tornado directly behind me and they preliminarily found this to be an EF-2 tornado, that's winds of up to 135 miles per hour or over 200 kilometers per hour.

[02:35:07]

Now, with two tornadoes striking the same area within the course of the year, people here are left wondering, is this their new normal? Derek Van Dam, CNN, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: But this massive storm system isn't quite done yet, it is bringing miserable winter weather to the plains in the Northeast. For more, I'm joined by meteorologist Britley Ritz. It's good to see you, Britley. What are you seeing out there?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You, as well, Michael. Yes, this area of low pressure continues to spin over the Mid-Atlantic, which as a result has brought in heavy snow across upstate New York. It continues to fall this morning, will do so throughout the rest of Friday and into Saturday. Now the coastline from let's say Connecticut up into parts of New York and everywhere else holding on to that chance on the coast.

But we've also picked up freezing rain. And numerous reports from the Mid-Atlantic into upstate New York, a couple in particular across Maryland, where we've picked up nearly three-tenths of an inch and that's roughly seven and a half centimeters of freezing rain. Enough to cripple the location and cause power outages and splitting trees, I'm sure.

Winter storm warnings in effect for much of New England. These are areas that could pick up roughly two feet of snow by the time it's all said and done. That heavy snow continues to fall as we talked about through the rest of Friday and into Saturday. While it does start to taper back, we still hold on to that chance for snow. Most of the Great Lakes holding on to flurries and some Lake Effect which, yes, will accumulate roughly about one to two inches and about five to 10 centimeters.

Now, the higher elevations across the northern parts of the Appalachia are talking about picking up 60 to 100 centimeters through the end of the weekend. All across the upper Midwest back into the Plains, northern plains that is, we're still not done. But you notice the snowfall totals, they're not that impressive.

The problem is, is with this area of low pressure, the winds are still rather strong. We're talking about winds picking up over 35 miles per hour. So, blizzard warnings in effect for much of the Dakotas where we already have winds gusting over 50 kilometers per hour, in Rapid City as well, and in PR and that is what's causing the whiteout conditions. I mean we have zero visibility in parts of South Dakota, Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Britley, thanks for the update. Britley Ritz there.

Now, suspicion, screaming, and a mental health crisis just some of the stunning revelations from the final seasons of the Harry and Meghan documentary. We'll have a report.

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HOLMES: The latest and final episodes in the Harry and Meghan documentary series offer the best look yet at the bad blood brewing within the British Royal Family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleged there was jealousy, vying, even screaming. Max Foster with a closer look at the breakdown and the current state of the Royal relations.

[02:40:15]

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PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: Good morning. It's 6:00 a.m. on the 14th of March, and we are on the freedom flight. We are leaving Canada and we are headed to Los Angeles.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The palace may have been spared in the first drop of episodes, but this time, Harry and Meghan didn't pull any punches.

HARRY: Everything that's happened to us was always going to happen to us because if you speak truth to power, that's how they respond.

FOSTER: In the final episodes of the couple's Netflix docu-series, Harry took aim at his brother.

HARRY: It was terrifying to have my brother screaming -- shouting me and my father saying things that simply weren't true and my grandmother quietly sitting there and sort of taking it all in.

FOSTER: The couple sharing their perspective on the royal rift, which in their words, push them out of the fold. It started during their tour of Australia back in 2018. So successful, it created jealousy in the palace they say.

HARRY: The issue is when someone who's marrying into should be a supporting -- a supporting act, is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than the person who was born to do this. That upsets people. It shifts the balance. Within four hours, they're happy to lie to protect my brother. And yet for three years, they were never willing, to tell the truth, to protect us.

FOSTER: Meghan says the stress of the media coverage was too much. Last year saying she didn't want to live anymore.

MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: I was like all of this will stop if I'm not here. And that was the scariest thing about it is it was such clear thinking.

FOSTER: But she also suffered physically because of the stress of the worldwide coverage and in British newspapers, including the Daily Mail which published a letter she wrote to her father.

HARRY: I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the Mail did. They watch the whole thing. Now, do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was created -- caused by that? Of course, we don't. But bearing in mind the stress that caused the lack of sleep and the timing of the pregnant -- the timing of the pregnancy, how many weeks in she was, I can say from what I saw that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her.

FOSTER: The family's response, well, on Thursday, they showed a united front that a planned engagement and the palace said they had no plans to comment on the series. Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. My colleague Kim Beunhuber will be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But first, "WORLD SPORT," after the break.

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[02:45:28]

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