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Fate Of Ukrainian Town Soledar Hangs In The Balance Amid Brutal Battle; U.S. Special Counsel To Probe Biden's Handling Of Classified Documents; Lula Vows To Remove Diehard Bolsonaro Supporters From Power; China to Resume High Speed Train to Hong Kong; China's Exports Shrink in December; Navalny Struggling to Outlast Putin; Authorities Limiting Water to Farms as Water Prices Rise; Idaho Murders. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired January 13, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:30]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. Coming to you live from Studio 7 at the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.
Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, the fierce and bloody battle for a key town in eastern Ukraine will look at the role of the Wagner Group as Russia's military stalls.
More classified documents found at the U.S. President's home a special counsel now set to investigate Joe Biden's handling of classified material.
And Brazil's president says some security forces colluded with protesters when they ran stacked the country's top institutions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: The fate of east Ukrainian town of Soledar hangs in the balance amid an all-out Russian offensive to put it under Moscow's control.
Ukrainian military officials say that the situation is critical, but that they're still pushing back against Russian attacks. However, the Russian Wagner mercenaries released this video showing them inside Soledar. The group claims it has captured the entire town which the Kremlin itself is not confirming.
And these satellite images show you the sheer devastation left by just one week of fighting in that part of Ukraine. The pictures on the left from the beginning of the month, on the right you see little more than smoldering buildings which is all that's left in the same areas now. President Zelenskyy thanking his troops in Soledar in his evening address on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today I would like to specifically mention the paratroopers from the 77th Airborne Brigade that together with the fighters from the 46th Airborne Brigade hold their position in Soledar and inflict significant losses on the enemy. We have analyzed in detailed the decisions needed, the reinforcements needed and the steps to be taken by commanders in the coming days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Kyiv is also reacting to the revolving door of Russian military commanders in Ukraine, saying it shows the war is not going according to Moscow's plans. The Kremlin named General Valery Gerasimov did the job on Wednesday after his predecessor lasted just three months. The Pentagon says it's a sign of major problems in Russia's military.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: It likely does reflect some of the systemic challenges that the Russian military has faced since the beginning of this invasion. I would say frankly, I think that the world would rather see Russia focus on withdrawing from Ukraine and saving innocent lives versus spending time on numerous management reshuffles and Russian soldiers and their families would probably like to see that too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: But in Moscow, a political squabble is brewing over who should take credit for Wagner's alleged advances in Soledar. Fred Pleitgen reports.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (through translator): While the situation on the battlefields in eastern Ukraine remains red hot, the mood in Moscow surprisingly frosty. When CNN asked people if they were optimistic about what the Kremlin calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I simply do not get what we haven't won yet. I just don't get it. I'm former military and I just don't get it at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think this points to a complete chaos of our authority that allowed for this terrible mess to happen. A war with a brother nation.
PLEITGEN: All of this after Vladimir Putin, standing amid Russian soldiers, attempted to rally the nation in his New Year's address.
There's nothing stronger than love for our near and dear, he said. Loyalty to our friends and comrades in arms and devotion to our fatherland. Now, Putin has demoted the man in charge of the war, General Sergey Surovikin, and replacing him with Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, who's close to Putin and Russia's Defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, often accompanying them to military exercises and briefing Putin on the war in Ukraine.
[01:05:03]
The move comes as analysts say Russia seems to be gearing up for a massive spring offensive after mobilizing more than 300,000 people late last year, but also with its top brass under fire as the only gains Russia is making around the town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine are coming thanks to the private military group Wagner.
Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin has ripped into the army's leadership, essentially calling the generals running the war incompetent. And now, in an audio message, making clear he is the only one who can give Putin some wins.
I want to emphasize that in the storm of Soledar, no other units participated than Wagner.
Wagner is known for extreme brutality. This video purports to show the mercenaries advancing around Soledar, passing the bodies of dead Ukrainian troops. Many fighters are convicts recruited from Russian jails with a promise of freedom if they survive.
It's not clear whether the army's change of command is a move to counter for Russian's pressure, and many folks on Moscow streets certainly weren't keen to comment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We have a president. Let him think for us. We have full faith in him and we trust our military.
PLEITGEN (on camera): Some voices from Moscow there, Yevgeny Prigozhin taking another swipe at the Russian Defense Ministry after the Russian army said that its forces had also fought in the battle for Soledar. A social media channel affiliated with Wagner later put out a video allegedly showing two Russian soldiers saying that they had not fought there and that it was only Wagner forces on the ground. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Philip Wasielewski is a 22 Templeton Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He worked in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency. It's great to have you on to talk about this.
We've seen Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin claim one thing on the battlefield, his fighters taking Soledar is one example, and then Russian general saying something completely different. Whatever the truth, what does the messaging tell you about the power dynamic of Wagner versus the military?
PHILIP WASIELEWSKI, FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE: Well, what it tells us is that the two organizations are competing against each other and probably not cooperating with each other as they should be on a battlefield.
And to understand the reason for this competition, we need to look at Prigozhin's position within the Russian government, or actually, as a matter of fact, his lack of position within the Russian government.
Prigozhin has no official position. He controls no large bureaucracy within the government. His power derives directly from his relationship with President Putin. And this means that he is very similar, say, if we go back to medieval times in the court or the Russian czar to a courtier who is dependent on his ability to do things for the czar, for his ability to stay in the court.
Now, ironically, with Prigozhin in Putin's court, this began with his catering service, and that is how he got the nickname as Putin Chef now.
But Prigozhin really became valuable to Putin in 2014 when he created the mercenary group Wagner, which turned out to be a very valuable vehicle for Putin for financial gain via resource extraction in Syria and in Africa, as much as it was as a covert or then covert tool of statecraft for the Russian Federation.
Now with what's going on in Ukraine is we have Prigozhin competing with the Russian military to show Putin that he can get things done where others can't.
HOLMES: And that's the thing, isn't it? It's a fine line between Wagner, the organization making military gains that benefit Putin and Prigozhin as its leader, being, in a way, a threat to Putin in a palace intrigue sense. How do you see that dynamic in a political sense? Potential threat to Putin or useful tool for the moment?
WASIELEWSKI: Right now, he's a very useful tool. What he's doing in Ukraine with his Wagner troops, as well as possibly serving as anti- coup force that Putin can depend on as Putin coup proofs or tries to cook proof his regime.
In this way, Prigozhin, who has been a very loyal member of his entourage, he's one of the few hardliners amongst the Russian elites who really believe in this war. All indications are most see this as a disaster.
So, Putin probably counts upon him as an ally against those who might try to remove him from power. Now your supposition and it's surreal, little possibility that he could betray Putin and actually join in those who'd want to remove him from power is a possibility.
[01:10:07]
This is the Kremlin, after all. But it also would be a very shortsighted strategy.
HOLMES: When we talk about the power that Prigozhin gets through Wagner especially in light, you know, of the recent military reshuffles at command level, how does all of that power play into the Kremlin's own internal power struggles, you know, those who would be against Putin? It's a dangerous game in some ways, smearing the military leaders the way he has.
WASIELEWSKI: It's a dangerous game, but it's also the game Putin has played for a long time, since the very beginning of his presidency. Putin has, as we know, no real natural successor. But what he does is he balances against the various different competing factions within the Kremlin. This provides him the power because he's the final arbiter of their disputes. It also protects him from keeping different factions from joining together against him.
So in this case, Prigozhin is just one of the many factions. Sometimes he's up, sometimes he's down. He has been very vocal in his criticism of the Russian leadership, including specific Russian generals. And over the past couple of months, it seemed various different actions that he had kind of the upper hand in some of the Kremlin power battles, along with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
HOLMES: Yes.
WASIELEWSKI: However, the recent appointment of Garasimov now to leave the so called special military operation in Ukraine demoting, Surovikin to the deputy position, who had been an ally of Prigozhin and who Prigozhin had supported.
Also bringing General Lapin back as the Chief of Staff of Russian ground forces who Prigozhin absolutely eviscerated after the retreats around Kharkiv in the fall shows that Putin may now be doing little polancy. Now that Kadyrov and Prigozhin have had maybe a little too much power, he's bringing back Garasimov and Lapin into positions to balance against them.
HOLMES: Philip Wasielewski, thanks so much. Wish we have more time. We do not, but I appreciate you joining us.
WASIELEWSKI: Thank you very much.
HOLMES: More classified documents have been found, this time in the U.S. President's private home in Delaware. Now the U.S. Attorney General has appointed a special counsel to investigate the circumstances.
The Biden team has denied any wrongdoing and pledged full cooperation. We're told only a small number of materials were involved.
A White House lawyer issued a statement saying, quote, we're confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced and that the President and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake.
But key questions remain about who brought the secret papers to the President's private property and what did they contain? CNN's Phil Mattingly picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I'm here today to announce the appointment of Robert Hur as a special counsel.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): For President Biden the dramatic escalation of a perilous moment.
GARLAND: It was in the public interest to appoint a special counsel.
MATTINGLY: Attorney General Merrick Garland, appointing former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur's special counsel, to investigate the possible mishandling of classified documents and revealing a lot more detail about an issue Biden and his lawyers kept quiet for weeks and have desperately tried to manage since the story broke four days ago.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: People know I take classified documents and classified materials seriously.
MATTINGLY: The special counsel announcement coming after Biden's second public statement about a second set of classified documents found at a second location.
BIDEN: As part of that process, my lawyers reviewed other places where documents from my time as vice president were stored, and they finished the review last night. They discovered a small number of documents of classified markings and storage areas and file cabinets in my home and my personal library.
MATTINGLY: But Garland's detailed timeline underscoring that at the time of Biden's first statement on the issue earlier this week.
BIDEN: We're cooperating fully, cooperating fully with the review and which I hope will be finished soon.
MATTINGLY: His lawyers had been aware of the second set of documents discovered at his Wilmington home for nearly a month. It's a timeline that started with the November 2nd discovery of ten classified documents in a former think tank office, which led Garland to appoint U.S. attorney John Lausch to investigate the matter. Less than two weeks later, on December 20th, more documents discovered.
GARLAND: President Biden's personal counsel informed Mr. Lausch that additional documents bearing classification markings were identified in the garage of the President's private residence in Wilmington, Delaware.
MATTINGLY: All key factors for what Laucsh would recommend to Garland last week.
GARLAND: On January 5, 2023, Mr. Lausch briefed me on the results of his initial investigation and advised me that further investigation by a special counsel was warranted.
[01:15:05]
MATTINGLY: A recommendation that came four days before the initial discovery of classified documents leaked. And before days of White House statements that intentionally avoided key details or obfuscated key matters altogether, in part out of an effort to avoid this very moment, sources said, and to follow strict limits set by his lawyers.
BIDEN: I get a chance to speak on all this, God willing, soon --
MATTINGLY: As a due diligence search for any more documents was still ongoing.
GARLAND: This morning, President Biden's personal counsel called Mr. Lausch and stated that an additional document bearing classification markings was identified at the president's personal residence in Wilmington, Delaware.
MATTINGLY (on camera): And while this investigation has clearly moved into a very new, very potentially dangerous phase, at least based on historical precedent and special counsels, the White House counsel is stressing they will continue to cooperate, say they have cooperated, and work closely with the Justice Department up to this point, something that they don't think is going to change.
And they said, at least in a statement after the special counsel was appointed, that they believe that when this is all said and done, it will be discovered that this was an inadvertent issue, something that was clearly a mistake that they believe should exonerate the president. Very clearly a problem for a president that thought he was entering his third year in office with a fairly clear path after good midterms and a very, very different economic situation. Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
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HOLMES: Republicans, meanwhile, accusing President Biden of hypocrisy for criticizing his predecessor Donald Trump for mishandling classified information, even though these are two very different sets of circumstances. But U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been predictably quick to demand accountability.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA) HOUSE SPEAKER: I think Congress has to investigate this.
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HOLMES: And while Democrats are downplaying what happened and dismissing the odds of any criminal charges, some say the White House did not do a good job of coming clean.
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DAVID AXELROD, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: Look, when you face what is essentially crisis communications, you have to recognize that this is at the least awkward, given his comments on what President Trump had done, you know, you'd want to gather everything at once and be as open as you possibly can so as not to create the impression of furtiveness. I have no doubt that this argument of inadvertent is true, and that will be the end result of this. But because of the way they've handled it, I think it makes it easier for Republicans to do what they want to do, which is to create a sense, I think, a false sense of equivalency with what happened with Trump.
And just one point I want to make. President Trump never denied that he wanted to take these documents. In fact, he claimed that he made some sort of Vulcan mind exercise and made them all unclassified without telling anyone.
So there was no even pretense at inadvertent. I should say he hasn't made that argument in court. His lawyers haven't. So this is quite a different situation. But it's enough for Republicans in Congress and his partisans to say, why is he being treated differently now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The deepening controversy has halted what some considered a recent winning streak for Democrats, and we will see how that unfolds in the days ahead.
Now, Lisa Marie Presley has died just hours after she was rushed to hospital suffering cardiac arrest. Her mother, Priscilla made the announcement a short time ago, leaving so many around the world shocked and grieving the death of Elvis Presley's only child.
She was the sole heir to her father's estate and she followed in the footsteps of the king of rock and roll, releasing three albums as a singer and songwriter.
Priscilla Presley says her daughter was, quote, the most passionate, strong and loving woman she has ever known. Lisa Marie was 54 years old.
Quick break now. When we come back, Brazil's new president accuses some members of the country's military and police forces of playing a role in Sunday's violent protests and attacks on several government buildings.
Coming up, what the new president says he'll do for holdout supporters of Jair Bolsonaro.
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[01:21:44]
HOLMES: Days after anti-government mob ransacked government buildings in the Brazilian capital. The country's new president is vowing to remove diehard supporters of his predecessor from power. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says some of Brazil's military police and members of the armed forces colluded with protesters as they entered the Congress, Supreme Court and Presidential Palace on Sunday.
Lula says he wants to see all of the tapes from inside government buildings so he can determine who was complicit in the violence. Police eventually dispersed the crowd with tear gas and arrested some 1,800 protesters but that was only after Lula ordered the federal government to step in to stop the riots. And that is raising many questions about the role that police played. Isa Soares with details from the Brazilian capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): They came in their hundreds on alert and with weapons at the ready. A show of force to protect democracy and head off expected probe Bolsonaro protesters.
For the police, this was about projecting control and order. After growing accusations, they colluded with rioters on January the 8th.
Video shared on social media showed security forces talking to protesters, some even standing idle, as rioters stormed the three branches of power.
Former policeman Cassio believes some of the criticism is unwarranted.
CASSIO THYONE, FORMER POLICE OFFICER AND LAW ENFORCEMENT RESEARCHER (through translator): Some policemen ended up not acting because they didn't think there was a risk of invasion. Also, we've had a big ideological influence inside the security forces, right wing influence. I don't think it was incompetence.
SOARES: For the last four years, Brazilian forces have taken orders from former president Jair Bolsonaro. But several sources here tell me what remains are accusations of a politicized police force.
THYONE (through translator): We have research results that show that between 50 and 60% of policemen were Bolsonarismo sympathizers, but that doesn't mean they are against democracy.
SOARES: President Lula da Silva has called for tough action to stamp out any acts of collusion within the security forces in Brazilia and he's tasked this man, Ricardo Capelli were doing it.
RICARDO CAPELLI, INTERIM HEAD OF SECURITY FOR BRASILIA FEDERAL DISTRICT (through translator): Police officers have every right to make their political choice that doesn't interest me. What is important is the respect for the constitution.
SOARES: Respect that Capelli says most have even as investigations begin into the role some may have played. Still, he believes they were set up to fail.
CAPELLI (through translator): What happened on the 8th in today's operation clearly demonstrates that was the absence of command. The previous head of security was traveling.
SOARES: The man he is referring to is Anderson Torres. Until December 31, Torres was Bolsonaro's Justice Minister. After leaving office, he became head of security for Brasilia on January 2nd.
CAPELLI (through translator): He changes the core of the leadership, travels and leaves the office without command, allowing the unacceptable actions of the eight.
[01:25:00]
SOARES: Torres denies wrongdoing and says on Twitter that he's always based his actions on ethics and legality. Despite that comment, authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest. His involvement entice to Bolsonaro too much of a coincidence Capelli tells me.
CAPELLI (through translator): He was justice minister to Jair Bolsonaro. That's a confidence role and one of the highest importance. He would not be justice ministry if he didn't have president Bolsonaro's complete confidence.
SOARES: A damning accusation that suggests the enormity of the security challenge. Ahead is A Suarez, CNN, Brasilia, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: A senior government minister in Peru has resigned amid weeks of deadly unrest gripping their country. The now former labor minister has called on the president to apologize for the deaths of protesters and call elections before April of next year. At least 49 people have died in clashes between police and protesters since the impeachment and arrest of former president Pedro Castillo in December. We get more now from CNN's Rafael Romo.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: The violent clashes erupted in the Peruvian city of Cusco, the latest wave of unrest following the ouster of former president Pedro Castillo. Anti- government protesters threw rocks at riot police Wednesday, who responded by firing tear gas and moving in with an armored vehicle.
Video from the scene shows the injury of receiving medical aid before being carried off.
The turmoil follows demonstrations in the southern region of Puno. 18 people have been killed there since Monday night, including a police officer who was burned to death by protesters. Prime minister Alberto Otarola condemned violence during a session of congress.
ALBERTO OTAROLA, PERUVIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I deplore this aggression against the security forces, and once again, I call for order, peace and tranquility for all Peruvians. We can't be killing each other.
ROMO: The unrest began in early December when then-president Castillo was impeached and arrested after he announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government. He was apparently trying to get ahead of a congressional vote on his impeachment. Dina Boluarte, Castillo's vice president, was then sworn in to replace him.
Now Castillo's supporters are calling for her resignation, along with prompt general elections, a new constitution, and the release of the former president. But last month, the Supreme Court ruled that Castillo had to remain in pretrial detention for 18 months on charges of rebellion and conspiracy, which he denies. The new government won a vote of confidence in Congress by a wide margin Tuesday. A laws would have triggered a cabinet reshuffle and the resignation of prime minister Alberto Otarola.
Meanwhile, Peru's top prosecutor has launched an investigation into Boluarte and her cabinet members over the deadly clashes as relatives and friends of the dead march through the Peruvian city of Juliaca carrying the coffins of their loved ones.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They are killing us, Juliaca's people. We are dying. We want justice.
ROMO: It's the worst outbreak of violence Peru has seen in more than 20 years. Raphael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now, in the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will welcome the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida to the White House. They'll hold a bilateral meeting and a working lunch. Security and expanded cooperation among the topics up for discussion.
On the way to Washington, Mr. Kishida stopped in Ottawa for talks with the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Security concerns, including worries about North Korea also on the agenda in Canada.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We share the serious concerns about North Korea's increasing nuclear and missile activities. We confirm that we will continue to work closely together towards the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Mr. Biden will welcome the Dutch prime minister to the White House next week. Well, after three years of strict COVID policy and widespread lockdowns, China reopening its borders and it plans to resume service of the high speed train linking Hong Kong to mainland China that had been shut down because of the pandemic.
CNN's Marc Stewart is live for us in Hong Kong, joins me now. So, Marc, lots of reopening going on, other trains running on time?
[01:29:41]
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Michael, we will find out on Sunday. That's really a true test because that is when the service, the high speed rail service will begin between Hong Kong and several key cities in Mainland China including Shenzhen, which of course, is a big tech center and then Guangzhou, a big manufacturing center. About 10,000 seats will be available, 5,000 in each direction. But
this is monumental, because that service had been suspended since the pandemic. And that is where some of these pictures that you see here are from.
As far as travel to and from Hong Kong, loads have been pretty light just with people crossing the border on their own. Of course, that is expected to pick up as we draw closer to Chinese New Year especially after.
But, ravel is open from Mainland China to other nations. For the most part it has been moving smoothly but there are some restrictions in place notably between China and Japan and South Korea, and those governments have been issuing some entry requirements, pretty much the line of testing that has caused some friction with the Chinese government.
South Korea, for example, many visas for people from South Korea entering into mainland China have been suspended, put on hold. China does not feel that these policies are necessarily equitable.
But a very symbolic -- a very symbolic event coming up this Sunday, again with the resumption, Michael of that high speed rail service.
HOLMES: Yes. And of course, the Chinese economy is also being very much in focus. And we're getting a better idea now where things stand. What are you hearing?
STEWART: We are getting a better idea. We know the Chinese economy has been suffering, has been having some very tough times during the pandemic, especially during the lockdown.
And some new data released today suggests that exports in December of last year were down nearly 10 percent compared to the previous December. And that demand for exports may weaken in the months ahead because of this general global economic uncertainty. But it is hoped, Michael, that the opening of borders certainly will help people move to and from distant family members help with tourism.
They also had a big business impact in the sense that business people especially from the west have not been able to meet their counterpart in China, will be able to have face to face meetings and kind of reestablish some of those business relationships that were tarnished during the pandemic because people simply cannot have in-person conversation.
So, there are many components to this whole economic malaise that we are seeing right now.
HOLMES: Yes. Thanks for the update. Marc Stewart there, live for us in Hong Kong.
Well, he made a global name for himself, stridently criticizing Vladimir Putin, it almost cost him his life before. It still could. Why colleagues worry Alexei Navalny might not outlast the Russian president. That's coming up next. [01:32:41]
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HOLMES: Even after two years in Russian prisons, Putin critic, Alexei Navalny remain dangerously defiant voicing opposition to the Russian president's invasion to Ukraine, amid other policies. But the push to break Putin's stranglehold over Russians comes with a cost. And it's getting more costly with each passing day.
Our Nic Robertson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Alexei Navalny, Putin's poisoned and jailed uber critic is in a race for survival against his nemesis, according to his team.
So far -- touch wood -- they haven't gone on head with trying to kill him.
ROBERTSON: Locked up in one of Russia's most dangerous jails, his health is failing. But not his spirit.
DASHA NAVALNAYA, ALEXEI NAVALNY' DAUGHTER: People are not allowed to communicate with them. This kind of isolation is really a purely, psychological torture.
ROBERTSON: Incarceration on trumped-up charges of fraud and terrorism, are only stoking his and his family's fire to free Russia of Putin's stranglehold.
Navalny narrowly survived poisoning by Putin's henchman in August 2020. They smeared the deadly nerve agent Novichok on his underwear. Putin smirked as he denied the attack.
But recovering in Germany, Navalny and his team not only discovered the poisoner's work for Putin, but Navalny actually got one of them to confess.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You are aware of the risks of going back.
ALEXEI NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: I understand that Putin hates me. And I understand that these people who are sitting in the Kremlin, they are ready to kill me.
ROBERTSON: January 17th, 2021 and despite knowing the risk, he flew back to Moscow, was arrested on arrival, has been in detention ever since.
His investigative team now in exile, hope to keep his anti-corruption, anti-Putin fight strong.
MARIA PEVCHIKH, HEAD OF INVESTIGATIONS, NAVALNY'S ANTI-CORRUPTION FOUNDATION: We processed hundreds of notes and we'd tie them up, so the level of risk that he takes on himself is very impressive.
ROBERTSON: So far they say Navalny's gamble to go back to Russia is paying off.
PEVCHIKH: We are now one of the most loud anti-war media.
ROBERTSON: But the coast is dire. Navalny is battling for survival from winter boots to basic medicine, even the right to have a hygienic cellmate.
PEVCHIKH: Putin is not going to survive this war. The question is how long it takes.
ROBERTSON: And can Alexei survive how long it takes.
PEVCHIKH: We really hope Navalny (INAUDIBLE) and us as a political power that we will be in (INAUDIBLE) safe from the very strong case to act.
ROBERTSON: Navalny himself clear-eyed, if he loses the race.
NAVALNY: My message for the (INAUDIBLE) man killed is very simple, not give up.
ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And joining me now to talk more about this is Vladimir Ashurkov who is a friend of the Alexei Navalny's who currently serves as executive director of the anti-corruption foundation that Navalny founded.
It's good to see you. What are you hearing about his day to day conditions and how he is physically? You tweeted yesterday he's still not receiving medical care.
VLADIMIR ASHURKOV, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NAVALNY'S ANTI-CORRUPTION FOUNDATION: It's great to be with you, Michael. Indeed, Navalny is serving under very harsh conditions in Russian prison which are specifically engineered, by the prison authorities and the instructions for that come from the top of Russian power. He has been ill recently and he is in a solitary confinement in penalty ward and he's not receiving medical care which prevented him from participating in some court proceedings.
So it's quite dire situation and about recently about 600 Russian physicians wrote an open letter in support of Navalny and in support of him receiving proper medical care.
HOLMES: There have been -- as we know, there've been attempts on his life before. Are you worried he'll one day be killed in prison or do you think the authorities are just going to continue to deny treatment.
[01:39:55] ASHURKOV: It's definitely possible to murder a person in Russian prisons. We know that Russian authorities have tried to assassinate Navalny before but this is sort of already a story of epic proportions.
He is assassinated. He miraculously recuperates. He is involved in investigation of his assassination. He talks to one of his assassins. He returns to Russia despite all the threats. He's thrown into jail by a tyrant.
So this is like a hero on a biblical scale, and I think he has survived many threats before and I truly hope that he will survive this one.
HOLMES: Of course, even if Alexei Navalny can't run his organization, others including you, do. And the work you do has an international profile. But how much of Navalny's message gets through on the ground inside Russia? How much do people in Russia know about his situation and his continued campaign?
ASHURKOV: We continue our work. along several demands and we operate two of the biggest YouTube channel which is now blocked in Russia, in contrast with other social media.
We have millions of viewers every month and we talk the words of truth to Russian people. We also have restarted our efforts to maintain a volunteer (INAUDIBLE) in Russia. Now, it's quite dangerous for volunteers in Russia to raise their voice against war.
And so we're doing it on anonymous basis. And that's how we try to influence the public opinions, the support for end of war and against Putin's tyranny. So we're continuing Navalny's work even though he has been in prison for about 3 years.
HOLMES: Yes. But do you think the opposition movement can succeed in any meaning for why given Putin's total control of the media space, control of the messaging that ordinary Russians hear and how anyone who protests is brutally pulled off and sent to jail.
ASHURKOV: It's a really not conceivable that the Russian opposition would strong arm Putin's regime which has all the levers of power into submission. It will take why the city's faction with Putin's regime, which is going in different parts of society the business elite have seen their lifestyles upside down.
It seemed their fortune's decimated. An average Rustom (ph) has seen familiar inflation, and across from the sim of fortune: It's the combination, but also of these of the resilience of opposition, but also of this wide scale processes in Russia Society, that would lead to Putin's demise.
And definitely Putin's brutal aggression in Ukraine has been this process.
HOLMES: Vladimir Ashurkov, good to see you again. Thank you so much for your time. ASHYURKOV: Thank you for having me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now the head of U.S. Central Intelligence Agency may their rare trip to Libya. The CIA director William Burnes, matt in Tripoli with Libyans time practices minister, Abdul Hamid Al Dobegdeba.
On Thursday, the war torn country has been split between two rival administrations since 2014. The U.N. backed the government says Burns and al Zobega discussed economic and security issues.
Severe storms slammed the southeastern United States, spawning dozens of tornadoes. We'll have details on the deadly weather, when we come back.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God. Oh my God, yes look. Oh my God, it's the building beside us. Oh my God.
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HOLMES: Some disbelief there from a tornado survivor after a series of extremely strong storms ripped across the southeastern United States on Thursday. More than 30 possible tornadoes reported in Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky.
The strong winds and rain knocked-down power lines sent debris flying through streets, broke windows and ripped off roof tops. At least six people were killed in Alabama. Several injuries have been reported. About 20 homes were damaged or destroyed in one county, alone.
The National Weather Service says one twister was likely on the ground for at least 80 kilometers.
And troubling news on the climate. Sounds as if we needed more, scientists say 2022 was the warmest La Nina year on record and this year it will be even warmer. Experts say the rising temperatures were responsible for some of last year's biggest natural disasters, including the heat wave in Europe, disastrous floods in Pakistan and a devastating hurricane in Florida.
CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray reports.
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JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So NASA and NOAA just came out with our year end report and found that the last nine years have been the warmest nine years on record. And what makes 2022 special is that we were in a La Nina year. That typically cools the planet. And this La Nina year is the warmest La Nina we've ever seen. What La
Nina does is it basically cools the waters in the eastern equatorial pacific and in turn that normally cools much of the planet but as you can see, aside from that one area across the eastern equatorial Pacific, we are seeing warmer than normal temperatures across much of the globe.
In fact, we had some pretty significant rain event. We know that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture in turn will produce a rainier storm. We had 1,000-year rainfall events this summer all across the U.S. Several of those.
We also had significant heat waves across, not only the U.S., but Europe as well as Asia. We are getting ever so close to that 1.5 degrees Celsius number. And we also had extreme flooding in Pakistan.
You can see this from August 28th, the before and after. There is the before from 2021 and 2022 is right there. So, you remember this flooding. It was significant across Pakistan.
So past nine years have been the warmest on record and 2022 was the warmest La Nina year ever recorded.
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HOLMES: Jennifer Gray there.
Now, to Tunisia where severe drought is having a devastating impact on the agriculture al Alum. The situation is so dire, water is being rationes so people have enough to drink.
HOLMES: CNN'S Eleni Giokos with that story.
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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The water in the city of Barak dam in northern Tunisia -- is drying up, Cracked land and dead trees are all that remain of this once fertile area.
Historians have called Tunisia the bread basket of the Roman Empire. But a three year long drought is threatening harvest critical harvest to the country's economy. Hay prices have risen forcing dairy farmers to sell or heard they can no longer report.
[01:49:59]
GIOKOS: Now, supermarket shelves are left empty of milk and butter. And farmers are struggling to irrigate their crops.
HATEM NAFROUDI, TUNISIAN FARMER: The idea of watering trees in the winter, this was an impossible thing to happen. But now, we are in January, and I have watered my plants for the fourth time because the autumn season was dry and the olive trees did not produce anything.
GIOKOS: The climate crisis is bringing more extreme heat to the Mediterranean. In the summer months and the summer months. And the rainy season a full and winter has been usually dry.
Only 110 million cubic meters of rain fell in Tunisia through September. That's just a first, of the normal race. And it has officials worried.
HAMMADI BOUBARY, TUNISIA AGRICULTURAL UNION: The situation that we are in is due to climate change. That has cast a shadow over our country and the countries of the Mediterranean. And from which most countries suffer.
Climate change is happening fast and has taken everyone by surprise. The state, farmers and all the involved in the agricultural sector. Because the situation is deteriorating and we are now suffering from water scarcity.
GIOKOS: To make matters worse, authorities are limiting the water supply to some farms so homes and businesses have enough drinking water. And t the price of water is also going up on a sliding scale. If rain doesn't come soon officials are considering more extreme rationing measures.
Eleni Giokos, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The suspect in the murders of four Idaho college students appeared in court on Thursday and details when we come back. Along with our look at the often inaccurate Internet sleuths that cracked into this case.
We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: The man suspected of killing four University of Idaho, Idaho's students appeared in court on Thursday.
Bryan Kohberger attended a status conference, that's where a judge schedules a preliminary probable cause hearing, in this case, for June 26.
Kohberger faces four counts of first degree murder. He's being held without bond in an Idaho jail since his extradition from Pennsylvania last week.
Police say they have received nearly 20,000 tips from the public since the crime was committed and while investigators remain tightlipped, speculation has been wide spread on the Internet, much of it unhelpful or just plain wrong.
CNN's Gary Tuchman with that.
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GARY TUCHMAN: Police and prosecutors are being required to stay quiet outside the room about the court moan about the University of Idaho murder case. But on the Internet there was no such pool of issues.
We have uncovered, what we believe, are some old writings of Bryan Kohberger. And most of it a Tiktok, Facebook, and other places the speculation and hypothesizing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But even following that murders, Kohberger's phone was in John from Idaho.
We're just three hours away from Moscow and conveniently next to a national board.
TUCHMAN: How prevalent is Internet sleuthing? Consider this, this Facebook group, the University of Idaho Murders case discussion has more than 225,000 followers. And this is just one of many groups discussing and the hypothesizing about this case online.
[01:54:51]
TUCHMAN: Prior to the arrest of Bryan Kohberger, a user who goes by Papa Roger was a prolific contributor on the site, with many creepy and insensitive posts and what turned out to be incorrect speculation, such as, the white Elantra is a red herring.
But he also declared of the evidence released, the murder weapon has been consistent as a fixed blade knife. This leads me to believe they found the sheath.
The fact that he got the details correct about the sheath, despite getting so much else wrong is one of several reasons many on social media think Papa Roger was covert (ph).
This person saying I really think Papa Roger was BK, Kohberger's initials.
And this person, ok, this Papa Roger stuff is wild, how could anyone besides him know some of this. Very unsettling.
There is no indication Facebook or the police believed papa roger, who is no longer in the group, is Kohberger.
Then there was this video taken at the (INAUDIBLE) four murder victims prior to Kohberger's arrest, with many people hypothesizing online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People think that the Idaho murderer attended his victims vigil.
This person commenting that Bryan Kohberger spotted in Moscow, Idaho. And this person, sure looks like a psycho but a TV crew for the news Maxine Inside Edition and has video tap if a man closed, it's definitely not Kohberger.
We're not showing his face to protect his identity.
And then there is this.
REBECCA STONE, WHO IS REBECCA? TUCHMAN: A lot who calls herself Ashley Solves mysteries has posed Scores of videos on TikTok, accusing a University of Idaho professor of participating in the killing, never mind the police said they professor was never a suspect.
The TikToker who's real name is Ashley Gallard, posted this video about two weeks before Kohberger's arrest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't there's difference to her personality. So we can understand the (INAUDIBLE) and who she is so that we can further understand her models for the murders.
TUCHMAN: We reached out to her, she did not respond. But Professor Rebeca Schofield has responded. Her attorney filing a defense mission lawsuit against Gallard woman. The lawyer Wendy Olson saying the statements made are false professor's false, plain and simple.
What is even worse is that these untrue statements create safety issues for the professor and her family. They also further compound the trauma that the families of the victims are experiencing.
Professor Schofield toy sent cease and desist letters to Ms. Gallard. Now Miss Gallard has continued to make false statements, knowing they are false.
Thus, this lawsuit became necessary to protect Professor Schofields's safety and her reputation.
The next court hearing in this case is scheduled for June, expect the social media discussions to continue.
Gary Tuchman, CNN -- Moscow, Idaho.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. Do stick around. Kim Brunhuber will be up next with more news.
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