Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

FBI Search Turns Up More Biden Documents; White House Chief Of Staff Leaving Post Soon; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Attends Memorial For Helicopter Crash Victims; Atlanta Protest Turns Destructive; Entry To Machu Picchu Suspended; Abortion Rights Debate; Buckingham Palace On King Charles III's Coronation. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 22, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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


[04:00:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, growing troubles for President Biden. An FBI search of his Delaware home turns up additional classified documents, just days after a search by the president's personal attorney.

CNN travels to the Chernobyl exclusion zone for a firsthand look at how Ukrainian troops prepare for the Russian offensive they've been fearing for months.

And today marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision but it's a different day than anniversaries past. We'll discuss when the next battles are being fought after the landmark ruling was overturned.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: Political problems are rapidly mounting at the Biden White House. The president's personal attorney says an FBI search of Mr. Biden's private home in Delaware has turned up even more classified materials. His Republican critics in Congress are already sharpening their knives.

The president and first lady were not home at the time. The materials taken by the FBI add to a growing list of classified documents recently recovered from places connected to the president. A special counsel is investigating. We get more details now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Six more classified documents have been found at President Biden's Wilmington, Delaware, residence.

This time, they were found by FBI agents, who were searching President Biden's home with the president's permission, the permission of his legal team, and with the supervision of a personal attorney to the president, as well as a representative of the White House counsel's office.

Now all of this was revealed on Saturday night by Bob Bauer, the president's personal attorney, who confirmed that the FBI carried out a nearly 13-hour search of the president's Wilmington residence on Friday, from 9:45 in the morning until around 10:30 at night.

And those six documents being found following an exhaustive search of the president's residence, the entire residence, we're told, they were given access to.

The statement from Bob Bauer says, quote, "DOJ had full access to the president's home, including personally handwritten notes, files, papers, binders, memorabilia, to-do lists, schedules and reminders going back decades.

"DOJ took possession of materials it deemed within the scope of its inquiry, including six items with classification markings and surrounding materials, some of which were from the president's service in the Senate, some of which were from his tenure as vice president.

"DOJ also took for further review personally handwritten notes from the vice presidential years."

And now a source familiar with the matter tells me that this search was not conducted with a search warrant. There was no subpoena that was issued in order to enter the president's home.

Instead, this was done with the permission and the cooperation of President Biden's legal team. Nonetheless, this is the fifth time in the last two weeks that we have learned of classified documents being found.

Initially, it was, of course, at the president's former office in Washington for the Penn Biden Center. And then, of course, there was the discovery of documents at the president's Wilmington residence and additional documents have since been discovered at that home or revealed since then.

That drip, drip, drip, has certainly been problematic for a White House that has been insisting, as the president did just days before this revelation, that there is no "there" there, insisting that he was surprised by the revelation of these documents.

And certainly a president who's trying to get past all of this, who hopes that the special counsel can do its work quietly and ultimately exonerate him.

Now regardless of how politically damaging all of this looks, there's still an open question as to how much legal jeopardy the president is actually in. And on that note, President Biden insisting this week that there is no "there" there, saying he will be exonerated once this investigation concludes -- Jeremy Diamond, CNN, New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And for more on this, I'm joined by Natasha Lindstaedt, who teaches government at the University of Essex.

Thank you so much for being with us. The FBI searching the home of a sitting president, even if it was at his invitation, still a stunning development.

[04:05:00]

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Yes, this is definitely something that does not look good for Biden. We found a recent Quinnipiac University poll showed that 70 percent of Americans think that this is pretty important.

But we're also seeing polls revealing that Americans are aware of the differences that have been highlighted by the media pretty extensively, that Trump had taken hundreds of classified documents and thousands of unclassified documents, that his team had made false statements, defied a subpoena.

And that Trump had destroyed some of the documents. That made it look like it was intentional, which is a violation of the Espionage Act. And a poll taken by the Quinnipiac University last summer revealed that 50 percent of Americans thought that Trump should face criminal charges.

Now that same Quinnipiac University poll that I was referring to looked at how Americans feel about Biden and 37 percent feel that he should face criminal charges. So that's a fairly stark difference from the way Americans feel Trump and Biden should be dealt with.

But still, this is important. This is another error of the Biden administration and does speak to his competence. And it's coming at a time when Democrats were gaining momentum after the midterms.

But we're seeing that his approval rating, he can't seem to get it above 50 percent. It's been hovering, if you look at the average of all the polls, around 42 percent.

Now this doesn't seem to hurt the Democrats. But he needs to have a string of wins at a time when his administration is going to face House Republicans investigating him. And he's going to have to pivot from being able to try to focus on passing legislation to plain defense.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, exactly. I want to ask you about that, because, it wasn't that long ago that we were talking about Republicans in the House in disarray. Now they have a clear target in President Biden.

How helpful is this to Republicans?

LINDSTAEDT: Well, it definitely helps them get away from the chaos of what happened in the House with the voting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, where they just looked completely in disarray and look like they didn't have any clue about how to govern.

Now we're not focused on that topic anymore and we're focused on Biden's documents. It's something on the news all the time. And Americans do think it's important.

But you have Democrats trying to take the high road. You have House Representative Adam Schiff or Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock both saying that it's fair that the special counsel was appointed and that Democrats care about the rule of law and that everybody is treated equally.

The Democrats are trying to turn this into an example of where they are going to comply with the law, because they know that that's important for democracy.

The Republicans, of course, are having a field day with this and saying that Trump is being treated far more unfairly than Biden and this is another example of how far the deep state goes in the way the FBI raid was handled. And they're trying to use this to their advantage, the best that they can.

BRUNHUBER: Looking a bit longer term, then, do you think this will have any effect on Biden's decision to run again?

Do you think this might damage him, the polls that you were quoting, notwithstanding, especially among swing voters?

LINDSTAEDT: I don't think it's going to affect Biden's decision to run, because Biden will be running most likely against Trump, who also faces a very similar situation.

I think Biden's team thinks that he can weather this storm if he just complies with what the special counsel wants him to do, complies with the investigation and then focuses on the other issues. And I think Americans will start to focus on other issues.

I mean, he actually has bigger problems. He needs to ensure that the economy improves. Right now, his approval rating for the economy is around a third and he needs to improve the situation with immigration.

Although he has a new plan in place, although his approval rating for his handling of immigration is at 22 percent, he will have to focus on far other different issues that may seem even more important to Americans than the handling of these documents.

But it speaks to a problem that he has with his competence level. And he's going to need to not have these types of scandals hit him in the year of the election, because Republicans are able to pounce on this quite effectively.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, they may want to pivot but the story shows no signs of going away. Appreciate your insights, Natasha Lindstaedt, thanks so much.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, we'll tell you how Republicans on Capitol Hill are reacting to this latest bombshell. And as we mentioned, some Republicans in Congress are already pouncing on the documents case and can be expected to make it a hot-button issue as President Biden heads into the second half of his term.

But he'll be facing those adversaries without his White House chief of staff, Ron Klain.

[04:10:00]

BRUNHUBER: Klain has been a close adviser to Mr. Biden for decades. And his departure signals a major shakeup in the White House staff.

Sources say Klain is expected to step down after next month's State of the Union address. But the timing isn't ideal for the president, who must now find a replacement. Among the various names being circulated for the job are two cabinet officials, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.

George Santos, the embattled U.S. congressman who admitted to embellishing his resume, is again denying claims that he once performed as a drag queen in Brazil. Last week, a Brazilian drag performer shared these photos of a person dressed in drag, claiming that it was Santos back in 2008.

Saturday the Republican lawmaker was asked about the allegations and here's how he responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congressman, were you ever a drag queen in Brazil?

REP. GEORGE SANTOS (R-NY): No, I was not a drag queen in Brazil, guys. I was young and I had fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: During that exchange, Santos also refused to answer questions on his debunked assertion that his mother was at the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Political pressure is piling on Germany to supply advanced military equipment to Ukraine. The three Baltic republics -- Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania -- urging Berlin to budge on its opposition to supplying Leopard tanks to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Germany's defense minister has ordered an audit of the entire fleet of Leopard tanks, saying it's needed to make sure they can be activated on short notice.

Kyiv is pushing for those tanks, as Russia turns up the pressure on Ukrainian defenses in two regions. In the east, Ukrainians are trying to hold the line in Bakhmut. And Ukraine disputing Russia's claim that it captured several villages in the Zaporizhzhya region. Russian utility has destroyed hundreds of homes and infrastructure in the area.

Ukrainian troops are training to fight off what many predict will be a new Russian offensive in the spring and they're doing it in a well- known region between Kyiv and the Belarusian border, Chernobyl. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Preparing to defend against a second gigantic attack even as they are already under assault by Russia. Ukrainian units held large scale drills to prepare for bigger battles to come.

The head of Ukraine's Joint Forces Command tells me, "We need to know what exactly to prepare the forces for and how they should be prepared." he says,

"That's why this is so important."

We are in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, site of the worst nuclear disaster in history, Ukraine Special Forces also practicing urban combat in the abandoned buildings.

PLEITGEN: The U.S. and its allies believe the Russians could mount a massive offensive once the spring comes. That's why the Ukrainians are getting their forces ready even as they are already fighting the Russians on several fronts in this country.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Ukrainians say that to win, they need more modern Western weapons, especially main battle tanks.

"In terms of quality, of course, there is a big difference," the general says, "because the fire control systems of Western equipment are far superior to Russian weapons."

As the battles in places like Bakhmut in Eastern Ukraine remain brutal and casualties mount, Ukraine's leadership says it is grateful for the massive military aid announced at the Ramstein meeting.

But Kyiv is disappointed Germany still hasn't signed off on sending Leopard 2 main battle tanks, which would be key to help them turn the tide, a top presidential adviser tells me.

"Our guys won't leave the battlefield even if they aren't provided with new equipment," he says.

"But more of them will die. This must stop. We want our people to have a better chance of saving their own lives."

The Ukrainians say the new aid announced Friday will go a long way to help them beat Russia back and Mykhailo Podolyak says he hopes the U.S. and its allies will keep weapons flowing in the long run.

"I think our allies have the perfect understanding of the price we're paying," he says.

"But it is very important for Russia to lose. They understand the nature of this war, the nature of Russia and why it is impossible to negotiate with them."

The Ukrainians say they need to grasp the initiative before the Russians can recover from their losses and they are gearing up for what could be a brutal spring -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Ukrainian president and first lady joined mourners at a memorial service Saturday to honor the 14 people killed in Wednesday's helicopter crash.

The victims' coffins were carried to the ceremony in Kyiv, where they were draped in Ukrainian flags. Families wept as they placed flowers on the caskets and kissed photos of their loved ones.

[04:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife also paid tribute to the victims and offered condolences to the mourners. In a video message, Zelenskyy says the war has claimed too many lives. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Every day we lose people who we will always remember and regret they are not coming back. You cannot bring back Ukrainians and people who are simply loyal to themselves and the state.

I wish we could all feel that today, feel how many lives, how many bright people have been taken by wartime. I would like us all to honor their memory today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Just ahead, a peaceful protest in downtown Atlanta turns destructive as windows are broken and a police cruiser set on fire.

Plus, after weeks of demonstrations over Israel's new far-right government, protests Saturday in Tel Aviv are the biggest yet. We'll have the latest in a live report. Please stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Six people were arrested in downtown Atlanta Saturday after what started as a peaceful protest resulted in property damage.

[04:20:00] BRUNHUBER: There were no injuries to officers or civilians but windows were broken in three buildings and an Atlanta Police Department cruiser was set on fire. Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens spoke to reporters after the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS, ATLANTA: Make no mistake about it, these individuals meant harm to people and to property. We continue to protect the right to peacefully protest. We will not tolerate violence or property destruction.

My message is simple to those who seek to continue this type of criminal behavior: we will find you and we will arrest you and you will be held accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now the protests, which started out peacefully, was in response to the fatal shooting of an activist and the shooting of a Georgia state trooper. That happened on Wednesday near a proposed Atlanta police training facility. Opponents of the project have been camped out in the forest for months in an effort to stop construction.

Israeli police say more than 100,000 people turned out in Tel Aviv Saturday to protest the government of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It's the largest showing yet in three weeks of demonstrations.

Thousands more took to the streets in Jerusalem and other cities. Protesters are opposed to Mr. Netanyahu's new government and a series of planned judicial changes, which would allow parliament to overturn high court decisions and give politicians more power in appointing judges.

CNN correspondent Hadas Gold joins us from Jerusalem.

Give us the latest and take us through exactly what's behind this.

HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These protesters are hoping to essentially build a movement. And it seems as though they're reaching that goal.

This is the third week we've seen people coming out to the streets and it's been the largest in terms of numbers of protesters that have come out since Netanyahu took power once again at the end of last month.

I mean, last weekend, we were out with them. There were 80,000 protesters in pouring rain. And last night, more than 100,000 in Tel Aviv itself and thousands more in the northern city of Haifa. And it really does feel as if the momentum is building.

That's what these protesters really need. Really, the only options they have for them in terms of opposing this government and opposing these proposed judicial reforms from the government is a public pressure campaign. As you noted, these proposed reforms would make it so the parliament

and essentially whatever political party is in power would have the opportunity to overturn high-court decisions. And it would also give politicians some more power in terms of choosing who will be these judges.

Opponents say that this will ruin the independent judiciary, ruin the balance between the branches. Some even call it the beginning of the end of Israeli democracy.

But the backers of these reforms say they are much-needed reforms and this is the will of the voters who voted in this right-wing government, who now have a pretty comfortable 64-seat majority in the Israeli parliament.

But last night, some key opposition figures also came out and joined the protest. These include the former defense minister, Benny Gantz, and the former prime minister, Yair Lapid. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YAIR LAPID, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (voice-over): What you see here today is a demonstration in support of the country. This is a demonstration for the country. People who love the country have come here today to defend its democracy, to defend its courts, to defend the idea of coexistence and of common good.

There are people here who love Israel, who came to demonstrate for a democratic Jewish state according to the values of the declaration of independence. And we will not give up until we win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLD: And now likely what pushed even more Israelis out onto the streets was, last week, in the middle of last week, the high court issued a 10-1 ruling, telling Benjamin Netanyahu had to fire one of his top ministers, because he had been convicted of tax offenses.

And now we are expecting to hear from Benjamin Netanyahu in the next hour, so we will dismiss Aryeh Dery after a few days of questions about whether he would potentially defy this high court ruling. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Interesting. We'll be following that for sure. Hadas Gold in Jerusalem, thanks so much.

In Peru, police have cracked down on protesters at a university in Lima. Authorities say they've arrested more than 100 people accused of violently invading the campus. Some were handcuffed and placed on the ground as police cleared the area. Demonstrators condemned the raid, blaming the unrest on the country's president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We are outraged by what we are going through. It is insurgency. This is what Dina Boluarte is doing to us.

Why?

We are her brothers, we share the same blood.

Why is she setting this trap for us?

Why are they killing us?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Authorities say the protesters on campus also participated in the nationwide demonstrations which have rattled Peru in recent weeks. On Saturday, the unrest forced officials to suspend entry to the famous Machu Picchu ruins.

[04:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: Authorities say they have now evacuated hundreds of tourists who were stranded in the area.

CNN's Rafael Romo has more on the closure of Machu Picchu and explains what's behind the nationwide unrest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): Peru's biggest tourist attraction, Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world, Peru announced Saturday they're closing the famed site indefinitely, including the Inca trail that leads up to it.

Anti-government protests have choked transportation to and from the ancient citadel. Rail operators said they have had to suspend services because several tracks have been blocked or damaged by protests that have spread throughout the country.

In the past months, dozens of people have been killed in violent clashes. The fiery protests erupting after the ousting of former president Pedro Castillo in December. Demonstrators are demanding new elections and calling for the resignation of current Peruvian president Dina Boluarte.

The civil unrest has stranded tourists before. Last month, authorities evacuated hundreds of people after similar transit issues at Machu Picchu. Officials say, this time around, some tourists have left by foot.

But the trek is at least six to seven hours long.

ROMO: Machu Picchu usually draws millions of tourists a year but it's now off limits. Peru's national treasury overshadowed by its spiraling political crisis -- Rafael Romo, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Biden White House is in full-on damage control as the FBI turns up more classified materials, this time at the president's private home. We'll have those details and the reaction from Republicans when we come back. Please stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

An FBI search of U.S. President Joe Biden's home in Delaware has turned up even more classified materials. That's according to the president's personal attorney, Bob Bauer, who said Biden's lawyers as well as White House counsel were on hand for Friday's search. The president and first lady weren't home at time.

Bauer said the FBI took six classified items related to Biden's time as U.S. senator and vice president. Now those materials add to the growing list of classified documents recently recovered from places connected to the president. A special counsel is investigating.

Republicans have made crystal clear for months they intend to lean heavily into investigating the Biden administration and the president's family. Now the documents debacle has landed in their laps. And their reaction to this latest bombshell offers a glimpse of what may be to come.

The House Oversight Committee tweeted, quote, "Is the scavenger hunt over?

"Americans need answers now."

Elise Stefanik went further and accused Biden of stealing classified documents when he was a senator. The special counsel will decide if anyone stole anything. Meanwhile, there have been harsh but more measured reactions among Republicans no longer in Congress. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE DENT, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: How does a sitting United States senator take home classified materials to his home?

I'm sorry, you know, I served in the United States Congress. And every time I viewed classified materials, I did it in a classified setting, usually in a SCIF, a secure facility. And there was always someone there guarding the documents. I couldn't even fathom walking out with them.

So how does a senator do that?

That's -- this is just reckless and careless. And I think that's a very fair question for Congress to ask of this president.

How were you able to do such a thing?

I think this is a terrible situation. I'm not saying this is as bad as Trump's situation, where there's criminal exposure, Trump wasn't cooperative but I just think this is awful.

We've had now Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, all people who are president or ran for president, unable to properly handle classified material. I think this is outrageous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL): It's becoming tough for me and the American people, I think, to think that he had no idea any of that was there in all of these different locations. I would advise, come forward, say what you know, say what you don't know and then let DOJ move forward.

But this is, you know, the legal side is one thing. Legal -- legal -- the legal side doesn't do nuance, and -- or they do do nuance, actually, and that's a good thing. They can tell differences. Politics doesn't do nuance. So politically, this has blunted any attack on the former president.

I think there may be huge differences. But in terms of being able to convince people, it's become a lot more difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: For the past few weeks, we've been telling you about atmospheric rivers drenching California in rain and burying it in snow.

But is all of this moisture enough to end the Golden State's historic drought?

(WEATHER REPORT)

[04:35:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Celebrations are underway in China for the Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, coming almost exactly three years after the first COVID-19 lockdown began in Wuhan, China.

Beijing's top health official says China isn't likely to have a new surge of infections during the holiday travel rush, because he claims 80 percent of the population has already been infected. This comes amid growing concerns of a new wave of infections. CNN's Marc Stewart joins us live from Hong Kong.

And Marc, after so many restrictions from the past now gone, this year must feel totally different.

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kim, people here are celebrating. Even though there's still a mask mandate in place here in Hong Kong, what a difference a year makes. Take a look.

We are at a very popular shopping area on Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor. If there was any question that it was the Year of the Rabbit, your answers will be here. Families are showing up, many of their kids are in special outfits. There are parents, there are grandparents, there are a lot of couples here.

We've been joking, it's almost like selfie central. But this is something that is what people here have been craving, it is what they cherish.

And for the first time in about two years, they really have been able to come out and enjoy the Lunar New Year because, in many parts of Asia, including here in Hong Kong last year, there were limits about gatherings and what people can do.

Now people are showing up here after spending the day with family and friends. There's going to be a big light show on the other side of the harbor. But this comes as we see a big rebound of travel here in Asia.

In fact, if we spoke specifically on China, it's been described as the greatest human migration on Earth. In fact, by the end of this holiday period, which lasts about another two more weeks, as many as 2 billion individual trips will have been completed in a population of 1.4 billion people.

Already, we have seen this today. Train stations and airports are all very busy. As far as the risk of COVID, yes, government doctors feel that there is not necessarily a chance of second wave or a third wave.

But many public health officials from outside China, looking in, do feel it's quite concerning. In the meantime, Kim, it is the Year of the Rabbit. We wish you peace and prosperity. That's what it stands for. That's the latest live from Hong Kong.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Marc Stewart, live in Hong Kong. Appreciate it.

Well, 50 years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court protected the right to abortion with its landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The court struck down that decision about seven months ago. Ahead here on CNN, a look at the abortion rights debate and where the country stands now.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, the landmark ruling that, for more than a generation, guaranteed the right to abortion. But this year is different.

This is the first anniversary since the current Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, overturned that historical precedent. Since then, we've seen one state after another set its own rules when it comes to abortion.

Now the red states you see here are where it's banned or severely restricted, often with no exception for rape or incest. In other states, the matter is still in limbo or prohibited after 20 weeks or even less.

Only in green states are abortion rights considered protected, though some of those states are considering restrictions as well. Now this has led to wide divisions in America when it comes to reproductive health.

Tens of millions of women with access, tens of millions more essentially without. The end of the Roe v. Wade era isn't stopping anti-abortion rights activists. Thousands turned out for their annual March for Life on Friday. They say their aim is to advance legislation that restricts abortion at the state and federal levels.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Michele Goodwin is a chancellor's professor at the University of California/Irvine and the founding director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy.

Thanks so much for being here with us.

So did you ever think, say, a couple of years ago, that you would be marking the 50th of Roe v. Wade under these circumstances?

MICHELE GOODWIN, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GLOBAL HEALTH POLICY: It's an interesting time. It's a time in which, for Roe's 50th anniversary, we're giving it a eulogy, essentially.

And unfortunately, a few years ago, I had been thinking about this. Even a decade ago, I had been thinking about this. And I had been writing articles and giving lectures about seeing what could lie ahead, not just for Roe but for other reproductive health protections that were eroding, that were slipping away.

And I think, for many other people, including people who work within the reproductive health space and reproductive rights movement, they couldn't see it.

BRUNHUBER: The fear was that millions of women across huge swaths of the country would have no access to abortion. Now many states haven't yet had the opportunity to pass their own ban, so we may still see this to come through the pipeline.

So what are you expecting to see and has there already been an effect? GOODWIN: Well, there has already been an effect. And I'm glad that you asked about Roe, because it's important to level set (ph). Roe was a 7-2 opinion in 1973. It was an opinion that was written by Justice Blackman. Now Justice Blackman was put on the Supreme Court by Richard Nixon.

Five of those seven justices happen to be Republican appointed. That's an important thing for us to realize and to think about, given the political landscape and how confusing it could be for some people.

[04:45:00]

GOODWIN: This was not always an issue that is perceived as being so divisive as it is today. And in fact, it's not even divisive amongst the American public. But the repercussions, which you've asked about, were seen immediately following the Dobbs decision, which was issued June of 2022.

Almost immediately, the world heard about a case involving a young girl, who had been serially raped and was pregnant at the age of 10. She wanted an abortion. She had to leave a state that had passed a law, a law that went into effect after Dobbs, that would deny her that abortion, that would make her a mother before the age of 11.

And she got to the state of Indiana, where she could have that abortion. But since that time, we've learned about cases involving a woman in Louisiana gestating a fetus with no skull, not allowed to terminate that pregnancy.

Cases involving women with ectopic pregnancies, who could not get the help that they needed, even though an ectopic pregnancy can cause death.

Cases involving doctors who have become so afraid to deliver the health care that by oath they're committed to doing but, by law, which says that they can't, involving cases of patients bleeding for days.

So it's been horrific, the outcome so far in the post-Dobbs landscape.

BRUNHUBER: We saw this week in the anti-abortion rallies, that they promised that even though, you know, Roe was overturned, the fight isn't yet over.

So what are the biggest issues that you think will be fought over in the coming months and years?

GOODWIN: Well, this is a great question about what comes next, because it could be decades until reproductive rights as we knew them are restored; that is, at a national level. Already, these issues are going to the ballots and states.

Basically, what we see is a bit of a wild, wild West in the United States. In one state, there have been lawmakers that say that if librarians help people with search term "abortion," that they can be criminally punished. We see that in the state of Nebraska, there is a mother and daughter

that have been criminally charged because it was found out that, on Facebook, the girl talked with her mother about having an abortion. These have become really frightening times for so many women and girls.

And I think it's important to note that these are matters of democracy that we're talking about, when we're talking about bodily autonomy or when we're talking about someone's free speech rights.

Can they use the term "abortion"?

Can they help someone search the term "abortion"?

It's actually a really radical time for our democracy. And I hope that people begin to ask questions in that regard, because that's really where the fight is ahead on other principles in our United States Constitution.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, so many fronts on which to fight there. Really appreciate your perspective on all of them, Michele Goodwin, thanks so much.

GOODWIN: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, how the Buffalo Bills are preparing for the first game against the Bengals since Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. We'll have a report from Buffalo coming up. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BRUNHUBER: Buckingham Palace has revealed details about the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. The ceremony itself will take place on Saturday, May 6th, at Westminster Abbey.

The next day, thousands of events will take place across the U.K., including a concert on Windsor Castle's east lawn. There will be an extra bank holiday on Monday, the 8th. That's also the day of the big help out, which the palace aims to create a lasting volunteering legacy from the coronation weekend.

Actor Jeremy Renner is recovering at home after his snowplow accident. The "Avengers" star posted on Instagram, showing him undergoing what he called morning workouts.

Renner said he broke more than 30 bonus during the New Year's Day accident. He thanked everyone for their well wishes and says his bones will heal and grow stronger. "The Hurt Locker" star was run over by his own Sno-Cat. Renner had previously released video of himself operating the enormous machine.

(SPORTS)

[04:55:00]

BRUNHUBER: The second man to walk on the lunar surface is likely on his honeymoon right now. Former U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin married his longtime love on his 93rd birthday.

This former test pilot announced his nuptials on Friday on Twitter, writing, "We were joined in holy matrimony in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles and are as excited as eloping teenagers."

His 63-year-old wife is executive vice president of Aldrin's company, Buzz Aldrin Ventures. Aldrin walked on the moon on July 20th, 1969, second only to his crewmate, Neil Armstrong.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. You can follow me on Twitter @KimBrunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more CNN NEWSROOM. please do stay with us.