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Memphis Police Permanently Disband SCORPION Unit; Nichols' Family Lawyer Says More Memphis Officers May Face Charges; Israel Proposes New Measures To "Fight Terrorism"; Eastern Ukrainian Town Of Vuhledar Under Heavy Artillery Fire; No Progress Expected In NATO Membership Bid For Finland And Sweden Before Turkish Election; America's Choice 2024; Deadly Floods Leave Massive Cleanup For New Zealand; Radioactive Capsule Goes Missing In Australia; Young Musicians Bridge U.S.-Cuba Divide. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 29, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the U.S., Canada and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM:
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HARRAK (voice-over): Calls for justice and cities across the U.S. after the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols. Now the controversial police unit linked to his death has been dismantled.
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HARRAK (voice-over): Israeli-Palestinian tensions soaring. Now Israel's prime minister is outlining a new plan.
And New Zealand's most populous city begins to recover after devastating and deadly flooding.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: The Memphis Police Department has announced the permanent end to the special anticrime unit known as SCORPION. The move comes one day after the city released police videos of five officers fatally beating Tyre Nichols on January 27th.
Police have confirmed all of the officers were with the special unit. Some of the images you are about to see maybe disturbing.
SCORPION was created over a year ago in response to rising homicides and violent crime. But why the officers targeted Nichols that night is unclear. Nichols, who was unarmed, was compliant.
Yet the video showed even while restrained, Nichols was repeatedly kicked, punched and struck without apparent provocation.
Steve Cohen represents parts of Memphis in the U.S. Congress. He spoke with CNN and said he thinks aggressive police tactics like SCORPION are ultimately counterproductive.
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REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): I would like to see a return of the old community oriented policing, where the neighborhoods know the policemen. The police people, women and men, are in the communities, making friends, helping people and getting tips. And we don't do enough of that.
Rather than have SCORPION units who like to pounced on people, like they -- I mean, they pounced on him when he got out of the car, throwing him down. They were so nervous, you wondered if they were hopped up on something.
They were out of control and not very professional at all. But we need to have officers that the neighborhood knows and who know the neighborhood and I think that is a more effective matter of policing.
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HARRAK: For the latest, Shimon Prokupecz is in Memphis and, again, some images in his report are graphic.
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SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A significant move here by the Memphis Police Department. The police chief announcing that they are disbanding the SCORPION unit.
This is the unit that the five former officers were a part of. Their tactics have been called into question. Of course, we saw their aggressive moves when they pulled over Tyre Nichols.
And when it was learned that these five officers were part of that SCORPION unit, many of the community members and of course, Nichols' family all came out asking that the police chief disband this unit.
Now what this unit does is that they drive around in unmarked cars aggressively fighting crime and some of their tactics have come into question.
And because of the concerns raised by the community, the police chief said that she met with officers in that unit.
And they all decided that, in the interest of trying to heal the wounds here and try and help some of the work that the police department and the community knows they are going to need to do to try and win back the respect, she is going to disband it. And then we will see what happens.
You know, certainly there is a lot more work here to do as this investigation continues -- Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Memphis, Tennessee. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Nichols' parents, appeared earlier. He says he believes more officers could be charged in Nichols' death, even if they were not directly involved. Here he is.
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BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY: We do think there was some other officers there that should have been charged, not just these five, because they definitely should have been charged. But we think the other officers there, how heartbreaking was it when he was handcuffed there on the ground, moaning.
And everybody was walking around so nonchalantly, as if, this is just business as usual.
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HARRAK: Nichols' family attorney Ben Crump there, appearing Saturday on CNN.
With us now from Los Angeles to discuss this is civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin.
Good to see you. Some time has passed now.
How do you reflect on what happened?
AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I think some of the actions that were taken by the police chief and the district attorney were warranted. I think they acted in a fashion that is quicker than what we have typically seen in these cases, to, one, fire the officers involved, charge them with serious charges, second degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault.
But I think there is still so much we do not know about the case. I am disturbed by the police chief's refusal to come before a press conference to answer questions. I know she sat down with our colleague, Don Lemon, to give a interview.
But we have not seen the police chief. We have not been able to ask her questions. The public has been unable to ask critical questions. And we are hearing from citizens on the ground in Memphis that there was problems with the SCORPION unit well before their attack on Mr. Nichols.
Many citizens came forward and complained about their aggressive tactics and those complaints were for the most part ignored. So I think there is still accountability to be had. And I do not know if this police chief will survive this entire incident because her leadership is under scrutiny. And so far what we have seen does not look good.
HARRAK: Do you anticipate more charges might be brought against other officers?
MARTIN: I agree with Ben Crump, that there are other officers that definitely should be investigated, including we know there were two sheriff's deputies on the scene from the county. We also know there were EMT workers on the scene.
From the video we saw, those workers were walking around, at least for 15 minutes or more, before they started to render aid to Mr. Nichols. They also had a duty to render aid and they failed to do it or didn't do it in a prompt manner.
So I would like to see the investigation continue and, if warranted, additional charges brought. I am also encouraged by the U.S. attorney's office and the press conference and the statement they gave, indicating that there is a federal criminal Civil Rights Action that is being investigated.
And I also hope the Department of Justice goes into that that Memphis Police Department and does a widespread investigation of its practices and policies. It is clear to me, like the chief said, there was no evidence of reckless driving on the part of Mr. Nichols. And perhaps he was racially profiled.
HARRAK: A lawyer for Desmond Mills Jr., one of the officers charged, said that the videos produced as many questions as they have answers.
What do you think he is getting at?
MARTIN: I am not certain. We all saw, with our own eyes, the video tells us everything we need to know in terms of the charges filed against his client.
The question of whether he was brutalized, whether there was probable cause, whether the officers acted in a way that violated Mr. Nichols' constitutional rights, there is no question that they did that.
They violated his constitutional rights and engaged in criminal conduct that led to his death. Those questions have been answered. They were answered by the videotapes and that is why we see the very serious charges that have been filed against the five officers.
HARRAK: The Memphis PD has shut down the SCORPION unit.
Should other units be looked at across the country?
MARTIN: Absolutely, we know some police departments have already taken aggressive steps to eliminate crime-fighting units like the SCORPION unit because of similar complaints from residents about the aggressive tactics.
We saw in the video the unprofessional behavior, the aggressive escalation of those officers. Nothing about what we witnessed suggests that those officers should be conducting business in that way.
There was nothing about those actions that said protect and serve. To the extent there are other departments across the country, engaged in that conduct, they are ticking time bombs.
I think there should be full-scale investigations. This is a wake-up call for other police departments to look internally at any crime- fighting units they have like SCORPION. To the extent that officers are out of control, like those in SCORPION, absolutely they should be disband.
HARRAK: What more can be done to reduce police violence?
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MARTIN: We have to have a much more in-depth conversation about changing the culture of policing in this country. We talked a lot after George Floyd's murder about training, implicit bias and other forms of training.
But what we have not been willing to do in the country is have a serious conversation about the culture of policing.
Where else can you work, where it is acceptable to use the kind of language where we heard in those videotapes, to use the kind of violence we saw?
There is not another position in the country, maybe short of the military, where that kind of conduct would be acceptable. But yet that kind of aggressive conduct is embedded in so many police departments across the country.
We've got to talk about the system, the culture of policing that makes that kind of aggression acceptable, rather than what we heard the congressman talk about, is a community-based policing, where the police are there to protect and serve, where they are working in a collaborative fashion with citizens and where they respect the rights of individuals that they have been hired to protect.
HARRAK: Areva Martin, thank you so very much. Thanks for joining us.
MARTIN: Thank you.
HARRAK: Across the U.S., peaceful protesters poured into the streets, demanding justice for Tyre Nichols. In cities like Atlanta and New York, they have made their voices heard by chanting slogans against police violence and waving signs that call for accountability.
Demonstrators say the marches will continue until their demands are met.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we are out here to fight and call for justice once again and continuously because the work did not stop in 2020, in 2021 or in 2022. We are still here and we are still fighting so justice is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRAK: In the city where the beating took place, there was a march to honor Tyre Nichols' passion for skateboarding. Rapper NLE Choppa called on supporters to skate through the streets of Memphis on Saturday, something Nichols loved doing since he was 6 years old.
Israel's prime minister announced new proposals to fight what he calls terrorism. Benjamin Netanyahu says the measures are in response to a pair of shootings in Jerusalem that left seven dead and five wounded over the weekend. Hadas Gold has more on the violence that has rattled the area.
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HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two shooting attacks rocked Jerusalem this weekend, just 15 hours apart, in what Israeli officials are calling one of the worst terrorist attacks in recent memory.
Saturday morning, police say a 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot and injured two men just outside the Old City before being shot and injured himself.
Then the previous evening, at a synagogue in Northeast Jerusalem, after Shabbat services, authorities say a 21-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem began shooting worshippers as they left, killing seven, including 14-year-old Asher Natan, and injuring three more before fleeing by car. Minutes later, he was shot and killed by police.
DEAN ELSDUNNE, ISRAELI POLICE INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: This is a significant rise in the level of terror that we have seen and it marks a heinous attack on the holy Sabbath day.
GOLD (voice-over): The shooting celebrated in parts of the Palestinian Territories coming after what became the deadliest day for Palestinians in the West Bank in over a year.
An unusual daylight raid by the Israeli military on Thursday in the occupied West Bank targeting members of the Islamic Jihad. The Israeli military said they were planning an imminent attack. The ensuing firefight killing nine, among them militants but also a woman in her 60s, according to the Palestinian health authorities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): (INAUDIBLE) the truth. She opened the window to look over to check what is going on. A bullet hit her here in her neck. The bullet hit the wall and the TV screen.
GOLD (voice-over): The Palestinian Authority calling the raid a massacre, announcing they were severing security coordinations with Israel as a result.
And then rockets, launched by militants in Gaza toward Israel, Israel responding with airstrikes, although no injuries were reported on either side. The past few days, a major test for the recently installed government, under Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from his right-wing cabinet to respond with force. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through
translator): I will bring to the cabinet additional measures to fight terrorism. This includes significantly speeding up and expanding gun licensing for licensed citizens. As we have seen time and time again, including this morning, this thing saves lives.
GOLD (voice-over): International condemnations and sympathies poured in, including by President Joe Biden as U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken prepares to make a preplanned trip to the region, where his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leadership under even higher stakes -- Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
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HARRAK: Let's get more now from journalist Elliott Gotkine in Jerusalem. Elliott.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laila, good morning.
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GOTKINE: Yes, well, we heard in Hadas' package there, some of the statements from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the shooting Friday night by the Palestinian gunmen that killed seven and injured three.
Netanyahu said that the cabinet would meet after the end of the Jewish Sabbath and outline its plans. And now we have them. There are six points that are the main ones.
First, he announced the home of the terrorists, in his words, that carried out the attack in Jerusalem will be sealed immediately ahead of its demolition. The police has confirmed this morning that the house has already been sealed.
National insurance rights and additional benefits for the families of terrorists, they said, that support terrorism will be revoked.
They said there will be legislation on the revocation of Israeli identity cards for the families of the attackers that support terrorism.
They said firearm licensing that was mentioned in Hadas' report will be expedited and expanded.
We saw, when the 13-year-old Palestinian boy attacked that group of people on Saturday morning, that two were armed and responded with fire. It was that that prevented the attacker shooting more people.
They also said in response to the attacks and the celebrations that were seen in some parts of the West Bank in Gaza, the prime minister decided to strengthen settlements. We do not know exactly what that means. No doubt we will get more details later on.
Finally the reinforcements of military and police units with expanded arrests and focused operations to collect illegal weapons will be carried out and it will be especially keen to boost security in Jerusalem.
Now ahead of the cabinet meeting, at the end of the Jewish Sabbath, so last night, the prime minister outlined in a little bit more detail why they were going ahead with some of the plans.
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NETANYAHU (through translator): Our response will be strong, swift and precise. Whoever tries to harm us, we will harm them and everyone who assists them. We've already carried out widespread arrests of those who support and assist and incite terrorism.
We are deploying forces, we are reinforcing units and we are doing this in various sectors.
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GOTKINE: I can tell you as well, overnight, there were more incidents. The Israeli army saying an attacker approached a restaurant in the West Bank near the Dead Sea. But his gun apparently malfunctioned.
In the settlement in Padumim (ph), in the north of the West Bank, there was an attempt to infiltrate a settlement and that gunman was shot and killed by the security people there.
We are also hearing from Palestinian villagers about violent incidents against property, homes and the like. In one village near Ramallah, saying that a car was set on fire that then spread to a house that also burned. And there have been many other reports of violent incidents by Palestinians overnight.
So the violence we saw both in terms of the Israeli security forces and gun battles with militants in the West Bank on Thursday and then the shootings by Palestinian attackers on Friday night and Saturday, we are seeing a continuation of violence overnight as well.
This is all just happening, we're now about 24 hours away from U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken coming to Israel as part of a regional trip. No doubt this upsurge in violence that we are seeing and the sky high tensions between Israel and the Palestinians will be on the agenda with his discussions with Israeli officials.
HARRAK: Elliott Gotkine, thank you.
We turn our attention to Iran, where we are following three major stories, a massive fire at a oil refinery, an explosion at a military plant and an earthquake.
The fire happened at a refinery near the city of Tabriz on Saturday. Just moments ago, we learned the fire has been put out. One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation. State media says the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Meantime, Iran's defense ministry says a explosion at a military plant in the city of Isfahan was caused by small drones. State media say there was no casualties reported and only minor damage occurred to the roof of the complex. Still no clarity yet on what or who was behind the attack.
And in northwestern Iran, at least three are reported dead and 816 injured after an earthquake hit the city of Hoy (ph). That is according to state media. Saturday's 5.9 magnitude quake was so strong, it was felt across several nearby cities.
Ukrainian troops are waiting for the arrival of Western made battle tanks in the east.
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HARRAK: Still ahead, we speak to Ukrainian tank crews about why the weapons will be a game changer.
Peru's Congress has rejected a key demand from protesters, who have been clashing with police.
Is there an end in sight to the political crisis?
We will have a report right after this break.
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HARRAK: Ukraine is taking Russian artillery fire in the east just as it works to get more firepower to fight back. An official said on Saturday Russia had unleashed artillery attacks on the town of Vuhledar, launching close to 300 strikes over the last day.
Ukraine is concerned that town could be a springboard for future Russian advances if it is captured.
Meanwhile Ukraine is in talks with Western allies about getting U.S. long-range missiles. The so-called ATACMS system would enable Ukraine to hit Russia's logistical bases behind the front lines. But Washington is still reluctant to send it because of concerns Ukraine could use it to hit targets inside Russia.
Barbie Nadeau is monitoring what's happening in Ukraine.
Barbie, fierce fighting region in the east.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
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NADEAU: When you think about the front line, you have to remember this is several hundred miles long. When we see these pockets of intense attacks, military analysts say it is just to tie up Ukraine Defense Forces, to deplete their military hardware capabilities.
So there is concern that these attacks going on are just to tie them up so other attacks can go on further in the north.
HARRAK: Fighting on the front line remains intense.
And the president is calling on allies to send missiles?
NADEAU: The request for these missiles comes as Ukraine is anticipating a spring offensive by Russia. Let's hear what the Ukrainian president had to say when requesting these long-range missiles.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It would be possible to stop this Russian terror if we can provide our military with relevant missile power so that terrorists do not feel impunity.
Ukraine needs long-range missiles in particular to remove this option for invaders to destroy Ukrainian cities using missile launchers deployed far from the front line.
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NADEAU: You know, these long-range missiles have four times the capability that any of the missiles Ukraine is using now have. Washington is saying they are worried this could allow Ukraine to shoot into Russian territory. Ukraine's president said this could be a very effective deterrent if they had them in the arsenal.
HARRAK: Barbie Nadeau, thank you.
The renewed push for missiles comes just after Kyiv secured a pledge for more Western battle tanks. Ukrainian tank crews are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new weapons and doing their best with the Soviet designs already in their arsenal. Fred Pleitgen spoke to Ukrainian tankers near Bakhmut.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Revving like a dragster, the crew from the 28th Mechanized Brigade warm up their Soviet era T-64 for battle.
"We have problems with ammunition. We are running low," the commander tells me.
"And that's the only problem we have. To get enough spare parts, our commanders work all the time to sustain the tank and repair it."
That commander, who goes by the call sign "David," races the 40-year- old beast toward the front line like a steam engine train.
PLEITGEN: A lot of Ukraine's main battle tanks are as old as this one. That's why the military says they urgently need those new western main battle tanks -- they say around 300 to 400 -- to try and turn the tide in this war. PLEITGEN (voice-over): The problem, Ukraine is running out of Soviet
era tanks and is having increasing trouble replacing those lost in battle or needing repair.
The 28th helped liberated Kherson in the south and then was sent here. It has already been a long war for this unit.
Ukrainian soldiers on the front around Bakhmut are elated Western nations are sending modern battle tanks, M1A2 Abrams from the U.S., German made Leopard 2s and British Challenger tanks.
But the Ukrainians are also masters at using the old Soviet tanks they have now to best effect: firing, reloading, taking aim and quickly shooting again.
The tank engineer, who only gave his name as Maxim (ph) says the soldiers from the 28th could operate these vehicles blindfolded.
"If we fire from a covered position, we use this device," he says.
"It's old and analog but pretty efficient, very precise."
Ukraine's forces say their tanks have been extremely important and effective here in Bakhmut, taking on the mercenaries of Russia's Wagner private military company, who often use convicts as cannon fodder to try and storm Ukrainian positions, with almost no fire support.
The tank commander says they are constantly working to stop Wagner's advances here.
"We just fight against them. If we stop, they will come closer and we will lose our houses and families. We stand here to allow people to peacefully live in their homes."
But Ukraine's army is under growing pressure around Bakhmut, as the Russians pour more armor into this area. The promised Western tanks probably won't arrive fast enough to make a difference in this battle. But these soldiers hope they will turn the tide of the war -- Fred Pleitgen, CNN, near Bakhmut, Ukraine.
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HARRAK: Finland's foreign minister says he does not expect progress on his country or Sweden's NATO membership bid before elections in Turkiye in May. But he says he believes both nations are on course to eventually join the military alliance, according to Finnish media.
The statement comes days after Ankara called for the postponement of a three-way meeting in February involving Turkiye, Sweden and Finland.
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HARRAK: Turkish-Swedish relations suffered a major blow earlier this month after Stockholm police authorized a protest outside of the Turkish embassy, where a far right politician burned a copy of the Quran.
The incident sparked anger in Turkiye, where protesters set fire to the Swedish flag outside the Swedish embassy. Well, Turkiye has threatened to reject Finland's and Sweden's bids to join NATO, saying the Nordic countries harbor members of a military Kurdish separatist party which it views as a terrorist organization.
In light of all that, Turkiye's foreign minister has issued a travel warning for its citizens, traveling or living in Europe, citing an increase in anti-Islamic, xenophobic and racist actions.
The warning reads in part, "Be cautious, stay away from areas where demonstrations may intensify. Act calm against possible xenophobic and racist harassment and attacks."
Still ahead, Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail. Details on his new message to voters and the challenges he faces as he tries to get support.
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HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers in the U.S., Canada and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Former president Donald Trump has pledged that his 2024 presidential campaign will focus on the future. He announced his strategy as he visited supporters in South Carolina and unveiled his campaign leadership team.
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HARRAK: Trump refrained from repeating his lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him but he did pledge to restore what he called election integrity.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The 2024 election is our one shot to save the country and we need a leader that is ready to do that on day one. We need a fighter that can stand up to the Left, the swamp, the media, the deep state.
Am I allowed to say stand up to the RINOs as well?
I think we can say that. Stand up to the globalists and China.
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HARRAK: Gabby Orr has more on Trump's campaign events this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GABBY ORR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donald Trump making his return to the campaign trail on Saturday holding back-to-back events in New Hampshire and South Carolina unveiling his leadership team in South Carolina as well as two endorsements.
One from South Carolina governor Henry McMaster, the other from senator Lindsey Graham and announcing a new campaign hire in New Hampshire. Outgoing Republican state chairman Stephen Stepanek will join the Trump campaign as a senior adviser in the first in the nation primary state.
The former president surrounded himself with supporters at both of these events. But there are several Republicans who said that they still are waiting to see how the GOP primary field takes shape in 2024.
Who else jumps in?
Some of them have mentioned Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, who is considering a presidential campaign of her own. And we learned that she actually called former president Donald Trump this week to inform him of her interest in becoming one of his rivals.
The former president saying on his campaign plane that he encouraged Haley to run if that's what's in her heart.
He said, quote, "Go by your heart and launch a campaign if you want to."
And so that could potentially make for a very interesting primary here in South Carolina -- for CNN, Gabby Orr, in Columbia, South Carolina.
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HARRAK (voice-over): This was the scene in Lima, Peru, on Saturday, as police and protesters clashed in the streets. One person died during the demonstrations, bringing the protest-related death toll to 58.
Meanwhile Peru's congress rejected a motion for a presidential vote in December. Demonstrators have been demanding new elections since unrest began last December, when the former president was removed.
His successor, Dina Boluarte, expressed regret at the failure to pass the motion. Protesters have been calling for her resignation for weeks. So far, she has refused.
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HARRAK: More now on this developing story from Stefano Pozzebon.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Confrontations between demonstrators and the police continue in Lima as thousands took to the streets, calling for the resignation of president Dina Boluarte.
Early Saturday Boluarte expressed regret, that the initiative she endorsed to hold early January elections before the end of the year did not receive enough support to go through the congress.
Lawmakers will discuss the motion again on Monday, with the hope that, going to the polls will broker a truce with the demonstrators, that have been voicing their demands for almost two months.
The weeks of unrest have inflicted damage on Peru's economy, particularly in the regions of the Amazon and the Andean Mountain range, where communities are isolated by roadblocks set up by the demonstrators.
With fewer products reaching markets, more people are going through other channels to get fed.
JENNY VILCHEZ, FARMER (through translator): Our soup kitchens have started from the first days of the strike. We have started cooking for 100, 200 and so on and now we cook for 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 people.
POZZEBON (voice-over): According to the government, these protests have already caused over $1 billion in losses due to blocked roads and damages to infrastructure across the nation -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
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HARRAK: The death toll rises in New Zealand after heavy rain causes massive flooding that swamped Auckland. Details on the devastation after the break.
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HARRAK: People in New Zealand are facing a tremendous cleanup and recovery every after torrential rains caused widespread flooding in Auckland. The death toll has now risen from three to four. Auckland airport resumed international flights on Sunday while the heavy rains have eased for now.
More wet weather is expected in the coming days. CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mud on the floor, waterlogged drawers. This is what the floods left behind in Auckland. This was someone's house, full of a lifetime of possessions. Residents
say it took minutes before chest-deep waters washed through it. No time to save anything except themselves.
REBECCA MAGEE, AUCKLAND RESIDENT: I felt quite helpless. I have never been in that situation before. It happened real fast.
HOLMES (voice-over): New Zealand's new prime minister, Chris Hipkins, inspected the damage by air and on the ground and says the cleanup will be massive. That is because the amount of rain that fell Friday in Auckland has never reached such recorded levels in such a short amount of time.
The city had its worst downpour on record, a burst of about 240 millimeters of rain falling in just a few hours. The heavy rains caused flash floods, closing highways, grounding flights and stranding passengers, plunging neighborhoods underwater.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The water, I think, was up here. But when we tried to open that door to swim outside.
HOLMES (voice-over): The waters have since receded but there are new fears in Auckland and further south where the storm has moved. The saturated ground giving way to landslides in some areas, leaving houses dangling from cliffs, and back yards sliding down hills.
Stunned neighbors are trying to determine the scale of the damage, using the drier conditions to try to find anything salvageable from their homes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been in this community my whole life, 45 years. I have never seen it like this.
HOLMES (voice-over): But the brief cleanup that was started may have to be on hold, as meteorologists say there is more rain in the forecast -- Michael Holmes, CNN.
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HARRAK: An urgent search is underway in Western Australia for a small capsule containing a radioactive substance that was lost while it was being moved. The silver round capsule measures about a quarter of an inch in diameter. It contains a small quantity of radioactive cesium- 137.
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HARRAK: The material can be used in mining gauges and cause radiation burns and sickness if touched. It went missing while being sent to the Perth area for repairs. Australian officials are warning the public to stay away from it and report it if they see it.
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DR. ANDREW ROBERTSON, CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Our concern is that somebody will pick it up, not knowing what it is, think of it as something interesting and keep it, put it in their room, keep it in the car, give it to somebody else, not knowing what they are actually dealing with.
So our concern is to really bring it to the public's attention. Now that is probably low risk because it may have well have been lost on the side of the road. It may not be found by anybody.
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HARRAK: Emergency services say the investigating team is confirming the exact route and stops made during the capsule's journey.
Still ahead, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin thanks his supporters just weeks after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field. You will hear directly from him -- that's next.
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HARRAK: Music seems to be thawing some of the frosty relations between the U.S. and Cuba, Patrick Oppmann shows us, thanks to some visiting Americans and their Cuban counterparts.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not the kind of music you typically hear in Cuba. But then, this is not a typical group of musicians either.
For a week in January, four college-age U.S. musicians and their teachers travel from freezing Minneapolis to sunny Havana to try their hand at cultural diplomacy.
Exchanges like this are just restarting after the pandemic all but closed Cuba to the world and the Trump administration once again made it harder for Americans to travel to the communist-run island.
While tourism remains off-limits for U.S. citizens, in 2022, the Biden administration eased some restrictions on Americans visiting Cuba. These Americans brought musical instruments to donate and say they're coming away with a respect for Cuban musicians' ability to overcome adversity.
RENA KRAUT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CUBAN AMERICAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA: There's something inspiring about how the lack of the best instrument in the world does not stop anyone from working and putting out the most beautiful musicianship.
[03:55:00] OPPMANN (voice-over): For hours each day, musicians from the two countries practice together, carry out workshops and perform in local schools.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language) on tempo.
OPPMANN (voice-over): Their budding collaboration is overseen by renowned Cuban conductor Daiana Garcia.
DAIANA GARCIA, CUBAN ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR: That's more difficult, you know.
OPPMANN (voice-over): "I think the greatest benefit is spiritual," she says. "How a culture that's apparently so different can have the same interests, the same dreams."
Organizers say they're planning on bringing the Cuban students taking part in the exchange to Minneapolis in the spring so they can show their skills to a new audience.
GARCIA: We have the passion, the emotion, the feelings and the music inside of our blood.
OPPMANN (voice-over): At the end of their time in Cuba, the American musicians and their Cuban counterparts play a show at the house of the head of the U.S. embassy in Havana.
This kind of exchange isn't about solving the long-running problems between the two countries' governments, the musicians say.
ROAN FLOER-MARTINEZ, U.S. MUSICIAN: Whatever you might think about, you know, the respective governments of any two countries, it's not about the government. It's about the people. And it's about getting to know them, getting to connect with them.
OPPMANN (voice-over): And when there is that connection, beautiful music is sure to follow -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
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HARRAK: That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Laila Harrak. We pick up our coverage after a quick break. I will see you tomorrow.
