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Memphis Police Permanently Disband SCORPION Unit; Tyre Nichols GoFundMe Nears $1 Million; Eastern Ukrainian Town Of Vuhledar Under Heavy Artillery Fire; Ukraine Asking For U.S. ATACMS Long-Range Missiles; Israel Proposes New Measures To "Fight Terrorism"; Nichols' Family Lawyer Says More Memphis Officers May Face Charges; America's Choice 2024; Over 13 Million Under Winter Weather Alert; Deadly Floods Leave Massive Cleanup For New Zealand. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired January 29, 2023 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION unit.
KINKADE (voice-over): Activists hail a victory in the fight for police reform. It comes after the release of video showing the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. Details plus where the case against the officers involved goes from here.
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KINKADE (voice-over): Donald Trump says he's even more angry about the direction of the country as he hits the campaign trail ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. And he has advice for one of his potential rivals.
And the Australian Open men's final is underway this hour. We'll break down the highlights of the match so far with "CNN SPORT's" Coy Wire.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE: When 29-year-old Tyre Nichols is laid to rest this Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee, it will be in a city that no longer has a special police unit known as SCORPION.
Activists had been demanding the anti-crime squad be terminated in the wake of Nichols' death three weeks ago. On Saturday, the police department announced that SCORPION had been permanently disbanded. It also confirmed that the five officers who fatally beat Nichols on January 7th were all assigned to the anti-crime unit.
As Nichols' family grieves and prepares for his upcoming funeral, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the victims' parents on Friday, sharing his own personal experience of losing a son. Here's some of that conversation.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I promise you, it's going to have an impact on the other children as well, because they will -- I mean, it's going to not only have a negative impact but a positive impact.
ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: Yes.
BIDEN: It's going to be, you know, a model for them.
WELLS: Yes, he will.
BIDEN: Because, you know, that awful expression, only the good die young, it just is -- he was a hell of a kid and a handsome boy.
WELLS: Thank you.
You know, Mr. President, he actually tattooed my name on arm.
BIDEN: I do know that.
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BIDEN: God love it. That's what you call something special, Mom. That's what you call something special.
WELLS: Yes, sir.
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KINKADE (voice-over): The Nichols' case and the shocking videos have stirred up a lot of anger, with loud calls for justice and police reform across the United States. All of Saturday's protests were peaceful with only minor disturbances reported.
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KINKADE: Well, for the latest, here's CNN's Shimon Prokupecz in Memphis. And we need to warn you, some of the 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.
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KINKADE: Well, earlier, my colleague Laila Harrak spoke with civil rights attorney Areva Martin on how quickly both the city and the police department responded to this tragic event.
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KINKADE: Take a listen.
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AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: 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.
LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: 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.
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HARRAK: Well, after the police videos of Nichols were made public Friday, this was the reaction on Saturday.
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KINKADE (voice-over): Mostly peaceful demonstrations in cities across the U.S. And everywhere, the message was the same: justice for Tyre Nichols and reform the nation's police departments. We get more now from CNN's Polo Sandoval in New York.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here in the United States, it was another night of demonstrations from coast to coast, in the wake of the release of that series of videos, showing the beating of Tyre Nichols on Friday night.
There was one incident in Times Square where at least three arrests were reported. But outside of that, according to authorities, things have remained relatively peaceful.
On Saturday night, another group of protesters coming together here in Manhattan, hoping to stand in solidarity with the Nichols family, hoping that their voice makes it to Memphis and beyond.
Here's what one of the organizers of Saturday night's event told our affiliate WCBS about why they're coming together here in New York.
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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.
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SANDOVAL: New York City's police commissioner did say that they will continue to have officers out in full force, not only making sure that citizens stay safe but also to make sure that they protect the right for these individuals to peacefully assemble throughout the city here.
They did say also that they are really expressing outrage as well after seeing that video that was released, that series of videos that was released on Friday night. That's really what we're also hearing from other police departments in other parts of the country, strongly condemning what the world saw when those videos were released -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
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KINKADE: Well, the GoFundMe page set up by Tyre Nichols' mother has far exceeded her original goal. At last check, the donations are approaching $1 million.
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KINKADE (voice-over): The money will be used in part to pay for a skate park in Tyre's memory. On Saturday, demonstrators called for people to join them in skating for Tyre. Money will also be used to pay for mental health services for his mother and stepfather.
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KINKADE: In addition to skateboarding, Tyre's mother said her son loved to take pictures of sunsets.
Well, four people were shot in Baltimore Saturday, one of them fatally. A 2-year-old child is among those shot and is now in hospital in stable condition. An adult man and woman are in critical condition and a 6-year-old child suffered critical injuries in a car accident at the scene.
Baltimore mayor Brendan Scott expressed his anger over the shooting.
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MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT, BALTIMORE: We're talking about someone dead, a woman shot, a child shot, another child injured, another person shot.
Over what? And I see a lot of folks -- and really at this point I'm talking to folks here look like me, to Black men in Baltimore. I see a lot of folks trying to be, acting like they are tough but they are really weak, because only weak people shoot somebody when you know children are right there.
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KINKADE: Well, police believe one or more gunmen opened fire but are unsure of the intended target. Authorities are investigating.
And another shooting in California, the fourth mass shooting in the state in a week. Three people were killed, four others injured in an upscale neighborhood in Los Angeles.
Local CNN affiliate KABC reports that three victims were shot inside a car; the other four while standing outside a home. The station says the injured are in critical condition. The motive for the shooting is unknown but an investigation is underway.
Ukraine wants more than just tanks as it prepares for a new Russian offensive. We report live from Eastern Ukraine when we come back.
Plus, Israeli's prime minister pledges a strong response to a pair of shootings in Jerusalem. Details on Benjamin Netanyahu's new plan to fight what he calls terrorism.
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KINKADE: Welcome back.
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 the town could be a springboard for future Russian advances if it's captured.
Well, meanwhile, Ukraine says it's in talks with Western allies about getting U.S. long-range missiles. The so-called Attack EMS (sic) system would enable Ukraine to hit Russian bases behind the front lines.
Washington is reluctant to send it, because of concerns Ukraine could use it to hit targets inside Russia. But Ukraine's president says the weapon would make Moscow think twice about shelling Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 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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KINKADE: Well, for more, Fred Pleitgen is standing by in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
Good to have you with us.
So Vuhledar has been pounded in recent days.
What is the strategy behind that?
Why is Russia continuing to hit that town with a barrage of salt (ph)?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Lynda. Well, it's a strategic town that the Russians obviously want and the Ukrainians want to keep.
It's a small settlement. It's a mining town for coal mining. However, both the Russians and the Ukrainians believe that whoever controls that town also controls some pretty important routes, both to the south and to the east of Ukraine.
And that whoever controls that area obviously has a much better position in trying to maneuver both in the south and to the south as well, that's in the east and to the east. Of course, right now, that's where most of the massive front lines are.
And the Ukrainians have been saying that the Russians have really being hitting Ukrainian positions in that town and around that town of Vuhledar and trying to make some advances as well, really using some pretty strong weapons, also, including thermal barrack weapons, which is an awful multiple rocket launching system which does inflict a big toll wherever it lands.
However, so far, the Ukrainians are saying that the Russians are not having very much success in Vuhledar.
In fact, there was some video that was released by the Ukrainians showing or appearing to show a failed Russian assault on Vuhledar, with the Russians in the end having to abandon their vehicles and some of the wounded having to crawl away, who were left behind by the Russian infantry.
So right now the Ukrainians are saying they're taking a lot of fire from the Russians in that area. However, they're also saying that the assaults so far have not been successful by the Russians. But in general, Lynda, one of the things we've been seeing throughout
the past couple of days, maybe the last couple of weeks as well, is the Russians have really fortified their positions in the east of the country. They've brought in a lot more heavy armor.
It goes all the way to the north through the area around Kreminna, obviously, around the area where we are, near the town of Bakhmut.
There's some really heavy fighting that's been going on as well where we can really see that the Russians are moving a lot of gear and moving a lot of soldiers into this area, obviously trying to improve their position and also trying to go on a counterattack as well, Lynda.
And Fred, Ukraine wants these tactical long-range missiles from the U.S. The Ukrainian President Zelenskyy calling them vital.
At this stage, the U.S. won't go that far, fearing that it could escalate the situation, right?
PLEITGEN: Yes, not just -- yes, that's something that the U.S. has said. And the big fear, obviously, that the Biden administration has, is that these ATACMS missiles could be used by the Ukrainians to hit Russian territory.
And there are some Ukrainian officials who say that exactly what they intend to do. The Ukrainians say that since they've had these longer multiple rocket launching systems with guided rockets from the U.S., they've been able to hit a lot of Russian weapons depots, for instance.
Also a lot of logistics centers for the Russians that are a bit further away from the front lines. So what the Russians apparently have done in the meantime, is they've moved a lot of their logistics even further away from the front line, to move them out of the range of these guided multiple rocket launching systems called the HIMARS, that have a range of about 50 miles.
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PLEITGEN: So the Ukrainians say they need to be able to reach further to interdict Russia's lines of communication in those areas, the places where they have their logistics, their weapons depots, their really large weapons depots, to be able to stop the Russians from doing things like they're doing in Vuhledar right now, which is hitting the Ukrainians with massive barrages of artillery and multiple rocket launching systems themselves.
So the Ukrainians say this is absolutely vital. It seems that the Biden administration is not yet in a position where they say they want to go that far and hand these missiles to the Ukrainians, Lynda.
KINKADE: Frederik Pleitgen, good to have you on the story for us in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, thanks so much.
Well, Israel's prime minister has announced new proposals to fire what he calls terrorism after a pair of shootings in Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu says the measures would, in part, exact a price on suspected terrorists and those who support them and also enable more citizens to carry weapons for defense.
Now this comes after the latest shooting was stopped by two civilians carrying licensed weapons. Police say both of them shot and injured the suspected gunman after he wounded two people in Saturday's attack. And it happened less than a day after another shooting left seven people dead.
In Jerusalem, hundreds of Israelis mourned the victims of Friday's attack during a protest against Israel's government. Let's get more from Elliott Gotkine, who joins us from Jerusalem.
Elliott, good to have you with us. So this is a test for Netanyahu.
The question is, does he have a plan that will bring calm, that would de-escalate the situation?
Or could it potentially escalate it?
Just take us through his response.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, prime minister Netanyahu was actually holding another cabinet meeting today and was reiterating that, in his words, you know, they're not looking for escalation.
But I suppose there is a very real concern that some of the measures announced, which were reiterated today at the cabinet meeting, measures that were announced last night in a secure cabinet meeting, that those could end up leading to some kind of escalation in the situation.
And I want to read out to you the kind of six-point plan that was outlined by the security cabinet last night. So first of all, they said that they would seal the home of the Palestinian gunman on Friday, who killed seven Israelis, and that they will seal the home with a plan to destroy it. Now the police have confirmed that's already been sealed.
Benjamin Netanyahu saying the plan is to destroy that home later. They're talking about the national insurance rights, additional benefits from the families of attackers that support such acts will be revoked.
They're talking about legislation. They're going to be discussing legislation to revoke the Israeli identity cards of families of attackers that support terrorism, in their words. That's something that they were discussing today.
And as was mentioned earlier, they're talking about expanding and expediting the licensing of firearms, noting that two of the group that came under attack from the 13-year-old Palestinian boy on Saturday, when they were shot by him, that they were able to fire back and prevent any casualties in that particular incident. The next point was that they were going to decide on strength -- on
steps to strengthen settlements in the West Bank. Now again today, Netanyahu referred to this but didn't actually give any specifics. Those specifics will come at a later point.
But he said that this was to show that, for those that are trying to uproot Israel from its home, that there is a price to be paid.
Finally, talking about the expansion and reinforcement of military arrests, to collect illegal weapons to be carried out. So those are the main plans from Netanyahu.
But I should say that after yesterday evening and also this morning, there have been more violent incidents taking place. There was an attempted shooting at a settlement by the Dead Sea, by a Palestinian attacker.
It seems in that instance, the army says that the gun malfunctioned.
At another settlement in the northern part of the West Bank, that there was an attempt to infiltrate that settlement by a Palestinian and that the security guard killed that attacker as well.
And then Palestinian officials talking about dozens of settlers setting fire to cars and property and even one house last night as well. So no signs of de-escalation, I'm afraid, here, Lynda.
KINKADE: Certainly a lot of violence. Elliott, the U.S. secretary of state Blinken is scheduled to visit Israel in the coming week.
Is that visit going ahead as planned?
And if so, are there increased security measures being put in place?
GOTKINE: He actually just landed in Cairo. He will be here tomorrow, speaking with Israeli officials and Palestinian officials as well. So the trip is going ahead as planned. Of course, perhaps the content will be changed.
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GOTKINE: But he will be in person, expressing his condolences for the Israelis that were killed in those attacks over the Jewish Sabbath and perhaps also discussing the security coordination between Israel and the Palestinians, which the Palestinian Authority said were ending in the wake of those gun battles between Israeli security forces and militants in Jenin on Thursday that left nine Palestinians dead.
So perhaps the content will change slightly. No doubt, Iran will also be on the agenda. But some analysts are saying that this will effectively turn into an extended condolence call to the Israelis in the wake of those attacks over the Jewish Sabbath.
But in terms of his planned visit and in terms of the kind of additional security that Israel will put in place for that visit, I don't think there's been any real change there in that respect. Lynda. KINKADE: OK. We will follow that trip closely, Elliott Gotkine in Jerusalem, good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, Donald Trump returns to the campaign trail with a new message to voters. Ahead, we'll tell you about his strategy to win support as he braces for a challenge from a fellow Republican.
Plus, Memphis police announce a major departmental shakeup after video shows officers fatally beating an unarmed man, Tyre Nichols. Just ahead, we'll explain what's changed and what still needs to happen.
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KINKADE: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade. This is CNN NEWSROOM. Good to have you with us.
Well, the Memphis Police Department has announced the permanent end of a special anti-crime unit known as SCORPION. It comes just a day after the city released graphic videos of five SCORPION officers fatally beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.
Police have confirmed all of the officers were with that special unit. It's not clear why they targeted Nichols or became overly aggressive toward him.
As Nichols' family grieves and prepares for his upcoming funeral, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with the victim's parents on Friday, sharing his own personal experience of losing his son.
The street corner where Nichols was brutally beaten was only a short distance from his home. The site has become a makeshift memorial, with people stopping by to pay their respects.
Steve Cohen represents parts of Memphis in the U.S. Congress and, on Saturday, he spoke with CNN's Pamela Brown about the duty of other police officers who may be present and could have intervened in a situation like this. Take a listen.
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REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN): The duty to render aid is a major part of a police officer's job to protect and serve. And those officers did not do that.
There were probably other officers involved. There was an officer back at the scene who was, I think, a sixth member of the SCORPION unit who didn't go to the scene. He was the person who drove up in the first video that had his body camera -- camcorder working.
And he said, "I hope they stomp him."
I'm afraid what he said was indicative of the attitude of the SCORPION unit and maybe police in general but more likely the SCORPION unit specifically to take their aggressions out and take the law into their own hands. And this is always wrong.
So I think -- I don't know how they've been trained. I'm sure they've been trained well but I don't know if this group particularly learned their lesson and they acted on basically blue testosterone and ego. But it started with that.
When they grabbed him out of the car, it wasn't, excuse me -- excuse me but show us your driver's license.
And why did you run that light or why did you run out of the lane or whatever?
We saw them giving what were probably George Santos-type descriptions of what he did earlier, he was in the wrong lane, he reached for my gun. These were alibis that they were posting knowing they were videoing and they were laying out their defense.
And I couldn't trust any one of them because they didn't take their oath of office to heart and they just beat him to hell.
And there were three of them, two of them, one kicked him, one punched him and one hit him with a stick, a baton and the other two helped. All five are rotten apples. And I commend the police chief for doing what she did.
But she and Mayor Strickland both of whom, want to do right. They had the toughest job of coming forward. They need to clean the department of bad apples. They need to get intensive training. They need to make sure de-escalation comes first.
I've had a bill for about eight years in the Congress that George Floyd saying that we need to have training of officers in other ethnic differences and to look at de-escalating intense situations.
The Memphis Police Department trains but they need to make it more of a regular part of the curriculum that is undertaken and observed and protocol taken out by the officers to deescalate. There was no effort to deescalate.
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KINKADE: Well, former U.S. president Donald Trump spoke about the video of the Memphis police beating, Tyre Nichols, while he was out on the campaign trail. He said the footage was horrible but when he was asked if it made him rethink police reform, Trump said, crime still needs to be stopped.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: At the same time, you have to stop crime. So it's sort of like individual people, you have to get the right people that know when you have to be tough and when not to be tough.
This was a case of being very, very tough. Overly, overly brazen. It was sad to watch. It was a very sad thing to watch. He was begging for his mother. And that was a sad thing to watch. It's not a question of reform, it's a question of having people what you have to do.
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KINKADE: Trump's political rallies were the first since he announced his latest presidential bid in November. In a series of speeches, he said his new campaign would focus on the future and that he's more fired up than ever.
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TRUMP: They said, he's not campaigning. This is like about a month ago when I announced.
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TRUMP: Well, I said, you know, I've got two years. They said, he's not doing rallies. He's not campaigning. Maybe he's lost that step. We didn't -- I'm more angry now and I'm more committed now than I ever was.
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CNN's Gabby Orr has more on Trump's campaign events.
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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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KINKADE: We are tracking a Conservative Party shakeup in the U.K. Last hour, we learned British prime minister Rishi Sunak has sacked party chairman Nadhim Zahawi. This comes after an independent investigation into Zahawi's personal finances.
The inquiry revealed what is described as a, quote, "serious breach" of ministerial code, according to a letter from the prime minister's office shared with CNN.
Zahawi has tweeted a statement in response, saying, it was a privilege to serve in successive governments. He also said he was proud of his role in the COVID vaccine rollout and the mourning period for the late Queen Elizabeth.
Well, this was the scene in Lima, Peru, on Saturday, as police and protesters clashed on the streets.
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KINKADE (voice-over): One person died during the demonstrations, bringing the protest-related death toll to 58. It comes after Peru's congress rejected a motion that would have set a date for the country's next presidential vote.
Demonstrators have been demanding new elections since last December, when former president Pedro Castillo was removed from office.
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KINKADE: Well, how does 50-degrees-below-zero wind chills sound to you?
It's coming to parts of the United States. And the snow and ice is already being blamed for a huge pileup in Wisconsin.
Plus --
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been in this community my whole life, 45 years. I've never seen it like this.
KINKADE (voice-over): New Zealand residents assess the damage and begin the cleanup from every rain and flooding. We'll have the details when we come back.
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KINKADE: Well, in the U.S., more than 13 million people are under wind chill alerts, as dangerously cold air and gutsy (sic) winds across move across parts of North Dakota and northern Minnesota.
It could feel as cold as 50 degrees below zero tonight into tomorrow and cause frostbite on exposed skin in 10 minutes, making this the coldest temperatures seen that record-breaking -- since that record- breaking freeze during Christmas.
It's already causing traffic chaos. Officials in Wisconsin believe snow, ice and whiteout conditions were a factor in a massive 85-car pileup on Friday. At least 21 people were taken to hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.
People in New Zealand are facing a tremendous cleanup and recovery. And the death toll now stands at four after torrential rains caused massive flooding and widespread damage in Auckland, the country's most populous city.
Auckland airport resumed international flights earlier today after high water disrupted operations. Officials say Friday was the city's wettest day on record, with the amount of rainfall equal to an entire summer's worth of rain.
New Zealand's new prime minister, Chris Hipkins, surveyed damaged areas and met with emergency services. He says the government will provide as much support as possible.
Well, search and rescue teams say they have responded to more than 400 emergency calls during those storms. And earlier, my colleague, Michael Holmes, spoke with Desley Simpson, the deputy mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, about the floods.
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DEPUTY MAYOR DESLEY SIMPSON, AUCKLAND: It's really been very, very tough for Aucklanders. And this of course, comes straight after the COVID issues, too. So from a mental health perspective, it's causing quite a lot of trauma, as well.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I understand the military was even mobilized to help.
Just how stretched were emergency services, given the size of what unfolded?
I know there was initial criticism of the initial response. SIMPSON: Look, every emergency vehicle has been deployed for
Auckland. We got word from the weather service that the weather was going to get very bad on Friday night.
The emergency services met, they talked about having a state of emergency that was lift until about 8:30, quarter to nine and, within eight minutes, the state of emergency was called.
But the mayor did that following advice from the emergency services people. And as I said, there was probably eight minutes between when they asked for it and when it was deployed. As a result, that gave police and other agencies the power to enforce eviction from homes where there was damage.
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KINKADE: Well, thankfully, the heavy rains have eased for now but more wet weather is expected in the coming days. Michael Holmes has more.
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HOLMES (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.
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HOLMES (voice-over): 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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KINKADE: Welcome back.
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KINKADE: And that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Don't forget, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @LyndaKinkade and @CoyWire. CNN NEWSROOM is up next. For the rest of the world, it's "DECODED."
