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Bodies Pulled From Rubble As Death Toll Tops 15,000 In Turkey And Syria; Humanitarian Aid Corridor From Turkey To Syria Now Open; Volodymyr Zelenskyy Meets With Emmanuel Macron And Olaf Scholz On Paris Visit; Volodymyr Zelenskyy Urging Allies To Provide Fighter Jets To Ukraine; Kim Jong-un Putting Young Daughter Front And Center. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired February 09, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm John Vause.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, the window for miracles is closing. In Turkey and Syria's quake zone, the search for life will soon become recovery of the dead.
Out and about, Ukraine's president meets with the British prime minister in Number 10 followed by a quick trip to Paris for one-on- ones with the leaders of France and Germany.
And take your daughter to work day, Kim Jong-un meeting with the military with daughter in tow. Could this little girl be the next dictator of North Korea?
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: In the past 24 hours the death toll in Turkey and Syria after Monday's earthquake has almost doubled, now standing up more than 15,000 and is expected to continue to rise.
In northern Syria, residential buildings are now reduced to mountains of rubble. Officials in Damascus say close to 300,000 people have been forced from their homes. That's only part of the country which is under government control.
Buildings are still crumbling as far as south at the outer suburbs of the capital, and with overnight temperatures plunging, mosques are now being used as shelters for the homeless.
Amid the despair though, there are moments of joy, moments of celebration. 62 hours after the region was rattled by a 7.8 magnitude quake, two sisters pulled to safety from under debris in southern Turkey.
New reports, a quake damage row -- a quake damaged road leading to the early humanitarian aid corridor from Turkey into Syria has now reopened. A spokesperson at the crossing says they've received the bodies of about 300 Syrians from Turkey being sent back to Syria for burial but no aid.
Meanwhile, Twitter once again working after it was shut down for almost a day by the government because of critical tweets. More than a dozen people were also detained over those tweets. The shutdown impacted rescue workers and aid groups which were using Twitter to coordinate relief efforts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to the disaster zone Wednesday to defend his government's response. He admitted some initial shortcomings. Now says the situation is under control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): As of now, a total of 21,200 personnel of the military gendarmerie and police are on duty in Hatay. Despite this some dishonest people campaigning in Hatay are making false statements saying there's no one in Hatay. We will not let dishonest people speak ill of our soldiers, gendarmerie and police.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: President Erdogan's visit to the quake zone was brief and search crews in the city nearest the epicenter had little success while he was there.
For the most of the mission has now -- has now shifted from rescue to recovery. Here's CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is hard to imagine how this rubble gave anyone hope. Yet for 50 or so hours after the quake, it almost did, and when it stopped, when the chances of surviving ebbed, the bodies so near the epicenter here kept coming.
The paralysis of grief when these two parents see their 8-year-old daughter's red hair, blood stained; another 4 year-old-girl with no parents here to bury her. Another father, simply walking behind.
There has been constant intense activity desperately trying to save lives, but we are sadly now into the window where so many of the ambulances that arrive will likely be taking away people who perished.
Up high, hope is strongest, digging furiously by hand here.
On the other side of the rubble, medics rushed forward, growing fury at how nothing here came sooner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Why did you not look for the ones at the top first? Oh, father.
WALSH: Stretchers here too late, return empty. Another body pulled out of a Syrian refugee in his 40s as the excavations gained pace, an audience of agony watches, waits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Heaven's garden is where they have gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My little lamb, her bed has flown, the columns fell on it. She is only seven. How could she move it?
WALSH: Hospital volunteer told us over 300 bodies here are unclaimed and the numbers rising fast along with tempers. It is chaos and whether any government could have moved faster, was the question dogging Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when he flew into town briefly.
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This stadium, suddenly home to possibly thousands for who knows how long? Many refugees from Syria, now perhaps losing their homes for the third time.
That's nearly as many years as some have been alive. They have nothing but the state's generosity to rely on, which for now means 12 people in this tent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't know how long they'll let us stay here. We have no house to go to.
Until there is a safe space, we are just waiting for our government.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Whatever they give, we will accept.
WALSH: For now, the question is what they could have done to not arrive for so many entombed here, too late.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Moutaz Adham is the country director for Oxfam in Syria, he joins us now from Damascus. Sir, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
The situation in Syria is complicated. Right? So some areas under rebel control. Others are under government control. How do you negotiate between these two parties to get access to the quake zones to get assistance that you need from them? How is this making things so much worse?
MOUTAZ ADHAM, SYRIA COUNTRY DIRECTOR, OXFAM (on camera): Good morning to you and to your viewers. Oxfam is working in areas that are under the control of the government of Syria. That's where we are responding. We have other partners that are responding to the northwest that are under rebels control from Turkey.
So, our negotiation for Oxfam is limited to that with the authorities in Damascus.
VAUSE: Guess that makes it a much more simple equation. The main road which serves as a corridor to U.N. humanitarian crossing, it's reopened, what sort of difference will that make now that you can actually get from Turkey into Syria?
ADHAM: I mean, it's such a relief that it is open, and also the U.N. convoy started crossing the borders and the deliver assistance where we needed assistance to almost 4.1 million people, the Northwest that desperately rely on this material aid. So, this is such a relief indeed.
VAUSE: You know, the first 72 hours they say after an earthquake, critical, that point has now passed. When you say -- when you get to a point where there's sort of nothing more that can be done in terms of search and rescue.
ADHAM: Yes, you're right. I think here we are chasing with both time and weather also. I mean, the condition -- the weather condition is really cold. We're dealing with freezing rain, snow. And we still have hundreds of people, if not thousands that are still trapped under collapsed building.
When you wander, for example, the streets of Aleppo, which is also a really impacted, badly impacted area, you hear -- still hear people screaming from under the rebels and they see their loved ones trying to take them out with their bare hands.
We know here the -- in Aleppo and Latakia, also to areas that are badly impacted, the capacity to actually take people from under the rubbles is very limited. There is a major shortage of heavy equipment, excavation equipments, and we see as I said, people just using their bare hands to do that. So, the fact that we are running against time here.
Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib, just a few years ago, these were places that became synonymous with the Civil War. And they're the ones in Syria, which have been most impacted by the quake.
Given the fact that they were incredibly damaged in the Civil War. These structures are not exactly, I guess, sturdy enough to sustain an earthquake. So, do you know what the situation is like in those cities? How badly damaged have they been? What are the challenges there?
ADHAM: I mean, I know in Aleppo around 54 buildings have collapsed in Aleppo, 102 buildings have collapsed in Latakia.
Also, we've seen that water pipes are being heavily damaged, impacting people ability to get access to clean water. Bakeries have been damaged. So people now are struggling to get access to bread.
Nothing, just to your point, the Syrian people have been significantly impacted by the war for the past 12 years. So the situation in Syria was grave even before the earthquake, you have 90 percent of the population that is living under the poverty line. Nine out of 10 Syrians don't know where their next meal comes from.
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When we say meal, it's not about vegetable, it's not about meal, it's not about vegetables or meat. It's about simple bread. So, the situation even before this earthquake was very dire.
VAUSE: And when someone is lucky enough to pull from beneath the rubble, where do they go? What do you do with them?
ADHAM: There have been some collective shelters, what we call them that have been opened, mosque have opened to accommodate displaced people, the mosque, churches, schools have turned also into collective shelters.
However, because of the also limited supplies to really address the needs of those people who have been displaced, the situation is extremely dire.
What you have here in Syria is that the Syria humanitarian response is severely underfunded. So the resources are very limited, and indeed, people are hungry, people are cold. And people are really tired.
Still, a large number of people are wandering the streets. Even those whose buildings have not totally collapsed, don't feel safe to go back to their homes.
What we are hearing from people saying that these homes that used to be a refuge for us to seek safety, now they became a danger for our lives.
VAUSE: Moutaz, we appreciate you being with us taking the time to tell us what's happening in Syria. It's very much appreciated. Thank you.
ADHAM: Thank you. Good day.
VAUSE: We will have a lot more on the earthquake later this hour.
In just a few hours, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to attend an E.U. summit in Brussels. The latest stop on his surprise diplomatic tour of European capitals following visits to London and Paris. It's just his second international trip since the war began almost a year ago.
In the French capital on Wednesday, Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, both leaders pledged military aid for Ukraine will continue for as long as it's needed. President Zelenskyy says their support make a huge difference in the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): France and Germany had the potential to be game changers and that is how I see our talks today. This is obvious, the sooner we get heavy, long range weapons and our
pilots get modern planes, the earlier our pilots can get modern planes, all off the more powerful will our tank coalition. And I'm thankful to you for starting this path.
The quicker this Russian aggression ends, we can return Europe to a certain peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: We have more now from CNN's Jim Bettermann following developments from Paris.
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JIM BETTERMANN CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The three leaders gathered for a statement ahead of tonight's working dinner, which was long on generalities and short on specifics, but basically important generalities because they said for example, President Zelenskyy said that Germany and France for their parts, it could be game changers.
For his part, President Macron said it is important, crucial that in fact that Ukraine win the war against Russia.
And on his side, Chancellor Scholz in Germany said that Germany was definitely on the side of Ukraine and that they wanted to send a strong signal to the Russians that Europe is not divided as the Russians have been suggesting.
That signal will be reinforced tomorrow when President Zelenskyy goes to Brussels to talk to an extraordinary summit of the European leaders that's been called and basically reinforce the message that he's been saying all along that there is urgency about his need for humanitarian support, but more importantly, weapon support that the Europeans can provide.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
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VAUSE: Well, now he has the modern battle tanks, Zelenskyy wants fighter jets. He pressed the British prime minister to provide them on a tour of British army base when Ukrainian troops are being trained to operate Challenger 2 tanks. U.K. will also start to train Ukrainian pilots on NATO standard fighter jets.
Here's what Rishi Sunak had to say when asked if sending aircraft could come next.
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RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: First of all, we've been very clear, and we've been clear for a long time that when it comes to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, nothing is off the table and that's because we're determined to ensure that Volodymyr the president and his people can be victorious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More now from Scott McLean on Zelenskyy's visit to the United Kingdom.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Volodymyr Zelenskyy's touchdown in the United Kingdom mark just the second time the Ukrainian president has been on foreign soil in almost a year of full scale war.
Greeted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Zelenskyy is hoping to turn these hugs and handshakes into military hardware. And he had plenty of time to make his case on the long drive to Downing Street.
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SUNAK: We've had a good chat already, we've got lots of discuss over the course of this day.
MCLEAN: With Ukrainian troops already training on the tanks Britain is sending to the front lines, Sunak is now pledging to train an additional 20,000 Ukrainian troops in the U.K. He also pledged to accelerate weapons shipments, new sanctions on Russia and longer range weapons.
Speaking to lawmakers, Zelenskyy said the new equipment would put victory within reach.
ZELENSKYY: It will allow us to make the evil completely retrieved from our country by destroying its heavyweights deep in the occupied territories.
MCLEAN: But he didn't hold back in his calls for more. Presenting a Ukrainian Air Force helmet to the house speaker with the inscription we have freedom, give us wings to protect it.
ZELENSKYY: I appeal to you and the world with simple and yet most important words, combat aircrafts to Ukraine. Wings for freedom.
MCLEAN: The prime minister says the U.K. will train Ukrainian pilots to fly British jets, but isn't sending the actual planes at least not yet.
But after the pair met with Ukrainian troops training in the U.K., Sunak said nothing is off the table.
SUNAK: The first step in being able to provide advanced aircrafts is to have soldiers or aviators that are capable of using them.
MCLEAN: Russia's embassy was quick to vow a response but either unaware or indifferent. Smiling Zelenskyy is leaving Britain without fighter jets but with plenty of optimism they'll soon be on their way.
Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: David Sanger is a CNN political and national security analyst. He's also White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times. He's with us this hour from Washington, D.C. Good to see you.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to see you.
VAUSE: OK, so just a week ago, the headlines read like this, U.S. and U.K. rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine. But now comes word that Britain will at least offering training to Ukrainian pilots on NATO standard aircraft. And that's not sending actual fighter jets to Ukraine. Listen to this.
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SUNAK: For first of all, that we've been very clear. And we've been clear for a long time that when it comes to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, nothing is off the table. And that's because we're determined to ensure that Volodymyr the president and his people can be victorious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Nothing off the table is a big difference from not sending fighter jets at all. So, what's driving this decision by the U.K. who've been out in front on these sort of weapons issues from the get go? You know, they're the first to send tanks for instance.
SANGER: Yes, well, I mean, it's certainly true that Britain has been ahead of the United States, in sending certain high tech weapons that President Biden has been afraid would cause escalation on the part of the Russians.
You saw this in the case of the tanks where Britain agreed to send a dozen of its own tanks, before Germany came along, before the U.S. even got along with sending Abrams tanks.
But the fighter jets are a different kind of weapon, particularly in President Biden's mind. And I suspect in the minds of many European leaders, because once you've got the fighter jet going, you can reach Moscow. And that's exactly what President Biden is concerned about.
VAUSE: With that in mind, here's the response from the U.S. Secretary of State on supplying fighter jets to Ukraine.
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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is an evolving process. And we will continue to make judgments about what we think Ukraine needs and what it can be most effective. In using, we'll do that in very close consultation with Ukrainians and of course, in consultation with our partners. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's not a yes. And it's not an outright no either. So, is there room here for any negotiations, for the U.S. this is completely a non-starter?
SANGER: Well, I think that there is some room for negotiation. Look, history of the first year of this war has been that Joe Biden has ended up sending weapons in recent months that no one would have even considered sending in February of 2022. So, his mind has changed particularly as the battlefield changed.
What the Ukrainians needed when the battle was around Kyiv. Basically, javelins and the aircraft capability was very different from what they needed when the war shifted to the south and the east, when it needed armored personnel carriers, tanks and so forth.
I think that the question here though, is, at what point does the provocation of Putin become so great that you increase what some of the U.S. government called the nuclear paradox, which is to say, if the Ukrainians are sufficiently armed with something that can make the Russians feel threatened, might they move to begin to at least threaten more use of -- or threaten the use of their tactical nuclear weapons.
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VAUSE: Well, from London, Zelenskyy went to Paris and there he met with the French president, the German chancellor was also there. And yes, he asked them both for fighter jets. Here's reaction from the French president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: Ukraine can count on France, its European partners and its allies to win the war. Russia cannot and must not win.
As long as it will attack, it will be necessary that we continue and adapt the military support vital to preserving Ukraine and its future.
In the same way that we have gone ahead with new military equipment deliveries of the last few weeks, we will continue our work.
Tonight, we will talk together about the operational needs of Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Now that actually to me sounds like a no.
SANGER: It says to me too, but there are a couple of remarkable things going on here. First, let's think about this. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is traveling around European capitals. He's in London, traveling around the main part of the continent. This is not what Vladimir Putin had in mind.
He had in mind a three day to three week invasion, at the end of which the leadership of Ukraine will be completely destroyed.
So instead, he's got the leader of the Ukrainian government showing up at Number 10, asking for fighter jets.
VAUSE: David, thank you very much for being with us. Really appreciate your insights and your analysis.
SANGER: Always great to be with you.
VAUSE: During his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes, that may not be too much longer. During an interview with PBS, Biden said Putin had already lost the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, there's no way that Putin is going to be able to -- he's already lost Ukraine. The idea that he's never going to be able to --
Well, here's what he thought. He thought that if he invaded Ukraine, first of all, he'd get a welcome by every Russian speaker they'd say, come on in.
Secondly, he thought what would happen is that NATO would collapse. NATO would not do anything. They'd be afraid to act, then he thought anyway, go down the line. None of that's happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Dutch investigators say Vladimir Putin most likely provided the missile, which brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
The conclusion was drawn from intercepted phone calls, which indicate the Russian president personally signed off on delivery of the weapon to pro-Russian separatists.
But they say there is not strong enough evidence to begin any new prosecutions, even if President Putin did not have immunity as a head of state.
Moscow has repeatedly denied responsibility for the attack, which killed all 298 people on board.
Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, a display of military might, North Korea created nearly a dozen intercontinental ballistic missiles on the founding anniversary of its army.
Plus, the U.S. House set to vote on whether to condemn the incident of the Chinese balloon flying in U.S. air space. More on Washington's grievances with Beijing in a moment.
Plus, a fire breaks put in midflight-- fire breaks out midflight I should say, forcing a passenger on the plane to make an emergency landing. An item that many travelers packing their carry on started the fire.
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VAUSE: North Korea has put its advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles on display. Nearly a dozen were part of a massive military parade marking the 75th anniversary of North Korea's Army.
And it comes only weeks after leader Kim Jong-un call for an exponential increase in the country's nuclear arsenal. State media issued these images just a short time ago.
Let's go live now to Seoul CNN's Paula Hancocks. So, we're watching the parade, was this the big takeaway?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, John, what we have so far is images of the parade itself, it was held at nighttime. And the main takeaway that most experts are looking at is the fact of the sheer volume of ICBMs, the sheer number of intercontinental ballistic missiles that were on show.
Now, it's believed to be 11, at last count that we saw rolling along the streets of Kim Il-sung Square where these parades generally take place.
And there was also according to some experts, as well would appear to be a model of a solid fuel ICBM. Now, this is significant because most of the ICBMs are liquid fuel, meaning it takes a long time to assemble them, to put the fuel in. And of course, the U.S. and South Korea can monitor and see that.
But if they have a solid fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, it is far harder to track, it is quicker to put together, you can move it around the country.
It's something that Kim Jong-un has consistently said that he wants to be able to do. He wants that technology. And it appears at least from these images, there's no footage at this point, that that may be a model that he is showing as well.
Because these parades, John, they're not just about North Korea shown to its own people and also to the world exactly what it has, what capabilities it has, but also an indication of what it intends to have in the future. So, a real show of force both internally and externally.
Another factor as well, of course, is that there was a family affair. We have seen at this parade for the first time in North Korean history, the leader's daughter or the leader's child are coming to view the military parade itself. He was -- she was there. She's believed to be 9 or 10 years old, she's believed to be called Ju-ae. And she was there with her mother as well, and that we have seen a fair bit of her over recent days.
It is a real military, strong time in North Korea, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the military. There's been day after day of events where Kim Jong-un has spoken, spoken about strengthening the military, and his daughter has been very much a part of this.
Now there was as far as state run media is concerned no mention of a speech from Kim Jong-un at the military parade itself. But certainly even though he hasn't directly mentioned South Korea or the United States, there is an indirect message that many experts are taking, the very fact that there was this number of intercontinental ballistic missiles believed to be able to hit mainland United States on display in this military parade. That in itself is a message, John.
VAUSE: Paula, absolutely. Thank you, Paula Hancocks, there live for us in Seoul.
A little more now and Kim Jong-un's daughter who recently made her fourth appearance in state run media. She was following her father around on a day of military inspections and celebrations. She was wearing sensible shoes or straight black skirt. All of this sparking speculation she's been groomed as the next dictator of North Korea.
CNN's Will Ripley has more on what's known about her.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At this lavish banquet for the North Korean Army's 75th anniversary, supreme leader Kim Jong-un with his wife and a girl around 9 years old, a girl some say could be the chosen one, the one being groomed as the next North Korean leader.
By showing quality time with his daughter, it looked like he wanted to showcase his family as a good and stable one, he says, and to show himself as a leader for normal people.
Her life is anything but normal. Her name is Kim Ju-ae, at elementary school age, she already outranks a room full of senior military officers.
North Korean state media describing her as Kim's respected daughter, getting a standing ovation.
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DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER: I call him my friend. He's my friend.
RIPLEY (voice-over): We first learned her name from Dennis Rodman. The one-time buddy of the basketball loving Kim claimed he even got to hold the pint-sized princess in 2013, when she was a baby.
A few months ago, Kim's daughter made her big state media reveal for an ICBM test at Pyongyang's airport, inspecting her father's prized arsenal, an arsenal she could someday command.
A source with deep knowledge of the North Korean leadership threw cold water on the notion this was a successor reveal, telling CNN, "It's too early to make any assumptions or speak about any possible successor. For sure, it's a clear signal Chairman Kim is sending to the world, a firm commitment to protecting his family and future generations with the nuclear program."
If chosen, she'd be the first female and fourth generation of Kim family leadership, like her father, grandfather, and great- grandfather.
The family formula: fear, control, and a carefully-crafted PR campaign, propaganda. praising the future leader's power and prowess. The successor can be a boy or girl, youngest or oldest. It doesn't matter. The only mission: carry on the Kim family's fortune and power.
For a while, Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, was viewed as Kim's possible eventual successor. She's known for her fiery speeches. She once famously directed the country's armed forces to blow up a joint liaison office near the border.
Now, the eyes of the world are on Kim's daughter: experts analyzing every, picture, every article, for clues about the possible next North Korean leader, all of it, likely before her tenth birthday.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, extreme winter weather and brutal conditions compounding the misery for earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria.
Also U.S. President Joe Biden says the recent dispute over a spy balloon has not affected U.S. relations with China. A live report in a moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Many in Turkey and Syria are still waiting for help to arrive, as the death toll from Monday's powerful earthquake now tops 15,000.
More than a dozen countries are sending aid to Syria, but distribution is complicated. The Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, wants all aid sent to Damascus, but that would likely delay assistance from reaching rebel-held areas.
[00:35:03]
Meantime, at least 70 countries have offered relief to Turkey. Still, anger is growing there over the government's response to this disaster. On Wednesday, Turkey's president visited some off the hardest-hit areas. He conceded there had been problems but said it's not possible to be prepared for a disaster like this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): On the first day, we experienced some issues. But then on the second day, and today, the situation has been taken under control.
In some areas, first we had problems in the airports. We had troubles on the roads. But we are more comfortable today. We will be more comfortable tomorrow. Then later, I believe, we will be more comfortable.
There are some minor problems with fuel and so forth, but we are handling them step-by-step.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The White Helmets are leading rescue operations in rebel-held areas of Northern Syria. Their heroism has been well-documented during nearly 12 years of civil war.
Rescuers managed to pull this little boy from the rubble off a collapsed building on Tuesday. More now from CNN's Salma Abdelaziz.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is no way to come into the world. Birthed during an earthquake, thrust into a war zone, orphaned and alone. This newborn girl was found alive, her umbilical cord still attached to her dead mother's body, buried under the rubble of their home.
This video shows the moments after rescue workers pulled her out of the ruins.
"We found the parents' bodies lying next to each other. Then we heard a faint sound," he says. "We dug. We cleared the dust and found the baby, still tied by her umbilical cord, so we cut it off and sent her to hospital."
The rest of baby John Doe's immediate family lies in the back of this pick-up truck, all dead before they even knew she was alive.
An entire generation of Syrians has been born into war. Now those traumatized children face yet another catastrophe.
Diplomatic efforts are underway to open a humanitarian corridor. But already there are concerns access is being politicized. The Damascus government, heavily sanctioned by the West, insists it should be the sole coordinator.
BASSAM SABBAGH, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: So if it's happened to your country, or to his country, it would be the same. Without the control of the government, without permission of the government, without approval from the government, this is violation. Very simple.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): But few in rebel-held areas, places bombarded for years by President Bashar al-Assad, believe the government that once leveled their neighborhoods would care to save them now. And the clock is ticking to find any survivors under hundreds of
collapsed buildings. Like Mariam. This social media video shows her more than 36 hours after the quake, soothing her little brother, Ilaaf.
"Please," she says to the rescue workers, "please help us. I'll do anything if you could just help us."
Siblings are eventually extracted and brought safely to their terrified parents.
In another rare moment of triumph, an entire family is retrieved by emergency responders. Just watch the crowd's reaction as they bring them out one by one.
Dad -- [applause] daughter -- [applause] son -- [applause].
In Syria, just surviving is a victory.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Temperatures in that zone will stay below freezing at night for a while yet. Let's get the forecast from CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz. This is -- it's colder than -- it's colder at night with the rain and the snow.
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, and temperatures are down near freezing once again. In places like Aleppo, we're at four below.
And this is going to be an ongoing case over the upcoming mornings. It doesn't get any better.
You're noticing the blue and the yellow dots. These are the aftershock locations, right along the East Anatolian fault line, and that is where we are at our coldest, as that area of low pressure has kicked off, and now high pressure is moving in.
Part of the reason why we get so cold is because the skies start to clear out. We do still have some moisture which may set benefit some of us, keeping us warmer through the overnight and early morning hours.
But not the case for some, like Aleppo, where we have the clearing skies. There's that cold air really setting in, Saturday, Sunday, and into Monday. It really takes all across central Turkey, back into Syria.
[00:40:05]
These area that are highlighted in purple indicating that freezing, and possibly even frigid, cold air, as we move into the latter part part of our week, and especially into the weekend.
Then we factor in the wind. The winds are pulling out of the North at five to ten, possibly even 15 kilometers per hour. And it makes it feel much colder. We're talking wind chills 20 below in some cases across central Turkey.
Now temperatures. Through the morning hours we talked about being below zero, and it's going to be that way all the way through the weekend. Aleppo, Gaziantep, doing the same, about 3 to 4 degrees below.
Actual high temperatures, really struggling to get above normal, if not right at. So we still stay right below in Gaziantep as well as Aleppo, still struggling to get to about ten degrees by the time we get into the weekend -- John.
VAUSE: Britley, thank you. Yes, it's going to get cold and a lot colder.
Well, the IKEA Foundation will give about $11 million towards emergency assistance in Turkey and Syria. The furniture giant has had an increasing presence in the region and will move all its production to Turkey in 2021. Their donation will go to Doctors without Borders to support medical assistance, as well as healthcare services.
If you would like information on how to help earthquake survivors, go to CNN.com/impact. There, you'll find a list of organizations working on rescue and relief efforts. Again, CNN.com/impact.
In the coming hours, the U.S. House is set to vote on a resolution condemning China's use of a spy balloon as a violation of U.S. sovereignty. It's the latest in the dispute over the balloon, which was shot down on Saturday, prompting even NATO to acknowledge an increase in Chinese surveillance activities globally.
Yet, despite all this, President Joe Biden says U.S.-China relations remain unchanged.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, PBS'S "NEWSHOUR": Have relations now between the U.S. and China taken a big hit?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No. No.
You think of any other world leader would trade places with Xi Jinping? Not a joke. Can you think of any who would? I can't think of one. This man has enormous problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Live now to Hong Kong and CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. I guess one way you can read that, is that relations are already so bad, they couldn't get much worse.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: It could be interpreted that way, but the political uproar between U.S. and China, also inside domestically in the U.S., it just keeps on growing every single day with new revelations coming stateside with this balloon. Look, China may continue to insist that it's a civilian vessel that
blew off-course. But the U.S. for a while now has said this is spy craft, with U.S. intelligence officials saying it was part of a broader Chinese military surveillance program, that as we're learning has spanned multiple continents.
And on top of that, we learned from the Pentagon, saying that they have 100 percent certainty that this balloon was not a civilian weather balloon.
On Wednesday we saw the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, he was standing night to, speaking next to the NATO secretary general at the U.S. State Department, and he said that China's broader surveillance program violated the sovereignty of countries in five continents around the world.
He also said that the United States will share relevant findings with Congress as well with its allies.
We also learned that Japan right now, a key U.S. ally in the region, is at the moment investigating links between the Chinese balloon that blew into, or was maneuvered into American airspace last week, and an unidentified balloon that flew over Japan last year.
Look, ever since this Chinese balloon found its way, slipped into American airspace last week, there's been this political uproar. The U.S. secretary of state was forced to cancel his visit, his planned visit early February to China.
And, you know, on top of that, you know, we've learned that China just keeps on hardening its response. It initially offered that rare expression of regret, but once the U.S. military shot that balloon down, it said that that was a gross overreaction. It also said that was a violation of international practices, and China is also doubling down on sovereignty.
I'm going to show you the latest statement that we have from the ministry of foreign affairs. It came out on Wednesday. The spokesperson saying that China will handle Sino-U.S. relations in accordance based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation, et cetera, "while resolutely defend our sovereignty, security, and development interests," unquote.
John, I should add that we are still awaiting reaction not only from the ministry of foreign affairs but also we've put in a request for comment with the ministry of defense in China, about the Chinese balloon and about its relationship with this wider online surveillance program run by the Chinese military.
Back to you.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live for us there in Hong Kong. We appreciate it. Thank you.
STOUT: Got it.
VAUSE: Still to come, a fire on board a domestic U.S. flight. We'll tell you what device sparked it. A device almost all of us have.
Also ahead, Disney announces sweeping new changes to cut costs across the company. How the House of the mouse plans to save more than $5 billion, when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. Nigeria is delaying plans to replace its currency with a new design. A shortage of the new banknotes led to chaos at ATMs and banks nationwide.
Millions of Nigerians have been struggling to trade out their old notes, which were due to cease being legal tender this coming Saturday. The supreme court has now suspended that deadline.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has announced new plans to cut five and a half billion dollars in company expenses and streamline operations in the coming years.
That includes cutting more than 7,000 jobs, roughly 3 percent of Disney's entire global staff. All of Disney's media content will now be Housed under one umbrella, dubbed Disney Entertainment.
Iger also announced a drive to make the company's streaming service portable by next year, after losing a large amount of subscribers last year.
Four people now out of hospital after a fire broke out on a United Airlines flight on Tuesday. As Gabe Cohen reports, the blaze was caused by a battery pack brought on board by a passenger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've obtained air traffic audio on the air at the moment the pilot on that United flight radioed in this emergency, which we know was just after takeoff from San Diego before they turned that plane around and went back to the airport. Take a listen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're declaring an emergency. We have a laptop on fire on the aircraft. We need to return.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry. What do you have on board, you said?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a laptop on fire in the back. We need to return to the airport.
Right now, the laptop is contained. The fire is out, and it's in the lav. And we just need to check on the thermal condition of the brake, so we can maybe roll off and get off the gate so they can get on the airplane and get this thing off.
COHEN: United is now telling us that it turned out not to be a laptop. It was some sort of external battery that caught fire in a seat back pocket. The flight crew, United says, acted quickly. They followed their
training. And they got that battery into a thermal containment bag, which they carry on these flights for emergencies like this.
Four flight attendants were taken to the hospital just as a precaution to check for smoke inhalation, but at this point, they have been released.
And the FAA says it's now investigating whether this was a lithium battery, which are known to smoke or even to catch fire, which is why the FAA has put in pretty strict rules for them. Passengers have to turn off devices that use those batteries, like laptops, if they're going to put them in checked luggage.
And spare batteries and power banks have to actually be carried onto the flight. They can't be checked, so that crews can deal with any incidents, like a sudden fire, rather than having it happen in cargo.
PETER GOELZ, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, O'NEILL AND ASSOCIATES: If the battery started to cook off in the -- in the cargo hold, the results could have been catastrophic. I think passengers don't take the threat that these batteries can pose seriously enough.
COHEN: And the FAA says last year, there were 57 incidents involving lithium batteries on flights.
Gabe Cohen, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A big fail for Google's new artificial intelligence search engine. The chatbot called Bard responds to verbal questions and was asked about discoveries made by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
NASA says it showed an old photo of an exoplanet taken by a European telescope.
And this was a promotional video. No wonder shares of Google's parent company, Alphabet, took a nosedive after it was reported Wednesday.
We should note: Google is trying to compete with Microsoft to integrate artificial intelligence technology into its search engine, and so far, Microsoft has the Edge.
No surprise here. The U.S. Congresswoman who loudly heckled President Biden during the State of the Union says she has no regrets, Marjorie Taylor Greene's defense of her behavior, that is next.
Also signs of trouble for former U.S. president, Donald Trump, and his bid in 2024. How many wealthy donors are choosing to spend their money somewhere else?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: A QAnon follower who says Jewish space lasers are orbiting the earth, MAGA Republican is defending heckling the president during the State of the Union.
Marjorie Taylor Greene stood up, yelled "liar" more than once during Joe Biden's speech, most specifically, after he said some Republicans want to cut Social Security and Medicare, which is true.
Greene says she has no regrets about her behavior, despite the House speaker urging fellow Republicans to try to remain civil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know that was one of those moments where you said you lied to President Biden, when he said Republicans want to cut those things.
But there is a plan from Senator Rick Scott that would sunset those federal programs. So it's not necessarily a lie that Republicans have talked about that in the past.
REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I haven't been in any meetings in our conference talking about cutting Social Security and Medicare. We're the ones in charge of the budget. We're the ones in charge of the appropriation bills. So yes, it is a lie.
We've been attacked repeatedly. My -- my image, my pictures of me, my name, Kevin McCarthy's name. So no, we aren't planning to cut Social Security. And because I called him a liar on the House floor, we settled that issue right there at the State of the Union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: President Biden, meanwhile, says he was expecting boos from the folks that did it, meaning the extreme right-wing Republicans.
He did add, though, the vast number behaved more respectfully.
So far, former President Donald Trump is the only officially declared president for the 2024 presidential election, but some major Republican donors don't seem to be treating him as a serious contender and are keeping their distance. Kristen Holmes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America's comeback starts right now.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign facing some early financial red flags. Two major Republican groups backing away from the former president this week.
[00:55:09]
First, the network affiliated with billionaire Charles Koch, indicating it would wade into the Republican primary to support candidate other than Donald Trump.
Then the Club for Growth, one of the biggest outside spenders in Republican politics, inviting six potential 2024 GOP hopefuls, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former vice president, Mike Pence, to a donor retreat but not inviting the former president.
These groups have spent tens of millions of dollars in previous election cycles, boosting Republican candidates up and down the ballot.
This as some megadonors who once supported Trump, like Stephen Schwarzman, have said they won't back him this time around. And others, such as Miriam Adelson, widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, have indicated they plan to stay on the sidelines for now.
The early warning signs extending beyond big spenders, with the former president's campaign bringing in $9.5 million in the six weeks after he announced his latest White House bid, less than the $11.8 million his political operation raised in the six weeks before his launch.
TRUMP: They said he's not doing rallies. Wd didn't. I'm more angry now, and I'm more committed now than I ever was.
HOLMES (voice-over): Sources close to the former president brushed off his need to rely on big donors, pointing to his success in 2016 when many of them were lined up behind his rivals. Trump's fundraising comes in large part from an energized base of small dollar donors, a group's team hopes to tap even more, when the president is reinstated on Facebook in the coming weeks.
TRUMP: This campaign will be about the future.
HOLMES: Despite the troubles, Trump's operation still boasts a mountain of cash, with a stockpile of more than $81 million across his various committees.
But Trump isn't the only Republican with a substantial war chest.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Thank you very much.
HOLMES: DeSantis's operation had more than $75 million left after the 2022 midterm. Funds his team has explored how to shift to potentially support a presidential campaign.
While other possible contenders, such as Pence and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, had more modest sources of funds to tap for potential campaigns.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. I'll be back with more news after a short break.
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