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Death Toll from Massive Turkey-Syria Earthquake now at 22,000; Former Vice President Mike Pence Subpoenaed by DOJ; House Resolution Condemns China of Spying; Russia Unleashes Barrage of Missile Attacks in Zaporizhzhia Kherson Region; Ukrainian Military Making Do with Old Military Equipment; Latest Death Toll on Syria-Turkey Earthquake. Convoy of Aid Finally Starts to Reach Northern Syria. Biden Heads to Florida and Took Aim at Scott and DeSantis; Leaked Chinese Files Exposes How China Dealt with Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 10, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Coming up on "CNN Newsroom," the search for earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria is slowly transitioning from a rescue mission to recovery of the dead. We're live from the region ahead this hour.

Mike Pence subpoenaed by the Justice Department. How the former vice president could be compelled to give testimony about Donald Trump and the January 6th riot.

And the curious case of the suspected Chinese spy balloon. The Pentagon has released details on what they found inside.

The World Health Organization is warning of another looming disaster for survivors of Monday's earthquake in Turkey and Syria. People have been forced into bitter cold huddling around fires in streets, sleeping in their cars and crowding into makeshift camps. Experts say without proper sanitation and medical resources, the worst maybe yet to come.

People in Turkey are digging mass graves to bury some of the 21,000 people who were killed. That makes this earthquake deadlier than the one in 1999 that claimed 17,000 lives. But help is pouring in from around world. A Ukrainian search and rescue team is on the ground in Turkey, setting up a tent camp and looking for survivors.

Turkey's foreign minister says his country has received offers of assistance from 95 nations and 16 international organizations. The World Bank pledging nearly $1.8 billion, but no matter where you look, it doesn't seem to be enough. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eighty hours in, and in Antakya, any sign of hope will do. Rescuers rush in. These building's first three floors have collapsed down but left their upper floors upright. And little Yamo (ph), aged eight is inside, possibly alive. By the time they get her to the ambulance, though, it's clear they were too late. Her mother outside, only able to watch her everything vanish. My little one, she says. Don't take her. Don't let her get lost.

Antakya streets, a chilling patchwork of what's left standing and what's not left. In its ruins, anxious crowds of rescuers and locals, thinking they heard someone alive. Demanding silence so they can listen again. Down here is Ahmed, the rescuers say. Alert, responsive. A Syrian refugee. The building next to him, barely hanging on at an angle. Their work, desperately wishing it were quicker.

Across the city, hell has landed. This man, guarding his neighbor's books with his father-in-law next to the body of his mother-in-law. He gestures behind him to where he once lived.

(On camera): It's kind of hard to get your head around just how inhabitable a city of this size has become so fast. Literally every street you walk down has a scene like this. And the roads out, well, they're jammed full of people trying to get away to safety because the buildings still could collapse.

And the roads in, rescuers, people even trying to get their possessions back. And those who've stayed, lining every part of the green spaces we could find with tents to try and stay warm.

(Voice-over): The trees, perhaps in just enough space away from buildings that could crumble. A new world for children, smiling, neither oblivious nor somehow shaken too hard. Dusk and the smoke of fire settles with the dust to choke the streets. But back where we were an hour earlier, there has been relief. Ahmed was saved, pulled out from the hole. His family, perhaps, still inside.

The medics keep asking him, "Did you hear any signs of life from them?" "No," he says. They say he cannot wait for them, that he must be treated after 86 hours entombed.

[03:05:01]

The weight of grief, even as he is saved. His friend, Jamil (ph), was pulled from the rubble earlier. I've been given life again, he says. I saw death before my eyes. I saw my own grave. The same twist of fate here. There have been noises deep inside the bottom of what was once an apartment block.

First, out comes one man, Suleman (ph), age 21. The frantic work of medics here suggesting he did not make it.

(On camera): I think it's the possibility of (inaudible) hope here that somebody could emerge after all this time, alive from the wreckage that's driving this large crowd of rescuers. The most intense work done by hand right at the front of the rubble there.

(Voice-over): Out comes a 4-year-old boy named Alpazlan (ph), rescuers said. Alive, seem trying even to take off his oxygen mask. His father, Tolga (ph), who follows shortly, does not seem to move. Eighty-nine hours in the rubble, they both tore a world apart, but found enough mercy to spare its youngest. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Antakya, Turkey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Joining me from Beirut, Lebanon is Arnaud Quemin who is the regional director of Mercy Corps. Thanks so much for being here with us. That piece that we just saw really gives us a sense of the enormity of the challenge ahead. The window to help people trapped seems to be closing. Your organization's helping in both Turkey and Syria. So, first with Turkey, what's the latest on the ground from there?

ARNAUD QUEMIN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MERCY CORPS: Well, I can't really speak about Turkey because Mercy Corps authorized only in northwest Syria, but what is very clear from what I just heard, is the difference between the two sides of the border. Yesterday, we saw that about five persons from the buildings that were affected by the earthquake had been searched in Syria, which is extremely low. And as you said, time is running out. So, we had a very different capacity for search and rescue on that side of the border.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And the need there just so great because of the effects of more than a decade of conflict. So, how is that making the process even more difficult for your teams?

QUEMIN: So, first of all, the team now is already back to work even though some of them have lost close family members. We had very brave and committed people working there. First of all, our business was to resume the work we were doing and to bring water in 98 camps. And at the same time, assisting the needs in those camps and around the communities that were affected.

People are still sleeping outside because either they lost their house or because they are not sure that they can sleep in there without risk of it crumbling on them during the night. So, we have to provide supplies for shelter to protect them from the cold. At the same time, the pre-positioned supplies we had are already being distributed. So, we are looking for ways to replenish those. And this is where -- there will be a critical need for all the supply lines to reopen between Turkey and northwest Syria.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's exactly it. So, right now, there's only one and the war and politics seems to be getting in the way of opening more of those humanitarian corridors. What happens if they can't open more?

QUEMIN: So, I mean, of course, if it was to not reopen more, that would be a major disaster for this area. But I would highlight the fact that it's not only be in humanitarian corridors, it should be even the commissioned ones because a lot of the goods are purchased locally in the market. So, the local market should restart in some ways. And obviously it's been very affected by what happened just across the border. BRUNHUBER: We were hearing from one of our former correspondents

that, you know, even buying things in the local markets, people have trouble doing that because they can't access money because a lot of the ways to transfer money into the country were -- from Turkey were shut down. So yet, another obstacle for people trying to get home.

QUEMIN: That's right. And we found a way to restart procuring some kits locally, but we are looking for ways to address this issue right now as we speak.

[03:09:56]

BRUNHUBER: Well, there is the specter of another disaster, disease on the horizon. What's the biggest fear there?

QUEMIN: So, last year we had an outbreak of cholera that was still posing a risk just before the earthquake. One of the key aspects to preventing cholera is access to safe water. And the earthquake has damaged a lot of the (inaudible) holes, the water sources that we are using for -- for people using to access water. So, we are trying to assess how many of those have been damaged.

For now, we see maybe 20 percent in average are not usable, but we are still doing our service, but we don't have the final results. Of course, if this was more than that, it would pose a major problem for the communities because if you don't have access to water, clean water, immediately the disease would spread again.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Beyond the immediate assistance, there is also sort of the long-term needs for millions of people at a time when, you know, the world is focused on Ukraine. How big of a challenge looking ahead will be sort of the process of rebuilding for these millions of people who will obviously need homes, infrastructure, and all the help they can get?

QUEMIN: So, this earthquake is in some ways just a massive shock on top of an ongoing long-term one. So, a lot of the infrastructure that was there to support the 4 million people that live in (inaudible) will remain relevant and we keep doing its work there. Of course, now, it will have to add a completely different scale of response compared with what we were doing before.

As you mentioned, the crisis in Ukraine has made it more difficult for Syrian programs to be funded lately. And hopefully the donors will realize that we cannot afford to ignore the staggering amount of needs that are there at the moment.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Such a huge need and we wish you and your teams all of the best of luck as you try and help those who desperately need it there. Arnaud Quemin in Beirut, Lebanon, thank you so much for speaking with us. Appreciate it.

And if you are looking for information on how to help earthquake survivors, you can go to cnn.com/impact and you can find there a list of organizations that are working on rescue and relief efforts. Again, that's cnn.com/impact. Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is now facing a subpoena from

the special counsel investigating Donald Trump's role in the U.S. Capitol riot. The Justice Department wants Pence's testimony about his interactions with the former president leading up to the 2020 election and on January 6th itself. CNN's Evan Perez has details.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: A historic milestone in the Justice Department's investigation of Donald Trump and his allies for trying to overturn the 2020 election. Special Counsel Jack Smith has issued a subpoena to former Vice President Mike Pence seeking documents and testimony in the January 6 investigation.

Prosecutors want the former vice president to testify about his interactions with Trump leading up to and after the 2020 election, and the crucial days before rioters who believed Trump's claims of vote fraud attacked the U.S. capitol. This all follows months of negotiations between the Justice Department and lawyers for the former vice president.

Among the issues that we expect to come up, Donald Trump's claim of executive privilege for conversations with his vice president. Pence, who is considering a run for president, published a memoir in November in which he described some of his interactions with Trump, as the former president sought to overturn the results of his election loss to President Joe Biden.

Pence's team knew that the book's publication raised the prospect that the Justice Department would likely to seek information about those same interactions as part of his criminal investigation. It was also notable that two of Pence's former aides have already testified to the grand jury going in twice after a judge compelled additional testimony overriding Trump's claim of executive privilege. Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

BRUNHUBER: Now, earlier I discussed the subpoena with civil rights attorney and legal affairs commentator Areva Martin. And we talked about the likelihood that Pence will make executive privilege claims or whether he will cooperate with investigators. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY & LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: There's some speculation that Mike Pence, even though there is, you know, reporting that his team has been in long negotiations with the Department of Justice, some experts opined that maybe this is cover for Mike Pence. That Mike Pence wants to give testimony about what happened leading up to the January 6th insurrection.

[03:15:03]

And that having to do so under oath before a grand jury gives him some cover because he is running for president. He does need Trump's base to support if he's going to be successful with his bid for president. And we shouldn't forget, Mike Pence was a public servant. He wants to be, again, a public servant. He wants to be president of the United States. If you want to be president of the United States and you have

information about someone who was committing a criminal act, someone who was trying to overthrow the legitimate votes of the people, he should want to give that testimony. He should have wanted to give it to the January 6th committee. And he should definitely want to come forward and give it to the Department of Justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In Washington, the U.S. House has unanimously passed a resolution that condemns China over the suspected spy balloon that flew across the country last week. Lawmakers calling the incident a brazen violation of American sovereignty.

Meanwhile, authorities are disclosing new details about what they've gleaned from the wreckage. One senior official says the balloon was capable of monitoring U.S. communications and belonged to a fleet that had flown over more than 40 countries on five continents.

We're hearing analysts have yet to see the payload that contains most of the surveillance equipment. Also, a source briefed on the matter tell CNN that it's believed that the Chinese president was unaware of the balloon's deployment. China meanwhile has been pushing back against the U.S. president's very public criticism of Xi Jinping. CNN's Will Ripley explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fiery new rhetoric from China, escalating the suspected spy balloon scandal. Beijing, blasting President Joe Biden for criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Can you think of any that world leader to trade places with Xi Jinping? Not a joke. Is there any (inaudible). I can't think of one. This man has enormous problems.

RIPLEY (voice-over): China says Biden's remarks are highly irresponsible and violate basic diplomatic protocols. Problems complicated by a growing pile of evidence. Pieces of the downed balloon, pulled from the sea off the Carolina coast. Proof the Pentagon says China's weather balloon claim is nothing but hot air.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman says, "I have no knowledge about America's claim that this balloon is part of a fleet. I think it could be part of the information and public opinion war that the U.S. is waging against China. The international community can see clearly who is the world's largest espionage and surveillance country.

PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: I can assure you this was not for civilian purposes. That is -- we are 100 percent clear about that.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The U.S. linked the balloon to a vast Chinese military surveillance program. A growing list of global balloon sightings and questions. The U.S. believes many balloons are launched from China's Hainan Island where a U.S. spy plane made an emergency landing in 2001. China took three months to investigate before returning the plane in pieces.

Now, China is attacking the U.S. for shooting down its balloon and sending the pieces to an FBI lab. The spokesman says the U.S. insists on using force to attack Chinese unmanned civilian airships, which seriously violates international practice and sets a horrible precedent. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked for a phone call with China's defense minister. Beijing bluntly declined. Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: We are getting reports that up to 35 Russian missiles hit Zaporizhzhia and the Kharkiv region overnight. We'll have details of this latest attack just ahead.

And the U.S. president reaches out to retirees in a key swing state by promising to protect programs they love. Stay with us.

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[03:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Air raid sirens have been sounding across Ukraine as officials report new missile strikes in at least two regions. They say a barrage of Russian missiles hit the city of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv region Friday morning. Scott McLean is monitoring developments from London and he joins us now for mor. So, Scott, what's the latest on those attacks?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Kim. Yeah. So, the air raid sirens have gone off across the whole country. So that air raid alert is still in effect from the far east of the country, where most of the fighting is taking place to some of the safest areas like Lviv and Zakarpatska in the far west.

And Ukrainian officials are warning about a widespread missile attack across the country. In fact, there had been pre-emptive power cuts in some region in anticipation of the Russians going after the energy grid. As you mentioned, there had been confirmed strikes, touch down in two regions, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

These are places where Ukraine's top national security official said just this week that he expected that Russia's new spring offensive, that we've been talking about now for weeks and weeks, could target. These are cities and regions that the Russians have not held previously. These are areas where the Russians have not put major effort into actually capturing in the past.

So, what we know at this point, according to the Ukrainian air force, is that 35 missiles have hit or were fired at Ukrainian territories. And they say that these types of missiles were S-300s. This is significant for two reasons because these are surface-to-air missiles.

The Ukrainians say that they cannot easily shoot them down with their existing air defense systems. We also know that these are meant to shoot missiles out of the sky. When they are used to strike targets on land, they're not particularly accurate.

So, even if the Russians are aiming for the energy grid or even some other, more legitimate military target, it is very likely that there's going to be collateral damage.

[03:25:06]

And all of this, Kim, comes just as President Zelenskyy is returning. Perhaps he's returned already to Ukraine from meetings with European Leaders where he was asking for more support in terms of weapons, particularly long-range missiles and particularly fighter jets. And while there was plenty of broad statements of support for Ukraine, what there was not though, is very many specific promises on actually providing those kind of weapon, though those discussions are continuing of course, behind closed doors, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll continue following the story. Scott McLean in London. Thank you so much.

Western military aid has been a lifeline for Ukraine's military, almost from the start of the war. But some of the weapons provided to Kyiv were made decades ago. Sam Kiley reports on how Ukrainians are making do with military equipment from another era.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carrying weapons designed 75 years ago, these Ukrainians are grateful that they're training with an American vehicle, even if it's from another age. They are a mixture of combat veterans and relatively new recruits, but all have been fighting in Ukraine's eastern front with Russia in the cauldrons of Bakhmut and Soledar.

Their commander-in-chief, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has begged the west for modern NATO standard equipment. And he's been given some modern weapons. But not the strategic weapons like long-range missiles and jets that he says he needs. Meanwhile, Ukraine's war is expected to intensify and Ukrainians make do with old Soviet weapons. And workhorse hand me downs like these M113s, aluminum troop carriers, which the U.S. Army started using in 1960.

About 400 have been given to Ukraine by the U.S. and others. This has been patched up since it took a direct hit in Bakhmut, that the top gunner was killed. To say that it's old, well, it looks old, but it just looks battered. But it does the job 100 percent, he tells me.

Ukraine has been given better air defenses, better artillery, better missile systems than it had before. But Zelensky said that's not enough. And anyway, it's not the best equipment. Often not even second-best.

(On camera): The Ukrainian military keen to stress that they are really, really grateful for all any help that they have given. These are the personnel carriers from America are better than some of what they started the war with, and they're an important part of the battlefield replacement. They've been here since the summer. This one already needs a new engine.

(On camera): Ukraine captures a lot of what it needs from Russia. It's desperately cannibalizing ancient equipment for parts. Like a 20th century nation under siege, not a nation that's backed by America and by NATO allies.

Making do is what Ukraine has done. Privately, though, commanders here made it clear that it's going to take more than iron will and hand-me- down weapons for them to win this war. Sam Kiley, CNN, in southern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Still ahead this hour, scenes of pure jubilation from Syria as rescuers pull a toddler from the rubble of Monday's earthquake. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." Please stay with us.

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[03:30:00]

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's get you up to speed on our top story. The death toll from Monday's earthquake in Turkey and Syria has climbed well above 21,000. Temperatures dip below freezing again on Thursday night. Survivors are afraid more buildings could collapse so they're sleeping in their cars and on the streets. The White Helmets are leading rescue efforts in Northern Syria. They say hopes of finding more people alive are fading. The situation there is complicated by nearly 12 years of civil war and international sanctions on the Damascus government.

And we have the story just into CNN. Rescue crews in Southern Turkey have pulled out two teenage sisters trapped for days in the rubble from the earthquake. They heard signs of life in the wreckage, and located 15-year-old Afir (ph). Firefighters promised her ice cream and played our favorite song until they could reach her. Then heard her 13-year-old sister, Fatima (ph) who was pulled out 101 hours after the quake hit.

So, as we just saw there, amid all the despair and destruction there are signs of hope. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rescue workers sings to little Mina (ph), talks and share stories with her. He goes on and on chatting about anything to distract her from the horrifying reality that she's being extracted from the ruins of her home. Mina (ph) is eventually pulled out safely. Her family is also survived rescued by members of the White Helmets, a group of first responders, seen as heroes in this rebel held enclave of Syria. Nearly 12 years of war has made the group experts on the grim task of retrieving people from collapsed buildings.

[03:35:06]

Syrians living in opposition controlled areas battered by the government of President Bashar al-Assad, and feeling neglected by the world have come to depend on only themselves even in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.

The result is catastrophic. Here, there's a shortage of everything even body bags. This man has arrived with just one bag to hold all four of his dead relatives.

We hope that countries would come to our rescue, he says. But there was only our community that came to help us, nobody else. We have no one to help us.

And for the thousands of wounded pulled out of the rubble, they face a healthcare system on the brink. Another volunteer group here is the Syrian American Medical Society doing its best to provide care on the ground, but equipment and supplies are scarce and countless deaths they warned could be prevented if they could just get the basics.

And for those survivors, unharmed but made homeless, vehicles are now shelter, sidewalks are beds, shivering in olive groves is all that's left. A crisis within a crisis that's left those with nothing somehow with even less.

(on camera): You can see there, Kim, the unimaginable suffering on the ground. Aid groups telling us that there are tens of thousands of families who've been made homeless by this earthquake. You saw at the end piece there how they are living just simply on the streets. Finally, we've seen a trickle, a tiny trickle of aid enter Syria yesterday, just six convoys. We are expecting the United Nations to try to effort more aid in. But again, the need is just so enormous on the ground. No amount of help can be enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Yeah absolutely right. Salma Abdulaziz in Istanbul. Thank you so much.

In the coming hours, the president of Brazil will sit down with President Biden hoping to jump-start relations between the two countries. Lula Da Silva arrived in Washington Thursday and you can see his motorcade there. Before meeting with President Biden at the White House, Lula will meet with a number of Democratic lawmakers. This is Lula's first official visit to the U.S. after narrowly defeating Jair Bolsonaro in an October runoff election.

And President Biden told retirees that Republicans can't be trusted to protect Social Security and Medicare. Biden tried to drive that message home in Florida, a state with millions of seniors who rely on those beloved programs. He went after a Florida Republican, Senator Rick Scott. The White House put pamphlets of Scott's plan on every seat, and accused him of trying to rollback the social safety net. Biden also went after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for not expanding Medicaid. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Over 1.1 million people in Florida would be eligible for Medicaid if Governor DeSantis just said, I agree to expand it. This is not -- this isn't -- this isn't calculus.

The very idea a senator from Florida wants to put Social Security and Medicare in the chopping block every five years, I find it to be somewhat outrageous, so outrageous that you might not even believe it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Biden's visit to this key swing state comes fresh off his rousing State of the Union speech and is believed to be laying down the groundwork for an announcement that he's running for reelection.

All right, just ahead, exiled ethnic Uyghurs learned what happened to their families by reading a massive trove of hacked documents and results are often disturbing. We have a CNN exclusive report coming up next. Stay with us.

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[03:40:00]

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BRUNHUBER: After years without contacts, several exiled ethnic Uyghurs are learning what's happened to their families. It's thanks to a new online tool that allows the public to search through a massive throve of hacked documents. The information showing the scope of the surveillance apparatus Beijing uses to monitor its Uyghur population in Xinjiang.

CNN's Ivan Watson has our exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The search for missing loved ones.

ABDUWELI AYUP, UYGHUR EXILED IN NORWAY: I am putting in my younger sister's ID number.

WATSON (voice-over): Abduweli Ayup is a human rights activists and ethnic Uyghur from China's Xinjiang region. From exile in Norway, he looks for the first time a Chinese police file from 2017 on his sister's Sajida (ph).

AYUP: It's (inaudible).

WATSON (voice-over): He hasn't not spoken to her in years.

AYUP: She got arrested September 6, sent to education camps, stayed there about a month, and then send to the detention center and sentenced 11 years.

WATSON (voice-over): The Chinese police file states that Sajida Ayup (ph) is a two-faced or treasonist government official. Police apparently flagged the high school geography teacher because of ties to her brother, an outspoken critic once jailed by the Chinese government.

AYUP: The government document told me that, yes, it is -- it is related to you and it is your fault.

[03:45:04]

WATSON (voice-over): Ayup got early access to the new search engine. It's linked to tens of thousands of files that were hacked from police computers in Xinjiang.

ADRIAN ZENZ, VICTIMS OF COMMUNISM MEMORIAL FOUNDATION: It's 830,000 different people are in these files, and it's clear from the files that tens of thousands of them are detained.

WATSON (voice-over): Adrian Zenz, a researcher with the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation first released some of the hacked police files last year. The Chinese government as not denied their authenticity, but state media has slammed his analysis of the data, calling it disinformation.

Beijing denies a committed human rights abuses while detaining up to two million ethnic Uyghurs and other minority groups in reeducation camps and Xinjiang, a campaign of mass repression the U.S. government claims amounts to genocide. Zenz launched the search engine, hoping it will provide the Uyghur diaspora information about family members in Xinjiang.

ZENZ: The black hole is the most terrifying thing, and I think that's part of why the Chinese state creates this black hole. It's the most terrifying thing that can be done that you don't even know the fate of a loved one is not even a life or death.

WATSON (voice-over): Mamatjan Juma remembers June 12, 2006, the last time he saw his family.

MAMATJAN JUMA, UYGHUR EXILED IN U.S.: I remember that day. I was passing the airport checkpoint, and they were waving and I saw them. Their image is still in my mind, you know. The picture, it comes to me sometimes. That's the last time I saw my brothers.

WATSON (voice-over): Juma is now a journalist with Radio Free Asia's Uyghur language service in Washington, D.C., which Beijing labels as an anti-China propaganda organization. Unable to go home for fear of arrest and unwilling to call his relatives for fear that they can then be punished.

JUMA: Let's see. I am going to search one of my brothers.

WATSON (voice-over): So, now, he can only look at their police files.

(on camera): Did the files confirm the detention of any of your loved ones?

JUMA: Yes, detention of three of my brothers, yes. And then, I found one of my brothers pictures in that -- in that file.

WATSON (voice-over): A mugshot of his younger brother, Isajan (ph), taken into detention.

How does he look?

JUMA: He looked he lost his soul. It gives you a feeling of guilt, you know, because of that they are tied to you and they're persecuted. It's not kind of an easy feeling to digest.

WATSON (voice-over): A photo of Juma and his brothers in happier times.

JUMA: I wish I could go back to this moment, you know. I wish I could go back to this moment.

WATSON (voice-over): Today, juma is left piecing together what happened to his family through the Chinese police files, and the level of detail, even on people who were never accused of crimes is chilling.

JUMA: Fingerprints, DNA samples, voice samples, profile pictures, iris scans, these are the biometric information they collected on my mother.

When you look at it, you see this perfect example of a full blown surveillance state.

WATSON (voice-over): Half a world away in Adelaide, Australia, Marhabayakub Salay (ph) just found the police file for her 17-year-old nephew.

UNKNOWN: That's insane. That's terrible. No, I didn't expect that.

WATSON (voice-over): The file states that in 2017, when the boy was only 12, police labeled him category two, a highly suspicious accomplice of a public security or terrorism case, and that is not all.

UNKNOWN: Yeah, this is my niece.

WATSON (on-camera): Your niece has a police file?

UNKNOWN: No way.

WATSON (voice-over): The file claims that by the age of 15, Marhaba's (ph) niece traveled extensively, something her aunt denies. UNKNOWN: Algeria, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Dubail, Egypt, Pakistan, no way. Is that mean -- is that mean they are saying that she has been in this country?

WATSON (voice-over): So far, neither child has been detained, but Salay (ph) worries for the future. Their mother, Mayila (ph), her sister, has already been in and out of detention for years, accused of financing paradigm for wiring money to her parents in Australia to help buy a house.

(on-camera): If you could tell them something, what would you like to tell them?

UNKNOWN: I am so sorry what's happening to you, and I am so sorry what's happening to their mother, my sister. I am sorry I can't help them. They deserve so much better than this. They are innocent.

WATSON (voice-over): The more than 800,000 police profiles only provide a partial snapshot to the broader system of surveillance and repression in Xinjiang. They don't alleviate the survivors' guilt shared by many relatives living abroad, desperate to learn anything about their loved ones back in China.

[03:50:09]

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

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BRUNHUBER: A small town Louisiana is recovering after a tornado touched down Wednesday night. The sheriff says that the biggest concern now is water damage from the five hours of heavy rain after the tornado. He says some minor injuries were reported, including a family whose mobile home blew over while they're inside. Two neighbors described what they heard.

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UNKNOWN: I was hearing crackling, me and my husband were sitting in the living room. Wind have picked up really heavy and then it started raining.

UNKNOWN: It lasted about two or three minutes and then it was over with.

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[03:55:04]

BRUNHUBER: Officials are working to reopen roads and restore power to the community.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. "CNN Newsroom" continues in a moment with Bianca Nobilo in London. Please do stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)