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CNN International: Turkey-Syria Earthquake Death Toll Nears 22,00 and Hope for Survivors Fading; Power Supply Interrupted Across Ukraine After Russian Strikes; Mike Pence Subpoenaed in DOJ's Trump January 6th Probe; Biden's Push on Social Security and Medicare in Florida; Authorities Lay Out Detailed Timeline of Balloon Actions. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired February 10, 2023 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the work. I'm Bianca Nobilo live from London. Max Foster has the day off. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roads are damaged, people are dying. Now is the time to explore all possible avenues to get aid and personnel into all affected areas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Special counsel Jack Smith has issued a subpoena to former Vice President Mike Pence seeking documents and testimony in the January 6 investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Biden visited the state of Florida on Thursday where he sought to drive home the message that he wants to protect Social Security and Medicare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

NOBILO: It is Friday, February 10, 9:00 a.m. here in London, 12 noon in Syria and Turkey where the death toll from Monday's earthquake has now risen to nearly 22,000. And hopes are fading that rescuers can find anymore survivors.

This is the scene in southern Turkey, emergency crews blow their whistles when they hear noises under the debris then call for silence. But the destruction is immense. Entire neighborhoods are reduced to rubble, hundreds of thousands of families left homeless. Many are sleeping in their cars or on the streets in freezing temperatures. Even those who still have homes are afraid to go inside fearing the buildings might collapse.

You can hear the shouts of celebration as rescue crews pulled a mother and her 6-year-old daughter from the wreckage in southern Turkey. Let's head to Istanbul and CNN's Salma Abdelaziz who has been covering this for several days now. Salma, bring us the latest on this relief effort obviously as the tragic transition takes place between being able to find survivors and then dealing with the aftermath. Presumably the needs change.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Bianca. But extraordinarily now entering the fifth day in this crisis, we are still seeing people being pulled out alive. I want to bring you one story of hope really, one story of survival, about two teenage girls. We're going to pull up the video for you to see here. And what you will see on our screen is a 15-year-old Ayfer. She is wedged between two slabs of concrete. She is buried in the rubble of her home. And rescue workers are pulling her out in the 99th hour of this ordeal. It took ten hours the operation to pull her out. You see a rescue worker speaking down a tunnel there.

It gives you a sense of just how complicated these operations are. They're trying to keep her calm. They are asking her what she wants to have, she says she wants ice cream. There asking what her favorite flavor of ice cream is. They ask her what they can do to keep her calm. She tells them what her favorite song is. And you can see rescue workers trying to play it on their phone for her. And a couple of hours later there also able to pull out her 13-year-old sister Fatma. Two teenage girls, again, pulled out today. Again, entering the fifth day of this crisis.

And these are the stories that just are played over and over again here on local television. Because they are giving people hope. Those rescue workers you are looking at, some of them simply haven't slept except for a few hours now for days. And every time they think that they might be able to find someone alive, that just keeps them going, that motivates them to keep moving. So, the story still coming out, still hope that there might be survivors there. These two teenage girls of course being a prime example.

But you mentioned the enormous need across that whole affected area.

[04:05:00]

Many millions of people now needing shelter, needing food, needing water, needing sanitation, needing everything, all the basics. We've seen aid flying in from around the world. But no matter how much help comes, it simply cannot be enough.

NOBILO: Salma Abdelaziz in Istanbul, thank you.

Meanwhile the first U.N. aid convoy has finally crossed from Turkey into Syria carrying desperately needed supplies. A World Health Organization official says that water sources have been disrupted along with fuel, electricity, communication, the basics of life essentially. The U.N. Secretary-General is urging member states to put aside their differences over the country's civil war and save people's lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL: This is the moments of unity, it's not the moment to politicize or to divide. But it is obvious that we need massive support. And so, I'd would be of course very happy if the Security Council could reach a consensus to allow for more crossings to be used.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: And my colleague Kim Brunhuber spoke last hour with Arnaud Quemin, the regional director of Mercy Corps and they discussed the biggest challenges on the ground in Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARNAUD QUEMIN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MERCY CORPS: Time is running out, so we had a very different capacity for search and rescue on that side of the border.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and the need there just so great because of the effect of more than a decade of conflict. And 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, business was to resume the work we are doing in 98 camps. And at the same time, assisting the needs in those camps and around the communities that are affected. People are still sleeping outside because I know they lost their house or because they are not sure that they can sleep in there without a risk of it crumbling on them during the night. So we have to provide supplies or shelter to protect them from the cold.

And at the same time, the propositioned supplies we had are already being distributed, so we are looking for ways to replenishing those. And this is where there will be a critical need for all the supply lines to reopen between Turkey and northwest Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The ways to help the victims of the earthquake, you can go to CNN.com/impact.

Ukraine is reporting power supply interruptions across the country following a series of Russian strikes this morning. Officials say that Russian forces hit power facilities in multiple regions. At the same time, we're getting word that air defenses and cities of Kyiv and Lviv are operating and trying to defend them from Russian attacks.

For more now CNN's Scott McLean is here with me in London. Scott, tell us more about the regions that are being hit and how severely the attacks are affecting the infrastructure and if any lives have been lost.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we don't have any details on any casualties at the moment. We don't have a ton of detail about what precisely was hit. But we know that the air raid sirens, the air raid alert is in effect across the entire country right now. And you have the Ukrainian energy provider that has already said that look, there have been hits on energy infrastructure in the west, south and east of the country. That is obviously not a good sign.

There is also 35 -- according to Ukrainian officials -- hits on two regions in particular, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, and these are with missiles called S-300. These are normally surface to air missiles, in other words used for striking down incoming fire. But the Russians have been using these in a different way to hit targets on land. This is significant because the Ukrainians say that, A: they don't have the capacity to shoot them down and B: they are not very accurate. So even if they are aiming at energy infrastructure alone or maybe even more legitimate military targets somewhere, there is a good chance that there is going to be collateral damage.

We also know that the air defense systems are at work right now. In Kyiv, officials there say that they are in action. And our own Fred Pleitgen -- who by the way, just left Kyiv. He's on his way out of the country. He is now in the far west of Ukraine in the Lviv region. He says that saw the air defense system in that region working. So you get the sense that this is incredibly widespread what's coming.

Yesterday the Ukrainians said that there were incoming missiles, incoming drone attacks, there were largely struck down but perhaps this was a way to sort of wear down the air defense systems in advance of something more substantial. We also know that the Russians seem to like the symbolism here, President Zelenskyy just wrapped up a two day visit with European leaders.

[04:10:00]

Now he's on his way back to Ukraine, perhaps he's there already, and now you have this incoming barrage of missiles.

NOBILO: What did president Zelenskyy achieve with this trip to the U.K. and Europe this week? Obviously we're looking ahead to the year anniversary of Russia's invasion, of plenty of warnings, and now evidence of Russia escalating their attacks. They desperately need more equipment and more ability to defend the country.

MCLEAN: Yes, so President Zelenskyy has been calling for some time for two things in particular, long range missile capabilities and also fighter jets. And he didn't go back with either of those things, but it does seem like the door is open just a crack at least on the question of fighter jets. You have the U.K. saying that they're going to train fighter pilots. So the defense ministers seem to pour a little bit of cold water on that yesterday clarifying that, look, this may be more of a long term strategy to make sure that Ukrainian pilots are capable after the war. But saying, look, anything is possible.

And then you have European leaders saying that, look, these discussions are taking place behind closed doors obviously. Many leaders say that we're open at least in theory to the idea of sending jets. But it doesn't seem like anyone with the exception of Poland is actually willing to send them. But even Poland says they're only going to give up jets to Ukraine if it's part of a wider NATO effort. And it doesn't come, just not yet.

NOBILO: Exactly, because then it would be operating alone, and then be a potential target Russian retaliation or aggression. Scott McLean thank you so much.

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 riots. The Justice Department wants Pence's testimony about his interactions with the former president leading up to the 2020 election and on January 6 itself. CNN's Evan Perez has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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 crucial days before rioters who believed Trump's claims of voter 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.

The president's team knew that the book's publication raised the prospect that the Justice Department would likely seek information about those same interactions as part of its criminal investigation. And 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Former Trump national security adviser Robert O'Brien was also subpoenaed. And we asked former Defense Department counsel Ryan Goodman what all of this means and where special counsel Jack Smith could be headed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN GOODMAN, FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL, U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT: It signals and suggests that he is nearing an end stage. You only go to Pence after you've already established what the other witnesses are going to say so that it can be the most informed back and forth in terms of what they say. And ask him with the grand jury that they have as much visibility and information when they are asking him those kinds of questions. So, they already may be know the answers to some of the questions. They can verify where he is coming from. He is such a -- the "grand puba" in a certain sense, that you would only really reach out to him after everything else is said and done. So I think that it's a strong sign that Jack Smith is reaching, you know, that final lap.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Ahead, the U.S. president reaches out to retirees in a key swing state but promising to protect the programs that they love and that so many depend on.

Plus new details on the technology instead the suspected Chinese spy balloon and what it may have detected.

And later on, allegations of theft over bad checks. A former friend of George Santos speaks to CNN about the latest controversy surrounding the embattled U.S. House Republican.

[04:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: The U.S. president brought his "State of the Union" arguments and momentum to a key battleground state ahead of his likely bid for reelection. Joe Biden visited Florida, a state filled with senior citizens and highlighted his support for two programs that so many seniors depend on, that's Social Security and Medicare. He also took some strong swipes at Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The very idea a Senator from Florida wants to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every five years I find to be somewhat outrageous. So outrageous, that you might not even believe it. But it's what -- I won't do it again -- but I will. 12-point American rescue plan -- one of the points -- all federal legislation sunsets every five years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has further details from Tampa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Joe Biden visited the state of Florida on Thursday where he sought to drive home the message that he wants to protect Social Security and Medicare, an issue that drew the fiercest reaction during the "State of the Union" address this week.

It's also a place where Biden sought to seize an opportunity to come to the home state of Florida Senator Rick Scott who is the architect of the proposal that would sunset federal legislation including Social Security and Medicare in five years. [04:20:00]

Now the president of course also came to a state that is the home of two potential GOP challengers in 2024. But in his remarks on Thursday, he focused on that proposal from Scott. And he referenced the spirited debate from the State of the Union, he called Scott's plan, quote, outrageous and said quite simply that he would veto it.

Now Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that this is a plan that would not gain traction. Scott himself on CNN pushed back on claims that he is wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. But it's clear that the White House sees this as an opportunity to seize on a key issue coming up to 2024 and potentially make up some ground with senior voters in Florida. Again, all of this in a state where there are two potential GOP challengers and as we await a potential reelection announcement from president Biden.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Tampa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: So, when might that announcement come? Here's what President Biden told Telemundo when asked what was stopping him from making a decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I'm just not ready to make it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The president says he feels good about his position within the Democratic Party and says polls that show the majority of Democrats want a different candidate are flawed.

Mr. Biden has a busy day ahead. He's scheduled to meet with the Brazilian President Lula da Silva in the coming hours hoping to jumpstart relations between the two countries. Lula arrived in Washington on Thursday. Before meeting with President Biden at the White House, he 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.

A new House panel investigating the alleged weaponization of the federal government has wrapped up its first public hearing. The Republican chairman Jim Jordan is leading the probe into claims that the Justice Department, FBI and other agencies are biased against conservatives. The hearing featured current and former lawmakers, legal experts and a general theme that elected officials are working with the mainstream media to silence the right. Democrats say the Republicans are simply weaponizing the committee itself.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JIM JORDON (R-OH): Protecting first amendment shouldn't be partisan, protecting the Constitution shouldn't be partisan. And protecting the fundamental principle of equal treatment under the law should not be partisan.

REP. STACEY PLASKETT (D-VI): I'm deeply concerned about the use of this select subcommittee as a place to settle scores, showcase conspiracy theories and advance an extreme agenda that risk undermining American's faith in our democracy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: China is lashing out after the U.S. House unanimously passed a resolution that symbolically rebukes China over its suspected spy balloon. Not long-ago China called the legislation a pure political maneuver.

Meanwhile there's still a deep divide among U.S. lawmakers over the shoot down of the balloon with many Republicans outraged that it didn't happen sooner. The FBI is examining what's left of the balloon and new details about its capabilities are emerging. Alex Marquardt has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The Biden administration and Pentagon facing a bipartisan barrage of questions today on Capitol Hill over the Chinese surveillance balloon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys have to help me understand why this baby wasn't taken out long before.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Accused of a lack of alarm and criticism over their decision to not shoot down the balloon sooner when it was near Alaska.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK): The fact of the matter is Alaska is the first line of defense for America.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): In four different often tense hearings, administration officials stood by their argument that it was safer to let the balloon cross the country while also gathering intelligence on Chinese capabilities. Many Democrats satisfied, many Republicans still rejecting the White House and Pentagon's positions.

SEN. DAN SULLIVAN (R-AK): Next time, you know, we won't want for it to trend -- go all across my state, all across the lower 48 and then shoot it down.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): Officials now tell CNN that it was a warning the Defense Intelligence Agency the day before the balloon entered U.S. air space near Alaska. When it did on January 28th, fighter jets were sent up to I.D. the balloon, but it was decided to let it fly on a northern trajectory and collect intelligence on it.

Suddenly an official said it took a strange turn south towards the lower 48 states crossing into Idaho on January 31 and eastward across the country. After it was decided to not shoot the balloon town over land, U-2 spy planes were sent up to monitor it, the administration determining that the balloon was no longer sending information back to China sources say. As the U.S. tried to block it from gathering more intelligence on sensitive U.S. military sites. This balloon, just a small part of a broader years long Chinese balloon program whose fleet, the State Department says, flew over more than 40 countries.

[04:25:00]

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States was not the only target of this broader program, which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): The balloon program run by could Chinese military, officials say. In part out of Hainan province, southernmost tip of China.

China outraged at the shootdown demanding the return of the remnants of the balloon. The U.S. refusing instead sending the recovered pieces from the ocean to an FBI lab where analysis has begun. So far that includes the canopy, wiring and some electronics.

MARQUARDT: We have learned that the balloon was carrying sophisticated electronics that are capable of surveillance of signals like communications in radar. So far what the FBI has collected has just what was on the surface of the water off South Carolina. An FBI official says they haven't yet seen the payload where most of the surveillance equipment would be. This is the first time that the FBI has investigated a spy balloon like this one. And officials say that they're analyzing the components for possible criminal charges.

Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The authoritarian government of Nicaragua released more than 200 political prisoners on Thursday sending many of them including one American to the United States. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega says that the release was not negotiated with the U.S. They were welcomed at the airport by U.S. Nicaraguan expatriates and by U.S. officials. The State Department says it will continue to support the Nicaraguan people and calls the release a positive move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: The release of these individuals by the government of Nicaragua marks a constructive step toward addressing the human rights abuses in that country. This action opens the door to discussion of other matters of mutual concern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The former prisoners will be granted humanitarian parole for two years and allowed to remain in the U.S. and apply for asylum.

Turning to South Africa now, the ongoing electricity crisis has prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national state of disaster. South Africans have been experiencing severe power outages due to a lack of maintenance at power plants and corruption. Forcing people, businesses and even essential services like hospitals and funeral homes to arrange their work around scheduled blackouts, known as "loadshedding." Here is what the president said during his State of the nation address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA: Our country has for many months endured a debilitating electricity shortage that has caused immense damage to our economy and to the livelihoods of our people.

Our most immediate task is to dramatically reduce the severity of loadshedding and in the coming months and ultimately to end loadshedding all together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Mr. Ramaphosa also outlined anti-corruption reforms and said that he would appoint a minister of electricity to oversee all aspects of the electricity response.

Still to come, Southwest Airlines in the hot seat over the meltdown that stranded millions of passengers over the holidays. We'll take you inside that hearing.

And later a city council member in New Jersey is shot and killed. We'll tell you why authorities do not think it's connected to a similar killing a week ago.

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