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U.S. Fighter Jets Take Out High-Altitude Object Off Alaska Coast; Trump Legal Team Turns Over More Classified Docs, Laptop To Feds; More Than 25,000 People Now Dead After Massive Quake; Defense Calls For Mistrial In Murdaugh Case After Housekeeper Testifies; Rescue Dogs Play Key Role In Search For Survivors; Quarterbacks Reflect On How Their Dads Got Them To The Big Game. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired February 11, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

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[13:00:00]

BONNIE BAXTER, DIRECTOR OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE INSTITUTE, WESTMINSTER COLLEGE: Like where does that happen anymore?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Fingers crossed, it keeps happening, because the only thing that can keep the Salt Lake great is lots of snow and even more cooperation.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. And we begin this hour with a search for answers after the U.S. shut down what is described as an unidentified high-altitude object. U.S. fighter jets taking it down off the coast of Alaska on Friday. Pentagon officials saying they acted swiftly after the object about the size of a small car crossed into frozen territorial waters.

It's the second time in less than a week that U.S. fighter jets have shot an object out of the sky following that spy balloon that was taken down off the coast of South Carolina last Saturday. CNN reporter Katie Bo Lillis is live for us in Washington with more on this. Katie Bo, what are we learning about this second object?

KATIE BO LILLIS, CNN REPORTER: Fred, this object is still quite a bit of a mystery. What we know is that on Thursday, the military observed this unknown object in U.S. airspace just off the coast of Alaska. They set up military aircraft to kind of try to get a look at this thing. Pilots weren't able to tell a whole lot, they could see that it was flying at about 40,000 feet, which raised some concerns for civilian aircraft, which is part of the reason that we understand that President Biden ordered the military to shoot this thing down yesterday.

And they could tell that it was unmanned. But beyond that, what we're hearing from Pentagon officials is they're still using the word object to describe this. You know, they're not even ready to take the step to call it a drone or another balloon, or give some kind of specific description here. We have been told that it is a different size and shape than the Chinese balloon that traversed the U.S. last week.

We are told that it is about the size of a small car, and that it doesn't appear to have any maneuverability. Meaning, it's just kind of riding the wind. Meaning its behavior is a little bit unpredictable. We're also told by one U.S. official that it does not appear to have any surveillance equipment on it. But beyond that, we're going to have to wait and see once the military has recovered this object, what they're able to learn about what it is, who might own it, whether it's owned by a nation state, whether it's owned by a private entity, and how it got there.

But this was a very different situation, Fred, for the U.S. military than what happened with the spy balloon over the last week and a half or so. The spy balloon, they knew what it was when they saw it. This? Unknown object.

WHITFIELD: All right, Katie Bo Lillis, thanks so much.

LILLIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Let's get more perspective on this. We're joined now by CNN National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem. Juliette, good to see you. So, what are your thoughts on this object?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, these are pretty different stories that just happen to have taken place seven days apart. I mean, what's in common about them is at least the desire or ability to shoot them down. So, the first thing that it's just important to remember is we have to first determine whether this thing is manned or unmanned. So once the military did that with this -- with the second unidentified flying object, then the options or the risk calculation is essentially, is it a threat to the United States?

And this second device or object as we're calling it now, clearly, was in in the range of aviation aerospace. And that is just dangerous, right? So commercial aviation airspace has protected altitudes and we just simply can't have other stuff in those protected altitudes. And then whether the shooting of it down, the other calculation would harm individuals on the ground or property.

These are the calculations that went into the Biden administration's decision to delay the shutdown until the balloon was over -- was passed North Carolina and why they were able to do it so quickly now.

So, that's the similarity. But right now, what we're getting from the Pentagon is not telling us much. And I think that we are likely to learn this as a very different type of device, they're telling us no surveillance and it did not appear to be navigationalable. In other words, no one was navigating it from below. So, we'll find out probably relatively soon when, in fact, it was.

WHITFIELD: So, then I wonder that, you know, among the next steps, retrieving it, and we don't know whether they have retrieved it, we know that at least official said that it landed, most of it appeared to land on, you know, frozen water. So, retrieving it will be, you know, another undertaking, who knows, you know, what kind of machinery has to be used to do that. But they will try to extrapolate as much as they can based on what they find to discover the origins of it, you know, it's make up and what its objective.

You know, its intent might have been.

KAYYEM: Right.

WHITFIELD: What do you suppose is entailed in that kind of process?

KAYYEM: Yes. So, it's so -- I've spent a lot of time in the Arctic for -- in a past life and so, look at me, you're going to essentially just need cutters, boats essentially cut through the ice at this stage both the Navy and the Coast Guard have them.

[13:05:10]

We also know the Alaska National Guard is involved. And they have capacity to do that, once they get the debris if they haven't already. And I should be clear here, they're going to keep this part pretty quiet because we don't know the answer to some of the questions you were raising, then they're going to assess two major questions. One is, what capacity did it have? If it doesn't have surveillance capacity then you're kind of wondering, you know, what else -- what else was it doing up there?

Was a testing our systems to see how quickly we responded? And the second is, who owns it? Is it -- is it errant Russian thing or is it a private sector sort of space device or aviation device? That also will be easily resolved. I know it sounds funny, but there will be labeling like -- likely on this device that tells us something.

WHITFIELD: But would you be willing to rule out a coincidence? I mean, that there would be two mysterious objects. They're classified differently, but within a week's time?

KAYYEM: So, the -- I think that's -- I think that's a good question in the sense of is -- our systems being tested in terms of our capacity to find this stuff. I -- the first balloon, by the time it's identified, it is -- it is -- and our capacity to do anything about it was more limited because of the decision that we did not want to risk any sort of homeland, any soil in the United States. We simply have to wait a while.

So, it couldn't be that entities are testing our system. But I know there's been a lot of activity about thing -- identify things in space. It is also likely that we know about the second device and the decision to shoot it down came so quickly. Because the lessons learned from the week before, we simply have no idea how many errant things are in the air at this stage of which then identification is made.

We determined we're not going to use the resources to shoot something down that looks like it's nothing or it might be private sector thing. And the calculation is just different now. The calculation is we're going to -- as long as they're unmanned and they're unidentified and shooting them down could not harm Americans, bring it down and ask questions later. I think that calculation is where we are right now. WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Juliette Kayyem, great to see you. Thanks so much.

KAYYEM: Thank you. Bye.

WHITFIELD: All right. Now to the investigations surrounding the handling of classified documents. We have new information and CNN's Jessica Schneider has that.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Two new developments on the classified documents front. First, we've learned that the former president's legal team has actually turned over more classified documents to federal prosecutors in recent months. And it really suggests that these efforts to get classified material back from the former president, it still continues. All as the special counsel investigation which is a criminal investigation is ongoing.

So, we learned that this turnover of material happened in December and January. It included not only classified documents, but also a laptop belonging to an aide plus an empty folder marked classified evening briefing. We're told that Trump's attorneys discovered these documents in December while they were searching through boxes at Mar-a-Lago. They then turn them over to DOJ.

But of course, that discovery was two months after the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago in August that yielded hundreds of classified documents. We also learned that a Trump aide had even copied some of these documents onto a thumb drive, not realizing they were classified. We know that the thumb drive and the laptop have also been handed over to investigators. Then on top of that, on Friday, the FBI conducted a five-hour search of former Vice President Pence's home.

They uncovered one classified document, plus, six additional pages that weren't marked classified but were still taken by the FBI for review. Now this search was done in cooperation with Pence. He was actually in California visiting his family when the search happened. But now the question really is what comes next for the former vice president? We know the FBI is expected to search his Washington, D.C. office in the coming days.

But the question is will there be other searches? Also, what will the Justice Department do now? Will they ultimately have to name a special counsel to look into this issue with the former vice president especially because we know that Mike Pence is considering announcing a run for 2020 for the presidential run?

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead. The death toll in Turkey and Syria from this week's earthquake has now surpassed 25,000. Rescue workers are still trying to pull survivors for -- form from the rubble. We'll bring you the latest.

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[13:13:58] WHITFIELD: All right. Now to Turkey where the death toll from this week's earthquake has passed 25,00. Five days after the earthquake hit. Rescuers are still finding people alive. The latest remarkable rescues happened just a short time ago. New video showing a woman being rescued 144 hours after the earthquake hit.

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WHITFIELD (voice over): It is unbelievable. However, time is running out to find out other potential victims alive. One senior U.N. official warning they are approaching the end of the search and rescue window. Many of those who died are being buried in mass graves like this one in Turkey. And for the thousands of survivors, most are left with nothing. CNN's Nada Bashir is in Turkey for us. So, Nada, what is the latest in the search and rescue efforts?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Look, we are still hearing those remarkable stories of people being found alive beneath the rubble so many hours after the earthquake hit. And of course, while hope is dwindling to find more people and as we are seeing the death toll rising, we are still hearing these remarkable stories of people being found, that is giving people some semblance of hope across Turkey.

But of course, there is the reality to face many people are not being found alive and as the days pass, it is growing more and more unlikely, as you heard that warning from the United Nations. That rescue effort now looking more like a recovery effort for the many people still believed in missing, trapped beneath the rubble and of course, northwest Syria, where we have seen aid agencies struggle to get access over the last few days.

The White Helmets, which has been leading on that rescue effort, say they are no longer focusing on this being a rescue effort. They are focusing on recovery. They do not believe that there are any more survivors beneath the rubble in northwest Syria. So, serious concern, then, of course, this is a hugely troubling time for those impacted and for the loved ones of those still missing beneath the rubble.

But of course, there is also a focus now on the aid being distributed on the humanitarian assistance that is so desperately needed in Turkey across the southeast region. And in northern Syria. We have seen an outpouring of support not only from the international community where we have seen search and rescue teams being deployed to Turkey and also of course, aid agencies coming in deploying humanitarian assistance here.

But we've seen people here in Turkey gathering together to provide that crucial support here in Istanbul, hangars filled with aid to be distributed and today in northwest Syria, at least 22 U.N. aid trucks finally making it across the Bab al-Hawa crossing to distribute that crucial aid. But according to aid agency, it's simply isn't enough. More needs to be done for northwest Syria. Fredricka? WHITFIELD: All right. Nada Bashir in Turkey. Thanks so much.

And across the border in Syria, rescue efforts are being complicated by that country's long running Civil War. The head of the International Red Cross is calling for more access to the disaster zone in northern Syria, saying there is a need for impartial humanitarian assistance. The number of deaths in Syria is now more than 3500. The Syrian government approved sending aid into rebel territory in the Northwest but for some, it was simply too late.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the story.

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is what funerals look like in the quake zone. Burials and mass. There are just too many bodies. Baby clothes are all that remain of Nasser's (ph) little, Elif (ph). She died cradled in her mother's arms. Her mom is dead too.

And this is a little note written by his daughter Hiba (ph). Also killed in the earthquake. You are my heart, it reads. And now his heart is broken. Six of his children and his wife killed in an instant. His home lies in ruins.

We are used to airstrikes, rockets, barrel bombs, but this an act of God? He says, I kept calling out my children's names, one by one. No one answered.

This is a rebel-held area in Syria ravaged by war. Residents here are all too familiar with death. They can endure no more.

In government-controlled areas, there is relatively more assistance. As the crisis entered its fifth day, President Bashar Al Assad toured the affected area, drawing criticism for his delayed visit.

Aid is coming in from his backers, Iran and Russia, Pakistan and Algeria sending help as well. And the U.S. is authorizing aid that would otherwise be prohibited by tough sanctions to flow through here for a period of 180 days. But help is still limited in English is everywhere. Public spaces have been turned into shelters for the hundreds of thousands made homeless.

I wish we could just feel safe that our children can feel normal, she says. No one cares about us. A nation long neglected struck by yet another catastrophe without any means to withstand it.

[13:20:06]

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Istanbul.

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WHITFIELD: And coming up. Ukrainian forces claimed to have shut down 20 Iranian-made drones during a barrage of Russian attacks across the country. We'll have a live report from Kyiv straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: Russia is intensifying its strikes in Ukraine hitting the country with a barrage of missiles Friday targeting critical power infrastructure in several parts of the country, but Ukrainian forces claimed to have shot down 61 of those missiles. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is back in Kyiv after appealing to European governments for more firepower. He called for more modern tanks, long-range missiles and fighter jets.

CNN's David McKenzie is in Kyiv for us. So, David, is this the beginning of a feared Russian offensive?

[13:25:11]

DAVE MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's too early to tell, Fredricka. But certainly, there's an anticipation that there might be an uptick on the Eastern Front in particular. And as that anniversary gets closer, concerns from the Ukrainian side that the Russians will push forward, particularly in the Eastern Front. They are trying to prepare for that. They're dug in a very attritional warfare.

But it is a worry from the Ukrainians that with this missile barrage, and potentially more attacks like this, that you could be seeing a significant Russian offensive in the coming weeks.

WHITFIELD: And then, one Ukrainian commander says that in some areas, there were at least 50 attacks from Russian forces. Why are these areas in the East so important?

MCKENZIE: Well, they're so important, because this is, in part, the political objective of Vladimir Putin, I think, to take over these areas of the Donbas. And if you look at this, these strikes by Russians in what is a relatively small town, but strategically very important and then also this video of Russians retreating from the scene, there's been significant losses by Russian forces according to several sources in the town of Volador in the east.

The head of the Ukrainian forces causes the Donbas axis. And this is critically important. Though these centers are relatively small, much of the civilian population has evacuated in terror from these areas, it could prove important for the Russians if they can push forward to try and secure some of the supply lines in that area and key rail infrastructure as well. But at this point, it's sort of inch by inch and very deadly for both sides. And no major movement, I think on this front line, either way. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: OK. And then David, I wonder what kind of assistance, you know, are the Ukrainians asking for right now?

MCKENZIE: Well, of course, a lot of the headlines are guided by the sophisticated weapons that President Zelenskyy is asking for. He succeeded in getting pledges for tanks from the U.S., the Europe and the U.K. But it's also just the basic needs of the military in this attritional warfare. They need according to the head of the Ukrainian forces who had a discussion with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley in the U.S.

They need weapons, they need basic support. They need ammunition, just to -- in their mind fight off the Russians and these constant volleys of potentially thermobaric weapons, certainly, artillery strikes on a hourly basis. This is very, very deadly warfare, not huge gains, and it speaks to the grinding nature of this conflict. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. David McKenzie in Ukraine. Thanks so much. Still to come. Explosive testimony in the Alex Murdock double murder trial. The family housekeeper took the stand and now the defense is calling for mistrial. Details next.

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[13:32:32]

WHITFIELD: Another dramatic day in court in the South Carolina double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh.

On Friday, the family housekeeper took the stand and recounted the concerns Alex Murdaugh's wife, Maggie, had about his financial troubles and his truthfulness.

And two more witnesses positively identifying Alex Murdaugh's voice in a key video authorities say was recorded shortly before the killings.

CNN's Randi Kaye has more from Walterboro, South Carolina.

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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There was a dramatic moment in court when the defense started pushing for a mistrial. It was denied by the judge.

But they were pushing for that mistrial after the prosecution started questioning the Murdaughs' former housekeeper about Maggie Murdaugh's state of mind and how Maggie Murdaugh felt about the money situation in their marriage.

The defense basically said that is hearsay, because Maggie Murdaugh is no longer here and cannot testify about that on her own.

But much of the day, the housekeeper spent testifying about what she saw Alex Murdaugh wearing the day of the murders. Both the prosecution and the defense asked her about this.

Here's what she said.

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JOHN MEADOWS, PROSECUTOR: Was that shirt there?

BLANCA TURRUBIATE-SIMPSON, MURDAUGH FAMILY HOUSEKEEPER: No, sir.

MEADOWS: Were these shoes that you called house slippers there?

TURRUBIATE-SIMPSON: No, sir.

MEADOWS: Did you ever see those house shoes again?

TURRUBIATE-SIMPSON: No, sir.

MEADOWS: Where did he usually keep them?

TURRUBIATE-SIMPSON: In the closet.

DICK HARPOOTLIAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: When he left that night, on the night of the 7th, and went to his mother and father's house, you don't know what clothes he took with him, what shoes he was wearing? You have no idea, correct?

TURRUBIATE-SIMPSON: That is correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: All of this matters because the prosecution has been laying the groundwork that Alex Murdaugh allegedly showered and changed his clothes after killing his family. So that's why there is so much talk about the clothing.

Now, the housekeeper did testify that she found a pair of khaki pants that Alex Murdaugh had been wearing the day of the murder. She found those the following morning.

On cross examination, the defense asked her, did you see any bloodstains on those pants, did you find any bloodstains or any blood in the shower? Her answer was no.

Looking ahead, the state expects to rest its case on Wednesday. The defense will pick it up from there. They say their defense case could likely last another week.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Walterboro, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Randi.

[13:35:01]

All right, now, to unpack all of this, let's bring in defense and trial attorney, Misty Marris, joining us live from New York.

Misty, so good to see you.

So do you think the judge should have declared a mistrial?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE & TRIAL ATTORNEY: Well, this was quite a day in court with a lot of fiery exchanges between prosecution and defense.

From a defense perspective, you have a dual responsibility when you're in that courtroom. Not only are your zealously defending your client, but you're also preserving any appellate record. No surprise the defense is going to ask for a mistrial.

A couple of reasons. First, they're saying the prosecutor's question was hearsay, that the prosecutor was actually testifying for the witness by asking, was Maggie anxious, testifying about Maggie's, who is no longer here, state of mind.

Also, prosecutors asked a question before the judge had actually had the opportunity to rule on a prior objection, saying that's all improper.

Not surprised to see the defense make that motion for mistrial, again, preserving those appellate issues. But the judge unsurprisingly denied that and we're going to continue to see this play out.

One of the reasons this area of inquiry is being permitted by the judge, because the defense has raised the idea that Maggie and Alex had a have very loving relationship, he couldn't have possibly done that.

The judge says you opened the door to talking about that, so now evidence can come in on the prosecutor's side that could tend to refute it.

WHITFIELD: What kind of potential holes do you see in the defense?

MARRIS: Right now, the timeline. Timeline, timeline, timeline is likely the defense' biggest hurdle.

We know we have six witnesses who are close to the family who have said the voice on Paul Murdaugh's recording of that dog in the kennel right before these murders were allegedly committed, that that is Alex, 100 percent certain. That's six witnesses so far.

That puts him at the scene when he adamantly said to everyone he came into contact with that night that he was not there, that he was napping, he was in the house 45 minutes before. That's going to be the most challenging aspect of the defense case.

But look, the defense has done a really good job on forensics. The defense has done a really good job of saying this could have been two people proposing these alternate theories, and a really good job of talking about the sloppy crime scene investigation.

All of that, we're going to see a lot more of as the defense takes over and starts to bring their own experts on the stand.

WHITFIELD: For the prosecution, do you feel like they have proven its case?

MARRIS: Great point, because it's the prosecution's burden. This is a circumstantial case.

But I will say they got a big win here with all of this evidence coming in on the financial crimes. And again, I think another potential appellate issue. But the defense is saying this is a pile-on. Now we're hearing about

all these financial crimes that have nothing to do with the murder. It's incredibly prejudicial.

The jury will be instructed that evidence of the financial crimes is not evidence to murder. It's evidence to motive.

But the prosecution would not normally be able to bring in character evidence. That's generally excluded unless the defendant testifies.

Here, we've seen all of these witnesses, friends of Murdaugh, family members, essentially everyone he's come into contact with, he's lied to, defrauded. And that is going to be something that's not lost on the jury.

The prosecution got a big win because normally they would not be able to go down that path or argue about his character.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. Often that whole, you know, character witnesses that might come in a sentencing phase, but unusual here.

MARRIS: Correct.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much, Misty Marris. Great talking to you.

MARRIS: Thank you so much.

[13:38:58]

WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, rescue dogs trained in the U.S. are in Turkey helping with the search efforts. We'll talk with a member of the foundation training the dogs straight ahead.

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[13:43:34]

WHITFIELD: Desperation is growing in Turkey and Syria as the death toll from Monday's massive earthquake climbs to more than 25,000. Tens of thousands are injured. Crews are racing against the clock to find survivors who may be trapped.

Drone footage over Turkey shows the scale of the disaster is enormous. Building after building completely decimated.

But amid the death and destruction, there have been moments of hope, like this remarkable scene in Turkey where rescuers saved a 16-year- old boy who was buried under debris for 135 hours.

But the hope of finding survivors is fading with each passing hour.

Survivors are now facing what the World Health Organization is calling a secondary disaster as dangerous cold settles in. Both Turkey and Syria are facing colder than normal temperatures.

The weather is making the already horrific conditions worse. The WHO warns many people are surviving out in the open without basic supplies.

And that the secondary disaster could cause harm to more people than the initial quake if crews don't move quickly enough to get the best of aid to the survivors.

As rescuers in Turkey and Syria continue the critical search for survivors, they're also getting much-needed help from dogs, canines trained to help during disasters.

Some of those dog teams are trained at a special facility in southern California.

[13:45:03]

And joining us right now is Denise Sanders. She's the senior director of communications and search team operations at the Search Dog Foundation, SDF.

Good to see you.

First of all, tell us about your group's response to this earthquake.

DENISE SANDERS, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & SEARCH TEAM OPERATIONS, SEARCH DOG FOUNDATION: The Search Dog Foundation is a nonprofit organization. We train the dogs to be prepared for a moment like this. And then they are partnered with their first responder handlers.

So they're actually deploying with their task forces, which, in this case, internationally is USA 1 and USA 2. They're on the ground in Turkey now.

WHITFIELD: On this mission are seven SDF trained teams from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department. What have they told you about what they're seeing and experiencing on the ground?

SANDERS: In this case, we don't have direct communication with the teams on the ground. We don't want to compromise the mission in any way. So all of the information we're receiving is through USAID.

But what we're seeing from media outlets, as wells as what USAID is sharing, the dogs are certainly being used and they are going from site to site searching for anyone who may be left still alive in the rubble even days after this devastating earthquake.

The training that goes into these dogs takes months and even years. And it's ongoing for their entire career.

But it's because the stakes are so high, we know that it could be a matter of life and death, using these canines to try and find survivors in the rubble.

WHITFIELD: So talk to me about how and why these dogs are so effective, particularly for recoveries and disasters on scales like this. SANDERS: The dog's nose is far superior to any piece of technology we

have yet. Their noses are so much better at finding any little piece of scent.

What they're looking for is to pick up any live human scent out there. And the reason being is it's a big game to them.

We know this is a very serious situation. To them, it's a big game, because they think their toy is at the end of this.

When they sniff out human scent, they're going to bark. It doesn't matter what the terrain looks like. They're not going to stop until they get to that strongest scent source.

When they do, they bark and alert, and then their handler is going to reward them with that toy. So in this way, we've conditioned them to play this game, if you will.

It's a game to the dogs, that they continue to search and search and search where their handler directs them to make sure they find every live human scent that they can smell, but not see.

So we've seen the images of all of these folks, these amazing rescuers on the pile searching by hand.

The dog is going to bypass them and look for that scent they can't see, they can't put together with a human because they think that person has their toy.

It's really this pure game of hide and seek, if you will, to the canines, whereas we know the stakes are much higher than that.

WHITFIELD: Wow. It's so extraordinary.

Then I understand you call your pups, your dogs "rescued to rescuer." Give us the back story of why they deserve that title.

SANDERS: These dogs are absolutely incredible. I know we have a limited amount of time, but I could talk all day about how inspirational they are in their resilience.

The majority of dogs are rescues. So they've come from either a bad situation -- one of the dogs over there was picked up as a stray on the streets of northern California by one of our rescue partners.

They saw in him the traits that we look for, which are the exact traits that make these dogs not very good pets. They're super driven. They have very high toy drive to the point of obsession.

This is not necessarily the type of dog that you want in your house. They will not sit and watch TV with you on the couch. They want to be active. They need a job. We're lucky enough to give them that.

It's really that human canine connection, that bond that is so important. And that we're seeing on display now as teams search around the clock in Turkey. Because if you don't have that bond and that relationship and that

trust, you cannot do this job very well. It makes it much harder.

So the many weeks, months and years that go into their training is really what that's all about. The skills are one thing, and obviously very important, but it's really that bond and trust that makes it so special.

Especially when you look back to where these dogs started. So they truly go from "rescued to rescuer" and help save lives.

WHITFIELD: So extraordinary. Your team's doing very important work.

Denise Sanders, thank you so much.

And for more information about how you can help victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, go to CNN.com/impact.

[13:50:05]

And just one more day before quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts get a chance at a Super Bowl title. Up next, they each open up about their fathers and their influence on and off the field.

But first, a record factory in Asheville, North Carolina, is banking on the vinyl comeback. In today's "START SMALL, THINK BIG," see how Citizens Vinyl is bringing music and people together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GAR RAGLAND, FOUNDER, CITIZEN VINYL: Citizen Vinyl is a celebration of music and community. We make music here.

(SINGING)

RAGLAND: We press music downstairs on our presses. And we celebrate music in our public space, along with food and drink and community.

We are a cafe and vinyl-themed craft cocktail bar and we have an onsite record and art store.

Every day our team curates a playlist of vinyl records so you can shop for records, listen to music, all while watching records being pressed.

The "Citizen Times" building, where Citizen Vinyl is located, was built by the owner of the newspapers in 1939. There were printing presses in the basement.

And we fell in love with the fact that we could bring manufacturing back to downtown Asheville.

(SINGING)

RAGLAND: I've been in the music business for 30 years.

(SINGING)

RAGLAND: Many people describe listening to records as a warmth that you don't get when you listen to music digitally.

The communal experience of listening to music, of celebrating art, it's very alluring. And it's something that I think that we humans need more of in our lives.

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:56:33]

WHITFIELD: Now we're just one day away from the biggest sports game of the year. This year's Super Bowl will mark the first time two black quarterbacks start the championship game.

And while they are rivals on the field, both men credit their fathers for getting them to where they are today.

CNN's Coy Wire is in Glendale, Arizona, outside the stadium where the big game will be played.

Coy, what can you tell us about the stories of these two quarterbacks and their dads?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Inspiring leaders, uplifting personalities, wise beyond their years.

You know, it's so quick to be pointed out, Fred, when a star athlete's family was broken, dad wasn't around.

We need to get that same energy when you have two stars like Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, who come from strong families, and whose dads were with them every step of the way, molding them, guiding them, shaping them into the inspiring young leaders we see today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JALEN HURTS, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QUARTERBACK: I'm not the man I am on the field, off the field, the quarterback I am, the leader I am, I'm none of that without him.

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: My dad, he means the world to me, man. I mean, he set an example for me of how you have to go through this business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE (voice-over): Patrick Mahomes' dad had an 11-year Major League Baseball career and taught his son how to be a pro and how to persevere through adversity.

MAHOMES: He dealt with positives. He was in the MLB at an early age but he also battled in the minor leagues for a long time.

And he kept following his dream and following his dream, and he was able to make it to a World Series. And it showed me, no matter if you're not having success at that moment, if you continue to follow your dreams, you'll make it.

PAT MAHOMES, FATHER OF PATRICK MAHOMES: I just try to make sure that he knows that I'm in his corner, I'm going to be there, and as long as he goes out there and does the best he can, he'll never hear a gripe from me.

WIRE: Hurts' dad was his high school football coach. And Jalen has been learning about leadership for him since he was a ball boy for his teams.

AVERION HURTS, JALEN HURTS' FATHER: It's a blessing to watch a young man that developed a passion for his sport and really, really worked hard at every level and every turn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does dad mean to you?

HURTS: Like, I'm a direct reflection of him and spitting image of him in so many ways. And I love him and respect him for how tough he was on me, how honest he was with me and the man he raised.

WIRE: The love and support these Super Bowl star quarterbacks received from their dads is shaping them into great leaders in their own right, not just for their teams.

Mahomes is now a dad, father of two, leading, guiding. And while Hurts isn't a dad, he's well aware of the influence he can have on the next generation.

HURTS: You don't really realize the impact you're doing until you reflect on it. And I think to have these opportunities and be able to represent so many different people, some I definitely have in my heart when I'm out there playing.

I definitely never forget where I come from and, most importantly, I know there are kids out there watching. There's always kids out there watching.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Powerful stuff.

Fred, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts finished first and second, respectively, in the MVP voting.

And having talked to them and their teammates all week long, the teammates always say the first thing that makes them who they are is the way they're able to lead. It's something clearly that they've learned from their dads.

Their combining ages at 27 and 24 for Mahomes and Hurts --

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes.

WIRE: -- to be the youngest combined age of any two starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history.

[13:59:57]

This is going to be a close one. Only four other Super Bowls has the spread been fewer than two points. This is one of them.

Eagles are flavored slightly. I don't know who I'm going to go with. I think I'm going to go for now with the Ch-Eagles.