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CNN International: U.S. Shoots Down Unidentified Object Over Michigan; More Than 34,000 People Dead in Turkey and Syria; Chiefs Beat Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired February 13, 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 and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. Joining you live from London. Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're never leaving here. We're going to stay here. We're going to stay here. We have the best quarterback in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Came back, delivered. Super Bowl champs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Biden ordered the takedown of an unidentified object in North American airspace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody should expect to fly over U.S. airspace like this and not be taken down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there's still some semblance of hope we could still find survivors beneath the rubble.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were already in a need. And today we are thinking about the most basic needs that are not being fulfilled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

FOSTER: It is Monday, February 13th. 9:00 a.m. here in London, 4:00 a.m. in Washington. Where government officials are working to get more information about another high-altitude object shot down by U.S. military on Sunday.

NOBILO: The object was over Michigan before it was taken down over Late Huron. Officials had been tracking the object for over a day after they picked its signals over Montana until U.S. president Joe Biden gave the order to shoot it down. A senior administration official tells CNN the object was shaped like an octagon, it had strings hanging off but apparently no payload. FOSTER: This is now the fourth object shot down in North American

airspace in the past week starting with that suspected Chinese spy balloon last weekend. CNN's Kylie Atwood has more details now on Sunday's incident and the many unanswered questions surrounding it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The Pentagon now confirms at that 2:42 p.m. on Sunday at the direction of President Biden, U.S. military F-16s shot down an object over Lake Huron. That is according to Pentagon press officer Caesar Santiago. This object according to the Pentagon was traveling at about 20,000 feet aboveground. That elevation meant that it posed a threat to civilian aviation. And there was also a flight restriction by the FAA that went into place on Saturday in Montana.

And the Pentagon is saying that there's reason to believe that this object is what actually triggered that flight restriction to go into place. Based on the direction that it was headed in. And this object was shot down because of the potential threat to flight aviation and also because of its potential surveillance capabilities. With the Pentagon saying that they are now working to recover this object after it was being shot down. Still many questions. We don't know who or what was responsible for this object or what its motivation or its objective of being in the air over U.S. airspace actually was.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The president has been facing criticism from Republicans that he waited too long to shoot down the Chinese balloon last week. Now with three more objects being shot down in as many days, his critics have other questions and concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. MATT ROSENDALE (R-MT): The first balloon was a Chinese spy balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic. And at that time, I started questioning when it did it enter our airspace? How long did they know about it? How long did they keep this information away from the American public? Why wasn't it brought down earlier in such a fashion that we could have acquired all of the equipment and evaluated to find out what they have been collecting and transmitting back to China.

And now, it doesn't give me much faith feelings knowing that these devices are just smaller. They're more difficult to track but they're still accumulating data. And I'm very concerned with the cumulative effect of the data that is being collected. Whether that's cellular activity, whether that's information about our civilian infrastructure, whether that is information about our military infrastructure and our defense systems, I need some answers and the American people need answers.

REP. MIKE TURNER (R-OH): I would prefer them to be trigger happy than to be permissive. But we're going to have to see whether or not this is the administration trying to change headlines.

[04:05:00]

What I think this shows -- which is probably more important for our policy discussion -- is that we really have to declare that we've going to defend our airspace and then we have to invest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: It really is so intriguing, isn't it? But I think one thing worth pointing out is that there probably aren't more of these things, they're just looking more closely for them after the Chinese spy balloon.

NOBILO: Yes, potentially. But then even China has said that it's monitoring an unidentified object flying above the yellow sea. So, it does seem to be absorbing everybody's attention.

FOSTER: Yes, coming up, we'll have a live report from Beijing on China's reaction to all of this.

A lawyer for former President Donald Trump says searches for classified material at Trump properties are now complete. Timothy Parlatore confirmed additional documents were found in a search in December and turned over to the Justice Department.

NOBILO: And in an interview with CNN, Trump's lawyers had this reaction if a special counsel should be appointed after a document marked classified were found at the home of former Vice President Mike Pence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIMOTHY PARLATORE, DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYER: I don't -- I don't think there should be special counsels appointed to look at any classified documents cases. I think that that that is the business of DOJ and needs to be put on the bench for. And instead, the office of director of national intelligence should to get into it. And they should do an administrative classified documents spillage investigation. They should provide to all former residents of the White House. They should provide them all amnesty. That way, they can get full cooperation from the everybody and figure out really what is going on with the White House document handling procedures so that they can fix it.

When you have DOJ going to these things, they are automatically going in with all of the criminal processes and to threaten people to go to jail, over something that really is a procedural failure. And an institutional procedural failure, that has nothing to do with Mike Pence, Donald Trump or quite frankly, Joe Biden.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: In the day ahead, the murder trial of disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh will resume in South Carolina. The prosecution is expected to call more witnesses through the middle of the week and try to prove that Murdaugh killed his wife and son back in 2021. And last week, much of the trial focused on Murdaugh's financial

troubles which prosecutors say provided him with a motive to shoot his family. Murdaugh is denying the charges.

NOBILO: A New Jersey school superintendent has resigned after a student took her own life after being attacked by other students.

And prosecutors say for students at Central Regional High School Berkeley Township has been charged in connection with the attack on 14-year-old Adriana Kuch. That attack was recorded and posted on social media platforms including TikTok. Her father expressed his outrage.

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MICHAEL KUCH, FATHER OF ADRIANA KUCH: They think it's fun to attack people and make videos and post them. She blacks out and they don't call an ambulance. They take her to the nurse's office. Adriana was the most happy, beautiful young lady in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Her family also wants Adriana to be remembered as fun loving. If you or anyone know someone is struggling or has contemplated suicide, a trained counselor is available at the U.S. National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. That is at 1-800-273-talk.

A week after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, the window to find survivors is closing fast. Ahead, the latest in rescue efforts in a live report in Istanbul.

FOSTER: Also, tens of thousands are without power in northern New Zealand, the cyclone Gabrielle bears down on the region with heavy winds and rain.

NOBILO: Plus, two storm systems will bring severe weather including rain and snow to parts of the U.S., Derek Van Dam will have the latest for you next.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Millions of Americans under weather alert over the Western U.S. as a series of powerful storms initiate some big changes across the U.S. Including a potential for severe weather. I'll highlight all the details coming up after the break.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: More aid trucks from the United Nations have crossed into northwestern Syria a week after the region suffered a devastating earthquake. But critics say the delivery is too little too late as the death toll from disaster continues to mount. More than 34,000 people are now confirmed dead in Turkey and Syria. Rescue efforts are still ongoing in Turkey. And on Sunday, emergency crews found more people alive under the rubble. Among them a 17-year-old girl. CNN's Nada Bashir reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Reciting a prayer, hoping for a miracle. This time their prayers have been answered. A weekend of remarkable rescues. Several survivors pulled to freedom after almost a week, buried beneath the rubble.

In Hatay, smiles of relief. This son telling his mother, we are here. We are with you. And this little girl still in a state of shock, but free at last. Time, however, is quickly running out. This French rescue team, working overnight to retrieve the body of a 6-year-old boy. Retrieving the dead, this colonel tells his team, is also a crucial part of their job.

In northwest Syria, the grief is almost too much to bear. Rescue workers here say they are no longer holding out hope for more survivors. This is a region already decimated by President Bashar al- Assad's brutal war. Now crushed under the weight of one of the worst natural disaster this region has seen in a century.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No matter how horrific this disaster was, no matter how big this crisis was, we've seen and lived through such terror before.

[04:15:00]

BASHIR (voice-over): Aid has finally arrived in Syria's rebel-held territories. Volunteers say it's simply too little too late. Across the border in Gaziantep, life has been transformed. This elderly woman said she lost everything. But these are tears of joy. A phone call from her son to tell her that he is live.

For others, hope is dwindling fast. This youth woman sits waiting for news. Her mother and sister are still beneath the rubble beside her. They are dying there, she says, and I am dying here.

And now as the death toll continues to soar, grief for some is turning to anger. And calls for accountability are only growing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: And Nada joins us now from Istanbul. Nada, I believe you are at a relief center. What can you tell us about who you've been speaking to and what you've been witnessing?

BASHIR (on camera): Well, Bianca, while there is miraculous, remarkable survivors being pulled out of the rubble, are now becoming few and far between. A week since the devastating earthquake that humanitarian aid effort is still continuing across the country. Even the most logistical and even dramatic challenges and getting aid across to Northwest Syria.

And here in Turkey there is a real sense of urgency because thousands of people are now heavily dependent on that humanitarian aid. You see aid distribution centers like this one being set up, up and down the country in order to fulfill those desperate needs.

And I'm joined by one of the coordinators here who has been working to coordinate his aid distribution within Istanbul, sending all that aid across to southeastern Turkey. And just talk us through, I mean, clearly there is still a huge amount needed for these people that have been impacted by the earthquake. Are you seeing enough donations coming in?

ENIF YAVUZ DIPSAR, HEAD OF ISTANBUL SOCIAL SERVICES: No, it's not enough and it will never be enough. So, nobody has to forget us now. We feel like people are forgetting us -- international area. But in Turkey, Turkey unites, all of the hearts are beating over there. But in Istanbul, we have more than 20,000 volunteers. And without stuff in Istanbul, we unite and we work 7/24, 7 days, 24 hours, every day, two main donation centers. And also now we open our kindergartens and human health centers. Live raise for donations. But it's never enough really, it will never be enough, people are starving over there. People they need T-shirts. They need blankets, still. They need tents. And so, it's really not enough. We sent more than 200 trucks, three planes and two ships. But --

BASHIR: So, you need more?

DIPSAR: Yes, we need more. Because this is a disaster that we have never seen before. Turkey never face anything like this before.

BASHIR: And you're seeing -- we've seen a lot of people from Turkey, of course, pulling together, gathering here. But your message is we need more from the international community?

DIPSAR: We need definitely more international community because we can't spend alone. And please don't forget us.

BASHIR: We have a huge amount of support going out from Istanbul, trucks, trains, planes, even ships being sent over to southeastern Turkey, a call for aid is vital humanitarian. This has been clearly as you see that death toll rising, you see thousands more people becoming homeless as a result of this earthquakes. That dire need for humanitarian assistance is only growing -- Bianca, Max.

NOBILO: Nada, thank you so much. It's just tragic hearing Enif, who Nada was speaking to saying that the aid will never be enough that they feel like they're being forgotten.

FOSTER: Yes, the longer, you know, the recovery process and rebuilding that's going to go for years. And then they'll have less attention, of course.

Post tropical cyclone Gabrielle approaching northern New Zealand bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and large swells as well.

NOBILO: At least 58,000 people are without power across the North Island due to the storm. And radio New Zealand reports that domestic flights in and out of Auckland have been canceled. Leaving those stranded in the city. The storm expected to weaken slightly on Monday and Tuesday. Here's

what a Newshub reporter told us earlier about preparations for the storm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURA TUPOU, NEWSHUB REPORTER: Here in Auckland and all over the top of the North Island, we've had a lot of communications around the cyclone. People have been preparing all weekend for it. We've being told to have supplies for three days. Have food, water, medication, and people have really hated that advice. Schools have closed. Businesses largely have closed. Trains aren't running.

[04:20:00]

As you mentioned there, domestic flights have been canceled, most international flights aren't coming into Auckland airport at the moment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The flooding from the storm is adding to the devastation caused by record-breaking flash floods that swamped the region late last month.

FOSTER: Meanwhile in the U.S. more than 5 million people across 11 states under winter weather alerts. The National Weather Service says two separate storm systems have prompted it to issue those warnings. CNN's Derek Van Dam has more.

VAN DAM: Well, Max, Bianca, you know, we've got old man winter just holding tight over the western parts of the U.S. We actually have two different storm systems that are going to work in tandem over the next couple of days. And it's going to bring significant snowfall to some of the Intermountain West as well as the Pacific Northwest, places like Portland, Oregon, for instance included within this winter weather alert -- which you'll see in just one moment.

But plenty of the snow anticipated across the Great Basin and the Four Corners region. Here's our winter weather advisories that includes Portland. You can also see that there's winter storm warnings surrounding that winter storm warnings, for Flagstaff, Arizona, for instance, north of Phoenix. We have storm watches for Billings, Montana, and just south of Denver.

All in all, a very unsettled weather pattern over the Western U.S., this is going to initiate some changes across the entire country which we'll get to in just a moment. But look at all of the wind associated with this. We have high wind alerts across much of the Great Basin.

And here's just a broad look at the snowfall totals across the higher elevations. We'll be measuring this in feet for many locations. And we could potentially get some snowfall across the front range into the eastern portions of Colorado.

Also, plenty of precipitation you can see for the eastern half of the country that, of course, will fall in the form of rain. And now the potential for some stronger thunderstorms as this system kind of ejects in a low pressure and associated cold front out of the Rockies. Then we still have our redundant snow behind it that's kind of sticking around across the Colorado Rockies.

So, here's a look at your chance of severe weather. We're taking you into Wednesday and Thursday so kind of looking ahead here. But this is a good outlook because we want to get just an idea of what's to come. Little Rock to Shreveport, once again Dallas, you have potential for severe weather. We're also going to keep an eye on the sky from the Gulf Coast, all the way to the Ohio River Valley on Thursday. Again, as this low pressure system starts to traverse this region.

Now behind it an arctic blast. So, cold air will settle and across the Great Lakes and eventually across the Northeast by the weekend. But it'll be a short-lived blast of chilly temperatures because you can see, we start to see the daytime highs moderating quite quickly for places like Denver, as well as Chicago. Max, Bianca, back to you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They said when we traded Tyreek Hill, we weren't going be nothing special. They said we were not going to be the Broncos. We weren't going to be compared to the Chargers, we were going to beat the Raiders. But again, we win back-to-back in our division.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: They did it. The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL champions of a thrilling high-scoring Super Bowl LVII. It's their second Super Bowl victory in the last four years this time defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 after a big second half comeback.

FOSTER: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named the Super Bowl MVP just a few days after winning the MVP award for the 2022 season. He's also become the first player since 1999 to win the league MVP title and Super Bowl championship. What a superstar. For more on the game, let's go to CNN's Sports Andy Scholes at the Glendale -- at the stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Yes, guys, you know, what a game this was. If you like seeing points scored this game was certainly for you. This was the first Super Bowl in history where both teams scored at least 35 points. And it was certainly a battle.

You can see how much this game meant to both teams, especially head coach Nick Sirianni of the Eagles. He had teared pouring down his guys during the National Anthem. And he was happy though early on watching his quarterback Jalen Hurts have a historic half. Hurts, the first player ever to run for two TDs and throw for one and a Super Bowl. He added a third rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter which was a Super Bowl record for a quarterback as well.

But when the Chiefs needed Patrick Mahomes the most, he came through big time. Mahomes, even with a bad ankle that he reinjured in the first half, he led the Chiefs on a scoring drive every time they got the ball in the second half. And with the game tied at 35, Mahomes here a 26-yard scamper. That got the Chiefs in field goal range in the closing minute. A defensive holding call helped the Chiefs run out the clock. Some fans were mad about the call, but James Bradberry even admitted after the game he was holding on the play. The Chiefs just the second team ever to erase a double-digit halftime deficit.

[04:25:00]

They win 38-35. Mahomes named the MVP and afterwards, he said, this second title means even more than the first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: The first Super Bowl, I thought was -- I mean, obviously, I didn't win it the first year that I started. But the first Super Bowl was just kind of like, oh, this is amazing, happy, like we won the Super Bowl. Like this is happy -- but it's just like a little kid winning a prize at the fair.

I mean, whereas this one, you dealt with failure. You understand how hard it is to get back on this stage and to win this game. I mean, I played a Super Bowl where I got blown out where it was all hyped up then you go out there and you don't do anything. Then I lose the AFC championship in overtime. When I thought we had a chance to win the Super Bowl that year. Had a full, brand-new team and had to go through the strain of being better and better every single day it gives you a greater appreciation for winning this game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, and Mahomes is off to the greatest start in a career than any other player in NFL history. He's got two Super Bowl titles now to go with his two MVP awards. He's the only player ever to do that in the first six seasons.

Both teams were not happy about playing surface in the Super Bowl. The grass was brought in just for Super Bowl LVII and it was very slippery. Many of the Eagles players even changing their cleats midgame. It didn't really change the outcome but it certainly was unfortunate that it was a story.

Now the story we talked about all week heading into the game how this was such an important one for the Kelce family and how invested they were in this game. Jason, offensive lineman for the Eagles, Travis, a tight end for the Chiefs. They're the first ever brothers to face each other in the Super Bowl. And after the loss, you see Jason getting consoled there by his mother Donna on the field. But she had to turn that frown upside down pretty quick and jump into Travis' arms with a big smile to celebrate the win with him. And after the game, you know, Travis and Jason, very emotional in talking about facing off against each other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TRAVIS KELCE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS TIGHT END: There's nothing you can really say to a loved one in a situation like that. You know, you joke around all the time and say you want to beat your brother on the biggest stage ever. But it's a weird feeling.

JASON KELCE, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES CENTER: I've talked to my brother more this year than I've talked to him since college probably. And he's an incredible person. And it's been truly a joy, probably one of my most enjoyable seasons, both as an Eagle and, you know, as a brother.

TRAVIS KELCE: There's nothing really, I can say to him other than I love him and he played a hell of a year, a hell of a season.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHOLES: Yes, guys, you can only imagine the roller coaster that the Kelce family went through during his game. And you know, Donna Kelce having to be on the field and be happy, but sad at the same time.

FOSTER: What a night, Andy. So many stories coming out of it. Thank you so much for joining us Glendale.

NOBILO: And during the halftime show, singer Rihanna had fans saying please don't stop the music with that stunning halftime show. Well, that's not the only thing that had people talking.

FOSTER: No, many people commented on what they thought to be a baby bump. And the "Hollywood Reporter" says she is indeed pregnant for the second time. The singer didn't miss a beat as she ran through multiple hits-songs amid a sea of dancers closing the show and some diamonds and a skyful of fireworks.

NOBILO: The choreography and dancing was incredible.

FOSTER: An act of vandalism though causing a temporary Comcast outage in parts of Philadelphia on Super Bowl Sunday. But fortunately, many of the affected customers had their service restored before the game.

NOBILO: A cut fiber-optic cable had resulted in the interruption of service for a few thousand customers in the Philadelphia area.

Still to come, we'll have more on the airborne object shot down over North America, as well as reports of Chinese authorities forcing an unknown flying object in their airspace this time. We'll go live to Beijing.

FOSTER: It's going on everywhere.

Later, a popular candy factory fined after two workers fall into a chocolate tank. We'll explain, ahead.

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