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CNN International: Ukraine: At Least 36 Russian Missiles Fired Overnight; Quake Death Toll Surpasses 42,000; Safety Concerns Grow after Toxic Train Derailment in Ohio; Should Politicians over age 75 Pass Mental Competency Tests; Search BBC Offices by Indian Government Enters a Third Day. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired February 16, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, Russia fires at least 36 missiles across Ukraine in a fresh wave of attacks. Officials say the targets were critical infrastructure.

Hundreds of elderly people in China are taken to the streets to protest against cuts to medical insurance only a few months after the nationwide demonstrations against China's zero COVID policy. Plus, U.S. Presidential candidate Nikki Haley says the time has come for a new generation of U.S. leadership, and she calls for mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75.

Russia launched a massive widespread aerial bombardment targeting critical infrastructure facilities throughout Ukraine overnight, including the Western Lviv region. Kyiv says 16 out of 36 missiles fired were shot down. A local official in central eastern part of the country says a 79 year old woman was killed and more than 60 houses destroyed by shelling.

Meanwhile, as Moscow's forces tried to push forward along the eastern front line, Ukrainian troops have released video; they say shows a strike against the Russian multiple rocket launchers armed with the thermo barrack weapons. Those weapons also known as vacuum bombs are particularly devastating. CNN's David McKenzie joins me live in Kyiv. This was a triumph wasn't it a minor triumph for Ukraine?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly this has been the pattern here these missile or attempted missile strikes overnight and or into the morning, in fact, at least 36 missiles, cruise missile attacks.

And if you see these devastating impact on residential areas that appears, according to Ukrainians and these pictures in a town about an hour's drive to the Eastern Dnipro. You see this massive crater the impact of this missile strike.

At least one elderly woman tragically killed in that strike according to the Ukrainians. As well as in the west of the country around Lviv what the Ukrainians are describing as critical infrastructure struck by missile. Around half of those attacks were staved off by air defenses here in Ukraine Max but some did get through.

But some did get through particularly the Kh-22 cruise missile, which is meant to be an anti-ship missile, but it's been used with some effect by Russian forces here. There's also this striking video that you mentioned in the east of the country around Vuhledar, we've been talking about the zone quite a bit because of the waves of Russian attacks. It's a strike by Ukrainians on a launch system, what appears to be thermobaric or vacuum bomb weapons that have been used.

We've seen evidence of their use in the town where Ukrainians have been firing on Russian positions. There is a sense that the air defenses are doing an incredible job, according to the President and others here and try to put a blanket over Ukraine to stop these attacks, but some are getting through and at least in parts of the country. They've been hitting targets and civilians as well, Max.

FOSTER: OK, David in Kyiv thank you. The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko says he will not send troops to Ukraine unless his country is attacked first. For months now concerns have been growing that Russia may try to open up a new northern offensive in its war and the situation at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border remains tense.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with the Belarusian Leader on Friday. Turning now to Turkey, where 10 days after that devastating earthquake survivors are still being pulled from the rubble earlier a 17-year-old girl was rescued after some 248 hours trapped in a collapsed apartment building.

Local media report miners helped pull her out. Despite those miraculous rescues, the death toll continues to rise. Officials are now reporting more than 42,000 deaths in Turkey and Syria from the earthquake. Sara Sidner joins us with the latest from the City of Adana in Turkey. Those stories are incredible, but also a big focus on supporting those who have been rescued.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, if you consider how many days on we're now going into the 10th day, and if you consider the reason why you're hearing when you hear someone's a 208 hour, it is by the hour that the possibility of survival is really hanging in the balance.

And so at this point in time, even though you will not hear someone say it officially for many of the rescuers, this has turned into a recovery effort more so than a rescue effort. And they are just trying to get down in these buildings that have collapsed on top of themselves and sometimes collapsed onto other buildings.

Get down into the rubble to try to find anyone still alive or even to find bodies we have had families tell us that even now, if they were just able to say goodbye one last time to their loved one, they just want to have even a body to properly bury. We also were able to go and see some of the thousands of people who are now without homes.

Their homes have been destroyed in this earthquake. They are not livable and they are living in tents in Adana we saw about 100 different families living in this area underneath an overpass and a park. And we were able to speak with a teacher who talked about her great concern for the children who are not in school.

They've already had to suffer through the sort of the COVID pandemic. And now they are not in school again, further disturbing them. She describes what it was like when she was inside of her building that is now destroyed and how the family managed to get out with just the clothes on their back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEYDA KARA, HOME DESTROYED BY EARTHQUAKE: The walls exploded and fell down after getting over the first shock or things fell around this. We got out by jumping over furniture in a panic. The walls of the apartment fell down and we jumped over the walls. That is how we got out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER She and her sister were there together, the whole family was there together and they all survive. And we're so thankful to God that they did survive. And they told us that over and over that the life is the most important thing. But they are left with nothing. And this was you know a middle class family who was doing their normal work living their lives.

One of them is a lawyer, she is a teacher and to see them in the condition that they are in now which is intense, underneath an overpass it was really, really difficult to see the number of families that are going through this right now. We're talking about tens of thousands of people left homeless and we always talk about the death toll.

And now as you mentioned, we're about at 42,000 across Turkey and Syria. But you also have to think about those that are injured and the injured number in the 100,000 range.

[08:05:00]

SIDNER: So that is so many people that need to be cared for in these hospitals which by the way many of the hospitals were destroyed or damaged as well and are not functioning. So field hospitals have replaced them in the parking lots of the hospitals that are damaged. There is a ton of work going on here you've got 74 different countries that are on the ground trying to help sift through the rubble.

And we also heard something really stark from the Secretary General of NATO. He said, this is the worst natural disaster that he has seen hit the Alliance territory since NATO was formed and so it gives you some sense of just how big how enormous this damage is.

FOSTER: Yes, we're looking at images of some of the devastation there and tackier and you really get a sense of the ultimate rebuild project will have to come to that area and many of the standing buildings presumably would have to come down because they've all been destabilize the project ahead of Turkey is immense, isn't it?

SIDNER: It is that, you know, the government has said the Turkish Government had said that right now, as we stand about 50,000 buildings need to be demolished. Think about that number and what that means just for the rubble pile alone, that then has to be taken out of the area so they can start rebuilding.

We're talking about months, possibly even years, even though we heard from the President, President Erdogan saying he is going to rebuild in the year. We're talking about 60 miles or 100 kilometers of damage throughout the Southern part of this country. And that is just an enormous task to try and tackle and to try to rebuild after that. I mean, the cleanup is going to come first and that's going to take some time, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Sara, thank you so much for your reporting there. Now, China, a discontent amongst some of the nation's elderly is building over local public health insurance reform. Rare protests broke out on Wednesday in central China's Wuhan district as well as the Northeastern City of Dalian.

A video circulating on social media shows police clashing with demonstrators. The anger is partly over proposed cuts to medical benefits and follows unprecedented widespread protests last year over China's strict zero COVID policy. CNN Correspondent Marc Stewart joins us live from Tokyo. We point out that these demonstrations are so rare, because of the clamp down that often follows but it shows the sense of feeling there.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Max, protests do happen in China, but they are often very controlled. They're often broken up very quickly, and therefore the public at large, often doesn't see them. But there is a moment in time right now that has people in many cities in China very frustrated, as we saw in Wuhan and Dalian over potential cuts to health insurance and these are big cities.

Wuhan has a population of around 11 million. It's where some of the first COVID cases were reported. And then of course, Dalian is a significant port city in China. All of this is happening, though, I should say under a broader umbrella of economic strife that has people very concerned.

For years now we have seen people in lockdown, there have been mass testing, and there have been quarantined. Obviously, that has now been lifted, but it has contributed to economic strife in many local governments. And that's why people are so angry and that's why they are in many cases taking these unprecedented moves to speak out.

I should point out that in the case of the protests in Dalian right now, we have not heard any response from government or Police officials. It's not clear if there are any arrests, but as you can see from that video that we've been showing you, it was a very bold Scene, Max.

FOSTER: OK, Marc Stewart, thank you very much indeed for bringing us that from Tokyo. Now residents in East Palestine, Ohio are facing a public health crisis. It's feared nearly two weeks after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and sparked a massive fire. An evacuation order was lifted last week, but many residents have serious concerns about their safety.

And some have already begun filing lawsuits against the train company Norfolk Southern claiming they were exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals. Norfolk Southern is issuing payments of $1,000 to people living in the derailment zone as it's been carload.

CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir joins us live from New York. One of the issues here as I understand it is the terrible communication, but how worried should people in that area be?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It's really too soon to tell, Max, you can blame them for the lack of trust right now given the history of this over the last couple of weeks.

[08:10:00]

WEIR: The officials from the Environmental Protection Agency have tested in homes they say the air is safe that sort of the vinyl chloride the main chemical in that cocktail there was a number of them there but as that breaks down it can cause you know short term exposure to that dizziness and nausea and disorientation, long term studies.

People who work with this chemical over the years, it can be a carcinogen. So there are questions about how much is left in the air and the soil. About 3500 fish died immediately as those chemicals went into the local waterway there that has stopped. So they think maybe the dilution there's no fresh source of chemicals pouring in there as well but so many unanswered questions, a lot of people afraid to go home.

FOSTER: Yes, it's absolutely understandable, isn't it when they just don't know at the moment. Thank you so much Bill, for bringing us that will keep across it. New Zealand will accept offers of international aid it says to help with damage caused by cyclone Gabrielle. That announcement comes from New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

He got an aerial tour of the damage on Thursday and said it's clear the country is unprepared for extreme weather events. Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread flooding and destruction. At least five people have died and thousands are displaced. French protesters have flooded the streets around the country furious over proposed pension reform this is the fifth time workers have walked off the job over the retirement plan.

The government wants to rise the retirement age from 62 to 64. It says the change is vital to keep the pension system working. Striking workers are slowing down but not stopping public transport and air traffic. However, unions are planning a larger strike for March, the Seventh. One they promise will bring France to a complete standstill.

White House officials are considering if the U.S. President should speak publicly on the three mysterious objects shot down in recent days. President Biden is yet to comment on last weekend's decision to shoot them down. U.S. intelligence now believes it's possible a suspected Chinese spy balloon really did drift of course and was not deliberately sent into U.S. airspace.

They're still assessing what happened as well as which parts of the balloons mission were ordered by Beijing. If the whole thing was truly an accident, it may help lower the temperature between Washington and Beijing. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken may reschedule a visit to China which was cooled off initially.

As a result of that moment he postponed the original trip over the building controversy. Now still of come a generation war may be brewing in U.S. politics. Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley suggests that elderly politicians should undergo mental health competency tests. We'll discuss that just ahead.

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[08:15:00]

FOSTER: Welcome back. Should politicians who are older than 75 are required to pass competency tests before running for office? Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley thinks they do. She called for a new generation of U.S. politicians during her speech launching her 2024 presidential campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the America, I see the permanent politician will finally retire. We'll have term limits for Congress. And mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Her call for mandatory competency tests would if implemented affect current U.S. President Joe Biden, who is 80 years old and Former President Donald Trump who's 76 and has already announced his candidacy. Coincidentally, President Biden who is the oldest U.S. President ever is undergoing his annual physical today.

Let's bring in CNN Senior Reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere, he joins me from Washington. I mean, a lot of people will relate to this - because there's been so much talk initially about Trump but also about Biden, and whether or not they are too old to run the country.

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Well that's a question that is on a lot of voter's minds, it's a generational question. It's in some people's minds a competence question but for the President and for his advisers, as they're looking at what we are expecting to be an announcement of the reelection campaign.

It's a question of how to turn this into a strength, how to say as one advisor put it to me, it's about wisdom and experience. Or it's about numbers that are not the President's age, like the number of jobs he's created or COVID shots and he's gotten an arms. It's about turning what could be a liability into they hope a strength.

FOSTER: In terms of how this might work. I mean, how would it be pushed through presumably it would require presidential approval. So it might be tricky.

DOVERE: Certainly, and the reporting that we have, it points out that Joe Biden doesn't like people to think of him as old. So it's a sort of uncomfortable thing, but it is about trying to put him front and center make people see him in action in a way that the White House and that the President's team have found in the past has answered these questions for voters, and enough of a way to obviously get him elected President.

A big moment and that was last week's State of the Union. That was very much in the minds of White House Advisors and Political Advisors and important moment for showing Joe Biden in front of the country, speaking for a long time having that back and forth the hecklers.

Meeting with people that he knew after the speech should talk to them in the aisle afterwards, showing him to not be this caricature that as one White House Advisor put it to us of an old guy who's not up to the job but despite being 80 a guy who is doing all of those things, and is vital in the ways that they want it to be seen.

FOSTER: As presumably his supporters would also accuse Nikki Haley of ageism here as well, saying that he's not capable of doing a job which they would argue he's been doing very capably.

DOVERE: Yes, that's a big part of this, too. As I said, one of the arguments that I got in Mitch Landrieu who, as an Advisor worked on infrastructure he said to a bunch of Democratic Mayors who were feeling very uncomfortable about this topic and a conversation they had a few weeks ago. He said, look, people want to talk about one number. They want to talk about the President's age and that's 80.

[08:20:00]

DOVERE: We have to talk about these other numbers, this record of success that they feel that they can bring to the American public and say, look at these two years, look at the way the economy is, look where the jobs are looking even gas prices that were a big issue because they were so high for the administration all of last year those have gone down.

All these other numbers are what they want to talk about. They also want to talk about the age as being, yes, the President is old, that means that he is experienced, that means that he's been through things, that means that he can be a kind of calm and competent contrast to some of the chaos that they want to say, is really defining the Republican Party.

FOSTER: It'll take a while to figure out but presumably younger voters do struggle to identify with a lot of these older politicians. And it goes well beyond these two figures broke, is he talking about. But Nikki Haley could be onto something here couldn't she is she's trying to appeal to younger voters who just feel detached from Washington. DOVERE: Well, look, we'll see if she of course can talk about wanting a mandatory compensating tax, you can enforce that in any way. It's the thing that is part of a political speech. But when you talk to some younger Democrats, they're actually pretty excited about Biden's record.

There's a guy named Maxwell Frost, he's 25 years old Congressman from Florida now the youngest Congressman, currently, first from Gen Z. And he said to me a couple months ago that he is excited for Biden to run for reelection because of the record and it's not about his age.

Obviously, Biden is 55 years older than Frost, but it's about what they want to talk about in the record here. All that said Biden is 80 he'd be looking to stay President until he's 86. If he runs for reelection, that is, obviously a big number and I thought that is going to be part of a lot of conversations going forward here.

And a lot of Democrats looking at this saying to me that sure that eventually Joe Biden, if he runs is going to be running against a Republican, but until that Republican nominee emerges, a lot of the questions are going to be about him and really that the age is the issue that they need to be thinking about and addressing and figuring out how to get people comfortable with as he, if he goes forward with his reelection campaign.

FOSTER: OK, Edward-Isaac Dovere, thank you very much indeed for joining us. Coming up, Authorities are still searching to BBC offices in India. It comes weeks after the BBC aired a controversial documentary. That's next.

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FOSTER: Sources tell CNN that the India Tax Department search of BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai will continue for a third day. The searches come maybe a month after the BBC aired a documentary critical of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Vedika Sud reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER (voice over): India's government does not like what some journalists are saying about it. Last month, the BBC documentary critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was banned across the country. On Tuesday agents from the Indian Tax Department enter the BBCs offices in New Delhi and Mumbai.

[08:25:00]

SUD (voice over): Employees weren't allowed to leave or to enter by agents who said they were carrying out a survey.

SUD (on camera): Outside the BBC office in New Delhi, the local press back watches on, as the ruling political party issues a new challenge to the media outlet, it considers hostile.

SUD (voice over): Journalists Siddique Kappan doesn't have the might of an international news organization behind him. Instead, he says his reporting of a politically charged rape case under more than two years in prison without a trial. Kappan was charged under an anti-terror law he says is being wielded by the government to silence dissent.

As long as you support the government published the press release in newspapers, you're a good journalist. If you raise your voice against the government, if you highlight the failures, draconian laws will be slapped against you, Kappan tells me. He says supporters of the Modi government have threatened him online.

SUD (on camera): Kappan is out on bail, but he says he still doesn't feel free. He's been holed up in this tiny two room apartment with his family often too worried to go outside.

SUD (voice over): India's media landscape is massive. According to Reporters without Borders, there are over 100,000 newspapers across the country and over 350 TV news channels. But despite its size, and diversity, the media industry in India is sounding increasingly similar.

SIDDHARTH VARADARAJAN, FOUNDING EDITOR, THE WIRE: If you look at television channels, look at the big papers. You what you get is a very sanitized version of what's happening and in many cases the activist spousal of the government's agenda.

SUD (voice over): The wire is an independent news organization. Its Founder says the Indian press has been in crisis since the Modi government came to power in 2014.

VARADARAJAN: India's democracy is on you know, frankly, is on life support.

SUD (voice over): The Indian government hinted at irregularities being the reason for raids at BBCs offices. But for critics, the world's largest democracy has little tolerance for voices of dissent. Vedika Sud CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Thank you for joining me here on CNN "Newsroom", I'm Max Foster in London. "World Sport" with Amanda is up next.

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