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Louisiana Police Arrested Officer Alexander Tyler for the Shooting of an Unarmed Black Man; East Palestine Gets Support from CDC, HHS and EPA; Russia Not Invited to the Munich Security Conference; Belarusian President to Meet With President Putin; Turkey- Syria Earthquake Death toll Nears 44,000; Death Toll in Turkey and Syria from Earthquake Tops 44,000; United Nations Appeals for $1 Billion to Aid Earthquake Survivors; Georgia Grand Jury Report on Trump Election Probe Released; Deepfakes Used to Harass and Target Women. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired February 17, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom." A Shreveport, Louisiana police officer arrested following the deadly shooting of an unarmed black man. We'll show you the startling body cam footage.
And we have new video of the minutes before the train derailment in eastern Ohio. What it shows and the anger and uncertainty residents are feeling.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells the BBC there can be no compromises for Vladimir Putin. We'll take you to the Munich Security Conference where Russia's war is front and center.
We begin in the state of Louisiana where Shreveport Police Officer Alexander Tyler is facing charges of negligent homicide for the shooting death of 43-year-old Alonzo Bagley, an unarmed black man. Police body camera footage of the shooting was released on Thursday. CNN's Ryan Young has the story, but first we want to warn you some may find the video disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The entire incident took less than two minutes. Two officers arrived at the home of Alonzo Bagley just before 11:00 p.m. in response to a 9-1-1 call. His wife made complaints he was threatening her and her daughter.
UKNOWN: Hi, what's your name.
ALONZO BAGLEY, VICTIM: Alonzo.
UNKNOWN: Hi, can you step out for me? BAGLEY: No. What do you need?
UNKNOWN: Pleas step out.
BAGLEY: My dog, I got a dog.
UNKNOWN: (Inaudible), sir. He's disturbing the peace. (Inaudible) dog with that.
BAGLEY: I' going to put my dog up.
UNKNOWN: Sit down.
BAGLEY: I'm going to put my dog up.
UNKNOWN: Sit down.
UNKNOWN: (Inaudible).
UNKNOWN: Let her -- hey come here. Come here.
BAGLEY: I'm putting my dog up.
UNKNOWN: She can put the dog up.
YOUNG (voice-over): The first officer follows Bagley down the hallway after he says that he's going to put his dogs away as his wife continues to yell in the background.
The officer realizes Bagley is heading out the door of a balcony. And sees him jump from the second floor to the ground below. He then turns back to run through and out of the apartment downstairs to chase after Bagley. Once outside, you hear one officer yell to the other.
UNKNOWN: He went that way (inaudible).
YOUNG (voice-over): About five seconds later, you hear a single gunshot.
(GUNSHOT)
It has been one minute and 25 seconds since officers first knocked on the door.
UNKNOWN: Dispatch, send EMS right now. Shot fired, shots fired
YOUNG (voice-over): For the next two minutes, you hear the officers distraught and pleading with Bagley to keep breathing and see the two officers administer CPR.
UNKNOWN: You're good.
UNKNOWN: Hey! Hey!
UNKNOWN: No, no, no.
UNKNOWN: Hey! Hey! Come on, come on, come on.
UNKNOWN: No.
UNKNOWN: Come on!
UNKNOWN: No.
UNKNOWN: Come on! Come on!
UNKNOWN: No.
UNKNOWN: Oh, man. No. No.
UNKNOWN: Come on.
UNKNOWN: No, man. No.
UNKNOWN: You're good. You're good.
UNKNOWN: Come on, dude.
UKNOWN: Dispatch.
UNKNOWN: Come on, man.
UNKNOWN: Send EMS right now, 10-18. 10-18.
UNKNOWN: Come on, dude.
UNKNOWN: Come on, dude. Stay with me. Stay with me.
UNKNOWN: Hey, keep pressure. Keep pressure.
UNKNOWN: Stay with me.
UNKNOWN: Come on. Come on.
UNKNOWN: Stay with me.
UNKNOWN: Come on, you're good. You're good, bro. You're good. Hey, you're good. Hey, keep breathing. Keep breathing.
UNKNOWN: Stay with me. Stay with me, man. Stay with me.
(BLEEP)
UNKNOWN: Keep breathing.
(BLEEP)
UNKNOWN: You're good, man. Keep breathing. Keep breathing, dude. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. Keep breathing.
UNKNOWN: (BLEEP), dude.
UNKNOWN: Hey, go to -- go to the front of the building. Go to the front of the building. Wave them down. Wave them down with your flashlight. Come on. Run, run, run. Hey! Hey, dude. Hey, you're going to be alright. You're going to be alright. Look at me. Hey! Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Hey, wake up! Wake up! Look at me! Look at me! Hey! Respond! Come on! Come on! Come on! Wake up! Respond!
YOUNG (voice-over): But he doesn't wake up. Bagley is later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Alexander Tyler, the officer who fired that shot was arrested today on a charge of negligent homicide. His lawyer says he hopes the body cam footage is thoroughly reviewed for the facts and evidence.
DHU THOMPSON, ALEXANDER TYLER'S ATTORNEY: Officers are always faced on a day-to-day basis with dangerous situations like that. And at times where they have to make split-second decisions where they are in a potential life-threatening situation.
[03:05:01]
The mere fact that an argument is being made by the investigator in court that he was unarmed does not necessarily mean he is not a threat to the officer.
YOUNG (voice-over): Bagley's brother who also viewed the video today said it wasn't an easy thing to watch.
XAVIER SUDDS, ALONZO BAGLEY'S BROTHER: It took me back to being a little brother watching my older brother take his last breath. And that struck everybody in the room.
YOUNG (on camera): The officer was granted a $25,000 bond by the judge but there are still so many questions in this community after watching this video. You see and hear a man taking his last breath. And as many community members wanting better training for police officers, even in a city that's struggling with a crime rate that many want to see stopped. Right now, there are so many questions about how the city moves forward together. Ryan Young, CNN, Shreveport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The five former Memphis, Tennessee police officers are set to be arraigned in the coming hours for their involvement in the death of Tyre Nichols last month. They are each facing seven charges, including second degree murder and aggravated assault. Nichols, a 29- year-old black man was repeatedly punched and kicked during a traffic stop on January 7th. He died three days later.
Police say two handguns found on the Michigan State University shooter were purchased legally but weren't registered. The Chinese consulate in Chicago confirms two of the five wounded students are from China. Their families are being offered assistance to come to the U.S. Meanwhile, CNN's Miguel Marquez has spoken with the professor of the class where the gunman first opened fire killing two students.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARCO DIAZ-MUNOZ, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: I just -- my intuition told me he is walking down the hall and he is going to enter through the door I'm closest to. So, I threw myself at that door. And I squatted and I held the door like this so that my weight would keep it firm and I was putting my foot on the wall and holding like this so that he couldn't open it, all the time aware that he could just shoot the door handle and open it. But the only thing I thought I could do was that, at least attempt to stop it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Arielle Anderson and Alexandria Verner were killed in that classroom. Brian Fraser was shot and killed a few minutes later at the student union.
We're getting a better sense of what happened in the moments leading up to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that spilt toxic chemicals all over the community two weeks ago. Have a look here at the top of your screen. Apparent overheated wheel bearing began sparking more than 40 minutes before disaster as the train passed through another town. Investigators are looking into it.
Teams from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Human Health and Services are being up deployed to evaluate the disaster. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency Spoke with our Jason Carroll about the government response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL REGAN, EPA ADMINISTRATOR: We will be here for as long as it takes to see this process through. I want to assure the people --
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I just want to say, when you say as long as it takes, I think the question is long term. Is someone going to be here a year from now, two years from now to come back to test the water, to test the soil?
REGAN: I'm very clear when I say as long as it takes. We will go through this process with the citizens of East Palestine for as long as it takes. The federal government will be here for as long as it takes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The chair of The National Transportation Safety Board says the agency is working vigorously to understand what caused the train to derail. Residents are increasingly angry over the disaster and the response from officials and the rail company. CNN's Jason Carroll reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: Everybody that came here expect a whole lot more than what we are getting right now.
CARROLL (voice-over): Frustration, anger and unanswered questions in East Palestine, Ohio.
UNKNOWN: Are my kids safe? Are the people safe? Is the future of this community safe?
CARROLL (voice-over): The mayor leading the meeting, at times speaking through a bullhorn to answer questions from distressed residents, still worried about returning to their homes despite evacuation orders being lifted last week.
TRENT CONWAY, MAYOR OF EAST PALESTINE, OHIO: (Inaudible) get us wrong. So far, they've worked with us and they're fixing it. But if that stops, I will guarantee you, I will be the first one in line to fight that.
CARROLL (voice-over): As many residents are demanding more testing of air, water and soil.
UNKNOWN: We're not going to let them stop the testing until we are satisfied. That's when the testing stops.
CARROLL (on camera): Not present at this community meeting, Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the train that derailed, sent a statement saying, "We have become increasingly concerned about the growing physical threat to our employees."
KELLY FELGER, EAST PALESTINE, OHIO RESIDENT: Okay, well, if you're afraid that somebody from Palestine is going to hurt your employees, what exactly did you do to us.
[03:10:03]
CARROLL: It's not just the absence of Norfolk Southern that has some upset.
UNKNOWN: Where is Pete Buttigieg? Where is he at?
CONWAY: I don't know. Your guess is as good as me. Yesterday was the first time I heard anything from the White House.
CARROLL (voice-over): The head of the EPA, Michael Regan toured the derailment site and met with a resident overcome by what has happened.
KRISTINA FERGUSON, EAST PALESTINE, OHIO RESIDENT: We need help, we do. We need President Biden. We need FEMA housing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Joe Biden is finally publicly addressing questions about those flying object shot down over North America. He says the three most recent objects don't appear to be part of China's spy balloon operation. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Make no mistake, if any objects present a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Biden says that he hopes to speak soon with Chinese president, Xi Jinping, about the suspected spy balloon but he is not planning any apologies.
As Russia's brutal war in Ukraine nears the one-year mark, senior diplomats from around the world are heading to Munich to discuss the ongoing crisis, but the Russians weren't invited. We'll have more on this coming up after a break. Please stay with us.
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[03:15:00]
BRUNHUBER: Ukraine is eagerly awaiting the arrival of advanced weapons including battle tanks that the U.S. and its NATO allies have promised in the near future. The heavy armor could prove decisive as the weather in Ukraine turns warmer. In an interview with the BBC, Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said his country was committed to re-capturing all of its territory from Moscow. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): Any territorial compromises, he tells me, are only going to weaken our country. So, it's not about compromise. We make millions of compromises every day. But the question is, with Putin, no. Because we don't trust Putin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Well, on the heels of NATO's latest pledges, senior diplomats from around the world will begin arriving soon in Munich for the annual security conference. The ongoing war in Ukraine and its impact on Europe and the world will be front and center. CNN's Clare Sebastian is standing by in London, but let's begin with CNN's Nic Robertson in Munich.
So, Nic, as I just said, the war in Ukraine will be top of mind at the conference. We have the U.S. Vice President set to speak in a few hours. And of course, everyone watching for what the U.S. will be saying to China in the wake of that spy balloon. So, take us through what we're expecting.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. This will be a conference that brings together the United States and its western European allies and partners. And it will be -- and we can expect Kamala Harris, the vice president's notes on a year since the war, notes on trans-Atlantic unity working together, a commitment to Ukraine.
She is expected to meet as well with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who will be here. She is expected to meet as well with the French President Emmanuel Macron. The British prime minister expected to be here, Rishi Sunak, as well.
So, a lot of leaders here. In fact, dozens of leaders and senior diplomats here. And perhaps one that a lot of people will be watching for, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arriving here as well. Will he meet with the Chinese foreign minister who is also here over the weekend, Wang Yi. Will they meet in the sidelines? Will they discuss the spy balloon? Will this be a thaw in the current tensions?
And of course, Secretary Blinken had to call off his trip to China because of the incident over the Chinese spy balloon. So, concerns on that issue. Ukraine is central but a lot else going on here as well. The British prime minister is expected to meet with European counterparts because he's close to pushing forward of finalizing the Brexit deal over the Northern Ireland protocols. He's actually in Northern Ireland today having meetings on that and will be here hard on the heels of it.
But I think a lot of people here will use this meeting as well to try to get up to speed with what all of those different countries are thinking about Ukraine, about the unity. Expect discussions here on AI. Expect discussions here on how to pursue war crimes that are being committed by Russia in Ukraine.
So, it brings together a lot of these leaders where topics that they wouldn't otherwise get to discuss face to face, and of course the possibility of the meetings in the margin such as Secretary of State Blinken and Wang Yi.
BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll continue monitoring this throughout the day. Nic Robertson in Munich. Thanks so much. So, for more on this, also, let's bring in Clare Sebastian in London. So, Clare, as Nic outlined there, one of the key topics, obviously the war in Ukraine. So, let's start with Zelenskyy's comments. No negotiation with Putin about giving up territory.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kim. This seems to be President Zelenskyy sticking to what we've heard from him since really the early weeks of the war, that he intends to not only pushback Russia to the front lines before February 24th, but also to retake Crimea, which of course Russia annexed in 2014 and has occupied ever since.
This clearly a red line for Russia and something that many quietly, even silently in the west are worried about as very risky. But he is clearly sticking to that. And I think the second thing that was interesting to note in those comments is that he continues to be personally very dismissive of President Putin. He said, look, you know, if you're going to compromise, it depends who you compromise with, and certainly not with Putin.
[03:19:59]
He says there is no trust there. He (inaudible) recently where he said, you know, he questioned whether Putin was even alive. And he said Ukraine doesn't know who it's negotiating with. This maybe an attempt to paint Russia as politically chaotic as well as militarily chaotic, but it also does really reduce any sense that Ukraine is willing to even begin the process of peace talks with Russia, continuing to ramp up its aggression particularly in the east of the country, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, Clare Sebastian in London, thank you so much.
Well, in less than two hours, the leader of Ukraine's neighbor, Belarus is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And that will happen as tensions grow along Ukraine's border with Belarus. As do concerns that Belarusian troops may join Russia's invasion. CNN's Fred Pleitgen got a rare opportunity to grill the Belarusian leader about his relationship with Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Vicious fighting in eastern Ukraine. His military so far repelling those Russian attacks here. And as Vladimir Putin's forces struggle losing both soldiers and armor, Putin's main ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, spoke to international media from one of the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine. An invasion that was started in large parts from his country.
When I asked him why he still supports Putin's war, Lukashenko combative.
ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, PRESIDENT OF BELARUS (through translation): This is another rhetorical question. Why do you support Ukraine? Pumping it with weapons instead of sitting down to negotiate as I suggest?
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Lukashenko insist Belarus won't send troops to fight alongside Russia unless directly attacked by Ukraine. But says he still firmly stands by Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
Lukashenko gets angry when I asked him if he's surprised by how weak Russia's army is.
LUKASHENKO (through translation): You must see this is the number one army in the world fighting against you. Americans and Europeans practically against NATO, using Ukrainians and the Ukrainians are not dumb.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Many Belarusians oppose to Lukashenko have gone to Ukraine to fight against the Russian army.
We are here to prove that we Belarusians are not our government. We don't want to be associated with that junta that seized the power in Belarus. I mean, the Lukashenko regime, this volunteer says.
Near Bakhmut, they often face off against mercenaries from the Wagner Private Military Company. Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, recruited tens of thousands of convicts from Russian jails and brought them to the frontline.
I asked Lukashenko how he feels about Russia using convicts as expendable fighters.
LUKASHENKO (through translation): Russia did indeed use convicts, but now this is forbidden. It is forbidden in Russia and Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, are not doing this. It is forbidden.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And what about the Russian defense ministry? They are using convicts now, I ask.
LUKASHENKO (through translation): The minister of defense? That's not true. The ministry of defense has enough mobilized resources and enough serviceman to create the special unit, if that's what they're doing. I will find out the answer to this question tomorrow.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Lukashenko is meeting Vladimir Putin on Friday, but what Lukashenko really wants, he says, is to host peace talks with Putin, U.S. President Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and asked me to relay the message.
LUKASHENKO (through translation): If Biden has a desire, pass on to him through your channels that we are ready to welcome him in Minsk and have a serious talk with him if he wishes for peace in Ukraine. Even Putin will fly to Minsk and we can meet there, the three of us. Two aggressors and a piece-loving president. Why not?
PLEITGEN (on camera): But of course, the Ukrainians very much believe that Alexander Lukashenko is complicit in Vladimir Putin's war against the Ukraine. And Lukashenko did make clear at that press conference that he would continue to allow the Russians to use Belarusian territory to strike Ukraine. All eyes now on that meeting between Putin and Lukashenko to see how that could shape Belarus's involvement going forward. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Minsk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Hope and despair keep climbing in Turkey, and yet, astonishing rescues are still happening a week and a half after the earthquake. We are live in Istanbul coming up. Stay with us.
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[03:25:00]
BRUNHGUBER: Eleven days after the catastrophic earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the death toll has climbed to nearly 44,000. And while the window for survival was thought to have closed earlier this week, a handful of people are still being found alive. Have a look at this. Rescuers in Kahramanmaras, Turkey pull a woman from the rubble of her apartment building after 258 hours. A relative told CNN (inaudible) that the family had already prepared her grave. Her husband and children are buried.
And Turkish media are calling 17-year-old Elena (ph) a miracle girl. She too was saved on Thursday. Elena's (ph) doctors said she couldn't drink or the eat the entire time she was trapped, but avoided hypothermia and is in surprisingly decent shape.
[03:29:59]
CNN's Nada Bashir is tracking recovery efforts live from Istanbul. Nada, it's still more than 250 hours after the quake, incredibly victims still being pulled out alive while the need for aid for those millions of survivors grows.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Kim. And look, for days, the message we're hearing from the United Nations and from other organizations, is that the window for finding survivors beneath the rubble is closing very, very quickly. And despite that, we are still seeing survivors being pulled from the rubble, as you showed in that video there.
It is remarkable. And there are dozens -- thousands of families waiting for news of the loved ones, still hoping that they may be alive beneath the rubble. In fact, we have this emotional video, a 33- year-old man, who was pulled out of the rubble after 261 hours. And in this video, the first thing he does after being pulled out is call his friend whose number he had memorized. Take a listen to this emotional phone call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (through translator): Hadya (ph), how are you my life brother? Where are you?
UNKNOWN (through translator): I am in the hospital. They will send me wherever necessary. There is no problem right now.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Are you Abdul Kadir's (ph) wife's brother?
UNKNOWN (through translator): Exactly my beautiful brother. How is my mother and everyone?
UNKNOWN (through translator): They are all waiting for you. Everyone is well. They are all waiting for you. I'm coming to you.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Did everyone escape okay, Nasli (ph)?
UNKNOWN (through translator): They are all well. Everything is well and waiting for you. They are all waiting for you.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Let me hear their voices if for a moment.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I am driving. I am coming to you, brother. I'm coming.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Thank you to each and every one of you. May God be happy with you a thousand times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASHIR: And, Kim, you heard there, Mustafa (ph) asking whether or not his mother and family made it out alive. Of course, that is the reality for so many in southeast Turkey. Now, hoping among hope that their family, their relatives, their friends are still alive. As we continue to see the rescues taking place, look, the rescues are becoming few and far between.
And really now here in Turkey, the focus is shifting somewhat to providing support for those who did survive. There is a huge amount of aid that needs to be distributed to those in southeast Turkey. The humanitarian situation there is extremely difficult. We've already heard from the United Nations Secretary Ggeneral Antonio Guterres now appealing for $1 billion in aid to support those in Turkey for the next three months.
This comes after the U.N. has already appealed for nearly $400 million in support of people in Northwest Syria impacted by the earthquake. And in his statement, the U.N. Secretary General said that Turkey had taken in so many refugees, unfortunately the world's largest amount of refugees that now is the time for the world to stand behind Turkey.
And as you've seen in our colleague's report by Jamana Karadsheh there in Southeast Turkey, the situation is very difficult. It is freezing. People do not have homes. They're sleeping in tents on the street. There's a dire need for food, for medication, for blankets, for clothes, and of course, we are now beginning to see people being evacuated to other cities including here in Istanbul. But this is going to be a long challenge ahead for the Turkish government and the need from the international community is only growing.
BRUHUBER: All right. Thanks so much Nada Bashir in Istanbul. And we want to show you some of that reporting that Nada mentioned from our colleague, Jomana Karadsheh. She spoke to some of the loved ones who were waiting, trying to find their loved ones. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMANA KARADSHEH, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Antakya no more they said, this once bustling historic city now in ruins. It is here where hope meets despair and every corner has seen so painful of loss so hard to comprehend. She's waited days for news of her husband, but the wait never prepares you for this. Nothing could have prepared the people of Antakya for these grimaced of days, misery here so palpable in the air.
AYLIN AKYURT, SEARCHING FOR FAMILY MEMBER: You lose track of time. So, I don't know which day it is. But at this point, I don't think there's anybody left alive.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Aylin and her family have been searching for her aunt. Other bodies have come out of the building but not hers.
AYKURT: You go through all stages, you know, of grief. You're angry, you're desperate, you're sad. You accept then you get mad again. At this point, we've come to accept that she's passed away. But we just want to put her at her final resting place because with how it's been going, leaving her here is unimaginable.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Around the corner, the rare good news these days after more than 220 hours under the rubble, a woman and children were rescued alive.
[03:35:08]
(on-camera): Several bodies have been recovered from the building. There are others still trapped inside. They don't know if they're alive or dead.
(voice-over): They play they find them alive. Mohammed Byron (ph) just buried his daughter and her husband. His 12- and 14-year-old grandchildren are still inside.
God, I beg you, he says. Just like they got the women and two children out alive, we're hoping for the same. It's been the most agonizing of waits for his and other families here. May be Lord not put anyone through this, this woman says. Mohammed hasn't eaten in 11 days. He saus all he can do is hope, pray and wait. We weren't able to get the big machines for a few days, he says. They had to go through other buildings here first. Maybe if they had, they would have come out alive.
Another call for quiet during our interview, one of many in the past few days. Rescuers hear something. Cheers break out. They believe they've located two people alive. A tense wait, now into the evening, the crushing sound of silence. It's hardest for those who wonder if they mourn or wait. It is here where hope fades as fast as it grows.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Antakya, Turkey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Possible criminal charges hang over former President Trump in a case involving alleged election interference in Georgia. Now, we're getting a first look into what the grand jury is thinking. That's ahead.
Plus, President Biden gets a check-up. What the presidential physician is saying about the commander in chief's health. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." Please stay with us.
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[03:40:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: A court in Atlanta, Georgia has released grand jury report about Former President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Much of the report back could recommend criminal charges still on the raps, but as Sara Murray reports, the jurors believe some of the witnesses have been less than honest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAYM CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some witnesses may have lied to a special grand jury in Georgia, the panel says, recommending the district attorney consider indictments. UNKNOWN: This is basically the grand jury saying, go get them, Madam District Attorney.
UNKNOWN: All rise.
MURRAY (voice-over): The special grand jury, which spent months digging into efforts by Former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election in the peach state concluding, perjury may have been committed by one or two witnesses testifying before it. The grand jury recommends that the district attorney seek appropriate indictments for such crimes where the evidence is compelling.
This is after the grand jury heard from 75 witnesses, including high profile names like Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, former Trump attorney, Rudy Giuliani --
RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: They ask the questions and we'll see.
MURRAY (voice-over): -- and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham who is standing by his testimony.
UNKNOWN: Are you confident in your testimony?
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Yes.
MURRAY (voice-over): The grand jury also heard from technical experts, poll workers, and investigators, concluding, we find by a unanimous vote that no widespread fraud took place in the Georgia 2020 presidential election that could result in overturning that election. Adding they heard from witnesses still claiming that such fraud took place.
Because Georgia special grand juries don't issue indictments, their final report is a vehicle to recommend whether anyone should face criminal charges. The judge overseeing the grand jury ordered sections of the report released Thursday, but held back the panel's conclusion on criminal charges, after the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis argued against the report's release.
FANI WILLIS, FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We think for future defendants to be treated fairly is not appropriate at this time to have this report released.
MURRAY (voice-over): Saying last month she would soon make decisions on whether to seek indictments from a regular grand jury.
WILLIS: Decisions are imminent.
MURRAY (voice-over): The Georgia probe got under way after Trump phoned the Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in Januart 2021, pressing him to find the votes for Trump to win Georgia.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state. MURRAY (voice-over): Since the call, the investigation expanded to include the fake elector scheme, false election fraud claims before state lawmakers, and efforts by unauthorized individuals to access voting machines in one Georgia County.
(on-camera): Now, Trump's team is arguing that because he wasn't named in any of these sections of the report released that he must have done nothing wrong. This must be a total exoneration. Obviously, we don't know that. The judge made the call not to allow any names to be named in this early release of the sections of the report. And ultimately, it's going to be up to the Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, to decide if she's going to go before a regular grand jury and seek indictments either for Former President Donald Trump or for any of his allies.
Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: President Biden is getting a clean bill of health from his physician. The commander in chief had a routine physical Thursday at Walter Reed Medical Center. He had a small lesion removed from his chest for a biopsy. And a neurological exam found no evidence of stroke, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease. The White House didn't say whether Biden took any cognitive tests.
Dr. Kevin O'Connor says, quote, "President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who's fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.
U.S. Senator John Fetterman is being treated for clinical depression. The Pennsylvania Democrat checked himself into a Washington area hospital Thursday.
[03:45:04]
Fetterman's chief of staff says the attending physician of the U.S. Congress recommended inpatient care after an evaluation. Fetterman said he's experienced depression on and off for years, but it recently became worse. He suffered a stroke in May of last year but was elected to the Senate in November.
All right. Still ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," a dismal day for travelers in Germany. What has flights grounded in seven major airports across the country? We'll bring you that, coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We're following a developing story out of Germany where union strikes have grounded planes at seven airports. The company's prime carrier, Lufthansa, has ceased all flights operations in Frankfurt and Munich. Germany's Airport Association, ADV, says close to 300,000 passengers are impacted in total. Other airports affected Bremen, Hamburg, Hanover and Stuttgart. Authorities are telling people scheduled to fly in the coming hours not to go to the airport.
Tesla is recalling 360,000 vehicles because of issues with the self- driving feature. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S. says the full self-driving system may not respond properly to traffic in intersections and certain traffic signals. It also believes that current software doesn't allow driver control fast enough in an emergency. Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the word recall was wrong and the problem could be fixed with a software update.
A leak in two Russian spacecraft will delay their return to Earth for astronauts on the International Space Station. The first, a cargo ship docked at the space station was already supposed to act as a replacement vehicle. In December, it was found to be leaking coolant. Well then, leak was detected on the spacecraft meant to replace the first one. Russian engineers anticipated new rescue vehicle will be ready to launch in March. Until then, the crew on the space station will continue with normal activities.
Well, seeing is believing or is it? I mean, that's the problem we now face as deepfakes become more popular. These fake videos are made to look real with the help of artificial intelligence.
CNN's Donie O'Sullivan spoke to one woman who was horrified to find her her face replicated in porn videos without her knowledge or consent.
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SWEET ANITA, TWITCH STREAMER: It's very, very surreal to watch yourself do something you've never done.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Streamer, Sweet Anita, has almost 2 million 2 followers on Twitch where she plays video games and openly talks about having Tourette syndrome.
SWEET ANITA: Attempt to say something inappropriate that I don't mean to and I'm not thinking.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): She was horrified when she found her face was being used in so-called deep fake porn.
SWEET ANITA: Well, I watched some of one of them, like a few seconds, and I was like, no, I can't do this. I can't watch through with this, like this is too much. It's often hard-core pornography, but it's also usually degrading or aggressive sex acts.
SAMANTHA COLE, REPORTER, VICE MOTHERBOARD: It's extremely traumatic when this kind of thing happens.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Samantha Cole was one of the first people to report on deepfakes.
COLE: Deepfakes comes from the user name of someone on Reddit, who was taking people's faces and putting on porn performers bodice using A.I. algorithms.
SWEET ANITA: It's so hyperrealistic. It's genuinely scary.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Deepfakes are made using artificial intelligence technology.
HANY FARIO, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY: These days, there are apps on your phone, and you can go to an upload either a single image and A.I. technology will rerender that image the person without their clothes.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): when deepfakes came on the scene around 2017, there is concern they would be used to make it look like politicians said or did something they didn't do. Like this deep fake demonstration of Former President Obama.
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're entering an era in which our enemies can make it look like anyone is saying anything at any point in time.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But so far, this technology has primarily been used against women.
COLE: From the very beginning, the person who created deepfakes was using it to make pornography of women without their consent.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): First, the focus on female celebrities.
COLE: And that's kind of how it spread and how it became huge because everyone wanted to see basically a fake sex tape of their favorite celebrity.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But now, it's moved beyond movie stars.
SWEET ANITA: There's people you want to see somewhat be humiliated that they personally know and that's a market for it. So this could just float around to be found by your students if you teach or like some patients if you're a nurse or a doctor, like this can affect your standing.
COLE: They are using women's images as if they are, you know, stock images of fruits. That's how like detached they are from the reality of there are people behind these pictures.
SWEET ANITA: For the people who create this, I feel like a lot of them dehumanized us and don't actually realize we're real people who live in the consequences.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Some lawmakers have sought to crackdown on non-consensual deepfakes porn, but A.I. is developing at breakneck speed.
FARIO: We haven't solved the problems of the technology sector from 10, 20 years ago. And this is field is moving much, much faster than the original technology revolution.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): This is an issue that goes beyond the halls of Congress and Silicon Valley. COLE: I don't know what the solution is other than getting to that
fundamental problem of disrespect and not consent.
SWEET ANITA: I want to push for laws where there's no consequences for the perpetrator and for the victim. No one knows him. He created this and he created all these consequences for all of these women and now he just, spoof, gone. No one knows.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, New York.
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[03:55:10]
BRUNHUBER: More than 20 million people are under winter weather alerts from Chicago through much of Michigan and across New England. Now, those alerts are on the northern end of the storm that brought dozens reports of tornados, wind and hail to the south. Three tornadoes were reported in Mississippi where at least one mobile home was flipped over and two others were damaged. There have been more than 60 storm reports in the past two days in the southeastern U.S. as dozens of wind and hail reports are cited across the region.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. "CNN Newsroom" continues in a moment with Bianca Nobilo and Max Foster in London. Please do stay with us.
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