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North Korea Fires Missile Into Sea; Zelenskyy Urges Leaders To "Hurry Up" With Weapons And Delivery; Florida Waste Facility Fire Compromises Air Quality; Shelby County, Tennessee, DA Reviewing Scorpion Unit Cases; Arrest Made In Two Los Angeles Anti-Semitic Shootings; Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Survivors Share Experiences; FOX News Hypocrisy On Election Lies. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired February 18, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
This hour on CNN NEWSROOM, we're waiting to hear what U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will tell world leaders at the Munich Security Conference a few hours from now. We'll have a live report from Germany just ahead.
And in Ohio --
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GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): Those five wells have all come back clean. The water is safe to drink.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): That's the word from the state's governor, despite thousands of dead fish found in water near the train crash site. Ahead, how some residents are reacting to it.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Plus, five former Memphis police officers are arraigned for the murder of Tyre Nichols. Coming up, you'll hear what they told the judge in court.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: We'll have those stories in a moment.
But first, yet another missile launch by North Korea. South Korea's joint chiefs of staff say North Korea fired at least one unidentified ballistic missile on Saturday, landing in the waters off the East Coast of the Korean Peninsula. This is Pyongyang's second ballistic missile launch of the year.
This comes as North Korea warns of continuous and unprecedented strong responses if the U.S. and South Korea go ahead with planned military exercises. They're expected to hold nuclear tabletop drills next week at the Pentagon.
So once again we're getting word of another missile launch by North Korea and we'll bring new more details on this story as they come in.
The war in Ukraine is dominating the agenda at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, one of the world's largest and most influential domestic forums. Kamala Harris is leading a large American delegation there and is expected to deliver a major speech in just a couple of hours.
In addressing the group on Friday, Ukraine's president pleaded with allies to hurry up with deliveries of the advanced weapons they've already promised. That includes dozens of heavy battle tanks recently pledged by the U.S. and NATO allies.
Ukraine's military is widely expected to launch its own counteroffensive once it has those tanks. Friday Volodymyr Zelenskyy again called for Ukraine to become a full member of the European Union and NATO.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: There is no alternative to Ukrainian victory. There is no alternative to Ukraine and -- in the E.U. There is no alternative Ukraine in NATO. There is no -- no alternative to our unity.
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BRUNHUBER: In his own speech, Germany's chancellor said Europe should be prepared to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, even if the conflict drags on for years. CNN's Christiane Amanpour asked him about it.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You in your speech said we have to be ready for the long haul. You must strategize and think among yourselves how long this could last.
Do you have a target date?
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: I think it is wise just to be prepared for a long war. And it is wise to give Putin the message that we are ready to stay all the time together with Ukraine and that we will constantly support the country.
So it is not really a very good idea that in this conference or at this podium the two of us discuss the question when exactly, in which months, this war will end. The really important decision we should take all together is saying that we are willing to do it as long as necessary and that we will do our best.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Nic Robertson is covering the conference for us in Munich and joins us with the latest.
Nic, Scholz's comments, I'm sure, sparking interest. Take us through what you found most significant.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: That general message of unity and a message of coordination and continued cooperation; if you go back to a year ago, this conference was speaking about the possibility of a Russian invasion, of warnings to Russia.
The invasion went ahead. The war started. All of Ukraine's supporters and partners here have subsequently started giving weapons. But the important part now is to sustain it, to ramp it up but to coordinate it. So I think that's part of the messaging here.
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ROBERTSON: But later today we'll be hearing a speech by the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. And I think an important part of the discussions go on behind the scenes here. The Vice President Kamala Harris speaking yesterday with the French president Emmanuel Macron, with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz.
We'll hear the issue of China likely raised by Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general today as well. So behind the scenes here, there will be that message that needs to be communicated to China, not to support Russia so much in this war but also to allies and partners to regard China with that level of concern.
That while economic cooperation is OK, that security should come first and people should be mindful of that, thinking of the economic engagement that Europe, European nations have with Russia, the way that disengagement has happened, to ensure security now.
So the China issue is something that is behind the scenes and also on platforms today, getting discussion as well. That's an important part of what's going on here.
BRUNHUBER: Nic, you mentioned Kamala Harris speaking later today.
Do we have any idea more what we'll be expecting from her?
ROBERTSON: Absolutely. It will be about that unity. It will be about thanking partners across the Atlantic for the support they've given, such as the tanks from Germany. It will be building on that.
It will be assuring that the United States is there for the long haul, assuring that the support that Ukraine has had so far will continue for as long as it's needed. Those messages will be reinforced from the platform. But also, I think we can expect, you know, signaling, at least on the issue of China and the growing concerns that exist there. BRUNHUBER: We'll be watching. Nic Robertson in Munich, thank you so
much, we appreciate it.
Now as Western allies debate more help for Ukraine, Kyiv is accusing Russia of using water as a weapon of war, draining water from a major reservoir Northeast of Kherson.
And according to Ukraine, that could leave more than a million people without enough drinking water. The water levels have already dropped by more than seven feet. Officials say the move could also affect the cooling of the nuclear power plant which is in that part of Ukraine.
Outgunned, outnumbered but going all out to win the war, that's the reality for many Ukrainian helicopter pilots as they take on Russian forces in outdated Soviet era aircraft. CNN's Sam Kiley got exclusive access to some of them and filed this report.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The target is Russian troops.
A hard bank left and a dive and flares to distract heat-seeker missiles. A pair of Ukrainian helicopters on an assault against Russian forces close to Bakhmut.
HENNADY, UKRAINIAN ARMY PILOT: The Russian aircraft are waiting around the border, on the front line.
We should be careful when we go. We should fly at very low altitude and very low speed to prevent our recognition.
KILEY (voice-over): Below, trenches and East Ukrainian villages smashed by war.
Back from their sortie, this forward base is secret as low profile as possible. The MIA helicopters are refueled and rearmed. They expect to fly at least three sorties a day.
KILEY: When you took off this morning, were you frightened?
HENNADY: Why?
KILEY: Well, because the Russians want to kill you.
HENNADY: We don't have any other choice than to fight with Russians. If you're frightened, you should stay at home.
KILEY (voice-over): That's not an option here.
KILEY: This Soviet-era helicopter is about 30 years old. The threat against it is extreme and as a result of that, we are having to fly quite literally below the height of trees, climbing and dipping with every piece of woodland that we pass. KILEY (voice-over): Built as transport aircraft, they are most vulnerable when they climb to shoot their rockets, diving for cover to 20 feet above the ground is also perilous.
A change in sound indicates a tree strike by the helicopters blades. Back at base, the blades are swapped quickly.
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KILEY (voice-over): Ukraine doesn't have aircraft to spare nor pilots.
Serhiy skippers the chopper that hit the trees.
KILEY (voice-over): He tells me, "In December, a very close friend of mine died. A lot of people I knew, friends have already died, unfortunately. It's very painful and I am very upset and I cannot move on."
He went on, "We need new attack helicopters, new jets. Unfortunately, our equipment is old and its range is very small and it is inaccurate."
A year into fighting Russia's invasion, Ukraine is still asking for more advanced helicopters and jets. So far, the response from her allies has been, "Sorry but no." And so they fight on here with what they've got -- Sam Kiley, CNN, Eastern Ukraine.
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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. military says it's completed recovery operations for the suspected Chinese spy balloon it shot down off the coast of South Carolina two weeks ago.
The final pieces of debris are being taken to the FBI lab in Virginia. The military also called off the search for the three objects shot down of the coast of Alaska, over Lake Huron and in the Yukon territory of Canada last weekend. Officials say extremely bad weather made it difficult to recover any debris from those objects.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to meet with residents in eastern Ohio next week as the area recovers from a toxic train derailment. Some residents in East Palestine say they've developed sore throats, nausea and headaches following the train crash earlier this month.
One family shared these images of their children, saying one child developed a rash on her face, another was lethargic and experiencing eye pain. They claim the children's symptoms got better when they left town. Residents say they don't want to risk their families' health and safety. Listen to this.
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ASHLEY MCCOLLUM, EAST PALESTINE RESIDENT: It's kind of like a sense. You can sense something's wrong if you're smelling something like that, even if the tests are coming back and you're still feeling dizzy, weak, tingling mouth, severe headaches. It's not OK with two young children. I don't want to expose them to that.
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BRUNHUBER: Ohio's governor says state and federal agencies will set up a clinic to address residents' health concerns. On Friday, the governor tried to reassure residents that the town's drinking water supply is safe to drink. Here he is.
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GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): I understand people have been traumatized. And I understand skepticism. And sometimes skepticism is warranted. Nothing wrong with healthy skepticism.
But all I can do as governor of the state of Ohio is tell you we have the best experts that we can get. And we have the best equipment that there is available to do the testing.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir has more now on the disaster in Ohio.
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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Both state and federal officials have been scrambling to allay fears in East Palestine, Ohio, about health effects lingering two weeks after the horrific derailment.
Governor Mike DeWine held a press conference and tried to alleviate fears, saying we tested the water repeatedly. It is safe to drink. If you're on the village water system, the plume of chemicals was barely traceable in their measurements.
But still questions about the soil, which was not removed when the railroad, Norfolk Southern, hastened to get the tracks put back in so they can get rail traffic going again. There's so much suspicion among residents. They don't know who to believe.
We, of course, live in the age of conspiracy and, after the COVID debates, you have state senators of the same party, of the Republican governor, questioning whether to believe him when he says all is safe.
We have surveillance video from the Norfolk Southern train that showed a faulty axle sparking 43 minutes before the crash and derailment there. It shows what happens when trains lately are running longer, more cars with fewer personnel, the engineer at the front of a 1.8- mile train didn't know what's happening at the back.
On top of that, antiquated braking systems, all subjects that will come up, certainly in the eight class action lawsuits filed so far against Norfolk Southern -- I'm Bill Weir in New York. Back to you.
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BRUNHUBER: Officials in south Florida closed two parks, dismissed two schools and urged people to stay indoors on Friday because of a fire at a waste management facility that's been burning for nearly a week.
The blaze started Sunday at a plant in Doral. The mayor of Miami-Dade County said they're monitoring the smoke for toxicity and warned about potential air quality problems.
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MAYOR DANIELA LEVINE CAVA, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: As the firefighters gain greater access to the remaining blaze.
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CAVA: We do anticipate an increase in smoky conditions. Any residents with preexisting respiratory and cardiac conditions as well as older adults, young children and expectant mothers should take additional precautions, such as wearing a mask if you need to be outdoors.
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BRUNHUBER: So far there are no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Well, almost two weeks after Turkiye's devastating earthquake, emergency workers still search for signs of life. Ahead, the latest on rescue efforts in a live report from Istanbul.
And a suspect in two anti-Semitic shootings in Los Angeles is now in custody and facing hate crimes charges. We'll have that story and much more after the break. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: We're getting a sense of how the five former Memphis police officers accused in the death of Tyre Nichols will plead their case.
They appeared in a Tennessee courtroom Friday. All pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including second degree murder and aggravated assault. CNN's senior crime and justice correspondent Shimon Prokupecz has this from Memphis.
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ROWVAUGHN WELLS, TYRE NICHOLS' MOTHER: They didn't even have the courage to look at me in my face. SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER (voice-over): An emotional day where the five officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols appeared in court before the Nichols family for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not guilty.
PROKUPECZ: All five pleaded not guilty to charges of second degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Judge James Jones addressing the courtroom emphasizing this case could take time.
JUDGE JAMES JONES, SHELBY COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT: We understand that there may be some high emotions in this case but we ask that you continue to be patient with us.
PROKUPECZ: After the arraignment, attorneys for the officers began to reveal how their defense will take shape.
JOHN KEITH PERRY, ATTORNEY FOR TADARRIUS BEAN: Tadarrius Bean was doing his job at that time and he never struck him and there has been no -- no information that we have seen as of right now that indicates that there is a -- that there is any sort of information that we can rely on to say that it is murder.
PROKUPECZ: Another defense attorney invoking his client's race and warning not to rush to judgment.
BLAKE BALLIN, ATTORNEY FOR DESMOND MILLS: Let's not forget my client is a Black man in a courtroom in America. This is a country where Black people are incarcerated at five times the rate of white people.
Much has been said about the way the system has failed Mr. Nichols. I will work tirelessly to make sure that the system does not fail Mr. Mills.
PROKUPECZ: For Tyre Nichols' mother, relief the legal process has begun but the pain of her loss is clear.
WELLS: I know my son is gone. I know I will never see him again. But we have to start this process of justice right now.
PROKUPECZ: The Shelby County district attorney saying his office is reviewing up to 100 prior cases involving the now-disbanded SCORPION Unit. Seventy-five of those cases related to the five officers charged in Nichols' death. The clearest sign yet that more justice could come to the city of Memphis.
STEVE MULROY, SHELBY COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We will be making decisions about charges regarding all of those people in the time ahead.
PROKUPECZ: The five police officers making their initial appearance in a Memphis courtroom, all charged with murder and kidnapping and assault. This was their first time appearing together in court.
And really, their attorneys clearly making it obvious that they're going to fight, that they're going to launch a vigorous defense, saying that prosecutors here are rushing this case, that there's been a rush to judgment.
And they're urging people to keep an open mind as we wait to hear more. Look, we're still waiting for more officers who are under investigation and whether or not they're going to face any criminal charges, disciplinary charges.
And also we're still waiting for more video and audio to be released by the city. All of this happening as many of the investigations here still very much underway -- Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, Memphis, Tennessee.
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BRUNHUBER: The three students killed in a mass shooting at Michigan State University will soon be laid to rest. CNN confirmed funeral arrangements have been made for all three, two being held in the coming hours and a third this Tuesday, including for Brian Fraser.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brian was a wonderful young man. He was one of my son's dear friends. They had a wonderful friend group. He was kind. He was a light. He always had a big smile, the nicest, most polite kid you'd ever want to meet.
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BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile the five people wounded in the shooting remain hospitalized. Four are in critical condition and one is listed as stable.
Authorities in Mississippi have arrested a man who they believe killed six people, including his ex-wife. Richard Dale Crum was taken into custody, charged with first-degree murder Friday.
Police say Crum first shot a driver in a store parking lot in a small rural town in northern Mississippi, then allegedly shot and killed his ex-wife in her home. Authorities also found the bodies of two men, who were killed on a road behind the suspect's home, and two more victims, who were killed in a house next door. No motive at this time.
A suspect in the shootings of two Jewish people in Los Angeles has been arrested and is being held without bond. Authorities say Jamie Tran was charged with two hate crime statutes because evidence showed he chose his victims because they were Jewish. CNN's Josh Campbell has the story.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard like a pop, pop, pop.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST (voice-over): A drive-by shooting, one of two Jewish men hit by gunfire just blocks apart in Los Angeles this week. This man hit in the arm.
The victims were walking home from places of worship when they were shot by a man from inside his car.
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MARTIN ESTRADA, U.S. ATTORNEY: Both shooting victims were dressed in clothing that visibly identified their Jewish faith.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): They were hospitalized and are in stable condition. Police have now arrested a suspect in both shootings; 28 - year old Jaime Tran had a criminal complaint against him highlights a history of anti-Semitic comments and threats.
The FBI launched its own investigation, resulting in hate crime charges.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: If we do not prosecute these cases as federal crimes they will continue to fester.
CAMPBELL: Anti-Semitic violence is rising across the country. Attacks reached an all-time high in 2021, up 34 percent from the year before, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
KAYYEM: In many ways, anti-Semitism is like the canary in the coal mine. It is telling us something about society and about the hate in society.
CAMPBELL: The attacks in Los Angeles follow last week's edition hate crimes charges in a San Francisco case against a man who allegedly fired a replica gun inside a Bay Area synagogue. And other cases in recent months, including one where a suspect is charged with throwing a Molotov cocktail at a synagogue in New Jersey.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass tells CNN, a citywide effort is underway to protect the community.
MAYOR KAREN BASS (D-CA), LOS ANGELES: The reality is, is that if it happens to one group, it can happen to anybody. If it is a danger to one, it is a danger to all. The only way to stop hate is for all of us to be united and stamp it out.
CAMPBELL: The LAPD is ramping up patrols in the area. But some community members are still living in fear.
ELISHEVA AMAR, L.A. RESIDENT: Not going to let our kids go to shul this weekend and definitely scared to have them wear their kippahs, to look Jewish.
CAMPBELL: Now the 28 -year old suspect in this case remains in federal custody. CNN is attempting to locate attorney information for comment. In reading through this criminal complaint, the FBI alleges that the suspect confessed to these shootings, saying that he went online to research the location of a kosher market here in West L.A.
The suspect also allegedly told investigators that he selected his victims because of their, quote, "headgear." By all accounts, according to authorities, this appears to be the latest in a number of violent anti-Semitic incidents we've seen in recent years across the United States -- Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.
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BRUNHUBER: We're getting word of yet more rescues in Turkiye, nearly 300 hours since that devastating quake struck. We'll have details in a live report from Istanbul. Meanwhile relief is arriving slowly in Syria. I'll speak with the founders of Save the Syrian Children ahead. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.
We're following another missile launch by North Korea. South Korea's joint chiefs of staff say North Korea fired at least one unidentified ballistic missile on Saturday, landing in the waters off the East Coast of the Korean Peninsula.
This is Pyongyang's second ballistic missile launch of the year, coming as North Korea warns of continuous and unprecedented strong responses if the U.S. and South Korea go ahead with planned military exercises.
They're expected to hold nuclear tabletop drills next week at the Pentagon. Once again, another missile launch by North Korea. We'll bring you more details on the story as they come in.
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BRUNHUBER: Twelve days after that devastating earthquake in Turkiye and Syria, the death toll has surpassed 45,000 people. Turkiye alone has confirmed more than 39,000 deaths but that could rise, since more than 90,000 buildings have been either defined as collapsed or ready to be demolished.
Still, under all that rubble, emergency workers are finding more survivors. On Friday, they rescued a 45-year-old man almost 280 hours after the disaster. CNN's Nada Bashir is tracking recovery live from Istanbul.
What's the latest on the rescue and recovery?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Kim, as we've already learned from the authorities, there are now less than 200 search and rescue operations ongoing in southeast Turkiye, although there are still thousands of personnel working on the ground, hoping that they may still find survivors.
It is truly remarkable. We are still seeing survivors being pulled out of the rubble. In the last hour, state media reporting that three people, including a child, were pulled out of the rubble in Hatay, 296 hours after the earthquake.
It is remarkable to still be hearing of survivors at this stage. And for many in southeast Turkiye, waiting for news of their loved ones, this is a moment of hope. But of course, the window for finding survivors is closing.
We've said that for days now and we are still seeing these rescues taking place. But of course, the conditions there are dire, to say the least. It is freezing cold and hope is fading for those still buried beneath the rubble.
And there is perhaps a shift of focus now to supporting those who have survived the earthquake. Thousands and thousands of people in southeast Turkiye left homeless, many requiring urgent medical attention as well as humanitarian assistance.
And we have seen that outpouring of support across the country. We've seen aid distribution centers being set up here in Istanbul.
We've seen ferries being converted into medical clinics, being shipped to southeast Turkiye, to provide that support over there; orphanages here in Istanbul opening their doors to children who have lost their parents or who they simply haven't been able to identify in order to reunify them with their families.
According to the authorities, at least 900 children so far have been reunited with loved ones but this is a process that could take months. And we have to, of course, acknowledge the infrastructural challenges. Some 95 buildings already destroyed or needing demolition because they are simply too unsafe.
This is a significant challenge for the Turkish government and it will take months and they are asking for support from the international community. But at this stage that support is very much focused on the humanitarian response.
Now the U.N. has appealed for $1 billion over the next three months in order to provide that humanitarian assistance for those in southeast Turkiye. And this comes after an appeal was announced for northwest Syria of around nearly $400 million.
And we have seen an outpouring of support from the international community. Thousands of those supporting that search and rescue effort still are coming from across the globe. We've seen search and rescue tales coming in from as far as the United States. But as that search and rescue effort begins to wind down.
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BASHIR: We are still now hearing of aid groups coming in to provide that urgent care. Kim? BRUNHUBER: Yes, a long, long road to recovery. Nada Bashir in Istanbul, thanks so much.
In Syria, the death toll from the earthquake remains at around 5,800 people. More aid is making its way to affected areas after the government agreed to open two additional border crossings into the rebel-held northwest.
But the situation across the country remains dire. Relief supplies are still arriving slowly and, on top of that, an ISIS attack has been reported in the west, which, according to state media, killed at least 53 people on Friday.
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BRUNHUBER: Philip and Tamar Koosed are the founders of Save the Syrian Children.
Thanks so much for being here with us.
Just to start, what are your folks on the ground seeing in the areas hit hardest by the quake?
TAMAR KOOSED, SAVE THE SYRIAN CHILDREN: Yes, we've been operating in northwest Syria for the last seven years. So we've witnessed Assad's barrel bombings, indiscriminate bombings at civilians, markets, schools, sarin gas attacks.
And this is one of the worst experiences our doctors have seen on the ground, just the sheer number of casualties from this earthquake, it's something unprecedented. So it is a really dire situation in an already very vulnerable place.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, I mean, in Turkiye, for example, every day, even hundreds of hours after the earthquake, we're still seeing people -- some of them children, being pulled from the rubble. But not so in Syria. There doesn't seem to be as much hope there.
How hard is it to actually access these areas?
I mean, each part of the country has its own challenges in terms of either dealing with the Syrian government in areas they control or the rebel-controlled areas, not to mention the fact as we've just heard that ISIS is still active; 53 civilians killed in an ISIS attack on Friday.
How hard is it to get in and to get aid in to those who need it most?
PHILIP KOOSED, SAVE THE SYRIAN CHILDREN: It's definitely a challenge and it's a challenge that we've been battling for the last seven years. Northwest Syria is probably the hardest hit of any part of Syria, which is mostly rebel-controlled.
And it's not just one rebel group; there's multiple rebel groups -- you mentioned ISIS and several other extremist groups are in the area. So the first responders and the doctors on the ground face an immense challenge, just in -- in just servicing the local population.
For us, we've been working through this war zone for a long time now so we have our channels in. We're able to get product directly into the hospitals and directly into the hands of the doctors -- and we're a doctor-led organization. We work with the doctors to make sure whatever we're getting over the border gets directly into the hospitals.
But it's a challenge, no doubt.
BRUNHUBER: What are the biggest needs?
What are they lacking in most?
T. KOOSED: Yes, I mean, I think the supplies in the hospitals are really, really dwindling down very fast. ICU supplies coming down and then we're going to see a lot of chronic diseases coming out from this earthquake, particularly kidney diseases because people that do survive are crushed under the rubble for quite some time. And lots of amputees.
So I think, you know, the efforts, as you said, are dwindling and we're not getting a lot of survivors, particularly out of Syria anymore. But the fight for the life of these folks inside the hospitals are starting now. Folks are still hanging on by a thread. And this is when they need our support, so doctors can keep saving lives in the hospitals.
BRUNHUBER: It's not just an acute problem; I mean, children as you outlined there, were already dealing with so much pain and hardship with the war. Now this and the effects of all this, the injuries and so on, could last for decades.
How long is the road to physical and mental recovery here?
P. KOOSED: We have a long road ahead. You know, right now we're very focused. The first I would say week we were focused on trying to go and obviously get as many people out of the rubble as possible, like Tamar just mentioned.
Now we've shifted our thoughts and really our efforts to making sure we start the rescue efforts in the hospital. And we want to really get as many patients from critical condition to stable condition as possible over the course of the next number of weeks.
From there, the real heavy lifting begins because it will probably exit the news cycle. But unfortunately, the need of millions on the ground will not stop, everything from base level camps, IDP camps, making sure there's enough shelter so people aren't dying of hypothermia.
We're talking about amputees and making sure they can actually get limbs so they can function in a place that's not really very handicap friendly to say the least. And, of course, the mental problems you mentioned earlier, no doubt about that.
The PTSD that all of these children will face and civilians will face is severe and will probably go on for decades, unfortunately.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, you mentioned sort of keeping attention on these issues when it comes to getting Americans here at home to help with the relief efforts.
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BRUNHUBER: I mean, the Syrian American community is much smaller than the Turkish community here.
How hard has it been to get the attention and the help you need?
T. KOOSED: Yes, I think we've established a supply chain and a platform for people to come and donate. Obviously, all of the donations to Save the Syrian Children are 100 percent going to medical supplies and to the shipment of those supplies into Syria, We're a 100 percent volunteer-led organization.
So folks can help by going to www.savethesyrianchildren.org. Syria is experiencing some donor fatigue. It's an area that doesn't receive a lot of international aid, unlike Turkiye, which is so welcome, this help is needed in Turkiye as well.
Syria has not been getting that sort of international attention. So the dollars go very far in Syria. We need more international attention, government attention, to go into northwest Syria, an area very hard hit by the earthquake. And we need to pay more attention to the 4 million plus people there affected there by the earthquake.
BRUNHUBER: We wish you and all of those on the ground doing the hard and dangerous work. All the best, really appreciate you coming on and talking about this.
P. KOOSED: Thank you.
T. KOOSED: Appreciate you elevating the story, thank you.
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BRUNHUBER: After so much heartbreak in Syria, an incredible story of hope. A baby who was born under the rubble of a collapsed building in Syria appears to be doing well. After surviving 10 hours under the ruins of her family's home, the doctor says baby Ayah is in good condition and doesn't need additional help.
He and his wife are taking care of the infant for the time being. Authorities are trying to confirm the identity of a person who might be related to her.
And if you're looking for information on how to help earthquake survivors, go to cnn.com/impact and you can find a list of organizations that are working on rescue and relief efforts. Again, that's cnn.com/impact.
Still ahead, court documents show one FOX News host privately said Trump lawyer Sydney Powell was lying. Another called her and Rudy Giuliani a complete nut. That story coming up after the quick break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: FOX News is pushing back against revelations that its top anchors and executives didn't believe some of the former president Trump's election lies, specifically those baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen, widely promoted on the network.
As Sunlen Serfaty reports, many FOX on-air personalities mocked those claims in private.
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LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Is the fix already in?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a damning indictment of FOX News.
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS HOST: The outcome of our presidential election was seized from the hands of voters.
SERFATY (voice-over): As a network publicly and repeatedly promoted former President Trump's 2020 election fraud claims to millions of their viewers.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: Every American should be angry. You should be outraged. You should be worried. You should be concerned at what has happened in the election and lead up to this election.
SERFATY (voice-over): Privately, top anchors and executives mocked Trump's lies, calling them ludicrous, really crazy stuff and totally off the rails. The revelations coming from hundreds of pages of newly released evidence in the legal filing as part of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against FOX News.
In this text, exchanged two weeks after the election, Tucker Carlson texting other FOX News hosts, "Sydney Powell is lying, by the way. I caught her. It's insane," he says about Trump's lawyer, Sydney Powell and Rudy Giuliani's unfounded claims.
"Sydney is a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy," Laura Ingraham wrote back.
Tucker responds, "It's unbelievably offensive to me. Our viewers are good people and they believe it," even as those same hosts went on the air, arguing completely otherwise.
INGRAHAM: All right, these election challenges are still going on and disturbing irregularities have been found and must be investigated to the fullest. SERFATY (voice-over): On election night, the network first to call Arizona for Biden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The FOX News decision desk is calling Arizona for Joe Biden. That is a big get for the Biden campaign.
SERFATY (voice-over): As Trump's baseless conspiracy theories started to take hold.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a fraud on the American public, so we'll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court.
SERFATY (voice-over): Carlson wrote his producer, warning that Trump could easily destroy us if we play it wrong. The court documents showing a scramble behind the scenes as viewers rebelled against Fox for calling the contest in Biden's favor. And of course, correction internally to prioritize profitability over the truth.
After FOX News reporter Jacqui Heinrich fact checked a Trump tweet about votes being destroyed, Tucker Carlson texting his colleagues, "Please get her fired. Seriously, what the F?
"It's measurably hurting the company. The stock price is down."
FOX News, in a statement, argues the court filing contains cherry- picked quotes lacking context. As FOX News hosts continue this week to sow doubt.
CARLSON: Was the 2020 election a miracle?
Honestly, we don't know. We don't expect to get answer to it tonight.
SERFATY (voice-over): And the documents also revealing on January 6, Trump tried to call into FOX Business to get on air. But the network refused, saying it would be irresponsible and could impact a lot of people in a negative way -- Sunlen Serfaty, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: The best and most promising basketball players compete in all-star weekend. We have more coming up, stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: An 11-week old baby boy is dead after his mother's car was swept away by flooding in West Virginia. Officials say the woman misjudged the depth of the water, which then swept up the vehicle. The mom managed to get out but couldn't save the baby. When rescuers finally reached the vehicle, it was in up to 18 feet of water. In another part of the state, a mudslide knocked this home off its
foundation. West Virginia was just one state hit by the storm system that stretched from the Gulf Coast to New England.
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BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber, I'll be back in just a moment with more CNN NEWSROOM, please do stay with us.
