Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
CNN International: U.S. Pledges More Quake Relief For Turkey And Syria; One Dead, Suspect Arrested Sunday After Shots Fired Along Mardi Gras Parade Route; Police Investigating Murder Of Los Angeles Catholic Bishop; Woman Escapes From Year Long, Cross-Country Abduction; British Police Searching For Nicola Bulley Find Unidentified Body Near Spot Where She Disappeared; Beloved Actor And Comedian Richard Belzer Dies; Netanyahu Govt. Introducing Controversial Judicial Reform Bill; Meta Rolling Out Paid Account Verification Plan; Team Giannis Beats Team Lebron 184-175 In All-Star Game. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired February 20, 2023 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Bianca, Max, as the search and rescue effort now begins to come to a close, only two out of those 11 affected provinces still seeing those ongoing rescue efforts taking place. At this stage, the focus is certainly shifting now to providing humanitarian support to those who have been impacted.
And we are talking about thousands and thousands of people across southeast Turkey who have been left homeless. Many of them, of course, have lost -- they lost loved ones and they've been left with absolutely nothing. And there is a real emphasis now, a real sense of urgency here in Turkey when it comes to providing that humanitarian support.
And we've seen a groundswell support in Turkey across the country. Donations coming in, aid groups working on the ground. And there's also, of course, been a huge amount of international support for Turkey. And as you laid out there, Secretary of State Antony Blinken now in this hour expected to meet with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They will continue to discuss that response effort as well as a whole host of other issues on the agenda.
Blinken met with his counterpart, the Turkish Foreign Minister, over the weekend, and once again today. And in fact, over the weekend, Blinken toured some of the affected areas, including the province of Hatay, which was perhaps hardest hit by the earthquake, as well as meeting with the U.S. aid teams on the ground and search and rescue teams who've been supporting in that effort.
And his message has been very clear. The United States will stand behind Turkey for as long as it takes, not only through the search and rescue operation, but also now with the humanitarian response effort and of course the rebuilding effort, which could take months, if not years. Now, as you said that the United States has pledged further funding and will continue to stand behind Turkey, according to Secretary Blinken. But this is going to take a long while, Bianca, Max. And, of course, the pressure that is mounting on Turkey is one that is going to emphasize that need for further international support.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Nada Bashir live in Adana, Turkey. Thank you so much for your reporting.
New Orleans police have arrested a suspect in a shooting that left one person dead and four others injured along a Mardi Gras parade route on Sunday night. Three adults and a young girl are now hospitalized and in stable condition.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: And the police chief says they found two weapons at the scene. Investigators say it's not clear what led to the shooting and they're working to determine if anyone else is involved.
Police are investigating the murder of a Catholic bishop in Los Angeles. Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell was found shot to death at a home in the Hacienda Heights area on Saturday afternoon.
NOBILO: The local archbishop said that O'Connell had been a priest and bishop in Los Angeles for 45 years and described him as a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and immigrants.
Three of the five students injured in the Michigan State mass shootings remain in critical condition this morning one week after the attack that claimed the lives of three others.
FOSTER: MSU is reopening this morning with about 300 scheduled classes moving to other spaces on the campus. Any rooms where the shooting took place will be closed for the semester.
NOBILO: Athletic events also resume this weekend, the Michigan State Wolverines showing solidarity with a moment of silence for the visiting spartans (ph).
FOSTER: This man is in custody after holding a woman against her will for nearly a year. We'll have the story after a short break.
NOBILO: Last Sunday was the British film in television's biggest night. We'll have the high nights from the BAFTAs, including the movie that swept the awards. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:36:58]
NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo.
FOSTER: I'm Mike Foster. If you just join us, let me bring you up to date on the top stories. President Biden will head to Warsaw, Poland in the coming hours to mark the one year anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine. The White House says Mr. Biden will pledge support for NATO allies as well as Ukraine. And North Korea has launched a second ballistic missile in response to military drills between the U.S. and South Korea, as well as the U.S. and Japan.
NOBILO: A dramatic escape took place at a New Jersey gas station earlier this month. A New Mexico woman's terrifying yearlong abduction ordeal ended with the help of the station's owner. CNN's Polo Sandoval has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a dramatic end to what police describe as a nearly yearlong cross-country kidnapping. The woman seen running into this New Jersey service station in early February is escaping her suspected captor, who is close behind a man later identified as James Perillo Jr. The yearlong ordeal started in New Mexico, where the couple first met last February.
The woman says she agreed to give Perillo a ride to Arizona. They eventually made their way to California, where she says their relationship took a violent turn. That's where police say Perillo physically assaulted the woman, taken away her phone and debit cards.
Eventually, the pair made their way cross country in what New Jersey State police describe as a yearlong nightmare. Cameras inside the store captured the moment the bare footed woman dead bolts the door, preventing her alleged kidnapper from entering.
BOBBY MADAAN, GAS STATION OWNER: All you could hear is screaming like, I've been kidnapped.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): Bobby Madaan is the owner of the service station. He remembers the frantic look of the woman desperate to get away.
MADAAN: The lady was really scared. Like, she was really scared. She's looking at the back wall in the office, thinking that he's going to come through the backdoor or break the wall to come in. So I told -- I just reassured her that, you're fine, you're safe. The store is locked, nobody's coming in, and the police is on their way.
And she just kept repeating that, you know, he's kept me against my will. And eventually the state troopers did get there.
SANDOVAL (voice-over): New Jersey state police are looking into the possibility that Perillo may have held other women against her will in the past. He's already been charged with kidnapping and aggravated assault in connection with what police say was a heroic escape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANDOVAL: New Jersey state authority is actively reaching out to investigators in other jurisdictions as well, hoping to make contact with anybody who may have known Perillo. Meanwhile CNN did reach out to his attorney and we have not immediately heard back.
Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
NOBILO: British police are looking for a missing mother of two, and they announced Sunday that they have discovered a body. Police were searching the river wire in northern England near where 45-year-old Nicola Bulley went missing more than three weeks ago. While the body hasn't been identified, Bulley's family were notified by officials.
Police say that they're working on a formal identification. Bulley disappeared in late January after dropping her children off at school. Her dog was then found wandering alone, and her phone was left on a bench near the river still connected to a work meeting.
[04:40:05]
Hollywood actor and comedian Richard Belzer has died. He's known best for playing detective John Munch on several crime shows, including "Homicide," "Life on the street" and "Law and Order SVU". His longtime manager confirmed that Belzer passed away peacefully early Sunday morning at his home in France.
A longtime friend of the actor said that he dealt with, quote, a lot of health issues. Richard Belzer was 78 years old.
Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing ahead with a controversial plan to revamp Israel's judicial system despite weeks of angry protests. Some say that it could cost the support of western allies. We'll have a live report from Jerusalem coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: In Israel, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing ahead with a controversial bill aimed at overhauling the country's judicial system. It would limit the Supreme Court's powers to rule against the legislature and give lawmakers much greater latitude in appointing judges.
FOSTER: Supporters say the high court is overreaching into politics and must be stopped. But critics say the plan will weaken the courts and endanger civil liberties.
NOBILO: Opponents of the bill have been protesting across Israel for weeks. Our Hadas Gold joins us now from Jerusalem where the protests have begun. Hadas, tell us what the protesters is saying to you about their main concerns over this.
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, guys. So you can see that people are starting to gather. These protests are expected to start in the next few hours. They're taking place today because today is the first time that the bill of these digital reforms will get its first vote in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
Now, the bill still needs two more votes before it becomes law, but today is the first major vote. This group here behind me, they actually have, they say 4,000 flags ready to give out to protesters. They are expecting tens of thousands of protesters to come today.
[04:45:04]
This is the second week these protests have taken place in Jerusalem in front of the Israeli parliament. But of course, it's week seven of these mass protests, sometimes up to 100,000, if not more people, that have taken place across Israel. These are opponents to the judicial reform.
They say this will weaken the independent judiciary. They say it's only a way, they claim, for Benjamin Netanyahu to get out of his ongoing corruption trial. This is something he denies. And some of them here, they say they fear for the rights of minorities, they fear for Israeli democracy.
There are counter protesters here as well, people who support these reforms, who say the Supreme Court has become too powerful, become too political. But now we're also hearing from voices even outside of sort of the Israeli society. The American ambassador action the last couple of days on a podcast calling on the Israeli government to pump the brakes, to slow down the pace of legislation and allow for some negotiations.
But Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be pushing along, making comments yesterday at a conference saying that the Israeli democracy will still be strong, that there will be safeguards to civil liberties. Meanwhile, the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, he's been trying to meet with the opposition leaders, meet with the government leaders, trying to bring people together around the table for a consensus.
He was saying in the last couple of days that he believes that a consensus can be come to in the next coming days. He seems quite optimistic. But the protesters here, they are going to be here, they say, fighting every day until these judicial reforms are off the table. Guys?
NOBILO: Hadas Gold in Jerusalem, thank you.
FOSTER: Now, the BAFTA Film Awards took place on Sunday night in London's Royal Festival Hall. "All Quiet on the Western Front" swept the ceremony, winning seven BAFTAs, including Best Film. Christina Macfarlane reports from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The best of Britain's silver screen hitting the red carpet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The reason I'm in this movie just walk in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am quivering with anticipation, joy and elation to be here.
FELIX KAMMERER, ACTOR, "ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT" To come here with 14 nominations is just mind boggling.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): The BAFTAs London's Royal Festival Hall was a night of film royalty rubbing elbows with British royalty. The late Queen Elizabeth remembered in a heartfelt tribute by Dame Helen Mirren.
DAME HELEN MIRREN, ACTRESS: Your majesty, you were our nation's leading star. On behalf of BAFTA, thank you.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): The night also paid tribute to those displaced by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the war in Ukraine.
KAMMERER: Says here, with refugees. And I think especially with a movie like "All Quiet," it's always important to get back to reality. What really this has something this has to do with us. So this, I think, is a goodtime to show us our thoughts.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): And on the night, the World War I epic film, "All Quiet on the Western Front" cleaned up with seven BAFTAs, including Best Picture today.
EDWARD BERGER, DIRECTOR, "ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT": Today, there's a different war in the Ukraine. In five days, it will be one year, the anniversary and there are no heroes in it in any war.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): CNN Film's thriller about the life of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny won Best Documentary. His family attending the awards ceremony with a message of hope.
DASHA NAVALNAYA, DAUGHTER OF ALEXEY NAVALNY: It's very important to remember to fight for your freedom and for democracy around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The award goes to "The Banshees of Inisherin."
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Set during the Irish civil war, "Banshees" picked up four BAFTAs, including "Outstanding British Film". Despite a mostly Irish cast.
MARTIN MCDONAGH, DIRECTOR, "THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN": I know every Irish person in the cast and crew were kind of guy in best what award, but thanks to Rosie, our standing donkey who's British.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was my destiny.
MACFARLANE (voice-over): Closing out the night, Austin Butler winning for leading actor for his transformation into Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's biopic of "The King". And as expected, Cate Blanchett won the award for leading actress for her striking performance in the psychological drama "Tar."
Whether it will be a repeat performance for these winners at next month's Oscars, the film world will wait and see.
Christina Macfarlane, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Instagram and Facebook users will soon have a chance to get their accounts verified for a fee. Meta is testing out a subscription service that would allow users to pay to get their identities confirmed with a checkmark. Mark Zuckerberg announced the plan on Instagram, saying it would cost about $12 to $15 a month. The company will start offering the service in Australia and New Zealand this week, with more countries then to follow.
FOSTER: A basketball legend is honored and the rising star sets new record. Ahead, NBA highlights from an all-star game like no other.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: In the NBA, the top players of the league put on a dazzling show of the All-Star Game on Sunday. As Andy Scholes reports, it had a little bit of everything except for defense.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, the NBA All-Star Game was back in Utah for the first time in 30 years. And for the first time ever, they drafted the two teams right before the game, LeBron and Giannis, the two team captains. Could Giannis finally draft the team to beat LeBron was the question.
King James, a perfect 5 and 0 in All-Star drafts coming into the night. Now Giannis playing only the first few seconds of the game as he came out right away due to his sprained wrist. And per usual, no defense being played early in this game. LeBron though, showing off, going off the backboard to himself for the slam.
Ja Morant fancy as well, going in for the 360 slam. Now at halftime, the NBA honoring LeBron for breaking the all-time scoring record, having him alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone, who are second and third on the list. LeBron, though, then sitting out the second half after injuring his finger on the rim. He said after the game it wasn't a big deal.
[04:55:10]
Now the final period, they played to a target score of 182. Team Giannis was up 17 heading into the period, thanks to Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell's red-hot shooting. Tatum scoring an all-star record, 55 points in the game. Team Giannis would win by nine. Tatum named the game's MVP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAYSON TATUM, ALL-STAR GAME MVP: That means the world. You know, you think of all the legends and great players that's playing this game, and all honesty records are meant to be broken. So I'll hold it for as long as I can, but I'm certain somebody will come along in a couple of years and try to bring it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: And Tatum is now the first player ever to put up 50 in a regular season playoff and all-star game. And he said he was coming here to Utah to either win the three-point contest or the game's MVP. Well, mission accomplished.
NOBILO: Due to several crackups, Sunday saw the longest Daytona 500 in history. The race was scheduled for 200 laps.
FOSTER: But because of all the crashes, it ran for 212. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the checker flag in double overtime. The Daytona 500 opens NASCAR's 75th season.
New Mexico preparing to be the first U.S. state to have an official aroma. A new bill proposing the cent is moving through the state legislature and calls it green child's roasting in the fall.
NOBILO: Is it chili? I don't know.
FOSTER: Is it?
NOBILO: I think so.
FOSTER: Chilies.
NOBILO: That's because New Mexico's peak tourist season typically intersects with peak green. chilly season.
FOSTER: Chile's season.
NOBILO: Chile, that famous little home. If the bill does pass, the official aroma would go into effect on June 16.
FOSTER: What would yours be?
NOBILO: No, I warned you. I said I don't know. That's what I'm asking you.
FOSTER: And that's what I'm asking you.
NOBILO: What would yours be?
FOSTER: Official aroma. I have no idea. It'd be like an oak tree because we've got oak trees around us.
NOBILO: Watch out. Good (INAUDIBLE). Thank you for joining us here --
FOSTER: What would yours be?
NOBILO: It would be probably roasted to the cow. Thank you for joining us here on CNN Newsroom.
FOSTER: Let try to be interesting.
NOBILO: We'll be back.
FOSTER: We'll be back in a moment --
NOBILO: Yes.
FOSTER: -- with more in CNN Newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:00:00]
