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Polis Pres.: Biden's Kyiv Visit "Incredibly Powerful Signal"; At Least Six Killed In Turkey From Monday's Aftershock; Nearly 900,000 Living In Temporary Shelters In Turkey; U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments In High-Stakes Tech Case; Decision On British "ISIS Bride" Citizenship Expected Soon; Surviving Son Testifies At Double Murder Trial; Antarctic Sea Ice Hits Record Lows Again. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired February 22, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

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[04:31:28]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let me bring up to date with our top stories this hour. More than 65 million Americans will face blizzard like conditions starting today through the rest of the week. Some states, like Minnesota could see up to 30 inches of snow.

China's top diplomat is in Moscow today for talks about the war in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Now, in a few hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with his Polish counterpart and other members of the Bucharest Nine, the nine countries on NATO's eastern flank. This will be Biden's second meeting in as many days with Poland's president.

In an exclusive interview, President Duda talked to CNN's Christiane Amanpour about Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRZEJ DUDA, POLISH PRESIDENT (through translation): So the very thing that the president traveled to Kyiv, he was there, it sends an incredibly powerful signal, a political and strategic signal. It is a demonstration of strength of the United States indeed. It is like saying that the American leader, who as a matter of fact is the leader of the free world, is able to travel even where war is raging, even to a place where there is a potential danger.

He is not afraid because the United States is strong enough to protect him. That is number one. And number two, he was there. And today he is in Warsaw. He gives his pitch to the whole world. And he sends a signal of the defense of free world, of the defense of NATO, of the defense of every inch of the territory, as the President said today.

So to us to, Poles, this American signal, this allied signal, not only within NATO, but first of all, a signal sent by the greatest superpower in the world, a signal sent by our friend and allied today is so significant. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: You can see Christiane's full interview with Polish president today at 07:00 p m. in Warsaw. That's 06:00 p.m. in In London.

For weeks now, Russian forces have been trying to capture the eastern city of Bakhmut. But across the region, many worry their town could be Russia's next target. Some lived under Russian occupation earlier in the war and now liberated, their living on edge as the front lines move ever closer and the fighting returns.

CNN's Sam Kylie reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year into Russia's invasion, this Monochrome misery is all too familiar.

(on-camera): This is what happened just three days ago here in Monochinivka (ph). An S-300 missile strike. Now, that's a missile used by the Russians for ground attack which actually designed for bringing down airplanes, but it carries a massive warhead. It's pretty inaccurate.

And that doesn't matter to the Russians, because this is all about smashing up the villages and towns ahead of what the Ukrainians fear is going to be a major Russian push in this part of the country.

(voice-over): Captured on the second day of Vladimir Putin's invasion last February, this is no longer a town that scares easily. It was liberated by Ukraine in the fall and is within mortar range of Russian troops today. Yet these teenagers are taking a walk through what remains of their village.

(on-camera): Why do your parents not insist that you all leave as a family?

My dad has a farm here. He's got land, and we can't just leave it all behind, she says. So we just don't want to go yet. Well, if it gets serious, then we'll leave.

[04:35:04]

(on-camera): And how would you define really serious? In most countries, having a missile that big land in the middle of town is already really serious.

Very serious is probably when a lot of houses are destroyed and civilians suffer, she explains. It's the defiance of Ukrainian civilians that Russia is trying to crush. Putin's rockets and artillery have rained down on towns from Kherson to Kramatorsk to Kupyansk and the northern border with Russia, along a front line of 1,300 kilometers, that's 800 miles.

This latest assault in Kherson, another example of the indiscriminate shelling of civilians. This isn't accidental, it's deliberate. The areas liberated by Ukraine bear the brunt of an ever increasing level of attacks by Russia.

Here in Kupyansk's province, as in Kherson, civilians survive on aid rations. We don't know what to do, she says. Houses are shaking, missiles are flying. We just don't know what to wait for. We're shaking like chickens. We don't know what to expect.

Fighting has been most intense in and around Bakhmut with a surge in attacks by Russia on nearby villages in a foretaste of the anticipated offensive.

Veterans like Alex, who captured this tank called Bunny from Russia last March, are running low on ammunition. He says that he's sometimes in combat with only 10 shells a day.

ALEX, UKRAINIAN TANK COMMANDER: It's really hard. We have a lot of casualties every day. And the problem is that the fighting moved inside the city because, like, we are fighting, like building to building and the distance is like 25 to 60 meters, so we cannot use artillery well, here, civilians place their faith in Ukraine's forces to hold off the Russians and play their part by staying on and staying alive.

Sam Kylie, CNN in Monochinivka (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Now Monday's major aftershock in Turkey has now killed at least six people. Let's compounding the suffering and damage from the initial earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria more than two weeks ago now.

Right now, nearly 900,000 people are living in temporary shelters in Turkey. Many of them will have to rebuild their lives after losing loved ones, their homes and all of their possessions.

For more on this, I'm joined by Nada Bashir, who's in southern Turkey. They're trying to keep their spirits up, at least in these unbelievable conditions.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Yes, absolutely, Max. And we are at one of the larger camps for internally displaced people here in the southern city of Iskenderun and among the hardest hits of those provinces by the earthquake a little over two weeks ago.

And as you can see behind me, they've set up a sort of children center here. They're doing activities for the kids who have, of course, now been homeless along with their families following that earthquake. They've got games and activities on a daily basis.

If you look over here, we've got a little library as well as a little classroom set up. And this is happening day by day around the last two weeks. And they've also got a little psychological center set up. And that's where they're providing psychosocial support not only for the children, but also to the parents so that they can care for their children. Because, of course, this earthquake has caused an immense amount of destruction. Their lives have been completely transformed. And we have to remember that there have been aftershocks every single day since that earthquake struck, including that very powerful one on Monday evening.

So these children are living in quite a bit of fear right now. And, you know, this is a lot to go through for these families. And I just said that around 900,000 people living in tents across the south of (INAUDIBLE), as well as others who have been evacuated to other parts of the country.

And look, this camp that we're in right now is a bit of a hub. This is a huge camp, around 3,500 people currently staying here in tents. But there are smaller camps dotted around this area where there are people who are living on the streets. They do not have attempts.

We're speaking with some of those families just a little earlier today. Many of them are Syrian refugees who've already been displaced countless time from their home as a result of the war in Syria. Now they are sleeping on the streets. The authorities here, including the Disaster and Emergency Management Service, says that they are working on getting more tents to the affected areas, particularly after Monday's aftershock.

Around 6,000 tents have been sent to the southeast. But for many of those who are still reeling from the effects of this earthquake, many of those who have loved ones in hospital, who have lost loved ones, this is only a temporary solution. This is going to be a long and difficult process for those who have lost absolutely everything. Max?

[04:40:06]

FOSTER: Nada, thank you. We're going to be keeping across that story, of course, in Turkey and how they do recover. But still to come on the program, should Google and YouTube be held responsible for content? Recommendations created by an algorithm will breakdown the Supreme Court's high stakes case next.

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JENNIFER MCCLELLAN, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT-ELECT: I'm going to work to make this country, this commonwealth, this city, a better place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: That's Virginia's newest Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. CNN projects she won Tuesday's special election. The state senator will become the first black woman to represent Virginia in the U.S. Congress. She defeated a conservative Republican Pastor and Navy veteran for the seat. Her win will not change the balance of power, though, in the House, which Republicans narrowly control.

Now, on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Gonzalez versus Google, which has the potential to upend the Internet effectively. It's the first of two cases the court will hear this week about online content. Google says current laws protect them from liability for search recommendations on sites like YouTube, but the Gonzalez family claims the tech company is responsible for hosting content that may radicalize terrorists, like the ones that killed their daughter.

CNN's Jessica Schneider reports.

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BRETT KAVANAUGH, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: Lawsuits will be nonstop.

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Supreme Court taking on a case that could reshape the Internet, hearing arguments from a family who has lost a daughter and who now wants big tech to pay.

BEATRIZ GONZALEZ, DAUGHTER NOHEMI KILLED IN 2015 TERRORIST ATTACK IN PARIS: We continue in this fight because we're seeking justice.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The Gonzalez family's long legal fight started when their 23-year-old daughter Nohemi was killed in Paris in 2015. Nohemi Gonzalez was at a bistro when ISIS terrorists unleashed gunfire.

[04:45:09]

Part of a coordinated citywide attack of bombings and shootings that killed 129 people. She was the only American.

GONZALEZ: It was a terrible, horrible moment in my life that I can describe the pain.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The Gonzalez family now wants YouTube and parent company Google to be held liable for Nohemi's death. Their lawyer arguing to the Supreme Court Tuesday that because YouTube not only allowed ISIS videos on its site, but also recommended those videos to certain viewers. The social media site should be held responsible for aiding and abetting terrorism.

ERIC SCHNAPPER, GONZALEZ FAMILY ATTORNEY: When they go beyond delivering to what you've asked for to start sending things you haven't asked for, our contention is they're no longer acting as an interactive computer service.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): But Google says they are protected by the broad contours of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Congress passed the law in 1996 to shield Internet platforms from being sued for harmful content posted by third parties on their sites. Google's lawyer argued that shield also applies to any recommendations the site might make.

LISA BLATT, ATTORNEY FOR GOOGLE: Exposing websites to liability for implicitly recommending third party content defies the text and threatens today's Internet.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): This is the first time the Supreme Court has considered the scope of Section 230. The justices acknowledged that if the Gonzalez family succeeds, that would open up tech companies to a flood of lawsuits and would require social media sites to heavily police the content posted. And the justices also asked whether it's Congress and not the courts who should clarify how much tech companies are protected.

ELENA KAGAN, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT: Every other industry has to internalize the costs of his conduct. Why is it that the tech industry gets a pass? A little bit unclear. On the other hand, I mean, we're a court. We really don't know about these things.

You know, these are not like the nine greatest experts on the Internet. Isn't that something for Congress to do? Not the court.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The Gonzalez family has lost the case at the lower courts, but they continue to search for justice after the death of their daughter at the hands of terrorists.

GONZALEZ: Nothing is going to give me back my daughter, but at least that as something good is going to be accomplished.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: The Supreme Court will hear another case Wednesday morning to determine if social media companies are responsible for terrorist content on their sites under an antiterrorism law. That case does not involve Section 230, but BigTech is still bracing for the rulings in both of these cases by the end of June.

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

FOSTER: Now, just minutes from now, a British woman who left the U.K. as a teenager to join ISIS will find out if she won her appeal to keep her citizenship. The ruling on the so-called ISIS bride, Shamima Begum, is expected at the top of this hour.

According to British media, the decision is over whether the removal of her citizenship was lawful and will not determine whether she'll be allowed back to the U.K. Begum, who is now 23, left the Syria when she was just 15 years old.

Still ahead, Alex Murdaugh's son takes the stand in defense of her -- of his father, who's accused of murdering family members. Details of what Buster Murdaugh said is next.

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[04:52:19]

FOSTER: The double murder trial of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh resumes in the coming hours. On Tuesday, Murdaugh's surviving son took the stand. Buster Murdaugh testified about conversations he had with his father on the night of murders and provided new details supporting his father's defense.

CNN's Randi Kaye reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSTER MURDAUGH, ALEX MURDAUGH'S SON: My name is Buster, 26 years old.

RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Buster Murdaugh, Alex Murdaugh's only surviving son, sharing how he first heard his mother and brother had been killed.

B. MURDAUGH: My dad called me. He asked me if I was sitting down. Then he told me that my mom and brother had been shot.

KAYE (voice-over): Key for the defense, Buster's testimony about how often his father showered. Given the state has suggested that Alex Murdaugh washed up and changed his clothes after allegedly killing his wife and son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How frequently would your dad take a shower or bath?

B. MURDAUGH: He could take him a lot.

KAYE (voice-over): And what about Alex Murdaugh's police interview, where one investigator testified he thought Murdaugh said, I did him so bad, regarding his son Paul. The defense has argued their client said they did him so bad. Buster weighed in in court after the video played.

ALEX MURDAUGH, KILLED WIFE AND SON: I did him so bad. I did him so bad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What your dad say?

B. MURDAUGH: He said they did them so -- they did him so bad.

KAYE (voice-over): Given that Paul Murdaugh was shot with a shotgun using both a buckshot and a birdshot, the defense seemed to lean on Buster to convince the jury that his father would never have loaded a shotgun like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you ever seen any guns on your property loaded in that fashion?

B. MURDAUGH: No, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Buckshot with some sort of bird shot right behind it?

B. MURDAUGH: No, sir.

KAYE (voice-over): After Buster finished, this forensic engineer testified for the defense. He told the jury, based on his crime scene analysis, a person shorter than Alex Murdaugh, who is about 6'4", likely killed both Maggie and Paul. MIKE SUTTON, FORENSIC ENGINEER: It puts the shooter, or whoever fired the weapon, if they were that tall, it puts them in an unrealistic shooting position.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What, if any, opinion do you have as to whether that person could be Alex Murdaugh shooting into that quail pin?

SUTTON: It can't be.

KAYE (voice-over): This expert also testified about how the sound of gunfire travels.

SUTTON: If you were in the house, even if you were walking around, you wouldn't hear that.

KAYE (voice-over): That's that's key for the defense. Because if Murdaugh didn't do this and was napping in the main house at the time of the murders, as he said, it could explain why he didn't go and check on his family at the dog kennels.

And remember the state's witness, a GPS expert who said Murdaugh slowed his car down on the night of the murders in the same area where Maggie Murdaugh's cell phone was later found? The state suggested Murdaugh tossed the phone out of his car, but this witness disagreed with that.

[04:55:04]

SUTTON: So he's speeding up from, you know, 42, 43, 44, 45 miles per hour as he goes through that area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any indication he stopped or slow down?

SUTTON: No.

KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Walterboro, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: New study shows new light on what lies at the very center of our planet. A research published in the Journal Nature Communications finds that what was assumed to be the Earth's innermost layer actually has another inner core within it. And it's apparently made up of a 400-miles wide solid ball of iron.

The monumental findings suggests the Earth has five major layers instead of four. Scientists hope they can use the research to help unlock some of the oldest mysteries about our planet and how it was formed.

Meanwhile, climate researchers say the sea ice surrounding the Antarctic has reached a record low for the second time in two years. Scientists are concerned that the dramatic drops are a signal that the climate crisis may now be influencing the region.

The last two years marked the only time sea ice levels have shrunk this much since satellites began monitoring it all in 1978. Starbucks is rolling out a new line of drinks featuring an ingredient not commonly found in coffee, and that is extra virgin olive oil. It's not just a drizzle, it's a full spoonful of the stuff in your latte, espresso, or even the sweet foam topper, depending what you like.

That slippery sheen of oil in the cup may seem strange, but Starbucks is betting its health benefits will attract customers. The Oleato drinks are only available in Italy right now, but will debut in other parts of the world later this year, we're told. They're coming to California in the spring.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Early Start with Christine Romans is next on CNN.

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