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First NATO Battle Tanks Arrive In Ukraine; Biden Decries Beijing's Peace Proposal; Blizzards, Ice And Flooding Across California; Murdaugh Admits Lying, Denies Killing; Georgia Judge Says Special Grand Jurors Free To Discuss Final Report; U.S. Seized $500 Million In Kremlin Supporters' Assets; Turkiye-Syria Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 50,000; Nigeria Presidential And Parliamentary Elections. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired February 25, 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 here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the United States and other nations announce even more sanctions targeting Putin's war machine, as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its second year.
A slow-moving storm floods highways and prompts a rare blizzard warning in southern California. Details plus the wintry forecast for tens of millions of people.
And Alex Murdaugh back on the stand. Prosecutors target the lies the disgraced prosecutor admits telling while claiming he did not kill his wife and son.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: The second year of Russia's war in Ukraine is beginning with reports of more attacks. We're told Russian forces have shelled the southern Nikopol district overnight into Saturday.
And a short time ago came word of heavy explosions in the Russian occupied city of Mariupol. The mayor's office says a resistance group confirmed the destruction of an ammunition depot.
Standing before Ukrainian troops on Friday, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, renewed his call to arms, confident that growing military support from NATO allies will prove decisive in the coming year. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We started to free our land from Russian evil. We are in return of security to international relations.
And you and I can make this year 2023 to be the year of the end of Russian aggression, the year of the return to peace, the year of the liberation of our land and our people from Russian captivity.
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BRUNHUBER: Russian forces now control less than 20 percent of Ukrainian territory in the east and south, far less than they had in the early stages of the war. The head of the European Union commission says Russia's aggression has only brought Ukraine and the West closer together.
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URSULA VAN DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Putin has failed to achieve a single one of his strategic goals. Instead of dividing the European Union, he finds us united and determined to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Instead of dominating the global energy market, he has seen his main source of revenue slashed. Instead of wiping Ukraine from the map, he is confronted with a nation more vigorous than ever.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine has now taken delivery of its first heavy battle tanks from NATO allies. Dozens of these advanced weapons are due in the coming weeks as tank crews complete their training.
President Biden is dismissing a Chinese proposal to end the war, saying it only benefits Russia. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us from London with more.
Salma, how has this plan by Beijing to mediate been received in Ukraine?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, this is a 12 point policy paper that was released by Beijing yesterday. It comes during the week, during the course of the days in which many were marking the one year anniversary of the conflict of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
We saw President Biden last week landing in Kyiv, making that historic visit. We heard those renewed calls from the West to support and step up their material support to President Zelenskyy and his fight.
In some ways, we've seen the opposite from Beijing. Their top diplomat was standing alongside President Putin in Moscow just a few days ago, with President Putin, of course, hailing this new milestone in the relationship between Russia and China.
Now this policy paper released that indicates that China wants to be a neutral negotiator, neutral mediator. It wants, according to this paper, to see a restart of negotiations between the two warring sides.
There's also some very thinly veiled criticism of the West's stance, Beijing saying in this paper that territorial sovereignty should be respected, without making clear whose territorial sovereignty, goes on to say that unilateral sanctions should be lifted.
Again, a reference to Western sanctions against Russia. And that a Cold War mentality, again a dig at the United States and its partners, should be abandoned. Now President Biden all but dismissed this proposal.
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ABDELAZIZ: He said that it's clear that China is actually getting closer to Moscow, not balancing a fine line here, not a neutral party at all.
But President Zelenskyy, as you heard in your opening there, aiming for peace this year, aiming for resolution this year. Clear of China's potential role in this conflict kept the door open. Take a listen to how he responded to the proposal.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): First of all, I plan to meet Xi Jinping and I believe that would beneficial for both our states and for security in the world.
As far as I know, China respects territorial integrity, historically has respected it. And therefore, will -- must do whatever they can for the Russian Federation to leave our territory, because that would be respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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ABDELAZIZ: The U.S. and its partners have been ringing the alarm, concerned that Beijing is preparing to step up aid to Russia. Chinese companies have provided some non lethal aid but U.S. sources say China could be considering sending lethal aid to Russia.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Salma Abdelaziz in London.
People around the world have been rallying to show solidarity with Ukraine.
In Warsaw, demonstrators marched toward the parliament building to encourage the government's ongoing support for the country.
In Berlin, protesters gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate, which was lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Among the demonstrators were Ukrainian refugees, who honored their country men back home.
And in Georgia, Ukrainians also organized rallies, along with the Georgian opposition and Russians who fled repression in their country. Many called for the war to end and some expressed confidence that Ukraine would win.
With Russia constantly threatening to erase Ukraine's historic identity, many Ukrainians are embracing their heritage as a precious thing which must be protected more than ever. CNN's Christiane Amanpour takes a closer look at how attitudes toward Russia have hardened since the initial invasion.
We want to warn you, some of these images are disturbing.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Perhaps there is no more powerful sense of belonging than this: Yaryna and Sviatoslav deciding to marry in their orthodox church the very day Russia invaded and tried to claim their national identity.
Instead of a honeymoon, they joined the territorial defense against the siege of their capital, Kyiv. Today, looking over the year of living dangerously, the young couple takes stock.
SVIATOSLAV FURSIN, FORMER TERRITORIAL DEFENSE VOLUNTEER: Only when you see death, you understand the value of life and in my case, it's totally 100 percent.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): This war is a tale of epic resistance by a whole nation and the civilians who became overnight soldiers.
YARYNA ARIEVA, FORMER TERRITORIAL DEFENSE VOLUNTEER: This one year of the war, it really feels like 40 years of life. I don't feel myself so young again, anymore, just because of the -- all experience, of all the things you have seen.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): They remind us just how much has been lost. Everyone has family, friends, killed or wounded. When Ukraine broke that long siege around Kyiv, revealing unimaginable horrors and crimes against humanity in Bucha, it stiffened, not softened the people's resistance and their resolve.
Any peace negotiations would now have to include prosecutions and justice and an end to any Russian claims on their territory or their identity.
When we visited the newly liberated suburb of Borodyanka last April, even monuments to Ukrainian art and literature weren't spared. We witnessed the deliberate assault on their cultural heritage.
AMANPOUR: So this Is Vladimir Putin's idea of liberating a fraternal brotherly nation. So either he's doing all this because he loves Ukrainians or, as many believe, because he's motivated by a rising hatred and anger at their westward loving democracy, at their resistance and at the refusal to come under Russian control.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): From Kharkiv to Kherson, Odessa to Donbas, museums, opera houses and art have been targeted, looted and destroyed. And yet a heroic effort to save and protect this heritage has been underway since the first missile struck.
Here, at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, an exhibit on this past year of war.
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AMANPOUR (voice-over): And, especially, reminders that so many Russian targets were clearly marked, children, people live here.
Former deputy culture minister Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta tells us that, across the country, many curators took shelter inside with their collections.
OLESIA OSTROVSKA-LIUTA, FORMER UKRAINIAN DEPUTY CULTURE MINISTER: That's the situation of, virtually, every Ukrainian museum. You can't have objects from the collection, museum objects on display. They have to be secured. They have to be cared for.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): The installation hanging in this stairwell reminds us, the war actually began in 2014 with Putin's annexation of Crimea, invasion of Donbas, an attempt to crush an independent nation, calling this Russkiy Mir, greater Russia. Olesia calls that absurd.
OSTROVSKA-LIUTA: I don't think this is Ukrainian identity. If there is a problem at all in this war, it's Russia's identity. If Russian identity is imperial, Ukraine is an essential part of it.
AMANPOUR: Right.
OSTROVSKA-LIUTA: But if you rethink Russian identity as a non- imperial identity, then you do not need Ukraine, Poland, Baltic states within your realm.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): That, of course, is the point of Putin's war, to crush this democracy, whose now world-famous flag was first publicly raised in 1990, just ahead of independence. Before that, the Soviets would've jailed anyone caught carrying it.
Today, Olesia says, it remains a symbol of courage, resistance and statehood.
AMANPOUR: Nobody, a year ago, thought that this country would still be standing. I mean, we thought that that flag would not exist anymore, that this would be Russia again.
OSTROVSKA-LIUTA: We didn't think that, at all. At all.
ARIEVA: I remember that --
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Like Ukrainians across this country, newlyweds Yaryna and Sviatoslav will mark this dark year of war and their own first anniversary, remembering why they struggled and what they stand for -- Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Kyiv.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): When you think of southern California, sunshine and beaches probably come to mind. But right now, parts of the area are under a rare blizzard warning. Have a look at that.
Forecasters say the San Bernardino Mountains could see more than three feet of snow with winds as high as 60 miles or 100 kilometers per hour. People in the San Diego area are being told to avoid any unnecessary travel.
And snow isn't the only problem the area is facing. Heavy rain has been falling for hours and is expected to continue through Saturday afternoon. A flash flood warning is in place from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, with some 6 million people have been impacted.
Forecasters say downtown L.A. could see more than five inches or 12 centimeters of rain before the storm has passed.
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BRUNHUBER: Back on the stand, Alex Murdaugh confesses to stealing millions of dollars to feed a monstrous drug addiction and lying about his alibi.
Can he convince the jury he didn't murder his wife and son?
We'll get the latest on the trial just ahead.
Plus, President Biden defends his response to the train derailment in Ohio. Ahead, why he doesn't plan to visit the site, even as he faces growing pressure from Republicans. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: He admits to being a serial liar. He admits to have been at the scene just minutes before his wife and son were brutally slaughtered. But he insists he is not a killer. Accused double murderer Alex Murdaugh was back on the witness stand in South Carolina on Friday, facing a second round of tough questioning.
Our Dianne Gallagher was there and has the details.
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CREIGHTON WATERS, PROSECUTOR: So you, like you've done so many times over the course of your life, had to back up and make a new story that kind of fit with the facts.
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alex Murdaugh under cross examination for a second day, several times getting heated.
ALEX MURDAUGH, ALLEGED MURDER DEFENDANT: You dang right. I'm consistent about that because a very short time before that, David Owens is asking me questions and telling me I'm a suspect in the murder of my wife and my child and asking me about my clothes. You dang right it was important.
WATERS: The only thing you're concerned about is yourself. You're not concerned about giving accurate information to law enforcement.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): As he tries to convince the jury he did not kill his wife Maggie and son Paul.
MURDAUGH: You mean like, did I shoot my wife and my son?
WATERS: Yes.
MURDAUGH: No.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Prosecutor Creighton Waters pushing Murdaugh hard over his admission of lying about being at the family dog kennels where the bodies were found the night of the murders.
WATERS: Pretty much all of that was lies.
MURDAUGH: The part about me not being at the kennel was a lie.
WATERS: Also, not knowing that Paul went down there, not being sure that was a lie too, wasn't it?
I mean, you're putting some detail on this thing, aren't you?
MURDAUGH: No. Everything about me not going to the kennel was a lie.
WATERS: And you're able to just do that so easily and so convincingly and so naturally, don't you?
GALLAGHER (voice-over): And hammering Murdoch on what the prosecution is calling his new story.
WATERS: You never told them all this new story that you've constructed in light of this trial, is that correct?
MURDAUGH: I did not tell them that I went to the kennel. I lied about that.
WATERS: At the same time, you also looked at this jury and tried to tell them that you had been cooperative in this investigation.
MURDAUGH: Other than lying to them about going to the kennel, I was cooperative in every aspect of this investigation.
WATERS: Very cooperative, except for maybe the most important fact of all, that you were at the murder scene with the victims just minutes before they died.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Also revealed astonishing details we've never heard about just how serious Murdaugh says his opioid addiction was.
WATERS: You're taking 60 a day or something like that, I mean --
MURDAUGH: There were days where I took more than that.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): But the majority of the cross examination Friday focused on what happened June 7th, 2021.
WATERS: So what you're telling this jury is that it's a random vigilante. Your twelve-year-old -- the twelve-year-old, 5'2 people that just happened to know that Paul and Maggie were both at Moselle on June 7th, that knew that they would be at the kennels alone on June the 7th that knew that you would not be there but only between the times of 8:49 and 9:02 that they show up without a weapon. Assuming that they're going to find weapons and ammunition there.
That they commit this crime during that short time window and then they travel the same exact route that you do around the same time to Almeda. That's what you're trying to tell this jury?
MURDAUGH: You got a lot of factors in there, Mr. Waters, all of which I do not agree with but some of which I do.
GALLAGHER: After more than a dozen hours on the stand, Alex Murdaugh is done with his testimony. But the trial continues. In fact, the defense has yet to rest its case. We've been told they are going to call additional witnesses Monday when the court resumes -- Dianne Gallagher, Walterboro, South Carolina, CNN.
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BRUNHUBER: In Florida, a suspected gunman has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder after being accused of killing three people, including a journalist; 19 year old Keith Moses has so far been charged in the fatal shooting of a 38 year old woman on Wednesday.
He's also expected to be charged in other shootings that occurred later that day, including the murder of this TV reporter and a 9 year old girl.
A coalition of media outlets, including CNN, is asking the Georgia Supreme Court to release the full special grand jury report on efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election in that state.
That report details recommendations on whether former president Donald Trump or any of his allies should face criminal charges. So far, only a few pages have been released and the vast majority remain sealed.
But a key member of the special grand jury has been speaking publicly about the report and hinting what's inside. CNN's Sara Murray has details from Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SARA MURRAY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: A sentimental week (ph) in the saga of the special grand jury here in Georgia, investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election.
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MURRAY (voice-over): The foreperson for that grand jury, Emily Kohrs, went on a media blitz this week. She divulged to CNN and others information about the grand jury, suggesting that they recommended roughly a dozen people for indictment.
Her comments caused a little bit of backlash, especially with Donald Trump's attorneys. We sat down with the judge who oversaw the special grand jury. He said the special jury complied with its charter and abided by the rules.
But when asked if Kohrs may have gone over the line with her comments, he said it's not up to him to assess.
He made clear to the grand jurors who were not allowed to talk about deliberations private conversations they've had. But if a witness is in the room, the prosecutor was in the room, the district attorney was in the room, special grand jurors were free to talk about that.
Ultimately what happens next is up to district attorney Fani Willis. She'll have to decide if she wants a regular grand jury to seek charges against the former president or any of his associates -- Sara Murray, CNN, Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: The White House says President Biden is being briefed on the Ohio train derailment that caused a toxic chemical spill. But the president has no plans to visit the site and say his administration is already doing all it can to respond to the disaster.
Efforts to remove contaminated soil from the site re still is underway. A lot of that is being sent to hazardous waste disposal facilities in Michigan. An official said they were never made aware of the disposal plans. Listen to this.
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WARREN LEWIS, WAYNE COUNTY EXECUTIVE: I represent 1.8 million people. They are being sandbagged. To say that this is going to be handled well by the EPA and those folks belies the fact that it should not be a secret that I have health issues that I'm concerned about.
I have issues about, you know, environmental injustices in terms of what is going on there. And I think that's something we should've heard about sooner.
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BRUNHUBER: About 2 million gallons of water that firefighters used is expected to be disposed of in Texas. But just like in Michigan, Texas officials say they were blindsided by the plans and have expressed frustration with a lack of communication.
Ukraine's allies move to inflict more economic pain on Russia. Still ahead, a double whammy of new sanctions aiming to make the Kremlin's bad situation worse.
Plus, a lucky survivor reflects on a Russian rocket strike which changed her life forever. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of those watching us here in United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Defiance is the prevailing theme as Ukraine enters the second year of its war with Russia. President Zelenskyy says he has no doubt that Ukraine will be victorious this year. But he pointedly told Ukrainian troops that their country's future is up to them. Here he is.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It is you who will decide whether we are all going to exist, whether Ukraine is going to exist. Every day, every hour, it is you, Ukrainian soldiers, which will decide it.
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BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says the front lines didn't move on the anniversary, even though it repelled Russian attacks across the country. Russia's Wagner mercenaries say they've captured a village near Bakhmut but Kyiv is not confirming that.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's military got a boost from its allies, receiving the first batch of Leopard tanks from Poland. Sweden and Germany also promising more tanks. So as Ukraine marks the anniversary, its allies are turning up the pressure on those who support Russia's war effort.
On Friday, the European Union slapped its 10th round of economic sanctions on Moscow. They're targeting people and entities who, among other things, deliver military drones to Russia and spread Russian propaganda.
The U.S. announced new sanctions on more than 200 people and entities worldwide and targets who helped Moscow evade existing sanctions, especially related to arms trafficking and illicit finance. Russia's financial sector and military supply chain will also take a hit. The U.S. also says it seized about $0.5 billion in assets from
Kremlin supporters who helped Russia dodge sanctions. They include yachts, planes and properties all seized over the last year.
For more on this, we're joined by Tom Keatinge. He leads the Center for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute. He's speaking to us from London.
Thank you so much for being here with us.
When it comes to the effect of the sanctions, the true test is whether they have been able to weaken Russia's military capability.
How effective has that been so far?
TOM KEATINGE, CENTER FOR FINANCIAL CRIME AND SECURITY STUDIES, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE: Well, of course, the initial attempt was to deter the invasion itself a year ago. There, sanctions failed and since then we've been attempting to disrupt and degrade the Russian military.
Obviously the Russians are responding. They are shape-shifting; they are switching to a war economy. So whilst we are clearly tightening the net, we are going after entities in third countries now, it's good to see.
I think the sanctions will take a while to have the effect that we all wish they would have, which is to disrupt and degrade the Russian military. We've got a way to go.
BRUNHUBER: Beyond the military industry then, looking at the Russian economy more broadly, we know that the GDP and the ruble were insulated to a certain degree and didn't go down as much as many had predicted. But that may be hiding the true effect of these sanctions.
So is Russia really hurting economically right now?
KEATINGE: I think you have to look at the economy as two parts, the military economy -- the Kremlin will do everything it can to sustain in order to continue its war. But there's also the civilian economy. And we can expect the Kremlin to increasingly cannibalize its civilian economy to support its military economy.
So there's no doubt that everyday people in Russia will start to feel the impact of these sanctions more and more, as we go through 2023.
BRUNHUBER: Do you have any sense that, as everyday people get hit by these sanctions, there will be more dissatisfaction and the war will become less popular and more pressure will be piled on Putin?
Or has he sort of insulated himself from all of that?
KEATINGE: Yes, I'm afraid, I fear that is wishful thinking. Obviously many people have fled Russia to escape mobilization, for example; young people, perhaps more dynamic parts of the economy. But in reality, Putin is in control of this from a Russian perspective. What we need to be doing in 2023, as the United States and its allies
did yesterday --
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KEATINGE: -- was make it very clear to countries beyond allied G7 and others, is that assisting sanctions circumvention is unacceptable. And we will come after your companies, will come after you as individuals if you do that.
BRUNHUBER: Well, on that, we see Russia forging a closer relationship with China, a country that could help Russia get around these sanctions. And according to CNN reporting, U.S. intelligence suggests China is considering sending drones and ammunition to Russia.
What role do you see China playing in all of this and what can the U.S. and Europe do to clamp down on efforts to circumvent sanctions?
KEATINGE: I think specifically on China, there's one thing that China hates more than anything else and that is global economic instability. China relies on the West for buying its goods, buying its products and services.
China will not want to escalate instability. Of course, China will not want to see Russia humiliated, either. So I think we're going to have to pay a careful diplomatic game with China.
On other countries such as Iran, for example, frankly, I think we can expect to see the West go much harder on sanctions on countries like that, that continue to support Russia; on countries that are offering financial services, like the United Arab Emirates.
We, I think, can expect to see more pressure from the West on those countries. So I really think that, as we enter the second year of this war, we will enter a new phase in the sanctions war. And that will spread further to directly target entities in countries like the UAE and Iran, aw we saw yesterday.
BRUNHUBER: I appreciate your analysis. Tom Keatinge, thank you for being with us.
KEATINGE: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: All right. We now want to introduce you to one Ukrainian, who saw some of the worst of the war. By sheer luck, she survived a missile strike that killed dozens of people in the city of Dnipro, including her own parents. Now she's trying to make sense of the conflict and her own survival. Clarissa Ward has her story.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When you look at it now, what do you feel?
NASTYA, UKRAINIAN CITIZEN (through text translation): Emptiness. WARD (voice-over): The missile sliced Nastya's one-bedroom apartment in half, killing both of her parents in the kitchen while, just inches away, Nastya clung on to life.
WARD: I think for a lot of people it's hard to understand why Russia would use this huge missile that's intended to take out an aircraft carrier in a residential area.
How do you try to understand why Russia would do something like this?
NASTYA: I don't understand.
WARD: Can you tell me a little bit about your mom and dad, what they were like as people?
NASTYA (from captions): They were very cheerful people. They were always ready to lend a helping hand. And all their lives they were next to each other. And they left behind a person like me. I'm very grateful to them for putting the best in me.
WARD: Do you ever wonder why you were saved?
It's this extraordinary image that we see of you surviving the U.N.- survivable.
NASTYA (from captions): I've been thinking about this a lot because, well, it's unrealistic.
My mother's last words were, "Nastya, go get some rest. You have to go to work."
And the time was late, almost half past 4:00. And I had to leave for work at 7:00.
WARD: Take your time if you want to take a break.
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BRUNHUBER: And you can watch Clarissa Ward's special report, "The Will to Win: Ukraine at War," airs on Sunday evening in New York and replays Monday at 9 pm in London, right here on CNN.
Turkiye has begun rebuilding homes after this month's catastrophic earthquake. Just ahead, why some engineers say the government is moving too fast. A live report from Turkiye when we come back. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: It's been nearly three weeks since the powerful earthquake hit Syria and Turkiye. The death toll keeps rising. Friday, the number of lives lost rose over 50,000 for both countries. Nearly 6,000 were in northern Syria; the vast majority, 44,000, were in Turkiye. CNN's Nada Bashir joins us now from Turkiye.
Nada, where are they now in the timeline of that massive rebuilding effort?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, the destruction is so vast and there's so much work to get done to get rid of all the concrete that has been left behind. Many houses are still in a complete state of disrepair.
We are still seeing the remnants of those apartment blocks and buildings that have collapsed. And of course, as this recovery effort continues, there are still bodies beneath these destroyed buildings.
That is the difficult part for the families who've already lost so much. We were in Antakya yesterday, in the province of Hatay, which is one of the hardest hit provinces by the earthquake three weeks ago.
It is difficult to describe the scale of the destruction. It feels like a ghost town. It is eerily quiet. There are still recovery teams on the ground. There're still building teams and construction teams trying to lift the rubble. And the presence there is mostly military at this point.
More than 80 percent of that city have now left the are. And residents have nowhere to return to. Many of them are living in camps or container cities temporarily. But the government has pledged to rebuild the affected areas within one year.
Government spokesman telling CNN that the government already has plans to build 200,000 new apartments, supposedly earthquake resistant, to be built in the coming year.
Now we are learning from the authorities that they are already looking at beginning the excavation work in parts of Gaziantep for more than 800 homes for those that have been displaced.
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BASHIR: But while the government is under pressure to provide these long term residences for those who've been displaced, there is a lot of criticism.
Some say they are moving too quickly, that this is too hasty. The union of Turkish engineers and architects say it's simply too soon. There needs to be further geological investigation and preparation to assess the risks in the area, particularly because this area lies on a huge faultline.
And there are concerns about further earthquakes and aftershocks. Some places online have been centered around the potential for strong aftershocks. We already saw one, 6.3 magnitude on Monday. In fact Turkiye has continued to see these aftershocks at a lower scale for the last three weeks now. There is a significant amount of concern here. But of course, with
elections looming, President Erdogan's government is also under mounting pressure to find a long-term solution for this disaster.
There are some 900,000 people currently living in tents. We visited some of those camps; many of the families that we spoke to still haven't been given a tent. They are still waiting to have that temporary accommodation. Some families sleeping on the street. And I have to say it gets quite cold at night. Many of them with young children.
Others have been put up in other temporary accommodation, including a cruise ship, which is now taking in people that have been displaced by the earthquake. These are all short term solutions.
And it will take months, if not years, for the Turkish government to be able to rebuild this area, despite that pledge to have it rebuilt within a year. You can imagine the concern that is growing for the potential for the construction work not to be suitable for a zone that has clearly experienced earthquakes in the past.
And it could still for experience further earthquakes. For those that are in camps, they want a long-term solution but for the homeless, all they want right now is a tent. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Such a huge undertaking that they just have to get right. Nada Bashir, thank you so much.
And for more information on how to help the earthquake victims, you can go to cnn.com/impact. There you can find a list of organizations working on rescue and relief efforts.
Millions of Nigerians are now voting in a crucial election to see who will next lead Africa's most populous nation. CNN's Larry Madowo explains what's at stake. We'll be right back with more. Please stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Nigerians are heading to the polls right now in a crucial general election. Voting is taking place at a turbulent time for Africa's most populous nation. There's an armed conflict in the northeast. Shortages of fuel in the country.
There's also a manhunt underway after a senate candidate from Nigeria's opposition Labor Party was murdered last. Week CNN's Larry Madowo is live in Lagos as Nigeria elects a new president.
So Larry, you are there when people are voting.
What's the turnout like so far?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's too early to tell, but looks like a decent turnout. The polls only open at 8:30 local, so we're only a few hours into this, the lines are going all the way back around the street.
People are here to vote and expressed who they want to lead them over the next four years. There are 18 people running but realistically, according to the opinion polls, there's only three men who could be the next president of Nigeria.
People with their bikes; I guess they are on the way to cycling and just want to make sure they vote before that happens. This goes all the way back to see the number of people excited about voting for one of these three men, who are most likely to be president of Nigeria.
But I want to hear from some of the people who are voting in this election, because one of the major issues has been about insecurity. That is the top issue for many voters in this election, has been followed by one Lagos-based company. They said people worry about that.
The economy is going through a rough patch right now, almost on the verge of collapse. There's been in recent weeks a cash shortage and a fuel shortage, which makes it difficult for people to get basic necessities.
There have been chaotic scenes at banks and at gas stations. So that's in the back of the minds of people that come to vote in this election.
I want to hear from Wandu (ph).
Good morning, how are you?
Did you vote already?
WANDU (PH), NIGERIAN VOTER: Not yet.
MADOWO: What are you voting for today?
What is the most important?
WANDU (PH): Security, we need somebody who has a hold of the security challenges that we have. The economy is in freefall. We need somebody who has a fair understanding of what needs to be done.
MADOWO: This is an important election. For the first time you don't have a former military leader running. You don't have an incumbent running.
Do you think this is a final chance for Nigeria to see real change?
WANDU (PH): Definitely. We have three very different people, with strengths and weaknesses. But we hope that one of them at least, we know who we all want to be on the podium and take us where we need to get to. MADOWO: What does the next leader of Nigeria need to do?
We've been talking to CNN about how many people are (INAUDIBLE), leaving the country, escaping to better pastures in North America and Europe.
What can the next leader of Nigeria do to turn that around?
WANDU (PH): It's the economy. You need to make it for the private sector. The private sector needs to have a larger hold on what's going on. That's the only way you're going to get investments.
People, their numbers in relation to our population, is still small. There are lot of people and opportunities. We have human capital that can do so much. But we just need the government to give the platform for the private sector to work and revive the economy. That's. It
MADOWO: And most people can't leave.
WANDU (PH): Yes, they can't. It's expensive to leave. That's not cheap. It's very expensive. So most people, your average Nigerian, cannot leave. What they have is this and we're going to make sure we collectively get change. We have to.
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MADOWO: Wandu (ph), thank you, all the best voting today.
So let me just explain the logistical nightmare for this election. They're 93 million registered voters. That's the more than the registered voters in the next 14 West African countries combined.
So the independent national electoral commission points out that every time Nigeria goes to vote, instead of organizing an election for all of West Africa and parts of central Africa. This is only one of 140,000 polling units across the nation.
Polls are open for six hours and after that they begin the collection exercise. We don't know when we will know the winner of the presidential election but the electoral commission say they will do it speedily. Speedily could mean a couple days, a couple more days, we don't know. We'll have to wait and see, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, great to have you there on the ground. Larry Madowo in Lagos, thanks so much.
The U.S. first lady is in Kenya today as part of a trip to strengthen American ties with Africa.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Jill Biden was greeted by musical performers and the Kenyan first lady when she arrived in Nairobi on Friday.
She said the trip is meant to draw attention to pressing matters, including food insecurity and women's empowerment. She also addressed those issues when she visited Namibia on the first leg of her Africa trip. There she met with officials and toured an NGO, who focuses on reducing hunger and helping women and children succeed.
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That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. They can follow me on Twitter at Kim Brunhuber. We'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.
