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Biden Says, Ukraine Doesn't Need F-16s Right Now; Going Door To Door In Ohio; Winter Storm In Southern California. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 26, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.

U.S. President Joe Biden says Ukraine doesn't need jets right now. What Ukraine says it must have to push back Moscow's forces as the war grinds into its second year.

And in East Palestine, Ohio, officials are going door-to-door to check on the health of residents after the toxic train wreck. We'll discuss the risks they could be facing.

And a rare winter storm is bringing historic snow, dangerous flooding and blizzard conditions to California. The latest weather report, ahead.

Just days after observing the one-year mark of the Russian invasion, Ukrainians are noting another grim anniversary, the loss of Crimea to Moscow in 2014. It's been a thorn in Ukraine's side ever since and every year is remembered on this date with a day of resistance. Meanwhile, the latest package of E.U. sanctions against Russia is getting high marks in Kyiv. Here's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Now, new sanction steps are in the tenth package, powerful against the defense industry and the financial sector of terrorist state and against the propagandists who drown Russian society in lies and trying to spread their lies to the world. They definitely won't succeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: While Ukraine reports increased Russian shelling up and down the frontlines but says the Russians have not made any significant gains on the ground. Ukrainian troops say they can't push the Russians back until they receive the NATO tanks that are just starting to be delivered.

The Biden administration has made clear over the past year that it will provide just about whatever Ukraine needs to defeat Russia, but it's been a hard no on sending advanced U.S. fighter jets, at least for now. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez with those details.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden said that he is ruling out for now sending advanced American fighter jets to Ukraine despite Ukraine President Zelenskyy asking for those jets as the country braces for an offensive from Russia in the coming weeks or months.

Now, President Biden spent the week saying that the United States will stand by Ukraine, but as far as those F-16 fighter jets, he says he is still ruling that out, at least for now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're sending him what our seasoned military thinks he needs now. He needs tanks, he needs artillery, he needs air defense, including another HIMARS. There's things he needs now that we're sending him to put them in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't think he needs F-16s now?

BIDEN: No, he doesn't need f-16s now. There is no basis upon which there is a rationale, according to our military now, to provide F-16s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you're not ruling it out?

BIDEN: I am ruling it out for now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, President Biden is facing increasing pressure to provide advanced weaponry to Ukraine, but this ask has been a controversial one over concerns that it would escalate the conflict.

Now, the administration has said that they will stand by Ukraine, and they're doing so by providing now a $2 billion package to the country as well as cracking down with sanctions to degrade Russia's economy and discourage individuals from supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. All of this in totality, the administration says, to show its support from the U.S. and allies against the war in Ukraine.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, the White House.

HARRAK: Opponents of the war didn't hold anything back as they sent a message to both the Kremlin and the White House.

This was the scene in Washington, where hundreds chanted shame on Russia as they marked the first anniversary of the invasion. They also held signs berating Russian leader Vladimir Putin outside the Russian embassy. Protesters marched near the White House as well, but they demanded more U.S. aid for Ukraine.

[03:05:01]

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is tracking all of this for you in London. Salma, with Russia's full-scale invasion now in its second year, the Ukrainians are asking for more military equipment to head off a Russian spring offensive?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Laila. Although billions of dollars in aid have been pledged, have been sent to Ukraine over the course of this one-year conflict, the United States alone, $113 billion pledged to Ukraine, $2 billion of that on Friday, marking the one-year anniversary of the war.

President Zelenskyy is pleading for more. And he's not going to stop asking, Laila, because you have to accept the reality here on the ground, that before this conflict, Ukraine was facing a much greater military force from Russia, one that had more manpower, more funding, more weapons.

And what Ukraine is trying to do here through its partners, through its allies, is have a qualitative advantage. Face off a soviet-era military with more advanced weapons systems from NATO and other partners. And that seems, of course, to be happening, but there is, of course, always a lag time, Laila, between when something is promised, like Leopard tanks, and when Ukrainian soldiers are actually trained and able to use them on the ground to make a difference on the battlefield.

And we're already seeing, according to Ukrainian forces, that they are struggling in some places along that eastern front. The city of Bakhmut, a major flashpoint there, where Ukrainian commanders say they don't have the means to fight back Russian forces.

I want you to hear directly from some Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut about what they need on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: War is very difficult. There are a lot of people lost. We know what we are fighting for. Every war has its price. We are paying the price. We are fighting for freedom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need more weapons. It is the most important. More tanks, artillery, armored vehicles. We have experience but no tools to push out the enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now, Ukrainian commanders on the ground there agree, they say they need tanks, armored vehicles, airplanes, long-range artillery, again, anything they can get their hands on. You heard there the controversy from our colleague around F-16 fighter jets, for now ruled out by the United States.

But let's just take a step back, Laila, and look at the bigger picture. Some of these weapons we are discussing that the west might be considering sending to Ukraine, it was unfathomable a year ago that President Zelenskyy would receive these. Even long-range artillery at the beginning of the conflict was considered something that could aggravate tensions with Moscow. Now the west, of course, taking a very different position, willing to provide, they say, anything it takes for as long as it takes to fight this war and win back Ukrainian land for President Zelenskyy.

HARRAK: Salma Abdelaziz reporting from London, thank you so much, Salma.

Federal teams are going door-to-door in the town of East Palestine, Ohio, to conduct health surveys weeks after a toxic train derailment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also ordered all shipments of hazardous waste from the derailment to stop. All this after officials in other states complained they weren't told in advance the waste was being sent to their states for disposal.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has details.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Local officials in both the state of Texas and in Michigan feeling frustrated, many of them recognizing that even though Norfolk Southern may not have been legally required to inform them that some of this hazardous material would be disposed of in their communities, they at least would have liked to have been notified by that rail company.

Example, in Harris County, Texas, the chief executive there, Lina Hidalgo, saying that she first learned about 2 million gallons of water that was used to fight the fire after that February 3rd derailment, that that water would be trucked to a licensed facility in her community. And she learned about that after nearly half of it was already in Harris County alone and that she found out about it while watching the news. So, that's a source of frustration.

Texas Molecular, the company hired to dispose of this potentially dangerous water, saying that it is over four decades managing water safely.

There's also contaminated soil, some 4,800 cubic yards of it that the state of Ohio said would have to be removed and were already on their way to a disposal facility in Wayne County, Michigan, until elected officials raised concerns about them not getting word from Norfolk Southern. So, as a result, on Saturday the EPA put a temporary halt to the shipments so that they can further review the disposal plan that's in place.

Officials saying they have no reason to believe the water and soil is not being handled safely, they merely want to be informed, especially in a situation where information was very difficult to come by during the early stages of this incident.

[03:10:04]

The EPA recognizing, though, that this hazardous material, it has to go somewhere to be disposed of, so long as it's safely handled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBRA SHORE, U.S. ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY: One thing that's been made clear to me is that everyone wants this contamination gone from the community. They don't want the worry and they don't want the smell. And we owe it to the people of East Palestine to move it out of the community as quickly as possible.

At the same time, I know there are folks in other states with concerns, legitimate concerns, about how this waste is being transported and how it will be disposed of. EPA will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to use our longstanding experience and expertise in these matters to ensure the health and safety and support the East Palestine community and to hold Norfolk Southern accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: The National Transportation Safety Board out with a preliminary report on Thursday, which indicated that a wheel bearing failure was the likely cause of that February 3rd incident. It derailed 38 train cars, 11 of them were carrying hazardous materials.

The NTSB adding last week that the crew was not to blame and saying that the incident was 100 percent preventable, though exactly what could have been done to prevent this incident from happening, authorities saying that that answer may not come for several more months.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

HARRAK: Joining me from Youngstown, Ohio, to talk about the situation in east Palestine, Andrew Whelton, a professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University. He's also the director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and leads the center for plumbing safety. Sir, a very good day.

I understand you're headed to the impacted area tomorrow. What do you know so far about the risks that residents face as a direct consequence of this accident?

ANDREW WHELTON, PROFESSOR OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING: Thanks for having me. I am headed in with a team at the request of community members and groups to help them understand the water, soil and indoor air safety questions that they're facing in their homes.

HARRAK: Do you know more about how these chemicals are affecting the local environment?

WHELTON: Well, these chemicals are not designed to be moving around in the environment. So, the toxic release on February 3rd was very significant. The fate of these chemicals in homes and properties is also something we need to think about and that's what we're here to solve.

HARRAK: Well, the fact that you're there at the request of residents, if I understand you correctly, I mean, how concerned are they about the way that testing is currently being done?

WHELTON: The initial response to the disaster by local, state and federal officials was not optimum and resulted in a lot of misinformation and distrust. That distrust has resulted in many questions, and in some cases, people are just not believing the information that they've been given anymore partly because the data hasn't been completely transparent and shown to them. So, I have some serious concerns, but that's why we're here to help.

HARRAK: Can you share some of the concerns that you have?

WHELTON: Yes. Some of the concerns are the material that was created during the fires, the chemical fires. And that material deposited into homes, into homes, into vegetable gardens and elsewhere. And so nobody to date has characterized what that is and nobody to date has been swabbing surfaces to understand this particulate matter, what is it, what's it holding, what's it releasing? And so that's part of what we're looking at.

HARRAK: How quickly were residents informed about the dangers?

WHELTON: Well, the evacuation was conducted by local officials, and that was done basically to prevent people from being exposed to the toxic gas cloud that was created during the chemical fires. Looking forward, though, however, people were encouraged to come back to the community without appropriate testing, thorough testing that was done, and that was probably a misstep on behalf of the officials.

HARRAK: Now, from what I gather from your answers, you feel that local authorities were ill-prepared for this type of incident?

WHELTON: Well, this was a very significant incident. As it turns out, vinyl chloride trains go through where I'm from, West Lafayette, Indiana. So, these trains go through many places across the country. And officials likely haven't planned for this type of cascading disaster where a disaster compounds on a disaster.

[03:15:02]

So, this was a pretty significant event, but officials are learning from this now.

HARRAK: In terms of water testing, how would you go about determining that, for instance, water is safe enough for people to use?

WHELTON: Well, after all the disasters I've been to, you need to understand what exactly you're looking for. So, you don't just run what's called on VOC test or an SVOC test, because there's hundreds of thousands of different compounds. And if you're not looking for the one you need to look for, then it really doesn't matter if you're sampling.

And so that's what we're here to do, is kind of start screening the water and other samples for what chemicals they should be looking for, to kind of gut check the response.

HARRAK: Now, it's really quite scary for the people in the affected area. What is your advice to them? What can they do to keep their families safe? WHELTON: Well, I always advise people that reach out is that they need to take the best care of their friends and family. And so if there's an issue that they believe needs to be addressed, they need to tell somebody. They need to tell their elected officials and the governor's office because the governor is responsible for the safety and well- being of the people in Ohio.

And they also have to encourage researchers and scientists to come in who will help them get answers to the questions that they want answered. And I think that can help move them forward in terms of understanding safety, but also help us plan for the next disaster as well.

HARRAK: Andrew Whelton, thank you so much, sir, and good luck with your work.

WHELTON: Thank you.

HARRAK: From heat wave to winter storms, extreme weather is sweeping the U.S. Record heat continues along the Gulf Coast and Florida. Temperatures will be in the 80s through the weekend. But in some areas, it could reach 90. That's 15 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of the year.

Well, according to the Storm Prediction Center, severe thunderstorms with damaging winds are possible from Texas to Illinois. Western Oklahoma is in the bull's eye, a few tornados also possible. All this as a rare winter storm brought historic snow, dangerous flooding and blizzard conditions to Southern California.

CNN's Camila Bernal has more now from just north of Los Angeles.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is extremely rather for southern California. We have not seen some of these warnings in more than 30 years. Over the last couple of days, a lot of snow, a lot of ice, a lot of rain and wind as well. Many of the highways in the Los Angeles area have been shut down in the past few days.

On my left is Interstate 5. It is currently closed, and it has been mostly closed over the last couple of days as crews try to clean up that snow and the ice, but they continue to say that it is extremely dangerous for many of the drivers. This is the highway that connects Los Angeles to San Francisco. So, they're trying to open it but it has been difficult to do so just because crews are not used to dealing with this kind of weather in Southern California.

I want to walk through some of the snow just so that you can see the accumulation. It is nothing like you see in other parts of the country. The problem is that residents here just don't know how to deal with this. Many of the cars trying to get out have been stuck. And to be fair, my producer's car got stuck as well. So, we've been dealing with the snow. A lot of rain in the L.A. Area, a lot of flooding, cars that have been stranded. And, again, authorities just saying, if you can stay home, that's what you should do.

This could be historic for Southern California, and we'll have to wait and see the totals in terms of the snow and the rain.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Lebec, California.

HARRAK: Still ahead, thousands of Afghan families split since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan are facing another big hurdle, navigating the American immigration system. Details on that when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

HARRAK: Welcome back. The head of the World Food Program says the aftermath of this month's earthquake in Turkey looks apocalyptic. David Beasley toured parts of the quake zone on Saturday. He described entire neighborhoods as being flattened and said the situation in Syria was a catastrophe on top of a catastrophe after 12 years of war. Here's part of what he posted to Twitter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BEASLEY, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: I know you see behind me but this is absolutely unbelievable. You can see on television all you want, but until you get on the ground, see it, see how bad it is, to think that everybody in this city in Antakya, 1.5 million people, none of them have homes here anymore, none of them. This is devastating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, the Turkish government says it's already started rebuilding in the quake zone, all this despite criticism from some engineers and architects. They warn hasty construction could leave buildings vulnerable to future earthquakes.

A year-and-a-half after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan evacuees are still trying to reunite with their loved ones stuck back home. Well, beyond the heartache of separation, they also face confusion and a lack of reliable information about the U.S. immigration system, all that as key deadlines to stay in the U.S. draw near.

CNN's Natasha Chen reports from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A daily video call is the only way Ahmed Roman can connect with his wife and daughter in Kabul. We're keeping his wife and daughter's faces concealed for their safety. They're in the dark with electricity for only a few hours each day when they could have been here in this small light-filled apartment in California.

[03:25:02]

Their family's sudden separation happened at the Kabul Airport during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. And after a year-and-a-half, Roman is no closer to getting his wife and daughter here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone asked me about day, my hands just shake.

CHEN: In mid-August 2021, the family and their relatives headed to the airport knowing their safety would be at risk under Taliban rule. But when they boarded the crowded cargo planes, they suddenly could not find their older son, Uzair (ph). His parents came out of the plane searching for him amidst the chaos.

AHMAD ROMAN, HUMANITARIAN PAROLEE FROM AGHANISTAN: Thousands of people on the ground.

CHEN: They finally realized Uzair (ph) was already with another relative on a different plane. But by that point, his mother and sister had been pushed beyond the airport gates.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cried a lot to them. Please let me go inside. My kids, my family entered the plane but they didn't let me.

CHEN: Roman waited, one of the last to board his plane. He is now a single parent raising Uzair (ph) and little Rahman (ph) who has now spent half his young life in the U.S.

ROMAN: I ask him, Rahman, who is she? She tells me, it's mom. But I know Rahman don't know what's mom meaning.

CHEN: Roman's wife said the Taliban requires male supervision for her wife to go anywhere, including the store, and their daughter may not be able to continue school.

ROMAN: I'm just worried about my daughter's future.

CHEN: It wasn't until January when the U.S. State Department published a form for humanitarian parolees, like Roman, to apply for reunification assistance. Several advocacy groups across the U.S. each tell CNN they're working with dozens of families in the same situation, with one group, Women for Afghan Women, trying to help 400 separated families.

ROMAN: When I see my kids on camera, but I cannot touch them, it's so difficult for me.

CHEN: We asked the State Department how many Afghan families are still waiting for reunification, but their press office says the number is fluid and that they have, quote, already resettled thousands of Afghans, reunited families, and welcomed them into our communities across the country.

You have filled out every form that you could but nobody is telling you how long this could take?

ROMAN: Actually, no one tell me we can help you. They told me, we don't have answer for this.

CHEN: He says a team at the State Department is in contact with him to try to help, but both he and his lawyers say there's no information about next steps.

ROMAN: We have one thing that make me strong, that's hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHEN (on camera): Not only are many families desperately trying to bring their loved ones here to the U.S., some of them are looking at an expiration date soon for their humanitarian parole status. For Ahmad Roman, that will happen in September. So, he's also applying for asylum and temporary protected status, but he doesn't know how long that could take. He tells me he feels it could be years.

Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.

HARRAK: A Cuban pilot just learned he can stay in the U.S. after a daring escape from the communist island. A judge has granted him political asylum. Ruben Martinez Machado flew out of Cuba on October 21st in a Soviet-era crop duster to an airstrip 270 miles away in the Florida Everglades.

He said he had been falsely accused of crimes in Cuba but also protested when he saw government officials abusing people. After months in federal custody, Machado told CNN-affiliate WSVN he just wants to drink a beer as a free man.

Still ahead, the U.S. warns that China could send lethal aid to Russia. But what's in it for Beijing? Our political analyst weighs in.

Also ahead, they're on the frontlines with Ukrainian troops but they're not Ukrainians. CNN speaks with foreigners now providing emergency care to wounded troops.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

HARRAK: The director of the CIA has echoed concerns from other U.S. officials that China may provide Russia with weapons and ammunition to use in Ukraine. Director William Burns said, quote, we're confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment, but he added, we also don't see that a final decision has been made yet and we don't see evidence of actual shipments of lethal equipment.

Well, joining me now is Michael Beckley. He's an associate professor of political science at Tufts University. He's also the co-author of Danger Zone, The Coming Conflict with China. A very good day, sir, so good to have you with us.

The U.S. mow says it has intelligence that the Chinese government is considering providing Russia with drones and ammunition for use in the war in Ukraine. E.U.'s top diplomat Josep Borrell also expresses concerns about China's possible role in the conflict. From an American perspective, what is the threat posed by China getting involved in Russia's war? MICHAEL BECKLEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: I think most immediately, it could shift the balance of power within Ukraine itself. One reason Ukraine has been doing so well is because it's received so much aid. But if Russia starts receiving more ammunition from China, it will be able to fight much longer.

But I think more broadly, it's just the idea that we really would be back to a cold war situation. Effectively, the war in Ukraine would be very much a proxy war between the west, the United States and its allies, and now a Russia-China alliance with an assist from other countries like Iran, Belarus and North Korea. So, we'd really be back in a cold war situation here.

HARRAK: It's quite an interesting development. Because from China's perspective, why get involved? It's not Iran. It is fully integrated into the global economy. Arguably, its most important markets are the U.S. and Europe. Would they be prepared to alienate these economic blocs and deliver arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine?

BECKLEY: Well, I think China's trying to have it both ways. They want to maintain those trade links, especially with the Europeans. But they can't really afford to let Russia go down in a humiliating defeat or even worse dismembered or be destabilized.

They have a destabilized country on their border. The autocratic vision that they're trying to sell to the rest of the world would be -- would take a huge blow. And they would look like they let down a key ally after a war that got started right after they announced a so- called no-limits partnership.

[03:35:03]

So, China's credibility would also take a hit.

HARRAK: Were you surprised by Beijing's so-called peace proposals for Ukraine? What is China's track record when it comes to mediating international conflicts?

BECKLEY: I wasn't surprised because a lot of the content of that proposal are things that Chinese leaders have been saying for many years now. It's basically the same set of principles, and they basically want to ratify Russia's territorial gains in Ukraine.

HARRAK: What do you make of China's strategy in this case? I mean, is China now becoming a political actor on the world stage, not just a major economic power?

BECKLEY: Yes, absolutely. I mean, China -- this is just one area where China has been increasingly throwing its weight around. Obviously within East Asia, you've seen the situation with Taiwan, building out islands in the South China Sea and then basically trying to create an economic domain through its Belt and Road Initiative. So, China has been on the offense for years now. And so this is just part and parcel of that. It just looks like this is the hot war component of a broader cold war strategy on China's part. HARRAK: Now, earlier on Saturday, the Chinese foreign ministry said the Belarusian leader would pay a state visit to the country at the invitation of President Xi. French President Emmanuel Macron now says that he will visit China in April to pressure it to not support Russia in the war in Ukraine. This flurry of activity, what does this signal to you?

BECKLEY: I mean, I think this is exactly what China wants, frankly. They want to create the image that they are an honest broker of the war. And I think China probably would accept some kind of peace settlement that essentially leaves Russia relatively stable. That's not so bad for China because even if Russia is weakened, it just becomes more dependent on China.

But what they cannot accept is a Russia that gets absolutely demolished in this war, has its military ground down into a meat grinder for years on end. And China also has to worry that if the war goes on, China is a major commodities importer, commodity prices are very much at risk in such a major war and just the tide of global instability could hurt China. So, I think China would want to find some way to end this, but it's certainly not willing to compromise any of the vital interests that it has at stake here.

HARRAK: And, briefly, what drives this alliance between Russia and China? I mean, is it driven partially by the U.S./China geopolitical competition?

BECKLEY: Yes. I mean, I think both countries, they're both revisionist powers in the sense that there are aspects of the current international system they don't like. They don't like the way the maps are drawn. They believe that certain territories they don't currently control, Ukraine, Taiwan, belong to them and should be given back to them.

They don't like the fact that the world is currently dominated by wealthy democracies that make it their business to harp on human rights abuses in the absence of democracy in their own countries. And they don't like the fact that those countries also tend to violate the sovereignty of other nations in doing so.

And so, they're trying to create an alternative vision of world order that's built around a hierarchal, well-ordered system based on state sovereignty. And so they stick together, they band together. And for a long time, China has used Russia as kind of the more belligerent, violent part of this alliance so that China can kind of hang in the backgrounds. But now, it looks like China is willing to potentially put its muscle behind Russia's offensive.

HARRAK: Michael Beckley, thank you so much for joining us. I greatly appreciate your insights.

BECKLEY: Thanks for having me.

HARRAK: We don't know how many casualties Russia has suffered in the battle of Bakhmut, but we do know what it's been like for Ukrainian troops. And in many cases the first people to render emergency aid are foreign medics who volunteer to be on the frontlines.

CNN's Sam Kiley has our report. And a caution, some images may be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Almost walking, this wounded Ukrainian soldier has an obvious injury. Arriving at a casualty evacuation point for the battle of Bakhmut, American medics look for hidden trauma.

CHRIS WRIGHT, VOLUNTEER MEDIC, ROAD TO RELIEF: Tell him I'm going to roll him and I'm going to check his back, one, two, three. And when you get a chance, give his legs a feel for me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WRIGHT: Can we get his back, shrapnel wound out here as well. It looks minor.

You are going to go ahead and drop some (INAUDIBLE) for me.

KILEY: Chris is from Houston, Texas, he's three kilometers, less than two miles, from Russian troops.

WRIGHT: Take his blood pressure for me.

KILEY: And he's only 22. Last year, he took time out from his job to volunteer for Road to Relief, the charity relies on donations to fund and equip frontline ambulances and these teams are unpaid.

ADAM MEYSING, AMBULANCE DRIVER: There's credit cards in my mom and a little bit of prior savings. So, as long as you have enough to scrape by and just buy like the basic goods, things tend to be okay.

[03:40:00]

KILEY: Hospital and medical staff are regularly targeted by Russia. This location is hidden in trees near a Ukrainian artillery, this firing overhead on Russians just up the road.

WRIGHT: So, it's just, yes, we need more medics, more trucks, it's just that the amount of injured is super high.

Does he have any allergies?

KILEY: Chris is saying privately that one of the reasons there is such a need for foreign volunteers to work as medics is that so many of the Ukrainians have been killed.

The team relies on a former software designer for translation.

Is there anything about this that you can't handle?

ANNA KOVALCHUK, TRANSLATOR: All those deaths, of course, they are incredibly hard, I don't know, hard to take. Somehow you feel guilty about that.

KILEY: It's a 20-minute run for the ambulance to a field hospital.

WRIGHT: Would you push this slowly for me please?

A mine roughly like, what was it, 20 minutes ago or 30 minutes ago now? Yes, a mine 30 minutes ago.

Careful, please.

KILEY: He's delivered to another secret clinic. Here the wounded pour in. A soldier's lost a leg, in his abandoned uniform, the piece of shrapnel that took it. Medics here say it's relatively quiet. Some days, there are hundreds of patients.

WRIGHT: He doesn't remember losing -- if he lost consciousness or not but pupils were equal and reactive, same size.

KILEY: Blood-soaked stretchers dry in the sun outside and sunset can be busy for medics, soldiers trapped by fighting can be rescued as the light fades.

Back at the evacuation point, no wounded, five dead soldiers lie in body bags. They're so fresh from the battlefield, they're unknown. Their I.D.s are checked and they're photographed. Their suffering is over. Their families don't yet know that theirs is about to begin.

Sam Kiley, CNN, near Bakhmut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: There's more to come on CNN Newsroom. A key drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is in short supply. How the scarcity is impacting those who need it, that coming up after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

HARRAK: The drug, Adderall, is commonly prescribed to people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but it's been in short supply since October. And those who rely on it have been forced to look for alternatives.

CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Over the past few months, sometimes when patients show up at pharmacies to fill their Adderall prescriptions, they're being told that there's none available. One such patient is Clara Pitts in Utah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice over): Clara Pitts is from a musical family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go ahead, just this section right there. COHEN: She studies hard at piano.

CLARA PITTS, ADHD PATIENT: I've been using this spreadsheet since 11th grade.

COHEN: A high school senior with a heavy load of A.P. and honors classes, Clara's dream, to get accepted at nearby Brigham Young University. And these pills have helped a lot. Adderall, because Clara has ADHD. She started taking Adderall in the tenth grade.

C. PITTS: As soon as I got my medication, I started getting 100 percent on every tests to the point my teacher forgot later in the year that I'd ever struggled.

COHEN: She won a national merit scholarship. Then a few months ago, just before exams, right when her BYU application was due, she got this text from her mom, Rebecca, who was at the pharmacy. There's some manufacturer shortage and they don't have any. I don't know what to do. Honestly, I'm just sitting here crying because I can't get you these meds.

REBEKAH PITTS, MOTHER OF ADHD PATIENT: I spent several hours calling, I think, eight pharmacies. I felt really emotional about it in that first week or two, that, strangely, I had failed my child, even though it wasn't my fault. It was hard to tell her and try to help her to understand, we won't be getting this medication any time soon. And I felt scared for what that would mean for her as a senior.

COHEN: Clara is one of many Americans impacted by recent widespread drug shortages, of cancer drugs, antibiotics, pain medicines, and since last fall, Adderall. The FDA says one reason is that demand for Adderall has increased from 35.5 million prescriptions in 2019 to 45 million last year. Plus, some companies that make Adderall tell the FDA they've had shortages of an active ingredient or supply constraints. Another company just says other as a reason for limited supply.

The FDA telling CNN, manufacturers are working to meet the demand and the FDA is helping with anything we can do to increase supply. The FDA doesn't give many details about what's gone wrong or how they're going to mix it. And experts who study drug shortages say that's part of the problem.

DR. YORAM UNGURU, JOHNS HOPKINS BERMAN INSTITUTE OF BIOETHICS: I think transparency is extremely important. It's really difficult to be able to anticipate and let alone come up with meaningful solutions if you don't know what the problem is.

COHEN: Clara did get a prescription for a different ADHD medication, but she says for her, it's not the same. In the meantime, her hard work at school has paid off --

C. PITTS: Rise and shout, Clara. I am happy to offer you admission to Brigham Young University.

COHEN: -- acceptance at her first choice college. C. PITTS: I'm going to be a Cougar, mom. I'm so glad.

COHEN: Thrilled but still hoping to get Adderall to help her through it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (on camera): One of the things that Adderall has in common with some of these other drugs that are in shortage is that it's not terribly expensive. Relatively speaking, pharmaceutical companies are not making a lot of money off of these drugs. Back to you.

HARRAK: Millions of Nigerians cast their ballots to pick their next president. Well, now the waiting begins as the counting goes on. We'll have a live report for you from Lagos.

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[03:50:00]

HARRAK: The votes have been cast and now millions of Nigerians are waiting results of Saturday's election. The presidency is up for grabs as are seats in the national assembly. An estimated 93 million people registered to vote in this election, including a record number of young voters. While there were reports of delays at multiple polling places throughout the country and a few isolated cases of violence, but, overall, the election took place without incident.

Let's get you the very latest now and head to Lagos, Nigeria, where Stephanie Busari is standing by. Steph, Nigerians braved long delays to vote. Has there been a lot of voter frustration?

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR AFRICA EDITOR: Good morning, Laila. So, wes, we're back out on the streets of Lagos, which was shut down yesterday for the voting to happen. And, yes, we did hear about a lot of issues of delays, some attempts at voter suppression and disruption to the votes. Counting is still under way. And we -- the incidents were isolated, incidents of violence were isolated.

But we did visit one polling unit in Lagos, a place called Lekki, where some voters were attacked. But they were undeterred and were determined to vote. Take a listen to what they had to say, Laila.

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DR. CHIDI NWAGWU, VOTER: Some folks just arrived. And we've noticed folks arrived, so it became to quarrels, it became to fight, chased people off chairs, picked up chairs and hit people.

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Also I was hit several times, it was attacked with chairs. A lot of the bruises you see is because I was protecting my head.

OLUWATOBI JOHN, VOTER: Some of them went straight for the ballot box and just smashed it, like, you want to vote? You go to your village and vote, not here. And that was the height of intimidation. So, we actually ran -- we were waiting here. We were waiting here, and, oh, you're still waiting around, you think you will voting today, and chased us all the way to the gates.

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BUSARI: Laila, I'm a Nigerian, I was born here and this is the third election I'm covering in this country. And what I must say, I was really proud of the determination of these young people to vote. At one point, they were chanting, we must vote, we must vote. Even some who were covered in bruises, who were badly beaten by the attempt to disrupt their vote, to take away their voice, they were really determined that would not happen.

And these elections, it cannot be understated how important they are. This is Africa's largest population, the biggest economy. Nigeria is pivotal on the global economy. In 25 years, its population is estimated that will surpass that of the U.S.

So, in years to come, despite the problems that Nigeria has now, it is set to become a big global player if it can overcome the problems of the economy and insecurity that it faces right now, Laila.

HARRAK: Stephanie Busari reporting on one of the most consequential elections, thank you so very much.

And that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Laila Harrak.

Kim Brunhuber picks up our coverage after a quick break and I'll see you tomorrow.

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