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Russia's War on Ukraine; 2014 Marked the Seizure of Crimea with the "Day of Resistance"; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Calling Latest E.U. Sanctions "Powerful"; President Zelenskyy lauded the heroic efforts of Ukraine's embattled troops; President Zelenskyy Praised Valiant Efforts of Ukraine's Beleaguered Soldiers; Biden: At This Time, Ukraine Doesn't Require F-16 Fighter Jets; Ukrainian Soldiers on the Front Lines Request More Weapons; Florida's Gulf Coast Continues to Experience Record Heat; Western Oklahoma in Danger From Strong Thunderstorms; Southern California in Disarray Due to Winter Storm; Health Surveys Carried Out by Federal Teams in East Palestine, Ohio; Hazardous Waste Shipments from East Palestine Stopped by U.S. EPA; Biden Administration Introduces New Immigration Limitations; Separated Afghan families struggle to reunite; Nigeria Counts Votes, Millions Wait for Election Results; Turkey-Syria Earthquake; Turkish Government: Building Homes for Towns Affected by Earthquakes; American Soldier Killed in Action in Ukraine; Anti-War Russian Couple Travels to the United States; ADHD Sufferers Struggle to Find Prescribed Adderall Medication. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired February 26, 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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[04:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead, on "CNN Newsroom", as Russia's war on Ukraine grinds into its second year, the U.S. pledges its continued support to Ukraine but stopped short of what President Zelenskyy says they need most.

And President Biden's new asylum policy has been criticized as a reprint of the controversial Trump-era policy, but the administration rejects that comparison. We'll break it all down. Plus, vote counting is under way in Nigeria's tightly contested presidential race. We're live in Lagos with latest.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber".

BRUNHUBER: Just days after observing the one-year mark of the Russian invasion, Ukrainians are noting another anniversary today, the loss of Crimea to Moscow in 2014. Every year, as remembered on this date with a Day of Resistance. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling the latest E.U. sanctions powerful and said he'd like to see sanctions extended to include Russia's nuclear industry.

Ukraine reports increased Russian shelling in Eastern Ukraine but claims the Russians have not made any significant gains on the ground. In his nightly address, President Zelenskyy lauded the heroic efforts of Ukraine's embattled troops. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The global center is strength and courage is now and right here in Ukraine. Right in our people who defend our state, who defend our land, our Donetsk region, our Luhansk region, all our land where very tough and painful battle continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Since the war began, the Biden administration has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars-worth of military aid, but it has been a hard no on sending advanced U.S. fighter jets, at least for now. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is at the White House 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 Ukrainian 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 HIMAR. There are things that he needs now that we're sending him to put him in position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall.

DAVID MUIR, ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT ANCHOR: 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.

MUIR: 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 are 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.

BRUNHUBER: And CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is tracking all of this for us in London. So, Salma, the U.S. intransigence over sending those fighter jets to Ukraine. How could that impact the spring offensive?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Kim, President Zelenskyy is essentially preparing for this spring offensive for Russian troops who, he believes, will try to advance as the weather warms. And by preparing for that, he's essentially asking for absolutely everything. He met with Republican lawmakers just a few days ago, he emphasized the need for those F-16s, as you heard there, that is something that President Biden is unwilling to provide at the time -- at this time.

But there is a lot of other things on the wish list, from long range artillery to armored vehicles to airplane, everything that could be needed to fight this war. I want you to take a listen to one of the flash point cities there, Bakhmut, what troops on those front lines, Ukrainian troops are saying they need. Take a listen.

[04:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): 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 (through translator): 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: Look, before this conflict, Ukraine's military was heavily reliant on Soviet-era weapons, those are hard to maintain, hard to resupply, they're outdated. So, what Ukrainian forces are trying to do live in the middle of a war is update that arsenal, is bring it up to a NATO level of modernization to fight off what is a larger and more powerful military force in Russia.

And we've seen that be effective in recent months when Ukrainian forces were able to claw back territory from Russian troops who now control just about 17 percent of Ukrainian land. But President Zelenskyy, of course, pushing for more, although he has already received billions of dollars in aid.

The U.S. alone has sent $113 billion of support, $2 billion of that was pledged just this Friday marking the one-year anniversary of the conflict, providing yet more weaponry. And in response President Zelenskyy is promising if he gets this help, I will win this war, President Zelenskyy says, by the end of the year. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Salma Abdelaziz in London. Appreciate it.

Well, from a heatwave to winter storms, extreme weather is sweeping across the U.S. Record heat continues along the Gulf Coast. In Florida, temperatures will be in the 80s throughout the weekend, but in some areas, it could reach 90, that's 15 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year.

Now, 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 tornadoes are also possible. Now this, as a rare winter storm brought historic snow, dangerous flooding and blizzard conditions to Southern California. CNN's Camila Bernal has more from just north of Los Angeles.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is extremely rare for Southern California. We had 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 here 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 are 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.

BRUNHUBER: 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. Now, 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.

For example, in Harris County, Texas, a chief executive there, Lina Hidalgo, saying that she first learned about 2 million gallons of water that 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, a source of frustration.

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

[04:10:00]

There's also the 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 disposable 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 in both states saying that they have no reason to believe that the water and the 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. 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. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR EPA REGION 5: One thing that has 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 disposed it would be disposed of. EPA will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to use our long-standing experience and expertise in these matters to ensure the health and safety and support of 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 3 incident that derailed 38 train cars, 11 of them were carrying hazardous materials. The NTSB also 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.

BRUNHUBER: Freight trains are a vital link in America's supply chain, but they can carry dangerous toxic cargo. East Palestine is far from the only community at risk. Have a look here, this map shows the vast web of freight tracks that crisscross the country. Many trains on these networks carry hazardous materials throughout neighborhoods where people live, work and play.

The Biden administration has come under fire for its handling of the wreck. But a former transportation secretary under Barack Obama says, deregulation under the Trump administration is part of the problem. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY LAHOOD, FORMER U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: While we were at DOT, we put into place some very, very tough rules and regulations having to do with safety, that was our number one priority in all modes of transportation. Unfortunately, some of those were eliminated during the Trump administration and some of the safety metrics were also eliminated.

I think what we need to come to grips with is the idea that more safety metrics, more rules and regulations, and perhaps some laws, and -- need to be passed quickly in order to assure communities all over America that this transportation is going to be safe. And the industry ought to be on the front row of helping the Congress make this happen.

When we had the Colgan air crash, when 49 people perished in Buffalo, New York, the families stepped forward, but also the airline industry stepped forward, and we implemented a rule for more pilot training and less hours of pilots working in the planes. And the industry came forward that's what needs to happen here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: That was Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and his son, Darin, is a U.S. Republican.

Late tracks from multiples countries to reach U.S. soil. Now, a new rule could make them ineligible for asylum. We'll have details on a post-border restriction in the U.S. And thousands of Afghan families separated since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan are facing another big hurdle, navigating the American immigration system. We'll have details on that when we come back. Please stay with us.

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[04:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: The Biden administration has proposed a new immigration policy that's been compared to a Trump-era restriction. Under the new rule, migrants would generally be denied asylum if they reach the U.S. border through countries. To be eligible for asylum, they would need to seek protection in those places first or use orderly pathways, such as, humanitarian programs offered to certain nationalities.

Now, the proposed rule mirrors the so-called transit ban that the previous administration has proposed which also made migrants ineligible for asylum if they pass through another country. For more on this, I'd like to bring Raul Reyes, an attorney and immigration analyst who writes frequently for "CNN Opinion" and he is joining me from New York. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, let's dive right in, what effect, do you think, this new asylum policy is likely to have?

RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER, ATTORNEY, AND IMMIGRATION ANALYST: Well, in the short run, it's hard to say. Right now -- it is a fact right now that unauthorized border crossings in this past month of January and early February, they have been significantly down, but that's mostly -- most experts would say that's because of the time of year, because unauthorized migration is often very seasonal. And these new asylum policies won't go into effect until May.

But I would say for many of -- for the majority of unauthorized crosses, I'm not sure this will affect them because there are many people, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people, who are already stranded on the Mexican side of the border hoping to get asylum, these rules don't apply to them.

[04:20:00]

And there are many people in for example Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, the affected countries that just won't have the means, practically speaking to apply under the new rules. And a lot people -- a lot of critics do draw the similarities between this program and Trump's so- called transit ban, because it requires people to apply for and be denied in asylum on -- in countries that they cross on their way.

And that's really just not logistically feasible, because think of it this way, if our immigration system cannot handle these large numbers of asylum seekers, how is Mexico -- say, or Guatemala's system going to handle them?

BRUNHUBER: Uh-huh.

REYES: So, I think it will be very frustrating for many migrants moving forward. Although no doubt, there will be some who will be able to access the system and benefit from it.

BRUNHUBER: Now, I guess, you know, President Biden is under pressure to tighten the border. And you mentioned, sort of, similarities to Trump policy. I mean, as a presidential candidate, Joe Biden campaigned against exactly this type of measure. He tried to distinguish himself from then-President Trump's policies which he called cruel. And now, he seems to be embracing them. What -- so, what is going on here?

REYES: Well, to be completely factual, there are slight differences in Biden's policies. There are a few more exceptions. There are, you know, tweaks and tinkering, I would say, between that and Trump's so- called transit ban. But basically, I believe its effect will be the same and that certainly its intent is the same, and that is to deter people from coming to our southern border and applying for asylum.

And what Biden is going through, to be fair, what he's going through is, in a way, the same thing that Donald Trump went through and even president Obama before Trump. We have a Congress that does not want to take responsibility for setting immigration policy. They have really abdicated their role. They are the ones who should be making our immigration policies and procedures.

Because they have just stepped away from the role, we've seen successive presidents try executive action like Obama did with DACA, Trump's different, very conservative measures. And now, Biden embracing this so-called -- you know, this version of a transit ban to try to do something on their own.

And one big problem with that, is that these measures always wind up in court. So, a president brings forth his immigration measure and governors or lawmakers from the opposing party start the legal challenges and the status quo doesn't really change. So that is sort of where we are right now.

I think for Biden, he is trying to thread a needle with this new asylum policy and hoping that he could show conservatives, that he could be tough on the border, and that he -- you know, he's taking it seriously while also opening up some new pathways for legal access for my migrants. But the problem he just -- is that -- he just doesn't seem to be pleasing anyone.

You know, the GOP is very against these measures. They believe -- conservatives believe that the first priority should be border security full stop. And that we shouldn't even be considering asylum measures until the situation on our southern border is completely under control.

And then on the other side of the aisle, we have many Democrats who are saying, look, asylum is a legal right. We can't be outsourcing our problems to other countries. And we have immigrant rights groups that are pledging to sue over this measure. And I know -- I would assume from a political standpoint that the Biden team is -- that they are worried, for example, about alienating, say, Latino voters or people in the immigrant community when they're looking ahead to the next presidential elections.

To me, what is most unfortunate is that the people at the center of this debate, you know, people who are fleeing their home countries because of persecution or people who are trying to access lawful -- their lawful right of asylum. They're, sort of, stuck in this limbo. And right now -- between right now and May and even after May when the new asylum policies go into effect, it's hard to see any change of the status quo. And, you know, that's really difficult for all these migrant asylum seekers, many who are women, children, LGBTQ community members, so it's a tough situation.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have to wait and see what effect it has both at the border and at the ballot box. Raul Reyes, thanks so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

REYES: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: A Cuban pilot just learned that he can stay in the U.S. after a daring escape from the communist island. The judge has granted him political asylum. Ruben Martinez Machado fed -- fled Cuba on October 21st in a Soviet-era crop duster to an airstrip 200 miles away from -- 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.

[04:25:00]

Well, after months in federal custody, Machado told CNN affiliate WSVN, he just wants to drink a beer as a free man.

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. Beyond the heartache of separation, they also face confusion and a lack of reliable information about the U.S. immigration system. Now, all that as key deadlines to stay in the U.S. draw near. CNN's Natasha Chen reports from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): A daily video call is the only way Ahmad Roman can connect with his wife and daughter in Kabul.

AHMAD ROMAN, HUMANITARIAN PAROLEE FROM AFGHANISTAN: That's my daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

CHEN (voiceover): We're keeping his wife's and daughter's faces concealed for their safety. They are 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. Their family's sudden separation happened at the Kabul Airport during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. After a year and a half, Roman is no closer to getting his wife and daughter here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone ask me about that day -- my hands just shake.

CHEN (voiceover): 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, Ozayir (ph). His parents came out of the plane searching for him amidst the chaos.

ROMAN: Just thousands of people on the ground.

CHEN (voiceover): They finally realized Ozayir (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 had entered the plane, but they didn't let me.

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

ROMAN: I ask him, Rahman, who is she? And he told me, it's mom. But I know, Rahman is -- don't know what's mom meaning. CHEN (voiceover): Roman's wife said the Taliban requires male supervision for her to go anywhere, including the store. And their daughter may not be able to continue school.

ROMAN: I just worry about my daughter's future.

CHEN (voiceover): 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.

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

CHEN (voiceover): 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, "Already resettled thousands of Afghans, reunited families, and welcomed them in our communities across the country."

CHEN (on camera): 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 any answers for this.

CHEN (voiceover): He says, a team at the state department is in contact with him to try to help, but both he and his lawyer say, there's no information about next steps.

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bye-bye, Papa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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.

BRUNHUBER: Just ahead, millions of Nigerians went to the polls to pick their next president. Now, the waiting begins as the counting goes on. We'll have a live report from Lagos. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all of you watching here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, this is "CNN Newsroom".

Well, the votes have been cast and now millions of Nigerians are waiting for the results of Saturday's election. The presidency is up for grabs as our cease (ph) in the national assembly, an estimated 93 million people registered to vote in this election, including a record number of young voters. Now, there were reports of delays at multiple polling places throughout the country and a few isolated cases of violence.

So, let's go now to Larry Madowo live in Lagos, Nigeria. So, Larry, Africa's largest democracy has voted, but there were plenty of delays, lots of anger and confusion as well. So, explain to us where you are right now and what the folks there are demanding.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, there were parts of Nigeria that didn't get to vote, this is one of them in Lagos where people didn't get to vote yesterday even though we were here yesterday and we spoke to some people who had been here for nine, 10 hours waiting. They didn't see any officials, the independent national electoral commission of Nigeria.

And so, they thought today they would have a chance to vote. There are two polling units here in Lagos state and they still have not seen any officials today. Some of the voters here tell us they've spoken to some officials of INEC, that is electoral voting, who told them to be patient. It's coming up to -- it's almost 11:00 now. Some have been here from 7:00 a.m., so they've been waiting three, four hours.

And they still don't understand -- I believe, we just had an explosion here. I'm not sure what exactly happened. There have been instances of violence. There have been some thugs (ph), as they're called in local Nigeria lingo, who disrupted some voting exercises, and that appears to be the scare here. It's not clear if that was in fact gunshots or just another explosion.

But that's the tense attitude you see here with people waiting to vote and they're not sure if there are going to be officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission coming here to allow them to vote because as many people told us yesterday, they wanted to make a statement with their vote.

BRUNHUBER: Gosh, Larry. Yes, you can feel the tension there. Hopefully, everyone is OK, and that wasn't a gunshot. Maybe just a car backing up or something. So, talk to me about those disruptions -- I mean, could they affect the turnout and the outcome?

[04:35:00]

MADOWO: So, there's two scenarios here. One Nigerian agency -- one Nigerian organization tears (ph) data has done some number crunching and they said, in a low turnout scenario, that benefits the third- party candidate, Peter Obi. A lot of people here are probably fans of Peter Obi. He's governed a lot of the youth. But in a high turnout -- in a low turnout scenario, it is the incumbent party's candidate, Bola Tinubu, who would benefit from that. Now, there's some background here. In the 2019 election, only a third of Nigerians came out to vote. So, a turnout is figure to watch here. But there's been reported cases of violence in some parts of the country and some voting materials disrupted, people taking them away, carting them away, and people not allowed to vote.

I'm not sure it's a pattern here enough to affect the outcome of the election. Certainly, the electoral voting hasn't said that they've seen it so widespread that it invalidates the entire outcome of the presidential election in Nigeria. This is a big country, 93 million registered voters. It's the biggest election in West Africa, in Africa, that's more than the next West African nations combined.

BRUNHUBER: So, throughout these elections, you've been talking to plenty of voters. Of course, you've talked about how insecurity in the economy are major issues there. But what other factors are driving people's votes?

MADOWO: Insecurity has been the top of people's minds. For obvious reason, Nigeria has a big insecurity problem. The NALTH (ph), there is an Islamic insurgency with Boko Haram that President Muhammadu Buharu -- Buhari promised to deal with and didn't quite do effectively.

In other parts of the country, kidnapping, banditry are major issues that regular Nigerians deal with. The economy has taken a huge beating. Unemployment, a third of Nigerians are unemployed. So, those are things that will -- obviously on the top of people's minds. But one analysis tells us that it all comes down to religion and ethnicity for some people. That's the one thing that they think about who comes from what religion and who comes from what party. And with -- I'm not sure what's happening here, but ethnicity and religion are two factions that come up a lot, Kim, in these elections.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, plenty of issues for whoever takes over the presidency to tackle. We'll have to leave it there. But appreciate the reporting out there, Larry Madowo in Lagos, thanks so much.

Well, this month's devastating earthquake hit during an election year in Turkey and the government is under intense pressure to rebuild. It says, work is already under way on some new homes for quake victims. CNN's Nada Bashir reports, experts warn rebuilding too fast could set up a new disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, with hundreds of thousands of people across Southeast Turkey displaced as a result of that earthquake almost three weeks ago now, the Turkish government is facing mounting pressure to provide long term solutions.

And according to the authorities, work is already under way in the province of Gaziantep and at least two districts. Excavation work has already begun for the construction of more than 800 homes for those that have lost their houses, their apartments as a result of that earthquake. And the government has pledged to rebuild the area within a year across Southeast Turkey. But this has drawn some criticism, the union of engineers and architects and said this is simply too hasty. There needs to be more preparation done, more investigation done in order to ensure these new homes won't face a similar risk when it comes to future earthquake. Others have also raised criticism over the fact that Turkey is still experiencing aftershocks, more than 8,000 have been reported since that earthquake nearly two -- three weeks ago, including a powerful 6.3 magnitude aftershock recorded on Monday.

Now, of course there are hundreds of thousands of people who are desperately in need. According to the authorities, more than 900,000 people are currently living in tents. And there are still families that are homeless. And we visited some of the areas impacted by the earthquake, including the cities of Antakya and Iskenderun in Hatay Province which was among the hardest hit provinces by the earthquake, and the need there is significant. And the U.N. has warned that this is only going to grow. There are only going to be more and more people in need of these long-term solutions.

Of this stage many are being housed in tents and IDP camps. But the Turkish government has got plans underway to provide containers where people will be able to stay for a longer period of time. We even seen cruise ships now hosting people who have been displaced. But for those who have lost everything, there is a growing sense of frustration, a growing essential of anger, questions as to whether or not the government was prepared for a catastrophe of this scale, and whether aid has been able to reach those in need people quick enough.

And with elections looming, President Erdogan's government is facing a significant amount of pressure to provide those long-term solutions as quickly as possible. But of course, there are real concerns around how safe this is in practical terms. Nada Bashir, CNN, Adana, Turkey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Some soldiers who don't call Ukraine home are risking their lives for the embattled nation. Still ahead, CNN gains exclusive access to foreign volunteers who talk about their war of choice in Ukraine. Stay with us.

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[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: An American army veteran who honed his combat skills in Afghanistan has been killed in action in Ukraine. 28-year-old Andrew Peters from Wisconsin died on February 16. He was part of Ukraine's international legion, a unit of foreign citizens who are fighting the Russians. His parents say, he was well liked, had a strong sense of right and wrong, and wanted to help Ukrainians liberate their country. And they say, they're proud of his bravery and sacrifice. Details of his death weren't released.

Many Russians take a stand against the war by putting some distance between themselves and their homeland. Hundreds of thousands are believed to have fled Russia to avoid immobilization. Rosa Flores met a couple who's opposition to the war led them all the way here to the U.S.

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ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Mikhail and Nellie (ph) Manzurin loved life in Russia, with their two boys, Mark and Phillip.

MIKHAIL MANZURIN, RUSSIAN IMMIGRANT TO U.S.: Life was good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

FLORES (voiceover): But their world turned upside down last September when Vladimir Putin declared the first draft since World War II, drafting men Mikhail age.

MANZURIN: I don't want to kill innocent people of Ukraine. They are protecting their territories. They're protecting their homes.

FLORES (voiceover): Mikhail thought about his own family.

MANZURIN: I was afraid for my boys. I was afraid for my family.

FLORES (on camera): Was that your biggest fear?

MANZURIN: Yes, one of my biggest fears, of course.

FLORES (voiceover): At the time, fear spread quickly in Russia. Wives and mothers wailed as their loved ones were forced to go to war and thousands of Russians fled to neighboring countries to avoid the draft. The backup at the Russian border seemed endless, turns out many of them were headed to America.

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In fact, the number of Russians encountered at the U.S. southern border has nearly tripled since Putin imposed the draft. From about 1,600 Russians in August 2022, the month before the draft, to more than 4,500 in January 2023.

MANZURIN: So, this is Russia, this is the bus station.

FLORES (voiceover): Fearing Mikhail could be drafted at any moment, the Manzurin's separated.

MANZURIN: Praise God it was just temporary.

FLORES (voiceover): Mikhail left Russia first to Kazakhstan by bus, a week later --

MANZURIN: And here is Nellie (ph) in the bus.

FLORES (voiceover): Nellie (ph) and the boys joined him.

MANZURIN: My favorite moment. I was so happy to see them. He was crying.

FLORES (voiceover): And they traveled by train to Uzbekistan -- MANZURIN: This is Uzbekistan, Chirchik.

FLORES (voiceover): -- where they slept on the floor of an apartment, they shared with friends for more than a month. But they were nervous because Uzbekistan is a post-Soviet country that can be friendly to Russia. Then they learned some of their Russian friends were entering the U.S.

MANZURIN: They crossed the border from Mexico to the United States. It happened to one family, then to another family, and we started to pray.

FLORES (voiceover): In late November, with guidance from a U.S. nonprofit organization, the Manzurins arrived to Reno, South Mexico.

MANZURIN: This is video of our apartment.

FLORES (voiceover): Which is across the border from South Texas. There, Mikhail says, up to 700 Russians were waiting for their own chance to enter the U.S. legally.

MANZURIN: All the people that were there, they were against the war. That was the reason why they left Russia. This is the day when we crossed the border.

FLORES (voiceover): In January, after 40 days of waiting there, the Manzurins say, U.S. immigration authorities allowed them to enter the U.S. legally under something called humanitarian parole which allows them to seek asylum while in the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gracious God, we thank you --

FLORES (voiceover): Their first weeks in America, they were hosted by pastors like this family in Austin, Texas where Nellie (ph) celebrated her 27th birthday.

MANZURIN: (Speaking in a foreign language).

FLORES (voiceover): And the entire family --

MANZURIN: (Speaking in a foreign language).

FLORES (voiceover): -- celebrated being free and safe together.

FLORES (on camera): The Manzurins are in Washington State. They are settling into a Russian speaking Christian community, and they say that they planned to seek asylum. But for now, their future in the United States is still uncertain. As you know, it will be up to an immigration judge to determine whether asylum is granted or denied. And right now, they say that their biggest fear is that they could still be deported back to Russia. Rosa Flores, CNN, Houston.

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BRUNHUBER: All right. Still much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom", a key drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is in short supply. We'll explain how the scarcity is impacting those who need it coming up after the break. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: A condition called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects millions of people. It's marked by trouble concentrating and fidgeting, and impulsive behavior. But the drug Adderall, which is used to treat it, is in short supply in the U.S., forcing those who need it to look for alternatives. CNN's Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more.

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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.

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

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go ahead, just this section right there.

CLARA PITTS, ADHD PATIENT: D.

COHEN (voiceover): She studies hard at piano.

PITTS: G.

I've been using this spreadsheet since eleventh grade.

COHEN (voiceover): A high school senior with a heavy load of AP 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 10th grade.

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

COHEN (voiceover): She even won a national merit scholarship.

PITTS: I just forgot.

COHEN (voiceover): But 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, like, I had failed my child, even though I 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 (voiceover): 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 fix 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.

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COHEN (voiceover): 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.

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

COHEN (voiceover): Acceptance at her first-choice college.

PITTS: I'm going to be a Cougar, mom. I'm so glad.

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

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.

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BRUNHUBER: On a lighter note, the food company Heinz, wants to catch up with a sailor and needs your help. So, you may remember the man who was lost at sea for weeks surviving mostly on a bottle of the trademark ketchup. Well, his name is Elvis Francois and the condiment company wants to give him a brand-new state-of-the-art boat. The problem is, they can't seem to find him. They say they've reached out to his home nation of Dominica as well as the Colombian Navy which rescued him. So, Heinz sent out an SOS on its Instagram page with a #findtheboatguy.

Awe, if you're in a long-distance relationship, you no longer have to just blow kisses on FaceTime. Have a look at this, the Chinese companies created a device that allows you to smooch across the seas. Now you and you partner each purchase the gizmo and download a smartphone app. And the company says, the gadget uses silicone lips -- so, you can see them there. And pressure sensors and actuators to mimic your kiss to the person on the other end. It costs about $40. Why wouldn't you invest in that?

All right. I'm Kim Brunhuber. You can follow me on Twitter @kimbrunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more "CNN Newsroom." Please stay with us.

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