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Deadly Storms Kill At Least 13 Across Several States; CA Residents Trapped After Heavy Snowfall, Worry About Supplies; Alex Murdaugh Sentenced To Life In Prison For Killing Wife & Son; Tens Of Thousands Of Israelis Protest Proposed Judicial Overhaul; EPA Hasn't Fully Accepted Norfolk Southern's Remediation Plan; Ohio Releases Results Of Health Assessments For East Palestine Residents; Officials Probe Death Caused By Brain-Eating Amoeba In Florida. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired March 04, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, and thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we begin this hour with the death toll rising once again after a powerful storm system swept across the U.S. At least 13 people now confirmed dead as that storm brought tornadoes and golf ball-size hail to the south. Intense winds tearing trees out of the ground and ripping homes apart in several states.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The back door started shaking, the house started shaking, and then I couldn't see nothing but white. We didn't even have time to get anywhere. It was, like, right on top of us. The house has shaken. We were all close together in the middle room of the house still. But, wow, it's the craziest thing I've ever been involved in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More than 20 million people are now under high wind alerts in the Mid-Atlantic, northeast, and Western U.S. And today, more than a million customers are still without power. CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is keeping an eye on all of this. So where is this storm heading next?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. The good news is this storm is heading out into the open Atlantic, hopefully giving folks in the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic a little bit of a break say 24 hours from now. But we do still have some heavy bands of snow across areas of Maine, New Hampshire. And you're getting a little bit of wraparound back there across upstate New York. So, places like Watertown still continuing to see some of those bands of snow. And a lot of these areas have already picked up at least a foot of snow, yes, you're adding more on top of that.

Now when you factor in the snow, and also the wind component, it can lead to whiteout conditions. So travel going to be very dicey still in some spots. Even farther south away from the snow, you still have some of those wind advisories in place where you're looking at some of those wind gusts of around 50 to even 60 miles per hour. That could lead to some trees down and some additional power outages as well. Now we jump to the West Coast where we're taking a look at the next

system that is arriving as we speak to states like Washington, Oregon, as well as California. We're already starting to see some coastal implications here of those heavy rain bands and also some snow starting to pick up in the higher elevations. From there, it will continue to spread south into Central California, and then also into the intermountain west. So this is going to be a pretty impactful storm. Not necessarily today, but certainly over the next 48 hours as it spreads out, because it's going to be multiple waves here.

And you can see a lot of those trickling in across multiple states as we go through the evening tonight, and especially into the day on Sunday, where we really start to see more of a hyper focused funnel of that moisture, especially into areas of northern California and into Oregon. Overall, when you're talking snow, a lot of widespread amounts here of about a half of a foot. The highest portions are really going to be across the Sierras where one to five feet, yes, you heard that correctly, one to five feet are likely to top out, causing some pretty treacherous travel conditions across the mountains there.

Even along the coastal regions, though you're talking one to three inches of rain. The concern there is especially if it happens in a short period of time, you're looking at the potential for flooding as well as mudslides However, the long-term -- this is a good thing. We still need to see some additional rain in the West albeit we've had significant improvements in the drought, not just California, but really the West as a whole starting to see those numbers in the drought begin to tick back down, especially in California.

Look at where we were just about eight weeks ago, significant drought across the portions of California. Now you fast-forward to the current drought monitor, and, Fred, we've made some great improvements, but we will still take the additional rain, especially in terms of building back those reservoirs.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes. I mean, there is a bright side, but my goodness, it does seem unrelenting. All right, Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

So, in San Bernardino County, California, some people are still trapped after more than a hundred inches fell over last week in the mountain areas. A lucky few able to navigate the icy terrain however, but supplies are running low. Community members coming together to help those dealing with the snow-covered aftermath. CNN's Camila Bernal is in San Bernardino.

So, Camila, you've made your way toward the mountains there on your way and it's pretty hard navigating, but what does it look like?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we're at the point where they're turning residents back and telling them, look, there is no way you can go up the mountain. So they're only allowing crews, firefighters, anyone with supplies to go up the mountain, and the problem is that authorities are saying it is going to take about five days to get to the point where people can go in and out of the mountain freely and that's what's frustrating a lot of the residents here. They're upset, they are frustrated. They are having a lot of questions and, really, some of them even telling me that they're to the point where they're starting to get scared.

A lot of people are still stuck up there and they say, look, we might have been prepared for some snow, just not the amount of snow that we got.

[13:05:06:]

These mountains regularly get snow in the winter. The problem is that the past few weeks have really been unprecedented. And so, a lot of people just not knowing how to deal with so much snow. And the concerns are things like food, just regular necessities, formulas for babies, food for their pet, having a medical emergency having to find medicine because the pharmacies are closed. Those are just some of the concerns that a lot of people are talking to me about. And they all say they're tired of cleaning up the snow.

I talked to one of the residents, Liliana Vargas, she was actually able to get down the mountain. And she went down to try to get supplies to clean up her home because she's afraid that her roof might collapse. The problem is now she cannot get back up. So, she is extremely frustrated. Here's what she told me this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILIANA VARGAS, UNABLE TO RETURN HOME BECAUSE OF SNOW: We're here at 7:00 a.m. They let us go up halfway to Waterman Canyon Road to tell us that we need to turn around and go back and come back in five days, that we're -- there's no way they're going to let us go back home. We have our whole life up there. Our businesses, my job, my laptop, everything's there. We didn't bring any luggage, any clothes to stay down here for five days. We need to get home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: So, you hear how frustrated she is. And then you're also hearing a lot of that frustration from the people that have not been able to get down. Officials saying that people need to have patience. The National Guard is up there. Their main priority is trying to clear the roads. But, again, they're telling people you are going to have to wait. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness, I'm sure when she ventured out and others like her thinking they're going to get supplies, they're going to bring it back home and, wow, what a surprise to not be able to get back home.

BERNAL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila Bernal, keep us posted on what happens to her and others. All right. Joining us right now, someone who has been stuck as snow blankets her home in Wrightwood, California is Katie Prescott. She's with us now. Looking ever so pleasant outside, but you're kind of stuck. So, tell me what this is like. KATIE PRESCOTT, RESIDENT OF WRIGHTWOOD, CALIFORNIA: Yes, it's been wild appear, I can't think of a better word to describe the situation. A lot of residents are still stuck although the main highway has been plowed. They're working their hardest to get to everyone. But unfortunately, with 5,000 residents up here and not enough plows and manpower, there are so many residents that are still stuck. I was lucky enough to dig out of my home and help other neighbors dig out. It's just been -- it's the manpower.

And fortunately, the county has been working with our school district. I'm standing in front of our elementary school where we hiked down today to hand out food. The issue is that some people can't even get out of their streets or driveways to come down and get the food. So, the residents here are banding together. We are going to drive as far up the mountain as we can. And then hike the rest of the way through the snow to get to the residents with food and supplies.

WHITFIELD: So, you are try -- I mean you have made your way to that school where they're distributing food and then you, out of the goodness of your heart and you're physically able to do it, you are now trying to deliver some of that food to people who can't get out of their homes because they are snowed in. So, give me an idea who some of your neighbors are. I mean, some people don't, you know, are not strong enough, right? I mean, point blank to be able to shovel the amount of snow that it sounds like you had to shovel to get in and out of your home. So, tell me who some of your neighbors are and what kind of condition people are in.

PRESCOTT: I have a lovely 72-year-old neighbor who is a block away from me and she's diabetic. She is just not strong enough to dig out. I helped her dig the other day as much as I could. My body's tired from digging out ice berms, too. So, we are working on you know, getting a plow over there. And I've raised money along with other community members to pay people to plow as much as they can. Some people have come up from Riverside to even help. I don't know how they got up here, but they have volunteered their time to come in. Just get shovels. I sent him to the store right now. The supplies were up here to get shovels to go over to her house. She's got, you know, two feet of ice in front of her driveway. And then --

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

PRESCOTT: -- I had to -- yes, I trudged through about five feet of snow to just get to her front door everyday to check on her to see if she needed more food, insulin. And she's not the only one. There are just tons of people up here who are elderly or infirmed. And they just cannot get out on their own.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh, this is so dangerous. And so, what about power? I mean, you got all this snow, you know, and you've got this supply of, you know, food and rations at this location, but then what about power?

PRESCOTT: We do have power. We have a planned outage on Monday for some of this area. We're hoping that they reschedule it. There was an outage plan to the day that we got the inception of the blizzard, they pushed it back to Monday. So, we're praying that they'll push it back again.

[13:10:02]

Most -- everybody has had power. There have been a few outages. But thankfully, we have had enough power. We have to get the word out about unburying our gas meters, because in Crestline, and other areas, that has actually caused explosions, because --

WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh.

PRESCOTT: -- if your gas meter's -- yes, if your gas meter's buried in five feet of snow, that gas is going to get backed up and it is going to go -- get backed up into your house and could cause very, very detrimental results. So, we need to get the word out about that as well.

WHITFIELD: Wow. very tenuous situation. Katie Prescott, we're glad you're able to, you know, take the time to do this and physically able to help your neighbors out the way you are. I know they're so grateful for you. Continue to be safe, keep us posted. Let us know how, you know, we might be able to help, our viewers might be able to help.

PRESCOTT: Absolutely. I mean, as soon as they open up the highway, just getting people up here to shovel, I keep telling people don't bring a snowboard, bring a shovel. That's what we need right now. So, yes, we've just been raising funds and trying to get more money for plows, but it's the manpower right now. We need people to hike. So, yes, absolutely. But thank you.

WHITFIELD: Wow. OK. But people who can hike and have a big heart like yours, Katie Prescott, thank you so much. All the best.

PRESCOTT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead. Fierce fighting continues in Ukraine, as a critical eastern city is reportedly surrounded by Russian troops. We'll take you there. Next. Plus, a Florida resident has died from a brain-eating amoeba. But instead of a murky body of water being the source, health officials say it was possibly from the tap water. We'll explain straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:45]

WHITFIELD: In Ukraine, the battle over the city of Bakhmut is intensifying. Russian forces say they now have the city all but surrounded. CNN Alex Marquardt is in eastern Ukraine.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this has been an incredibly intense fight and it's getting even more so. Ukrainian forces say that they have managed to repel some Russian attacks, and that they are holding their ground. But it's clear that Russian forces led by Wagner mercenaries are trying to encircle those Ukrainian troops and push them out of Bakhmut. This fight getting even harder for the Ukrainian side after Russian forces destroyed a key bridge on what has been a major supply route for Ukrainian troops into Bakhmut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT (voice-over): A lifeline for Ukraine's forces severed, this destroyed bridge near Bakhmut on the last main supply route to the front. Bombed, a Ukrainian soldier told CNN, by a Russian missile, meaning reinforcing troops or getting people out immediately becoming harder. We were on that road near Bakhmut, military vehicles bombing towards the fight and coming back.

Russian forces have made progress at encircling the city, leaving only the West open to Ukrainian troops. The ferocious fighting has left thousands dead on both sides. Wagner forces, which have led the Russian charge, have paid a particularly high price. Today, Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin on the outskirts of Bakhmut released a video claiming, "The pincers are tightening." He called on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to withdraw his troops, saying give them a chance to leave the city.

Prigozhin regularly exaggerates Wagner's gains. Ukraine blasted today's video as part of a disinformation campaign. But Ukrainian commanders admit they are facing withering Russian attacks. The Eastern commander posted photos today of a visit to Bakhmut where he was briefed on the problems with Ukrainian defenses. Despite no announcement of a withdrawal, some possible signs have appeared. This Bakhmut rail bridge strategically bombed by Ukrainian soldiers to make it impassable. The head of a Ukrainian reconnaissance unit saying they received an order to immediately leave Bakhmut without given a reason.

In neighboring Chasiv Yar, soldiers from an artillery unit told us they have no plans to stop fighting here, fearing what could then happen. The problem is not just Russia taking Bakhmut, Hottabich says, "They will not stop and will keep destroying the next cities. We need to wait for reinforcements to come and then kick them out."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUARDT (on camera): So far, no mention or any sign of a major Ukrainian withdrawal from Bakhmut. They are standing their ground. But if Russia were able to take Bakhmut, it would be a major victory, especially after so many months of fierce fighting. But it is up for debate how much of a strategic victory it would be. Yes, it would be another foothold for Russia in eastern Ukraine. But it would remain to be seen whether Russia would be able to use that to push deeper into eastern Ukraine, especially since they would be in such a weakened state after this fierce battle for back mood for Bakhmut. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Alex Marquardt in eastern Ukraine, thanks so much.

And to help Ukrainian forces, President Biden announced another $400 million U.S. military aid package for Ukraine. In all, the U.S. has committed more than $32 billion to Ukraine since the start of the war more than a year ago. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez joining us now from Wilmington, Delaware where the president is spending the weekend. Priscilla, what do we know about this new aid package? PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it boils down to more ammunition and support equipment. This actually marks the 33rd drawdown of equipment from U.S. inventories as part of that concerted effort by the administration to provide security assistance to Ukraine. So, what does it include? It's a mix of artillery rounds, demolition munitions, equipment for obstacle clearing, and vehicle repair equipment.

Now, this remains a top priority for the Biden administration and for President Biden, who just yesterday met with German Chancellor Scholz.

[13:20:06]

Now the two of them discussed Ukraine at length. It was part of what was going to be the meeting leading up to it. And he thanked Scholz for his "Strong and steady leadership." Now, Scholz has been a crisis leader in Europe, and he has been a critical partner to the United States, as this war unfolds and now goes into its second year. And according to a White House readout of their meeting that you see there, they discussed assistance and committed to providing assistance on a variety of fronts, going from security, humanitarian, economic and political assistance, as well as cracking down on Russia.

Now, of course, Ukrainian president Zelenskyy has said that they need assistance and that they cannot afford any delay in getting it. He's also asked for those F-16 fighter jets. On that, President Biden's so far has said he is really going out for now. But in the interim, another commitment from the Pentagon for now. $400 million package. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thanks so much.

All right. Let's talk more about all this. Joining me right now is David Sanger. He is a CNN Political and National Security Analyst. He's also a White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times and the author of "The perfect weapon." Good to see you, David. So this $400 million brings the total U.S. aid to more than $32 billion so far. How much longer can divide administration keep up that level of funding?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Fredricka, good to see you. And thanks for having me on. That's a really good question. So, when the last aid was passed through Congress, the thinking was this would last them through August, through September. But of course, in the interim, the Ukrainians have been asking for F-16 fighters. Now, they're not likely to get that.

President Biden has said no, but one of the reasons that they're not going to get them, Fredricka, is it would blow through a lot of the money that was left for what the White House believes is more urgent needs, anti-aircraft capability, anti-missile capability, and just the rounds of ammunition that they need to go fire.

They've been running through the Ukrainians at this pace, in a year, several years worth of American and NATO production of ordinary ammunition. And so at some point, the gating factor may not be money, it may actually be supply of the arms.

WHITFIELD: So, I wonder is the White House at all concerned that there seems to be a growing Republican opposition to the U.S. continuing to finance or, you know, offer aid, make aid available to Ukraine?

SANGER: They've got to be concerned about it. It's not clear how much it's grown, but what fascinates me about it, Fredricka, is this is one of those rare issues where if you go to the far left of the Democratic Party, and the far right of the Republican Party, for different reasons, they're coming out the same place. Right? The progressive side is saying we don't want to be spending this much on the Pentagon, on defense, on foreign wars, you know, over time, wasn't there a lesson to be learned from Iraq and Afghanistan?

And the right is sort of picking up the MAGA point that, you know, if you're truly going to do America first, then you just worry about what's happening around your borders. Now, of course, we've all learned that what happens around the rest of the world eventually comes to us. And President Biden's central argument and the argument of centrist Republicans is, if you don't stop Putin here, he will move on to take on NATO countries.

WHITFIELD: Yes. But what's next? All right, David Sanger in Washington. Great to see you. Thanks so much.

SANGER: Great to see you. Bye-bye.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up. Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murders of his wife and son, but he still maintains his innocence. Ahead what his defense team is saying about their plans to appeal his conviction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:28:24]

WHITFIELD: Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life in -- or behind bars, rather, for the murders of his wife and son. Yesterday, a judge sentenced the former South Carolina Attorney to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Murdaugh's attorney says that they will appeal. CNN's Randi Kaye reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE CLIFTON NEWMAN, SOUTH CAROLINA CIRCUIT COURT: I sentence you for a term of the rest of your natural life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alex Murdaugh, today, given two life sentences for the murder of his wife and son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NEWMAN: I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the nighttimes

when you're attempting to go to sleep. I'm sure they come and visit you.

MURDAUGH: All day, and every night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: After more than a month in the courtroom, jurors took about three hours Thursday to convict Murdaugh of murder for his wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son, Paul, who were found fatally shot on the family's property in June 2021. A juror told ABC --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG MOYER, JUROR IN ALEX MURDAUGH TRIAL: I didn't see any true remorse.

EVA PILGRIM, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: How did you know he wasn't crying?

MOYER: He has that soulless eyes. I was just close to him.

PILGRIM: So, it took basically 45 minutes for you guys to come to a decision?

MOYER: Probably about 45, maybe an hour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Murdaugh, once a prominent lawyer in the area, took the stand last week in his own emotional defense, maintaining he found the bodies after returning from a brief visit to his mother that night despite cell phone video placing him at the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWMAN: Remind me of the expression you gave on the witness stand. Was it, oh, what a tangled web we weave? What did you mean by that?

MURDAUGH: I meant when I lied, I continued to lie.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUDGE CLIFTON NEWMAN, SOUTH CAROLINA CIRCUIT COURT: Remind me of the expression you gave on the witness stand. Was it, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave?" What did you mean?

ALEX MURDAUGH, SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDERING WIFE & SON: That, when I lied, I continued to lie.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The defense relied heavily on Murdaugh's opioid addiction to account for his deception and lies about his whereabouts, something the judge and jury didn't buy.

NEWMAN: They've concluded that you continued to lie and lied throughout your testimony. Not credible, not believable.

KAYE: Despite all the circumstantial evidence against him, Murdaugh maintained he was not guilty.

MURDAUGH: I'm innocent. I would never under any circumstances hurt my wife, Maggie, and I would never under any circumstances hurt my son, Paul-Paul.

NEWMAN: And it might not have been you. It might have been the monster you become when you take 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 opioid pills.

KAYE: Still, Murdaugh's defense team says they wouldn't have done anything differently.

DICK HARPOOTLIAN, ALEX MURDAUGH'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He's a liar and he's a thief and he admitted that. He's not a murderer. We saw a relationship between Paul and Alex that, it's just it's inexplicable that he would execute his wife and son in that fashion.

CREIGHTON WATERS, LEAD PROSECUTOR: No one who thought they were close to this man knew who he was. And, Your Honor, that's chilling.

KAYE (on camera): And when I interviewed Alex Murdaugh's defense lawyers, they say they plan to appeal. They told me they have about 10 days or so to do that.

They're going to appeal on the grounds of all these alleged financial crimes being included. They said they expected some of the financial crimes to go into the trial, but not as much.

They said this was not a trial of Bernie Madoff. This was a trial of Alex Murdaugh.

And of course, Alex Murdaugh will still go to trial for the 99 charges that he's facing in those financial crimes.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Walterboro, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: With us now to discuss is defense attorney, Misty Marris.

Misty, good to see you.

I mean, there were some remarkable moments inside the courtroom over the last few weeks and particularly yesterday, especially when we heard Judge Clifton Newman deliver striking very personal comments before handing down Murdaugh's sentence.

Just listen to some of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NEWMAN: It was especially heartbreaking for me to see you go in the

media from being a grieving father who lost a wife and a son to being the person indicted and convicted of killing them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was striking. It also speaks to how closeknit that area is.

I wonder, too, after hearing that, why wasn't there a bigger fight for a change of venue? Would that have made a difference? Would this have been kind of the recipe of why you have a change of venue in a case like this?

MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, it's a really interesting question. And I think probably, at the onset of this case, the defense had to make a strategy call.

On one hand, now in hindsight, there's always the concern you're going to have a prejudiced jury, because the Murdaughs are so prevalent in the community. All these misdeeds that have been playing out.

We've seen these Netflix documentaries that talk about a lot of stuff that isn't even in the trial. Is that jury pool tainted? That's one camp.

The other camp is, well, they are a prestigious family, perhaps there was some though that Murdaugh, especially if he was planning on testifying to express what he wanted to, that these were people he could connect with and it could cut the other way.

So I'm not sure that it was really a definitely move (ph). But it's always a decision that's difficult with a high-profile case.

WHITFIELD: Right. It makes sense that there may have been that thought that this could be advantageous because everyone does seem to know each other.

One of the jurors spoke to ABC News about how quickly deliberations went. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: When you first got in the room, you took a vote?

CRAIG MOYER, JUROR: It was two not guilty, one not sure, and nine guilty.

UNIDENTIFIED ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: What was your vote?

MOYER: Guilty.

We started deliberating, going through the evidence. Everybody was pretty much talking. About 45 minutes late, after all of our deliberating, we figured it out. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: At what point do you think it all came together for the majority of those jurors that they made a decision that he was guilty?

MARRIS: It seems to be the video, the video, most crucial piece of evidence. Look - and then the video coupled with Alex Murdaugh's testimony.

[13:35:05]

Because his testifying took what was a very, very complicated case and brought it down to a single-issue case. That is, well, you're on this tape. You've now admitted on this tape. Why did you lie about it?

So certainly, that was something that the jury was considering as, number one, he does not have credibility. Number two, he's there at the murder scene, by his own account of the events.

And another interesting thing, a juror in an interview did say that the site visit was actually something that tipped the scales in favor of the prosecution for them, interestingly enough, because the defense is who requested it.

WHITFIELD: So in that same interview with that juror, he said that he was not convinced when Murdaugh took the stand. Meaning, he didn't think he was sincere and he didn't believe the tears.

But the flip side is the defense really felt like he had to take the stand, right, especially after that cell phone evidence was revealed. They had no choice but to take the stand?

MARRIS: In my opinion, I have said right from the beginning, he should not have taken the stand for the very reason that I said. Not only was his own account not really believable, but also even by virtue of his timeline placing him at the scene.

That being said, I understand why he did it, because he does not have much to lose.

Actually, it was a much closer call here than in most cases because he's also facing these 99 financial crimes. The evidence is very strong in them. He's admitted to some of those, although not plead guilty. He's admitted to the conduct.

I think that, for him, the chance of convincing one or two jurors that he might be a liar, he might be a thief, but not a killer was worth taking that risk.

But in my opinion, I think the testimony was what actually sunk him.

WHITFIELD: His attorneys say they plan to appeal.

And I wonder, you mentioned the 99 other financial crimes, do you see any real possibility of monies being recovered? MARRIS: That's the tough part. You can't get blood from a stone. It

may come down to properties, putting liens on properties and those types of things. It's going to be hard to get that restitution, depending on where his finances stand at this point.

I would think, because he did admit to so much of the conduct on the stand, the already underlying facts relating to those financial charges, I'm wondering if he will plead guilty to some of those.

Certainly, we're going to see an appeal on this particular case. There are a lot of novel appellate issues relating to how the financial crimes came in and whether or not that was proper.

So there's actually a lot more to come in the Murdaugh saga.

WHITFIELD: All right. Misty Marris, good to see you. Thanks so much.

MARRIS: Thank you so much.

WHITFIELD: Onto Israel now, where massive crowds of demonstrators are descending on the streets of Tel Aviv to protest the far-right government again.

For weeks now, tens of thousands have flooded Israeli streets to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial plan to overhaul the judicial system.

CNN's Hadas Gold is joining us now, right now, on the phone.

Hadas, what can you tell us about what's happening?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, Fredricka, this is the ninth week in a row of these protests. They don't seem to be getting any smaller week by week.

As you know, they're protesting mainly against the judicial overhaul that the Netanyahu government wants to undertake. Among the most drastic of these measures would allow the Israeli parliament to overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority.

What we're seeing right now are tens of thousands of people not only in Tel Aviv but in cities across the country, as well as from the north to the south. Organizers expect potentially more than 150,000 people on the streets.

But the numbers at this point don't matter so much as just the consistency that every single week we're just seeing these massive protests.

We're seeing thousands of Israeli flags, signs that say, "We must resist," and other sign that says, "From startup nation to shutdown nation."

Until this week, police had been rather hands-off on these protests, even though they were blocking streets and there were tens of thousands of people in the streets. You didn't really see a police presence.

That changed this week when, on Wednesday, named the "National Day of Destruction," protesters planned to block major roadways.

Police responded in a much different fashion. They had mounted police. They used water cannons, stun grenades. There were at least 11 injuries and dozens of arrests.

And also this past week were those settler revenge attacks in Harare, revenge attacks after two Israeli brothers were killed earlier that day by Palestinian gunmen.

Many of these protesters have started a chant asking the police, where were you in Harare," essentially asking why wasn't there this big of a police military presence in Harare to protect those villagers?

[13:40:05]

There's a lot of concern these protests tonight could see the same sort of police response as on Wednesday.

The rhetoric from the minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Givr - he's probably one of the most right-wing ministers in Netanyahu's government - has talked about taking a stronger stand against protesters, who he called anarchists.

And the police commissioner is saying, even the right to protest has its limits.

That is leading to some alarming warnings from other officials. Actually, the former defense official, Benny Gantz, just said on Israeli TV that he has a huge fear that live fire will be used against these protesters.

It definitely feels as though, this week, these protesters reached sort of a new level that we haven't seen before - Fred?

WHITFIELD: Very intense and still very tenuous.

Hadas Gold, thank you so much.

It's been one month since the toxic train derailment in Ohio. Many residents are still facing uncertainty about their health and livelihoods after dangerous chemicals spilled into the air. The latest, next.

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[13:45:08]

WHITFIELD: Preliminary work is under way to remove tracks near the site of February's toxic train derailment in Ohio.

It comes as the EPA is waiting for Norfolk Southern's updated remediation draft plan. The agency asked the rail company for a plan that includes analysis of soil contamination and how they plan to clean it all up.

CNN's Polo Sandoval joining me live with the latest.

Polo, we're also learning more about health assessment findings for residents of East Palestine. And what does it show?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, you'll recall that health experts were sent to East Palestine to hear from the residents, especially those experiencing symptoms after that train derailment that took place a month ago.

Now this first set of data that was released yesterday by officials painting a clearer picture of what some residents are complaining about.

This is the result of a survey, or assessment, an evaluation, if you will, of about 170 residents. The average age in their mid-50s. Many of them are experiencing headaches, anxiety, coughing. There's that irritation and some pain or burning sensation on the skin.

Ohio's Health Department saying they'll be working with local, state and federal authorities to better understand how the derailment may have affected some of these residents in terms of some of these symptoms they're experiencing. So they're still looking into that.

Meanwhile, we also understand, according to information released by Ohio's Governor Mike DeWine, that today the residents concerned about potential pollution in the water system were invited to visit the city's water treatment plants and see it firsthand.

And actually give - ask some of those questions to officials there about the city's water system.

Officials maintain that contaminants from the derailment earlier last month have not been detected in samples from city wells.

But there are also concerns about private water systems. Officials addressing that as well by saying that, to date, about 157 private water systems have been tested and also no harmful contamination levels have been detected there so far.

Still, frustrations, Fred, are not fading for many residents, as we saw this week in a fairly heated town hall and as our colleague, Miguel Marquez, reported from the city this week.

There are people there that want certainty. They want absolute answers.

But those are still going to take some time as officials continue to place some of that monitoring equipment at the site to make sure the soil is clear out and also that the water is safe to drink - Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, lots of worries.

Polo Sandoval, thanks so much. A Florida resident has died from a brain-eating amoeba. Health officials think it may have been caused by the tap water used for a sinus rinse. Details straight ahead.

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[13:52:25]

WHITFIELD: A missing Pennsylvania woman who was believed to be dead was recently found living in a nursing home in Puerto Rico.

Patricia Copta, who is now i3, first went missing in 1982. Her family says she had a history of mental health issues and would often drop out of sight for short periods of time.

Police say she was found wandering the streets in 1999 and wouldn't discuss her private life. Over the years, she revealed bits of information that led Interpol to suspect she might be the missing woman.

DNA tests ultimately helped connect the dots. Though the family says they instantly knew it was her from a recent photo.

An investigation is underway in Florida after a person died following a rare brain-eating amoeba infection. State health officials say that the infection may have been caused by the victim using tap water to rinse their sinuses.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard has more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: I can tell you, this death is still being investigated by the Florida Department of Health.

Health officials in Charlotte County say the person who died was infected with a brain-eating amoeba, quote, "possibly as a result of sinus rinse practices utilizing tap water," end quote.

And they recommend using only distilled or sterile water for sinus rinses. Tap water should be boiled for at least one minute and then cooled before it is considered OK to use for sinus rinsing. And that reduces the risk of infections with microorganisms like the brain- eating amoeba.

This amoeba has the scientific name Naegleria Fowleri. It is a single- celled organism found in soil and warm freshwater environments. It causes rare infections by entering the body through the nose. For example, if someone is swimming in a lake and gets water up their nose.

Symptoms of infection include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting. It can progress to stiff neck, seizures or hallucinations.

Infections are deadly. Between 1962 and 2021, here in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only four out of 154 people known to have been infected survived the disease these brain- eating amoeba infections can cause.

And that is why health officials warned to follow safe water practices, especially with sinus rinses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[13:55:05]

WHITFIELD: Jacqueline, very frightening.

Thank you so much.

All right, and this quick programming note. How did HQ Trivia go from Internet obsession to total meltdown? The million-dollar question: What happened? The new CNN film, "GLITCH: THE RISE AND FALL OF HQ TRIVIA," premieres tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

All right, still ahead, mounting concerns for residents in parts of California, who are running out of food, medicine and essential items after a powerful storm dumped several feet of snow in some areas. The effort to get them help, straight ahead.

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