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Trump Speaks At Conservative Political Action Conference; Civilians Trapped In Bakhmut As City Becomes "Hell On Earth"; Trump Trying To Prevent Pence From Testifying Before January 6th Grand Jury; Stranded California Residents Spell Out 'Send Plows' For Helicopters To See; Another Norfolk Southern Freight Train Derails In Ohio. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 04, 2023 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:00]

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: These brain-eating amoeba infections can cause and that's why health officials warned follow safe water practices, especially with sinus rinses.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Tonight former President Donald Trump is being showered with MAGA love at the annual CPAC gathering where his base has seemingly seized control. And the man who tried but failed to overturn the 2020 election results appears to be his party's frontrunner at least for now according to recent polls.

Late this afternoon, CPAC released its very own nonscientific straw poll. Trump crushed the politician seen as the biggest rival for the nomination, at least at this point, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 62 percent to 20 percent.

CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us now from the CPAC gathering.

Kristen, how's it been going so far? What's the former president saying?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So former President Trump still speaking. We're at the 90-minute mark. And we expect him to go on for just a little bit longer now. He is really appealing to this crowd. There's a mix of old and new. He talked about how he wants to take on the establishment, particularly the Republican establishment.

He talked about how he got rid of political dynasties, he said the party would never go back to being the party of Karl Rove, Paul Ryan, and Jeb Bush. And he also separated himself from other Republicans by essentially calling for isolationism, to saying that we will no longer be -- excuse me, that they would no longer be the Republican Party, the party of giving money to endless wars.

And this was a line, I want to play this for you, that got him a standing ovation. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: I will totally obliterate the deep state. I will fire the unelected bureaucrats and shadow forces who have weaponized our justice system like it has never been weaponized before. Sick. These are sick people. And I will put the people back in charge of this country again. The people will be back in charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And that has been one of the big themes that we have seen here at CPAC, getting rid of the deep state, getting bureaucrats out of office, firing people who work in government jobs. Something that we saw at the end of the Trump administration, saying that he wants to continue that fight.

And I do want to note one thing. You mentioned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, even though he is not of course in the presidential race, he is largely seen as Trump's most formidable opponent should he run. Trump did take a veiled jab at DeSantis when he was talking about the Republican Party and not going back to the party of the past.

He mentioned specifically not going back to a party that wanted to cut Medicare or Social Security. This is a veiled jab at DeSantis who, when he was in Congress, suggested changes to those programs. It's something that we know Trump has already attacked him for on social media -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes, sneak preview of one line of attack for sure.

All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you very much.

Let's get some perspective in all this. Joining us now Shermichael Singleton, he's a Republican strategist, and Molly Jong-Fast, a special correspondent for "Vanity Fair" and host of "Fast Politics" podcast.

Shermichael, let me start with you. I mean, this has been kind of MAGA-palooza all this week at CPAC. I mean, we were showing some images of "Trump Won" hats and that sort of thing on tables. And you look at the recent polls, I mean, he's really out in front in almost every poll of the Republican field. I know it's very early. But he won those CPAC straw poll. Is there anything really standing in the way right now at this point of Donald Trump securing the Republican nomination do you think?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I mean, I think one thing to be concerned about, Jim, and thanks for having me, is potential litigation against a former president. Look at Georgia, could a potential indictment come? I think the jury is still out on that. I also think that Trump presents an interesting dichotomy for the Republican Party which is why you're seeing Ron DeSantis move up in the polls with many Republican voters.

And that is, if Trump is the nominee of the Republican Party, can he actually win, Jim? Many individuals that I've spoken with, donors alike, aren't necessarily sure of that. Can he pull over swing voters, can he regain a movement and positioning with suburbanites? That doesn't appear to be the case if you look at the last presidential, it doesn't appear to be the case if you look at the most recent midterm election.

And that is a concern that many in the party including donors, including other strategists, and even those working with some of the folks who are Trump supporters who's saying, you know, we want to win, and yes, we like Trump, but is he the best person to help us get across that finish line?

ACOSTA: Yes. There's a huge disconnect right now between the donor base and the MAGA base.

Molly, you know, it seems Trump is positioning his presidential run as kind of a revenge tour. I think we have sound from Trump's speech. I think this is one that is going to be making a lot of headlines. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: In 2016 I declared I am your voice. Today I add, I am your warrior, I am your justice.

[19:05:04]

And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution. I am your retribution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: I am your retribution. He said it twice, Molly.

MOLLY JONG-FAST, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, VANITY FAIR: Yes. I mean, look, this guy is out for blood. And I think the problem with all of these more normal calculuses about DeSantis is that Trump is not a normal candidate. So Trump will not do what Marco Rubio did or Ted Cruz did and go quietly.

So I think that for a lot of these Republicans who think they can swap him out, I'm not sure how that works when you have someone who really is comfortable running as a third-party candidate or just destroying the party on his way out. I mean, remember, Trump is not a Republican per se. He's a -- you know, he's whatever that is. And so I don't think his heart is with the Republican Party. And I do not believe he will support whoever is the candidate.

ACOSTA: And Shermichael, I mean, what do you make of the state of CPAC? I mean, is it the same conference that it used to be? I remember covering it, you know, six or seven years ago, and it just strikes me as a very different organization now. Mike Pence not there. Ron DeSantis not there. It's a different CPAC now. I mean, Trump has a lot of people in that room right now, but some of these speeches earlier on in the conference had me thinking whether, you know, CPAC should be held at the Holiday Inn in Crystal City.

SINGLETON: Jim, it's definitely a different CPAC than it was when I used to go years and years ago. I mean, the sort of intellectualism that once upon a time defined the Republican Party because of individuals like Karl Rove politically speaking, or intellectuals as far as the ideological meanings, if you will, what it means to be a conservative, like "National Review" Rich Lowery. Those guys really aren't activists and participants in the modern-day Republican Party.

So there's this question, right, Jim, on what does it mean to be a conservative over the next four years. Who's going to be the individual or individuals to take that mantle and the charge of defining what conservative policies and positions will be as far as legislation goes. And I don't think the party has quite figured that out.

The CPAC has had many CPAC versions, Florida, many other states across the country, for two years now. And if you look at the crowd, it's a very low, it's a dim crowd. And I think that's indicative of the fact that many in the party are trying to figure out where do we go after Trump. Do we stick with him or is it time to move on?

And as a strategist, and you're looking at the numbers, I would probably say, Jim, that it is time to move in a new direction or the party risks a repeat of Trump versus Biden in 2024.

ACOSTA: Right, 2018, 2020, 2022, not exactly a winning streak.

Molly, one thing that we also noticed this week, Nikki Haley, Trump's former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. She had sort of a chilly reception at times. Mike Pompeo, you know, he was talking about the former president in sort of veiled references. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've lost the popular vote in the last seven out of eight presidential elections. Our cause is right, but we have failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans. That ends now.

MIKE POMPEO, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE IN TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: Losing is bad because losing is bad, but the principles that we stand for are what's really at risk. And it's not a political problem. The problem is -- the problem is that the losses are a symptom of something much bigger.

I think it's a crisis in conservatism. We've lost confidence that we are right. It's not just a crisis of confidence, it's one of character, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And Molly, this is almost what Shermichael was saying a few moments ago in that, you know, there -- the message for some of these candidates is that they want to move on from Trump. But they don't want to say his name in any of these speeches. It's almost like "Beetlejuice," they don't want to see Beetlejuice too many times or something. But what is going on there with the fact that some of these candidates like Nikki Haley and Mike Pompeo are just sort of tiptoeing around Trump?

JONG-FAST: I mean, I think they think that they could quietly lull away the base by sort of tricking them into not saying anything mean about Trump but offering them sort of Trumpism light as a kind of, you know, possible bait and switch. And I think that ultimately this stems from this idea that they will not take the pain, right. They want the fringe, they want those votes, because Trump won in 2016 by never alienating the fringe.

And that fringe is really very fringy. I mean, that's the white nationalists and the autocrats and the really just the sort of dregs. And those were people where for such a long time Republicans rejected those people.

[19:10:04]

And, you know, Trump knows that's a good amount of people. And that's how he won. I mean, a good quantity of people, not good people. And so I do think ultimately, you know, they're trying to get those people without getting those people and without alienating them. And I think ultimately someone is just going to have to say like we don't embrace this kind of racism, and they're going to have to take the pain and then eventually rebuild the party.

ACOSTA: Shermichael, what do you think about that? I mean, can you take on Trump without really confronting him by name, or confronting him in general? I mean, what would you advise as a Republican strategist?

SINGLETON: I mean, look, you have to. Now you clearly would risk not being a competitive individual running for the Republican nominee or nomination, I should say. But you have to. I mean, Pompeo is right when he argues or made the statement about conservatism. I think the problem, however -- and I don't want to get philosophical here -- but the party has really sort of become a nationalist populist party.

And I think that there is room within the American populous generally speaking for conservatism in the traditional and classical sense. But I think that's far removed. I think when you look at many of the struggles that a more diverse country is presently dealing with and facing, what's the conservative answer, Jim, to many of those questions?

What's the conservative answer to police reform, the conservative answer to education, the conservative answer to infrastructure or climate change? Those things no longer intellectually exist the way they once did in the past. And so I think that's the problem that the Republican Party is having in its inability to target and reach Americans beyond its base. And that is what's going to be necessary mathematically in order for the party to be competitive in federal elections.

ACOSTA: And Molly, lastly to you, I mean, is Donald Trump Joe Biden's superpower?

JONG-FAST: I mean, it's certainly possible. I mean, he's certainly Democrats' superpower. I think you're going to have a hard time getting out of that primary without either Trump winning it or Trump destroying the person who does win it, or Trump threatening to run as a third party. And I think, yes. I mean, Donald Trump continues to deliver for Democrats.

ACOSTA: All right. Shermichael, Molly, great to see both of you. Thanks so much. Great panel. Thanks for your time.

SINGLETON: Thank you, Jim.

JONG-FAST: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to see you.

Coming up, Bakhmut is like hell, that from a Ukrainian deputy commander as troops battle to hold on to this key city. The latest on the intense fighting there is coming up.

And later, it has been almost two months since Tyre Nichols was brutally killed by police. But now his love of photography will be on display for thousands to see. It's coming up.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:16:56]

ACOSTA: Ukraine's prime minister today announced his country's plans to use more than $460 million worth of assets seized from Russian banks to rebuild Ukraine. This announcement comes as civilians along with young children try to flee the eastern city of Bakhmut where Russian and Ukrainian troops are fighting in the streets. Bakhmut officials say the city is almost destroyed but still under Ukrainian control for now.

CNN's Melissa Bell has more from Ukraine.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, the situation for Ukrainian forces desperately trying to hold on to Bakhmut increasingly difficult. That's certainly the view of the British Defense Ministry speaking this Saturday afternoon about the situation in a town that has been the subject of such fierce fighting. A seven-month long siege of course. But these last few weeks increasing artillery. And of course huge cost both to the Russians and to the Ukrainians of trying to fight for this town.

That's been the Ukrainian strategy in the past, in towns like Severodonetsk. There's a chance holding on as long as they can to try and degrade Russia's ability to continue waging this war, whether it comes to fire power or manpower again. They say they have achieved this in Bakhmut and that every hour gained is important for them to try to obtain as they to prevent Russian forces from taking the next step which will inevitably be moving westward already.

Russian artillery is pounding Chasiv Yar to the west of Bakhmut. It is, of course, the fate of the 4500 civilians still trapped in Bakhmut now almost entirely encircled according to Ukrainian forces unable to get out that hangs in the balance -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Melissa Bell, thanks.

I want to get the latest on these developments in Ukraine with CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.

Colonel Leighton, great to have you with us. I mean, how much longer -- this is intense street fighting, just unbelievable violence that these Ukrainian soldiers are dealing with. How much longer do you think they can hold on to Bakhmut?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Bakhmut, Jim, is going to be a really tough place to hold on to. And as Melissa was pointing out, this is street-to-street fighting. This is one of those times when things get rough really quickly. So urban warfare is a very difficult thing to predict. It could, you know, last a few hours for them in Bakhmut, or it could last several more days.

I would give it about 12 to 24 hours before the Ukrainians really should consider withdrawing. I think it's, you know, high time that they do that in order to save as many of their troops as possible. Not that I want to see them give up territory, but at this point in time it's far better to do that and save troops than it is to let them go into a meat grinder like the eastern front that it is.

ACOSTA: And we've seen them make those kinds of movements to save manpower, and then go back and be able to, you know, give the Russians some hell later on. So that's not beyond the realm of possibilities. Melissa Bell reporting the situation for Ukrainian forces is increasingly difficult.

[19:20:05]

What do you see as those major difficulties? I mean, do they have the supply lines? Do they have those basic logistics that you need to be able to fight this kind of battle?

LEIGHTON: Well, that's part of the problem. They have them in part, but they're rapidly losing the supplies that they've had. You know, you've got a situation, Jim, where a lot of the ammunition that is used for the 155-millimeter guns, for the HIMARS, for some of the other weapon systems. That is all running out. And you know, we have a finite supply anyways.

So what this really is doing is it's taxing our supply system and our defense industrial base, and you know, the Ukrainians are going to have to have really what amounts to an air bridge. I know that's, you know, right now in the impossible realm because there's no air traffic going into Ukraine. But they really should consider moving as much as possible, as quickly as possible over the roads and railroads that they currently have because this is what they need, and it's going to get really rough before it gets better.

ACOSTA: And Bakhmut has been a prime target of Russian forces for months. I mean, where do you see the Russians focusing next if they're able to take control of Bakhmut?

LEIGHTON: Yes, that's a really good question. So Bakhmut is really close to a major highway called the MO3 or E40 which runs to Kharkiv. So it would make sense for the Russians to try to go along that road and try to get in as far as possible as they can toward Kharkiv.

Now having said that, what the real Russian goal is to capture all of the Donbas. And since Bakhmut is part of the Donetsk Oblast which is part of the Donbas, it is really part of their effort to recapture all of that. Bakhmut was the scene of fighting back in 2014, and of course it's been -- we've been doing this for the last seven months now in that area.

So the Russians will want to consolidate some of their gains, but then they'll try to move along that road and try to get into that western part and the northeastern part of the country as quickly as possible. So I see them trying to go for Kharkiv in that direction at least, possibly, you know, Kramatorsk, those kinds of areas.

ACOSTA: And local officials and civilians say Bakhmut has been reduced to a little more than rubble, there's no food, no electricity, water, gas. How can the most vulnerable, elderly, children, get evacuated? Is that even possible?

LEIGHTON: Yes, it might be impossible at this point in time, Jim. And I really hate to say that. But the real problem that you run into if people stay in places like this is that it becomes really difficult as things get, you know, get tough from a military standpoint. It becomes really tough for the military to expand resources to try to get them out of there. And that is I think a major issue for that population. I think we're talking 4,000 to 5,000 people, around 50 or so children. That, of course, is a tragedy waiting to happen unfortunately.

ACOSTA: Terrible. Devastating.

Colonel Cedric Leighton, on the fight that goes on in Ukraine. Thank you so much. Appreciate the time.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Jim.

ACOSTA: Up next, a showdown over testimony. Why former President Trump is trying to block Mike Pence from speaking to the grand jury.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:27:55]

ACOSTA: Sources tell CNN former President Donald Trump is trying to keep his former vice president, Mike Pence, from testifying before a federal grand jury. It's looking into January 6th and the efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 election loss. The sources say Trump is asking a federal court to block Pence's testimony on executive privilege grounds. And CNN's Jeremy Herb has the latest. JEREMY HERB, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Jim, the new court filing

from Trump's legal team is the latest roadblock for Special Counsel Jack Smith as he tries to compel testimony from Pence and others around Trump in the January 6th investigation. The new filing is still under seal. So we don't yet have specifics on the arguments that Trump's team is making. But sources tell CNN that Trump is asking a federal court to block Pence from speaking to the special counsel about certain matters related to January 6th on the grounds of executive privilege.

Pence himself is also fighting Smith's subpoena. He said that he plans to try to block the subpoena by arguing he's shielded by the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause which protects the legislative branch from certain law enforcement actions. Pence argues that he is covered because he was acting as president of the Senate when he presided over the January 6th certification of the 2020 election.

Pence, of course, was at the center of Trump's efforts to overturn the election as the former president and his allies pressured the vice president to block Joe Biden's win when Congress certified the election on January 6th.

The subpoena to Pence is one key sign that the special counsel's investigation into both January 6th and the Mar-a-Lago classified documents is accelerating. The fight over Pence's testimony is now expected to play out in court, but it's not yet clear how long that process will take. And any rulings could possibly be appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court. That means that the special counsel will now have to weigh how important Pence's testimony is with his desire to complete this investigation as the 2024 election gets closer and closer -- Jim.

ACOSTA: All right, Jeremy Herb, thank you very much.

Let's bring in Peter Strzok, he is a former FBI deputy assistant director and the author of "Compromise: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump."

Peter, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

[19:30:00]

You know, he is claiming executive privilege prevents Mike Pence from speaking about certain matters in the January 6 the criminal investigation. I guess, setting aside the obvious fact here that now Trump and Pence are on the same page when it comes to this investigation, at least in terms of Pence testifying. Can Trump get by with that legal argument? He is no longer President.

PETER STRZOK, FORMER FBI DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Well, he's certainly going to try and I mean, I think there is a valid legal argument whether or not it will hold water, I doubt based on the fact that, look, we know from reporting that the same grand jury has heard from people like Pat Cipollone, and Pat Philbin, the White House Counsel and somebody else in the White House Counsel's Office. We've heard that there are other senior members of the White House group around Trump who have been into the grand jury and testify. They have put up the same sort of, you know, objections to whether or not this was subject to executive privilege, whether there is any sort of attorney-client privilege.

So these arguments have been made by people in the White House prior to Mike Pence raising it, so for both -- and Donald Trump in this case -- so you have these two sort of overlapping privileges. They are logical, you know, arguments to make if you're trying to delay or prevent something. I don't think given the path that at least as has been reported that the Chief Judge has taken with this grand jury that they will ultimately succeed.

But as Jeremy pointed out, you know, whatever, Chief Judge Howell decides, there is an appeal to the DC Circuit Court of Appeal, which is typically initially a three-judge panel that can be appealed to the full Circuit Court of Appeals, and then ultimately, that can be appealed to the Supreme Court.

So if that path occurs, we're not looking at anything that's going to be resolved anytime soon.

ACOSTA: Well, and the hoops that you were just laying out there a moment ago, I think, illustrate one of the issues in all of this, and that is that Trump enjoys using these delay tactics. He has been a master at it, ever since he's been in legal trouble, I guess, for years now, decades, I suppose. Might that complicate matters for the Special Counsel in all this?

STRZOK: Well, I think it certainly slows down with Special Counsel. I'm sure that from the moment Jack Smith took over, that his team that had been running these cases, were already well aware that at some point, they were going to get to that sort of inner circle around Trump and you know, at least from everything we know, the two critical people in that inner circle are Mark Meadows, and certainly, Mike Pence.

And so I think the anticipation that these sorts of obstacles would be thrown in their way, I think they certainly anticipated that. That is part of our process. I think, you know, it is -- the goal is to delay more than anything else, if something happens to stick, great. But I do think it will have an impact, but I think it is certainly something that in the Special Counsel' Office they've been well aware of prior to this time.

ACOSTA: If I can just follow up on the timeline issue in all of this, I was talking to Eli Honig a couple of hours ago on this program, and we were talking about how you know, because of these, you know, what Trump is trying to attempt with executive privilege, what the former Vice President has been attempting in terms of not wanting to testify himself, that this process could drag out for such a long period of time, that you may have a situation emerge where Trump is not only running for President, but perhaps on the cusp of starting to win some primaries. And how does that make things difficult for the Special Counsel, and do you think the Special Counsel might have sort of an end date in mind where he has to say, okay, wherever we are in this, we have to decide what we're doing with this and bring a case to indict or not?

STRZOK: Well, I think the Special Counsel is certainly aware of the timetable of what's going on. I mean, everybody, when we were working there, when Hillary Clinton was the presumptive, and then the actual Democratic candidate for the President of the United States, everybody knew what the date was.

I am certain that Special Counsel Smith and all the staff know what the dates are, but at the same time, I would be shocked if there was any other message from leadership, other than do what you need to do professionally as quickly as you can, but what comes first is doing a thorough professional job. That is the primary goal.

And all other dates, all other considerations are going to take a second seat to that primary goal of getting it done well, and so I think, yes, does everybody know Trump may be the next Republican candidate for President in 2024? Of course, they do. Is that going to substantively change anything other than, you know, kind of re- emphasizing a sense of urgency? No, I don't think it will at all.

ACOSTA: And you think the Special Counsel could conceivably bring a case if we were in the middle of primaries early next year?

STRZOK: I think so. Absolutely. And what's interesting, you know, in watching some of the coverage of CPAC, Trump was asked at CPAC this afternoon, if you are indicted, are you going to run for President? And he said yes.

So he himself has acknowledged the possibility that he could be indicted or under indictment, and that he still plans to move forward with, you know, attempting to gain the nomination and presumably if nominated to run for President.

ACOSTA: All right, fasten your seatbelts. Peter Strzok, thanks very much for your time. We appreciate it. Thanks

STRZOK: Thanks, Jim.

[19:03:10]

ACOSTA: All right, coming up, breaking news in to CNN. This is just coming in, another Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio just hours after a warning from a government officials that this would happen again.

A live report on that derailment is coming up in just a few moments.

And next, desperate messages in the snow. California residents spelling out "send plows," you're seeing that right now, "send plows" in hopes that helicopters above will see that they remain trapped. That's coming up in just a few moments. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: An emergency closure is in effect for California's San Bernardino National Forest. The order restricts road access to residents and emergency crews only. The County Sheriff says if you want to visit the snowy mountains, stay away.

CNN's Camila Bernal is in San Bernardino and you know, that was a question on my mind, which is you know, if you're a big skier, maybe you might want to run out there and go do some skiing, but you might get trapped unless you're driving in a monster truck or something. That snow is deep.

[19:40:11]

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, they're really telling people, Jim did that's not what you should be doing right now. There's people that desperately need help. There's people that are stuck up in the mountain, people that have come down this morning and have left their children up there. So there's a lot of anger and a lot of frustration.

It is not a time to be skiing. You have to think about the many, many people who have been stuck up there for days and still have no way of coming down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEREK HAYES, STRANDED IN SNOW: At first, I was really frustrated, but now, it's to the point where we're somewhat scared.

BERNAL (voice over): Derek Hayes trapped in the mountains of Southern California after an epic winter storm.

HAYES: There's nowhere to put the snow, there is no way to walk around this. You know, it's up to my neck and a lot of places. You take a step, you sink all the way down and have to crawl yourself back out of the snow to try to get on top of it to even move around.

BERNAL (voice over): Derek, just one of many who are stranded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's pretty unfathomable.

BERNAL (voice over): The only thing they can do is wait for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just crazy. There's no way to get out anywhere.

BERNAL (voice over): Their concerns, food, heat, medical emergencies or medicine and food for their pets, just to name a few.

The San Bernardino Mountains do get plenty of snow in the winter, but the past few weeks have been unprecedented with the National Weather Service issuing its first ever blizzard warning.

ROMAN DURAN, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: Our main concern right now is to try to get the infrastructure up the mountain to be able to clear some of these roadways so that we can essentially get, you know, the people that live up there back to their houses and the people that are stuck up there back down.

BERNAL (voice over): Emergency crews so far, carrying out roughly 100 rescues.

Governor Gavin Newsom also declaring a State of Emergency for San Bernardino County and 12 others activating the National Guard.

Residents say lives are in danger.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we're actually going to be getting a neighbor out of his house. He's a cancer patient, who is elderly, and he has a doctor's appointment that he's going to try and get to.

BERNAL (voice over): Some have been shoveling nonstop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To get the truck for the fourth time.

BERNAL (voice over): But not all are able to do so.

HANNAH WHITEOAK, STRANDED IN SNOW: It's one of the roughest, roughest experiences that you sort of go into survival mode. And you just could keep pushing through. You know, I feel incredibly bad for anyone that hasn't got that physical presence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERNAL (on camera): And authorities saying it could take up to five days to dig out some of the most impacted communities. They are asking for patience and even apologizing for taking such a long time -- Jim.

ACOSTA: And what kind of supplies do they need right now?

BERNAL: Everything. They need food, they need food for their pets, baby formula, medicine, all the pharmacies are closed. The grocery stores are closed so they're flying food in with helicopters, but there's a lot that people need because they just weren't ready for so much snow -- Jim.

ACOSTA: Wow. Those lines are really something. All right, Camila Bernal stay safe. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

We are following breaking news right now. Another Norfolk Southern train has derailed in Ohio, near the town of Springfield. This just one month after the toxic train derailment in East Palestine. More on the breaking news next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:13]

ACOSTA: Breaking News: Another Norfolk Southern freight train has derailed in Ohio in Springfield. This comes just one month after the toxic train derailment in East Palestine. CNN's Polo Sandoval is following this for us.

Polo, you know this comes after the NTSB Sheriff said another derailment could absolutely happen again, following what happened in East Palestine. Of course, you know these do happen from time to time, but again in Ohio.

What more are you learning at this point?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So no injuries and no hazardous material, Jim. Those are certainly two key important things here.

This derailment happening one month in one day after the toxic derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, though we need to be clear there is zero indication at this point in time that one would be potentially connected to another, but nonetheless the timing certainly is interesting and it certainly increases awareness about this incident that is unfolding currently there near Springfield, Ohio.

Norfolk Southern, the owner of the train confirming that it was one of their freight trains, approximately 20 cars of the roughly 212 cars derailed while traveling south near Springfield, Ohio. That's several hundred miles west of East Palestine.

And again no hazardous material believed to be on board though they do have representatives on their way to the scene to assess the situation and find out a little bit more. Ohio State Route 41 heavily impacted right now because of just an absolute just disastrous scene. Really, it's going to be more of a cleanup mess and a headache.

But I want you to hear directly from one of the witnesses, Shawn Heaton, who actually captured some video and reacted real time to this latest derailment that took place just a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAWN HEATON, WITNESSED DERAILMENT: I was watching it and people were just sitting there and you could kind of see it like off the tracks kicking up gravel and stuff.

But then, once the cars started coming off and go and going sideways and collapsing on each other, it was just time to go and that's when I take off and you just kind of see everybody going backwards down the road and getting out of there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:50:07]

SANDOVAL: Just for added context, the Federal Railroad Administration records roughly 1,000 derailments that happen a year. So unfortunately, it may not be that unusual, but certainly going to be important to follow up and find out what else is involved in this latest one.

Jim, back to you. ACOSTA: All right, Polo Sandoval. Thanks for staying on top of that. We appreciate it.

How did HQ Trivia go from internet obsession to total meltdown? Make sure to tune into the new CNN film "Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia" tomorrow at 9:00 PM. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm working with these guys who started Vine and they want to do this trivia show on an app. To me, I didn't have high hopes for it.

SCOTT: This is HQ. I'm Scott the host.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: HQ Trivia was everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could actually win real money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just kept getting bigger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bigger prizes, bigger celebrities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People dressed as me for Halloween. I was doing "Today Show," "Colbert." We had a Super Bowl commercial. This company is going to make a least $100 million.

It just got so popular and the app is not ready to work with too many people on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freezing, disconnection -- an error message.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it crashes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's when the cracks started showing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Collin and Rus started as cofounders, but both competing to be the CEO.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you have a lack of trust between the two people running the company, it leads to chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You had HQ imitators.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will Facebook copy this? And they did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was some jealousy. I was the face of the product we created.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am a god.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Working day and night really grueling hours, so what did they do? They got drunk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The end of this, they lost their life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't we -- why don't we grab lunch and we can do this after lunch?

ANNOUNCER: "Glitch: The rise and fall of HQ Trivia." Tomorrow at nine on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:43]

ACOSTA: It's been two weeks since the residents of Plains, Georgia learn that their beloved neighbor, former President Jimmy Carter would begin receiving hospice care at home.

Carter remains bonded to the tiny town where he was born and raised and later returned to after his presidency. CNN's Eva McKend went to Plains where residents are reflecting on the humble and loving Mr. Carter and his lifetime of service.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER (voice over): Plains, Georgia is Jimmy Carter country.

GEORGE MCAFEE, PLAINS RESIDENT: He is one of them tied in my book. One of the best.

MCKEND (voice over): Few American Presidents are so closely connected to where they were born and raised. That's why the impact of former President Carter's failing health is felt so acutely here in this town of about 500.

This tight-knit area is where Carter grew up, attended high school, met and married the love of his life, and where he returned after serving in the White House.

AVERY DAVIS ROBERTS, THE CARTER CENTER: This place, this geographic place where we are and this land had influenced him and influenced how he saw the world.

MCKEND (voice over): This train depot, it's a museum now. It was Carter's campaign headquarters during his presidential run. He went from here to the White House, back to his house, just down the street.

But to the people here, the former President will always be "Mr. Jimmy."

MCKEND (voice over): Embodying the spirit of Carter, George McAfee volunteers by walking around Plains cleaning up the streets.

MCAFEE: I've got 10 cigarette butts.

MCKEND (voice over): McAfee has lived in the area his whole life and would frequently see the former President and his wife riding their bikes around town. MCAFEE: He had told me what -- when we first moved here, and me and my wife was out here, he told me, he said if you ever have any problem anytime, he said, call me.

MCKEND (voice over): As they brace for the inevitable, people here say they are comforted by their faith.

MARVIN LASTER, FORMER CEO, JIMMY AND ROSALYNN CARTER BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB: All this well with him. All his spirit. All as well with his soul, and that he has lived as the Master will have him to live.

MCKEND (voice over): Marvin Laster is the former CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Albany, Georgia. That includes the location in Plains that bears the name of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. He's gotten to know the former President well over the past five years, especially when Carter resisted having his name on the club.

LASTER: The only time that I've ever had a disagreement with him was about the naming of this club, just as he did with the Geneva Accords when he was riding his bicycle in between houses to negotiate peace, we negotiated peace that day.

MCKEND (voice over): Respect and adoration echoed by many whose lives crossed paths with Carter.

ROBERTS: He really liked learning about what people's life experiences were and trying to think about ways that we could contribute as the Carter Center to making life better and easier for people.

MCAFEE: He was everything and anything. We will miss him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And our thanks to Eva McKend for that terrific report.

That's the news. Thanks for joining me this evening.

Reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta.

I'll see you again tomorrow night starting at 4:00 PM Eastern.

Up next, the unbelievable true story of the man who took on Putin and live to expose the truth. The Sundance award-winning CNN film, "Navalny" airs right now.

Thanks for watching.

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