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Second Norfolk Southern Train Derails in Ohio; Trump's Speech is Filled with Falsehoods and Inaccurate Claims; There Are Lots of Talking Points, But Not Targeting Trump; Battle for Bakhmut Continues; Ukrainian Girl Speaks at Kremlin's Pro-War Rally. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 06, 2023 - 03:00   ET

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


[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Norfolk Southern is getting slammed again after another train derailed in Ohia. What we know about that second train and what it was carrying.

An active GOP likely presidential candidate speaking from Maryland to California, nailing the talking points, but refusing to target Trump. But is that a winning strategy? We will ask our senior political analyst.

Plus, the battle for Bakhmut and what it could mean for the war in Ukraine if the city falls to the Russians.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN Center. This is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. We start in the U.S. Midwest where the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to Ohio a little more than 24 hours after another Norfolk Southern freight train derailed. It was the second derailment by that company in that state in a little over a month after the toxic crash in East Palestine.

CNN's Polo Sandoval has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The general manager of Norfolk Southern, the owner and operator of the train involved in Saturday's derailment saying that there were hazardous materials that were being transported on this train, including ethanol and propane, but they were not on the train cars that actually left the tracks on Saturday. A total of 20 out of the 212 train cars actually left the tracks as this train was headed for Northern Ohio down to Birmingham, Alabama. Authorities really shifted a lot of their focus on four tanker train cars. Two of them were hauling what is being described as diesel exhaust fluid while the other two were hauling water soluble solution that is often used to treat wastewater, common industrial solution, as they describe them. However, authorities say that those train cars did not experienced any sort of spillage.

So, the head of the EPA in the state of Ohio is saying that there was no chemical released into the air, into the water, and into the soil. So, now, a lot of the focus will certainly be on a massive cleanup process that is underway there in Springfield, Ohio and also on the investigation as they try to find out exactly what led to this derailment just a little over a month after the toxic tragedy that took place in East Palestine, Ohio.

It is the same rail company and the same state. However, at this point, the investigation has certainly nothing to lead investigators to believe that they could potentially be linked, but certainly a reminder that these kinds of derailments are happening. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, roughly 1,000 derailments is happening in the U.S. per year.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Here in Georgia, more than 30 people were detained after chaos erupted at the site of Atlanta's proposed Public Safety Training Center also known as Cop City.

Police say a group of violent agitators use the cover of a peaceful protest to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers. They say the agitators threw large rocks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at authorities, but none of them were injured in the incident. The police chief says those detained will face appropriate charges.

CNN's Isabella Rosales has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISABELLA ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All of this comes after a week of action, which started just yesterday by organizers here, nearly of activists who call themselves defender of the forest. It is seven days of events designed to draw attention to the Stop Cop City movement.

So, a protest, a rally. They've done guided tours of portion of the nearby forest area where activists have been really camping out for over a year in protest of this project that they have dubbed Cop City.

Back in 2021, Atlanta City Council authorized a plan to build a giant sort-of-the-art training center, $90 million for the city's police and fire departments, 85 acres complex. That will be one of the largest in the U.S. (INAUDIBLE). But after this, they called this an Urban Warfare Training Center. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:04:56]

CHURCH: U.S. President Joe Biden called for stronger voter protections at an event marking the 58th anniversary of the "Blood Sunday" march in Selma, Alabama.

On that day, in 1965, state troopers attacked hundreds of civil rights marchers attempting to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Dozens were injured and 17 people had to be hospitalized, including the late Congressman John Lewis.

In his remarks, President Biden called for passage of a sweeping voting rights measure named after Lewis, arguing it is the right to vote that makes democracy possible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Selma is a reckoning. The right to vote, the right to vote, to have your vote counted, is the threshold of democracy and liberty. With it, anything is possible. Without it, without that right, nothing is possible. And this fundamental right remains under assault. The conservative Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act over the years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mr. Biden also took part in the annual walk across the bridge on Sunday.

Former President Donald Trump has a long history of inaccurate statements and falsehoods, and he served up more of the same during his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland last week. His lengthy address was filled with wildly inaccurate claims on a range of topics, including foreign affairs, crime, elections, Joe Biden's presidency, and his own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The greatest job history of any president ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN reporter Daniel Dale fact-checked Trump's CPAC speech, starting with the statement you just heard. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL DALE, CNN REPORTER: This claim is not even close to true. The economy lost about 2.7 million jobs over Trump's four years. That's the worst, not the greatest, jobs record for any modern-day president.

Now, I think you could fairly say, well, there is the COVID-19 pandemic that hurt jobs, but if you look at the first three years of Trump's tenure, he still wasn't the greatest. There are about 6.5 million new jobs created. That is middle of the pack in percentage terms, not even close to the actual record, which was 11.5 million new jobs under Democratic President Bill Clinton in the early 1990s.

Now, let's look at a claim that Trump made about the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.

TRUMP: I got along very well with Putin. Even though I'm the one that ended his pipeline. Remember, they said Trump is giving a lot to Russia. Really? Putin actually said to me, if you're my friend, I'd hate like hell to see you as my enemy.

(LAUGHTER)

Because I ended the pipeline. Right? You remember? Nord Stream 2. But I ended it. It was dead.

DALE: President Trump did not kill this pipeline. He did impose sanctions on companies on companies constructing the pipeline. But that didn't come until late 2019, nearly three years into his presidency, with the pipeline about 90% completed. Now, the sanctions did appear to slow down the project.

But also, during Trump's presidency, about a year later, the Russia State-owned company behind the pipeline said, we will just build it ourselves and that they would resume construction.

Germany, with a few days left in Trump presidency -- Trump's presidency, also renewed the permits for construction in its waters. Now, the pipeline was eventually completed before Germany abandoned it in '22 just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Trump also made a big claim about his wall on Mexican border.

TRUMP: As you know, I build hundreds of miles of wall and completed that task, as promised. And then, I began to add even more in areas that seemed to be allowing a lot of people to come in.

DALE: I think it's obvious from the president's words that the claim that he completed the wall is not true. His saying he completed it and then moved doing more buildings does not make sense. But we have the numbers to confirm it does not make sense and that it was not done.

An official document from U.S. Customs and Border Protection called a border wall status report published two days after Trump left office said that 458 miles of wall have been completed under Trump, but about 280 additional miles that had been identified for wall construction had not been completed.

Finally, I would look at something that Trump said about Minnesota during the 2020 protest that followed the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police.

TRUMP: We saved Minneapolis. The thing is we are not supposed to do that because it is up to the governor, the Democrat governor. They never want any help. They don't want it. It's almost like they don't mind to have their cities and states destroyed. There's something wrong with these people.

DALE: Now, Trump has been saying this since mid-2020, and it is a reversal of reality. He said the Democratic governor of Minnesota wouldn't do anything about the civil unrest, so Trump had to. In fact, it was that Democratic governor, Tim Walz, who activated the Minnesota National Guard to deal with the unrest, and his office told CNN in 2020, he did so in response to request from Democratic mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

[03:10:02]

Now, Trump did demand that that walls activate the guard, but in reality, he had already done so seven hours before the then-president made the demand in public.

Daniel Dale, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: One prominent Republican has announced he won't run for president next year. Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said Sunday he will not compete in the republican primaries. He said he's worried his candidacy in a crowded field could help former President Donald Trump win the nomination.

But one current Republican governor is widely expected to run in the 2024 race. That is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. On Sunday, he visited California where he spoke at the Reagan Presidential Library. There, he claimed Florida has seen an influx of residents from democratic strongholds, casting Florida's approach to governance under his leadership as superior to left-wing states.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): We've witnessed a great American exodus from states governed by leftist politicians imposing leftist ideology and delivering poor results, and you've seen massive gains in states like Florida who are governing according to the tried and true principles that President Reagan held dear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst and senior editor for "The Atlantic." He joins me now from Los Angeles. Ron, great to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hello, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, at the CPAC gathering, Donald Trump attacked President Biden- and many Republicans, vowing retribution against Democrats and establishment Republicans. What became very clear at that gathering is that Trump remains king, for now at least.

That is reflected in polls showing him far head of the field although Ron DeSantis has a chance of threatening Trump's position, perhaps, but only if it becomes a two-man race. Where do you see the republican nomination for the presidential race going from here?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, it's interesting because, as you pointed out, Donald Trump has reestablished a lead in polling. There have been more poll showing DeSantis ahead, including in some of the key states like New Hampshire in the last few weeks. But Trump showed over the weekend, I think, both his strength and his limitation.

I mean, the strength is that he has an iron grip on a portion of the party, particularly the most conservative elements of the party and particularly voters without a college degree in the Republican Party.

Now, compared to 2016, though, his ceiling does look lower and his reach does look more narrow. In 2016, he pretty much appealed across the ideological spectrum. There wasn't much difference in his support between the most conservative voters and more moderate and centrist voters.

But as you saw at CPAC, the kind of message that he is giving right now is pretty much confining him to the most militant conservative voters in the party predominantly.

There is room. There is room among white collar, somewhat more moderate, economically-focused audience or simply more pragmatic Republican audience that worries about Trump's ability to win. The question, as in 2016, has always been, can anyone unify the part of the party dubious of Trump as effectively as Trump can unify the part of the party that is attracted to him?

CHURCH: Right. And, of course, former Vice President Mike Pence twice declined to support Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee, saying he thinks there will be better choices. He's hoping he'll be one of them, of course. We're seeing these widening divisions within the Republican Party.

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.

CHURCH: And that was made very clear at the CPAC meeting where DeSantis, Pence and others decided not to attend, leaving mostly strong Trump supporters in attendance there.

BROWNSTEIN: Yup.

CHURCH: What does that reveal in terms of who is brave enough to take on Trump, at this juncture at least, and who chooses to hide and perhaps wait this out?

BROWNSTEIN: So far, the answer is no one is brave enough really to take him on directly. It's understandable that the candidates stayed away from CPAC itself. The institution has lost luster with the allegations of sexual misconduct against its director, allegations by another Republican. And also, it has effectively become a Trump subsidiary.

It wasn't that big a deal that they stayed away. The bigger deal is that they -- no one yet in the republican field is willing to make a direct case against Donald Trump. I think, if anything of the last few weeks have showed us, is that despite everything that has happened, January 6th, the threat of indictment, the losses in 2022 of so many candidates that he handpicked for the GOP, he still has the biggest piece of the party.

[03:15:02]

He's still the biggest figure in the party. What that means is that if you're going to beat him, you're going to have to give voters a very clear and persuasive reason why they should pick you and not him. Whether it was Mike Pompeo or Nikki Haley at CPAC or the others, no one really has been willing to do that.

They've only gone as far as pretty bailed euphemism. You know, generational change, hints at electability. Someone sooner or later is going to have to make a stronger case against Trump if they want to keep him from being the GOP nominee again.

CHURCH: Right. And what about President Joe Biden's apparent plan to run in 2024? If that happens, how would he likely go up against Trump again or alternatively against DeSantis if the governor defeats Trump for the nomination?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, look, '22 showed you one path for Biden to win, which is that in unusually, really almost an unprecedentedly large number of voters who said they were unhappy with his performance and/or unhappy with the economy, voted for Democrats anyway because they thought the republican alternative was too extreme and too tied to Trump.

So, there is that possibility of being able to mobilize a winning coalition, not so much an affirmative support of, you know, your record, but in fear of what this modern Republican Party will mean to your rights, your values, and to democracy itself.

I think Biden's vision of how he wins is that that fear turns out the core democratic base of young people, voters of color, and college- educated white voters, all of them, primarily situated in our largest metro areas.

Biden himself who is focused on kitchen table economics, the blue collar blueprint to rebuild the America, defending social security and Medicare, cutting down the prices of drugs like insulin, that through all of those efforts, he can pick up a few points on the other side of the ledger, among culturally-conservative blue collar, older non-urban voters who would be attracted to a Trumpian cultural message but might find -- might believe Biden's argument that he's looking up for them economically.

It is almost like a division of responsibility for mobilizing the democratic base, which may not be his forte, but trying to cut into that economically-strain, culturally-conservative constituency that has moved so sharply towards the GOP in the Trump era. That seems to be where Biden is focusing his efforts.

CHURCH: Ron Brownstein, always a pleasure to have you with us and to share in your analysis. Appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: More than 10 million people are under winter weather alerts from the West Coast through the Midwestern U.S. right now. the Winter Storm System is expected to reach the Great Lakes area in the coming hours with up to eight inches of snow possible in parts of Michigan by Tuesday. High winds also in the forecast for some cities.

Meantime, snow is still forming in California where some cities could see more than three feet of fresh powder over the next 24 hours. All of that snow is creating problems for residents trapped in their homes with few supplies for the freezing weather.

And still to come, a situation very mike like hell. We are hearing from Ukrainian forces in the eastern city of Bakhmut where there has been no end to the fierce fighting.

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[03:20:00]

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CHURCH: We are following developments in Ukraine where Russia says that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has visited the city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region captured by Russian forces last year.

The defense ministry says Shoigu was inspecting the progress of work by its military to restore infrastructure in the Donbas region. It is not known when the visit took place.

Meantime, Ukrainian forces say that they are still holding on to a key highway in Bakhmut amid a fierce battle for control of the city on the eastern frontlines. Officials are dismissing speculation of a possible Ukrainian withdrawal, but one soldier describes a difficult situation inside Bakhmut where Russia's assault continues to cause destruction and losses for Ukraine.

Evacuation efforts have also slowed. Officials say that at least 5 to 10 residents are leaving daily.

And CNN's Scott McLean is following developments. He joins us now live from London. Good morning to you again, Scott. So, what is the latest on this fierce fight for Bakhmut?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, yeah, it is extremely difficult to get reliable information as to what exactly is happening in Bakhmut. But it seems like things over the last few days have shifted.

Just last week, you will remember that it appeared that the Ukrainians may, in fact, be forced to withdraw from the town. You had the Russians taking out a key bridge which cut off one of the Ukrainians' last remaining supply routes in and out. You had Ukrainian drone reconnaissance unit being ordered to withdraw. Ukrainian officials themselves were not ruling out the possibility. You have the head of the Wagner private military company saying, look, the pincers are tightening and that the city or that the town is nearly surrounded, something that the Ukrainians disputed.

But now, it appears that the situation looks different. The Ukrainians say that, look, things are difficult. One commander on the ground said that things are like hell, in his words, but he also says the things have stabilized. Not only are they not withdrawing from the town but that they are bringing in more troops to the frontlines to stabilize things.

He also says that the Ukrainians still maintain control of a very key highway that connects Bakhmut to the next town to the west, which is obviously key to getting supplies in and out.

And while the Ukrainians acknowledged that look, the Russians have had some success from the outskirts of the town to the north and northwest, he says that the river that bisects the town has not been crossed and that the Ukrainians still remain very much in control of the town center.

[03:24:56]

For at least -- so at least for the time being, the Ukrainians continue to fight there. But Bakhmut, despite the fact that it is heavily fortified both by Ukrainian defenses, and naturally the former head of the British army says that look, there is not all that much strategic value for the Ukrainians to be fighting for and having these heavy losses over, he believes that the Ukrainians will be well served to move back to a line that is more much defensible, although at this point doesn't look like there is any plan to do that. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Scott McLean joining us live from London. Appreciate it.

Russian propaganda and social media have given us a glimpse into Russia's practice of taking Ukrainian children and forcing them to be adopted and raised by Russian parents, a practice that is considered a war crime. Melissa Bell has the story of a Ukrainian girl who went from occupied Mariupol to a pro-war rally in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vladimir Putin celebrating his army. The special guests this year, children from Ukraine's occupied territories.

ANYA NAUMENKO, BROUGHT FROM FOSTER FAMILY IN MARIUPOL TO MOSCOW (through translator): Thank you for saving me, my sister, and hundreds of thousands of children in Mariupol.

(APPLAUSE)

I forgot a little.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Anya, don't be shy. Go hug Uncle Yuri (ph). Everyone gives a hug. Look, it is the man who saved you all.

BELL (voice-over): But who is Anya? By tracking down family members too scared to speak on air, an exclusive CNN investigation has found the story of 13-year-old Anna Naumenko or Anya, she is known, who was brought specially from her foster family in Mariupol for the event in Moscow.

And behind the propaganda, Anya's own bewildered view posted to her social media.

Look at all of the rose, she says, before being told where she will stand and what she will say.

(EXPLOSION)

It was a year ago that Anya's hometown of Mariupol was pounded. Devastating heavy artillery forcing its population underground, to basements like this one. A refuge shared for much of the three-moth long siege by Anya, her family, and Kateryna Pustovit, who is now in Germany. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her on stage.

KATERYNA PUSTOVIT, FRIEND OF ANYA'S FAMILY (through translator): We were like a family. We saved ourselves. Saved our lives.

BELL (voice-over): But in early April, Anya's mother, Olga, left the basement and was killed by Russian shelling.

Anya's grief for her mother, like so much else, innocently shared online. I want to be with you, she writes. By the end of the siege, Anya and her siblings were separated by their mother's death. Anya was sent to a foster family in Mariupol.

Karim Khan, the head of the International Criminal Court, believes that through its propaganda, Moscow risks incriminating itself.

KARIM KHAN, CHIEF PROSECUTOR, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT: Regarding Anna, it's very troubling. And the (INAUDIBLE). And in fact, the Geneva conventions make it clear regarding how children must be treated by occupying powers. The law is present. Too many think it is an optional extra (ph).

BELL (voice-over): CNN has reached out to Russian officials for comment on the children featured in Putin's rally last week. Moscow has not responded.

But for all the tragedy of Anya's short life so far, the propaganda event has brought her fresh travels. Daily and violent threats under her adolescent posts. Anya, don't be shy, when we celebrate Mariupol again, you'll be hanging from a post downtown. Just one of the threats made, but a reflection of so much more of the abuse young Anya has received.

PUSTOVIT (through translator): We need to stay human. She is a child who survived the war, famine, and lost her mother. She is small. Even if she looks like an adult, she is a child. BELL (voice-over): But children, as symbols of the future, play an important part in Orwellian displays of loyalty to Moscow, like this one held in occupied Mariupol last week. Two visions of childhood, one carefree, the other twisted.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: The FBI is asking the public for information after four U.S. citizens were kidnapped in Mexico. It happened on Friday in the town of Matamoros in Tamaulipas State. The FBI press release says that the four Americans had just entered the town while driving a white minivan with North Carolina plates when unidentified gunmen fired at the passengers.

[03:30:05]

Armed men then took them away in another vehicle. The U.S. Consulate general has previously listed the state as Level 4 Do Not Travel area.

Still to come, one month after the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria, a look back at the damage and how survivors are trying to move forward. We're live in Turkey after the break.

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CHURCH: It has been a month since a deadly earthquake rocked parts of Turkey and Syria. Recovery has been slow, but it is ongoing. Officials say the disaster has killed more than 51,000 people in both countries. One aid group has described the damage as extraordinary. More than 5,700 buildings were destroyed in Turkey along with police carrying out dozens of arrests over a large shoddy construction.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised new homes for those who've been displaced. He is up for reelection this year. And in the coming hours, the opposition is expected to reveal his challenger in the race.

And CNN's Nada Bashir joins me now live from Istanbul with more. So, Nada, one month after the initial deadly earthquake and aftershocks, what is the situation on the ground for the survivors left homeless?

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, Rosemary, according to aid groups, there are more than 1.9 million people currently living in temporary accommodations.

[03:34:58]

We've seen hundreds of thousands of people living in tents. Now, these tent cities being set up across Turkey southeast as well as efforts to create the more long-term container cities for people who've lost their homes across the region. Of course, those living in the temporary shelters have limited access to basic things like sanitation, water, medical services. And we've visited a number of the camps in the southeast and hard-hit region of Hatay, in particular in the city of Antakya and Iskenderyn, both of which were almost completely flattened by the earthquake. Hundreds of thousands of people, including families with young children, now being forced to live in these tent cities. Some families who have been speaking to us and in touch with since they're still living on the street, waiting for tents to be given to them. So, this is a hugely difficult time for families who have lost absolutely everything.

And look, the government has said that it is working around the clock to provide support to those now living in these tent cities. We've seen eight groups on the ground. Turkey's disaster and emergency agency has also been on the ground coordinating that effort. And we are still seeing those donation drives being publicized across Turkey. There is still the continued call for international support.

The U.N. itself appearing for the $1 million in aid towards Turkey as well as $400 million for Syria. So, there is a significant push for support from the international community. But look, the message that we're hearing from eight groups is that more needs to be done.

And in fact, the U.N. is warning that the need for temporary shelter, the need for accommodation, for those who've lost their homes, is only going to continue to grow. And there is real concern, of course, around the impact the aftershocks will have on buildings that are still insecure. There are many buildings which may still be standing but are simply too unsafe for families to return to. And so, this also poses a significant challenge to the government.

CHURCH: All right. Nada Bashir joining us live from Istanbul, many thanks for that live report.

Well, meanwhile, UNICEF says that almost 4 million children in Syria, who survived the earthquake, are facing several catastrophic threats. The warning came as the agency's executive director visited the region last week. Those threats include the emotional and psychological impact of the disaster, the increased risk of diseases and the lack of basic services for those suffering through 12 years of civil war.

And joining me now live from Bab al-Salam, Syria is Joe English. He is the emergency communications specialist for UNICEF. Thank you so much for speaking with us.

JOE ENGLISH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, UNICEF: Good to be with you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Now, you have been meeting with families in both Syria and in Turkey. So, you know that dire situations confronting these children. One month after the initial deadly earthquake hit this region, what can you tell us about access to humanitarian aid for these children, and of course, their families?

ENGLISH: Yeah. I was in Hatay over the weekend. And honestly, I was prepared for the worst when I was going in. And words do not do justice for the level of devastation. You know, it is hard when you're driving in through town. There's just blocks after block after block of children's homes, their schools, their hospitals destroyed. And it's hard to imagine how anyone tries to survive at all.

But hundreds of thousands have survived and they are now living in camps in Turkey and Syria. Hundreds of thousands of children and families are living in camps even before this. We know the humanitarian needs of Syria are higher than they have ever been, even before the devastating earthquake.

And so, now, many families, you know, they're just in survival mode. So, UNICEF and the U.N. were there. We are helping people with safe drinking water, with shelter, with food. But the needs are absolutely huge. And so, the international support, the continued support has to be there in the long term.

CHURCH: And Joe, what stories are you able to share with us about some of the children that you have been helping?

ENGLISH: Yeah, certainly. I mean, I met a young boy just last weekend (inaudible) in northwest Syria and he was 11 years old. And I asked where it was from originally, and he said he was from Hama (ph). He had left there when he was a baby because of the fighting. And so, these children have been through so much. And now, these earthquakes, the aftershocks, the psychosocial impact from them are absolutely huge.

Children are having nightmares, night tears (ph). They may be exhibiting signs of distress whether that's, you know, going within themselves, not wanting to leave their parent's side or leave the tent. Families are terrified to go home because aftershocks continue. In Hatay just yesterday, another building collapsed. And so, many of these families are going to be intense for the foreseeable future. We need to be providing them with that psychosocial support and chance of education to help them at least rebuild a semblance of the life in the weeks and months to come.

CHURCH: Yeah. It's so important. And Joe, what is the greatest need for children and what are they having to deal with at this time?

[03:40:00]

ENGLISH: Yes, you know, two immediate priorities, the UNICEF and the U.N. is getting safe drinking water to children and families. We know that there is a cholera outbreak in Syria at the moment. And this is the kind of waterborne diseased that it takes hold in communities could just be a catastrophe on top of the almost an ordinary catastrophe they go (inaudible).

And so, safe drinking water, shelter, the winds are going to them, you know. We known that camps already, they're tents are being destroyed and damaged by the winds. Several children are (inaudible) last week or so. These camps are no place for children to grow up. And so, the needs are huge, but we'll be here. You know, we'll be providing that support in the long term, but we can't do it without the support of the public of the government and the international community. CHURCH: Joe English, thank you so much for talking with us, and we

salute you for the work and the work your organization is doing. Thank you so much.

ENGLISH: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: As millions of Afghans endure a brutal and deadly winter, humanitarian groups are urging the Taliban government to do more to help. We will bring you some of the heartbreaking stories of loss, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: After fleeing violence in Myanmar, thousands of people are now homeless again after a fire ripped through a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. The fire gutted around 2,000 huts and (inaudible) bizarre on Sunday. Refugee volunteers trained in firefighting eventually gain control of the flames. We've not heard reports of any deaths, but around 12,000 people have been displaced. Authorities and humanitarian groups are working to provide food and shelter to those impacted.

[03:44:52]

It has been a deadly winter in Afghanistan, the coldest in more than a decade according to the U.N. refugee agency. But the country's humanitarian problems won't disappear when spring arrives in just a few weeks. Extreme poverty and hunger have only been made worse by Taliban policies, limiting the assistance aid agencies can provide.

CNN's Anna Coren reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fresh snow blankets the hilltops of Ghor province in Central Afghanistan, creating the illusion of a winter wonderland. But for those who live here, there is no wonder, let alone glimmer of hope. Simply staying alive is a daily struggle.

For this family, their young son lost the battle. Now, they huddle around his hillside grave, offering prayers to 6-year-old Wahid who just days ago froze to death.

I miss my brother and that is why I came to visit him at the graveyard, she says. Abdul Sahir (ph) moved his family to the township of Feroz Koh in Ghor looking for work as a laborer. Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, he was unable to make ends meet.

I had nothing to burn to keep the house warm, he explains. I checked on the children during the night and their bodies were numb. I realized my son had died of frostbite. This is a photo of him last year, he says, and this is his dead body.

An unprecedentedly brutal winter has claimed countless Afghan lives this year, but so too has extreme poverty. This has been exacerbated by the repercussions of the Taliban government's dystopian gender policies and the response where they are national community.

Almost a year ago, the Taliban banned female secondary students from attending school. That has morphed into a nationwide ban on all female education. But it was the Taliban's decision in December banning women from working for non-governmental organizations that forced humanitarian aid groups to abruptly halt or suspend operations.

JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: There is 28 million Afghans in desperate need at the moment, 28 million, and we're not even reaching a fraction of those.

COREN (voice-over): The Norwegian Refugee Council says they normally helped 700,000 Afghans each year, but their operation has been drastically pared back. Its secretary general recently traveled to Kabul, pleading with the Taliban to allow female aid workers to return to work.

EGELAND: It is at its worst hour. It's never been as bad as it is now.

COREN (voice-over): A 35-year-old, Zeforo (ph), wipes away her tears as she grieves for her husband who perished from the cold also in Ghor province, father and breadwinner for their eight children, the youngest just two. Now, she is wondering how to keep her family alive.

I have no education, she says. My children need food, what should I do?

Three of her children are girls, including 12-year-old, Mamlikat (ph), who knows all too well what happens to poor, young afghan girls who reach puberty.

I'm worried that if we do not have food, my brothers will be forced to sell or marry me under pressure, she says. I don't want to get married. I'm a kid. I don't want a husband.

U.S. Charity Too Young to Wed says that it has been able to provide emergency aid for the family and many others. But founder, Stephanie Sinclair, says the avalanche of meat is overwhelming, and they are unable to help everyone.

STEPHANIE SINCLAIR, FOUNDER, TOO YOUNG TO WED: To me, it is unconscionable that the international community is not paying more attention to what is happening to women and girls in Afghanistan. It is just inexcusable that we're not doing everything in our power to try to change the course of what's happening there. We have to do better.

COREN (voice-over): And with the U.N. predicting two-thirds of the population will require humanitarian aid this year, Afghan children, like Mamlikat (ph), can only hope that the world is listening.

(on camera): Rosemary, the U.N. Special Rapporteur to Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, issued reports from the weekend, taking aim at the Taliban's erasure (ph) of women girls in society. Remember, they are banned from school, from university, from the workforce. The women I speak to say that they feel invisible.

Now, this gender war is huge for the international community and one of the main reasons for international sanctions against the Taliban and the freezing of billions of dollars in Afghan reserves. The report said, quote, "the denial of women and girls' fundamental human rights may mount to gender persecution, a crime against humanity."

Rosemary, the Taliban has yet to respond to this report.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Anna Coren, many thanks for bringing the story. I appreciate it.

And we're back in just a moment. You're watching CNN.

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CHURCH: A U.S. bound passenger flight had to return to Cuba on Sunday after reportedly being hit by birds. This video captures the scene as smoke filled the cabin. Southwest Airlines says its flight was headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida from Havana when birds hit the nose cone and one of the engines. Passengers used slides to evacuate the plane once it touched down in an emergency landing. There are no reports of injuries and people were being rebooked on to other flights.

Actor and comedian Chris Rock is finally addressing the infamous slap at last year's academy awards. In his new Netflix special, it was almost a year ago that actor Will Smith smack Rock across the face after making jokes about smith's wife, actress, Jada Pinkett Smith.

CNN's Chloe Melas reports.

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CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Chris Rock took the stage for his Netflix standup special, and he gave everybody what they came to see. He finally addressed the Oscars slap, when Will Smith took to the stage at last year's Oscars and slapped him across the face. Take a listen to a little bit of what Chris Rock had to say.

[03:55:07]

CHRIS ROCK, ACTOR AND COMEDIAN: Y'all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Shoog (ph) Smith. It still hurts. I've got summertime ringing in my ears.

I love Will Smith. My whole life I love (BLEEP) this guy. My whole life I (BLEEP) for this guy, okay? And now, I watch Emancipation just to see him get whooped.

MELAS: This is only part of what Chris Rock said. He made the jokes at nearly the end of his two-hour special that was livestreamed and it was live on Netflix. There were a lot of comedians and friends of his in attendance, some who opened for him, some who were just in the audience. But the crowd erupted into laughter. You know, CNN has reached out to Will Smith's camp for comment.

In the special it says that he is not going to sit down with Oprah or anything like that anytime soon. So for now, this is Chris Rock addressing the spa and I can only imagine it will still be fodder for jokes of Chris Rock to come. But overall, people are really, really happy with the special, and he is getting a lot of praise for it. Back to you.

CHURCH: Thanks for that. World number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic, has withdrawn from this week's BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in California. The Serb's exit comes after he said last month that he had hoped for a positive result on U.S. tennis tournament participation after applying for special permission to play. The U.S. requires international visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and Djokovic has said publicly he remains unvaccinated.

And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobili next.

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