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Americans Kidnapped In Mexico Identified; Ukraine Vows To Defend Bakhmut As Russia Tries To Encircle It; Evacuation Efforts Ongoing For Civilians Still In Bakhmut; China Warns of Conflict if "U.S. Does Not Hit The Brakes"; Afghan Women Barred From Attending University. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 07, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:31]

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

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Scary moments in the sky. An airline passenger accused of trying to open the emergency door and stabbing a flight attendant. We'll have more on that and a closer look at the recent spate of mishaps plaguing the airline industry.

Parts of California buried under snow with more on the way some people trapped in their homes for days with supplies running low. Their message right now, we need help.

Plus, kidnapped in Mexico. CNN has learned the identities of the four Americans taken at gunpoint as the FBI asked the public for help finding them.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, growing concern about aviation safety in the United States after a series of incidents both in the air and on the ground. The leaders during a United Airlines fly from Los Angeles to Boston on Monday, a man allegedly tried to open an emergency exit door midflight before attempting to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon.

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CHURCH: That man, Francisco Severo Torres was tackled by other passengers. Zip tied according to a woman on the flight and then immediately taken into custody once the plane landed. Torres told law enforcement he was trying to defend himself because he believed the flight attendants were trying to kill him.

Also on Monday, two planes collided at Boston's Logan Airport. The wing of one jet clipped the tail of another just before takeoff, adding to the alarming list of dangerous incidents as Tom Foreman reports.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An engine bursting into flames smoke filling the cabin and an emergency landing. All alarming to passengers on this Southwest flight from Cuba to Florida, which the airline says had to turn back after hitting birds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just feel the explosion. A lot of smoke.

JANET ABBOTT, PASSENGER: People were screaming not knowing what to do and we kept trying to breathe and it's filling up with more smoke and it's very acidy.

FOREMAN: In Boston, a trifecta of trouble. Federal authorities say a man attempted to open an exit door on a united jet coming from Los Angeles and allegedly tried to stab a flight attendant with a broken spoon before being tackled by other passengers. On the ground, two departing passenger planes collided as one of them was pushed back from its gate. And all of that is just a week after a near collision there between two other jets.

One, a private Learjet taking off, the other commercial jet landing. Aviation analysts say airports are struggling with this rash of hits and near collisions.

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: They've developed a lot of equipment runway alerting systems, and they have a lot of advisory programs. But despite all the efforts, runway incursions are increasing. The statistics are headed the wrong way. And it is the most dangerous thing in aviation today.

FOREMAN: And still more trouble. Last week a Lufthansa plane carrying among others. Actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camilla ran into severe turbulence. She posted, I was told the plane dropped almost 4000 feet, seven people went to the hospital. A different passenger told Erin for OutFront.

JAZZ KANTIPUDI, PASSENGER: Suddenly there was just like this big drop and everything just flew everywhere and it was a huge mess. And I saw the attendant on my right basically hit the ceiling and was completely horizontal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the tower with a medical emergency, landing runway six.

FOREMAN: And in yet another case of violent turbulence. A private jet over New England was hit so hard. One of the three passengers, a woman from Maryland died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the information I have about the emergency is possible laceration requesting medical assistance on the runway.

FOREMAN: The National Transportation Safety Board says moments before the turbulence that plane also experienced a problem with its trim control. [02:05:02]

JENNIFER HOMENDY, NTSB CHAIR: They were in the process of diagnosing that when they received momentary inflight upset. And so, this is something we are investigating.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: Some of these incidents may just be coincidences, some may point to deeper problems. But they all underscore how the airline industry is still stumbling along a bit as it tries to bounce back from some trying years. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: And CNN Aviation Analyst Mary Schiavo says there are several reasons for the increasing number of rage incidents on planes like Monday's incident when a man tried to open that emergency door and attempted to stab a flight attendant. Here's what Mary Schiavo said about that.

SCHIAVO: Well, I actually have two different reactions. One is good, one is not good. First and foremost, he would not be able to open the door ion flight. Others have tried that and their safety mechanisms and the pressurization. So, he was not going to succeed. That's the good news. The bad news is air rage incidents. And this is considered an air rage incident even though it is obviously an assault and battery on a flight attendant.

But they have increased over the years. A lot of them are alcohol fueled. Some of them concern mental disturbances and other medications. And then some -- and this is when the evaluators really want to be honest, it's the frustration level. As the airports have filled back up again and the planes and fill back up again, people are frustrated, people are angry, and sadly they take it out on the plane and the crew.

And of course, the ways they have been attack -- trying to attack this problem, stop this problem is by increasing the penalties and increasing the enforcement. So, there's very little tolerance for this on a plane you will get hauled off.

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CHURCH: California continues to bear the brunt of winter weather with nearly two weeks of snow that hasn't melted in some areas. Some counties are declaring local emergencies due to the impact of the storms. The bad news is more snow is on the way. In the coming hours, northern parts of the state could see up to three feet of snow. Meantime, residents of Southern California are getting desperate as they wait for government help trapped behind walls of snow. Now tensions are starting to run high.

CNN's Camila Bernal has more now from California.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Residents here are still frustrated and so upset just because of how long this entire process is taking. There are people here that have been at their homes for more than 10 days without being able to leave, without access to food, a grocery store, a pharmacy. Here behind me is the only grocery store in town. And the roof collapsed because there was so much snow accumulated at the top of the grocery store that it no longer is open.

And so, people have to rely on donations. This community is coming together. As you can see here behind me, they brought firewood. And the problem is that -- I talked to other people who have told me, look, I can't even turn on my fireplace because there is so much snow. So, the ones that can, they're here trying to get anything they can to make their lives a little bit easier.

I've talked to people who are stuck higher up in the mountains who tell me, look, I cannot even make it to the places where they're giving out these donations. And so, that frustration just accumulates day after day after day. Here's what some of these residents have told me.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This been 13 -- this will be 14 days. And yes, we had a full freezer and refrigerator. And they're getting -- they're getting down there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm feeling frustrated. And I feel like I'm in prison. It's scary. It's frustrating. And it's frightening. And it's mostly -- just gets my anxiety going up more so that I cannot control of obviously.

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BERNAL: And we've seen people coming for donations all day long. There is food here being offered, water bottles, formula, food for pets, that was one of the concerns that I kept hearing over and over again. People who say, look, I'm just running out of a lot of supplies. And I don't know how many more days I can go without all of these supplies. And the food authorities saying they are making progress.

They say that so far, they've been able to essentially clear about 85 percent of the roads in this area. The problem is, there's a lot of side streets that are still blocked off because of the snow and many of the residents telling me that is why they can't leave their homes. They're wanting for this entire process to move a little bit faster. But as of now authorities are saying that they have to wait.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Crestline, California.

CHURCH: Derek Hayes lives in Cedar Glen. That's in San Bernardino County in Southern California. And he joins me now. Thank you so much for being with us.

DEREK HAYES, CEDAR GLEN, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: Hello, Rosemary. Thank you.

[02:10:06]

CHURCH: So, you are one of many desperate residents trapped in your homes and neighborhoods after more than a week or so of record snowfall. How have you been coping with this state of emergency in terms of getting food and helping others?

HAYES: Well, today is the end of day 12. We still have not been able to get out of our road. My large four by four truck is completely disabled. It's stuck being on its parking spot. It's been difficult for us. Most of the grocery stores in the area have closed due to damage or just frankly running out of food. And the only one that's still up and running is several miles away. So, everybody's having to trek through the snow to get food on a daily or weekly basis.

CHURCH: Yes. That is so difficult. And of course, first responders have been overwhelmed trying to get help to residents without food, water, power or medicine. But do you wonder why more help hasn't come sooner?

HAYES: Frankly, it's frustrating. I mean, like I said, we're day 12. And our roads, though has not been plowed. There's 31 inches of snow on it as we speak. You know, there's a lot of questions. You know, what took so long? Why is it taking so long at this point? It's been nearly two weeks, and we're still buried here.

CHURCH: Yes. Why do you think it's taken this long?

HAYES: My guess would be mismanagement. But frankly, I don't know. And it's difficult for me to even get a grasp of it. Stuck here in my cabin. You don't really get to see much of the outside world. So, you hear a lot of rumors. You hear a lot of stories, but you honestly don't know what the truth is.

CHURCH: Yes. Understood. And of course, the weather is expected to ease just a little bit in your area. But more bad weather is on the way across northern California. How long do you think you and your neighbors can hold out? And when do you think more help will come?

HAYES: Honestly, I don't know when help is coming. They keep telling us it's coming. But every day I wake up and every day the road looks exactly the same. As far as -- as long as we can hang out to their holdouts is on the individual basis, frankly. You know, we're doing pretty good here. We're prepared. We're mountain residents. You know, we're used to this sort of thing. But it's hard to be used to eight, nine feet of snow.

Typically, we get two or three in a -- in a storm. So, it's been difficult to manage. Some people are better off than others, obviously.

CHURCH: Yes. Understood. And you've been helping a lot of neighbors, which is wonderful to be doing that, of course. And how long do you think it will take to clean up your neighborhood given some grocery store roofs have caved in from the weight of the snow, and some homes are at risk of doing the same, of course, while you're -- the roads, as you point out and clogged up and piled up with snow?

HAYES: Yes. The roads that have been plowed have 12, you know, 10, 12- foot berms on either side. So, it's going to take some time for that to melt in time for them to manage that extra snow. And as far as our grocery stores are concerned, frankly, I don't know. I've heard ramblings of, you know, months. They're getting both of those opens.

CHURCH: All right. Well, Derek Hayes, thank you so much for joining us. And again, we salute you for helping your neighbors during these difficult times. We hope that you get some help very soon. Appreciate talking with you.

HAYES: Thank you, Rosemary. Appreciate it.

CHURCH: We have now learned the names of the four Americans who have been kidnapped in Mexico. Two families in South Carolina have identified them as Latavia McGee, Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard. The fourth person right now is only identified as Eric. One of the family members says the group of friends had gone to Mexico to take McGee for a medical procedure. And McGee's mother confirms to CNN that her daughter never arrived for that procedure.

The FBI says the group traveled to the city of Matamoros on Friday, just across the border from Brownsville, Texas. At some point, unidentified gunmen fired on the group's white minivan, then loaded them into a truck and took them away. A U.S. officials suggest the incident appears to be a big misunderstanding. More now from CNN's Josh Campbell.

JOSH CAMPELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Special Agent from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation are working with authorities in Mexico to locate four Americans who are kidnapped after traveling Friday from Texas into Mexico. The FBI says that a group opened fire on these Americans eventually taking the captive. Now a U.S. official familiar with the investigation tells me this appears to be a case of mistaken identity.

That law enforcement believes that a group of cartel members mistook these Americans for Haitian drug smugglers as far as why the Americans were there. A source tells me that officials believe they were there to obtain some type of medical procedure. Of course, it's not uncommon for Americans and Canadians to travel to Mexico for example, for lower cost prescription drugs, for lower price medical procedures.

That source told me that official found inside the vehicle receipts indicating that there was some type of medical procedure that was planned.

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Now, I want to show you this video. I'll warn our viewers that this is graphic which you are about to see. A source says that this is the aftermath of that incident where you see gunmen taking a group of people putting them in the back of this white truck. CNN cannot independently confirm that those individuals being loaded into the vehicle are indeed the Americans.

But again, a source says that this is believed to be related to that incident. As far as where this goes next, the Mexican government says that all agencies within the federal government as well as state authorities are working with their U.S. partners in order to try to locate these Americans. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the location of these Americans as well as the identification of their captors.

Josh Campbell, CNN, Los Angeles.

CHURCH: Still to come. Ukraine is pledging to continue to defend the battered city of Bakhmut. More on the fight there and the urgent effort to evacuate civilians.

Plus, Ukrainian officials are blasting Russia after a video shows the apparent execution of a prisoner of war. We will have the details and a live report just ahead.

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CHURCH: Ukraine is vowing to keep up the fight to defend the eastern city of Bakhmut even as Russian forces press on with their efforts to encircle it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say as he's now ordered the reinforcement of positions inside the city where a fierce battle has been raging for months.

[02:20:07]

Russian forces have been making gradual gains. New Video shows fighters with the Wagner Mercenary Group taking down a Ukrainian flag and planting their own flag on top of the tank monument in the eastern part of Bakhmut. The fierce fighting in Bakhmut has complicated evacuation efforts with few civilians making it out of the war zone each day. CNN's Alex Marquardt takes a look at one successful mission.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Racing into the warzone, a white-knuckle drive towards the middle of Bakhmut. This is the last successful emergency evacuation mission by the Bakhmut police. We need to go faster, an officer says. The Russians can clearly see us. This team called the White Angels grabbed civilians who have been trapped. Throwing belongings in the back.

There's a cat and someone else with a guitar. The fighting raging nearby. The residents told to hurry up and get in and sit anywhere they can. As they hold on tight, the rescue mission speeds away from the smoldering city. Ahead, there's smoke from a Russian strike.

Getting dropped off safely, Lonid (ph) loaded tells the officer that everything is blown up in Bakhmut even inside his apartment. They've survived months of brutally intense assaults. Russia has made gains trying to encircle Bakhmut and surrounding it on three sides as Ukraine desperately tries to fend them off.

Today we met Bakhmut's deputy mayor city nearby. At a makeshift aid center for Bakhmut evacuees.

He tells us, it's very hard to persuade the more than 4000 civilians left there to leave. They say they have nowhere to go and have no money. It's very hard to survive there, he says. It's not life. It's survival.

Drinking water is a big problem. Walking to the well is dangerous, he says. Shells landing on your head all the time. All he now feels he tells us is fear and sadness.

Everyone here knows how hard it will be for Ukraine to hold on to Bakhmut. Svyat's (ph) elderly mother with disabilities didn't want to leave but Svyat manage to convince her.

I don't know if my house is still standing, she tells us. It's a very painful thinking about those still in Bakhmut, her eyes well up. I just want them all to survive, she says. That's my only wish.

Alex Marquardt CNN in Eastern Ukraine.

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CHURCH: Ukraine's president is promising his country will find those responsible for killing an unarmed Ukrainian soldier. Officials in Ukraine have been lashing out against Moscow after a video emerged on social media, which appears to show the execution of a POW allegedly in Russian captivity. He is part of that video. A warning though, it contains graphic content.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (text): Slava Ukraini. You son of a --

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CHURCH: And CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is following developments and joins us now from London. So, Salma, a shocking video there of the alleged execution of that Ukrainian prisoner of war. What has been the reaction so far?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Truly horrifying video. Rosemary. And you can only imagine for that individual's family how horrifying it must be to see these images that have gone viral in Ukraine. That illustrate to many Ukrainians, the ferocity, the mercilessness of Russian troops on the ground. President Zelenskyy for his part has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Take a listen to what he said.

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VOLODYMR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Today a video has been released showing how the occupiers brutally killed a warrior who bravely said to their faces Glory to Ukraine. I want us all to respond to his words in unity. Glory to the hero. Glory to heroes. Glory to Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now that phrase Glory to Ukraine was being shared widely yesterday on social media and among Ukrainians who see it of course, as a statement of defiance in the release of this video. Now, of course, this prisoner of war being executed seemingly in this video unarmed defenseless. That could potentially be a violation of the Geneva Conventions, a violation of international law.

And of course, as you heard there from President Zelenskyy, he sees that as a clear war crime by Russian troops, by Russian soldiers on the ground.

[02:25:08]

What's interesting to note here, Rosemary, is that Ukrainian forces Ukrainian officials are simultaneously while conducting this war while trying to regain Ukrainian lands, they are simultaneously also collecting evidence for what they see will be in the future trials to try to bring what they see again as Russian war crimes on the battlefield. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Shocking. Salma Abdelaziz joining us there live from London. Many thanks.

Next here on CNN NEWSROOM. China takes a series of swipes of the U.S. from the sidelines of a major political event while warning of catastrophic consequences. Back with that in just a moment.

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CHURCH: China's Foreign Minister says there will surely be conflict and confrontation if the U.S. does not hit the brakes. He suggested the recent balloon crisis could have been avoided and he also echoed accusations from the Chinese president saying the U.S. is trying to contain China's development.

[02:30:00]

These comments game on the sidelines of China's National People's Congress, a key annual political event. And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is tracking this for us. She joins us live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Christy. So, tensions escalating again, between China and the U.S. Or what more are you learning about this?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It will today on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing, we heard from China's relatively new foreign minister Qin Gang. And amid this rising tension between China and the U.S. Qin Gang had some pretty stern words, he accused the United States of plotting to create an Asia Pacific version of NATO that could risk of repeat of Ukraine like crisis breaking out in the region. And he also had this warning directed squarely at the U.S. Take a listen to this.

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QIN GANG, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): If the United States does not hit the brake, but continue to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent the railing. And there will surely be conflict and confrontation.

(END VIDEO CLIP) STOUT: That in regards to Ukraine, China's new foreign minister said that peace talks should take place as soon as possible. He also added that China has not sold any weapons to either side. And regards to Taiwan, he said China should not be underestimated. That Taiwan was a matter for the Chinese people, and the China would work towards a quote, peaceful reunification. Out further underscoring this deepening rift between China, the U.S., and its allies. We heard also from Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday, who directly accused the U.S. and its allies of containment. He made these remarks -- let's bring it up for you, made these remarks at a business meeting speaking to Chinese entrepreneurs.

And the Chinese leader Xi Jinping said this quote "The U.S.-led western countries have implemented all round containment, envelopment, and suppression against us, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to China's development." Now, this rift between the U.S. and China is deepening over a host of issues, that was a balloon incident. U.S. military support to Taiwan, Ukraine as well. And on top of all that, an issue of access to technology like semiconductors, chips, and artificial intelligence. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Kristie Lu Stout, joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks. Time for a short break. When we come back, Iran is offering new explanations for why thousands of schoolchildren have fallen sick over the past few months. Do stay with us for that and more.

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CHURCH (voiceover): Afghan women were barred from attending universities on Monday, as the new academic year began. Some of them protested their exclusion by reading their books on a sidewalk in Kabul, while male students resumed classes indoors. It follows a decision by the Taliban in late December to ban women from higher education. The move has received heavy international condemnation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(on camera) The Iranian government says it's trying to figure out what has sickened more than 5,000 schoolchildren over the past few months, mostly girls. The head of a parliamentary committee calls them poisonings and says, investigators are looking into possible motives. But Iran's interior ministry reports no sign of dangerous poison in any of the hospitalized students. One official claims more than 90 percent of the student's symptoms were caused by anxiety. Iran's Supreme Leader says if it's proven that the students were poisoned, the perpetrators should be severely punished. The U.S. State Department is calling for an international fact-finding mission to determine if these suspected poisonings are related to women and girls participating in protests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: These reports of continued poisoning of schoolgirls across Iran, they are unconscionable. These poisonings need to be stops immediately. Women and girls in Iran and women and girls everywhere for that matter have a universal human right and as the universal right to education.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Iran's Deputy Health Minister says no deaths have been reported from these suspected poisonings and most children were released from the hospital within a few hours. More now from CNN's Nima Elbagir.

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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Furious parents outside in Education Office in Tehran. Challenging Iranian authorities desperate for answers. After what is believed to be the worst day of incidence of suspected poisonings at girls' schools. These videos were filmed on Saturday, which marks the start of the school week in Iran. For months now Iranian schoolgirls and their families have been speaking out about incidents of suspected poisoning. The numbers of incidents reported to CNN in the dozens.

Then over the weekend, dozens more. CNN was able to verify these new incidents using video and witness testimony, across 10 provinces. The U.S. and others are calling for Iran's authorities to investigate these incidents. But speaking to CNN, medical sources say they have been barred by hospital administrators, from sharing details of symptoms and test results, even with the patient's parents. We dub this doctor's voice for his safety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm inside Iran, my phone has been monitored. I can't share any more with you.

ELBAGIR (voiceover): Iran's Interior Minister after months of vague statements now says, "Suspicious samples have been found and are being assessed at laboratories." Parents though say they don't trust authorities to investigate.

[02:40:09]

"To hell with this country and its rulers, we would be better off without a leader. This is our country. They don't know what they're doing. They don't even have medicine." All the incidents begin in a similar manner, as described to us by students. A noxious smell and then "I felt dizzy and fainted. I had dimness of vision and heart palpitations. All of us had identical symptoms; palpitations, my hands and legs were numb and frozen. I was shaking, we had tears coming out of our eyes." With no one so far held to account and parents no closer to answers. Many continue to risk their lives to challenge Iran's authorities. Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: I'm Rosemary Church, for our international viewers, "WORLD SPORT" is next. And for our viewers here in North America, I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.

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