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Trump Lawyer Warns of Mayhem if Ex-President is Indicted; Grand Jury to Hear from Witness in Trump Investigation; China's Xi will meet Russia's Putin in Moscow; Putin Visits Occupied City of Mariupol; U.S. Federal Reserve and Other Major Central Banks Try to Head Off Crisis by Keeping Dollars Flowing. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 20, 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, the investigation into Donald Trump's alleged hush money scheme will soon have an unexpected witness as the Manhattan district attorney weighs indicting the former president. And if he is arrested, Trump's attorney warns of mayhem to come.

China's president is making his first trip to Moscow since the war in Ukraine began. What Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin hope to achieve at their meeting.

And the U.S. Federal Reserve is taking steps to keep cash flowing as major moves are being made to help restore confidence in the global banking system.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, a day after Donald Trump urged supporters to protest his potential indictment in New York, his legal team has further stoked tensions by warning of unrest if the former president is arrested.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALINA HABBA, TRUMP LAWYER: Let's see if they arrest him. but I'll tell you what, if they choose to do so for a misdemeanor, which frankly he didn't even do, it is going to cause mayhem, Paula.

I mean, it's just a very scary time in our country. I do think security should be in place if that is what they choose to do. I would never want to see anybody get hurt. I know the president wouldn't either. If this is what we're doing in this country, you better secure the premises because it's dangerous. You know, people are going to get upset.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Trump's possible indictment is related to a grand jury investigation over a hush money payment allegedly made to an adult film star. In the coming hours, we could learn new details about that probe. Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, could appear before the grand jury if his former legal adviser, Robert Costello, offers evidence that would challenge Cohen's claims about the alleged hush money.

And with the possibility of large-scale protests in New York, authorities say they have been planning extra security measures.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: law enforcement sources here in the city have confirmed to us that they have been discussing plans around this potential indictment of former President Donald Trump. Law enforcement agencies, everyone from the NYPD to the Secret Service to federal agents as well as court officers which are responsible for safety inside the courtroom, have all been coordinating in recent days ahead of this potential indictment.

Now, Donald Trump taking to his social media channels to say that he would be arrested on Tuesday and calling on his supporters to protest. That is creating another layer of logistical challenges for authorities here in New York City because should protests happen here in the area, it would complicate the security and the logistics.

We expect former President Donald Trump to turn himself in if he is, in fact, charged with a crime or arrested and indicted. He would have to show up here to Manhattan criminal court here behind me. Just as anybody else who is accused of a crime, he would have to go before a judge, he would be fingerprinted, his mugshot would be taken, and he would go through the criminal justice process like anyone else facing a crime.

The one big and obvious difference here, of course, is that we are talking about the former president of the United States. Not only that, but also a current candidate for the presidency, adding a whole layer of history to this potential event and also adding to the complications around safety and security that local enforcement has to provide for him.

In response to that social media post that the president made yesterday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg sent an internal memo to his office over the weekend acknowledging the possible threats. Law enforcement sources here in New York also telling us that they are monitoring social media for any possible threats.

[03:04:57]

In the memo, Alvin Bragg wrote -- quote -- "We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York. Our law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office will be fully investigated and that the proper safeguards are in place so all 1,600 of us have a secure work environment."

That last line really under -- underlining the fact that even with the potential indictment of a former U.S. president, this is an office that will still have do the work that it does every day to ensure that people who have to come through this court can do so safely and that business can carry on as it usually does on any given day.

So local authorities preparing for the possibility of that indictment. Former President Donald Trump saying that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday but, of course, all of it remains to be seen.

Reporting in New York, Gloria Pazmino, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And earlier, I discussed the case with Areva Martin, an attorney and legal affairs commentator, and I asked her about the potential testimony Robert Costello and Michael Cohen could provide to the grand jury. Here is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Michael Cohen is on standby. So, if Robert Costello goes into that grand jury room and gives testimony that contradicts that, which Michael Cohen gives, he's going to be called in immediately to rebut whatever that testimony is.

I don't think at this point anything that Robert Costello says, if the district attorney in Manhattan has already had enough evidence, heard enough evidence, and has and presented enough evidence to this grand jury, I doubt one witness's testimony will cause there to be any different outcome.

So, if there is enough evidence already to indict and they're just wrapping this up, I suspect that they'll move forward with the plans that they already have in place.

CHURCH: And Trump's attorneys say there will be mayhem if he's arrested. How likely is it that Trump will be arrested on Tuesday as he himself is predicting, and what will the likely ramifications be if that happens?

MARTIN: Well, we don't know if this is going to happen on Tuesday. Even his legal team has said that they're doubtful, that there has not been any credible information coming from this district attorney's office announcing that Tuesday is the date that he will be arrested. So, at this point, that's just speculation.

But in terms of what this could mean, obviously, this country has never faced this kind of what some are calling a constitutional crisis where a former president who is running for president again has been arrested, has been indicted on criminal charges. So, it remains to be seen what this looks like. We know there are huge security risks. This is not like going to knock on the door of Michael Cohen or one of the very many people in Trump's orbit that have been arrested.

Because Trump does have Secret Service protection, any kind of arrest would have to be worked out with the Secret Service. So, there are lots of details yet to be, I think, worked out or disclosed as it relates to any potential arrest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Our thanks to Areva Martin, who joined me live last hour.

So, in just a matter of hours now, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to arrive in Russia for a visit that's likely to be viewed by the west as a powerful show of support for Moscow and President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin says the two planned to strengthen relations and discuss the war in Ukraine with a one-on-on meeting kicking off the visit. The U.S. plans to keep a very close eye on developments and watch for any signs that China is moving forward with providing military aid to Russia.

CNN correspondents are tracking all the developments for us. Anna Coren is standing by in Hong Kong and Salma Abdelaziz is live in London. Good to see you both. So, let's begin with Anna in Hong Kong. Anna, how is China framing President Xi's visit to Moscow, and how does he plan to be a neutral peace broker in Russia's war with Ukraine if there is any possibility he plans to offer lethal support to Putin?

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it's a very interesting point, Rosemary. But in just over three hours, Xi Jinping will land in Moscow for a trip that is very much being framed as an opportunity to promote peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The U.S. and Europe are highly skeptical, as we know. But, you know, Xi says he is committed to finding a resolution to this war that's been dragging on now for more than a year. He wrote an article in a Russian newspaper that was published this morning celebrating the close ties between China and Russia. Putin did the same in a Chinese newspaper.

China has proposed, Rosemary, a 12-point peace plan, calling for a ceasefire and end to western sanctions, but it does not address Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory.

[03:09:56]

China, as we know, is positioning itself as a peacemaker after re- establishing diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran earlier this month.

The Kremlin says it's giving great attention to this peace proposal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is willing to speak to Xi and virtual talks are expected although, Rosemary, they are yet to be confirmed.

But the U.S. believes that Xi's trip is to show solidarity with Russia and a sign that it is seriously considering Putin's request to supply it with lethal weapons, including artillery shells and attack drones. China, of course, denies this.

The two leaders have met 40 times since Xi came to power. Xi, as we know, has just cemented an unprecedented third term. Both these men, you know, have positioned themselves as leaders for life. This is a partnership about creating a new global order with China firmly at the helm.

Now, the timing of this is critical for Putin. His invasion of Ukraine has stalled, military casualties are mounting, and just last week, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine. He needs this snow of support.

So, Rosemary, as far as we know, Xi is expected to land at 6:30 a.m. Eastern. That is 1:30 p.m. Moscow time. An informal lunch will follow at the Kremlin ahead of the main talks. Rosemary, back to you.

CHURCH: We'll be monitoring that very closely. And I want to bring in Salma Abdelaziz now joining us live from London. Good morning to you, Salma. So, what's President Putin trying to achieve with the optics of his visit to Mariupol coming just days after the ICC issues an arrest warrant against him for war crimes and coming a day before China's president arrives in Moscow for talks?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Rosemary, you just heard from my colleague, Anna, there about the diplomatic tightrope that President Xi will be walking, trying to, again, demonstrate that he's a neutral power broker, trying not to aggravate Europe any further but also trying to develop this relationship, this bilateral relationship with Moscow.

President Putin, for his part, will be doing the wooing. It is not just a show of support that President Putin needs at this point, he needs actual material support.

And western officials have been warning about this. They are highly concerned that China is considering sending lethal aid to Russia, something that President Putin, again, desperately needs to replenish that arsenal, the military arsenal that has been severely depleted after a year of conflict on the ground and after a year really of very little victory on the ground, Rosemary, as well.

So, that visit that you're playing out in Mariupol, that was a demonstration of strength from President Putin. That was him saying, I am here, I am present, I am strong, and trying to demonstrate he is a victorious leader who has the reins on the ground despite what the west says, despite the losses on the battlefield.

You heard there also as well from Anna about the article that President Putin wrote. That was published in a state media outlet. I think that article begins to indicate to you his thinking, his view of this very important visit. In that article, President Putin calls "comrade Xi" a close friend. He aligns their world vision, Rosemary, sees them both as being attacked by NATO and the west in American hegemony and sees that their interests are closely aligned.

So, that's very much what President Putin is going to be doing here. He is going to try to build what he has already called a no-limits partnership with President Xi. He is going to want to develop that further. He's going to want bring him on site (ph). He is going to want to portray that strength and leadership on the ground. He is also going to want to win over any actual material support that he can get his hands on.

It's important to remember here for President Xi that he is also expected to hold a call with President Biden. He is also expected to speak to President Zelenskyy. So, there's a lot more here that's going to go into his thinking, into his decision-making. But for Moscow, this is such a critical moment when President Putin has been so sidelined, so marginalized, essentially a pariah to the west, to finally get some support, to finally get some backing from China.

CHURCH: All right. Salma Abdelaziz and Anna Coren, many thanks to you both for joining us. Appreciate it.

Meanwhile, neither Russia nor Ukraine is showing any signs of backing down in the fight for Bakhmut. Newly released drone footage purportedly shows Ukrainian national guard forces destroying a Russian grenade launcher in Bakhmut.

The British ministry of defense estimates that Russia has suffered as many as 30,000 casualties in the area around Bakhmut. The vast majority of them, Wagner mercenary fighters.

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un says his country should be ready to launch nuclear attacks at any time to deter war.

[03:15:02]

That is according to state media. Kim was on hand for military drills over the weekend which simulated a nuclear counterattack. He also accused the U.S. and South Korea of expanding their joint military drills by involving American nuclear assets, and he says their aggression means his country must bolster its nuclear deterrence exponentially.

Still to come, UBS will buy Credit Suisse at a fire sale price in a bid to halt a banking crisis. We're live in London next with details of that historic deal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: With back-to-back banking blowups in the U.S. and Europe, there's growing concern over the health of the global financial sector. The U.S. Federal Reserve and several other leading central banks have announced dollar liquidity measures to ease the crisis. The move came just hours after the announcement UBS is buying Credit Suisse in a historic government-brokered pact.

[03:19:57]

The nearly $3.75 billion rescue deal comes on the heels of the failure of the America's Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, how are global markets reacting right now to this move by UBS to buy Credit Suisse, and how will this takeover work exactly?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, you might have thought that this would some relief on the global markets given that this sort of resolves the uncertainty around Credit Suisse to some degree. That is not what we are seeing. Asian markets are lower. We are seeing banks in particular pretty hard-hit. HSBC, for example. Standard Charter down pretty sharply in Hong Kong, around 7% or more in both cases.

I think the reason for that, if you look at the deal itself, is that one, because we don't actually have the full details of it yet, and two, because there are things about it that are causing nerves. The price tag, for example, just over $3 billion, that is less than half of the market value of Credit Suisse as it closed on Friday. It is less than 1% of the bank's total assets at the end of last year.

I think some investors will look at that and think, what was so bad about these assets? What else do we not know about how bad things were at the bank? There are also the losses that are implicit in this deal. Shareholders are going to be almost wiped out. They get one UBS share for every 22-1/2 Credit Suisse shares when the acquisition closes.

And there's a class of bondholders known as Eighty-One. This is the risky end of the bond spectrum. They are being wiped out completely, that $17 billion worth of bonds that are not even getting a haircut. They are just not getting anything. That is a potentially unnerving precedent for bondholders. But this was about preventing contagion, preventing the spread even further. Take a listen to the Swiss finance minister on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARIN KELLER-SUTTER, SWISS FINANCIAL MINISTER: The bankruptcy of a global systematically important bank would have cost irreparable economic turmoil in Switzerland and throughout the world. For this reason, Switzerland had to take the responsibilities beyond its own borders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Don't call it a bailout, say the Swiss authorities. This, they say, was a commercial solution and acquisition by UBS even at that fire sale price.

But there are those questioning it given that there is going to be quite a lot of government support, more than $100 billion in credit line, a potential lifeline for this. They're going to be backstopping billions of dollars in potential losses as well at Credit Suisse.

So, there is a lot of government involvement. They are at pains to point out that this was in no way a commercial solution.

CHURCH: And Clare, the Federal Reserve and other central banks are trying to head off a crisis by keeping money flowing. So, you're saying, when you look at the markets here, this is not calming jitters at all, but could it maybe change in the next few hours when people start to realize what this actually means?

SEBASTIAN: It could, certainly. We could see markets turn around when they start to digest the details of this and realize that it might go some way to prevent contagion in the banking sector. Credit Suisse, of course, had its own idiosyncratic issues.

What the central banks have done, they have a mechanism already in place, these dollar liquidity swaps. They just increased the frequency from every week to every day, that they are going to be made available until the end of April.

I think, conversely, Rosemary, there are instances at which that kind of intervention can upset markets further because obviously that signals that there might be something wrong. We did, of course, hear from Janet Yellen last week that she is worried that banks are already tightening lending, which is something they want to avoid.

CHURCH: Yeah, it certainly a very delicate operation, isn't it? Clare Sebastian joining us live from London, many thanks.

Eric Oros is chief investment officer with Gideon Strategic Partners. He joins me now from Baltimore in Maryland. Good to have you with us.

ERIC OROS, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, GIDEON STRATEGIC PARTNERS: Thanks, Rosemary. Great to be here.

CHURCH: So, how likely is it that this emergency rescue bid by UBS to buy its rival, Credit Suisse, will achieve the goal of avoiding a global banking crisis by halting investor panic after the collapse of also two U.S. banks?

OROS: I think it remains highly unclear. Even the terms, while we've seen a few headline figures and there's been multiple today, even the terms have yet to be fully worked out. In fact, UBS executives telling employees to continue to treat Credit Suisse as competition.

That being said, the package itself, $100 billion full state support, I think, will do a lot to inject confidence into the system, but hardly out of the woods yet. That's for sure.

CHURCH: And of course, the big question everyone in the United States will be asking now is, what will the Federal Reserve likely do about interest rates when they meet this week in light of this development?

[03:25:02]

OROS: That's right. It's a very open question. I think that the market has to reconcile the crisis of confidence and the Fed has to make -- really understand that they've created a lot of liquidity in the last few days with the deposit lines being drawn, over $160 billion.

And in fact, the crisis itself, the regional banks play such a big role in lending. You could argue that a lot of the tightening that a rate hike would be meant to achieve in terms of creating no more heat on the economy, the job has been done for them in many respects with the events over the past week.

And in many respects, I think the tone of the meeting will be to restore confidence rather than kind of the brow-beating we saw from Powell two weeks ago in front of Congress really being steadfast against inflation.

CHURCH: Right. So, how will this takeover work exactly given a massive emergency loan from the Swiss National Bank wasn't enough to stop the fallout?

OROS: Well, the takeover itself, I think, remains highly uncertain. It seems that the SNB (ph) has written in quite a lot of loan loss provisions and kind of backstopped the ultimate losses. Credit Suisse's balance sheet is something that I think even UBS, acquirers (ph), and many of the executives at Credit Suisse don't know where all the skeletons are hidden.

So, it will be interesting to see the details worked out over the past week, but it does seem that the Swiss National Bank has backstopped the losses for UBS to get it into safe hands, so to speak.

CHURCH: Yeah. I mean, Credit Suisse, as you mentioned, it has had a number of issues for a while, hasn't it? Even late last year, it had depositors withdrawing funds. So, why did it take this long to do something about it or for the problems to show up? And why are we suddenly seeing banks fail here in the United States? Now, we're seeing this in Europe.

OROS: Yeah, it has certainly been a long time coming with Credit Suisse, the issues. It has been a balance sheet that folks have been very scared to touch for, gosh, well over a decade almost now.

And the impetus for this was really the crisis of confidence, the run on the banks in the United States where over 50% of deposits are not FDIC insured, and with the information age and the quick dissemination of information, not only how quickly information is disseminated but how quickly from your smartphone you can withdraw deposits.

Bank run is something that the Fed, I think, will really have to focus in on this week in trying to restore confidence.

CHURCH: Yeah. Everyone will be watching very closely on that. Eric Oros, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

OROS: Thank you.

CHURCH: Still to come, more mass demonstrations in Israel over the proposed judicial reforms, while President Biden speaks directly to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his controversial plans. We'll have a live report from Jerusalem.

Plus, pressure builds on Emmanuel Macron after he bypasses parliament on pension reform. The challenges he'll face in the week ahead when we come back.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

The West Bank town of Huwara has once again emerged as a flash point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli authorities said on Sunday, a civilian was wounded in a shooting attack, while he was in a vehicle.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel says the victim is a U.S. citizen. He's been identified as a settler named David Stern and Israeli officials say he managed to return fire and injured his attacker. The suspect was later apprehended.

This latest violence comes weeks after Israelis attacked Palestinians in Huwara, following the shooting of two Israeli brothers.

And CNN's Hadas Gold joins us live from Jerusalem. So Hadas, what more are you learning about this?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we're learning is that this man, David Stern, and his wife were driving through Huwara. Now, one of the reasons that this Palestinian village, in the occupied West Bank has become such a flash point is that it sits along one of the main road waves that is used by settlers and Palestinians to travel through the West Bank and also many of the sentiments that surround Huwara are rather nationalistic.

Now, this man and his wife were driving along when they came under fire. They were shot several times as we see from the images that we are seeing from the car. I counted at least 15 bullet holes.

The man who was shot was able to then return fire, Israeli authorities say. They say he would do the attacker who then escaped before later being apprehended.

And the hospital actually says the man somehow is actually in rather stable condition, that initially they said he was a very serious condition, when they arrived at the hospital. They realized his injuries were not as severe.

But, as you noted, this is coming during an intense time in Huwara. Just a few weeks ago, we had these two Israeli brothers who were shot and killed in a very similar attack, while they were driving in their car through this town. They were also -- both of them were shot at. They were both killed. And then a few hours later we had hundreds of Israeli settlers rampaging through Huwara, setting fires, two dozens of cars and homes, and one Palestinian man was killed in the ensuing chaos. Those were called revenge attacks.

And last night, actually, there were calls by settlers to once again protest, demonstrate as a result of this attack. But it seems as though the night passed very calmly. And the Israeli military had a much stronger presence there than they did last time.

The Israeli military acknowledging that the last time around they were not prepared for the types of attacks that they saw from Israeli settlers. And clearly, it seems as though they learned their lesson.

I see right now we're putting images up from the protests, which is a different subject happening in Israel over the weekend. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest against these judicial reforms that the Israeli government is trying to push through.

And actually, earlier today, we did hear from the Israeli government a slight softening of these proposed changes, very slight softening. What their main focus on is how judges are selected.

[03:34:56]

So they have made some changes to how they want to be selected and they did say they are going to delay slightly the rest of these overall reforms. But the protest organizers have already sent out a response to this, saying, that this is not -- this is -- this is essentially the same. This would change and ruin Israeli democracy in their eyes.

Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Hadas Gold, joining us live from Jerusalem.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron's government faces a test in parliament, as protests rock the country. The French National Assembly is set to vote on two no confidence motions, tabled by opposition lawmakers.

They were filed after the government bypassed a full parliamentary vote to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The no confidence motions are expected to fail, but unions are calling for nationwide strikes to bring the country to a standstill later in the week.

In Southern California, a union representing thousands of school workers in Los Angeles plan to strike the three days this week. The move to protest, what it calls, unfair practices by the Los Angeles Unified School District, after months of contract negotiations.

CNN's Camilla Bernal has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The signs Jose Tovar is making will be used Tuesday when a three-day strike is expected to force school closures in the second largest district in the nation.

JOSE TOVAR, LAUSD CUSTODIAN: We are not asking for the world but a life above water.

BERNAL (voice-over): Tovar, a custodian with a full-time job at the early education center, says he makes about $25,000 a year.

TOVAR: I love my job, especially I deal with five-year-olds and make sure it's clean for them, but sometimes, you don't feel appreciated and respect.

BERNAL (voice-over): And respect is what his unions says this strike is about. While asking for more money, some members have reported harassment for doing so.

MAX AIAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SEIU LOCAL 99: Some have been harassed to the point that they lost their job, they lost income or they generally just get some are intimidated.

BERNAL (voice-over): SEIU Local 99 is a union representing thousands of cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians and other school workers, but the teachers union is also joining the strike in solidarity.

ALBERTO M. CARVALHO, LAUSD SUPERINTENDENT: Let's go to the table.

BERNAL (voice-over): LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is hopeful that the two sides will come to a monetary agreement and says harassment claims are being reviewed.

CARVALHO: We have not been presented with compelling evidence that there is widespread abuses. Are there issues, yes, each one of them is vigorously investigated, and consequences are applied on the basis of merit of the allegations.

BERNAL (voice-over): The union says avoiding a strike is unlikely. Instead, they want to shine a light on minorities and low income workers who keep the schools running.

UNKNOWN: I like what you did.

BERNAL (voice-over): They see this as a wake up call for other districts in the U.S. to fund education.

ARIAS: Elected officials throughout the country, federal and state, should see what's going on here and think this is happening in every district in this country.

BERNAL (voice-over): The superintendent also believes that when they come to an agreement, the rest of the nation will use it as an example.

CARVALHO: I believe that it will be a present setting for the country, and I'll take pride in it, as well the union, for these are some of the lowest wage earners in our community.

BERNAL (voice-over): Both sides worry about the students who may suffer greatly from school closures.

CARVALHO: Once you're forced to shut down a school, you eliminate some of the protections and rights that children have, the right to food, the right to help, the right to social and emotional support, the right to mental support, the right to have their disability addressed in an adequate way.

BERNAL (voice-over): But the union believes that people like Jose Tovar need to make more money.

TOVAR: It's a struggle. It's hard. Sometimes, I'm thinking to myself, Lord, if I will make it another day, you know, like this.

BERNAL (voice-over): Because in the end, they say higher salaries for school workers will lead to better schools and better education.

(on-camera): And negotiations over wages will take place behind the scenes, but the union says that because this strike is not about the money, there could be more strikes in the future. They say they do not want to strike but will continue to push for what they is fair.

In the meantime, you have many, many parents here in Los Angeles who are trying to figure out what exactly they're going to do with their children this this week.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Weeks after South Carolina attorney, Alex Murdaugh, was found guilty of killing his wife and son, authorities are re-examining another mysterious death that happened near his home.

The body of 19-year-old, Steven Smith, who died in 2015 will be exhumed according to the family's verified GoFundMe page. Authorities have not said that there is a connection between Smith's death and the Murdaugh family. But the case was reopened in 2021 based on information gathered in the Murdaugh investigation.

[03:40:09]

In the state of Florida, the city of Miami Beach is taking measures to keep people safe during spring break, following two fatal shootings over the weekend.

Authorities imposed a Sunday night curfew and issued a state of emergency in response to the violence and excessively large and unruly crowds.

The city manager is also planning additional restrictions starting Thursday, and lasting through the weekend. The city imposed a similar curfew last year after two spring break shootings. And coming up, next here on "CNN Newsroom", it has been 20 years since the start of the U.S. war in Iraq. We will look at how the country has changed and the challenges Iraq still faces.

Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: It has been 20 years since the U.S. and its allies launched one of the largest most consequential military operations in modern history, the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

This is how it began, with a barrage of strikes pummeling military targets on March 19th. In the weeks that followed, U.S.-led forces would sweep through the country with the goal of toppling its ruler.

By April 9th, they took the capital where a large statue of Saddam Hussein came tumbling down. The U.S. declared that his regime was gone, but the war will rage on for eight years, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions in chaos. And to this day, the impact of the war is still being felt in Iraq and the United States.

CNN's Ben Wedeman explains how the conflict has shaped both nations over the past 20 years.

[03:45:03]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began with shock and awe. Twenty years ago, the United States and its allies embarked on a war in Iraq. Within weeks, Saddam Hussein's regime fell.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): They prevailed in the brief battle of Iraq. But the war in Iraq that followed was long and hard. The American road paved with good intentions, soon led to hell.

UNKNOWN: Son of a bitch, welcome to freakin' Iraq. Get back to the vehicle.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): U.S. never found Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, the original rationale for the war, and, blunder after blunder poured fuel on a fire of resentment.

Every U.S. operation, like this one I covered in the summer of 2003, left behind a trail of bitterness. By midweek, U.S. troops had detained nearly 400 men, none from their most wanted list. They also managed, however, to arouse a fair amount of resentment.

The Americans are occupiers, says this man. They have no manners or ethics. One of them grabbed the Quran and threw it to the ground.

The U.S. cobbled together a political order based on sectarian divisions, disbanded the Iraqi army and the once ruling Baath Party, throwing hundreds of thousands out of a job.

It was admired in the Abu Horrid (ph) prison scandal, where Iraqis were tortured, humiliated and photographed. Eleven U.S. soldiers were convicted of crimes.

Less than a year after the invasion, large parts of Iraq were in chaos. Saddam Hussein was captured, tried and executed, but the insurgency went on. Abu Mosabila Zerkawi (ph), Jordanian born leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, was killed, but the insurgency went on.

Two years after the invasion, sectarian tensions between the Shia Majority and the once-dominant Sunni Arab minority erupted into civil war, and the killing intensified.

The violence only subsided after the U.S. surged more troops into Iraq in 2007. In August 2010, the last U.S. combat troops left Iraq, leaving behind a brutal, corrupt, deeply flawed democratic regime, riveted (ph) by sectarian tensions, which provided fertile ground for the rampage of the Islamic state, ISIS, spilling over from the war in Syria into Iraq.

ISIS seized control of the northern city of Mosul and then captured city after city, reaching the outskirts of Baghdad. It took more than three years of bitter combat to perform military assistance to defeat the group. That enemy vanquished, old discontent resurfaced.

In 2019, Baghdad was gripped by massive protests against corruption, sectarianism and poor living conditions. But, like protests movements across the region, it, too, was crushed.

As the U.S. invasion and occupation fade into history, neighboring Iran plays an ever greater role in the country's affairs. Old problems, corruption, dysfunctional infrastructure and unemployment remain unresolved. Yet, despite it all, today Baghdad is more peaceful than it has been in years.

Ben Wedeman, CNN.

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CHURCH: Just ahead on CNN, we will update you on recovery efforts in Ecuador after Saturday's 6.8 magnitude earthquake.

Back with that in just a moment.

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CHURCH: The death toll from Saturday's earthquake in Ecuador has been lowered from 16 to 13. But the number of people injured has risen to more than 460.

As cleanup and recovery efforts get underway, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, said on Sunday, that his government's goal was to return to normalcy and that the Ministry of Finance has already allocated resources for repairs.

The levee breach that caused devastating flooding in parts of northern California has been patched. These images show what happened after the levee broke, last weekend, sending water rushing towards a small farming community.

Thousands were evacuated, and at least 200 people had to be rescued. Right now, hundreds of people are still out of their homes, waiting in shelters until their houses are inspected.

And California could get even more precipitation this week with an atmospheric river set to sweep across the western U.S. Meantime, more than 45 million people across the southern U.S. are under freeze warnings.

CNN Meteorologist, Derek van Dam, has the latest forecast. Derek?

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DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Here we go again, yet another atmospheric river event lining up for central and southern California. This will approach the state by late tonight, and into the day on Tuesday.

But believe it or not, there's actually a separate storm system that's not considered an atmospheric river but still bringing light rainfall and snow to the intermountain west.

[03:54:54]

It's really the secondary storm system you see and doing to the equation late on Monday and into the day on Tuesday. That will bring several feet of snow, once again, to the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, as well as several inches of rain to the coastal areas.

And, by the way, the mountains just outside of Los Angeles and Ventura County, they could see a few feet of snowfall to this latest A.R. event.

Here's the first storm system, sweeps England, it's the secondary storm that we're going to focus our attention on because that's going to help the most moisture and really have that deep trouble connection that will bring in our copious amounts of rain and snow.

Now, it won't be as powerful as previous atmospheric river events we've seen this season. But nonetheless, National Weather Service picking up on the flood threat to Central Nevada, Arizona, as well as central portions of California.

Also, picking up on the winds, we often get strong wind gusts with atmospheric river events. So, wind advisories and watches in place and, by the way, this includes Los Angeles. We could see gusts over 60 miles per hour.

Weather Prediction Center has a slight risk that's a level two of four for excessive rainfall, so the potential for flash flooding, landslides, and mudslides. This is for the down Tuesday, that extends from Monterrey, into Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Broad overview of our rain and snow accumulation, 1 to 3 inches along the coast, more the same across the valleys with several feet of snowfall for the central Sierra and Nevada mountain ranges.

The other story we're monitoring, the hard freeze that is ongoing across the deep south, you're waking up the temperatures from Atlanta to Nashville and Memphis, 15 to 20 degrees where they -- below where they should be this time of year.

Back to you.

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CHURCH: Thanks for that.

And an update now on March Madness, the field of 68 teams is down to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Among the highlights from Sunday's second round was the battle of the Wildcats with the three-seed Kansas state defeating the sixth-seed Kentucky, 75 to 69. Kansas State returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018. They will face Michigan State in the next round. Those games tip off on Thursday.

And, thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo, next.

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