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Israeli forces Raid One Of Gaza's Last Functioning Hospitals; U.S. Stocks Bounce Back From Steep Losses; Georgia District Attorney On Trial For Allegations Of Misconduct; Witnesses Recall The Chaotic Scene In Kansas City Chiefs Celebration; World Leaders Gather In NATO Conference; Ex-FBI Informant Arrested, Charged With Lying About Bidens; Scientists Track Changes To Polar Bear Behavior. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired February 16, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN "Newsroom", as people try to evacuate, Israeli forces raid one of Gaza's last functioning hospitals, already seeing catastrophic conditions.

Plus, facing calls for disqualification, the defiant prosecutor investigating Donald Trump in Georgia fires back against allegations of misconduct. And later, we'll show you rare footage of polar bears and speak to the scientists studying their habits in an ice-free world.

VOICE-OVER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN "Newsroom", with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: It's 9 A.M. in Gaza, where authorities are counting the dead from what they say was an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp. Well, this happened in Nuseirat in central Gaza.

A hospital spokesperson says 12 people were killed, including 10 women and children. Now, CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. Video shows the utter destruction as heavy machinery clears the rubble. People are sifting through the debris, hoping to find survivors.

Meanwhile, in the tent cities of Rafah in southern Gaza, the U.N. says there's an urgent need to treat children suffering from malnutrition. More than a million displaced people are sheltering there, with severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies. And Israel is planning a full-scale military incursion to root out Hamas suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN GRIFFITHS, UNITED NATIONS AID CHIEF: The reality, in any case, is that an evacuation to a safe place in Gaza is an illusion. If that happens, do not look to the humanitarian community as the rescue brigade for the people of compressed into that area because conditions do not allow it. It is -- will not be our fault if people suffer. It will be the fault of those who decide to make them suffer. We will do whatever we can. We will not leave. We will try to increase. We will work as we must.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says three patients have died after an Israeli raid on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. It's the largest functioning hospital in Gaza, left in what doctors describe as harsh and terrifying conditions. Now, we want to warn you, our report from Nada Bashir contains some graphic video.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER (voice-over): Plunged into darkness, engulfed in smoke. This is southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital. One of the few still able to treat patients in Gaza.

Hit in a direct strike overnight on Wednesday. Is there anybody still inside, this doctor asks. The sound of gunfire in close proximity. Get down, he shouts. Others around him shout, get out. Another hospital, now the target.

More casualties are rushed to whatever safe space there is left. But there is nowhere to escape. This message from a surgeon inside the hospital, shared with CNN, paints a terrifying picture of the situation on the ground.

UNKNOWN: Israeli army forced all the patients and all the refugees inside Nasser Hospital, and now they are forcing medical staff at Nasser Medical Hospital to evacuate immediately from the hospital. Israeli soldiers and tanks are surrounding the hospital from all sides. Shootings and bombings still continue.

BASHIR (voice-over): Outside, Israeli tanks etch closer within the hospital's grounds. The Israeli military is heard ordering civilians to evacuate. The IDF says it entered the hospital after receiving credible intelligence indicating that Hamas held hostages on the complex, with deceased hostages possibly still present, though CNN is not able to independently verify this claim.

Israel's forces also say they have apprehended a number of suspects at the hospital and have opened a secure route for civilians to evacuate the area. But doctors and medical officials tell CNN, Israeli snipers shot dead a number of people as they tried to leave the medical complex.

[02:05:00]

Among them, they say, this teenager. His lifeless body seen here, just in front of the gates of the Nasser Hospital. A short distance away, a Palestinian detainee appears, said to have been released by the Israeli military and used as a messenger, according to medical staff who spoke to a journalist working for CNN on the ground, to tell civilians here that they must leave immediately. But soon after, doctors say he too was killed under Israeli fire

outside the hospital. It is unclear from the video what happened. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment on the incident.

As Israeli drones scour the ground beneath, civilians nearby gather whatever belongings they have left and begin to flee. For many, this is not the first time they have been forced to evacuate.

The vast majority of Gaza's 2.3 million strong population is now concentrated in southern Gaza, ordered by the Israeli military to move south. But as troops push deeper into the besieged region, with the looming threat of a ground operation in nearby Rafah, warnings from the U.N. of a potential slaughter of the Palestinian people grow more tangible with each passing day. Nada Bashir, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Construction is underway on a new walled buffer zone along Egypt's border with Gaza. A rights group released video of the project, which it says was commissioned by the Egyptian armed forces. The buffer zone stretches from the end of the Gaza border with Israel to the Mediterranean Sea.

Construction comes as fears are growing that their horrific humanitarian conditions in Gaza could lead to a surge of Palestinians trying to get into Egypt. CNN's Paula Hancocks is following all the developments and joins me now from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, what more can you tell us about this construction by Egypt?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, what we've heard is satellite images that we have from Maxar Technologies and also from an NGO in the area -- the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights.

They've given us footage. And what you can see is that there is an extension of the buffer zone being built. The area between the Gaza border and the roadway in Egypt has been excavated.

It is being extended. And we can also see multiple cranes working in the area to erect the border wall itself. Now, from the NGO, they have said that they were told by two local contractors that were working on this project, that it was commissioned by the Egyptian security forces, saying that they believed that these placards, that these concrete slabs were some five meters or 16 feet high.

Now, Egyptian security officials had told CNN just a couple of days ago that they were beefing up the security in that area. They said it was a precautionary measure. That was when we saw extra security officials and machinery in the area.

We have reached out to the government, though, after seeing this particular footage as to exactly what they are doing. We understand that the bulldozers arrived February 3rd. By February 6th, excavation had started.

So, it's been underway for some 10 days now. And in the past five days, there's been an uptick in the activity. Now, clearly, what this shows is that Egypt is concerned about what the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been very vocal about, that he believes there will be significant action against the area of Rafah.

So, with well over a million Palestinians living in Rafah at this point, there is serious concern that there could be a spillover of Palestinians across the Gaza border into Egypt, which is clearly why the Egyptian authorities feel the need to do this.

Now, they have been very vocal as well, telling Israel that there should not be an invasion of Rafah, saying through the foreign ministry that there would be grave consequences if that were to happen. And they have been followed by countless world leaders around the globe that have said that this simply shouldn't happen, that there could be devastating consequences and many, many losing their lives. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much. Still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FANI WILLIS, GEORGIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: You've been intrusive into people's personal lives. You're confused. You think I'm on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Explosive testimony from the District Attorney leading the election interference case against Donald Trump in the state of Georgia.

[02:10:00]

And later this hour, we'll head to Alaska, where researchers have strapped cameras to polar bears to find out how the climate crisis is affecting their behavior. That's all coming up. Please stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: U.S. stocks bounced back from steep losses earlier in the week. The S and P closed at another record high on Thursday. The Dow and NASDAQ also higher. The market rebounded after U.S. Fed officials appeared to calm anxious nerves across Wall Street. Investors had been worried the Federal Reserve would keep rates higher for longer than expected after a disappointing inflation report on Tuesday.

All right, now to Fulton County, Georgia, where the election subversion case against Donald Trump and his allies took a combative and salacious turn Thursday, when two top prosecutors testified about their former romantic relationship. The district attorney Fani Willis will be back on the stand later today to beat back accusations of misconduct. CNN's Tom Foreman has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A stunning and fiery day in court as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the stand to defend herself and her case.

WILLIS: You're confused. You think I'm on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020.

FOREMAN (voice-over): In one explosive exchange after another, she explained her romantic relationship with the prosecutor she hired to lead the election fraud case. And she tore into the legal team around former President Trump and his allies.

WILLIS: It's highly offensive when someone lies on you, and it's highly offensive when they try to implicate that you slept with somebody the first day you met with them. And I take exception to it.

FOREMAN (voice-over): At issue in the hearing were two key questions. First, when did her romantic relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade begin?

NATHAN WADE, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: Let's be clear, 2022 was the start of any intimate sexual relationship with the District Attorney.

FOREMAN (voice-over): While Wade testified that the romance started when the investigation of Trump and his co-defendants was well underway, a one-time mutual friend Robin Yeartie insisted it started way back in 2019.

UNKNOWN: Did you observe them do things that are common among people having a romantic relationship?

ROBIN YEARTIE, FORMER FRIEND OF D.A. FANI WILLIS: Yes.

UNKNOWN: Such as? Can you give us an example?

YEARTIE: Hugging, kissing, affection.

FOREMAN (voice-over): Willis' take? At that time, she and Wade were friends, nothing more. And as for that contrary testimony? I have not spoken to Robin in over a year.

[02:15:00]

I certainly do not consider her a friend now.

FOREMAN (voice-over): The second key question, did the District Attorney financially benefit by choosing her romantic partner to lead the election fraud case? Team Trump came in saying Wade used money from that appointment to take Willis on trips to California, Aruba, Belize, the Bahamas and more. But hold on, Wade said, Willis paid him back in cash for all that travel.

WADE: What I allege is that our travel was split roughly evenly.

FOREMAN (voice-over): A line he held even as Team Trump drilled in.

UNKNOWN: I'm sure you probably have the deposit slips where you took the cash and deposited the cash into your account, don't you?

WADE: I did not deposit the cash in my account.

UNKNOWN: You don't have a single, solitary deposit slip to corroborate or support any of your allegations that you were paid by Mrs. Willis in cash, do you?

WADE: No, Sir.

UNKNOWN: Not a single solitary one?

WADE: Not a one.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And Willis was right there with him, dismissing the claims of financial shenanigans.

WILLIS: I mean, I paid for the hotel, I paid for the flights, I had a birthday luncheon for him, I paid for massages, I paid for everything.

FOREMAN (voice-over): And as for always repaying in cash?

WILLIS: I have money in my house.

UNKNOWN: You have money in your house. So, it was just money that was there.

WILLIS: When you meet my father, he's going to tell you as a woman, you should always have, which I don't have, so let's don't tell him that. You should have at least six months in cash at your house at all times.

FOREMAN (voice-over): She also batted down questions about sensitive personal matters.

WILLIS: I'm not going to emasculate a black man, but I'm just telling you.

UNKNOWN: I'm sorry, what?

WILLIS: I'm not going to emasculate a black man. Did you understand that?

FOREMAN (voice-over): And slapped away so much of what Team Trump said.

WILLIS: No, no.

UNKNOWN: This is the truth, Judge.

WILLIS: It is a lie. It is a lie.

FOREMAN: Through all of the back and forth, the Trump side of the court kept hammering away at the idea of a conflict of interest that might somehow disqualify Willis or Wade or maybe even both of them and kill the whole case. But Fani Willis got in some pretty good punches herself and is clearly looking forward to the next round. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now, earlier, CNN's Chief Legal Analyst, Laura Coates, was asked if the defense has a case and what would happen if the judge decides to disqualify Fani Willis. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: We have not addressed the underlying facts. That is part of the reason why ultimately, so far, this disqualification effort is likely to fail. They have not gotten to the heart of why this would prejudice or undermine the defense's ability to have a fair trial.

If they are disqualified, I do mean they, it's not just Fani Willis. It's her entire office. It would mean that you have a prosecuting counsel in Georgia that then has to choose to either appoint and assign or get somebody else to now be the prosecutor. That successive team doesn't have to actually follow the recommendations of the indictment.

They could add defendants. They could take away defendants. They could actually dismiss the case. And they could try to go to a private practice litigator. That is a hard battle, as well. We're talking about a very nominal fee compared to what the stakes are. Security issues, political implications. There is a huge spotlight over this case.

If they are disqualified, this could be slow rolled in a way that we would not have a trial before the actual election in November and, dare I say, not for the many months to come. And so a lot is riding on this. This judge is well aware, if you were to disqualify Fani Willis, the whole office becomes disqualified, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: On Thursday, Donald Trump filed his final arguments with the Supreme Court asking the justices to pause the federal election subversion case. He insisted that it would be wildly unfair to let the case go to trial. And he said he deserves immunity.

But Trump isn't getting it in New York. The first ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president will get underway on March 25. Now, that's after a judge on Thursday rejected Trump's motion to dismiss the charges in the hush money case. He's accused of cooking the books to conceal payments to a porn star.

A familiar scene in yet another American community in mourning after gun violence shattered a citywide Super Bowl celebration in Kansas City, Missouri. Police say there is no known link to terrorism or extremism. They believe a dispute between several people spiraled out of control, and they've detained two people.

On Thursday night, people gathered for a vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Wednesday's parade, which left one woman dead and at least 23 other people injured. CNN's Whitney Wild reports from Kansas City. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day after a Kansas City Super Bowl rally erupted in gunfire, new details are emerging about the people being held by police and the terrifying moments that led to one person killed and more than 20 hurt, including half of them, children.

[02:20:00]

UNKNOWN: All units take shelter on the west side. Shooter in place.

WILD (voice-over): Kansas City Police say Wednesday's shooting was the result of a personal dispute in the area, not an attack of terror on the celebration.

STACEY GRAVES, KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT CHIEF: Preliminary investigative findings have shown there was no nexus to terrorism or homegrown violent extremism.

WILD (voice-over): KCPD detained three people, including two juveniles. The third person was let go after police determined there was no connection to the shooting. Law enforcement also recovered several firearms.

UNKNOWN: We have nine gunshot wounds to the west.

GRAVES: The 22 victims age range between eight years old and 47 years old. At least half of our victims are under the age of 16.

WILD (voice-over): Lisa Lopez Galvin, a local DJ and mother of two, was tragically shot and killed. She's remembered by the radio station she volunteered at as an amazing person who gave so much to KKFI and the K.C. community.

UNKNOWN: Lisa leaves behind an incredible legacy. She comes from a very large family of civic leaders, actively and regularly engaged in both the Latino community of Kansas City.

GRAVES: To her friends and family, we are with you and we are working tirelessly to investigate her murder.

WILD (voice-over): Witnesses recalled the chaotic scene Wednesday where an estimated one million people gathered in celebration of the Kansas City Chiefs back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

UNKNOWN: And all of a sudden, pop, and we were like, holy cow, what was that? And then all the cops come running out of the building. They were running in the building at first, now they're running out of the building and then they tell us to go, go.

UNKNOWN: It's something you don't want to be in. Never.

WILD (voice-over): There are several accounts of Chiefs players and personnel comforting fans amidst the mayhem, including Cornerback L' Jarius Sneed. He told ESPN he was surrounded by children while seeking shelter in a basement.

L' JARIUS SNEED, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS CORNERBACK: I try to comfort them in that situation, just tell them everything is okay, you know, just rubbing their back and just feel like everything's going to be fine.

While we were there trying to celebrate, you know, something, a big accomplishment for us and, you know, we just try to celebrate it with them and for that to happen, it's very tragic.

WILD: Here at a vigil for Lisa Lopez Galvan, there is so much pain. A close friend of hers urging the public to send prayers to her family. This justice -- this search for justice continues.

Law enforcement releasing very few details, but at this point a law enforcement source tells CNN's Josh Campbell that the ATF is working through the ballistic evidence here trying to connect the bullets to specific firearms and figure out if there's anyone else outstanding, if there are shell casings and bullets that don't match to firearms that they were able to recover at the scene, which would mean that police would need to go out and continue a search for more shooters.

That is the big question here, but at this point, again, that search for justice continues, very little details being released and we hope to learn much more. Whitney Wild, CNN, Kansas City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, ahead here on CNN 'Newsroom", U.S. House Republicans have been dealt a possible blow in their efforts to impeach President Joe Biden. We'll explain after the break. Stay with us.

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[02:25:00]

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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN "Newsroom". The U.S. delegation will have its job cut out for it at the Munich Security Conference, which is about to get underway. World leaders are already gathering, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who arrived on Thursday.

Officials say the U.S. will try to reassure NATO allies that Washington will stand by them, despite recent comments by former President Donald Trump. He said, if he's re-elected, he wouldn't protect NATO members, which don't spend enough on defense, and would even encourage Russia to do, quote, whatever the hell they want.

But NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is pushing back against that sentiment.

He says a record number of alliance members, 18, are expected to meet the recommended levels of defense spending this year. He spoke ahead of a NATO Defense Minister's meeting in Brussels. CNN's Melissa Bell was there.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First commitments being made to Ukraine here in Brussels at the NATO meeting of defense secretaries, pledges of a million extra drones, a training center that's been opened to be opened in Poland to help train Ukrainian armed forces.

But perhaps more importantly, a commitment to continuing to press not just for the further support of Ukraine, but for the foundational principles of NATO and the importance of its strength now more than ever.

That's what we've heard a great deal of here in Brussels in the wake of the comments by the former American President Donald Trump over the weekend, going so far as to suggest that Moscow may be encouraged to come and test a NATO member. Those who didn't pay, he said, clearly rattled a number of European officials who have been speaking out these last few days.

And here in Brussels, it was the turn of Jen Stoltenberg to address head on the question of whether the United States would remain an unwavering supporter of NATO or not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: When you look at the opinion polls, there is record high support for NATO, both in North America, United States, Canada and in Europe. And I'm confident that NATO will remain the strongest and most successful alliance in history. And I expect the United States to continue to be a staunch ally.

BELL: Jen Stoltenberg there, reassuring in a press conference at the end of the meetings what he says will be the continued importance of NATO for all of its members. This was also the opportunity for a meeting of the Ukraine contact group.

This is when NATO Defense Ministers speak directly to their Ukrainian counterpart who spoke to them from Kyiv by video conference, giving them an idea of what's been happening on the ground in Ukraine and again, urging his counterparts now more than ever to stand firm. Melissa Bell, CNN, Brussels.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Seven people are reported killed following a massive missile strike Thursday on the Russian city of Belgorod near the border with Ukraine.

Russian state media say that a shopping center was hit. The regional governor is blaming Ukrainian forces for the attack and says a child was among those killed. Russia's military says its air defenses have destroyed 14 rockets over the region in the past 24 hours.

The U.S. and its allies have broken a large Russian cyber espionage operation, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray. He says the Russian military intelligence agency used a network of hacked Internet routers, also known as "Botnet" to target U.S. and other governments, military, security and corporate organizations to gather intelligence.

All told, the FBI and U.S. allies disrupted a network of more than a thousand hacked routers. Wray also repeated warnings that hacking teams backed by Russia and China have been seeking a foothold in the U.S. energy and telecommunications networks for a long time.

A former FBI informant who's central to U.S.-House Republican efforts to impeach President Joe Biden was arrested on Thursday.

[02:30:06]

Alexander Smirnov is accused of lying to the FBI and creating false records. But the GOP seems undeterred. House Oversight Chair James Comer says his investigation doesn't rely on Smirnov.

Our Evan Perez has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: U.S. prosecutors charged a former FBI informant with lying about corruption claims against a President Joe Biden and his son, hunter Biden and business dealings with the Ukrainian energy company, Burisma. The charges against Alexander Smirnov undercut a major part of Republicans' corruption claims against the president and the impeachment inquiry that they've launched against him.

Smirnov was behind two FBI memos in 2017 and 2020. The latter one came after Joe Biden launched his campaign for president. And it included explosive allegations that a Burisma executives claimed that the company paid Joe Biden and Hunter Biden $5 million each during the time that Biden was vice president in exchange for assisting the company's business interests.

The indictment in federal court says that Smirnov's allegations against the Bidens were, quote, a fabrication, an amalgam of otherwise unremarkable business meetings and contacts that actually occurred. But at a later date then he claimed and for the purpose of pitching Burisma under defendants preprint services and products, not for discussing bribes to Joe Biden when he was in office.

Smirnov appeared for an initial court appearance in Las Vegas, where he was arrested and CNN has been unable to reach an attorney representing him.

Congressional Republicans have touted Smirnov's claims and they fought with the FBI to release the memos of his discussions with the FBI. The indictment against Smirnov cites those very same memos as proof that he allegedly made false statements and created fictitious documents.

James Comer, the Republican chairman, who has been leading the investigation of the president, released a statement dismissing the importance of Smirnov to his inquiry and saying that there's more evidence that Republicans have uncovered. The case against Smirnov is being brought by special counsel, David Weiss, who is also prosecuting Hunter Biden on tax and gun possession charges. It's unclear why Weiss has taken nearly four years to bring charges on the allegedly false claims.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: South Korea's football association is shaking things up after the national team's loss in the Asian Cup semifinals. The KFA has fired head coach Jurgen Klinsmann after what they called a comprehensive review. It comes in the wake have a fight between the team's captain and one of its midfielders during a dinner in Qatar the night before the match. The KFA criticized Klinsmann for his lack of leadership and not spending enough time in South Korea since taking the job.

The climate crisis has hit polar bears, especially hard. Just ahead, what scientists learned when they strapped cameras to the bears and tracked their behavior. That's coming up. Stay with us

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[02:35:30]

BRUNHUBER: The cause for celebration in Athens, Thursday night as the Greek parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Greece is the first majority orthodox Christian country to establish marriage equality. Same-sex couples will now have the same rights as heterosexual couples, and will be able to adopt and receive full parental rights. Prime minister hailed the legislation as a, quote, milestone for human rights, reflecting today's Greece.

All right, turning now to the Caribbean where the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago is describing a recent oil spill as a quote, national emergency. He's promised to provide federal financial support to those affected. A ship overturned off the coast last week, officials say about 15 kilometers or nine miles of coastline is blackened. Residents report constant smell. Officials that they still don't know who owns the ship are exactly what it contains.

As ice in the arctic melts, polar bears are retreating to land. Scientists with the Alaska Science Center confirmed this when they measured the movements and behavior of polar bears in a study conducted from 2019 to 2022. And on the study, researchers strapped cameras around collars of 20 polar bears. August to September is the ice-free period increased. Well, the cameras recorded 115 hours of footage and found the bears were indeed spending more time on land. The bears eight berries, vegetation and birds, with the findings, say there is still a risk of starvation.

And joining me now is Anthony Pagano, the scientists behind that study.

Thank you so much for being here with us. So if I'm trying to summarize the issue that was driving your study. Climate change means less sea ice, which means polar bears have less opportunity to hunt their most important food source, which is seals. And you will what to know if polar bears might be able to adapt and get enough food from eating land-based animals, birds, eggs, grasses, mammals.

Is that right?

ANTHONY PAGANO, RESEARCH WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST, USGS: Yeah, exactly. What we know is that polar bears are increasingly relying on similar land use across many parts of their range due to climate warming. And we wanted to evaluate if land-based foods could potentially supplement the period that they're on land.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so why did you decide on this particularly innovative method, the bear cam?

PAGANO: Yeah, so there's been a bit of research on polar bears and their behavior on land. And we've had sort of anecdotal information about what they do. Some of the historic cool documentation indicated that they primarily rested well on land. Some more recent observations of suggested that some bears are feeding on a variety of foods on land. But we wanted to actually study certain individuals and quantify what their behavior was using these video collars where we could document what they were doing on land, how active they were, what they were eating, and simultaneously measure their energy expenditure and their changes in body weight to determine whether or not those land- based foods might serve as a benefit to them.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So before I get the results, now to the logistics, I mean, how difficult was it to capture them and then outfit them with this device? I mean, what were the biggest obstacles besides obviously, you know, handling 900 pounds worth of teeth and claws?

PAGANO: Yeah, they're quite large. They're the largest land carnivore. They're pretty challenging to work with. They occurred in pretty remote areas. We were fortunate to be able to a, study these individuals that we were able to work with, they can be pretty intense on equipment. We had to come up with a collar and a device that we felt was durable enough that the bears wouldn't destroy it. And were very pleased when we were able to recover the collars and find that they recorded the data we hope they would.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So that data I mean, were showing some excerpts there. I mean, some of it is just absolutely amazing. I remember the females swimming while carrying a seal carcass and then there were a couple of males. There is sort of hanging out in the ocean like they were together in a Jacuzzi. What surprised you the most?

PAGANO: Yeah, definitely the some of the long distance swims that we documented were quite surprising. We've documented bears and other regions of the Arctic that make long swims, but that's typically when there sea ice present.

[02:40:01]

In this area, the ice melts away completely and there is no ice president in the bay during this time of year. So we weren't expecting the bears to go out into the water. We found one bear made a swim about 175 kilometers. Another bear swim about 110 kilometers in total.

Two of those barriers found marine mammal carcasses that they fed fairly minimally from. One bear tried to swim seal carcass back to shore before eventually dropping it which suggested to us that these bears probably can't eat while they're swimming which was really surprising.

BRUNHUBER: All right. So using your data, you calculate it a predicted date of starvation for these bears. So what did you find? Could they scavenge enough to survive and sort of extrapolating? I mean, these were only 20 bears, but what might it suggest about polar bears' long-term survival?

PAGANO: Yeah, what we found was that some of the bears were resting -- resting up to 95 to 98 percent of the time but most of the bears were quite active looking for foods on land. And regardless of whether they were active and feeding on foods on land, or resting, they all lost body mass. Its similar rates losing about one kilogram per day, which highlighted that these land-based foods really aren't an adequate food source to prolong the period they can survive on land with future climate warming.

And it's really the sub-adult bears that are going to be at greatest risk. Those smaller bears, the ones that have less experience that can accumulate as much body fat while they're on the sea ice before they come to land, are going to be at greatest risk of starvation in the future.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it's all about energy expenditure and calories. And unfortunately, the math just doesn't seem to add up for many of those bears.

We'll have to left to leave it there. Anthony Pagano, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

PAGANO: Yeah, my pleasure.

BRUNHUBER: All right.

Oh, before we go, it's probably not what you want to see on your airplane flight, or all really. Maggots turned up on a Delta flight out of the Netherlands heading to Detroit this week, forcing the plane to return to Amsterdam an hour into the flight one person on board told local media than another passenger was fending off about a dozen of the creatures after they fell on her. The crew eventually traced the maggots to a passengers carry-on bag, which had rotten fish wrapped up in newspaper.

I hope you weren't eating while I was describing that for you.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM.

"WORLD SPORT" is next.

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