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CNN International: Navalny Aide Says His Funeral Will Take Place Friday; U.N.: Half A Million People In Gaza On Brink Of Famine; Israel, Hamas Caution Against Biden's Ceasefire Optimism; Biden, Trump Win Michigan Primaries But Have Concerns; Soon: Hunter Biden To Testify Behind Closed Doors; Prince Harry Loses Legal Dispute Over Personal Security; Wildfires In Northern Texas Force People To Flee; Few Details From Star Witness In Fulton County DA Hearing; Iranians Gear Up To Vote Friday Amid Regional Tensions; Bucha Mourns Victims Of Atrocities, Two Years On; Warm Winter In Italy Leaves Ski Resorts With No Snow. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired February 28, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:10]
AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hi, everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is CNN Newsroom.
Just ahead, Alexei Navalny's widow gives a passionate speech and calls on Europe to unite against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Plus, U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter is set to answer questions on Capitol Hill. We are live in Washington for the very latest.
And Prince Harry loses a legal battle in a U.K. court. I'll ask CNN's Royal Correspondent what the ruling means for Harry's security.
We are learning the funeral for the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, will take place in Moscow Friday, exactly two weeks after his mysterious death at an Arctic penal colony. His spokesperson made the announcement on social media.
Meanwhile, Navalny's widow delivered a very powerful address to the European Parliament earlier today. Yulia Navalnaya unleashed a scathing critique of Vladimir Putin, blaming him directly for her husband's death, and said the Russian president is not someone who can be negotiated with.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YULIA NAVALNAYA, WIDOW OF ALEXEI NAVALNY: You cannot defeat him by thinking he's a man of principle who has morals and rules. He is not like that. And Alexei realized that a long time ago.
You are not dealing with a politician, but with a bloody monster. Putin is the leader of an organized criminal gang.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: CNN's Melissa Bell joining me now live in Paris with more on what Yulia Navalnaya had to say. I mean, just watching her there in those few seconds, you know, I've -- I said over and over her composure and her resolve have been so remarkable, but, you know, it was notable to see just her getting emotional there as well.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think that's right. This was a speech, Amara, that was all the more powerful for being delivered as you heard it there a moment ago through that thick Russian accent. And with all that emotion in her voice, it has been 12 days, something she insisted upon during the speech since the assassination of her husband.
And this was really something of a call to arms, Amara, not just urging European lawmakers to, in her words, do more like her husband and prove innovative in their attempts to take on Vladimir Putin. What she explained was that the same old sanctions, the same old attempts to shift the lines simply won't work.
And it's time for European leaders and others and all those who want to help Russians from outside to get far more creative as they consider how to help take on Vladimir Putin. It was also, Amara, a call to arms to all the many millions of Russians who are outside the country now, explaining that it is with those Russians that Western leaders need to be working in order to try and make a difference.
And I think there was also this important sense that now was the time to act because of all this huge outrage and anger that there is, that she'd urged the world and Russians specifically inside the country, to share with her when she made that address. You'll remember about 10 days ago now, looking for the first time, like the opposition leader we imagined she will more officially become with time. Amara?
WALKER: And we're also learning more about Alexei Navalny's funeral, which will be held this Friday, and she did have some things to say about her concerns looking forward.
BELL: That's right. Her concerns about that funeral. What she explained was we hope that it will be peaceful but that that is not up to the crowds who choose to attend and pay their respects. It is down to the levels of repression that the forces of law and order choose to bring to bear upon anyone who might turn up to pay their respects to Alexei Navalny.
We have been finding out more, Amara, about the details of how that's going to be organized. What Alexei Navalny's team say is that they had hoped to hold the funeral tomorrow on Thursday with a public part that everyone may pay their respects. And then a funeral simply what they say is that there was not a single grave digger that could be found apparently on that day in the whole of Russia.
[08:05:07]
And what they speculate on is that because this is the day that Vladimir Putin makes his annual address to the Russian Federation, that this would have attracted too little attention on the day Alexei Navalny had been killed, and therefore they're having to do this buried, I'm sorry, and therefore they're having to do this on Friday. Instead, it will be a funeral held in Moscow on Friday with a more public farewell before the question, especially in light of the words of Yulia Navalny at this afternoon. How many choose to brave the elements and turn up and what sort of repression they meet, Amara?
WALKER: All right, Melissa Bell, thank you very much.
As Israel and Hamas appear to be inching closer to a deal on a ceasefire and a hostage release, Hamas's political leader is weighing in on the negotiations. Ismail Haniyeh says the group has displayed flexibility in the talks, but remains ready to fight on. He also called on Palestinians, and Jerusalem, and the West Bank to march to Al Aqsa Mosque on the first day of Ramadan.
Now, Qatar, which is mediating these negotiations, is hopeful that a final agreement can be in place before the start of the holy month, which begins March 10th or 11th. A deal couldn't come soon enough for the people of Gaza, who are just desperate for humanitarian aid. The U.N. says over half a million people there are one step away from famine.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joining me now from Abu Dhabi with the very latest. Hi there, Paula. What more do we know about where these hostage talks stand?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, at this point, we certainly have more of a positive outlook from the U.S. than we do from some of the other players that have been discussing these negotiations. Of course, we heard from the U.S. President Joe Biden saying that it could be as early as the end of the weekend.
But we've seen Israel, Hamas, also Qatar distancing themselves from that particular sentiment suggesting that it may not be that fast. Now, we've heard from John Kirby as well, the national security spokesperson in the U.S. saying that he believes they're getting closer in a negotiation. It could happen in coming days.
And what we're gathering from from different reports, from different officials around the region, it is that it will be a phased approach. So when they're talking about a potential truce, a temporary ceasefire fire, that would just be the first phase.
And what we understand the negotiations to be in broad outlines, it would be a six-week ceasefire. There would be some 40 Israeli hostages released for about 400 Palestinian prisoners. And we're hearing from the Israeli side that they are insisting that female Israeli military soldiers would be part of that.
And then once they're in that temporary ceasefire, we're hearing from officials there is a hope that the next phases could be negotiated, that it would create some kind of more peaceful space to be able to negotiate further hostage releases. But, of course, the crucial part as well is to make sure that within that time, as much humanitarian aid as is possible can get into those in Gaza who so desperately need it. Amara? WALKER: Yes, let's talk more about that aid, Paula, because obviously concerns are growing around the world as we are awaiting Israel's promised invasion, ground invasion of Rafah, which is really one of the last places of refuge for the more than 1 million civilians there.
We heard the U.N. say that over half a million people in Gaza are just one step away from famine. I guess, what is the situation there in terms of humanitarian aid and if it's getting in?
HANCOCKS: We've been hearing for months that not enough humanitarian aid is getting in, that still it is woefully short, that far less than, than even got in before the Israelis went into Gaza is getting in. Now you can see that there are airdrops by certain countries around the region.
And just the fact that one of those airdrops landed in the sea. You saw the response of people running into the sea of trying to get to that aid. And that just speaks volumes of how desperate people on the ground are. Now, when it comes to official comment from United Nations agency, we heard from one that, as you say, at least 576,000 people across Gaza, they believe, are facing, quote, "catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation."
One child in six, they believe, under the age of two, is chronically malnourished at this point. In fact, the U.N. says that this is the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world at this point.
[08:10:06]
This is something that many NGOs within the country, many people within the Gaza Strip have been saying for some time now, but the situation just continues to get more desperate. The U.N. World Food Program also warning a real prospect of famine by May, with 500,000 people at risk if the threat is allowed to materialize, saying that almost all of the 2. 2 million people within the Gaza Strip now need food assistance. Amara?
WALKER: Very bleak situation. Paula Hancocks, thank you very much. Live for us there in Abu Dhabi.
Well, Joe Biden and Donald Trump easily cruise to victory in the Michigan primary Tuesday, but neither of them could be entirely happy with the results. Around 13 percent of Democratic voters cast a protest vote of uncommitted. That's 100,000 voters. They were telling the president that they oppose his policy in the Israel-Hamas war.
In a swing state like Michigan, Mr. Biden will need to get many of those voters back to win this state in November. And Nikki Haley continues to be a thorn in Trump's side, with almost 300,000 Michigan Republicans, choosing her over the presumptive nominee. And she says, she thinks voters deserve better than a rematch of 2020.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I got out today, it'd be the longest general election race in history. America is blessed to be a democracy. Let people vote. Now in the next week, we're going to watch 20 states and territories vote. Let's let that happen.
We're in all the Super Tuesday states now. That's what this is all about is making sure that we hit every state and letting them know. Look, there is a voice out there for you. There is a way out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: All right, CNN's Omar Jimenez is tracking the vote for us. So tell us more, Omar, about what happened last night. And as we're saying, I mean, both Biden and Trump, they won, but they have things to worry about.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so these were wins, but with some general election warning signs. I mean, look, there weren't expectations that Biden was going to lose this primary. There weren't expectations that Trump was going to lose this primary here in Michigan, but we got a good level set for where their support actually lies in this critical battleground state of Michigan.
Let's start with President Biden. There was a large movement led by Arab American activists to vote uncommitted instead of vote for Biden over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Now, in statewide, they got over 100,000 votes, which is obviously a very significant number, but here in Dearborn, which has one of the largest American communities in the country, Uncommitted actually beat Joe Biden, 56 percent to 40 percent.
Now we're talking about a total of 11,000 votes in that contest, but still shows that this movement and this message pushing the Biden administration to get toward a permanent ceasefire is a serious one. And one they believe should be respected come November.
I mentioned over 100,000 uncommitted. I want you to keep in mind that Biden actually won this state by around 150,000 people in 2020. So you can get an idea for the margins that are really in play here.
On the Republican side of things, yes, no expectations that Donald Trump was going to lose this state, but Nikki Haley getting around 26 percent of the vote, just under 300,000 votes, is no small block to laugh at.
And for someone like Donald Trump, who is clearly trying to move toward a general election mindset, this has remained a thorn in his side. The Nikki Haley has still generated some significant support, not just here, but in the previous primary in South Carolina, where she got around 40 percent of the vote, approaching 40 percent there.
The question, though, moving forward is you need delegates to get to the nomination, and she has not won any of these contests. And Super Tuesday, which is coming in less than a week here, we're going to see more than 15 states with voting contests and more than a third of the delegates at stake here.
And if she can't be successful in that Super Tuesday effort, it's hard to see what her path moving forward is, but it is there is no doubt that there's a significant amount of Republicans who are looking to put their support behind her rather than the former president.
WALKER: Well, I guess the one thing Nikki Haley has been successful at is showing that there is a chunk of Republican voters who are anti- Trump.
Omar Jimenez, appreciate you joining us there from Michigan.
JIMENEZ: Yes.
WALKER: Thank you.
For months, Republicans in Washington have been trying to get Joe Biden's son Hunter to testify about his business dealings with overseas companies. Well, today, they will get their wish. This morning, Hunter Biden will testify before two congressional committees leading the impeachment inquiry into his father.
Now, he had refused to testify in private, but then relented when Republicans agreed to release a transcript of his testimony.
[08:15:05]
The Republican impeachment effort has been struggling after a key witness was indicted for lying to the FBI about the Bidens and is believed to have gotten his information from Russian intelligence. CNN's Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid is on Capitol Hill.
I think a lot of people at home are wondering, well, why is this impeachment inquiry then moving forward? First off, what can we expect to see today?
PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's a great question, Amara. This is really a make or break moment for GOP lawmakers, who so far have provided no clear evidence to support their allegation that President Biden benefited from his son's foreign business dealings.
And you referenced in the intro, Alexander Smirnov. Just two weeks ago, the Justice Department charged him with lying when Bidens received millions of dollars in foreign bribes. That was a claim. That was a piece of evidence that was at the heart of this impeachment inquiry.
Now, Republicans are brushing off that setback as they head into today's deposition. And this deposition is only happening because lawmakers were willing to make two significant concessions to allay Biden and his attorney's concerns about selective leaks.
Initially, they said, he would only answer questions publicly. He did not trust, he said, Republican lawmakers not to selectively leak things that he said. So today's deposition will not be filmed, unlike other witnesses in the impeachment probe, and the transcript will be released to the public. We expect it will be released pretty quickly.
So these are at least two concessions that were made to get him to sit down behind closed doors. At this point it's unclear if there'll ever be a public hearing. At this point, we're told, there's no plans or discussions about that. But we'll be watching to see how he handles this today, Amara, because what we've seen over the past year, it's Hunter Biden, he got a new lawyer over a year ago.
Abbe Lowell has his colleague and friend and attorney Kevin Morris. They have taken a very aggressive approach at times, much to the chagrin of the White House towards his attractors, towards Republicans. We've seen in the past two months, they made two unannounced, arguably stunt appearances up here as they were negotiating this to get their point across to lawmakers.
So it's going to be really interesting, especially in the wake of the Smirnov revelation, to see how Hunter handles his appearance today.
WALKER: Yes. There has been no lack of drama surrounding Hunter Biden and the push by lawmakers to get him to testify.
Paula Reid, appreciate you. Thank you so much on Capitol Hill for us.
Well, Prince Harry's lawyers say he will appeal a decision handed down earlier by a court in London over his right to police protection when he visits the U.K. Now, the battle began with a decision four years ago that ended his automatic right to taxpayer funded security. Harry's lawyers argue that the prince had been, in their words, singled out by the government.
Let's get to London, and our Royal Correspondent Max Foster is standing by. I mean, first off, let's take a step back and talk about where this all started.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he left the royal family as a working royal. And with that, he gave up all of the public trappings, if you like, that come with that. So, publicly funded services that come from being in a publicly funded role, one of which was security from the Metropolitan Police.
He moved to Canada, he kept it for a while there, but then it was taken away from him. And this is a debate about whether or not that was right. He's not looking for full time, you know, all year security from the British police, but he is expecting it, when he comes back to the United Kingdom, armed police to protect him because he says there are threats, general threats against him. One of the reasons he hasn't come over with his kids is because he doesn't feel they'll be protected. So a debate about that.
On the other side, the Home Office speaking on behalf of the government is arguing there is protection in place. It is bespoke. So if there is a credible threat against him, they will give him that support, but they won't -- he won't get it automatically. And that's a system that's in place for other VIPs around the world.
You know, a big Hollywood A-lister coming to London, says there's a credible threat, they would get police support, but they wouldn't get it every time they came over. But as you say, he is appealing it, and he says he's not looking for special treatment.
WALKER: So, OK, he's appealing it, and as this plays out, what will this mean for Prince Harry and the royal family?
FOSTER: Well, if you go with his arguments, it doesn't feel safe to come over here without armed police in place. So he certainly doesn't feel safe enough for his wife and children to come over. So I think quite simply, we're not going to see the kids over here. The family aren't going to meet the kids unless they go over to LA.
So it's part of that sort of family breakdown and that tragedy as many people see it as, you know, this family, you know, not in touch with each other, not meeting each other, very limited phone calls to each other and contacts away from that. So, you know, this reunification that so many people hope for can't happen as long as Harry feels this way.
WALKER: Yes, yes. That makes sense.
Max Foster, good to see you. Thank you very much.
FOSTER: Thank you.
[08:20:05]
WALKER: Pope Francis is back at the Vatican, and that is what we are hearing from papal officials. They tell us the Pope underwent some tests at a hospital in Rome today and before that the Vatican says Francis held a general audience. These pictures are from that event.
You will know from watching this program that the Pope has been in and out of the hospital over the last year due to illness.
Still to come, people in Texas are being forced to get out of their homes as wildfires are burning out of control. We're going to take you to the Texas panhandle, where some communities are now gone.
And attorneys, a workplace romance, and Donald Trump, all the drama still playing out in a Georgia courtroom. Stay with CNN for more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: Parts of Australia are facing catastrophic fire dangers that some of the worst conditions the country has seen in recent years. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.
CNN's Angus Watson has the latest.
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: About 30,000 Australians were ordered to leave their homes Wednesday as fires raged across Victoria State. Shelters swelled as residents were told to leave before midday, when fires threatened to cut off roads, and before it was too late to leave.
Extreme temperatures and strong winds made Wednesday one of Australia's worst days for fire risk since the deadly Black Summer bushfires of 2019, 2020. Severe thunderstorms were also forecast for later Wednesday, bringing the threat of lightning strikes, so often the trigger for major fires in dense bushland.
Earlier Wednesday, a massive fire northwest of the city of Ballarat destroyed several homes. Firefighters battled huge blazes as aircraft dropped water from above. By nightfall, that fire was still raging. Authorities warned it would likely continue to threaten homes in several towns, including Beaufort, overnight.
Another fire just south of the city of Ballarat remained out of control on Wednesday evening. Residents were told to shelter in place before it was too late to leave. Scientists across Australia have warned that increasingly dry and hot summers caused by climate change are exacerbating the deadly threat of fires and making events like these more frequent.
Angus Watson, Sydney, Australia.
WALKER: Some breaking news into CNN, where at least five wildfires are burning out of control right now in the Texas Panhandle. Mandatory evacuation orders are in force. Some places have already burned to the ground. The Smokehouse Creek Fire, north of the city of Amarillo, is now the second largest ever recorded in Texas.
It has burnt more than 200,000 hectares. Firefighters say it is still entirely uncontained. Unseasonably hot, dry conditions and strong winds are fanning these flames, especially worrying is the threat to Amarillo itself, where there is a nuclear weapons facility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:25:15]
STEVE MEYERS, PANTEX PLANT SPOKESPERSON: We are responding to the plant, but there is no fire on site or on our boundary. But we do have a well-equipped fire department that has trained for these scenarios that is on site watching and ready should any kind of real emergency arise on the plant site. We also have a fully staffed emergency response organization who has activated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: Joining us now from Amarillo, Texas is CNN's Lucy Kafanov. Lucy, that sounds frightening regarding this nuclear weapons facility. What's the latest there where you are?
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, let me set the scene for you here in Amarillo, Texas. There is low visibility, extremely high winds, all of that due to the some five wildfires burning in the surrounding areas here in the city. The air is full of smoke. It's difficult to breathe. It burns your eyes. It burns your mouth. And this isn't even the epicenter of those fires.
Now, Amarillo is one of the places that folks are being encouraged to evacuate to if they can get here safely. The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, issuing a disaster declaration for 60 counties, six zero. That is a lot of counties. As of this morning, we are looking at more than 500,000 acres burned.
Just to give your viewers some context, the city of London and the greater area is some 390,000 acres. So the largest of these blazes, as you pointed out, is the Smokehouse Creek fire. That is now the 2nd largest in the state history. Fire crews have been struggling to contain this blaze.
They're battling very difficult conditions. They don't have a lot of access to water. This is an area that's been impacted by drought. A lot of these counties are rural areas, and that means not only humans are affected, but livestock. Almost impossible to evacuate large numbers of livestock.
Now, you mentioned the nuclear facility. This is the main facility in the United States that disassembles America's nuclear arsenal that had to shut down yesterday. It is we are hearing back online this morning. Another nearby town, the city of Fritch had asked all of its residents to evacuate on Tuesday night.
The natural gas was turned off there to limit the fire danger. But now we're learning that the city of Fritch is asking for outside help to bring their water system back online because of a power outage.
Another area, Canadian, Texas. One motel owner there spoke to CNN and she described a scene that looked like Armageddon. There was white dust in the trees, smoke everywhere. She had to shut down in her motel and evacuate. The local hospital there also had to evacuate all of their patients on Tuesday.
And that is just one of many areas affected. And because of these high speed winds, you know, the heat, the fire, we're also seeing those blazes spread into neighboring Oklahoma. So it is not just the Texas panhandle that is affected. There is some forecast for rain and snow, possibly on Thursday, but it is not clear if it's going to be enough to help crews battle these blazes and get them under control. Amara?
WALKER: Yes, the scale of this fire is just unimaginable. Really concerning. Thank you so much, Lucy Kafanov there in Amarillo.
All right, still to come, new developments into high profile hearings, one connected to Donald Trump's legal problems, the other connected to President Biden's son. We will sort it all out after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:31:22]
WALKER: Attorneys in the U.S. state of Georgia called a star witness to the stand for more details about District Attorney Fani Willis relationship with a co-worker. They want to know if Willis, who is prosecuting Donald Trump on charges of election interference, began a relationship with Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor she hired, before or after he was hired.
On the stand Tuesday, Wade's friend and former law partner answered. I don't recall to several key questions. Nick Valencia has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE SADOW, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Why in the heck would you speculate in this text message?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Terrence Bradley back on the stand after the judge determined he couldn't invoke attorney-client privilege.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He claimed at the time it was privilege, I I found that it's not.
VALENCIA: Bradley, Nathan Wade's former law partner, was billed by the defense as the star witness, who would provide proof that Wade and the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis lied about when the romantic relationship started. Bradley testifying he was just speculating in text messages to a defense attorney where he said the two absolutely were dating before he was hired.
RICHARD RICE, ATTORNEY: Did you lie to Ms. Merchant when you told her facts about Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis's relationship?
TERRENCE BRADLEY, FORMER DIVORCE ATTORNEY FOR NATHAN WADE: Not that I recall. I don't recall ever whether any of it was a lie or not.
VALENCIA (voice-over): The defense trying to determine if Willis hired way to lead the Georgia election subversion case when they were already together or after, as both Willis and Wade have testified.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did Nathan Wade tell you about the relationship?
BRADLEY: I recall him stating that at some point they were dating. I can't tell you what date that was. It was made in confidence.
VALENCIA (voice-over): Willis herself was pressed about the timing at an earlier hearing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When did you start dating then -- April 2023 -- 2022?
FANI WILLIS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: '22? Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2022.
WILLIS: It was around then. I don't know like, you know, it's not like when you're in grade school and you send a little letter and it says, will you be my girlfriend and you check it.
VALENCIA (voice-over): But after today's emergency hearing, there didn't appear to be any smoking gun evidence. Instead, Bradley facing questions about his own credibility
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you have any reason to lie?
BRADLEY: I don't know if speculation is lying. VALENCIA (voice-over): The two-hour hearing ending without the damaging testimony defense attorneys had hoped for in their bid to get Willis disqualified and the case against Donald Trump and his allies tossed.
SADOW: Why would you speculate when she was asking you a direct question about when the relationship started? And you don't want to testify to that in court.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overrule.
SADOW: That's the best explanation.
BRADLEY: No, I have no direct knowledge of when the relationship started.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And that was our Nick Valencia reporting. Let's take a look now at the case from a legal point of view. We're joined by defense attorney Misty Maris. So glad to have you.
Let's take a step back, Misty, and remind us why it matters whether or not the two were romantically involved you know, before DA Fani Willis hired him.
MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE & TRIAL ATTORNEY: Yes, absolutely. Great to be here. And really, the central question in this case is whether or not Fani Willis as the prosecutor financially benefited from a relationship with somebody that was hired by the district attorney's office.
So the theory of the case from the defense perspective is she hired Nathan Wade. Nathan Wade is paid out of state funds relating to his work as a special prosecutor. And that Fani Willis directly benefited from those funds by going on vacations that were paid for by Wade. That's the theory of the case.
[08:35:16]
Prosecutors are not supposed to be financially entangled with any of the cases that can't derive a financial benefit. So that's the central question. And so the timing of when their relationship began is the focus of this inquiry. Because if it began before Nathan Wade was hired, then it has that air of impropriety that could lead to disqualification.
However, if it began after, then it's really irrelevant whether or not they were in a romantic relationship. So that's why the timing is the focus of this hearing.
WALKER: Got it. I'm so glad you clarified that because sometimes we get lost in the details of the drama and we all need to keep the big picture. OK, so --
MARRIS: Terrence Bradley, I was watching this live and it was so obvious that he just did not want to be there. He had a lot of, I do not recalls. But overall, he was supposed to be the defense team's star witness, but it landed like a dud, didn't it? I mean, does his testimony or lack of information undercut their argument?
MARRIS: I watched it live also, and you're absolutely right. He was in a very precarious position because he had claimed attorney-client privilege previously, relating to any testimony. So we had said that everything was privileged. The judge said it was not. So now he's on the stand and he's being confronted by text messages that he that he had exchanged with one of the defense attorneys.
Now, in his testimony, as you said, he said he didn't recall. He walked back on what those text messages said. So nothing definitive came out of the stand. What it's really relevant to is that this is a judge, this is a hearing. The judge makes a determination about credibility.
So the judge can decide whether or not his testimony is credible to throw it out entirely. And under the circumstances, when he's contradicting prior text messages --
BASH: Yes.
MARRIS: -- you know, it kind of falls like a lead balloon, and I don't know if the judge is really even going to consider it in his ultimate determination.
WALKER: OK, so it'll be interesting because Friday is when we hear the closing arguments, and then who knows when the judge will come down with a decision. I do want to talk quickly just before we move on about, you know, what's at stake here.
And, you know, let's speak hypothetically. Let's say Fani Willis is disqualified. What is the worst thing that could happen to the Georgia election subversion case? Could someone come in and just derail the entire case?
MARRIS: Yes, so there's two different paths that could happen. One is that the office is disqualified. She's disqualified. The office is disqualified. Then this goes to a state agency of prosecutors where there's a determination made about what office will actually pick up the case.
If there's an office that picks up the case that has the resources, they can review it de novo, meaning that they can pursue the case. They can decide not to pursue. They can pursue some or all of it. So that's one aspect.
The worst case scenario would be that the entire indictment gets thrown out, that there's a determination that not only is there a disqualification, but the indictment was also at issue, and the indictment is no longer in place.
So the whole process would've to start over. I think that's very, very unlikely that the indictment would be impacted. But the case could go to a different prosecutor's office and that prosecutor could determine whether or not the case gets dismissed or whether or not the case gets pursued. Either way, it would be significantly delayed and likely to what possible to happen before the election.
WALKER: Yes, obviously the judge's decision is going to be hugely consequential.
Let's move on to Hunter Biden and he is heading to Capitol Hill this morning. He will be deposed behind closed doors. He's gotten Republicans on the committees to agree to a few concessions that they will not, you know, film the deposition.
The transcript will be released in its entirety to the public. I guess the expectation is within 24 hours. That's all great. My question is this, because you look at the fact that the Republicans who push for this inquiry. They have provided no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of President Joe Biden.
And the second part is this Alexander Smirnov character, this ex FBI informant who has been indicted for lying about the Bidens and some claim about, you know, them receiving millions of dollars from -- in bribes. And this impeachment inquiry was based on this ex-FBI informant who is now facing charges.
Why is this inquiry even moving forward at this point? What are the grounds for it?
MARRIS: Right. So the impeachment process in this impeachment inquiry is largely a political process. And so once the inquiry is started, there's -- it's a political process, so it's based on whether or not it continues.
[08:40:06]
There's different rules than there would be in a court of law where there would have to be a basis for testimony and there would have to be evidence established beforehand in order to make certain testimony relevant.
So that's the why, but I completely agree with you that that witness who's supposed to be a star witness, who's now just lost all credibility in the process is a huge obstacle for -- moving this beyond the inquiry phase. So what the results of today's hearing will be, it's all going to ultimately be memorialized into a report and then that goes to the judicial committee and a determination will be made about whether or not there's enough evidence to move forward with next steps.
So, in reality, in a court of law, this would probably be stop right now. We wouldn't be taking the next step. But because it's in this more political process, the inquiry continues.
WALKER: So who cares if there's evidence or not? If this is going to be purely political as we've been seeing.
Attorney Misty Marris, great to have you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. MARRIS: Thank you.
WALKER: Turning now to Iran where people there are preparing to cast their ballots in parliamentary elections this Friday. The vote comes as Iran grapples with growing tensions across the region amid war in Gaza and the Houthis attack in the Red Sea.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has more.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): -- with a show of force ahead of what many say will be a key election on Friday, supporting their leadership's tough stance against both the U.S. and Israel. His son's Issan and Hussein dressed up in military fatigues voter Mohammed Kalantari he wants to show the U.S.- Iran's strength.
They know that Iran is a powder keg, he says. It only takes a spark to blow up the entire region. Iranian youth, me and the children, are wearing these clothes to say that we are the soldiers of this country.
And this man says, through this election we will prove that we can stand against the U.S. not only economically, but militarily. They are sanctioning us, but this will be solved soon, and then we will be a country sanctioning them.
Tension between the U.S. and Iran has reached a boiling point as Washington accuses Tehran of supporting Houthis in Yemen firing missiles at cargo ships, as well as pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria targeting U.S. bases there, including the January 28th attack killing three U.S. service members and wounding dozens.
Iran denies any involvement, but has ripped into the U.S. for Washington's support of Israel and its campaign against Hamas in Gaza. At the conservative event, disdain for Israel on full display. Flags with the Star of David on the floor for people to step on.
PLEITGEN: It certainly seems pretty clear how most of the people at this rally are going to vote in the upcoming election. But this event is really about something else. It's about getting out the vote. In fact, the supreme leader of this country has urged people to head to the ballot boxes to make sure there will be a high turnout.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): It's the first election since massive protests erupted in Iran in late 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini after she was detained for violating hijab laws. On the streets of Tehran, Get out the Vote posters nearly everywhere. But with many moderate candidates barred from running, inflation high and the economy reeling from tough U.S.-led sanctions, some say they feel unenthusiastic when we ask if they will vote.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no. PLEITGEN (voice-over): The country belongs to the people, this man says. There should be participation in the elections. But it should be freer with the presence of all groups and minorities.
It's unclear if Iran's leaders can persuade more people to vote in an election deemed pivotal for the country's future.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: There has been a new and dramatic decline in South Korea's fertility rate. It was already the country with the lowest rate in the world, and new figures show it has dropped again. According to government data, the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime fell to 0.72 in 2023. It is seen as the latest setback in the country's efforts to boost a declining population.
Still to come, two years ago, the Ukrainian city of Bucha saw some of the worst atrocities of war.
Now CNN's Christiane Amanpour returns to see how the Kyiv suburb is coping today.
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[08:46:45]
WALKER: Residents of the Ukrainian town of Bucha are remembering the lives lost during Russia's brutal occupation two years ago. The Kyiv suburb was a scene of horrific atrocities early on in the war. CNN's Christiane Amanpour visited Bucha as Ukraine marks two years since Russia's invasion. And a warning, her report contains graphic and disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Father Andriy Halavin, of St. Andrew's church, walks me through Bucha's grisly place in history. Hundreds were brutally killed here during Russia's month-long occupation, including women, children, the elderly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 99 years old.
AMANPOUR: Oh my god, 1923 to 2022.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.
AMANPOUR: 99 years old and a child of 2 years old.
AMANPOUR (voice over): These people died not during the fighting, but during the occupation says Father Andriy, when the Russian world came here, and this is its face, these are corpses. These are rape people. This is every apartment and house looted. This is the face of the Russian world. Father Andriy became known after the Russians were pushed back for revealing the side of a mass grave just here on his church grounds, filled with 160 people.
He shows me the original posting about it on Facebook, March 12, 2022, when Russian forces were still occupying Bucha. And from this memorial, you can see that red house, most of the family was killed as they tried to flee. When the Russians turned a heavy machine gun on their car.
It still haunts and horrifies the grandmother, Valentyna Chekmarova.
It's very hard for me to remember this, two years have passed, and it seems like it happened today, she says. I saw them off to get out of this hell, but they didn't. They were shocked.
This is the fate they were trying to escape. The main street, Yablunska, in this residential Kyiv suburb, strewn with bodies, all clearly civilians. The discovery of basement torture and execution centers. People forced to kneel and lie with hands tied behind their backs, women and girls raped.
TETIANA USTYMENKO, RESIDENT OF BUCHA (through translator): How could this happen? How could this happen?
AMANPOUR: Standing in Yablunska Street today, feels a little like standing in a graveyard. It's where the horrors of the Russian invasion were first exposed. And it remains a field of evidence, a memorial and a pilgrimage site.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): We believe that these are war crimes, and this all would be recognized as a genocide by the world.
AMANPOUR: President Zelenskyy came here, April 4th, 2022, right after his forces drove the Russians out. And he brings all his international visitors and world leaders to Bucha to remind the world just what they're fighting against.
Moscow has claimed without evidence that this was all staged and was a planned media campaign. Ruslan Kravchenko was the war crimes prosecutor. He is now governor of the Kyiv region.
[08:50:09]
Do you remember when the Russians said it was fake and the bodies were fake? And that the Ukrainians had killed people themselves? He asked me. When we seize the phones, we proved to the whole world that it was the Russians who killed people -- Ukrainians.
Ruslan says the war crimes investigations continue, using a trove of evidence from multiple cameras, phones, and other recordings. But when they inform the Russian soldiers, they identify, they don't cooperate.
And Father Andriy tells us the awful truth is, that bodies are still being discovered today. Two years on. From time to time, we find someone by accident, he says. The Russians had hidden their bodies somewhere and we find them. So, unfortunately, the number of people who died is increasing.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Bucha.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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WALKER: The climate crisis is causing an economic meltdown for ski resorts in central Italy. The above average temperatures this winter mean there is little to no snow. CNN's Barbie Nadeau shows us the devastating impact on tourism.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): These mountains in central Italy used to be a favorite spot for local skiers. Now the area looks more like a barren, muddy wasteland.
NADEAU: February is supposed to be the biggest and busiest month here at Campo Felice ski resort in the Apennine Mountains in central Italy. Not this year. As you see behind me, all of these mountains that are brown are supposed to be covered with snow.
This year instead there just hasn't been the snow. The only snow you see here was made with artificial snow machines.
NADEAU (voice-over): The human caused climate crisis has resulted in snow loss across the Northern Hemisphere. Here, more than 4,400 feet above sea level, where snow is disappearing fast, people are questioning how much longer skiing can go on.
This year, the influence of El Nino means temperatures have been even higher than usual. Normally, on a Sunday in February, you'd have 6,000 people skiing on these slopes. This year, only 4 of the 14 slopes were open. Of the 250 people who work here normally, only 50 have been able to keep their jobs because the season has been so mild and short.
This ski resort has been in Andrea Lallini's family for 23 years. First his father, and now he and his brother Luca run it. He says the seasons have been getting shorter over the years.
He tells us the problem is lack of precipitation. Plus, it has never gotten cold. This year winter barely even arrived, he says.
They tell us that in the 1980s and 90s, artificial snow wasn't necessary. There was plenty of the natural stuff to go around. This year, snow machines were the resort's only option.
But even that is problematic, because last summer there was very little rain, and lakes like this one ran dry. There was no water to make snow, and even fake snow melts if it's too warm.
It's a vicious cycle, he says. And non-skiers feel the impact too. [08:55:04]
Gennarino Di Stefano is the mayor of Rocca di Cambio. He says the town's livelihood revolves around this ski resort and those nearby. The changing climate is having a ripple effect on the economy.
GENNARINO DI STEFANO, ROCCA DI CAMBIO MAYOR (through translator): Every town has a good number of people who come here to work. From the ski instructors, the managers, the bars, the restaurants, the people who run the ski lifts. Many people are not working.
NADEAU (voice-over): And for ski instructors like Isidoro Franceschi, the lack of snow in shorter season means these young competitive skiers have to go elsewhere to train.
ISIDORO FRANCESCHI, HEAD SKI INSTRUCTOR AT CAMPO FELICE (through translator): For those of us who have always worked in this area, it is heartbreaking to see nature spoiled like this. It isn't good.
NADEAU (voice-over): As skiers turn to resorts at higher elevations where there's more snow, skiing in places like this will soon be wiped out for good.
Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Campo Felice, Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: Yes, what a shame. Thank you so much for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Amara Walker.
Connect the World with Eleni Giokos is up next.
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