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CNN This Morning
Hope Dims For Survivors As Death Toll Nears 22,000 In Quake; Sheryl Lee Ralph On Her Super Bowl Performance. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired February 10, 2023 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[07:32:20]
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: I think it's the impossibility of healthcare that somebody could emerge. For this time alive from the wreckage is driving this large crowd of rescuers, most intense work done by hand right at the front of the rubble there.
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POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: The impossibility of hope as you just heard our correspondent Nick Paton Walsh says we look at these heartbreaking images continuing to come from the devastating earthquakes in Syria and in Turkey. More than 21,000 people have been killed that number is likely to rise. There are lives that are still being saved, if you can believe it, though.
Take a look at this. This is a mother and daughter being pulled out of the rubble in Turkey, 92 hours after the earthquake struck. The daughter's waving, you see her there on the stretcher as she is carried to an ambulance nearby two sisters, 15 and 13 years old, also rescued from the rubble in the 99th and 100 and first hour since the earthquake.
Joining us now is former NBA Player and Human Rights Activist Enes Kanter Freedom. He is a Turkish American who has a lot of family in Turkey. Thank you very much. And good morning.
ENES KANTER FREEDOM, FORMER NBA PLAYER: Thank you for having me.
HARLOW: Of course, we cannot put ourselves in your shoes. But can you tell us how your family is, you've been able to reach some but not all?
FREEDOM: You know, it's definitely been one of the most biggest heartbreaking disaster that Turkey ever faced. And I have been trying to reach out to some of my family members actually in Turkey and we have not heard from them yet. I mean, close to, you know, between Turkey and Syria close to 22,000 people died and so right now my condolences, prayers and thoughts definitely with them for sure. DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You can't get in touch with your family that you had been speaking to people and you know, people there who have suffered losses?
FREEDOM: Yes. Well, I am not allowed to really communicate with my family because of the Turkish government but I have a brother actually plays basketball in Japan. So I have been communicating with my brother. And he told me that he has not heard from my sister's husband's side. So it's been three days. We still try to reach out to them but we haven't heard them yet.
And not only my family but there are so many of my friends actually my friends' family that lives in Turkey that has passed away unfortunately. And right now we are trying to do whatever we can to help those people over there.
HARLOW: How can we help?
FREEDOM: Well, let me start -- we started this, I don't want to take credit, but the we started this initiatives at with Embrace Relief Foundation. And we are actually planning to collect around $1 million the first seven days. And we try to send them over Turkey right now I believe close to 600,000 already in three days. So I mean, we try to do the best we can to just help those people because they need our help.
[07:35:11]
LEMON: Enes, I know you have been -- listen, you say what you mean, right? And it's something that's near and dear to your heart, if you're inspired by it, you talk about it. And there's a reason you're wearing that shirt you're wearing?
FREEDOM: Of course, I mean, yeah, I mean, unfortunately, there are so many heartbreaking stories are happening all around the world. I mean, starting with Ukraine and some of the other countries around the world. And this is definitely important. You know, we have to stop, you know, fighting, stop the wars and start building bridges between countries and people.
LEMON: Yeah. So because of the civil war that's going on in Syria.
HARLOW: Yeah, that's right.
FREEDOM: Yeah, exactly.
HARLOW: As I understand it, some of your families, some of your friends here in America have lost just an extraordinary amount of family members in Turkey?
FREEDOM: Yeah. Just one of my friend I talked to yesterday actually has lost 11 members of his family. So many people are suffering. But what gave me so much hope was the international community. Obviously, it's not a lie. That is not easy to work with the Turkish government. But it gives me so much hope when international community is trying to do best they can send help, send rescue teams, and recently President Biden just sent a plane over there to help those people who need the most but it does give me so much hope to just see in all this good communities doing the best they can to help people out there.
HARLOW: You're right. As chef Jose Andres told us, you -- in these situations see the best of humanity as well from him from you, from so many people. Thank you. Enes Kanter Freedom, very much.
FREEDOM: Of course, thanks for having me.
LEMON: We appreciate you standing up for everything, including this especially in -- sorry about your loss. We hope that you get word and it's good news. Thank you so much.
FREEDOM: That means a lot, thank you.
HARLOW: And that's a reason he can't speak with his family because of, he stood up to the Erdogan.
LEMON: There you go.
HARLOW: So outspoken regime.
LEMON: Yeah.
HARLOW: Well, you can go to embracerelief.org to help victims of the earthquake in Turkey and in Syria. Also go to cnn.com/impact, many ways you can help there.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Also this morning, we're tracking another international development, what officials are revealing about that Chinese spy balloons capabilities, you'll want to hear that.
LEMON: And guess what guys? This is going to wake you up. You may not even need coffee or caffeine for the rest of the day because we sat down with the incomparable icon Charlie Ralph, ahead of her Super Bowl pregame performance.
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LEMON: I'm sure you plan out how you're going to sing every note. How are you going to see it? Can you give us a little sneak preview?
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[07:42:00]
LEMON: All right, everyone, only a week into Black History Month, there's no shortage of history making happening right now.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming to the end of the third quarter, LeBron James is shot in history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LeBron James (inaudible).
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LEMON: LeBron James becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer, he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387 points set nearly 40 years ago.
And Beyonce, no longer just Queen Bee. She's now the queen of the Grammys with 32 wins over the course of her career. She now has the most Grammy Awards of any artists.
Well, that same night Viola Davis completed the holy grail of entertainment awards when she won a Grammy for audio book, Finding Me. She has now achieved EGOT status with an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and two Tony Awards. In St. Thomas University in Florida renaming his law school after civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, Will Smith making a rare public appearance to honor Crump that's according to University, is the first law school in the country to be named after a practicing black attorney.
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BEN CRUMP, ATTORNEY: I feel like I'm the most blessed man on the face of the earth today. We have to make the law matter for all of us, the least of us. If the law doesn't protect the least of us, then it doesn't protect any of us. And we together, brothers and sisters, have to make it equal justice under the law.
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LEMON: Well, congratulations to him and on Tuesday, Hagerstown Maryland elected its first black mayor Tekesha Martinez succeeds Emily Keller, who made history herself as the city's first female mayor. And the world's largest naval base now has its first black female commanding officer, Captain Janet Days assume the role at Naval Station Norfolk and Virginia last week.
And last month Summer Lee became Pennsylvania's first black Congresswoman. Days later, Wes Moore was sworn in as Maryland's first black governor, only the third black governor in our nation's history.
And finally this weekend, in Arizona, we will witnessed the first Super Bowl in history to feature two black starting quarterbacks. The Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes will face off against Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Hurts, and the Chiefs -- if the Chiefs wins well, Mahomes could become the first black quarterback in NFL to win multiple Super Bowls. And if the Eagles win, Hurts could be just the fourth black quarterback to take home the championship title.
And there will be more black excellence at the Super Bowl this weekend. Emmy Award winner OG, Dreamgirl and entertainment icon Sheryl Lee Ralph will lift every boys when she sings the black national anthem before kickoff. I sat down with her ahead of her performance. Watch this.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: You are an original Dreamgirl, you on Broadway, you spent most of your life, a lot of you live doing live performances and singing. I'm shocked that you're nervous.
[07:45:07]
SHERYL LEE RALPH, ACTRESS, SINGING THE BLACK NATIONAL ANTHEM AT SUPER BOWL: Well, I have to tell you, Don, when you think about the fact that it is, what, 250 million people watching the Superbowl, I mean, that's more than soccer. That's more than basketball, that's more than any sport. And they asked me to sing this song, which is going to be included for the first time in the stadium as part of the opening of this incredible moment, and I was just like, Oh my god. So, yeah, I was nervous. Yeah.
LEMON: You're making history. You really are making history. Is Phoenix ready for you? You think the world is ready for you?
RALPH: Well, you know what, Don, I finally feel like the world and I are catching up to each other, you know, for so long, you know, with everything happening now. I feel very much just like myself still just like Sheryl Lee and still saying the things I've always said. But my microphone has been unmuted, and now people can actually hear me and it is a great experience. Just amazing. Everybody should feel but I've been feeling since winning Emmy.
LEMON: Yeah. You won the Emmy for Abbott Elementary, you've Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary. Look -- maybe some people in the world just finding out about Sheryl Lee Ralph, I go all the way back to a piece of the action when you were Barbara Hamlin.
RALPH: Oh, wow.
LEMON: Look, I knew you've been and I knew you on Dreamgirl. So, you know, your mic for me has always been unmuted. And I'm happy.
RALPH: Thanks.
LEMON: Yeah, what's happening to you now. So but let's talk about this. You're making history, the importance of Lift Every Voice and Sing especially during Black History Month?
RALPH: Absolutely. When you think about that song, Lift Every Voice and Sing, it you know, it has a very interesting history. The National Black anthem because it was written by a Bahamian, and he had written that song for Marcus Garvey. Somehow it didn't all come together, but it was presented. And now we know it as the National Black Anthem and you will hear people throughout the diaspora not just in America, who know these lyrics, who know the power of this song that tells us through it all, through the dark past, through the hope of the present, let us march on until the victory of liberty, the victory of justice for all has been one major, incredibly powerful song.
LEMON: So, how are you going to sing it? I'm sure you plan it out. And so I'm sure you plan that how you're going to sing every note. How are you going to sing it? Can you give us a little sneak preview or you don't --
RALPH: I can't give you a little sample, not at all, the NFL has asked me to please just save it for us, for Sunday. But I can tell you that Adam Blackstone who's been my musical director on this NFL journey to the Super Bowl, he said, Ms. Ralph, all we need to do is to give people this song in a way that they can hear these lyrics at a time when all of us are together, that we can all be brought together knowing that each one of us as human beings is to be valued, no matter our culture, no matter our color, no matter who we are, that we are human beings. Let us come together. And march on until liberty is won.
LEMON: You have done so much. It is Black History Month, we have so many people like you, who are making history as you will during the Superbowl, LeBron James who made history as he did for scoring. Beyonce making history as she did for her Grammys. What is this -- where are we in this moment, Sheryl Lee Ralph?
RALPH: We are at a time that we must treasure and learn from because I think that we are really at the precipice of major change. Change is never easy. And for some people, it doesn't come soon enough. We have been working at this since 1619. At some point, we must in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. be judged upon the content of our character and not the color of our skin. When you see a young black man, you have got to see him as a human being and not a target for rage, not a target for a bullet, not a target for a fist or a beat down, but as a human being just like any other human being on this planet. And now is the time when we get to change, get some people's thinking and understanding that when we say wake up everybody, that is to be woke. That is not to be a bad thing.
[07:50:00]
There are people out there that want to turn the whole idea of wokeness which is about being awake to change, being awake to accepting people, especially people of color, black and brown. People be awake to that. Because teaching our history is teaching American history. There's some people that say you don't need to teach black history. Well, you need to learn about what has been given to this country since 1619, especially by people of African descent. So much to learn.
LEMON: Can you -- so much to learn. Can you offer us, Ms. Ralph, some advice? Because there are a lot of folks out there who are wondering how you radiate joy, so much, especially considering that you so connected what's happening in the world? Have you been connected? What's happened in Memphis to Tyre Nichols in so many other things that we are dealing with in the culture? Black voices being muted. How are you able to radiate so much joy all the time? And what is your advice to us on how we can perhaps, mimic and do what you do?
RALPH: Oh, well, you know, I think everybody's got to take their own personal journey in this. But as a child of the 60s, when I saw terrible things happening in the streets across America, in the American South, when I saw children, not much older than myself, being beaten, being shot, being killed in awful heinous ways, when I saw great leaders being assassinated and shut down one right after the other, there were my parents, who told me that I must work to be the best Sheryl Lee that I could be because there is power in one human being. But that human being must acknowledge their power, work towards being their best self, and share that with the rest of the world. And that's been my journey.
So honestly, I keep hope alive. I keep living by faith. I keep it within me. And I'm able to share it with my two children, Etienne and Coco, and then they will share it with their children, should they ever choose to give me grandchildren, I need.
LEMON: So I know that you can't do it. You're going to serenade us on Sunday. So, I will serenade you now. And I will sing.
RALPH: Come on.
LEMON: Lift Every Voice and Sing, till earth and heaven ring, ring with the harmonies of liberty.
RALPH: Come on.
LEMON: Let our rejoicing rise.
Thank you, Sheryl Lee Ralph.
RALPH: Thank you.
LEMON: I love you.
RALPH: You know, I love you.
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LEMON: I don't know, I was -- I felt like I do it in the taping. Now, why did I do that.
HARLOW: We made our day -- our week.
LEMON: Yeah. We're saying that not every day, but we sing it a lot. I went to an all-black Catholic school when I was a kid. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to parochial school and it was an all-black school because this was right after the segregation in the South.
I think it was maybe 10 years or so that my high school was desegregated before I went to it. But -- so, I learned that song and when it starts to become the black national anthem. But I do have to say Sheryl Lee Ralph is a force that many people are just discovering. And she's not new. I mean, she started with a Piece of the Action with Sidney Poitier was her first role and Bill Cosby back in the late 70s. In the early 80s with she was one of the original Dreamgirls. And so most people don't realize that she has a -- she has a voice, she can sing. She's not just an actress. But --
COLLINS: I love what she said that she in the world are finally catching up with one another.
HARLOW: So, did I. LEMON: Yeah.
COLLINS: Basically, the world is finally catching up with her.
HARLOW: She's like saying, like, I've always been this way. And you're finally noticing more of you.
LEMON: We're catching up with a lot of things, as you know, especially when it comes to women.
HARLOW: Yeah.
LEMON: We're catching up with a lot of things in African American and other.
HARLOW: Can I just say something about that, while watching this, I was looking back at sort of the history of the Black National Anthem, we were talking about the fact that it was first performed by 500 school kids at a segregated school in Jacksonville, Florida.
LEMON: Yeah.
HARLOW: She brought up educating about full black history. And I just thought that was notable.
LEMON: Yeah.
HARLOW: Nice moment.
LEMON: So ---
HARLOW: Very good interview.
LEMON: Mr. Layton (ph), and all the nuns and this Cad (ph) and Ms. Aber (ph) who taught us about black history. We had black history all the time, not just for one month and taught us a black national anthem as kids so it's important for kids to learn the true history of their country and I'm so glad I had that foundation as a child. Thank you.
HARLOW: Great. Okay. Still in Florida.
COLLINS: Yeah, a lot going on in Florida this morning. Florida Senator Rick Scott, as you saw yesterday named dropped to CNN anchor quite a bit as he was defending a proposal yesterday.
[07:55:03]
LEMON: I wonder who that was.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Kaitlan, let me just read you something Jake Tapper said, Jake Tapper said, when Jake Tapper said, what Jake Tapper said, and Jake Tapper said, have you talked to Jake Tapper?
COLLINS: So, should Jake Tapper join us live, next? I think he will. That's next.
LEMON: What exactly did Jake Tapper say?
HARLOW: We'll find out.
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LEMON: Good morning. Hope is fading. And the death toll is rising as unimaginable loss blankets Turkey and Syria. The new images from the quake zone.
COLLINS: There's been a significant turn in the investigations for President Trump's efforts to overturn the election. What's the subpoena for his former Vice President means for the case?
HARLOW: The Chinese spy balloon capable of monitoring sensitive U.S. communications as we learn about the advanced technology inside of it.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kaitlan, let me just read you something Jake Tapper says, Jake Tapper said, what Jake Tapper said. But Jake Tapper said and Jake Tapper said.
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COLLINS: Who better to ask about Senator Rick Scott's claims made during our show, then Jake Tapper. He's going to join us live this hour to talk about the fight over Social Security and Medicare playing out within the Republican Party.
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DAMAR HAMLIN: First, I would like to just thank God for you for being here.
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LEMON: And Damar Hamlin, speaking out just a month after he was necessitated on the field, honoring the people.
