Ahead on cnn newsroom, ford and General Motors announce job cuts just days a of the Autoworkers Union went on strike, how a lengthy strike will impact the auto industry. Plus, gop president ial hopefuls descend on iowa stumping for votes. The only one who didnt show is donald trump. Downed trees and power lines is part of what tropical lee left behind. No breakthrough but reasonably productive discussions at least with ford, thats on how the United Auto Workers are describing labor talks on day two of its strikes. Striking Union Workers picketed outside the Ford Assembly plant. Ford says the strike is causing a lack of parts and 2600 uaw members will be laid off due to the walkout. The union and ford, General Motors and stellantis is far apart on benefits. Now the strike is putting President Biden in a tough position and it could get even more difficult for him if it goes on for a long time. Cnns Priscilla Alvarez explains. Reporter President Joe Biden weighed in on the auto workers st
interest in retaking. yes, and we have heard within the last hour. interest in retaking. yes, and we l have heard within the last hour or two of this apparent separatist appeal to russia which could be the pretext that obviously i wonder if these from pages will actually change because this is clearly moving at the moment, but honestly we also had to be very careful about the information that s coming out. yeah, and if you say is difficult to know yeah, and if you say is difficult to know exactly what s going on on the ground know exactly what s going on on the ground when we are clearly not there ground when we are clearly not there but ground when we are clearly not there. but very concerning reports about there. but very concerning reports about the there. but very concerning reports about the letters that had been sent to president putin asking for help to president putin asking for help to deal to president putin asking for help to deal with ukrainian aggression and t
warning of a potentially imminent threathere. , ., , . ., threat here. yes, actually. we have had us intelligence threat here. yes, actually. we have had us intelligence last threat here. yes, actually. we have had us intelligence last week- had us intelligence last week indicating they thought they would be an attack imminently then and obviously the suggestion still is that that could come very soon. white house officials are saying in the next 48 hours because they say the next 48 hours because they say the way that president putin has moved his troops mean that they are all going to have to start getting very tired quite soon. so they think he is going to have to launch is offensive. obviously ukraine is also having to gear up to prepare for the threat of invasion and some the report here tonight are about reservists being mobilised, about 3 million ukrainians who were living in russia being told to try and come home, so it s one of those very messy situations where it s hard f
and the coordination with hezbollah and iran they ll drive up the number of dead and wounded and the number of refugees. you might see this as a cynical move by president putin, what he is doing. in the short term russia is building up its power in the region. every day that passes the quota of blood being shed by the syrian people increases and no one is talking about the repercussions are going to be about this change of realpolitik in that part of the world. the dictator feels comfortable enough to leave. hadn t left in four years. is he pretty much now a stronger force than he was just six months ago? i think there is no question that assad is stronger now than he was six months ago because you do have hezbollah and iranian forces on the ground fighting with his forces. you now have this russian air campaign. and that s been very effective in retaking territory in the