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First Votes Cast in New Hampshire; Democratic Candidates Made Last Appeal to before New Hampshire Primary; Republican Contenders Go on Attack; Clinton Vs Sanders for the Women Vote; Syrian Government Supports Optimistic After Recent Gains; North Korea May Face Stronger Sanctions; South African President on Trial. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired February 09, 2016 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:45] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers around the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
ERROR BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Errol Barnett. Thanks for joining our two-hour block. CNN NEWSROOM starts now.
CHURCH: The first ballots of the New Hampshire primary have been cast. It started in Dixville Notch and two other small towns just after midnight local time.
BARNETT: With nine votes to count in Dixville Notch, John Kasich beat Donald Trump, 3-2, on the Republican side. The other four votes went to Democrat Bernie Sanders.
A more telling tally might be the latest CNN/WMUR poll. It shows Donald Trump leading Republicans with 31 percent. That's 14 percent ahead of Marco Rubio, you see there in second place. And Ted Cruz, you remember, the winner from Iowa, is at 14 percent.
CHURCH: And for the Democrats in New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders holds a big lead, 26 points ahead of Hillary Clinton.
BARNETT: The Democratic candidates made the last appeals to voters in the eve of the New Hampshire primary. Hillary Clinton touted her experience and asked voters to support her at a rally. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have to ask yourself, who can do all aspects of the job? That's really what this is about, who can get the economy moving again, get those jobs created, get the incomes rising, who can protect our families and keep our country safe. I will ask you, respectfully, to please consider giving me the chance to do this job for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Meanwhile, a rally for her rival, Bernie Sanders, mocked claims he could be influenced by campaign contributions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What our campaign is about is 3.5 million people, 3.5 million individual contributions, averaging $27 apiece.
(CHEERING)
SANDERS: There it is. I confess to you, I'm indebted, I'm owned by the people who make $27 combine contributions.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And former Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he is thinking about a presidential bid. In an interview with "Financial Times" Bloomberg said he was looking at all his options when asked about entering the race.
BARNETT: The media mogul says he's listening to what the candidates are saying and what primary voters are doing.
CHURCH: Donald Trump appears to have a commanding lead in New Hampshire. But it's worth noting that almost one-third of voters say they have not made up their minds of whom they're going to vote for.
BARNETT: That's right. It's an important point.
And as Jim Acosta reports, the Republican race for second place is very much up in the air. And the candidates are becoming much more combative.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have to get rid of the Bushs of the world.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day before the New Hampshire primary, the battle for the Republican nomination has descended into name-calling and taunts between Donald Trump and his favorite target, Jeb Bush.
TRUMP: Then he says, see, I'm the only one taking on Donald Trump. I'm not afraid of Donald Trump. He's like a child. He's like a spoiled child.
ACOSTA: But Bush is no longer enduring the attacks.
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump, you're the loser.
ACOSTA: He is throwing counterpunches, putting the brakes on Trump's fast-moving campaign and save his own. BUSH: It's a long list of things that disparages people. I find it
remarkable as a candidate for president, he thinks that's evidence he's a strong person. He's not.
ACOSTA: The two men are at war on Twitter. Trump tweeting, "Everybody is laughing at Jeb Bush. Spent $100 million and is at bottom of pack, a pathetic figure." And Bush swinging back, reminding voters of Trump's attacks on John McCain, a former New Hampshire winner. Bush tweeted, "You're not just a loser, you're a liar and a whiner."
Trump told Wolf Blitzer, Bush is losing his nerve.
TRUMP (voice-over): He is a sad person who has gone absolutely crash. He is a nervous wreck. I've never seen anything like it.
[02:05:30] ACOSTA: The brawl comes as a poll shows Trump out in front. One key question heading into the primary is how much damage was done to Marco Rubio, after his shaky debate performance over the weekend.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The bottom line is this notion that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing is not true.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There it is.
(CROSSTALK)
CHRISTIE: There it is, the memorized 25-second speech.
(CROSSTALK)
CHRISTIE: There it is, everybody.
ACOSTA: Chris Christie says it's proof Rubio is not ready for prime time.
CHRISTIE: When the lights get that bright, you shine or you melt. We can't have a guy that melts.
ACOSTA: Rubio had no regrets.
RUBIO: People keep, the press anyway, say, why do you keep saying Obama changed America? I'm going to keep saying that a million times because I believe it's true.
ACOSTA: Also unclear is how Kasich and Ted Cruz will do. They're fighting for second place. Cruz appears to be downplaying expectations.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We never viewed any of the states a must-win. We are here in New Hampshire competing for the votes. And at this point, it's a turnout game.
ACOSTA (on camera): The Trump campaign is sounding much more confident about New Hampshire than about Iowa. Campaign manager Cory Lewandowski said that Iowa was about the caucus process, whereas, New Hampshire was about getting people to the polls. He noted you're not hearing Ted Cruz boast about his ground game here in New Hampshire anymore.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Mark Preston is the executive editor of CNN politics. He joins us from Dixville Notch in New Hampshire.
There's some 300,000 undeclared voters who are deciding which party to vote for and which candidate. That's amazing to me. Mark, just explain what the process will be there. What we'll see in the next 24 hours and which candidate might benefit from this type of primary.
MARK PRESTON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CNN POLITICS: Errol, the polls have opened and closed here in Dixville Notch. Two other communities have voted tonight. Now, it switches to the populous part of the state. Towns such as Concord and Nashua and Portsmith. Donald Trump has a commanding lead right now. Can he maintain that lead? Who will come in second? Third? Fourth and fifth right now? We're looking at who could be the fifth horse out of New Hampshire. On the Democratic side, we have Bernie Sanders with a considerable lead over Hillary Clinton. And the question is, how much is Hillary Clinton going to do here in New Hampshire? She tried to do her best here. Has focused on moving out of New Hampshire and focusing on the African-American vote. We saw her leave New Hampshire on Sunday, to go to Flint, Michigan, a city that's been wracked by toxic water and a city with a high African-American population, a city that 40 percent of the residents live below the poverty line. What we're seeing right now is Hillary Clinton focusing on the southern part of the United States, specifically South Carolina, the next stop on this train -- Errol?
BARNETT: On the Republican side, it will be important to watch how the candidates fall behind Donald Trump. How close they are behind him in the polls. John Kasich and Chris Christie have had dozens of town halls, developing their ground game, trying to be the accomplishment choice. You have an image of the huge amount of mail that undecided voters get. This is on the Twitter page of Trent Spiner, the executive director of the "New Hampshire Union leader." Which candidate are you seeing making the most effort there?
PRESTON: I think John Kasich the Ohio governor, has staked his candidacy here in New Hampshire. He came to Dixville Notch. He held a town meeting and Drew around 60 residents from the surrounding area. John Kasich is actually moving up. It will be interesting to see John Kasich, the Ohio governor, where he comes out. Jeb Bush has shown a little bit of fire. He did that in debate. And he took on Donald Trump head-on. As they move to South Carolina, he seems to be well established down there. Folks in South Carolina tend to like the Bush family. We'll see where he comes out in New Hampshire as he heads down to South Carolina.
BARNETT: Mark Preston, in Dixville Notch. A big day ahead. Get your rest, Mark. Thanks for joining us.
PRESTON: Thank you, sir.
[02:10:07] CHURCH: On the other side of politics, Democratic candidate, Bernie Sanders, tops Hillary Clinton, in New Hampshire polls. Clinton trails Sanders by 11 percentage points among women according to a CNN/WMUR poll.
CNN's Gary Tuchman takes a look at why many young women are flocking to support Sanders.
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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A college gymnasium with many young women, self-described progressive Democrats, people Hillary Clinton wants and needs for her presidential bid. But they're here for Bernie Sanders.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would like to see a woman in the White House. Hillary Clinton, no.
TUCHMAN: Entrance polls showed Democratic women under the age of 30, favored Bernie Sanders by an overwhelming margin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of what I hear Bernie Sanders speaking about is for college kids and helping them out once they graduate.
SANDERS: What we're talking about is free tuition at public colleges and universities.
(CHEERING)
TUCHMAN: The free tuition proposal resonates for women who are choosing Sanders over Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just because somebody's a woman doesn't mean they're right for the job. I want to make sure they have the right qualifications and standards and morals.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't trust in what she has to say. I don't really believe in her.
TUCHMAN: At this rally at New Hampshire's Daniel Webster College --
(CHEERING)
TUCHMAN: -- and a later rally, there's reasons that women who want to see a woman president, are willing to wait for that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to vote for your interest. And Bernie fits my interest better than Hillary does.
TUCHMAN: Susan is over 30 years old, the dean of students at the college, and supporting Hillary Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just time. TUCHMAN (on camera): What do you say to the younger women who say
it's not her time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's confusing to me. I'm excited they're involved in the process. But it's very confusing to me. I don't understand what those issues are and how Hillary hasn't been able to make that case to those women.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Some say she has made her case and it's probably not enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would love to see a woman in the White House. I don't know if she is ready to break that barrier because of the different springs that come attached with Hillary.
TUCHMAN (on camera): The United States turns 240 years old this July 4th. Not only has there never been a female U.S. president, there's never been a female Democratic or Republican presidential nominee. History will one day be made. But there's many female Democrats loyal to the party who prefer it not be this year.
(voice-over) Gary Tuchman, CNN, Nashua, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: Lots more news to come this hour. With a steady barrage of air strikes on opposition stronghold, thousands leave to escape the violence. What they're facing.
CHURCH: And Barack Obama is set to make a big move against the Zika Virus. We'll take a look at that.
Back in a moment.
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[02:17:09] BARNETT: With Syrian regime forces closing in on Aleppo, tens of thousands of Syrians have fled to the Turkish border where they're stranded.
CHURCH: Turkey shelters more than 2.5 million Syrians. And for now, the refugees are not being allowed to cross the border.
BARNETT: Relentless Russian air strikes have allowed Syrian government forces to advance on the opposition stronghold.
CHURCH: Hala Gorani has details on the pivotal roll Aleppo played in the conflict.
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(EXPLOSION) HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the full force of Russia's government force behind them, Syria forces are going rapidly towards Aleppo. If they manage to control the whole city, the battle could be a game-changer in Syria's civil war.
Aleppo is the most-strategically important territory held in part by opposition forces, Syria's largest city. And since they lost control of Homs last year, the only urban area where the rebels are still strong.
But over the past few weeks, Syrian government forces, backed up by the Russian air force, have tightened their grip around Aleppo, solidifying their control in the rural areas around the city. Last week, Assad's forces took value of the route into the city.
If as expected they target this area of the north next, the rebels could become entirely caught off. Rebel fighters and civilians face the prospect of life under siege.
(EXPLOSION)
GORANI: They already endure frequent air strikes. The bombardments have sent tens of thousands fleeing to the Turkish border where many are held in makeshift camps.
The rapid advance of Assad's forces into these parts of Aleppo, signifies how they are changing the tide of the conflict. The offensive already derailed the U.N.-led peace talks which have been put on hold until later this month. Hala Gorani, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: A new U.N. report accuses all sides in the Syria conflict of committing war crimes. The Syrian government, the anti-government groups and terrorist groups, committed murders, rapes, torture and imprisonment.
BARNETT: The report says the vast majority of detainees were held. Some were beaten to death during interrogations or they died from unclean water or lack of food or medical care.
CHURCH: The government's current push into Aleppo has some regime supporters thinking the conflict could be nearing an end.
BARNETT: Fred Pleitgen talked to Syrians in the capital, Damascus.
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[04:49:57] FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Syrian army's recent advances against rebel groups has bolstered the Assad regime's position. And they have had an impact here, in government-controlled Damascus. More traffic, more people on the street and more optimism among
supporters.
"Things are getting better, thanks to the leadership of President Assad," this man says. "And thanks to the Syrian Army and the paramilitary forces."
And this man adds, "Our Army is winning. It's a strong Army. And it's protected by God."
But for much of last year, the Syrian government was losing ground. Various rebel factions closed in on strong holds in the North and south of the country. But Russian air power and the help from pro- Iranian militias appear to be turning the tide in this five-year conflict, leading some to question the point of diplomacy.
(on camera): While the U.N. and the United States continue to say only diplomacy can solve the Syrian crisis, an increasing number of people here in government-controlled territory believe there could be a military solution to the conflict. That is, if Bashar al Assad's Army can build on the gains it made in recent weeks.
(voice-over): But the government's offensive comes at a high price, tens of thousands fleeing to the Turkish border, looking to escape the onslaught. Meanwhile, speculation that Assad's main adversaries, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, might be planning incursions into northern Syria, leading to this warning from the foreign minister. "Any troops that invade our territory will go home in wooden coffins, he said."
And on the streets of Damascus, not everyone is sure the government's momentum will carry on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it's going to end soon. I don't think anyone's winning. It's annoying. It's my personal opinion.
PLEITGEN: Even with the optimism brought on by the recent gains, one thing remains for same for Syrians, the uncertainty of what the future will bring.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: U.S. President Barack Obama will ask Congress for $1.8 billion in emergency funds to combat the Zika Virus. And it's spreading quickly in at least 30 countries and territories mostly in South America.
CHURCH: That number could rise as visitors return from Brazil's carnival and the Olympics, two huge tourist events.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the U.S. Institutes of Health, spoke about efforts towards a vaccine.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, U.S. INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: We have started to develop a vaccine in the early stages. And we would likely be in phase I trial to determine if it's safe and induces a good response by summer and the end of this year. If it looks safe, we'll go to the next stage. Unlikely to have the vaccine widely available for a few years, but we can get the initial steps.
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CHURCH: That's important, of course.
Let's move to weather, now. And parts of California are experiencing record heat this week. The coldest air of the season is moving into the eastern U.S.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is talking about the outlook.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Let's look at California. It's El Nino. Cooler, wetter conditions. The heat being experienced, pretty impressive. And look at the observations. Close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit across southern California. That's the USC campus making it up to 88 degrees. I think Errol can relate to that. Right? Sacramento, San Francisco, even setting record temperatures across that region. Massive ridge of high pressure in place. You see the ridge as it deflects the steering currents of the atmosphere. You dive into the south. Across southern California, a Santa Ana event in place. Winds coming from higher elevations. I use the analogy of a bicycle bump. You begin to feel the pump warm up. Precisely what's happening from a higher elevation to the valleys of southern California. The air temperatures warm up drastically. And this is the forecast high on a February day on Tuesday, in Los Angeles. Mid- 80s expected. And Santa Barbara, around 80s. And El Nino in place. The areas indicated in green. That's where we had above normal rainfall. Since the latter portion of December, through really the beginning of March, as you see the El Nino pattern flourish across southern California. Los Angeles towards San Diego, we're struggling to see much in the way of rainfall and a lot of time left to get some rains over the coming several months.
I want to show you what's happening barrels up the seaboard. Enough cold air in place. And have a lot of people talking across parts of New England. And New Hampshire and the primaries taking place there on Tuesday. Some know coming in. The stark contrast of the yellows and oranges, extreme warmth across the West. Look at the cold across the eastern U.S. So cold, a lilt action here. Polar vortex action, taking place Saturday into Sunday. In Boston, minus one. That's American U.S. temperatures, by Saturday, as we head to Valentine's Day. New York City, seeing a nosedive in the temperatures. Central park could get as cold as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, Saturday night into Sunday morning. Valentine's Day, might be a good time to stay indoors.
[02:27:06] BARNETT: It usually is.
JAVAHERI: Absolutely.
CHURCH: What do you mean?
(LAUGHTER) JAVAHERI: Do tell, Mr. Barnett?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
BARNETT: Thanks very much. The polar vortex action. Is this a meteorologist phrase? PVA, not to be confused with PDA.
JAVAHERI: Yeah.
(LAUGHTER)
BARNETT: Thank you, Pedram. We'll see you next hour.
JAVAHERI: Thank you.
CHURCH: Thanks, Pedram
BARNETT: Still to come this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, the New Hampshire primary is just getting started. And CNN's Jake Tapper spoke with candidates in the final push to convince undecided voters in the Granite State.
CHURCH: Plus, North Korea, on the controversial satellite launch. How it may be key to plans to boost the space and nuclear weapons program. We're back with that and more.
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[02:30:20] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers of the United States. All around the world, I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: And I'm Errol Barnett.
Half an hour in. Let's update you on our top stories.
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CHURCH: He may be leading in the polls. But Donald Trump is pulling no punches ahead of Tuesday's primary vote. Continuing to rip Jeb Bush at a campaign event in Salem, New Hampshire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He's like a child. A spoiled child. He spent $110 million on a campaign and he's nowhere.
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CHURCH: Jeb Bush is taking his own shots app Trump, calling him and his comments desperate, sad and pathetic.
BARNETT: In the Democratic race, something we haven't seen before. For the first time, former president Bill Clinton went after Bernie Sanders, attacking his record, his health care plan and accusing some of his supporters of being sexist.
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BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People who have gone online to defend Hillary and explain just explain why they supported her, have been subject to vicious trolling. And attacks that are literally too profane often, not to mention sexist, to repeat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: We should note, Sanders has disavowed supporters who make sexist remarks, telling CNN, and I quote here, "We don't want that crap."
CHURCH: The candidates rallied in New Hampshire to the final minute Monday, making the final pitches to win over undecided voters ahead of the primary.
BARNETT: CNN's Jake Tapper has been following the campaign trail and spoke with voters and candidate there's in Manchester.
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JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's political pinball here in New Hampshire, with candidates bouncing between 30 events today, trying to hit the target of undecided voters.
(on camera): Carly Fiorina is starting at Blake's Creamery in Manchester. She wasn't on the debate stage. But here in the thick of it, trying to get votes from the citizens of New Hampshire.
(voice-over): Despite months of campaigning, there's a lot of convincing to be done on this nose-to-the-grindstone day in the Granite State.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's four people I'm considering. Carly is one of them.
TAPPER (on camera): Who are the other three?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kasich and Bernie Sanders.
TAPPER (voice-over): This could be Carly Fiorina's last chance to change voters' minds.
(on camera): You're the underdog here. What's your pitch to voters?
CARLY FIORINA, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The same pitch I've had all along. I'm not a politician. The pitch doesn't change. We have to take our country back. The system is rigged. The game is stacked. We have to restore citizen government and take our country back.
TAPPER (voice-over): Across town, Hillary Clinton brought the full force of the family name to Manchester Community College.
HILLARY CLINTON: Wow. Thank you all.
TAPPER: The former first lady of Arkansas had dozens of supporters from that state in the crowd.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was solid before solid was cool. She's going to step in and do the job that needs to be done.
TAPPER: It's called snow. Across town, we caught up with Marco Rubio, as the Florida Senator braved the snow.
RUBIO: I'm as conservative as anyone in this race. I can bring our party together. I can grow it. I can take our message to people that haven't voted for us before. And we can win this election.
Hillary Clinton doesn't want to run against me.
TAPPER (on camera): Your rivals are saying that the debate performance shows you wouldn't be ready for Clinton. What's your response to them?
RUBIO: Not just that debate. Every debate before it, I have the possibility to answer important and difficult questions. We raised more money after this debate than any other debate we've ever had. We're excited about it.
[02:35:09] TAPPER (voice-over): Excitement is in no short supply for one candidate leading the polls here.
(on camera): At the Palace Theater here in downtown Manchester, the crowd is getting prepared and getting excited for a Bernie Sanders get out the vote event.
(voice-over): It was a mixed crowd of voters and the younger, vocal ones that may help him the win on Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has a game plan how to get stuff done. I don't trust Hillary as a candidate, with the recent thing with the e- mails and also I feel like she's been too involved with the corruption of politics. We're younger. We're in our 20s. We're paying attention. And we're going to vote on what we see and what's going of.
TAPPER: Jake Tapper, CNN, Manchester, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, South Korea is pushing for stronger sanctions against North Korea, after the north's rocket launch Sunday. How this could impact Kim Jong-Un's ambitions to boost his country's economy. That's next.
BARNETT: And a possible presidential scandal is gripping South Africa. We're going to get the latest outside the court that's set to make a major ruling. Stay with us.
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CHURCH: In the wake of its recent and very controversial satellite launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is also focusing on boosting the north's trade and economy. But stiffer international sanctions could derail his plans.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Seoul, South Korea. She joins us live.
Paula, what's the latest on the sate lite that North Korea launched into space? What impact will it have on the nuclear weapons program? And what sanctions are likely to come as a result of it?
[02:39:53] PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, according to a senior U.S. defense official, it appears that the satellite is tumbling in orbit. Another official tells CNN that's not really the concern at this point. It's not the satellite they're concerned about. It's the rocket that put it there. That could be used, the technology for launching a warhead. We know the sanction talk is ongoing. But the international community has to walk a fine line. They want to make sure they punish the leadership without actually punishing those within the North Korea itself, who might be trying to spot growth in the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): It's called the pride of Pyongyang, a beer with a soft smooth and fragrant taste. Propaganda from North Korea is nothing new, commercially motivated adverts are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think some of what we're seeing by North Korean standards, innovative branding and marketing of their products, is genuinely targeting Chinese consumers to see if they can get in the Chinese market.
HANCOCKS: China is one of the few markets in the world that the heavily sanctioned North Korea can access. It's portal to the rest of the world. Visiting a cosmetics factory last year, Kim Jong-Un called for the domestic brand to be internationally recognized. Reliable data from North Korea doesn't exist. But South Korea says, last year, trade between the two was at a record high, a $2.7 billion, despite high tensions over the summer. Trade with China in 2014 was $7.6 billion, representing 90 percent of all North Korean trade.
Kim Jong-Un has made the economy part of successive New Year's speeches, this year, calling for all efforts to be made to build, quote, "an economic giant."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the inauguration of the Kim Jong-Un regimen, we have witnessed many changes, including restaurants and cafes and taxis on the street.
HANCOCKS: Not to mention a new ski resort and amusement park, new developments, but in the rural areas, there's still reports of food insecurity and malnutrition. A two-track economy with a gap in between continuing to rise. Farmers, now work with schemes, however, allowing them to keep more if they grow more. And the days of the late Kim Jong-Il's disastrous economic decisions are gone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cannot go back. They have lost the mechanisms of a command economy, of a Soviet-style economy. And what's remarkable about Kim Jong-Un, you can see, he's not trying to go back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Kim Jong-Un has made his policy quite clear. He is having a jewel track approach of policy. On the other hand, he wants a robust nuclear weapons program. On the other hand, he wants a strong economy. Of course, he's pumping billions of dollars in the former, it's difficult to see how he can achieve the latter.
CHURCH: Paula Hancocks, many thanks to you.
(HEADLINES)
BARNETT: South African President Jacob Zuma is under fire for taking tax refunds for work on a personal home. And the hearing is set to begin.
And David McKenzie joins us from Johannesburg with more on all of this.
There's a bit of activity outside of the court there, David. But the expansion of Zuma's residence has been a topic for year there's. I remember it from my time in the country. His team defends the spending as security upgrades. How has the issue now made it all the way up to the constitutional court?
[02:45:21] DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The make that went go away for Jacob Zuma. And people call this the week from hell for the South African president. Separate opposition groups are bringing to the judges a possible case. They hope will be heard by the constitutional court, where they try to see what the public protectors powers here. That's a key post here, an oversight over the executives. From your time in South Africa, this of the residential homestead has been dogging the president for years. Opposition groups are trying to get him to pay back the millions of dollars they say was used by him incorrectly, using taxpayer money, to make major upgrades to the residence. And it's all in the context of a major push against Jacob Zuma, who was seen as untouchable until recent months, with controversial movers by the presidency to sack the finance minister and instate a more experienced person, seeing the economy struggle here in South Africa. Almost like the opposition groups smell blood here in South Africa, the most sophisticated economy.
BARNETT: And corruption has been holding South Africa back, many critics back, economically and socially. No matter the outcome of today's decision, do opposition groups, at the Democratic Alliance, the freedom fighters, do they have an opening to start addressing that issue of corruption overall? MCKENZIE: I think you're very right there. They smell openings.
They smell blood. A few days ago, Jacob Zuma said he is willing to pay back some of the money that the critics say he owes on the estate. This goes beyond the issue of a president's homestead. It goes for the accused hedge that Jacob Zuma says has run the country and the level of cronyism is in this country. It's hurt the South African people. And the people behind me, the opposition groups and riot police, this is something we're going to see a lot as we run crucial elections here. The power of Jacob Zuma appears to be, if not crumbling, being tipped away at. And you could see dramatic moves this week, including the state of the nation address on Thursday in Cape Town, where you could see scenes unfolding in parliament. It's a crucial moment in South African history.
CHURCH: A good point there, David. We are seeing live pictures nearby from where you are. Those dressed in red, affiliated with a certain political party. It's the scene that South Africans are not used to seeing. The top guy, the president being held accountable, typically you see subordinates being disciplined. We'll connect with you in the hours ahead to see what happens at today's hearing.
David McKenzie, approaching 9:50 in Johannesburg.
CHURCH: We'll take a break here. Still to come, the moment in the U.S. election campaign that some of the Republican candidates would love to forget.
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[02:52:50] BARNETT: Of course, the NFL's man of is the hour is Peyton Manning. The broncos quarterback won the championship on Sunday. And he is celebrating with a post-super bowl tradition, a trip to Disneyland.
CHURCH: He was greeted with a parade in his honor. The celebration comes as many wonder if manning will retire. But he's not making any decisions just yet.
BARNETT: He wants the free stuff before he makes the decision.
Many people are still talking about the awkward beginning of the Republican presidential debate.
CHURCH: It's still tough to watch. But the candidates are not the only ones that botched an important entrance.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The desperate gestures of a backstage handler told the story of what one website called a "chain reaction of cringe." Sure, it could have been worse. No one fell, like Miss America. No one got a concussion, like Conan did, or tripped over a red carpet, while singing the national anthem on skates. Nope, the debate introduction --
UNIDENTIFIED DEBATE MODERATOR: Chris Christie.
MOOS: -- was just incredibly awkward.
UNIDENTIFIED DEBATE MODERATOR: Dr. Ben Carson.
MOOS: Starting when Ben Carson didn't respond to his name. For the obvious reason --
DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I couldn't hear.
MOOS: And just when Carson seemed ready to advance --
UNIDENTIFIED DEBATE MODERATOR: Texas Senator, Ted Cruz.
MOOS: -- Ted Cruz cruised by. And Donald Trump, likewise, seemed to miss his name, letting --
UNIDENTIFIED DEBATE MODERATOR: Jeb Bush.
MOOS: -- letting Jeb Bush brush by with a tap and "see you later, guys" expression.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's something you'll never see again, Jeb Bush tapping Donald Trump.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: When the moderators finally introduced --
UNIDENTIFIED DEBATE MODERATOR: The Republican candidates.
MOOS: -- only four were there. Chris Christie volunteered.
CHRISTIE: Can I introduce Kasich?
MOOS: "What a mess," tweeted Wendy Williams, which prompted a Carson defender to bring up a dramatic entrance Wendy made on stage --
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[01:55:14] MOOS: A Broncos corner back wanted to celebrate on a Super Bowl post-game show but he, more or less, tackled himself --
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: -- crashing the set.
(SHOUTING)
[02:55:03] MOOS (on camera): Sometimes the entrance can go just fine. But then, it's time for your exit.
(voice-over): Remember when President Bush had a stumble handling the locked door handles in China. On "The View," the hosts recreated the Republican snafu as they made
their entrance.
When it comes to hailing these chiefs --
(MUSIC)
MOOS: -- better hail them louder.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BARNETT: That concludes our first hour today.
We're getting reports of a deadly train collision in Germany.
CHURCH: We are working on the details. We'll have more on it next hour here on CNN NEWSROOM. Back in a moment.
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[02:59:50] (HEADLINES)
