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Power 7.5 Earthquake Hits Japan, Triggers Tsunami Warnings; Pres. Biden's NYE Message: America Is Back; Trump Expected To Appeal Colorado, Maine Rulings Tomorrow. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired January 01, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

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[11:00:14]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hits Japan sending people running for higher ground.

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(Speaking in Foreign Language)

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BERMAN: New reports of damage, the search for survivors and the tsunami warning still in effect we have all of the breaking developments just coming in.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: And it is officially 2024 which means it is officially an election year. We are in the final sprint before the first votes are cast, the presidential race, the major shakeup that could come with just two weeks to Iowa.

BERMAN: Plus, Donald Trump's legal team, preparing its pitch to get them back on the ballot in two states when those appeals could happen.

Happy New Year everyone Kate and Sara, they're elsewhere. I'm John Berman alongside Rahel Solomon. This is CNN News Central.

SOLOMON: We want to begin this hour with brand new images out of Japan. They show the moment, a powerful 7.5 magnitude quake struck triggering smaller tsunami waves and collapsing homes, slicing roads and reportedly trapping people under the rubble. The quake struck on the West Coast and it came as many were enjoying the New Year's Day holiday.

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SOLOMON: What you're looking at here is the scene inside of a department store, people standing in shock and fright then rushing to each other to make sure that they were OK. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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SOLOMON: And this was the scene inside of a home where people understandably seemed panicked. The quake and more than a dozen aftershocks have caused fires in some areas like the ones you're looking at now, even tougher for first responders is that there are numerous power outages. Thousands of military personnel are on standby to help with emergency efforts. Let's get right to CNN's Hanako Montgomery who's in Tokyo for us. So Hanako, what more can you share about how people are reacting? We saw some of the video, the panic, the fear, what more can you tell us about how people are reacting right now?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rahel, a lot of the videos you showed, showed, you know, these very striking visuals of people taking cover and trying to evacuate at this -- as this powerful quake just shook Ishikawa prefecture and much of western Japan. Now we know that 33,000 homes have experienced blackouts in Ishikawa prefecture. And we know that hundreds of military personnel have been dispatched in the area to try to help people leave their homes. Now we're hearing from NHK, Japan's public broadcaster that at least two people are experiencing cardiac arrest.

We know that also people are stuck under their homes. They're trying to get out. And one snowboarder and tourist named Johnny Wu spoke to us about what he felt just on the scene there. Give us a listen.

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JOHNNY WU, TAIWANESE TOURIST & SNOWBOARDER: Suddenly, it gets pretty strong earthquake. You can see all the snow from the electric wire goes down and also from the roof fell down. And the car is shaking. And so everybody was panic at that time.

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MONTGOMERY: Yes, so Johnny is really just, you know, echoing a lot of what people in Japan are feeling. Of course, this comes in the middle of New Year's Day celebrations, a time when many people are at home, celebrating with their loved ones, with their families. And this is of course, you know, reminding people of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami when 22,000 people lost their lives, Rahel.

SOLOMON: Hanako Montgomery live for us there in Tokyo. Hanako, we'll check back with you soon. Thank you.

BERMAN: Right. We are still getting more video in from this earthquake and the after effects. I think the video we're going to show you right now is of the coast. Let's take a look at that. All right, I don't think we have any new video in. let's get right to Derek Van Dam at the weather center. Derek, why don't you bring us up to speed?

[11:05:00]

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I have that video. And it's important because it's that moment that the tsunami wave reached the Ishikawa prefecture. And this is important because look at it kind of crashing right over the harbor seawall. This is a looped video. So we'll play it again. And you'll be able to see just how high that wave was. And it's being protected by that harbor wall. So my analysis of this is that of course, it could be a lot worse than what we're seeing in terms of the tsunami threat.

So the actual 7.5 magnitude was just off of the Ishikawa prefecture, which is located right here on the western shoreline of Japan. But zooming in, we want to get in a little bit of hyperlocal, because that Suzu City where you saw the video from just a moment ago, is actually on the opposite side of this particular peninsula of land. So what we're seeing is the wraparound effect of this wave energy that is sloshing between the local bays and harbors within the area.

So we have really matched out this narrative of the observed wave heights that we've seen up to four feet in many locations, but the threat of tsunami waves are not yet over. And the reason for that is because of this slush effect. Think of it as if you had a bathtub full of water and you were to drop a rock inside of it, it creates waves that propagate in all directions. They reach the side of your bath and then come in towards the center.

Again, same idea here with the Ishikawa prefecture in that little peninsula but also for the neighboring countries, the Korean Peninsula and Russia just to the west so that water propagates westward, and it has nowhere to go but bounce back and create an additional tsunami threat. So The Japan Meteorological Agency quickly noting that the tsunami threat yet is to be still in a threat. But as this wave builds towards the coastline, this is the nature of tsunamis. They are not just one set of waves, it is a series of waves and lots of energy too. John?

BERMAN: If bears watching even still hours after the earthquake event itself.

VAN DAM: Right.

BERMAN: Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

SOLOMON: Now let's continue the conversation now with Susan Hough. She is a seismologists with the U.S. Geological Survey. Susan, so good to have your expertise today. Let me ask, you told our producers that three things matter for earthquake damage potential, location, location, location, say more.

SUSAN HOUGH, SEISMOLOGIST, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: So a magnitude obviously matters. But it's how close the earthquake is to where people are living. And so that the 2011 earthquake, that was huge, it was magnitude 9.1, it was offshore. That was the kind of earthquake that generates a massive tsunami potentially because the seafloor is diving under the islands. This earthquake was different. It was 7.5. But it was shallow. So that means where the fault was moving was very close to where people were living, and that can concentrate shaking close to where the earthquake happened, the energy just doesn't have a lot of time to travel and spread out before it gets to where people live.

SOLOMON: So keeping all of that in mind with this earthquake, how much of a risk and how big of a risk remains?

HOUGH: Sure, well, we heard about the tsunami and the fact that the waves will continue to slosh around because of what it wasn't on the same scale as the 2011 earthquake with that massive tsunami. But it is still a potential threat to people who live on the coast. Anytime you feel a big earthquake on the coast, you need to move inland and get up if you can. There's going to be aftershocks continuing. That's actually a quite swarmy part of Japan, the Noto Peninsula. So people there have felt earthquakes probably over the years.

But this is, to my knowledge, the biggest earthquake by far so people haven't -- don't have experience with an earthquake the size and an earthquake this big is going to continue to have aftershocks, it could easily have aftershocks bigger than magnitude six. So that's going to be a hazard in its own right.

SOLOMON: And as you say, because the people that are Noto Peninsula haven't had as much experience with earthquakes like this, if at all. It -- for folks who are watching who may still have power, we know power outages is a very real concern at this point. What timeframe would you say that they should remain out of the homes and sort of seek higher ground?

HOUGH: Well, the seeking higher ground is important as long as the tsunami is, risk is ongoing. The aftershocks are going to continue for months potentially, they'll die off in time as the expectation. It's hard to say when there's no magic point where we can easily say the aftershock hazard is over as long as people are feeling aftershocks commonly. That's an indication that large aftershocks are very possible.

SOLOMON: And then lastly before I let you go, what would you say are your biggest concerns right now, is it the tsunami threat, is it the aftershock which as you say could continue for months to come, I mean, what are you focusing on now moving forward?

[11:10:14]

HOUGH: So I'm with the U.S. Geological Survey. And, you know, I'm not one of the local authorities, you know, they're going to Japan has an remarkable community of emergency managers, and I'm sure they are very much on the case, and they're scientists. And I think for people in the area, I would be concerned about the aftershocks in particular, because, yes, a magnitude 6.5 aftershock would be a powerful earthquake in its own right and we can't predict it. But it would be in with expectations for events like that to happen. Susan Hough we appreciate the insights and the expertise this morning. Thank you.

BERMAN: And we're going to have much more of the breaking news out of Japan. Plus, Republican presidential hopefuls working to gain momentum, maybe create momentum, any momentum in Iowa just two weeks out from the crucial caucuses.

And just in, the U.S. military says it sank three militant boats that were attacking a container ship killing all those on board.

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[11:15:15]

SOLOMON: All right, let's get back to our breaking news this morning, Japan bracing for aftershocks and a tsunami warning is in place after a major 7.5 magnitude quake.

So the earthquake struck at around 4:00 p.m. local time. And you can see in this video taken from an office just how powerful this quake was in this dramatic video, the quake struck on Japan's Western coasts, but people in Tokyo which is about 180 miles away, even they felt the quake.

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MOTOKO RICH, TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF, NEW YORK TIMES: It's not a particularly populated area, probably a lot of older people there which is definitely a worry. We heard a report earlier this evening about one of the evacuation centers was itself a nursing home and that, you know, very concerning. I've covered other events, earthquakes and other disasters, where that's one of the biggest troubles is trying to evacuate people who might not have a lot of mobility, might have some problems with dementia so they might not be responding to commands or orders to evacuate.

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SOLOMON: Right now a tsunami warning remains in place for western Japan. Several have already been reported, and officials warn that the waves could reach as high as 10 feet. Also, more than a dozen strong aftershocks have been recorded and could continue for the next few days. Or as our guest told us in the last block, perhaps even the next few months, more than 1,000 members of Japan's Self Defense Force have been deployed to the quake zone. There were multiple fires reported such as the one you're seeing on your screen right now. At least 33,000 homes are without power and more than a dozen flights were canceled due to cracks on the runway and other issues.

BERMAN: All right. It is 2024 now, so all of a sudden, the 2024 presidential race is now when it's all getting real for the Republican candidates, the Iowa caucuses just two weeks away. So Nikki Haley supporters, they are pushing for Chris Christie to get out.

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GOV. CHRIS SUNUNU (R-NH): He knows his voters who want to see Trump defeated are all coming over to Nikki Haley. In fact, the only person that wants Chris Christie to stay in the race is Donald Trump. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That was New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who has endorsed Nikki Haley. CNN's Eva McKend is with us now to give us a sense of where we are. I mean, one we are is two weeks away from Iowa, Eva.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. And Chris Christie for his part, he says he isn't going anywhere. He got an ad last week telling voters just that. That's because he feels as though he still has a strong base of support in New Hampshire. He hasn't campaigned much in Iowa, but he's carved out a lane for himself as the most vocal anti Trump candidate in the Granite State. Meanwhile, Governor DeSantis, he's all in on Iowa. He joined a New Year's Eve gathering there last night. And he's traveled to all of the states 99 counties. But Governor DeSantis and the rest of the field they still trail far behind front runner, former President Donald Trump. Take a listen to DeSantis's closing message to Iowans.

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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not somebody that is confused about how Constitutional Republic works. As a governor, as a president, I'm not a ruler of the people. I'm a servant of the people. I come from the people. My job is to serve you.

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MCKEND: So here's how the week is shaping up. Nikki Haley, she's going to hold events in New Hampshire Tuesday and Wednesday. Chris Christie, he also returns to the Granite State this week. Governor DeSantis and Asa Hutchinson are in Iowa. And Vivek Ramaswamy, he'll be in Iowa as well, John.

BERMAN: Yes, every single day matters now. So don't just watch what they say, watch where they go because that in and of itself will tell a story. Eva McKend, great to have you on. Happy New Year.

SOLOMON: And as you say, John, the race is getting real. It's getting real now. All right, let's discuss --

BERMAN: You wouldn't say what I wanted to say. It does getting real but I didn't want to say it.

SOLOMON: Yes. Fill in the blank. All right, let's discuss this more with CNN political commentator and former communications director for VP Kamala Harris, Jamal Simmons. Jamal, I think you would share that the race is getting real right about now. Let's turn to Biden last night, having a conversation with ABC News. I want to play for you a clip of what he said and then we can talk about it.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I hope that they understand that we're in a better position than any country in the world to lead the world. And we're coming back and it's about time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Biden, your hopes for America?

JILL BIDEN, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, you know, I think it's what I would always tell my students, be positive, be optimistic and be kind to one another.

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SOLOMON: So Jamal, let me ask, you know, President Biden there saying that America's back, is this the year that it starts to resonate with voters because it didn't for the most part, when you look at polling last year, do you think about this time last year recession was the base case that was the expectation, recession fears have seemed to disappear mostly I mean does that message start to resonate this year?

[11:20:10]

JAMAL SIMMONS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hi, Rahel, thanks for having me. Listen, first of all, it was recession. But for average, everyday people, what they were really encountering was inflation, right? And so inflation was high, prices were going up, gas prices were going up. And I think that wages were going up, but they weren't going up as fast as prices. So the way that everyday people sort of experienced the economy, the economy wasn't working out so great.

Here's what's happened in the last 12 months. Wages are now starting to outpace inflation. Inflation is going down, gas prices are going down. So how people experience the economy is getting better. That just takes time to work its way through the psyche. So when we say America is coming back, I think that's a great way of putting it, that we're turning the corner, I think it's a good way of putting it, like let people know that you get it. They had a tough time. But now things are getting on the right track. And they should expect to experience that more.

SOLOMON: How about the divisions and the fractures we've seen within the Democratic Party specifically with the more progressive wing of the party. I mean, how much of an obstacle is that going to be for the President in this next year?

SIMMONS: It's going to be an obstacle that is surmount -- that is a big one to surmount, but it is surmountable, right? So the thing about the polls, when you look at them, Donald Trump isn't really doing that much better than he did in 2020. What's happened is President Biden's numbers have kind of fallen pretty significantly, among some core constituencies, African Americans, young people, Latinos. And so he's gotten ground and makeup. And sometimes it's a little bit easier, as some of our friends like to say it's little bit easier to get a lapsed Catholics come back to church that convert somebody from another faith to join it.

So they just got to get those Democratic voters who already have voted for Joe Biden or who are inclined to vote for Joe Biden, get them to rethink that choice for Joe Biden. And one way to do that is when the specter of Donald Trump is really looming over the country. And I think you'd be surprised to know how many people don't really believe Donald Trump will be the nominee. Obviously, the primaries haven't played out yet. But the odds are, he will be the nominee. And if that occurs, I think you'll see a lot of people sober up and return to the President's fault.

SOLOMON: But what about voter enthusiasm with some of those blocks with Hispanic voters, with black voters with young voters? I mean, you look at polls, and there does seem to be at least right now, a real lack of enthusiasm, about I mean, quite frankly, both of the candidates, but let's talk about Biden right now.

SIMMONS: Yes, there's one block of voters I'm particularly concerned about, which is those folks who are under 22 or 21 years old, right. So if you're 18, 19, 20 years old, you've never voted for Joe Biden before. So we think about young people as a static group. But there are a bunch of people who are just now in college, just now college age, or they're working for the first time. They've never voted for the President before.

He's got to convince them that he's worth their time. And one way that's going to happen is, you know, by getting them to see how the economy is going to help them. You know, there's one other thing that's happened as an issue. Even though the blanket student loan forgiveness program didn't work out, there are some targeted student loan programs that are working out, I got a text from a friend of mine who's not a young person anymore. But who did say that he just found out that he got tens of thousands of dollars of his student loans raised because of Joe Biden, and he loves it. They've got to continue to tell those stories, real people stories, to the folks who are encountering those kinds of economic challenges.

SOLOMON: No, it's a fair point. Tens of thousands of students have had their debt sort of wiped out from different various more targeted programming. Even though the blanket student loan relief was a court struck down by the Supreme Court. Jamal Simmons, Happy New Year. Good to see you.

SIMMONS: Happy New Year to you.

[11:23:49]

BERMAN: All right Donald Trump gearing up for legal battles in Colorado and Maine after state decisions that could kick him off their primary ballots. We have new reporting on the legal options.

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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Donald Trump is starting off the new year with two legal battles just days before the Iowa caucuses. The former president's legal team is expected to appeal Colorado and Maine's decisions to remove him from their primary ballots. The Supreme Court of Colorado and Maine Secretary of State have each rule that Trump is not eligible to run for a second term in the White House. They say that his actions on January 6th violated the 14th Amendment ban on insurrectionists holding federal office. Let's bring in CNN's Zachary Cohen, who joins us now with more. So Zack, what now, how does this legal battle play out from here? ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Rahel. We're really seeing this mounting pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in, after Maine secretary of state that, you know, joined Colorado Supreme Court and saying that Donald Trump should be kicked off the GOP primary ballot. And look, that decision in Maine is on hold until this decision can make its way through the state court system. You know, they want to give the various levels of the courts their chance to weigh in.

And but look that can happen fairly quickly. The last deadline for that to happen is on January 31st, so by the end of this month. And it's important to remember too at the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court has already been asked to weigh in on this topic by the Colorado Supreme Court. It was appealed, that decision was appealed by the GOP party in Colorado. So they're going to have to decide whether or not to take up that case and to insert themselves into what is really kind of a growing constitutional question.

We have more states that are still trying to decide if they want to remove Trump from about Oregon is expected make a decision really anytime now. And at the same time, you've had multiple states say that no, we're not going to remove Trump from the primary ballot. So this sort of conflicting view amongst the states is really increasing pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in. It remains a matter of time or it remains to be seen when that could happen. But as you said, with the campaign schedule really heating up, time is sort of of the essence here to resolve this question.

[11:29:59]

SOLOMON: Yes, I think a lot of people on both sides would just like some clarity from the Supreme Court on this issue of the States. Speaking of the Supreme Court yesterday Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin suggested that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should, if they pick this up, recuse himself from a future ruling on whether Trump can be disqualified from the 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment.