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Powerful 7.5 Earthquake Hits Japan; Japan Cancels Tsunami Warnings, Advisories Remain After Damaging Earthquake; Biden Begins 2024 Facing Key Issues As He Seeks Reelection; 2024 Begins With Biden, Trump On Course For Election Rematch; Judicial Overhaul Bill Struck Down By Israel's Supreme Court. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired January 01, 2024 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Japan has left extensive damage and thousands without power. Just take a look at this video. The force of the quake. They're shaking the ceiling of this subway station. And just the last few minutes tsunami warnings have been downgraded. Coming up. We're going to have the latest developments as they come in.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR, NEWS CENTRAL: Republican candidates making their last-minute pitches before the first votes are cast. Can they change any minds with just two weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses.

SOLOMON: Plus, Vladimir Putin's New Year's message. Russia will "never back down." What he is saying about military operations after a drone attack on a residential building. Happy New Year everyone. Happy New Year, John.

BERMAN: Thank you very much.

SOLOMON: It's good to be with you. I'm Rahel Solomon. Alongside of course, John Berman, Kate and Sara are off today. And this is CNN News Central.

BERMAN: Indeed, Happy New Year, everyone. Welcome to this bonus hour of CNN News Central. We are just learning that tsunami warnings have been changed to advisories. Again, downgraded there. They're now not expecting waves higher than four feet. But we are getting new reports from the damage of this powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

Seeing pictures of cracked roads like this one. We understand that highways had been shut down. It's middle of night there. Collapsed homes and there is still the possibility of people trapped under the rubble. We are seeing videos of the moment of impact are showing an office building.

All right, from another vantage point, we saw people who were at a bowling alley. They were there to celebrate the New Year. Again, this hit at about 4:10 in the afternoon Japan time. At this bowling alley, you can see people racing for cover underneath the tables there. SOLOMON: Now the 7.5 magnitude quake struck Japan western coast. We know that Japanese officials warn people to get to higher ground in case of a tsunami. Thousands of military personnel are on standby.

BERMAN: Again, the west coast of Japan about 180 miles from Tokyo. Tens of million people don't have felt this in Tokyo. But the epicenter was in the less populated western coasts. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has been with us all morning long from Tokyo. Derek Van Dam is at the CNN Weather Center. Hanako, let's start with you there. Give us a sense of the latest of what you're hearing.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, of course. So, as we know, the tsunami warnings have been downgraded to an advisory. But of course, we're still seeing lots of aftershocks from this very powerful earthquake. We've seen dozens of them. And people are still not allowed to return to their homes. The tsunami warnings haven't been entirely lifted. And this is because the Japanese government and authorities are very concerned about potential damage.

We know that hundreds of police officers, about 1700 firefighters, thousands self-defense force personnel have been dispatched to this area in order to try to evacuate people to get them to safer places. Of course, when the earthquake happened at 4:10 pm local time, people were expected to drop their things and evacuate immediately to higher ground. But we're hearing reports of being of people trapped under their houses, so unable to get out really. And of course, the military personnel are there in order to try to help people to safety.

SOLOMON: And Derek, let me bring you in here. We know as John just said that those tsunami warnings were just removed. What more can you share with us about that?

DEREK VAN DAM, CERTIFIED METEOROLOGIST: Well, they're still at play and there's still a threat of tsunamis. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, that shading of yellow on the west facing shoreline of Japan, all the way northward to Hokkaido has an advisory. That's for up to one-meter waves or roughly three and a half feet potential. And the reason for this is because we're getting this sloshing effect.

[12:05:00]

Remember, we had a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake occur under the sea floor and that caused a wave to propagate in all directions, not only regionally westward towards the Korean Peninsula and towards Russia, but also locally within the Ishikawa prefecture where we have seen some of the tsunami waves visible on the latest video.

Look at it, crashing over the harbour wall that protects the city from such waves, right? This is Suzu city. And we're going to show you a hyperlocal detail of why this is important and give you an idea of what the sloshing effect is like. It's like throwing a stone into your bathtub, for instance, and watching the waves ripple back and forth from the edges back into the center, creating that kind of chaotic wave type feature. Look at this. This is a Google Earth map. And you can see the epicenter of the earthquake was just off of that little peninsula. That's the Ishikawa prefecture. But we zoom in and Suzu city where you saw the video just a moment ago, is on the opposite side of where the earthquake actually took place. So that sloshing effect is happening locally as well bouncing off of the coastline. That's to my south and east.

There's the harbour wall that it was breaking over. There is the population densities. And the videos that we've seen really just confirming the narrative out of this area that's getting tougher and tougher to get communication because lines are down. But we have seen these waves up to about four feet in some locations.

Remember, this powerful of an earthquake displaces the ground underneath where the tectonic plates actually meet. They are moving roughly about the same distance as your fingernails grow in the course of a year, roughly 80 to 90 millimeters. That's enough for seismic activity to be on the increase across this region.

And guess what? It happens under the ocean. It displaces that water creates a wave up top and then as it reaches the coastline where the population density is actually located. That wave goes up and up and up. And that is why we have this fear of a tsunami which of course is easing, but there is still the threat. John?

BERMAN: So, a threat still be on alert there because they are warning the waves could reach four feet depending on where you are that could create some problems. Derek Van Dam, out thanks to you. Hanako Montgomery, our thanks to you has been with us all morning long from Tokyo. Just a short time ago, I spoke with an earthquake expert at Georgia Tech. And I asked him what kind of damage this sort of earthquake it caused?

DR. ZHIGANG PENG, GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Because of the event of this size that we expect a lot of aftershocks. And as you probably know, houses in Japan are very strong. The mostly wooden building structures, so they can withstand some of the shaking. But if you have continuous vibration mostly aftershocks, then that could cause some damages.

And as you've already pointed out, that sometimes if it caused fires that could become another problem. So those are primarily two things that I think, you know, people in the epicenter region -- you know, really have to watch out.

BERMAN: Yeah. Again, and I can show people some of the video of the various shaking and damage. This was an island off the coast. Here you can see the roads there are damaged and cracked. This obviously makes it difficult to get aid and to get rescue operations underway. If they're in any way needed, obviously, there is more shaking and whatnot in other places as well.

And I'm glad you brought up aftershocks because I think in some ways the very term diminishes the threat. These are earthquakes. They may not be as powerful as the initial earthquake, but the repetition in and of itself can be very dangerous. Can you explain that?

PENG: Absolutely. So, one of the things that we know -- they could point out is typically people think that aftershock is smaller than the main event. But there's always a very small percentage. We're talking about maybe like five or 10 percent chance that an aftershock can be larger than the initial event.

And in that case, of course, we call the aftershock as the main event, and we call the previous event as the mainshock. So, things like that could happen, but it's a very small probability. But it's not zero. So that's one thing I'd like to point out to your audiences is that the sequence is still unfolding. It's not over yet.

BERMAN: Again, we're going to continue to follow developments from Japan. It is the middle of the night there. There is concern that people could be trapped in the rubble of the buildings, even as the tsunami warnings themselves are downgraded. So, stay with us for much more information about all this as it comes in.

SOLOMON: Certainly, still a lot of concern there. Thanks, John. So, we'll have U.S. President Biden is sending a message that America is back as we head into 2024. But can he sell that to voters? Look at the campaign strategy as he stares down some major funding battles and a migrant surge at the border. Plus, minimum wage workers in 22 states will get a pay raise this year.

Those details and some other new state laws taking effect today that impact things like guns and abortion care. And maybe you've already noticed it where you live, but flu activity is high in two-thirds of the country right now. Coming up. What's behind the spike?

[12:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: Welcome back. We are just 14 days out from the Iowa caucuses followed closely by New Hampshire primaries and then Super Tuesday. At the same time, nine to one charges, multiple trials and Supreme Court challenges. That's what Donald Trump is facing in the new year. All while the possibility of a rematch against President Biden is still on course.

As for Biden, some key 2020 er issues will be following him into the new year. And voters will be closely watching how he deals with those issues as he makes his reelection pitch. Here was some of that pitch from the Biden's last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: CNN's Kevin Liptak is traveling with the president this first day of the year in St. Croix. Kevin, I would say Happy New Year. But it looks like from your backdrop you're having a happy start to the year, looks beautiful behind you. Walk us through some of the challenges ahead for President Biden.

[12:15:00]

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. It's not to toughen assignment are held. But certainly, President Biden does have a plate full of significant issues heading into the new year and they all take on this new degree of consequence against the backdrop of the 2024 election. And I think at the top of that list has to be this issue with the southern border and immigration. And you do see the president really trying to pull every lever that he can to try and ease some of that crisis.

Certainly, he's under a lot of pressure from Republicans, but also from a lot of Democrats, mayors and governors who are seeing the consequences of this in their own regions. This is part of the reason President Biden dispatched that high level delegation to Mexico last week to talk with the Mexican government about this. Some Mexican officials who will be back in Washington in the coming weeks to continue those discussions.

That sort of the diplomatic front. You also see this parallel effort in Congress talks between Republicans and Democrats on enacting some new rules on the southern border. President Biden has said that he's open to some significant concessions when it comes to rules on migration, when it comes to deportations. But remember, this is all tied up in President Biden's request for more money for Ukraine and Israel.

Obviously, those two overseas conflicts have taken up the bulk of the president's time over the last several months. And that will obviously continue into the new year. We are actually entering quite a critical stretch for the war in the Middle East. U.S. officials watching very closely to see if Israel starts shifting down its conflict there as they have been urging. And the Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in Israel later this week.

Of course, this is all happening against the backdrop of the '24 election and certainly President Biden will begin ramping up his campaigning in the weeks to come. What you've heard from a lot of Democrats is that he hasn't necessarily said enough about former President Trump. That I'm told will change. We will start to hear President Biden talking more and more about what he says are the threats to democracy posed by a second Trump presidency.

Now, we have not seen that much of President Biden over the last week or so in St. Croix. But we did see him coming out of dinner a few nights ago and someone asked him what is new year's resolution was? And all he said was to be here next year. SOLOMON: OK. Kevin Liptak, live for us there in St. Croix. Kevin, thank you.

BERMAN: With us now Republican Strategist's Shermichael Singleton and CNN opinion contributor Sophia Nelson. She's a former House Republican Government Reform and Oversight Investigative Committee Counsel. Shermichael, I want to start with you. And it's like I have John King sitting on my shoulder as a campaign reporter conscience telling me, just wait to lay count the votes.

Don't get out ahead of it. Donald Trump's way ahead in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. Two weeks ago, to the Iowa caucuses. Can these candidates -- other candidates, not named Donald Trump do anything between now and then to change the trajectory?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, Happy New Year, John. And the answer to that question is absolutely not. I think at this point, individuals who are still in this race are more than likely running to be considered a second to Trump, meaning they're running mate, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis. I even think individuals such as Tim Scott, who has been very favorable in his remarks about the former president as of later, all eying of being his running mate.

But the reality is for Trump, I think you have to ask yourself, who's going to give you some advantage with women voters and independent voters going into 2024 election. And I think the Biden administration is going to have a really difficult time trying to paint Trump only as an anti-democracy candidate if he's able to find someone who's more palatable to some of those swing voters.

BERMAN: And again, Sophia, John King sitting right here on my shoulder saying, don't get too out in front. Let the people vote. Let's count the votes. If you are these other candidates, what should you be doing now? What can you do? Whether it be to beat Donald Trump or to position yourself going forward?

SOPHIA NELSON, CNN OPINION CONTRIBUTOR: I agree with Shermichael that I think Donald Trump is too far ahead, particularly because the field hasn't consolidated enough if DeSantis and Christie were out, and it was just Haley and Trump might be a bit of a different ballgame because then there's a stark contrast. There's still too much noise going on in this Republican primary.

But I think Iowa and New Hampshire are going to fix that. I do think also that, you know, with respect to Nikki Haley, she had a lot of momentum, John. And I think she hurt herself this past week with the gaff on slavery, the omission, if you will about something that was really obvious.

And I think that the Biden campaign -- you can kind of see this already with some of the tweets like the president immediately hit back to Nikki Haley and wrote, it was slavery, right? When she didn't get the answer right for the question asked about the causes of the civil war. And so, I think that they're going to go after Nikki Haley and show that she's not at all a candidate that's palatable to the senator or to independence. In fact, she's just as bad as Trump. [12:20:00]

And I think whatever this ticket ends up being, if it's Trump and DeSantis, or Trump and Haley, although DeSantis says he's not going to run as a running mate. I think they're going to paint him as an extremist threat to democracy -- you know, campaign and I think that's going to be what the campaign is going to be about to be honest.

BERMAN: It can't be Ron DeSantis unless either Donald Trump, or Ron DeSantis move out of Florida, which would be an interesting trick for either one of them because of the constitution. Shermichael, we heard Kevin Liptak on hardship assignment at St. Croix say that we can expect President Biden to hit back harder directly against Donald Trump in the coming months. What do you think the Biden campaign needs to do moving forward this year?

SINGLETON: John, I think that's one component of the argument -- the anti-democratic argument. I'm not convinced however that that is enough. If I were advising the president, I would focus a lot on the economy. You guys had a segment a few blocks ago that talked about how things are improving economically.

Look at the job numbers. We can expect in this new year for the Fed to decrease. Basis rates, which is a good thing for people who are trying to buy homes, particularly young people in my age group. I also think that the administration is doing the right thing by having the vice president crisscross the country, talking about reproductive rights.

If you look at how effective Democrats were down ballot, including in my state of Virginia, you saw significant victories against Republicans and races that the Republicans should have won on the question, on the issue, on the topic of abortion.

So, I think focusing on those two things, what a little bit of the anti-democracy talk against Trump could be an effective message for the Biden, Harris administration going into November, which will likely lead to a reelection?

BERMAN: Sophia Nelson, is 2024 the year that Democrats and President Biden get credit for the U.S. economy from those who see the U.S. economy is going well?

NELSON: It all depends on the messaging. I think Shermichael is right. I think up to this point, it's been a big disconnect, right? When you look at the facts and the figures, the stock market higher than ever, and the president's numbers are not great. But the truth is, John, we're telling the truth 800-pound elephant in the room is that nobody's excited about a Trump, Biden rematch. Let's just be honest about it.

You know, these two guys we've seen this before. Yes. You know, President Biden has a record to run on Donald Trump, seems like he's going to have a record that he's going to have to run with. And I think that at the end of the day, you know, you're looking at the economy versus how people are going to feel about reelecting a guy with 91 counts for indictments, and all kinds of crazy drama. Every day the tweets -- the crazy Christmas tweet. Who wants to deal with four years of that. I was talking to people over the holidays, they're exhausted. They want Trump gone. They're just -- they're over it. So, we're going to see.

(CROSSTALK)

SINGLETON: I was just going to say quickly. I mean, if you look at the electoral results from Democrats down ballot in 2023. If those numbers are to be believed that that significant turnout will maintain in November of this year. I find it hard to believe that President Biden won't get reelected despite what the polls are currently saying. I think that momentum is likely to remain.

NELSON: Yeah. I think he gets reelected as well. And I think that it's because people aren't going to vote for crazy town for president again. They're just not going to do it. I have faith in us, America. That's what I think's going to happen.

BERMAN: It'll be interesting to see what Shermichael calls momentum. I think is something that absolutely, Democrats in the White House would like to claim that mantle. I'm not sure they feel like there's been much momentum just yet. Shermichael Singleton and Sophia Nelson, Happy New Year to both of you.

NELSON: Happy New Year, John.

SINGLETON: Happy New Year, John. Thank you.

SOLOMON: All right, just into CNN and unprecedented ruling from the Israeli Supreme Court. A ruling that strikes down some major changes that the government was trying to put in place. So close vote and it could ignite fierce tensions in the country in the midst of the war in Gaza. Coming up, we're going to explain what it means.

Plus, Ukraine facing a bombardment of airstrikes from Russia overnight. One of those attacks striking a two-storey building, even people trapped in the rubble. We will have latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLOMON: All right. This just in the Israeli Supreme Court has struck down a bill that would limit its judicial power. The bill was the first major legislation and the government's controversial plan to overhaul the country's judicial system. Let's bring in journalist Elliott Gotkine in Tel Aviv. Elliott, walk us through this ruling here.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: So, Rahel, this ruling is incredibly controversial. First of all, the ruling itself. The Supreme Court ruled eight to seven to strike down this amendment to a basic law, the basic laws are the equivalent of Israel's constitution. The government had amended one of these basic laws to say that the Supreme Court no longer has the power to strike down government decisions on the grounds of reasonableness.

And I'll give you a quick example. The government wanted to appoint a minister, called Aryeh Deri who had been convicted three times. Most recently for tax fraud. The Supreme Court said no, you can't make him a minister because it's unreasonable to make someone who's just been convicted again for the third time a minister. So that's the kind of thing that the government didn't like the Supreme Court meddling in, and it passed this legislation. And it's hard to overstate just how controversial this legislation was.

We're in an actual war right now between Israel and Hamas. Before this war -- before October 7, there was talk of civil war because such was the divisions in Israeli society, every Saturday evening, especially hundreds of thousands of people on the streets protesting the government's plans to pass its judicial overhaul and weaken the powers of the Supreme Court.

They were concerned that it would damage Israel's claim to be a democracy. And indeed, the Supreme Court in justifying its ruling said that the reason for striking down this amendment to a basic law was because of in its words, the severe and unprecedented blow to the core character of Israel as a democratic state that it represented.

Now we've already heard from Justice Minister Yariv Levin. He has said that look, now is not the time. This go completely against the unity that is required right now while Israel is engaged with this war.