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7.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Western Japan; Texas Continues To Send Migrants To Other Cities; New Laws Taking Effect In The New Year. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired January 01, 2024 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed 22,000 people.

Now, we also know that with this earthquake it was quite shallow. It had depths of around 10 kilometers. That's around six miles. And -- but we know with shallow earthquakes, and this is quite significant, is that they can't trigger potentially larger and more destructive tsunamis.

We don't quite know just how much destruction has been caused by this tsunami -- by these tsunamis but we are watching the city of Noto, which was near the epicenter in Ishikawa prefecture for any updates about that.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: In terms of how the government is responding, what are they saying? I did notice how the prime minister came out very quickly, which does show perhaps how concerned he was about this in the early stages of the earthquake.

MONTGOMERY: Yeah. I think the Japanese government is quite concerned about the earthquake and the devastation that could potentially be caused. We know that the Japanese prime minister has set up its office of response disaster countermeasure headquarters. And what this means is that the Japanese government is really just trying to put together any resources -- any teams it needs in order to helpfully evacuate people in this area.

We know there haven't been any nuclear abnormalities reported near the epicenter. We also know that several thousand homes -- 23,000 -- sorry, 32,500 homes, to be exact, have lost power. We also know that a lot of bullet trains within Japan have also been suspended because of these earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis, Max.

FOSTER: In terms of what information we're waiting for, does that depend on the aftershocks and these subsequent tsunamis? Because I know that there was this warning of a 5-meter tsunami, which would be pretty frightening, wouldn't it, for many people in the area?

MONTGOMERY: Yeah, that's right. So for context, the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami saw waves of up to 30 feet. We haven't -- at CNN, we've confirmed that some areas have been seeing waves of up to 1.2 meters. There has been a warning issued for waves of up to five meters -- specifically, in Ishikawa prefecture which is, of course, very close to the epicenter, Max.

FOSTER: OK. Hanako Montgomery in Tokyo. Thank you. Back with you as we get more.

Now, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott continues to send hundreds of migrants to cities run by Democrats. Officials say a plane carrying more than 350 asylum seekers arrived at an airport near Chicago on Sunday morning.

CNN's Camilla Bernal has more on the migrant crisis in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A breaking point at the U.S.-Mexico border as preliminary Homeland Security statistics show authorities encountered more than 225,000 migrants so far in December -- the highest monthly total recorded in more than 20 years. And from the border to cities all over the U.S., struggling to keep up because this welcome comes at a cost.

MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON, DENVER, COLORADO: When you're talking about 10 percent of the budget to allocate for cities on this, that's unsustainable. When we have every single hotel room in the city full of migrants that have arrived, that's unsustainable.

BERNAL (voice-over): For months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has bused thousands of migrants to these cities led by Democrats, resulting in turmoil and straining resources.

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON, CHICAGO: And at one point in the summer, we had 25-30 buses showing up every single day without any coordination or any notification. He is now sending buses outside of the city of Chicago -- in some instances, 100 miles away where people are being dropped off and they're being told that they are in the city of Chicago. Literally, dropped off in the middle of nowhere. I find that to be inhumane and unconscionable.

BERNAL (voice-over): Some smaller municipalities have passed ordinances to try to stop the drop-offs while the mayors of Chicago, Denver, and New York City are asking the federal government for help.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY: I think much more could be done, and with all of our national leaders from a decompression strategy to making sure the cost of this is not falling on laps of everyday taxpayers in our cities.

BERNAL (voice-over): They are also demanding for coordinated drop- offs with exact times and locations to dedicate the appropriate resources.

JOHNSTON: What we need is everyone that gets paroled into this country should have the ability to work as soon as they enter. They should have federal dollars to help support them in the cities that they arrive in. And we should have a coordinated national plan for where those folks arrive.

BERNAL (voice-over): In a statement, a spokesperson for Abbott accused the Democrat mayors of hypocrisy, saying, "They are now going to extreme lengths to avoid fulfilling their self-declared sanctuary city promises." The statement also said the mayors "Should call on their party leader to finally do his job and secure the border -- something he continues refusing to do."

[05:35:12]

But some activists believe the crisis at the border takes Republicans, Democrats, and all levels of government to solve.

PEDRO RIOS, AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE: And if the governments are not doing that, then most likely what we'll see is people will be further traumatized and harmed and likely we will see more people die as a result of the inability of governments to really address the humanitarian needs that asylum seekers have.

BERNAL (on camera): And the Biden administration has acknowledged these requests from the mayors, saying that the president asked Congress for funding and for resources when it comes to the border and securing the border -- specifically, law enforcement. But also for funding for those cities that are hosting these migrants, and also for work permits.

We have seen some bipartisan efforts in Congress to try to address this but the bottom line is that Congress has not found a permanent solution for this.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts spent much of his year-end report discussing how new technology has brought positive change to the federal court system. But he also raised concerns about the increasing presence of artificial intelligence in the judicial system, warning the technology could risk, quote, "dehumanizing the law."

In his report, Roberts avoided addressing how the court has been pushed into two disputes involving Donald Trump, and other issues, including the court's new code of conduct.

Now, a new year means new laws governing officially taking over and going into the books. Rafael Romo takes a look at the slew of new ones taking effect today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Among the most polarizing new laws that take effect with the new year are those related to gender-affirming care for minors with several Republican- led states moving to enact restrictions. For example, in Idaho, physicians or practitioners who provide

puberty-blocking medication and gender-affirming surgeries or other treatments to minors could face a $5,000 fine and a felony charge. In Louisiana, it will become illegal for those under 18 to receive those treatments, and health care professionals can have their licenses revoked for two years or more if they provide those services.

On the other hand, Maryland, along with several other Democratic-led states, passed protections for gender-affirming care for all ages. And as of January 1, the state will require Medicaid to cover them.

When it comes to abortion, the state of Washington is enacting a law with the goal of making the procedure more accessible by eliminating out-of-pocket costs, including deductibles and co-pays. This is, of course, in response to near-total bans in several Republican-led states that took effect in 2023.

In California, a law taking effect Monday protects local health care providers from out-of-state litigation over both abortion and gender- affirming care to people from other states.

When it comes to laws that are not as controversial, nearly half of all the U.S. states will increase their minimum wage in 2024. Washington will continue to have the highest minimum wage of all states at $16.28 an hour, up from $15.74.

Another new law for 2024 getting a lot of attention is California's ban on carrying concealed firearms in sensitive places. This is despite the federal judge's prior ruling that the law is quote "repugnant to the Second Amendment." Under the new law, people with permits would not be allowed to carry concealed firearms in places like schools, parks, and hospitals, among others. A federal appeals court will allow the law to go into effect for now while the court case continues.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Well, we'll have much more on the breaking news of the earthquake and tsunami concerns in Japan after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:42:43]

FOSTER: All right, back to our breaking news this hour.

Japan's weather agency warning powerful aftershocks could continue for several more days after today's 7.5 magnitude earthquake in western Japan. Already, the U.S. Geological Survey has reported at least 14 aftershocks, one of which measured a 6.2 magnitude.

The city of Wajima, in Ishikawa prefecture, has reported tsunami waves around nearly four feet high, according to Japanese public forecaster NHK. And in the city of Sosa, officials say buildings are damaged and there are reports of injuries there.

Officials are urging people in coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground as soon as possible.

We'll bring you the latest updates on that breaking news as the details come into us.

Now, Kyiv has declared today a national day of mourning as the death toll in Ukraine continues to grow from Friday's massive aerial assault by Russia. The number of people killed climbed at least 52 -- to at least 52 on Sunday with more than half of those deaths in Kyiv. The attacks were the largest Russian aerial strikes on Ukraine since the war began.

Sunday also saw deadly attacks in Kharkiv or the Kharkiv region. And just hours into the new year, a series of aerial strikes killed at least five people in Odessa and Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities now say at least 24 people died and 107 were injured in Saturday's attacks on the city Belgorod, which the Kremlin blames on Ukraine.

Now, from Ukraine's front lines to its growing diaspora, this year is beginning with both joy and defiance despite all of that. You hear in the streets of the cities and from those from whom the war is physically distant but emotionally ever-present.

We're bringing in now a unique arrangement performed just for CNN by the Songs for Ukraine chorus made up of singers impacted by the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SONG OF UKRAINE CHORUS: Singing "Auld Lang Syne."

[05:45:00]

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:51:23]

FOSTER: Back to our breaking news this hour.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake has hit western Japan leading to tsunami warnings and reports of tsunami waves already hitting the coastline. These images show some of the damage from the quake, which struck shortly after 4:00 p.m. local time on Monday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake was relatively shallow with a depth of six miles or 10 kilometers. Japan's government has advised people who are under tsunami warnings in coastal areas to seek higher ground.

CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam has been looking at all of this. Derek, just take us through the region we're talking about. Because I spoke to a seismologist who says it is much more common to see this on the east coast, not on the west coast.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, that's a really great point and we're learning together here. I mean, in the time that I've worked at CNN we have seen the majority of the earthquakes -- you're right -- right along that east-facing shoreline of the Japan -- the country of Japan. But to now see it on this west-facing shoreline just offshore, it's a significant thing.

And what you mentioned -- the shallow nature of this earthquake is going to play into the ramifications down the line because that shallow nature doesn't allow for the ground to really absorb much of the shock.

So what we know so far with a magnitude 7.5 is that a significant amount of Japan's population all the way as far east as Tokyo felt this. But when we talk about the Ishikawa prefecture, which is this little peninsula that kind of sticks out from that western shoreline of Japan, we're talking roughly 50 million people.

So there was some sort of light shaking felt by about 43 million people, but you can see that number still increasing -- or not, rather, increasing but impacting millions of people when it goes into the moderate and strong shaking that was felt. This is all numbers according to the U.S. Geological Service. And you can see just a significant population density.

But this is also interesting as well. The Japan Meteorological Agency -- the local coordinating agency on the ground within Japan -- issued this major tsunami warning. And looking back at some of the data, the last time they issued this major tsunami warning -- right now located near Ishikawa prefecture -- was in 2011. And we recall that obviously very, very challenging time when so many people perished from that particular earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

So, yes, there have been tsunami waves observed and these are all located across Ishikawa prefecture. They have been roughly about one meter. So roughly, three to four feet in height above normal tide. And remember, they were calling for tsunami waves potentially up to five meters. So it's good that we are not seeing those results just yet.

We're scouring the latest information and bringing it to you in real time here. And the latest observed values -- 1.2 meters -- is significantly far less than what the original projections were. Remember, a shallow earthquake can cause significant shaking but also significant displacement of water and large tsunami waves.

Now, with this magnitude 7.5, it's not just the west shoreline of Japan that could feel these tsunami waves. Remember, we have got neighboring and nearby Russia. How about North and South Korea? The entire Korean Peninsula. And their local coordinating offices there say anywhere from .3 meters to one -- upwards of one meter is possible.

[05:55:03]

Now -- so what causes a tsunami? This is important, remember, depending on the type of earthquake that occurred just underground. That very shallow nature of the earthquake. What can happen is we get this thrusting of the plates -- the tectonic plates located within that part of the world. And that displaces the water and causes this rippling effect.

And we talk about a tsunami wave not as one particular wave but this is a series of waves. So the threat is not done yet. That's most important for people to understand who are nearest to the epicenter of the earthquake that just occurred and -- because we could have anywhere from five minutes to upwards of one hour in between the crest of these waves.

So a series of waves, Max, could bring this potential still of an ongoing threat of a tsunami. So this is something we're monitoring here as well. And it's all about the bathymetry, which is basically the depth of the seabed underneath the water. And that is how that tsunami wave is displaced across this part of the world -- the western shoreline of Japan.

When we talk just about the earthquake, according to the USGS, significant damage is likely and we have already confirmed that with some of the videos that we've seen coming out of the area -- Max.

FOSTER: OK. It's a great analysis, Derek. Really appreciate that. And we'll get more as we get information in but it's pretty thin on the ground at the moment because of what they're dealing with.

Thank you for joining us here on CNN Newsroom.

VAN DAM: Right.

FOSTER: We'll be back with our breaking news coverage right after this break.

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