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U.S. Secretary Of State Antony Blinken Begins Tour Of Israel- Turkiye Region; Israeli Cabinet Clashes Over October 7 Attack Probe; Analysis: Houthis Riding Popular Wave Of Arab Discontent; Presidential Candidate Chris Christie Says Voters Should Decide Trump's Fitness, Not Courts; Supreme Court To Hear Colorado Ballot Access Case; Chechen Leader Offers Captured Ukrainian Soldiers In Exchange For Lifting U.S. Sanctions Against Family; Alaska Airlines Loses Window Mid-Flight; Israel Intensifies Airstrikes, Ground Combat Across Gaza; U.S. President Joe Biden Warns Trump Could Destroy American Democracy; Millions Vote in Bangladesh Sunday; Europe Facing Flooding, Blizzard. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 06, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world, I'm Laila Harrak.
Looking for diplomatic solutions, Washington's top diplomats in the Middle East as the threat increases of the Israel-Hamas war spilling over into a wider conflict.
On the eve of the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court says it will decide if states can remove former president Donald Trump from their primary ballots.
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HARRAK (voice-over): And a terrifying moment on board this Alaska Airlines flight. We will hear from one of the passengers who made it back to the ground safely.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Laila Harrak.
HARRAK: U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken is set to begin talks in Turkiye in the next hour, hoping to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading. He arrived in Istanbul on Friday as part of a wider trip that will take him to multiple stops in the region, including Israel and the occupied West Bank.
A State Department official said Blinken will try to use diplomatic back channels to send a message to Iran that Washington does not want the conflict to escalate. During his diplomatic push, he is also set to discuss the next phase of Israel's military campaign and plans for Gaza after the fighting is over. Nic Robertson has more.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's going to be a long week of diplomacy ahead for Secretary Blinken.
When he gets to Israel, top of the agenda will be making sure enough humanitarian supplies are getting through into Gaza, that the food, water and medicine is getting through and getting delivered safely to all areas of Gaza for the citizens there.
The safety of the civilians inside Gaza will also be a top issue for him. When he left here after his last visit in December, he left the Israeli government essentially with a plan to come up with what happens the day after the war.
We've got some of that from the defense minister, a three-page document. Phase III, which is sort of where the military is in Gaza right now, sees the north of Gaza as Special Forces operations clearing tunnels and that sort of thing.
South of Gaza, it is still going after Hamas leaders there and also trying to track down the missing hostages.
It's the day after, the fourth phase, that's causing consternation here is Israel and perhaps for Secretary Blinken as well when he arrives because it short on detail.
It says that there will be a situation where Hamas poses no threat, that there are no Israeli civilians, that there is the ability for the Israeli Defense Forces to come in and conduct operations.
There will be some sort of international coalition led by the United States, with partners from Europe, regional partners here as well. That will be the front, the focus for the humanitarian, the rebuilding.
But no concept in this day after of what sort of Palestinian Authority or how it can be constructed, what Palestinian leadership politically that could be for Gaza. But even this three page document has come under criticism from within in the cabinet, causing consternation there.
And criticism as well from politicians within the cabinet, that the chief of military staff has come up with a plan to investigate the failings of October the 7th, to try to get operational improvements right now on the battlefield.
He has been criticized by right-wing members of the cabinet there. The criticism ranges from the day after plan is really just like the day, before it isn't strong enough. And the criticisms are that the military shouldn't be doing, this shouldn't be having the investigation right now like this. It's a toss-up between the military and the politicians. These are
divisions. The defense minister has come out in support of the army chief of staff in that October 7 investigation at a military level.
Meanwhile the key player in the war, cabinet, Benny Gantz, the opposition leader, who came into the war cabinet, has said that the prime minister needs to get his act together. He needs to lead, he needs to either focus on security and unity or politics.
If you go the politics route, he is saying, you don't have security and unity. So even this plan for the day after, that Secretary Blinken is going to be coming in and hearing about, even that is causing division. So it is a weakened political situation that Secretary Blinken comes into.
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Yes, a long tough week of diplomacy for the U.S. secretary of state -- Nic Robertson CNN Tel Aviv Israel.
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HARRAK: And after Nic Robertson filed that report, the IDF said it would launch two parallel investigations into what it called "its failures." The statement said one internal probe would go through the military chain of command, while the other would be conducted side-by- side by a former senior official.
The military didn't say what the investigations will focus on. It said whatever lessons it ends up learning, it will apply them to future security challenges.
Yemen's Houthi rebels are one of the Iranian proxies likely to come up in talks, as Mr. Blinken visits the Middle East. They have ramped up their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea in recent months.
This map shows all of the attacks on vessels between November and December of last year. While the Houthis say the attacks are retaliation for Israel's war against Hamas.
Joining me now is Hisham Al-Omeisy, a conflict analyst and the senior Yemen adviser with the European Institute of Peace.
A very good day.
Can you help unpack for us what the recent Houthi naval attacks in the Red Sea mean for Yemen, the region and the world at large?
HISHAM AL-OMEISY, CONFLICT ANALYST AND SENIOR YEMEN ADVISOR, EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF PEACE: Definitely. They have been planning this for a while, a lot of people forget that the Houthis have been in Yemen for the past five years.
And they have been trying and attempting to control the better part of the country since 2015. Now they have control over the Red Sea. They have been waiting for a golden opportunity where they can advance their goals further in terms of enhancing their persona in the region as the vanguards of the Muslim and the Arab world.
In terms of extracting concessions from regional countries, the Gulf Cooperation countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. But also they've also moved internationally where they will strong-arm the international community. And they will continue to do this for the forthcoming few months, because it increases their legitimacy in the region.
HARRAK: Right, so you predict that this will actually keep happening. We are already seeing some of the biggest shipping companies in the world now avoiding the area altogether. The Houthis remain defiant.
Are they able to brush off the increasing international pressure they are facing from the likes of the U.S., the U.K. and so forth?
AL-OMEISY: Yes they will. The Houthis for the past nine years have been fighting off a Saudi led coalition which was backed by the U.S. and other Western states, which they have managed to, for better or worse, win over even more territory. So they will definitely brush it off.
They are looking for this opportunity, for this escalation because they want to advance their own goals. This conflict, this escalation basically serves to rile up their local base and it increases their footprint and is also a low cost conflict for Iran, their backers, to fight indirectly with the U.S. So they will definitely continue to do. That
HARRAK: This is turning out to be a big challenge for the U.S. As you know, U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken is in the region as we speak, he will also meet with Gulf nations.
What are the challenges for the U.S. when it comes to dealing with Houthis, in what is an asymmetrical maritime warfare?
AL-OMEISY: It's going to be extremely difficult because for the Houthis it's very cheap, they're launching $1,200 worth of drones and speedboats that they're actually built locally at a very low cost.
They could launch hundreds of those in a matter of weeks. In turn, for the U.S. and for the allies, it is very expensive to defend against those drones. One costs about $1.5 million and it's going to be exponentially expensive to basically fend off those drones.
And if the coalition, the alliance, decides to basically bomb Yemen or have boots on the ground, it will bolster the Houthis' legitimacy, not just locally but also regionally. Soon enough you'll have fighters from, Iraq from Syria and around the world, even from Somalia joining the Yemenis because there are a lot of sympathizers.
And they have sympathizers fighting off the U.S. and allies. The Arabs see them as the underdog. So it will escalate and it will regionalize the conflict. So there's a high cost there.
HARRAK: You mentioned Gaza there, because the Houthis say that they're targeting vessels who are either linked or are going to Israel and that they are doing this in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Is there truth to that, is that their objective?
AL-OMEISY: To be honest with you, they are riding a wave of discontent, a popular Islamic, popular discontent with the leaders in the U.S.
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They did not react enough toward Gaza and didn't protect the Palestinians enough. So they're riding that wave. But the Houthis have their own motives. The Houthis want to act on their model that they've been propagating for the past eight years, "death to America, death to Israel."
So this provided a golden opportunity to act upon that motto.
Second thing, they also want to extract concessions from Saudi Arabia. They're currently in peace negotiations with Saudi Arabia. So by flexing their muscles in the Red Sea, they can extract more from the Saudis for that deal.
Third and most importantly, they want to have international legitimacy. Now they're telling the world that we, exist we are present and we will basically be a thorn on your side unless and until you furnish our requests. So they have other motives, not just defending the Palestinians.
HARRAK: Right, they have their own objectives if I understand you correctly. Nine years now since the Yemen war began, devastating the people of Yemen, the entire country.
What does all of this mean for peace negotiations that were underway and were very promising, could we now see, as you've explained, this escalate further and spark a wider war?
AL-OMEISY: The Saudis, we've been getting words for the past two weeks from Riyadh, that the Saudis have been trying to de-escalate the situation. They're not trotting out the (INAUDIBLE) yet. They're still in negotiations with the Houthis.
(INAUDIBLE), actually the U.S. envoy is coming to the region in the next week to try and salvage that deal. The Saudis have been trying to exit Yemen. Yemen has been the Saudis' Vietnam if you. Will and they've been trying to extract themselves from that conflict and they've trying to strike that deal.
So they will look for ways to compromise with the Houthis. This is one of the reasons why the Saudis have not joined the U.S. coalition in the Red Sea. It's because they did not want to antagonize the Houthis.
Hopefully we will hear something back within the next weeks unless (INAUDIBLE) of the alliance attacks Yemen, there are boots on the ground. That will really derail all the peace negotiations that have been building up for the last six months.
HARRAK: Hisham Al-Omeisy, thank you so much for joining us.
AL-OMEISY: Thank you for having me.
HARRAK: The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday that it will make a decision in the case that could have a huge political impact on the nation. The justices will ultimately decide whether a state can ban former president Donald Trump from its primary ballot as he seeks reelection to the White House. CNN's Paula Reid has the details.
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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This is the biggest election related case for the Supreme Court since Bush v. Gore. Here the justices have accepted a petition from former president Trump's lawyers to review whether the Colorado Supreme Court made a mistake when they removed Trump from the ballot.
It's unclear exactly which questions or which issues the court will decide. But the big question in this case that has been litigated across multiple states with different outcomes is whether Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution applies to presidents.
This is a question that has divided even judges within one state, Colorado. And this is a so-called insurrectionist ban. This section of the 14th Amendment prohibits anyone who engages in an insurrection from holding future office.
But it does not explicitly say that it applies to the president. And that is one of the issues that the justices will likely have to weigh in on.
The other big issue that's out there is, how this is enforced.
Is it up to the states, the judiciary, is there a role for Congress?
Right now they are not making it clear, the justices exactly, which questions intend to answer. Trump lawyers are framing this case as a request to return choice to the candidates and the voters.
But the challengers insist that Trump's conduct in and around January 6th is exactly what this post-Civil War part of the Constitution is meant to protect against. Here is how this is going to go down.
They have a briefing schedule that is pretty expedited; we'll see those briefs soon. And then on February 8th, there will be oral arguments, likely probably the biggest oral arguments of this. Term although there could be other cases that they're asked to weigh in on related to the 2024 election.
Then they have to make a decision, putting enormous pressure on Chief Justice John Roberts to build consensus behind the, scenes and come up with a path forward, where, at least the vote count, whatever it ends up being on whatever decision they make, does not appear partisan.
Certainly an enormous case for the court and an enormous test for the chief justice -- Paula Reid, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Now Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie reacted to news of the nation's highest court with review of the Colorado decision. At a town hall in New Hampshire, Christie said there are good legal arguments as to why Trump does not qualify for the presidency.
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But the former federal prosecutor also said he hopes the court does not kick Trump off any ballots because he believes that the voters should decide.
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CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is angry, he is bitter, he is backward looking and he'll continue to be even worse. If you want to try to turn that page, it's not going to fix itself. We have to fix it. The Supreme Court isn't going to come in and save us. We are going to have to save ourselves.
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HARRAK: Joining me now is Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney and former deputy assistant attorney general. He's a legal affairs columnist with the "Los Angeles Times" and host of the "Talking Feds" podcast. He joins me now from La Jolla, California.
There is so much for us to break down.
Can we start with the significance of the U.S. Supreme Court taking up this Colorado case?
What exactly is at stake here?
HARRY LITMAN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Everything. You know it's about as significant of a case as they come. It's not only an enormous political stakes, it's enormous legal stakes. There is really no case that they can look to for precedent.
So it really combines, sort of braids together all of the magnitude of the legal issues and the political issues that we are following all through this year.
HARRAK: What do you make of the timing of this and the expedited schedule?
LITMAN: I would say something like hyperexpedited or expedited on steroids. So first they announced it today, which they normally wouldn't need to do for a Friday decision; it would be Monday. And they really provided a schedule that, for Supreme Court advocates, is warp speed.
So 13 days, we are looking at Trump now, for his lawyers to file. Then 10 days and then another five days and they will hear the case in about a month, February 8th. That is, even by the standards of expedited cases, superexpedited.
I think it's clear that they were concerned about, are concerned about the political calendar and issues such as Super Tuesday in the States, big primary dates, dates when candidates have to be on the ballot by. That is part of what is driving them.
HARRAK: As you say, there's so much going on. This isn't the only ballot. Case
What does this mean for other potential cases in other states?
LITMAN: Well, that's a great point because Colorado is the only one up. there although Trump made a point of referring to Maine. Because today we have had two more. I think what it means mainly is that the court will be very aware, even though it's only the Colorado decision that's in front of them.
The stakes here are the possibility of a whole patchwork of different results in different states and whether or not they are willing to countenance in a national election for president, to have one of the main parties, one of the representatives of the main parties, on some ballots and not others.
I think that will really give them significant heartburn.
HARRAK: It's unprecedented, I suppose, as you started out our conversation.
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HARRAK: What are the arguments that the Trump team is using that the former president should not be removed from the primary ballot?
LITMAN: Well, they have made a whole number of them, like seven. Interestingly the court accepted their framing of the case, which is basically Colorado got it, wrong so all seven kind of come in.
But if what I said a minute ago is right and they're looking for a solution that will apply across the board, there's only a couple possibilities in the various options Trump has served up that can really do that kind of comprehensive work.
So he's gone through seven.
But I think the big focus will be, first, does the 14th Amendment apply to a president?
There is a list there. It doesn't include toward president.
Second, might the court think this is not for courts at all but has to be for the U.S. Congress?
Those are two ways of skinning the cat, as it were, that would apply across the board.
HARRAK: This feels also like a very momentous moment for the Supreme Court, itself. One justice is facing pressure to recuse himself. Remind us why Clarence Thomas finds himself in that peculiar, position.
Do you expect him to recuse himself?
LITMAN: I can start with the second first which is, easy; no.
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But the reason he faces it is because, at a minimum, his wife, Virginia Thomas, was very involved in a lot of January 6 high jinks and she wasn't at the ramparts on January 6th, which she did a lot of work to try to reverse the election. So that is the basis of the argument that he should not be involved in January 6 cases.
HARRAK: OK, Harry Litman, thank you so much for joining in.
LITMAN: Thank you.
HARRAK: Russia says Ukraine is targeting neighborhoods in its Belgorod region with missiles. We'll get a live report after the break.
Plus a midair scare aboard an Alaska Airlines jet after a window comes off. Details ahead.
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HARRAK: The Ukrainian air force says it hit a Russian military airbase in Western Crimea today. Sources in Ukraine's security services say Ukrainian forces attacked the same base last September, causing, quote, "serious damage."
Meanwhile Ukraine claims it destroyed a Russian stronghold during an operation inside Russia's Belgorod region on Friday. Kyiv says an unspecified number of Russian forces were killed during the crossborder attack.
Ukraine is also reporting targeting the Russian region with missiles. Russian state media reports 10 Ukrainian missiles fired at the area on Thursday were destroyed by Russian air defense systems. The regional governor says two people were wounded by falling shrapnel.
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VYACHESLAV GLADKOV, GOVERNOR, BELGOROD REGION (through translator): I see several appeals on social media from families saying we are scared. Help us go to a safe place. Of course, we will help, we will do everything that depends on us.
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HARRAK: Joining us now is CNN's Barbie Nadeau in Rome. Good morning; what more can you tell us about the latest strikes on
Belgorod?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really interesting, this marks kind of a change in strategy with Ukraine making these crossborder attacks,
Ukraine's defense intelligence authorities said on Telegram that they have information that a key Russian military leadership team would be their carrying out an inspection when they carried out this attack, which seems to be quite successful.
Again, as you know, Ukraine is going on the counteroffensive at this point, something that is changing as we go into the new year.
HARRAK: And we also understand in a separate but related development, a key Putin ally is offering to release captured Ukrainian soldiers. Tell us more.
NADEAU: Yes, there's a bit of a catch to this. This Ramzan Kadyrov, a Chechnya leader. He is saying that if the United States will lift sanctions on his wives and daughter and children, that he will be willing to release these 20 Ukrainian soldiers.
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And he's saying the United States could, if they want, to actually amplify sanctions against him. So it puts the United States in a bit of a tricky situation. Because these sanctions have. Been very, very effective in making sure that these leaders can't just carry out any business as usual across Europe and the United States.
So it remains to be seen just how the United States might react to this in what pressure Ukraine might be putting on with tensions in exchange for these 20 soldiers.
HARRAK: Barbie Nadeau, thank you so much.
Now to some scary moments on board an Alaska Airlines flight. According to passengers, a window popped off the plane while it was in the air. Reporter Jeff Lindblom with our CNN affiliate KPTV has more.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
JEFF LINDBLOM, CORRESPONDENT FOR CNN AFFILIATE KPTV (voice-over): The flight crew on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 declaring an emergency as these photos show the aircraft appearing to be missing a panel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was about as wide as a refrigerator and as high as two-thirds of a refrigerator.
LINDBLOM (voice-over): Evan Smith (ph) says he was among the 174 passengers aboard the flight heading to Ontario. He says they just reached cruising altitude at about 10,000 feet as disaster struck. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a really loud bang toward the left rear
of the plane. And a whooshing noise and all of the air masks dropped.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to turn back to Portland if we can get one.
LINDBLOM (voice-over): Flight crew made the call to return to Portland. Smith says he was back about six rows and saw what he believed is a missing side panel in the aircraft.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE), we need (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just goes -- there's not anything I have any control over. It's just wait and see what happens.
LINDBLOM (voice-over): Smith (ph) says he spoke with another passenger who said they were was a row behind where the incident occurred.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said there was a kid in that row and his shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane. His mother was able -- was holding onto him to make sure he didn't go with it.
LINDBLOM (voice-over): He believes some cell phones and other items may have blown out as well. He aid it's fortunate they weren't higher in the sky. He also credits the cabin crew for doing what he calls a good job. As he said, he watched crewmembers help some women who were fearful move to different spot on the. Plane
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) the aircraft.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says something that a plane -- those planes can take that kind of a hit and still land safely.
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HARRAK: And CNN is also getting word that Alaska Airlines is temporarily grounding its fleet of Boeing Max 9 aircraft. The airline put out a statement from its CEO, saying, each aircraft would only be returned to service after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections.
He added, "My heart goes out to those who were on this flight and for what they experienced."
Let's talk to one of the people who did experience this very terrifying incident. Joining me now is Emma Vu. She was a passenger on Flight 1282.
Emma, I first want to say we're so happy that you're safe and unhurt. So thank you for joining us. Share with us.
What was it like?
EMMA VU, PASSENGER, AA FLIGHT 1282: It was definitely very scary, very surreal. Even though it is only been a few hours I feel thinking back, a lot of my memory is kind of blurry from that. It's just so different than anything I've ever experienced before. I guess you just never think it's going to happen to. You and then it literally did so...
HARRAK: So give us a sense of where you were seated from where the incident took place.
VU: Yes I was seated, 18-B. And it's so weird to me because I guess I was under the impression the whole time, that it had happened in the exit row but it was actually behind me. So it was toward the back of the plane. I was sitting in the middle. If you look at the window to my left, I could see the wing. So that's what was going on.
HARRAK: When did you realize that something terrible was going on, something really bad went wrong?
VU: Yes, I was actually asleep. So when we were on the tarmac, we were on it for a while because they were deicing the plate. And then I fell asleep. So I woke up to the plane falling and I knew it was not just normal turbulence, because the masks came down.
That's when the panic definitely started to set in. That's what was going on with me, I was jolted awake.
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HARRAK: You were jolted awake.
How had the passengers around you responded and were you able to see the people who were seated near where the incident took place?
VU: I did not see it because it was behind me. Like I said honestly I just didn't know what was going on. I knew something that was going on because the masks had come down, I've never experienced that before. To be honest, in a weird way I felt like the passengers around me were very calm.
I was not personally. But I'm so grateful for the two ladies who sat to either side of, me I was in the middle. I'm so amazed and thankful that they were so kind to me and so comforting. They were living the same thing I was.
But they managed to keep me calm. I was not doing well, to be honest. And they were rubbing my back and giving me comfort. Even the flight attendant was very sweet. She helped me, in the middle of everything, she said it's going to be OK.
I thought that was really awesome of her since there were so many other passengers that were freaking out as well. She even remembered me after the flight had ended and she was, like can I give you a hug?
And I thought that was really sweet.
HARRAK: That is really wonderful indeed.
Have you heard at all from Alaska Airlines? Since
VU: Yes, they sent out an apology email to us and they said our flight was going to be reimbursed, along with a $1,500 dollar reimbursement as well for any inconvenience.
HARRAK: HAs this impacted at all your willingness to fly in the future?
VU: I think so a little bit. I don't know. It's going to be a little scarier for me. I do fly a lot for work. So I think I am going to have to get over that fear. In just two weeks I'm actually flying across the country to Virginia for work. So I know I have to do that.
HARRAK: And we are so happy that you're safe and it's a miracle. Everyone seems to be doing OK who was on that plane. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and we're really happy that you're well, all the best to you.
VU: Thank you.
HARRAK: We are going to turn our attention now to the Middle East. Israel ramps up airstrikes and ground combat across Gaza. The latest on the fighting and the toll it's taking on civilians next.
And the race for the White House is heating up. While Donald Trump campaigns in Iowa, President Joe Biden is a dire warning about his predecessor. Stay with us.
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HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
A new report from the U.N. says Gaza's children face a triple threat from the war, malnutrition and disease. UNICEF found that 90 percent of children under 2 suffer from severe food poverty. That warning comes as Israel has intensified its military operations across Gaza.
CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more on the fighting but a warning: his report contains graphic images.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A child's lifeless body carefully pried from the rubble. Gaza civil defense says this is the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah, a city where tens of thousands are seeking shelter. Heeding evacuation orders like these dropped by the Israeli military this week.
It's not just Deir al-Balah. Several cities where civilians have been told to flee have been hit by Israeli airstrikes in recent days, including this camp for displaced Palestinian in the southern city of Rafah. That city has been struck repeatedly this week even as makeshift camps have ballooned in recent months as seen and the satellite images.
YAMEN AHMAD, DISPLACED GAZAN LIVING IN RAFAH (through translator): I have been displaced from one place to another, Bureij, Maghazi, Nuseirat, then we left the last place for the safety of our children. There is no safe place.
DIAMOND: That brutal reality all to clear at the morgue, as families mourn.
The Israeli military says that they struck more than 100 targets across Gaza overnight, reporting fierce fighting and strikes on targets including Hamas command centers and rocket launch pads. Amid the strikes, some are once again on the move. Mattresses and blankets carried however they can but fleeing Gaza is no guarantee of safety.
The Nijem family who fled south from northern Gaza are the latest to learn that cruel lesson.
MAZEN NIJEM, 10 FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED IN STRIKE (through translator): They told us to go to Maghazi where it is safe and we have nothing left. Where do we go?
We only have god.
DIAMOND: Seven-month-old Imad (ph) and nine other members of his family are now dead, killed in an Israeli airstrike according to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
KHALED NIJEM, 10 FAMILY MEMBERES KILLED IN STRIKE (through translator): They told us to come to the center and that it is safe. We came here and nothing is safe.
DIAMOND: For many, that exhausting, elusive search for safety is over. All that remains is the pursuit of dignity.
ABU ADNAN, DISPLACED GAZAN LIVING IN DEIR AL-BALAH: There are no toilets, no food, no water, no clothes. With all of this I prefer to go back home and die with dignity than die in this way.
DIAMOND: Jeremy Diamond CNN Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: U.S. President Joe Biden is kicking off his reelection campaign with a strong warning about his likely opponent, Donald Trump. He gave a speech in Pennsylvania on the eve of the Capitol insurrection's third anniversary, arguing Trump poses a threat to democracy.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot. It is the first mass election since January 6th insurrection placed a dagger at the throat of American democracy, since that moment. We all know who Donald Trump is. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK: And it didn't take long for Trump to start lashing out in response.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: They've weaponized government. He's saying, I'm a threat to democracy. He's a threat to democracy. Wow. I couldn't read the word. What they're doing is very corrupt, people aren't going to take it.
Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. He's weaponizing law enforcement for a high level election interference. It's all about election interference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
And here is CNN's Arlette Saenz with more.
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BIDEN: Donald Trump's campaign is about him, not America, not you. He's willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden with his 2024 campaign trail debut in battleground Pennsylvania, speaking in his most blunt terms yet about former President Donald Trump.
BIDEN: Trump exhausted every legal avenue available to him to overturn the election, every one. But the legal path just took Trump back to the truth, that I had won the election and he was a loser.
SAENZ: The president using the third anniversary of the January 6th insurrection as evidence Trump is unfit to hold the nation's highest office.
BIDEN: It was among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history.
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An attempt to overturn the free and fair election by force and violence. I will say what Donald Trump won't. Political violence is never, ever acceptable in the United States, never, never, ever.
SAENZ: Biden also taking aim at Trump's attempts to reframe one of the most politically violent days in American history, pointing to this moment from Trump's first political rally of the 2024 campaign.
With the national anthem sung by a choir made of January 6th prisoners.
BIDEN: This is like something out of a fairy tale, a bad fairy tale. Trump began his 2024 campaign by glorifying the failed violent insurrection on our Capitol.
SAENZ: Biden's speech marked a turning point in his campaign as he draws a sharper contrast with his predecessor.
BIDEN: Today, we're here to answer the most important of questions. Is democracy still America's sacred cause?
SAENZ: His advisers view January 6th as a potent reminder of the stakes of this year's election, featuring the violent scenes in the year's first TV ad.
BIDEN: Something dangerous happening in America. There's an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy.
SAENZ: Three years later, half of Americans believe Trump bears a good deal of responsibility for January 6th but a partisan divide exists with 86 percent of Democrats making that assessment compared to only 14 percent of Republicans.
But Biden planning to keep his democracy argument front and center as he trains his eye on a possible rematch with his one-time rival.
BIDEN: I make this sacred pledge to you. The defense, protection and preservation of American democracy will remain as it has been the central cause of my presidency.
SAENZ: President Biden will continue this campaign push on Monday when he travels down to Charleston, South Carolina. There he will speak at Mother Emmanuel AME Church, which was the site of that 2015 mass shooting, where nine Black parishioners were killed.
The president is expected to continue on with many of the same themes he spoke to here in Pennsylvania, including condemning political violence in this country. South Carolina will be the first Democratic primary taking place on February 3rd.
And it will serve as a key test of President Biden's support and enthusiasm among Black voters -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.
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HARRAK: We're getting a look at the third and latest batch of documents being released this week involving the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Friday's release includes hundreds of pages from depositions in a civil defamation lawsuit in 2015.
They provide a look into Epstein's relationships with high-profile men. Here is a report from CNN's Kara Scannell.
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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nearly 3,000 pages of documents were released this week from a lawsuit tied to Jeffrey Epstein. These emails, depositions, testimony and legal filings shed light on the sex offender's rarefied orbit of friends and acquaintances. And the depravity of the crimes his former girlfriend Ghislaine
Maxwell was convicted of helping him commit. There are no bombshells in the documents made public from the 2015 defamation lawsuit.
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre brought against Maxwell and the inclusion of a name does not mean that person has done anything wrong.
Friday's release of over 1,600, pages included testimony from an employee of Epstein, who said he had dinner with Donald Trump in the kitchen of Epstein's Palm Beach home and met former president Bill Clinton on Epstein's plane.
He also said he met Prince Andrew at the Palm Beach residence. Young girls were often seen at the homes, he testified. The names of both former presidents surfaced previously. Trump's campaign attacked the media when asked for comment.
Clinton spokesman said the former president knew nothing of Epstein's terrible crimes and that it had been 20 years since he last had contact with Epstein. The prince reached an out of court settlement with Giuffre and denied any wrongdoing.
Other famous names also appeared in the pages. A woman paid to massage Epstein testified magician David Copperfield performed magic tricks at the Palm Beach house. He asked her if she was aware that girls were getting paid to find other girls.
Copperfield's representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Harvey Weinstein's name appeared on a phone message pad from 2005 at Epstein's home. A lawyer for Giuffre alleged in a book published in 2020 that Epstein ended his relationship with Weinstein after the movie producer acted too aggressively with one of Epstein's, quote, "favorite girls."
Weinstein was not accused of wrongdoing in the Epstein matter. He is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of sex crimes in New York and Los Angeles. More documents are expected to be released on Monday -- Kara Scannell CNN New York.
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HARRAK: Voters are set to cast ballots in one of the largest parliamentary elections still to come. How rights groups and critics are warning that their democracy could be backsliding.
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HARRAK: With 120 million people registered to vote tomorrow, Bangladesh is set to conduct one of the world's largest exercises in parliamentary democracy. Rights groups fear that the nation might be headed toward becoming a one party state. Michael Holmes reports.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Voters in Bangladesh go to the polls on Sunday in an election many critics say is already decided.
The country's continuous leader since 2009, Sheikh Hasina, head of the ruling party, the Awami League, is expected to be reelected for her fourth consecutive term as prime minister, her fifth overall.
She faces little to no competition since the country's main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is boycotting the poll. Voters say it leaves them with few options and many are questioning if they will cast their ballot at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What can I tell about the election?
If I cast my vote, Sheikh Hasina will come to power again. If I don't Sheikh Hasina will still come to power.
HOLMES (voice-over): Tensions between the government and the opposition have been simmering for months. There have been widespread allegations of vote rigging in past elections, which the government denies.
In recent months, anti-government protesters clashed with police, demanding that Hasina step down and allow a neutral caretaker government to oversee the upcoming election.
The BMP says thousands of its supporters have been arrested, including key leaders. Human rights groups say there are concerns that the democracy is backsliding under Hasina's increasingly authoritarian rule.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (from captions): Democracy theoretically doesn't mean only elections; democracy means political dissent also. The current situation in Bangladesh, the current government in Bangladesh, what they believe in, they are fully looking at how they are going to stay in power.
HOLMES (voice-over): That's overshadowing some of the progress Hasina has made, improving the country's infrastructure, sheltering Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and initially reviving the country's economy, which at one point was one of the fastest growing in the world.
But on that, front Bangladesh is once again on shaky ground. Inflation and the global economic slowdown taking its toll. Last year it was forced to take out a nearly $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. And citizens say they are struggling with high food costs and low wages.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): At present our income is very limited. We are barely surviving with prices of everything going up.
[03:50:00]
I struggle to balance between buying rice and lentils and my children's expenses. Can't fix this dilemma. I hope it will be fixed.
HOLMES (voice-over): A country in need of a lot of fixes but with no real alternatives at the ballot box, many voters are disillusioned that there will be any change at all -- Michael Holmes, CNN.
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HARRAK: Europe is battling extreme flooding, frigid temperatures and snow. Just ahead, the latest on what countries are dealing with.
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HARRAK: The Indian Navy says crew members of a Liberian flagship are safe after it apparently thwarted an attempted hijacking in the Arabian sea Friday.
The warship received a report that the vessel had been hijacked off of the Somali coast. Reports say up to six armed people boarded the vessel on Thursday. But the Indian Navy says it found no pirates on board. It says the hijackers likely fled after the Indian warship issued what they called a forceful warning.
There's been an uptick in attempted hijackings in the region since U.S. Naval forces have turned their attention to attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
Crews have been working to remove the wreckage of a Japan Airlines jet that collided with a Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday. Five Coast Guard members were killed in the crash. But all 379 people on the commercial flight were safely evacuated.
According to Japanese media, pieces of the Japan Airlines plane will eventually be moved to a storage facility as authorities investigate the incident.
We're getting more images from Europe as flooding there takes its toll. This is drone footage of a horse being rescued from the high water in England. While the drone to home organization says it guided two horses out of harm's way this week.
On Friday major rivers across Britain were flooded because of successive storms. Reports say more than 1,000 homes were damaged. The high water also submerged parts of France and Germany after heavy rains, while northern Europe has been shivering in a brutal cold snap.
CNN international correspondent Jim Bittermann has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: It's been a rough weather week for a lot of northern Europeans, including Scandinavia, for example, where they're used to cold temperatures but not like this.
Cold temperatures that were so low that they set records dating all the way back to the 19th century. Blizzards blew across roads and thousands of people were left without power in Finland. One woman went out for a ski in the middle of the blizzard and in fact died.
Further south, rain was the big problem. In southern England, for example, a lot of areas have been flooded once again after having been flooded just within the last few. Months.
In London the manager of a party boat says his boat sank, in the Thames because of the high winds and bad weather caused by a storm they call in England Hank.
In northern France, a number of areas were flooded for the second or maybe even third time in the last two months. Residents are getting fed up and wanting the government do something about it.
[03:55:02]
Like increase the heights of levees or other kinds of prevention measures. In fact, one of the things that had been talked about in France was a plan to relocate some of the people who are getting repeatedly flooded out.
In Germany the floods have caused farmers to get out to the fields early to harvest their sugar beets and potatoes. Otherwise, they might be left in the field to rot.
It's a tough weather week but in fact it's getting better for this. Weekend and one of the things that the weather people point out is that this is only the beginning of the winter season in Europe -- Jim Bittermann CNN Paris.
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HARRAK: The singer Michael Bolton says he is recovering at home and taking a break from touring after undergoing brain surgery.
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HARRAK: Bolton is known for romantic power ballads although he started his career in hard rock. The 70 year old musician posted news of his medical condition on social media, saying a tumor was discovered before the holidays, which required immediate attention.
He had been planning to tour the U.S., Canada and, Switzerland from February. But it's unclear when his shows will be rescheduled. We wish him all the best.
The annual epiphany parade in Madrid, Spain, brought sweets and joy to thousands of children on Friday. They waved and cheered as the three wise men passed by on floats, tossing out candy to all the boys and girls.
Most children in Spain received their Christmas presents on January 6th, the day when Christians believe the three wise men visited the infant Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Kids today have different presents in mind.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They are going to give me icon blue cologne (ph) and lots of presents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I know I'm a little old for, this but I asked for a kitchen set because I love them, pots, pans, cutlery, all of that.
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HARRAK: Santa Claus is gaining in popularity in Spain but the three wise men are still the top draw for many Spanish children.
There was also revelry around epiphany on the streets of New York. The three kings day parade featured people dressed as the three wise men, musical acts, dancers and even live camels. Schoolchildren wearing colorful, crowns also get a chance to participate.
Great fun.
That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Laila Harrak. On behalf of the entire team, thank you so much for joining. As Lynda Kinkade picks up our coverage after a quick break, stick around.
