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Alaska Airlines Flight Loses "Door Plug" After Take Off; Trump Lashes Out At Nikki Haley At Iowa Campaign Event; Blinken Making Diplomatic Rush To Prevent War From Spreading; Peregrine Launch Will Make Start Of A Bran New Moonshot. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired January 07, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:37]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States, and all around the world, I'm Lynda Kinkade, good to have you with us. Ahead on CNN Newsroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: We are the global gold standard for safety around the world, but we have to maintain that standard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: The investigation begins into the mid-air scare that left this gaping hole in a Boeing 737.

Plus, Donald Trump makes a bizarre claim about the Civil War and attacks one of his top rivals, the latest in the campaign trail in Iowa.

And a huge weather system making its way across the U.S. with millions of people in its path. We're tracking the first big winter storm of the season.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.

KINKADE: We begin this hour with a terrifying mid-air emergency that left a hole in a passenger jet flying at an altitude of 16,000 feet. It happened Friday on Alaskan Airlines flight 1282 and prompted the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to order the temporary grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.

National Transportation Safety Board officials said a door plug came off shortly after takeoff, leaving a gaping hole and causing the cabin to depressurize.

Incredibly, the plane landed safely with only minor injuries among the 177 passengers and crew. Officials at the NTSB news conference asked for the public's help in finding the missing door plug and explained why the outcome wasn't worse. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOMENDY: No one was seated in 26A and B where the -- where that door plug is. The aircraft was around 16,000 feet and only 10 minutes out from the airport when the door blew. Fortunately, they were not at cruise altitude of 30,000 or 35,000 feet.

Think about what happens when you're in cruise. Everybody's up and walking. Folks don't have seatbelts on. They're going to restrooms. The flight attendants are providing service to passengers. We could have ended up with something so much more tragic and really fortunate that that did not occur here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, CNN's Pete Muntean has more on the emergency situation and the renewed scrutiny Boeing is facing once again.

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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: A major new development following this incident. The Federal Aviation Administration is now issuing an emergency airworthiness directive, essentially an emergency recall, calling for a temporary grounding of these Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes pending the results of inspections.

This incident happened in an explosive moment, like the most violent convertible you've ever been in, in this case on a passenger jet. Row 26 is where this happened, where there could have been a door installed.

This plane did not have it. It had what's called a door plug. More on that in a second. This happened, though, with a bang, a refrigerator- sized hole punched in the side of this plane seven minutes into the flight at 16,000 feet.

That led to what's called a rapid decompression, where the high- pressure, breathable air inside the plane goes rushing out and the very cold, thin air outside comes rushing in. We heard from a passenger that a boy sitting nearby had his shirt pulled off by the force of the explosion. The oxygen mass dropped and pilots very quickly had to deal with this unusual situation.

I want you to listen to the calm on the air traffic control audio. Step one, fly the airplane. Step two, run the checklist, descend back to 10,000 feet, where the air is a lot more breathable. And step three, communicate to air traffic control exactly what you're doing.

PILOT: "Alaska 1282, need to declare an emergency, descending down to 10,000 just depressurized."

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: "Alaska calling, descend one-zero thousand. When able, give me the nature of the emergency and your intentions."

[05:05:07]

PILOT: "Seattle, Alaska 1282 just depressurized, need to declare an emergency, we do need to descend down to ten thousand."

MUNTEAN: The part of this plane that failed, the part that will now need to be inspected is on the left side of the plane's fuselage. It's where a door can be installed at the Boeing factory, but that all depends on the seating configuration that's ordered by the airline.

So this plane did not have a door there. Instead it had what's called a door plug, which you can see from the outside, but you wouldn't really know it's there from the inside of the plane. This plane rolled off the Boeing factory floor in Renton, Washington only a few months ago.

October 15th was the first flight, 150 flights since then for Alaska Airlines, but this is really thrust Boeing back under the microscope. The latest in a litany of issues for the 737 Max family, 346 people killed in two crashes in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Twenty months on grounding of that plane in the U.S. and since Boeing has been dogged by quality control issues. The good news here, 171 passengers, six members of the crew who performed admirably, everybody is OK.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: One of the passengers who was on that flight is describing the moment when a part of the plane burst open. Stephanie King was sitting in an aisle seat just several rows away from that hole in the plane. She spoke to CNN's Jim Acosta about the harrowing ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEOHANIE KING, ALASKA AIRLINES PASSENGER: It was really, really scary, as you can imagine, initially, when the piece flew off, it was -- there was almost multiple explosions and it, at first, felt like all of the air from outside rushed into the cabin and particles were flying everywhere.

I'm not sure what that was, if it was ice or debris from the plane itself, but it came forward and then it got sucked back out very dramatically. And that's when the oxygen mask came down and, you know, your instinct kicks in at that point. You've heard the spiel a thousand times to put your own mask on and then assist others. And so that's what I did. And then, we just sat there and waited and hoped that everything was OK when we kind of knew it wasn't OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, last hour I spoke with Graham Braithwaite, a Professor of Safety and Accident Investigation at the UK's Cranfield University. I asked him whether all Boeing 737 Max 9 jets across the world will be inspected or only those here in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GRAHAM BRAITHWAITE, PROFESSOR OF SAFETY & ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION, CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY: I would imagine that if you are operating the 9 with this plug configuration rather than the door, then an inspection is a very sensible thing to do at this point. And that's what the FAA are requiring.

And the United Airlines have already started that inspection process. It takes about four to eight hours in the maintenance hangar to do that. So that inspection is really sensible. One thing we know about the National Transportation Safety Board process is that as soon as they find something that is of concern, and they will feed that directly back through the regulator, the FAA, and they share that around the world.

One thing we do in aviation very well is actually share that information. So I know, for example, in the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority has already said for aircraft to fly into UK airspace, any 737 Max 9 with this plug configuration would need that inspected before they do that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: The Iowa caucuses are days away and Donald Trump is sharing his thoughts on the civil war.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was reading something and I said, this is something that could have been negotiated. You know, it was just for all those people to die and they died viciously. That was a vicious, vicious war. And in many ways, look, they're all this, nothing nice about it, but boy, that was a tough one for our country.

But I think it's, you know, Abraham Lincoln. Of course, if you negotiated it, you probably wouldn't even know who Abraham Lincoln was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Trump suggested the fight to end slavery was ultimately unnecessary. However, the presidential candidate did not say how he would have prevented the conflict, calling the war, "so horrible, but so fascinating."

The former president also ramped up his attacks on Republican rival Nikki Haley. During the campaign event in Iowa, he deployed his sharpest criticism of Haley so far, calling her an establishment figure.

He also seized on Haley's failure to mention slavery when she was asked in a New Hampshire town hall what caused the civil war.

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TRUMP: I don't know that it's going to have an impact, but you know, I'd say slavery is sort of the obvious answer. I'm supposed to -- I'm supposed to have about three paragraphs of (bleep), but she just talked, nobody knew what she was writing.

Haley recently said, Iowa voters will need to be corrected by other states? Now, I don't know if that's -- look, I don't know, but it doesn't seem nice, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:10:08]

KINKADE: Haley, who was also campaigning in Iowa, lashed out at her former boss. She said chaos follows Trump and she pitched herself as a new generational leader that will leave the baggage behind.

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NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: For those that want me to hit Trump more, I just -- I'm not going to do it. I told you that I'm not going to do it.

(APPLAUSE)

HALEY: If he lies about me, I'll call him out on it. If he's done something wrong, whether it's the economy or how he talks about dictators and those things, I'll call him out on every one of those issues. But I just think politics is personal enough and I think let's focus on the issues in getting America back on track.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Ron DeSantis takes a swipe at Donald Trump while campaigning in Iowa. The Florida Governor criticized the former President for not having a plan to tackle election integrity despite Trump's constant gripes and falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen from him. DeSantis cited this as one of the many reasons Iowans should support him over the current presidential frontrunner. From the campaign trail, CNN's Steve Contorno reports.

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STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has staked his campaign on a strong performance in Iowa, and he has spent a lot of time here. And with nine days until the Iowa caucuses, that was a big part of his closing pitch. During his visits here throughout the weekend, he was reminding voters that he is a candidate who visited all 99 counties. He is a candidate who has been unafraid to debate in any setting, obviously contrasting himself there with former President Donald Trump, who has not debated any of these candidates at all.

And when it comes to Trump, he said he had a chance to watch the former president at his rallies over the weekend. And he said, quote, "This is not the same candidate by any stretch of the imagination."

RON DESANTIS, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would say, though, beyond that, it's just when you're doing the 99, the full Grassley, it takes a lot of time, but I think it's a lot of benefit. I think, you know, I'm a better dad and husband. I'm a better governor, I'm a better candidate, and I'd be a better president as a result of going through this.

So the choice on January 15, I think, is very simple. Donald Trump is running for his issues. Nikki Haley is running for her donors issues. I'm running for your issues. I'm running for your family's issues. I'm running solely for this country's issues.

(APPLAUSE)

And we have an opportunity here. Indeed, we have a responsibility to stand up and make our voice heard in 2024 and Iowa gets the first crack at it.

CONTORNO: DeSantis also reminding voters that the Iowa caucuses generally have pretty low turnout compared to primaries. And if they just show up with some friends and some neighbors, they might be able to change the outcome here and perhaps deliver a surprise for him going into New Hampshire. Steve Contorno, CNN, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, CNN spoke to some Republican voters in Iowa who have a big decision to make. They have mixed thoughts on Trump even though he is the frontrunner.

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LARRY MCMANN, IOWA VOTER: He's not going to leave all these issues lie even if he gets elected. It'll become turmoil for the next four years. And we need to get rid of the turmoil and we need Congress to start working together.

GAY LEE WILSON, IOWA VOTER: When people are working so hard for him not to be able to run, not to have just the fight he had for four years and the four years since then, that speaks positively to me because sometimes you don't look at just the people that are in favor of you, you look at who's against you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, approximately 25 million people are under severe weather alerts here in the U.S. as the northeast is bracing for a winter storm. A few flakes were already spotted in New York City and Philadelphia Saturday afternoon, but rain has now overtaken the snow in those cities.

Officials are advising passengers to check their flights before going to the airport. More than 600 flight cancellations across the U.S. were reported Saturday. And governors are urging people to stay off the roads where possible.

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PHIL MURPHY, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: Don't go out unless you need to go out. Stay off the roads. We are blessed that this is a weekend event and it's not a holiday, so you don't have a lot of folks traveling to visit families.

Right now, it looks like that we're having our first significant snowstorm of the season.

KATHY HOCHUL, NEW YORK GOVERNOR: We have thousands of plows and crew members and utility crews all standing at the ready to go where they need to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, at this hour, a live system that dropped a combination of heavy snow and rain in the northeast is continuing to move north. Last check, that mix has fallen in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.

[05:15:03]

The heaviest snow is expected in central and northern New York and throughout New England. Boston could get six to eight inches of snow.

The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado has touched down in South Florida, the first one of the new year. You can see the twister swirling around in this video. Captioned Fort Lauderdale Saturday off the Atlantic Coast.

The city's Fire Department says it happened just before 06:00 p.m. local time. Fire officials add that after crew searched the area, no one was hurt and no structures had any significant damage. The city is urging people to watch out for any debris and downed power lines in the area.

International diplomats head to the Mideast to prevent the war in Gaza from spilling over, but as they try to dial down the tensions, more fighting is breaking out on Israel's northern border. We'll have that story just ahead.

Plus, we've learned that President Biden did not know his Defense Secretary was in hospital for days. Ahead, hear what Lloyd Austin is saying about the situation.

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[05:20:01]

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ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: It is vital that we engage in this diplomacy now, both for the sake of the future of Gaza itself and more broadly the sake of the future for Israelis and Palestinians and for the region as a whole.

There is clearly a strong desire among the majority of people in the region for a future that is one of peace, of security, of de- escalation of conflicts, of integration of countries. And that's one path. That's one future. The other future is an endless cycle of violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, that was the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaking during his ongoing whistle stop tour aimed at keeping the war in Gaza contained. Right now, Blinken is in Jordan, where he held talks earlier this morning and then visited a World Food Program warehouse.

But as Blinken is pushing diplomacy, Israel is facing more military pressure on its northern border. On Saturday, Hezbollah said it fired a barrage of rockets from Lebanon at an Israeli surveillance post. The group says that was its initial response to the recent killing of a senior Hamas leader in Beirut. Israel says it later destroyed a unit that fired the rockets.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel's offensive in Gaza will not stop until its main objectives are achieved. Sunday marks three months since Hamas launched its raid into Israel, killing about 1200 people and taking around 240 hostages.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins me now from Tel Aviv. Good to have you there for us, Jeremy. So as the death toll in Gaza continues to soar, over 20,000 now. The U.S. Secretary of State is back in the region, meeting with leaders and diplomats trying to prevent a further escalation. Just explain what else is on his agenda?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. This multi- country stop tour that Secretary Blinken is undertaking is coming at a critical moment in this war in Gaza as the humanitarian situation is worsening, as Israel is mulling over its plans for the next phase of the war and also amid escalating regional tensions. And all of that is certainly on the agenda as the Secretary of State makes his way around the region yesterday, meeting with the president of Turkey as well as the Prime Minister of Greece.

Today, Secretary Blinken was in Jordan where we saw him go to a World Food Program warehouse and also meet with the Jordan's king as well as its foreign minister. He will head from there to Doha, Qatar today.

We know, of course, the Qataris have been closely involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the fate of those more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza and also over broader negotiations about whether or not a ceasefire of sorts can be obtained.

And from there he will head to the United Arab Emirates and ultimately arrive here in Israel where discussions with Israeli leaders will certainly center over the next phase of this war. We saw already this week as the Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, laid out his plans, his proposed plans for the next phase of the war that will entail special operations, raids and destruction of remaining Hamas infrastructure in northern Gaza, while continuing to press forward with its offensive in the south until it achieves all of the aims of the war.

And of course, amid all of this, there is also beginning to be some planning, some discussions, negotiations about the fate of Gaza after this war ends. Israeli leaders have started to turn their attention to that, and certainly the United States is going to be a critical part of that conversation as well.

KINKADE: Yeah, certainly no consensus on that at this point in time. But Jeremy, Israel has said that part of Hamas has been dismantled as this war enters its fourth month. What exactly does that mean?

DIAMOND: Yeah, Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari claiming that Hamas has been dismantled in northern Gaza. This is the latest attempt by the Israeli military, the Israeli defense establishment, to try and show the kind of progress that they believe they are making, trying to set those milestones down, mile markers down, in order to show the Israeli public as well as their American partners in the world that they are in fact progressing and not remaining at a standstill in their fight in Gaza.

Now, exactly what that means in terms of Hamas being dismantled in northern Gaza, they say that that means that the Hamas framework in northern Gaza, its command structure, its ability to command its fighters in an organized manner, has been destroyed. There are still Hamas fighters engaging Israeli troops in northern Gaza, but the Israeli military claiming that they no longer have the kind of command structure, ability to fight in an organized manner as they did earlier on in the war. But they are making very clear that that is not the case in Central or Southern Gaza, where the Israeli military has really focused its offensive over the last couple of weeks.

So certainly the war is not nearly over in Gaza at this moment, even as they make these claims about the fighting arriving at a new phase in northern Gaza.

[05:25:10]

KINKADE: All right, CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Good to have you there. Thank you.

Well, there are about 2 million people living in Gaza, and the United Nations says about 90% of them have been forced to flee their homes because of the war.

Those people are living lives where hope has never been more elusive. That's according to the U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Office. In his latest report, the offices under Secretary General says Gaza is now a, quote, "place of death and despair with famine around the corner."

People are starving, infectious diseases are spreading in shelters, women are giving birth in chaotic situations. He says Gaza has become, quote, "simply uninhabitable."

Well, some of the casualties of Israel's war on Hamas are historic sites and priceless landmarks in Gaza. Churches, mosques, and other cultural institutions, some of which have been around for thousands of years, and are now reduced to dust and rubble. Nada Bashir shows us what's been lost. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: They were cultural treasures and hubs of the community in Gaza. Now, they lay in ruins. Like Palmyra in Syria or the ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq, victims of war.

These pictures show the St. Porphyrius Church, one of the oldest in the world, before Israel's assault began three months ago. This is what it looks like now, after an Israeli airstrike in October.

HABIB SILAS, ST. PORPHYRIUS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH: What's the reason? Why? We are asking from God to bring peace in the area. Our roots are here. We are here 2,000 years and we are not going to leave. We'll stay here. We'll continue our life.

BASHIR: The church's father, Habib Silas, says 17 people died in the strike on the compound where people were taking shelter.

Israel says it was, quote, "collateral damage and wasn't the intended target." But it's not the only historic site to have been destroyed.

The grand mosque in Gaza has history that is said to date back to the time of the Philistines and has spent time as both a temple and a church before becoming a mosque. Today, all that remains standing is the minaret. Its library with historic manuscripts largely lost.

ISBER SABRINE, PRESIDENT, HERITAGE FOR PEACE: The mosque itself, like we can say it's a symbol of the people and it's a symbol of the daily cultural life in Gaza. So unfortunately with this lost, the people in Gaza, they lost a very important symbol of their identity and of their as well city.

BASHIR: And it's not just places of worship. This bathhouse, said to have been built in the 14th Century, has been in the hands of the same family for generations. Destroyed in an instant. The Israeli military saying it was targeting a Hamas terrorist squad. Whenever this war ends and reconstruction begins, one thing is for sure. So much of Gaza's history now lies in rubble. Nada Bashir, CNN in Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Ukraine says crews have been searching through the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings for any survivors after Russian missiles hit the Donetsk region on Saturday. Officials say that at least one man has been rescued, but 11 people were killed, including five children, eight others wounded.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered condolences to the families who lost loved ones and warned that Russia would face consequences for these attacks.

Well, the Russian President attended an Orthodox Christmas Eve service near Moscow on Saturday. Russian state media reports that he was joined by families of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

In a video address published by the Kremlin, Putin congratulated troops who were still on the battlefield, calling them the warriors of Russia.

Ukraine recently moved its Christmas holiday to December 25th, distancing itself from the Russian tradition, and celebrating it on January 7th.

Well, voting is underway in Bangladesh in the country's general election, but why critics are already calling it a one-sided affair? We'll have a live report ahead.

[05:30:00]

And three years since the January 6th insurrection of the U.S. capitol, there are new arrests and new video of that chaos.

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KINKADE: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade and this is CNN Newsroom. The White House says that President Biden and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared a warm conversation Saturday after Mr. Biden was caught unaware that Austin had spent days in hospital. A source says Mr. Biden was informed Thursday of Austin's hospitalization by his National Security Adviser three days after he was admitted.

Austin sought treatment on Wednesday following complications from an elective surgery. Saturday he released a statement addressing the lack of transparency. Austin said, quote, "I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed."

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark S. Burke explains why communication between the President and their Defense Secretary is critical.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ESPER, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's the President and the Secretary of Defense, and those are the only two people that can deploy U.S. forces. So it's very important that you, you know, that that person is in that job, healthy, confident, able to do it. And so I think somebody dropped the ball on Secretary Austin for that one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: For three years after the U.S. Capitol was stormed, we have dramatic new footage of rioters confronting members of Congress during the January 6th insurrection.

(DRAMATIC NEW JANUARY 6TH VIDEO RELEASED)

KINKADE: In the alarming footage released by the Justice Department, you see rioters harassing two Republican lawmakers through cracks in the entrance to the House Chamber.

[05:35:06]

This video is notable as the targets of this hostility are Republican. However, many Republican members of Congress continue to downplay the riot.

Well, the FBI has arrested three people in Florida who are now facing charges for allegedly assaulting police officers at that riot. Two men and a woman evaded authorities until Saturday and are expected to appear in federal court on Monday.

The Justice Department says almost 900 people have been found guilty of federal crimes related to the insurrection. But those rioters still have an ally in Donald Trump.

TRUMP: You have the hostages, the J6 hostages, I call them. Nobody's been treated ever in history so badly as those people. But those J6 hostages going to jail for 20 years and 18 years, it'll go down as one of the saddest things in the history of our country.

By the way, there was Antifa and there was FBI. There were a lot of other people there, too, leading the charge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: And that, of course, is not true.

Well, voting is well underway in Bangladesh and the country's general election that many critics say is one-sided. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling party is expected to win a fourth straight term. The main opposition Bangladesh nationalist party is boycotting the polls after the Prime Minister ignored calls for her resignation.

CNN's Vedika Sud joins us now from New Delhi with the latest, good to have you with us. So this is a highly controversial election, mostly because the main opposition party is boycotting it, just explain why?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Lynda. In a democracy, usually you have the incumbent fighting against a main opposition party or parties. But in this case, why this is different and hence controversial is because there is no main opposition party that's fighting against the government at this point. And Sheikh Hasina is all set to win a fourth term as Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The government is all set to continue and it would be the fifth for her in office in the fourth consecutive term that she could win and be Prime Minister all over again taking in oath very soon.

Now, before I go ahead, there is an update from the Bangladesh Election Commission's Office, polling has just closed for the day and counting in some of these polling booths has just about started, but we're not expecting the results to be out anytime soon. This could go into Monday morning, early morning. So expect the official word to come out perhaps on Monday.

Now, the main opposition party, the BNP as you mentioned right at the top, has boycotted this election and in the lead up to the election, there has been a lot of violence between the two political parties.

The BNP, in fact, went ahead and even demanded that Sheikh Hasina step aside as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and let a caretaker government come in place of hers to supervise the polls. It's a demand that Sheikh outrightly rejected after which the opposition leaders took to the streets of Bangladesh. That led to a massive crackdown from the Sheikh Hasina government. It led to a lot of arrests and leaders also leaving the country.

Now, according to the main opposition party, thousands of their supporters and leaders have been arrested in the run up to the election.

Sheikh Hasina did cast her vote this morning. She went on to say that the credibility of a government is something that she needs to prove to the people of the country and not the main opposition party.

However, on the eve of this election, there was another protest taken out by opposition leaders. Here's what one of them had to say about this election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUNAID SAQI, CHIEF COORDINATOR OF GANATANTRA: It is absolutely a farse election. They are snatching our voting rights, the people's voting rights. So it's not an election at all. We want voting rights. We want democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: It's a sham, it's a farse, that's what's repeatedly said by opposition leaders about this election. However, you have to give the woman credit where during the last 15 years, she did initially turn around the economy. She brought their garment industry to center stage. But ever since, there have been a lot of issues that she's facing, a lot of criticism when it comes to her alleged authoritarianism in the country, as well as stifling free speech.

Now, the economy is also witnessing a downturn after the COVID and the Ukraine war, because of which even the IMF had to bail them out last year. But the big question is, are these voters happy in a situation such as this, where they have only one main party, in fact, to vote for. Back to you.

KINKADE: Vedika Sud, good to have you on the story for us. Thanks so much.

In Japan, an elderly woman in her 90s was miraculously pulled out of devastating rubble five days after a devastating earthquake hit the country's west coast.

[05:40:07]

A rescuer tells public broadcaster NHK that the woman was stuck in a narrow space between the first and second floor of a house and it took them hours to free her. She was immediately taken to the hospital and a doctor says she's well enough to have a conversation. At least 126 people were killed when these 7.5 magnitude quakes struck Japan on Monday.

Still to come, more than 50 years after Apollo NASA has set its sights back on the moon. Coming up, the boundary pushing technology it's using to get there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBIE: It is the best day ever so is yesterday and so is tomorrow and every day from now until forever. You guys ever think about dying?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Well, Barbie could take home nine Golden Globe Awards tonight but it's up against the competition. We'll have a preview of that show coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. In the U.S. Monday could be a landmark day NASA's long-term mission to return to the lunar surface. The Vulcan rocket is set to take off loaded with equipment that will gather data for future moon missions. But as CNN's Kristin Fisher reports, not all payloads are scientific.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Apollo 17, 1972, the last time the U.S. made a soft lunar landing. Now, 50 years later, NASA technology is returning to the surface of the moon. The Peregrine Mission One is a NASA collaboration with private space companies.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic spearheaded the design of the lunar lander, which you can see here being loaded on to a Vulcan rocket. The rocket itself was created by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. And this will be its inaugural flight. NASA's taking a back seat on the mission with Astrobotic running operations from its own ground control in Pittsburgh.

[05:45:11]

Peregrine is due to land on the moon on the 23rd of February, gently touching down near the Gruithuisen domes, which are named after the Bavarian astronomer. Peregrine marks the start of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services or CLPS which will allow the government space agency to outsource the launch and transport of its lunar cargo to private companies. That cargo is key to NASA's Artemis program, which aimed to put the first woman and the first person of color on the moon.

The peregrine lander is a boxy, 2 1/2 meters long and just under 2 meters tall. On board, pieces of NASA cargo, some of which will gather valuable data for future moon missions. Also on board, an assortment of payloads from seven different countries, including a bitcoin- encoded coin from the Seychelles, a lunar rover built by students at Carnegie Mellon University, and even human remains thanks to Elysium Space.

Capsules containing a portion of Elysium's customer loved ones will create a lunar memorial for friends and relatives to look at in the night sky. Hot on the heels of Peregrine will be NASA's second CLPS mission. Intuitive Machine's Nova-C lander will launch on a SpaceX rocket as early as February, delivering five more payloads to the moon's south pole.

With around a dozen companies bidding for NASA's lunar contracts, peregrine marks the start of a brand-new moonshot and a giant leap for the entire space industry.

Kristin Fisher, CNN.

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KINKADE: One of NFL team is celebrating a huge win and now returning to the playoffs for the first time in five years. We got a live report, next.

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[05:50:53]

KINKADE: Welcome back. The Golden Globes are gearing up for a star- studded award ceremony tonight honoring film and television. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has a preview.

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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From big stars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm coming with you.

WAGMEISTER: To big blockbuster nominees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know if we can be trusted with such a weapon.

WAGMEISTER: It's the most star-studded Golden Globes in years.

TAYLOR SWIFT: It's going to be called the Eras Tour. See you there.

WAGMEISTER: Even Taylor Swift is nominated in a new category honoring box office achievement.

GLENN WEISS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS: It's really representing what people out there want to see, not just what the industry is selecting. And I think that's really important.

WAGMEISTER: Who's not as big of a star yet?

JO KOY, COMEDIAN: I need -- I need more legs.

WAGMEISTER: The show's host, comedian Jo Koy.

KOY: That's my nickname you got it.

WAGMEISTER: Koy is known for his Netflix specials in sold out comedy tours, but the Globe's gig thrust him into Primetime.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, you are the first Filipino host.

KOY: I think I'm the first solo agent overall. That's the kind of weight that I have on my shoulders, and I want to make a lot of people proud.

WAGMEISTER: Last year's host, Jerrod Carmichael, leaned into controversies surrounding the Globe's governing body. But Koy says he'll stick to what he knows best.

KOY: Get rid of the curse words and have fun. Just do me, me, me.

WAGMEISTER: As the Globes move to CBS this year, they hope to shed the past scandals of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which previously ran the Globes and lacked a single black member until it was exposed in the press. The HFPA has been disbanded and the Globes are now under new ownership with a voting body of mostly paid staffers.

STEPHEN BATTAGLIO, L.A. TIMES MEDIA WRITER: So there's greater control. And certainly they have added some black members. I just think that they know that there's a lot of scrutiny on them. And anything that looks a little hinky is probably going to be shut down pretty quickly, but we just don't know yet.

WAGMEISTER: The Globes is the first major award show since the writers and actor strikes ended. Its reputation as one big party has never been more welcome. With a list stars back on the red carpet and champagne once again flowing.

WEISS: People at the end of the day, do want to invest in seeing celebrities not acting, but being themselves. This is the one room where, boy, are they themselves.

WAGMEISTER (on camera): Now, of course, the big question is, will anyone even be watching? Lately, viewers have been tuning out of award shows, but for the Globes, they have a big football lead in and massive star power. So they're hoping that that will bring the audience back. Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, Beverly Hills, California.

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KINKADE: We're turning to sport, and for the first time since 2019, the Houston Texans are going to the NFL playoffs. My friend Coy Wire joins me now. Good morning, Coy. Good to have you with us. This is one of the more remarkable turnarounds in recent history.

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. Good morning. And I haven't seen you yet. So happy New Year, Lynda. Can't wait to see you soon.

There is a saying in the NFL that stands for not for long. Things can change rapidly. Well, Houston's a perfect example. Last season, the Texans won three games. They had the second pick in the draft, and that pick they chose quarterback CJ Stroud, who's been one of the driving forces of an incredible turnaround.

Yesterday versus the Colts. It was winners in the playoff, losers out. Stroud delivering on Houston's very first play of the game. Perfect pass, 75 yards to Nico Collins for the touchdown.

Now Indy would claw back. The game's tied in the fourth and watch Stroud come up clutch, finding Collins again. A big gain just shy of the goal line, setting up motor. Devin Singletary giving Houston the lead. The Colts would have one last chance, but Gardner Minshew's pass just off his running backs hands on fourth down. So Houston led by a rookie quarterback, a first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans. They win 23/19. They're ten and seven on the season, clinching their playoff spot. Listen.

[05:55:04]

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DEMECO RYANS, HOUSTON TEXANS HEAD COACH: Proud of the determination, man. You talk about determination? Pure grit? Everybody fighting until that last play? That's what it's about, man. And we punched our ticket.

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WIRE: Pittsburgh close to punching their playoff ticket still alive. Third string quarterback Mason Rudolph, Diontae Johnson, and the Steelers offense doing just enough to beat the Raven, 17 to 10 is cold, it was rainy, windy in Baltimore. A lot of Ravens players were resting. They have the first round by as the top seed in the AFC but those Steelers, they need the Bills or Jaguars to lose today if they want to sneak into the playoffs.

In the NFC, the Eagles can become division champs with a win and a Cowboys loss. The Bucks can become division champs if they win today but if they don't that Falcon Saints game will determine the winner of the South 14 games today, the season finale's, Lynda, playoff hopes on the line.

Meanwhile breaking news just in, Rafael Nadal will now miss the Australian Open, the 22-time Grand Slam Champ suffering an unspecified injury during a two-up match in Brisbane Friday. the 37-year-old was coming off a hip surgery, hadn't played since being knocked out in Melbourne last year. Raf posting on X said he's not ready to compete at maximum level in five-set matches just yet and that's, he's going to be flying back to Spain for treatment. Nadal has said, Lynda, that 2024 might be his last year on Tour. So now it's worth wondering if we will ever see him play at in top form in competitive settings again.

KINKADE: Hopefully, hopefully can make a recovery and a comeback. He is a good age though. But still I'm sure everyone in Australia wants to see him play again in Melbourne. Good to see you coy.

WIRE: Good to see you. KINKADE: Thanks so much.

And that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade, thanks so much for your time today. For viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" with Amara Walker and Victor Blackwell is coming up next. For the rest of the world, it's "Vital Signs" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Have a great rest of the weekend.

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