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Alaska Airlines Door Found; GOP Candidates Appeal to Voters; Secretary Blinken Ensure Calm in Mideast; Russia Pummel Ukraine with More Airstrikes; U.S. Brazing for Storms; DHS Secretary to Visit Southern Border Amid Migrant Surge; President Biden Travels to South Carolina; Japan Quake, 168 Dead and 300 Missing; Maldives Government Suspends Three Officials for Mocking the Prime Minister of India; Sheikh Hasina Wins Fourth Term in Bangladesh; NASA Launches Firs Lunar Lander After 50 Years; Ali Wong and Steven Yeun Wins the Golden Globes. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 08, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, the missing door plug that flew off at an Alaska Airlines flight has been found. The latest from the investigation.

Just one week until the important first in the nation Iowa caucuses, we will take a look at where the top GOP candidates stand.

And millions of people across the U.S. are at risk from severe weather this week, it's even contributing to flight delays.

UNKNOWN: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. And we begin here in the United States where investigators say the missing part of the Alaska Airlines plane that flew off mid-flight, has been found. They say a Portland schoolteacher contacted them after he found the found it in his backyard on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: We are really pleased that Bob found this, he took a picture. I can just see the outside of the door plug from the pictures; the white portions we can't see anything else. But we are going to go pick that up and make sure that we begin analyzing it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Investigators had been searching brought for the door plug since it blew off the aircraft Friday on Friday while the plane was at an altitude of 16,000 feet, they even asked for the public's help locating it. Investigators also say the plane's cockpit voice recorder was completely overwritten and there is nothing on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOMENDY: Cockpit voice recorders aren't just convenient for the NTSB to use in investigations or the FAA to use in investigations, they are critical to helping us accurately pinpoint what was going on. And it's key to safety for Alaska Airlines, they want to know affirmatively what was occurring in the cockpit.

Anybody who learns how to fly is taught aviate, navigate, communicate. Communication is key. Why? Because the flight crew on the flight deck do not have situational awareness to what is going on in the back. They need to know what's going on in the cabin so that communication needs to occur, they have to know how quickly they need to land.

And if that communication is not recorded, that is unfortunately a loss for us and a loss for FAA, and a loss for safety. Because that information is key not just for our investigation, but for improving aviation safety.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, a cell phone believed to be from one of the passengers was found on the side of a road in Oregon Sunday. The man who found the phone told CNN that it did not have a security lock, and he could see an emailed Alaska Airlines baggage receipt. Investigators say the phone most likely fell off when the door plug blew off the aircraft, the phone has been handed over to Alaska Airlines.

And Alaska Airlines just announced it is canceling more than 100 flights today, and warns of more to come this week. Earlier I spoke with Geoffrey Thomas, editor in chief and managing director of Airlineratings.com and I asked him how crucial the door plug will be for investigators.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEOFFREY THOMAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AIRLINERATINGS.COM: It may be a part that has failed, or several parts that have failed. So, this is key. Of course, they've also obviously got the aircraft itself, and they would have been examining what was left of the door frame, whether the door came away. So, the two together will piece together the situation and highlight where the problem occurred.

CHURCH: And according to Alaska Airlines in the days before the incident, pilots had filed several reports of warning lights indicating a loss of cabin pressure.

[03:05:02]

What more are you learning about that, or what does it tell you? And should the plane have been grounded at that junction?

THOMAS: Yes, I have heard those reports of depressurization issues which would certainly indicate a problem, a leak of some kind, something is not quite right. But mind you, that door, all those doors only at 737 and on every aircraft have warning lights to say whether they are closed or not. And that the pilots would never take off where the door that wasn't properly closed.

So, there seems to be some sort of problem with, obviously with the door, with the linkages, with the warning systems. And I am sure that we are going to find that it is simply, not simply, but it is a part issue, a faulty part and that may apply to several other aircraft as well. That's where I think this is going to lead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just one week left until the Iowa caucuses where Republican candidates for the U.S. presidency will see if their campaigns are strong enough to take on former President Donald Trump for the party nominations.

Polling shows Trump remains the most popular among Republican voters, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, his closest competition. They spent the weekend campaigning in Iowa along with other GOP candidates.

While Trump maintains a large lead over DeSantis and Haley, his current legal battles could spell disaster if they don't go his way. He's due in Washington Tuesday for a hearing on whether he has presidential immunity in the ongoing federal election subversion case.

Former Vice President Mike Pence who dropped out of the race late last year told CNN's Jake Tapper that Republicans need fresh leadership going forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I ran for president because I think different times call for different leadership, Jake, and I'm hoping that the good people of Iowa that I got to know so well in my campaign, the good people of New Hampshire, and South Carolina, will look at this moment and recognize that elections are about the future. And we need new leadership in the Republican Party, we certainly need new leadership in the White House.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Larry Sabato is the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He joins me now from Charlottesville.

Good to have you with us.

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Thank you so much, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So we are counting down to the first big test for GOP presidential hopefuls with just one week to go before the Iowa caucuses, what do you expect will happen given what polls are revealing right now? SABATO: Well, we'll all learned to be suspicious of polling in the

last five or six years. But having said that, the reliable ones in Ohio all seem to be pointing to a substantial Trump victory. Now occasionally, you have a surprising upset in Iowa. We have had it a number of times and candidates who were way behind to begin with end up narrowly winning or winning by a point or two or three.

I don't think that will happen this year, and most of the focus seems to be on which candidate gets second place in Iowa. Will it be former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, or will it be Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida.

CHURCH: Donald Trump has been far out in front of all his GOP presidential rivals, how inevitable is it that he will be the GOP candidate. And if he is, will he beat Joe Biden?

SABATO: Well, gee, you've worked it all into that one question there. Rosemary, I don't think I can answer what's going to happen all year. I can just tell you that Donald Trump is a heavy favorite to be the Republican nominee for president for a third consecutive election.

But again, you have upsets. It's possible that if one of the candidates upends Trump in either Iowa, or New Hampshire or both that we could be in for a surprise. But at this moment, you have to say that Trump is a very substantial favorite.

Now can he beat Joe Biden? There are just so many unanswered questions. Personally, I would favor Biden, or at least put a little money on him, because while Trump is enormously popular among Republicans, he is enormously unpopular among Democrats. And he has consistently been unpopular with a majority of independents.

It depends on the time and the date, and the issues that are prevailing at the moment. But independents tend to get irritated with Trump the longer they focus on him.

[03:09:59]

CHURCH: And Larry, as you pointed out, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis seem content to fight it out for second place in Iowa, and indeed other state contests rather than take on Trump head on. What's that about, and what are they hoping to get out of this? Are they just auditioning?

SABATO: It's really down to Trump, DeSantis, and Haley. Three candidates, so it is not as difficult for a candidate to overcome Trump. But the reason why these two candidates are having more trouble than the candidates would've had say in 2016, is because Trump has been president. He has the aura of incumbency or semi-incumbency and that's helping him considerably.

CHURCH: And meantime, possible trouble ahead for Trump with his former chief of staff Dan Scavino defying the former president by talking to federal prosecutors about January 6th and how Trump, quote, "was just not interested in taking additional steps to curtail the Capitol riot because he was apparently very angry at what he described as a stolen election." This according to ABC reports. So, what could it signal for the former president do you think?

SABATO: Trump has been in trouble for a long time. This is just more on top, just a little icing on the prosecutor's cake. But you know, for most of us, thinking back to that horrible day January 6, 2021, it was obvious to all that Trump wasn't concerned in the slightest, at least for quite some time about the violence taking place in the capitol. He was taking some satisfaction from it.

And what the prosecutors have been able to do so far, and I'm sure they have a lot else that they have not released to us, they have been able to show that the Trump that we thought we were seeing in January 6 is in fact the Trump that was the president in the White House on January 6.

That has already hurt him, it will continue to hurt him, and he's really got to worry about what happens in the courtroom. The question we all have is, when will these trials take place? Will we really see any of them, ongoing and completed before the Republican convention or the before the general election? You know, some days I think we will, and other days I think we won't. But it matters.

CHURCH: Larry Sabato, always a pleasure to chat with you and get your analysis. I appreciate it.

SABATO: Thank you, Rosemary. Always fun.

CHURCH: U.S. congressional leaders have announced a spending deal for government funding in 2024. President Joe Biden welcomed the news on Sunday, saying it is a step towards averting a potential government shut down later this month. The agreement calls for nearly $1.6 trillion in spending, with almost 900 billion of that going toward defense spending.

But this deal does not eliminate the threat of a shutdown altogether, lawmakers still need to meet two upcoming funding deadlines and approve bills to keep the government running. And conservatives are still using these funding bills as leverage to impose tougher immigration and border security demands.

Well, there's a growing outcry over Lloyd Austin's undisclosed hospital stay with some Republicans calling it unacceptable and shocking. The pentagon says the U.S. defense secretary is still in the hospital but is recovering well. But they do not know yet when he will be released.

Now this comes after revelations that President Joe Biden and senior leaders were kept in the dark about Austin's whereabouts until Thursday. Three days after he checked into hospital following complications from an elective surgery. Austin later issued a statement saying he could have done a better job of notifying the public.

Well, coming up next, a high stakes trip to the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the region speaking with top officials amid high contentions and the continuing war in Gaza. The latest in a live report just ahead. Plus, Ukraine says Russia has intensified aerial and ground attacks in

recent weeks, and there are no signs of Moscow slowing down. Details after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:00]

CHURCH: America's top diplomat is set to meet with Israeli officials this week as Israel's war against Hamas enters its fourth month. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now in Abu Dhabi, the latest stop in a weeklong high stakes trip as tensions in the Middle East flare.

Blinken says one key focus of talks in the region is working to prevent a wider conflict from erupting.

CNN's Melissa Bell is following developments for us. She joins us live from Paris. Good morning to you, Melissa. So, what is expected to come out of Blinken's trip to the region?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, it isn't his first trip in the region. In fact, Rosemary, it's now his fourth in just three months. We've seen Antony Blinken come time and time again to urge the de- escalation of the tensions in the region. But this time of course his visit comes in amount amidst increased fears. Both inside Israel and outside of the spread of this conflict beyond it.

In fact, specifically, Rosemary, what we are talking about are fears that a second front might be opened for the IDF, this time to the north in Lebanon against Hezbollah. It is specifically since the Israel's assassination of the top Hamas official Al-Arouri last week in Beirut. The first strike by the way by Israel on Beirut since the 2006 conflict.

We saw the initial response of Hezbollah over the weekend, and specifically, Rosemary, that attack on Mount Meron, a base inside Israel, 10 kilometers beyond the border, a successful strike. The fear now that the IDF might be drawn further still into cross border violence with Hezbollah.

This is what Antony Blinken had to stay on his stop in Doha just before he head to (inaudible).

[03:19:57]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering. So, from day one, among other priorities, we have been intensely focused on working preventing the conflict from spreading.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: It's expected that the secretary of state will be in Israel at some point later today, Rosemary, where he will continue to speak to Israeli officials not just about the further spread of the conflict, but also about what Israel has now announced will be the next phase of the conflict.

And also, once again, he'll be in the region to speak to Israeli officials about the end game to all of this. We've been hearing from the Israeli president that some of the noises we'd heard from some of the more right-wing members of Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition about the mass immigration of Palestinians is not Israel's policy or Israel's wish.

But the question of where and how this sense of course looms large over the conversations that will take place once again between Antony Blinken and his Israeli counterpart and other Israeli officials. It comes also, Rosemary, I think it's important to remember amidst dire warnings again about the humanitarian situation inside Gaza. We've been hearing from Save the Children this time of course the weekend, about the fact they say that on average, there have been 10 Palestinian children who have lost either one or both legs every day since October 7th.

An important reminder I think, of what this has meant for civilian deaths inside the Gaza Strip. Again, something that's likely to be high on Antony Blinken's agenda when he sits down with Israeli officials later today, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. Shocking details there. Melissa Bell joining us live from Paris, many thanks.

Japan's foreign minister has made a surprise visit to Ukraine, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday. Yoke Kamikawa says Tokyo is determined to keep supporting Ukraine, and announced new deliveries of defense equipment. Zelenskyy thanked Japan calling the country a very important and strong partner. But he also stressed the significance of Europe's continued aid, speaking remotely at a conference in Sweden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: To create an arsenal for the defense of freedom, Europe needs joint weapons production. My side of scale production then now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated the orthodox Christmas Sunday, just a day after deadly missile strikes pounded in eastern Ukrainian town. They are among the latest in a string of ramped up attacks by Russia, as CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the new year begins, Russia's aerial assault on Ukraine continues. At least 11 civilians, including five children killed by missile strikes around Pokrovsk in the east of the country, authority say. The buildings they were in reduced to nothing more than rubble. "Two houses have been destroyed to the ground," this official says, "a

134 private houses, and 15 apartment buildings have been down managed. Search operations are ongoing."

Ukraine says Russia has stepped up attacks both on the ground and in the air in the past weeks, killing nearly 120 civilians and wounding almost 500 more since December 29th according to the U.N. The U.S. claims that Russia has even used missiles procured from North Korea to attack Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. Moscow hasn't commented so far, and Ukrainian authorities investigating the wreckage say they haven't yet come to a final conclusion about the missile's origin.

"Most likely this missile was either supplied by North Korea, or it was produced recently using blueprints and technology supplied by Russia to third countries or to North Korea" this official says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrating orthodox Christmas as he escalates his assault against Ukraine. Meeting with families of Russian soldiers killed on the battlefield and vowing to support the loved ones of all those he sends to the war zone.

"You know that many of our men, our courageous heroic guys, Russian warriors even now on this holiday defend the interests of our country with arms and hand," he says. "I want to assure you we will always have your back."

But Kyiv says the Russian army is suffering catastrophic losses as it tries to push forward in several sectors along the front line. Ukraine's ground forces releasing this video purporting to show Russian troops retreating after losing several tanks and armored vehicles in a field assault.

CNN cannot independently verify the date and location of the video. An angry Ukrainian president condemning Putin's renewed onslaught.

[03:25:01]

ZELENSKYY: In the new Year as he tried again to bring Ukraine to its knees with airstrikes, large scale attacks, special combined attacks aimed at overloading our air defense and striking critical infrastructure.

PLEITGEN: And Russia's leadership shows no signs of backing off as Ukrainians gear up to defend their land in what could be another year of tough protracted warfare.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Straight ahead, the first big winter storm of the season in the U.S. left its mark. The impact and what's coming in the days ahead. That's after the break.

Plus, migrant crossings are surging at the U.S. southern border. We'll have the latest updates on crises after a short break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.

Nearly 70 million people across the United States, Gulf Coast and Southeast are at risk for severe weather this week. According to the nation's storm prediction center, tornadoes, damaging wind, flooding, and rain could be on the way to those areas Monday Tuesday.

And just days after the season's first big winter storm, another storm is expected to trek from the southwest to the northeast this week. It could deliver heavy snow, blizzard conditions, strong winds and potential tornadoes along with the possibility of serious flooding.

Well, as for that first big winter storm that hit the U.S. this weekend, CNN's Polo Sandoval is in Hartford, Connecticut with a look at its aftermath.

[03:29:55]

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as forecasters predicted this storm dumped some of the highest snow totals that we have seen throughout the northeast in a while in light of several cities reporting the least snowy year on record. You can imagine there are many people that were actually looking forward to this system here.

Here in Hartford Connecticut, the state's capital as you can see, about -- according to the National Weather Service, a little over 10 inches of snowfall since Saturday night. Now, that storm slowly making its way out of the region so you see people start to head out.

Because of the timing of this storm, transportation officials told us that provided them the upper hand in terms of keeping those plows on the road, which are pieces of equipment that have actually been stored away since the last pile of snow was reported here a little under a year ago.

GARRETT ECUCALITTO, COMMISSIONER, CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Most people will be off the roads including a lot of the commercial traffic, so it's going to give us our space we need to do to do our job. The fewer people on the road the easier it is to clear the road from the south.

SANDOVAL: And really one of the biggest impacts was for flights, for example at the nearby Bradley International Airport, about 20 percent of their flights this weekend were canceled, another 20 percent were delayed. Officials there are saying that they continue with snow removal operations (inaudible). As you can imagine, event of this magnitude would certainly disrupt some operations.

And neighboring New York, some parts of the Hudson Valley experiencing over a foot of snow. Airports there with fairly minimal impact. Reporting in Hartford, Connecticut, Polo Sandoval. Back to you.

CHURCH: And there is more flight delays and cancellations happening right now across the U.S. More than 400 U.S. flights set for today have already been canceled and more than 300 delayed according to flightaware.com. The site says they were just over four 15,000 delays in the U.S. on Saturday and Sunday, and more than 1,300 cancellations. Officials say it's all because of winter weather and the grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes in the U.S.

The U.S. Homeland Security secretary is expected to visit the U.S.- Mexico border in the coming hours. Alejandro Mayorkas' visit to Eagle Pass, Texas comes as House Republicans are planning to impeach him amid the recent surge of migrants across the southern border. CNN's Rafael Romo has details on the migrant crisis.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a year ago Monday that President Joe Biden went to the southern border with his Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by his side. At the time, the administration was talking about $600 million in funding for border infrastructure and an increase of 100 border patrol agents after a migrant surge. What will Monday's trip to the border by Mayorkas entail?

Well, the Department of Homeland Security calls this trip an operational visit regarding ongoing (inaudible) border enforcement efforts. They also say Mayorkas will meet with Customs and Border Enforcement Protection personnel, including border patrol leadership, as well as local officials.

As divided as Democrats and Republicans are when it comes to immigration, something most agree on is that urgent measures are needed to address the situation at the border. That's what a local sheriff, a Democrat, told me just before Christmas in Eagle Pass, Texas and that's also what Denver Mayor Michael Johnston, also a Democrat, said Sunday

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE JOHNSTON, MAYOR, DENVER, COLORADO: We have folks that arrived in Denver and their court dates are 2029. It's five years out because the courts are so backlogged. If you can put capacity at the border to administer these asylum claims in 30 or 60 days, decide who has a valid claim, and then send them to interior cities with work authorization even while they're waiting to hear that claim, we can put them to work, we can solve this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Meanwhile, Mexican and U.S. officials are planning to meet in Washington later this month to discuss curbing the influx of migrants into the U.S. A high-level U.S. delegation visited Mexico City just last month including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Mayorkas. Both Democrats and Republicans seem to realize that the border crisis is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately and some members of Congress are taking steps to come up with an agreement with that goal.

There is no agreement yet, but this issue is tied with a larger supplemental package that would include funding for Ukraine and Israel. A package the president would very much like to deliver to those countries. In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he's confident his state will prevail against the lawsuit filed by the Biden administration, which is trying to stop a new law that makes it a state crime in Texas to enter the state illegally.

Abbott essentially says that because in his view, the federal government is not enforcing immigration law, the state of Texas is obligated to do so. This is how Abbott explained it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG ABBOTT, GOVERNOR OF TEXAS: The law already prohibits the mass allowance of people getting out and wandering the country for years before they ever have to go to court. The Biden administration simply is not enforcing that. They must hold the Biden administration responsible and deny them the ability to have a catch and release.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: Last month, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the law, quote, "will not and does not make the communities in Texas safer."

[03:34:56]

Civil rights organizations fear it will lead to racial profiling in a state where Latinos are about 40 percent of the population. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

CHURCH: U.S. President Joe Biden is set to travel from Delaware to South Carolina in the coming hours where he will speak at a church in Charleston. The historically black church, Mother Emmanuel AME, was the site of a mass shooting in 2015 when a gunman opened fire on a bible study group killing nine people. Biden's visit comes as a key South Carolina Democrat is sounding the alarm for the Biden campaign ahead of November's presidential election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): We are very concerned and I have sat down with President Biden. My problem is we have not been able to break through that MAGA wall in order to get to people exactly what this president has done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Clyburn says he's met with Biden to express his concerns. His endorsement of Biden ahead of South Carolina's primary in 2020 was widely seen as key to Biden's victory in that state.

Still to come, snow and sleet are making the search for survivors more difficult after a deadly earthquake in Japan. We'll have the latest on rescue efforts in a live report.

Plus, the prime minister of Bangladesh wins a fourth straight term, but hear why critics are slamming it as a one-sided election. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Japanese officials report at least 168 deaths are now confirmed from the New Year's Day earthquake. More than 300 other people are still missing one week after that quake. But weather conditions and difficult terrain are complicating rescue operations. Wajima, one of the cities hit hardest by the quake is having trouble finding housing for survivors.

[03:40:03]

Tired (ph) living quarters and shelters have become a breeding ground for the flu and COVID-19. In recent days, firefighters have been able to rescue at least two elderly women trapped in their homes, but now a potential blizzard threatens rescue efforts in Wajima. And CNN's Marc Stewart joins me now with more from Seoul. So, Marc, some extraordinary stories of survival after that devastating earthquake. What are you learning?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, it's hard to believe it has been one week since this earthquake struck Japan. And there are some moments of hope about all of this devastation including the rescue of a woman in her 90s. She was trapped in her home. She was stuck under some furniture. She lived in a two-story home.

Fortunately, crews were able to get her. She was waiting for about five days to be rescued. She was taken away in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. According to one doctor who talked to NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, the woman was able to speak but she does have some injuries. But people in Japan are really trying to cling on to these positive moments.

A lot of the infrastructures that we talked about very early on, whether they be damaged roads, power outages, even water are all in short supply. And so, there is this big task taking place right now to repair the infrastructure so all of the damaged areas can be serviced with supplies. In fact, over the weekend, a grocery store opened up in one of these areas. There was a line and there's even a limit on rice I should say, which of course is a big staple in the Japanese diet.

The hope is that some of the forecast for bad weather, hopefully they are subsiding. There is reason to believe that things maybe better, not as severe as originally hoped. Rosemary, these infrastructure issues and of course the weather are proving to be very difficult.

CHURCH: Yeah. That is a real problem, isn't it? And with so many buildings destroyed, people are struggling to find an alternative housing. What's being done to help them?

STEWART: And that, Rosemary, is really a struggle. What to do with so many people? Because in this area where the quake hit, many of these homes, not to sound dramatic, were flattened. They were older structures. So now there is this question. We heard from one couple who was in their 80s, they are in a place right now, but it's only for three months so then they're going to have to find another place to go after these three months run out.

But they are not alone. So many families, so many individuals are struggling with similar circumstances. As you mentioned earlier, there are some shelters, perhaps not as many as needed, but the problem is its very close quarters and people are getting sick, and that includes catching COVID.

CHURCH: Yeah. It is a big problem, isn't it? Marc Stewart joining us live from Seoul. Many thanks.

Well, three officials have reportedly been suspended in the Maldives for mocking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In online post, they called him a clown, a terrorist, and a puppet of Israel after Modi shared these pictures of a recent trip to promote tourism. CNN has reached out to the Maldives government for comment. And CNN's Vedika Sud joins us now from New Delhi with more on all of this. So, Vedika, what's the backstory to how these all unfolded?

VIDEKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Rosemary, I want to start with images posted by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, last week while he was on a trip to Lakshadweep. This is a part of India just off the southwest coast of India. It's a chain of islands and really picturesque and beautiful. He tried to promote local tourism through this post to which a lot of Indians did respond saying that it could be an alternative to Maldives.

Now remember Maldives is one destination that a lot of Indians flock to. In fact, in 2023, the highest number of tourists was from the country India. Now, coming back to the story, there were reaction like you mentioned and (inaudible) comments that you mentioned right at the top from officials within the government of Maldives after which they were suspended. A statement was issued by the government in Maldives and here is what they said. I'm going to read out an excerpt from there.

"The government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the government of Maldives."

Now, in his campaign, the president of Maldives was elected in about September or October last year, had mentioned that a part of his campaign would be, and once he does become president which he did, would be an out India policy. Until then, his predecessor was known to be very close to India and had an India first policy.

[03:44:59]

In fact, he was -- the president of Maldives currently is in China. He has more of an alignment with China than India and this has been seen by many analysts as a snuck (ph) to India because usually when a new president is elected, the first stop or the first destination of the president is usually India. In this case, it has not been the case.

We spoke to analyst Michael Kugelman who puts into perspective how important this region is Maldives. It has half a million people living, that's the population in Maldives, but the significance of it geopolitically is huge. Here is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL KUGELMAN, DIRECTOR, SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE, WILSON CENTER: I would argue that South Asia has really become one of the biggest battlegrounds for India- China competition. And Maldives is right in the middle of that. For many years India hard by far been the most influential external player in the Maldives, but things have changed in recent years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SUD: And the Indian High Commission in Maldives has taken these comments very seriously and taken it up with the government there, is what we're hearing, but clearly there is more to this in the coming days that we will be reporting on. Back to you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Videka Sud joining us live from New Delhi.

The prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has won Sunday's general election securing a fourth consecutive term. The electoral commission says she won at least 152 out of 300 seats. Critics say the election was one-sided, as the main opposition party boycotted the vote after Hasina rejected their demands to resign.

She's been in office since 2009 and human rights groups have raised concern about the government becoming a one-party system. Election officials say turn out at the polls was low with only 40 percent of about 120 million eligible voters taking part.

The U.S. just launched its first lunar lander to the moon since NASA's final Apollo mission in 1972. Details on the historic flight next. You're on CNN.

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UNKNOWN: Launching a new era in space flight to the moon and beyond.

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UNKNOWN: Five, four, three, we have ignition. And lift off of the first United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket, launching a new era in space flight to the moon and beyond.

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CHURCH: About 90 minutes ago, a rocket launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral carrying the first U.S. lunar lander in decades. Peregrine is now on its way to the moon and is planning to touch down on February 23rd. It's loaded with equipment that will gather data for feature moon missions, but it's also carrying mementos from other countries including photographs, novels, and a piece of Mount Everest.

And human remains are also on the flight on behalf of two space burial companies. This is expected to become the first commercial mission to land on the moon as part of NASA's collaboration with private space companies. And earlier I spoke with CNN aerospace analyst Myles O'Brien. He explained the significance of this mission.

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MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AEROSPACE ANALYST: It's been 50 years since the United States attempted a soft landing on the moon. That was Apollo 17 teen, you may recall or at least I recall. And so, there is a historical piece to all of this. Putting this into the larger context of why this is happening now, this is part of the overall effort by the United States in its so-called Artemis mission, to put people back on the moon in the next few years.

And this time instead of just planting flags and leaving footprints behind, the idea is to build an outpost there. And so, what NASA did about four or five years ago is gave contracts to about 14 private players to fly payload and landers to the surface, first and foremost, just to get used to doing that so that you have the ability to carry freight to and from the surface if need be.

And also, to put some instruments on the ground to characterize the environment a little better. It's been 50 years since we've been there. The instruments are better. We know a lot more about the surface of the moon. For example, we know now that there is a liquid water ice there. Understanding the radiation environment, the dust environment. A whole host of things is what leads NASA to this moment, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Miles, after the first historic moon landing in 1969, why after all these years are we suddenly seeing a renewed international space race to the moon?

O'BRIEN: Yes, it's interesting. A lot of theories about that. And a lot of people (inaudible) -- because of the unique nature of that moon race and the amount of money that was spent in that timeframe, in the midst of the Cold War, honoring the wishes of a martyred president, et cetera, we sort of inserted a piece of 21st century technology in the 20th century.

And so, we were way ahead of our time then and we really weren't prepared to stay there budgetarily or otherwise or technologically. And so, we spend some time on the Space Shuttle, built the International Space Station. And now the push is to eventually go to Mars.

And the thinking which I think is pretty sharp and smart is that if you're going to go to Mars, you might want to learn how to live on an outpost on the moon first, which, is a matter of a few days away as opposed to the better part of the year to get there.

(EDN VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Hollywood's award season is back in swing. It comes after a rocky 2023 that saw months of strikes as actors and unions fought for better pay and benefits with major studios. The Golden Globes kicked off the season Sunday night honoring the best in film and television. Actors Ali Wong and Steven Yeun made history winning for best actress and best actor in a limited series for their roles in the Netflix series "Beef."

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They are the first actors of Asian descent to win in their respective categories. They've also won best limited television series. It wasn't the only historic moment of the night. Lily Gladstone became the first indigenous person to win the award for best actress in a film drama, "Killers of the Flower Moon."

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CHURCH: And "Barbie" took home the award for cinematic and box office achievement, a new category for films that perform well at the box office that may not be recognized during awards season. The film was made by Warner Bros., part of CNN's parent company.

But it was "Oppenheimer" that dominated the film side of the awards, winning five trophies for best male actor, male supporting actor, director, original score, and motion picture drama. Emma Thomas, one of the film's producers praised the crew while accepting the night's final trophy.

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EMMA THOMPSON, PRODUCER, OPPENHEIMER: This was just an incredible experience making this film, and this is just the smallest portion of the many people that made the film what it is. And I love sitting here hearing everyone talk about the walk (ph). What is so clear is that what we do is collaboration and that's amazing and it's exciting and I find that to be completely magical.

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CHURCH: And thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. "CNN Newsroom" continues next with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

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