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Secretary Blinken Has a Lot in His Mideast Visit; Death in Family Did Not Deter a Journalist; FAA Grounded MAX 9 Models; Russia Changed Its Tactics; Secretary Lloyd Austin Face Criticism Amid Health Issues; Lloyd Austin Has No Plans to Resign; Impasse on Border Bill in Congress; House Republicans to Impeach Mayorkas; French Prime Minister Resigns; Ecuador in State of Emergency; South Korea Bans Dog Meat Trade; Franz Beckenbauer Dies at 78; Japan's Coastline Shifts After Quake. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 09, 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 from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, high-stakes talks between allies in Tel Aviv. The U.S. Secretary of State meeting with top government officials as the U.S. looks to rein in Israel's war in Gaza.

Boeing's troubles seem to be taking off. The company coming under more scrutiny as airlines report finding loose hardware on their 737 MAX 9 fleets.

Plus, South Korea passes landmark legislation to ban the breeding and slaughtering of dogs for consumption. We're live in Seoul with the latest.

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

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Well, we begin this hour in Israel where America's top diplomat has kicked off a day of high stakes talks aimed at reducing civilian casualties in Gaza and preventing the war from spreading into a wider regional conflict.

Just a short time ago, Blinken met with Israel's president and in the hours ahead, he will sit down with other Israeli officials, including the prime minister and the defense minister. And he is not just meeting with officials during this visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Of course, we'll have an opportunity to sit with the families of some of the hostages and discuss our relentless efforts to bring everyone home and back with their families. And there's lots to talk about in particular about the way forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: This is Blinken's fourth trip to the region since Hamas's October 7th attack and has already met with top officials in several other countries before landing in Tel Aviv. The focus of the talks keeping the war from expanding.

This coming as Israel's foreign minister says the country is responsible for the death of a senior Hezbollah commander. A Lebanese security source says the commander was killed by an Israeli drone strike on his car in southern Lebanon.

Tensions have been soaring along Israel's border with Lebanon amid fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, even as Israel continues its operations in Gaza. Israel's war against Hamas is now in its fourth month, and the military has intensified operations in southern Gaza, specifically in the city of Khan Yunus, where the Israel Defense Forces claims terror targets were hit overnight Monday, including infrastructure and weapons storage facilities.

This comes as Israel's defense minister says Israeli troops have largely established control in northern Gaza, including in Gaza City, and are close to the next phase there.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments, she joins us now live from Abu Dhabi.

Good to see you, Paula. So, what's at stake here with Secretary Blinken's visit, viewed by many as a tough mission.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, this is the fifth time that the U.S. secretary of state has been in Israel since those October 7th attacks. And it is at a key time when we are hearing from U.S. officials that he really wants to talk about the future direction of the military operations Israel is carrying out in Gaza.

We have heard from Israel that they believe the IDF is carrying out more targeted, lower-intensity operations within Gaza itself. It's not something we have seen reflected yet in the death toll. We heard that one in 100 people in Gaza have lost their lives because of this particular war, that coming from officials within Gaza and the health ministry there.

But it is a staggering death toll. And this is something that the secretary of state is likely to focus on very closely. There has been pressure put on from the U.S. to Israel to lower the intensity of the operations to protect civilian life within Gaza more, and also to allow more humanitarian assistance in to Gaza itself. So, these are expected to be some of the key messages that Secretary Blinken will be bringing.

[03:05:03]

Now, also, Biden, President Biden has said just on Monday as well that he has quietly been working behind the scenes to try and lower the intensity of what is happening in Gaza, saying he wants them to reduce significantly get out of Gaza.

So this is really one of the messages that Secretary Blinken will be giving at a time when we are seeing the regional conflict, putting more pressure on all sides, the fact that there are targeted killings ongoing in Lebanon, as you mentioned. Putting more pressure and more concerns that this regional conflict could widen and what we are seeing in Gaza could be expanded elsewhere. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And Paula, Israel's Defense Minister Gallant has made comments to the Wall Street Journal suggesting this war is close to the next phase in northern Gaza. What else did he say in that interview?

HANCOCKS: Well, we've been seeing tensions increase along that border between Israel and Lebanon, where Hezbollah and the IDF have been engaged in attacks across that border. Now just yesterday a Hezbollah leader, a commander was killed there, and that was admitted by the Israeli foreign minister as well.

We have heard Hezbollah saying that they are going to retaliate for what they have seen. Just last week a Hamas leader was killed in Beirut as well. A Hamas leader in Syria also being killed. So this is really widening, or at least raising the tension in that area.

We've heard from the defense minister in that interview that their priority is not to increase tensions or to start a war on the northern border. Their priority, he says, is to put 80,000 Israeli citizens back along that border. They have evacuated those citizens from northern Israel for fear of them being harmed in this cross-border tit-for-tat, also saying that they will make a sacrifice, if need be, that Hezbollah knows that they can copy and paste what they are doing in Gaza in that area as well.

So, pointing out that if they need to, that they could escalate the situation. Also saying that they're fighting against an axis rather than an individual or rather than one entity. This pointing to the Iranian proxies that have been putting up pressure on both Israel and also on U.S. assets and U.S. troops in Iraq. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. Many thanks for joining us.

Joining me now from Berlin is David Sanger, CNN political and national security analyst. He's also the White House and national security correspondent for the New York Times. Thanks so much for joining us.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to be with you.

CHURCH: So, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a huge task ahead of him as he tries to prevent an expansion of this war while also trying to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza. How achievable is this high-stakes diplomatic mission, do you think?

SANGER: I think it's a pretty tough mission all together. And as you say, it's got these two elements and they're interrelated. I mean, we noticed a month ago when there was the pause in fighting during the exchange of hostages and prisoner releases and so forth, that the attacks beyond Gaza stopped for a while. The Houthis suspended their attacks. It was a little quieter on the border with Lebanon.

So it's clear that the militias are tuning up their attacks to be a retaliation for what Israel is doing. But the Israelis make the case that if their central objective in the war is to destroy Hamas, ending the Hamas operation or ending the Gaza operation before they've achieved that will undercut their long-term goal.

I think what you're going to hear the secretary argue to them is that they can, at this point, do this with much more targeted operations and could suspend the overall bombing. Clearly, Netanyahu's government does not agree with that.

CHURCH: Right, and that has been a request for some time now. And Secretary Blinken is set, of course, to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his war cabinet in Tel Aviv today.

[03:09:51]

At a time when tensions between the U.S. and Israel are becoming increasingly evident, with some government ministers calling for ethnic cleansing in Gaza, how delicate will those conversations between Blinken and Netanyahu be as he tries to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza and of course contain this war?

SANGER: You know, I think that three areas in which Secretary Blinken is probably going to be a lot more blunt in private, one would assume so, than he has been in public. One of them in the statements of these ministers about getting Palestinians to leave Gaza, which was one of the standards that Secretary Blinken on a previous trip laid down, would not happen.

The second is the secretary has called for the Palestinian Authority to essentially rule Gaza and Netanyahu pretty much pushed that right to the side during the last trip that Secretary Blinken was on.

And then I think the third issue is this question of strategy and the degree to which the Israelis avoid the kind of bombings that have resulted in more than 20,000 civilian casualties. And while the Israelis on this sound like they are willing to change their tune, it's not clear that their activity has altered that much. And I think that's the frustration that the secretary is likely to run into.

CHURCH: And David, Israel's foreign minister now says that his country is responsible for the death of a senior Hezbollah commander. What could this potentially mean for rising tensions along Israel's border with Lebanon? And does this increase the chances of an expanded regional war now?

SANGER: I think it does, marginally. You know, the two places that we've been most focused on and most concerned about are obviously Hezbollah in Lebanon and that border. And then, of course, the Red Sea and the Houthis, where we have all expected for some time that the U.S. was sort of waiting for another strike in order to strike back in Yemen, they issued a warning, a public warning last week that this was likely to happen. I think this is sort of Washington's biggest concern, because they

don't want Israel fighting a multi-front war, and because the threat to both lives and shipping is so real. I suspect you will see some expansion. I'm still hopeful that it will be a full-scale broader war.

But certainly, we'll see a lot closer to that now than we did, say a week, excuse me, a week ago.

CHURCH: Yes. And so where does all this leave efforts to forge a deal with Hamas via Qatari negotiators to release more hostages from Gaza in exchange for a pause in fighting? That seems further away now.

SANGER: It does, particularly because some of the Hezbollah leaders who have been killed, particularly one last week in Lebanon were involved in the hostage negotiations. And I think as Israel steps up their action against Hezbollah, it makes striking that deal about the hostages all the harder.

What we don't know is how much pain Hamas is feeling and whether or not the pause that would come with the hostage negotiation might be more important to them at this point and that they would be willing to let some more hostages out. Hard to imagine they'd let them all out because that of course is their greatest defense right now against continued Israeli action. I think it's one of the reasons the Israelis are stepping up the pressure.

CHURCH: David Sanger in Berlin, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate it.

SANGER: Thank you.

CHURCH: Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza is vowing to continue his work despite unimaginable personal loss. His wife, son, daughter, and grandson were killed in October in an Israeli airstrike. And on Sunday, his eldest son, a photojournalist for Al Jazeera, was killed in an Israeli drone strike.

Nada Bashir has the story. A warning though, some images in this report are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A final, painful goodbye. Not the first for revered Palestinian reporter Wael Al-Dahdouh. His eldest son, Hamza, a fellow Al Jazeera journalist, killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern region of Khan Yunus on Sunday. Laid to rest just a few short months after his mother, brother, sister, and nephew were killed in a strike on Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp.

[03:14:59]

This family's utter despair seems impossible to put into words. And yet, day after day, through so much loss. It is the words of Wael Al- Dahdouh that have given crucial testimony to the reality faced by all in Gaza. WAEL AL-DAHDOUH, AL JAZEERA GAZA BUREAU CHIEF (through translator):

The world should see through its own two eyes what is happening to the Palestinian people, not through Israel's eyes. What did Hamza do to the Israelis? What did my family do to them? What did the civilians do to them? They did nothing. But the world has closed its eyes to what is happening in the Gaza Strip.

BASHIR: On Monday, the Israeli military confirmed that it had carried out the airstrike which killed Hamza and fellow Al Jazeera journalist Mustafa Thuraya, saying they had, quote, "struck a terrorist," though declining to provide further details.

Israel says categorically that it does not target journalists, maintaining that the IDF is targeting Hamas in retaliation for the October 7th attack. But it is hard to reconcile Israel's expressed intentions with the overwhelming number of civilians killed in Israeli airstrikes.

In Jabalia, bodies lay tangled in the rubble of this residential building. At least 70 were killed here, survivors say. Struck overnight as many were sleeping.

EYAD ABU ELILBEH, AIRSTRIKE SURVIVOR (through translator): My mother, my father, my brothers and sisters, all of them, my whole family has been wiped off the civil register. There was nothing here, no fighters.

BASHIR: Such grief is felt across Gaza. In the central region of Deir al Balah, there is little hope left, as men dig with their bare hands in a desperate search for survivors. At the nearby Al-Aqsa hospital, the only emergency care center left functioning in the area, medical teams are dangerously overwhelmed.

Now, fresh warnings from the Israeli military have forced doctors from several international NGOs to evacuate. Their patients left with nowhere else to turn.

GEMMA CONNELL, TEAM LEADER, OCHA GAZA: What I'm seeing today inside of the hospital is an absolute shame on humanity. I've seen children lying in their own blood. I've seen a child who was hit by shrapnel and doesn't know where his family is. I've seen a woman who was hit in the face by a strike who has waited six days, six whole days to access health care, because the fighting around her was so ferocious. So, what I've seen inside this hospital has to end. The war has to end.

BASHIR: As calls for a ceasefire continue to go unheeded, the humanitarian situation in Gaza grows more desperate. It is a reality painstakingly documented by Gaza's journalists, Wael Al-Dahdouh, back on air just hours after his son Hamza was buried, a symbol of resilience for many.

AL-DAHDOUH (through translator): We will not hesitate for a single moment. We will not stop for a single moment as long as we live, as long as we are able to fulfill our duty.

BASHIR: But also, one of determination for the world to see and acknowledge exactly what is happening inside Gaza.

Nada Bashir, CNN in Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: A Russian warplane accidentally dropped a missile on its own occupied territory in Ukraine for the second time in a week. Officials in the Luhansk region say nobody was hurt in this incident, but some residents had to be evacuated.

Russia says it's also evacuating hundreds of people from Belgorod after a string of deadly cross-border attacks. Ukraine fired 10 rockets in the latest strike, but Russian officials say they were shot down. At least three people were wounded by shrapnel.

Officials in Ukraine say Russia launched another wave of airstrikes across the country on Monday. At least four people were killed and 38 wounded. First responders sifted through the rubble of homes and buildings in Kharkiv searching for survivors. Ukraine's air force says it destroyed more than a dozen Russian cruise missiles and eight drones during the attack.

Ukraine's air defense system has been vital in fending off continued Russian strikes. But as those missile attacks grow more advanced and more widespread, Ukraine is struggling to keep up, as CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): An interception that probably saved lives on the ground. Ukrainian anti-aircraft guns at work, as Russia has drastically escalated its aerial assault. We meet with a mobile air defense unit currently working overtime around Ukraine's capital.

"It all depends on the weather conditions," the soldier says. "If the weather is good, then of course it's much easier to shoot down a drone. At night, especially in fog, it's harder. We react very quickly."

[03:20:06]

The mobile teams don't only use guns, they also have American-made shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles taking aim at both Iranian- made Shahed drones and low-flying cruise missiles. The teams move out fast and can set up and fire within minutes.

This gun might not look like much, but it is very important for the air defenses, not just here in Kyiv, but across the country. And when they get the call, they have to be ready in minutes to move out.

"The Russians are constantly changing tactics, trying to make their attacks more lethal, making air defense like a chess match," the commander tells me. "They used to fly in a single trajectory," he says, "but now they're zigzagging. A drone can fly, then circle, hover, go down completely, then rise about half a kilometer, then fly sharply down. They are now very maneuverable and must be seen and destroyed."

Now another massive drone and missile attack killed and wounded scores in various areas of Ukraine. Russia used some of its deadliest and most advanced ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, Kyiv says. Of the 51 missiles launched, they were able to intercept 18, the Air Force says, because they simply don't have enough high-powered Western surface-to-air batteries to cover the whole country.

"There were a lot of ballistic missiles today," the spokesman says. Such missiles may only be shot down by means such as Patriot systems. That's why the result is such."

The mobile air defense units celebrate every missile and drone they manage to hit, while understanding the ones they cannot take down often cause catastrophic carnage.

"They are trying to hit our energy infrastructure and military infrastructure," the soldier says, but the most painful thing is when they're hitting civilians, houses, kindergartens. This is not in line with the customs of war and not in line with human morality. It is immoral."

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: In the coming hours, Boeing is set to hold an all-employee meeting on safety as the company faces scrutiny once again over the quality of its aircraft. Alaska Airlines says its maintenance technicians found loose hardware on some of their Boeing 737 MAX 9 fleet.

That plane is the same type of aircraft that was involved in a terrifying incident Friday when the fuselage door plug blew off while the plane was at an altitude of 16,000 feet. The revelations come after the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded certain MAX 9 aircraft until they're inspected.

CNN's Mike Valerio has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Critical inspections underway after a mid-air scare at 16,000 feet.

UNKNOWN: This wasn't even the emergency door.

VALERIO: When a piece of the plane, a door plug, blew out on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, carrying 177 people on board. United Airlines saying it found loose bolts around the door plug on an undisclosed number of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. A 171 of those Boeing models have been grounded with the FAA announcing, quote, "enhanced inspections. after what the NTSB chair calls an explosive decompression during Friday's flight, passengers reliving the harrowing moments."

EVAN SMITH, PASSENGER, ALASKA AIRLINES: I heard a big loud bang to the left rear, we're like in row 20, and a whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everybody got those on.

VALERIO: A Portland school teacher finding the door plug of the Alaska Airlines flight in his backyard, a crucial piece of evidence for investigators.

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Getting the door and the other pieces, they will hopefully be able to pinpoint exactly where the failure point was. It remains to be seen if all the fasteners, bolts or latches are still on that piece.

VALERIO: The plane's mechanical hit history also under scrutiny. Prior to Friday's accident, Alaska Airlines restricted the aircraft from flying over the ocean to Hawaii so it could quickly return to an airport in case of any warnings.

This after the aircraft's auto pressurization fail light came on three times in the past month, the NTSB says. It's unclear if there's any connection between those warning lights and Friday's scare.

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: That is what we are looking at with Alaska right now and with Boeing right now. That alert that illuminated those three times certainly is very disconcerting to our investigators and we want to look at that.

SEAN BATES, FOUND PHONE BELIEVED TO BE FROM ALASKA AIRLINES FLIGHT: I found a phone belonging to an Alaska Airlines passenger sitting on the ground.

VALERIO: Sean Bates heard the NTSB calling on the public to help find the missing part of the plane and found this iPhone on the side of the road.

BATES: It didn't have a screen lock on it. So, I opened it up and it was an airplane mode with a travel confirmation and baggage claim for Alaska 1282.

[03:24:59]

VALERIO: The NTSB says the phone screen intact and a second iPhone, quote, "most likely fell off the plane."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mike Valerio reporting from Portland, Oregon.

And still to come, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is still in the hospital, but not offering to resign. What the White House is saying about his future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The Pentagon says U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is still in the hospital but out of intensive care. He's come under intense criticism for failing to notify the White House about his hospitalization for four days. Still, the White House press secretary says President Biden has complete confidence in Austin.

CNN's Alex Marquardt has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It has been a week since the country's most senior defense official has been in the hospital. After much of that time, very few people, even his boss, the president, were aware. The Pentagon now says that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was rushed to Walter Reed Hospital last Monday on New Year's Day due to severe pain after elective surgery right before Christmas.

The Pentagon revealed that even for the initial procedure in December, Austin and his team didn't tell the White House or Austin's deputy. Now shock and anger from both parties are now spreading across Washington for Austin's failure to reveal for days to people who should have been told that he was still in the hospital.

REP. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER (D-VA): I do hope that every person in the cabinet recognizes that this was not an appropriate step, not an appropriate way to handle what was his hospitalization.

MARQUARDT: That is unacceptable, said Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. We are learning more every hour about the Defense Department's shocking defiance of the law.

Also in the dark were the most senior members of the Biden administration.

BLINKEN: I wasn't aware of his medical issue.

MARQUARDT: Biden says he still has complete confidence in Austin and isn't asking him to resign. But the White House said today that the way Austin notified them needs to be reviewed.

JOHN KIRBY, SPOKESMAN, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: I think there's an expectation that when a cabinet official becomes hospitalized, that will be notified up the chain of command. There is that expectation.

MARQUARDT: Austin's initial surgery was on December 22nd. He went home the next day. Then he was rushed to the ICU by ambulance on January 1st. His deputy, Kathleen Hicks, was only told the next day that she would have to assume some responsibilities, but not why. It wasn't until Thursday, January 4th, that Hicks, Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor, and ultimately Biden were told where Austin actually was. The next day on the 5th, The Pentagon told congressional leaders and put out a public statement.

Then finally on Saturday, five days after being admitted, Secretary Austin said in a statement, quote, "I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better."

[03:29:58]

While Austin was in the hospital, Hicks was on vacation in Puerto Rico, where she periodically assumed Austin's duties. This during a very busy week. It saw Israel carry out a strike against a Hamas leader in Beirut, the U.S. bombed a militia commander in Baghdad, and U.S. forces continue to actively face attacks by Iranian-backed groups, including the Houthis in Yemen.

MARK ESPER, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: That becomes a really tricky situation, where you want to be able, as the president, to pick up the phone and say, hey, what's going on? What do we need to do? What's the next course of action, other options, et cetera.

MARQUARDT (voice-over): People who know Austin say he kept things quiet because of how private he is.

MARK KIMMITT, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL- MILITARY AFFAIRS: Lloyd Austin is an intensely private person. He doesn't go out in front of the cameras. He doesn't go out of his way to be known or to be seen. He likes to take a lower profile.

MARQUARDT (on camera): The Pentagon said in a statement on Monday evening that Austin is no longer in the ICU, but he remains at Walter Reed Hospital, and from there he is monitoring the Defense Department's operations around the world. The State Department said that Austin is in good condition, but experiencing discomfort.

A spokesman did not explain why even when Austin went into the hospital for the first time for surgery last month, President Biden and others weren't told. The Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder told reporters, we know we can do better and we will do better.

In the meantime, at least for now, the White House is praising Austin's general leadership, saying he took ownership for all this, which the White House says President Biden respects. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: A migrant surge calls for impeachment and lawmakers at loggerheads over border control policy. That's all still to come.

Plus, South Korean lawmakers vote to pass a bill that has animal welfare activists celebrating. We'll tell you all about it after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Despite weeks of talks, U.S. congressional negotiators have apparently made little progress on a border security deal. The hope was that the text for a compromise bill would be released this week but we're hearing deep differences remain between the two parties and the impasse means no new funding yet for Ukraine and Israel since Republicans insisted that foreign aid be paired with major changes aimed at securing the southern U.S. border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The world is asking not when or how, but whether the world's greatest superpower will start acting like one. Beginning at the southern border, we must demonstrate that America is up for the challenges we face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:05]

CHURCH: A Republican senator says one of the sticking points is the Biden administration granting so-called parole to the thousands of migrants arriving at the southern border each day. Many are released with the promise they will show up at a future court date to be processed.

Well, meanwhile, House Republicans are seizing on the migrants' surge to push ahead with plans to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security. They accuse Alejandro Mayorkas of failing to enforce the United States' existing immigration laws. Mayorkas visited Border Patrol officers in Eagle Pass, Texas on Monday to observe enforcement efforts and answer questions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We are working with other countries throughout Latin America, including Panama, to address the movement of people throughout the hemisphere. We continue to develop lawful pathways, deliver consequences for those who do not use them, address root causes, and attack the ruthless smuggling organizations that prey on the vulnerable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: While many Democrats agree the current immigration system is broken and the border has been overwhelmed, they strongly reject the notion that Mayorkas has violated any laws. 1.4 million people were removed from the border in the 2022 fiscal year, which is the most ever.

Ariel Ruiz-Soto is a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute. He joins me now from California. Appreciate you being with us.

ARIEL RUIZ-SOTO, POLICY ANALYST, MIGRATION POLICY INSTITUTE: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So even Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admits the U.S. immigration system is broken and in need of legislative reform, an admission made when he visited the southern border Monday in reaction to a surge in immigration at the border crossing. So, what legislative reform is needed? What is the solution here?

RUIZ-SOTO: There's multiple aspects of reform that are needed to bring to speed the U.S. immigration border enforcement system. It starts by increasing resources and capacity of the different agencies, more border patrol agents, additional presence of USCIS to conduct asylum screenings and of course added flights for removal and repatriation proceedings.

But in this case, the money needs to go further than that by allowing more coordination between the agencies that therefore they can provide quicker process for migrants. The issue, or at least one of the issues at the border right now is that there's just not enough detention space for the number of migrants that are arriving and migrants who are seeking protection wait months or years in some cases for the first step to be able to go to their court hearings.

That needs to be faster processed and it requires changes in how the money is allocated across the agencies. But also, there needs to be more significant additional resources for organizations that work on the border on both the Mexican and the U.S. side to try to help migrants address issues of vulnerability that we've seen from time before and that way many of them can be able to either be integrated better into communities once they enter the United States or in Mexico wait for a lawful pathway, for example, through a CBP-1 application that the U.S. has.

CHURCH: And why has Congress failed to act on this issue, do you think?

RUIZ-SOTO: It's been a difficult negotiation now for almost a month or so. And one of the reasons why is because between Democrats and Republicans, the key factor that hasn't been well outlined is what would be most efficient in the short term to provide a reduction in irregular migration versus what can be better in the long term to reduce what we're seeing of the flows that happen now.

What makes the flows that we see at the border today different from before is that they come from -- migrants are coming from farther places that usually the United States does not have a repatriation agreement for, and also more families are coming, in which requires significantly different conditions for them to be detained, but also ones that are released into the United States.

So, until that happens, until there's a compromise between what happens to migrants who are arriving versus what happens to them once they're in the United States, I think we'll continue to see difficult negotiations come ahead.

CHURCH: And as a result of what's happening at the border, Republican lawmakers are calling for the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas. What exactly would that achieve and is it justified?

RUIZ-SOTO: In the short term, even a different secretary of the Department of Homeland Security could not make the changes that I believe many Republicans want. What should happen is to change the structural components of how agencies work together and therefore then can provide better options for migrants to be either screened more quickly and processed and for those that do not qualify for protection to be removed.

[03:40:02]

But in this particular case, Secretary Mayorkas, is only one part of the puzzle that requires significant better coordination. And it starts with the agencies and that requires Congress for better fulfillment. In the short term, changing or impeaching the current Secretary of Homeland Security will not significantly change how migrants perceive the border and or how assistance is provided to border communities.

CHURCH: In the meantime, Donald Trump continues to repeat rhetoric about migrants poisoning the U.S. What is your reaction to that and what Trump plans to do at the southern border if he becomes the next U.S. president?

RUIZ-SOTO: Well, look, it's interesting because President Trump has in the past suggested similar issues about migrants in their in- transit or also in the United States. I think what matters here the most is how or what possible policy changes he could make in the future if he was to become president again.

And one of the key pieces that we continue to focus on, at least in terms of the research of the policy side, is what can be the capacities and how can they be sustainable so that there's an important shift in how migrants perceive coming to the United States lawfully versus how can they come between ports of entry.

And I think either President Trump, if he was elected again, or President Biden, face in this case a very similar structural issue with changes in what we're seeing in terms of migration trends. We're seeing different aspects of migration than when he was president and now President Biden has tried to offer some changes that so far have been offering mixed results.

CHURCH: Ariel Ruiz-Soto, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

RUIZ-SOTO: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: France's prime minister is stepping down amid an anticipated government reshuffle. The French presidency announced Elizabeth Borne's resignation Monday. Her government faced criticism last year following controversial immigration and pension reform bills. Borne was the second woman in France's history to hold the country's second highest office. President Emmanuel Macron praised her work on social media. Borne will stay on until her replacement is appointed.

Ecuador has declared a state of emergency after a high-profile gang leader escaped from prison on Sunday. More than 3,000 police officers and soldiers are looking for Adolfo Fito Macias. He is the leader of Los Choneros, one of Ecuador's most feared gangs. They have been linked to maritime drug trafficking to both Mexico and the United States. Macias was transferred to a maximum-security prison in August of last year and was reportedly serving a 54-year sentence.

South Korea's parliament has voted to pass a bill banning the controversial and rare practice of breeding and slaughtering dogs for their meat. That practice is centuries old but is not common anymore as more people support animal welfare and keep dogs as pets. The bill also bans the distribution and sale of food products including dog ingredients. It does not include penalties for people who consume dog meat. And Marc Stewart joins us now live from Seoul with more on this. So, Mark, what is the significance of this change?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, Rosemary, I think if anything, it's just a reflection of changes in society that really have been decades in the making. You know, right now in South Korea, one in four people own a pet as a companion, including dogs. So, in many ways, this makes sense.

This also has been a big issue for the First Lady of South Korea. She, along with President Yoon, have a house full of pets, including dogs. She's a well-known animal advocate. And she has been around the world really expressing that view. She was recently on a state visit to the Netherlands and she visited a dog shelter in Amsterdam.

This idea of consuming dog meat is something that dates back centuries. It was especially at a time when there were food shortages in South Korea and people had to eat dog as a protein source. But obviously the country has moved forward, it's much more developed and it's no longer part of the daily routine, if you will.

So, this came about by a big push by the First Lady, especially at a time when this is a divided country when it comes to politics, but this had bipartisan support. It also had the support of the Humane Society. And I talked to an official from the Humane Society earlier today. Let's take a listen.

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LEE SANG-KYUNG, CAMPAIGN MANAGER, HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL KOREA: Well, in our society, to be honest, like dogs has a close relationship with humans, in our homes, as a friend, as a family, for a long time. So, we are just fighting for the animal welfare, protection, animal rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:45:02]

STEWART: There are two sides to this. There are farmers and breeders who breed these dogs for the sole purpose of consumption. Obviously, this is a measure that will force them to make a change. And there are provisions in place under this law to help them make that transition to go into other areas of business. There's also a grace period. But it is clear there is a big philosophical shift in South Korea on this issue.

In fact, Rosemary, we talked to the owner of a cafe here in Seoul that sells dog meat and sells that to customers. He told us that he's moving away from this and perhaps will go out of business altogether.

CHURCH: All right, Marc Stewart joining us from Seoul with an update on that big change in South Korea.

Well, nicknamed Der Kaiser, he was one of the best to ever play the beautiful game. A look back at German football icon Franz Beckenbauer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: The football world is mourning the death of German legend Franz Beckenbauer, known as Der Kaiser, who has passed away at the age of 78. Representing West Germany, Beckenbauer was one of the very few to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager. CNN World Sports Patrick Snell looks back at his unforgettable career.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS (voice-over): Franz Beckenbauer is rightly regarded as one of football's all-time greats, the man who won it all both for club and country, twice going on to become European Footballer of the Year. Born in September of 1945, it wasn't long before the teenage Beckenbauer was making a name for himself in post- war Germany at his hometown club Bayern Munich.

Known as Der Kaiser, Beckenbauer was a stylish, elegant defender, a leader befitting his emperor nickname. A pioneer who revolutionized the role of sweeper as the silverware kept coming in the trophy late in the 1960s and 70s.

Four German league titles with Bayern, triumphed that would help propel the Bavarian club towards becoming the huge global force it is today. On the international stage, he would score twice on his World Cup debut against Switzerland for West Germany in 1966 before his team's heartbreak in reaching the final that year where they lost to host England.

Alation would finally arrive though in 1974 when West Germany hosted the World Cup. Already European champions, Beckenbauer's team delivered the ultimate prize and the country's second world title, beating Johan Cruyff's Netherlands team in the final amid joyous scenes in his hometown of Munich. Beckenbauer would also go on to help Bayern become the kings of Europe from 1974 to 1976.

West Germany's historic third World Cup triumph came at Italian 90 with Beckenbauer again at the helm, only this time as manager.

[03:50:03]

It came just months after the fall of the Berlin Wall and in what would be the team's last World Cup match as West Germany, Beckenbauer's men delivering victory over Argentina, who'd beaten them and him in the 1986 final. A jubilant Beckenbauer becoming just the second person to win the World Cup as player, then head coach.

Beckenbauer also successfully headed his country's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, a moment of huge pride for a now unified Germany.

UNKNOWN: After a game Germany played and after the game there were one million people celebrating on the street and it was fantastic, all nations mixed and culture, skin colors, you know, different religion.

SNELL (voice-over): But not without eventual controversy. In 2016, Beckenbauer and three other German football officials became the focus of a criminal investigation related to their bid for the 2006 event. Swiss prosecutors alleging financial corruption, including fraud and money laundering. Beckenbauer and the others strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

A trial would follow, but proceedings, having earlier been put on hold due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ended in 2020 without a verdict because the statute of limitations had expired. But it's as a superbly gifted and decorated player that Franz Beckenbauer will be best remembered, undeniably, one of football's all-time greats.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. The death toll from the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on New Year's Day has now risen to 202, with more than 100 still missing. It comes as we learn that part of the country's western coastline has actually shifted 250 meters towards the sea after the quake.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo released a preliminary survey after measuring the coastline before and after the quake. A professor at the university says parts of the Noto Peninsula also rose by 3 to 5 meters, but the survey has not been peer reviewed yet.

In the coming hours, we are set to get a new reading on the fight against the climate crisis. The E.U.'s Copernicus Climate Change Service will hold a news conference outlining their findings on global climate trends in 2023. Scientists already know last year was the hottest on record. Journalist Simon Cullen looks at what we can expect in 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON CULLEN, JOURNALIST (voice-over): Record-breaking wildfires in Canada, deadly floods across large parts of Africa, and polar ice caps in long-term decline.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL: We are living through climate collapse in real time, and the impact is devastating.

CULLEN (voice-over): Even before the year was out, scientists had declared with certainty that 2023 would go down as the hottest recorded year in human history.

SAM BURGESS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, COPERNICUS CLIMATE CHANGE SERVICE: The year has been quite extraordinary and myself and many climate scientists have really run out of adjectives to describe the sheer volume of records broken and how they've been broken.

[03:55:04]

CULLEN (voice-over): In November, the Earth's average temperature briefly rose more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a crucial threshold that scientists say could have irreversible consequences.

BURGESS: The evidence is very, very clear. The warmer our world is, the more likely we are to have extreme events, and those extreme events are likely to be more intense and more frequent.

CULLEN (voice-over): With the El Nino system warming water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, 2024 could be even hotter. Given the scale of the challenge, many countries were hoping that global climate talks in Dubai would deliver the bold action needed to limit further warming.

In the end, the agreement did put a sharper focus on the future of fossil fuels.

CULLEN (on camera): For the first time in the history of UN-led climate talks, the words fossil fuels appeared in the final text of an agreement, but it only referred to transitioning away, not phasing them out.

SIMON EVANS, CARBON BRIEF: The tricky thing is that it's an agreement between basically nearly 200 countries by consensus, so there's always compromises at the end and that's what leads to disappointment, but I think it's nevertheless a significant moment.

CULLEN (voice-over): And some countries that claim to take the climate threat seriously are still looking to approve new fossil fuel projects.

BILL HARE, CEO, CLIMATE ANALYTICS: There's a lot of hypocrisy to share around. The U.K. has actually backtracked on its policies. Australia has begun to move forward with its policies to reduce emissions, not succeeding yet. So that's a concern but it's also proposing and has supported very large expansion to gas export projects and to coal export projects.

CULLEN (voice-over): However, there are some glimmers of hope. Carbon Brief analysis shows that while China's coal infrastructure has grown, the country has invested so much in renewable energy over recent years, that its emissions could actually begin to fall in the year ahead, marking a dramatic turnaround for the world's biggest polluter.

EVANS: There have been moments in the past where it's looked like China's emissions are coming to a peak and I think there's probably more confidence this time around that we really are seeing a structural shift in their economy.

CULLEN (voice-over): Analysts say that could be a game changer, not just for China's domestic emissions, it could also give the Chinese leadership extra incentive to push for even stronger global action. Simon Cullen, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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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