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CNN International: Blinken Meets Palestinian Authority President Abbas; U.S. and U.K. Shoots Down Houthi Drones, Missiles; Gunmen Storm TV Station During Broadcast, Hold Staff Hostage; President Zelenskyy Makes Unannounced Visit To Lithuania; Investigators Focus On Bolts In Boeing 737 Max 9 Aircraft; Congress Launching Inquiry Into Austin's Hospitalization; Today: DeSantis And Haley One-On-One In CNN Debate; Tech Firms Unveil Innovations At Annual Conference. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired January 10, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:06]

MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, the U.S. Secretary of State pleads for civilians in Gaza to be protected as he meets the president of the Palestinian Authority. Ecuador descends into turmoil. Armed men storm a television station whilst the cameras roll.

And CNN debate day in Iowa. Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will each try to convince Republican voters that they will be better for the country than Donald Trump.

The top U.S. diplomat, Antony Blinken, is again pressing all sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict to protect civilians. The Secretary of State's whirlwind tour of the Middle East took him to the West Bank earlier, where he met with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The State Department says they talked about reducing harm to civilians and speeding up efforts to get humanitarian assistance to where it's needed.

In Gaza, the Israeli military says it struck more than 150 targets in the past day. The heaviest fighting has been reported in the southern city of Khan Yunis, where Israeli forces are in combat on the ground and attacking from the air as well.

Paula Hancocks joins us from Abu Dhabi with the very latest. And I think the optics around this meeting with Abbas was interesting, really showing that America sees Abbas and the Palestinian Authority as very much part of the future of a potential two-state solution.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, it's interesting because this is certainly what we've heard publicly. The U.S. saying that -- to Israel that the two-state solution is the only solution if they want to have peace with their Arab neighbors. And from Washington's point of view, they would favor the Palestinian Authority being involved in governance of Gaza.

So the day after the Israeli military pulls out and who they're takes care of Gaza, then who governs the residents there. But when it comes to Israel, for example, they have said that they would not accept the Palestinian Authority as being in charge. They don't believe they are strong enough. They have the credibility to be able to prevent the likes of Hamas or other militants from reemerging in Gaza.

In fact, we've heard Secretary Blinken as well, saying that the The Palestinian Authority has a responsibility to reform itself. So certainly governance reform is likely to have been one of those topics of conversation when he was meeting with President Abbas. It wasn't discussed publicly, but certainly was expected to be behind closed doors.

Because President Abbas is 88 years old, he has not sat in an election since 2005. So he doesn't necessarily have the full support of all the Palestinian people. And what Washington would like to see is a reform of the Palestinian Authority so that they are able to govern or at least be part of the governance in Gaza for the day after hostilities end.

Now, the Secretary of State is expected to land in Bahrain shortly. This was a surprise visit. It wasn't scheduled. He was intending to go to Egypt, but we now know that the Egyptian president is heading to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah and also with Mahmoud Abbas. There is a summit that is going to be held on the Red Sea resort of Aqaba, discussing again Gaza, how to push for a ceasefire, a complete ceasefire, and also how to ensure that more humanitarian aid is getting in. Max?

FOSTER: OK, Paula, thank you for that update.

The U.S. Navy shot down 21 missiles and drones launched by Houthi rebels. That's according to the U.S. military, which says the attack was launched from Yemen into the Red Sea. The U.K. said a British warship assisted with taking down the drones and missiles, which were fired towards sea lanes used by commercial shipping. They called it one of the largest Houthi attacks in months.

In Ecuador, police say 70 people have been arrested following a surge in gang violence. The country's been rocked by explosions, kidnappings and prison disturbances ever since Monday when the president declared a state of emergency after a high profile gang leader escaped from prison.

On Tuesday, armed men stormed a state-owned TV station during a live broadcast. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is tracking the story, joins us now live from Havana in Cuba. Patrick, just describe -- I mean, this has been building up, hasn't it, for some time but it's really does seem to have come to a head. Is the government in charge?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. And of course, you know, that stunning moment yesterday when armed gunmen came into this TV station while it was live on the air and held hostage, you know, for about an hour or two. Many of the staff inside that TV station is an incredible striking moment, but it was hardly the only act of violence.

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You know, it seemed as the government was declaring war on the gangs, the gangs were declaring war on public security throughout the day. And you saw attacks -- attempted attacks on a hospital, attacks on a university, and then random attacks carried out throughout the country on police and on prison guards.

So, you know, this has been a really a pressure cooker situation where there have been horrific violence, massacres carried out inside of prisons where the gangs largely control the conditions there as Ecuador has become a more and more important transshipment point for drugs, drugs going from South America to places like Europe and the U.S.

And gangs and cartels battling over this very valuable territory, very valuable turf. And as the government has stepped up its attacks on the gangs, now you see the gangs responding. And it really is a question of whether or not the government can bring the gangs to heel.

But you heard Ecuadorians yesterday saying that something has changed, particularly with the taking of a TV station, such a brazen attack that Ecuadorians say enough is enough and they have to unite to finally end the malignant influence of these gangs in their country. And it's just a question or not of whether their military and their police are capable of doing that.

FOSTER: When Ecuador's president talks about neutralizing criminal gangs, what's he mean?

OPPMANN: You know, we've seen this certainly in El Salvador, Colombia and Mexico, you know, other countries that have serious gang problems, you know, gang problems that are fueled by drug cartels, and they try to take a tough approach, and they say they'll be respecting human rights in Ecuador. But, you know, certainly they're talking about open war, open conflict and they have named 22 gangs as being terrorist organizations.

A lot of times these kinds of tactics backfire that they create more violence, more inequality, but certainly the president of Ecuador, who's only been in this job for several months now, he's got his back up against the wall. And to see scenes of violence, you know, daytime scenes of violence where the gangs are just kind of running amok, something has to change and he's clearly betting on the armed forces as being the institution that can go toe to toe with the gangs and win.

FOSTER: Patrick Oppmann, appreciate that. Thank you.

The Ukrainian president is on an unannounced visit to Lithuania to bolster support his first official trip abroad this year. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he'll be discussing integration with the E.U. and NATO, as well as cooperation on electronic warfare and drones. He's also set to visit two other former Soviet republics, Latvia and Estonia, on his trip to the Baltic.

Clare is here, and these are countries obviously concerned that they could be next, but at the same time, he's losing support in Eastern Europe.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I think that is why you see this intense diplomatic push that we've seen from Zelenskyy. It's only 10 days in, he's already on his first three country trip of the year. And he'd already spoken, Max, by the end of yesterday to 10 heads of state in nine days among other officials.

So this is absolutely crucial, not only because of the massive uptick in air attacks that we've seen over the turn of the year, but because as you say, there was hesitancy, there was wavering. There have been issues, major issues, particularly in the U.S. and getting new aid through a few cranes of bolstering support is crucial.

And as you say, we heard this warning directly from Zelenskyy. He said, we need to understand Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, they can be next if Ukraine can't resist reiterating the point that Ukraine's resistance is crucial for the security of Europe.

He did say air defense is the number one need. He was talking a lot about weapons, Lithuania and Ukraine has signed several co-production agreements, anti-UAV systems, things like that. So clearly, there are significant needs on the ground, but I think diplomacy is going to continue because alongside, of course, the battlefield and the need to push Russia out.

The second key priorities for Ukraine are moving closer to the E.U. with integration there, and of course, NATO as well. And he said today, Max, that they really just want one concrete, precise step towards NATO.

FOSTER: But these aren't powerful countries, though, in these wider groups, are they? So you still got to focus on France, the Germanys, the U.S.s.

SEBASTIAN: So in a sense, no, they don't pack the biggest punch in terms of the amount of military aid and the amount of financial aid they can provide. But in terms of commitment, they have been unwavering. And if you look at the amount that countries are providing in terms of a percentage of their own GDP, Lithuania is at the top.

And both Estonia and Latvia have also provided more than 1 percent. The U.S. is nowhere near that. So these countries, also on the border with Europe, with Russia rather, also former Soviet countries, now they're both in the E.U. and NATO, have been critically important as a sort of signal to Ukraine and to the rest of Europe of what can be done when there is this kind of commitment. And I think that's why you see him committing his first trip of the year to these countries.

FOSTER: OK. Clare, thank you.

CEO Boeing admits that last week's terrifying Alaska Airlines incident was the company's fault, and it's promising to have complete transparency during the investigation.

[08:10:07] On Friday, a door plug, large part of the body, blew out whilst a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet was in flight. Federal officials are still searching for the bolts that was supposed to keep it in place. On Tuesday, the head of Boeing addressed his employees and at times got emotional.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CALHOUN, CEO, BOEING: We're going to approach this, number one, acknowledging our mistake. We are going to approach it with 100 percent and complete transparency every step of the way. I didn't know what happened to whoever was supposed to be in the seat next to that hole in the airplane.

I got kids, I got grandkids, and so do you. This stuff matters. Everything matters. Every detail matters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: CNN's Pete Muntean has the latest now on that investigation.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun says the company is acknowledging its mistake, that and a just released excerpt from the company's all hands safety meeting on Tuesday. Here is the issue. Calhoun did not say exactly what the mistake is, if anything. And now investigators are scrambling to get to the bottom of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN (voice-over): After Friday's dramatic in flight blowout, significant new findings by investigators and airlines are putting the spotlight on bolts in the Boeing 737 Max 9 designed to hold the part that ripped off in place known as a door plug. The National Transportation Safety Board now says it blew out and up, triggering what investigators call a chaotic and loud explosive decompression.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alaska 1282, we just depressurized, and we're declaring and emergency, we do need to descend down to 10,000.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): In prepping their planes for FAA mandated emergency inspections, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines both report issues with door plugs on an undisclosed number of now grounded MAX 9s. Alaska says mechanics found some loose hardware was visible. United says it found possible door plug installation issues and bolts that needed additional tightening.

Now investigators are searching for the door plug bolts from Friday's incident, potentially key evidence.

CLINT CROOKSHANKS, AEROSPACE ENGINEER, NTSB: We'd have not yet recovered the four bolts that restrain it from its vertical movement. And we have not yet determined if they existed there.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): A Max 9 door plug is secured by high air pressure inside the plane, pushing 12 tabs on the door against matching tabs on the plane's frame. A total of four bolts at the top and bottom of the door can be removed for maintenance, but without them, the door could slide out of place.

CROOKSHANKS: By design, if the bolts are there, it prevents the door from translating upwards and disengaging from the stop fittings and flying off the plane.

MUNTEAN (voice-over): Early reads from Alaska 1282's flight data recorder detail that cockpit alarm sounded, followed by the door plug blowout one minute later.

JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, NTSB: This was a really significant event. It was terrifying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MUNTEAN (on-camera): The NTSB says it's also reached out to Spirit AeroSystems, that is the Boeing contractor that builds the Max 9 fuselage. Those planes remain grounded until airlines can inspect them. Airlines are waiting on inspection details from the FAA. The FAA says it's waiting on details from Boeing.

Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

FOSTER: Still to come, the missing U.S. Defense Secretary. What Congress and the White House are saying about Lloyd Austin's mysterious hospitalization?

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FOSTER: The U.S. Congress is launching an inquiry into why no one told Congress or the White House that the U.S. Defense Secretary has been hospitalized. It was revealed on Tuesday that Lloyd Austin is in hospital getting treatment for prostate cancer. President Biden was not initially told that his top military adviser will be out of commission for several days.

White House officials say there are no plans to replace Austin but call the situation not optimal. Let's go to the White House. Arlette Saenz trying to make sense of this. It does seem extraordinary that such an important position could be out of action without even the commanding chief knowing.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it certainly does. And that is what is prompting this review of the incident where the Defense Department awaited several days to notify not just the public but most importantly President Biden that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized.

Now, there has been a slow disclosure of the timeline of these events. With yesterday, the Pentagon threw a statement from Walter Reed Medical Center announcing that Lloyd Austin had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and that is what the initial procedure that he underwent on December 22nd was about. Then following that, he experienced beginning on January 1st severe pains, including nausea and other pain. And that is what led to the complications that has now kept him in the hospital since that date. Now, we're learning that the White House had pushed the Pentagon right after they had learned about Austin's hospitalization last Thursday.

The White House senior officials, including the Chief of Staff, Jeff Zients, and National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, had pushed the Pentagon to release a statement as soon as possible. They believed it was imperative that the Pentagon begin working to notify the public after leaving people in the dark for four days.

We're also learning that Jake Sullivan learned about Austin's hospitalization just before he was slated to attend an event with Austin last Thursday. It was just before that where he learned that he was in fact in the hospital. So there's still a host of questions that need to be answered.

They've started to disclose some of the medical conditions that Austin was experiencing, but there are still major gaps in explaining why it took so long to notify the White House and other Pentagon senior officials about his hospitalization and the reason for that.

FOSTER: Can I just ask who -- was there a system for replacing him if he became incapacitated within the Department of Defense or was there not even that?

SAENZ: Well, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks did assume some of the duties of Defense Secretary while he was in the hospital, but she was not initially informed why she was doing that. She assumed some of the duties beginning on January 2nd, the day after Austin entered the hospital. But it was not until Thursday that she was notified that the reason why was because he was hospitalized.

Now, there is -- there are two reviews underway at this moment. The Pentagon Austin's chief of staff said that they would be conducting a 30-day review into the incident to outline the timeline for why this notification did not occur. But then there is also a review that was requested by White House Chief Of Staff, Jeff Zients, who sent a memo to all of the heads of each agency within the government asking for them to -- asking them to review their protocols for designating authority and also for notifying the White House.

It's clear that they're trying to set some for formal protocols to be followed going forward, especially as the Pentagon is conducting their own review. It's likely that there will be congressional hearings at some point into this matter, as we've heard lawmakers up on Capitol Hill demanding more answers.

FOSTER: Incredible. CNN White House Correspondent Arlette Saenz, thank you.

Still to come, with just five days until the Iowa caucuses, two of the main, the top Republican candidates will face off in a debate right here on CNN. We'll have a preview when we come back.

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FOSTER: There are just five days until the first contest of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. And ahead of the Iowa caucuses, two of the leading Republican contenders will face off right here on CNN in just a few hours time. Here's a preview with my colleague, Eva McKend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The final GOP presidential debate before the Iowa caucus is tonight. And all eyes are on the two leading contenders to challenge former President Donald Trump, Governor Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I like being underestimated. So, you know, I could sit here and say this, but you know what? I think that, that being the underdog suits me better. So buckle up. I think it's going to be an interesting ride.

MCKEND (voice-over): This is the first and only time the two will debate one on one before next week's Iowa Caucus.

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've done 150 plus town halls answering every question, shaking every hand, staying until the last person leaves, and it has come to this moment. Don't complain about what happens in a general election if you don't play in this caucus. It matters.

MCKEND (voice-over): In the final days of campaigning, Iowans dealing with a massive snowstorm and possible below zero temperatures on caucus night.

DOUG STOUT, IOWA VOTER: It does make it more difficult, particularly for senior citizens. I think if we get a snowstorm on top of those type of temperatures, it'll hold down turnout. Otherwise, I don't think it'll have much impact.

MCKEND (voice-over): Former President Trump will be back in Iowa tonight. He is shifting his attacks to his former U.N. ambassador. Trump's team reportedly taking her strong showing in some polls seriously.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Nikki Haley got away, most seniors would work their entire lives right up until the end and then not live long enough to receive the benefits they earned and paid for.

MCKEND (voice-over): DeSantis also taking aim at Haley.

DESANTIS: You don't win as a Republican when you don't stand for anything. It's like, almost every day she answers questions, something happens where she's putting her foot in her mouth.

MCKEND (voice-over): But on Trump, DeSantis avoids weighing in on his legal cases, instead criticizing his recent stance on abortion. DESANTIS: The former president Trump, who said he was pro-life, he attacked pro-life legislation like the heartbeat bill here in Iowa and said it was a terrible, terrible thing.

MCKEND (voice-over): And in New Hampshire, Chris Christie facing growing calls for him to drop out and help coalesce support behind Haley. Christie is vowing to stay in the race and says Haley is already looking ahead to the next presidential election.

CHRIS CHRISTIE, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's not trying to beat him. She's hoping that lightning strikes. But how do you beat somebody if you won't say why they don't belong being president. I'm making it really clear, he's unfit. She's playing for 2028.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Eva McKend reporting for us there. CNN will host a Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

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As we mentioned, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will participate with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderating.

Some of the biggest tech companies are unveiling their newest innovations and high priced gadgets at this year's Consumer Electronics Show going on now in Las Vegas. Organizers estimate that around 60 percent of the Fortune 500 companies will be there, setting the stage for deal making and shaping the biggest tech trends of the year.

CNN's Anna Stewart has more from the showroom floor.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: It's one of the biggest trade shows in the world. 130,000 attendees are expected to come here to see us. In Las Vegas, they may only see the insides of the conference hall, but that's OK, because look. Thanks to SK Telecom, you can actually see the Las Vegas sphere in slightly smaller form within the conference center.

Now, there have been so many big announcement at CS in the first day from NVIDIA. New chips for PC computers. This is to enable better AI capability. From Honda, the launch of a new series of electric vehicles. The Honda 0 ultra-lightweight. It's very space age will be available from 2026.

And perhaps the most entertaining moment actually from a Sony executive who managed to drive a prototype car partnered with Honda onto a stage using a PlayStation console, plenty of gimmicks. I hope dearly that it's not the future of driving.

Sony actually also unveiled a mixed reality headset that's expected to be available later this year. No price tag on that, which brings me perhaps to one of the biggest tech announcements of the week by a company that isn't even here.

Apple with a vision pro expected now to go on sale with pre-orders this month goes on sale February the 2nd in the U.S., retailing at $3,500. Now quite aside from all the big announcements of course, plenty of gadgets and gizmos, robotics, wearable tech, everything has a bit of AI in it it feels this year.

So we'll be playing with all of that. So check in with us. I'm Anna Stewart at CES in Las Vegas.

FOSTER: Thanks for joining us here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. World Sport with Amanda is up next.

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