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Blizzard Conditions in Iowa; Countdown to the Iowa Caucuses; Presidential Candidate Selection Day on Monday for Iowa Republicans; New Poll from Iowa Shows Trump in the Lead, and Haley Overtakes DeSantis; Final Shot of Iowa GOP Caucus Attendees Provided by New Survey; Interview with University of Essex Professor of Government Natasha Lindstaedt; Coldest Iowa Caucuses Ever Might Have an Effect on Voting; Central U.S. Experiences Life-Threatening Cold Due to Arctic Blast; Wind Chill Advisories for 80M Americans; Current Volcanic Outburst Prompted Town to Leave; Israel-Hamas War; Protests Mark 100 Days of War in Israel; Netanyahu Blasts International Court's Decision Against Israel's Genocide Case; Interview with The Jerusalem Post Senior Columnist and Jewish People Policy Institute Senior Fellow Yaakov Katz; Demonstrators Call on Israel to Cease Bombarding Gaza; Historic Election in Taiwan; Governing Party of Taiwan Secures Unprecedented Third Term in Office; Horrible Image of Northern Gaza Described by U.N. Officials; Christmas Trees Get New Lease on Life; During Chiefs-Dolphins Game, Taylor Swift Braves the Cold; 98-Year-Old "Days of Our Lives" Veteran Bill Hayes Passes Away. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired January 14, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, ahead on "CNN Newsroom".

Blizzard conditions hit the state of Iowa a day ahead of the first in the nation caucuses for the 2024 presidential election. A new poll has former President Donald Trump poised for a historic win. It's the fight for second place where we're seeing movement.

And as Israel marks 100 days since the Hamas attacks, demonstrators demand the release of those still held hostage in Gaza, while protesters in Washington call for an end to Israel's military operation.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber".

BRUNHUBER: Tomorrow, Iowa hosts the first nominating contest of this November's U.S. presidential election, it's the state's Republican caucuses. This weekend, Iowa has been coping with a winter storm that brought snow and blizzard conditions, and forced candidates to cancel events during the crucial final days of the campaign. Arctic temperatures will still be in place Monday and many are concerned it will affect turnout. So, candidates are working to drive up enthusiasm despite the difficult conditions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's a lot of cold weather.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President.

TRUMP: We've got a lot of meetings tonight. We're doing well. We have a lot of tremendous support. But it's nasty out there.

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you will take the time to not just go to the polls. Take people with you. Wear layers, because you might be standing in line. Take your ID. But think of the fact that you might be making history in this moment.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They can throw a blizzard at us and we are going to fight. They can throw a wind chill at us and we are going to fight. They can throw media narratives at us and we are going to fight. They can throw fake polls at us and we are going to fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, a new poll is showing us a snapshot of the mood of Iowa Republicans, a Des Moines Register "NBC News", Mediacom Poll found that Donald Trump commands the support of a whopping 48 percent of likely caucus goers. Nikki Haley is second with 20 percent, and Ron DeSantis is third at 16 percent.

CNN's Chief US National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is there in Iowa, and he filed this report just after the poll results were released yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: With two days to go before the Iowa caucuses open the Republican presidential nominating contest, Donald Trump still remains the far and away front runner in Iowa, according to a new Des Moines Register/NBC News poll.

This Iowa poll, which has a storied history of capturing the final movements in this race shows that Donald Trump is at 48 percent in the poll. The race for second place is a fascinating one. With Nikki Haley edging out, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just narrowly. Nikki Haley has 20 percent in the poll, followed by DeSantis at 16. The rest of the field is far below Vivek Ramaswamy, eight percent. The rest goes down from there.

But it is the top of the field, showing that Donald Trump still has an overwhelming commanding lead of this race. His supporters are the most committed. The reason some of these matters, of course, as weather has really been a central concern here, blizzard warnings and dangerously cold weather, those committed supporters may be the answer to who shows up on the caucuses here on Monday night in Iowa. But Haley clearly is riding a wave of momentum, although the poll finds that her supporters are not as committed or as enthusiastic as others. It also shows that some 68 percent of people have made up their minds, a quarter of Iowa voters have not made up their minds. So, there is still room for movement in this race.

But bottom line, this is still Donald Trump's race to lose, there is no doubt. Also, this poll raises expectations a bit. He's 28 points ahead of his leading rival, so his margin of victory, should he have one on Monday night, certainly will be judged against that number.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Des Moines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Natasha Lindstaedt is a professor of government at the University of Essex, and she joins us now from Colchester, England. Good to see you again. So, Donald Trump's numbers in the latest Iowa poll, we knew he was, you know, had a huge lead going into this.

[04:05:00]

But are you surprised it's as big as it is, given he hasn't debated, given he hasn't put in the work on the ground like his opponents?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROFESSOR OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: No, I'm not surprised. And he's only been to some 25 events compared to DeSantis who put everything into Iowa. He has visited 99 counties, put a lot of money into his campaign.

But Trump supporters are really passionate about him. They're willing to wait hours and hours in the cold just to see him speak. And as the report mentioned, he has this huge lead going in, and that's likely to hold. In fact, if he doesn't get a 25, 30-point lead or result in the Iowa caucus, that would be a sign that there was something a little bit off with the campaign.

But I would like to point out that I think Trump's campaign in Iowa has been much more well organized and more effective than, let's say, it was back in 2016 when he lost to Ted Cruz. So, though he might not be physically appearing in Iowa that much, the organization itself has been making a lot of calls, sending out a lot of e-mails, and appears to be really effective in rallying his supporters.

So, this is a contest for second place. It is to see how well Nikki Haley does. Can she build on some of the momentum that she has? She kind of edged out, DeSantis towards the end. And then that may bring her more support in New Hampshire. But I would expect Trump to win by 25 points at least.

BRUNHUBER: If Haley does come in second, do you think that's the end for Ron DeSantis?

LINDSTAEDT: That really should be the end for DeSantis. I mean, he had some support from some key evangelicals and from Governor Kim Reynolds. As I mentioned, he put everything into this campaign. He thought that if he visited every county that that was going to work. But I think he's struggling because he really is like just another version of Trump.

Whereas Nikki Haley has distinguished herself much better and said, well, I'm more moderate but pragmatist. I'm a problem solver. This is how I feel about, you know, supporting Ukraine and Israel. And DeSantis hasn't been able to really distinguish himself from Trump other than he's just not Trump and trying to make the argument that he has too many legal issues at the moment and that that will, you know, disrupt both his campaign and so forth. So, he probably would need to drop out if he doesn't do well.

BRUNHUBER: So, if he is the -- you know, a lesser version of Trump, I'm -- at least the question, I guess, if he does drop out, where do his voters go? Would it actually help Haley as the Trump alternative, or would Trump just absorb DeSantis voters as well?

LINDSTAEDT: I think it will probably be a mix. That half of DeSantis voters will go to Trump because they are just more conservative and their values are probably more in line with what Trump wants. And then you have half of those supporters who don't like Trump, who are trying to find anyone but Trump, and will likely go to Nikki Haley. So, I see it as sort of a mixed bag for both candidates. They will be able to pick up on some of DeSantis voters, but not all.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Finally, the Democrats, there is no Democratic presidential caucus, so to speak, but the mood can't be all that great given Biden's poll numbers. And when you look at how much Republicans love Trump, I mean, I just saw -- for instance, in Iowa, the last poll showed almost 70 percent viewed him favorably and only about 30 percent unfavorably. Clearly Democrats don't have the same passion for Biden. So, how much does that matter as long as, you know, enough Democrats and independents are willing to vote against Biden's opponent, if it's Trump indeed?

LINDSTAEDT: It's a real problem. The Democrats are facing some real challenges here because Biden's approval ratings are low, and there's very low levels of enthusiasm, particularly from key demographics that he won in 2020. If you look at those that are under 35, young people, he won by a 20-point margin. And now, you see, there's a lot of angst that they feel that he hasn't done enough to fight climate change. They disapprove of his handling of the war in Gaza. Some 70 percent of those under 35 disapprove and they didn't think he did enough to try to codify Roe v. Wade.

He's losing support amongst Hispanics. He won Hispanic voters over in 12 of 13 states that have large Hispanic populations. He won by two to one. He's really losing ground, particularly with Hispanic males. Losing ground with African Americans and Asian Americans. And he's lost a lot of ground with Arab Americans who supported him in 2020 with 59 percent support.

Now, only 17 percent said that they will vote for him because of how he's handling the Gaza war. You look at the state of Michigan, which he won by only 154,000 votes, there are 278,000 Arab Americans there, and these key demographics where he's losing support could make the difference.

[04:10:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yes, all great points, although, you know, Democratic supporters might point out there's still a long, long way to go. Plenty can change. Really appreciate your contribution here. Natasha Lindstaedt in Colchester, England, thank you so much.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

BRUNHUBER: Well, Iowa has been the epicenter for dangerous weather conditions seen across much of the U.S. The Iowa State Patrol say they have responded to 86 crashes in less than 10 hours because of the terrible road conditions. The caucuses on Monday are currently forecast to be the coldest on record with potentially life-threatening temperatures and wind chills. Most of Iowa is under blizzard warning on Saturday with wind gusts more than 40 miles per hour. And this has been the snowiest week for Des Moines since 1942 because of back-to- back storms.

So, right now, in Des Moines it's minus 14 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of minus 45. But Iowans won't be the only ones braving the brutal Arctic blast. More than 80 million Americans are under wind chill alerts through the weekend and beyond. In some places, frostbite could occur in as fast as 10 minutes.

CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa breaks down for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The blizzard exits and the Arctic air is diving south. Wind chill warnings in effect for the Northern and Central Plains for wind chills as cold as 45 degrees below zero. As that Arctic air invades and spills south, this is some of the coldest air that we have seen so far this season, and it's coming right in time for the Iowa caucus on Monday.

Iowans waking up Sunday morning to wind chills as cold as 45 degrees below zero frostbite, they are happening in 10 minutes or less. By Monday evening, we're still looking at wind chills as cold as 30 degrees below zero with frostbite times at 25 minutes or less.

This would by far be the coldest caucus on record. Most caucus days have been in the 30s and 40s. You do have one that sticks out 16 degrees back in 2004. Now, it looks like this one will be much, much colder than that, probably not breaking zero degrees in Des Moines with a high of only minus two. So, very cold. And again, factoring wind chills even colder than that. In the evening, most of Iowa looking at temperatures at 10 degrees below zero. So, subzero temperatures. And then you factor in the wind chills, again, 30 degrees below zero.

It's not just Iowa. Look at these temperatures. These air temperatures for the upper Plains here, the Northern Plains where we're looking at subzero temperatures lasting through Tuesday and Wednesday for places like Rapid City, Omaha, Chicago as well. Minus 10 as you're waking up on Tuesday morning. That cold air gets as far south as Texas. We're looking at temperatures in the single digits and the teens for places like Lubbock, Dallas, Austin, waking up to the teens by Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

So, as this continues to spill south, it's going to impact most Americans looking at 80 percent of the lower 48 with temperatures below freezing. By the time we get to Tuesday, almost 20 percent of us subzero that we're looking at records falling maybe 250 or more records, both daytime cold highs and overnight low temperatures that could fall as a result of this Arctic invasion.

Now, this is coming, kind of, the first of the season. A lot of these places, especially in the upper Midwest, are in the midst of their warmest winter on record. All of the red dots there, that's the difference between weather and climate. This is really their first cold snap, but the trend since December 1st has been a warm one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Today is a somber milestone in Israel's war with Hamas, whose endgame is nowhere in sight. And now, some Israelis are making a new push to bring hostages home as their prime minister talks about the future of the war. That's ahead.

Plus, thousands of people are taking their pleas for a ceasefire in Gaza to the White House, that's coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: We are following a developing story out of Iceland where residents of one town are again being told to leave their homes amid the threat of a volcanic eruption. Now, these are live pictures coming to us from a volcano erupting near the town of Grindavik, 43 miles or 70 kilometers southwest of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik.

People living in Grindavik are being told to get out by Monday night after more volcanic fissures opened on roads in the area. Really dramatic pictures that we are seeing there. Officials first evacuated Grindavik back in November, and that followed weeks of seismic activity which culminated in a dramatic eruption that expelled bursts of lava and sent huge plumes of smoke into the sky. Now, these pictures show the damage the pressure from the volcano was able to do.

Well, today marks 100 days since Hamas launched its deadly rampage in Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 240 hostages. Right now, a massive rally is underway in Tel Aviv to mark the occasion, set to last for 24 hours straight, calling for the release of hostages still held in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had some blunt words, reacting to accusations of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. He called the case brought by South Africa a hypocritical onslaught, which he said was brought on behalf of those who want to commit another holocaust. Regarding the war's 100-day mark, Netanyahu said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We, today, mark 100 days of war. 100 days since the terrible days in which our citizens were slaughtered and kidnapped. We are continuing to the war to its conclusion, to total victory, until we have achieved all of our objectives, the elimination of Hamas, the return of all of our hostages, and the guarantee that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel. We will restore security, both in the South and in the North. No one will stop us, not The Hague, not the axis of evil, nor anyone else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Elliott Gotkine is standing by in London. So, Elliot, 100 days into the war. Take us through how the families of the hostages are marking this somber occasion.

[04:20:00]

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: Kim, here in London is actually a big bike ride culminating in a rally in Trafalgar Square in the center of the city later on today. But of course, the focus very much on what's going on in Israel and in the renamed Hostages Square there in Tel Aviv. Organizers say 120,000 people turned up last night to continue to keep up the pressure on the Israeli government to do everything that it can to bring those hostages home.

And also, to continue to remind the world that 100 days into this war, as you say, sparked by Hamas's murderous rampage through southern Israel. 100 days on, more than 100 hostages remain in captivity, probably deep underground in Hamas's tunnel networks. We've heard from, released hostages talking about the lack of food, the lack of medicine, and about female hostages being tortured and sexually abused.

And the families there in Tel Aviv, really just repeating and trying to maintain that pressure to try to get those hostages home. And there were messages of support for that objective from French President Emmanuel Macron. There was the U.S. Ambassador, Senator Chuck -- and others. And of course, they have also been hearing from freed hostages. And I think one of them summed it up. I suppose the way that many of these families are feeling.

Gabriela Leimberg, who was in captivity for 53 days after being kidnapped by Hamas saying, I cannot imagine how we can continue to exist and think that we will move on as a society in the state without returning all the hostages as soon as possible.

Of course, the problem is that there's no sign of another truce coming into effect. Israel has only so far managed to rescue one hostage despite many attempts since that war began on October the 7th. And so, these families becoming increasingly desperate, I think. They say that time is running out. And earlier in the week. we actually saw a number of them go to the border with the Gaza Strip with specially designed loudspeakers, with megaphones to try to call out so that their loved ones if they are in Khan Younis nearby, whether they are deep underground or not, so that their loved ones could hear them from the -- from their own mouths, telling them to be strong, that they haven't been forgotten, and that they are loved.

And so, they're continuing to keep up this pressure. There's no sign of it having an impact just yet, but certainly 100 days on their hope is that their loved ones, those hostages, more than 100 of them still in the Gaza Strip will be home very soon. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Elliott Gotkine in London. Thank you so much.

Now, for more analysis, we're joined by Yaakov Katz, a senior Jerusalem Post columnist and a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute. Thank you so much for being here with us. So, first, just to build on what we were hearing there. Your reflections on the war, 100 days in, could it be another 100 days, do you think, before it ends?

YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, THE JERUSALEM POST AND SENIOR FELLOW, JEWISH PEOPLE POLICY INSTITUTE: It's hard to imagine and believe the heart refuses almost to believe that it's been 100 days since these people were taken, and since this massacre and the barbaric attack by Hamas took place inside Israeli communities and homes. It's unimaginable when we think about what these hostages have been going through. How there still are over 130 of them being held in some dark hole somewhere inside Gaza, men, women, children, the elderly, people who are wounded, who needed and still need medical care. And how Hamas continues to hold on to them and refuses to allow them to come back to their families.

And can I imagine that this will take another 100 days? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Because we know, Kim, what Hamas does and how it operates and what it wants. It uses these hostages as a cynical tool to undermine and to pierce the heart of Israel every day, every hour. And we're marking today 100 days. But what we and -- what I can only imagine what people are going through, the families of these hostages and their loved ones is really horrifying.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, we're showing pictures of the hostage forum. They all have signs up. They're saying, bring them home. From some of our reporting, some of the hostages' families feel the war's two objectives are contradictory, destroying Hamas and getting the hostages back. Are they right on that?

KATZ: To some extent, there is an inherent contradiction because the continued degrading of Hamas through the ground offensive, which has been going on now for about 80 days out of the last 100 days is meant to degrade Hamas capabilities, to weaken it and to prevent it from being able to carry out another October 7th style massacre again.

And so far, the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, they have been working very meticulously, but they are going from the north where they started, they are now in the central Gaza, as well as an area known as Khan Younis in the south where Israel believes the main Hamas leadership is hold up in one of those underground tunnel bunkers, possibly alongside many of those passages. So, the operation needs to continue.

Now, through the operation, aerial bombardments, airstrikes, the ground offensive, taking out some of these targets, it could lead to the harming also of the hostages.

[04:25:00]

Israeli intelligence doesn't necessarily know where all of these hostages are being held. And at the same time, Hamas is saying, and we don't know if we can believe them, that if Israel were to withdraw all its forces, it would be willing to engage in a swap that would see the release of the hostages.

So, there is what sometimes might look like a contradiction. On the other hand, I would just say, Kim -- and this is what the IDF Chief of Staff says, is that the military pressure on the ground is what is pushing Hamas to maybe make a deal. So, you can't have one without the other. They do have to come together, ground offensive and a continued effort to get those hostages home.

BRUNHUBER: But what do you make of the frustration we're seeing in those protests in Israel? Hamas, of course, is really to blame here, but why is so much anger being directed at Netanyahu himself?

KATZ: Because the Israeli people would -- and especially those who have family members who are being held in the Gaza Strip believe that the government is not doing enough to get their loved ones home. And this is extremely complicated, right? When Hamas came in on October 7th and murdered and massacred in the most brutal way, 1,200 people and took 240 hostages, what we knew right away on that day, on that morning was that not only was there -- this massive blow to Israel with just the scope of how many people were killed and the scope of the attack, but now that they have our people, they will be able to continue to basically stab us in the heart every single day.

We, the Jewish people. We, the Israeli people. We preserve life. We believe in the sanctity of life. Hamas believes, in killing people, in holding people hostages, in putting their own civilians as a human shield to save them, the terrorists. These are completely true. That's a collision and a clash of civilizations between Israel and Hamas. And therefore, the people whose families are being held in Gaza want the government to do more because that's the only one that they can call out to. Hamas ignores our calls. Hamas doesn't care. We have -- the people have only one address and that is the government of Israel.

BRUNHUBER: We'll have to leave it there. I really appreciate your analysis, Yaakov Katz. Thank you so much.

KATZ: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: And in Washington, protesters gathered in front of the White House and elsewhere. Many are calling for a ceasefire and demanding U.S. President Joe Biden withdraw support for Israel. CNN's Gabe Cohen was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was a huge rally that included a march through the streets of Washington as well as this protest outside the White House. And its size and program really mirrored the last massive march for Gaza that we saw here in Washington, which I covered back in early November.

But the message on Saturday felt even more urgent as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise. These protesters calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and really trying to put political pressure on the Biden administration to end its unequivocal support for Israel and to end any military aid for Israel's war effort in Gaza.

I spoke to a Palestinian American woman who said she's lost family in Gaza since this conflict began. And she said she voted for President Biden back in 2020. But 2024, she said, is a different story. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have American family who are stuck there now, and we have tried every avenue for their evacuation. They have tried four times. They were shot at the border. There is no circumstance in which President Biden has my vote in the upcoming election. He is singlehandedly funding the genocide of my people.

COHEN: And we do know there was at least one incident connected to the protest with U.S. Park Police, arresting two people, they say, for disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer.

Gabe Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: All right. Much more to come here on "CNN Newsroom", including the latest from the campaign trail as Republican candidates work to motivate Iowa caucus goers amid a brutal winter storm.

Plus, while many in Taiwan are celebrating the results of a historic election, China isn't happy at all. We'll have more on why after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00]

BRUNHUBER: And welcome back to all you're watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom".

Returning now to our top story, tomorrow's Republican caucuses in Iowa and the brutal winter weather that's making campaigning difficult and creating worries about turnout. Ater blizzard warnings forced multiple cancellations Friday and Saturday, candidates are trying to keep Sunday's events on the books amid an all-out final push to win over any caucus goers who remain undecided.

CNN's Kylie Atwood has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's a flurry of activity in Iowa just one day before the Iowa caucuses are set to begin with all of the top candidates having events. Former President Trump, after having to cancel events due to the weather, has a rally in Iowa. We have Nikki Haley with three campaign events. Ron DeSantis with four campaign events. All of them encouraging their supporters to actually get out and support them given the extreme circumstances that the weather is going to create on Monday. It's going to be the coldest Iowa caucus to date, with temperatures potentially negative 10, negative 15.

And so, there are questions about which campaign that is going to be a downfall for Former President Trump predicting that it actually could be helpful for him because he feels like he has very supportive, very enthusiastic supporters. The other campaigns are saying that they feel confident about the operations that they have on the ground here in Iowa, but all making their final push ahead of the Iowa caucus on Monday night.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, Iowa City.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: China says that Taiwan is still its territory and that won't change even as the island's ruling party celebrates a historic election victory. Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party clinched a third consecutive presidential victory on Saturday with 40 percent of the total vote. China had warned Taiwan that a Democratic Progressive win could increase the risk of conflict. But voters shrugged off those warnings by making Lai Ching-Te their new president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAI CHING-TE, TAIWAN'S PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): The Taiwanese people have successfully resisted efforts from external forces to influence this election as we believe we can choose our own president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's Will Ripley joins us now from Taipei. So, Will, take us through the results and the reaction.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, one of the things that Lai Ching told voters before this election was that if China had its way, voters here would essentially be choosing a chief executive, which is what they have in Hong Kong.

[04:35:00]

Chief executive is kind of like the CEO of a company that has to report to the parent corporation, the parent corporation being China. The will of the people negligible. And Taiwanese saying they absolutely do not accept that, or at least the voters that voted for the Democratic Progressive Party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (voice-over): Snow rarely falls on the Taiwanese capital. But on this night, a blizzard of confetti, thunderous applause on the winning side. On the losing side calls for unity as Taipei braces for Beijing's brewing storm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most important part for me is our relationship with China, and we've been bullied like for years on end. And I just can't stand. We, kneeling down to their demands, and they're meddling with our elections.

RIPLEY (voice-over): To say China did not want this result is the understatement of the month, maybe the year. China despises Taiwan's president-elect, Lai Ching-Te. They hate his Vice President Hsiao Bi- khim, the former U.S. envoy even more. She's banned from even entering China. Diplomacy? Forget it.

Ahead of the election, China did all it could to paint a dark, foreboding picture of four more years of the Democratic Progressive or Green Party in power.

RIPLEY: Taiwan has never seen an election like this before, with three different parties vying for the presidency. But in the end, it was a third historic term for the Green Party, a result that will likely have Beijing seeing red.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Within minutes of the result, a bold, familiar claim from the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing. Taiwan is China's Taiwan. The DPP does not represent the mainstream view on the island. They did capture 40 percent of the vote, turnout more than 70 percent. About 20 million Taiwanese, more than 80 percent of the island's population eligible to vote. And many did.

In Taiwan, there are no absentee ballots.

FEIFEI HUNG, STUDENT: I am very, very pleasantly happy about it.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Some, like this student from the U.S. flew 16 hours to cast their votes in person.

RIPLEY: Were you afraid that Taiwan would become similar to Hong Kong or the next Hong Kong if there was a different result?

HUNG: Really, for sure. In terms of -- especially since other two- party advocate for, like, a more closer, like, economic partnership with China. And that means, it's the first step for encroachment, right?

RIPLEY (voice-over): When the buzz of victory wears off, a sobering reality for Taiwan's new president, his party lost control of parliament, a sign of voter dissatisfaction. With low pay, expensive housing, lack of opportunity, local issues have never been the ruling party's strength. It's why they lost the last round of local elections. But the party's two-term President Tsai Ing-wen did put Taiwan on a global stage like never before. Lai, her VP and now successor, ran on a continuity ticket.

CHING-TE: We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we still stand on the side of democracy.

RIPLEY (voice-over): And he says, Safeguard Taiwan from China's ongoing intimidation and threats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (on camera): Within the last couple of hours, we received confirmation from the American Institute of Taiwan, which is essentially the U.S. de facto embassy here in the Taiwanese capital, that a group of senior but former U.S. officials acting in their private capacity, but sent by the United States are on the ground here to meet with top Taiwanese lawmakers and politicians and offer the United States' congratulations for this election, which is being touted as an example of a young, vibrant democracy, successfully pulling off yet another Democratic election. They've only been doing these full elections here in Taiwan since 1996.

But as Taiwan celebrates this peaceful transfer of power, the inauguration happening on May 20, they do so under the ominous cloud of China's Persistent threat of a potential war. The big question, Kim, what will China do and when?

BRUNHUBER: Exactly. Great reporting out there. Will Ripley in Taipei, thank you so much.

All right. Coming up, CNN investigation examining a series of strikes on hospitals in Gaza amid the Hamas Israel conflict. That's after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

BRUNHUBER: Now, the latest on Israel's war against Hamas. A massive rally is underway in Tel Aviv marking 100 days since the militant group launched its rampage in Israel. Now, the event is set to last 24 hours straight. They're calling for the release of more than 100 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza.

Meanwhile, a top U.N. official is painting a horrific picture about the humanitarian situation in Northern Gaza. Saying U.N. workers have recently seen corpses on the streets and survivors desperate for food. He says, the local health system is, "In a state of collapse."

Controversial strikes on hospitals in Gaza have happened often in the first few months of the Israel Hamas conflict. Here's CNN's Katie Polglase with an in depth look at those attacks.

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KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCHER (voice-over): Inside an ambulance at Al-Awda Hospital in Northern Gaza on November 9th. Nearby at the Indonesian Hospital the same night, sheer panic. The first two months of war decimated Gaza's health care system as Israel launched an air then land offensive on the north of the Strip.

Out of 22 hospitals in Northern Gaza, CNN has identified 20 that have been damaged or destroyed between October 7th and December 7th. Imagery analyzed by CNN shows over half have been directly attacked. Several, including the two largest in Gaza, Al-Shifa and Al-Quds, were directly attacked by the Israel Defense Forces, this evidence suggests.

At Al-Ahli Hospital, CNN previously found evidence a misfired rocket from Gaza was likely responsible for a deadly blast, but this appears to be the exception.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's called the Qatari Hospital.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Israel and U.S. intelligence say Hamas used many of these hospitals as command-and-control centers, a claim Hamas denies. While protected under International Humanitarian law, a hospital's protection during war is not absolute.

CRAIG JONES, SENIOR LECTURER NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY: There are instances where those protections can be lost, and that is for such time as they are being used for military activities to, sort of, further the activities of an enemy. That does not give carte blanche to militaries to launch an attack however they want.

POLGLASE (voice-over): This is Al-Quds, Gaza's second largest hospital. We modeled out how weeks of Israeli attacks around it caused severe damage and civilian harm.

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Behind the hospital on October 29th, an explosion has just hit. The director of Al-Quds spoke to CNN that day, saying there was bombing all around us. On November 7th, the IDF published a video of them conducting a strike, just 100 meters from the hospital entrance, here. They claim they were targeting a Hamas weapons depot. The strike appears to have taken place on November 5th. This video from the ground shows people being stretchered away from the scene and into the hospital. But inside already looked like this after days of strikes nearby. The IDF say, they repeatedly told people to evacuate. Medical staff inside at the time said this was just not possible.

MSF ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, AL-QUDS HOSPITAL: And actually, we have thousands of civilian people in the hospital. How? How to convince them to go outside? Where? Where to go?

POLGLASE (voice-over): The IDF legal advisor told CNN they did not attack Al-Quds Hospital, except in mid-November, when apparently returning fire from Hamas militants. Releasing this footage as evidence, 21 people were killed. The IDF said they were terrorists, but acknowledged civilians were still inside.

Over at Al-Shifa Hospital, displaced civilians were sheltering in the courtyard where aerial attacks were intensifying. An IDF legal advisor again told CNN they did not attack Al-Shifa. But weapons experts told CNN this is a remnant of an Israeli illumination shell.

A couple hours later, and the maternity ward is hit. Here, part of an Israeli tank missile is found. Within a week, Israeli forces enter the hospital.

DR. AHMED EL MOKHALLALATI, SENIOR PLASTIC SURGEON, AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL: We can see them checking and searching the east part of the hospital.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Al Shifa was one of the hospitals the IDF and the U.S. say Hamas were operating in. But when troops arrived, they appeared to have found very little evidence of this, publishing these videos of a network of tunnels. What the IDF videos don't show is what they would have found just meters away. Multiple graves dug by civilians who were forced to bury their loved ones within the hospital grounds amid the continued siege. The cameraman asks, who is in the grave?

My mum, she replies.

POLGLASE: Can I just put to you a conversation I had with a legal advisor to the IDF? They said to me, at the end of the day, as long as Hamas continues to use these hospitals and facilities for the military operations, and our aim is to defeat Hamas militarily, there is absolutely no choice but to go there.

JONES: Much of the death and destruction and damage, including to hospitals, healthcare facilities, is known in advance. It's part of the calculation, and that is absolutely a choice. And to frame it not as a choice is to frame that death and destruction is just an inevitability.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Those first two months of war are now among the most deadly and destructive of any conflict in recent history. The question remains as to whether any military objective can justify this.

Katie Polglase, CNN, London.

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BRUNHUBER: Now, CNN sent a full list of the hospitals to be identified as damaged or destroyed to the Israeli military. In response, the IDF said they, "Did not conduct any targeted attacks against hospitals in the Gaza Strip. They also said that, "Any strike which is expected to incidentally damage hospitals is approved by the highest echelons of command."

All right. Coming up, as people clear their homes of Christmas trees, one organization is proving that one family's trash is a playground for fish. We'll explain coming up. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Millions of Americans are under wind chill advisories in the Midwest, including in Kansas City, where the defending Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs, faced off against the Miami Dolphins last night. And out there braving the cold, Taylor Swift bundled up in a Travis Kelce 87 jacket.

The temperature kickoff was negative four degrees Fahrenheit, making it the fourth coldest game in NFL history, according to the "Peacock" broadcast. Reminding everyone in the stands that the game was more than just for fair weather fans. This is the Chief -- Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 26 to 7.

With the Yuletide season over, countless Christmas trees are heading to the sidewalks for trash collection. But one Swedish organization is giving discarded trees a new environmental -- environmentally friendly purposes. CNN's Paula Newton tells us.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The lights are gone, the decorations put away. But there is one organization in Sweden trying to stretch that Christmas spirit. Into the new year. Since 2016, the Swedish Anglers Association has been collecting recycled Christmas trees and tossing them into the bays and waterways around Stockholm. It may look like a cold and icy grave but it's actually a new beginning for the trees.

MALIN KJELLIN, SPORTFISKARNA: So, we tie them together, three or four together, and then we tie them to a weight. In this case, rocks in a bag. Everything's biodegradable. And then we throw them out into the water and they will sink down to the bottom.

NEWTON (voice-over): There, the trees will settle into their new role, providing habitats for marine wildlife. Environmentalists say, there is a lot of boat traffic in these waters and not enough vegetation for the fish to thrive. But the trees come each year like Christmas to help make up for the loss.

KJELLIN: If you look at it, there are plenty of places to hide in here. There are all these branches and there are the pine needles as well.

NEWTON (voice-over): Since the start of the initiative, more than a thousand trees have been deposited in the waters. Scientists hope that makes for a lot of happy fish and humans like it too, an ecofriendly way of recycling a special part of the holiday season.

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CAMILLA HALLSTROM, STOCKHOLM RESIDENT: In Sweden, you give the Christmas tree like a personality. You take it in and you choose it very carefully and then you live with it.

NEWTON (voice-over): It's a gift that keeps on giving for inhabitants above the surface and below.

Paula Newton, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: And before we go, soap opera fans in the U.S. are mourning the loss of a very familiar and beloved actor. Bill Hayes, the mainstay on NBC's "Days of Our Lives", more than 50 years, he died on Friday at the age of 98. Hayes created the role of Doug Williams on the daytime soap opera way back in 1970. His character was best known for being the father of Hope Williams, one half of the show's legendary super couple Bo and Hope. It was on the show that he met his future wife Susan and their characters even married on the show. They won Lifetime Emmy Achievement Awards. Hayes last appearance on air was just last month.

All right. That wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom". I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. But before we go, I want to leave you with these live pictures that we brought you earlier from a volcano erupting near the town of Grindavik, 43 miles or 70 kilometers southwest of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik.

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