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Historic Cold Forecast For Iowa On Monday; Trump Leads In New Iowa Poll, Haley Surpasses DeSantis; Conflict Crossing Its 100-Day Mark With No End In Sight; Taiwan's Ruling Party Wins Historic Third Presidential Term; Denmark's Crown Princess To Become First Australian-Born Queen. Aired 5-6a ET
Aired January 14, 2024 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Hello and 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" --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Monday we have caucuses, but it's going to be frigid cold out. And if my little beer can, can make it out of my driveway again, we'll be voting for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: A bitter cold across Iowa isn't stopping Republican candidates and their supporters from getting out ahead of this Monday's caucus, will take you to Des Moines for the latest. Plus.
Today marks 100 days since Hamas launched its deadly raid into Israel, killing and kidnapping hundreds of people. We'll look at how the families of those still being held hostage are marking the day.
And we're live in Taiwan to see how voters there shrugged off warnings from China and reelected the ruling party for a third consecutive presidential term.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: The very first nominating contest of the 2024 U.S. presidential election is tomorrow. Iowa's Republican caucuses and a new poll finds that Donald Trump is still the man to beat when it's unlikely his competitors in the Midwestern state will do so.
The Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll shows Trump support at a whopping 48%. Nikki Haley is a distant second with 20% and Ron DeSantis is in third at 16%. But the state has been hit with dangerous winter weather.
Iowa's Capitol, Des Moines experienced snowiest week since 1942. Contenders have already been forced to cancel multiple events this weekend, and their fierce turnout Monday could be affected. The caucuses set to be the coldest in Iowa history, with the day's high forecast set to reach a mind-numbing minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit or negative 16 Celsius, and wind chills will even go lower.
On Saturday, the candidates battled the cold to make their closing arguments to prospective caucus goers.
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NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now Monday it's going to be cold, really cold. But what I'm asking you is, if you will take the time to not just go to the polls, take people with you. Wear layers, because you might be standing on a line. Take your ID. But think of the fact that you might be making history at this moment.
GOV. RON DESANTIS, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm a Florida boy. Born and bred, and yet here I am in negative temperatures. I am not going to be cancelled. If people are willing to come out and hear from me, I'm going to show up all the way until the end of this caucus. You're going to see me everywhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The frigid forecast has the Trump campaign downplaying expectations, but Trump himself is arguing that severe weather could be an advantage. Here he is.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have the worst weather, I guess, in recorded history, but maybe that's good because our people are more committed than anybody else, so maybe it's actually a good thing for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: CNN Correspondent Kristen Holmes is there in Iowa with the latest on the brutally cold day of campaigning.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former president Donald Trump and his team sending two messages. One is get out in caucus no matter how cold, and it's cold. And the other is really tempering expectations. They have seen the polls that show that Donald Trump is up by a 30- point margin.
And talking to senior advisors, they don't believe the margins are that big. So they want to set the expectation. Now, they continue to say that anything over 12 points would still be a historic win. And you have to remember that they're not looking to just win. They are looking to set momentum going into New Hampshire and really offset any momentum of his GOP rivals, particularly Nikki Haley. And it was clear that Haley was still on the mind of Donald Trump during a teller rally event. Take a listen to what he said. TRUMP: I know, Nikki, very well. She was my ambassador to the United
Nations. And she had a lot of weakness, to be honest. She had a lot of weakness.
HOLMES: And as we have reported, Donald Trump's team is worried about Haley in New Hampshire. They have seen her rise there. They are spending $4.5 million between the campaign and the Super PAC advertising against Haley already on immigration.
Again, the big point here is to try to get a win that is large enough to set the momentum and offset anything that she has going into New Hampshire. The other complication here, they worry that those big poll numbers will keep people from turning out who might just say, oh, Donald Trump, he already has enough support anyway. So they are trying to stress, no matter what you are seeing, get out there and caucus on Monday.
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BRUNHUBER: All right, I want to bring in Thomas Gift, who's the Director of the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London. And he joins us now from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
[05:05:04]
Thanks so much for being here with us again. So, as we heard there, Donald Trump, according to this gold standard poll, on track for the largest margin of victory in a contested Republican Iowa caucus in modern history. I mean, what does that say about the state of the race?
THOMAS GIFT, DIRECTOR, CENTER ON U.S. POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Well, thanks so much for having me, Kim. It's great to be with you, as always.
I think Trump has the nomination locked up. That's what it says about the race, irrespective even of how Iowa turns out. But part of me does think it's important for Trump to win at least 50% of the vote here, saying that he has more than half of the Republican electorate has always been Trump's rationale for not showing up to the debates and for suggesting that all of the other candidates should call it quits.
At the same time, I think Trump is going to frame Iowa as a thrashing, regardless whether it's 10 points, 15 points, 20 points. And if voting does turn out close, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes accusations of fraud or vote rigging.
You know, the media is certainly desperate for a horse race, and I understand why that's the case. But I really think that Donald Trump has this nomination. It's going to look more like a coronation than a primary.
BRUNHUBER: All right, so anything else to take away from the poll numbers? I mean, it seemed, you know, looking at the favorable ratings, for instance, that Haley's support might be soft, and equally, that DeSantis might have a turnout advantage. Because when you look at the numbers, the polls seem to suggest that a greater proportion of his supporters, when asked, said that they would definitely attend the caucuses. I mean, might that lead to a second place, third place surprise there between Haley and DeSantis?
GIFT: Right. It's really difficult to know, I think at this point. In many respects, though, I think there's more riding on it for DeSantis. He's really staked his campaign on Iowa, and it's hard to imagine him recovering if he doesn't have a strong second place finish. Maybe he can outperform in Iowa. But to me, DeSantis' campaign looks like it's engaged more in brand management and limiting political fallout than real competition, you know.
DeSantis is staring at the same polls as anyone else. He's at about 16% statewide in Iowa. Haley, according to that recent Des Moines Register poll, had about 20%. I still think the big question is why DeSantis has failed to resonate. His candidacy was premised on this idea that there was considerable constituency that wanted a Trump like candidate, but without the drama. And so far, I think a lot of that momentum has tipped more toward Haley. But we'll see, maybe he does exceed expectations.
BRUNHUBER: All right, we will see. But whoever is left, I mean, surely they'll have to sharpen their arguments against Trump rather than sort of the velvet punches that they've been throwing at him so far. But do you think that's likely to happen as -- as this race progresses, or at least in New Hampshire, maybe?
GIFT: Well, in New Hampshire, certainly. And I think Nikki Haley is best positioned to be able to do that. If she could stay close to Trump there, that could really jolt the race. Haley does have a massive ground game in New Hampshire. She has the backing of popular Republican Governor Chris Sununu.
Her biggest asset, though, is independents who can vote in the New Hampshire primaries, unlike in many other states. But the problem for Haley is that she doesn't want to court those independent voters too much because she doesn't want to be seen exclusively as the establishment candidate or the candidate of the elites or upscale suburban moderates.
As we've seen to this point, she has really soft pedal when it comes to attacking Donald Trump. So whether she can kind of pivot full on or just sort of takes these mild jabs, that will also be a strategic choice that her campaign will have to make.
BRUNHUBER: All right, so finally, looking to the longer, you know, if there is a worry for Republicans, I mean, some fear that Donald Trump might struggle in the general, not because of his politics, but because of money. The Democratic National Committee is flush with cash, while Trump has had to spend, you know, so much money on legal fees and so on. But is it too early for this type of hand wringing, do you think?
GIFT: I think probably it is, Kim, and money follows winners. And I think as soon as Donald Trump has this nomination locked up, as I expected, he will be, he's going to be flush with donors, even some that said that they were never Trump. I think that it just always has a way of working out this way.
You know, Biden's poll numbers, obviously are really a concern. It may be the case that, you know, approval numbers in the low 40s, though, are just new normal in this hyperpolarized electorate. So I think it's still quite early, eleven months out from the election to make too many strong projections, really. We're looking at a horse race between a Biden and Trump nomination.
And I really think that a third-party candidate could make a difference, that it could be an X factor that's not being talked about enough. One in five voters say that they would be open, at least open to voting for RFK Jr. Certainly he doesn't have a chance of actually winning but just to, you know, 10,000 votes in one state, 10,000 votes in another state, I think it could really be a game-changer.
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BRUNHUBER: Yeah, certainly. No one's dismissing that possibility when things are so, you know, such a razor-thin margin between the candidates, as we've seen in the last election.
We'll have to leave it there. Thomas Gift with the University College London. Thanks so much for being here with us.
GIFT: Thanks so much, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: U.S. congressional leaders have reportedly reached an agreement on a short-term funding bill that will keep the government running into March. The new continuing resolution comes just days ahead of the first funding deadline of January 19th.
Now, a source tells CNN that House Republicans will have a conference call Sunday night to discuss the plan which reportedly includes one and a half trillion dollars in funding for the next fiscal year and $886 billion dollars in defense spending.
All right, have a look here we're following a developing story out of Iceland where residents of one town are again being told to leave their homes amid the threat of volcanic eruptions. 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. Officials first evacuated Grindavik back in November, you'll remember and that followed weeks of seismic activity which culminated in a dramatic eruption that expelled bursts of lavas and huge plumes of smoke into the sky.
All right, later in the hour while many in Taiwan are celebrating the results of a historic election, China isn't happy at all. We'll have more on why, just ahead.
Plus, with the militants in Yemen say the latest wave of U.S. strikes won't go unpunished. You'll hear what they're threatening to do. Also had 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.
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BRUNHUBER: Today marks 100 days since Hamas launched its deadly rampage in Israel, killing about 1200 people.
You're looking right now at live pictures of a massive rally that's going on right now in Tel Aviv, calling for the release of more than 100 hostages believed to be still held by Hamas.
Israel is keeping up its military offensive in Gaza, saying it hit two sites used to fire rockets into Israel. While Prime Minister Netanyahu slammed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, calling it a hypocritical onslaught, which he said was done on behalf of people who want to commit another holocaust.
More than three months after the October 7th attack on Israel, which triggered the war, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, whilst dozens of hostages captured during the attack remain held in Gaza by Hamas. And more than 1.4 million people are staying in overcrowded and unsanitary U.N. shelters. That's according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini.
And protesters in the United States are showing support for Palestinians. Thousands participated in a march for Gaza Saturday, and a large group ended up in front of the White House, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. They hope to send a message straight to President Biden, demanding he withdraw support for Israel.
So as the White House takes political heat over the war in Gaza, Houthi militants in Yemen are threatening a military response. U.S. officials say the Destroyer USS Carney hit a Houthi radar facility with cruise missiles Saturday morning. The Houthis now claim there was no injuries or material damage, but they say there will be a firm, strong and effective response.
The attack came on the heels of a much bigger strike on Thursday, when the U.S. and Britain hit close to 30 sites in Yemen. The U.N. envoy in that country is calling for de-escalation and restraint. The strikes came in response to repeated Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Elliott Gotkine is standing by in London. And Elliott, 100 days into the war. It threatens to spill beyond Gaza as the conflict between U.S. and the Houthis escalated this week. You've been monitoring this. What's the latest? ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (Technical difficulties) from
October the -- and if this was going to escalate on the Gaza theater, it was mostly likely to happen on the northern border between Israel and Lebanon, where Iran's proxy, Hizballah, has been firing rockets and drones and the like towards Israeli positions and communities almost every single day.
And I suppose things are refocusing and the concern about escalation is more focused on Yemen and the Houthi rebels who have been (technical difficulties) shipped and from travelling freely through the Red Sea and up through the Suez Canal. And as a result of that, many of those ships, most of them probably, are now travelling the long way around the southern Horn of Africa.
Now, this is a particularly important waterway. It accounts -- by some accounts, it accounts for about 30% of all container traffic and shipping is responsible for about 90% of global trade. So the big concern is the disruption this was potentially going to have on the global economy. And as a result of that, we saw those strikes led by the United States and the U.K. and other allies on Thursday and then also over the weekend and President Biden saying that I will not hesitate to direct further measures.
As you say, the U.N.'s envoy to Yemen has called for maximum restraint. I suppose there are two concerns. One is that this could create another front effectively, that the war will burst into the open between the United States, its allies and the Houthis in Yemen. And the other is that the very fragile ceasefire that is in place in Yemen's own civil war could unwind and that we could see that country descending back into civil war as well, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's certainly the fear. And now, 100 days into the war, we saw those demonstrations going on right now in Israel. Take us through how the families of the hostages are marking this somber occasion.
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GOTKINE: So actually, here in London, there's a bike ride culminating in a rally in Trafalgar Square in the center of the city later today. But of course, the focus very much on Israel and in Tel Aviv, in that square, that's been renamed Hostages Square, they are calling this rally hundred days of hell because of the conditions that the more than 100 hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas as part of its murderous rampage of October the 7th are still being kept.
And they've had messages of support from French President Emmanuel Macron, from the U.S. Ambassador, from Senator Chuck Schumer, among others. They've heard from hostages. They've heard from the loved ones of those who are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
And the main message, I suppose, is to keep up the pressure that the Israeli government and the international community must do everything it can to bring them back. But also the concern that they have that the objectives of destroying Hamas militarily may conflict with those, bringing those hostages home. And certainly that's what we were hearing from some of the hostages -- sorry, from some of the families of hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best answer is a political solution and not a military one. There's no price high enough. The Israeli people know it and are unified with us, and they know Israel will never be the same if we give up on our loved ones.
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GOTKINE: Now, the Israeli government's position has long been that it's the military pressure itself, it is the war against Hamas that will ultimately pressure them to do some kind of deal to free those hostages. There is no sign of that happening. And I should say that it seems that the families are getting increasingly desperate. They say that time is running out. And earlier in the week, many of them actually went down to the border with the Gaza Strip with special loudspeakers to try to call out to their loved ones directly who they assume are being held underground, to tell them that they haven't been forgotten, that they should be strong, and that they are still loved.
And this rally just underlining that they haven't been forgotten. But as I say, there is no progress that we're aware of right now for another truce and to get those hostages back home. And that's why the families of those hostages are still trying to keep up the pressure on the Israeli government to make that, the number one priority. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. So much sadness and anger there. Elliott Gotkine in London, thanks so much.
So 100 days of war, but could there be 100 more, even longer? Just days ago, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said the war will continue for months to come.
I spoke to Yaakov Katz, a Senior Jerusalem Post Columnist and a Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, and asked him for his outlook. Here he is.
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YAAKOV KATZ, SENIOR COLUMNIST, THE JERUSALEM POST: 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 hundred 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 I can only imagine, what people are going through, the families of these hostages and their loved ones, is really horrifying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones across the country on Saturday. It's the fourth such major attack by Moscow since December 29. No injuries were reported. Ukraine's air force says it destroyed eight missiles, but Russia claims it achieved its goal by hitting military industrial facilities.
Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday that the country still lacks comprehensive air defenses. Zelenskyy says he discussed Ukraine's defensive needs while meeting with the new French Foreign Minister on Saturday. He also talked about joint production of weapons and strengthening air defenses. It was Stephane Sejourne's first trip to Kyiv since he was appointed. He promised that France will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes and will also push other European countries for more support.
All right, we'll have much more on the upcoming Iowa Republican caucuses. After a short break, we'll tell you what a new poll says about the strength of Donald Trump's support among the state's GOP voters.
Plus, Iowa is one of several states dealing with a blast of arctic air that's impacting millions of Americans. Elisa?
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Windchill warnings spilling into the northern and central plains as arctic air could get those windchills down to 45 degrees below zero. All of this happening right in time for the Iowa caucus, making it one of the coldest on record. We'll take the latest look at temperatures and wind chill. That's coming up next.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom." More than 80 million Americans are under windchill alerts through the weekend and beyond as a brutal arctic blast is making its way through the central U.S. And in some places, frostbite could occur in less than 10 minutes. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa breaks it down for us.
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RAFFA: The blizzard exits and the Arctic air is diving south. Windchill warnings in effect for the Northern and Central Plains for windchills 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 windchills 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 windchills 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 windchills, again, 30 degrees below zero.
[05:30:02]
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% of the lower 48 with temperatures below freezing. By the time we get to Tuesday, almost 20% 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.
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BRUNHUBER: Airlines are still digging the missiles out from an intense few days of storms across the United States and more chaos is likely on the way. According to the tracking site, FlightAware, there are more than 700 flights canceled within into or out of the U.S. for today. More than 1,300 flights were canceled Saturday and more than 6,600 were delayed. On Friday, nearly 2,300 were canceled across the country. It had already been a disastrous week for air travel in the U.S.
More than 200 United and Alaska Airlines flights were canceled each day after federal officials grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the order after a piece of the fuselage blew off an Alaska Airlines jet on January 5th with 177 people on board.
A new poll released ahead of Iowa's Republican caucuses on Monday finds that Donald Trump is maintaining his iron grip on the state's GOP. The Des Moines Register and NBC News/ Mediacom polled likely Republican caucus goers in Iowa and found that Trump's support stands at 48%. Nikki Haley is second with 20% and Ron DeSantis is third at 16%. CNN's Chief U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny is there
in Iowa and he filed this report just after the poll results were released yesterday.
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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% in the poll, followed by DeSantis at 16. The rest of the field is far below. Vivek Ramaswamy, 8%. 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% 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.
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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% of the total vote. China had warned Taiwan that a Democratic Progressive win could increase the risk of conflict. The voters shrugged off those warnings by making Lai Ching-te their new president.
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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, as I say, Taiwanese Voters ignoring those Chinese warnings, take us through the result and the reaction?
[05:35:05]
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you know, Kim, China threw everything but the kitchen sink at Taiwan in the run up to this election, talking about disinformation, misinformation, deepfake videos, doctored audio, spy balloons, unveiling images of the new aircraft carrier.
Of course, we know all the ships and fighter jets in the Taiwan Strait have been going on intensely for a few years now. And yet Taiwanese voters chose the party, the precise party that Beijing did not want to win.
In fact, Beijing even warned it was a choice between war and peace, prosperity and decline. But the majority of those who turned out for this Taiwanese presidential election said they want to stand firm with the Taiwanese identity and not be reabsorbed by communist rulers in Beijing who have never controlled them.
(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% of the vote, turnout more than 70%. About 20 million Taiwanese, more than 80% 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.
(On camera): 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 (through translator): 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 VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: Of course the big unknown, what will China do? When will they do it? An intelligence briefing that CNN attended here in Taipei gave us the impression nothing's going to happen right away, not in the coming days, at least -- at least not in terms of action.
Certainly we've gotten lots of statements from China. They just put out from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a statement blasting the United States for its response to this election saying that as they always say, you know, that Taiwan's elections are China's internal affairs and external forces should not be interfering with that.
But in terms of hardware and, you know, an aircraft carrier, you know, sailing nearby, fighter jets and stuff, unlikely to happen until potentially intelligence in Taiwan's believes closer to the inauguration, which is on May 20th, because the weather will be better than on the Taiwan Strait. And then they might try to do something like those post Nancy Pelosi visit military drills that basically for three days simulated a blockade of Taiwan, which would be one of the initial precursors to a potential full-scale invasion down the road.
So with that all happening, the American Institute in Taiwan, Kim, says that there are U.S. officials, the former National Security Adviser, former Deputy Secretary of State, who are here. They'll be meeting with Taiwanese lawmakers to congratulate them on the election.
Of course there's all happening, the U.S. officials, and an unofficial capacity. They're the former -- former officials, the U.S. wanting to make clear that they're still trying to respect this very delicate U.S.-China Taiwan balance.
[05:40:06]
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's right. All right, Will Ripley in Taipei, thanks so much.
All right. Up next, a historic day for the kingdom of Denmark, where the world's only remaining female sovereign will soon pass the crown and usher in a new era. One of the world's oldest monarchies. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: All right, we're following the 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. So what you're seeing there are live images coming to us from a volcano erupting near the town of Grindavik, 43 miles, or 70 km 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. 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.
A momentous day in Copenhagen, where in just a few hours, the beloved Queen Margrethe, Denmark's longest serving monarch, will sign the declaration of her abdication and pass the crown to her oldest son, Prince Frederik. The queen's decision to abdicate the throne came as a shock, leaving many heartbroken and hopeful for her successor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJBRITT THOMSEN, MEDICAL SECRETARY: When the Queen said she was abdicating, I just cried a little bit. It was -- yeah, it was a little bit sad. So I'm probably going to do that tomorrow as well, because I'm a little bit sentimental.
TINE RASMUSSEN, MEDICAL SECRETARY: He's very into people, or at least it feels like he's into people, and I think he's doing great. People really like him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: And Denmark's soon to be Queen, the Australian born crown Princess Mary, will also be making history today in her own right. CNN's Max Foster brings us the details of Prince Frederik and Princess Mary's modern-day fairytale and what Aussies back home think of one of their own becoming queen when her husband ascends to the throne.
[05:45:08]
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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: The shock abdication of Europe's longer-serving monarch, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, means the crown will pass to her son, Prince Frederik, and his Australian-born wife. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was once Mary Donaldson of Hobart, Tasmania, a world away from the royals of old Europe, until the world converged on Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games, including Crown Prince Frederik.
JUSTIN TYNAN, FORMER MANAGER, SLIP INN: My daughter and I were watching the news the other night and she was asking about it and I said, well, I actually worked at the pub where they met. She said daddy, do you think I could meet a Prince in a pub?
FOSTER: Back then, Justin Tynan was the manager of the Slip Inn, a Sydney watering hole popular with tourists. Mary said, she didn't know she was in royal company when she started chatting to a handsome man at the bar.
TYNAN: I do recollect her, I mean, she's quite a striking woman. But, you know, the focus, I suppose, was on Frederik because, you know, he was the one paying for the drinks.
FOSTER: Mary, on a night out with friends, quite literally met her prince charming. The Slip Inn has kept a Danish flavor. Just as Princess Mary has worked hard to integrate herself into Copenhagen's Upper Crust.
It didn't take long for the senior royal to become fluent in Danish.
PRINCESS MARY, DENMARK (through translator): I'm fluent in the customs of one of the oldest monarchies in the world.
FOSTER: As the outgoing queen told me in a 2011 interview.
QUEEN MARGRETHE II, DENMARK: I feel very confident in her and I think we've got a very good relationship indeed.
FOSTER: In 2004, Mary and Frederik married in a grand ceremony in Copenhagen Cathedral. The Slip Inn screened it live and sold a lot of Karlsberg beer that day. Many Australians remain infatuated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very proud, I'm very excited, I think it's wonderful. Yeah, I think she'll make a great queen, don't you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
FOSTER: But Mary is more than a mascot for Denmark or for Australia. In 2007, the Mary Foundation was formed to help fight bullying, domestic violence, and loneliness. Princess Mary is also campaigning for LGBT rights and equality.
PRINCESS MARY: I've gained a better understanding of the reality of what too many people are forced to endure because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
FOSTER: Australians will celebrate when Mary becomes Queen of Denmark on January the 14th. Two countries linked by a chance encounter at a Sydney pub and a Royal Romance. Max Foster, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right, still head here on "CNN Newsroom," severe weather forcing one NFL playoff game to be rescheduled. CNN Sports Coy Wire joins me live next to look at which teams will come face-to-face on Monday. Stay with us.
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[05:52:12]
BRUNHUBER: The NFL playoffs began Saturday with one of the coldest games ever played as the Miami Dolphins went into Kansas City to play the Chiefs. Coy Wire joins me now. And Coy, you know, maybe not too much of a surprise that the team from Florida maybe not at their best there.
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: It was about a 70-degree temperature difference from where they came down near South Beach, Kim. And I grew up in Central Pennsylvania, played Six Season with the Buffalo Bills. To be clear, nobody likes playing football in this kind of weather. Fourth coldest game in the NFL's playoff history. Feels like temps of minus 28 Celsius. And kickoff, Taylor Swift's sweet windows were frozen over.
And how about Chiefs Coach Andy Reid, he had icicles hanging off of his mustache. But Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs started off red hot. Rashee Rice scoring on the opening drive. He had nearly half of Mahomes' 262 yards passing on the night.
It was so cold that it may have caused Mahomes helmet to crack, Kim. A huge chunk chipped off when he hit the helmet of the defender. KC would go on to shut down Dolphins High powered offense to win 26 to 7. And afterwards Mahomes talked about that chipped helmet and how even the backup helmet was frozen when he tried to put it on.
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PATRICK MAHOMES: I didn't know what happened in the moment, but I got in the huddle and everybody was telling me and I was like, I got you all. But I'm not coming out the game. So they have a backup that's out there. We got to talk about where we store the backup because it was like frozen. So when I tried to put it -- when I tried to put it on, it was completely frozen. I couldn't get it on. I don't know if anyone got a picture of it. It didn't look great, but we were able to adjust it on the sideline, get it kind of warmed up a little bit, then get rolling from there.
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WIRE: All right, the Houston Texans demolished the Cleveland Browns in their wild card matchup with CJ Stroud all but cementing offensive rookie of the year honor. Stroud had three touchdown passes in the first half, matching the rookie record for most in an entire playoff game. And Houston's defense dominated back-to-back interceptions for touchdowns in the third quarter against Joe Flacco. The Texans win 45- 14. Stroud and Head Coach DeMeco Ryans becoming just the third rookie QB Head Coach combo since 1950 to win their first playoff game.
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DEMECO RYANS, HOUSTON TEXANS HEAD COACH: What this team has done, I mean, for CJ to go to have the game that he had, unbelievable performance by a rookie. We talk about opportunity now. The biggest thing is what do you do with it, right? And it was all about just going out and just finishing, continuing to execute, continuing to finish. And that's what we did.
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WIRE: Two more games, Sunday, both reunions, Cowboys and Coach Mike McCarthy hosting his former team, the Packers, at 4:30 Eastern. Then quarterbacks Matthew Stafford of the Rams and Jared Goff of the Lions both facing off against their former teams. Kim, that'll be the first time that Detroit Lions are playing in a home playoff game in 30 years. Energy is going to be electric.
[05:55:06]
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. And then we should say on Monday, your Bills taking on my Steelers, let the best team win.
Elsewhere, the first major of the year. We're talking tennis now. The Australian Open, all eyes on the defending champion. On the men's side anyway, Novak Djokovic as he goes for his incredible 25th grand slam.
WIRE: Yeah, Kim, it is incredible. And Djokovic's getting all he can handle right now in his first-round match, the 10-time Aussie champ just broken and trailing three games to two in the third after losing the second set tiebreak to 18-year-old Croatian Dino Prizmic, who's ranked 178. Now on the women's side, 2018 champ Caroline Wozniacki notching a win in her return to Melbourne as 20 seed Magda Linette retired down 2-0 in the second. Kim, yes Aussie is getting away underway. We have the NFL playoffs and you and I can talk about what our bet is going to be between our Bills and Steelers.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, it should be good. All right, well, we'll have to leave it there. Coy Wire, I'll talk to you next week. Thanks so much.
Now we want to end on this, a bizarre story about eBay insects and lots of money. The online retailer has been ordered to pay $3 million to a Massachusetts couple to resolve criminal charges. The U.S. Justice Department says eBay employees sent them anonymous and disturbing items, including creepy crawlies like live insects, a bloody pig mask, a funeral wreath and a book on surviving the death of a spouse.
Now, the couple had produced an online newsletter that upset eBay executives. The Justice Department charged the retailer with stalking, witness tampering and Obstruction of Justice. EBay has now entered into a legal agreement that could result in the charges being dismissed if it meets certain conditions.
All right, that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. For viewers in North America, "CNN This Morning" is next, for the rest of the world, it's "Marketplace Asia."
Before we go, just want to leave you again with those live pictures from a volcano erupting near the town of Grindavik, 43 miles southwest of Iceland Capital Reykjavik.
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