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Weather Conditions in Iowa Could Affect Voter Turnout; Thousands participate in 100 Days in Hell Rally in Tel Aviv; U.S. Military Shot Down Houthi Missile Targeting U.S. Warship in Red Sea; Taiwan Gives Warning After Taiwan Elections; North Korea Test Solid- Fuel Hypersonic Missile; Ecuador Launches Anti-Gang Operations Detains Thousands of People; Guatemala has a new Leader; Flowing Lava Forces Evacuations in Icelandic Town; Inside Look At "Polar Wolf" Colony Where Navalny Is Jailed; Dozens Of Countries Discuss Ukraine Peace Plan In Davos. Aired 2-2:45a ET
Aired January 15, 2024 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, all eyes on Iowa as the state's Republicans prepare to vote in the first key contest of the 2024 race for the White House. But could record cold temperatures hamper voter turnout?
On high alert in the Red Sea, the White House warning of likely retaliation after U.S. and U.K. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
And Beijing lashes out at Taipei after voters in Taiwan defied China to elect a new president.
Good to have you with us. Well, just in a matter of hours, Republican voters in the U.S. state of Iowa will begin making their choice for the party's next presidential nominee as the 2024 race for the White House gets underway. Iowans will have to brave some brutal weather to make their voices heard, with wind chills as low as 45 degrees below zero and continued heavy snow expected across the state.
Presidential hopefuls spent Sunday crisscrossing the state looking to drum up last minute support ahead of the first in the nation caucuses. With the latest polling showing Donald Trump well ahead of his two closest competitors, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are hoping to win over those voters unwilling to commit to Trump.
While Iowa kicks off the voting, each candidate is also looking ahead to the next contest and hoping to head into the New Hampshire primary with as much support as possible. Jeff Zeleny looks at what's at stake on Monday in Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Brave
the weather and go out and save America because that's what you're doing.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump is eyeing a knockout victory in Iowa, hoping the first contest sets him on a rocket ride to the Republican nomination.
UNKNOWN: USA! USA! USA!
TRUMP: Tomorrow, January 15th, I need each and every one of you to get out. Every -- everybody, you get out. Just get out and vote. You've got to bring your friend. You know, we say plus 10, so plus 10 or plus 2 or plus 20. But bring them all out because we have to set the stage for November.
ZELENY (voice-over): Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis in a furious scramble for second place, even as they work to sow seeds of doubt about the electability of the former president.
RON DESANTIS, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here in Iowa, you have the ability to change the trajectory of American politics.
NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENBTIAL CANDIDATE: Do something. You can be the start of the solution that we have.
ZELENY (voice-over): The closely watched Des Moines Register Iowa poll, which showed Trump with the commanding lead, found that 68 percent of likely caucus goers have made up their minds. But a quarter of voters are still deciding.
DESANTIS: You're one of those here today. I hope after this that you commit to us and come out tomorrow and help us.
ZELENY (voice-over): The stakes are remarkably high for the Florida governor who's placed his hopes on a strong Iowa finish. He's counting on a robust organization to ward off a late shift towards Haley. As the former South Carolina governor took the stage at weekend rallies, Drew Klein navigated the snow-covered streets of the Des Moines suburbs, going door to door in search of Haley supporters.
DREW KLEIN, NIKKI HALEY SUPPORTER: Certainly, encourage you to get out there. Obviously, we're stomping for Haley.
ZELENY (voice-over): Some Republicans said they intended to brave the elements. Others did not.
KLEIN: Do you plan on caucusing on Monday?
UNKNOWN: No.
KLEIN: Not gonna get out?
UNKNOWN: It's too cold, buddy.
ZELENY (voice-over): What do you think the weather is gonna do for turnout on caucus?
KLEIN: There are folks that are gonna decide to stay home, for sure. We're trying to overcome that as much as possible by, you know, just kind of laying out to them the gravity of their votes and their participation, what that means. When you're deciding between the couch at 70 degrees or negative five degrees outside of your front door, it's tough to get people to go.
ZELENY (voice-over): Tonight, the frigid weather remains the biggest wild card in a race that has been remarkably stable in its dominance by Trump. From summer --
(VIDEO PLAYING)
-- to winter, with one of his biggest worries now being complacency among supporters.
TRUMP: We got to be sure that we put this thing away.
ZELENY (voice-over): The Iowa caucus has come at a critical moment for the Republican Party, as voters rendered the first judgments on whether to choose Trump for a rematch with President Joe Biden or move in a new direction.
[02:05:01]
Ann Waggoner said she intends to skip her weekly Bible study to attend her caucus. She knows Trump holds a commanding lead, but she'll support Haley to keep the Republican primary going beyond Iowa.
UNKNOWN: She needs to know that people are behind her, and the world needs to know that we're serious.
ZELENY (on camera): In the final hours of campaigning before the Iowa caucuses, the weather certainly is a chief concern for all of the campaigns and the candidates. It is simply out of their hands with the exception of what they're trying to do to keep their supporters warm and get them to those caucus sites all across Iowa.
As Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis battle for second place, perhaps a bigger question is, can either of them be a roadblock for Trump's march to the nomination? Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Des Moines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Ron Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst and senior editor at "The Atlantic." He joins me now from Iowa. Always great to have you with us.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi Rosemary. Good to be indoors.
CHURCH: Absolutely. Good time to be indoors. So Iowa, of course, the first major test of the presidential race is proving to be a fierce battle for second place between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis while Donald Trump enjoys a commanding lead. So, who will likely win that coveted second spot and how might the weather play into this given this will be apparently the coldest Iowa caucus on record?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, it's my ninth Iowa caucus. It's certainly the coldest one that I can remember. You know, the late polling shows Nikki Haley doing a version here of what she's doing elsewhere, which is that she is consolidating the parts of the party that are the most alienated from the Trump stamp on what the GOP has become and that's allowed her to move past Ron DeSantis in the final polls, even though DeSantis has put a much greater effort here.
He's really staked his whole campaign on Iowa. We'll see if she can maintain that lead in practice tomorrow night because two reasons. One, DeSantis does have a stronger organization. And second, Haley is relying on the parts of the Republican coalition that feels the least attached to the modern Republican party and whether they will feel sufficiently motivated to come out on a night when it's going to be below zero, black ice and, you know, horrific windchills remains to be seen.
The larger point, of course, is they both have a long way to go to make Donald Trump sweat and it's not just the temperature that why I say that.
CHURCH: Yeah, indeed. So, you know, as we just saw, the most recent polls are showing Nikki Haley moving into that second place in Iowa, although DeSantis is vowing to prove those polls wrong. And we've seen that happen before. But if Haley does win that second spot, should DeSantis and the others bail out of this presidential race with Haley looking like she could very well win the next big test in New Hampshire, or if not win, at least be not far behind Trump?
BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, you know, I guess I feel it doesn't really matter a huge amount whether DeSantis finishes a point or two ahead of Haley or she finishes three or four points ahead of him. Either way, it is kind of a dead end for the Florida governor. As I said, he had staked essentially his whole campaign here. He's followed the playbook that the last three Iowa winners used. Mike Huckabee in '08, Rick Santorum in '12, Ted Cruz in '16. He's borrowed (ph) in, he's visited all 99 counties. He's invested heavily in an organization.
He steered his message to the right. He's attracted tremendous support from the state political leadership from the governor to the Republican leaders in the House of state House and Senate, to most of the key evangelical leaders in the state. It's kind of reverse New York, New York. If he can't make it here, can he make it anywhere? He is, you know, polling very poorly in New Hampshire.
I think if he does not surprise with an unexpectedly close finish to Trump that gives him some momentum, his race, I think, is effectively over, whether he wants to acknowledge it right away or not.
CHURCH: Interesting. And of course, if Nikki Haley goes on to win the upcoming primary in New Hampshire, or at least comes really close behind Trump, how might Trump respond to such an outcome? And how could a Haley win change the trajectory of this presidential race, do you think, going forward? BROWNSTEIN: Yeah, we're already seeing just tremendously asymmetrical
warfare where Trump is both sharply criticizing DeSantis and Haley and spending a lot of money on television, on ads initially on DeSantis, now more and more on Haley attacking them. I believe that the figure is now up to $32 million in spending by the Trump super PAC against Haley and DeSantis.
Meanwhile, the combined amount that Haley and DeSantis have spent against each other is $38 million, but they've only spent $1 million between them against Trump, you know. And Haley, when she differentiates herself from Trump, tries so hard to avoid any kind of value judgment, you know.
[02:10:04]
It's time we need a new generation of leadership. I can win a bigger victory and elect more Republicans, you know, on my coattails. Chaos follows him, rightly or wrongly. I mean, I think those three words will kind of be the epitaph of her campaign, if she doesn't win.
She hasn't really been willing to make a clearly articulated case against Trump, even as he turns up the criticism of her. I do think that she is on track to be seen as the one viable alternative to Trump after Iowa and New Hampshire. But if she doesn't develop a stronger rationale for Republican voters, to leave the former president, those voters who may be generally favorable to him but are open to an alternative, she's going to run out of a room not long after Ron DeSantis.
I mean, you know, a decent showing here and a strong showing in New Hampshire sets her up to have a shot in her home state of South Carolina, but she's going to have to broaden her coalition to put, you know, put Trump at real risk there.
CHURCH: Yeah, indeed. Not long now, we'll know the outcome of the Iowa caucuses. We'll see what happens there. Ron Brownstein, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: Israel has now marked a grim milestone, 100 days since the war with Hamas began. Crowds gathered in Tel Aviv Sunday for what's been called the "100 Days of Hell Rally," held in what's now known as Hostages Plaza. The 24-hour rally drew big numbers with organizers claiming as many as 120,000 people were present at one point. And those in attendance observed 100 seconds of silence in honor of the more than 100 Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZIV BRASLAVSKI, BROTHER HELD-HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: This is my big brother. He's kidnapped by Hamas. We hope we come back. We wish he came back every day, every night, every time, every hour, every minute that passed is harder.
MEIRAV LESHEM GONEN, MOTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: I'm not waiting. We're not waiting because waiting means we need to trust somebody now again and we lost the trust on the 7th of October. So, we are not waiting. We are pushing our leaders to do what is right this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meantime, the IDF says its still uncovering launch sites used by Hamas forces to fire rockets at Israel. The military's chief of staff claims Israel has successfully dismantled all Hamas military sites in northern Gaza. He says the continued pressure on Hamas will lead to their dismantling and the return of the remaining hostages.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society says it has now resumed ambulance and emergency services in Gaza after a nearly two-month pause. The organization says it was forced to halt its operations after its ambulance centre and the Al-Quds hospital were under, quote, "siege" by Israeli forces. The PRCS now says it has enhanced its ambulance services in northern Gaza.
Meantime, the weather in Gaza is becoming increasingly hard for displaced residents to bear. Winter storms have passed through the region and temperatures have dropped close to zero. One father tells CNN there is no way to block out the elements.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN (through translation): As you can see the ice is on us, the rain keeps falling on us. We are not living, sir, and I have two sick people with me. I swear we are not living.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The U.S. military says it shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired from Houthi controlled territory in Yemen on Sunday. The U.S. says the missile was fired toward a U.S. naval destroyer. It comes days after the U.S. and the U.K. launched air strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen in response to the militant group attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea.
And CNN's Clare Sebastian is following developments. She joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, in the wake of this joint U.S. and U.K. strike on Yemen, multiple strikes, and the U.S. shooting down another Houthi drone in the Red Sea, what is the White House saying about possible retaliation by the Houthis?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Rosemary, they're saying it's very much part of the calculus here. Like the context is that the U.S. and its allies are saying that what they are doing are very specific, very surgical strikes designed to, and I quote, "disrupt and degrade" the Houthis' ability to endanger shipping in the Red Sea.
[02:14:50]
But on the flip side, we have Iran, which is, of course, the key backer of not only the Houthis, but also Hezbollah and Hamas, trying to use this situation, as well as, of course, the conflict in Gaza in general to rally its own allies, its own sort of proxies in the region against the U.S. vision for the Middle East, against the U.S. role in that region.
Case in point, according to Iranian state media, the president, Raisi, held a call on Sunday with the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council in which he said that the U.S. strikes on Yemen reveal its, quote, "aggressive nature."
At the same time, we have a TV address by the Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah also over the weekend, also lambasting the U.S. for its strikes in Yemen. So that really tells you what you need to know here. So have a listen in that context to John Kirby, the U.S. National Security Council spokesperson on CBS on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: I think it'd be Pollyannaish for us to think that there couldn't or may not be some sort of retaliatory strike by the Houthis. We're watching this very, very closely. We've taken the requisite and necessary precautions in the region to make sure we're ready for that, if that should occur. These strikes were meant to disrupt and degrade their ability to conduct these strikes.
And so, we think that we had good effect on that. We're still assessing the battle damage assessment of those strikes, but we think we had good effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: So, they're still trying to figure out how effective these strikes were. And it turned out, of course, that as he was speaking just a couple of hours earlier, the U.S. had just finished shooting down that anti-ship cruise missile fired by Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. So, look, this is still ongoing. He said there's potential for more here.
And obviously this is a balancing act for the U.S. and its allies to try to deter the Houthis, to try to degrade their ability to disrupt this crucial shipping waterway in the Red Sea while also avoiding further escalation, given what we're hearing from Iran. Rosemary.
CHURCH: (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES) -- Hamas took hostages from Israel. What progress is being made in those negotiations to try to return them safely to their loved ones? So, obviously you saw with the images that you showed from the rally, that 24-hour rally on Sunday to mark 100 days of this conflict. The pressure is stepping up. It has been stepping up for a number of weeks on the Israeli government to do more. That is something that they are certainly feeling.
We will not leave them behind were the words of the defense minister, Yoav Gallant in comments to mark that 100 day mark. But meanwhile, of course, we have Prime Minister Netanyahu saying that the war could last many more months. In terms of the negotiations themselves, obviously there were concerns which were voiced by Qatar, which is one of the key brokers in these talks, that the assassination not claimed by Israel, of course, of a senior Hamas official in Lebanon on January 2nd would complicate those talks. But Secretary Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, was in the region
again last week and said that he believed Hamas would engage. Now, we are not, it seems, close to another round of hostage releases or a temporary ceasefire. But a smaller track appears to have opened up. It was announced on Friday that the Mossad chief, David Barnea, had reached a deal with Qatar to get medicines into Gaza for some of those hostages that we know have been sorely in need of those very -- a number of elderly people still remain among those hostages.
Now, that was set to happen in the next few days. We know from an official familiar with the matter that there are complications, there are potential delays, but that seems to be a small chink of light in this, Rosemary, while again as I say, still some way off more actual releases.
CHURCH: Yeah. Clare Sebastian joining us live from London. Many thanks for that report.
Two days after an historic election in Taiwan, the U.S. is offering congratulations, while China is offering strong warnings. We will have the latest on that.
And a community in Iceland is dealing with a fiery situation. Lava is surging into a seaside town. We will have more on the dangerous flow that's forced residents to flee. Back with that and more after a short break. Stay with us.
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[02:20:00]
CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. The U.S. says its relations with Taiwan are quote "rock solid" as China issues a stern warning after Taiwan held significant elections on Saturday. An unofficial U.S. delegation is in Taiwan showing unity after the island's ruling party secured an historic third consecutive presidential term.
Responding to the victory, China says any efforts to further Taiwanese independence will be severely punished. And CNN's Steven Jiang joins us live from Beijing. But let's start with CNN's Kristie Lu Stout who joins us from Hong Kong. So, Kristie, on the back of Lai's victory, a U.S. delegation is in Taiwan, as we reported. What is the aim of this visit exactly and what could be the fallout?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) -- a U.S.- Taiwan ties. This unofficial U.S. delegation is in Taiwan after that election victory by Lai Ching-te, a candidate denounced by Beijing. And this is a move that many fear could raise tensions even further. We have videos, bring it up for you, of the delegation's meeting this morning with the new president-elect.
Now, the, again, unofficial American delegation arrived on Sunday for three days of meetings. And Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in addition to this video, also released photos showing an official welcoming the group. And the group includes a former U.S. deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, as well as the former national security advisor, Stephen Hadley.
And during a meeting this morning they had with the Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, the two congratulated Taiwan on its electoral process. And they also said that U.S.-Taiwan ties are, quote, "rock solid." I want you to listen to this from President Tsai Ing-wen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TSAI ING-WEN, PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN (through translation): Your visit is of great significance as it not only fully demonstrates the United States' support for Taiwan's democracy, but also highlights the close and solid partnership between Taiwan and the United States.
LU STOUT: Now, China had warned against any sort of official contact with Taiwan and reiterated, quote, what has long said that Taiwan is an "inalienable" part of China. Now on Saturday, that was the election day, and Taiwan's ruling DPP pulled off that historic win, a third consecutive presidential victory. And Lai Ching-te, the president- elect says, he will pursue peace through strength like his predecessor and that he is open to engagement with Beijing, but China has openly denounced him.
And it appears that China is already exerting fresh diplomatic pressure. We have learned and confirmed that Nauru has cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, switching recognition from Taipei to Beijing. We also were present, a CNN team, at a Ministry of Foreign Affairs meeting in Taiwan. And the Deputy Foreign Minister condemned China's move, liking it to quote, an "ambush." Back to you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Thanks for that. And Stephen, China's Foreign Minister made some comments while in Cairo. What did he say and what other options does the leadership have beyond these verbal warnings?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary, but just first on the Nauru development, that is not surprising and perhaps the least drastic action China could take after this election to quote, unquote "punish" Lai Ching-te. Of course, they consider him to be a diehard separatist and a troublemaker.
As for the foreign minister's comment in Cairo, now that was part of his previously scheduled trip, but still he seized on that location to reinforce Beijing's claim over Taiwan, pointing to the 1943 Cairo Conference which was about a post-World War II order to portray that Taiwan being part of China has been a decades-long global consensus even though the Cairo declaration is not without controversies and has been open to different interpretations.
[02:25:06]
But still Wang Yi's very stern comments and harsh warnings against Taiwan independence in a way stand in contrast with what's happening on the island with the voters they are obviously increasingly forging their own separate identity and rejecting Beijing's threats to elect Lai Ching-te over the weekend. But even with that added urgency and increasing importance of quote, unquote Taiwan "reunification" under Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A lot of experts say Beijing's hands may be tied at the moment for
both practical reasons and political considerations. The weather is not the best right now during this time of the year in the Taiwan Strait. That's not ideal for staging massive military drills. And also, Beijing may not want to give Lai even more ammunition to boast his arguments against Beijing even before Lai officially takes office. So, they may wait until his inauguration to make a decision.
But perhaps most importantly, Xi Jinping has been investing his credibility in recent months to tame down tensions with the West, especially with Washington in a crucial election year. So, Beijing may not want to provoke Washington just as we head into that very turbulent and crucial campaign season. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Kristie Lu-Stout and Steven Jiang for that -- those reports. Appreciate it.
Well, North Korea is claiming it successfully tested a ballistic missile on Sunday. According to state media, the country launched a solid-fuel intermediate-range missile equipped with a hypersonic maneuvering combat unit. South Korea and Japan say the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers before falling into the waters off the eastern Korean Peninsula. Seoul says the launch was a clear provocation that seriously threatens the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.
Authorities in Ecuador have detained more than 1,300 people in an effort to squash an outbreak of gang-based violence. Those arrested include 143 people accused of terrorism, according to the President's office. Authorities claim to have dismantled at least 32 criminal organizations in the past few days and seized close to a thousand firearms and explosives.
While the streets of Ecuador's capital have grown calmer in recent days, residents there say they are still fearful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOLORES VALENCIA, QUITO RESIDENT (through translation): We still have that fear, that terror, because they are just -- they still haven't caught all these criminals. These things have to happen little by little. All the soldiers are on the street, but still, this is not possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The crackdown comes after last week's increase of gang violence, which saw an attack on a local TV station, along with explosions and prison riots throughout the country.
In Guatemala, a new president has just taken the reins. Bernardo Arevalo was sworn in after midnight in the country's capital following a nine-hour delay. The inauguration ceremony took place after a long debate in the opposition-controlled Congress whose members needed to be sworn in before the president.
The holdup sparked protests outside Congress as supporters of Arevalo were seen scuffling with police. Several world leaders and delegates who have travelled to Guatemala for the inauguration voiced their support for the new leader.
Lava is surging into a seaside town in Iceland. Coming up, a live report on the new eruption and how communities in the area are reacting.
Plus, two cups of boiling water and two pieces of disgusting bread. Jailed Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, describes the conditions at the Siberian penal colony where he's currently being held. More on that and more after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:32:01]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Residents are rushing to get out of an Icelandic fishing town as molten lava flows into their community. Looking at those pictures there, the country's meteorological office says the lava that's pouring into the town of Grindavik comes from a new fisher in a nearby volcano.
The crack open just north of the town, caused by the second eruption. This area has seen in a matter of weeks lava sparked fires and burn houses and the town is now under evacuation orders. So far, 60 households have left.
So let's go now to reporter Barbie Nadeau who joins us live from Rome.
So, Barbie, what is the latest on this? And, of course, we know that people had been evacuated after that first eruption, haven't they? So, it's surprising and actual factor that so many people are still there?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you know, this is a fishing village of about 4,000 people and they're evacuating everyone they can. Now this type of volcanic eruption isn't so much one of these plumes that go up into the sky and the ash falls down and, you know, disrupting air travel. We haven't seen anything like that.
This is a different kind of eruption in which the lava is coming out of these fishers, it's very slow moving so people can get out of the way. But it's going to be obviously very damaging to infrastructure in terms of the threat to human life. It's very much the gases that are emitted from this lava are an irritant to people who have respiratory problems. It can be a burn your eyes and things like that.
So they want people out of the way, even if their houses aren't in danger and they're doing everything they can. They have a government is meeting today to try to put into place more for this emergency that is ongoing there to just to get people out of the way, people are reluctant to move, leave their houses because if they think, you know, there's not going to be damage to their structures, they can stay, but its actually very dangerous for them as well -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yeah, it is a real concern. Of course, talk to us about that previous volcanic eruption and what happened, what measures will put in place to perhaps make the next one a little easier for the community to handle.
NADEAU: That's right. In December, there was a massive eruption in the same area, same volcano. And what they did was build these giant walls to contain the lava. And that's been fairly successful so far in protecting the town, or you have to think that how strong those walls would have to be this lava is incredibly hot, you know, slow moving but nonetheless, it destroys everything in its way.
So, it's very innovative way to try to contain the lava. Obviously, if it continues to flow, it may top the walls are not all that tall. December just a month, six weeks ago, they were building these walls but that is an innovative approach and trying to contain the lava. But Mother Nature usually always wins, Rosemary, and I think in this case two, when you look at these powerful volcanoes in a place like this, there is a threat to everyone around, especially agricultural areas -- the farm animals, livestock, things like that are under threat as well, Rosemary.
[02:35:01]
CHURCH: Yeah, we'll be watching this very closely. Of course, Barbie Nadeau, many thanks. Joining us from Rome with that report.
Well, it seems prison life won't be getting any better for Alexey Navalny after the Russian Supreme Court rejected his claims against the justice ministry late last week, according to his spokesperson. The jailed Kremlin critic was fighting for greater access to religious material in the Siberian penal colony, where he's being held. He also described the harsh freezing conditions there.
CNN's Matthew Chance gives us an inside look at the facility known as the Polar Wolf.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He seems gaunt, but in good spirits.
Alexey Navalny, even cracking jokes and a smile in these first public appearances by the Russian opposition leader since arriving at this Arctic penal colony, where temperatures have plunged.
ALEXEY NAVALNY, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): The reality of prison is that it is a very cold place. Do you know why they take newspapers there? To cover up, because I'm reporting to the court here. It's much warmer to sleep with a newspaper, for example, than without a and you just need this newspaper to stay warm.
CHANCE: It's as if the Kremlins doing everything to make Navalny's sentence last year extended to more than 30 years, as miserable as possible. Conditions at the remote Polar Wolf colony, where he was secretly transferred last month. His family losing contact with him for over two weeks, and notoriously tough, with dark, freezing winters.
In 2021, state-controlled Russian television was granted access to the colony where long-term inmates including some of Russia's most notorious criminals, work in Spartan conditions. Navalny's supporters concern for his welfare say it's far harder now to monitor his condition.
KIRA YARMYSH, ALEXEY NAVALNY'S SPOKESPERSON: In the north, so it is very cold there and even today, the light there is for two hours per day. So -- I mean, the conditions like the environment conditions, there a much worse than they were before in Vladimir region that is close to Moscow now. So, from this point of view, they definitely try to isolate Alexey and to make it more difficult to access him there.
CHANCE: But his previous treatment, Navalny says, was harsh, too. The opposition figure, his head shaven, telling the judge his ten-minute meal breaks was simply too short in which to eat.
NAVALNY (through translator): I get two mugs of boiling water, and two pieces of disgusting bread. And I wanted to drink this boiling water normally and eat this bread normally, but in ten minutes, I must choke on this boiling water. And this is done solely to prevent a person from eating normally.
CHANCE: But, inevitably, Navalny's complaints against the Russian prison authorities were dismissed by the court. But one of the Kremlin's fiercest critics, there seems little bit hardship ahead.
Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:40:27]
CHURCH: National security representatives from more than 80 countries met in Davos to discuss Ukraine's plan for peace nearly two years since Russia launched its invasion. This was the fourth round of talks based on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposals. It was co-chaired by the Swiss foreign minister, who says Russia must be included in these discussions at some point when both sides are ready. Ukraine says China should also be involved.
The meeting was held on the eve of the annual World Economic Forum, world leaders are gathering this week to discuss the planet's most pressing problems.
Zelenskyy says, he is preparing to present Ukraine's position, as well as joint opportunities for those who strive towards a quote, world of stability and freedom for their children.
CNN's Richard Quest spoke with the founder and executive chairman of the world economic forum, Klaus Schwab. He talks about the biggest risks the world is facing right now, and about the annual forum that attracts hundreds of world leaders and business leaders to Davos.
Here's part of their conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KLAUS SCHWAB, FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM: It's time where you want to meet, where you want to figure out what's really going on. And Davos, of course, bringing together 50 heads of states, 300 ministers, 1,500 business leaders, all the representatives of civil society, those young people and so on. It's a kind of pot which is boiling, and you may get some better knowledge about what's going on.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: What's the biggest risk that we face?
SCHWAB: I think the biggest risk we face is that we lose hope and that we lose trust, trust into our institutions and particularly trust in our capability to shape a better future. We have become too much pessimist.
Look -- humankind was driven, so as a paradigm, it's a narrative, to take care for the next generations, to take care of our neighbors, and we have lost this capability to a certain extent.
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CHURCH: And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church.
"WORLD SPORT" is up next, and I'll be back in 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM.
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[02:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
