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Severe Cold Weather Ahead of Iowa Caucus; Donald Trump Feels Confident in Iowa Polling; U.K. Sends 20,000 Troops to NATO; Families Still Awaits Their Family Members. Challenging Weather Face by Voters in Iowa; Residents Forced to Flee Their Homes in Iceland; Taiwan with Its New President. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 15, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, voters will have to brave historic cold weather to take part in the Iowa caucuses later today. We're in the final hours before Republicans in that state begin making their choice for a presidential nominee.

An unofficial U.S. delegation visits Taiwan after a momentous election. We will have a live report from the region.

And lava is pouring into a town in Iceland after a nearby volcano erupts, prompting evacuations.

Well, with 10 months to go until the U.S. presidential election, Republican voters in the state of Iowa are just hours away from officially kicking off the 2024 race for the White House. Iowa is home to the first in the nation presidential caucuses, which begin Monday afternoon.

Republicans across the state will have to brave some brutal weather to make their voices heard, with snow falling and wind chills as low as 45 degrees below zero expected throughout Iowa.

The latest polling shows former President Donald Trump with a very comfortable lead over his two closest competitors Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. And all of the presidential hopefuls spent Sunday crisscrossing the state looking to drum up last-minute support from undecided voters.

And while Iowa is getting the race started, candidates are also looking ahead to the next contest hoping to head into the New Hampshire primary with as much support as possible.

Our Jeff Zeleny looks at what's at stake 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 U.S. 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.

(CROWD CHANTING)

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 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: 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, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here in Iowa, you have the ability to change the trajectory of American politics.

NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do something. You can be the start of the solution that we have.

ZELENY: 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: 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: Some Republicans said they intended to brave the elements. Others did not.

KLEIN: Do you plan on caucusing on Monday?

UNKNOWN: No.

KLEIN: Not going to get out.

UNKNOWN: It's too cold, buddy.

ZELENY: What do you think the weather is going to do for turnout on caucus?

KLEIN: There are folks that are going to decide to stay home, for sure. We're trying to overcome that as much as possible by 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: Tonight, the frigid weather remains the biggest wild card in a race that has been remarkably stable in its dominance by Trump.

From summer 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: 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.

[03:04:59]

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: 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: Yes, 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 horrific wind chills 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: Yes, 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: Yes, 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 has staked essentially his whole campaign here. He's followed the playbook that the last three Iowa winners use. Mike Huckabee in '08, Rick Santorum in '12, Ted Cruz in '16. He's borrowed in, he's visited all 99 counties. He's invested heavily in an organization. He's 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, the 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, --

BROWNSTEIN: No.

CHURCH: -- 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: Yes, 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.

[03:10:01]

You know, 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, 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: Yes, 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. I appreciate it.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: Well, more now on that record cold weather for these Iowa caucuses. Roads throughout the state have been blanketed in snow as crews battle through piercing winds to clean it up. Des Moines could spend days below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The last time that happened was almost three years ago.

Parts of Iowa are under wind chill warnings where it's so cold that frostbite on exposed skin could happen in as little as 10 minutes.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers breaks it down for us.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, brutally cold air over Iowa. Temperatures are going to be down 10 to 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. We have 18 inches of snow on the ground in some places and by morning there will be places that will be 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. That's pushing 30 below Celsius.

But the wind chill in Des Moines at voting time minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit. It has never been this cold in recent history since the 70s. Anyway, 16 degrees was the old coldest high and for today we will be minus four Fahrenheit.

Something else to think about here, this is cold. A lot of people are saying, hey, it's winter, get used to it. No, this is 30 degrees colder than we should be in Des Moines. Somewhere around 26 degrees Fahrenheit will be the high for today on a normal day. That's just not going to happen. We're 30 degrees colder than that.

Something else that's happened here. This up to this point has been the warmest winter on record. So many things are not acclimated for this. We're not ready for 20 degrees, 30 degrees below normal. And we'll have to see what happens here.

What the turnout looks like will certainly be a good question. I think we'll find that out on Tuesday or Wednesday.

CHURCH: Still to come, calls are growing louder for the release of Hamas hostages more than 100 days into the war with Israel. We'll have the latest on the conflict. Back in just a moment.

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[03:15:00]

CHURCH: Just into CNN, the U.K. is expected to send some 20,000 forces to take part in one of NATO's largest deployments since the Cold War. The U.K. minister of defense is set to announce the plans later today.

So, let's go to CNN's Clare Sebastian, who is following developments and joins us live from London. So, Clare, what more are you learning about this deployment of 20,000 British forces?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Rosemary. Grant Shapps, the British defense minister has been doing the rounds on the media this morning ahead of a big speech that he set to deliver later and committing, he says, some 20,000 British troops to this NATO exercise that set to take place in the first half of 2024. Steadfast Defender is its name. It's not the first time they've held an exercise under that name.

But this, according to NATO, which had pre announced this exercise, will be the biggest collective defense exercise since the Cold War. It's set to include some 40,000 troops. So, the fact that the U.K. is saying it will commit 20,000, means that they will play a very critical leading, is what Mr. Shapps has said this morning, role in this exercise.

We know that Germany has said that it's part of the exercise will involve 12,000 of its own troops. So significant commitments. It will involve 31 countries, so the 30 NATO countries, and Sweden as well and will take place over a number of months in the first half of the year.

The point of all of this, of course, is that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing. NATO wants to essentially stress test its collective defense, its equipment, its interoperability, things like that. And of course put up this message, physical message, of deterrent amid ongoing warnings from Ukraine and its allies that Putin may not stop at Ukraine.

This is what Mr. Shapps said in his statement that this will provide vital reassurance against the Putin menace. Now, all of this comes, of course, as the U.K. is facing not just one pressure on its military and its defense industry. It is of course, provided another $3 billion or so worth of military aid to Ukraine last week.

But it was also part of the U.S. coalition, the key part physically involved in those attacks on Yemen to try to degrade and disrupt the Houthis and their ability to endanger shipping in the Red Sea.

Mr. Shapps, on his rounds of the media this morning, not ruling out further attacks should this situation continue. And we're expecting to hear from the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as well in a statement to parliament talking about the situation in the Red Sea.

So, of course the message from the U.K. this morning is that despite concerns that we've seen, certainly throughout the course of the war in Ukraine that defense industries in NATO are not up to the job of supporting Ukraine.

And there are issues with military readiness that the U.K. is trying to get across that it is in fact capable of dealing with all of these challenges on multiple fronts. Rosemary?

[03:20:07]

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Clare Sebastian joining us live from London with that report. I appreciate it.

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. It's harder.

MELRAV 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 it's 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.

Joining me now is Michael Levy. His younger brother, Orr was at the Nova Music Festival with his wife when Hamas attacked on October 7th. Orr was kidnapped and is still missing. His wife was killed.

Thank you so much for talking with us on this difficult anniversary, 100 days since your brother was kidnapped by Hamas, along with all the other hostages in that brutal attack on October 7th and also resulting in the death of your sister-in-law.

How are you marking this day and how are you and your family holding up?

MICHAEL LEVY, BROTHER KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: I was actually in The Hague and just got back from there to support Israel's claims against this ridiculous lawsuit from South Africa. Yes, and it's not easy. I know it's been 101 days actually, but for us, for me, it feels like I still live in October 7. Every day that goes by is a bit harder, but like I said, we still live in a progress zone.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, it must be a nightmare for you and all your family, all of these families, and you and all of the other families of hostages have been calling for their release. What progress has been made in achieving that goal? And has the Israeli government been keeping you up to date on what's happening with those negotiations?

LEVY: We know that there are negotiations all the time. And fortunately, we are dealing with monsters who kidnapped our loved ones, and they will use any way to hurt us. So, we have to be resilient and try to keep our nails calm.

But yes, we are being updated and we are aware that it might be difficult, but like you said, we are demanding to release them as soon as possible and we want the world to do more in order to keep the pressure on Hamas and on Qatar and on Egypt.

CHURCH: And Michael, how much has the Israeli government told you about your brother and his condition at this time? LEVY: Unfortunately, the only thing we are sure of is that all was

kidnapped, alive, and that he wasn't injured. But other than that, we don't have any information.

CHURCH: And do you feel the Israeli government is doing enough to get the hostages home, or is there a sense the war in Gaza is their first priority?

[03:25:00]

LEVY: I'm a big fan of the bottom line. The fact that my brother and the rest of the hostages are not here means that none of us is doing enough. Not me personally, not the media, not the Israeli government, and not any foreign government.

We all need to do more in order to release them. Every day that goes by, another day of Hamas committing crimes against humanity. And this should be the focus of the world in my point of view.

CHURCH: And as you've been talking with us, we've been looking at these photos of your brother who's still being held hostage and his wife who was tragically killed by Hamas. They also have a child though, don't they? Talk to us about your brother and what you would like viewers to know about him.

LEVY: He's always a happy person. As you can see from those pictures, he's always smiling. He likes to say in real life as well. He's a dad. I think he's the best dad Almog (ph) could have asked for. And Almog lost his mother. And now he needs a father.

Unfortunately, for now his mother and his father. And the only thing we are fighting for is for his release in order to give Almog back at least one of his parents. What can I say? It's heartbreaking.

CHURCH: Absolutely it is. And we hope that we see and you see your brother and all of the other hostages released very soon and brought safely home to their loved ones.

Michael Levy, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.

LEVY Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, frigid temperatures, falling snow and ice-covered roads. Will a brutal bout of winter weather keep Republicans away from the first in the nation Iowa caucuses? A look at what's at stake as the race for the White House kicks off.

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[03:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: The race for the White House kicks in to high gear in just a matter of hours from now when Republican presidential hopefuls face off in the first in the nation Iowa caucuses. But there is concern that voter turnout could be much lower than expected, as Iowa faces a brutal round of winter weather. Falling snow, icy roads, and temperatures expected to drop to 45 below

zero, with the windchill could keep even the most loyal Republicans at home later today.

Kay Henderson is the news director at Radio Iowa. She joins me now from Des Moines. Good to have you with us.

KAY HENDERSON, NEWS DIRECTOR, RADIO IOWA: Good to be here.

CHURCH: So it is forecast to be the coldest Iowa caucus on record. And no doubt that will have an impact on turnout, we'll discuss that in just a moment. But first, under normal circumstances, how exactly does this voting process at the Iowa caucuses play out?

HENDERSON: Well, Iowans who intend to participate in the Republican Party's caucuses need to be there about 6:00 p.m. Iowa time tonight. The register, if they are not currently a registered Republican voter, they can switch and become a registered voter at, with the Republican Party tonight.

The other thing that will happen as its seven o'clock, the doors will close, the event will start. The first thing that happens is somebody in the room who is the spokesperson, maybe a local volunteer for one of the presidential candidates will get to give a speech, one for each candidate.

There may not be a volunteer for every candidate that is running this time around. Then after those brief speeches are over, every caucusgoer will be given a piece of paper. In many counties of Iowa, there are 99 of them. That piece of paper is blank and they will just write a name on the paper. In the rest of the counties, they have come up with a sort of ballot with the names listed on them, so they'll check a box.

Everyone will pass those papers in and then they will be counted in front of everyone in the room. Every candidate may have someone standing up near the table where they're being counted, then the results will be announced.

CHURCH: So, how long does that process take exactly and when can we expect to actually see reliable results from this?

HENDERSON: Well, reliable results as you may recall, in 2020, Iowa Democrats have a little bit of difficulty doing that with an app for the smartphone that they had developed. But, you know, early in the evening, perhaps before 10 o'clock, Iowa time, we should be getting some reliable results from some of these caucuses, especially some of the counties where they're having one unified space where all precincts in the county are meeting.

For instance, in the Ottumwa, Iowa area, everyone in Wapello County is meeting at the Ottumwa High School. And so that will be easier for that particular county chair to report the results from their county to the Iowa Republican Party.

And the other thing about these caucuses is they're a party-run event. There's no voting machine. These are party officials. Most of them volunteers, maybe chairs, co-chairs, somebody who signed up. You know, we could go and said, OK, OK, I'll be the precinct leader. These are all volunteers doing this.

CHURCH: So, let's get back to the weather. How big an impact might turn out have on the outcome given these dangerously cold temperatures ahead. I mean, that's going to be difficult. Certainly, for the older volunteers here.

HENDERSON: It will be. And this will be a test of the caucus campaign that former President Donald Trump has setup here, that is quite different from his 2016 effort. I mean, he was merely relying on the popularity in public opinion polls. This time around the Trump campaign has organized at the precinct level, as has the campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

[03:34:57]

So, it may be a battle of, you know, who can get the most four-wheel drive trucks to drive people out on a very cold night. I will say that in speaking with our National Weather Service here, one of the things they're saying is, you know, it will be bitterly cold, but it's unlikely to be these blizzard conditions that people may have seen pictures of online.

There's not going to be whiteout conditions and making it that difficult to drive. So, if you have a reliable vehicle that has a heater, you have appropriate outerwear, a nice puffer jacket, if you will, it's not as dangerous to go out in this weather.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, recent polls are showing Nikki Haley moving into second place in the Iowa caucuses, --

HENDERSON: Right.

CHURCH: -- but far behind Donald Trump. How reliable have polls proved to be in the past for these Iowa caucuses?

HENDERSON: Well, the Des Moines Register/NBC News poll that you just referenced this weekend showed Trump to have a 28-point lead over his closest competitor. And then this instance, it would be Nikki Haley whose come up to second place with 20 percent.

This poll did show in 2012, the surge that Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator had here, and it did predict the Obama victory here that a lot of people just couldn't wrap their minds around that he would win over Hillary Clinton in 2008 in the Iowa caucuses. So, it has a record of predicting winners.

CHURCH: Interesting. Kay Henderson, thank you so much for taking us through it. We appreciate it.

HENDERSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: A coastal town in Iceland is feeling the heat from slow moving lava. How communities are dealing with the threat, coming up in a live report.

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[03:40:00]

CHURCH: Lava from a volcano in southwestern Iceland is flowing into a nearby fishing town. It's pouring from a crack that open just north of the town caused by the second eruption this area has seen in weeks.

The lava has burned homes and forced dozens of households to flee. Iceland civil protection agency says authorities are tracking the flow and it presents, quote, "no danger to human life."

Reporter Barbie Nadeau joins us now from Rome. So Barbie, what is the latest on the second eruption in Iceland in just a matter of weeks, and of course, the resulting lava?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, you know, it is really dangerous. And I know that the civil protection in Iceland has said there's no immediate danger to human life, but there are authorities there that are worried that people may be breathing in the gases that are produced from this lava.

They're trying to get people to evacuate this fishing villagers about 4,000 people. Two or three of the homes have burned so far, we've seen the images of that. But what's really interesting is in December when this last erupted in the last major eruption, they built these lava walls. These are walls that are meant to divert the lava and sort of save the town.

And they've so far been very effective. That's sort of an innovative approach. Obviously, you have to have very, very strong material to try to stop this lava. It's very, very hot, obviously, very, very dangerous, but it is slow moving so people can get out of the way.

Of course, there's a threat to agricultural areas and livestock and things like that. And you know, they just don't know how long it's going to last. The longer that this lava flows from these fissures that have developed, you know, the more danger it's going to become for the people around.

But there haven't predicted any sort of stoppage to the air traffic or anything like that. Because this particular eruption isn't one that sent a plume of ash up into the sky, like we've seen in previous years. This is really just the danger of the lava flow for now, Rosemary,

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Barbie Nadeau joining us live from Rome.

Well, joining me now from Reykjavik is Rikke Pedersen, head of the Nordic Volcanological Center at the University of Iceland.

I appreciate you joining us.

RIKKE PEDERSEN, DAILY MANAGER, NORDIC VOLCANOLOGICAL CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, molten lava has entered the town of Grindavik after a new volcanic eruption, weeks after a previous eruption in the region. So how significant is this and how concerned are you and how concerned should all of us be?

PEDERSEN: Well, of course, this is of great concern to the local population and everyone were evacuated during the night yesterday, the ones that were back in town after the first evacuations. So the town is completely empty. And the lava has destroyed three houses by now.

But fortunately, the fisher, the southernmost fisher that opened closest to town, has now ceased to erupt. So hopefully the lava will be contained.

CHURCH: And what are you expecting will likely happen next with his volcano? Is there actually any way of knowing or is it totally unpredictable?

PEDERSEN: Well, there's no way of knowing for sure, but of course we have different scenarios and different scenarios. There are more likely than others and we already see a slight decline in production of lava. So we're of course hoping that this will face out, but we can't really tell for sure.

CHURCH: And what will likely happen to the town of Grindavik, which is being evacuated again some residents left in the wake of the previous volcanic eruption. I mean, but not everyone is left, aren't they?

PEDERSEN: Everyone has left, yes.

CHURCH: They have. They have gone right.

PEDERSEN: Before the eruption actually started the town was completely evacuated. There were about 50 people working in town, but that was due to emergency planning and so forth. But there were no residents left in the town.

CHURCH: So, what do you think will happen to the town? Will it be livable after this, do you think?

PEDERSEN: Well, that's a very difficult question. And we really have to assess it as time passes. Because in Iceland we have these rifting events where we typically see magma moving into the same system repeatedly.

So, this was the third dike. So, this kind of fissure that forms in the area, this was the third time we had magma moving in under the small town. And this may happen again.

CHURCH: And Rikke, how is the nation pulling together and getting behind the town of Grindavik and its residents at this very difficult time?

[03:44:56] PEDERSEN: Well, Iceland is a very well, it's a big country, but with a very small population. So there's only about 400,000 people living in Iceland and they really stand together. So there's very strong im support from the general population in Iceland towards all the people who live in Grindavik.

And there's already gathering money for support and there are different kinds of initiatives from the government to help support the people who lost their homes and also, of course, their work in the small village.

CHURCH: And of course, those people who have been evacuated from their homes, perhaps not able to return ever. I mean, have they got shelter that they taken in by some of the other residents. So what happens to the dam?

PEDERSEN: Yes. So, the first evacuation was actually back in November 10, last year. And since then, most of the residents have obtained some sort of temporary accommodation as this is a scenario that could go on for several years actually.

So, of course everything is still rather chaotic for these families. But also the government is securing more long-term rental apartments and so forth. But really, we have to see how this plays out in the future.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, that is really sobering when you suggest that this could go on for years.

Rikke Pedersen, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate it.

PEDERSEN: You're welcome.

CHURCH: Now we go to Indonesia where one of their country's most active volcanoes has erupted for the second time in weeks. Mount Marapi began erupting Sunday morning, the country's geological agency warned residents and visitors to stay about three miles away from the crater and told those nearby to wear masks to protect themselves from falling ash.

Nearby homes and evacuation tents for covered in volcanic ash. An eruption in early December killed 23 people hiking the mountain at the time.

Well, two days after an historic election in Taiwan the U.S. is offering congratulations while the island loses an ally. We will have the latest on that. Back in just a moment.

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[03:50:00]

CHURCH: Taiwan is condemning China after former ally Nauru said it's switching its diplomatic allegiance to Beijing. It comes after Taiwan held legislative and presidential elections on Saturday which have drawn strong condemnation from the Chinese government.

The U.S. however, says its relations with Taiwan are, quote, "rock solid." An unofficial U.S. delegation is in Taiwan showing unity after the island's ruling party secured an historic third consecutive presidential term.

And CNNs Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. So Kristie, what is the latest on all of this yet?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, this unofficial U.S. delegation, as you mentioned, is in Taiwan. They arrived on Sunday after that historic election victory by Lai Ching-te been openly detested by China. And this is a move that could raise tensions.

Now we have this video of the delegation's meeting today with the new president-elect. Taiwan's ministry of foreign affairs also released photographs showing an official welcoming the group, which includes the former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, James Steinberg, as well as the former National Security Advisor, Stephen Hadley.

And they had a meeting today with President Tsai Ing-wen. And during that meeting the two congratulated Taiwan on its electoral process and they also said that ties between U.S. and Taiwan are rock solid. Here's the takeaway from the president of Taiwan. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TSAI ING-WEN, PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN (through translator): 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now China had warned against any official contact and reiterated what it always says Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Now on Saturday, that was when the election in Taiwan took place, Taiwan's ruling party pulled off that historic third consecutive presidential victory. And Lai Ching-te says that he would pursue peace through strength, through continuing on the policy of Tsai Ing-win, and that he is open to engagement with Beijing.

But China has denounced him and his statements as separatist. And it appears that Beijing is already exerting fresh diplomatic pressure on Taiwan because today was announced that Nauru cut diplomatic ties of Taiwan, switching recognition to Beijing.

And Rosemary, that means that Taiwan has only 12 remaining diplomatic allies. Back to you.

CHURCH: And Kristie, China's foreign minister made some comments about Lai's victory while in Cairo. What did he say and what other options does the leadership have beyond these verbal warnings?

STOUT: Now, Rosemary, on the back of Taiwan's election, China's foreign minister, Wang Yi said that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of China. And then China's diplomats proceeded to condemn all the foreign governments that congratulated the DPP and La Ching-te after his presidential victory.

Look, for years, China has stepped up military action, trade pressure, as well as diplomatic pressure through the form of diplomatic isolation of Taiwan, all in a bid to assert itself and its claim to Taiwan. And now that we have Lai Ching-te in power, again, the man had China openly detest, they will likely be more such pressure moves to come. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong.

Well, Sunday's playoff action in the NFL brought some surprising and historic results. In the early game, the Green Bay Packers stunned the Dallas Cowboys in their home stadium becoming the first seven-seed to win an NFL playoff game. The Packers jumped out to a monster lead in the first half behind masterful performances by quarterback Jordan Love and running back Aaron Jones.

[03:55:06]

Final score, Green Bay, 48, Dallas, 32. The Packers will now face the NFCs top seed, the 49ers in San Francisco this weekend.

And in the late game, the Detroit Lions gave their fans reason to celebrate with the franchise's first playoff victory in 32 years. They battled the L.A. Rams in a game which saw both quarterbacks, Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford taking on their former teams. The Rams kept it close, but Detroit was able to hang on for a 24 to 23 win. They'll now face the winner of today's game between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia in the next round.

Well, the NFL playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers is still on for Monday in New York. The state's governor confirms this with fairly high certainty after severe weather forced the cancellation of the game originally set for Sunday afternoon.

The Buffalo Bills invited fans who could get to the stadium safely to shovel snow on Sunday. One shirtless volunteer took a break to slide down a snow shoot, not very productive, but I'm sure the Bills appreciate the team spirit. There he go.

Well, scenes of celebration in Copenhagen Sunday where the night sky was lit up like the Danish crown jewels in celebration of their new sovereign King Frederick X. His mother, Queen Margrethe II, formerly abdicated Sunday afternoon. She is the first Danish monarch to do so in nearly 900 years.

I want to thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. CNN NEWSROOM continues next with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

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