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U.S. Launches Additional Strikes Against Houthis In Yemen; Iran Strikes "Militant Bases" In Pakistan In Latest Middle East Flashpoint; People Flee Khan Younis Hospital As Israeli Forces Approach; Israel And Hamas Agree Deal To Send Medicine To Hostages And Gaza Civilians; Zelenskyy Says Predator Putin Won't Accept Frozen War. Trump Eyes Win in New Hampshire after Iowa Landslide; China's Population Falls again as Economy Stumbles; Fujitsu Says It has Moral Obligation to Compensate Victims; Climate Change and the "New Denial"; Texas Doctor Skates His Way into Retirement.Aired 1-2a ET
Aired January 17, 2024 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:24]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This needs to be an all hands on deck effort.
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VAUSE: U.S. officials calling for a global effort to end Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Reality bites, Ukraine's president in Davos no longer pleading directly for weapons but pushing a peace plan.
And as global temperatures soar comes the new climate denial spreading misinformation about solutions and scientists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: U.S. naval forces in the Red Sea carried out a third round of strikes on Yemen based Houthis Tuesday, part of a ramped up military offensive to secure commercial shipping in the region, which has come under increased attack by Iran backed militants.
U.S. defense official tells CNN anti-ship missiles were destroyed in a preemptive strike, claiming the missiles were being readied for launch from parts of Yemen under Houthi control. The questions have been raised over how effective those strikes have been.
Just hours later, a Greek owned Maltese flag ship came under attack, Houthi is claiming it was hit with an anti-ship missile a direct hit they say. The Houthis claimed they're targeting commercial shipping linked Israel, I suppose when stressed that point again on Tuesday.
The U.S. vessel though was targeted a day earlier with Houthis; warning future strikes on Yemen will not go on answered. With more details down here CNN's Oren Liebermann reporting in from the Pentagon.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For the third time in the past several days the U.S. has carried out strikes in Yemen in targeting the Houthis. This time U.S. Central Command says they went after anti-ship ballistic missiles that were preparing to be launched and posed an imminent threat to international shipping lanes. The U.S. has tried to limit and disrupt the Houthis' ability to target international shipping lanes because of the effect that's had on international shipping, forcing many of the world's largest carriers to go around Africa adding thousands to international shipping routes.
The U.S. has tried to degrade the ability of the Houthis to launch the sorts of missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones that they have used to target shipping, but they have not completely destroyed that ability.
And several hours after the U.S. strike, the Houthis launched an anti- ship ballistic missile at a Maltese flag carrier. They struck that carrier according to U.S. Central Command doing minor damage. The ship was able to continue on its way but it shows you the threat the Houthi still pose and that's on top of a missile on Monday to damaged a U.S. owned and operated vessel the Gibraltar Eagle, that vessel to suffered minor damage, no injuries and was able to continue on its way.
But it's because of this ongoing threat that the U.S. transportation department has recommended that U.S. flagged or U.S. own ships for now avoid the Red Sea. This is an upgrade of a warning or a recommendation they made last week which was supposed to have an end date on it. Now that recommendation to avoid the critical waterway is at least as of right now indefinite.
So although the U.S. with the stress that it conducted with the U.K. was trying to restore safety and security to the Red Sea. You can see the turbulence there. You can see the threat still post international shipping and the fallout from the Houthi attacks on one of the world's most critical waterways. Oren Lieberman, CNN in the Pentagon.
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VAUSE: And an increase in missile strikes from Iran. On Tuesday, Sunni militants in Pakistan were apparently targeted killing two children. Pakistani foreign affairs ministry condemned the strikes as an unprovoked violation of its airspace by Iran and warned of retaliation. That comes a day after Iranian missile strikes on Northern Iraq and northern Syria.
Live now to Islamabad CNN's Sophia Saifi is standing by for us. So what do we know about this strike on Pakistani territory by the Iranians? And when Pakistan talks about retaliation? What exactly do they mean?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: John, I mean, this happened pretty late on Tuesday night here in Pakistan, it was pretty deep into Pakistani territory as well, about 30 to 40 kilometers inside Pakistan. Pakistan shares a western border with Iran a pretty considerable one. And this happened in the southwestern province of Baluchistan. A mosque was hit.
There wasn't really an immediate response. And the irony is, is the Pakistani Prime Minister was actually meeting the Iranian Prime Minister in Davos, apparently around the same time when this strike took place, and Pakistan appears to be have been caught unaware.
[01:05:00]
The statement that the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released is pretty strong. They have spoken about consequences at least twice in that statement calling this unprovoked and specifically saying that because there are multiple channels of communication that Pakistan and Iran do have, the two neighbors have a bit of a tumultuous relationship, nothing like what Pakistan has on its eastern border with India or with Afghanistan also on the western border.
But they are militant groups that do operate on that border between Iran and Pakistan. And they are known to infiltrating the Iranian border and attacking in Iran. And -- but this time, this strike specifically has come as what looks as a surprise. There have been children that have been killed, the people that have been injured as well.
And the Prime Minister is out of the country, the military specifically has not released a response a statement as to what's taken place overnight, on the border. So we're going to have to wait and see whether there is a measured response, whether then be some sort of rather more extreme retaliatory response as well, because at the moment, Pakistan cannot afford to have multiple fronts open on its various borders. It already has problems on the Afghan border as well as with the Afghan Taliban.
India itself has historically been problematic border. But Iran is something that Pakistan specially with just three weeks left for elections in this country. It's just something that is going to be rather alarming here if this escalates further, John.
VAUSE: Sophia, thank you. Sophia Saifi there live for us with the very latest from Islamabad.
To Canberra, Australia now and Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst for Defense Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Welcome. Thanks for being with us.
MALCOLM DAVIS, MILITARY ANALYST: It was my pleasure, John.
VAUSE: OK, so let's go through the list here. In recent days, U.S. and U.K .forces have launched preemptive strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, which didn't really stop the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
At the same time, Iran has its sights in Iraq and Syria. Tehran said that they were Israeli spy headquarters is one of the targets. This came after the Iranian drone and missile attacks on these terror groups in Pakistan.
Hezbollah continues to fire across the border targeting Israeli military installations in the north of Israel. So when it comes to this fear of regional escalation of the war in Gaza, are we there yet?
DAVIS: I think it's slowly ramping up in that direction. I think we are seeing escalation occurring. It hasn't broken out into a regional war yet. What you're seeing is pockets of escalation occurring across the region, with the potential for these pockets of escalation to essentially link up into a much wider, more dangerous war.
Certainly, I think it's no longer purely confined to Gaza, I think you are seeing areas of the Middle East that are increasingly in conflict.
VAUSE: I want you to listen to the U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on how the Houthi is an expectation of their response to those U.S. and U.K. strikes. Here he is.
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JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We did not say when we launched our attacks, they're going to end once and for all the Houthis will be fully deterred. We anticipated the Houthis would continue to try to hold this critical artery at risk. And we continue to reserve the right to take further action. But this needs to be an all hands on deck effort.
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VAUSE: There are a number of countries which are part of this international coalition to try and secure commercial shipping in the Red Sea around the Suez Canal. But with more countries be willing to join this U.S. led coalition, if there was in fact some kind of strategic plan for dealing with the Houthis beyond just kind of, you know, firing at these missiles on a daily or hourly basis, sort of Whack-a-Mole style.
DAVIS: Yes, look, I think you've hit the nail on the head there. There is no strategy here. When Jake Sullivan said, this was never the intention to end the Hootie threat. Or I would ask well, why not? I think that essentially that should have been the goal from the outset, to hit them hard enough to deny them the ability to use those weapons and to not deny them the ability to recover capability.
And that means a strategic approach, the use of force, it has to identify Iran as the sponsor and armor of the Houthis. And I think that that we sort of tactical incidents of that when U.S. went after that vessel, the Iranian vessel carrying weapons, but as one vessel, I think what needs to happen is a much more decisive use of force across the length and breadth of the region against not only the Houthis, but also Iran.
Now, the key challenge there, of course, is the Americans and allies are trying to avoid escalation if they do this more strategic approach, the risk of escalation goes up. But the risk is that if we continue on with this as you say Whack-a-Mole approach is is going to go on and on and on and ultimately it will be the Iranians, the Houthis and others that will essentially have the initiative and will be responding to them, not us, deterring them and defeating them.
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That his Qatar's Prime Minister with the view, I guess, from Doha. Here he is.
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SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL-THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN: We see like, it's the most dangerous escalation right now, because it's not affecting only the region, it's affecting the global trade as well. What we have right now in the region is a recipe of escalation everywhere.
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VAUSE: So of all the places where violence has escalated as a result of the war in Gaza, are the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, potentially, where the direct confrontation could be triggered between the U.S. and around and their allies?
DAVIS: I mean, that's one likely area. I think, also, we have to keep an eye on what the Hezbollah group is doing in Lebanon. But I think that certainly you will see Iran becoming increasingly emboldened, the longer we go down this path of tactical responses to Houthi threats can be the defensive responses, or in some cases, preemptive responses.
But I think that Iran will see this as an opportunity to essentially manipulate the situation to its benefit. And so therefore, it's I think it's really vital that the Biden administration have a rethink on its strategy, recognize that it does need to take some risks in terms of escalation.
Because if it doesn't, then ultimately what we end up with is this slow move towards a wider war, but one where, you know, the other side controls the initiative, and that would be fatal. And I would add in that other countries are watching what the US does here. And that's really important that we don't give the impression that the U.S. lacks the resolve to win.
VAUSE: Malcolm, good point to end on as always. Great to have with us. So nothing devastating in Canberra. Thank you.
DAVIS: Thank you.
VAUSE: In southern Gaza, Palestinians now fleeing what was once a place of refuge, with Israeli forces moving towards the Al Nasser hospital, the biggest in Khan Younis. International doctors there say many Palestinians who taken shelter in the medical compound have packed up their few belongings and left all the time the sounds of explosions and small arms fire could be heard at the distance.
Israel claims from us recently fired a missile from the hospital grounds. In fact, according to the IDF, Hamas fired about 25 rockets into southern Israel Tuesday are the largest barrages in weeks which comes despite Israel's military offensive now into a fourth month.
Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepted most of the rockets and no injuries were reported. The military wing of Hamas claimed responsibility. Israel's far right National Security Minister pointed to that rocket barrage and criticized Israel's decision to withdraw one army division from Gaza thing that move will cost lives. The move is the most significant sign yet of a shift to this new phase of fighting.
Back in 2005, the Israelis disengaged from Gaza they picked up and left but never really left the back the territory as a free entity. And now some far right extremists within the Israeli coalition, the religious and the nationalist believe that after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, there is now an opportunity to resettle Gaza. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has our report.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a moment of decision pain and trauma for many Israelis. The end of Gush Katif, a cluster of Israeli settlements in Gaza dismantled by the government in 2005. Thousands of settlers forced out of their homes under the disengagement law that saw an end to Israel's presence in the Gaza Strip.
But after nearly two decades of yearning for return, the movement to do so now appears more emboldened than ever.
Among no less than Israeli troops themselves. Social media is now awash in images like these, one of Israel's most popular musicians to the cheers of troops sings about that return. And moving the Nova festival scene of a Hamas massacre to Gaza's beaches.
From inside Gaza, soldiers proudly displaying the orange color of protest against the 2005 disengagement. Here soldiers with a banner that reads on the settlement would be considered victory. And in this video, troops announcing the symbolic reestablishment of a former settlement,
YISHAI FLEISHER, INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON, JEWISH COMMUNITY OF HEBRON: Jewish sovereignty, Jewish governance and of course Jewish people being able to live in this ancestral piece of land. Arabs, if they are post jihad, pro-Israel and want to live that good life in that beautiful soil, there should be an opportunity for that. But anti0Israel, pro Jihad Arabs have got to leave, and they're going to have to find a different place to go.
[01:15:00] KARADSHEH (voice-over): From the frontlines a message to the Prime Minister.
UNIDENATIFIED MALE (through translator): We are occupying deporting and settling. Do you hear that Bibi occupying deporting and settling?
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Bibi Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to unveil his government's plans for postwar Gaza. But he's dismissed calls to reestablish settlements is, quote, unrealistic.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza, or displacing its civilian population.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): But those calls for expelling Gazans and reviving settlements are coming from powerful far right members of his coalition.
BEZALEL SMOTRICH, ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER (through translator): We will not be able to rule there without reestablishing a settlement. The majority of them want to emigrate. They just need to be allowed to do it.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): The comments have been concerning enough to draw rebuke from U.S. and Arab governments and many within Israel who say they're widely unacceptable. But voices of the movement are growing louder by the day.
Ultra nationalist and religious parties bringing that discussion into the Knesset. While these voices are by no means a majority in Israel, they are powerful and have been advancing their extremist agenda.
DAHLIA SCHEINDLIN, JOURNALIST AND POLLING EXPERT: The ideas that often seem very extreme at a certain phase in Israel's history can over time become increasingly normalized very incrementally.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Palestinians fear this is the unspoken plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There is only one solution for the Gaza Strip.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Gaza has become unlivable. The North a decimated wasteland, around half of our buildings across Gaza damaged or destroyed. Nearly its entire population forced to move time and time again. 1.9 million people squeezed into a tiny part of the Enclave not knowing if they'll ever be allowed to return to their homes. And the far right has been promoting relocating Palestinians as a humanitarian idea.
ITAMAR BEN GVIR, ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER (through translator): We must promote a solution to encourage the emigration of the residents of Gaza. This is a correct just moral and humane solution.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): For that Israel is facing accusations of violating international laws, acts that could amount to genocide. OMER BARTOV, PROFESSOR OF HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES: There's an opening for those ministers, media people and so forth on the Israeli right to say, well, the most humanitarian solution is to remove that population, or to encourage them as they say to move out of Gaza. If that happens, then this entire scenario that I'm talking about will be seen as ethnic cleansing. And ethnic cleansing is always on the verge of genocide.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): If you rejected by the likes of Hebron settler leader and returned to Gush Katif activist Yishai Fleisher.
FLEISHER: That is a time of opportunity to change more people's minds here in Israel, and to bring more unity and brotherhood in our peoplehood.
KARADSHEH: Do you feel that this vision what you believe in what should happen has become more of a possibility more realistic right now post October 7?
FLEISHER: I'd love to think so. Yes. But Israel is in very much in conversation right now. There's definitely a think out happening. People are like waking up to, you know, they're trying to open their minds.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: A deal brokered by cover between Israel and Hamas will increase medical and humanitarian supplies for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. In return, Israeli hostages there will receive medical aid. The aid will head to Egypt in the coming day and then on to Gaza via the proper border crossing.
Meantime, a kibbutz in southern Israel has announced the death of two hostages in Gaza, two men who were featured in videos recently released by Hamas. The quote says Hamas has the bodies of Yossi Sharabi and Itay Svirsky.
When we come back, Ukraine's President making an in person plea at Davos his message to world leaders there do not allow Russia's invasion to become frozen.
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VAUSE: For months now the frontlines in Ukraine have barely moved Russia defenses have stalled the much anticipated Ukrainian counter offensive. And now President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is warning of the dangers of a frozen conflict.
Zelenskyy appeared in person at the World Economic Forum in Davos Tuesday, while he expressed gratitude for past military support, who is also critical of the delays in getting that support delays, which are fueled by fears of escalation with Russia. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Full force of the sanctions could have forced Putin to concessions because of don't escalate, time was lost. And the lives of many, of many of our most experienced warriors who fought since 2014 were lost, some opportunities were lost.
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VAUSE" And the President of the European Commission tells CNN, it's important for the West to send a clear message of support for Ukraine as stockpiles of weapons and ammunition dwindles for Ukraine's military.
Ursula von der Leyen told world leaders in her keynote address at Davos, that Ukraine needs predictable financing as well as military aid. She spoke to CNN Richard Quest about EU's effort to provide that support.
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URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: There's the strong determination of all heads of state and government to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. And we have solutions. I want a solution by 27 member states. That's the whole of the European Union. But if this does not work out, we have alternative operational solutions. Not as easy, not as elegant. But there are solutions.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: So what point will you say we can't get unanimity? We're going to have to look at these less desirable but necessary measures.
VON DER LEYEN: Look, the whole structure of the proposal of 50 billion euros for Ukraine for the next four year is ready and accepted by everybody in its structure itself. The goal comes with 27 times. Yes, if it's only 26, that is the moment when I have to switch to the alternative solution.
QUEST: Which is built will be when. How long are you going to give it to try and get the 27?
VON DER LEYEN: We have ahead of us a special European Council. And this is the place and the time where we have to take a decision.
QUEST: Ukraine is struggling in a sense that they're tired. They are weary of fight. They are short, in some cases of ammunition. And now they're getting a mixed message from the ally.
VON DER LEYEN: Of course, after almost two years of an atrocious war that Russia has unleashed also against the civilian population in Ukraine. This is -- they are exhausted without any question, but they are determined to prevail. And this is something we have to support with all our means.
And they need hope indeed, and this is the reason why the European Union opened accession negotiations with Ukraine. So, Ukraine knows that the past is towards membership in the European Union. And this is what Ukrainian people want. They want their children to grow up in a country that is member of the European Union.
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VAUSE: France has announced another round of military assistance for Ukraine that came Tuesday. It includes dozens of long range cruise missiles, and Switzerland has agreed to hold a peace summit in the coming months.
Meantime, all U.S. financial and military assistance for Ukraine has been stalled for weeks now in a partisan fight in Congress. Well, the head of NATO tells CNN he believes the billions of dollars now on hold will eventually be approved by lawmakers until then what seems to be a none too subtle message from Ukrainian troops, but the crucial role US military hardware has played so far. Here's CNN's Fred Pleitgen.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over):As the Russian Army assault Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, U.S. provided Bradley infantry fighting vehicles are key to keeping the Ukrainians in the fight.
We're ready the crew say, and then unleash their powerful 25 millimeter gun on Russian troops in nearby tree lines helping Ukrainian infantry blunt and assault.
The vehicle's commander's callsign is Barbie tells me the Bradley's are making all the difference.
I doubt that we'd be talking with you doing this interview if we didn't have the Bradley's, he says, most likely the northern flank would have been already lost without the Bradley's. They have no time to lose the next task waiting as the Russians tried to press forward.
PLEITGEN: The Ukrainian say Bradley is now one of their most effective tools in the defense of Avdiivka. Because of its armor, and its strong cannon, it can easily defeat Russian armored vehicles.
The Bradley's also own the dark, the crew says, able to find and target Russian troops with their thermal scopes. You can see the rounds impact after they fire a salvo at Russian forces.
I asked Barbie if the Russians fear the Bradley. The Russians are very afraid of the Bradley, he says. We were getting radio intercepts where we could hear their infantry shouting that the Bradley was coming and they couldn't do anything against it.
They've come a long way since Ukraine's failed counter offensive this past summer, when Bradley's and other Western vehicles were often bogged down by minefields and Russian artillery barrage is unable to unleash their firepower.
Now, it often looks like this, Ukraine's 47 mechanized brigade provided us with these videos of what they say is Bradley's firing at Russian infantry positions. They also provided several videos purporting to show a Bradley beating Russia's most capable main battle tank the T-90 in a duel. The Bradley fire salvos at the Russian tank. After taking many hits the T-90 seems to be out of control. It's turrets spinning.
The vehicle then hits a tree before the Ukrainians send a drone to finish it off. The Russian crew manages to bail. But the Ukrainians fear this could end soon if U.S. Congress doesn't OK additional funding for military aid. And both U.S. and Ukrainian officials have said that Ukraine is already forced to ration some ammunition.
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: The assistance that we provided, has now ground to a halt. The attacks that the Russians are conducting are only increasing.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Barbie and his crusade so far they have no shortages of ammo or spare parts for the Bradley's a key weapon as they tried to hold the line against a massive Russian invasion force. Fred Pleitgen, CNN near Avdiivka, Ukraine.
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VAUSE: Meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the North Korean foreign minister in Moscow Tuesday, the latest country's deepening ties. The Kremlin says this visit was meant to further agreements reached during North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to Russia last year. Russian's foreign minister expressed appreciation for North Korea support for Putin's war of choice in Ukraine and says he's looking forward to expanding cooperation in other areas.
Back in November, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said the North Koreans had exported over a million shells to Russia. Back then in the recent months.
Ecuador's President is seeking international help to fight domestic terrorism, calling it a global problem. Those comments from Daniel and Noboa came after last week's wave of violence we saw an attack on a local TV station as well as prison riots across the country. Here's what the President said Tuesday to CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
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DANIEL NOBOA, ECUADORIAN PRESIDENT: We need international cooperation. I would gladly accept cooperation from the US. We need equipment. We need weapons. We need intelligence. And I think that this is a global problem. It's not only in Ecuador. This is a problem that goes beyond borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More than 1,800 people were detained in the first week of a nationwide state of emergency against gang violence, according to officials who had 150 suspects are accused of terrorism. When we come back here on CNN, no Donald Trump, no more debates. U.S.
Republican presidential hopefuls Nikki Haley takes a stand of coming third at Iowa ahead of the New Hampshire primary.
Also China's population falls for the second year in a row. Beijing reports on the health of the country's economy so good.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Illinois is the latest U.S. state to consider whether Donald Trump should be on the ballot in this year's presidential race. The Board of Elections will meet in the day ahead to start the process with no decision expected until an investigation is concluded. An advocacy group claims Trump's role in the January 6 insurrection disqualifies him for office under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court has also agreed to hear an appeal on Trump's ballot ban in the state of Colorado.
Still Trump riding high after winning Monday's Iowa caucuses by an historic margin. He spoke to voters in New Hampshire on Tuesday, which holds its Republican primary in just six days.
Trump appeared with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out of the presidential race, a poor man's Donald Trump they said about him. He lost in Iowa and then endorsed Trump.
The GOP front runner took aim at his two remaining rivals in the Republican race, that's Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.
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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nikki Haley in particular is counting on the Democrats or liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary. You know that. The left -- that's what's happening.
We have these two people. We really got to get back on to Biden and beating the Democrats and not wasting a lot of time with these two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More now on the very latest political (ph) headlines from CNN's Kristen Holmes
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TRUMP: So it's now off to New Hampshire, a great place, we won it last time.
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump back on the campaign trail in New Hampshire after a commanding performance in the Iowa caucuses putting the former president one step closer to Republican nomination and a potential rematch with President Joe Biden.
TRUMP: And I really think this is time now for everybody, our country to come together. We want to come together.
HOLMES: Before heading to the granite state, the GOP front runner, making a detour to a New York courtroom as he balances his political and legal battles.
TRUMP: I go to a lot of courthouses because of Biden because they're using that for election interference.
HOLMES: As the race moves to New Hampshire, Trumps campaign is paying close attention to Nikki Haley's rise in the polls and sharpening their attacks on Haley's immigration record.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Haley's weakness puts us in grave danger.
HOLMES: And her position on reforming social security.
NIKKI HALEY (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We change retirement age to reflect life expectancy.
HOLMES: Despite a third-place finish in Iowa, Haley is making the argument the GOP primary is a two-person contest between her and the former president.
[01:34:50]
HALEY: Now, when we know it's a head-to-head, you heard me last night say, look, we have a choice. Are we going to do more of the same or are we going to go forward?
And more of the same is not just Donald Trump, it's Joe Biden. Both of them are exactly the same.
HOLMES: Haley echoing that message in a new television ad in the Granite State.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The two most disliked politicians in America? Trump and Biden, both are consumed by chaos, negativity and grievances of the past.
HOLMES: On the heels of his second place showing in Iowa, Ron DeSantis hitting the campaign trail in Haley's home state of South Carolina before making his way to New Hampshire.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDDIATE: Haley, look she was governor here for six years. Can you name major achievements under her tenure?
I mean, tell me if there are because she hasn't been able to do it.
HOLMES: The Florida governor criticizing Haley for refusing to accept an invitation to debate in New Hampshire before next week's primary. DESANTIS: They basically have her hermetically sealed because, you
know, she's got this problem with ballistic podiatry, shooting herself in the foot all the time.
HOLMES: But Haley insisting she's only interested in a debate with Trump.
HALEY: That's who I'm running against. That's who I want. That's at the end of the day, he is the front runner, he's the one that I'm 7 points away from. He is the one that we're fighting for. There is nobody else I need to debate.
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VAUSE: Our thanks to CNN's Kristen Holmes for that report from New Hampshire.
Well, the numbers are in and for China, 2023 was the year we saw a population decline again, as well as one of the weakest economies in decades.
For more, CNN's Marc Stewart is live for us in Beijing with what all this actually means in real life. So a declining population not really a surprise. The economy not really a surprise there either, but put these two together and what have we got?
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A not so perfect ingredient list or recipe I should say, John. Let's tackle each of these issues on their own.
First, let's talk about the economy. It grew about 5.2 percent in 2023, but that is still not what China would have liked to have seen. A little bit above targets, but still some of the worst economic data that we've seen in about 30 years.
Why is this happening? Youth unemployment is high, there Is this real estate crisis, and then this population decline. The number of people having children in China has declined yet again, declined about 2.2 million.
China still has a very big population, more than a billion. But it's part of this downward cycle that we have seen.
So why is this taking place? Well, for one thing, young people want some freedom. They want some autonomy. You know, in the past, China did have this policy where families could not have more than one children to try to control the population. But now it's this reverse situation.
It's an issue that came up recently in Shanghai during a matchmaking event for single people. Take a listen to what one person had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MISS YOJI, MIXER ATTENDEE (through translator): I'm actually paying attention to these marriage and childbearing policies myself, but I think many policies treat symptoms rather than the root causes and don't really care about the real needs of young people.
For example, real-life pressures like housing prices, work and academic qualifications which are improving. But in fact, also delayed the age of marriage and childbearing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: So part of this is about money. The high cost of raising a child, and there's also this question of autonomy. Younger people want to pursue their degrees. They want to pursue their careers and many are just choosing not to have children at all or get married. They want that freedom of choice.
John, the government is working on a number of incentives, but this is a case where money just may not be enough.
VAUSE: Marc, thank you. Marc Stewart there for us in Beijing with some analysis. We appreciate it. Thank you.
The Japanese technology company at the center of Britain's post office scandal says it has a moral obligation to compensate victims. Glitches and predictive (ph) software led to hundreds of postal workers being falsely accused and convicted of theft and fraud.
In a parliamentary hearing Tuesday, the company's European boss said he was truly sorry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL PATTERSON, FUJITSU EUROPEAN DIRECTOR: I think there is a moral obligation for the company to compute and to contribute. And I think the right place to determine that is when our responsibility is very clear.
There are many parties involved in this travesty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The scandal took place between 1999 and 2015. It's considered one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history. 700 people were falsely convicted of criminal offense.
Still to come here on CNN when reality becomes undeniable, it seems climate change deniers just shift their focus. Call it new denial and like new Coke is worse than the original.
[01:39:51]
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VAUSE: The British government has approved a controversial $2.5 billion plan to create a carbon negative power plant. Some climate experts say the technology though may not be so green. The idea is to capture carbon emissions from generators that burn biomass, mostly wood pallets then store that carbon under the North Sea. Burning biomass is considered carbon neutral because the emissions are
offset by the growth of new trees. But critics say it takes decades for those emissions to be reabsorbed by trees as well as plants.
Well, as record-breaking heat, more frequent, more severe natural disasters, being a climate change denier has never been so hard. So now it seems they've shifted their focus and are spreading misinformation on other areas and they're doing it online, in particular, YouTube.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate published a report citing a surge in what it calls "new denial", which seeks to undermine climate science and solutions rather than outright rejecting climate change as a hoax. The group says those videos are racking up money, a lot of money for YouTube.
Imran Ahmed is CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the non-profit group behind the study. He joins us this hour from CNN's Washington bureau. Imran, thanks for coming in. Thanks for being with us.
IMRAN AHMED, CEO/FOUNDER, CENTER FOR COUNTERING DIGITAL HATE: My pleasure.
VAUSE: Ok. So here's part of a clip which I found on YouTube just a few hours ago. It's some guy in a trucker's hat, he's quoting researchers and independent scientists. He's talking about the health effects from electromagnetic fields or EMFs from solar farms. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of the EMF, some independent scientists are saying that this can cause health issues and including cancer.
The World Health Organization, it claims that living next to a solar farm can create electromagnetic sensitivity and they say the symptoms of that are the nausea, being dizzy, skin rashes, and sleep disturbances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ok. Here's what the World Health Organization actually really does say. "Based on recent in-depth review of the scientific literature, WHO concluded that current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields."
And there's a lot more at the WHO Web site which you can read about that disproves everything that this guy says.
So is that sort of new denial content which appears to have surged in recent years that you found in the study.
AHMED: well, this is exactly the kind of content that we were talking about. It's trying to undermine people's confidence in the safety and efficacy of the solutions that we have to climate change, which are to change the way that we get our energy away from fossil fuels and towards other renewable forms of energy like solar, wind, tidal, et cetera.
[01:44:46]
AHMED: I think what's so interesting about it though, is that the reason they're having to do this is because, of course, science has succeeded in persuading most people that climate change is real, that it's man-made.
And so the people who oppose action on climate change, that's ultimately what they do. They're not debating the science in good faith. They oppose action on climate change.
They've now said, well look, if people believe climate change is real, let's just say we accept that. But then tell them the solutions they're dangerous or they don't work.
VAUSE: Who, in particular, are they? Is there a driving group behind these people? Are they individuals? How would you define them
AHMED: I mean I think there's two -- there's two types, generally. There are the oil and gas lobby that Astroturf -- what this is a term used for fake non-profits, fake scientists that they pay to sort of put out very skewed datasets and skewed research.
But also people who just make a buck by producing these videos, putting them on YouTube. And of course, what YouTube and all other social media platforms do is put advertising next to them. And quite often they share that revenue with the content creator, so by producing controversial information.
And it's not just the people that agree with them that are watching this. It's all the people that disagree who are then posting it and going look at this idiot. And, you know, as we are today.
VAUSE: Yes. Well, you looked at YouTube, in particular when it came to this sort of disinformation. And according to y our study, new denial, which is typically attacks on the credibility of the science and the solutions, makes up about 70 percent of climate change denial online.
Then there's also classic denial, which is what we sort of saw in the past, which you say has been debunked essentially, which is outright denial of climate change, which has fallen dramatically, sounds about 30 percent of all the stuff out there right now.
So when reality becomes undeniable, climate change deniers, they seem to embrace new incorrect non facts is that what's happening here.
AHMED: Well, I actually think that this is a story of both success and of cynicism. It's the success of a climate scientists and climate communicators and advocates in persuading people of the accuracy of the science. It's also of the cynicism as well of a movement that wants only one
thing -- to prevent action being taken on climate change, whether that's for their own economic interests or it's because frankly that chronically misinformed.
And that movement has decided, well, we can't win this battle. We've lost it. So it's time for us to find another front one that's perhaps less defended because, of course, most of the climate advocacy movement, most of our politicians, communicators, journalists, and others who are reporting the facts and telling the facts to the people they focus on this thing that has been an area of contention. But the area of contention has moved.
Very quickly. Your study, again, just focus on YouTube, which appears, this is according to your study, to be making what about $13 million a year from these new denial type of videos. And the company tells CNN, when content crosses the line to climate change denial, we stopped showing ads on those videos. We also display information panels under relevant videos to provide additional information on climate change and context from third parties.
Well, the clip we saw earlier has advertising. It's still there. There's no information panels. There's no disclaimers. There's nothing. So you know, at a minimum, there's room for improvement, you'd say.
AHMED: well, look, there's -- there's two issues here. One is that their current policy and YouTube already bans not posting but the monetization. So putting ads on and sharing revenues with the content creators of climate denial content.
They also said that they will not amplifies, they will not spread that into lots and lots of more people's newsfeeds, unprompted without them following it specifically. Now that policy is not being well enforced right now on the old denial, the classic forms of denial.
What we've said to them is a, you need to fix, you know, you need to improve the quality of your enforcement on the old denial, but you should also include the new denial as another new and vital form of climate denial, because Google claims to be a green company, but you cannot claim to be a green company and at the same time, profit lavishly and amplify broadcast climate denial to billions.
VAUSE: A good point to finish on Imran. Thanks so much for being with us and a good study to read as well. Thank you for that.
AHMED: My pleasure.
VAUSE: Earlier this week, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry announced he'll be stepping down from that role and will join Joe Biden's reelection campaign.
(INAUDIBLE), he spoke with CNN's Julia Chatterley about the race for the White House, as well as U.S. efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change -- call it a two-fer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KERRY, CLIMATE ENVOY: President Biden has had an extraordinary record. He's the person who said to us, I want to make climate the top issue. I want to be pushing this. He gave us the license to move around and make the things happen that have happened.
[01:49:45]
KERRY: He passed the IRA, one of the most significant pieces of legislation in history. It's made a difference already. His leadership globally has helped the United States come back from a place where the previous president pulled out of the agreement, didn't do anything, didn't put money in it. and now American leadership, I think -- hope is being respected again on this topic.
So I think that, you know, we're behind globally in terms of what we need to do to meet the crisis of climate. The president knows that and he's going to do everything he can in the campaign to be able to make this a key issue. And I'm going to do everything I can to help the president be able to be reelected.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So you're going to be campaigning for him. The whole place, I think he's talking about what happened in Iowa overnight with as you mentioned, the former presidents success in Iowa.
Can I ask what you make of that? Because I think for many reasons, but in particular, as we've discussed, climate (INAUDIBLE) perhaps shuddering at this moment at the prospect of a second round of former president Trump in the White House.
KERRY: Well, it's way too early. Look, its January, early January. And there's so much history to unfold still now between now and the election.
So I'm not going to get caught up in the election at this point. I think that that'll take care of itself. And later when I'm not in this job I'll have an opportunity to opine on that and other things.
But for the moment, the crisis, we really have to be paying more attention to is the climate crisis. I mean last year was the most turbulent year globally in history with record heat, record fires, record water, you know, disappearing, record numbers of people moving because of climate.
So we have a fundamental global challenge and I'm pleased to say that in Dubai we're able to work with China and others to forget some of the other issue -- not forget them, but put them aside for a moment, to do something that the world needs done that affects all of our citizens.
CHATTERLEY: Secretary Kerry --
KERRY: Nice to be with you.
CHATTERLEY: -- thank you. KERRY: Thank you.
CHATTERLEY: We look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail.
KERRY: It is cold out here, by the way.
CHATTERLEY: We're freezing. Trying to (INAUDIBLE) combatting winds.
KERRRY: Oh God, absolutely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The alleged leader of a Kenyan Christian cult is expected to be charged over his involvement in one of the worst mass suicides in recent history.
Paul Mackenzie and 94 other suspects face charges of murder and terrorism. Authorities recovered at least 429 bodies from a forest in eastern Kenya where Mackenzie and his followers are living.
Autopsy reports found most died from starvation. Others had signs of blunt trauma and strangulation, and many victims were children.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, it's the equivalent of a water-skiing squirrel, but an ER doctor on roller skates, surprising his colleagues that went viral.
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VAUSE: Retro is still alive and that's a big deal, not just for Retro, but also for Chinese scientists who cloned the monkey back in 2020. All of this reported in a study published in the journal "Nature Communications".
Retro is the second primate species that's been successfully cloned. This is significant because monkeys, as we know, are genetically similar to humans.
Still scientists are facing ethical concerns from welfare groups. U.K.'s Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says cloning animals requires procedures which can cause pain and distress. There can be high failure and mortality rates.
[01:54:55]
VAUSE: Now for something completely different. A doctor in Texas rolling into retirement quite literally strapping on some skates, creating a viral moment and a very good goodbye.
Jeanne Moos has his glorious exit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Who says stretchers are the only things that roll around the ER. After four decades in medicine Dr. Phil Masterson rolled into
retirement wearing a "Retired" sash his staff gave him.
DR. PHIL MASTERSON, RETIRED DOCTOR: And I've always had a thought, you know, when I retire, I want to do something crazy.
MOOS: His coworkers at this free-standing ER outside Dallas had no idea he has been skating since he was a teenager in Detroit.
DR. MASTERSON: They were flabbergasted.
MOOS: As "Hit the Road, Jack" played, they giggled, his daughter Nicole, posted the video to TikTok.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It made me happy to see him happy.
MOOS: And it went viral. Dr. Phil is turning 70.
"Lord, I was scared he was going to end up in one of those beds behind him", commented one TikToker but the doctor learned to skate in an era like the one portrayed in the movie "Roll Bounce".
And what was your big move of when you were a young man and can you still do it.
DR. MASTERSON: No, I can't still do it.
MOOSE: He called it the Russian roulette. Here he is in 20s crouching while kicking.
DR. MASTERSON: My knees won't allow me to do that any longer.
MOOS: But they will allow him to move to Spain with his wife for a year just as the hot shots in a movie "Roll Bounce" left the girls swooning, the ER staff almost had a Code Blue emergency. At least the doctor his white jacket on.
Jeanne Moos, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Memories of Brisbane's skate way.
Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague and great roller skater Rosemary Church up in a moment.
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