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CNN International: Five Days Until New Hampshire Primary; Trump Attacks Haley Ahead of New Hampshire Primary; Judge Threatens to Remove Trump from Courtroom; U.S. Launches Fourth Round of Strikes on Houthi Rebels; British Royal Medical Treatments; Israeli President Herzog Speaking at World Economic Forum. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 18, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Don't complain about what happens in a general election if you don't play in this primary on Tuesday.

DONAL TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They have no idea who she was and nor could I care less.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In total, three out of four of the most senior British working Royals out of action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At one point I had enough and I asked him whether he wants to come down and tell it to my face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM, with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. It is Thursday, January 18th. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster. 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in New Hampshire, where the slings and the arrows are flying ahead of Tuesday's Republican presidential primary. Donald Trump, the clear front-runner, though Nikki Haley has been going upwards in the recent polls.

Her message is one of unity and looking forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HALEY: But the only way we're going to win is if we elect a new conservative generational leader and put the negativity and the baggage behind and focus on the solutions of the future.

Don't complain about what happens in a general election if you don't play in this primary on Tuesday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Donald Trump will be away from the campaign trail today at his mother-in-law's funeral in Florida, but he is still taking aim at U.S. President Joe Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We were the first ever to get over that 50 percent. We actually had 52 percent and that's never been done and they were saying we might hit 40 and 40 was really monumental. That was big and we got 52. And it's time for the Republican Party frankly to come together and to unify. We have to unify and focus all of our resources and energy and effort on defeating crooked Joe Biden, the worst president in the history of our country and the radical left Democrats this November. We have to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Ron DeSantis also in Florida today with no plans to return to New Hampshire. He spent a full day campaigning on Wednesday including a town hall with voters in Derry. More now on the New Hampshire campaign from CNN's Kristen Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump is putting his focus squarely on Nikki Haley as he eyes a win in New Hampshire.

TRUMP: Nikki Haley is a disaster.

HOLMES (voice-over): With six days until the Granite State primary, the former president is dismissing Haley's support, claiming the former South Carolina governor is counting on Democrats to boost her candidacy.

TRUMP: Nikki Haley in particular is counting on the Democrats and liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary.

They're going to load it up with Democrats and independents and that's not what the Republican Party is about.

HOLMES (voice-over): Registered Democrats are not able to vote in the GOP primary, but Republican and undeclared voters can.

The GOP frontrunner also returning to familiar tactics on social media, attacking Haley using her birth name. After recently amplifying a post falsely claiming that Haley, who was born in South Carolina, could not be president because her parents were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth. In echo of the racist lie, he promoted that former President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S.

TRUMP: People behind Nikki Haley are pro-amnesty, they're pro-China. HOLMES (voice-over): The attacks are part of a broader strategy by Trump's campaign to blunt Haley's momentum in the Granite State, as polling shows her within striking distance, targeting her record on immigration to appeal to conservatives.

ANNOUNCER, POLITICAL AD: Drug traffickers, rapists, poisoning our country, but Nikki Haley refused to call illegals criminals.

HOLMES (voice-over): Haley also treating New Hampshire as a two-person contest.

HALEY: You look at the fact we've got all these issues around the country and around the world and what are Biden and Trump both focused on? Investigations, past issues, things that aren't taking us forward. We can either have more of the same or we can say it's time to change and move forward.

HOLMES (voice-over): But the former South Carolina governor once again inviting scrutiny for comments about race, after earlier drawing criticism for failing to mention slavery as a cause of the Civil War.

HALEY: We're not a racist country, Brian. We've never been a racist country.

HOLMES (voice-over): Asked about those comments during a CNN town hall, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis not agreeing with Haley or attacking his rival.

[04:05:00]

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The U.S. is not a racist country and we've overcome things in our history.

I think the Republican Party stands for merit and achievement and colorblindness. That is what we should stand for.

HOLMES: Now here in New Hampshire, campaign advisers tell me they're also targeting left leaning and moderate independents, hitting Nikki Haley on Social Security and Medicare, something they think will help them get votes from those left leaning and moderate independents.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: U.S. President Joe Biden heading to North Carolina today. He's expected to deliver remarks on the economy and his investing in America agenda in Raleigh before returning to the White House.

NOBILO: The defamation trial against Donald Trump will resume without him today in New York. He spent Wednesday in the courtroom listening to testimony from his accuser, journalist E. Jean Carroll. The former president has already been found liable and now jurors will determine damages.

FOSTER: Carroll says she endured a barrage of threats after she brought a sexual assault lawsuit against Trump. A civil jury last year found her allegations to be credible.

NOBILO: At one point the judge threatened to have Trump removed from the courtroom because he was making comments that could be overheard by the jury during Carroll's testimony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: This is a person I have no idea until this happened. Obviously, I have no idea who she was and nor could I care less. It's a rigged deal.

It's a made up, fabricated story. And that's a nasty man. He's a nasty judge. He's a Trump hating guy and it's obvious to everybody in the court. It's a disgrace, frankly, what's happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: More now from CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, Paula Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Former President Trump headed to New Hampshire late Wednesday after a long day in court where E. Jean Carroll testified for the first time with Trump in the room. While she did testify at her trial last spring where a jury found that Trump sexually abused her and defamed her and awarded her five million dollars, Trump did not attend that trial. So it was significant that on Wednesday he was there in the room as she recounted the impact that all of this has had on her.

But Trump and his lawyer engaged in some contentious exchanges with the judge over the rules of the court. Trump was disruptive during Carroll's testimony, which prompted pushback from the judge and his attorney, Alina Habba, did not follow the basic rules of evidence when trying to introduce certain pieces of evidence during cross examination.

This too prompted contentious exchanges with the judge. It all appeared to be sort of manufactured courtroom drama to help amplify Trump's message that he is the victim of an unfair judicial system.

Paula Reid, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Trump could still testify in the case, although the judge has made it clear he cannot dispute the assault and defamation issues which have already been settled. Here's CNN legal analyst, Joey Jackson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: If it's not defamation claims, certainly it's to the issue of punitive damages and we've seen that. And first of all, what are punitive damages? That's what this case is largely about. It's about punishing and deterring someone from engaging in misconduct like this, defaming, and what is it worth, right? And so, the reality is if you're continuing to say things, continuing to make statements, and I'll say this, right, I know it's a civil case, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law applies civilly too.

And so, I think the attorneys will say, look, judge, this is ripe for the consideration of this jury, goes to the state of mind, goes to his inability to accept any responsibility here, and it goes exactly to what my client is talking about, about how she's demeaned, doesn't feel safe, and is being threatened.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And now to the growing hostilities between neighboring Iran and Pakistan, who both took the extraordinary step of attacking militants on each other's soil.

NOBILO: Iran is demanding an immediate explanation from Pakistan, now summoning the Pakistani charge d'affaires after it launched strikes in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province earlier on today.

FOSTER: Pakistan claims it took out a number of militants, but Iran says the nine people killed were mostly women and children.

NOBILO: This comes a day after Iran fired on Sunni militants inside Pakistan, reportedly killing two children. We've got more now from CNN's Sofia Saifi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOPHIA SAIFI, PRODUCER: IT'S also something that seemed to have caught the Pakistani state by surprise. They put out a very strong statement when the strikes took place by Iran on Pakistani territory, deep into Pakistani territory on Tuesday night. The strikes by Pakistan took place this morning, and in the statements that have come out from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since, they've gone ahead to emphasize that the strikes that took place this morning were on credible information, often impending terrorist activities in the country.

Now, at the same time, there's just been a briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, and she said that the Prime Minister, who is currently in Davos, he'll be cutting his trip short and returning back to Pakistan.

[04:10:00]

Pakistan's foreign minister was on a separate visit to Uganda. He's also cutting that trip short and coming back before the 22nd, when he was actually supposed to be there till.

So, it's clearly a moment of crisis here in Pakistan. But that crisis is trying to be contained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that this was not an attack on the state of Iran, and that Iran is a brotherly, friendly neighbor of Pakistan. However, Pakistan's security could not be violated. Pakistan's security is sacred.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Meanwhile, American forces recently carried out a new round of strikes on Houthis in Yemen. After the Iran-backed rebels struck an American ship on Wednesday, and the U.S. announced it's re-designating the Houthis as a global terrorist organization.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: If the Houthis cease the attacks, we can certainly reconsider this designation. If they don't, as the President said, we will not hesitate to take further actions to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: But so far, neither military nor economic pressure has deterred the Houthis. CNN's Oran Lieberman has further details on these latest attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For the fourth time in less than seven days, the U.S. has carried out further strikes in Yemen, targeting Houthi capabilities as they try to limit the ability of the Iran-backed rebel group to target international shipping lanes and strike commercial vessels. In this case, according to U.S. officials, the U.S. used Tomahawk missiles launched from Navy surface vessels, as well as a guided missile submarine, to go after approximately 14 different missile launch locations used by the Houthis to launch both anti-ship cruise missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles.

The frequency with which the U.S. has been attacking here over the past week is significant. And that's because for weeks here, ever since the Houthis started targeting international shipping lanes in mid-November, the U.S. tried to avoid targeting Yemen itself as they sought to avoid a regional escalation here. But now after repeated attacks and warnings, both from the U.S. and from the international community, the U.S. feeling compelled to act again, carrying out a fourth series of strikes in Yemen over the course of the past weeks here.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have refused to back down here. They have continued to target commercial vessels they say are in some way linked to Israel, but they've also called U.S. and U.K. assets legitimate targets.

Twice this week, on Monday and on Wednesday, according to U.S. Central Command, the Houthis successfully struck U.S.-owned and operated vessels in the Gulf of Aden. In both cases, the ships suffered minor damage and were able to continue on their way. But it shows the sort of back and forth that we're seeing play out quite violently in and around Yemen here, the U.S. continuing to warn that if the Houthis keep attacking international shipping lanes, the U.S. military could continue to act.

Oren Liebermann, CNN in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Parts of New York State are buried under a heavy lake effect snow already. I did Google that.

FOSTER: What is it?

NOBILO: And well, I don't think I'm the best one to paraphrase it right now but do Google it yourself. But we'll get more as the day wears on. This is what conditions were like on Wednesday. The city of Watertown could see 30 inches or 78 centimeters of additional snow today. And some parts of the state could get up to four feet or more than a meter by day's end.

FOSTER: Kind of appropriate there's a lake effect in Watertown.

NOBILO: Yes.

FOSTER: Officials in Buffalo say travel could be impossible today with heavy blowing snow greatly reducing the visibility on the roads as you can see. Temperatures could drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit and continue through the weekend. But it's not only New York enduring nature's wrath.

The winter weather became deadly over the weekend in Oregon, where a man was killed after storms caused a large tree to crash into his home. Back-to-back winter storms across the U.S. killed at least 40 people since last week.

NOBILO: And switching gears, Max, we had some surprising quite sudden medical concerns from the British Royal Family. I think we got them late yesterday afternoon. Tell us more.

FOSTER: We think she went into hospital yesterday, the Princess of Wales. And we're told it was planned. And it went as planned. And we haven't had any updates since which suggests that it is going as well as it could be. She's obviously fit and healthy.

And I think the thing that's alarmed people the most, if I can say alarmed, or like made people's eyebrows raise a bit is the length of recovery time they built in. So up to two weeks in hospital and then up to three months at home.

NOBILO: Now the King is also in hospital. And you were making the point I think earlier that there's this intention to streamline the British monarchy. But actually, when two of the most senior figures are taken out of action because of their own private medical concerns, it does underscore how small it is now in terms of the duties that they still carry out.

FOSTER: Yes, and it's effectively three because Williams come off the Royal Diary as well to look after the family is going to be very hands on, you know, they are taking the kids to school every day and involved in lots there.

[04:15:00]

Obviously, Harry, Meghan are no longer working roles, Andrew and the Queen obviously passed away. So currently, we're actually down to the Queen and Edward and Sophie.

NOBILO: Much less prominent figures, definitely around the world.

FOSTER: Yes, but it does it does show how they have slimmed it down and how you know, they're humans, they're fragile. But they're also an institution which people expect to see every so often and to represent that continuity. And I think people will see that particularly over the next couple of months, because Kate is the one that really creates the headlines. And she won't be doing that for a few months.

NOBILO: it's And just quickly before we move on, what is the King in hospital for?

FOSTER: So, it's an enlarged prostate, but it is benign. But he has to go in for a procedure next week.

NOBILO: Max, thank you.

Now, families of American hostages are pleading with lawmakers to bring their loved ones home. How the White House is responding to those pleas coming up next.

FOSTER: Also ahead, Ukraine's military supplies are dwindling. The top presidential adviser warns about the slow pace of aid deliveries from the West.

NOBILO: Plus, Texas strikes a defiant note in legal battles over immigration with razor wire. We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:06]

FOSTER: To Davos, where Israeli President Isaac Herzog is speaking with the World Economic Forum President Borge Brende. Let's have a look.

ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT: ... potential partners in the fair for that.

BORGE BRENDE, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM PRESIDENT: So how do you see the end game of this war in Gaza? I know you're a big believer in the end game of this war in Gaza. It is hard, but a war needs also to end. Do you see then the PA and Fatah and PLO taking over the responsibility of Gaza? Or do you see still Israeli IDF forces being in Gaza? Or is it too early to discuss?

HERZOG: First of all, you have a war right now. Israel has pulled a substantial part of its forces in the northern region and our focus is focused mostly on the southern where we assume that some of Hamas leadership is there. We should see a horizon of a coalition of nations who are willing to commit to rebuilding Gaza in a way that number one enables safety and well-being of Israel. Number two enables safety and well-being of the Palestinians and brings a future, a different future to Gaza.

You need strong Western forces. You need strong regional forces. And I'm sure there will also be a dialogue with Palestinians from Gaza and Palestinians and the way the Palestinian Authority.

How is that cooked into a formula that makes sense is exactly the issue that's being discussed right now all over the world in very, very intimate discussions. We all understand there has to be a vision and I think part of it should be also going back to the normalization process of Israel and its neighbors in the region. I think it's part of a package, but that requires to support Israel's efforts to undermine the capabilities of Hamas and it's still there.

NOBILO: That was Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaking with the World Economic Forum President Borge Brende. We'll monitor that and bring you any important developments as they come.

Let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks. Paula, what's your reaction to that? I thought quite striking at the end of his remark just then, Herzog saying that obviously the continued normalization of Israel and its neighbors would ensue after this conflict wraps up. Clearly, the way that Israel has conducted its offensive has made that extraordinarily difficult. But tell us about your reaction.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is something, Bianca, that that the Israelis have been told effectively by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken when he was in the region just about a week ago. He came to Israel saying that he had promises, guarantees from some of the partners in the region who said that if they pulled out of Gaza, if there was the creation of a Palestinian state alongside an Israeli state, then there could be normalization. So, this is certainly something that the U.S. has been pushing.

And interesting that you dipped in just at that moment when he is asked about the day after the war in Gaza. Once Israel pulls out, what does Gaza look like? Who governs Gaza? This is a key question. We've heard from the U.S. side that they want the Palestinian Authority with Mahmoud Abbas or whoever at the head of that to be an integral part of this.

But they have said that there needs to be governance reform. They need to change to be able to be strong enough and organized enough to control Gaza.

What we're hearing from the Israeli side, though, is that they don't want just the Palestinians to be governing themselves. He said just then the president, he wants to have a coalition of nations. So, they want to make sure that we have heard from the Israeli side that it doesn't go back to how it has been, that it goes to a situation where they can feel safe on the border with Gaza. And a situation where Hamas or any other militant groups are unable to reform and to regroup and to take control once again. So, there is a significant gap between how the Israelis see the day

after and even how their closest allies, the United States, sees the day after. And that really speaks to that point as well.

He did mention at the end when he talked about all the nations that should be willing to reconstruct, to rebuild, to recreate Gaza. Then at the end, he did say, and of course, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank should be involved as well.

But that is not the priority. That is not the key element.

[04:25:00]

And of course, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank should be involved as well.

But that is not the priority. That is not the key element of a governance that Israel views at this point. They do not believe the Palestinian Authority is strong enough to be able to counter against any militant groups.

And we've heard from the U.S. side that they believe the Palestinians should be able to govern themselves -- Max and Bianca.

NOBILO: Paula, could you bring us up to speed on the latest proxy attacks that we're seeing in the region? Obviously, the broader concern is escalation. And I suppose as long as those continue, the real worry is, is that if that ends up killing U.S. troops or allied troops, then the response will be escalatory. Do you feel like it's contained for now? Or are we seeing a low-level escalation?

HANCOCKS: We're hearing from the Pentagon that they believe that it is not spread beyond the conflict in Gaza. But when you look at just one part of this puzzle, for example, the Houthis in Yemen just this week alone on Monday, the Houthis managed to launch a missile and hit a U.S. vessel. There were no injuries and there was some damage to the ship, but it was able to continue.

Tuesday, they managed to hit a Malta flagged boat. Again, no injuries, but there was damage to the ship. And then on Wednesday, a second U.S. vessel was hit. So, it really is begging the question, is this not a wider conflict? Does this not represent an uptick in the -- in the violence and in the concerns?

Now, what we're seeing from the U.S. side is that they are carrying out more airstrikes against Yemeni targets, against Houthi targets, I should say, in Yemen. But they admitted that even what they did last Thursday with the U.S. and U.K. navies overnight Thursday into Friday, where they hit more than 60 targets, they only managed to take out, they think, less than a third of the weapons capabilities of the Houthis.

So that just demonstrates how difficult this task is. The Houthis had plenty of time to disperse their assets and their launching sites to make sure that it was a difficult task to be able to put them out of business. And they have shown again Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with these launches, with these hits, these direct hits on vessels going through the Red Sea that they are in no way contained. So, I think that's really the area that many are concerned about at this point.

NOBILO: Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, thank you very much.

FOSTER: In the U.S., families of the American hostages who remain captive in Gaza will meet National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan today. That's according to a White House official. The U.S. believes six Americans remain alive in captivity in the enclave. Several of their families are in Washington this week, around the 100-day mark of their loved ones being abducted by Hamas, pleading for their release.

NOBILO: Meantime, CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke with freed Israeli hostage Sharon Cunio. Cunio said that she and her family were abducted during the October 7th attack and held at Al-Nasr Hospital in southern Gaza while she and her children have been released. Her husband is still being held in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARON ALONI CUNIO, RELEASED HAMAS HOSTAGE: We just know that he was taken down to the tunnels.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So how do you get through each day now?

CUNIO: I usually cry all day. I try to be strong for the girls because I know they look up to me currently because I'm both mother and a father right now.

But when they don't see me, I cry. I watch videos of him. I hear sound voices from him just to kind of feel connected to him.

COOPER: Do your daughters ask a lot about him?

CUNIO: Every day, every day.

COOPER: Is there anything else you want people to know or that you want to say?

CUNIO: Yes, I want people to understand that every minute counts and every minute in captivity lasts like a lifetime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Aide and medicines for Palestinians and Israeli hostages have entered Gaza, according to Qatar, after the country brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas.

NOBILO: Israel has confirmed that 253 people had been taken hostage on October the 7th, according -- announcing a firm number for the very first time. Now, after hostage releases and one rescue, Israel now believes that 132 hostages are still in Gaza, but only 105 of them are alive.

FOSTER: Coming up, nearly two years after the Uvalde school massacre, we're expecting today to learn the findings of a probe into law enforcement's response.

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