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Huge Change in Ron DeSantis's Mind; Netanyahu Says No to Conditions by Hamas; Nikki Haley Saw Opportunity for More Support. Donald Trump is Back to His M.O. of Name Calling Opponents; Anger Burst Amongst Protesters in Germany; Another Royal Member Battling with Cancer; Ram Temple Inaugurated in Ayodhya, India; Frigid Weather Felt in U.S. and Parts of U.K. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 22, 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, around the world and streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemarie Church.
Just ahead, Nikki Haley gets the two-person race she wants after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis drops out of the 2024 presidential race. And Donald Trump picks up another endorsement ahead of tomorrow's New Hampshire primary.
Plus, what went wrong for the DeSantis campaign that some thought held so much promise?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Can you hear that sound?
(CROWD CHEERING)
HALEY: That's the sound of a two-person race.
(CROWD CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: With just over a day to go before New Hampshire's Republican primary, a major shakeup in the U.S. presidential race leaves Donald Trump and Nikki Haley as the last major GOP candidates still standing.
On Sunday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he is dropping out of the race for the White House and throwing his support behind the former president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON DESANTIS, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have a record of leading with conviction, championing an agenda marked by bold colors, delivering on my promises and defeating the people who are responsible for our nation's decline. That is the type of leadership we need for all of America.
Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can't go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackage formed of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.
The days of putting Americans last, of kowtowing to large corporations, of caving to woke ideology are over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So far there are no plans for Trump and DeSantis to campaign together before New Hampshire's primary, but the Trump campaign is already fundraising off this new endorsement.
Well, a new joint poll from CNN and the University of New Hampshire shows Donald Trump widening his lead over Nikki Haley. When asked who they would support in a two-candidate race, 54 percent of likely Republican voters chose Trump, with 41 percent choosing Haley. The poll was conducted days before DeSantis dropped out, reflecting the second choices of those who were backing him.
CNN's Alayna Treene has more on how the surprise announcement will affect the New Hampshire primaries.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, just hours after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed the former President, Trump came out on stage in Rochester, New Hampshire, and congratulated him for running what he called a great campaign.
He also said that DeSantis was being, quote, "gracious for giving him his endorsement." Take a listen to how Donald Trump put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Before we begin, I'd like to take time to congratulate Ron DeSantis and --
(CROWD CHEERING)
TRUMP: -- of course, a really terrific person who had gotten to know his wife, Casey, for having run a great campaign for president. He ran a really good campaign. I will tell you. It's not easy. They think it's easy doing this stuff, right? It's not easy.
But as you know, he left the campaign trail today at 3 p.m. and in so doing, he was very gracious and he endorsed me. So, I appreciate it.
(CROWD CHEERING)
TRUMP: I appreciate that. And I also look forward to working with Ron and everybody else to defeat crooked Joe Biden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Well, what a difference just a few hours make. I mean, this is a complete 180 from the type of rhetoric we heard Donald Trump use. Just this weekend in Manchester, New Hampshire on Saturday, Trump was criticizing Ron DeSantis and, this is also the first time I want to note that he's actually referred to the Florida governor by his real name instead of the nickname that he's given the Florida governor, which is Ron DeSantimonious.
But look, I think one thing that we should be watching for is whether or not this endorsement from DeSantis changes anything in the minds of Donald Trump. Already, it appears it has, given the language we heard him use on Sunday.
[03:04:53]
But over the past year now, Donald Trump has really viciously gone after Ron DeSantis, attacked him very heavily in the lead up to the Iowa caucuses. And part of that was because the campaign was worried about DeSantis as a rival but the other part was because it was personal.
Donald Trump very much believes that DeSantis was being disloyal by running for president after Trump had endorsed him for Florida governor in 2017. And that's where a lot of those attacks stem from according to my conversations with Donald Trump's advisors and his allies.
But I think the question now is, will his endorsement change the game? Will you see Ron DeSantis become a potential surrogate for the Trump campaign? I know as well from our conversations with Trump's team that as of now there are no plans for DeSantis to show up on the trail with him, but again that could change in the coming weeks.
Alayna Treene, CNN Rochester, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Meantime, Haley is using the moment to try to win over DeSantis supporters ahead of Tuesday's primary.
CNN's Kylie Atwood breaks down Haley's strategy heading into the pivotal event.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This news broke while Nikki Haley was at one of her many campaign stops today at a clam shop, a lobster shack here in New Hampshire. She came out and she said to about Ron DeSantis that he has run a good campaign. He's been a good governor. But now it is a two-person race between her and former President Trump.
That's what her campaign has been saying. It is here in New Hampshire for a while now. Just because of how DeSantis was polling so low and not really competing in the state. But now, of course, that's a reality. And so here was her pitch to DeSantis voters who could potentially choose her when she spoke with Dana Bash earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: I think that they love America and I think they want a new generational leader. And so, I am telling them that I am that new generational leader and I'm the conservative that can get it done. Look at the fact that we could actually win. And I think that's what Ron DeSantis' supporters want. They don't want to lose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ATWOOD: Now she also told folks in that room that she's going to continue campaigning. She wants to do well here in New Hampshire. Her campaign is saying that they think that DeSantis support is going to be split between Haley and Trump. They think it will essentially cancel one another out.
But if it does go to Trump, that could deliver him with a margin of victory here in New Hampshire, which would be pretty substantial. We know that Trump is aiming for that because he thinks that that could effectively mean that he is the de facto nominee.
But Haley's team is still battling it out. They are doubting polls that show her below, say that there are also polls that show her neck and neck with the former president. So really campaigning as hard as they can here in New Hampshire, where the stakes really just couldn't be higher.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Political analyst Michael Genovese is president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. He's also the author of "The Modern Presidency, Six Debates That Define the Institution."
Great to have you with us.
MICHAEL GENOVESE, PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: Thank you very, very much for having me.
CHURCH: So, in the wake of Ron DeSantis announcing the end of his presidential campaign and endorsing Donald Trump, it is now a two- person race. But is this the end of the road for Nikki Haley too, given Donald Trump's commanding lead in New Hampshire?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, she still has a chance and you want to play it out. Right now, the polling looks bad for Nikki Haley. Trump is around 50 percent, she's around 40 percent, and that was before DeSantis pulled out. Many of the DeSantis voters will go to Trump.
And so, you know, she really needs, if she wants to stay in the race and be credible, to get it down to single digits. And Trump really needs to get over 50 percent. If she can't get it to single digits, then the rationale for her candidacy begins to disappear faster than a third-grade science project.
CHURCH: So, what went wrong for DeSantis, do you think, after starting out so strong with his campaign?
GENOVESE: You know, at first, it appeared that a DeSantis candidacy made sense. Because we didn't realize how strong Trump remained in the party. But he never got out of the starting gate, never got traction. He's campaign -- he campaigned really in a very flat way. He offered himself as Donald Trump without the baggage. But it turned out that he was Donald Trump without the personality. He had no real charisma.
And so, you know, he was offering himself as the mega candidate when you had the real mega candidate. Why would you go for a pale imitation when you had the real thing? And so Donald Trump captured that segment of the party. DeSantis had no real chance.
CHURCH: And just a week ago, DeSantis was criticizing Trump, saying, if you kiss the ring, Trump loves you, but if you don't, he'll attack you. And now with DeSantis endorsing Trump, he's kissing the ring essentially, isn't he? And Trump has changed his tune from mocking DeSantis to calling him terrific and gracious.
[03:10:01]
So How will Trump likely reward DeSantis? Could he embrace him perhaps and use him as a surrogate?
GENOVESE: I think he will try that. And for DeSantis, it's very clear that he wants to keep his options open for the future. He doesn't want to be stuck with the loser label. And so, getting out early allows him to distance himself. Embracing Trump allows him to be part of that MAGA of victory, at least for the nomination.
And so, ideologically, they're very close together. So, it makes sense for DeSantis to sort of put tail between legs going to support Donald Trump.
CHURCH: And given where things stand right now, certainly if you look at the numbers, it seems that we're in another Trump-Biden match up, something most voters have made it very clear they don't want to see happen again. So how will this likely go, do you think?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, these will be two of the least popular presidential candidates on record. You have two very, very senior people, and you have two -- one candidate who's really a lot of unpopularity, Donald Trump, and one who is very flat, Joe Biden. This has the makings of one of the strangest and maybe most disappointing presidential races in a long, long time. The candidates are so unpopular and so unwelcome.
CHURCH: But could this end up being so close that we're going to have a repeat of what happened last time?
GENOVESE: Well, you know, from 2000 onward, we have some very close elections. Twenty-twenty was close enough where Donald Trump claimed victory. Even if Trump loses, he will claim victory and probably cause more trouble.
And so, what you'd like to have is a national consensus behind a candidate, behind a presidential candidate, behind an agenda. We don't have that. We're so deeply divided that we will have a close election. And after the election, it's going to be hard to take those wounds and heal them.
CHURCH: Michael Genovese, always appreciate your perspective and analysis. Thanks for joining us.
GENOVESE: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And still to come, despite growing pressure to get Israeli hostages released, Benjamin Netanyahu says he won't accept Hamas's demands. We will get a live report just ahead.
Plus, as Ron DeSantis drops out of the White House race, President Biden's campaign is preparing for a possible rematch with former President Donald Trump. The details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:15:00]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.
Returning to our top story this hour, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is now the last Republican candidate standing against former President Donald Trump after Florida governor Ron DeSantis suspended his 2024 bid for the White House and endorsed Trump.
Speaking in New Hampshire on Sunday, Haley welcomed DeSantis' move and touted a two-person race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: I want to say to Ron, he ran a great race. He's been a good governor and we wish him well. Having said that, it's now one fellow and one lady left.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meantime, with just over 24 hours to go until the New Hampshire primary, both Trump and Haley have been making their last pitch to voters as the latest CNN poll shows that Trump has widened his lead in the state.
However, speaking to CNN's Dana Bash, Haley said she is confident that she will win, lashing out at both Trump and DeSantis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: When he dropped out, part of what he said was he reminded everybody that he signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee. I'll honor that pledge. He meaning Donald Trump has my endorsement because we can't go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear or repackage formed of warmed over, corporatism that Nikki Haley represents. That stuff got on his way out the door.
HALEY: You know and it's interesting because there's no proof to that. These fellows say this because they want people to believe it. But what's amazing to me is they think they can lie to the American people and the American people are going to believe it. Prove it. Prove one thing that they've said. Prove the fact that Donald Trump says I want to cut Social Security or raise the age. I've never said that.
Prove the fact that Donald Trump says I want to raise gas taxes. I've never said that or done that. Prove that Ron DeSantis says that I'm a corporate whatever he says I am. I've never done that. I was in South Carolina. We fought for the people every day.
There's a reason that you don't see the legislature lining up behind me in South Carolina. It's because I fought to get them to vote on the record. I fought to have them do ethics reform. I've vetoed half a billion dollars worth of their pork projects.
And then you see Congress. The reason Congress doesn't support us is I've pushed for term limits. I've pushed for mental competency tests. I've said if they don't give us a budget on time, they don't get paid. I don't get that political elite.
That's what we need to be talking about, not the corporate stuff that they're talking about. The fact that they all side together against the people is what I'm doing. I'm going to continue to fight for the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: A major focus of both the Trump and Haley campaigns is border security. The White House says a bipartisan group of senators is working on an immigration package. President Biden seems optimistic that there may be a finalized version of the bill on his desk in the coming weeks.
What's holding up the bill right now is the argument over whether aid for Ukraine is a necessary component for successful legislation. Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan spoke to CNN's Manu Raju.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Trump came out against it today, how much harder is that going to be to get a compromise through Congress?
REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): That makes a huge difference because he's the leader of the party, he's going to be our nominee, I think he's going to be the next president. So yes, that makes a huge difference. Yes, but I just don't, I think it's a non-starter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is outright rejecting Hamas' demands for releasing the remaining hostages in Gaza. He says Hamas wants the war to end, a withdrawal of troops and Palestinian prisoners released.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:19:57]
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Let it be clear, I utterly reject the Hamas monsters' capitulation terms. Were we to agree to this, our soldiers would have fallen in vain. Were we to agree to this, we would not be able to ensure the security of our citizens. We would be unable to safely restore the evacuees to their homes, and the next October 7th would only be a question of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meanwhile, families and friends of Israeli hostages held a rally near Mr. Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem on Sunday, again calling for their release. This comes as a report in the Wall Street Journal says the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar want Israel to join a new phase of talks with Hamas that would start with releasing hostages and lead to Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza.
CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So what more are you learning about these potential talks and how vulnerable is Benjamin Netanyahu right now as domestic sentiment turns against him with calls for a leadership change?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, look, he is vulnerable. He was vulnerable before October 7th. Then, of course, there were questions about the security failings that led to it. Now the issue that it's been almost two months since that late November, hostage release combined of course with the humanitarian truce and still no progress towards another one.
And now mounting calls that he may be putting his own political survival ahead of the interests of the country. So he is vulnerable. In terms of himself and his rhetoric, if anything, he seems to be toughening his stance not only on the talks with Hamas and the idea of another humanitarian truce in exchange for the release of hostages, but in terms of what the situation in Gaza will look like after the war.
His tweet on Sunday said that he will not compromise on full Israeli security control of all the territory west of Jordan. Now, there may be a nuance there, but he did go on to say that this is contrary to a Palestinian state, so potentially politically risky since that puts him at odds with most of the international community.
So, there is that. But on the flip side, in private, according to this Wall Street Journal, reports. Israel is at least, they say according to officials briefed on this, engaging in talks with Hamas. They're nowhere close to a deal at this point.
The broker countries, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt are apparently, according to this report, pushing for something that could potentially be bigger than what we saw at the end of November, a potentially longer pause in fighting a phased release of all of the remaining hostages. We are not there yet, but this report suggests that they are at least engaging in this. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Netanyahu's comments are highlighting Israel's growing international isolation on the issue of a two-state solution. What has been the international reaction to this so far?
SEBASTIAN: Yes, I mean, mostly people have come out and stopped short perhaps of condemnation, but the U.N. Secretary General called it unacceptable. The British Defense Secretary speaking on Sunday said that it was disappointing, but perhaps not surprising. And asked well, what are the alternatives here.
And that is a sentiment, Rosemary, that we've heard echoed this morning. The E.U. foreign policy chiefs are meeting with their Israeli and Palestinian and counterparts from some Arab countries as well. And this was the comment from the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell as he arrived at this meeting. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEP BORRELL, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: Which are the other solutions they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians live? To kill off them? Twenty-five thousand already in Gaza. Seventy percent are women and children. Certainly, the way of trying to destroy Hamas is not the way they are doing, because they are seeding the hate for generations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Now of course, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is also ramping up this pressure, Josep Borrell saying that it frankly could not be worse.
The Biden administration, though, is still more or less trying to thread the needle. Biden sort of downplaying the disagreement that Netanyahu himself has highlighted over a two-state solution, saying that they potentially could still be convinced there are different types of two-state solution.
Drawing potentially on that nuance in Netanyahu's comment on full security control. Biden suggesting that one option they're looking at is a demilitarized Palestinian state. But still, this is, it seems, Rosemary, deepening Israel's isolation.
CHURCH: All right, Clare Sebastian with that live report from London. Many thanks.
After a multi-day search, the U.S. Central Command says two U.S. Navy SEALs who went missing off the Somali coast are dead. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement on their death saying, we mourn the loss of our two brave Navy SEALs and our hearts are with their families. The entire department is united in sorrow today. We are grateful to all who worked tirelessly to try to find and rescue them.
[03:25:02]
The two sailors were boarding a vessel in search of Iranian arms when one fell overboard due to the rough conditions at sea and the other jumped in after him according to protocol.
Still to come, a win in the New Hampshire primary is critical to Nikki Haley's presidential bid, but does she have the support to pull it off? We'll take a look.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: We are counting down the hours to the New Hampshire primary, where former U.S. President Donald Trump is now in a two-person race for the Republican nomination. That's after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign for president on Sunday. At one point, he posed the greatest threat to Trump in securing the Republican nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DESANTIS: If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. But I can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don't have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Now, the Republican race is down to just two main candidates, Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. DeSantis has thrown his support behind Trump. For his part, Trump says he's looking forward to working with the Florida governor.
Meantime, Nikki Haley is using the moment to rally support for the fight ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: I want to say to Ron, he ran a great race. He's been a good governor and we wish him well. Having said that, it's now one fellow and one lady left.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:30:04]
CHURCH: Nikki Haley says her campaign is the last best hope of stopping what she calls the Trump-Biden nightmare. She is pointing out ways in which she is critically different to both of them, her policies and her age.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: And you've got Trump saying, but look at all these congressional endorsements I have. I don't want political. I don't want the political elite. That's not what I'm looking for. And they, honestly, aren't ready for me. Why? Because I keep saying we need to have term limits in Washington, D.C.
(APPLAUSE)
HALEY: I say we need to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age of 75.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Haley is touting her age as a benefit. She's now the only U.S. presidential candidate under the age of 70. And she's questioning Trump's mental fitness, something he scoffs at.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Cognitively, you know, I don't know if you saw, but a few months ago, I took a cognitive test. My doctor gave me, I said, give me a cognitive test just so we can, you know, because you know what the standards were. And I aced it.
Like Haley, she talks about, yes, we don't need 80-year-old. Well, I don't mind being 80, but I'm 77. That's a big difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Trump taking a shot there at President Joe Biden, who is 81 years old. He's also using his platform to mock Mr. Biden for his stutter, which is a childhood speech impediment the president has been open about working to overcome. Trump using his bully pulpit to be a bully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: When you make a speech, his speeches last about three minutes. You know why? Because he runs out of fuel. He runs out of fuel. The fuel doesn't last very long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meantime, President Joe Biden's campaign is closely monitoring the Republican contest as they inch closer to a possible one-on-one contest with former President Donald Trump.
CNN's Kevin Liptak has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Ron DeSantis's decision to drop out of the Republican contest didn't come as much of a surprise to President Biden's campaign advisors, but it certainly does bring them closer to this one-on-one contest with the former president, Donald Trump.
And in fact, in their statement on Sunday, Democrats didn't really go after DeSantis much. In particular, they were much more focused on President Trump, saying that DeSantis was the latest member of the Republican Party to fall in line behind the original MAGA brand, and that he had pinned his entire campaign's hopes on the same extreme MAGA agenda, both Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are still running on.
At the end of the day, President Biden's team really do view Trump as the most likely Republican nominee. Of course, polls bear that out. And they have long sort of looked past Ron DeSantis and his fellow Republican candidates to the general election, to this contest with President Trump.
And they are very eager for this to become a one-on-one contest. They do have internal research that shows many undecided voters just don't believe that President Trump will become the Republican nominee. And until that happens, it's very hard for them to make this choice argument, this contrast argument when it comes to President Biden.
And they are very eager to do that. And it is much harder to do when it's just President Biden and a Republican candidate in the abstract. They think it will be much easier to get voters engaged and to make their own argument for President Biden when it is President Trump as the nominee, or at least the likely nominee.
Now, next week, you will see President Biden and Kamala Harris really ramping up their campaign activity. They will appear at their first joint appearance in Northern Virginia on Tuesday, trying to counter program the New Hampshire primary.
Their focus there and over the next several days will be on reproductive rights on abortion. This is pegged to the anniversary of the original Roe versus Wade Supreme Court decision. And what you'll hear President Biden do is make the argument that President Trump is as much responsible for the overturning of Roe versus Wade through his three Supreme Court nominations as anyone else.
And in fact, that is an argument that President Trump has made himself on the campaign trail. And certainly, President Biden's team believe this is a galvanizing issue for voters and something that will help turn out voters come next year's election.
Kevin Liptak, CNN, traveling with President Biden at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Earlier I spoke with Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. I asked him about the stakes for Nikki Haley going into Tuesday's primary. He says it's unlikely she will overcome Donald Trump, which could spell trouble for her campaign.
(BEGIN VIDETAPE)
[03:35:06]
LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: If she loses on Tuesday, it almost certainly marks the end of her run. Now she may continue through her home state of South Carolina, though I think she'd be hesitant to do it because she wouldn't want to lose her home state. That's really difficult to explain to people.
But for all practical purposes, once DeSantis left and once the other candidates were knocked out of the race, it was Trump's to lose and Trump's to lose significantly and he's not going to lose it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Our thanks to Larry Sabato for his analysis there.
Well, Donald Trump is expected back in a New York City courtroom today. The former president is asking for a mistrial in the defamation case involving writer E. Jean Carroll. It's not clear if Trump will take the stand in the case. The trial is to determine how much money Mr. Trump owes Carroll over defamatory statements.
Later in the day, Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday's primary.
Hundreds of thousands of people are turning out in Berlin and cities across Germany protesting for a second straight week against the country's major far-right party. The demonstrations have gained momentum after reports emerged that senior members of the Alternative for Germany party have discussed a quote, "master plan" for the mass deportation of migrants and even German citizens who originally came from other countries.
Many are comparing the party's alleged stance to the Nazi era, as CNN's Michael Holmes reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A huge turnout in Germany to protest against the rise of the far-right and an ideology reminiscent of the country's darkest days. Waving signs that say never again and Nazis are disgusting, hundreds of thousands of people rallied in cities across the country over the weekend against the far- right party the Alternative for Germany and its anti-immigrant policies that many Germans say are similar to the Nazis.
JORG LAURENTSCH, PROTESTER (through translator): Germany is undergoing a huge shift to the right, just as it was almost before the war or before the Second World War. And I don't think it's ever been this bad since the war.
HOLMES: The AfD struck a nerve with many Germans after it was revealed that senior party members attended a secret meeting last year of neo- Nazis and other extremists and discussed plans for mass deportation of migrants, including German citizens.
The AFD denies it is a racist or extremist group and denies such plans a part of their policy, although calls to ban the party are growing. But it has also recorded high polling in some states and is expected to make gains in regional and perhaps European elections this year, something protesters say needs to change.
KATRIN DELRIEUX, PROTESTER (through translator): I hope that it will make people change their minds. Some may not yet be sure whether they will vote for the AfD or not. But after these demonstrations, they simply can't do that anymore.
HOLMES: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has encouraged people to join the protest, saying extremism in the country is a threat to democracy and a throwback to a time of hatred and violence.
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): If there is something in Germany which must never ever find a place again, it is the national race ideology of the Nazis. The repulsive relocation plans by these extremists is just that.
HOLMES: Michael Holmes, CNN
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Coming up next, a health scare for yet another member of the British royal family. What the Duchess of York is facing when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:40:00]
CHURCH: Another health concern for Britain's royal family, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma. That is according to the U.K. Press Association citing her spokesperson. It is an aggressive form of skin cancer which was discovered after several moles were removed when Ferguson was treated for breast cancer last June.
And Max Foster joins us now from London with the latest. Good morning to you, Max. So what more are you learning about this latest royal health scare, this time the Duchess of York recovering from skin cancer surgery.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so she was having a mastectomy in relation to her cancer treatment and they found some moles and they tested them and they turned out to be malignant. So this is coming from their spokesperson in a statement released through the press association.
She remains in good spirits. She's very keen for people to have their moles checked. So, she wanted to release this information, which is also something that King Charles did last week when he revealed that he had this enlarged prostate. He said he wanted to encourage more men to get themselves checked. And actually there was a huge rise in hits on the National Health
Service website in relation to that. So, this is partly sharing information that the public might need to know, but also about raising awareness about these health issues within the royal family.
She is, you know, a lot of people are unaware of her role currently in the royal family. She doesn't have an official role since she divorced from Prince Andrew, but you would have seen, some of you, that she was actually invited to Christmas at Sandringham by the king, and she was there, part of the group of royals who were meeting the members of the public.
So, she has been brought more into the royal fold, actually, in recent times, so very much part of the family at this time, although she's not a working royal.
CHURCH: And you mentioned King Charles revealing details about his cancer scare as well. That's quite new, isn't it, within the royal family?
FOSTER: Yes, I do think it's a new spirit of openness, perhaps under King Charles. In the past, the family highly protected, particularly the palace, highly protected about any medical details being released. And that's because they very much feel that the royals do have a right to a private life, particularly when it comes to medical details. So we never get any sort of detailed information. We still don't, for example, know how the queen died.
But the king releasing this information about his prostate, which he didn't need to do because it wasn't necessarily in the public interest because it wasn't cancerous and it didn't involve spending a long time in hospital. So it doesn't affect his public work.
But he chose to release that information, he says, according to a royal source, because he wanted to have more -- encourage more men to be checked. And it certainly had a big impact in terms of awareness because we did have this, a lot more inquiries going into the NHS as a result.
CHURCH: And can we expect to receive any more details on Sarah Ferguson? This would be the final word on it.
[03:45:04]
FOSTER: I think if there was a major update, we will probably hear. It's difficult to tell. She has her own communications team, so they're handling things in their own way.
As far as the palace is concerned, it's pretty clear that we're not going to be told anything about either the king or indeed the Princess of Wales who's in hospital currently still as well. If unless there's a big update, for example, them being released from hospital or if things did take a turn for the worse.
As far as the Duchess's communications team is concerned, we'll wait to see. I think it's very much being led by her and what she feels the public needs to know.
CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Max Foster bringing us up to date on this latest health scare. I appreciate it.
And when we come back, storm Isha is packing quite a punch across the U.K., and the storm's high winds are having a startling impact on planes trying to land. We'll take a look.
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CHURCH: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new multi- million-dollar Ram temple in Ayodhya today. The construction of the temple fulfills his long-standing promise in an election year.
[03:49:56]
The controversial Hindu temple stands on the site of an ancient mosque. Hindus believe the god Ram was born in the town thousands of years ago. But a mosque was built over his birthplace by a 16th century Muslim emperor following the demolition of a temple there.
Hindu and Muslim groups tried unsuccessfully to resolve the dispute through talks for many years. Modi's Hindu Nationalist Party launched a nationwide campaign to build the temple there that eventually led to the mosque's demolition in 1992, triggering riots that killed about 2,000 people.
Vedika Sud joins us now from Ayodhya. So Vedika, what is the latest on this?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: And you were talking about that campaign by Hindu hardliners. Well, it's culminated into what you see on your screens with the Indian prime minister presiding over that religious ceremony in the inner sanctum of the Ram Temple.
This is what they've been wanting for very long, Rosemary, and it's been delivered by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is a historical moment. It's also controversial moment.
I'll come to the historical moment first. It's historical because like I said, this is a moment that Hindus across India and novices have been waiting for decades. It's been building up as a campaign and after the Supreme Court in 2019 gave the nod for a temple to be built on this controversial site, the momentum picked up by the trust of this temple to go ahead and build the Ram temple on the spot.
The Supreme Court had also given another piece of land to the Muslim community that mosque is still to come up. We believe the construction will only start mid-year.
Now why is this controversial? It's controversial because obviously there were communal clashes on this side while Hindus across India, and remember 80 percent of India's population are Hindus are celebrating this moment about 200 million Muslims, some of them at least, are very pained by the opening and the inauguration of this temple. In Ayodhya, CNN spoke to a few Muslims who have been extremely upset.
They say this is reopening old wounds because we spoke to people who had lost their near-India ones in the 1992 carnage. And they say they're going to be watching the celebrations and the consecration of the Ram idol from a distance.
The opposition leaders, most of them have boycotted this event. Some of them were invited, but they decided to stay away because they believe that the Indian prime minister is cashing in on this religious ceremony. Secular is a word used in India's Constitution, some of these opposition leaders say. And hence, you can't have the prime minister of a country presiding over a religious ceremony.
They allege that there's a lot of politics involved in the opening of a Ram temple that is still, by the way, under construction. But this is the moment that Modi's party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, have been waiting for just ahead of the elections. India will witness elections in the month of May.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a historic third term as prime minister here in India. And a lot of people, along with analysts and critics say that this is a moment that he's been waiting for purely because this will help consolidate the Hindu vote base for the Indian prime minister.
But celebrations continue all across Ayodhya. People have come from all over. Here's what one devotee had to say to CNN.
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LAL SINGH KHUSHWA, DEVOTEE (through translator): I have walked 70 kilometers and I have come from Sultanpur. I have come here to seek a blessing from Lord Ram. Modi ji has done so much. I feel very good being here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD: And the Indian prime minister is speaking right now. We'll bring you updates when he speak next. Rosemary, back to you.
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Vedika Sud joining us from Ayodhya in India. Many thanks.
Well, in the U.S. transportation departments from several states are urging travelers to delay their commutes or avoid getting on the road today. That is, as freezing rain could create some icy conditions overnight in the south and in the Plains.
CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa has more now on the week ahead.
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ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We still have some of that Arctic air in play still sitting in the upper Midwest in the central plains for your Monday morning with temperatures near and below freezing from Oklahoma City, Little Rock, and Kansas City. Now this is important because we have some moisture moving in on our
next storm system and that can mean an icy start. Look at the pink is really flourishing as we go through the morning commute for parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma City. It could linger until the afternoon on Monday and that can mean some slick roads through a lot of the day.
All of that moisture is going starts to make its way to the north. Maybe some snow mixing in Chicago, and then we have some heavy rain as we start out the work week along the Gulf Coast as we continue to pump some of that moisture inland.
[03:54:58]
Here's a look at some of those ice accumulations. A lot of us could see up to a quarter of an inch of ice through most of Missouri back into Oklahoma and then Northwest Arkansas as well. There's a little spot above Little Rock that could have a half an inch of ice possible that could really weigh down power lines and certainly cause problems on the roads.
Then on the warm and wet side of this, we're looking at a flood threat that will play out over the next couple of days where we're looking at that slight risk of flooding from eastern Texas across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama through Wednesday, where several inches of rain could cause some flash flooding problems.
I mean, we're looking at rain totals upwards of four inches or more. That could be locally heavy at times, and again, really just aggravate some of those ground conditions and cause some flooding.
All of this is being fueled by much warmer air that's moving in. We start out the work week maybe 5 to 10 degrees above average, but man, by the end of the week, we're looking at temperatures surging 10 to 15 to 20 degrees above average, even in the 70s from Charlotte down to Atlanta.
I mean, look at how some of these temperatures are playing out. Even in D.C. you thought out with highs near 40 on Monday, getting into the 60s by the end of the week, Atlanta nearing 70 degrees by the end of the week. And what I find remarkable is even some of these overnight lows could get into the 60s by the end of the week, from Atlanta to Orlando and New Orleans. A lot of these could cause some records to fall as we go through this warm up.
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CHURCH: Weather extremes are also causing problems in the U.K. Much of the region is under high wind alerts, with gusts up to 100 miles per hour possible in some areas due to storm Isha. The windy conditions even caused some shaky landings at London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday, with the strong winds tilting planes from side to side as they came in for a landing. More than 100 flights were canceled, and more than 300 others delayed at Heathrow on Sunday.
I want to thank you 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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