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IDF Forces Suffer Deadliest Day in the Israel-Hamas War; New Hampshire Primary Kicks Off, Trump-Haley Squares Off for a Republican Nomination. Newly-Consecrated Ayodhya Temple Draws Large Crowds on Day One; Sarah Duchess of York Undergoes Skin Cancer Diagnosis; Pope Francis' Embrace with the Media who Covered his Papacy; A New Blood Test may Examine if a Person has Alzheimer's Disease. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 23, 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]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead. A deadly operation in southern Gaza marks the biggest single loss of life for Israeli troops since the start of Israel's war on Hamas. The details in a live report.
It's a make-or-break day for Nikki Haley as she goes head-to-head with Donald Trump in the first primary of the U.S. presidential race. The latest results from New Hampshire just ahead.
And a desperate situation for Ukrainian troops as ammunition supplies dwindle and U.S. aid stalls.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. We begin with the single deadliest day for Israeli forces since the start of the war against Hamas on October 7th. The IDF reports 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Gaza on Monday. An Israeli tank was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and an explosion occurred in two buildings, causing them to collapse. More details on that in just a moment.
Now to a CNN exclusive about a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel's spy chief is proposing that Hamas senior leaders could leave Gaza as part of a broader ceasefire agreement. That is according to two officials familiar with the ongoing discussions. They tell CNN that although the deal would offer safe passage out of Gaza for some of the architects of the October 7th attack, the militants' grip on the enclave could weaken once they're gone. The suggestion has been discussed as part of broader ceasefire negotiations at least twice in recent weeks. It's not clear who would be included in that deal, but there's no bigger target for Israel than top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Want to bring in journalist Elliott Gotkine now, who's following
developments live from London. Good morning to you, Elliot. So what more do we know about the IDF soldiers who died on Monday?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rosemary, President Isaac Herzog describing this as an unbearably difficult morning for Israel. As you say, 21 soldiers killed in a single incident, far and away the deadliest single incident since this war began in the wake of the Hamas massacre of October the 7th. And what the IDF has been saying is that at 4 p.m. local time, an RPG, a rocket-propelled grenade, was fired by Hamas fighters, it's assumed towards an Israeli tank that was protecting Israeli soldiers who were in two buildings.
Now Israeli media is saying that two Israeli troops inside the tank were killed. Inside the building, at the same time as this RPG was fired, explosions occurred in these two two-storey buildings which Israeli forces were planning to destroy, to try to create some kind of buffer zone between this part of central Gaza and the border with Israel, some 600 meters away, to enable communities to return to their homes there.
This explosion occurred at the same time around it, the IDF is saying. It's not clear as to whether it was the RPG that set off these explosions, which the IDF is assuming took place because of mines that it had laid itself inside these buildings with a view to destroying them. So 21 soldiers killed. The families of those soldiers have been notified and the names of 10 of them have been released publicly and this brings the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since this war began to 219. Rosemary.
CHURCH: And Elliott, what more are you learning about this proposal from Israel's spy chief to let senior Hamas leaders leave Gaza as part of a broader ceasefire talk?
GOTKINE: Well, with no deal on the table so far, I guess some of the main players are getting creative. And this proposal, put forward by David Barnier, the head of Israel's Mossad, its equivalent of the CIA, was first put to his counterpart at the CIA, Bill Burns, and then subsequently discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The feedback from the Qataris, who have been integral in terms of mediating the first truce between Israel and Hamas, apparently have said that this is a non-starter.
[03:04:58]
The idea is that Hamas leaders would leave the enclave and that would ultimately pave the way for some kind of truce and perhaps an end to this war. Now, it wouldn't be the destruction of Hamas that Israel has said is one of its primary objectives, but if Hamas leaders have left the enclave, then presumably that would allow Israel to say that at least that part of the objective of these war aims might have been accomplished.
Now, it's not -- it's felt that this is likely to play well with Hamas. The leaders, for a start, might feel that they are safer underground, presumably under Khan Younis, than they would be in other capitals around the Middle East. Evidence of that, not least, being at the beginning of this month when a presumed Israeli assassination of a top Hamas commander took place in southern Beirut.
And the other reason, because they may prefer to stay where they are and die fighting their sworn enemy Israel. But this is -- although not a concrete proposal, the fact that we're talking about this and other proposals suggests that perhaps we are getting to a position where conversations can again restart and we may move closer towards getting some kind of truce. That could lead to those more than 100 Israeli hostages being freed from captivity in the Gaza Strip. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Elliot Gotkine bringing us that live report from London. Many thanks.
A major Israeli military offensive is underway in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces say it requires precise operations due to the dense civilian population and the fighting is expected to last for several days. The IDF say they have seen militants in sensitive sites such as hospitals and the military is targeting Hamas outposts, infrastructure and command and control centers in the city.
Meantime, Palestinian health officials say Israel is battering medical facilities in the city, and the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza says dozens of people have been killed and wounded. CNN's Ben Wedeman shows us what's happening on the ground.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By hand they bury the white shrouded body of a young girl on the grounds of the Nasr hospital in Khan Younis. The soft sand at the hospital, one of the only safe places to put. the dead to rest.
The girls suffocated, they couldn't save her, says her grandmother Saadiyat Abu Tamimah (ph).
Khan Younis is now the focus of Israel's offensive in Gaza, where Israel believes some of the hostages as well as some of Hamas' leaders are located, but after weeks of intense operations they found neither. The war is well into its fourth month. Israeli leaders warn it could go on until year's end.
The prospect of an early halt to fighting brushed aside by the White House.
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: We don't believe a ceasefire is going to be to the benefit of anybody but Hamas.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Some in Gaza might beg to differ. Israeli forces have pulled out, for now, from parts of central Gaza. In the Nuseirat refugee camp, people search for what's left of their shattered lives or perhaps just scraps of firewood. Hundreds of thousands have taken refuge in now overcrowded U.N.
schools. Officials warn that lack of sanitation, clean water, medicine and proper shelter is leading to the spread of disease.
Umm Mohammed fled here with her family, only to find no space.
Where is their shelter where we can stay? she asks. We're not the Hamas people they're talking about. We just want to live like everyone else.
By El Bres camp, at another U.N. shelter, school books keep the fire going to cook a meal.
It was a nightmare here while the fighting raged nearby. A nightmare that, for some, isn't over.
My father's gone, my father, the pillar of my life is gone, says 11- year-old Karam Hussain. How can I live without him after the war?
His father's body and others lies in Gaza's soft sand behind the school. No gravestone, just names spray painted on the wall.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A senior U.S. defense official says the latest U.S. and U.K. strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen were successful. The targets include missiles, drone systems and weapons storage sites. This is the eighth round of strikes meant to deter Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Iran-aligned Houthis control much of Western Yemen, including the capital, Sana'a. They say the attacks on shipping won't stop until Israel ends the war in Gaza. The Houthi leader responded to the latest Western strikes. saying they will make the Yemeni people stronger and more determined.
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Well, CNN's Scott McLean is covering this live for us from Istanbul in Turkey. Good to see you Scott. So, what is the latest on this joint U.S. and U.K. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Rosemary. Yeah, the Americans are patting themselves on the back for this one because they believe that these strikes are starting to actually have an impact. In case in point, we haven't actually seen a Houthi attack on any commercial ships since Thursday last week. The Houthis had claimed to attack one yesterday, but the Americans say that simply was not true.
And, you know, it was just last week that President Biden conceded that, look, these strikes are not working, but they will continue. Now he would probably give a different answer considering that they are starting to work. And what is especially interesting to point out about this now eighth round of strikes across at least four different cities in Western Yemen is that they go beyond just the immediate threats because last week the Americans, when they carried out these mostly unilateral strikes, were saying that they were hitting anti- ship ballistic missiles that were locked and loaded aimed at the Red Sea.
Now they're going after, not only missile sites, but underground storage sites, so less immediate things like that. The Americans also recognize though that there is still a lot of ammunition that the Houthis have. So in this case, the Americans say that these strikes achieved the desired effect and that they removed a significant Houthi capability, but there's more where that came from. They also obviously are not able to dampen the Houthi resolve in this case. In fact, there was a statement put out in response from the Houthi leader, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi. And he said this in part.
The American and British must understand that we are in a time of response and that our people do not know how to surrender. Our Yemeni people today are fighting to prevent the genocide and siege of the people of Gaza, and the Americans are fighting and bombing the people of Yemen to protect the terrorist criminal, the Israeli enemy.
So as you pointed out, Rosemary, this is all about the war in Gaza, something that the United States firmly rejects. They don't see any kind of justifiable connection between what's happening in Gaza and attacks on shipping lanes.
It's also no indication at this point that any of this will end. In fact, just yesterday we found out that the Americans have given this whole operation a name, Operation Poseidon Archer, perhaps indicating that this is going to be something that we'll see for some time to come, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, Scott McLean, joining us live from Istanbul, many thanks.
Well, today's U.S. presidential primary in New Hampshire could be the last chance for any Republican to stop Donald Trump's bid for the nomination. Next, what Trump and his opponent Nikki Haley are saying to convince voters.
Plus, large crowds are lining up to visit a Hindu temple inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister, while analysts say this controversial place of worship could help Narendra Modi win this year's elections. Back with that and more in just a moment.
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[03:15:00]
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CHURCH: It's primary day in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and it's the first contest where Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are going head to head with no other competition. Haley picked up some early votes a few hours ago when all six voters in the tiny township of Dixville Notch cast their ballots for her. But there will be many more votes to count in the hours ahead and Haley is keeping up her attacks on Trump. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who's got the entire political elite all around him. It's all of Congress. It's all these legislative people. He's got the media elite around him. But you know what? I've never wanted them. Never. So what I will say to Donald Trump is if you have that political elite, you can have them, because that's never who I wanted to work for. I always wanted to serve the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Some experts believe Hailey may drop out of the race if she doesn't win in New Hampshire. The latest CNN polling shows Trump with a 13-point lead in the state.
Donald Trump made his final pitch to voters in New Hampshire Monday night alongside some of his former rivals. CNN's Kristen Holmes has that part of the story.
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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump's closing message in New Hampshire was clear. It is time for the Republican Party to unite around him. And that, of course, was aimed at Nikki Haley, his only opponent left in the race. He brought up several of his former opponents who have turned and endorsed him, including Vivek Ramaswamy, Governor Doug Burgum, as well as Senator Tim Scott.
He leveled a series of attacks on Haley the day before votes were cast. Take a listen.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sadly, not everyone is willing to put our country first. Here in New Hampshire, Nikki Haley has made an unholy alliance with rhinos, never Trumpers, Americans for no prosperity. Did you ever hear of that? Did you ever hear of that? Americans for no prosperity. I added the word no in. Globalists and radical left communists to get liberals and Biden supporters to vote for her and the Republican. primary.
HOLMES: Now one of his former opponents turned supporters was not on the stage and that is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. I am told by a source that the two of them have still not spoken since the Florida governor dropped out of the race and endorsed Donald Trump.
However Donald Trump's team did reach out to DeSantis and said there was an open invitation to campaign at any time. Obviously unclear at this point if that's going to happen.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, Laconia, New Hampshire.
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CHURCH: The U.S. president is tackling hot button issues like abortion as his reelection campaign ramps up. Joe Biden spoke at a meeting of the Task Force on Reproductive Health Care Access on Monday on what would have been the 51st anniversary of the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling. He slammed extreme Republicans for continually pushing legislation to block abortion on the federal and state level claiming most Americans feel reproductive rights are inherent.
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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: These extreme laws have no place, no place, in the United States of America. You know, the American people know these laws are wrong. The vast majority of Americans believe the right to choose is fundamental. Since the court overturned Roe v. Wade, every single time abortion has been on the ballot, every single time that decision was put before the people of the state in the ballot in Ohio, Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky, voters have voted to protect reproductive rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Vice President Kamala Harris went further, specifically placing the blame on then President Donald Trump for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She is currently on a national tour in support of reproductive rights and told CNN's Laura Coates that Trump likely relishes his part in restricting access to reproductive care.
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KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: The previous president expressed his intentions quite clearly and fast forward to just recently, says he's proud of what he did. And let's be clear. So by inference, he is proud that women have been deprived of fundamental freedoms to make decisions about their own body.
By inference, proud that doctors are being penalized and criminalized for providing health care, proud that women are silently suffering because they don't have access to the health care they need.
[03:20:00]
So let's understand that the stakes are so very high. And listen, Joe Biden, President Joe Biden has been very clear. When Congress puts the protections of Roe back into the law, he will sign it. Similarly, President Joe Biden has been very clear. If these extremists which is to have a national ban which means state by state by state, Joe Biden will veto that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Lindy Lee is a political strategist and women's co-chair at the Democratic National Committee and she joins me now from Philadelphia. Good to have you with us.
LINDY LEE, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Thank you so much, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So it is looking likely that we'll see a rematch of the 2020 presidential race this November with Joe Biden and Donald Trump again going head-to-head. If that happens, voters will of course have a stark choice when it comes to the issue of abortion. How does Donald Trump's abortion policy compare to that of Joe Biden's?
LEE: Well, as Trump himself proudly boasts every single chance he gets, it's because of him that this right, this abortion right, has been annihilated for millions of women across country. It's because of him and the three justices that he appointed that we no longer fully control our bodies.
Trump owns every ounce of our suffering. And since Trump's Supreme Court justices destroyed Roe, we've seen a 10 year old double rape victim in Ohio being denied abortion care. We've seen women with dying fetuses like Kate Cox in Texas driven out of their home states in search of care. We've seen a woman with a headless fetus in Louisiana being denied care. We've seen dying cancer patients and incest victims denied care. We've seen women forced against their will to carry fetuses to term simply because they cannot afford to travel out of state for an abortion. So the contrast between Biden and Trump simply cannot be more stark.
CHURCH: And abortion is becoming increasingly important to U.S. voters, perhaps more than ever before because of the striking down of Roe v. Wade. by the Supreme Court as you mentioned, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. But how likely is it that abortion will become the key issue or at least a key issue, one of the biggest perhaps, to draw people out of their homes and their workplaces to cast a ballot in the November 2024 election?
LEE: I think it is the key issue and let us remind our audience today that today is the 51st anniversary of Roe. And the electoral shellacking the Republicans suffered in 2023 is just a taste of what's to come for them in 2024. Because you know what? Never underestimate the fury of women whose rights have been taken away. It's bad politics and even worse policy.
And Trump is saying that he wants a national abortion ban and that he will lead the charge, quote unquote, "in getting one passed." So this is a frightening truth, but one that must be shouted from the rooftops. Biden and Harris are the only candidates in the race who will defend our right to choose. And vice president Kamala Harris has been on a nationwide reproductive tour. No one has been more vocal and strong on this issue. I'm extremely proud of her for speaking up on this issue time and time again, because right now more than one in three, more than one in three women of reproductive age are now living under an abortion ban, which is absolutely unacceptable for the United States of America.
CHURCH: And Lindy, you have made your views on abortion very clear as a supporter of a woman's right to choose. What's your message to those voters on this issue who may be deciding whether or not to vote this year, because they might be weary of politics and put off perhaps by a rematch of Biden and Trump. What do you say to them and what's at stake here?
LEE: When women show up, when young people show up, Democrats win because Democrats are in favor of allowing women to choose. This is such an intimate decision. If we don't have bodily autonomy, nothing else matters because this rests at the foundation of every other right.
And Republicans know that their position is deeply unpopular. So they frankly, but they keep on doubling down and they keep lying about what Democrats actually support. I don't even want to give their lives airtime with all due respect. But I will say this, that despite spending mountains of money, they suffered severe losses in Ohio, Kansas, Kentucky, Virginia, Montana and elsewhere. So by all means, Trump, keep coming for our uteruses. You'll just keep racking up losses.
CHURCH: Lindy Lee, we want to thank you for joining us. I Appreciate it.
LEE: Thank you so much.
[03:25:00]
CHURCH: Still to come, CNN goes inside a tunnel system in Gaza that the Israeli military says was a holding place for hostages. We'll show you what it's like inside.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well let's get you up to date on our top story this hour. The IDF reports 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Gaza on Monday. An Israeli tank was hit by a rocket- propelled grenade and an explosion occurred in two buildings causing them to collapse. It's the single deadliest day for Israeli forces since the start of the war against Hamas on October 7th. The IDF has released new footage of tunnels under Khan Younis. Officials say about 20 hostages were held in the tunnel at different points in time by Hamas forces.
The IDF gave CNN's Nic Robertson and his team access to a similar tunnel system nearby and here's what they saw.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): A girl's dreams of her lost life carefully remembered in red crayon, a house, flowers and the sun peeking between mountains, discovered 60 feet below the Gazan city, Khan Younis, in what the IDF say was a half mile long maze of tunnels used to imprison hostages.
REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON (through translator): In this space we found evidence that indicate the stay of hostages, including the paintings drawn by the five-year- old girl. Emilia Aloni, along with other hostages.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Images of the tunnel complex newly released by the IDF amid growing pressure to save hostages reveals the hell they are enduring. Beyond the cage door, a soiled mattress strewn on the floor. Further inside the cell, a toilet.
One of five underground hostage dungeons, the IDF say, that held about 20 hostages at different times. Emilia and her mother Danielle were released late November, long before these latest tunnels were discovered.
ROBERTSON: This tunnel we're going in here is one where some of the hostages were held.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A week before the new video release, the IDF took us in a similar tunnel complex, close to where they say Emilia and Danielle were held.
ROBERTSON: So we came down a metal ladder. We've come down one flight of stairs. We're going down. A second flight of stairs here, a double flight it looks like. And down here, command and control wires running all the way down. It's a deep, deep system.
How deep are we underground, do you think? Right now?
UNKNOWN: At the moment we're more or less between 10 to 15 meters underground.
ROBERTSON: 10 to 15 meters. And now we're going down another level. Down more steps. What are we looking at here?
UNKNOWN: This is a small room.
ROBERTSON: With some kind of air ventilation system.
UNKNOWN: It's an air ventilation system that goes up and below.
ROBERTSON: You have a metal frame around the door.
UNKNOWN: These metal frames. This can be, as much as this is a small room, this is how the different cages that they put, the kidnapped.
ROBERTSON: So they were held in cages?
UNKNOWN: In cages, yeah.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Hidden and utterly cut off.
ROBERTSON: Just to give you an idea of how humid it is down here, the camera lens is fogging up. It's hard to imagine the life of a hostage stuck down here day after day, week after week. It is hot. It is humid.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): These latest images released by the IDF capture the conditions, but not the shirt-soaking claustrophobia they induce. The tunnel now beyond use, blown up by the IDF eliminated from the ongoing search for the remaining hostages.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Critical funding for Ukraine remains stalled in the U.S. as Russia's bombardment continues. Members of Congress are struggling to reach a deal on border policy changes, which Republicans have tied to aid for Ukraine in a new national security package. It's not clear when the Senate will be able to vote on the legislation, but one of the top negotiators says it would be quite a push to begin voting this week.
Let's bring in Malcolm Davis who is a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Appreciate you being with us.
MALCOLM DAVIS, SR. ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Thanks, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So what is your assessment of the current status of the war in Ukraine in the wake of that attack on Russian occupied parts of the Donetsk region and on a Russian oil depot over the weekend?
DAVIS: Look, I think things are approaching an inflection point in terms of the sorts of issues your report just highlighted, the lack of ammunition for Ukrainian forces, the concerns over the Western military support drying up in the course of this year due to political infighting in the US and also lack of support in Europe. So I think the Ukrainians are really starting to face a difficult situation. If that support doesn't keep going, then the Ukrainians will be very hard pressed to defend against Russian offensives going into 2025.
So what the Ukrainians can do, I think, is strike at long range targets. That oil depot, I think, was a classic example of that. That they are having to conserve ammunition. And if the supplies dry up, they're in a dangerous situation.
CHURCH: Yeah, we're seeing Ukraine retreat along parts of the frontline, aren't we? We're also seeing them strike on Russian targets like the oil depot, as you're saying these long range targets. So are they making progress in that, though? And how does that compare to progress made by Russian troops at this juncture?
DAVIS: I think what the Ukrainians are trying to do is disrupt Russia's war making ability by these long range strikes. But the brutal reality is that Putin has successfully transitioned his economy into a wartime economy with a massive military industrial capacity.
Western sanctions have not been effective in preventing that from happening. And now Western military assistance from the U.S. and Europe looks uncertain. So from Putin's perspective, he's playing the long game in terms of outlasting Western resolve such that when or if that Western military assistance dries up. Particularly, for example, if Donald Trump were to win in November of this year and become president then Putin's Russia is well placed then to go on the offensive in 2025 and turn the tide of the war.
CHURCH: Yeah, that would change everything, wouldn't it? And as you said, this much needed military funding for Ukraine remains stalled in Europe and in the U.S. Congress as Russia continues to strike Ukrainian targets. And the war-torn nation is desperate for military supplies and ammunition. So how might that delayed funding impact changes in military tactics? You did touch on this, of course, talking about these long range. And that was a successful long range attack on the Russian oil depot, wasn't it? So, I mean, they're hanging in there, aren't they, despite the fact that they have depleted supplies?
[03:34:56]
DAVIS: I think they have to. If they give up, if they withdraw and retreat rapidly, The Russians will simply advance into that area. And they're not only losing territory, they're losing the lives of Ukrainians, civilians in those areas. So the Ukrainian military have to keep on fighting as best as they can. They have to prioritize their firepower in terms of the missions they use that for.
And they have to identify targets that are going to have the greatest effect on Russia's ability to sustain operations throughout this year. But I think the real test comes late this year going into next year. If that Western military support is not there, then we could see Russia turn the tide of the war and then we're in a much more dangerous situation across the breadth of Europe because you have an emboldened Russia that perhaps is more willing to confront NATO directly in 2025 or 2026.
CHURCH: And Malcolm, do you see any off-ramp here for peace negotiations? Or is the fact that these funds are stalled, that's emboldening Russia and Russia's president, as you mentioned. So he will just sit this out. There's nothing that would bring him to the negotiating table at this juncture, right?
DAVIS: Yeah, exactly. I mean, Putin is not interested in peace negotiations. You know, he sent Lavrov to the U.N. where basically Lavrov said, we'll have a peace negotiation to bring about the end of the Zelenskyy government. I think that Putin is not interested in peace because he thinks he can outlast the West.
And secondly, to have peace negotiations now would require Ukraine to surrender territory and people to the Russians, and those people would be killed. So there is no off-ramp here. The best case scenario is that the West gets an act together and starts supplying Ukraine with the capabilities that it needs to turn this around and win this war. Worst case scenario is that military assistance fails, Russia wins the war and then turns its attention on to NATO itself.
CHURCH: Malcolm Davis, very sobering answers there. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis. I Appreciate it.
DAVIS: Thank you.
CHURCH: In the coming hours, the Turkish parliament is set to debate Sweden's bid for NATO membership. That's according to sources. Approval by Turkish lawmakers would end a delay that has strained Ankara's ties with Western allies. Sweden and neighboring Finland began the process of joining the military alliance in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But Turkey, along with Hungary, kept Sweden waiting until a tough-mitted stance on local members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party that Ankara regards as terrorists.
Large crowds are visiting a controversial Hindu temple in India where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Monday, fulfilling a key promise as he seeks re-election this year. The temple stands on the site of a 16th century mosque that was destroyed by Hindu nationalists in 1992, triggering nationwide riots that killed about 2,000 people.
CNN's Vedika Sud joins us live from the Ayodhya temple in India. So Vedika, what is the mood at the temple today now that it's open to the public?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Rosemary, we've been here for the last couple of hours. The temple, through its gates, opened to the general public for the first day today at about 7:00 local time. But people we believe, after speaking to police, personnel on the ground, have been camping here through the night. At about three in the morning, there were huge crowds just waiting to get in to get the first sight of the Hindu deity, Lord Ram.
The consecration, like you mentioned, of this temple took place yesterday. Right behind me. You can see those crowds there. You can see saffron flags, Rosemary. These saffron flags are associated with the color. Saffron is associated with Hindu nationalism.
You can see even the walls all around the buildings. They're painted saffron, an indication of the Hindu movement here, which has really gained momentum ever since the consecration and in the lead up to it.
Now, it's proving to be a Herculean task for security forces on the ground, the paramilitary troops on the ground to control these crowds. We believe any moment now these people will be allowed to go inside. They were stopped for about two hours because it was getting very difficult for authorities to crowd control inside the temple and about for 200 meters beyond.
So now we're waiting for that to happen. You have police officers also on the roads using megaphones requesting people to cooperate to ensure that there's no stampede-like situation.
[03:39:54]
But wherever you look along with saffron you will see billboards of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi every 5 to 10 meters which is in a way a message going out to the people that he is the man the Indian Prime Minister who is finally delivered on a decades long promise by Hindu National Organisations and Modi's political party the BJP in constructing this temple and delivering it to the people of this country where about 80 percent of the population are Hindus, and this comes at a time when India is going into general elections in May and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to be seeking a third historic term along with his government and critics say that this could be worrisome for the secular fabric of the country in the alleyways here. There's a stark contrast that you'll see in emotions.
Out here, you see people overjoyed with the construction of the temple and it being thrown open to them. But in some alleyways there are Muslims who have suffered along with their families back in 1992. They're still there. They've been watching from a cautious distance, and for them, it's reopening old wounds. They say they feel like second-class citizens, not only in Ayodhya, but in India over the last few years. Back to you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right, Vedika Sud, joining us live there from Ayodhya in India, many thanks.
Well, in less than a week, three major health concerns have rocked Britain's royal family. The latest being a skin cancer diagnosis for Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. It comes as King Charles is getting treated for an enlarged prostate and the Princess of Wales is recovering from abdominal surgery.
More details now from our royal correspondent Max Foster.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Sarah, Duchess of York has had a second cancer diagnosis, her second since the summer. She says she's in good spirits but wanted to raise awareness that people should be getting their moles checked. In June she had a mastectomy that was followed by reconstructive surgery. They removed several moles and she's now had that diagnosis back as malignant melanoma. She said it was a shock and many of her fans have been expressing that shock on her Instagram page.
It comes after news that King Charles is going to hospital this week for a procedure relating to an enlarged prostate. That however is benign. The Princess of Wales is also still in hospital this week having had abdominal surgery but we're told by our source that isn't related to cancer either.
There will be updates during the course of the week but only perhaps when the Princess leaves or there's a major progression in any of these cases.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
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CHURCH: Still to come, the Pope and the press. A closer look at the relationship between Pope Francis and Vatican reporters, and why he's gone out of his way to embrace the media. Back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. A top leader of Germany's far-right party says her party will push for a Brexit-style referendum if it comes to power. Alice Weidel of the Alternative for Germany Party or AFD told the "Financial Times" the U.K.'s Brexit referendum was a model for Germany that they can follow. That stance is greatly at odds with Germany's mainstream parties and the general public. which overwhelmingly supports staying in the EU.
Well, this also comes as hundreds of thousands of Germans have been protesting against the AFD after reports that senior members were discussing plans for the mass deportation of migrants. Earlier, I spoke with CNN European Affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas, and I asked him what's leading to this shift to the far-right in Germany and across many parts of Europe.
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DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: We've been watching over the last 15, 20 years these far-right parties that overwhelmingly sort of have a Venn diagram of issues that tend to bring them together. The question of Europe is always there, but primarily the question of immigration. And what we've seen across the board is every single election in Europe, and it's really not only there, we see it in the United States as well, that the question of immigration and of asylum-seeking and so on has become a primary issue and we're seeing these political parties play on these emotions and make further inroads into the political landscape and as that has happened and as they have increasingly poached on support for mainstream parties, we're seeing some of those mainstream parties that historically have refused to work with them starting to either forge alliances or consider forging alliances for them and that's granting them, Rosemary, some kind of legitimacy here. as they move forward.
CHURCH: And Dominic, would you describe this as a shift to the far right or are we talking about a surge of that sentiment across Europe and how might it impact the outcome of the EU election in June, do you think?
THOMAS: Well I think that when the writing is on the wall that the EU elections that are upcoming are most likely going to be a resounding success for these political parties. So I think that's one observation. The other one is when you just look at the ways in which these political parties have not just moved into parliament, but actually into governance over recent years, you can see the ways in which the appeal of these platforms are working. You see Hungary, you see Italy. We saw in the Netherlands, Builders' party come out ahead and now work towards forging a coalition.
And I think one of the most interesting examples is the case of France where in 2017-2022, Emmanuel Macron, in the runoff stages against the far-right Marine Le Pen, argued that it was absolutely imperative to put up a front and to block her.
And at the end of 2023, in order to pass harsher immigration legislation, essentially kind of flirting with this political party, is an indication that he is also moving away from those particular issues. And rather than coming up with alternative plans, essentially taking far-right political agendas and mainstreaming them as a way to try to secure popularity and demonstrate as a real response to the fear and concern that they have of the sort of prominence that these parties are gaining now, Rosemary.
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CHURCH: Well, since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has urged the world to be more open and caring, along with challenging the Catholic Church to examine its traditions. Engaging with the media has been a vital part of his work, increasing his visibility like no other pope before. CNN's Christopher Lamb reports.
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CHRISTOPHER LAMB, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A newsmaker from day one, Pope Francis has never been afraid to engage with the media.
In a private audience he held for the Vatican Press Corps on Monday, he underlined how critical responsible journalism is in today's world, telling a roomful of reporters that being a journalist is a vocation, somewhat like that of a doctor, who chooses to love humanity by curing illnesses --
POPE FRANCIS, LEADER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: -- to protect and defend human life.
LAMB (voice-over): Ever since taking up office, Pope Francis has spoken out on many issues, including the death penalty, nuclear weapons.
He's been a consistent advocate for migrants, for peace in Ukraine and Gaza.
There is no conflict that does not end up in some way indiscriminately striking the civilian population.
[03:50:05]
He's also been a vocal defender of the planet, carving out a prominent moral voice for himself on the world stage by engaging with the media and his followers online, giving more interviews than any other pope.
MICHAEL CZERNY, CARDINAL: I think he would say as I speak out, because of the -- the commitment of the faithful. In other words, I'm not speaking because I have personally some kind of a special response to give. No, I speak out because there are millions of Catholics and other Christians and other believers and other people of goodwill for whom or in whose voice I'm speaking. And we're trying to say to the world's decision makers that their decisions are anti-human, short- sighted, suicidal.
LAMB (voice-over): Like Pope Francis, Cardinal Czerny has been pushing efforts to galvanize Catholics and indeed the world to welcome and support refugees fleeing war and poverty.
CZERNY: Absolutely. What we try to do is to help the church locally wherever it is to accompany the migrants and refugees, to welcome them, to protect them, to promote them and to integrate them.
LAMB (voice-over): For Cardinal Czerny and the Pope, refugees are not about numbers, but names, faces and people. Francis made headlines in 2016 when he brought back Muslim refugees on his papal plane after a trip to the Greek island of Lesbos.
In an age of heightened misinformation and attacks on journalists, the Pope has also emerged as a defender of freedom of the media. Francis is 87 years old and has had some health difficulties. Yet he shows no sign of slowing down. And in a fast-changing, unpredictable world, he's likely to keep on making headlines.
Christopher Lamb, CNN, Rome.
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CHURCH: Still to come, researchers believe a simple blood test could someday help with the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. We will have a closer look.
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CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. A new blood test could someday help doctors detect Alzheimer's disease years before symptoms start to show up. The hope is that early detection and treatment may slow the progression of memory loss. CNN's Brian Todd reports on the promising research.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jack Driscoll began to notice memory problems and soon learned he has Alzheimer's.
JACK DRISCOLL, DIAGNOSED WITH ALZHEIMER'S: They gave me some tests and said, well, you're going to have it.
TODD (voice-over): Based on the test, Driscoll was able to prepare his family for what they could expect.
DRISCOLL: I talked to my wife and I talked to my kids and let them know that maybe down the road, I wasn't going to be the same as I was then.
TODD (voice-over): Testing for Alzheimer's may soon become much easier. A new study shows that a simple blood test called ALSPATH could identify Alzheimer's in people before symptoms start to show.
[03:54:58]
DR. SAURABH SHARMA, CLINICAL TRIAL RESEARCHER, MEDSTAR GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: This may revolutionize the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. This blood test, it's going to make it easy and quick to diagnose this condition.
The typical indicator of Alzheimer's in the brain is the buildup of proteins called beta amyloid and tau. Until now, the way doctors looked for those proteins was to use brain scans or spinal taps, but not everyone can get those tests.
DR. RICHARD ISAACSON, PREVENTIVE NEUROLOGIST, INSTITUTE FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES: Pet scans are expensive, they have radiation, thousands of dollars. Spinal taps are intrusive and they also cost a lot of money. A simple blood test can democratize care for people and really identify if a person is at risk for dementia before symptoms begin.
TODD (voice-over): The new study shows this blood test, ALSPATH, compares well for accuracy with brain scans and spinal taps to be able to detect and possibly predict who has Alzheimer's even when a person appears to be normal.
SHARMA: Individuals who develop Alzheimer's disease, they develop the pathological changes in the brain up to 20 years before they may show symptoms. So with this test we can actually see those pathological changes in the blood. So yes, you may be able to capture this well before they develop the symptoms themselves.
TODD (voice-over): According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 6 million people in the U.S. are living with dementia caused by Alzheimer's. and the number of people affected is projected to double in the U.S in the next two decades. While there is still no cure for Alzheimer's.
ISAACSON: When a person is still at the earliest phase, it's called a mild cognitive impairment phase, we now have several FDA approved drugs that have been shown to have some disease modifying or disease slowing effects.
TODD (voice-over): Which makes early detection with this blood test even more critical. Jack Driscoll has this advice to anyone who tests positive.
DRISCOLL I would encourage them to keep their life happy as best they can.
TODD: The Alzheimer's Association tells CNN it believes this work is very encouraging, but a spokesperson for the association stressed to us that right now this blood test is for use in research only and has not been approved yet by the FDA. And the spokesperson cautioned that further testing of the product is still needed in what he called diverse and representative populations.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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CHURCH: Without providing any evidence, Elon Musk has claimed his platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has less anti-Semitic content than other social media platforms. The billionaire's comments came after he visited the Auschwitz death camp in Poland with his three- year-old son. He also attended a conference of the European Jewish Association, during which he admitted he wasn't aware until recently that anti-Semitism was a pervasive problem in the United States. Musk has faced heavy backlash over anti-Semitic content on X, including a conspiracy theory that he amplified himself in November of last year.
And thank you so much for spending part of your day with me. I'm Rosemary Church. CNN NEWSROOM continues next with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.
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