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Trump Wins New Hampshire Primary, Haley Stays in the Presidential Race after a Second Place Finish; 18 Killed, 130 Wounded in the Latest Russian Attacks in Ukraine; NoKor Teens Punished for Distributing Dramas from South Korea, As Seen in a Rare Video; Oppenheimer Receives Most Oscar Nominations, Barbie Snubs Major Awards; Doomsday Clock Stays at 90 Seconds to Midnight this Year. Aired 3-3:45a ET

Aired January 24, 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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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and of course to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Bianca Nobilo, in London.

Just ahead for you. Donald Trump notches another victory in New Hampshire, making his nomination appear increasingly inevitable. But his last remaining Republican rival is vowing she'll stay in the race.

Israel expands its operations in southern Gaza surrounding the enclave's second largest city, enforcing thousands of displaced Palestinians to once again flee.

Plus, as winter bites, Russian missiles pummel infrastructure across Ukraine, including a school and a gas pipeline.

Donald Trump has won the New Hampshire Republican primary, tightening his grip on the Republican Party and moving him closer to a rematch with President Joe Biden come November. This marks the first time in the modern era that a non-incumbent Republican candidate was victorious in both of the first two nominating contests. With the majority of the votes in New Hampshire counted, the former U.S. President beat his last challenger standing, Nikki Haley, by just over 10 percentage points.

During his long and rambling, some might say, victory speech, he appeared agitated over Haley's refusal to drop out of the race and encouraged two former Republican rivals, turned supporters, to attack her while on stage. Haley got in some swipes as well, suggesting that Trump is too old and is a loser. She's vowing to carry her campaign to her home state of South Carolina, which holds its primary in one month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now you've all heard the chatter among the political class. They're falling all over themselves, saying this race is over. Well, I have news for all of them. New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Haley went on to suggest Democrats are more scared of her than Trump because polls show that she appeals to more moderates. And she once again challenged Trump to a debate. CNN's Kristen Holmes reports from the site of Trump campaign's watch party.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump lashing out at Nikki Haley during an angry victory speech here in New Hampshire. The speech sounded almost nothing like what we heard in Iowa when he called for uniting the Republican Party, uniting the country. Instead, focused almost solely on Nikki Haley staying in the race. I was told by an advisor that he was watching at least part of her speech backstage, speech in which she sounded defiant. Listen to some of what Trump had to say.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can go up and I can say to everybody, oh, thank you for the victory, it's wonderful. Or I can go up and say, who the hell was the imposter that went up on the stage before and like claimed a victory? She did very poorly, actually. She had to win. The governor said, she's gonna win, she's gonna win, she's gonna win. Then she failed badly.

And just a little note to Nikki, she's not gonna win. She's not gonna win. But if she did, She would be under investigation by those people in 15 minutes. And I could tell you five reasons why already. Not big reasons. A little stuff that she doesn't want to talk about. But she will be under investigation within minutes.

And so would Ron have been. But he decided to get out. He decided to get out. Now, Vivek, I don't think, would be at all, because he's perfect, right? And Tim Scott, I know would never, that's no chance.

HOLMES: And Donald Trump continued that rhetoric throughout the speech. Now I am told that because of this decisive margin here in New Hampshire, that they are going to pivot to the general election. There is a plan to eventually build out their operations in various crucial swing states, including Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona. He will be in Arizona later this week.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, Nashua, New Hampshire.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Leslie Vinjamuri is the director of the U.S. and Americas programme at Chatham House Global Affairs Think Tank, and she's now with us from London. Thank you so much for being with us this morning, Leslie. It's always great to speak to you. I'd love to know what struck you most about Trump's victory speech.

[03:04:58]

LESLIE VINJAMURI, DIRECTOR, U.S. AND AMERICAS PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Oh, I think what struck me, what will strike many people is the bullying tactics that, you know, this is not a presidential candidate, a former president who's really driving to expand his base or to talk about policy or to sort of, you know, stand proud for the nation, as it were. It's a man who's campaigning on a message which is about disparaging those who dare to stand against him.

It sort of, it definitely sends a signal to all of those around him, don't speak out against this man. And it also reminds us that this is a candidate who those around him have already begun to map out what a Trump presidency would look like. And loyalty will certainly be the card that those who wish to work in a Trump administration were he to actually win. That would be extremely important. We're seeing those tactics.

It's a very nasty politics. It feels like a throwback but it is a very clear strategy. And with a very narrow but very significant base who feels very strongly about their candidate, it so far is working.

NOBILO: So two candidates left, Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, and as far as we can tell with current projections, there was a 10 percentage point gap between them. How will both campaigns, privately and then publicly spinning it up with that?

VINJAMURI: Well, I think Trump will see it as a very clear victory. He's made that case. The bigger question in many respects is for Nikki Haley. How does she spin it? She can demonstrate that she's done very well against a candidate whose effectively an incumbent, who should be able to just sweep clear in a set of primaries where really only those who are very committed to voting turnout, certainly amongst a Republican base.

He hasn't done as well amongst college-educated voters as Nikki Haley did. He hasn't done as well amongst independent voters. She can make the very clear case that if the Republicans want to win in a general election, they need more than that very narrow base. They need independent voters. They need college-educated voters. They need people to turn out beyond the base that Trump speaks to.

And so, you know, right now Trump looks very strong in a primary season, in a Republican Party. When you start to look at a general election, that's a much harder sell. And so the Haley campaign will try to make that case. I think the problem right now is that Nikki Haley's voters are really many of them voting against Donald Trump as opposed to for Nikki Haley. Her platform, her message so far has not managed to really galvanize voters in the way that she will need to do in what looks like a very difficult race ahead.

NOBILO: So the former president is unprecedented in many ways, but the victories in Iowa, the victories in the primary season so far in Iowa and New Hampshire are historic for a non-incumbent. Given the indictments against him, given the political climate, it's easy to make normative judgments about Donald Trump. But -- but what does that success, given everything, actually tell us about American politics right now?

VINJAMURI: Well, first of all, he is in one sense an incumbent. This is a man who's been president before. He's very well known to his voters. He's very well known to those who are loyal supporters of him. We know that in caucuses and in primaries that the voters that turn out are a much smaller percentage of the party. They have much stronger feelings and they tend to be on the far edges of both parties.

It tells us that this is a former president whose appeal to his base continues to be very strong and very powerful. But even in Iowa, go back to that caucus, it's also surprising how many Republicans didn't vote for the former president, given again that he ran the country for four years. They still turned out they didn't vote for him.

So he wins, but he doesn't win as decisively as you would expect a former president to win. But the people that support him are loyal. They feel very strongly. They feel that the election in 2020 was stolen, that it didn't belong to President Biden. They like the message against elites, against Washington.

And if you look at Project 2025, that document, 900 pages publicly available, that's set to, it's a blueprint essentially for a future conservative government, what many people would say a future Trump administration.

[03:10:10]

It is all about minimizing, getting rid of the administrative branch, schedule F, turning permanent civil servants into temporary employees and ensuring that the executive branch will basically follow the will of the new president. And that is a message anti-elite, anti-deep state, that Donald Trump has used very powerfully to mobilize his base against what they feel after many years of mobilization, what they feel is a government that doesn't serve their interests.

NOBILO: Leslie Vinjamuri, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

VINJAMURI: Thank you.

NOBILO: Now we turn to southern Gaza, where thousands of people are stuck in the two remaining Khan Younis hospitals despite an order from Israel to evacuate. A warning, that video from the scene is graphic.

Doctors Without Borders say heavy bombing is moving closer to Nasser hospital and the U.N. reports 13,000 displaced people have taken shelter at Al Amal hospital and the Palestine Red Crescent headquarters. The Rafah area is overcrowded with refugees, more than a million people, according to the U.N. Unsanitary conditions are leading to the spread of diseases and even so-called safe zones have come under attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADNAN ABU HASNA, UNRWA SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Today they are asking residents of Khan Younis area to go to Rafah city. It is now inhabited by more than 1.3 million people. It is absolutely unable to cope with this large congestion. Even on-road shelters have been bombed and many people have been killed and injured, especially in Khan Younis. The situation is very dangerous. Everyone is at risk here, whether in Khan Younis or Rafah. There is absolutely no safe place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Israel is mourning the deaths of 24 soldiers killed in the deadliest day for Israelis in Gaza since the ground invasion began nearly three months ago now. 21 soldiers were killed on Monday. Most died while rigging buildings with explosives. Three others were killed earlier the same day. Israel's chief of the general staff met with troops near the site of the incidents on Tuesday. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the fallen soldiers during a visit to northern Israel.

Qatar's foreign ministry says it is engaged in serious discussions with Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and freeing the remaining hostages. A spokesperson says negotiators are working around the clock. But one side's refusal to accept a two-state solution is making the progress difficult. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres was more direct in calling out Israel. He says a lasting end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could only come through a two-state solution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL: Last week's clear and repeated rejection of the two-state solution at the highest level of the Israeli government is unacceptable. This refusal and the denial of the right to statehood to the Palestinian people would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security. It would exacerbate polarization and embolden extremists everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron will visit Israel and neighboring countries starting today. He's expected to push for a ceasefire and raise concerns about the rising death toll in Gaza.

Let's bring in Elliott Gotkine following developments for us live from London. Elliott, what impact would we expect David Cameron to have as British Foreign Secretary given that the U.S. president doesn't seem to have been able to have shifted Netanyahu's position considerably when it comes to ceasefire and hostage negotiations?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: I suppose I'll be as polite as possible. You know, David, it's obviously very important. The U.K. is an important ally to Israel, but I don't think David Cameron is going to have that much influence over the way that Israel is conducting this war.

I suppose it's always good to talk with friends and he will, as you say, convey his concern about the civilian death toll, about the need to get some kind of, in his words, I think a sustainable ceasefire taking hold in the Gaza Strip and also to get more life-saving humanitarian aid. You might recall like a week or two ago, he was saying out loud that perhaps Israel may have committed war crimes. I'm sure he may get an earful about that from the Israeli Prime Minister.

But you know, he's going there, he's going to the West Bank as well. The U.K. is an important ally to Israel. But as you say, when it comes to leverage over Israel and how it prosecutes this war against Hamas in the wake of the October the 7th massacres, it kind of pales in comparison with the U.S. and President Biden.

[03:14:50]

NOBILO: There are increasing discussions and emphasis on these potential negotiations about a ceasefire, whether or not hostages would be freed. What is the latest on that and to what extent is this position that's been articulated by the Israeli Prime Minister several times in the last week about rejecting a two-state solution impeding that?

GOTKINE: So as far as the two state solution goes, yes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is almost making this kind of his differentiator in the Israeli political landscape, saying that he's the only person that effectively stands between, you know, a two-state solution and keeping Israeli security control effectively from the river to the sea.

It's worth noting, of course, that Hamas outright rejects a two-state solution and rejects Israel's right to exist. So it's important to bear in mind that one of the few things that perhaps the Israeli government and Hamas do agree on is that they both rejected two-state solution, which is a pretty, I suppose, which may not be a particularly optimistic state of affairs if that is where the world thinks that things should go. But that is the situation.

As far as the negotiations go, I should note that even John Kirby from the U.S. National Security Council says we're not at the stage where we can actually call them negotiations. What we're seeing is a number of proposals and the Qataris say that they are working around the clock, that they're constantly getting replies from both sides.

And I suppose the fact that we're talking about this yesterday, we're talking about this today, and every day seems to bring forth more word of proposals being made by either side suggests that at least there is a willingness to do some kind of deal from both sides.

Where we are exactly, we've seen reports about perhaps Israel offering like a two-month pause in fighting that would see the more than 100 hostages that are still being held by Hamas and others in the Gaza Strip freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and more aid. We've also seen the head of Mossad, we were talking about yesterday, David Barnea, proposing potentially the exile of senior Hamas leaders as a way that perhaps could lead to an end to the war.

Though I can tell you that a senior Israeli government official has told me that the exile of Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, is not Israel's position and has not been offered by Israel. One of the latest suggestions or reports from Reuters talking about an agreement on the broad framework of a month-long ceasefire during which there would be the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

But one of the sticking points for Hamas is that it wants a package deal, in the words of this Reuters report. In other words, they want to agree on the terms of a permanent ceasefire before they and as part of that agreement have the terms of a temporary truce.

Israel for its part, its sticking point is that unless Hamas is dismantled, it is no longer in control of the Gaza Strip. There isn't any deal to be done. Of course, talks are happening, and I suppose at least as long as they are talking with the Qataris as the mediators, as the go-betweens, then at least we can be optimistic that perhaps we are getting closer to some position where there could be a deal.

NOBILO: Israel is still reeling from its deadliest day in its offensive in Gaza, obviously within the wider context of a dramatically higher amount of Gazan civilians being killed. But where is popular opinion on this offensive now in terms of Israelis? What are they thinking? How do they feel about these negotiations and Netanyahu's handling of this offensive?

GOTKINE: I mean, there was one poll out just the other day. Half of Israelis thought that Netanyahu's position on the war with Hamas was governed by self-interest. And about a third said that it was for the benefit of Israel.

We also heard from Gadi Eisenkot, who's no friend of Netanyahu, he's in the war cabinet saying that if he felt that was the case, then he wouldn't remain in the war cabinet. As far as that deadliest day for the IDF since this war began on October the 7th, I've got a couple more details that in fact it was two rocket-propelled grenades fired by presumably Hamas.

One hit a tank in which two Israeli soldiers were killed. The other hit this building where Israeli soldiers were laying down mines with a view to destroying these buildings and infrastructure of Hamas to try to create this kind of buffer zone that would enable communities on the other side of the wall inside of Israel to return to their homes.

And many of those soldiers, all of them reservists, by the way, so they're not professional soldiers, they were just called up as a result of this war, all of them reservists, many of those funerals have now already been held.

And I suppose overall, in a broader sense, Israelis all would like to see Hamas destroyed, they would like to see all of the hostages returned home, and perhaps that is more of a priority for many Israelis than the destruction of Hamas.

But, you know, there is perhaps a sense, and we've seen these in opinion polls, that there is a sense among many that these two objectives cannot be reached. And we heard this again from Gadi Eisenkot in this interview, saying that the only way to get all of these hostages home is to do some kind of deal. And I suppose that is what we are now waiting for.

NOBILO: Elliott Gotkine, thank you very much.

Still ahead for you, emergency teams are searching for survivors after Russia launches dozens of missiles across Ukraine.

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[03:20:00]

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NOBILO: The U.S. says it carried out airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on Tuesday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says it was a direct response to attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. The strikes come days after U.S. personnel were injured in a missile and rocket attack at an air base in Iraq. The U.S. and U.K. also continue to target Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen to deter further attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

And the latest of those strikes came on Tuesday. U.S Central Command says the Navy destroyed two Houthi anti-ship missiles aimed at the southern Red Sea and ready to launch. The strikes were the second in as many days against Houthi targets in Yemen. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the U.S. and U.K. will be announcing new sanctions against the Houthis in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Houthi leaders have ordered all American and British nationals working for the U.N. and other aid groups to leave Yemen within one month.

Sweden has overcome a major hurdle in its path to NATO membership after the Turkish parliament voted to approve the country's bid to join the military alliance. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had originally objected to Sweden's membership, saying the country was too lenient on militant groups such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party and accused Sweden of complicity in Islamophobic demonstrations. Sweden says it's done everything it can to ease Turkey's fears. And it says Hungary, the last holdout member, is now also welcoming them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOBIAS BILLSTROM, SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We have fulfilled our commitments. We are ready to become members of the alliance. We know that we are welcomed in the Hungarian government itself. It has also repeatedly said, as this recently as yesterday, in my conversation with the Hungarian foreign minister, that the Hungarian government wants Sweden to become a member of NATO.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Ukraine's president says a wave of Russian strikes across the country killed at least 18 people and wounded 130 just in the past day. Kharkiv was hit three times on Tuesday. Several apartment buildings were damaged. Ukraine says more than 40 Russian missiles were fired from several regions in southern Russia. About half of those were shot down.

More now on those attacks from CNN's Fred Pleitgen reporting from eastern Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The death toll continued to rise on Tuesday after a string of Russian missile attacks that focused on several regions here in this country. One of them was the capital region around Kyiv. Another was Pavlohrad, which is in the southeast of the country, and then also the area around Kharkiv in the northeast of the country.

Of course, Kharkiv is a place that often endures missile attacks by the Russians, and this time once again the Ukrainians say that it was the hardest hit region with several people being killed there on the ground. The area around Kyiv also hit by missile attacks. There were several people who were wounded in those attacks. And then there is the area around Pavlohrad where one person was killed according to the Ukrainians.

[03:25:03]

The Ukrainians are saying by and large the air defense systems that they have worked very well. They were able to shoot down about half of the missiles that were fired towards Ukrainian territory. But of course, one of the things that the Ukrainians have been saying is that they need a continued supply of missiles for those air defense systems to be able to keep that protection alive here for this country.

This of course all comes as the Russians continue to push offensives, especially in the east and the southeast of the country. The area around Bakhmut is one of those focal points and the Ukrainians are saying they're trying to hold back those Russian forces, but because they had a limited supply of ammunition, that is proving very difficult.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, in eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: As Fred just mentioned, Ukraine is running out of the weapons and ammunition needed to defend itself. A senior Pentagon official says Kyiv has warned Washington it doesn't have enough supplies for the front lines now. That warning comes as new security assistance from the U.S. has been held up in Congress for months.

Pentagon officials are trying to answer any questions from lawmakers in the hopes of getting Congress to approve the additional $61 billion for Ukraine.

The White House is resisting calls from some Republicans to scale back that funding request. The Biden administration says the package was carefully crafted with input from Ukraine about exactly what they need. Germany says it will strengthen its support for Ukraine in the coming

months. That includes sending six helicopters to help with the war effort. The Sea King helicopters could be delivered as early as Q2. Germany says it will also provide Ukraine with flying and technical training support along with accessories and spare parts required. The German defense minister says the aircraft will be able to help Ukraine with reconnaissance and the transport of soldiers.

Still ahead, cultural contraband in North Korea. Two teens are allegedly sentenced to years of hard labor for something many of us around the world take for granted.

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NOBILO: Rare footage out of North Korea allegedly shows two teenage boys being sentenced to years of hard labor for watching and distributing South Korean movies and TV shows, demonstrating the lengths to which Pyongyang will go to restrict any kind of foreign cultural influence.

CNN's Will Ripley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If this video is authentic, it would appear to be an incredibly rare look at the draconian punishments that North Korea imposes upon people who are caught doing one of the most grave sins imaginable according to the North Koreans, which is consuming foreign culture, particularly South Korean culture, which is the antithesis of the militaristic nationalist North.

[03:30:00]

You have K-pop, you have K-dramas, all of these programs that we know are being smuggled into North Korea. We know that North Korean people watch them pretty regularly. This is according to many North Korean defectors who have said that the first glimpse they had at the outside world, in one of the most secretive and restricted and isolated places on the planet, was viewing these black market bootleg DVDs or even VHS tapes showing these dramas which provide kind of a glamorized view of capitalism.

This video, in an amphitheater it appears to be there are these two teenagers that are 16 years old standing on stage with these people in military uniforms, other adults on the back of the stage, maybe school administrators, hundreds of what appear to be students in the crowd, and these teens are just standing up there being told that they are being sentenced to twelve years of hard labor for watching and distributing dozens of South Korean movies and TV shows.

The narration on the video, I'm going to read you a quote from it. It says, not long ago a public trial was held, then giving the teens names and saying that they were accused of watching and distributing puppet regime's recordings. That's what North Korea calls South Korea, the puppet regime, the puppet of the United States they claim. The video goes on to say, they were only 16 years old just at the

beginning of their lives, however they were seduced by foreign culture, ultimately ruining their future paths. And this video also named their homeroom teachers, essentially shaming them, destroying their reputation, perhaps destroying their careers, their lives, maybe even the lives of their family members.

Now, South Korea's National Intelligence Service tells CNN that it cannot verify if this video is authentic. Of course, CNN also cannot independently verify the video. It was released by the Seoul-based South And North Development Institute. This is a group that consists of North Korean defectors, so we know they do have contacts inside the country that can leak this sort of material out to them.

We also know that back in 2020, North Korea adopted what they called the Anti-Reactionary Ideology and Culture Act. This is the North Korean law that essentially clamped down during COVID on the distribution of these videos and enforcing very stiff penalties, hard labor for small quantities of these banned materials, and even death in some cases.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: The Constitutional Court in Thailand has dismissed a case against a popular politician who led his party to a stunning victory last year. He goes by the name Pita, and he was accused of violating election rules by running for office while holding shares in a media company. He said broadcaster ITV has not been operational since 2007. Pita is still awaiting another court ruling that could see his Move Forward Party dissolved. Their election win last May was seen as a crushing blow to Thailand's conservative, military-backed establishment.

And a federal appeals court has now ruled that Mexico can sue a group of U.S. gun makers. The lawsuit names brands including Colts, Smith and Wesson and Glock. It claims they quote, design, market, distribute and sell guns in ways that arm drug cartels. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has called the lawsuit misplaced. The complaint was dismissed in 2022, but Mexico then appealed. Mexico says up to 597,000. So more than half a million guns from the defendants in the case are trafficked into the country every year. The U.S. ambassador to Mexico says this is a top priority for the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN SLAZAR, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO (through translator): Reducing the flow of weapons from the United States to Mexico is a priority for President Biden. We know that 70 percent of weapons that cause violence here in Mexico and in the U.S. but 70 percent come from the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Mexican officials say an investigation is urgently needed to look into why some guns made exclusively for the U.S. military are also being trafficked into Mexico. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're asking for $10 million from the gun makers. So that probably should give all those gun makers who thought this case was over with essentially some pause no one is denied that a flood of weapons sometimes bought legally on the U.S. side of the border then find themselves abroad illegally in Mexico. The question is how to stop that flood was become a very lucrative business of arming of these cartels in the majority of the weapons. The Mexican government says it finds in drug-related crime come from the U.S.

[03:34:48]

And more troubling in the last several days of they've said that they found U.S. military-grade weapons, weapons are meant for the U.S. military in the hand of cartels and how those weapons have ended up in Mexico, something of a mystery whether they've come through third countries or there's some sort of block marketing ring going on here but the Mexico is called the U.S. to do investigate this immediately because often this means that the cartels are simply better armed than the Mexican government of the Mexican government when it tries to bring the cartels to heel, simply does not have the gun power to do so.

And until they can bring this flood of weapons to a halt, until they can stem that flood of weapons, they simply don't have the hope of stopping either the drugs that flow north or the massive amount of weapons that come back south into the hands of those cartels.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: That was Patrick Oppmann reporting.

The death toll following a landslide in southwestern China now stands at 31. More than a thousand people and dozens of machines and dogs are now part of the search and rescue operations. But officials say freezing weather and snow are making it harder to search for people in the rubble. Close to a thousand residents were evacuated and are taking shelter in a school or with relatives. And state media says hundreds of tents, coats, folding beds and other supplies have been sent to the area.

Still to come, the nominations are out for this year's Academy Awards. The biggest contenders are no surprise, but some of the snubs may leave you throwing your popcorn.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMERICA FERERRA, PLAYED GLORIA IN BARBIE: It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary. But somehow we're always doing it wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Well, apparently she's doing something right. America Ferrera just scored her first Oscar nomination for her role in Barbie. But Oppenheimer has the most to lose or gain at this year's Academy Awards, leading the pack with 13 nominations.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister breaks down the nominees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Oppenheimer leading the Oscar nominations with 13. Following close behind is Poor Things, which has 11 nominations, including a nomination for Emma Stone in the category of best actress. Now, not far behind is Killers of the Flower Moon with 10 nominations, and then Barbie with eight.

Now, this was a big morning for Barbie, but we can't talk about Barbie without noting that Barbie herself was snubbed. Margot Robbie not getting into the best actress category. This is the biggest snub of the year in my mind. Also, Greta Gerwig, the director of Barbie, not getting into the best director category. Of course, Barbie is the biggest movie of 2023, making over $1.4 billion, huge strides in history making moments for women in film. But some good news for Barbie, America Ferrera sliding into the supporting category with a surprise nomination.

[03:40:06]

Anyone who has seen Barbie is going to be happy that she got this nod because of that empowering speech and a really fantastic performance from her.

Now, moving down on the list of snubs, Bradley Cooper, not getting in there for Best Director for Maestro, but still a good morning for him. He is a double nominee as a producer on that film, which was nominated for Best Picture and also as Best Actor.

Leonardo DiCaprio not getting a nomination for Killers of the Flower Moon. Anytime that Leo is not there, that's a snub. He's one of the biggest actors in Hollywood history. But Leo was really setting his campaign this award season around his co-star, Lily Gladstone. Lily Gladstone did make history this morning, becoming the first Native American actress to be nominated. If she wins, she will be the first Native American winner at the Oscars in the major acting categories.

Now some other history-making moments. Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for his role in Oppenheimer . Believe it or not, if he wins, this will be his first Oscar in his entire career.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: While Margot Robbie's portrayal of Barbie didn't get a nomination, Ryan Gosling's performance as Ken did. In a statement thanking the Academy, he also highlighted the snub as he saw it, writing, quote, There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit, and genius. To say that I'm disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement. Very magnanimous indeed. W

e should note that Barbie was distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures, which is owned by CNN's parent company, which is why we have lots of Barbie merch around the office.

Now onto some good news or maybe not so good depending on how you look at it. The Doomsday Clock, which reveals how close we might be to annihilation, hasn't moved since last year.

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RACHEL BRONSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BULLETIN OF ATOMIC SCIENTISTS: It is 90 seconds to midnight.

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NOBILO: That really does put things in perspective when that's good news, doesn't it? On Tuesday, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the clock's time once again to 90 seconds to midnight. It remains the closest the symbolic clock has ever been to midnight, which is meant to represent humankind's propensity or closeness to self-annihilation. Along with climate change and artificial intelligence, the president of the group says that potential for nuclear escalation still remains a major risk, what with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Thank you for joining us. I'm Bianca Nobilo, World Sport is up for you next, and then I will be joined by my colleague, Max Foster, for more CNN Newsroom for you in about 17 minutes time.

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