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CNN International: Trump Defeats Haley in New Hampshire Republican Primary; Growing Anxiety Over Possible Trump-Biden Rematch; British Foreign Secretary Cameron to Meet Israeli Leaders; Zelenskyy: Russian Strikes Across Ukraine Kill 18, Wound 130; Calls for Two-State Solution; Turkish Parliament Backs Sweden's NATO Membership Bid. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired January 24, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald J. Trump will win the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire.
NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over.
DONAL TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who the hell was the imposter that went up on the stage before and, like, claimed a victory? She did very poorly, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The denial of the right to stay true to the Palestinian people would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome. A warm welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. I'm Max Foster.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. It is Wednesday, January 24th, 9 a.m. here in London and 4 a.m. in New Hampshire, where Donald Trump has secured a second conservative win in the state's nominating contest as he surges toward a third straight Republican presidential nomination. But much to Trump's chagrin, his final challenger is not giving up.
FOSTER: Nikki Haley lost by about 11 points and is vowing to stay in the race until the primary in her home state of South Carolina one month from today. A visibly annoyed Trump blasted Haley during his victory speech, but also had plenty of harsh words for President Joe Biden. And Haley went after both of them, saying they're too old.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HALEY: Most Americans do not want a rematch between Biden and Trump. The first party to retire its 80-year-old candidate is going to be the party that wins this election.
With Donald Trump, you have one bout of chaos after another. This court case, that controversy, this tweet, that senior moment. You can't fix Joe Biden's chaos with Republican chaos.
TRUMP: If you took the 10 worst presidents in the history of this not great country right now, it's a country in decline. It's a troubled country. It's a failing country, frankly. But if you took the 10 worst presidents and put them together, the 10 worst, absolutely 10 worst. I used to say five. Remember, I said I'd say five. Then I said, wait a minute, we can add another five.
They would not have done the damage that crooked Joe Biden has done to our wonderful country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Haley went on to say that the worst kept secret in politics is how badly the Democrats want to run against Trump. Polls have long known or shown that she appeals to more moderates and independents who ultimately decide who becomes president.
NOBILO: Haley also challenged Trump to a debate, suggesting that if he's as mentally sharp as he claims, he should have no issue appearing on stage with her. 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 adviser 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.
TRUMP: I can go up and I can say to everybody, oh, thank you for the victory. It's wonderful. It's what -- 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 going to win. She's going to win. She's going to win. Then she -- she failed badly. And just a little note to Nikki. She's not going to 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?
[04:05:00]
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)
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nikki Haley's message after losing the New Hampshire primary is that this race is far from over. She said New Hampshire is the first primary in the nation but is certainly not the last. And made a commitment to continue campaigning in the South Carolina primary, which comes next month.
Now, she will be in Charleston, South Carolina later this week. Campaign aides are also talking about other events that she has on her calendar, fundraisers and the like. All of those are still set to happen, as there are questions about what the margin of victory will look like for President Trump in New Hampshire and how that could impact the future of her campaign going forward. Just how competitive she can still say that she is with the former president.
Kylie Atwood, CNN, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NOBILO: Trump may appear to have a firm grip over his party, but many Republicans are nervous about the baggage that he'd bring to the ticket if he clinches the nomination.
FOSTER: Democrats are also feeling a sense of malaise over whether President Biden can pull off another win. CNN's Manu Raju explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are fears in both parties about the top of their ticket.
On the Democratic side, it's really the enthusiasm getting together the same coalition that Biden won back in 2020. A lot of the voters are concerned about whether it's the age or whether it's about his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, something that's hurting him in key battleground states like Michigan. Getting the enthusiasm up, which is why you're hearing the Biden campaign want to go after Trump, because they think that could juice the base. But on the Trump side, it's the real fears about being able to expand beyond the base, being able to expand among those key voters that will be critical in some of these down-ticket races. The Senate is at stake. The House is at stake.
You've heard Nikki Haley here time and again how Trump cost them the Senate, how Trump has hurt them all along while he was in office.
But, you know, there are a number of purple states and Senate races that are up in Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania. And in the House races, this is going to be a hard-fought election in 18 districts that Joe Biden carried.
Republican seats that Joe Biden carried, whether it's in New York or in Nebraska and the like. And Trump's vulnerability in those districts could have that bad impact, which is why a lot of Republicans are fearful about him as the nominee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: We'll have much more ahead in this hour for the race to the White House, including reaction to Trump's win from President Joe Biden.
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. Now, warning to you that video from the scene is graphic. Doctors Without Borders say heavy bombing is moving closer to Al-Nasser Hospital.
And the U.N. reports 13,000 displaced people have taken shelter at Al- Amal Hospital and the Palestine Red Crescent headquarters.
FOSTER: The Rafah area overcrowded with refugees, more than a million people, according to the U.N. Unsanitary conditions are leading to the spread of disease, and even the 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 in central Gaza on Monday. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the fallen soldiers during a visit to northern Israel, as CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The deadliest single day for Israeli troops in Gaza. Twenty-four soldiers killed in action on Monday, leading to scenes of mourning like this across Israel.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Monday was one of the hardest days since the war broke out. We lost 24 of our best sons, the heroes who fell defending the homeland.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Twenty-one of those soldiers, all reservists, were killed in a single incident in central Gaza, about 600 meters from the border with Israel. They represent about 10 percent of the IDF's total losses since the beginning of the war.
[04:10:00]
The Israeli military says those troops were creating a buffer zone along the border with Israel, demolishing buildings and clearing Hamas infrastructure to make it safe for Israelis living near the border to return to their homes.
REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON (through translator): It appears that around 4 o'clock an RPG missile was fired by terrorists toward a tank that was securing the force. Simultaneously, there was an explosion that resulted in the collapse of two two-story structures, while most of the force was inside them and nearby.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The Israeli military says it is investigating the incident and the exact cause of that explosion.
The news rippling across Israel, a small country of about 9 million people, where nearly everyone has a relative or friend in the military. And it comes as the Israeli government is offering the longest pause in fighting to date, according to Axios, a two-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of all the hostages held in Gaza. Some Israeli troops would also withdraw from population centers, and Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to northern Gaza.
An Israeli official telling CNN many steps still need to be taken before a deal comes to fruition, and Hamas is seeking an end to the war as a condition to any deal. Separately, two officials told CNN Israel has proposed Hamas' senior leaders could leave Gaza as part of a broader ceasefire agreement.
A spokesman for the Qatari government saying negotiators are working around the clock to reach a deal.
MAJED AL ANSARI, QATAR MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPOKESPERSON: We are engaging in serious discussions with both sides. We have presented ideas to both sides. We are getting a constant stream of replies from both sides.
DIAMOND (voice-over): The lives of more than 100 hostages hanging in the balance. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Qatar's foreign ministry says it is engaged in serious discussions with Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and freeing the remaining hostages. The spokesperson says negotiators are working around the clock, but one side's refusal to accept a two-state solution is making the process difficult.
NOBILO: British Foreign Secretary David Cameron will visit Israel and neighboring countries starting today. He is expected to push for a ceasefire and then raise more concerns about the rising death toll in Gaza.
Elliott's with us because we were talking yesterday about this, you know, this big, well, you know, the IDF suffered yesterday, all of those soldiers. But we got into more detail about exactly what happened.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Yes, a couple more details. So, it now seems that there were two rocket propelled grenades, RPGs that were fired by fighters towards Israeli forces. One hit a tank which was there to secure the Israeli forces. And there were two IDF soldiers killed inside that tank.
The other hit these buildings, these two, two story buildings where the soldiers were laying mines with a plan to destroy and demolish these buildings because they're trying to create some kind of buffer zone that would enable Israelis to return to their homes on the other side of the border, about 600 meters away. And so overall, in that one incident, well, with those two RPGs, 21 IDF soldiers killed, all of them reservists.
So, these aren't professional soldiers, all of them reservists. And the funerals for many of them have been held already. And there is an internal investigation now taking place to try to understand a little bit more about what happened and obviously prevent any such incident recurring.
NOBILO: In the last week, there's been a lot more discussion about the discussions going on regarding the release of hostages and a potential ceasefire. What more do we know about those talks and the main elements that are holding up progress?
GOTKINE: So, there are talks about talks, as John Kirby from the National Security Council in the U.S. says, you know, that we can't really call them negotiations at this stage. But the Qataris, who, of course, are the go between, between Israel and Hamas because they don't speak directly to one another.
They are saying that they are working around the clock, that there are serious discussions taking place and that, according to Reuters now this morning, the broad framework of a one-month ceasefire during which Israeli hostages who were kidnapped as part of Hamas's massacre of October the 7th would be freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
But one of the sticking points from Hamas's perspective is that they want a kind of package deal, according to this report, in which a permanent ceasefire or the terms of a permanent ceasefire would be agreed before that first phase of a 30-day ceasefire would come into effect. From Israel's perspective, anything short, any deal that doesn't include the dismantling of Hamas is a nonstarter.
And indeed, you mentioned David Cameron's visit, the U.K. foreign secretary, Israel, Israel's foreign secretary, posting on X saying that he will thank the U.K. for its support, but he will reiterate that Israel is at war with Hamas and its backers in Iran and that the war will continue until such time as Hamas is no longer able to threaten Israel militarily or to be in political power in the Gaza Strip.
NOBILO: Elliott, thank you.
FOSTER: The U.S. says it carried out airstrikes against Iranian backed militias in Iraq on Tuesday. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin says it was a direct response to attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.
[04:15:03]
But Iraq's Ministry of Defence says the U.S. strikes violate the country's sovereignty and threaten its stability.
NOBILO: The strikes come days after U.S. personnel were injured in a missile and rocket attack at an airbase in Iraq. The U.S. and U.K. also continue to target Iran backed Houthi militants in Yemen to deter further attacks, they say, 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 prepared to launch. The strikes were the second in as many days against Houthi targets in Yemen.
FOSTER: 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 UN and other aid groups to leave Yemen within a month.
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.
NOBILO: Nearly two years after it applied, Sweden is getting closer to NATO membership. We'll tell you why Turkey changed its mind and decided to remove a major roadblock.
FOSTER: And Oppenheimer is the film to beat at this year's Academy Awards with 13 nominations. But some high-profile snubs are getting most of the attention.
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NOBILO: Ukraine's president says a wave of Russian strikes across the country killed at least 18 people and wounded 130 in the past day alone.
FOSTER: 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 were shot down.
More now on these attacks from CNN's Fred Pleitgen reporting from eastern Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR 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 Pavlograd, 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 Pavlograd where one person was killed, according to the Ukrainians.
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.
[04:20:00]
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 are trying to hold back those Russian forces. But because they have a limited supply of ammunition, that is proving very difficult.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN in eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A Putin critic, an anti-war candidate is one step closer to challenging the Russian president in the March election. NOBILO: Former MP Boris Nadezhdin says that he has the 100,000 signatures required to run as an independent candidate. He claims he is the only candidate willing to openly oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
FOSTER: He has support from prominent opposition figures, including those close to jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny.
Nadezhdin is still aimed for at least 150,000 signatures by the end of the month to meet the rigorous standards imposed by Russia's Central Election Commission.
NOBILO: 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.
FOSTER: 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 accusing Sweden of complicity in Islamophobic demonstrations.
NOBILO: One Turkish lawmaker explains what Sweden has done to win his country's approval.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OGUZ UCUNCU, TURKISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER (through translator): What changed in this 20-month time period? What did Sweden give up in terms of its own tradition, its own culture? What did it say yes to? When we look at this closely, we see this. Sweden changed its constitution. Sweden made legal arrangements. Sweden both arrested and tried people linked to the PKK.
Therefore, together with this, mechanisms were developed. Representatives were appointed. Turkey's security sensitivities, its sensitivities regarding the fighting against terrorism, were paid attention to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Sweden welcoming the vote, saying the country is now one step closer to joining NATO, but it still needs to win support from Hungary, now the only holdout member state.
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.
FOSTER: It demonstrates 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 SENIOR 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 Korean regime, which is consuming foreign culture, particularly South Korean culture, which is the antithesis of the militaristic nationalist North.
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 of 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 12 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 regimes 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.
[04:25:00]
This is the North Korean law that essentially clamped them 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)
FOSTER: With death toll following a landslide in southwestern China now standing at 31, more than a thousand people and dozens of machines and dogs are 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.
NOBILO: 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.
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 of Pita and 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 though since 2007.
Pita still awaiting another court ruling that could see his move forward party dissolved. Their election will -- win last May was seen as a crushing blow to Thailand's conservative military-backed establishment.
Police in South Africa have reportedly arrested a suspect in connection with a deadly fire in a residential building in Johannesburg last August.
NOBILO: According to public broadcaster SABC police say the 29-year- old man has confessed. 77 people including 12 children were killed and dozens were injured when the fire tore through the building which was likely abandoned by its landlord. The exact cause of the fire though is still under investigation.
FOSTER: Donald Trump gets another win on the road to the Republican nomination for president. What President Joe Biden is saying about his likely opponent in November?
NOBILO: And Mexico's lawsuit against U.S. gun makers is now back on track after getting the green light from a U.S. appeals court. Details on that after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo.
FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. If you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with the top stories this hour.
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.
Donald Trump cruised to victory in Tuesday's New Hampshire Republican primary. [04:30:00]
