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CNN International: Russian Media: Military Plane With 74 Aboard Crashes In Russia; U.N.: Situation Around Khan Younis Deteriorating; Israeli Official: Initiative "Far From Being A Proposal"; U.S. Carries Out Strikes On Iranian-Backed Militias In Iraq; Trump Wins Decisively In NH, Haley Vows To Stay In Race; Biden Team Increasingly Focused On Re-Election Campaign; Ayodhya Temple Inauguration Stokes Tensions In India; Rare Footage Allegedly Shows North Korean Teens Punished For Watching And Distributing South Korean Dramas. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired January 24, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[08:00:45]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. We'll have much more on the New Hampshire primary results coming up for you in this hour. But first, we're going to bring with -- bring in the breaking news out of Russia. That is that a military plane carrying 74 people has crashed near the border with Ukraine. It's according to Russian media.
The governor of Belgorod, where the plane went down, says all on board were killed. Social media video shows the plane going down and bursting into a fireball. Russian news agencies quote the defense ministry, which says 65 of those on board were Ukrainian troops heading for a prisoner swap.
Ukraine is investigating those claims, but earlier said the plane was carrying missiles for an air defense system. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the latest details for us from Eastern Ukraine. Are you getting a better picture, Fred, of what actually happened?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're at least getting a better picture, or more of a picture of -- the accusations at this point in time. I mean, one of the things that we're certainly seeing is that this was a major incident that took place with that plane crash.
Just alluding, Max, to that social media video that we've been seeing of the plane as it was going down and then that big fireball that appeared shortly afterwards. And you're absolutely right, the governor of the Belgorod region, he came out and he said that no one survived that plane crash.
However, then we get to accusations and counter accusations that have been going on between the Russians and the Ukrainians. You were just noting that the Russian Defense Ministry came out and said that the plane was taken down by the Ukrainians, that it was a Ukrainian surface to air missile system. The Russian Defense Ministry claims that took that plane down and that those missiles, the surface air missiles were fired from near the Russian border, very close to the Russian border. Now, the Ukrainians so far have not commented on the matter. They certainly haven't said that they would have been responsible for taking this plane down.
But you are right that there was Ukrainian state media that came out earlier, citing defense ministry sources saying that the Russian plane was allegedly carrying surface to air missiles itself called the S- 300, which the Russians do sometimes use from the Belgorod region to shell areas within Ukraine.
Now, the Russians are saying that there were 65 POWs onboard that plane, Ukrainian POWs, that were supposed to be flown to a prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian side. The Ukrainians also not commenting widely on that. However, they have now confirmed that there was a prisoner exchange, a large one that was supposed to take place today, and that that prisoner exchange is now not happening.
In other words, that it has been called off. So there might be some of these things that are becoming a little bit more clear. However, at this point in time, it is still very early to say, as you've noted, the investigation into all of this is still going on right now.
However, the local authorities, the local governor of that region confirming that no one has indeed survived that plane crash, which once again, we did see on that video. The plane coming down, seemingly out of control, then impacting on the ground. And then that giant explosion, that fireball and that smoke appearing in what was that major crash that happened to the northeast in a very rural area around the town of Belgorod.
The Russian authorities also saying that apparently at least no one on the ground suffered any injuries, Max.
FOSTER: OK, Fred Pleitgen in Eastern Ukraine. Thank you so much.
Let's bring in CNN's Matthew Chance, who's in London. You've been looking at the Russian media speaking to your people. I mean, what is the theory about how this plane came down?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there are two unanswered questions at the moment, although we're starting to get a bit more clarity as Fred was saying about these issues. The first one is, you know, how did the plane come down? Was it shot down? Was it pilot error? Was it a malfunction?
Well, the Russians are now saying, as we just mentioned, that it was an external factor that resulted in the crash of this plane. So we're talking about some sort of air defense system.
FOSTER: So suggesting the Ukrainians shot down the Russian plane?
CHANCE: That's right. The Ukrainians. And remember, Ukrainian air defenses, Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles --
FOSTER: Yes.
CHANCE: -- have been very active along the border areas. Not so much this area, but elsewhere along the border area. Over the course of the past couple of weeks, I mean, earlier this month the Ukrainian shot down an A-50 Russian sort of intelligence gathering, sort of battlefield coordination aircraft, one of these big AWACS type aircraft on the -- above the Sea of Azov.
And so that was a major victory for the Ukrainian air defenses. And it seems that they're pushing those defenses forward to try and, you know, kind of limit the ability of Russian aircraft to move inside Russian airspace.
[08:05:11]
The other big question, of course, which we don't know the answer to at this point, is what was on board that plane. I mean, you saw that video. It crashed with an enormously large explosion that took place afterwards. That could have been the fuel tanks of the plane, of course.
What the Ukrainians say is that they believe there were S-300 missiles on board. That could have caused the explosion. The Russians, though, are saying no. It was 65 of your people, 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war that we were taking back home that are now dead.
FOSTER: And we do think there was going to be a prisoner swap.
CHANCE: Well, I mean, according to that reporting there, and of course there have been some prisoner swaps taking place --
FOSTER: Yes.
CHANCE: -- sort of recently as well. And so it's a regular occurrence actually that takes place. Where that prison swap was taking place? It's not clear. At least it's not clear to me, whether they would have to been taken there in a sort of big massive military transport plane. It was a long way away, perhaps.
But look, I mean, at the moment, we've got these two differing accounts of what was on board the aircraft, what the cargo was. Was it people, prisoners of war, or was it missiles for the air defense systems, the S-300 systems that Russia uses so much in that part of the world? We just don't have the answer to that yet.
FOSTER: But we would assume that Ukraine would be able to -- would already know whether or not it took down an aircraft, and they're not confirming that.
CHANCE: Well, they haven't denied it.
FOSTER: Yes.
CHANCE: They haven't denied that they took down an aircraft. And, you know, you can -- you know that if they have been doing intelligence gathering and they found there's an aircraft that they believe may be carrying munitions that would have an impact on the battlefield, that would be very high up on their list of priorities.
Now, of course, they could have got that intel wrong. That's a possibility. The alternative is that Russia could be just saying --
FOSTER: Yes.
CHANCE: -- that this was prisons of war when in fact it was munitions. I mean, again, we don't have the insight, the ability to know which side is correct at this point.
FOSTER: OK. Matthew, thank you so much.
Still to come, thousands flee the embattled city of Khan Younis as Israeli troops close in and negotiators work feverishly to help bring an end to the fighting. We'll have a live report from Israel for you next.
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FOSTER: In spite of an Israeli order to evacuate, Doctors Without Borders says it's too dangerous for staff and patients at one hospital in southern Gaza to leave, with witnesses saying they can hear heavy gunfire and bombs falling outside. The Israeli military reports its troops now have the city of Khan Younis surrounded. And it comes as Qatar says it's working around the clock to put together a deal between Israel and Hamas with both sides said to be holding serious discussions.
CNN's Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman is live for us in Beirut, Lebanon. And the United Nations describing a deteriorating humanitarian situation around Khan Younis, I mean, it was already pretty bad, wasn't it?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's awful. I mean, really, I've run out of adjectives to describe just how bad this situation clearly is from all the information we're getting from the Khan Younis area.
[08:10:06]
Now, just a little while ago, the Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military basically put out an order on his Twitter account for everyone to leave what are called -- what you recall, Israel's divided Gaza into more than 600 individual blocks. And he's told people to leave blocks 107 to 112 in Khan Younis.
In those blocks are the Al Amal Hospital, the Nasser Medical Complex, and the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Thousands of people had taken refuge in the compounds of those three hospitals, which represent about one-fifth of all the hospitals that are still functioning in Gaza.
Now, the Israelis have told them to go to the Mawassi area, which is an area of about 1.5 square miles where already about 425,000 people have taken refuge crammed into that area. Now, the problem is, in this area around these hospitals, there is intense fighting. We have seen on social media, which CNN has been able to geolocate large explosions happening in the very vicinity of those hospitals.
And therefore, it's very people -- difficult for people to even leave if they wanted to leave those areas. And we already know from the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza that there are hundreds of patients still in those hospitals. Others who desperately need, for instance, dialysis, their pregnant women, others, people with infections they can't get any treatment at those hospitals.
Now, of course, the roads are filled with people who are fleeing from Khan Younis in the direction of Mawassi, basically going to an area where there are essentially no services in terms of running water and sanitation. So, the situation there is already going to get much worse, but in Khan Younis it is desperate. That's the only way to describe it. Max?
FOSTER: And it does seem as though, there's a fierce resistance from Hamas. The IDF are struggling there. I mean, what are your concerns about this situation as it goes on?
WEDEMAN: No, it's only going to get worse. And we've seen, for instance, the death toll between yesterday and today in a 24-hour period was 210. The day before, 195. The day before, 190. So the death toll is obviously going to mount dramatically with people trying to flee through an active war zone.
But it appears that there is no hesitation by the Israeli military to move ahead with its offensive, now that Khan Younis is essentially surrounded by them. They're going into areas that are still packed with civilians. Civilians, some are still hiding out in their homes, but many out in the streets exposed to gunfire and bombs. Max?
FOSTER: Ben Wedeman in Beirut, thank you so much for that.
Well, CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is live for us in Tel Aviv. And an Israeli official saying they're working on what's being described as an initiative to secure the release of hostages. What do we know about any progress towards some sort of truce or at least a deal?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Conversations, proposals, but nothing on the table. Nothing according to one Israeli official that Hamas has rejected because they were not formally given any of these various proposals that are being discussed in the background. The possibility of a two-month pause in the fighting so that all the hostages could be released.
That's one of the suggestions in the background. There certainly seems to be a degree of traction in conversation. The Qataris, as you were mentioning there, say that between Hamas and Israel, there are communications with the Qataris as the intermediary. There are communications, serious communications going backwards and forwards.
We know that Brett McGurk, senior official from the United States for the region, is talking with the Qataris and others in the region at the moment. So there is an element of diplomacy. There is a huge pressure here for the hostages to be released. But when it comes to hard factual detail, there were even reports circulating about the phase release of these hostages and who might be released from Israeli jails to, again, get Hamas buy in for this sort of deal. But these, at the moment, seem to be nothing more than rumors that are being dropped by people who have some information about the talks.
[08:15:07]
But I think the line that we're getting from Israeli officials that nothing has been put forward as on the table as a firm proposal, and therefore nothing's been rejected, gives you the understanding that we're not there yet. Is the atmosphere warm to it to a degree? Is there some momentum towards it? Possibly. But it's not there yet, Max.
FOSTER: In terms of a two-state solution, this is obviously something that, you know, Israel's allies are pushing very hard, something that Israel isn't considering. How much of a discussion point is this in terms of a deal?
ROBERTSON: Inside of Israel, it seems to be a no go. Outside, it is the absolute key. And to all the things that could flow from Israel accepting or providing a guaranteed pathway to the recognition of a Palestinian state, whether that's that's the type of state that President Biden has hinted that he might feel is appropriate, that is one that doesn't have a huge security structure or whatever shape that might take.
That is where the conversations are in the region. That until there is an Israeli government and a prime minister that's willing to accept that sort of language and that sort of diplomacy, then all the things that might flow from there are essentially on hold. And I think the understanding in the region is this is something that Israel will want.
This is something that will do Israel benefit in the long term, but it's not something that the Prime Minister Netanyahu will consider because he's had very clear warnings from members of his coalition government. Itamar Ben-Gvir was the latest saying, you know, if you move in that direction, any kind of deal over hostages, any kind of deal to end the fighting, I'm out of the government, which collapses the government.
And the polling all indicates Prime Minister Netanyahu would not win a reelection, so there's no incentive for him to soften his position. There's certainly the feeling outside the region is, when that happens, there will be, you know, a lot that can be discussed, a lot that can be put on the table, a lot can move diplomatically then.
FOSTER: Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv, thank you so much for that.
Now, 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. Now, 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.
Still to come, New Hampshire Republicans have had their say on who should take on Joe Biden for the presidency, but the race isn't over just yet. We'll tell you why, ahead.
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FOSTER: Donald Trump took a big step closer to securing the Republican Party's nomination for president by winning Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and dealing a major blow to his only remaining Republican rival. Nikki Haley says she's not calling it quits though. Omar Jimenez reports.
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OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former President Trump victorious in New Hampshire.
ALL: USA! USA!
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Paving the way for him to clinch the Republican nomination for the third time.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you win Iowa and you win New Hampshire, they've never had a loss, has never been. So we're not going to be the first.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): His sole rival, Nikki Haley, remains optimistic and vows to stay in the race.
NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Haley is still trying to convince Republicans that a shift away from Trump is the best path to victory in November.
HALEY: A Trump nomination is a Biden win and a Kamala Harris presidency. The first party to retire its 80-year-old candidate is going to be the party that wins this election.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Trump responded during his victory speech, lashing out at Haley, criticizing her for staying in the race.
TRUMP: I don't get too angry, I get even. We have to do what's good for our party. And she was up and I said, wow, she's doing, like a speech like she won. She didn't win, she lost.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Haley is now looking ahead to her home state of South Carolina. But her path for the nomination is challenging after losses in the first two voting states.
TIM SCOTT, U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: This election is over! It is time for the Republican Party to coalesce around our nominee.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The former president also touted his endorsement from South Carolina's Senator Tim Scott.
TRUMP: You must really hate her. No, it's a shame. It's a --
SCOTT: I just love you.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Trump now wants to focus on his rematch with President Biden.
TRUMP: If we don't win, I think our country is finished. I do.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Biden won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire overwhelmingly as a write in candidate and says it's clear Trump will be the Republican nominee.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe 2024 is going to be the most important election we've had since 1864. I mean it. And the reasons are clear. Democracy is on the ballot.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Biden is campaigning on abortion rights and sharpening his message against Trump.
BIDEN: I don't think this court and the MAGA Republicans have any clue about the power of women in America. I don't think they have any clue. But they're about to find out.
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FOSTER: Omar Jimenez reporting for us then.
Let's speak to CNN's Arlette Saenz, she's at the White House for us. I mean, the pressure is massively on the president, isn't it, right now? We haven't really seen his response to Trump properly on the campaign trail. What do you expect from him?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, in President Joe Biden's mind, the general election is here and that is a matchup between him and former President Donald Trump. It's a matchup that he and his team have really been hoping for for quite some time. They believe that once voters realize that this will be a Biden versus Trump matchup, that that will really crystallize the decision for voters.
Now, Biden tried to use the results of the New Hampshire Republican primary last night to drive home this argument to American voters. He said, quote, "It is now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee. And my message to the country is the stakes could not be higher. Our democracy, our personal freedoms from the right to choose to the right to vote. Our economy, which has seen the strongest recovery in the world since COVID. All are at stake."
Now, one challenge that President Biden will have in the coming months is trying to press this message as he's making these contrasts with Trump. We've seen Biden start to engage in that in the early points of this year, but it's also a task for his campaign as they are charting the path forward towards the second term in November.
Now, to that point, the president is shifting some of his top White House advisers here to the campaign in Wilmington, Delaware. That includes moving over Jen O'Malley Dillon, who was his campaign manager back in 2020, as well as Mike Donilon, who is really the messaging guru for Biden.
The goal here advisers say, is to really have an all hands on deck moment as they are trying to pour all of their resources into the campaign operation. There had been some Democratic hand wringing about whether the campaign has been structured in a way to guarantee success in November.
[08:25:04]
But Biden also has challenges within the general election arguments as he has seen some strains to his coalition in the Democratic base. That was on hand just yesterday when he was speaking at a rally about reproductive rights.
The president was interrupted over a dozen times by protesters voicing their frustration with his position on Israel's war in Gaza. There has been a lot of Democratic frustration boiling up about the fact that the president has not backed a ceasefire as thousands of innocent Palestinians have been killed as Israel is waging their campaign to root out Hamas.
This is a part of the Democratic coalition that Biden will need to tend to heading into 2024 as they need to ensure that they have the support from all corners of the Democratic base as they are eyeing this rematch with Donald Trump in November.
FOSTER: OK, Arlette Saenz at the White House, thank you so much for that.
Still to come, we'll update you on our top story. A Russian military plane crashing in Belgorod. Details still coming in, but Russia and Ukraine are providing conflicting accounts at this point. Details coming up.
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FOSTER: Russia's Defense Ministry blames Ukraine for downing a military plane that was reportedly carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war. The plane went down in the Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine. Russia says all 74 people on board were killed, including Ukrainians, who were being moved in preparation for a prisoner exchange.
The Russian Defense Ministry says its radar caught the launch of two Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles. Ukraine has yet to comment on Moscow's claims, but said earlier the plane was carrying missiles.
Let's bring in CNN's Matthew Chance, who's in London. We're getting all our information really at this point, aren't we, from Russia? CHANCE: Russians and Ukrainians are also commenting on this, in the
sense they're not confirming or denying whether or not they shot this plane out of the sky, although the fact that it is in this area, very close to the Ukrainian-Russia sort of border area.
[08:30:03]
You know, does imply that, you know, it's in a battle zone type environment. And we also know that over the past couple of weeks, the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces have been very active in trying to and succeeding in denying Russian aircraft, the freedom of movement inside Russian airspace.
Earlier this month, they shot down a very significant aircraft, an A- 50, which is a big sort of radar battlefield coordination aircraft, which Russia's only got a handful of them. So that was a big success. This could well be sort of something in a similar vein.
The other big question is, of course, what was the cargo of the Ilyushin 76 military transport aircraft? The Russians, as you mentioned, are saying that this was, you know, as well as the crew, this was predominantly 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war that were being sent back across the border as part of a prisoner exchange. That could well be the case.
But what the Ukrainians are saying is that their intelligence indicates that this was carrying munitions. That there were missiles on board meant for the Russian S-300 air defense system. And if that's the case, then that would have been a very high profile target for the Ukrainian air defenses.
FOSTER: How do we get confirmation on this, because presumably the Russians are leading the investigation?
CHANCE: Yes, because it's in Russian territory, that's where the crash site is. Look, I mean, I'm not sure that in an environment like this, where there is such an information war underway, as well as an actual hot, you know, live war, that we're going to be absolutely 100 percent certain on what the situation is on the ground.
But, look, let's see what happens over the course of the next couple of hours. There's already some video come out, which indicates potentially an explosion before the plane, you know, kind of hit the ground that can indicate an explosion on board, possibly a missile, possibly something on board exploding.
Look, we don't know yet. It's all speculative, but we'll see what comes out in terms of bits of information on the ground over the next couple of hours and the next couple of days. The Russians say they're conducting an investigation. But, of course, with the Russians heading that investigation, it's likely to be their narrative that is promoted.
FOSTER: And the Ukrainians will be investigating as well, but they don't have to look that far, presumably, just to their own weapon systems and whether or not they indeed did take out this aircraft. CHANCE: I think there's very little doubt at this point that given the, as I said, the geographical location of this crash --
FOSTER: We'll learn (ph) for that.
CHANCE: -- and the fact that, you know Ukrainian air defenses have been so active, it could well have been a Ukrainian strike. The real contentious issue is what was on board. Was it humans? Was it POWs from Ukraine? That would be a tragedy. Or was it weapons bound for the front lines?
FOSTER: OK, Matthew, thank you so much.
Retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton joins us from Washington, D.C. Thank you so much for being here. You would have heard Matthew there. You know, things pointing currently to the idea that Ukraine shot down a Russian aircraft, which may or may not have had Ukrainian prisoners of war on board. How likely do you think that is? And what does it mean?
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Max, I think it is quite likely that the Ukrainians could have done some of the video that we've seen of this shows, a puff of smoke where there could have been a missile impact on the aircraft. And then as you see here, the aircraft appears to be headed down.
And then we'll see fireball of pretty severe it is, that could actually, you know, indicate not only the actual impact of the crash, but before that, there might have been a puff of smoke that was consistent with a missile shooting down this aircraft, whether it was a Ukrainian missile or a Russian missile.
Of course, we don't know, but that is the kind of thing that could happen. As far as what it means, it could very well be a, you know, a significant interdiction of Russian arms shipments. The plane have been used to transport weapons from a place like Iran, there's some speculation on social media.
That this tail number that is assigned to this aircraft was last seen in Iran before coming back into Russia. So, you know, some possibility there that it did carry weapons that were destined for the front lines in Belgorod, the perfect staging area, both for a weapons delivery, as well as for a prisoner exchange for each of these stories would be consistent with the flight profile of this aircraft.
FOSTER: Would the explosion you saw be consistent with one where, you know, weapons were on board as well, because a lot of people suggesting that it only looks like an aircraft crashing as opposed to one full of the weaponry we're talking about?
LEIGHTON: Yes, it really depends. When an aircraft crashes like this, there is almost always a large degree of smoke of fire. The explosion there was pretty significant. That could be consistent with munitions exploding as they impact the ground, you know, as part of the crash.
[08:35:07] But an aircraft of that size when it crashes, that leaves a big fireball because of the fuel on board, because of, you know, all the other impacts that it would have. So it's very consistent with a crash of, you know, whether or not there were weapons on board.
FOSTER: The Ukrainians will know whether or not they shot it down, wouldn't they? It wouldn't take them very long to find out.
LEIGHTON: Yes, you would think that that would be the case. There is the possibility, you know, of, you know, somebody going, you know, trigger happy or in a situation like this, but these things are usually quite controlled. The Ukrainians have to be very careful types of munitions that they expend at this point in time because of the munitions shortages that they're experiencing.
And given that, I -- pretty clear that they would know whether or not they did this. And if they did, in fact, to conduct this mission, then, you know, they know that they struck this aircraft based on the video. And, of course, the Russian reports that we're seeing that the aircraft actually go down.
FOSTER: So then the question does come down to who was on board, right? And whether or not these prisoners of war were on board. That's the big question right now.
LEIGHTON: It really is. Yes, that is something that, you know, we would have to see the Russians, you know, handle this right now. My understanding is, is that the FSB, the Russian intelligence services, the Ministry of Defense, have secured the area. So the normal crash investigations are not going to place in the way they would for a civil airliner.
But having said that, it would be normal for military aircraft to be investigated. A crash of a military aircraft to be investigated by the Ministry of Defense that the intelligence services involved is also of course, you know, it means that there is the possibility that there were other factors here.
But when these numbers -- number of bodies, you know, if they were brought out as part of the release of -- part of the press for this incident, then, you know, we have to wonder whether or not they died as a result of this crash or if there was something else going on in the case like this.
FOSTER: OK, Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you for joining us and pointing us to the questions that really do need to be answered when we look into this in the coming hours.
Now, Donald Trump, meanwhile, 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 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, that's Nikki Haley, of course, by just over 10 percentage points. During his long and rambling 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 whilst on stage.
Haley got in some swipes as well, suggesting Trump's 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 a month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALEY: Now you've all heard the chatter among the political class. They're falling all over themselves saying this race is over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not yet over.
HALEY: 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)
FOSTER: CNN's Gloria Pazmino joins me now from Manchester, New Hampshire. Thank you so much for joining us. You do wonder whether or not -- well, if this wasn't the point at which Haley dips out of the campaign, the next one surely is if she loses that, or do you see her continuing for as long as she can?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Max, Haley certainly did not get the result that she was hoping for here in New Hampshire Tuesday night. And as you heard it there, she plans to stay in this race. And she says she wants to go on to South Carolina. That is, of course, not only her home state, but also the state where she served as governor.
But there is no evidence to suggest that Haley would have a stronger showing in South Carolina. In fact, Trump has already racked up significant Republican support, including from the current governor, as well as a majority of the congressional delegation. South Carolina is also a state where Trump has historically performed very well.
[08:40:07]
So Haley has a tough couple of days ahead of herself. She's also going to have to convince her supporters and her donors that there is a reason and a path for her. And it just doesn't look like that is the case given the results here last night. Trump leading her almost by 11 points. So she's going to have a lot of ground to make up even if she were to do well in South Carolina. And so far, the polls doesn't -- don't seem to suggest that would be the case. Max?
FOSTER: He looked a bit agitated today, Trump, that she was still running in the contest. But what's next for him, do you think, going into South Carolina?
PAZMINO: Well, look the question is whether or not this win here in New Hampshire. And they're showing that he had in Iowa a couple of days ago and perhaps any other wins that he might be able to rack up over the next several months are going to translate into the general election.
And we have a little bit of evidence so far about how voters are feeling. For example, Nikki Haley, a significant share of her supporters here last night were independent, undeclared voters. So while Trump has the support of Republicans, he doesn't have the support of everybody. And then, of course, there's the other major Trump factor, which is the fact that he's got four different legal cases against him and he's facing 91 charges.
However, there are some polls that give us an idea about how voters are feeling. About half of New Hampshire voters told us that they would still find Trump to be fit for president, even if he were to be convicted of a crime. That is according to our CNN polling.
So it is likely and judging from last night's speech that he made that we are going to see a bit of a return to a vintage Trump where he attacks his critics, attacks his opponents. He mocks them on the campaign trail, and he is likely going to bring this campaign trail right into the courtroom, which is what he's been doing over the last several weeks as we geared up towards Iowa and New Hampshire.
He's been sitting in a New York City courtroom listening to testimony from E. Jean Carroll, even though he is not technically required to be there. But it is clearly part of his political strategy to make this a centerpiece of his campaign. Max?
FOSTER: Yes, which is amazing, isn't it? Just in terms of Nikki Haley, obviously, it's a very expensive running one of these campaigns. Presumably, she needs to, you know, perhaps only stops when she loses the funding. I mean, how does that process work? How much support you got and how much can she continue?
PAZMINO: Yes, it's an important question. And the Haley campaign, it's not necessarily in financial trouble just yet. In fact, in anticipation of going to South Carolina, the campaign bought a significant amounts of airspace in that state, which, as you know, is very expensive.
So the campaign not necessarily struggling for dollars just yet, but we are far and away from a Super Tuesday, from other key elections in this process where Haley is going to need a lot of support. So that's going to be a key question here.
One of Haley's key donors is the owner of Home Depot here in the United States. He had said that he planned on making a significant contribution to her campaign if she was able to pull off a win here in New Hampshire.
But for some of these millionaire and billionaire donors, for anyone that might be donating to a Super PAC, it becomes more and more, you know, harder to convince them that they should continue to devote their resources to a candidate that just doesn't really appear to stand a chance throughout the next few months.
FOSTER: Yes. OK, CNN's Gloria Pazmino, really appreciate you joining us from the cold there. Still to come, two teens in North Korea reportedly sentenced to more than 10 years of hard labor. And you won't believe why. Will Ripley has that story next.
[08:48:14]
FOSTER: Tensions are running high in India after the opening of a controversial Hindu temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 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. Police reported at least three incidents in the state since Sunday involving rioting and property damage.
CNN's Vedika Sud has the details.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: The grand inauguration of the Ram temple continues to be celebrated across India, but the opening has not been without controversy. On Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a religious ceremony in the inner sanctum of the temple.
Seen as controversial in a secular country, particularly given the history of the newly consecrated temple built on the site of a historic mosque destroyed by Hindu mobs in 1992, an event that touched off deadly riots that claimed nearly 2,000 lives.
Critics fear that Modi and his political party's concerted push for a Hindu nation will further marginalize India's 200 million Muslims. On Tuesday, communal tensions were reported from the western state of Maharashtra around the inauguration of the temple where confrontations between Hindus and Muslims broke out.
There's also growing anxiety among Ayodhya's Muslims, a city that has been covered in saffron, a color associated with Hindu nationalism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZAM QADRI, PRESIDENT, SUNNI CENTRAL WAQF BOARD (through translator): It feels like the whole country is losing at secularism. The country used to be secular, but that's over now. The focus is only on one significant religion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD: But for hundreds of millions of Hindus, this moment has been both historic and emotional.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:50:02]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was at the gate since 4:00 a.m. It opened at 7:00 a.m. I went in, braving the massive crowds, but thanks to Lord Ram, we got a glimpse of his idol inside, and I felt as if I had been blessed by him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I've been waiting since last night. No luck so far. Could not get access. I've bathed and been waiting here since early morning. I won't leave without getting a glimpse of Lord Ram.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD: And for Modi, the temple consecration will help consolidate the Hindu vote ahead of India's general elections where he seeks a third historic term in office.
Vedika Sud, CNN, Ayodhya, India.
FOSTER: Police in South Africa have reportedly arrested a suspect in connection with a deadly fire in a residential building in Johannesburg last August. 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 is still under investigation.
At least six people, including three firefighters, have been killed in a massive explosion in Mongolia. Emergency officials say it happened when a truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas burst into flames. It took more than 600 firefighters to put it out. Local news outlets say the flames spread to several nearby buildings, including a residential building and burnt dozens of cars. At least 11 people were reported injured.
The death toll from a landslide in southwestern China has risen to 31. Rescue workers using heavy machines as well as sniffer dogs have been deployed to the disaster zone, but the search for survivors has been slowed by freezing temperatures and snow. Almost 1,000 residents have been evacuated, many taking shelter in a nearby school. State media reports that hundreds of tents, coats, folding beds and other emergency supplies have been sent to that region.
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. It demonstrates the lengths to which Pyongyang will go to restrict any kind of foreign cultural influence.
CNN's Will Ripley reports.
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 teams 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, a 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 clamping 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.
[08:55:16]
FOSTER: Now, while Margot Robbie's portrayal of Barbie didn't get an Oscar nomination, Ryan Gosling's performance as Ken did. In a statement thanking the Academy, he also highlighted the snub. Writing, quote, "But there's no Ken without Barbie, and there's 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 in the film without their talent, grit, and genius. To say that I'm disappointed that they're not nominated in their respective categories would be an underestimate -- understatement."
We should note that Barbie is distributed by Warner Brothers, which is owned by CNN's parent company. And updating you on our top story right now. Russia's Defense Ministry blaming Ukraine for downing a military plane that went down earlier today in the Belgorod region.
Russia says all 74 people on board were killed, including 65 Ukrainian servicemen who were being moved ahead of a prisoner exchange. Ukraine hasn't commented on Moscow's claims, but said earlier the plane was carrying missiles.
Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Connect the World is up next.
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