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More People Killed in Gaza City; ICJ Set to Give Ruling on South Africa's Case Against Israel; Russia Changed Their Tactics Against Ukraine; Ecuador Asks Help From U.S.; Inmate Sentenced with Death Penalty; Republicans Use Immigration Issue Against Democrats; China's Social Media Turned Blind Eye to Anti-Semitism; Tiny Nation Tuvalu to Choose New Leader; Cameroon Fights Against Malaria; Mixed Race Model Won Miss Nippon. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 26, 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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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers watching from all around the world. I'm Anna Coren live from Hong Kong.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, Palestinian officials say an Israeli attack killed at least 20 people who were lining up for flour and other supplies.
The International Court of Justice is set to issue an initial ruling in the genocide case against Israel. Why a final result could take years.
And controversy over the winner of Japan's oldest beauty contest reigniting the debate on what it means to be Japanese.
Authorities in Gaza City say they expect the death toll to rise after another attack has claimed the lives of civilians. The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry reports at least 20 people were killed, as many as 150 injured, when Israeli forces fired on people lining up for food.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. The health ministry reports at least 200 people were killed in Gaza on Thursday. The director-general of the World Health Organization choked up while talking about the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: If we look for a solution, it's always possible. It's only the will that's required. And I'm a true believer because of my own experience that war doesn't bring solution, except more war, more hatred, more agony, more destruction. So let's choose peace and resolve this issue politically. Struggling to speak because, because the situation is beyond words.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN^ Well, let's bring in journalist Elliott Gotkine following developments live from London. Elliott, what more can you tell us about the growing death toll in Gaza?
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: At least 20 dead, at least 150 injured, that's according to the health ministry in Gaza run by Hamas. And the death toll there, they say, is only likely to rise, not just because of the injuries, but also because of the sorry state of the health facilities in the Gaza Strip, where some are saying that they're even running out of sedatives to when they're cleaning out the wounds of the injured.
Now, overall, the death toll in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7th in the wake of the Hamas-led massacre in Israel is now at almost 26,000. Now that doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians and Israel says that it's killed a shy of about 10,000 militants in the Gaza Strip.
But whichever way you look at it, that's an awful lot of people and I suppose this latest incident where people have been killed while queuing up for desperately needed humanitarian aid will only add to the pressure on Israel from the international community and from its allies to take greater care when it comes to civilians when operating in the theater of war in the Gaza Strip.
Now we need to note that we have reached out to the IDF on this particular incident. They haven't gotten back to us on this incident. We do know from the IDF that they were carrying out air and ground strikes in the northern Gaza Strip where they say among other things, they killed a number of terrorists and destroyed Hamas infrastructure, including a building that was rigged with explosives.
But we don't know if that relates or has anything to do with the incident that we are speaking about right now, which happened in a place called the so-called Q8 roundabouts in Gaza City. So, we're still waiting for word from the IDF.
But as I say, this latest incident, not just adding to the overall death toll, but will probably add to the pressure on Israel to be far more careful when it comes to civilian casualties. Anna?
COREN: Elliot, we're also following news that CIA Director Bill Burns will meet with Israeli, Qatari and Egyptian officials about a possible hostage deal. What more are you learning?
[03:04:56]
GOTKINE: Yes, so we understand from a U.S. official that this meeting is due to take place in the coming days in Europe. It will be the CIA's Bill Burns, his counterpart at the Mossad, David Barnea, the head of the Egyptian intelligence agency, and also the Qatari Prime Minister.
And we don't know much more than that in terms of the logistics, but in terms of what's going to be up for discussion is to try to sort out the contours of some kind of deal that would see those 100 plus hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip after being kidnapped on October the 7th, being freed, probably with some kind of exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, and probably for some kind of cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
Now, I've been speaking to a number of people about this very issue this week. And according to Ofer Shelah from Israel's Institute of National Security Studies, he says that we are in a ZOPA now a zone of possible agreement but we know that there's no concrete deal on the table.
According to general, former Israeli General Israel Ziv, he says that Israel probably wants to finish its operations in Khan Yunis to destroy as far as it can the Hamas brigades there before it can implement some kind of deal. And that by doing a deal or looking towards a deal right now, that would give it the few weeks up to a month that it requires to finish the job in Khan Yunis.
That said, again, according to Shelah from the INSS in Israel, he says that Israel should do any deal to get all the hostages home because, Anna, that won't be the end of the war anyway.
COREN: Certainly won't. Elliott Gotkine in London, we appreciate the update. Good to see you. Thank you.
Well, the attack on the aid queue in Gaza City is just the latest to claim civilian lives since Israel's war against Hamas began. A warning, our report from CNN's Ben Wedeman contains graphic video.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Once again, the wounded are sprawled on the floor of a Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Victims of what a civil defense official says was Israeli tank and machine gun fire on a crowd of people waiting to receive desperately needed humanitarian aid.
"People were going to get food and flour because they have nothing to eat," he says. "Then suddenly tanks appeared and started firing shells at people."
Mohammed Al-Rifi (Ph) was injured in the hand and leg. "They shelled us four times," he says. Wednesday at the same spot the Kuwait circle in Gaza City's southern outskirts there were scenes of panic when, according to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces opened fire during the distribution of aid.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment but has not yet received a response. To the south, thousands are streaming out of Khan Yunis, where intense fighting has been raging for days. Leaving however they can, traumatized by what they've seen and what they've lost.
"This is the third time we've moved," she says. All they have left in the world piled onto a shopping cart. This is as far as you can get safely from Khan Yunis. Between a sea of tents and the sea, some supplies are available.
Close to 90 percent of the people of Gaza are now displaced, many now living like this. Winter rains have turned parts of this makeshift camp into a muddy pond.
"I'm looking for our things," he says. What they have found is anger at the men who pose as their leaders. "Look, Ismail Haniya, (Ph) let him see us," shouts this man, referring to Hamas' political leader living in Qatar.
The war has raged now for more than 110 days. For three and a half months we've been on the run, says Iyad Abu Wasa'id (Ph). Let us go back to our homes, we're sick of this life. Death would be better. According to the forecast, another winter storm is coming.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Beirut.
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COREN: The International Court of Justice in the Netherlands is set to deliver a major ruling today. South Africa accuses Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians and failing to prevent and punish genocide. The court will not rule on that specifically, but could outline provisional measures against Israel's military activities in Gaza. Israel calls the claims false and grossly distorted.
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EYLON LEVY, SPOKESMAN, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT: We know that the ICJ is scheduled to rule on its provisional measures tomorrow. We suggest let's wait and see what the ICJ has to say. We have expected, of course, to throw out the completely absurd and ridiculous charges pressed by South Africa.
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COREN: A final and binding ruling on the genocide claim could take the court years to determine. However, in practice, the court has no way of enforcing its verdicts.
William Schabas is a professor of international law at Middlesex University. He joins me live from London.
William, great to have you with us.
What are you expecting the court to do in the coming hours?
WILLIAM SCHABAS, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY: I expect the court is going to issue an order. The suggestion that it will throw out the case is not realistic because the court can't throw out the case at this stage. The only issue is whether it will or will not issue an order. It's ordered in genocide cases very recently, two cases. It's made provisional orders and it's likely to do the same today.
The big question is what will be the scope of it? South Africa is asking it to order Israel effectively to impose a ceasefire, to stop all military activity in the Gaza Strip. It has other requests that are somewhat less onerous, less demanding than that, and somewhere in that zone the court is likely to make its order.
COREN: Explain to us the implications of this provisional measures ruling that you're expecting.
SCHABAS: The provisional measures order is mandatory. That's very clear. It's been well known for more than 20 years at the International Court of Justice that states are required to abide by them. And as a general rule, with some exceptions, they do follow them.
Now it's been said that Israel won't follow an order by the International Court of Justice. I think the prime minister made such a statement some week a week or two ago. But it will put enormous pressure on Israel's friends and allies because many of them, most of them, are very loyal and devoted to the court and cannot accept the idea that states would defy provisional measures order from the court.
So, there will be a great deal of pressure on Israel depending on the content of the order.
COREN: Can you explain to us how this ruling, this provisional measures order to protect the rights of Palestinians in Gaza, how that will actually be felt on the ground?
SCHABAS: Well, if the order is one to cease all military activity, it's going to bring a period of peace and safety to the people of Palestine that they've not had since early October of this year.
The order also could include access to medicine, food, water, and so on, necessities of life that they require and that they are not having clear and unfettered access to. So, I think the impact, assuming that Israel will abide by it, will be felt immediately.
It should be said that Israel is subject to the court voluntarily. It's not being forced to be before the court. It's accepted the jurisdiction of the court in full understanding that the order of provisional measures is mandatory.
COREN: But if this order can't be enforced, why do you think that Israel will follow it?
SCHABAS: Well, because Israel will be under tremendous pressure from its friends and allies to follow it. It's a question also of Israel's claim to participate in a world governed by law within the United Nations and so on.
So, as I say, there's a great, there's no enforcement mechanism other than the United Nations Security Council, which could in principle intervene. And I don't think we should exclude that possibility that the Security Council might find 15 members, including the five permanent members, prepared to order some form of compliance with an order of the court.
So I think it's quite theoretical to say that Israel is not obliged to follow it. It is legally obliged to follow it, and it's going to be under great pressure to do it. The problem is, of course, that we don't have strict enforcement mechanisms.
I could add one other element. It will provide a kind of ammunition to legal activity in a number of other places, both before domestic courts where lawyers are challenging arms trade and arms sale and other forms of aid to Israel. And judges in many parts of the world, in many types of courts, are going to be impressed by an order from the International Court of Justice.
COREN: Well, as we know, Israel has rejected the accusations of genocide made by South Africa as, quote, "false and grossly distorted." Is Israel really under any pressure from the court to change its tactics in Gaza? I know you talk about this external pressure from its friends and allies, but as we say, it can't be enforced and this could very likely drag on for years.
[03:14:56]
SCHABAS: Well, again, all of this will depend upon what the order is. And as you've explained, the order is without prejudice to what we call the merits of the case. Israel will have its day in court. There'll be a full debate about the question of genocide, and the court will make a final judgment, perhaps three, four, five years down the line.
But this, this is a well-known notion in law that you make interim orders or provisional orders to protect the rights, to protect the, in a way to protect the kind of status quo so that the ultimate judgment doesn't become totally meaningless, which it would be if there is genocide taking place and if Israel commits a final judgment isn't going to resolve or solve anything. So the purpose of the provisional measures order is to protect that situation.
COREN: It certainly will be interesting to see how this all plays out in The Hague in the coming hours. Professor William Schabas in London, many thanks for your time.
Ukraine is pouring cold water on Moscow's claim that Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in a plane that went down in western Russia. Moscow claims a Ukrainian missile shot down the plane in the Belgorod region on Wednesday, reportedly killing 65 Ukrainians headed for a prisoner swap, plus nine Russian service members.
But Ukraine's intelligence now suggests only five bodies from the crash site have been brought to a local morgue. That number, according to Ukraine, matches the size of the crew on the plane, which Kyiv says was transporting missiles, not POWs.
Russian videos from the scene, including this one, do not appear to show massive casualties. But Russian investigators still said on Thursday their preliminary probe showed the jet was attacked by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile. Well, Ukraine is fighting a grinding battle to hold onto the town of
Avdiivka, where Russia is using tactics described as a meat assault, sending wave after wave of soldiers to attack Ukrainian positions regardless of losses.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen got access to the heart of Ukraine's operations there and a warning, some of the images you're about to see are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A U.S. provided Bradley infantry fighting vehicle almost single-handedly stopping a Russian assault near Avdiivka in southeastern Ukraine. Pelting the Russians with tracer rounds from its powerful 25-millimter gun. Vladimir Putin's troops pinned down, unable to advance.
This is just one element of Ukraine's efforts to hold Avdiivka, run from underground command centers in secret locations. The Ukrainians have given us access to their command bunker for this part of the front line. From here, they organized part of the defense of Avdiivka.
"It's rarely calm here," they say. The Russians assaulting nearly all the time. A Russian tank with a small group of troops shows up. The Ukrainians track their movements. And these two soldiers, probably from an already decimated unit, cowering in a trench, aware the Ukrainians have spotted them.
They hit the Russians with a kamikaze drone but they survive for now. The commander tells me Russian losses here are staggering. "They use a lot of equipment. We destroy a lot of equipment," he says. "A lot of infantry assaults. They expend people. They step over each other. Don't provide assistance. It's true. There's a lot of infantry, equipment and meat assaults."
From the many drones monitoring the battlefield, we see the bodies of dead Russian soldiers frozen amidst their destroyed vehicles. The command post also directs artillery and rocket strikes and even counter-assaults with ground forces to clear trenches and stop the seemingly endless waves of Russian infantry attacks.
"Fortunately, they have a lot of losses," he says, "yet they do not stop, but Avdiivka will be ours, they will not succeed." But Ukraine's American provided guns could go mostly silent soon if Congress doesn't end its impasse and pass additional military aid, President Biden says.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think the vast majority of members of Congress support aid to Ukraine. The question is whether or not a small minority are going to hold it up. It could be a disaster.
PLEITGEN: And that could have major effects for the Ukrainian troops fighting here.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN in eastern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Ecuador is asking the U.S. for help in its war on criminal gangs. Still ahead, CNN rides along with Ecuador's security forces as they carry out raids on suspected gang members.
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COREN: The Biden administration plans to ramp up assistance to Ecuador as the country wages a nationwide war against criminal gangs. The new aid, under consideration, ranges from equipment to deploying personnel to train security forces.
The U.S. has already pledged to help deliver 20,000 bulletproof vests and more than a million dollars' worth of security gear, ambulances and defense support vehicles. The move underscores the growing concern at the White House over the increasing level of violence in Ecuador and how it could lead to more people fleeing South America to the U.S.
Well, CNN's David Culver rode along with Ecuador's security forces as they carried out raids against the drug gangs. A warning, his report contains images that some viewers may find disturbing.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're the fourth in a convoy of what looks to be about four pickup trucks, all of them unmarked, no lights, no sirens, all the officers in plain clothes.
We're with Ecuador's National Police Force as they're dispatched to a house with suspected ties to terror groups. They won't tell us where exactly we're headed, and they ask us to blur their faces.
It shows you the level of concern and fear. So, we'll keep it vague. We're just outside Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, and headed into one of the most violent areas, Duran. More than a dozen officers storm what could be mistaken for an abandoned barn, but their intel suggests otherwise.
They cuff two men and search the high grass and weeds. On each corner, security cameras strategically positioned. Officers hack them down. As they leave here, we notice even he's carrying some evidence. It looks like a gun and several rounds in that baggie.
This is just one of thousands of raids across Ecuador carried out over the past two weeks. Ecuador's military now deployed to neighborhoods. We went with them.
Over here, we see two guys who have been detained for now. Officials arresting more than 3,000 people so far. Ecuador's latest surge in violence sparked by the suspected prison escape of notorious gang leader, Jose Adolfo Macias, known as Fito, reported missing from this massive prison compound on January 7th. If you look over here, this is where officials tell us Fito was being
held, possibly is still being held. They really don't know. A top military commander telling me the prison system is rife with mismanagement and heavy gang influence. So much so that Fito could still be hiding inside.
[03:24:56]
Fito's disappearance led President Daniel Noboa to declare a state of emergency, vowing to neutralize terror groups. A day after Noboa's declaration, on January 9th, 13 armed men took over a television news studio in Guayaquil. They put guns to the heads of employees, forcing them to the ground and held up what looked to be sticks of dynamite.
Folks watched it all unfold on live TV. Among them, Camille Gamarra and her husband, Diego Gallardo. Feeling the unease, Diego decided to pick up their 10-year-old son. But minutes before reaching his school, someone opened fire on the streets. Diego stopped messaging Camille, who was frantically trying to call him.
A police colonel eventually answered and told Camille Diego had been shot. Chaos rocked Ecuador that day, especially in Guayaquil, where barricades went up and streets shut down. This young girl, still in her school uniform, also hit by a stray bullet. The hospital later saying she survived thanks to a security guard who drove her to the emergency room.
A family friend was able to get Camille's son to safety. But Diego died before Camille could get to him.
CAMILLE GAMARRA, HUSBAND KILLED IN ECUADOR VIOLENCE (on-screen text): I couldn't do a thing. Left sitting here, I couldn't do a thing.
CULVER: Across town, national police and armed forces stormed the television studio, capturing the gunmen before they could kill any of the hostages. This is the studio where the terror group entered, and 13 of them. We saw firsthand the damage left behind.
So this is the studio door, and you can see, you can count here, two, three, four, five, six, about a half dozen bullet holes. The day after our visit, in a brazen strike against the government, suspected gang members assassinated the prosecutor investigating that studio takeover.
You can see he's pulling this car over right now. Police and military now stepping up their efforts, setting up random checkpoints. Every possible hiding place searched. I just saw one of the soldiers signaling to the other, look at his arm, look at his arm.
They check tattoos for any gang affiliations and even scroll through people's phones. They also board commuter buses to get intel. He's asking, do they have anything they need to tell them, they want to inform about? He says, we're doing this operation for you all.
Residents here struggle with what's happened to their country over the past few years. They tell me gangs are growing bolder and holding people and their businesses hostage, demanding protection money, known as vacunas.
What happens if you don't pay the vacuna, if you don't pay the extortion?
UNKNOWN: They get a contract killer and kill you. They put explosives outside your store.
CULVER: The military tries to weed out those responsible, raiding homes like this one, holding the suspects at gunpoint as neighbors, including kids. Watch.
"It's a lot to take in." She says the fact that there are police here, it's comforting. She accepts that, and that there's military now patrolling the streets. What she doesn't like is that it goes into people's homes and it's now pouring out onto the street.
But this is war. At least, that's how the government here sees it. And they're asking the U.S. for support, desperate for tactical equipment, ammo, and intel. Why should the U.S. help? Because people will look at this from the U.S., and they'll say, well, that's Ecuador's problem.
UNKNOWN: I mean, if you don't help us, probably you will see more people trying to cross the border, because these people is in the middle of gunfights on their neighborhoods. What would you do?
CULVER: You're not going to stay there?
UNKNOWN: You don't want to stay there.
CULVER: Back on the front lines after executing their raid, we're reminded of the fear instilled by these gangs, even among law enforcement. This officer putting on a ski mask in 90-degree heat and thick humidity before stepping into frame. And yet beneath those tactical layers, a soft spot.
This soldier is not been home in a week, telling us the reason he's fighting is for his little girl. She wrote him a letter in English. I want you to know that everyone misses you here at home and we want you to return safe and sound. And I ask you to help the country to be a better place. You're number one.
David Culver, CNN, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Still to come, U.S. state carries out a first of its kind execution using a controversial method.
Plus, anger on Capitol Hill over Donald Trump's efforts to kill a bipartisan compromise on immigration currently in the U.S. Senate. That story and much more after the break.
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ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: For the first time, a U.S. death row inmate has been executed with nitrogen gas. Kenneth Smith was pronounced dead about six hours ago in Alabama. He was convicted for his role in a 1988 murder for hire and already survived a botched attempt at lethal injection.
Only two other U.S. states allowed death by nitrogen hypoxia and there have been questions over whether it constitutes cruelty. Higher courts denied all 11th hour appeals to halt the execution. Smith's spiritual advisor witnessed the death and called it absolutely horrific. But the family of the woman Smith killed said his debt has been paid.
A source is telling CNN that some senior Republicans are furious over Donald Trump's efforts to undercut a congressional compromise on U.S. border security. The former president has been lobbying against a potential agreement, in part because he wants to campaign on the issue.
CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'll seal the border and we'll shut down the invasion of our country number one.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has been a GOP rallying cry for the last three years. The border is in crisis and Washington has failed to act. But as senators are nearing a bipartisan deal with President Joe Biden, there's one major hurdle. Former President Donald Trump.
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): The border is a very important issue for Donald Trump. The fact that he would communicate to Republican senators and Congress people that he doesn't want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame Biden for it is really appalling.
RAJU: As he tightens his grip on the GOP, Trump has privately and publicly tried to kill the effort, arguing that the party should reject anything short of a perfect deal unless they get everything to secure the border. Yet senators in both parties believe Trump is simply trying to preserve an issue to wield against Biden, as polls in early primary states confirm that immigration is an animating issue for GOP voters.
SEN. TODD YOUNG (R-IN): I hope no one is trying to take this away for campaign purposes.
RAJU: The stakes are enormous. Republicans are demanding tough border restrictions before green lighting desperately sought aid for Ukraine and Israel. But now all of it at risk of collapsing.
SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): I would hope that one person isn't so powerful inside the Republican Party to hand Ukraine to Vladimir Putin.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: We're working hard.
RAJU: Behind closed doors today, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell reaffirming his support for the push by a trio of senators to find an immigration deal, a day after suggesting that Trump's position had created a quandary and threatened passage of the entire package.
[03:35:04]
SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I just reject the idea that we should reserve a crisis for a better time to solve it.
RAJU: Senate negotiators still believe they can cut a deal as soon as next week.
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OK): This issue for the last 30 years has not passed Congress because it's hard. It's emotional.
SEN. KYRSTEN SINEMA (I-AZ): Look, we're at a place where this package is almost done. And when the text comes out, senators will be able to review it and make their own decision. Do they want to secure the border? It's a choice.
RAJU: Yet many conservatives are skeptical about the White House's intentions and believe the deal would be too weak and wouldn't pass the GOP-led House.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): What they want is for the bill to fail in the House so they can go around saying, we tried to fix the border, but it was Republicans in the House, those crazy, MAGA Republicans who blocked it.
RAJU: And on Thursday afternoon, Donald Trump actually responded to those comments from Mitt Romney attacking him, saying they have not spoken in years and said that he knew nothing about Trump and that Trump said that he was happy. That Romney was leaving the Senate, given the fact that he's retiring at the end of the year.
But he also reiterated his demand for a quote, "perfect deal" and said in a social media post that we are better off not making a deal if it's not perfect. Even if he says it quotes to risks, quote, "temporarily closing up the country for a while."
So it shows you what he is calling for urging Republicans to reject a deal. But it's not everything to his liking and almost certainly will not be given the fact Democrats control the Senate, Democrats control the White House, and a bipartisan deal would be necessary in order to get out of Congress.
Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Closing arguments will get underway in the coming hours in the trial to determine how much Trump will pay in damages for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
The former president took the stand for about three minutes on Thursday. He was admonished several times by the judge during that brief testimony. Trump was found liable in a civil verdict last year that claimed he sexually assaulted Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her when she first accused him publicly. Carroll is seeking $10 million in damages.
After the break, anti-Semitism is sweeping Chinese social media, but how is it getting by the censors?
And the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu is small and remote. So why are China, Taiwan and the U.S. and Australia watching its election so closely? Stay with CNN.
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COREN: Welcome back. International Holocaust Remembrance Day is on Saturday, but a disturbing trend is gripping Chinese social media. Anti-Semitism is surging across China's internet despite the country's heavy censorship practices.
CNN's Will Ripley has more on this troubling movement and how it may be an effort by China to undermine the U.S.
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[03:40:01]
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the Israel-Hamas war rages, a battleground of opinions on China's tightly controlled social media. A surge of online hate, very anti-Israel and in many cases anti-Semitic, the Israeli embassy in Beijing says.
Matt Trusch is a Jewish-American businessman living in China with thousands of followers on social media.
MATT TRUSCH, JEWISH-AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN IN CHINA: For centuries, China has been the biggest friend of the Jews. And until recently, that's now all changed.
RIPLEY: CNN uncovered a hornet's nest of hateful content surging after October 7th, criticizing Israel's military response in Gaza to the Hamas terror attacks. Some remain untouched by China's usually heavy- handed online sensors.
TRUSCH: For a person like me, a westerner to post on China's TikTok, highly censored TikTok, I have to be very, very careful. And yet, these Chinese bloggers, these hate bloggers, seem to have free reign.
RIPLEY: Some online users combining the Israeli flag and Nazi symbols posted by netizens, the German embassy in China says the images are, quote, "degrading to human dignity" and calls the posters ignorant idiots or shameless bastards.
Some people buying Israeli flags on Taobao, China's online shopping platform, just to step on them and post the pictures online. Even the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, a longtime symbol of Chinese Jewish history, facing a flood of social media comments demanding its demolition.
Adding fuel to the online firestorm, some state media outlets accusing Israel of committing war crimes. Beijing has not condemned Hamas, but has called for Israel to stop its, quote, "collective punishment in Gaza."
Experts even suggesting China may be using anti-Jewish hate as a weapon against Washington, Israel's biggest backer.
YAQIU WANG, RESEARCH DIRECTOR FOR CHINA, HONG KONG AND TAIWAN, FREEDOM HOUSE: It helps facilitate the Chinese government's foreign policy agenda, which ultimately is to see the U.S. as the enemy trying to undermine China.
RIPLEY: She says recent statements by China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi suggest an ulterior motive.
WANG YI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We have always firmly defended the legitimate rights and interests of Arab and Muslim countries.
RIPLEY: A deliberate diplomatic strategy influencing how Chinese citizens perceive the Israel Hamas. One thing we know about Chinese social media platforms, they are very tightly controlled. Content even deemed as marginally sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party often gets censored.
So here this relative lack of censorship around this anti-Semitic hate-filled content, it does raise the question of whether this is at least being tacitly supported by the Chinese government. And of course, that is raising a whole lot of concern amongst the Jewish community inside China that this is a new reality they have to confront.
Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Voters in the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu went to the polls today for their national election. Well despite the country's tiny size, the vote is being monitored closely by global and regional powers.
The remote country has a little more than 11,000 citizens spread across nine islands between Australia and Hawaii. It's so low-lying, it's endangered by rising seas. But now it has found itself being courted by China and the United States, as global powers compete for influence in the Pacific region.
The election has also caught the attention of Taiwan. Tuvalu is one of just 12 countries that have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as several have recently switched their ties to China, and some suggest Tuvalu could be next. Joining me now from Canberra, Australia is Meg Keen. She's the
director of the Pacific Islands program at the Lowy Institute and is well versed in regional security policy and resilience throughout the Pacific region.
Great to have you with us, Meg.
As we say, the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu with its 11,000 residents, I think, would seldom make headlines, and yet today's elections could see the country switch its allegiance from Taiwan to China with significant implications. Explain to us what's at stake.
MEG KEEN, DIRECTOR, PACIFIC ISLANDS PROGRAM, LOWY INSTITUTE: Well, lots at stake and it depends which side of the debate you're on. China would obviously greatly love to win one more nation. Ultimately, they would like all nations to recognize them and they have been incredibly successful in the Pacific. Since 2019 three countries had switched from Taiwan to China.
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So, they're very eager to get Tuvalu. Taiwan would be very disappointed to lose Tuvalu, particularly as it has 45 years of relationships with it. Tuvalu has recognized it since its independence in 1979.
So that's the geopolitical battle between Taiwan and China. Then, of course, you have the West looking on, not so much about recognition. Most countries in the world recognize China. What they're very worried about is if Tuvalu should shift then that is not a foregone conclusion.
But if it should shift, what are the implications for the way in which China may be able to engage with MPs, influence international voting, possibly get access to telecommunications or those very lucrative and large maritime zones as part of its economic exclusion zones that have important sea lanes that go through them? So quite a bit at stake, different things for different parties.
COREN: Well, earlier this month, Meg, nearby Nauru dumped ties with Taiwan for China. There's no doubt huge financial incentives for these small Pacific nations that are extremely poor.
KEEN: Absolutely. And that is what's going to influence the decision making. And indeed, one of the three front runners in the Tuvalu election has said, he really wants to have an opportunity to review the offers on the table and think what's best for his country and the nation. We know in the past, these deals are very secretive, so we hardly, we don't get the detail.
We know in the past that China has often offered hundreds of millions of dollars to build artificial islands to Tuvalu. Obviously in exchange for recognition, they declined that. But in a place like Solomon Islands, again, it was hundreds of millions in aid. That was the reward for a change of recognition. COREN: A potential switch will no doubt upset neighboring Australia,
which has made no secret of the fact that it, along with the United States, sees China as a growing threat to the region. Would you agree with that?
KEEN: Well, they don't want the switch, but they would not stand in its way. And Foreign Minister Wang has been very clear that Tuvalu is a sovereign country. It will have its right to choose, Taiwan or China. More of concern to both countries is what follows and that this decision does not in any way unbalance the security of the region or the longstanding relationships within it.
COREN: Well, let's talk a little bit more about that security because of course there would be real implications to regional security if China firms up Tuvalu as its allies and other island nations.
KEEN: Well, potentially, yes, but there is within the Pacific an agreement, which they call the family first, that should there be a security threat, they will turn to each other and Australia and New Zealand, traditional allies, before going further afield.
But there's many different ways in which security can be affected. That can be police training, and we are seeing that around the region that China is involved in, and it can be who's helping in terms of a disaster, who has rights to very lucrative fisheries.
So there's different components of security that are on the mind of United States and Australia. They've just put some sea cables to improve telecommunications to Tuvalu. They want to make sure that cybersecurity stays strong and firm and that of course, they have good visibility of that.
COREN: Meg Kean from the Lowy Institute in Canberra, great to get your insights. Thanks so much for joining us.
KEEN: Thank you for having me. Good night.
COREN: Well, Cameroon has achieved a global milestone in the fight against malaria. The disease kills nearly half a million African children under the age of five every year.
But as CNN's Meg Tirrell tells us, people in Cameroon are fighting the disease by rolling up their sleeves.
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MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A shot in the arm against a killer disease in what's being called a historic step by world health groups. Cameroon is the first country in the world to roll out a large-scale vaccination campaign against malaria. The World Health Organization says malaria kills around 600,000 people a year, with children under five making up about 80 percent of deaths in Africa.
In trial programs in other African countries, the WHO says the vaccine caused a 13 percent drop in the deaths of children. In clinical studies, the vaccine reduced clinical and severe cases of the disease by about a third.
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AURELIA NGUYEN, CHIEF PROGRAMME OFFICER AT GAVI, VACCINE ALLIANCE (through translator): We have 11 countries where 60 percent of mortality is concentrated. And so it really is a tool that is added to other tools against malaria to really have an impact on the mortality caused by this disease."
TIRRELL: It's taken decades to develop a vaccine. Scientists say malaria, transmitted by mosquitoes, is complex. The parasite that causes it goes through several changes in the human body, making it difficult for the immune system to fight it.
The vaccine is a four-dose regimen that health officials say is extremely effective in lowering the number of deaths from malaria when used in combination with mosquito nets and malaria tablets. But health workers in Cameroon say the program is off to a slow start, with misinformation or a lack of information keeping some people away.
ASSAKO NADESH, HEAD NURSE, JAPOMA DISTRICT HOSPITAL (through translator): I think it's regrettable. I really wished that there was more widespread awareness. I would have liked more noise to be made about it so that even in vaccination centers they talk about it more. When mothers are not informed, they are afraid. With the rumors that circulate outside with each new vaccine, they are a bit hesitant.
TIRRELL: Nineteen other countries are planning to begin similar vaccination campaigns this year. But so far, there are only about 18 million doses allocated to 12 countries through 2025. Until a more complete rollout, scientists have been buoyed by other signs of progress in the fight against malaria.
Earlier this month, Cape Verde became the first sub-Saharan African country officially to be declared malaria-free in 50 years.
Meg Tirrell, CNN, reporting.
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COREN: Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.
A Ukrainian-born model has made history as the first ever non- ethnically Japanese to be named Miss Japan. Her win is sparking debate on what it means to be Japanese in a country long known for being a largely mono-ethnic state.
Well, CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports from Tokyo.
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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Japan's oldest beauty contest, a quite literal manifestation of the country's beauty standards. But this year, the competition that judges these Japanese women was won by a standout competitor. KAROLINA SHIINO, MISS NIPPON WINNER (through translator): I kept being
told that I'm not Japanese, but I'm absolutely Japanese, so I entered Miss Japan genuinely believing in myself.
MONTGOMERY: Karolina Shiino is a naturalized citizen of Japan, but looks very different to her fellow contestants. Of Ukrainian descent, she became this week the first non-ethnically Japanese woman to win Miss Nippon.
SHIINO (through translator): The fact that I don't look like a Japanese person was always in the back of my mind. That's why when I was called, I couldn't stop crying. I was so happy.
MONTGOMERY: Less than 10 years ago, Ariana Miyamoto, half African American, half Japanese, won a different beauty competition, Miss Universe Japan. Her victory was called into question, with Miyamoto criticized for not being Japanese enough.
Now, Shiino's win has again stirred debate as to what it means to be truly Japanese. Achieving that, at least in the eyes of others in her adopted homeland, has not been easy for Shiino.
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SHIINO (through translator): I think that the number of diverse people who may not look Japanese but are Japanese at heart people with various backgrounds will continue to increase. And I would like to see this number increase.
MONTGOMERY: Japan has long been considered a largely mono-ethnic society. That is being upended recently by the country's low birth rate. The average number of children born to women during their reproductive years has fallen to 1.3, below the 2.1 required to maintain a stable population.
A greater reliance on immigration is changing the face of Japan. And many hope that Shiino's newfound fame as a Japanese beauty queen will help people to be more accepting of diversity.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Personally, I think Japan is becoming more forward-thinking.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I think the world will start to look at Japan in a different light because of this, and I think that will be very important.
MONTGOMERY: Shiino says she feels truly at home here, and as the country of her birth suffers through war, she says she's grateful to be Japanese. Japan, as it forges a more inclusive society, might be grateful to her too.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
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COREN: Well, tennis great Novak Djokovic will simply have to wait a while longer to nail down his 25th Grand Slam title. Fourth seed Jannik Sinner will be moving on to the Australian Open final after he easily defeated the Serbian superstar in four sets a short time ago.
A 10-time Aussie champ, Djokovic had not lost in Melbourne Park since 2018. But he had no answer for the 22-year-old Italian who's on to the first Grand Slam final of his career. Well Sinner will face either Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev who are also playing today.
Another year, another record for basketball superstar LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers forward has been named to his 20th NBA All-Star Game, passing the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most of all time. James is in his 21st year in the league. This season, he's averaging nearly 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game.
Well earlier this season, he became the first player in the history of the NBA to score 39,000 career points. And less than a year ago, he broke the scoring record held by Abdul-Jabbar. The NBA All-Star Game is set for February 18 in Indianapolis. What stamina.
I'm Anna Coren. Thanks so much for your company. Max Foster has more CNN Newsroom in just a moment.
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