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2024 U.S. Election Race; "Trolling", Tactic Used By Biden Campaign Against Trump; Trump Brags Persuading House Republicans To Vote Against Border Bill; Trump Disregards E. Jean Carroll Following $83.3M Conviction; Haley Labels Trump "Unhinged"; Trump Doesn't Mention Carroll Case In First Public Remarks Since Jury Decision; Biden Supports Emerging Deal With Tougher Border Measures; "You're The Reason Trump Is A Loser," Biden Said In South Carolina; Deadly Ohio Collision, Tanker Truck Explodes; Deadly Mystery In Kansas City After Three Men Were Found Dead; Israel-Hamas War; CNN Witnesses Palestinian Detainees Blindfolded And Barefoot; Tremendous Pressure On Netanyahu To Get Captives Home; U.N. Palestinian Agency Head Asks Nations To "Reconsider" Decision To Halt Funding; International Holocaust Remembrance Day; Holocaust Survivor Remembers Childhood Escape From The Nazis; CNN Original Series, "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart". Aired 8-9p ET

Aired January 27, 2024 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[20:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: You are live in the "CNN Newsroom". I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. Good evening.

Tonight, the country is getting a preview of what a possible Trump Biden rematch has in store. Both the former and current president are making their cases to voters and Biden is doubling down on his strategy of trolling the former president, calling him a loser. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: You're the reason I am president. You're the reason Kamala Harris is a historic vice president. And you're the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president. You're the reason Donald Trump is a loser. And you're the reason we're going to win and beat him again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: In Trump's speech earlier today, he again spread lies about the 2020 election, threatened revenge and retribution against President Biden, and warned that record migrant crossings could lead to a major terrorist attack in the U.S. He also bragged about his effort to torpedo a bill that would increase security at the southern border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of the Senators are trying to say respectfully, they're blaming it on me. I said, that's OK. Please, blame it on me. Please. Because they were getting ready to pass a very bad bill. And I'll tell you what, a bad bill is -- I would rather have no bill than a bad bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Perhaps what's most notable is what Trump did not say. He did not directly talk about E. Jean Carroll, but he did make a glancing reference to the jury's eye-popping verdict in New York, ordering him to pay $83.3 million in damages. And while the road to the White House is increasingly looking like a two-man race, Trump is still facing a bitter primary challenge from Nikki Haley, the last remaining challenger from the Republican Party to the former president.

Tonight, she took a page out of President Biden's attack book, trolling the former president in a line of personal attacks that seem to be getting under his skin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And Donald Trump was totally unhinged. He was a bit sensitive, and I think his feelings were hurt, but he threw a temper tantrum out on stage. The next day, unhinged again, says, for anybody that supports Nikki Haley, you will be barred from MAGA. So, we had a little fun with that. We started selling t-shirts that said barred permanently. We sold 10,000 t- shirts. We raised another $1.6 million dollars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Let's discuss that and more now with Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Stephanie, great to see you again. Thanks for being with us. You know, Biden is calling Trump a loser. Nikki Haley is calling him unhinged. And yesterday, a jury slapped him with $83.3 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll. What do you think is going through his mind right now?

STEPHANIE GRISHAM, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: You know, when you were playing those clips, I was literally just sitting here shaking my head because I can just imagine his anger, having seen it myself for, you know, in almost six years.

So, I think that what both Nikki and President Biden are doing is very smart. I think, as you said earlier, it's probably looking like it's going to be Biden versus Trump for -- the general. And this is just showing people, especially independents and suburban Republican women, his more unhinged side. This is reminding people why he lost, as President Biden said, to President Biden in the first place.

So, I think it's smart. I cannot imagine how upset and angry he is. On top of, of course, the jury awarding E. Jean Carroll $83 million. So, I would not want to be anywhere near him right now, to be honest. ACOSTA: Yes, I'm sure you've been around him when you've seen that temper firsthand. And Trump, sort of, addressed the E. Jean Carroll verdict this evening in Las Vegas, but he did not talk about her directly. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: What they're doing with elections and election interference, as an example, what they do with me. Look at yesterday. Look at all this crap that's going on. But we keep marching forward. We just keep going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: You know, Stephanie, I mean, this is as close as Trump has come to mentioning E. Jean Carroll since yesterday's verdict. Do you think she's done the impossible here? Keep her name out of his mouth.

[20:05:00]

GRISHAM: No, you know, this is what he does, right? I remember a couple of times where he was disciplined for maybe two or three days, maybe even a week. I can't imagine that he's going to be able to remain disciplined, especially since they plan to appeal. And Alina Habba has been out there, you know, so viciously attacking the judge and the judicial system. So, I think for a few days, probably, but I think he won't be able to help himself and he will start all over again.

ACOSTA: But you know, Stephanie, every time he talks about her, it's sort of like the Powerball jackpot going up at the bottom of the screen. It just keeps going up, up, up. I mean, you know him. You've worked with him. You've been to Trump Tower. You know how he prizes all of these possessions and all of his money. If he starts getting hit in the wallet in the E. Jean Carroll case and that civil fraud trial in New York, do you think it might make an impact on him? Might it change his behavior?

GRISHAM: I don't think you can change his behavior, especially, you know, he's pushing 80 years old. I don't think at this point in life, you can change that kind of behavior, especially somebody like him who's such a narcissist. And, you know, he's going to have his supporters probably pay a lot of these bills. I imagine that the fundraising is happening right now and he'll continue to use that and play the victim and fundraise and get, you know, others to pay for these bills for his mistakes. Big, big mistakes, I want to say. And I think that's how he will continue to do things.

ACOSTA: You know, and Stephanie, I have wanted to talk to you about this. Trump has been very critical of President Biden attacking him on his mental acuity. But Trump has made some of these verbal flubs in recent weeks out on the campaign trail. He last week was mistaking Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi. Let's listen to something else that he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: And I'm proud that we're the first non-incompetent, and remember this, look at this, in either party to win both. Think of this, Iowa and New Hampshire. And we will restore on this planet, peace through Earth.

They never report the crowd on January 6th, you know Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people. Soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Stephanie, as somebody who's worked closely with him over the years, I know you don't anymore, you haven't done that in a while. Have you been taking note of these gaffes, these flubs, these mental slip ups? Does it sound like the same old Trump to you? Does it seem like something's changed? What do you think?

GRISHAM: I do think something has changed. He seems like a man in mental decline, honestly. The only thing I noticed, you know, that's as usual is the way he tries to cover it up when he does speak publicly. He has a very specific way that he does that.

But look, I mean, the man is running for president. He's got how many indictments? He's got how many trials? He's got how many things happening to him? How much money he's having to pay? He may lose his business license in New York. I can't imagine that you wouldn't be in decline. And, you know, it's funny to me that he's constantly saying these things about Biden. And you know, I think that that messaging has actually worked, if I'm being honest, towards Biden. And so, I hope that others are noticing this too. He doesn't seem well, not at all.

ACOSTA: And I also have to ask you about this because Trump has been trying to undercut the chances for a significant immigration reform this year. You know, on Truth Social, he posted a bad border deal is far worse than no border deal. And this was after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was privately telling Republicans this week that Trump had basically put the party in a quandary on the issue.

I mean, earlier today, Trump was essentially admitting at this rally, maybe you heard it in the windup to this segment or in a previous hour, he was basically saying, if people want to blame me for this border deal falling apart, he said, go ahead and blame me.

You were around when Trump was calling the border -- what was happening at the border an invasion. He was saying all of these things about the crisis at the border, and yet he wants -- now he wants the Congress to wait a year or something like that to deal with it for him to come into office if he somehow wins. How do you make sense of all that?

GRISHAM: Well, shame on him. You know, I come from Arizona. I come from a border state. There is an absolute crisis on our border. There has been for many, many years, and we are closer than ever right now to actually having some kind of immigration reform where there could be some common sense, it sounds like, solutions to what's going on.

And, you know, I think that this is a giant misstep for him. This is exactly why there was no red wave in 2020. This is exactly why he lost. This is what people want to see, is the two sides working together. I think people are so tired of the divisiveness that I think, you know, if it is going to be a Trump and Biden race, if I were his advisors, I would be saying, you know, let's not do it this way. Let's show that we're trying to work for the country and work for the American people. There's nothing wrong with working with the other side of the aisle. I really think, by and large, that is what people want.

[20:10:00]

So, I think it's a big misstep. you know, Biden's people are already using it against Trump as they should, because this is not about politics right now. This is about a true crisis. This is something people are very, very worried about in this country. And you know, all of these sanctuary cities have been seeing themselves, firsthand, how horrible it is when they're trying to help people and the resources are just not there.

So, you know, shame on Donald Trump and shame on his advisers for not pushing him harder to be working, you know, towards a solution.

ACOSTA: Yes, he's saying right now he does not want a solution. He wants to see if things can just sort of linger as they are for another year, just in case he gets into office. Stephanie Grisham, great to talk to you as always. Thanks so much.

GRISHAM: Thanks, Jim. Good to see you.

ACOSTA: All right. Good to see you.

In the meantime, a long-awaited border deal out of the Senate is getting the support of President Biden, but the president is getting some backlash for it. We'll talk about that in a few moments. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:15:00]

ACOSTA: President Biden just finished speaking in Columbia, South Carolina in a speech making the case tonight that Trump is a threat to communities of color.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is there for us. Priscilla, it sounds like the president also got pretty personal and going after Donald Trump, calling him a loser a couple of times. What did he say?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: He did. He was previewing his new general election arguments by casting former President Donald Trump as, "A loser and as someone who was defeated." He also made the case multiple times that the U.S. is better off with President Biden, not with Former President Donald Trump. Saying, "What's good for America is bad for him politically."

Now, he tried to draw a connection with some of his own legislative accomplishments and how that's affecting. communities that being investing in HBCUs, driving down the cost of insulin. Also, student loan relief was a big issue that he touched on during this. But notably, Jim, he also weighed in on border security and that emerging border deal that we've been reporting on throughout the day. Saying, essentially what he said in his statement last night, that he would shut down the border if given the authority and then fix it quickly.

It was a notable mention, given that in other speeches that I've attended, he's not yet touched on this particular issue. But here, clearly, another example that he was drawing on to draw a sharp contrast from Former President Donald Trump.

Now, the other reality that President Biden faced during his remarks was protesters. There were two protesters that got up over the course of his remarks, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. This is something that has come up in multiple of President Biden's remarks and really underscore some of the splits in his own coalition that he and his campaign are going to have to navigate in the months to come. The president did not engage his with these protesters and said -- continuing on with his remarks. But again, just another example of this coming up when he is trying to draw up support, shore up support in these big remarks.

But I will say, Jim, at the end of the day, the bottom line from the president was that he needs South Carolina. He wants the voters to show up. This is a state that he has credited with turning the tide in 2020 and he wants the same to happen in 2024. This is a state, too, that will have its primary next week. It will be the first in the nation primary for -- after the Democratic National Committee overhauled the schedule with President Biden's support and it will be, while not competitive, the first time that we'll have a sense of his standing with black voters. So, all of these threads coming together in these remarks tonight. Jim.

ACOSTA: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you very much.

My next guest says, Democrats are in some danger of making the same mistake that cost them the White House in 2016, and that is underestimating Trump.

Joining me now to discuss is CNN Political Analyst Julian Zelizer. He's also a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. Julian, great to see you as always. I know you wrote an op-ed on CNN saying that Democrats need to stop looking for slivers of good news. But I don't know if you saw, some of Priscilla's report and some of the sound we were playing just a few moments ago.

It sounds like President Biden has made this political calculus that he has to get more aggressive out on the campaign trail. He has to start punching Trump, calling him a loser a couple of times during this speech that he had just this evening in Columbia, South Carolina. What do you think about this strategy? Are we seeing kind of a -- I hate to use the word pivot because it gets mocked so much. But a bit of a strategic shift to really get more --

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST AND HISTORIAN AND PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: It is, I mean --

ACOSTA: -- aggressive? Yes.

ZELIZER: Yes, I mean, in general, I think so far there's been an avoidance of directly engaging the former president. Tonight's speech, it's a two-pronged strategy. If this is where it goes, one is to get under Trump's skin, using terms like loser, which is sure to go to him. And the second is to focus on specific areas of policy where Democrats are very popular even if President Biden is not.

And so, certainly it's a sign, I think, a lot of Democrats will welcome if this continues because they don't want to sit back as Trump command central stage.

ACOSTA: You know, and it seems as though it -- some of this is getting under his skin. It's not just what Biden has been saying. It's what Nikki Haley has been saying. She's been getting more aggressive. Calling him unhinged and so on. And I was just talking about this with Stephanie Grisham a few moments ago. You combine that with the E. Jean Carroll case that resulted in this $83.3 million damage award to E. Jean Carroll. I mean, this has the potential to really rattle the former president, I would think.

[20:20:00]

ZELIZER: It has the potential, doesn't mean it will. And we have to remember the context. He's already facing mountains of problems before this week ever happened, from all the indictments to the fact that keeps causing immense problems for his party, to the fact he is a one term president at this point. And yet, he is a solid, solid frontrunner who's done much better than anyone would expect just looking historically at a candidate with all this baggage. So, it's too early to tell if this is the turning point that starts to drag him down politically.

ACOSTA: Yes. And Julian, I mean, just to get back to what you have been writing about with respect to President Biden, his prospects in 2024. A lot of Democrats have been wringing their hands worried that perhaps he is going to have a very tough time defeating Donald Trump if Donald Trump is the ultimate nominee. Has it been overstated too much, do you think, that Democrats are unhappy with Biden as a nominee for president one more time, running for reelection?

And one of the reasons why I asked that question is if you look at what took place in New Hampshire, Dean Phillips mounted this challenge, didn't really go anywhere. There's a story in the New York Times of him having a coffee event where nobody showed up. There wasn't a Bernie Sanders like challenge this time around and Biden has really managed to keep other contenders out of the fray and really -- I mean, not -- I don't want to say unite the Democratic Party because it's far from it at this point, but he's been able to fend off challenges that we've seen other incumbent presidents do in the past. Does that help him in any way? ZELIZER: Well, yes. He doesn't have a Ted Kennedy who challenged --

ACOSTA: Right.

ZELIZER: -- President Carter in 1980 and caused problems, there's nothing like that. That said, we're in an age where the general election is going to come down to a handful of states, and within those states, slivers of the electorate. And turnout is going to matter a lot.

And so, the question is, isn't -- it's not -- is the overall Democratic Party unhappy with him? Are pockets of the party who are needed, younger voters, for example, going to come out? Are they going to go to a third party? It's not inevitable that will happen, but I think it's a serious problem and he doesn't want to take that lightly. And that's a little bit of what tonight is about.

ACOSTA: And how much is a fear of another Trump presidency a motivating factor for Democrats? We see the president not doing all that great in some of these polls and some on his approval, and in a head-to-head matchup with Donald Trump. But you've studied this for a long time, Julian. What is there a difference between tracking polls that we see now and what voters ultimately decide to do when they have to make a choice and go into that voting booth?

ZELIZER: Yes, it won't change dramatically. Our electorate does not change that dramatically anymore, but the more that the former president is front and center, the challenge for Biden will be trying to retain attention on the media. But the benefit is Trump will be more the story than Biden. And there is an entire Democratic infrastructure of interest groups, organizations, grassroots to Washington that formed during the Trump presidency to stop him. And I think they will mobilize more intensely the more that Trump is center stage.

So, running against something can be very effective in American politics, even if the person running meeting President Biden doesn't excite the hearts and minds of all Democrats.

ACOSTA: All right. Julian Zelizer, great to talk to you as always. Thanks so much.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. In the meantime, a terrifying scene in Ohio, a tanker truck carrying thousands of gallons of diesel exploding after careening off the side of a bridge. You're looking at some of the video right here. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not been publicly identified. The Ohio EPA reports the diesel fuel has contaminated nearby Brandywine Creek. Multiple roads in the area are now closed as cleanup efforts get underway, anything else develops on that will bring that to you.

In the meantime, a deadly mystery is unfolding in Kansas City after three men were found dead frozen in the backyard of a home. They had all gotten together to watch the final regular season game of their beloved Kansas City Chiefs, but it remains unclear how all three ended up dead. Authorities are now awaiting toxicology reports, which may offer some kind of a clue. And CNN's Whitney Wild has more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than two weeks after 38-year-old Ricky Johnson, 37-year-old David Harrington and 36-year-old Clayton McGinney were found dead in the back of a Kansas City home. There are few details, and frustration is growing. Adriana Juarez (ph), who shares a child with Ricky Johnson, says she feels too many questions remain about how long it took to find the three friends.

ADRIANA JUAREZ (PH), SHARES A CHILD WITH RICKY JOHNSON: How do you not know there's three dead bodies?

[20:25:00]

WILD (voice-over): According to CNN affiliate KMBC, the three men visited a friend's home, a rented house in Northwest Kansas City after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers January 7th. Two days later, a worried fiancee who hadn't heard from her loved one looked for him at the home. According to police, when there was no answer at the door, she broke into the basement of the residence and found a dead body on the back porch. When police arrived, they discovered two more bodies in the backyard. CNN is not naming the friend because he hasn't been accused of a crime or charged in the deaths. His attorney, John Picerno.

JOHN PICERNO, ATTORNEY: In the early morning hours, Jordan, around 2:00 a.m., he believes, he got sleepy. He said, I'm going to crash on the couch and he said goodbye to his buddies, and he thought that they left out the front door.

WILD (voice-over): Kansas City Police are waiting on autopsies and toxicology reports to determine how the men died. At this point, police consider this a death investigation, not homicide. Noting it is still the case that no foul play was observed or suspected.

Johnson's niece, Stephanie Walling, said they want answers and some sense of closure.

STEPHANIE WALLING, RICKY JOHNSON'S NIECE: I never thought it would get us much attention as it has. I mean, I'm hoping that with the attention that it is getting that it will get us closer to getting answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: And our thanks to Whitney Wild for that report.

Just ahead, the State Department is urgently pressing to create a pause in fighting in Gaza and a window to secure the release of more hostages. We'll discuss that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:30:00]

ACOSTA: Today, CNN witnessed and filmed Israeli soldiers with Palestinian detainees in Southern Israel near the Gaza border. The men were barefoot and blindfolded, you can see some of the images here, with both hands bound behind their backs. You can see they're also wearing some kind of white jumpsuits.

The IDF said the men are suspected of terrorist activity and were arrested in Gaza and transferred to Israel for further interrogation. The men appear to be wearing nothing more than these disposable white coveralls despite the 50-degree temperature. A bus was waiting nearby, but CNN could not confirm when the men were put onto the bus as an Israeli soldier at the scene ordered CNN to leave the premises within minutes.

CNN Military Analyst, Retired Colonel Cedric Leighton joins us now to discuss. Colonel Leighton, we've -- showing these images earlier in a report from Jeremy Diamond, and I wanted to talk about with you. What do you make of these images? What do you think is going on here?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER MEMBER OF JOINT STAFF, PENTAGON, AND FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR TRAINING, NSA: Well, clearly these individuals are detained, Jim. And they are part of a -- kind of, normal Israeli procedures to go in and question people. Obviously take them into custody. And in this particular case, it seems to be a reaction to some of the previous things that had happened where we had other videos where we showed men and boys in their underwear that were captured in Gaza.

This seems to be a way to try to mitigate that kind of a situation. Plus, the weather was colder, and they are basically in a detainee type position, that is relatively normal procedure for a force like the IDF to take people like this into custody.

ACOSTA: And I suppose, the Israeli soldiers might have wanted to make sure they weren't carrying weapons or explosives or any of those sorts of things.

LEIGHTON: That's right, because what the Israelis have to worry about is that these detainees have improvised explosive devices on their persons. They have to make sure that they don't have anything in their clothing that could be used to harm the Israeli soldiers who are taking them into custody. So, that's why they have these procedures, and that is -- you know, it doesn't look good, but no arrest looks good when you watch it on videotape. And that's the kind of thing that we're seeing here.

ACOSTA: And I wanted to ask you on the diplomatic front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking a jab at one of the key mediators in the -- these hostage negotiations, accusing Qatar of hosting and even financing Hamas leaders. I mean, I suppose there's some truth to that. I mean, maybe that's not exactly an insult, but he has been going after them. There was this leaked audio where he was saying they haven't been helpful enough. Is that productive when you're trying to get hostages released in the middle of all of this? What do you --

LEIGHTON: Not at all. In fact, Qatar has played a significant role in freeing the first few groups of Israeli hostages that were freed by Hamas and turned over to the Israelis in the early part of this conflict. And it really is not a good look when the Prime Minister of Israel is caught on a hot mic moment, what we believe it's his voice, saying these kinds of things, because the Qataris are kind of that bridge between the Israelis and Hamas.

They're that bridge between what we use them as well. They're the bridge between the United States and places like Iran. They were the bridge between us and the Taliban. So, we have to recognize and Prime Minister Netanyahu should recognize that these countries, countries like Qatar, but there are others like Oman and the UAE at times, they provide a kind of bridging mechanism for the Israelis to talk to people that are their enemies.

And they have to really watch what they say about countries like Qatar because yes, they did fund Hamas. Yes, they did do some things, but that was also done with tacit Israeli approval.

ACOSTA: Right.

LEIGHTON: The Israelis knew all along what was going on here.

ACOSTA: The Israelis knew that --

LEIGHTON: Absolutely.

ACOSTA: -- this financing was going to Hamas --

LEIGHTON: Absolutely.

ACOSTA: -- via Qatar.

LEIGHTON: Absolutely.

ACOSTA: Yes.

LEIGHTON: And they tacitly allowed it. They knew that this was happening and they did that so that there would be a kind of a safety valve that Hamas would not react in a belligerent way toward Israel. Of course, we all know that that didn't turn out well. But the fact of the matter is the Qataris were given, basically, a green light to do these kinds of things. And that is something that you can't really go back on once you've given the green light. You can't blame somebody for doing what you allowed them to do.

[20:35:00]

ACOSTA: Yes, I did want to ask you about Switzerland. The Netherlands just joined a list of growing lists of countries saying that they're temporarily pausing funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. The announcement comes after Israel accused some of the agency's staff of being involved in the October 7th attacks. This has been bubbling up as a concern, as an issue. What is your sense of it? Is there some truth to this? Is there -- what -- what's going on here?

LEIGHTON: I think there might be some truth to it.

ACOSTA: Yes.

LEIGHTON: Because the Palestinian groups have often infiltrated U.N. organizations. So, whether it's Hamas in Gaza, the PLO in the West Bank, and other groups in other parts of the Middle East especially, they have had a tendency to infiltrate relief organizations. And in this case, Hamas has been particularly adept in the past at infiltrating international organizations that were used as a conduit for aid. And they're using their ability to get people into these organizations as a cover for their activities as well.

So, it's certainly something within the realm of the possible and I think it's very clear that the U.N. has to do a very -- much more solid job of vetting the personnel that they get to work in their areas.

ACOSTA: All right. Colonel Leighton, great to see you as always. Thanks so much.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Jim. Good to be with you.

ACOSTA: All right. We'll be right back. Appreciate it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:40:00]

ACOSTA: Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking 79 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. CNN's Isa Soares has the story of a 93-year-old survivor whose parents sent her away as a child to escape the dangers of the Nazis.

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Jim, right now, the world is clearly grappling with multiple crises, conflicts that were brutally started or renewed or escalated. And at times, Western leaders have struggled to find the clarity of thought. As the world marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, I sought the wisdom and that clarity from Vera Schaufeld. A 93-year-old Holocaust survivor who fled Nazi occupied Europe as a child. Just take a listen as she offers us all a lesson in humanity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And this is your passport?

SOARES (voice-over): Vera Schaufeld was just nine years old when her parents sent her to England.

VERA SCHAUFELD, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: It was totally bewildering.

SOARES (voice-over): It was May 1939 after Adolf Hitler's Nazi troops invaded her homeland.

SCHAUFELD: Czechoslovakia was a safe country for Jewish people.

These are some of the pictures.

SOARES (voice-over): Now, age 93, her journey and her escape from Hitler's wrath is being retold in the motion picture, "One Life."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are working to evacuate these children by train to safety in Britain.

SOARES (voice-over): Vera was one of 669 children who made it to England thanks to the work of British stockbroker, Nicholas Winton. Moved by the horrific situation he had seen in Prague, Winton organized a rescue operation for children in what's now known as the Kindertransport program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ordinary people wouldn't stand for this if they knew what was actually happening.

SOARES (voice-over): He managed against the odds to get eight trainloads of children out. The ninth one never made it.

SCHAUFELD: We just looked out and waved goodbye, and that was the last time I saw my family. And I felt really scared. I thought, you know, nobody's going to come and collect me.

To our darling.

SOARES (voice-over): Vera was hopeful she would be reunited with her family. Until she and the world learned the true extent of the atrocities under Hitler. The slaughter of 6 million Jews in concentration camps.

SCHAUFELD: I heard from the Red Cross that my parents and my grandmother and all my family weren't alive anymore.

SOARES: How old were you at that point?

SCHAUFELD: I was 14.

SOARES (voice-over): A teenager with only words and memories to hold on to.

DAME ESTHER RANTZEN, JOURNALIST AND TELEVISION PRESENTER: Is there anyone in the audience tonight who owes their life to Nicholas Winton?

SOARES (voice-over): Vera and the other Kindertransport children had no idea who saved them, until a TV show nearly 50 years later.

SCHAUFELD: I didn't know if somebody had organized and made it possible for me to come and for all of us.

SOARES (voice-over): Despite the trauma she had lived through, Vera committed herself to a life of service. Sharing her story to preserve the memory of the Holocaust.

SCHAUFELD: I hoped that that would mean end of genocide. You know, people kept saying, never again. But yes, I mean, it's gone on and on.

SOARES: Do you think humanity has learned from it?

SCHAUFELD: I wish I could say I feel it has. But when you look at the world, I don't think we have learned very much.

SOARES: You would have seen also after the horrendous attacks committed by Hamas on October the 7th, that we saw a sharp rise in antisemitism --

SCHAUFELD: Yes.

SOARES: -- across Europe. We have also seen such a horrendous death toll in Gaza.

SCHAUFELD: Yes.

SOARES: Who's responsible for this?

SCHAUFELD: Well, I think Netanyahu and the government. Hamas really started it, planned it, and, that was horrendous. But this is a reaction that goes, I think, very far.

SOARES (voice-over): A clarity many leaders struggled to formulate. A wisdom Nikki (ph) shared with Vera before he died.

SCHAUFELD: People who listened, learn history. And people don't learn anything from history. They learn when they have empathy for other people. That's when they understand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:45:00]

SOARES (on camera): Jim, Vera told me that she kept her story hidden for a long time, even to her own children. She said she felt her story was trivial when compared to her husband who survived Auschwitz. But be it her story or that of the other 669 children that Nicholas Winton saved, they are a reminder of human resilience. They are stories that need repeating now more than ever. Jim.

ACOSTA: Isa, thank you so much for that reporting. We really appreciate it.

We'll be right back.

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[20:50:00]

ACOSTA: Drivers along an Indiana highway had an unusual sight overnight. Take a look at this, camels and zebras and a mini horse in the middle of the road. Yes, you are seeing what actually took place here after a truck carrying the animals caught fire, shutting down traffic. It happened along Interstate 69 North in Marion, Indiana, about 80 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Officers captured these images of all of the animals -- and they were all safely rescued, we should note, and they were given some hay to snack on before they were loaded back on to their truck to be carried away. But the first responders noted that no harm came to these furry friends. Although look at that video right there, camels and zebras walking down an interstate and somehow our team tells me they did not run off. I thought for sure there's just going to be like a new zebra and camel population in the forests of Indiana. But alas, they were loaded back on the truck and taken away.

All right. In the meantime, for decades, Martha Stewart has made her mark on American culture through her special brand of domestic perfection. Now, the new CNN original series, "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart" traces Stewart's explosive rise to success, staggering fall from grace, and momentous comeback. Here's a preview.

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GWYNETH PALTROW, AMERICAN ACTRESS AND BUSINESSWOMAN: We are moving into color cosmetics.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR (voice-over): Today's social media platforms are brimming with celebrity lifestyle brands. But the lifestyle maven who stood the ultimate test of time is Martha Stewart.

SARAH ARCHER, DESIGN HISTORIAN AND WRITER: There is no media personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef like her.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Martha laid the foundation for her lifestyle brand in 1982 with her first book, "Entertaining."

PETER SHANKMAN, BRANDING CONSULTANT: She decided that there was a place that could subsist between the working woman and the woman's home. Martha Stewart came in and said, why can't there be balance? Why can't you have a job and then come home and make a very easy yet beautiful centerpiece?

SOLOMON (voice-over): "Entertaining" was followed by a parade of other books, a retail partnership with Kmart.

MARTHA STEWART, AMERICAN BUSINESSWOMAN AND WRITER: I'm Martha Stewart, and I'm Kmart's new consultant for entertaining and lifestyle.

SOLOMON (voice-over): A lifestyle magazine and a TV show.

STEWART: Make a nice, rich color orange.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Then, the crown jewel of Martha's empire.

STEWART: I just felt like it was time that I should own it. I should own my name. I should own my copyright. I should own my business.

SOLOMON (voice-over): In 1999, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public. And Martha became the first self-made female billionaire. But four years later, in 2003, a stunning announcement.

JAMES CORNEY, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: We're here this afternoon to announce the filing of criminal charges by this office, and civil charges by the SEC against Martha Stewart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did it go today?

SOLOMON (voice-over): After a months-long federal insider trading investigation, Martha was found guilty of four counts of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. Stewart served five months in federal prison, but even that couldn't stop Martha Stewart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Martha.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go, Martha.

SOLOMON: She was able to turn that into the beginning of a comeback.

SHANKMAN: Yes, there --

SOLOMON: How did she do that?

SHANKMAN: If there's not already, there will be several college classes about how she managed to do that. Every late-night comedian gave her millions of dollars in publicity, talking about how she was going to decorate her cell, right? And what -- how beautiful her cell was going to be. And she rolled with it. Instead of getting angry.

SOLOMON (voice-over): In 2015, Martha sold her business for a fraction of its former value.

PATTIE SELLER, FORMER ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR, FORTUNE: She was, sort of, newly free to build her brand in different ways, and frankly, more risk-taking ways. That the old Martha of two decades ago never would have imagined.

SOLOMON (voice-over): One of her first major appearances, a roast of Justin Bieber on "Comedy Central."

STEWART: Sitting and listening to you yell your jokes over the last hour is the hardest time I've ever done.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Roast paved the way for a host of other offbeat endeavors. A show with rapper Snoop Dogg.

SNOOP DOGG, RAPPER AND ACTOR: I'm not high right now. But whoever gave us this show, they must have been.

STEWART: Martha's Shard.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Her own wine label. And line of CBD products.

STEWART: Lemon, kumquat.

SHANKMAN: Martha Stewart basically said, who's to say that there is a limit to what I'm allowed to do? SOLOMON (voice-over): And of course, that "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit edition cover at age 81.

After more than 40 years promoting her brand of domestic perfection, Martha shows no sign of slowing down.

SHANKMAN: She's always on top of her game. To be able to flip that script on a constant basis is what she's famous for. And so, who knows what she's going to do next, but it will probably succeed.

SOLOMON (voice-over): Rahel Solomon, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:55:00]

ACOSTA: All right. And be sure to tune in the all-new CNN original series, "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart" premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Tonight, the road to the White House is increasingly looking like a two-man race between the current and former president. Both President Biden and Former President Donald Trump were on the stump this evening. And in South Carolina, Biden unleashed his new strategy, making some very personal attacks at Donald Trump. And it seems to be getting under his skin.

[21:00:00]