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CNN International: House Committee Advances Mayorkas Impeachment Resolution; Battle Over U.S. Border Bill; Biden Says He's Decided How to Respond to Drone Attack; UK to Consider Recognizing Palestinian State; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Sentenced to 14 Years in Jail; Farmer Protest Nears Paris. Aired 4- 4:30a ET

Aired January 31, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the farce, the political theater of what we're seeing here because all of this, it will have zero impact on our border crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to use every ounce of leverage that we have to make sure that this issue is addressed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just heard Speaker Johnson saying it's absolutely dead, which is what I wanted to hear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blockading roads with their tractors elsewhere around the country, dumping manure outside of local stores, setting tires and waste to light.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I fell on top of their, the hood and just started to like grab on, like I'm not letting go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Max Foster.

And I'm Bianca Nobilo. It's Wednesday, January 31st, 9 a.m. here in London and 4 a.m. in Washington, where just a few hours ago, a U.S. House committee voted to advance articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

FOSTER: The rare and controversial step moves the articles out of the committee and sets up a vote by the full House, though it's unclear when. The vote passed the Republican-controlled Homeland Security Committee along party lines. Mayorkas could be the first cabinet secretary in nearly 150 years to be charged with high crimes and misdemeanors by Congress. Republicans accuse Mayorkas of failing to enforce U.S. immigration policies at the southern border, though they've offered little evidence of that wrongdoing. Constitutional experts and congressional Democrats have argued the case is an abuse of the impeachment process. This impeachment move by the House panel comes as lawmakers are at odds over the bipartisan border security bill.

FOSTER: Attorney and CNN opinion writer Raul Reyes says the impeachment effort doesn't address the policies and legislation that could actually make a difference at the border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAUL REYES, CNN OPINION WRITER: In the House, there's a good chance that Mayorkas could be impeached. But then once it goes to the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, there is zero chance that he will be convicted.

And even if he were, even by some wild stretch of the imagination that Mayorkas were convicted and removed from office, you know what would happen? President Biden would simply appoint another person to carry out his immigration policies. So that's the farce, the political theater of what we're seeing here, because all of this, it will have zero impact on our border crisis, the humanitarian crisis, and certainly the leadership crisis in Washington. And the fact that we haven't done this as a country since nearly 150 years really says something about what a serious move in the impeachment of a cabinet official is.

I mean, it would be setting a very dangerous precedent, in my view, were this to go through, because we could see in the future with politicians from both parties going ahead with attempted impeachments or impeachments based on similar grounds as here, which is basically policy differences, not actual high crimes and misdemeanors.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Senate leaders will meet again today to try to decide how to proceed in their bipartisan border compromise, some favor shelving the deal and moving ahead with a separate bill with funding for Israel and Ukraine.

NOBILO: Meanwhile, Republicans in the House insist the border bill has no chance of passing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA): I just heard Speaker Johnson saying it's absolutely dead, which is what I wanted to hear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's a non-starter, as the Speaker said. He up there said it's not going anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Former President Donald Trump has been openly pressuring Republicans to kill the deal, to deny President Joe Biden a legislative win, and so Trump can keep the issue alive throughout the presidential campaign. House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed that on Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you simply trying to kill this to help him on the campaign?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: No, Manu, that's absurd. We have only a tiny, as you know, razor-thin, actually a one-vote majority right now in the House. Our majority is small. We only have it in one chamber, but we're trying to use every ounce of leverage that we have to make sure that this issue is addressed.

[04:05:00]

I have talked to former President Trump about this issue at length, and he understands that. He understands that we have a responsibility to do here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: And more now from Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU: A furious battle is now underway within the GOP about how to move forward on a major package dealing with border security. Republicans had been united over this issue for several years and demanding action from Joe Biden. Well, now on the cusp of a major deal in the Senate, a bipartisan deal cut between a conservative Republican Senator James Langford with the Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, an independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and Joe Biden himself.

Now there are divisions within the ranks. Donald Trump, for one, has urged House Republicans to kill this measure and urging Senate Republicans also to scuttle the push. Even as the GOP leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell has worked behind the scenes for months to try to help secure this deal, which would also greenlight desperately sought aid for Ukraine and its war against Russia.

But because of GOP divisions, now it is entirely possible that this whole thing could collapse. That has caused concern within the ranks, particularly among supporters, Republican supporters of this bipartisan deal. One of them, Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, strongly criticized the House Republicans and Donald Trump, especially since this deal has not yet been released yet.

The legislation is still being drafted, saying that they need to compromise and agree to even, even -- even if it's not everything they want, it could go a long way to secure the border. And he also warned of voter backlash.

SEN. KEVIN CRAMER (R-ND): I don't think it's fair to just characterize a bill that people haven't seen that hasn't been written as dead on arrival.

I just think it's irresponsible to start and end a negotiation with the same position, all or nothing. That's not what you can do in a divided government.

If we don't try to do something when we have the moment to do something, all of those swing voters in swing states for whom the border is the number one priority have every right to look at us and go, you blew your opportunity. If we can't get there, fine. But if we don't try, then shame on us.

RAJU: Now behind the scenes, Senate Republican leaders are still grappling with how to proceed, given that the House GOP has indicated that they will not move forward with the Senate plan.

So, what will Senate Republicans do? Will they decide to still press ahead, try to essentially dare the House GOP to block this, dare Donald Trump to come out and lobby against this and show some divisions within the ranks, or simply pull the plug and try to move on? That is a debate that happened behind closed doors in Mitch McConnell's office, and that will continue to be discussed at a private lunch meeting on Wednesday, when senators gather and decide what to do on this issue that is now tripping them up and could haunt them in November.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: President Biden says he's decided on how to respond to the deadly drone strike on American forces in Jordan, but with no further details, it's still unclear what that response will be.

FOSTER: This announcement on Tuesday came two days after the attack on a small U.S. outpost called Tower 22, which sits in the desert of northeastern Jordan near the border with Syria. Three U.S. soldiers were killed. Dozens more were injured.

NOBILO: U.S. officials blame Iran-backed militants, though Iran denies involvement. The White House suggests any action would be aimed at degrading the group's capabilities and sending a strong message to deter any future attacks.

CNN's MJ Lee is following all of these developments, reporting from the White House.

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MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden on Tuesday telling reporters that he has made a decision on how to strike back after the deaths of three U.S. service members. We know the president and his national security team have been weighing a number of options, including options that could be multi-pronged, that could take place over the course of multiple stages. And officials have made clear that what is likely to come is expected to be more serious and more powerful in its force compared to the retaliatory strikes that we have seen from the U.S. in Iraq and Syria.

And when the president spoke with reporters on Tuesday, he made clear that in his eyes, there is one country that is responsible for the deaths of these three Americans. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, do you hold Iran responsible for the deaths of those three Americans?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I do hold responsible in the sense that they're supplying the weapons to the people who did it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But directly responsible?

BIDEN: Well, we'll have that discussion.

LEE: And those comments from the president really capturing the very tough juggling act for the president as he's making clear that he doesn't want to see a bigger war, but at the same time, he wants to make sure that the U.S. responds with serious force.

[04:10:00]

The question, of course, going forward is how he can do that and how the U.S. can do that without further escalating the situation in the Middle East.

Of course, the president is facing the tough reality as well that some of these strikes in the past have not been successful at deterring some of these Iran-backed proxy groups. When the president was asked what will actually be different this time with the next set of steps that the U.S. will take, he simply answered, we'll see.

MJ Lee, CNN at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: The Palestinian Red Crescent says Israeli military vehicles are stationed in a hospital's front yard in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where thousands of displaced people are taking shelter. The aid group says the Israeli military entered the Al-Amal hospital's compound, quote, firing live ammunition and smoke grenades after surrounding the building for more than a week.

NOBILO: Hospital officials says Israeli forces were asking displaced people to, quote, evacuate the building at gunpoint.

And PRCS earlier reported that gunfire from Israeli tanks had killed one displaced woman and injured nine others. CNN is unable to verify the situation independently and has, of course, reached out to the IDF for comments.

Israeli police have announced that another officer died in combat during the October 7th attacks, and his body was taken to Gaza.

FOSTER: Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili was declared dead on Tuesday by a committee of Israeli officials, which means that 29 of the remaining hostages in Gaza are now believed to be dead. Right now, Hamas says it's studying another new proposal for the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for a pause in the fighting in Gaza. Those hostages would include captured Israeli soldiers.

NOBILO: And this comes as families of the six remaining American hostages in Gaza met U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday. The parents of an American IDF soldier believed to be a hostage in Gaza were also at that meeting. And here's what they told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY CHEN, SON KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: I would say cautious optimism that the parties are getting together and meeting, such as in Paris, and intending to meet again in the near future in Egypt. And that gives us hope that this ordeal that we're living in for 116 long days will come to an end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Journalist Elliott Gotkine joins us here. Elliott, so the progress of this deal seems to be that IDF soldiers could potentially be released as well.

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: That would probably come at the end, to be honest. In the beginning, it would mainly be civilians, especially the women, children, elderly, those who are ill. They would be released in the first phase. There would be a ratio of about three times that number of Palestinian prisoners who are currently held in Israeli jails released in exchange and a six-week pause in fighting. That is kind of the proposal that's being looked at right now.

That would be phase one. And then phase two would see IDF soldiers being released in exchange for a longer pause in fighting and a greater ratio of Palestinian prisoners released. And then the final part of that would probably be the bodies of Israelis that Hamas and other people took back into the Gaza Strip or killed inside the Gaza Strip while they were in captivity.

Now, there was optimism after these talks were held earlier in the week. The Qatari Prime Minister saying that we're in a much better place than we were a few weeks ago. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressing some optimism that we could be inching towards a deal.

But there are, of course, a lot of things that could go wrong. And for a start, Hamas still seems to be insisting that Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip. That is its objective in any new truce that comes about.

And we also heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday. He was addressing settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. And he was saying, in his words, we will not withdraw the IDF from the Gaza Strip, and we will not release thousands of terrorists. None of this will happen. What will happen? Total victory.

Now, it's possible that Hamas and Netanyahu are preaching to their own domestic constituents.

But the other potential spanner in the works here is some of Netanyahu's coalition members, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir of the far right, saying that he will bring down the government if there is what he describes as a reckless deal.

So, Netanyahu kind of being squeezed from both sides. Let's not forget the pressure that's on him from the families of the hostages who have been doing direct action, such as blocking roads and camping outside Netanyahu's villa in Caesarea, just north of Tel Aviv.

And then the other wild card here is concerns expressed by the Qatari prime minister that any U.S. retaliation for that drone strike in Jordan that killed three U.S. servicemen and injured dozens more could also potentially complicate a deal, because Hamas is also backed by Iran in all of this.

So, a lot of balls up in the air. But as we've heard, a little bit more optimism that some kind of deal could happen at some point. We just don't know when.

[04:15:00]

NOBILO: The former prime minister, David Cameron, now foreign secretary, has said that Britain would consider recognizing a Palestinian state as part of an irreversible two-state peace solution.

What is the significance of that, especially when Britain has been criticized by obviously Palestinians and regional partners for showing at points unequivocal support of the U.S. and Israel the beginning of their offensive in Gaza?

GOTKINE: So, it's significant in the sense that this would seem to mark a change in position by the British government, which after the United States is arguably the staunchest and most powerful ally that Israel has. It will often abstain from U.N. Security Council resolutions against Israel, for example. I suppose the U.K. feels a certain sense of additional responsibility given that it was the one that, if we go back in time, the Balfour Declaration saying that Israel would be the country for Jews to kind of have their own state. And then also, of course, was the power up until Israel's independence in 1948.

So, will it change anything on the ground? Well, let's not forget that you're talking right now about a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that says that there will be no two-state solution, fighting a war against Hamas, which is also fervently opposed to a two-state solution.

So, I'm not quite sure how Lord Cameron, now the Foreign Secretary, thinks that any change in that position by the U.K. would help bring about an end to the current conflict. But this is something that he's articulated. It was to a group of Arab diplomats that he made these comments. And I think perhaps that the language we heard from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addressing Conservative Friends of Israel the previous week might have been slightly different. So, it's unclear as to what legs this proposal has. But if it were to

come about, then it would seem to suggest a change in position from the U.K. And I don't think it would go down particularly well in Jerusalem with the Israeli government.

NOBILO: And we've heard similar rhetoric coming from the opposition Labour Party, which is expected to win the next election in Britain as well. So that would suggest a similar line.

GOTKINE: Right. And the U.S., of course, has also said that it is firmly in favor of a two-state solution as well. But the important things to remember are that neither player in this war, the Israeli government or Hamas, are in agreement of a two-state solution. They are both opposed to one.

NOBILO: Elliott, thank you so much.

Still ahead, sexual assault allegations in professional hockey. Five current and former NHL players are expected to surrender to Canadian authorities. We'll have the details for you on that case.

FOSTER: Plus, some of the biggest names in social media are in Washington to talk about online safety for teenagers. White advocacy groups say the companies aren't doing enough to protect them.

NOBILO: And Donald Trump's legal woes have been extremely costly. But much of the money is not coming out of his own wallet. Details coming up.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Back-to-back legal blows for Pakistan's incarcerated former prime minister. A closed-door court has sentenced Imran Khan and his wife to 14 years in prison.

FOSTER: They were found guilty of illegally selling state gifts. A day earlier, Khan was given 10 years for leaking state secrets. The former cricketer turned politician's PTI party is bound to challenge the rulings. CNN's Kristi Lu Stout has further reaction from the Khan camp.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTI LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This new ruling, it extends Khan's ban on running for office to 10 years. Khan will be allowed to serve these sentences concurrently. And this all comes at a very, very critical time, just literally days before a general election in Pakistan.

Now, we have heard from Imran Khan's media team. They slammed today's sentencing, saying this -- let's bring up the statement for you -- quote: Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled, unquote.

While also adding: This ridiculous decision will also be challenged, unquote.

On Tuesday, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets. He maintains that these charges against him are politically motivated, an allegation that authorities deny. And these harsh sentences out this week, one after another, are just the latest in a string of legal battles for Imran Khan. He has dozens of pending cases against him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: We could soon see a return to power sharing in Northern Ireland. The Democratic Unionist Party said Tuesday it had reached a deal with the British government that would end its nearly two-year government boycott. The main pro-Union Party, known as the DUP, walked out in February of 2022 in protest of post-Brexit trade rules.

FOSTER: Are they keeping up? Yes. This latest move could lead to a member of the nationalist Sinn Fein party in the first minister position for the first time since a power sharing agreement was put in place. Sinn Fein won the most seats in the elections of the Northern Ireland Assembly last year, which was a big deal, wasn't it? A big change.

NOBILO: Absolutely. And even though the ministerial positions are supposed to be equal, it's a huge symbolic moment if Sinn Fein were to hold the first minister position.

And the U.S. has started reimposing sanctions on Venezuela after an opposition candidate was barred from running for president. So far, only a state-owned mining company has been sanctioned, but the U.S. suggested Venezuela's lucrative oil and gas sector could get hit by April.

FOSTER: If Nicolas Maduro doesn't allow credible opposition candidates to compete in this year's election, that is, his vice president called the move blackmail and warned of a retaliation by migration policies.

NOBILO: Meanwhile, the main opposition challenger, Maria Machado, is refusing to exit the presidential race, even though the Maduro- controlled Supreme Court disqualified her from holding any public office for 15 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER: We knew that this route was going to be full of obstacles, because Nicolas Maduro knows that running against me means he will lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Farmers in Spain are set to join the growing European protest movement, calling for more support.

FOSTER: It's spreading. Farmers in Belgium have already joined, blocking a highway with tractors on Tuesday. And protests have also been taking place in Germany, Italy, Romania and France. [04:25:00]

NOBILO: French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to appease the angry farmers in his country, whose protests have now reached the outskirts of Paris. Mr. Macron is set to discuss the matter with the European Commission president on Thursday.

FOSTER: These are live pictures in France, as farmers continue their protests, using tractors to block key roadways to protest against cheap imports, low wages and government policies.

NOBILO: Turning now to the upcoming U.S. presidential election. President Joe Biden will head to Michigan on Thursday. A campaign official says he'll meet with members of the United Auto Workers Union there.

Last week, Biden got the union's coveted political endorsement. He narrowly won Michigan, if you remember, in the 2020 election.

FOSTER: Mr. Biden lost Florida's older voters by 10 points to Donald Trump in that contest. But on Tuesday, the president told a group of donors at a fundraiser in South Florida that he believes he could win the state.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is making clear she's staying in the race for the White House and is working to show off her foreign policy experience in the wake of that drone strike in Jordan.

NOBILO: Haley's been detailing how she would respond if the deadly attack were to happen when she was commander-in-chief. And she's not shying away from criticizing President Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was a massive failure when Biden lifted the sanctions on Iran. We know that when Iran gets any money, it fuels its proxies, the Hamas, Houthis, Hezbollah, they always have. I saw that every day at the United Nations. You've got to put the sanctions back on. Stop giving them money to kill our soldiers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Political action committees supporting Trump spent about $50 million last year to cover the Republican frontrunner's legal bills and related expenses. That's according to two sources familiar with the matter. The bills piled up as Trump was indicted four times in 2023.

NOBILO: And that price tag could go higher. We should get a more precise figure in the coming hours from new filings to the Federal Election Commission.

FOSTER: I mean, the question is whether the donors --

NOBILO: Could you tell us what's the question?

FOSTER: No, the question is whether the donors are happy with it or not, I guess.

Sorry, we're going to speak to those incredible images because Israeli forces are facing criticism after they dressed as medical staff and civilians in a West Bank hospital. How the IDF is responding just ahead.

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