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CNN International: Netanyahu Unveils "Day After" Plan For Postwar Gaza; Biden Administration To Sanction 500+ Russian Targets; Ukraine Takes Drone Fire Ahead Of War's Second Anniversary. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired February 23, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEACHY BUHAIN HAIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NURSING, CEDARS-SINAI: You need a few resources to help you, to guide you, and lo and behold, she made it.

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And she found you.

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(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, HOST, "CNN THIS MORNING": And CNN This morning continues right now.

POPPY HARLOW, HOST, "CNN THIS MORNING": And here is where we start.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and this is the CNN Newsroom.

Straight ahead, Israel unveils a plan for the future of Gaza after the war and without Hamas. This as a delegation of Israeli officials is on its way to France to discuss the release of the hostages and a possible ceasefire. We will be live in Paris and Tel Aviv. And then, the U.S. targets Russia with fresh sanctions over the death of Alexei Navalny. We will have the details. Plus, in the U.S., Nikki Haley and Donald Trump face off in South Carolina, as voters there prepared to cast their ballots in the Republican primary tomorrow.

Israel's Prime Minister is unveiling a "day after" plan for Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu presented the plan to members of Israel's security cabinet Thursday night. Under the proposal, Israel would maintain security control over the entire area west of Jordan, which includes Gaza as well as the West Bank. Meanwhile, negotiators are expected to meet today in Paris for the next round of discussions on a hostage deal and a potential ceasefire. There is a growing sense of urgency to find agreement after Israel threatened to expand its assault in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah if hostages are not released by the start of Ramadan in two weeks.

CNN's Melissa Bell is in Paris with more on the negotiations. But, let's begin with the plan for postwar Gaza. Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Tel Aviv. Jeremy, what do you now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli Prime Minister laying out for the first time on paper his vision for postwar Gaza, formally submitting principles as he has laid them out to his cabinet. It's not all that different from what we've heard from the Israeli Prime Minister publicly, but it is notable that he is putting it on paper after putting that task off for so long now.

In this plan, the Israeli Prime Minister envisions Israel maintaining full security control of the Gaza Strip, operational freedom of action, basically meaning that troops could go in and out of Gaza to carry out raids as necessary, security control over not only Israel's border with Gaza and maintaining that buffer zone, about one kilometer wide that we have been seeing Israeli bulldozers starting to build inside of Gaza, but also maintaining security control of the Israel- Egypt border as well. Now, in terms of civil administration, this plan envisions Palestinian officials maintaining that civil administration, although it's not clear exactly who would be in that role.

He does want to shut down UNRWA, the UN agency, which Israel has been decrying for four months now, years even, and also he envisions the rebuilding of Gaza using foreign funds from countries approved by Israel, but only after the full demilitarization of Gaza is complete. In the longer term, he is laying out very clearly that he opposes any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, although he leaves the door open to negotiations to achieve a final status agreement.

But, it is very clear that when you look at this plan, it is pretty much antithetical to the notion of a sovereign Palestinian state, at least in the medium term to long term, and that's because it basically envisions creating a new status quo in Gaza where Israel has full control of this area's borders, full control over the security situation there, control even over the education system within Gaza, and it doesn't really leave a lot of room for Palestinian sovereignty to be established in Gaza or in the West Bank.

Now, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office says that these are only principles intended to allow for more discussion at the Israeli cabinet level. But, it's clear that this is already quite antithetical to many of the principles that the United States has laid out, as the U.S. has made clear that they do hope that in the aftermath of this war that a path to a two-state solution can indeed be achieved with a sovereign Palestinian state, and many of the Arab countries who have expressed openness to helping to rebuild Gaza have also made clear that they will only do so in the context of such a framework for a two-state solution.

So, a lot of questions still remain about the details of this plan and how it will fit in with the international consensus on this issue.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy, thanks so much.

Melissa Bell in Paris. All this while, CIA chief Bill Burns is expected to be in that city. It seems like this proposal will also be central to discussions. What do you expect?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is a lot of not quite secrecy but certainly tight liveness about these series of meetings here in Paris. In fact, they came about really very much at the last minute, because Fredricka, they depended on so many different factors coming into play and falling into place that they might even go ahead. So, as you mentioned, Bill Burns, the CIA Director, is here. We're expecting over the coming hours once the Israeli delegation arrives for the director of Mossad, but also the heads of intelligence of Egypt, of Qatar, to begin these series of meetings as to the fate of the 132 hostages that remain inside Gaza.

Now, why Paris, because the French had been instrumental working with the main group that represents the families of the hostages in getting some of the much needed medication to 45 of the chronically ill hostages, and it was on Wednesday, late Wednesday, that Israelis received the confirmation that that medication had been received by the hostages who so desperately needed it.

Meanwhile, we know that the political head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, had been in Cairo for talks there. It took positive word coming from Cairo. It took messages that the medication had arrived coming from inside Gaza for the Israeli government, and specifically the Israeli cabinet to be able to decide overnight that it would send this delegation to Paris. I think what is encouraging about this latest, newest round of talks between all of those many parties, Fredricka, is that this time the Israeli delegation have been empowered with the ability to negotiate. So, they're not just there, as they have been in the past in Cairo, for instance, last week to listen to what proposals are made. They've been empowered by the Israeli cabinet overnight to come here to Paris with negotiating powers.

So, that does lead to some hope that there may be a positive outcome at last. Certainly, we expect that these talks could last for the next few days. And for now, as I say, the French been very tight lipped about what may come out to them. There is already a great deal of thankfulness that they're going ahead at all. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Melissa Bell and Jeremy Diamond, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

All right. The Biden administration is set to impose a major new round of sanctions against Russia today. It's in response to two years of war in Ukraine and the mysterious death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. U.S. officials say the sanctions are aimed at 500 people and entities. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the U.S. President met with Navalny's widow and daughter in California and expressed his heartfelt condolences.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is joining me right now live from the White House, Priscilla. So, what are some of the details of these new sanctions the Biden administration is imposing and does it -- why does it believe that this will make some sort of impact?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, this is a massive package that the White House is preparing to roll out to show a forceful response to the death of Alexei Navalny and to mark that two- year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In fact, this fresh slate of sanctions on over 500 targets is the single biggest day of sanctions since Russia's further invasion of Ukraine. Now, what we know from the President's statement this morning is that it will go after Russia's financial sector, defense, industrial base, procurement networks, and sanction evaders across multiple continents.

The idea here is to slow down or hamper Russia's ability to access certain goods and to build weapons. And President Biden teased these sanctions yesterday after his meeting with the widow of Alexei Navalny and his daughter during a fundraising swing in California, and this is something that he has tied to the death of Alexei Navalny, though, I will say that U.S. officials were already preparing a sanctions package to mark the two-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. They supplemented that package since the death of Alexei Navalny. So, this is something that, as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan put it, is a way to turn in -- turn the crank. So, this is one tool in the toolbox that the administration is trying to use.

What has -- what they have conveyed in addition to these sanctions is that there needs to continue to be pressure on Congress because that $60 billion in additional funding to Ukraine is still stalled, and they say that that is imperative to helping Ukraine in its war against Russia. So, while U.S. officials are touting this sanctions package and saying that it is a consequence that Russia President Vladimir Putin will have to bear, they are also very much continuing that steady drumbeat that the additional aid to Ukraine is also necessary here.

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WHITFIELD: All right. And Priscilla, is the White House convinced that these sanctions are going to make a larger impact than previous sanctions? Is there a feeling that previous sanctions against Russia have been effective?

ALVAREZ: Well, Russia has gloated that they're not effective, saying that it doesn't hamper their ability at all. The other side of that is that Western governments say that sanctions take time to take effect, and also that this actually has hampered Russia's economy. So, this latest slate of sanctions, again, a pretty massive package on over 500 targets, is intended to slow things down even more for Russia, or in other words, choke them off from certain goods, therefore making it more difficult for them to access certain goods but also to build weapons, which is the key here.

But, again, it comes back down to, this is just one tool in the toolbox. They're confident about it, U.S. officials that is, but they are still maintain that they need to get more funding to Ukraine because Russia, while they have been facing a number of sanctions since the war in Ukraine, is still undeterred and moving forward there. So, it's an entire package of things that the White House says is necessary here. This is just one they have direct control on.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez at the White House, thanks so much.

All right. The European Union is also adopting a new round of sanctions against Moscow, targeting more than 200 individuals and entities. And it comes nearly two years to the day after Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. On the battlefield, Russian forces are making some inroads, particularly in the east. And today in the south, Kyiv says three people were killed in Odessa after drone debris fell on a building and caused a fire. At least eight others were injured in a separate drone strike in Ukraine. The attacks come just days after Russian forces seized the key eastern city of Avdiivka.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen joining me now live from Berlin. Fred, so what more do we know about these attacks?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. Well, we've had overnight some pretty serious attacks by the Russians using drones and using missiles as well on Ukrainian territory. Essentially, we're hearing from the Ukrainians is they shot down most of the drones that the Russians launched towards the Ukrainian territory. However, there were also some missile strikes as well. And it really goes to show some of the issues that the Ukrainians are having not just on the front lines, but also trying to keep their towns and their critical infrastructure safe as well.

Some of the missiles that were used are called the X-22. Now, that's a missile with an extremely large warhead that's usually used to destroy aircraft carriers. And the Ukrainians simply so far have found no way to shoot that down, except possibly with those Patriot missile systems. And that's, of course, where we get back to the fact that the Ukrainians are still waiting for the U.S. to OK that further military aid to Ukraine, and that still is very much in the balance.

You can see how that's hurting them on the battlefield already, especially in those areas in the frontlines that the Russians have now managed to capture back. And the Ukrainians believe that if they don't get further military aid, they're going to have a very difficult time on the battlefield going forward, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Fred, you've reported extensively in Ukraine, and we're on the ground when the invasion started. What's the overall situation in the battlefield as Ukraine enters it's now third year of war tomorrow?

PLEITGEN: Well, it's an interesting one, where I think that in large parts of the country there is very, very little movement or shifting of the front line. But still, it's what both sides would call a very dynamic situation. That means there is heavy fighting. There are a lot of casualties, but there is really not much real estate that is changing hands. We have had that town of Avdiivka which, of course, is celebrated by the Russians as being a huge victory for them. And no doubt is also important to a certain extent for them to shore up their own front lines. But, it really isn't a significant gain for the Russian military

considering also that Russia has one of the largest and allegedly strongest armies in the world. By and large, if you take a look at the past 12 months, there really hasn't been very much in the way of large scale movement on the front lines. Now, for the Ukrainians, they understand that they need to do something about that situation. There is no doubt that right now they are on the back foot. They certainly are undermanned in a lot of places on the front lines. The President of the country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he says he has identified that and he wants to change that.

But then, the other issue is obviously the ammunition where the Ukrainians are far behind what the Russians have. They say they desperately need especially artillery ammunition. There is some European countries that are trying to help in that regard. But, of course, the Ukrainians also say there simply is no other country in the world that could replace the United States and the military aid that the U.S. could give to the Ukrainians. So, certainly, the Ukrainians say that that aid package that is held up in the House of Representatives right now would be absolutely key for them to have, Fredricka.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much, in Berlin.

All right. We now want to check in on Ukrainian city of Kherson. Russian forces were driven out more than a year ago, but life there has not returned to normal. In fact, it's more of a grinding struggle and hope is hard to find. Here is CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's night when it is loudest. Kherson has seen every stage of the war for two years, invasion, occupation, and liberation. Yet, day is when the damage is clearest.

WALSH: Well, the Russians may be now on the other side of the river. But, you can see the force of the explosions that hit here, just by these tree branches thrown up here on top of a roof. And it feels kind of like a remote occupation through Russian drone strikes, artillery attacks as well. So many of the buildings around here, devastated.

WALSH (voice-over): But, Russian positions are visible across the water. And on this side, freshly dug trenches show how worried Ukraine is still. Across the river, Ukraine sent troops months ago, their hopes of a lightning dash to Crimea stuck in this rubble. And this week, Russia raised their flag over the tiny Ukrainian foothold of Krynky. (Inaudible) night they'd taken it and said drone footage showed the Russians fleeing. Yet, just meters from the row (ph), thousands of daily silent stories of survival in a city Russia cannot own, only crush with seemingly inexhaustible shelling. At 4 a.m., we were woken by three shells. They landed 100 meters away.

WALSH: He is saying that they will first hit in November and that blew out the glass in their slot house. They moved to their mother's apartment over there, and that basically saved their lives last night because the shrapnel from the mortar that landed here went all the way up in the flat where they used to live.

WALSH (voice-over): In basement churches, the prayers are for basics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): To stay warm, to find bread, to have food. It's a hard path. But we keep walking it.

WALSH (voice-over): Spilling out into the light part of 1,000 people still in this district of the city, when before the war, there were 30 times that. Sophia has outlasted her six siblings and gets food for her adult daughter.

SOPHIA, KHERSON RESIDENT (Interpreted): I want to get on time to another food distribution. Yesterday they gave chocolates and a hot meal. Today who knows? There were roses here, everywhere. So many roses.

WALSH (voice-over): As Putin's war enters its third year, there seems no end to a million tiny unseen agonies.

SOPHIA (Interpreted): Welcome. My eyes hurt. But my deepest desire, I don't want anything, anything but the bright sun.

WALSH (voice-over): The old radio brings bad news of Russia assaulting Krynky.

SOPHIA (Interpreted): Those bastards, they jumped on us. They already took Krynky.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): No they didn't. I just heard that they didn't.

SOPHIA (Interpreted): It's hard. There was a fight there today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Interpreted): We will not push them back.

SOPHIA (Interpreted): Why? They will push them back. Why not?

WALSH (voice-over): The war in every home, the normal, the boring, still targets today and tomorrow.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Kherson, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. In Spain, at least four people are dead and more than a dozen are missing after a blaze ripped through an apartment building. According to emergency services in Valencia, the fire began on the fourth floor of the building Thursday evening. Valencians say they heard small explosions from inside the building and saw residents calling for help as the fire rapidly spread. Valencia's mayor has declared three days of mourning following the tragedy, saying the city is in enormous pain. In a show of support, Spain's Prime Minister visited the area, calling for empathy, affection and solidarity with the fire victims.

Atika Shubert joins us now from Valencia.

[08:20:00]

Atika, this is so terribly sad. What more do we know about the possible cause of this fire?

ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: Well, we don't know yet. What we do know is that the way the building was constructed likely contributed to the incredibly fast spread of the fire. In fact, one eyewitness who was across from the building, you can see it behind me, it's just a burnt out shell at this point, really documented how it started in one apartment, believed to be on the fourth floor, and then spread within less than 30 minutes to the entire facade of one tower, and then jumped to the other. And what investigators are looking at is both the conditions of that day. It was extremely windy, just like it was today, and that probably helped the fire to spread. But also, the fact that there was this aluminum cladding on the side of the building that may have had some sort of flammable material beneath it to keep it sticking to the brick.

And in fact, all around here and you can probably hear sometimes when the wind blows, the sound of tinkling, that's this. This is the aluminum cladding that burnt right off that building. It's all over here, spread around as debris. You can still smell the sort of (inaudible) smell of the smoke as well. Investigators will be looking at that. In the meantime, well, firefighters are still -- have only just recently been able to get access to the building and actually look for more victims. What they were able to tell earlier today is that there were four bodies they identified only with -- through a drone that would came over through the military emergency service was used.

It was too hot to go inside, do the drill, and they were able to see four bodies. They are now trying to identify them, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. Atika Shubert, thank you so much. Horrible.

All right. Still to come, how a way to help couples get pregnant turns into a major political issue in the U.S.? We will check in on the IVF uproar in Alabama. Plus, the first time in nearly a half a century, the U.S. has successfully landed on the moon. Details on the historic lunar landing straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Fallout continues in Alabama after the state Supreme Court ruled last week that frozen embryos are children. President Joe Biden is seizing on the issue and his campaign is blaming Donald Trump after at least three fertility clinics in the state halted IVF treatments. Mr. Biden is telling voters, make no mistake, this is a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Isabel Rosales reports from Alabama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, already a religious group is using this Alabama ruling as precedent to target abortion rights in the state of Florida. Here in Alabama, this ruling has set the fertility industry into a state of chaos and panic. Gabby Goidel, a patient, she received the phone call from her provider Alabama Fertility yesterday, telling her that she would not be able to complete her IVF treatments here.

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ROSALES (voice-over): Days after the Alabama Supreme Court rule, frozen embryos have the same rights as children under state law. More fertility centers in the state now to three, continue to announce they will halt most IVF treatments. Alabama Fertility Specialists called the decision an impossible one, while the CEO of Infirmary Health said in a statement, "We understand the burden this places on deserving families who want to bring babies into this world and who have no alternative options for conceiving." At least one facility in Alabama now planning to send frozen embryos out of state.

DR. ANDREW HARPER, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, HUNTSVILLE REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE: The ruling is quite the motivation to move embryos from in-house to outside off-site storage facility.

ROSALES (voice-over): The legal fallout becoming a harsh reality for Gabby and Spencer Goidel.

GABBY GOIDEL, FERTILITY PATIENT: I think it was absolutely my worst fear.

ROSALES (voice-over): Hours ago, the couple received the news from their fertility clinic that they can no longer proceed with their planned IVF treatment.

GOIDEL: I've gone through three miscarriages. It honestly felt like a very similar feeling.

ROSALES (voice-over): The couple has been trying to become parents for years, and they began the IVF process in Alabama.

GOIDEL: This is all my medication.

ROSALES (voice-over): A difficult process that doesn't always yield results, showing us the dozens of medications and daily injections required in the process. Now, the couple expects to go into debt to routinely fly to Texas, all in hopes of salvaging their shot at a successful pregnancy.

GOIDEL: So, I will go and get my monitoring appointment done and they will do the egg retrieval, and Texas will now straw my embryos. It doesn't feel very supported here. And now, they're just going to make it less accessible, more expensive. They're taking away people's chances, women's chance to have children.

ROSALES (voice-over): The political implications of the Alabama decision now playing out on the campaign trail. President Biden issuing a statement saying, make no mistake, this is a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Vice President Kamala Harris echoing that sentiment at a reproductive freedom forum in Michigan today, blaming former President Donald Trump.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: When you look at the fact that the previous President of the United States was clear in his intention to hand-pick three Supreme Court justices who would overturn the protections of Roe v. Wade, and he did it, and that's what got us to this point today.

ROSALES (voice-over): Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate, Nikki Haley, continuing to toe a fine line in the abortion debate when she spoke to CNN.

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is incredibly personal to me because I had both of my children with fertility. I personally believe an embryo is a baby. Not everybody is going to agree that an embryo was a baby. But, that's why parents need to be able to have the decision on how they're going to handle those embryos, and they need to know that they're going to be protected.

ROSALES: And there is just so much legal uncertainty just swirling around this ruling. Fertility clinics, they don't have the answers. Patients, they certainly don't have the answers. So, CNN reached out to the State Attorney General's Office who told us that they have not issued any guidance on this matter, and they did not respond to specific questions on whether the state plans to charge people who destroys embryos with a crime. Fred.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Very tough, very emotional time for so many families. Isabel, thank you so much.

A round of applause for Odysseus.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An excellent call from our mission director --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, they're happy. The American-built spacecraft touched down on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. This feat also marks the first time a private company has ever achieved a lunar landing, although Houston-based Intuitive Machines did get a major assist from NASA.

CNN's Kristin Fisher explains.

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KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Intuitive Machines has just made history as the first private company to successfully land a spacecraft on the surface of the moon. Its Odysseus lunar lander is standing up right, according to the company, and is successfully transmitting data, although we're still waiting for those first few pictures.

Now, this was really a tense, final few moments for this mission. Just a few hours before landing, Intuitive Machines announced that there was an issue with Odysseus's navigation system. It wasn't working. But, in a spectacular example of a public-private partnership, it just so happened that one of Odysseus's or Intuitive Machines' paying customers, NASA, had an experimental piece of equipment that did the exact same thing as this broken piece of navigation software.

And so, engineers on Earth were able to patch up a fix and allow Odysseus to safely navigate that treacherous terrain on the south pole of the moon, dodging craters and boulders to find a safe space to land.

[08:30:00]

And so, that is what happened. It took a little bit longer than the company thought to communicate with the spacecraft. But, it is sending back data now. And this is now the first time that any American spacecraft has landed on the surface of the Moon since the end of the Apollo program back in 1972. So, it's a win for NASA as a sponsor of this mission, but certainly a win for this Texas-based company Intuitive Machines. They were able to do for about $100 million what NASA was able to do with the Apollo program with a much larger budget. So, some big tears from that mission control room when the landing happened. And now, we get to see what Odysseus can do on the surface of the moon for the next week or so.

Kristin Fisher, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Alright, Kristin. The world could hear those cheers. Thanks so much.

All right. Still to come, with just one day to go until the South Carolina primary, we'll ask Republican voters in that state how they're leaning. Plus, the worrying similarities between China's attitude to Taiwan and Russia's ambitions in Ukraine, that story coming up later.

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WHITFIELD: All right. By this time tomorrow, Republican voters in the U.S. state of South Carolina will be casting their ballots in that state's primary. Polls show Donald Trump with a big lead over former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and many Haley supporters say they don't know what they will do if the race comes down to Trump versus Biden in the general election in November.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has their story.

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HALEY: I am not going anywhere. JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): For supporters of Nikki Haley, her defiant pledge is music to their ears.

[08:35:00]

SHEREE RICHNOW, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: I think she should stay in until the very last second. I really do. I do not think that we should acquiesce.

ZELENY (voice-over): Sheree Richnow sees Haley as not merely the best choice but perhaps the only choice in the race for the White House.

ZELENY: If she is not the Republican nominee, what do you do?

RICHNOW: I may not vote.

ZELENY: You may not vote for President.

RICHNOW: Not vote. Right. Because I don't think either choice is good at that point.

ZELENY (voice-over): The sun is setting on the Republican primary and on Haley's chances of catching Donald Trump before the early state delegate contest becomes a nationwide sprint.

HALEY: Don't complain about what happens in a general election if you don't go out and vote in this primary. It matters.

ZELENY (voice-over): Should she not deliver a South Carolina surprise on Saturday, her supporters face a decision. Many would prefer not to discuss aloud.

ANN HUPKA, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: We need a President that's going to protect our democracy, not one that's going to give it away to the Russians.

ZELENY (voice-over): Ann and Marty Hupka are pulling for Haley but bracing for the general election ahead.

ZELENY: Come November, what do you guys do?

ANN HUPKA, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: We move to Canada.

MARTY HUPKA, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: You're down to two choices. You take that lesser of the two.

ZELENY: Who is that in your mind?

M. HUPKA: It's got to be Biden. If it's Trump, then it's got to be Biden.

ZELENY (voice-over): South Carolina has long been Trump country.

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've never lost here. We've never lost here. ZELENY (voice-over): On the final day of early voting here, Porter and

Linda Baldwin proudly cast their ballots for the former President.

PORTER BALDWIN, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: We are Trump people.

ZELENY (voice-over): Haley was a fine governor, they said, but her pointed criticism of Trump has soured their view.

BALDWIN: It's a waste of time and money. Now, I think they're using her. She is being used.

LINDA BALDWIN, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: I think she needs to step down.

ZELENY (voice-over): Senator Tim Scott who cast his early vote for Trump told us, a prolonged Haley candidacy was not good for the party or country.

SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): The one person that stands in the way of having a conversation between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is Nikki Haley. And so, getting out of the way is incredibly important.

ZELENY (voice-over): Don Lassey, a Marine veteran, sees it differently.

DON LASSEY, SOUTH CAROLINA VOTER: Any vote for Donald Trump is a vote for Putin.

ZELENY (voice-over): He is a lifelong Republican --

LASSEY: I voted for Richard Nixon. I voted for Ronald Reagan. I voted for John McCain. I voted for Mitt Romney. I voted for George H. Bush. I like Republicans, but I like mostly honest Republicans.

ZELENY (voice-over): -- and believes Trump will become more vulnerable as the campaign goes on, given his legal and foreign policy challenges. If Haley doesn't prevail, he is already weighing his options.

LASSEY: Lesser of two evils is either Kennedy or Biden. I would like to pick Kennedy, but I'm not sure he will beat Trump. So, I will go Biden.

ZELENY: In the closing days and hours of this campaign, Haley is saying that she doesn't care about her political future. She said, if I did, I would be out of the race by now, clearly trying to make her campaign as something more about her, about the party and indeed the country. Now, there is no question some Trump supporters find her candidacy to be an annoyance. Other Republicans view her as more of an insurance policy should something happen with Donald Trump if he becomes the nominee. In either case, the outcome of the South Carolina primary here on Saturday will certainly set the course for the next chapter of this race, if she'll have enough financial support to keep going forward. For her part, she says she is in until at least Super Tuesday next month.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. For more on what to expect in Saturday's South Carolina primary, I want to bring in Gavin Jackson. He has covered South Carolina politics for more than a decade, and is the host of the TV show "This Week in South Carolina". Gavin, great to see you. I mean, was that not an extraordinary view of what voters are thinking and feeling there in South Carolina? It really paints a real clear picture of the complication of this race.

So, the polls show Trump with a big lead despite this being Nikki Haley's home state. She was a former governor. But, there isn't a clear path to victory for her thus far, just listening and gauging from those voters. So, if that's the case, then what would be considered a strong showing or at least an impressive showing for her, I guess, to justify her staying in the race?

GAVIN JACKSON, HOST, THIS WEEK IN SOUTH CAROLINA & SOUTH CAROLINA LEDE PODCAST: Yeah, Fred. Jeff's reporting was spot on. That's exactly what I'm hearing from folks too hear on the ground as we criss-cross the state on Nikki's bus tour these past two weeks, hitting small towns and big towns across the state alike. And when it comes down to victory, we've been asking her about that in New Hampshire. Right? So, we saw her lose to Donald Trump at 32 points in Iowa, 11 points in New Hampshire.

[08:40:00]

She says -- closing that gap further is what she considers a victory here. She has been upfront knowing that it is Trump country in South Carolina. Even though, like you said, it is her home state, she was governor here from 2010 through 2017. So, South Carolina knows her. But, her base is somewhat limited and in her ceiling is somewhat smaller than Donald Trump's, of course. So, she is really trying to pull a lot of different folks from the fray into this primary, some disaffected Democrats that didn't vote on February 3, some more independents, some moderate Republicans just trying to get those general election voters, that she says only vote in general elections, to turn out on Saturday at the primary booth.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, I mean, you just said something remarkable. You say South Carolina knows her. Then why hasn't Nikki Haley done better there in terms of polling? She was a popular governor of the state. But, I understand she wasn't always popular among Republican South Carolinians when she was governor. Is that part of the issue? Is that a carryover from that?

JACKSON: A little bit that, Fred. I mean, she did arrive at the Tea Party way back in 2010. She is saying I was MAGA before MAGA existed. So, it's kind of funny to see how much has changed over these past 14 years since she first got into the governor's office, because now she is painted as a moderate, some even say a Democrat if you talk to Trump supporters. But, that can be further from the truth. I mean, you just heard her come out and support this IVF ruling in Alabama. So, kind of reiterating who Nikki Haley is when it comes to her Republican chops. But, yeah, when she was governor, she didn't really take much from

anybody, Democrats or Republicans. She would go hard against Republicans just as hard as Democrats until she got her way on certain things. She used that bully pulpit to her advantage. But, at the same time, she also united the state through tragedies, through hurricanes, the mother manual shooting. It was a very difficult time in our state in 2015. And she navigated that very, very handily. So, there is some give and take there. But again, of course, as we've seen with the political establishment here in South Carolina, they are all backing Donald Trump. They support Donald Trump, from our governor, lieutenant governor, Senator Tim Scott, Senator Lindsey Graham and the like.

So, she is using that to her advantage, saying I'm not part of that system. I broke that system when I first became governor, and I don't need it now.

WHITFIELD: She has vowed to stay in the race even if she doesn't do well in Saturday's primary there. Do you think she is thinking long game that it's beyond the White House? That is her motivation here?

JACKSON: But, I asked her about that, because I sat down with her on Sunday on her bus tour, asked her, is this some sort of setup for 2028 in the future where if this whole hypothetical goes forward and Donald Trump does become the Republican nominee and faces off against Joe Biden this fall, which, of course, Americans are not excited about? And should Joe Biden win the White House again, like Democrats have won all these races in the past big election cycles, then is this an I told you so moment, or you should have gone with me moment? She just felt that immediately, saying this is not about the future. This is about right now.

But, again, at the same time, it does really set her up for a future run. I don't see her being a part of this administration. She has made it pretty clear. She doesn't want to be VP. We hear Tim Scott is running for the beefsteaks at this point. I don't think she'd even be in administration or she would want to be an administration.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right. We shall see how it all plays out starting with tomorrow. South Carolina political reporter Gavin Jackson, great talking to you. Thanks so much.

JACKSON: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, Xi Jinping now echoing Putin when it comes to China's claims over Taiwan. We'll have that report after the break. Plus, this may be the silver lining from all of California's excessive rainfall recently. Straight ahead, why tourists are flocking to Death Valley of all places to see this and run their toes into that?

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[08:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: China is lashing out at U.S. lawmakers visiting Taiwan and promising continued support for the island with Beijing, calling it interference. This comes as China's leader Xi Jinping is taking a page out of Putin's playbook when it comes to Taiwan.

CNN's Will Ripley reports from Taipei.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is dangerous parallels between Vladimir Putin's ambitions in Ukraine and Xi Jinping's claims over Taiwan. In his recent softball interview with Tucker Carlson, Putin justified his brutal war in Ukraine, invoking historical grievances and nationalism.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (Interpreted): Suddenly, the Ukrainian soldiers were screaming from there in Russian, perfect Russian, saying Russians, do not surrender. And all of them perished. They still identify themselves as Russian.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Putin glossing over the fact thousands of Ukrainians have died, defending their democratic homeland from Putin's army, which has also suffered huge losses for tiny territorial gains. Xi Jinping echoes Putin's narrative, consistently framing China's claim over Taiwan through a lens of historical entitlement, national rejuvenation.

XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (Interpreted): People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese, and share a natural affinity and national identity built upon kinship and mutual assistance. This is a fact that can never be changed by anyone or any force.

RIPLEY: Here in Taiwan, poll after poll shows the majority of people identify as Taiwanese, not Chinese. That's not how President Xi sees things.

RIPLEY (voice-over): To back up his claims, Xi is expanding China's military at a pace the world hasn't seen in a century since before World War Two.

KOLAS YOTAKA, FMR. SPOKESWOMAN, TAIWAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE: We can't just keep up.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Former Taiwan presidential spokesperson Kolas Yotaka says both autocratic leaders pose a direct threat to the autonomy and democratic systems of Ukraine and Taiwan.

YOTAKA: Putin and Xi Jinping are similar because both of them believe they represent the old imperial power in their countries. They think they are the chosen ones and they want to stay in power forever. But, this is scary.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The Atlantic Council's Wen-Ti Sung says democratic nations need to unite against authoritarian aggression.

WEN-TI SUNG, NONRESIDENT FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: You hear Xi Jinping talk about the East is rising and the West is declining all the time. With the increased projected confidence comes increased demand for results to be delivered by Xi Jinping as well.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Critics of Russia and China's strongman leaders say the two nuclear superpowers threaten the norms of international relations, the very foundations of democracy and freedom.

RIPLEY: A high profile bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers is on the ground here in Taipei, and that is particularly infuriating for Xi and the Chinese Communist Party because the cornerstone of rejuvenating the Chinese nation in their view to a position of power and global stature is to take control of Taiwan, and they see this deepening relationship on all fronts with the United States, albeit an unofficial one, as a threat to that plan. Many here fear it may be only a matter of time before Xi like Putin puts his words into action.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And South Korea is raising its health alert to the highest level on Friday following a mass protest staged by more than 8,000 trainee doctors that forced hospitals to turn away patients and cancel procedures. Almost two thirds of the country's young doctors walked off the job to protest a government plan to increase the number of medical school students. Participating doctors say their issue is pay and working conditions, not the number of physicians. A large rally is expected in the country's capital on Sunday.

[08:50:00]

All right. Still to come, kayaking of all things at Death Valley, yes, thanks to California's back to back atmospheric rivers, it's turned the driest place in the U.S. into a top tourist destination. And she is having fun. That's our Stephanie Elam. Details coming up next.

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WHITFIELD: All right. When most people think of Death Valley, California, they imagine parched earth and oppressive heat, but not right now. This month, tourists are flocking to one of the hottest places, both literally and figuratively, on Earth to witness something quite unusual, a temporary lake right in the middle of one of the driest regions of America.

CNN's Stephanie Elam tells us what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tourists waiting in, kayakers paddling out. This is after all California. But, this is not the ocean. In fact, it's 282 feet below sea level. This is Death Valley, the lowest point in North America and the hottest place on Earth, now attracting visitors with its cool lake water. This group of friends drove in from Las Vegas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like a Garden of Eden once you think. I mean, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's -- you can check if off your bucket list and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- you don't know when it's going to happen again.

ELAM (voice-over): Like the Desert Oasis it is, the last time the lake appeared was 19 years ago. But, things are changing.

ABBY WINES, PARK RANGER, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK: The climate change models for this area predict warmer temperatures, which we are definitely seeing, and also more intense rainstorms.

ELAM (voice-over): Yet, even for park ranger Abbey Wines, the massive Lake Manly is a marvel.

WINES: Normally, there is a lot more evaporative potential than there is rainfall coming in, meaning that this is usually just a dry salt flat.

ELAM (voice-over): On average, Death Valley gets two inches of rain a year. But, in the last half year, the park has been walloped with nearly five inches of rain, Wines says, including from Tropical Storm Hillary last August.

WINES: That's rainiest day we've ever had on record.

ELAM (voice-over): This is what Badwater Basin usually looks like. This is what it looks like now. Even I couldn't resist getting out there.

ELAM: It's hard to overstate just how incredibly special and serene it is to kayak in Death Valley. Right now, Lake Manly is about six miles long and three miles wide, but it's only about a foot deep. Salty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Salty. Yeah.

ELAM (voice-over): Visitors are finding out just how salty the water is. Rangers say it's more of a sight to see than taste.

WINES: We haven't seen anything living in there.

ELAM: I mean, well, and also it's very salty,

WINES: It's just really salty.

ELAM: I mean, extremely salty.

WINES: It's too salty to drink. So, it's not going to help wildlife in the area at all.

ELAM (voice-over): But, no one is bitter about getting salt soaked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miraculous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surreal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Crazy.

ELAM (voice-over): If it means enjoying the magic of a dreamy lake in the driest place in North America.

ELAM: And if you do want to experience the lake for yourself, time is of the essence because as it starts to heat up here in the desert and that evaporation rate goes up, the lake will soon disappear.

[08:55:00]

Stephanie Elam, CNN, Death Valley, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Now is the time. Thanks, Stephanie.

All right. Speaking about amazing things, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory has captured an image of a strong solar flare. All right. Take a look. Can you see that bright white flash on the upper left of the Sun's surface? Well, that's what we're talking about. The space agency says these solar flares emitted by the Sun have the power to impact radio communications, electric power grids, and pose risks to spacecraft.

All right. Thank you so much for joining me here in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Connect the World with Becky Anderson is up next.

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