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Deadly Earthquake In Tibet; Justin Trudeau Resigns; Trump Calls Jan. 6 "Day Of Love" Republicans Push Back; Trump Says January 6 Pardons Coming First Hour of Presidency; Far-Right Politician Tasked With Forming Governing Coalition in Austria; Elon Musk Takes Aim at U.S. Partners in Europe. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired January 07, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:40]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead. Dozens of people are dead after a powerful earthquake rocked China's remote Tibet region. We are live in Beijing with the latest details.

Justin Trudeau resigns. The embattled Canadian Prime Minister says he will step down from the job once his party picks a new leader.

And the scars of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol are keeping some American families divided even four years later. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan speaks to a son who now fears for his life after helping to put his dad in jail.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. And we begin with the breaking news out of Tibet where Chinese state media report at least 53 people have been killed in a powerful earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 7.1 quake struck just after 9:00 a.m. local time, followed by dozens of aftershocks. Chinese authorities say the shaking could be felt as far away as Nepal and northern India.

So, let's get right to CNN's Marc Stewart. He joins us live from Beijing. So Marc, what more are you learning about casualties and damage resulting from this earthquake? And of course, the search and rescue efforts underway?

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, we may get a much better picture as to what rescue teams are going to be facing. In the next 30 minutes or so, that is when the Chinese government, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holds its daily press briefing. Perhaps we will get some more figures about the death toll, about the destruction and exactly what the Chinese government is doing to respond.

It was just about an hour ago that we received a statement from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who called for an all-out effort when it comes to rescue as well as any kind of recovery victims. There are a number of challenges that we have seen being posed, namely from this video because of the extent of the damage, especially to infrastructure. There have been power outages, there have been communication problems with phone lines.

Not to mention some of the roads have been covered in rubble, making it very difficult for the rescue teams to help people who may be in need. Another issue is the weather. Of course, it is winter time, no snow on the ground, but very cold temperatures, and we are just a few hours away from nightfall. The Chinese government has, as you've been seeing from some of those pictures, mobilized a number of forces.

Helicopters, soldiers, military personnel, have all been told to be ready to deploy, as we saw from some of the video. Already, people have been put into action. A drone also has been made available to get a better idea from above as to the extent of what the damage exactly is. This happened -- the epicenter, at least, happened in a very remote area, the largest city about 100 miles away that being Shigatse.

That is notable because there is a scenic point to see, Mount Everest. That area has also been closed indefinitely. Let me also tell you that we have been scouring social media, and we are hearing from people who said that they felt tremors and that they were asleep and that it woke them up. One person commenting that they saw rocks fall. So, Rosemary, the next 30 minutes or so, we should get an update from Chinese social from Chinese government officials.

This all happening about two weeks prior to the start of the Chinese New Year, a very special, a sacred time of year here in China. At least one person commenting on the timing of all of this relating to what should be a very joyous time ahead in China, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. We will certainly reach out to you when you get more information. Marc Stewart, appreciate you joining us live from Beijing with that report.

Well, political turmoil has erupted in Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his decision to step down after almost a decade in power.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTINE TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Last night, over dinner, I told my kids about the decision that I'm sharing with you today. I intend to resign as party leader as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mr. Trudeau essentially said that although he is a fighter, he can't possibly keep fighting in what will be a difficult election if he has to keep fighting internal battles within his own Liberal Party has been facing growing demands for his resignation with the liberals lagging far behind the conservatives in polling ahead of the general election later this year. The race to replace him is now getting underway with Mr. Trudeau staying on in a caretaker role for the time being.

The Canadian Parliament will be suspended until March 24th as a new party leader and Prime Minister are chosen. Meaning no significant government business will be getting done in that time. Well, during his resignation speech, the Prime Minister listed his administration's response to the COVID pandemic and support for Ukraine as some of his proudest achievements. CNN's Paula Newton picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUDEAU: I intend to resign as party leader as prime minister.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Canada's Justin Trudeau announced he would step down as both Liberal Party leader and prime minister when his party chooses a new leader. Trudeau ending months of turmoil about his future with a reluctant goodbye.

One of the country's youngest ever leaders, Trudeau promised to usher in sunny ways when he was first elected in 2015. But nearly a decade later, members of his own party recently joined a growing chorus of Canadians who wanted the sun to set on his tenure.

Amid plummeting opinion polls, Trudeau's Liberal Party was widely expected to lose a general election later this year if he remained as prime minister. Still, for months, he said he had no intention of resigning.

TRUDEAU: Like most families, sometimes we have fights around the holidays. But of course, like most families, we find our way through it.

NEWTON (voice-over): Despite calls to resign from his own members of parliament, Trudeau insisted that he was best placed to fight Canada's corner as President-elect Donald Trump threatens 25 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Canada, which is home to about 40 million people and one of America's largest trading partners.

But last month, even Trudeau's finance minister and longtime ally, Chrystia Freeland, resigned from his cabinet, leaving him on even shakier ground with a blunt resignation letter accusing the prime minister of using costly political gimmicks at the expense of Canada's fiscal health. Freeland added that the government needed to start pushing back against America First economic nationalism.

A former high school teacher and the eldest son of Pierre Trudeau, one of Canada's most well-known prime ministers, Trudeau was elected three times. He became a poster child for the country's progressive agenda on the global stage, seen as an antidote to Trump during the incoming U.S. president's first term.

His government pursued policies on alleviating child poverty, gender equity, cutting middle class taxes, and the legalization of cannabis. And while he was generally praised for his handling of the pandemic, voter sentiment has soured since. High inflation, an affordable housing crisis, and an increase in legal immigration have tested Trudeau's government.

TRUDEAU: We continue to handle migration seriously.

NEWTON (on camera): And will that include taking migrants that sometimes even present themselves at the southern border or taking migrants directly from the United States?

TRUDEAU: Canada's always willing to do more. We just need to make sure we're doing it in responsible, proper ways to continue to have our citizens positive towards immigration as Canadians always are.

NEWTON (voice-over): Now that Trudeau is resigning, once a new Liberal Party leader is in place, an election will follow by summer or early fall at the latest.

Former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly are all considering a run for the Liberal leadership.

Pierre Poilievre's opposition Conservative Party currently holds a more than 20 percent lead over the Liberals in polling averages.

Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.

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[02:10:00]

CHURCH: Eric Farnsworth is the vice president of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas. He joins me now from Washington. Appreciate you being with us.

ERIC FARNSWORTH, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAS SOCIETY AND COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: Good to be with you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, after nearly a decade in power, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau abruptly announced his resignation Monday. Why now and what went so terribly wrong for Trudeau do you think?

FARNSWORTH: Well, you know, the announcement may have been abrupt, but this has been building for some time. The Liberals are deeply unpopular in Canada. They lost some important by elections last June. Their coalition partners, the NDP pulled out in September, and the caucus itself, the Liberal caucus itself began to question Trudeau's leadership over the autumn. But I think the major precipitating event was really the resignation of Chrystia Freeland, who is Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.

She resigned for a variety of reasons, but she left with a scathing letter that you made public, which really questioned the direction that Trudeau was taking the country, particularly as Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated south of the Canadian border here on January 20th. So, the timing has been building for a while, but I think it just became clear that with elections that have to be held this year.

The caucus itself was beginning to question whether Trudeau was the horse that they wanted to ride, and he was getting that message.

CHURCH: So how necessary is the resignation of Trudeau for Canada to move forward?

FARNSWORTH: Well, a lot of people would say it's very necessary, but the way that it would normally be done, would he would be -- he would call elections. I mean, elections, as I mentioned, have to be held this year by October. And the normal process would be he would call them and contest them. But what he's done is something that's slightly different. He's actually resigned as leader of the Liberal Party, but says that he'll remain as Prime Minister until the Liberals determine who their next leader will be and who the next prime minister would be.

And that's really important, because in doing so, he suspended their parliament, which means that the country is really put on hold politically, until the Liberals decide their own intra caucus politics. It's a really important scenario because the country is going through some important changes. Not to say again, the relationship is shifting with the United States. So, as the country goes through some political instability, you're going to have a new prime minister and then presumably you'll have to have a new election after that.

So, you could actually have three Canadian Prime Ministers this year, 2025. It's a process that really adds some instability north of the U.S. border.

CHURCH: So, with that in mind, what impact will Trudeau's resignation likely have on the country once his replacement is selected in a few months and who is best equipped to replace him?

FARNSWORTH: Well, I guess it depends on who the Liberals put forward as his replacement, but the early commentary would suggest that indeed anybody who they do would try to broadly continue the same policies of the Trudeau administration, which have been rejected now by the Canadian populace. So, the opposition conservatives are polling at least 20 points ahead of the liberals.

And so, if the election were held today, the Conservatives would most likely win handily. Nonetheless, you hear folks like Mr. Freeland named as potential replacements for Trudeau. There are a number of others as well. We'll have to see how that works going forward. But at the end of the day, what the real shift is going to take place in the elections themselves, when the liberals and the other political parties will have to contest the conservatives who are clearly in the lead at this point.

CHURCH: And U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is taking credit for Trudeau's resignation after his relentless attacks on the Canadian leader, along with his threat to impose new 25 percent tariffs. How big a part did Trump actually play in Trudeau downfall? FARNSWORTH: Well, it's a really important question, but I don't think we can actually determine the answer. At the end of the day, politics are local, and Trudeau would have made the determination based on the support he had in his own caucus and more broadly among Canadians themselves. U.S. citizens and the U.S. president don't vote in Canada, but having said that, President-elect Trump clearly has made a most of trolling Prime Minister Trudeau over the last several weeks and months, in a way that a number of people think are just jokes.

But other people are -- think are quite serious and that is something that has diminished the prime minister in the public eyes and clearly caused some to question whether he had the political weight to be able to stand up to somebody like Donald Trump in the face of such onslaught. Particularly, again, if the U.S. does go forward with 25 percent tariffs on Canadian products.

That will really stress the Canadian economy which is already in trouble and that's in some ways why the Liberals are so unpopular.

[02:15:06]

So, this could simply compound the issues that Canadians are facing and I think it's one reason why the Prime Minister decided that now is probably a time to bow out and let somebody else try to take the -- take the mantle.

CHURCH: Eric Farnsworth, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

FARNSWORTH: Thanks very much for having me. It's good to be with you.

CHURCH: The U.S. Congress has officially paved the way for Donald Trump's inauguration as the nation's 47th president later this month by certifying his electoral victory. A peaceful scene right now in Washington, D.C. where lawmakers on Monday braved a snow storm to attend the certification.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D) UNITED STATES DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: This announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected, president and vice president of the United States. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Vice President Kamala Harris who lost to Trump in November, fulfilled her role as president of the senate and oversaw the proceedings that made her opponents win official. Harris praised the peaceful transfer of power as "what should be the norm?" January 6, of course, has become a Day of Infamy in the US. Monday's proceedings served as a stark contrast to four years ago, when some of Trump's supporters violently stormed the Capitol, interrupting the certification of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential victory.

Despite backlash at the time, even from Trump himself, that condemnation has since turned into an attempt to rewrite history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: They were there proud. They were there with love in their heart. That was an unbelievable and it was a beautiful day and it was love and peace. And some people went to the Capitol, and a lot of strange things happened there. You had a peaceful -- very peaceful. I left. I left the morning that I was supposed to leave, I went to Florida and you had a very peaceful transfer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Now, as he prepares to take office, once again, Trump has promised pardons for many of the rioters who attacked the Capitol on that day. And on Monday, one of them, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the so-called Proud Boys, who is serving 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, formally requested a pardon. His lawyer called him, "a young man with an aspiring future ahead of him."

Well, despite the smooth certification on Monday, Donald Trump, it seems, still isn't satisfied claiming on social media that Joe Biden is making the transition difficult. I spoke with Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and he points out complicating the transfer of power is something Trump himself is all too familiar with.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: President Trump would know how to make a transition difficult because that's precisely what he did four years ago, when he refused to let the Biden teams in each department land in that department and do some prep work prior to January 20th. And when he refused to meet with President and Mrs. Biden, as did the first lady at the time, Melania Trump, and when he refused to show up at the actual inauguration as well as, of course, contesting the election.

So, he knows exactly how to make it difficult for a transition. Joe Biden has done none of that. He has actually been more cooperative than almost any other transition that I've experienced and lived through. Perhaps Trump is referring to the fact that Biden is taking a series of last-minute actions that Trump disagrees with, like protecting the coasts on both east and west coast from oil drilling, which I think most people in America would support. But, of course, Donald Trump is a big supporter of the oil and gas industry.

CHURCH: And Larry, some of the more violent January 6 rioters currently serving out sentences in prison, are now asking for pardons from Trump, including the former Proud Boys leader. How will trump likely deal with this issue given Senator Lindsey Graham is warning Trump not to pardon any of the violent rioters?

SABATO: Trump would be wise to take Graham's advice. Of course, frequently he does not. He does not take anyone's advice. Now look, if he pardons all of the individuals who have already been arrested and sentenced, something close to 1200 I believe, at this point, and there are several 100 more who are coming up for sentencing. If he pardons them all, including the many, many dozens of these rioters, these insurrectionists who actually attacked 140 policemen doing serious damage to many of them, and of course, four either died of a stroke or committed suicide in the days following the January 6 riots.

If he does that, I think it's going to cost him a number of percentage points in his 50/50 approval level that he has right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And you can catch my full interview with Larry Sabato next hour. Coming up. The fragile cease fire between Israel and Hezbollah is holding so far, but a deadline is looming for the terms of the deal to be fulfilled. We will have the details next.

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[02:22:45]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, more than a month after signing a cease fire agreement, Lebanon says Israeli forces are withdrawing from a key southern town. The Lebanese military says it's now started to deploy its own forces there, in coordination with the U.N. interim force in Lebanon which is monitoring the end of hostilities in the region. The deal that ended the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah calls for the Iran-backed fighters to withdraw from South Lebanon, which Israel argues isn't happening fast enough.

CNN's Tamara Qiblawi reports on why the Litani River in Lebanon is so significant to the truce.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIONS WRITER (on camera): This is the Litani River. It flows from Lebanon's Beqaa Valley through its rolling hills and into the Mediterranean just a few kilometers from Israel's northern border. Now this is also at the heart of the U.S. brokerage agreement, designed to end the conflict that raged between Israel and Lebanon last fall and to prevent another one from erupting.

To the south of here, this is where Hezbollah has maintained a robust presence of Iran-backed fighters for more than 40 years, facing off with Israeli forces in and around the Lebanon-Israel border. But all of that is set to change dramatically if a fragile truce between Israel and Lebanon is to be maintained. Hezbollah has agreed to withdraw its forces to the north of this river, creating a de facto buffer zone with Israel.

Hezbollah has about 20 more days to carry out its side of the bargain the. Israel says this isn't happening fast enough that Hezbollah is dragging its feet.

QIBLAWI (voice-over): And Israel has breached the agreement hundreds of times, mostly near the border since the end of the war around 40 days ago. Israel is also meant to withdraw from Lebanon under the terms of the deal.

QIBLAWI (on camera): Now, Israel is also threatening to pull out of the cease fire agreement completely and to keep Israeli troops in Lebanon until further notice. It's an incredibly delicate phase that could trigger further violence or a lasting calm and it could determine whether this river stands at the threshold of Lebanon's past or its future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: New video verified by CNN shows intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces in Russia's Kursk region.

[0225:09]

Footage shared by the Ukrainian army shows armored vehicles and artillery and drone attacks against Russian troops. Ukraine has held ground in southern Kursk region since its incursion in August. Ukrainian military officials say they have launched counter attacks to prevent Russian forces from pushing them out of the area. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian troops are maintaining a buffer zone, and the operation will protect Ukraine's battlefields.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): The Russians have deployed their strongest units to the Kursk region, including soldiers from North Korea. It is important that the occupier cannot now direct all this force to our other areas, in particular to the Donetsk region, against Sumi to Kharkiv or Zaporizhzhia. I thank all our soldiers who are bringing the war back home to Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russia claims to have repelled these counter attacks, and says its forces have prevented Ukrainian troops from breaking through to a village in Kursk. CNN is unable to verify battlefield reports.

Azerbaijan's president is accusing Russia of a cover up in that deadly plane crash in Kazakhstan. He met with survivors and relatives of the victims in Baku on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized for what he called the tragic incident, but did not take responsibility for the crash. At least 38 people were killed on the Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku to the Russian Republic of Chechnya.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ILHAM ALIYEV, PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN (through translator): The cover up of this incident by Russian state agencies and the focus on absurd theories caused a surprise, regret and rightful indignation. Innocent people died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Russian air defenses were firing on Ukrainian drones in the area at the time of the crash and investigators believe the passenger plane may have been hit.

Still to come. The unease surrounding possible January 6 pardons hits home for some families. Our Donie O'Sullivan speaks with the son who now fears for His life after helping put his father in prison.

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CHURCH: Donald Trump becomes the next U.S. president in 13 days, and it couldn't come sooner for the more than 1500 people charged with crimes connected to the January 6 insurrection four years ago. Trump told Time magazine he will issue pardons in his presidency's first hour.

[02:30:06]

The issue has not just split the nation, but also a family where a son turned in and later testified against his own father, who for now remains in prison. Donie O'Sullivan has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If Trump pardons your dad, what's your biggest fear?

JACKSON REFFITT, SON OF JANUARY 6TH CONVICT: You know, just getting shot in the street. I don't know.

O'SULLIVAN: By your father?

J. REFFITT: By my father, by someone he knows. There's a bunch of people that I don't know and I don't know their intent. So -- you want to help me lift this?

O'SULLIVAN: Sure.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): This is Jackson Reffitt.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you want me to take this end here? Or how do we do this?

J. REFFITT: Yes, please.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): He says he's moving out of his rental home and into hiding for his own safety.

J. REFFITT: Bought a gun because I got so paranoid and moving out because I'm scared.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you know how to fire a gun?

J. REFFITT: Yeah, I've been shooting it.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you have it on you right now?

J. REFFITT: Yeah, I have to wear it around the house kind of often just to get used to how it feels. O'SULLIVAN: OK.

J. REFFITT: But I'm part of that, like --

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Jackson's dad is Guy Reffitt, who was a member of the Texas Three Percenter militia.

GUY REFFITT, JACKSON REFFITT'S FATHER: And I just kept going, go forward, go forward. I couldn't even see, bro.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): He's serving a more than seven-year sentence for his role in the January 6th Capitol attack. Refit was convicted of five felonies, including carrying a firearm on Capitol grounds.

O'SULLIVAN: So you reported your dad to the FBI?

J. REFFITT: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: That's what got him arrested, basically?

J. REFFITT: More or less, yeah.

O'SULLIVAN: What effect has that had on your family?

J. REFFITT: It's destroyed it.

O'SULLIVAN: Was there a moment where you thought I know my dad has done all this stuff, but I don't want to report him?

J. REFFITT: Yeah, I still feel horrible. Of course. Like, I -- I can't get over it, but I don't regret it.

O'SULLIVAN: When was the last time you spoke to your dad?

J. REFFITT: Five months ago, it was the first time I talked to him and it was just a crying fest for the first 10 minutes, and that was great. And then, I brought up the fact that I'm worried about him getting out and he was almost puzzled, like he was confused as to why I thought that.

O'SULLIVAN: Are you overreacting?

J. REFFITT: No, I get death threats daily, hourly at this point.

NICOLE REFFITT, JACKSON REFFITT'S MOTHER: Unbeknownst to us, it was our 18-year-old son who turned his dad into the FBI.

CROWD: What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did he do it?

N. REFFITT: My son is a declared Democratic socialist.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Jackson's mom, Nicole has become one of the most prominent people campaigning for the release of people serving time for January 6th. Nicole left Texas and moved to Washington, D.C. where she takes part in a nightly vigil out here, outside the city's jail.

O'SULLIVAN: You've been coming here for hundreds of nights.

N. REFFITT: Almost 900.

O'SULLIVAN: Why?

N. REFFITT: You know, after I saw what happened to my husband, I could not sit on my hands at home anymore.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you wish Guy didn't come here on January 6th?

N. REFFITT: No. I'm glad he stood up for something.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Every night, January 6th prisoners from around the country call into the vigil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Continue holding the line. This thing's almost done.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Including Guy Reffitt who recently called in to wish Nicole a happy birthday.

G. REFFITT: Happy Birthday. Sorry, I couldn't get you something better than 80 months (ph), but you know (inaudible).

O'SULLIVAN: Are you confident that Trump will let your husband walk free?

N. REFFITT: I feel like Trump is a man of his words.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the next step for your family?

N. REFFITT: To continue to fight together.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Nicole is sometimes joined in D.C. by her two daughters, Jackson's sisters who've been caught in the middle of a divided family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is not shown (ph) on my father.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have nothing against Jackson. Jackson is my brother. I love him. I love him no more than I love my father. I love my father. I love my family.

N. REFFITT: From the beginning, the girls and I have received hundreds of mailed death threats. I'm not talking about online things. I'm talking about rape to my daughters, death to my husband, death to me.

O'SULLIVAN: You don't think Jackson has to be afraid of his dad?

N. REFFITT: No.

O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.

N. REFFITT: I think that's been put on the record several times.

O'SULLIVAN: So why is Jackson still afraid?

N. REFFITT: I just think that it's the same thing where people think this red hat on my head is scary and dangerous. It's that same mentality. Jackson comes from a lot of love and there's a lot of love left to be given.

CROWD: And justice for all.

J. REFFITT: I mean, I love my mom, of course. I love her.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you love your dad?

J. REFFITT: Of course, I love my dad. I love my dad, but I can't -- I can't feel safe around him. I hate having to put myself in this situation, to feel some sort of comfort after the election and what's going to happen when my dad gets pardoned, when all these hundreds of people get pardoned, and all these thousands of people get validated for their actions. And I'm one of those people that they call a traitor. And my dad once said traitors get shot. So that's been ringing in my head for years and years and years.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): In a message from prison, Guy Reffitt said that Jackson has never had anything to worry about from me, and he will never have anything to worry about from me ever.

O'SULLIVAN: If your dad's watching this, what's your message to him?

J. REFFITT: That I love him and that I hope he gets better. And I hope I get better too. I hope I grow out of this paranoia right now and that I really thought what I did was right.

[02:35:00]

I thought I did what I did to protect him and my family and the people around him, and the people he could have hurt.

CHURCH: Well, it's Elon Musk versus Keir Starmer, the online war of words between the world's richest man and the British Prime Minister, but the fight doesn't end there. That's just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. An extreme far-right politician in Austria is now one step closer to becoming chancellor. This comes after Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen asked the leader of the pro-Russian Freedom Party to form a coalition government. Herbert Kickl heads that party and has one of Austria's lowest approval ratings.

Earlier this week, negotiations to former government among Austria's mainstream parties collapsed, protestors gathered in Vienna to denounce Kickl's possible chancellorship saying he takes the country closer to an ugly Nazi past. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONI, PROTESTER (through translator): A return of a fascist state. We say that we have learned something from our history, but then at the same time, we elect a chancellor like Kickl and leave him in power. We have learned nothing from the past.

PETRA, PROTESTER (through translator): In my view, this will be a very right-wing extremist government that unfortunately stands for social cuts. And whether we can keep our democracy and our constitution as it is now is also very questionable for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A battle is brewing between Elon Musk and some of Europe's political leaders. The world's richest man is testing his strength against key U.S. partners and aligning himself with far-right populous leaders. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Elon Musk is gunning for world leaders in his crosshairs U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, alleging failings in a child sexual abuse scandal when Starmer was the U.K.'s chief prosecutor more than a decade ago, and posting this question to his followers, if America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government? Starmer firing back.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We've seen this playbook many times, whipping up of intimidation and threats of violence.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Musk's inaccurate and sensationalist accusations are catching U.K. politicians off guard.

[02:40:00]

His trolling of Starmer is not new. Last summer, claiming racist riots were tipping the U.K. into civil war. But this and his international meddling is reaching new levels. Since becoming President-elect Donald Trump's adviser, Musk's words have more muscle.

The power pair have teamed up on calls with world leaders, notably with Volodymyr Zelenskyy one day after the U.S. presidential elections. But it is Musk's right-wing push picking up on what former Trump's Strategist and Adviser, Steve Bannon, began eight years ago, championing Europe's far-right populist disruptors that has Europe's leaders worried.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): 10 years ago, if we'd been told that the owner of the largest social media networks would support an international reactionary movement and directly intervene in elections, including Germany --

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Musk also supporting the hard-right, AfD, Alternative for Germany Party, which has been accused of resurrecting Nazi rhetoric ahead of elections there next month. But Musk is going further right than Bannon, attacking a staunch Trump ally, Nigel Farage, saying Farage doesn't have what it takes to lead his upstart, Reform U.K. Party.

Farage, the British populist who pushed Brexit just hours before Musk's put down, had counted the tech titan a supporter who might finance his fledgling party.

NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, U.K. REFORM PARTY: The fact that he supports me politically and supports reform doesn't mean I have to agree with every single statement he makes on X.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Why the falling out, possibly differences over this man known as Tommy Robinson, a jailed anti-Muslim campaigner who found the flames of racist riots last summer. Musk praises him; Farage doesn't. The question in Europe now, how far right will Musk go?

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is up next. Then, I will be back in 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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