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CNN This Morning

Tornadoes in Tennessee Leaves At Least Six Dead; University of Pennsylvania President Resigns Amid Backlash Over Antisemitism Testimony; Trump to Testify Again in Civil, Fraud Trial on Monday; Biden, GOP Contenders on the Campaign Trail; House GOP Could Launch Biden Impeachment Inquiry on Tuesday. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired December 10, 2023 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:41]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It's Sunday, December 10th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Amara Walker. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Here's what we're watching for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything just, like, exploded. This is what it really felt like. It felt like everything exploded. Like a lot of pressure built up and just popped.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: At least six people are dead after tornadoes ripped through Tennessee overnight. We are hearing of significant damage in some towns and a state of emergency remains in effect. Also, we're tracking a threat for more severe storms today.

BLACKWELL: Two University of Pennsylvania leaders have stepped down after the highly criticized testimony about antisemitism on campus. The reaction coming in to those resignations.

WALKER: Former President Trump is expected to testify in the New York civil fraud case against him despite advice from his attorneys not to do so. The potential legal implications of the decision.

BLACKWELL: The House is preparing to vote on an impeachment inquiry into President Biden this week. How the White House is responding just ahead on CNN THIS MORNING.

We begin, though, in Tennessee where rescue crews are searching for survivors. Tornadoes and strong thunderstorms tore through the state. At least six people are dead, dozens more are injured. Three people, including a child, were killed in Clarksville.

Look at this video. You see the tornado churning across Clarksville in a road there. Debris is thrown into trees. Power lines are being ripped down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Oh, my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Another video from Nashville shows a tornado moving through the city, causing electrical flashes as we just saw and then an explosion. Officials in Nashville say another three people were killed there by the storm. The mayor declared a state of emergency saying the storm turned the world upside down for many in their community.

And we are tracking the threat for more storms again today. Meteorologist Elisa Raffa is here now. Hello, Elisa. Welcome to the CNN family. We are still seeing storms firing up this morning. What can you tell us?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we still have alerts out for additional tornadoes. And yesterday that line was just so intense as the warnings were coming out. The National Weather Service was using a wording like large, dangerous, considerable damage likely and we are seeing that in images this morning.

So far, 24 reported tornadoes. We already have a few of those confirmed. They will need to be doing a lot of surveying of that damage to further confirm those tornadoes.

Here is a look at the radar right now. Showers stretching from upstate New York down to the Gulf Coast. We are focusing on the south here this morning where we still have some tornado warnings here. There's one on the border of Alabama headed into Georgia for a brief tornado there.

We have a tornado watch that continues this morning until 9:00 a.m., includes parts of Alabama and then southern Georgia. Cities like Macon included. It's just to the south there of Atlanta as the threat continues for a few tornadoes from this same front.

That front continues to slide east today. There is the threat from D.C. down to the Florida Panhandle. This pocket right here in eastern Carolinas, that's where the highest tornado threat will be today. A few additional tornadoes possible there as the threat a little bit more isolated in the green but still watching out for some damaging wind gusts to 60 or 70 miles per hour.

Here is a look, fast forwarding through the day, you can see the showers and storms really igniting headed into Charlotte as we go into the afternoon. Pushing east, later on today, and then look at the pop. Cold air rushes in behind this, pumps some snow along the Appalachian Mountains and then starts to work its way north.

We are talking about heavy rain and snow from areas like New York and Boston. Rain along the coast and then some snow in interior New England could be looking at some total of six to eight inches, up to a foot possible. So, the heavy rain posing a flood risk from Maine down to D.C. where some two to four inches of rain is possible there. We will have to watch out for that as we go through the weekend. You can see some of these totals really piling up. Those yellows from New York to Boston showing the heavy rain and again, like I mentioned, multi hazard system looking at up to a foot of snow in some places, too.

BLACKWELL: Busy, potentially dangerous day ahead. Elisa, thank you so much. Well, the backlash against three university presidents over their comments to Congress about antisemitism has claimed the first jobs.

[06:05:07]

Now some resignations we're seeing. University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill has resigned along with the head of the school's board of trustees.

WALKER: It comes after Magill and the presidents of Harvard and MIT were asked if calling for the genocide of Jews would violate their universities' codes of conduct. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Victor, and back-to-back resignation announcements. The president of the University of Pennsylvania announced that she would be stepping down from her position just moments before the university official who made her announcement also said that he, too, would be resigning. Liz Magill announced on Saturday that she would be stepping down from her position as UPenn president. Per a university statement she will remain tenured faculty at the university's law school and agreed to stay on while they find an interim replacement.

As we reported, students, faculty, really the community in general has said that they lost confidence in Magill after Tuesday's congressional hearing in which she and the presidents of MIT and Harvard failed to explicitly say that calls for genocide of Jews would immediately violate their universities' codes of conduct.

Now, moments after Magill's announcement, Scott Bok said that he too would be stepping down as the chair of the university's board of trustees. In a statement, Bok wrote, "Former President Liz Magill last week made a very unfortunate misstep." He then goes on to write, "Following that, it became clear that her position was no longer tenable, and she and I concurrently decided that it was time for her to exit."

Bok also defending Magill calling her a good person, a talented leader, and in his words not the slightest bit antisemitic. Also interesting in Bok's statement, he offered some potential insight into what may have been Magill's state of mind at the time of that disastrous hearing. As Bok wrote that she was not herself at the time that she was being questioned by lawmakers, that she was -- quote -- "over prepared, over lawyered" and that she provided a legalistic answer to a moral question and that, Bok says, was wrong. Amara, Victor. WALKER: All right. Polo, thank you. So, reaction to Magill's resignation is already coming in from the University of Pennsylvania students and faculty.

BLACKWELL: A Jewish student who is suing the university over alleged antisemitism on campus says it is more than incidental, but it's an endemic part of campus culture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EYAL YAKOBY, UPENN STUDENT SUING UNIVERSITY: I think this has been a problem for a long time coming. And I think what the congressional hearing showed the world is what a lot of us have been saying for a while, is that there is an indifference to antisemitism and a culture of hostility that has been brewing on campus for some time now. And I think if the true cultural change is meant to happen and should happen, then Magill is just one figure that has allowed this to happen, and there are continuous steps that need to be taken in order to safeguard and protect all students on campus from such hatred and hostility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Joining me now is CNN political analyst and historian, and Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer. Julian, a pleasure to have you on this morning. I want to get your reaction --

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you.

WALKER: -- to that student's comments there regarding a culture of hostility, you know, at some of these elite institutions. You are a professor at Princeton University. What are your thoughts on this culture of hostility, especially against the Jewish community?

ZELIZER: Look, antisemitism is a problem. It has been a problem. It exists. I think overall, certainly in our campus, conditions have been pretty good and students have been handling this difficult debate in constructive ways. But it will require strong leadership to make sure that the balance between free speech and the safety of students is being maintained. And I think that is going to be important in the coming months.

WALKER: That was a sudden fall for Liz Magill, the president of UPenn, she will remain as the interim president, I should say, and she will also stay on as a tenured professor at the law school there at UPenn. But I guess it doesn't come as a surprise considering just the backlash. What are your thoughts on her resignation?

ZELIZER: Well, look, that was a very difficult and damaging social media moment during the hearings. Leadership sometimes requires more than legal answers. It requires a kind of emotional answer. And I think, you know, that moment went viral, as we say, and people lost confidence.

But I do hope we can focus on campuses, campus policy and nurturing a good student life for debate because we need universities at this moment to have the discussions, the difficult discussions that are necessary that are difficult to do outside campus life.

[06:10:14]

WALKER: Right. Debate is necessary and, of course, universities are usually the gathering point where people come to debate these difficult issues, but there has got to be a line drawn, you say, between debate and hate speech.

ZELIZER: Absolutely. And I don't think it's always as easy as it seems for university leaders to construct and find out how to do that perfectly. But we need to give leaders space right now because it has to be done well.

I do think most students are working very hard to maintain the kind of culture that we're talking about. And ultimately, I hope this can come from the students rather than from just the leadership or people outside the university.

WALKER: What about the confidence that the people have or the students and faculty that you think may have in the presidents of Harvard and -- Claudine Gay, and MIT? I do want to show a quick tweet on X from Elise Stefanik, who is, obviously, the congresswoman who questioned these presidents. And she said -- she was, obviously, celebrating the resignation of Liz Magill.

And she writes, "One down. Two to go. This is only the very beginning of addressing the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has destroyed the most prestigious higher education institutions in America."

Is it inevitable that the others will have to step down?

ZELIZER: No, it's not inevitable, nor do I think her comments should just be taken at face value. I think a lot of universities are doing a very good job right now. Many university leaders, including, you know, some who are talked about all the time are actually creating pretty good environments for debate. And I hope the congresswoman also looks at her own party that has been criticized rightly for many years now, for allowing organizations that traffic in antisemitism to rise right to the top. So, again, I think handling this in the political arena is not always the best place for constructive outcomes.

WALKER: I do want to play a clip for you from "Saturday Night Live." I am not sure if you've got to see some of that where they roasted both sides of the hearing on antisemitism from Tuesday, but they also mocked Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's showboating. Here's the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHLOE TROAST, ACTRESS: I am here today because hate speech has no place in college campuses. Hate speech belongs in Congress, on Elon Musk's Twitter, in private dinners with my donors, and in public speeches by my work husband Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Funny, yes, but it also is worth pointing out, right, that Elise Stefanik, I mean, she herself has echoed some racist conspiracy theories and is quite loyal to Trump, who is no stranger to hate speech.

ZELIZER: Look, it's a joke with a serious point. Right-wing antisemitism has been a major issue and a major problem in the last few years. Many people have been writing about it, warning about it, and the congresswoman herself has been in the networks of Republican politics that have been criticized. So, yes, we need to tackle antisemitism, but let's do it broadly and let's look at where it emerges also in party politics and Republican politics if she is going to be taken seriously in terms of her intentions.

WALKER: Julian Zelizer, thank you for the conversation.

BLACKWELL: Still ahead, former President Donald Trump is set to testify tomorrow in his New York civil fraud trial. What we're watching for as he takes the stand.

Plus, the House could vote on an impeachment inquiry into President Biden this week. How we expect this to play out and what the White House is saying about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:18:19]

BLACKWELL: On Monday, Donald Trump says that he will take the stand again in the New York City fraud -- civil, I should say, fraud trial against him. Trump's attorney has told reporters that she tried to dissuade Trump from testifying again while he is under gag order, but she claims Trump insisted on testifying.

Trump's conduct during the trial has already been a flashpoint. He has been fined twice for violating a gag order barring him from speaking about the judge's staff. He will take the stand as a defense witness, the final witness in this trial.

Joining me now is CNN's legal analyst Joey Jackson. Joey, good morning to you. Do you agree with Trump's defense attorney that it's a bad idea to testify?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. However, good morning, Victor, that makes no difference because, obviously, the former president does and takes his own counsel and does what he thinks is most appropriate.

Having said that, I think he wants to end the trial in a flash, in a big boom, and as a result of that he will get on the stand and state his piece. I think the big distinction, Victor, between the initial time that he testified and this time he testifies is that he will have cover.

We know that there has been a number of experts who have indicated that he has done nothing wrong, this is just par for the course, the banks did not really rely upon him, they have teams of their own, and I think the president will use those experts to embrace the notion and the theory that on the one hand, Victor, from a campaign perspective, it's a witch hunt, attorney general is a bad person, judge is a bad person, the court systems are corrupt. And on the other hand, he did nothing wrong, his business is his branding, are wholly significant and why am I here?

[06:20:02]

And so, although he has been advised not to testify, we know he is, and I think he is going to bring it and I think it will exceed the first time in terms of the nature of the testimony and what he has to say.

BLACKWELL: What are the vulnerabilities to watch out for here in his testimony?

JACKSON: So, I think, again, the first time, I think, the judge is going to give him broad leeway, right? I think that's certainly going to be something the judge is going to have to do because you don't want to be perceived as being unfair. And because of that broad leeway, he is going to, that is, the president, I think, use this in many respects to state things that he has been saying on the campaign that have no real relation to the issues and the facts themselves.

Talking more broadly about the political nature of this. Talking about it coming from the White House even. Talking about his grievances with the attorney general. Look for that, right, because he needs to do that as it relates to his supporters. It's not lost on him that this is being covered widely by the press.

Number two, I think again he'll use it to amplify what experts have said calling them the biggest experts in the country, the most brilliant minds in the country. He embraced that notion with the New York university professor who testified previously, talking about generally accepted accountable principles, talking about no victims in the case, talking about how the banks made money. And so, all of those things I think he will use, Victor, to embrace the notion that he did nothing wrong.

BLACKWELL: Joey, let me ask you about this expert, this accounting professor that you mentioned, Eli Bartov. Trump's defense team called him as an expert witness to defend the valuation of these properties. He was paid $1,350 per hour for 650 hours of work totaling $877,500 in this case. Nothing wrong with an expert witness being paid for their time. But does that six-figure payday undermine the testimony at all?

JACKSON: Well, that's certainly going to be the argument. And, you know, Victor, from the beginning of time in trials the argument is is that you have an expert who is going to spin your narrative. That expert being bought and paid for, that expert having and embracing something you want them to say, the expert using their expertise, right, the nature of their prior reputation and all of their experience to spin things in the manner of your liking.

Now you add the other component that you're paid, sir. You're paid that amount of money, $850,000. Boy, is that a lot, $1,350 an hour. What else would you say, sir? So, expect a dueling narrative. On the one hand, Trump's team will say this a vast empire. He had to really evaluate a number of things. Of course, he is going to be paid for it. And you know what? He is the very best. That's why he is worth $1,350.

The other side will say what I did just said, and that is that he is bought, he is paid for, you can't trust a thing that he says. What else do you anticipate out of his mouth? So whatever narrative the judge buys is one that is going to carry the day because this is you know a (INAUDIBLE).

BLACKWELL: All right. Joey Jackson, we will all be watching. Thanks so much.

WALKER: Coming up, former President Trump is narrowly leading President Biden right now in a hypothetical rematch according to a new poll. Biden is staring down the threat of impeachment in the meantime. Where he is now shifting his focus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:27:45]

WALKER: A busy campaign weekend is wrapping up. President Joe Biden traveled to California for fundraising events as four Republican candidates went to several town halls and forums in Iowa. While Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Texas pastor Ryan Binkley kept things mostly civil at a forum hosted by GOP representative Randy Feenstra, they later traded barbs at each other at town halls.

BLACKWELL: Ramaswamy took the time to call Haley and New Jersey governor Chris Christie intellectual frauds, while Haley called for ending mailout ballots. The Iowa caucuses are January 15th.

And after meeting with campaign donors out west, President Biden returned to the White House last night. He is facing a tough week.

WALKER: Not only was his son Hunter indicted last week, the president faces a lingering threat of a possible impeachment inquiry. House Republicans could launch that effort as soon as Tuesday.

CNN's Camila DeChalus is now with us from Washington. What's the White House saying about all this, Camila?

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. White House officials have dismissed Republicans' efforts to launch an impeachment inquiry and calling it a baseless stunt, and the president himself has even weighed in on this matter.

A few days ago, reporters asked him about Republicans' allegations that he met several times with his son, Hunter Biden's, business associates. And he responded calling it a bunch of lies.

But White House officials are expected to monitor any developments with this inquiry along with the additional charges that the justice department has filed against his son Hunter Biden. Because the reality of the situation is that these could potentially be political challenges that Biden will have to navigate as he runs for re- election, and as he runs possibly against his predecessor, Donald Trump.

WALKER: All right. Camila DeChalus, thank you so much. Joining us now for some analysis is Mica Soellner, congressional reporter with "Punchbowl News." Mica, let's first talk about the campaigning that we were seeing in Iowa yesterday.

[06:30:00]

Of course, you saw the candidates talking about faith and family. And amidst all that, Chris Christie, he's spending his time focusing in New Hampshire. He's been -- you know, there are calls for him to step aside to back Nikki Haley. What is his strategy here as he is widely trailing?

MICA SOELLNER, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: Yes. I mean, I think that we're seeing Chris Christie really trying to play out his own path. I think that you know, with his East Coast ties, he's trying to make a play for proximity to his home state of New Jersey. So, I think, you know, that's kind of his strategy there.

But we're also kind of seeing him try and pitch himself as this moderate Republican, the anti-Trump candidate, the biggest one that's fighting, you know, for democracy are the arguments that he's making. So, we're seeing him kind of tread his own path. And in Iowa, I think we're seeing the candidates, like DeSantis and Haley said, try and really, you know, put -- make a play there.

Obviously, first in the nation there. So -- but, you know, I think overall, we're still seeing Trump really dominate the polling. And so, we're really going to see what's going to happen here with these candidates, but I don't know if any of them really have a shot still.

WALKER: OK. And let's talk about what we just heard from Camila about this week ahead with this potential vote on a resolution to authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. We heard from Speaker Johnson saying that he believes he has enough votes. Do they? And how do we expect the next few days to play out?

SOELLNER: Yes, absolutely. I would say the most telling sign that helps Republicans you know, maybe securing these votes is that a lot of these moderate Republicans, including, you know, some of these vulnerable members from New York, California are saying that they're going to back this impeachment inquiry. I haven't spoken to any lawmakers that said that they aren't open to supporting an inquiry, justifying it by saying this is just a chance for them to get more information, get more evidence, and this is not a vote to impeach President Biden. That's a very important distinction to make. Aside from Ken Buck of Colorado, there's a lot of support among House Republicans for this.

WALKER: And you know, when it comes to implications for 2024, for President Biden's reelection campaign, obviously, the Republicans are seeing, you know, a Hunter Biden's latest indictment as you know, bolstering you know, their case against the president. But -- I mean, these new charges against Hunter Biden, let's be clear here, it never mentions President Biden and doesn't provide any evidence whatsoever linking the president to any wrongdoing. But again, how do we see if will it impact President Biden's campaign?

SOELLNER: I think that's a great question. And we saw Hunter Biden give a rare appearance himself on a podcast this week where he says that he doesn't believe any voters are going to not vote for his father or to vote for his father because of him. I do think that the Hunter Biden issues are low. And when it comes to issues that voters care about, we're seeing that it's not having much of an impact.

But I do think that having his name out there, having his legal issues, you know, and constantly in the media and on Congress, you know, that may make an impact on some people kind of given you know, the surroundings of him. But I don't think it's very much different from the legal issues that former President Donald Trump faces, to be honest, and to me, in time -- in terms of making an impact on voters.

WALKER: Mica, let's quickly talk about this poll that you refer to, the latest poll, the national poll from the Wall Street Journal shows Former President Donald Trump narrowly leading Joe Biden in a hypothetical matchup in 2024. 47 percent support for Trump versus 43 percent for Biden. Obviously, it's still a bit early. Things can be quite fluid. But what's the takeaway for you here?

SOELLNER: Yes. I mean, I think this is very troubling for Joe Biden, where less than a year out from the election, and seeing these numbers were staggering. And I think some of the -- some of the poll was also indicating that I think more than 50 percent of Americans say that -- you know that Joe Biden had not helped or help them personally. And many said that they thought Trump's policies actually helped them, despite some of the legal issues, his rhetoric, etcetera, these things that are unpopular among even some in his base.

So, this is very troubling. And I think that we're going to see how this plays out the next year, but we'll definitely be watching for how the economy improves, what these job numbers look like. I think that's going to be a big indicator of how he can improve his polling.

WALKER: before we let you go, I just want to get your thoughts on the resignation of UPenn's president and you know, your thoughts on the political fallout and how long -- how far we'll see a go.

SOELLNER: Yes. Obviously, the testimony from these university presidents on the antisemitism on campuses is you know, really buzzing right now. We saw the Education Committee open an investigation into you know schools like Harvard, Penn, and all the other ones that have testified.

[06:35:13]

So, yes, this is really staggering. It's gotten a lot of bipartisan pushback in terms of these top officials not being able to condemn students calling for the genocide of Jewish people. So, I think that we're going to continue to see follow-up on this, especially as Congress continues to shed a light on this.

WALKER: Mica Soellner, thank you very much. And be sure to join CNN for two Republican presidential town halls this week. Live from Iowa on Tuesday, is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. And Vivek Ramaswamy will be on Wednesday. That's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: So, for a lot of us, this time of year is about giving back. But "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" honored 10 extraordinary people who put others first all year long. The salute airs live tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, on CNN.

ESTEFANIA REBELLON, YES WE CAN WORLD FOUNDATION: We provided bilingual education for migrant and refugee children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Support the extraordinary people making a difference in our world.

MIKE GOLDBERG, I.CARE: We are rebuilding the coral reefs here in the Florida Keys.

OSEI BOATENG, OKB HOPE FOUNDATION: And we're going to ensure that people in Ghana have access to health care.

DR. KWANE STEWART, PROJECT STREET VET: I see a pet need and a person who cares for them dearly.

ADAM PEARCE, LOVEYOURBRAIN: Trauma can be a pathway for growth.

ALVIN IRBY, BARBERSHOP BOOKS: We install child-friendly reading space in the barbershop.

YASMINE ARRINGTON BROOKS, SCHOLARCHIPS: We all are connected because of the shared experience of having an incarcerated parent.

STACEY BUCKNER, OFF-ROAD OUTREACH: There should be no homeless vets. Period. None.

TESCHA HAWLEY, DAY EAGLE HOPE PROJECT: I don't want to be defined as a victim of my circumstances.

MAMA SHU, AVALON VILLAGE: I do want to make sure that they get all the attention and love that they deserve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," Tonight at 8:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:34] WALKER: This morning, the heart of Southern Gaza is feeling the effects of the escalating conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas. The IDF urged most of the residents in Khan Yunis, Gaza's second-largest city, to evacuate immediately due to the close-quarter combat taking place.

BLACKWELL: During a forum earlier in Doha, the Qatari Prime Minister said that both Israel and Hamas seem less eager to stop fighting than they were before the truce last month. Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he continues to appeal for a ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: And I urge the security council to press to avert the humanitarian catastrophe. And I reiterated my appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. Regrettably, the Security Council failed to do it. But that does not make it less necessary. So, I can promise I will not give up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: CNN's Becky Anderson moderated that forum. She joins us now live from Doha. So, Becky, hello to you. What was most striking in your conversations with these leaders?

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, a number of things. They start with what you just heard there from the UN chief. And let's remind ourselves that it was the United States who vetoed that U.N. resolution tabled by the UAE on behalf of the 22-member group of Arab nations on Friday for an immediate ceasefire. So, that is what the U.N. Security -- the UN Secretary-General was speaking to there.

I think the conversation I had with the Qatar Prime Minister here was important. Let me tell you why. Let's remember. Israel is absolutely categorical about the fact that it will not sign up to a ceasefire, and that it will continue its military operation until such a time as it has destroyed Hamas, and that all the hostages are free -- hostages held in Gaza. Let's remind ourselves. It's been two months, and there remains 137 men, women, and children held captive in Gaza.

And Israel has really provided very little compelling evidence at this point that it can execute on its goal of finishing off Hamas without a further catastrophic loss of human life. That is where we stand at present. So, I started by asking the Qatari Prime Minister and of course, Qatar have been intimately involved in mediation talks that affected a week's truce, and the release of some one hundred hostages.

I asked him where those talks stood, and what would happen next. He said he is deeply disappointed that the two parties haven't been able to get together as they did when they were able to get that truce and get those hostages released and the Palestinian prisoners exchanged -- released in exchange, of course. He went on to say the following. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN BIN JASSIM AL THANI, QATAR PRIME MINISTER: For the way forward, we are going to continue. We are committed to have all the hostages being released. But also, we are committed to stop this war and to stop the bombardment of the innocent Palestinians. It always takes two parties to be willing to such an engagement. Unfortunately, we are not seeing the same willingness that we had seen in the weeks before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:45:22]

ANDERSON: Yes. And he clearly is very deeply disappointed about that. I mean, those talks have been going on, as you know, and we've been reporting on them for weeks. And of course, any further talks should -- one would expect, whether it's on the same track or on a twin track include the release of American hostages, of course, still held in Gaza. Victor.

WALKER: Was there any talk, Becky, about the -- how to move forward? I mean, what's the next step for world leaders?

ANDERSON: Yes. That's a -- that's a really good question. And there is now a conversation -- a heated debate about the day after, as it were, which means what happens in post-conflict Gaza and what happens on the sort of Palestinian horizon, you know, the opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace, dignity, and security going forward. Now, when I say there's a heated debate, the region here in the Gulf and the wider Middle East, very reticent to get involved in any talks about what happens next because they -- and you hear it echoed around this region, they want an immediate ceasefire.

It is the U.S. administration, which is very minded to get on with those talks about what happens next. They have got a stakeholder in the Palestinian Authority, the governing body of the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, the governing body outside of Gaza. Let's remember that Hamas runs Gaza.

And I spoke to the Palestinian Prime Minister here, Mohammad Shtayyeh, about this idea that Israel wants to destroy Hamas before any ceasefire and any possibility of a sort of day-after conversation. He specifically told me that destroying Hamas was absolutely off the agenda as far as the Palestinian Authority is concerned. And he went on to talk about though, how Hamas might be involved in the Palestinian Authority running Gaza going forward, albeit as a junior party, and albeit if they signed up to a sort of P.L.O. platform. This is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER: I think it's very important that we should all realize that Hamas is an integral part of the Palestinian political mosaic. And therefore, for Israel to claim that they are going to eradicate -- eliminate Hamas, I think this is something that is totally -- it's -- first of all, it's not going to happen, and totally is not acceptable to us. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And when he says it's not going to happen, he's speaking to the sort of, you know, the wider story around this region, which is that destroying Hamas as a group may be. Destroying Hamas as an ideology almost impossible. That is what you hear around this region and beyond.

Whether or not -- I mean, there's very little support, it has to be said, for Hamas in many parts of the Gulf, nor, you know, and we're well aware of this to -- you know, most Palestinians, you know, support this group. But it does -- its political wing does run Gaza at present. And there is a really big question about how a post-conflict Gaza is run.

All of the speakers that I've spoken to today, including the Jordanian Foreign Minister said any conversation about what happens next has to be seen through the lens of a Palestinian horizon, which means, you know, whether it's one state or two state, that has to be back on the agenda. And to be honest, you hear that echoed by the U.S. administration. It has to be said as well. Back to you, guys.

WALKER: So many challenges ahead. Becky Anderson, thank you. We'll be right back.

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[06:53:29]

BLACKWELL: 124th edition of America -- put the tissues away.

WALKER: We were crying about this, were we?

BLACKWELL: The 124th edition of "American's Game" was an all-time classic. The Army-Navy football game going down to the last play of the game.

WALKER: And the Army's defense held the line. Coy Wire was there taking it all in. He's joining us now live this morning. Hi, there, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Good morning, lovely people. Welcome to the home of the sixth-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. This Army-Navy game was historic with this 124th iteration being held in New England for the first time ever, the birthplace of both the U.S. Army and Navy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COY (voiceover): Dating back to 1890, "America's Game" is loaded with pomp, circumstance, and pageantry making it one of the greatest rivalries on the planet. And coming into this one, Army was ranked as the third-best defense in the nation at forcing turnovers. And they got two more in their biggest game of the year.

Max DiDomenico had a tremendous interception and Kalib Fortner scooped up a fumble and took it all the way to the house to score for Army. But in this defensive slugfest, it would take a goal-line stand to determine the winner. The Navy had one last shot, but Army rises up. Winners of the Commander-In-Chief Trophy with a 17-11 win afterwards. Army getting the party started.

This is like their Super Bowl. They've now won six of their last eight. They're absolutely rolling. We caught up with their fearless leader head coach Jeff Monken celebrating the victory with his team.

[06:55:05]

JEFF MONKEN, ARMY FOOTBALL COACH: Man, both sides just battle right to the end. Welcome to the Army-Navy game. Done on the one-yard line at the end of the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It speaks to our culture, our never give up attitude. We've talked a lot in the recent weeks about how we started off and how that's completely different than how we finished. This win is just a culminating event for all the work we put in. And I'm really proud of this team.

WIRE (voiceover): And your Heisman winner is Jayden Daniels, the LSU quarterback beating out fellow QBs, Michael Penix of Washington, Oregon's Bo Nix, and Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Daniels is undecided on whether he's going to play for LSU in their game against -- for their bowl against Wisconsin in this New Year's Day. Congrats to Jayden.

Also, Shohei Ohtani. A massive new deal. The Angel's star headed to the L.A. Dodgers for a reported 10-year $700 million. That's worth more than six entire NHL franchises, 23 MLS franchises.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE (on camera): And, Victor, Amara, before taxes, 700 million comes out to making $191,000 every day.

WALKER: That's it.

WIRE: Every year for the next 10 years.

WALKER: Some people.

WIRE: Yes.

BLACKWELL: We love this. Coy Wire, thanks so much.

WALKER: Good to see you.

WIRE: You got it.

BLACKWELL: All right, coming up. Rescue crews are searching for survivors in Tennessee after the deadly tornadoes and the strong storms ripped through the state. We have the very latest for you. Next.

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