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U.S. And U.K. Carry Out Strikes Against Iran-Backed Houthis In Yemen; 2024 Candidates Campaign Across Iowa Ahead Of Caucus Night; Chris Christie Supporters Face Dilemma On Who To Support. Aired 8:30- 9a ET

Aired January 12, 2024 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Major shipping delays and directly impacted the global economy. A short time ago, I spoke with Pentagon spokesman, Pat Ryder, who said that the action itself is not part of the Gaza war, and that the U.S. plans to keep it that way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. PATRICK RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: The conflict between Israel and Hamas does remain contained to Gaza. And really that's a major focus for us is to deter that conflict from broadening into a wider regional conflict. And so what you had in the Red Sea, what we've seen is the Houthis indiscriminately attacking commercial shipping and mariners transiting this vital waterway. And so, over 50 countries have been affected by this. So this is an international problem that required an international response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Jim Sciutto is with me now. So Jim, when we take a look at this, right, we hear the words, right? And we know that the goal is no further escalation. The reality though this morning, there is a highly increased concern.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: No question. I think we have to remember what happened prior, right? Because these attacks by the Houthi rebels threatened to paralyze what is one of the most vital waterways in the world, the Red Sea leading on to it to the Suez Canal, so much trade goes through there. And that, by the way, is deliberate.

The Houthi rebels know that they have a sensitive choke point here. And they've been deliberately targeting commercial vessels in that choke point to exact a price, in effect, and from the U.S. perspective, the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were, was a series of attacks on Tuesday this week when Houthi rebels launched some 20 drones, specifically targeting U.S. ships in that channel. And the U.S. took particularly notice that to one of those ships with a say, was carrying jet fuel. And they said have had one of those drones hit it, it was in danger of sinking. It's not an accident that Houthis are targeting shipping in the Red Sea. And the U.S. does not believe it was an accident that the Houthis specifically targeted U.S. ships on Tuesday. That for the U.S. President was enough. And that then led to this coalition strike yesterday led by the U.S. and the U.K., as you say, but there were other partners Australia, Bahrain, which is key, an Arab partner, Canada and the Netherlands.

To be clear, it appears the administration has priced in the danger of escalation here. A senior U.S. official said to me yesterday that he wouldn't be surprised to see some Houthi response. And this morning, we're seeing a Houthi statement here saying, our country was subjected to a massive aggressive attack. American and Britain -- America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences.

So the U.S. has prepared for them to fire back in effect. But I will say this, Erica, the U.S. is also setting up the possibility of follow on strikes to these strikes, a senior administration official saying this may not be the last word. They basically ran out of patience it seems with these attacks on shipping.

HILL: It's interesting too that the administration is really trying to separate, right, what is happening here and these strikes overnight from the Israel-Hamas war. And yet it is actually quite difficult to separate the two, especially when you look at who is involved when we talk about the Houthis here.

SCIUTTO: No question. And listen, you know, the U.S. attack the Houthis yesterday, but they say in very clear terms that Iran is pulling the strings in effect behind it. And not just subtly and not just with direction or encouragement, but with specific operational involvement. The U.S. says that Iran provided intelligence and information also provided many of the weapons that they use to attack shipping.

So they see Iran is behind this. And of course, what is Iran have in common with the Houthis, they of course back Hamas as well. And they back Hezbollah, which is firing on Israel from the northern border. So they are connected. But where the U.S. is trying to draw a line here is to say that the attacks on shipping by Houthi rebels are not connected to the Gaza war, but because they're saying, you know, they're claiming to fire on ships headed for Israel. The fact is, they're firing at all ships.

You heard Patrick Ryder there use that word indiscriminately. That's how the administration is describing it. They're shooting at everyone. They want to -- and even as you look at the map there, you see all those strikes, that creates a choke point in the Red Sea. So the U.S. effort here, they don't want this to expand. And they want to take away the claim that the Houthis are making, that they're somehow punishing Israel right with the strikes and make it clear that they are punishing the world, the world trade goes through here and everybody will pay a price if this doesn't stop.

HILL: Yes, we will all be watching it very closely. I know you especially as you continue to talk to your sources. Jim, appreciate it. Thanks.

SCIUTTO: Thanks.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, short time ago, Israel concluded its oral arguments at the International Court of Justice after South Africa accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel rejected the claims arguing that if genocidal acts had been committed, they were, quote, perpetrated against Israel by Hamas. Israel arguing its military was taking actions to minimize civilian casualties stressing that it complied with international humanitarian law. South Africa is calling on the court to issue an emergency order for Israel to halt their military campaign.

[08:35:12]

The decision could take days or even weeks, decision on genocide accusations could take years. No country has ever been found directly responsible for genocide by the court before.

HILL: All eyes on Iowa which could face the coldest caucus night in history on Monday, how that could impact the turnout and the victor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Three days now until Iowa and those roads as we're told by our teams on the ground, they're not great right now everybody watching this weather and how it could impact the caucuses Monday night. This is a live look. This is in Cedar Rapids. It's snowing. It's 27 degrees. It feels like though it's a balmy 13. Nikki Haley is shifting her plan in person campaign events today because of these blizzard warnings which are in effect, shifting them to virtual. The National Weather Service says, Monday, caucus day, could be the coldest caucus night ever. CNN's Derek Van Dam is tracking the cold. It's -- this is actually -- we joke a little bit, it's winter. It's January. This is life threatening cold, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, in fact, here comes the Arctic invasion that the brunt of it will be felt this weekend across Iowa and into the day on Monday of course being caucus day. And the National Weather Service not mincing their words when they're discussing this dangerous cold like Erica mentioned. They are saying that we are entering into one of the more prolonged and coldest periods in recent memory for Central Iowa.

[08:40:05]

And what you're looking at here is the state of Iowa, various cities. Here's Des Moines for instance. This is the projected windchill, negative 34 on Monday. And below it is the time it takes for exposed skin to actually reach frostbite. So you can go as little as 20 minutes with exposed skin and have frostbite conditions with that type of dangerous windchill. This will be the coldest caucus day ever recorded. This is Des Moines, for instance, the actual forecast high temperature, negative four, statewide the coldest air in the month of January in the past five years. We'll struggle to actually reach above the zero degree mark across the entire state. Look how cold it is forecast. This is amongst a larger storm system that's bringing blizzard conditions as we speak, and will currently add to one of the snowiest stretches that Iowa has ever experienced over the past five days. There's the blizzard warnings that stretch across Iowa and into the Midwest, part of a larger storm system. And Erica, we are extremely busy here in the weather center. Every single U.S. state has some sort of weather alert happening right now including Alaska and Hawaii.

HILL: Yes. Keeping you on your toes. Derek, appreciate it. Thank you.

VAN DAM: For sure. OK.

HILL: Well, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump will all be there on the ground in Iowa grinding out these last couple of days before everyone gathers to caucus on Monday night. Phil is over at the magic wall now with a look at this final campaign sprint in Iowa, the chili sprint, what are we going to -- what can we see this weekend?

MATTINGLY: You know, it's been so interesting over the course of the last couple days. Campaigns are very much paying attention to the weather. DeSantis team telling us a couple times over the course this week, they think that might help them because of their scale, their ground operation. The Haley team, obviously having to make some changes. Trump really doesn't really go to Iowa very much, so we're going to have to see.

This is what matters though. This is the map. You're going to get very used to seeing this over the course of the next couple of months. Currently, it is gray. The best time of year starts to happen on Monday evening, when this will start to fill in as voters start to actually vote. If you're looking over here, you're getting a little bit confused. Don't worry, it's an alphabetical order. Everybody's still there.

So why are we showing you this right now? What do the candidates actually need? What are they looking for? Well, to start with, well, let's track back to 2016, because this is the primary in 2016, Ted Cruz narrowly defeating Donald Trump. And the why here is what's important, and also how everybody did because Ted Cruz is upset was in large part because of his ground operation. A ground operation that resonated, got people out, and particularly had an impact with evangelical voters.

If you're talking about evangelical voters, you're talking about this area right in here, also down here and below Des Moines as well, areas where Ted Cruz did very well. Donald Trump obviously kept it very close throughout. But the other thing to pay attention to, given Nikki Haley's momentum over the course the last several weeks or presence in Iowa right now, is right in here. These are the suburban areas. These are areas that Marco Rubio actually won, kept the race fairly tight.

Haley endorsed Rubio back in 2016. Why does that matter? It's not a direct analog always. And there's been some shifts in population. But those will also be the key areas that everybody's watching come Monday night. And you want to get a sense of why, well, you can actually just pay attention to where the candidates have been going over the course of just the last couple of weeks. It tells you what you need to know.

If DeSantis pitches himself as someone who could reach out to evangelical voters but also start to bridge the gap with Republicans that may be more suburban like, well, look at how much he has been. He's the purple right here. He's been in Des Moines several times, been over here in suburb areas as well. But also has been up here in these evangelical strongholds. Trump's two visits, these are the red ones right here. They have been in the more rural northern part of the state, the evangelical part of the state. That's his base. He needs turnout. His operation expects it to happen. That's where it will come from.

What about Nikki Haley? So much focus on New Hampshire over the course of the last several months showing up in Iowa as well. Well, if you want to know where suburban counties are in this area right now, it turned on at this moment. But basically what we're talking about is similar to what we saw with Marco Rubio over the course of the last couple of months heading into that caucus timeline, looking at Des Moines, looking at Davenport over here as well. Where Nikki Haley is going is where her voters are expected to be, it's where her turnout will have to come from.

They're looking for some type of stronger second place, some ability to surpass Ron DeSantis. Nobody is really expecting anyone in this race to catch Donald Trump if you want to know where their targets are and where you should be watching come Monday night, just look at where the candidates have been over the course of the last couple of weeks. Erica.

HILL: Phil, appreciate it. Thank you. This is really your -- this is your go time.

MATTINGLY: I love this.

HILL: I can tell how excited you are. No, it's good. It's working.

MATTINGLY: Shake off the rust a little bit but we're going to get there.

HILL: And it's helpful to the rest of us.

[08:44:36]

Just to head here, a sinking SUV, a race to save a family including a toddler trapped inside, the morning moment highlighting the bravery in the face of danger.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: With Chris Christie out of the race, the remaining candidates hope his supporters can boost their bid for President. Even some Christie supporters though don't know who to support at this point. CNN's Omar Jimenez spoke with some of them in the first primary state of New Hampshire. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chris Christie hasn't endorsed anyone yet. But there's one candidate most likely to benefit from his exit. A CNN poll from New Hampshire showed 65 percent of Christie voters surveyed said they would pick Nikki Haley as their second choice.

JIMENEZ: You are essentially one of those 65 percent who have supported Christie before but now you're leaning Haley.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

JIMENEZ: And why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because she's the best pathway for helping the country move forwards from Trump.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): He was a dynamic he raised that a Christie campaign event last month.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would it not be better -- to better serve the anti- Trump vote for you to suspend but for Nikki to have you as a V.P. declared before the January primary?

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes. I don't think so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was particularly pleased yesterday when we had the Christie announcement, because the timing was right. The next best candidate is clearly Haley now she has an opportunity to gather and to speak with and to speak to that 65 percent of Christie supporters like myself. Her needle is just moved by a big jump now in New Hampshire.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Other Christie supporters like Tom Barton, we're ready to go all in for Christie. Now he isn't sure what comes next.

[08:50:03]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very saddened by this.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): He says he's open but needs to see more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's one candidate that I would like if she would stand up to Trump more it would be Haley.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Katherine Johnson, a Democrat who supported Christie doesn't see it the same way with Haley.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a New Hampshire Democrat volunteering for a Republican because he believes in the idea of working across the aisle. I'm going to get work for the Democrats starting tomorrow because, no, I respect her. But no, I will not vote for her.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Others as young as 10 years old, like Christine (ph) -- UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's say you weren't running.

CHRISTIE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you had no idea that this could even happen, who would you vote for?

JIMENEZ (voice-over): But Hannah (ph) and her parents thought this was the right time for him to go. They attended many campaign events, and Hannah (ph) helped encourage her parents to see more of the candidates. It even changed their minds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll give Chris Christie the credit for telling me the truth about Trump and helping me to see that it was time for somebody else to take the reins. I was a Trump supporter two months ago, and I would have said that Trump's going to win the nomination. Now I feel like there's enough momentum behind Nikki Haley that she's going to win New Hampshire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wasn't really a full on Trump supporter. I knew if I was a general election, if that's what was on the ticket, I probably would vote for him. But I was kind of really undecided going in. Hannah (ph) encouraging us to go to these town halls, opened my eyes. That's what kind of made me decide who I really wanted to throw my vote behind.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): But for some of Christie's now former supporters, this goes beyond the primary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to choose that voice that a greater proportion of the country is going to resonate with than this bucket.

JIMENEZ: And to you that's Nikki Haley?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: A new movie probes the origin of power, race and hierarchy in history. A groundbreaking director behind the film "Origin" Ava DuVernay joins us live to discuss the inspiration behind her latest project.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:56:31]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't escape trauma by ignoring it. You escape trauma by confronting it. I don't write questions. I write answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Powerful worlds and a powerful message in Ava DuVernay's new film "Origin." It's based on the bestselling book "Caste." And tells the story of Isabel Wilkerson, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Caste" as she writes this book and writes those answers. Joining us now is filmmaker, writer, director and producer, Ava DuVernay. It's such an honor to have you here in the studio. This film is it is beautiful and it is powerful, and has such a message that it leaves you with at the end. You read this book three times. Why was it so important for you to bring "Caste" to the screen as "Origin"?

AVA DUVERNAY, OSCAR-NOMINATED FILMMAKER: Well, you know, it's a beautiful book. But it's meaty, it's long. And well, it's the bestseller, it is within the pages of something that I'm not sure as many people would read, as I feel need to know the message, the idea that we organize ourselves as human beings into hierarchies that we need to pay attention to, because they create all the isms that we dwell within, that we struggle against. And so I think it's an important conversation to have, especially now at this time in our country.

HILL: And speaking of this time in our country, you made this film fairly quickly. You really want to make it on your own terms. But you shot it and I think 37 days, and as I understand it, part of that is you wanted it to come out prior to the 2024 election. Why?

DUVERNAY: Yes, yes, three continents in 37 days. Went to an independent route because it was faster. And I feel like this is an urgent matter, that always should be talking about around the dinner table right now that also would be thinking about we should be thinking about is raising our voices and asserting our opinions as it relates to the transition of power that is possibly happening in November, and our freedoms that I truly feel are at risk. So this film asks us to examine the root of a lot of our discord, a lot of our differences and divisions.

HILL: We talked about the root, a lot of times we talk about, or actually I should say we don't talk about in this country racism.

DUVERNAY: That's right. Exactly.

HILL: We don't talk about it. But there's this sense that that's at the root of all of it. What's fascinating the film is this is not about racism. This is about "Caste." And I think for a lot of people, you hear "Caste," and you think that this is the United States, we've heard of the "Caste" system in India, what does that have to do with us?

DUVERNAY: Yes.

HILL: What's the difference?

DUVERNAY: Well, you know, it -- there's a whole book about it, and I'm not Isabel Wilkerson. She's a brilliant woman. But really, it's the idea that underneath racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, anti- Semitism, all the isms, ageism, underneath all of that is this idea that someone is better than another person based on a set of random traits. That's very simple. And so when you're addressing all the isms, you're not getting to the root of the disease, just the wound, you know, it's all of these pieces at the top. But until you understand what it's all coming from, this idea that we can organize ourselves according to power and status and subjugate or oppress or deny freedoms, rights, dignity to a certain kind of person based on anything, then you're not really solving for the problems and that's what the core of my understanding of it is.

HILL: There's some history in here that's important too, the way the Nazis looked at Jim Crow laws in the U.S. --

DUVERNAY: I thought that was amazing.

HILL: -- for their plans. It's fascinating.

DUVERNAY: Yes.

HILL: The way Martin Luther King when he was in India in the late 50s realized he was part of the lowest caste in the United States of America. We look at this assault and this literal white washing of history that's happening in this country you want to make sure more kids see this movie. Tell us really quickly if you could. What is Seat 16?

[09:00:05]

DUVERNAY: Oh, thank you. So I do we have Seat 16, not sweet 16, Seat 16. For $16, you can buy a ticket for our young person to see the film and they also get a one year subscription to masterclass. I did a masterclass about how we made the film. And so it's really just an idea of let's educate, let's talk, let's inspire one another. Next slide (ph) just being our corners pointing at one another. Perhaps the film allows us the entry point to communicate and hold hands.

HILL: I think it does. It also is -- it leaves you with hope, I have to say.

DUVERNAY: I'm glad --

HILL: It is really beautiful. Thank you again for coming in.

DUVERNAY: Yes.

HILL: The film is origin in theaters January 19th. Again, you can buy a seat at Seat16.com Be sure to check it out.

DUVERNAY: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: That's it for us. Have a great weekend. CNN News Central starts right now.