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Iowa Caucuses Set To Kick Off In Subzero Temperatures; Key Poll Shows Trump With Wide Lead Ahead Of Iowa Caucuses; GOP Contenders Worry Weather Could Scramble Caucus Turnout; Congressional Leaders Reach Deal To Keep Government Funded Through March; Arctic Blast Brings Freezing Temperatures, Power Outages; Record-Breaking Cold Could Threaten Iowa Caucuses; Iowa Is The Epicenter For Blizzard Conditions; Historic Storm Surge Hits Maine Causing Flood Warnings; Official: 20 People Rescued From Floods In New Jersey; Trump Concerned That Severe Weather Will Impact Turnout Monday; 2020 Election Skeptic Quits Job After Facing Blowback From Angry Election Deniers; Election Officials Step Down Amid Threats, Abuse, And Harassment; Thousand March In Washington, Demand Ceasefire In Gaza; Netanyahu: Border Between Egypt And Gaza Must Be Closed; Queen Margrethe II Steps Down, Making King Frederik New Monarch; North Korea Fires Ballistic Missiles IN Waters Near Japan, S. Korea; 8-Year-Old Girl Rescued From Icy Pond; Chiefs Outlast Dolphins At Frigid Arrowhead; Stroud Stellar In Playoff Debut For Texans. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired January 14, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:55]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Good morning. It's Sunday, January 14th. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: And I'm Amara Walker.

BLACKWELL: So, for the Republicans who are running to be president it has all led up to this, the Iowa caucuses are now a little more than 36 hours away and it's going to be a history-making night. At least we know in terms of weather because Monday is set to be the coldest caucuses on record with windchills as low as minus 40 degrees. The candidates are all urging their supporters to brave these temperatures, bundle up and get out there.

WALKER: Will they. And on this last full day of campaigning, we have a new snapshot of where the candidates stand with the voters. The influential "Des Moines Register" poll shows Trump with a wide lead, nearly half of the caucus goers say Trump is their first choice. Nikki Haley is in second place with Ron DeSantis in third, a flip from the

December poll.

CNN's Eva McKend is in Des Moines. Hello, Eva. Obviously, we want to know how the weather is affecting the candidates, their strategy for tomorrow night, and what are they saying?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Well, good morning to you both. To give you a sense of the conditions out on the roads, my car got stuck and I almost wasn't able to make it here this morning. So glad to be here. Negative 20 degrees certainly an experience. It is bitterly cold outside. To the best of their abilities, they are still trying to get out there and speak to Iowans, convince them to caucus for them on Monday evening. Caucus, a very involved in-person process. And they're acknowledging to Iowans that it is a big ask.

But the Iowans that I speak to, they are showing great resolve, many of them saying that they are still going to come out and battle these bitter temperatures. All of the campaigns planning to be out there today. Take a listen to how they're talking about this weather out on the trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I just landed in an airplane and it's nasty out there. I worry about that, but at the same time I'm watching even the newscast today, they're saying the Trump voter has so much more spirit, dedication. They say they will walk over glass, that the Trump voter's coming to vote.

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, Monday is going to be cold. Really cold. Wear layers because you might be standing in line. Take your I.D. But think of the fact that you might be making history in this moment.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They can throw a blizzard at us and we are going to fight. They can throw windchill at us and we are going to fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So, Governor DeSantis dismissing sort of the chatter about his campaign as any other obstacle and the weather just an additional obstacle. Meanwhile, Haley's camp indicating that this poll really indicates what they have been seeing on the ground, not only in New Hampshire, but here in Iowa as well. A surge of momentum, maybe people giving her a second look.

I can tell you from an Iowan that I spoke with that was long supporting Governor DeSantis, he now tells me that he is considering the former ambassador. So, they are in a tight battle here for second place with very little time left.

WALKER: All right. Eva McKend, thank you very much. Glad you made it to your live shot this morning.

Joining us now is Mychael Schnell, a congressional reporter for "The Hill." The weather, obviously, casting a big shadow over the official start of the 2024 presidential primary season. Let's listen again to what Donald Trump had to say, Mychael.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: From the airplane to the car was about 20 feet and I'm saying, wow, that's blowing -- you have a hard time reaching -- you have a hard time reaching it, but it's getting better. I worry about that, but at the same time I'm watching even the newscast today, they're saying the Trump voter has so much more spirit, dedication.

[06:05:01]

They say they will walk over glass, that the Trump voter's coming to vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And as we were saying, I mean, Trump has a wide lead in this latest poll, this final poll. If turnout, however, is lower because of the weather, who does that help the most?

MYCHAEL SCHNELL, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTED, THE HILL: Yes, look, turnout is going to be key for the Iowa caucuses because as Eva was mentioning it's a caucus, which is not like just going to a polling station, casting your ballot and then going home where it could be a quick turnaround, but caucuses are lengthy processes. Sometimes they can take a few hours and they really require that full participation from individuals.

So, I think that overall if there is this inclement weather and it's difficult for caucus goers to get to these spots, especially reliable caucus goers are oftentimes elderly individuals, they may want to sit it out if there is inclement weather. So, I think everybody will take a hit if there is that decrease in turnout.

But folks are saying that the Trump campaign may have a tougher time if there is that low turnout because their expectations have been set so high in poll after poll. Former President Trump has been seen leading Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and others by double digit numbers. So, those expectations are very high.

But there is an interesting fact in the -- in that "Des Moines Register" poll which said that Ron DeSantis right now actually has one of the best standings when it comes to turnout. He had about 10 percent more than Nikki Haley. Individuals who say they regardless of situations were planning to turn out for the caucuses. So, it's going to be fascinating. And, obviously, a lot of open questions regarding how bad will the weather actually be on Monday.

WALKER: Yes, that is a question. But we know that Trump has dominated Iowa. Of course, expectation is that Trump will win. But when it comes to second place will it be about defying expectations and, you know, who has the stronger than expected finish in Iowa?

SCHNELL: I think it may be both, Amara. Because look, folks are expecting the former president to win by a landslide, but it's going to be fascinating to see, well, if not Trump, who has that momentum behind him? And of course, we've seen Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis neck and neck this entire time, that "Des Moines Register" poll actually showing Nikki Haley ahead of Ron DeSantis, which turned a lot of heads and, you know, grasped a lot of eyeballs. So, I think that we are going to see, you know, who has the momentum for those non-Trump voters. Of course, Iowa is always important because it sets the tone for the campaign and it's the first time we're actually going to see voters go to polling places and actually cast their vote. So, we will finally get a sense of what the electorate is feeling.

So, I think there's a lot of, hey, it's time to see where voters actually stand. It will set the tone and the momentum for the rest of the race.

WALKER: You know, Trump which was notable, he issued his first and most aggressive attack against Vivek Ramaswamy on Truth Social. You know, he had a lot to say, but he basically said that unfortunately now all Vivek does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks.

And then Ramaswamy responded -- I guess, it was a bit passive- aggressive here because he said that, you know, Trump was attacking him with friendly fire. And then he ended his tweet by saying, I want to save Trump and to save this country. Let's do it together. You won't hear any friendly fire from me.

What do you make of this exchange, Trump attacking Ramaswamy who is obviously quite low in the polls in Iowa and Ramaswamy's calculations?

SCHNELL: Yes, I mean, this was an extremely fascinating campaign exchange. Look, historically speaking the former president has not enjoyed when individuals have tried to advance themselves, you know, whether that's through polling numbers or through endorsements by using his name without his permission.

So, of course, we've seen Vivek Ramaswamy on the campaign trail sort of touting his allegiance to the former president, talking how he is a MAGA Republican, how he is a Trump guy, how he supports the former president's policies and things like that. And, you know, for a while that flew fine for the former president, but I guess now as we're getting closer to the caucuses and to the time when voters are actually going to start voting, he's now taking issue with that.

And I think it's interesting because Vivek was sort of this fascinating candidate on the debate stage and on the trial, who rather than Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie, who are trying to sort of make a fine line between themselves and Trump, he wasn't doing that as much. A few folks had said, well, he's maybe looking for the VP slot or a spot in the former president's administration.

Obviously, there's now a tear in that relationship so we will have to see what happens going forward. You know, Vivek Ramaswamy wasn't on the last debate stage. He's polling very low in these recent polls. So, it begs the question of how long he will be in the race. But absolutely the Trump factor has been fascinating to watch.

WALKER: And back on Capitol Hill I know you have reporting as do we that congressional leaders have a deal to -- it's not really a break through, right, they're just going to kick the bucket down the street for another several weeks with the continuing resolution.

[06:10:03]

We know that there is going to be a conference call Sunday night, tonight, amongst House Republicans to talk about this. That's great and all that they have some kind of deal, but in terms of the way forward, what are you hearing?

SCHNELL: Yes, kicking the can once again. This comes as the first funding deadline. Remember, back in November they passed that two-step continuing resolution.

The first funding deadline is on Friday. So, lawmakers were really facing this time crunch and this pressure to come to some sort of consensus to avoid a partial government shutdown. Reporting says -- I have sources saying that leaders have landed -- bipartisan leaders in Congress have landed on another two-step continuing resolution, kicking funding deadlines to March 1st and to March 8th.

So, as you mentioned, this just kicks the can down the road, but the idea is that it will give lawmakers appropriators a little more time to hash out specifics in the 12 appropriations bill, to go through regular order. They want to be able to fund the government through regular order so they're going to go with this to buy themselves a little more time.

Will that be enough time? That begs a really important question. Regardless of the time factor will lawmakers be able to find consensus on those bills, get behind them and get them over the finish line? Also another big question.

But congressional leaders are betting that they will be able to find success with these 12 appropriations bills and you can see that conclusion in the fact that they are, again, looking to kick the can down the road and extend the deadlines rather than passing what's called an omnibus, which is an all of government sprawling very massive bill.

So, that's going to be the main focus on Capitol Hill this week to see if lawmakers can get that continuing resolution over the finish line. It's likely going to receive some push back from conservative House Republicans, but, again, because this is a deal, a bipartisan deal, it's likely to pass with a lot of support.

WALKER: So, what does this mean for the future of Speaker Mike Johnson? Mychael Schnell, we will leave it there. Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: An Arizona election official, an admitted 2020 election skeptic, quits his job just five months in. You will want to hear why.

Plus, more than 80 million people are facing windchill alerts today. It's so cold in places not only Des Moines, look at the map, temperatures won't get above zero for a couple of days.

[06:16:29] BLACKWELL: It is so cold across a huge portion of the country. There's this arctic air that's coming through the center of the United States. Eighty million people under cold weather alerts.

WALKER: Subzero temperatures are anticipated in Iowa, potentially impacting the turnout for caucus day. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the arctic chill from the CNN weather center. And, hey, it's also super cold here in Atlanta, although, you know, it's only in the 30s.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's subjective, though, because it's what you're used to. I mean, even though it may not be as cold as it is say in Montana or North Dakota, it's what you're prepared for.

But yes, this is going to be widespread when we talk about the cold. Yes, this will have impacts to the caucuses on Monday in Iowa, but also all of these other places. Look at this. You've got these windchill alerts stretching from Washington state over to Ohio all the way down into areas of Texas as well as Louisiana.

Some of those windchills in the far northern region likely to get down to as low as 60 or even 70 degrees below zero. We are only at -- only at minus 50 right now in Minot, North Dakota. Bismarck looking at minus 45. It feels like it's about 40 degrees below zero in Des Moines as we speak, when you factor in that temperature and windchill.

And Monday is not going to be much better. When you look at previous caucuses, look at the forecast for when we go into Monday, it's going to be way colder than any previous caucuses have been. And even to put this in perspective, here is the forecast high on Monday in Des Moines, Iowa, minus four. It will be colder in Des Moines than it is in Fairbanks, Alaska. Again, just to put that in perspective.

But with all of that cold air in place as moisture moves in it also means we have the potential for snow and ice, even for areas farther down to the south, but we're also still looking at some lingering lake-effect snow across portions of the northeast and the midwest, especially around Buffalo, Erie, Pennsylvania, and even Cleveland, still looking at some areas of some snow showers today.

Down to the south, we have got this next system sliding in. That's going to bring dangerous icy conditions to cities like Dallas and Shreveport. Unfortunately, for those few folks that have to go to work tomorrow morning, it's likely going to be a very slick commute.

Then that system slides east bringing very heavy snow to places like Little Rock, Memphis and even into Nashville before this system continues to slide off to the east. So, for any folks that have to get out, say, tomorrow or even as we head into Tuesday, you are looking at some pretty decent snow and ice accumulations even in the south.

WALKER: All right. A lot going on. Allison Chinchar, thank you.

And Maine, a historic storm surge inundated communities along Maine's coastline as winds from the Atlantic Ocean pushed water towards the shore. BLACKWELL: A south Portland landmark was swept away during a record high tide. Maine's governor says if people can stay home, they certainly should.

WALKER: In Paterson, New Jersey, officials say first responders had to rescue 20 people who got trapped in floodwaters. The National Weather Service says the area remains under a flood warning. Officials say there are more than 20 streets and one bridge closed.

BLACKWELL: New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy took a look at the damage on Saturday. He said the state is committed to getting help to those who need it. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amara and Victor, good morning to you. Another storm system making its way through the northeast leaving in its wake some frigid temperatures and also that looming threat of flooding, here in Paterson, New Jersey. We've really been monitoring the levels in the nearby Passaic, most of the weekend here, with forecasters had expect it had to rise. And because of that we've seen some of the river basically overflow its banks and affect so many neighborhoods here in Paterson, New Jersey.

[06:20:04]

Earlier in the last several days we know that well over 20 rescues -- at least well over 20 people had to be rescued from their homes. And these are low-lying areas that are very familiar with the flooding potential of the Passaic.

Over the weekend also heard from New Jersey's governor who surveyed the area. We should also mention that authorities are still going to be tracking, of course, the situation here on the ground and this comes after just a soaker of a storm last week that initially prompted some of those flooding concerns. Officials here are pledging and promising some financial support to some of those impacted residents coming from state, local and federal sources as well. Amara, Victor, back to you.

WALKER: Polo Sandoval, thank you. CNN is following the candidates ahead of the first vote of the presidential primary season. We start with the front runner, former President Trump, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:25:06]

BLACKWELL: Former President Donald Trump canceled all but one in- person event in Iowa on Saturday because of the weather. Trump said that he is concerned about the low temperatures, but he still projected confidence. He said his supporters will walk over glass to support him.

WALKER: Trump and his team continued to temper expectations despite the final poll out in Iowa giving him a commanding lead. They are looking for a strong win in Iowa to carry the momentum into the New Hampshire primaries next week. CNN's Kristen Holmes is in Iowa with the latest.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Amara. Well, Donald Trump and his team's message is two-fold. One is, get out and caucus no matter what, ignore the weather. And the other is really to temper down expectations. They know those polls have had him up leading by a margin of 30 points. They do not believe that that margin is going to be that big and you can tell.

But what we're hearing from senior advisers who continue to say anything over a 12-point win would be a historic win. Now, you have to remember that, yes, a win is a win, but what his team is trying to do is set the momentum for the primary season. And also, to offset any momentum that some of his rivals might have.

We know that they are concerned about Nikki Haley, particularly in New Hampshire. Both the campaign and the Super PAC are spending $4.5 million advertising against Haley already, particularly on immigration. Now, it was clear during his tele-rally that Haley is still on Donald Trump's mind. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I know Nikki very well. She was my ambassador to the United Nations and she had a lot of weakness, to be honest. She had a lot of weakness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, interestingly, we also saw the former president go after Vivek Ramaswamy. We are told that they believe that they, being both the former president and his team, that Ramaswamy has been disingenuous lately.

He posted a photo of people who supported him wearing shirts that say "Save Donald Trump, Vote Vivek" which Trump himself did not like. But the other thing to note is that Ramaswamy has really been a big supporter of Donald Trump. But we're entering a time here, as I said, where they are looking for the largest margin they can possibly get out of Iowa and that, of course, means that every single vote counts. Victor and Amara.

WALKER: All right. Kristen Holmes, thank you. With the 2024 election on the horizon the ghost of 2020 election lies are still haunting elections officials all over the country. Now more election officials are stepping down amid increased threats from far-right conspiracy theorists and election deniers.

BLACKWELL: One of them shared their skepticism of the 2020 election until he was chased out of office. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA MARRA, FORMER ELECTIONS DIRECTOR, COCHISE COUNTY, AZ: You should be in jail. You should be killed. You should be fired. To just people screaming into the phone, I mean, just ridiculous -- and 24/7. DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lisa Marra was Director of Elections in Arizona's Cochise County for six years.

MARRA: We actually had to hire an armed security company because the people that worked in the office processing ballots were afraid somebody was going to come break the door down and take ballots.

O'SULLIVAN: Lisa, a lifelong Republican, had enough of the intimidation and threats, and last year she quit.

(On camera): Your successor is a man named?

MARRA: Bob Bartelsmeyer.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): This is Bob Bartelsmeyer.

BOB BARTELSMEYER, FORMER ELECTIONS DIRECTOR, COCHISE COUNTY, AZ: The election itself just didn't seem like it had been in the past elections. There was just something off.

O'SULLIVAN: Back in 2020, he shared these Facebook posts falsely claiming Trump legally won by a landslide.

BARTELSMEYER: Sometimes it's hard for me to accept that there wasn't some errors made in the election, but I'm not sure that it was to the extent that it would have changed the election.

O'SULLIVAN: For some of the election conspiracy theorists who forced Lisa out of her job in Cochise County, Bob's doubts about the 2020 election made him an ideal candidate to replace her.

(On camera): To maybe some of the people in Cochise, was your critics were saying, this is an election skeptic. He's an election extremist, a conspiracy theorist.

BARTELSMEYER: Denier.

O'SULLIVAN: Denier?

BARTELSMEYER: Mm-hmm.

O'SULLIVAN: While some people would have viewed that as a disqualification.

BARTELSMEYER: Correct.

O'SULLIVAN: There's people in Cochise who are probably saying, this is our guy.

BARTELSMEYER: Correct.

O'SULLIVAN: He knows what's up. He knows the election has been stolen. So, when you got there, some people were probably happy to see you coming.

BARTELSMEYER: Yes. O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But then something happened that he never expected.

(On camera): You weren't extreme enough?

BARTELSMEYER: No. They found out from the beginning that I was going to follow the laws and procedures.

O'SULLIVAN: And they weren't happy about that?

BARTELSMEYER: Some were not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your actions, sir, are not that of a conservative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Mr. Bartelsmeyer, if I had the authority, I'd fire you.

O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): At public meetings in Cochise County, some voters who believe conspiracy theories about the election decided Bob was not MAGA enough and began demanding he overhaul the entire voting system.

[16:30:07]

BARTELSMEYER: To do away with machines, doing away with mail ballots, those are things that have to be changed legislatively. And it's not permissible legally for me to do away with all this stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure even you brain-dead RINOs and Democrats can understand, we the people don't want any machines or mail-in ballots.

O'SULLIVAN (voiceover): After just four months, Bob quits.

BARTELSMEYER: At my age, I don't need that. I need less drama.

GERI ROLL, FORMER ELECTIONS DIRECTOR, PILAL COUNTY, ARIZONA: You want some more?

O'SULLIVAN (voiceover): Geri Roll, a former Trump supporter also left her election job in another Arizona county last year.

ROLL: I've never been treated so poorly, so disrespected.

O'SULLIVAN (voiceover): So much of the vitriol directed at election workers like Bob, Lisa, and Geri is fueled by false beliefs about voting machines, about ballots, and about election workers themselves.

ROLL: I had a guy tell me that he could hack into our election equipment through the power outlet.

O'SULLIVAN: What people believe --

ROLL: Nonsensical. It never has been like this before. And it's not stupidity. And they really don't care about truth or integrity. They just want their outcome. I think that's it. O'SULLIVAN (voiceover): Geri has spent most of her life working in the

court system as a county attorney but she says the abuse she received as an election worker topped it all.

ROLL: I have been treated better by murderers, child molesters, thieves, rapists than the political parties and the elected representatives.

O'SULLIVAN (voiceover): Harassment is one of the main reasons election officials across the country have called it quits. Across 11 western states, more than 160 top local election officials have left their position since November 2020.

BILL GATES (R), BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: We're asking a lot of our elections workers to deal with not only the general misinformation out there but directly people being attacked.

O'SULLIVAN (voiceover): Republican Bill Gates is on the Board of Supervisors for Arizona's largest county.

O'SULLIVAN: How concerned are you by the fact that there are election conspiracy theorists now becoming election officials?

GATES: I'm very concerned uh about that. We're seeing that in some small counties. We are only as strong as our weakest link.

BARTELSMEYER: It's very sad because we need experienced election workers.

O'SULLIVAN (voiceover): Fortunately for Bob Bartelsmeyer, he returned to his old election job in a different Arizona County where he says he is no longer being harassed. As for the election conspiracy theories he shared in 2020 --

O'SULLIVAN: I mean, do you regret sharing those Facebook posts?

BARTELSMEYER: Yes. The 2020 chapter should be closed and we should move forward. We have to believe the process of the certifications in each state of the secretaries of state.

O'SULLIVAN: So, you think voters should trust the 2024 election.

BARTELSMEYER: Yes.

O'SULLIVAN: Even if Trump loses?

BARTELSMEYER: Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Donie O'Sullivan reporting there. Thank you, Donie.

Still ahead, Israel's prime minister says that no one will stop them from destroying Hamas as Israel marks 100 days of war. So, where do things go from here? (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:37:48]

BLACKWELL: Today marks the 100th day since the Hamas attacks in Israel killed about 1200 people. Thousands are rallying in Tel Aviv to mark this moment calling for the release of hostages being held in Gaza.

WALKER: Protesters around the world are showing support for Palestinians in Gaza demanding Israel stop bombarding Gaza. This as the death toll climbs to more than 23,000 people, 10,000 of them children. That's according to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian health ministry. A massive rally also took place in Washington calling for a ceasefire.

CNN's Gabe Cohen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GABE COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, Amara, this was a huge rally with that included a March through Washington, D.C. as well as this protest here outside the White House. And in many ways, the size and the program of this protest mirrored the last massive March for Gaza that we saw here in Washington which I covered in early November. But the message Saturday felt even more urgent as the death toll continues to rise in Gaza.

The protesters calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and really trying to put political pressure on the Biden Administration to end its unequivocal support for Israel and its military aid for Israel's war effort in Gaza. I spoke with a a Palestinian-American woman who told me she has lost family in Gaza since the conflict began and she said she voted for President Biden in 2020 but 2024 she said is a different story. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have American family who are stuck there now and we have tried every Avenue for their evacuation. They have tried four times. They were shot at at the border. There is no circumstance in which President Biden has my vote in the upcoming election. He is single-handedly funding the genocide of my people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: Now, just this week, the Biden Administration said it is listening to and engaging with progressives who are calling for a ceasefire. But I spoke with a Biden staffer and there are several participating in this ceasefire effort. She told me she does not feel like the administration is really listening right now and that more political pressure like this rally is needed.

And we know as well that there was at least one incident connected to the protest with U.S. Park Police arresting two people for disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer. Amara, Victor? [06:40:15]

WALKER: All right, thank you very much.

In London, about 300,000 people marched on Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Free!

CROWD: Palestine!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Free!

CROWD: Palestine!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: They're demanding as you heard a free Palestine. From the financial district to the houses of parliament, demonstrators repeated their view that Israel's response to the Hamas attacks need to be reigned in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here because genocide is wrong. Because it's disproportionate because so many more Palestinians have died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Police say they arrested at least 82 counterprotesters. They say some were carrying weapons to prevent a breach of the peace. More than 2,000 off offers were deployed yesterday.

Let's bring in now CNN Global Affairs Analyst Kimberly Dozier. Kim, good morning to you. On the eve of this 100-day of war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke and he made some news. I'm going to start here with his announcement that the crossing into Egypt, the only remaining crossing outside of Gaza must be closed. He says that in order to dismantle Hamas, what comes into and out of Gaza must be controlled, so therefore they believe that -- and we're talking Rafah there in the Philadelphi Corridor must be closed.

What are the ramifications -- the ramifications in the immediate context of the war of that closure if it happens?

KIM DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, this border between Egypt and Gaza is the only one that the Gazans themselves control without Israeli interference which includes the Rafah Crossing. And what Netanyahu was talking about is taking back control of that entire length of the border. So, not just Rafah but anything going across it.

The reason is because Israel believes that the majority of the equipment be it missile parts or the concrete needed to make the hundreds of miles of subterranean tunnels that Hamas is using to move around. That was all brought over the Egyptian border. So, they're saying that they have to take control of it just the way they control the borders the other sides and the sea with Gaza.

So, on the main border with Israel they have a metal fence plus sensors that go underneath the ground to keep Gazans from tunneling out. They want to do something similar with Egypt. And this is going to be -- this is going to be a game changer if they do this because it's one more way of turning Gaza into an open-air prison, but it's from Netanyahu's perspective one of the only ways he can tell the Israeli people I've really done something to keep you safe in the future.

BLACKWELL: How does that if at all reconcile with what at least the U.S. believes Israel's role should be in the future of Gaza saying that Israel should not occupy or reoccupy Gaza and that there should be an approach or at least progress toward a two-state solution? If Israel has control of all of the entrances and exits to and from Gaza, it seems like that would be further from that goal?

DOZIER: Absolutely it's going in the opposite direction. It's also making Israel responsible for Gazan security, Palestinian security inside that territory such that, you know, right now if aid isn't getting in fast enough over the border with Egypt, Israel can say, well, we don't control those crossings, it's -- the delay is happening on the Egyptian side. Once they own everything -- right now it's sort of a patchwork. There are some crossings closer to Israel along that line that Israel has control of, but Rafah they don't. They don't have personnel there.

So, that would be Israel also sort of laying claim to whatever happens inside Gaza. And from the International Community perspective, there's already the outcry including the charge of genocide that South Africa has made in the international criminal court saying that, you know, Israel is trying to destroy the Palestinian people with its action which of course Israel protests against.

Doing something like this would just lend more to that that the Israelis aren't going to allow the Palestinians to have any semblance of Independence.

[06:45:06]

BLACKWELL: Kim Dozier, thank you so much.

WALKER: Still ahead, a historic day for the kingdom of Denmark where the world's only remaining female sovereign will soon pass the crown and usher in a new era for one of the world's oldest monarchies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Today in Denmark, Queen Margrethe II is passing the Royal torch to her 55-year-old son Prince Frederik. The official transfer will take place when the queen signs a declaration of her abdication. The 83-year-old Royal is Europe's longest-reigning monarch and the world's only reigning queen. She revealed in a New Year's Eve address that her historic 52-year tenure was coming to an end saying a back surgery she had last year played a role in her decision. Queen Margrethe ascended to the throne in 1972 following the death of King Frederick IX.

[06:50:05]

BLACKWELL: North Korea has fired another ballistic missile into the waters of the Korean Peninsula. That's according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The JCS says the missile is believed to be the intermediate-range launched from Pyongyang area. The U.S. military officials are working with their counterparts to analyze more details of the missile.

At least 37 people have been killed in Colombia after deadly landslides in the country's northwest region. Officials say more than a dozen bodies have been transferred to the nearby city of Medellin for forensic examination. At least 24 hours of rainfall hit the region flooding multiple communities and sending a torrent of mud through townships and villages.

WALKER: Officials in the fishing town of Grindavik, Iceland have ordered residents to evacuate again by Monday after volcanic fissures opened on the roads in the area. If you remember, it is the same town that was evacuated back in November for a volcano. Now, this video is from just north of Grindavik earlier today. The country is home to 32 active volcanoes and it sits on a tectonic plate boundary that continually splits apart.

Newly released police body cam shows the life-saving rescue of an 8- year-old girl who is drowning in an icy pond. Here it is. A Vermont state trooper dives into the freezing water to pull her out. Now, this happened about a month ago and there was a happy ending to all this. But some of you may find this video disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's making noise. Can you grab an arm? Let's bring her over there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's bring her closer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come here, baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, grab her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, the girl's younger sister, she also fell in. She was pulled out a few minutes earlier. Both the girls they're doing fine now. The police officers who they were involved with this rescue, they're being recommended for the department's life-saving award. Just recommended? I mean, I feel like after we watch the video there's not much of a decision process left.

WALKER: They will get it, yes. Incredible. BLACKWELL: Good work there.

So, the playoff game between the Chiefs and the Dolphins took the phrase frozen tundra to a new level. A look at the teeth-chattering, helmet-shattering conditions in Kansas City last night.

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[06:56:58]

WALKER: So, the NFL playoffs began yesterday with one of the coldest games ever played as the Miami Dolphins went into Kansas City to play the Chiefs.

BLACKWELL: Negative four degrees when the game started. That's cold enough for a bottle of water to immediately start frosting up.

WALKER: Wow.

BLACKWELL: Coy Wire is with us now. It's not a shocker that the team from the South had some struggles.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, it was about a 70 degree temperature difference for those Miami Dolphins to go to Kansas City. I played in these temperatures before, six seasons in Buffalo. The players will take tape and put them on the ear holes of their helmet so the wind doesn't get in. They'll even wear medical exam gloves under their football gloves to try to retain some of that heat.

WALKER: Wow.

WIRE: Fourth coldest game in NFL playoff history. It feels like temps of negative 20 at kickoff. The windows in Taylor Swift Suite were frozen over. And how about Chiefs coach Andy Reid? Icicles hanging off of his mustache. But Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs started off red hot. Rashee Rice scoring the opening touchdown. He had nearly half of Mahomes 262 yards passing on the night. It was so cold that it may have caused Mahomes's helmet to just crack. A huge chunk chipping off when his helmet hits the defenders.

Kansas City wins 26-7 shutting the Dolphins high-powered offense down. Afterwards, Mahomes talked about that chipped helmet and also how even his backup helmet was frozen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK MAHOMES, QUARTERBACK, CHIEFS: I didn't know what happened at the -- in the moment but I got in the huddle and everybody was telling me. And I was like, I got y'all but I'm not coming out the game so -- they have a backup that's out there. We're going to talk about where we store the backup because it was like frozen. So, like, when I tried to put it -- when I tried to put it on, it was completely frozen. I couldn't get it on. I don't know if anyone got a picture of it. It didn't look great. But we were able to adjust it on the sideline, get it kind of warmed up a little bit, and get rolling from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Houston waking up happy after the Texans crushed the Browns in their wildcard matchup. C.J. Stoud all but cementing his offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Three touchdown passes in the first half. That matches the rookie record for most in an entire playoff game. Houston's defense, they dominated again, back-to-back interceptions for touchdowns in the third quarter against Joe Flacco. Texans win 45- 14.

They won just three games last season. But with Stroud and head coach DeMeco Ryans in their first seasons leading the way, Houston advances the divisional round of the playoffs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEMECO RYANS, HEAD COACH, TEXANS: What this team has done, I mean, for CJ to go to have the game that he had, unbelievable performance by a rookie. We talked about opportunity. Now, the biggest thing is what do you do with it, right? And it was all about just going out and just finishing. Continuing to execute, continuing to finish, and that's what we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Just two games today with the Steelers-Bills game in Buffalo pushed to Monday because of conditions like this in Western New York. The field looks like Lake Eerie there. It's reunion day today though with Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy facing his former team, the Packers. And then quarterbacks Matthew Stafford of the Rams and Jared Goff of the Lions both facing off their former against their former teams.

There's a shot of the times for you. Detroit going to be hosting their first playoff game in 30 years, so you can imagine the environment there in Detroit.

WALKER: I mean, your bones, your muscles, they freeze in these kind of temperatures.

BLACKWELL: I don't know how you run into that cold.

WALKER: You can barely talk in those temperatures. We're talking about, you know, being outside trying to be live in those temperatures. It's impossible.

WIRE: It is. And you can't really smile either because if you do -- I mean, your teeth hurt. It's that cold.

WALKER: Gosh.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Coy.

WIRE: You got it.

BLACKWELL: The next hour of CNN this morning starts right now.