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CNN This Morning

Final Day Ahead Of Caucuses Begins With Trump Boosted By New Poll; Iowa Caucuses Set To Kick Off In Subzero Temperatures; John Kerry Plans To Step Down As U.S. Climate Envoy; Biden Campaign Data: Undecided Voters Don't Yet Believe Trump Could Be GOP Nominee Again; Congressional Leaders Reach Deal To Keep Govt. Funded Until March; House GOP Moves Forward With Holding Hunter Biden In Contempt; CNN Poll: Haley Likely To Benefit Most From Christie's Exit; 2024 U.S. Election; Haley Stands to Profit The Most From Christie's Departure, According To CNN Poll; After Christie Leaves, Fans Contemplate Whom To Support; Boeing Under Scrutiny; Boeing 737 Max 9s Will Be Grounded Indefinitely, According to FAA; Alaska Airlines Incident: Boeing CEO Admits "Mistake"; Historic Election In Taiwan; Queen Margrethe II Abdicates, King Frederik Becomes New Ruler; China Criticizes United States Government's Response To Taiwan Election; Defying China, Taiwan Chose Lai Ching-Te As Its New Leader; Rising In "Swatting" Causes Concern. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired January 14, 2024 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: There's a shot at 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.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: I mean your bones, your muscles they freeze in these kind of temperatures --

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: I don't know how you run if it's that cold.

WALKER: We're talking this time, because you're talking about, you know, being outside trying to be alive 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: Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You got it.

BLACKWELL: Next hour of CNN This Morning starts right now.

WALKER: Hey, good morning, everyone. It is Sunday, January 14th. I'm Amara Walker.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. WALKER: The road to the Republican presidential nomination begins in a bitterly cold, snow covered Iowa tomorrow. The long awaited Iowa caucuses finally kick off. And after a series of cancellations Saturday due to the weather, the candidates are back on the trail today, fanning out across the state and making one final pitch before the voters weigh in.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Eva McKend is in Des Moines. The candidates fighting the weather and each other and also the final poll before the caucuses shows former President Donald Trump continue to dominate. What do you know?

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is Iowa's arguably most important poll and it shows the former president at 48 percent. So it seems as though he has captured nearly half of Republican caucusgoers in this state.

Nikki Haley, a distant 30 points away at 20 percent and Governor DeSantis at 16 percent. That is a notable change between second and third because Governor DeSantis historically, he was running in second place. And what that indicates is that the former ambassador continues to enjoy momentum, not only in New Hampshire, but here in Iowa.

So core to the arguments that Haley and DeSantis have made on the campaign trail is that the former president just has too much baggage. That he is going to run into a lot of trouble against President Biden in a general election. The big question now is, is that argument palatable to enough voters? Are they convincing voters of Trump's liability?

Take a listen to this this voter that we caught up with at Nikki Haley's event.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS HINKLE, FIRST-TIME CAUCUSGOER WHO PLANS TO SUPPORT HALEY: We've been dissatisfied with our presidential candidates the last several elections. We like her international experience. There's a lot going on around the world right now. And I think she, to me, has the most reasoned message about those things. And I concur with her on what she said today about, you know, where we need to be on Ukraine. Where we, you know, where we need to be on the border issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKEND: So the big wild card now, Amara and Victor, is turnout. Will Iowans still show up to caucus? A very involved, lengthy process. It's not just like going to vote and then going home. You have to be there for quite some time. Are they going to do that in these bitterly cold temperatures, negative 20.

When I woke up this morning, there's plenty of snow on the ground. Some of the roads still impassable. So that is certainly an added dynamic in this caucus. Back to you.

BLACKWELL: Sure is. Eva McKend for us there in Des Moines, thanks so much.

So despite polls that suggest otherwise, the Biden campaign says that new internal data shows that some undecided voters are not yet convinced that the former President Trump will once again be the Republican nominee. And that presents a new challenge, as the team works to deliver a second term for President Biden.

WALKER: CNN's Camila DeChalus is at the White House. Hi there, Camila. Tell us more about these voters, who they are, and how they're influencing Biden's reelection strategy.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, these voters are people who have decided that they're undecided. They haven't fully made up their minds whether they will put all of their support behind Biden and the upcoming election cycle.

Now the campaign team says that moving forward, part of their strategy will be for Biden and his top surrogates on the campaign trail to paint a more vivid picture of what a second term under Trump would look like and what Biden will set out to do if he gets reelected.

They say part of the problem is that just at this moment in time, voters are not paying close attention to the election cycle, and so they need to do more of a job to really emphasize what's at stake in the upcoming months.

[07:05:04]

BLACKWELL: And Camila, John Kerry, the president's climate envoy, he's going to leave, he's going to leave that role. Why?

DECHALUS: Well, at this point, we know that John Kerry is stepping down and potentially joining Biden's campaign team. Now, this is really significant because he can directly attest to what Biden has done to combat climate change. And he can effectively strategize with his campaign team on how to effectively communicate to voters who really care about that issue. And that's on the top of their minds.

So it gives them another reason to say, hey, this is what Biden has done, and this is why we should put their support behind him. So they -- he can play a very big role in Biden and swaying these undecided voters, Victor.

WALKER: All right, Camila DeChalus, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: Joining us now is Democratic Congresswoman from Michigan, Debbie Dingell. Congresswoman, good to see you on a Sunday morning. Let's start here with the president is running as if Donald Trump's going to be the Republican nominee despite these internal polls that show that some Americans are not so sure.

The most recent CNN poll shows that in Michigan, Trump leads the president by 10 points among Michiganders. According to this poll, his approval rating -- President Biden's approval rating is 35 percent. To win Michigan again, what does the Biden campaign need to do? Clyburn says -- Congressman Clyburn says it's about messaging. What's this look like to win Michigan for Democrats?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D), MICHIGAN: Well, good morning, and it's always good to be with you. I think there are a lot of things that have to be done. I think, first of all, first -- so I want to say this about polling. You know, polling is a snapshot in time, and I will remind everybody, everybody said Hillary Clinton had the election won, and I told people Donald Trump is going to win Michigan, even when the polls showed Hillary Clinton back into '15 to '16.

So let's remember the polls are a snapshot in time and are not the actual Election Day results. But when you come into Michigan, you have a lot of different groups right now. I think all of us have to do a far better job of communicating what Joe Biden has gotten done.

That those roads and bridges that are getting fixed, the Internet that's out there, the insulin prices that have been lowered are not because of what's happened at the state level or by a Republican legislator, but Joe Biden let it and got it done.

And we're not doing a good enough job of delivering that message and showing people how the work of the last three years has improved their lives. I think that Republicans are trying to use the environment as a wedge issue. I think young people are really worried about their future, and they're worried about what is happening to the climate.

We've got to remind everybody that these -- like Michigan's all going to be as frozen as Iowa is today. We've had floods. You're seeing weather like the fires in California and the hurricanes in the Florida because of environmental concerns. We've got to remind people of that. And look, we've got a tough issue in the Mideast. That's got to be an issue that's addressed as well.

BLACKWELL: Yes, certainly important to a lot of communities in Michigan that have been disappointed in the president's support or the way in which he's supporting Israel in the war with Hamas. Let me ask you, you said that you pointed out that in 2016 you said that Donald Trump would win Michigan. What's your degree of confidence in 2024 that the president will be able to hold on to Michigan?

DINGELL: I think Michigan's a very competitive state. Someone who's known for just telling you as I think it is. But here's the difference. Nobody believed me back then and we didn't do what we needed to do. We didn't even have a candidate that walked into a union hall.

We know what's got to get done. The Biden campaign, the president himself is listening to me, the vice president. We know what we've got to do. We've got to roll up our sleeves and we've got to get the job done. And we have to define who Donald Trump is and what he would do to this country.

Again, the division, the threat to democracy, the bullying, that's an important part of what we have to do as well. We know who the man is now.

BLACKWELL: Let's talk about this funding deal that happened between Speaker Johnson and Leader Schumer over in the Senate. Speaker Johnson promised last year that there would be no stopgap funding bills, just short terms in 2024, but here we are.

There's a deal to keep the government funded for a few more weeks through early March to avert a partial shutdown. If Speaker Johnson stands by the deal that he struck with Leader Schumer, is a shutdown any less likely in March than it is now than it was in November, when the Freedom Caucus members of his party balked at a deal?

[07:10:06]

DINGELL: You're asking me to predict what I can't predict, because Speaker Johnson has a Republican caucus that is unpredictable. They don't understand that working together is how we help this country. I think shutting down the government is totally irresponsible. But this week in the House, the Freedom Caucus took down a rule to send a message. We have control.

So we're going to have to see what's going to happen. I'll ask -- I have to say I'm very proud of my Wolverines. I was at the celebration and I told the team that they had a message that they should send to America. Teamwork produces victors and we all need to be doing a lot more teamwork and the Republican caucus needs to learn that.

BLACKWELL: OK, fair point that I'm asking you to predict what the Republican caucus will do. Let me ask you, you're I believe deputy whip of the progressive caucus. I don't know how many progressive votes there would be, but this deal is between the Republican speaker and the Democratic leader in the Senate.

How many Democratic votes in the House if the freedom caucus and and members of their ilk revolt? Do you think there could be? Could there be enough Democratic votes to compensate?

DINGELL: I think that if it passes the Senate, it will come over to the House and we will because we do as a caucus discuss the strategy and what we're going to do. I, from the beginning, have said that it is irresponsible to shut down the government.

First of all, these are people whose lives depend on it. We play games with people that are protecting all of us every single day. That's wrong. But I think our caucus does not want to shut the government down, but we'll have to see what's happening before you actually say what the outcome will be.

BLACKWELL: OK, sounds like a maybe --

DINGELL: And what the proposal is. You should -- but you should never tell somebody how you're going to vote until you know what you're voting on. That's just a reality. But I do believe my caucus knows you should not shut the government down and does not want to shut the government down.

BLACKWELL: Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, thank you for joining us this Sunday morning. All right, it's the first major test of the 2024 presidential election. The stakes in Iowa are high. We will come out on top. Special coverage of the 2024 Iowa caucuses start tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

WALKER: All right, up next, Chris Christie voters are up for grabs after he dropped out of the Republican presidential race last week. Which of his former rivals might benefit the most?

Plus, a historic day in Denmark. The world's only female sovereign is passing her crown to her son. These are live pictures there in Copenhagen where crowds are gathered for this moment. The new era for one of the world's oldest monarchies is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:17:10]

WALKER: The drama between Hunter Biden and House Republicans continued this week. House Republicans decided to move forward withholding Hunter Biden in criminal contempt of Congress until the President's son schedules a closed door deposition with Congress.

Now, Hunter Biden's lawyers in a letter to House Republicans Friday argued that the subpoenas they sent in November were not legally valid because they were issued before the full House authorized an impeachment inquiry in December.

Joining me now to discuss this, CNN Legal Analyst, Former Ambassador Norm Eisen. Norm, great to see you this morning. So first off, what do you make of this argument by Hunter Biden's team that the subpoenas issued before the impeachment investigation was officially opened into President Biden are invalid? And do you see this as a delay tactic, given that a new subpoena can then be issued now?

AMBASSADOR NORM EISEN (RET.), CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The subpoenas do have significant legal questions swirling around them. And that is because of a legal opinion issued by none other than Donald Trump's Department of Justice. When I was working on the first impeachment of the former president, there was a similar timing of issue.

And the Department of Justice said that subpoenas that are issued before the commencement of a formal inquiry, which is the same thing we have here with Hunter, are not valid. So I do think that there's some legal arguments. But in a sign that Hunter recognizes that it's not a for sure thing, he and his counsel have offered to continue negotiating. Because of that exact reason you identify, House Republicans can just issue a new subpoena.

WALKER: So Republicans, they're still planning, as you said, a full House vote this week on contempt charges against Hunter Biden. That resolution passed out of the committees on Wednesday. If the vote passes the full House, how do you expect the Department of Justice to respond? Will federal prosecutors pursue a criminal case?

EISEN: Well, they'll wrestle with the issues here. It's not clear that they will pursue a federal case. Remember, the former chief of staff to Donald Trump, Mark Meadows, very similar to Hunter Biden, negotiated in an attempt to resolve a subpoena dispute.

In Meadows case, DOJ chose not to proceed with criminal contempt. Here, Hunter Biden has offered no less than seven times by my count through his lawyers to find a compromise. That's not a very attractive, factual posture for DOJ, or even if DOJ charges to put before a Washington, D.C. judge and jury.

[07:20:11]

So we'll see what happens, but there are some substantial arguments on Hunter's side.

WALKER: Well, Hunter Biden, as we've all seen, has taken a pretty aggressive approach to oppose Republicans efforts to get him to testify behind closed doors. As we saw this past week, he showed up unannounced on Capitol Hill to show that he's willing to testify, but only publicly. So he hasn't exactly refused the subpoena, right? I mean, what do you make of the strategy?

EISEN: The legal rules that will apply when DOJ decides whether or not they're going to charge, and then when the matter goes before a judge and ultimately a jury in the District of Columbia. Look at this back and forth. It's called accommodation. We dealt with it often with our subpoenas in the first Trump impeachment.

And I think that the repeated efforts and dramatizing them -- you don't have to go to a hearing to make your point that you're willing to comply. Dramatizing them does drive that home to DOJ. The dispute is, Hunter's willing to show up, House Republicans are insisting on a closed door deposition.

He's saying, hey, so many things that have happened behind closed doors have been twisted and distorted. He has a point there, by this House Majority. I want it to be in public, and then I'll answer all your questions.

WALKER: Yes. So it sounds like there's room for negotiation. And as you said, I mean, you know, Hunter Biden's been saying, look, I'm concerned about testifying behind closed doors because you guys can take portions of my testimony and leak it out and, you know, without context. How do you expect these talks to play out and could Hunter Biden be forced to testify privately?

EISEN: Both sides made noises on Friday about possibly reaching an accommodation, a compromise. With Hunter, through his very able lawyer, Abbe Lowell, offering in a letter to, yet again appear and suggesting a little more flexibility on some of the details. He still wants it to be in public.

And the House saying they want him to appear, but they're going to keep going with their contempt proceedings until it's resolved. But it had more of a conciliatory tone on both sides. Whether they can get there, we don't know. But these things usually end in compromise. We'll see if the usual thing happens here as well. WALKER: Yes. Compromise, though, has become a dirty word in Washington. We'll see how things pan out.

Ambassador Norm Eisen, thank you very much.

BLACKWELL: One day left until the Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential candidates are trying to squeeze in some last minute events despite the weather. Coming up, how Nikki Haley is looking to defy expectations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:27:07]

WALKER: The latest poll out of Iowa puts former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in second place among GOP voters, but still well behind Donald Trump. Haley, like her Republican competitors, spent Saturday urging her supporters to bundle up and get out to the caucuses on Monday despite the dangerously frigid conditions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have a choice to make. This is go time. All eyes are on Iowa and you get it. You know the responsibility that comes with being first. You know that you're setting the tone for where the country's going to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: It'll be the coldest caucus night in history with temperatures unlikely to break zero degrees and wind chills that could make it feel more like minus 35. CNN's Kylie Atwood is in Iowa wearing a hat with more.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Iowa is a flurry of activity today with all of the candidates having events across the state. Former President Trump with a major rally after having to cancel a number of events in the state over the weekend due to the severe weather circumstances here.

We also have Nikki Haley, who will have three events across the state, Ron DeSantis having four events. They are all sprinting to the finish here with the Iowa caucus just tomorrow and all these candidates trying to encourage their supporters to get out and actually go to the caucus, particularly given the circumstances surrounding the weather.

The fact that it's expected to be the coldest Iowa caucus that has ever been recorded in history with temperatures hitting potentially below 10 or below 15 degrees. So these candidates, Nikki Haley telling her supporters that they're going to have to bundle up, they're going to have to wear layers, but deploring them to get actually get out and making their final pitches in the hours before they actually go and vote.

Victor, Amara?

BLACKWELL: All right, thank you.

Now the polls show that Donald Trump could score this historic win in Iowa, but there are a few votes that are up for grabs after former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie dropped out of that race.

WALKER: Yes. So which candidate will benefit most from his exit? CNN's Omar Jimenez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN HOST (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 --

CHRIS PEASE, NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER: Yes.

JIMENEZ: -- who supported Christie before, but now you're leaning Haley.

PEASE: Yes.

JIMENEZ: Why is that?

PEASE: Because she's the best pathway to the helping the country move forwards from Trump.

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

PEASE: Would it not be better if -- to better serve the anti-Trump vote for you to suspend, but for Nikki to have U.S. VP declared before the January primary?

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

[07:30:11]

CHRIS PEASE, NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT AND CHRISTIE SUPPORTER: 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 has just moved by a big jump now in New Hampshire.

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

TOM BARTON (PH), NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT AND CHRISTIE SUPPORTER: I'm very saddened by this.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): He says he's open, but needs to see more. BARTON (PH): If there's one candidate that I would like, if she would stand up to Trump more, it would be Haley.

JIMENEZ: Catherine Johnson, a Democrat who supported Christie doesn't see it the same way with Haley.

CATHERINE JOHNSON, CHRISTIE CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER: 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 go work for the Democrats starting tomorrow. Because -- no, I -- I respect her. But no, I will not vote for her.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Others, as young as 10 years old liked Christie.

HANNAH KESSELRING, NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT: Let's say you weren't running.

CHRISTIE: Right.

KESSELRING: And you had no idea that this could even happen.

CHRISTIE: OK.

KESSELRING: Who would you vote for?

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

STEVEN KESSELRING, NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT AND HALEY SUPPORTER: 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.

KIM KESSELRING, NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT AND HALEY SUPPORTER: 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 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.

PEASE: You want to choose that voice that a greater proportion of the country is going to resonate with them, this bucket (ph).

JIMENEZ (voice-over): And to you, that's Nikki Haley?

PEASE: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WALKER: Interesting reporting there from Omar Jimenez. Thank you.

Still to come, the FAA is increasing its oversight of Boeing after a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines jet mid-flight. Why it is uncertain when Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes will be back in the air?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:37:24]

WALKER: The FAA says, there is no immediate timetable to get the Boeing 737 MAX 9 back in the air. They say, "Extensive inspection and maintenance process must happen first." 171 planes remain grounded after that terrifying incident earlier this month when the door plug from an Alaska Airlines jet detached and then just flew off mid-flight at 16, 000 feet. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing, but no one was seriously injured. But the FAA is now auditing the 737's MAX 9 production line and suppliers. The NTSB is also conducting its own investigation. The door plug arrived on Friday night at an NTSB lab in Washington, D.C.

Joining us now to continue this conversation, CNN Safety Analyst and Former FAA Safety Inspector David Soucie. David, good to see you this morning. Let's start with the Boeing CEO, Dave Calhoun, admitting to a, "Mistake this past week", during an all-employee meeting in Washington. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE CALHOUN, CEO, BOEING: We're going to approach this. Number one acknowledging our mistake. We're going to approach it with 100 percent and complete transparency every step of the way. We're going to work with the NTSB who is investigating the accident itself to find out what the root cause is. Have a long experience with this group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: What mistake, do you think, he's referring to?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: The mistake that I can see so far that I know about is these bolts that were not either securely fastened or they were designed wrong. They weren't put in properly. That's what they're waiting to find out, and that's the mistake that he's referring to.

WALKER: So, if the FAA is auditing the production line of the 737 MAX 9 and Boeing's quality control, I'm just curious because we talked about Spirit AeroSystems, this is the Boeing contractor which builds the 737 MAX 9 fuselage. And it says that it installed the plug that blew off the Alaska Airlines flight. How does this contractor fit into the investigation? Because at the end of the day, the buck stops at Boeing.

SOUCIE: Well, yes, it does. And with the FAA, we refer to the safety umbrella, which is the whole safety nut. Everything underneath one umbrella and that includes all the subcontractors, whoever they send it out to, who have to adhere to all of the Boeing safety practices, inspection practices, as well as everything that the FAA mandates, even on their own.

[07:40:00]

WALKER: You talked about this along with many other safety experts regarding the design of this door plug and how it should be installed from the inside of the plane, as opposed to the outside. Tell me more.

SOUCIE: Well, there may be reasons for why they did it this way for -- to make it easier to come on and off, whatever the reason may be. But most doors and emergency exits are literally bigger than the hole that they fit into. And they're installed from the inside out. What that prevents is that if the bolts come loose, if any mounting structure is in --not intact, it will still -- the pressure will hold that plug in place. That's not what happened here.

WALKER: So, you know, I asked you this question the last time we spoke about whether or not Max planes should be flying at all, right? Because Boeing is dealing with a tarnished reputation and they obviously have major credibility issues. But, you know, again, we look at the Max planes, not specifically the 9, but all the Max planes been involved in two deadly crashes in 2018, 2019. After that, there have been a number of production issues, loose bolts in the rudder control system of these planes, a defect in the anti-icing system. Should these planes be flying at all?

SOUCIE: Well, what we're doing right now, it looks like to me, America is setting a stage for a battle between this -- the titans of industry and really the government agency that protects safety for the public. So, this battle can be set. It all has to do now with whether the credibility can be restored with Boeing and David Calhoun, the CEO, I reached out to management last night, and of course, they can't discuss an active investigation. However, they are coordinating. They are working with the NTSB, as he said.

What the challenge is going to be is when the -- David Calhoun matches wits with the FAA, with Administrator Whitaker. That's where the real thing is going to happen. That's where this battle is going to start. And we'll just have to see what they come out with. And my judgment about the Boeing aircraft is that we've got these issues that were being deal -- dealt with. Those are all fairly new issues.

So, I believe that there's something gone wrong in Boeing that can be fixed but it's going to take a Herculean effort on both parts and they're going to have to work together and not make this a battle to make sure that these things get fixed properly and put back into service and restore the confidence that Boeing once had.

WALKER: Yes, that will also be a Herculean effort, obviously, reestablishing that confidence. David Soucie, good to see you. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Still ahead, there are big celebrations in Taiwan after the most recent presidential election there, but China is not happy at all. We'll explain why after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:46:57]

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 the declaration of her abdication. Now, the 83-year-old royal is Europe's longest reigning monarch and the world's only reigning queen. She revealed on New Year's Eve, during her address there that her historic 52-year-old 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 Frederik IX. Queen Elizabeth and Queen Margrethe are third cousins.

BLACKWELL: China is blasting the U.S. State Department's reaction to Taiwan's presidential election. They say it violates commitments the U.S. has made to treat China and Taiwan as a single country. On Saturday, the State Department extended its congratulations to the people of Taiwan on the new president-elect.

WALKER: His presidency comes despite Beijing's cautionary stance over potential conflicts and concerns about pushing for Taiwan's independence. Joining us now from Taiwan is CNN's Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley.

Obviously, Will, this is a huge blow to China. What are they saying about the new president and the U.S. reaction?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, China could not be more unhappy with the result of this election. This is a party that China openly loathes. The vice president is actually banned from even -- the vice president-elect, I should say, banned from even going into Mainland China. And so, this is an incredibly sensitive time, and they're certainly aware of that here in Taipei. But they're telling us that they don't expect any sort of Chinese military response on a large scale on the Taiwan Strait, like what we saw after Nancy Pelosi, until perhaps May 20th, which is when the inauguration is set.

Right now, the weather is simply not good, but China not happy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (voice-over): Snow rarely falls on the Taiwanese capital. But on this night, a blizzard of confetti, thunderous applause on the winning side. On the losing side calls for unity as Taipei braces for Beijing's brewing storm.

YANG WEI-TING, CIVIL SERVANT: The most important part for me is our relationship with China, and we've been bullied like for years on end. And I just can't stand we kneeling down to their demands, and they're meddling with our elections.

RIPLEY (voice-over): To say China did not want this result is the understatement of the month, maybe the year. China despises Taiwan's president-elect, Lai Ching-Te. They hate his Vice President Hsiao Bi- khim, the former U.S. envoy even more. She's banned from even entering China. Diplomacy? Forget it.

Ahead of the election, China did all it could to paint a dark, foreboding picture of four more years of the Democratic Progressive or Green Party in power.

RIPLEY: Taiwan has never seen an election like this before, with three different parties vying for the presidency. But in the end, it was a third historic term for the Green Party, a result that will likely have Beijing seeing red.

[07:50:00]

RIPLEY (voice-over): Within minutes of the result, a bold, familiar claim from the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing. Taiwan is China's Taiwan. The DPP does not represent the mainstream view on the island. They did capture 40 percent of the vote, turnout more than 70 percent. About 20 million Taiwanese, more than 80 percent of the island's population eligible to vote, and many did.

In Taiwan, there are no absentee ballots.

FEIFEI HUNG, STUDENT: I am very, very pleasantly happy about it.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Some, like this student from the U.S. flew 16 hours to cast their votes in person.

RIPLEY: Were you afraid that Taiwan would become similar to Hong Kong or the next Hong Kong if there was a different result?

HUNG: Really, for sure. In terms of -- especially since other two- party advocate for, like, a more closer, like, economic partnership with China. And that means, it's the first step for encroachment, right?

RIPLEY (voice-over): When the buzz of victory wears off, a sobering reality for Taiwan's new president, his party lost control of parliament, a sign of voter dissatisfaction. With low pay, expensive housing, lack of opportunity, local issues have never been the ruling party's strength. It's why they lost the last round of local elections. But the party's two-term President Tsai Ing-wen did put Taiwan on a global stage like never before. Lai, her VP and now successor, ran on a continuity ticket.

CHING-TE (through translator): We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we still stand on the side of democracy.

RIPLEY (voice-over): And he says, safeguard Taiwan from China's ongoing intimidation and threats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY (on camera): President Biden has sent a delegation of former U.S. Officials. So, the former national security adviser, former deputy secretary of state coming here in their private capacity. But they were asked by the United States to travel to the Taiwanese capital to meet with the winners of this election and other lawmakers and talk about plans moving forward. Because really, the big unknown here is what will China do and when?

So, even though Taiwan is celebrating this Democratic election, which they hope will be a successful and peaceful transfer of power in a few months, they do all of this under the ominous cloud of China's warning. of war.

BLACKWELL: Will Ripley from Taipei, thank you.

WALKER: Still ahead. A growing number of public figures have become victims of swatting. Coming up, a look at the spike in this dangerous crime.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:57:00]

BLACKWELL: Law enforcement agencies across the country are seeing a disturbing trend, some judges, also politicians. Their homes are suddenly stormed by police. This is called swatting.

WALKER: It's what happens when fake emergency calls are made and police are dispatched to an address where no crime has actually occurred. CNN's Rene Marsh explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE YOST, (R) OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL: He claimed that, I had shot my wife.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ohio's Attorney General Dave Yost.

LT. GOV. BURT JONES, (R) GEORGIA: They had shot their spouse and that they had somebody else tied up.

MARSH (voice-over): And Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, both police say targets of a dangerous trend on the rise called swatting. It's a hoax where the caller makes a panicked false report to 9-1-1 about a violent crime in progress at their target's home, triggering a large police response with armed officers. Like the one Georgia State Senator Clint Dixon experienced when he says he was swatted on Christmas Day.

CLINT DIXON, GEORGIA STATE SENATOR: I went to the front door and open the door and answered the door and was met by six officers that were carrying ARs.

MARSH (voice-over): Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says she was targeted the same day. The police report says the caller told an emergency dispatcher he shot his girlfriend and Greene's home was the scene of the crime. CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: The intent is to harass the individual who's a subject of the swatting call, but there are serious consequences potentially. Officers responding very quickly to the scene, thinking that there's some major crime in progress. It puts the person who is the subject of the swatting at risk.

MARSH (voice-over): In a divisive and toxic political environment, both Republican and Democratic political figures seem to be increasingly the targets. Many of them viewed by Trump supporters as political opponents. This Sunday, D.C. police responded to a 9-1-1 call for a shooting at the home of the federal judge in Donald Trump's election interference case. The police report says, once units arrived, they realized the judge was not injured and there was no one in her home.

Last month, Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel overseeing two federal cases against Donald Trump, was swatted, a law enforcement source tells CNN. So, was Maine secretary of state after she ruled Trump ineligible to appear on the state's ballot. And just hours before Thursday's closing arguments, a bomb threat at the home of the judge presiding over Trump's civil trial.

MERRICK GARLAND, ATTORNEY GENERAL: These threats of violence are unacceptable. They threaten the fabric of our democracy.

MARSH: In May, the FBI set up a database to track swatting cases for the first time. Since then, the agency says it has received more than 500 reports, but finding the perpetrators who often masked their caller ID data can be difficult. And that's why political figures who have fallen victim to the prime are urging Congress to act.

DIXON: If there was, you know, a federal law on the books, giving that this person is calling from another state that, you know, you'd have that jurisdiction and hopefully be able to apprehend those folks more effectively.