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GOP Candidates Campaign Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary; DeSantis Returns To New Hampshire After Campaigning In South Carolina; Dean Phillips Holds Events In New Hampshire In Longshot White House Bid; Trump, Haley Trade Attacks Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary; Trump Campaigns With South Carolina Leaders Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary; Nikki Haley Questions Trump's Mental Fitness; Scott Endorses Trump Ahead Of New Hampshire Primary; Biden, Harris To Focus On Reproductive Rights In First Joint Event Of The Year; DeSantis Moving Past New Hampshire, Already Campaigning In South Carolina; Iran-Backed Militia Takes Responsibility For Attack On Iraq Air Base That Injured U.S. Personnel; Fears Of Regional Conflict Grow After Strikes In Iraq And Syria; Israeli Strike On Damascus Kills Four Iran Military Advisors; Millennials Coming Up Short In Improving Economy; L.A. Innocence Project Takes On Scott Peterson Murder Case; Health Issues Force Two Senior Royals Out Of The Spotlight; 49ers Rally Late To Beat Packers, 24-21; Ravens Pull Away To Rout Texans, 34-10. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired January 21, 2024 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:46]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Good morning. It is Sunday, January 21st. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING WEEKEND. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Good frigid cold morning.

BLACKWELL: Yes. It was 12 degrees when I walked out my door this morning.

WALKER: It was painful. Hello, everyone. I'm Amara Walker and thank you so much for spending a part of your morning with us. Here is what we're watching for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you're 80, that's what happens. You're just not as sharp as you used to be.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago. Is that possible?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Nikki Haley take shots at Trump's mental fitness the day after he apparently confuses her with Nancy Pelosi in the final weekend before the New Hampshire primary, Plus, what had DeSantis going toe- to-toe with a voter in South Carolina?

BLACKWELL: There are new details in that Israeli strike on a building in Damascus. What we know about who they were targeting and the broader concerns over escalating attacks in the region.

WALKER: And the economy may be doing well but some millennials aren't feeling it. Why they say they're juggling multiple jobs, reconsidering having children, and whether college was really worth it.

BLACKWELL: Health officials are forcing two of the most senior royals to step out of the public eye for a moment. What they -- why they're sidelined, I should say, and who is stepping into their places.

WALKER: We begin this morning in New Hampshire. The 2024 presidential hopefuls are making their closing arguments to voters ahead of the state's primary this Tuesday. Now, Nikki Haley is betting heavily on a strong finish in New Hampshire holding a half a dozen events in the state. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will also be in the state after confusion about his path forward.

BLACKWELL: DeSantis spent Saturday campaigning in South Carolina, their primary is more than a month away. And he canceled two Sunday morning appearances including an interview with CNN. Saying there were some scheduling issues.

Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips who is mounting a longshot challenge to President Biden is also holding two events today. Yesterday, Ambassador Haley and former President Trump ramped up the attacks on one another. Haley questioned Trump's mental fitness after he appeared to confuse her with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. CNN's Alayna Treene is traveling with Trump campaign.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CAPITOL HILL REPORTER: Well, with just three days to go until the New Hampshire primary Donald Trump is escalating his attacks on his rival Nikki Haley. And part of that strategy is by using leaders from South Carolina and trying to paint her as not being very well liked by people in her own backyard.

On Saturday, Trump called up a series of South Carolina lawmakers to the stage, including South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, a fierce Trump ally who endorsed him back in 2022. And of course, that comes after Friday night where Donald Trump also picked up a massive endorsement from South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.

I'm told from my conversations with Trump's campaign that they'd really been courting his endorsement ever since he dropped out of the presidential race last year. But they had really accelerated that timeline because they wanted to try and have it come right before New Hampshire.

Again, New Hampshire is a state where they are worried about Nikki Haley's rise in the polls especially her popularity with moderates and independents. And so, you're seeing the campaign and Donald Trump himself try to implement every tactic they can to undercut her in these final days.

Now, another thing I'd like to point your attention to is Donald Trump also defended his cognitive abilities while on stage. That comes after a gaffe that Trump had on Friday where he seemed to confuse Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi when talking about security at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

We should point out that Nikki Haley was not in office then and had nothing to do with security at the Capitol during that time. But Donald Trump continuously brought up her name on Friday and that drew a response from Nikki Haley. She had said that perhaps it shows Trump is not mentally fit for office. Take a listen to how Trump responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: If I'm sarcastic or like I -- a lot of times I'll say and President Obama is doing a lousy job. Meaning that Obama is running the show.

[06:05:00]

They'll say, Donald Trump doesn't know who our president is. No, no.

A few months ago, I took a cognitive test my doctor gave me. I said give me a cognitive test just so we can, you know, because you know what the standards were. And I aced it.

I'll let you know when I go bad. I really think I'll be able to tell you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: Now, I can tell you that this is an argument that actually bothers Donald Trump personally. We know that Donald Trump often likes to use these attacks on Joe Biden and doesn't really like the fire being trained on himself. And, I think, that is why you saw him try to bring this up tonight and address it head on. Victor, Amara, back to you.

WALKER: All right. Alayna Treene, thank you very much. So, Haley has surged in recent months cutting Trump's lead in New Hampshire to single-digits and that is according to the latest CNN poll. And now she's making a pitch to New Hampshire's large number of independent and undeclared voters.

BLACKWELL: CNN's Kylie Atwood is travelling with the Haley campaign.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Nikki Haley is barnstorming the state of New Hampshire just a few days out from Tuesday's primary. And she is making her pitch to voters asking them to go vote on her behalf and also cranking up her attacks on former Trump. She also is going after him for his ads that New Hampshire folks are seeing on the TV saying that they are full of lies trying to correct the record when it comes to her record on gas tax and Social Security.

And when it comes to South Carolina lawmakers who are up in New Hampshire at the events with former President Trump this weekend, not with Nikki Haley. Of course, South Carolina is her home state. That is a bit of a stinging blow. She said she was disappointed that Senator Tim Scott has endorsed former President Trump and is with him. But she also said that is a decision that he is going to have to live with. Her campaign has said that they're just not focused on trying to rack up endorsements that they say don't matter. What they're focused on is trying to do well here in New Hampshire. It is a critical state for her to do well because she came in third in Iowa. And, of course, she is trying to also position herself to compete in South Carolina where her campaign is already set to begin airing ads just next week. Victor, Amara.

WALKER: Kylie Atwood, thank you. Meanwhile, on Democratic side, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will host their first joint campaign event of the year, that will happen on Tuesday. And the event will happen just one day after the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion until the Supreme Court overturned it in 2022.

BLACKWELL: The campaign has long promised to make reproductive rights a cornerstone of the 2024 campaign which could be a successful strategy. A recent CNN poll found that Americans more closely align with Democrats than Republicans on this issue.

Let's go to Camila DeChalus now. The vice president especially zeroing in on reproductive rights.

CAMILA DECHALUS, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right. We know that the vice president, Kamala Harris, and Biden want to make abortion rights one of their key pillars in their 2024 election campaign. And they're really hoping to use the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to try to mobilize voters, undecided voters, women to rally behind them on this issue. And one of the biggest things that they really want to try to highlight is the key contrast between Biden and Trump when it comes to this issue.

Now we know that Biden's campaign manager put out a statement recently and she said this. She said, "Donald Trump is the reason that more than one in three American women of reproductive age don't have the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Now, he and MAGA Republicans are running to go even further if they retake the White House. In 2024, a vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a vote to restore Roe, and a vote for Donald Trump is a vote to ban abortion across the country."

And this is a statement by Julie Chavez Rodriguez. She is a campaign manager for Biden and this really highlights how what we are going to see moving forward is Biden really dig in and try to paint a picture of what a second term under Trump will be like, and what he will set out to do if the gets reelected for a second term. Victor, Amara.

BLACKWELL: Camila DeChalus for us in Washington, thank you so much. Joining us now to break everything down is CNN political commentator Errol Louis. Errol, good morning to you.

All right. Let's talk about the Nikki Haley/Nancy Pelosi confusion and Ambassador Haley's reaction. So, we'll play what Donald Trump said on Friday night and then what Nikki Haley said about it. Let's play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: By the way, they never brought the crowd on January 6. You know, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley -- you know they -- do you know they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it.

[06:10:02]

All of it, because of lots of things like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want. They turned it down.

HALEY: The concern I have is, I'm not saying anything derogatory, but when you're dealing with the pressures of a presidency, we can't have someone else that we question whether they're mentally fit to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, Errol, it's not like he said, you know, good morning at 2:00 in the afternoon, right? This is -- he said Nikki Haley like five or six times and was talking about Nancy Pelosi. Is this a big deal? Is it enough to move any votes?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It is a big deal. And by the way, what he intended to say about Nancy Pelosi --

BLACKWELL: Is wrong.

LOUIS: -- was false. Yes. He was mistaken about his falsehood. Look, I don't know if it moves any votes. But in some ways for us as journalists it doesn't really matter whether votes move or not. We need to let people know and to show footage like that and let folks understand that when this issue of whether or not people are mentally fit comes up, it's not imaginary.

It's not a talking point. It's not just kind of a campaign strategy. You've got somebody who says he wants the nuclear trigger. He wants to be in the Oval Office, and there is clearly a level of confusion there.

And, you know -- I mean, in some ways it neutralized the issue because there are gaffes that President Biden has made that the other side continually tries to point at and portray in the media. So, we have got a real important issue here.

And Nikki Haley -- you know, she is trying to win votes so she's not going to push it but so far. But the reality is that's -- that's the realist version, I think, of whether or not we need to have older candidates beyond their 80s running for president.

BLACKWELL: Yes. And Ambassador Haley has made that point from the very start, her launch speech where she said there should be a cognitive test for elected officials over the age of 75 which included Trump even at that time.

Let's put up some video. This is -- this is Saturday night, the Trump rally there in New Hampshire. He is flanked by the governor of South Carolina, the lieutenant governor, state treasurer, state attorney general, South Carolina House speaker, several South Carolina members of Congress, this comes after the Tim Scott endorsement.

This is impressive, obviously, setting up South Carolina a month from now. Does it play -- does it -- what is the value here in New Hampshire?

LOUIS: Well, look, it raises the issue, I think, mostly among political insiders that Donald Trump is trying to put forward which is inevitability. What he's trying to suggest to people is that I am going to be the nominee and that's going to be clear in very short order.

And because 70 percent of the delegates are going to be allocated by the end of March what he's trying to let folks know is that, it's not enough to support me, you have to endorse me, and you have to do it quickly because I am going to win and we are going to remember who was with us and who wasn't.

So, he's really trying to, I think, sort of make clear, even as early as the very first primary, that you might as well hop on board. Because she's going to lose in her home state which is what you just described is somebody who really has quite a lot of support, Donald Trump does in South Carolina. It's hard to see how Nikki Haley is going to win that state. And without winning her home state it becomes in turn hard to see how she's going to stay in the race very long.

BLACKWELL: Speaking of South Carolina, that is where Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been spending most of his time since the Iowa caucuses. He has got an event in New Hampshire today. I want you to listen here to, I guess, an admission about his early strategy as it relates to the media in his campaign. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I came in not really doing as much media. I should have just been blanketing. I should have gone on all of the corporate shows. I should have gone on everything.

I started doing that as we got into the end of the summer, and we did it. But we had an opportunity, I think, to come out of the gate and do that and reach a much broader folk.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, in the -- here is what I should have done part of his campaign, how much of his slide is attributable to just the media strategy or is it far more than that?

LOUIS: Well, I mean, listen, he's trying to act as if, oh, I forgot to talk to the media. No, it was -- it was -- it was contempt for the media. It was -- Ron DeSantis at every opportunity saying he hated the mainstream media, that the mainstream media was out of touch with his base and with real Americans and so forth.

[06:15:02] And he was going to snub mainstream media. He was going to ignore them. He didn't need them and so forth and so on.

It wasn't a logistical kind of an issue. It was an ideology one. And on that as on so many different issues Ron DeSantis has been proven to have been wrong, that the path to the White House did not lie in dividing Americans and attacking the mainstream media and attacking Disney and attacking, you know, whatever he called woke and all of that kind of stuff.

It just -- it flopped and it failed miserably. He's not going to show up in New Hampshire. He's probably going to fold his tent after South Carolina.

BLACKWELL: You think he's going to be in for another month if he's still low in the polls in South Carolina?

LOUIS: He has told -- he has told reporters that if it doesn't work out for him in South Carolina, it is all over. And that's just the way --

BLACKWELL: Well, Christie said he's going to be in until the convention.

LOUIS: Yes, right. OK. We'll see about that. It is a very expensive proposition to continue running for president when you have no hope of winning a sizable number of delegates.

Now, something like Nikki Haley could if she wanted to, try and do what Ted Cruz did back in 2016, Victor, which is wrap the anti-Trump forces and say, look, it is important even if we can't win the nomination outright to go into the convention with a sizable amount of delegates or maybe even enough to prevent him from getting an outright majority.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

LOUIS: If they can try and make that case, it is not going to be Ron DeSantis who is the anti-Trump candidate.

BLACKWELL: Errol Louis, always good to have you. Happy Sunday. Thank you.

And make sure to tune in this Tuesday as voters head to the polls in the Granite State. Live coverage of the 2024 New Hampshire primary starts Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on CNN.

WALKER: Still to come, an Israeli strike in Damascus has reportedly killed several members of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. And that includes the head of intelligence. So, what do the escalating conflicts across the Middle East mean for stability in the region?

Plus, why a group of attorneys is now taking on an infamous murder case now fighting to exonerate Scott Peterson, the man convicted of killing his pregnant wife. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:25]

BLACKWELL: An Iran-backed militia group has claimed responsibility for an attack on the Al Asad air base in Iraq Saturday. U.S. officials say multiple ballistic missiles and rockets targeted the base. And while most were intercepted some were able to pass the base's air defenses causing damage to the base.

WALKER: The attack left a number of U.S. personnel with minor injuries and wounded an Iraqi soldier. This is the latest in a series of attacks on U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria by Iran's proxies in the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October.

Now, there are growing fears that the Israel-Hamas war could turn into a regional war after the latest strikes in Iraq and Syria where an Israeli missile strike killed five people including the head of Iran intelligence unit.

BLACKWELL: Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi strongly condemned the attack vowing to retaliate and said that cowardly acts will not go unanswered. The Israeli military has declined to comment on the allegations that they were behind the attack.

We have full coverage with CNN's Ben Wedeman in Lebanon, but we'll start with Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi on the regional tensions. Paula, first, what more are we learning about the latest strikes in Syria and Iraq?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Victor, what we know mostly from SANA (ph) state TV in Syria was that this happened about 10:20 in the morning on Saturday local time. It was a strike that hit the heart of Damascus, the Mazzeh neighborhood which does have a number of diplomatic compounds there including the Iranian embassy.

Now, we understand that, as you say, five members of the revolutionary guard were killed. We understand one of those was the deputy chief of the Quds force intelligence unit in Syria. So, a high-level target.

We have not heard from Israel that they have claimed responsibility but we wouldn't expect to. They very rarely admit to these kinds of events. But certainly, from the Syrian and the Iranian point of view, they are saying it absolutely was Israel. We've heard from the Iranian president as well saying that there will be repercussions and that Israel will pay the price.

Now also on Saturday, we did see yet another attack on a U.S. base in Iraq. We've been seeing many of these in Iraq and Syria. In fact, more than 140 drone and rocket attacks against U.S. troops there. This one, though, was slightly different. It was a ballistic missile attack, more powerful weapons. We understand it is the second time that ballistic missiles have been used in this kind of attacks since October 7th and there were a number of U.S. personnel injured.

Now meanwhile, we also have heard from Israel's military saying that they have found significant tunnels in Khan Yunis so towards the south of the Gaza Strip. They have released footage of this, this Sunday. And they say that they believe that around 20 hostages were held in this network of tunnels at some point. Some of those they believe have already been released.

Now it is quite detailed footage. We can't verify the footage. But the IDF did show CNN nearby tunnels, not this particular one. But you see long tunnels with rooms, with mattresses, blankets, food wrappers on the floor, and booby-trapped doors. Amara, Victor, back to you.

WALKER: And, Ben, to you there in Lebanon, I mean, since the start of the war we've been talking a lot about these growing concerns of a regional conflict.

[06:25:01]

With these recent attacks in Syria, Iraq, and even in Lebanon, do you get the sense that we are truly inching closer to a wider conflict?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, Amara and Victor, we are already in that conflict. It is a low intensity conflict where the major belligerents, of course, are Hamas and Israel. But many are drawn in or involved in this war already.

I mean, Paula did mention that more than 140 attacks have been made on U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq. You see the Houthis are trying to intercept maritime traffic in the Red Sea, and the United States and the U.K. are striking back at that. So, in a sense, a regional war is already ongoing.

You look at the strike yesterday on Damascus that killed Hojjatollah Omidvar, this man who, of course, involved in the intelligence activities on behalf of the IRGC in Syria, and also involved in the shipment of weapons from Iran to Syria and Hezbollah. So, this regional war is already going on. The threat, of course, is that it could become much more intense.

And what we've seen for instance here in Lebanon, since the 8th of October, not the 7th, you have had daily exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah with the exception of that seven-day period where there was a truce, a temporary truce, between Hamas and Israel. So, the real danger now is that those -- for instance Iran which is -- been working through its allies, the Houthis, various groups in Iraq and Syria and Hezbollah, could become directly involved in these hostilities. And of course, that danger seems to be growing ever closer. Amara, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Ben Wedeman and Paula Hancocks reporting for us. Thank you so much.

Still ahead, the numbers say the U.S. economy is getting better. So why are so many Americans struggling? CNN speaks with two families who are fighting to preserve their American dream.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:31:32]

WALKER: So, the economy seems to be stabilizing with inflation at its lowest level since December of 2020, but you know many families are still feeling that financial crunch.

BLACKWELL: Millennials in particular. Studies say they are worse off than their parents. CNN's Alisyn Camerota sat down with two millennial families who say the traditional path to the American Dream is just not working for them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANNY NAVARRO, MILLENNIAL ENTREPRENEUR: I see $400 going towards my student loans and I see $545 going for HOA, and I see groceries averaging about $150 a week. Sure, maybe for my wife's, you know, retirement portfolio, it might be looking great, but we need to get there first, right? On Saturday, we heard how MetLife Stadium is preparing for the World Cup final.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Danny Navarro did not plan to be a TikTok creator.

NAVARRO: If FIFA decided to sell tickets for the 2026 --

CAMEROTA (voiceover): That was not his goal when he graduated with a history degree on a scholarship from the University of Virginia and started working at a non-profit.

NAVARRO: I was at the $60,000 mark of my salary. And the only way that I was going to crack 80, 90 potentially was to get a grad school degree.

CAMEROTA (voiceover): So, Danny went back to school for a master's degree in public administration.

NAVARRO: I had to take out $70,000 of loan, and so it's almost like we just were basically thrown into the hole and right away we have to start climbing out of it.

CAMEROTA: So, your first generation. And what was the dream for you? What was the dream if you went to college?

NAVARRO: We would escape poverty. And you know, for immigrants that are coming to this country, that's always the thing that they tell you.

CAMEROTA (voiceover): Danny now juggles three jobs, soccer coach, tutor, and TikTok video creator.

NAVARRO: I don't have a full-time salary job since November of 2022 and is not without trying. I've tried to -- I've actually applied to about 100 jobs.

CAMEROTA: 100 jobs.

NAVARRO: I would say about in the past year and in change. And a couple of them, I have gone into the final round but just unfortunately not been selected.

You want to look outside? Come here. Look outside.

RACHEL GAMBINO, MILLENNIAL MOM: My life is very different than what I envisioned it would be.

CAMEROTA (voiceover): Rachel Gambino and Garrett Masio followed the road map that previous generations said would spell success. Go to college, get married, work hard, buy a house, start a family.

GAMBINO: This is the American dream but it -- at what cost? So, we have all of those things and we appreciate every single one of those things, but we think about how we could lose those things very quickly. If one of us loses our job, we're in a not good place.

CAMEROTA (voiceover): Between their college debt and monthly mortgage payment, they feel they've slipped into a lower economic class than the one they grew up in.

CAMEROTA: Do you describe yourself as middle class?

GARRETT MASIO, MILLENNIAL DAD: I like to think we are.

GAMBINO: I would say lower middle class.

CAMEROTA: Why?

GAMBINO: Because when I think of middle class, I think about people who are able to just get up and go and do things within their means and like not extravagant things but be able to get up and go to dinner whenever they want or maybe take that trip, that long weekend trip. We don't have that luxury.

CAMEROTA (voiceover): Rachel works at a non-profit, Garrett as an insurance underwriter, but their paychecks barely keep pace with their $3,400 monthly mortgage payment. Rachel's 26-year-old sister, Kristin, moved in to help offset costs for all of them.

CAMEROTA: So, all of this is affecting your family plan.

[06:35:02]

GAMBINO: You know, once we started getting daycare costs, it was like we cannot afford to have another child until he's in a public school system. I'd love for him to have like a partner in crime but we can't afford to give him that for at least four years.

CAMEROTA: And is that sad?

GAMBINO: I'm sad. Like, our family is dictated by our financials and yes, I just never thought it would be that way.

MASIO: We actually have $435 to last until the end of the month.

CAMEROTA: What? MASIO: Actually, until February 4th.

CAMEROTA: That's even worse.

MASIO: I know.

CAMEROTA (voiceover): So, what would they do differently if they could do it all over again? Avoid student debt even if that means rethinking college.

GAMBINO: I think this idea of going to college is something that I don't know if miles will do and we have decided we're not going to push him there either. I think a lot of millennials were forced into saying like you need a four-year degree in order to be successful and like, I have a communications degree and I definitely did not need that to be successful.

And so, I think like it starts with when you turn 18, you're already put into a disadvantage, and I think we need to like change that mindset for the next generation.

NAVARRO: Did I go to college to go to TikTok videos? No! But is that the one place right now where I can make, you know, money potentially? So let me go make my TikTok videos while I'm at it and hopefully find a new way to live the American Dream.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Really fascinating perspective there. Alisyn Camerota, thank you very much for that.

Coming up, it was a crime that captivated the nation. Now, a group of attorneys is taking on the Scott Peterson case calling for another look at the evidence decades after he was convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:18]

WALKER: A murder case that captivated the country decades ago is now getting a new look. The Los Angeles Innocence Project is taking on Scott Peterson's case.

He was convicted at killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and her unborn son and sentenced to death in 2004. The sentenced was overturned by the California Supreme Court in 2020. Well, the court upheld the convictions and said the trial itself was fair. But the L.A. Innocence Project says the key evidence was left out. Here's CNN's Camila Bernal with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Almost two decades after Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering his wife and unborn son, the possibility of new evidence has emerged in the case that captured the nation's attention. A motion filed by the Los Angeles Innocence Project says key evidence was withheld from his first trial.

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: The Innocence Project does look to exonerate people who are factually guilty but also who have been wrongfully convicted based on due process issues.

BERNAL (voiceover): Their attorneys filed a motion asking for post- conviction discovery and the testing of evidence for the presence of DNA to support Peterson's claim of actual innocence. They indicate nearly discovered evidence in the motion references a burglary across the street from the Petersons in the week leading up to the day Laci Peterson was killed. They also want more information about a van found after Laci's disappearance that appears to contain blood evidence.

JORDAN: One of the things that they're looking for is DNA on a mattress found in a burned out van by the Modesto Airport.

BERNAL (voiceover): The motion also asking for DNA testing of duct tape recovered from Laci's remains as well as tape entwined tied around the neck of the baby's remains and points to findings from former journalists, Mike Gudgell.

MIKE GUDGELL, RETIRED JOURNALIST: I think there's enough evidence that it's probable that someone else may have committed the crime. Enough evidence for law enforcement to investigate further.

BERNAL (voiceover): Scott Peterson reported his pregnant wife, Laci, missing on Christmas Eve 2002 after he returned home from fishing that morning. Four months later, her body and the body of her unborn baby named Connor washed up separately in the San Francisco Bay, two miles from where Scott said he had been fishing.

Court testimony from Amber Frey, a woman who claimed to be dating Scott before Laci went missing, pointed to a possible motive.

BERNAL: She was the star witness for the prosecution because in November of that year, she had started dating him. And she asked Scott Peterson, are you married? And he said, no, my wife died. I'm single. And a month later, Laci went missing.

BERNAL (voiceover): Scott Peterson was convicted of murder in 2004 and was sentenced to death in 2005. The California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in 2020, but upheld the convictions. Peterson is serving life in prison without parole and is petitioning the court to order the prosecution to provide discovery including DNA retesting and other evidence. He maintains his innocence.

BERNAL: And there's a lot of evidence that these attorneys want either tested for the very first time or retested because of technological advancements. Some of that includes items that washed up on shore when Laci and Connor's remains were found. Now, in terms of who's paying for all of this, well, it's the L.A. Innocence Project with funding that comes in part from the Department of Justice. They're hoping for this conviction to be vacated and hoping for a new trial. Amara, Victor?

[06:45:02] BLACKWELL: Camilla Bernal, thank you so much.

Still to come, a major concern in Britain as the health issues for two of the most senior Royals out of the public eye. Now, Queen Camila is taking over.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: In an unexpected turn of Royal events, both King Charles and Princess Kate have been sidelined by health concerns disrupting their scheduled Royal duties. Now, the King will undergo medical treatment next week for an enlarged prostate and the princess remains hospitalized following an abdominal surgery. CNN's Royal Contributor Emily Nash joining us now from London.

Emily, great to see you. So, it was announced within just 90 minutes of each other that two of the most senior royals were dealing with these health issues and they were going to be out of action. What has a reaction been in the U.K.?

[06:50:02]

EMILY NASH, CNN ROYAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, actually there's been huge concern for both the king and the princess. But it's come as something of a shock. You know, we saw them both out on Christmas Day in public and there was no outward signs of anything being wrong. And now, the King has been very public about his diagnosis. He's having prostate surgery and in fact this has led to much greater awareness. Charities reporting much higher footfall on their websites. People wanted to find out more about the condition. And so, that's been a really positive effect.

But obviously, the princess is young. She's fit. She looks very healthy. And so, people were really not expecting this development at all.

WALKER: Do we know anything more about Kate's condition because she will be out of action for significantly longer than King Charles.

NASH: That's right. You know, we've been told that she could be in hospital for up to a fortnight. And once she does return home to Windsor, she is likely to be in recovery for up to three months. That's a significant period of convalescence for someone particularly of her age. And obviously, no one wants to speculate on what is going on.

I think that in the fullness of time she may choose to disclose her condition. And this is, you know, someone who's incredibly influential. She only has to wear something for it to sell out immediately. So, I think again there could be huge positives to come from this if she does feel she's able to share her experience. And it could really raise awareness for whatever condition it is she's experiencing.

WALKER: So what does this all mean for their engagements the day-to- day? And who is stepping up to fill their void? NASH: Well what's really interesting is that Prince William, he's heir to the throne, would naturally be taking the reins at this point. But he's cleared his diary and he's made it very clear that his priority is his wife and their children. And they want things to be as normal as possible at home for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

So, in fact the most senior Royal we are likely to see out and about in the coming weeks is Queen Camilla. Now, that's not to say that she's taking charge of reigning or ruling the country in any sense but she will be the most visible member of the senior Royals out in the U.K. carrying out duties in the coming weeks. I'm told the king is still taking his red boxes, he's still signing off official paperwork.

And in fact, he's been seen out on a couple of short drives over the weekend. But obviously, he's not going to be as visible as he has been for a couple of weeks and that does look fairly like the Royal diary is clear for the foreseeable future.

WALKER: And Emily, you did take note that the palace has been more transparent than they have in the past especially about these medical conditions.

NASH: Yes. And I think that's absolutely right. You know, he's head of state. Not giving us a diagnosis would lead to unnecessary speculation, so it's reassuring that they've been clearer on this than they were perhaps during the previous reign.

WALKER: All right, well, let's hope for a speedy recovery to both of them. Emily Nash, thank you for your time.

BLACKWELL: Up next, a pair of top seeds are moving on to the conference championship round and one of them needed a big-time comeback to make it happen. Highlights just around the corner.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:57:26]

BLACKWELL: Plenty of playoff drama last night as the 49ers needed a rally to beat the Packers.

WALKER: Coy Wire is with us. So, Coy, San Francisco is a Super Bowl favorite. Green Bay was a seven seed and it still came down to the final minute.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. And these two teams, Green Bay and San Francisco is one of the best rivals in the NFL because more often not when these two teams play it's like it's all on the line, right? So, we have the 10th playoff meeting between these two teams. That's the most all time. The 49ers are led by Brock Purdy, the last pick of last year's draft. The Packers are the youngest team in the league led by Jordan Love.

And Green Bay was leading by four in the fourth but Purdy shows up. Incredible pass here to keep the drive alive to Brandon Aiyuk. And then with less than two minutes left, watch him take off and lay it all on the line, diving head first, getting down there near the five. And after that, it was Christian McCaffrey breaking attack with his second touchdown of the game. It's the eventual game-winner.

Kyle Shanahan's 49ers win 24-21. They're back in the NFC Championship game for fourth time in five years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE SHANAHAN, HEAD COACH, 49ERS: Anytime you play a game that's do or die, it's -- everyone knows what that's about especially our guys. They've been through that a number of times in the last few years and we all know what that feels like when you don't get it done. And that's on your mind throughout the week. That's always on your mind during the game. But that's why I'm so proud of the guys. When it's not going right and you know how big of a deal that is, you still got to perform. And the guys did big time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: In the AFC, the Texans were tied at 10 at halftime with the top- seeded Ravens, but then Victor Blackwell's hometown Baltimore Ravens step up. Lamar Jackson, former league MVP, he had all four of Baltimore's touchdowns, two passing, two on the ground with 100 yards rushing. Impressive year for Houston though. They became the first team ever to make the playoffs after having no more than four wins in each of their previous three seasons. But Baltimore is just too much. And they're going to face the winner of today's Bills-Chiefs game in the conference championship.

And look at these moves. This is like Victor and me when we're dancing to Beyonce.

BLACKWELL: There it is.

WIRE: Hey, come on. Get it, coach. That's elite, baby.

WALKER: I can't believe Beyonce now would do that.

WIRE: Two more games today. The Lions hosting the Bucks in Detroit, tries to reach the NFC championship for the first time in more than 30 years. Then it's Kansas City at Buffalo where Bills fans once again offered 20 bucks an hour and a hot meal to help shovel snow out of the stadium. The Bills and Chiefs are meeting for the third time in the last four playoffs, but this is the first time the Bills are at home surrounded by some of the most passionate fans in the game.

Pro baller Dion Dawkins, he knows what's up. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DION DAWKINS, OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, BUFFALO BILLS: I'm excited because it will be -- the environment will be different. And not to say it is in our favor, but the stadium is our favor. Stadium is us. That helps us. I don't care what nobody said. This is the most dopest feeling I've ever had. Like, we've -- we're having two back-to-back playoff games at home. Like, come on, now. Like, we get to leave and go eat wings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: That is my boy, Dion. It will be deafening loud. Let's go Buffalo.

WALKER: I mean, for those die-hard fans, it's great to pay them and give them a warm meal, but I mean, let them meet the players then too, right?

WIRE: Yes, absolutely.

WALKER: They come out and showing up for them. Coy Wire, thank you so much.

Well, the next hour of CNN THIS MORNING starts now.