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CNN This Morning

Biden Calls Trump "Defeated" And A "Loser" in Fiery Speech; Trump Bashes Proposed Bipartisan Immigration Deal; Haley Courts Home State Voters, Doubles Down on Targeting Trump; Amazon's Ring to End Video-Sharing Program Popular with Police; School Shooter Ethan Crumbley's Mother on Trial in Michigan; National Hurricane Center to Change Cone Graphic; Negotiators Meat Today on Hostage Talks; Health Benefits of "Dry January". Aired 8-9a ET

Aired January 28, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:01:29]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. It is Sunday, January 28. I'm Victor Blackwell.

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I'm Amara Walker.

And thank you so much for spending a part of your Sunday morning with us.

Here is what we're watching for you:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT: What Joe Biden is doing is a crime against our nation. It's an absolute betrayal of our country.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: President Biden and Donald Trump take direct aim at each other and a preview of what could be a bitter rematch. But Nikki Haley says she's not done yet. The major points each candidate is trying to drive home ahead of the next set of primaries and caucuses.

BLACKWELL: Starting this week, Amazon's Ring doorbell service will no longer let police pulled doorbell footage from its neighbors app. The concern from police and why privacy experts call it a win.

WALKER: Ethan Crumbley killed four classmates in 2021. So, why are his parents facing manslaughter charges? The legal theory lawyers are trying out in this case.

BLACKWELL: And that Dry January, you tried. How's that going? I didn't even try. WALKER: So dry?

BLACKWELL: If you stick with it, you may be doing more for your body than you think. We'll explain coming up on CNN THIS MORNING.

Well, this weekend brought a possible preview of the 2024 election with President Biden and former President Trump trading attacks on the campaign. Former President Trump made a stop in Nevada last night, is trying to shore up support ahead of that state's caucuses ten days away.

President Biden was in South Carolina ahead of the state's Democratic primary next Saturday.

Nikki Haley also held a pair of events in South Carolina and she's hoping to keep her campaign going.

WALKER: Speaking to South Carolina voters last night, President Biden said he supports an emerging bipartisan border deal, saying he would shut down the border if given the authority. He also attacked his main Republican rival, calling Trump a defeated former president and a loser.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: You're the reason I am president. You're the reason Kamala Harris is historic vice president. And you're the reason Donald Trump is a defeated former president. You're the reason Donald Trump is a loser. And you're the reason we're going to win and beat him again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is traveling with the president, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Victor and Amara, President Joe Biden drawing a sharp contrast from former President Donald Trump here in South Carolina. And what was a preview of his general election arguments? Casting the former president as, quote, defeated and a loser, President Biden also making the case a Trump is only thinking about himself and not the country saying quote, what's good for America is bad for him politically. But President Biden also was making the connection between what are the administration has done in a range of issues and how that's affecting communities day-to-day, be it funding for HBCUs, driving down insulin costs, but also spending time talking about student loan debt relief, which earned applause in the audience.

But notably, he also talked about border security. President Biden putting his support behind an emerging border deal that Senate negotiators have been working on in the last two months and saying that if given the authority to shut down the border, he would do it and do it quickly. BIDEN: If that bill were the law today, I'd shut down the border right now and fix it quickly. A bipartisan bill would be good for American and help fix our broken immigration system.

[08:05:01]

ALVAREZ: Now as President Biden has faced in other remarks in the last few days and weeks, there were also protesters in the crowd calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. They were escorted out. The president did not engage with them, but it was yet another example of the splits within his own coalition that he's also having to navigate. But bottom line, the point that the president was making here is that he needs South Carolina. This is a state that he credited in 2020 for turning the tide and one that he's looking for support for in the upcoming primary next week, the first in the Democratic -- after the Democratic National Committee overhauled the schedule with President Biden's support.

Now, President Biden noting it's not a competitive primary, but still, it's going to be one that tests his standing with Black voters -- Victor, Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right. Priscilla Alvarez, thank you.

Now, former President Trump campaigned in Nevada yesterday, looking at put his legal issues aside and focus on the general election.

BLACKWELL: He's virtually assured to sweep the state as Nikki Haley is not competing in those caucuses.

CNN's Alayna Treene was in Las Vegas with the former president.

Alayna, good morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, good morning, Victor and Amara.

Nevada is a state that Donald Trump and his team already feel like they've won and that's because Nikki Haley is not participating in the caucus here. Instead, she's on the ballot for the primary, but the caucus is really where the state's crucial delegates will be awarded. And so that was a key part of Trump's message on Saturday. He was telling voters to go out to the caucus, skip the primary, and really focus on the race where Donald Trump will matter, but because they don't see Nikki Haley as a player here. It also allowed Trump to shift his messaging toward a general election rematch with Joe Biden.

And a key issue was talking about the border. Part of that is because the border is a very important issue to Nevada. It's a state with a very large migrant population, but it's also the timing that is noteworthy. I think, you know, in Congress there is this bipartisan immigration deal that Donald Trump has privately and publicly been urging lawmakers to reject. And he went further than he had yet with his rhetoric on Saturday, declaring that there is, quote, zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America.

Take a listen to how we put it.

TRUMP: It's tough when you have a very small majority, very tough. Mike Johnson, speaker, he just said it's dead on arrival in the House. It's dead on arrival. We want either a strong bill or no bill and whatever happens happens. But this is the single greatest threat to our country right now, is the people pouring into our country because we have no idea who they are. The fact is that if Joe Biden truly wanted to secure the border, he doesn't really need a bill.

TREENE: Now, part of the reason Donald Trump is urging lawmakers to reject this is because its an issue that he wants to continue talking about on the campaign trail, but it's also an issue that he thinks Joe Biden is very vulnerable on. And so, he told the crowd on Saturday that he's fine taking the blame if this deal goes down and is a failure in Congress.

Now, I'll just one other thing I want to mention, Victor and Amara, that I found very noteworthy on Saturday. He did not mention once the $83.3 million that jury ordered him to award E. Jean Carroll on Friday. I think that's something that some people had anticipated. He might bring up, but he did not discuss it -- Victor, Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Alayna, thank you.

Nikki Haley, back on home turf in South Carolina this weekend. She's ramping up a criticism of Donald Trump.

WALKER: CNN's Eva McKend was at her rally and has more from Mauldin, South Carolina -- Eva.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Victor, Amara, Nikki Haley now the last Republican standing in this fight against Trump, and you can tell that she's relishing this. Many may wonder where does Nikki Haley a few weeks, few months ago? Well, now, she is taking the fight directly to Trump personally, saying that he is thin-skinned, unhinged. a bit sensitive, throwing temper tantrums, overly concerned about revenge, and suggesting that all the time that he's spending in the courtroom is time that he's not spending concerned about the American people.

NIKKI HALEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only two states have voted, there are 48 more that have to vote. No matter what Donald Trump thinks he can bully his way to the White House. It's not going to work. And after he did that, we raised another $1.4 million. So, Donald, keep them coming because it's great.

MCKEND: And she does have an audience for this message. I spoke to a woman from here in the Greenville area and she told me that she didn't like that she felt like Haley was being bullied and said that Trump has a history of bullying women. She also said that she felt like the political establishment was piling on Haley as well.

[08:10:05]

Another woman at one point yelling out, keep going. And then Haley responded to that that she hopes that the political establishment here, this.

So listen, she does have a base of support here in South Carolina the question now is in the weeks ahead, can she pull off an upset in this state really continued to shake up this contest -- Victor, Amara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right, Eva McKend, thank you.

So we could see a bipartisan border deal next week from the Senate, but it may not have much of a future. House Speaker Johnson is already saying it's likely dead on arrival.

BLACKWELL: And former President Trump is bragging that he is helping to tank it.

Let's bring in now, CNN's chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju.

Manu, good to see -- Manu, good to see you.

Let's start here with --

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

BLACKWELL: -- where Eva was there in molding in South Carolina and Nikki Haley. She's the only candidate on the trail today. Is her path in the primary any clearer today than it was before New Hampshire?

RAJU: It's a very, very narrow path and actually this will be an important week because one, we expect quarterly fundraising numbers to come out later this week and that will give us a sense of how much money she has in her campaign account. Also, her campaign along, with Trump's campaign, are presented to a Republican mega donors in Florida trying to get them to bank roll her campaign. So whether they -- she has money to go forward will be key as well as money that she's starting to pump on the South Carolina airwaves.

Does that have an impact at all in changing the trajectory of the race? Impacting South Carolina? She's likely to lose Nevada in early February. South Carolina, she's favored -- a major underdog in her own home state, but can she change the trajectory there?

Now, what's clear is that Trumps allies, in particular have been concerned with Nikki Haley staying in the race because they believe she is distracting from their ultimate goal of beating Joe Biden

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH): What is she trying to accomplish at this point? Nikki, her entire campaign theory was that New Hampshire was her best state. So if you convince a lot of voters, most of whom were not going to vote for Republican in the general election to support you, and you still lose by 12 points in your best state, then it probably means you should get out of the race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: And her attacks clearly getting under Donald Trump's skin, calling him unhinged and the like, Trump firing back with her at her, calling her names like birdbrain on the campaign trail, and essentially not focusing on Biden in a lot of ways and focusing his fire on her, even as her path is very narrow here. It shows you why a lot of Republicans are concerned what her continued presence in this race.

WALKER: And, Manu, what about the fate of this bipartisan proposal in the Senate that we are expected to see this week. Obviously, Trump as we're saying, is doing his best trying to sync this bill. Do you think he could actually fuel or embolden some of the GOP hardliners to demand their own version and dig in?

RAJU: Well, it's going to be very hard to get this through over Donald Trump's opposition, because already we're seeing House Republican leaders lineup with Donald Trump on this. That makes it very difficult in that chamber. The Senate is a different animal. There are senators who are willing to cut a deal along party lines and are willing to agree to -- on something significant, that they believe would effectively shut down the border, prevent border crossings that we've seen historic levels of boarding crossings that we saw last month. This proposal expected to be this week is expected to significantly stop such crossings in the months ahead.

That's what one -- several Republican senators that I caught up with talked -- told me last week they said that this bill will may not be perfect, but it will go far away to dealing with the problem. And that's why Republicans should accept it. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TODD YOUNG (R-IN): I would encourage James Lankford and other conservatives to produce a work product which they will shortly allow conservatives like myself to review it and take heart that there are a number of us who won't be looking to third parties in assessing the propriety of passing this bipartisan proposal. So, this will be a very significant achievements this Republican minority in the U.S. Senate of forcing the issue. So I hope no one is trying to take this away from campaign purposes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now, it's important to note here that the bill actually has not been formally unveiled. Now, we first reported on the details, some of the details on Friday, but we have not seen the texts. There's no proposal yet.

And still, Donald Trump has tried to kill it before even seeing it, saying it is a betrayal to the country and trying to rally Republicans against it. Why? Because clearly this could -- this is a major campaign issue. He wants to rail on chaos on the border and denied Joe Biden, a legislative achievement here which is one big reason why it is very difficult to legislate in a camp -- presidential campaign year, especially on an issue as complicated as immigration.

[08:15:10]

BLACKWELL: "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY" is coming up in a few hours. What do you got for us?

RAJU: Yeah, we'll dig -- dive a little deeper into these immigration politics as well as new reporting on Senate Republican leaders and how they're grappling with the rise of Donald Trump and explore a bit more of Biden's tensions with his left flank as he heads into November, guys.

BCLACKWELL: Manu Raju, thank you so much for being with us.

And you can, of course, catch more of Manu coming up on "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY", airs at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

Up next, the surveillance video sharing program shuttered. Why Amazon will no longer led police request doorbell camera footage from within the company's app.

WALKER: That would be the Ring app.

Plus, a potentially unprecedented trial in Michigan. Could the mother of a convicted school shooter be convicted for her son's actions?

Plus, there is just four days left in Dry January. You almost made it, but here is the question from a medical standpoint, is it actually worth the bother?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:25]

WALKER: Beginning this week, police and other government agencies will no longer be able to directly ask users for footage from their Ring cameras. It's a policy change that could impact the way police investigate crimes across the U.S. Now, law enforcement will have to get a search warrant and submit a formal legal request to Amazon before getting the footage, it is a win for privacy advocates who say rings, doorbell cameras, contribute to racial profiling and invasions of privacy. They point out that hundreds of law enforcement agencies have struck partnerships with Ring.

All right. Joining us now is CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John miller. Good morning, John. Good to see you.

So what's your reaction --

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Good morning, Amara. WALKER: -- to this that law enforcement will no longer be able to request this doorbell camera footage through its app from users?

MILLER: Well, what law enforcement is telling me and that's the international association of chiefs of police, which represents police departments across the U.S. and Canada, the major city chiefs, which is the big city departments. And I've talked to detective chiefs across the country as well, including retired chief of detectives, Bob Boyce from New York City, who talked about how many crimes are solved by having this access to users. They say its a setback and it's going to put people in danger.

Privacy advocates like the Frontier -- the Electronic Frontier Foundation in Washington are calling it a big win. The question is for who?

WALKER: So when it comes to crime fighting, then give us that perspective in terms of how the surveillance that have been pulled from these Ring cameras, you know, how they've not only deterred crime but helped fight crime?

MILLER: Well, Amara, it's a great device in that according to a Ring, they've found 300,000 lost pets using the Neighbors App in the devices 5,000 missing kids are lost children.

But from the police perspective, aside from those aspects, they've gotten a clues that have led to the solutions of homicides, robbery patterns. And here's the great irony, one of the things that Ring is really best at is pattern crimes in a neighborhood. Whether that's a burglar or what they call the porch pirates who come up on your porch or at your front door, or into the hallway of your apartment building and steal your packages, which you and I know most of which come from Amazon, which owns Ring.

WALKER: Right.

MILLER: But the privacy experts have kept pressure on. They say that this is part of blanket police are valence, the important thing to note is that to go into the Neighbors app, you have to opt in to receive the police request for assistance about a crime pattern and to see if your video has anything useful to solve that.

You can opt out of the program. You can even opt out of receiving the requests so Amazon has taken that away from their customers.

When we talk to Amazon on Thursday, the question we put to them as we understand what you're doing this week. But what is the why and haven't received an answer.

WALKER: But, just to play devils advocate here. I mean, law enforcement will still be able to get their hands on certain surveillance videos that they're looking for. They would just need to go through the process, a formal request, a search warrant.

MILLER: Right. So that is really interesting in terms of the process, Amara, because to get, so what, what Amazon is saying is go through legal process.

WALKER: Right.

MILLER: What the privacy experts are saying is if police come to your door and say, there's a pattern of robberies or assaults in your neighborhood. Do you have anything useful on your camera? What you're supposed to say is no and come back with a search.

Now, to get a search warrant, you have to show probable cause that a crime has been committed and that there's evidence there. The fact is no court is going to issue a search warrant to blanketly look at cameras in a neighborhood unless you can show that you believe or that you know that that image is on their camera.

So this means do you then instead of a search warrant, do you get a subpoena for a Ring doorbell either way? If this is a crime that's part of a pattern or a crime that's happening right now it really removes a lot of the urgency from using the ability to reach out to 10 million ring users, but more importantly to that geographic area where the crimes are occurring and saying this is happening right within your neighborhood. This is in the Neighbors app. These are the people who opted in. You've now taken away their ability to say, we want to help stop this crime.

[08:25:01]

WALKER: Yeah, both sides raise very fair points.

John Miller, thanks for breaking that down for us. Appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: Up next, the historic trial that asks a key question, who is responsible for a mass shooting? The mother of a teen shooter is now facing years behind bars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: Testimony will continue this week in the landmark trial of Jennifer Crumbley in Michigan. Now, Crumbley and her husband, James, are the first parents of a mass school shooter to be charged for their child's crimes. Prosecutors say both parents ignored the warning signs involving their son and made a gun accessible to him.

BLACKWELL: Ethan Crumbley is already serving a life sentence in the shooting deaths of four students at Oxford High in 2021.

In opening statements, the defense for Crumbley's mother said that she will take the stand, but also blame the gun-purchase on her husband.

CNN's Jean Casarez has been found in the case and she has more for us.

[08:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC KEAST, ASSISTANT PROSECUTOR, OAKLAND COUNTY: Jennifer Crumbley didn't pull the trigger that day, but she is responsible for those deaths.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Prosecutors laying out their case why Jennifer Crumbley should also be held responsible for the shooting deaths of four students committed by her son in November 2021 at Oxford High School in Michigan.

KEAST: Despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis, despite her knowledge of his growing social isolation, this gun was gifted.

CASAREZ: In an unusual move, prosecutors brought involuntary manslaughter charges against Crumbley and her husband James, accusing them of disregarding the risks when buying a gun for their son four days before the shooting, even though he was struggling with mental health.

KEAST: They didn't do any number of tragically small and easy things that would have prevented all this from happening.

CASAREZ: Crumbley and her husband are being tried separately, pitted against each other now after Jennifer was overheard in jail blaming her husband. Both have pleaded not guilty. The defense arguing that Crumbley could not know her son struggles would lead to murder.

SHANNON SMITH, ATTORNEY FOR JENNIFER CRUMBLEY: When you evaluate that evidence and know what she knew and what she didn't know, you will see that this was absolutely not foreseeable. This was absolutely not expected.

CASAREZ: In the spring of 2021, text messages show Crumbley's son told his mother he was seeing things. "I got a picture of the demon. It is throwing bowls. Can you at least text back?"

On Black Friday that year, James using money his son earned waiting tables went with him to buy a gun, this SIG SAUER 9mm.

That weekend Jennifer took him to a shooting range. At school two days later, their son was drawing a gun, bullets and blood. "The thoughts won't stop. Help me. Blood everywhere. My life is useless."

His parents were asked to come to the school where the counselor told them --

SHAWN HOPKINS, OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR: I am concerned that he needs somebody to talk to for mental health support.

SMITH: And did you tell either one of them when that should occur?

HOPKINS: I said as soon as possible, today if possible.

CASAREZ: The Crumbleys said they had to get to work but would take him to a professional within 48 hours.

No one looked in their son's backpack. Inside was that gun. He took it back to class and two hours later opened fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medical emergency, Oxford High School. Scene is not secure.

CASAREZ: When he heard about the shooting, James Crumbley called 911.

JAMES CRUMBLEY, FATHER OF SCHOOL SHOOTER: I think my son took the gun. I don't know if it's him. I don't know what's going on.

I'm just really freaking out.

CASAREZ: Jennifer texted her son, "don't do it". But It was too late. Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, Hana St. Juliana and Justin Shilling were dead.

MOLLY DARNELL, TEACHER SHOT AT OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL: It entered here. Exited here.

CASAREZ: In court, one teacher recounting the terror when she was shot.

DARNELL: I realized he was raising a gun to me. I texted my husband, "I love you, active shooter." And then I started feeling blood dripping down my arm.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: Jean Casarez, thank you.

Up next, a major modification to the way we track hurricanes. The cone used to depict the potential path will undergo a noticeable change.

The director for the National Hurricane Center will join us to explain.

[08:33:31]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: That iconic cone graphic used by the National Hurricane Center, you know, the one that shows the potential path of tropical storm systems, it is going to undergo some changes this year. This new cone will better communicate how widespread hazards associated with the hurricane will be over just showing the potential path of the storm.

Joining me now is Michael Brennan. He's the director of the National Hurricane Center. Good to have you.

So am I describing this right? Because the cone is going to stay the same, but there's more that's going around it? Describe what's happening and why.

MICHAEL BRENNAN, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Yes, you are right, the cone itself is not going to really change in any substantial way in 2024 but what we're going to start doing is showing the issuance of tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings over inland areas in the continental United States. That's going to be new and experimental in 2024. Previously, we only showed the hurricane and tropical storm watches

and warnings along the coastline. That really didn't fully depict the risk of those winds expanding over inland areas.

BLACKWELL: Are we going to, as consumers of what you all give us when these storms are on the way, are we still going to see four, five days out where the storm could be, what the impact could be with this new system?

BRENNAN: Right. The cone itself will still continue to show a track forecast and likely area of the track of the center out through five days. The watches and warnings are really more focused on the first couple of days of the forecast period. And that's when you will start to see those show up.

BLACKWELL: Now, the reason that the cone is so easy to understand is because am I in it, am I not in it. However, that's the center of the storm, as we are often reminding people. Will this be as easy to understand at a quick glance?

[08:39:51]

BRENNAN: Yes. I think because people will be able to look and see where they live and see if they are under a hurricane or tropical storm watch or warning. And that risk of those wind impacts will be conveyed regardless of the center -- the track of the center of the system and regardless of whether people are inside or outside of the cone.

So the idea is to put those watches and warnings on there, emphasize them over the cone itself within those first couple of days so that people will be able to recognize the risk of the wind hazard.

BLACKWELL: Is this a permanent change?

BRENNAN: We don't know. It's going to be experimental. We're going to roll it out around the mid-August time frame and we'll collect feedback from users and customers on it through the latter half of the 2024 hurricane season and see how we want to proceed from there.

BLACKWELL: Is it too early to ask what we're expecting for this season?

BRENNAN: Yes, it is, unfortunately. But the message is for everybody in the United States and hurricane-prone areas, you have to be ready for hurricane impacts every year regardless of how busy the season is overall.

We're not really able to decide -- or forecast this far in advance, you know, where the storms are going to go. So even if we have an otherwise quiet season, we can still have very substantial impacts in given locations.

BLACKWELL: Michael Brennan, thanks so much.

WALKER: We are following a developing story. "The New York Times" is reporting that American-led negotiators are close to a deal that would pause the fighting between Israel and Hamas for two months.

"The Times" reports the deal would mean a suspension of Israel's war in Gaza for approximately two months in exchange for more than 100 hostages.

CNN's Nic Robertson joining us now. Nic, we know the CIA director has been meeting with officials from several countries, including Qatar and Egypt, to get this hostage deal done. What are you learning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Of course, it's something that everyone here is really hopeful and that they are able to pull off. It's not easy.

And there's still skepticism about what Hamas has said is their bottom line on this. And of course, they're not involved in these talks. That bottom line is a complete cessation or complete end of this war.

Bill Burns is meeting with David Barnea. The Mossad chief is meeting with the intelligence chief from Egypt and the prime minister of Qatar. Of course, the Qataris are the main go between, between the Egyptians, the United States, Israelis and Hamas. They are the ones that are seen to be able to sort of have some leverage here.

Egypt does. Egypt's intelligence officials too have conversations directly with Hamas officials.

But I think at the moment, the idea that the hostages can be released in Israel at least is something that while it is hoped for, I don't get the sense that people are building up their hopes too much.

Look, I think it's really important to say here that it was Bill Burns and David Barnea, the Mossad chief who worked together back in November to get those 100 hostages released. There was a six-day pause in the fighting back then. And that was their conversation.

So the fact they are talking again, somewhere in Europe we understand this weekend, is an indication that the situation may be getting closer.

But it's that holdout, is Israel ready to accept what Hamas is demanding on the permanent ceasefire? Or is Hamas prepared to back down on that issue? because I think it's clear to most people in this country at least that once Hamas hand over all the hostages, then the war can be fought in a different way. That is certainly how the people of Israel feel.

The IDF, the military obviously will get their leadership from the government here. But it will be something everyone is hopeful here about. But at the moment, it's under discussion. And the indications are, it may be close but it's not there yet.

WALKER: Well, if confirmed, this would be a hugely significant deal and development.

Nic Robertson, appreciate your reporting. Thank you so much.

We'll be right back.

[08:43:45]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Maybe your January has been dry, maybe damp. Anyway, this is the month of the year when a lot of people decide to either cut out or cut back on alcohol.

WALKER: So as we approach the end of dry January, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look at current consensus on whether alcohol is good or bad for you and how much has it changed over the years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well guys, the bottomline consensus from the medical establishment is that no amount of alcohol is good for your health. I know that's not necessarily what people want to hear.

But what is interesting is if you look back over the last 100 years, you get a sense of how they arrived at this consensus. First of all, go back to about 1920 and take look at this graph here. This graph, this study really dictated how I think the medical establishment thought about alcohol for a long time.

Look at this graph. It's what's called a j-curve. The very left side of the screen, you see that people who did not drink at all, they seemed to have sort of average mortality.

What was interesting is that when you started to add a little bit of alcohol into people's lives, mortality actually seemed to decrease and stayed low until about 2.5 drinks. And then it started to go up again.

That really gave this notion that a little bit of alcohol was maybe a good thing, could actually decrease mortality. That stayed sort of the wisdom for several decades.

It wasn't until the 1980s really when you started to get this idea that there was this association between alcohol and other things, like increase in certain cancers and strokes, things like that.

In the early 90s, there was a lot of attention given to what is known as the French paradox, this idea that people who, in France who get high-fat diet and who smoke and didn't exercise a lot still have lower mortality. Could it be the red wine? And a lot of people thought about that.

[08:49:52]

DR. GUPTA: But then over the last ten years, guys, the wisdom really from the medical establishment has been, look, there's all these associations with things that are detrimental to your health from alcohol.

And then as of five years ago, the consensus came out saying no amount of alcohol is good for your health.

Let me show you this graph. This is interesting. People's attitudes towards alcohol really since the end of prohibition have stayed more or less the same. About two-thirds of the country roughly will drink. Some obviously more than others but will drink. Only about a third of the country roughly is totally abstinent from alcohol.

And as I said that has not changed that much. Now what is interesting about dry January is that we find that people who refrain from drinking even for a little bit of time seem to have significant benefits.

One of the things that I think about a lot is blood pressure. One drink per day, even if you are not someone who has hypertension, just one drink per day can raise your blood pressure. Not drinking once per day can bring that blood pressure back down.

And then all these other benefits as well. You start to see a lowering of your liver enzymes. Your liver is what actually metabolizes the alcohol. Your sleep will improve. Other aspects of your diet improve they find if you stop drinking. And other routines, other bad habits also seem to improve.

So all of that makes the case to limit your alcohol as much as possible. Not just for the month of January but for the whole year ahead as well.

Amara, Victor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: As I listen to Sanjay, I try to find things that just don't apply to me. I'm trying to find things. But of course.

BLACKWELL: I'm not going to stop drinking.

WALKER: No I mean look, once a day, twice a day, sure maybe you should cut back. But I mean if it's just for weekends or for parties, you know, when --

BLACKWELL: I don't even drink every week. But you know, I do like a well-crafted cocktail.

WALKER: With gin.

BLACKWELL: With gin. I love a good gin cocktail. Something with --

WALKER: What's my choice of alcohol?

BLACKWELL: Vodka.

WALKER: No.

BLACKWELL: Tequila.

WALKER: I thought you knew me. That's why. BLACKWELL: I said tequila, second.

WALKER: Tequila is not (INAUDIBLE). I guess it's kind of is -- it's under the same.

We'll play this game later.

BLACKWELL: All right.

WALKER: Thank you, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Everything in moderation.

BLACKWELL: Including moderation.

Up next, what a difference a zero makes. We will show you how an order mistake led to a massive McNugget meal.

[08:52:17]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: For decades, Martha Stewart has made her mark on American culture through her special brand of domestic perfection. Now the new "CNN ORIGINAL SERIES: THE MANY LIVES OF MARTHA STEWART" traces Stewarts explosive rise to success, staggering fall from grace, momentous comeback and establishment as a true American icon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: We are here this afternoon to announce the filing of criminal charges by this office and civil charges by the SEC against Martha Stewart and Peter Bacanovic.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: The Martha Stewart case was the first time most Americans had probably heard the name James Comey. But what they didn't know they would hear that name a lot as the years passed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now when Comey brought the charges against Martha Stewart, he emphasized, we're charging you for lying to the federal authorities.

COMEY: This criminal case is about lying. Lying to the FBI, lying to the SEC, and lying to investors. That is conduct that will not be tolerated by anyone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So ultimately, a decision is made not to prosecute her criminally for insider trading and only charge her with the obstruction of justice and false statements.

COMEYH: Martha Stewart is being prosecuted not because of who she is but because of what she did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: "THE MANY LIVES OF MARTHA STEWART" premieres tonight at 9:00 p.m. WALKER: All right. So who doesn't like chicken, does one write

McNugget? It's chicken nuggets. But a California family got the surprise of their lives when a food delivery arrived at their home.

BLACKWELL: Instead of 20 they got 200 because of an extra zero on the order. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on the dinner that's now gone viral.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They thought they'd ordered several burgers, some fries and a few chicken McNuggets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a prank. It has to be a prank.

MOOS: Instead, they got inundated with McNuggets. So many that grandma couldn't count --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 30, 40, 50, 60 --

MOOS: -- without bursting into laughter. Her son-in-law put his head on the counter.

CHRIS VACCARO, FATHER: It was nuggets and nuggets and nuggets.

MOOS: delivered from a McDonald's in Long Beach, California by a Doordash driver.

C. VACCARO: They guy said this was the biggest order he's ever had.

MOOS: And they didn't skimp on the sauce.

Jessica Vaccaro's then 4-year-old son had questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a lot?

JESSICA VACCARO, MOTHER: Mommy, is that a lot? Grandma, is this funny?

MOOS: Jessica recently unearthed this 2017 video. She posted it. It went viral. They ended up giving most of the McNuggets to the homeless.

J. VACCARO: We packed them all up and we went down to the beach and we handed them out.

MOOS: Her husband Chris thinks he accidentally added a zero, ordering 20 rather than just two ten-piece boxes. He admits he barely looked at the total bill. And he dropped this nugget.

[08:59:56]

C. VACCARO: I consider myself a chicken McNugget connoisseur.

MOOS: But 200? Give us a McBreak.

Jeanne Moos, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: It is chicken McNuggets. My bad.

BLACKWELL: The funniest thing about that video because I've seen it on social media is the laughing at the nuggets that keep coming.

Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

WALKER: "STATE OF THE UNION" is next. Have a great day, everybody.