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Connect the World

World Food Programme: "Everyone in Gaza is Hungry"; Former U.S. President Heading back to NYC Court; U.S. Senate Republicans Block Aid Package for Ukraine, Israel; Battle Rages Across Gaza as War Enters Third Month; Nikki Haley Targeted on Big Donors, Foreign Policy; Santos Relegated for First Time in 11-Year History. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired December 07, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, it's 6 pm here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. This is "Connect the World" and you are more

than welcome. A warning, these distressing pictures taken a few hours ago show the aftermath of a strike on Rafah. There were children among the

casualties. We will have more details in a moment.

And these are live pictures from the Israeli border with Gaza where there is intense fighting in the City of Khan Yunis. The IDF says it has

surrounded the house of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar. Also at this hour, Donald Trump is expected to head to court in New York as his defense team,

call that final witness to the stand in what is the Former President's civil trial for fraud.

Well, fierce fighting reported in Gaza as second largest City of Khan Yunis exactly two months after the massacre in Israel that sparked the country's

war with Hamas. Israel's Prime Minister says troops in Khan Yunis have encircled the home of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar, pegged as one of the

masterminds of the October the 7th terror attack. Well, the IDF suggests he is hiding in underground tunnels. Here's more from Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Last night I said that our forces can reach anywhere in the Gaza Strip. Now they encircled Sinwar's

house. His house is not his fortress, and he can escape, but it's only a matter of time until we get him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Israel says it has breached Hamas defense lines in Khan Yunis. The IDF blurred the faces of its soldiers who targeted Hamas

strongholds the relentless Israeli offensive, prompting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to invoke a rarely used clause referring the

conflict to the UN Security Council Israel's UN Ambassador Guterres' action a new moral low.

Alex Marquardt is with us is out from Tel Aviv. Alex, the announcement that the Hamas Leaders' house is surrounded came from Israel's Prime Minister.

Just explain how significant this is.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's significant Becky, in that it shows that IDF forces are operating in the

heart of Khan Yunis that they've really driven into Khan Yunis, which is has become a focal point for them in the past few days as they've driven

south because they have said that Hamas leaders they believe are in or around Khan Yunis.

Other than that it's purely symbolic. I mean, there's no one who believes that Yahya Sinwar is actually at home. And you heard the Prime Minister

there saying that he could easily escape. But they are confident that it is just a matter of time.

Now, the IDF has said that Sinwar is believed to be underground. They of course aren't saying where? And he is the number one target on their list.

But this really does speak to the expansion of Israel's military operations from the north into the south, forcing so many more civilians to go even

farther south.

But Becky, I think at this two month mark, it is worth noting that aside from Sinwar, you also have the top military leaders in the AL Kassam

brigades, the military wing of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, and Marwan Issa, who are also still out there. They have not been found and killed by Israel's

forces.

Israel says that they have killed several 1000 Hamas militants and taken out a good number of the midlevel commanders, if you will. But of course,

this is not just about the number of kills that Israel has. They're also trying to dismantle Hamas infrastructure and their goal of eradicating

Hamas.

But what exactly that means still remains unclear, Becky and that's what we've heard from U.S. officials is that while Israel is saying that this

could be a long conflict as they look to eradicate Hamas what exactly that means? Israel has not said specifically, Becky.

ANDERSON: Alex, thank you. Weeks of desperation in Gaza are growing more intense. These pictures coming to us from Rafah after a strike there and

that is of course right down to the south on the border with Egypt as death stalks the besieged territory hunger hovering over every life/

That is the word from the Head of the World Food Program who says "Everyone in Gaza is hungry and like the people it serves Gaza's health system is

also in desperate shape on its knees" is how the World Health Organization is describing the situation things are so dire.

[09:05:00]

The Palestine Red Crescent says it is stopping ambulance operations. Well, for more on Gaza's humanitarian situation I want to bring CNN's Ben

Wedeman. Ben, you are keeping a close eye on what is going on within the enclave. We've been showing a lot of video there not least the video of the

aftermath of the strike in Rafah more children dying in Gaza. And what more details you have.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, regarding that early morning strikes on a building in Rafah, which is right on the

Egyptian border, Palestinian medical sources say at least 22 people were killed women and children among them again and hundreds were wounded in

that strike.

In fact, so many people were wounded they had to drive them up to the only functioning Hospital in -- Bella further North of Rafah. And that is just

one strike among many, many. The Palestinian Health Ministry has not put out any recent numbers on those who have died have been killed, simply

because they can't -- they're not in a position to collect that information.

In some parts of the Gaza Strip, there's no communication available. But above and beyond that, is the problem of lack of shelter because 85 percent

of the population has been displaced, many of them are essentially sleeping in the open in tents that are just thin plastic sheeting, made of thin

plastic sheeting in areas where there's no water, no electricity, no medical care.

And also we heard from the World Food Programme that in Northern Gaza, more than 90 percent of the population is starting to cut down on the amount of

food they eat, because they cannot replenish what they have. In the southern part of Gaza 80 percent more than 80 percent are in a similar

situation, more than 40 percent of those in northern Gaza have gone a day and a night without eating. In some cases, that percent is more than 30

percent in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

And because of the small number of trucks that are being allowed into Gaza, from Egypt, and of course, they all need approval from Israel. No aid is

being distributed in the central part of the Gaza Strip, or the northern part of this Gaza Strip.

And this is why all of these aid agencies UN, "Doctors Without Borders" and Oxfam are saying that the situation is catastrophic, that Israel needs to

stop military operations now because as bad as it is, at the moment, it's only going to get much, much worse Becky.

ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman is in Jerusalem. I want to get into to Egypt then and to Cairo where Larry Madowo is standing by the Rafah border crossing, then

clearly the area there on the Gaza side has come under attack. Meantime, of course, at the actual crossing it was open today for a limited number of

foreign nationals to get out of the war torn territory.

This is very complicated stuff. As we understand it, some 80 trucks with food, water and medical supplies cross into Gaza through the Rafah crossing

on Wednesday. What more do we know at this point, because that is well underneath what is needed.

Ben has just been reporting on the needs at this point. But these needs come in a part of Gaza. And I'm talking about where the trucks go through,

which is not safe at this point for civilians, nor for those one assumed who are driving those trucks if indeed they can get through at all.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So that's part of the problem here, Becky, because we have seen trucks come in across the Rafah crossing into the Gaza

Strip today. But that's not mean that all of them have got in and that aid is getting to the people because once it goes to the Egyptian side of the

Rafah crossing, it goes to an Israeli checkpoint, and then it's on a crossing.

And it's only after the Israelis have verified was in these trucks that they can go back to the Gaza Strip and be unloaded. And the Palestinian Red

Crescent stated received eight trucks on Wednesday. That is not nearly enough. During the seven day truce they're receiving about 170 Sometimes

200 trucks we're getting a lot in with food and water and medicines and all the essentials that people need.

But everybody agrees that this is nowhere near enough. The day before that there was 100 trucks the day before that's 75 trucks yet during the Tuesday

after sealing was 200 trucks, but that is even still not going to move the needle when so many more people are displaced.

They're all crowded in the South of the Gaza Strip leaving the streets in the open areas so that's one of the problems here. The border authorities

say they're allowing foreign nationals to leave the Gaza strip into Egypt today.

[09:10:00]

63 people who have U.S. nationality, others from the UK, from Kazakhstan, from Ukraine and other countries we've seen a couple of dozen already go

through. We'll have better numbers later in the day when this process is over. But even that's a painstaking process.

If your name is on the list you can get through. We saw a woman, who's got Jordanian citizenship, but her husband and her kids do not and they have

not been allowed in and so she's on the different side hoping that the rest of the family can get through so far has not been successful.

But the injured are also getting across to be treated at different hospitals. And I think one category of patients caught the world's

attention just over two weeks ago, these premature babies that were at Al- Shifa Hospital and 12 of them were brought here to Cairo and I went to check in the progress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO (voice-over): Every breath is a miracle for these babies born prematurely during the war in the Gaza Strip. They're here because Israeli

forces order the Al-Shifa Hospital in the north evacuated, claiming Hamas terrorists operated from there.

Baby formula is the only source of nutrition here. Many of the mothers have not been found yet. Nobody knows if they're alive, or dead. Shaimaa Abu

Khater just arrived and is meeting her daughter for the first time since she was born 38 days ago.

Your father says to tell you that he loves you. She tells baby Canda (ph), her voice breaking. This is the closest she can get to our own child. She

was incubated as soon as she was born.

SHAIMAA ABU KHATER, MOTHER OF PRETERM BABY: We were under siege in the north. I didn't know anything about my daughter. We had no connectivity.

When the truce came, I found out that she was in Egypt.

MADOWO (voice-over): Canda and 11 other preterm babies from Al-Shifa came to the new capital administrative Hospital in Cairo over two weeks ago.

Nine more have arrived from across Gaza since.

MADOWO: How relieved are you to be able to see your baby finally?

KHATER: I'm very happy thank God. Today I felt like a mother because I've never seen her before. I just want to hold her and touch her.

MADOWO (voice-over): Doctor says she'll be able to hold her daughter soon. All the babies in this neonatal intensive care unit are under six weeks

old. And yet they have already been through so much in their short lives a war and the risky journey across the border from the Gaza Strip to here in

Egyptian capital.

Sawsan Abu Amsha gave birth to twin girls two months early, just six days after the Israel Hamas war started in the north.

SAWSAN ABU AMSHA, MOTHER OF PRETERM TWINS: There were airstrikes and heavy bombardment the dead everywhere. It all weighed down on me. So I had labor

pains and cramps. They took me to Shifa Hospital, and I spent a week in the ICU.

MADOWO (voice-over): One of the girls has been discharged from the NICU and she can breastfeed her in the nursery, but the twin sister remains in an

incubator. The mother never thought she would see them again.

AMSHA: Shifa under siege. Out of despair, I lost hope and I left. I wanted to take my girls with me. But the doctors said if I did, they would die.

They said to leave them and God would protect them.

MADOWO (voice-over): Doctors say all the babies are doing better than when they arrived in Cairo.

DR. OSAMA AL KHOLY, PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS, ZAGAZIG UNIVERSITY: Most of cases are grown when increasing in weight, become good general condition

tolerate oral feeding some problems and some fishermen not too much.

MADOWO (voice-over): In fact, eight have made it out of the NICU into this nursery, but reuniting them with their parents might be harder than saving

their lives.

DR. KHOLY: We know all these are names for -- but we don't know where his mother is now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MADOWO (on camera): The hospital tells us that the Palestinian Embassy here is in charge of finding their mothers and if when they find them, they can

bring them to the hospital. So far, only about two have shown up so even if these other preterm babies make it out NICU into the general ward and then

arrange the discharge where they go next Becky will be a big one. But at least they're getting that treatment and more preterm babies keep arriving

at least at this new Cairo administrative hospital when we were there.

ANDERSON: Larry, thank you. If you'd like more information on how you can help with humanitarian relief efforts, please do go to cnn.com/impact

you'll find a list of vetted organizations there providing assistance @cnn.com/ impact.

Well, you're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is on his way to New York City Courthouse to

hear new testimony in is civil fraud trial.

[09:15:00]

Trump, the Republican front runner for the 2024 presidential nomination is also due to take the stand again next week before this trial wraps up.

Let's get you to Kara Scannell outside the Manhattan Courthouse with more Kara, who's taking the stand and why does Trump want or need to be there.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, it's an interesting question why a Former President Trump is coming to the court today? But it is the

last day that his team will put on an expert witness in this case. So today we'll be -- there'll be hearing from a professor of accounting from New

York University, and that's part of Trump's defense in this case.

He is accused of inflating the value of his properties to get better rates on loans and insurance. And part of their defense is that there was no

intent to defraud anyone. And this accounting professor is expected to testify that the way that they came up with the values for some of these

properties was in line with U.S. accounting rules, and we expect this professor to be on the stand today.

Now Trump has not been -- he's been at this trial nine times. But he hasn't been here in a month. The last time he was here was when he was testifying

when he was called by the New York Attorney General's team. But this testimony, as I said, is key to the defense. And this is the business that

Trump has built.

This is the business and his reputation as a successful businessman that he campaigned on to get to the White House the first time. So this is central

to his identity in a sense of just you know, this importance of this business. And this allegations that it is a fraudulent business.

So he is here the last time he will see the judge before he comes to testify again on Monday. This time, he will be testifying in his own

defense as their final witness to make their last impression on the judge. Now, this is a trial before a judge so it's not with a jury, which makes it

a little unusual. After his testimony this trial is expected to go dark for about a month and they will come back and make closing arguments. And the

judge is expected to make a decision on this case early next year, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Kara, thank you. Still ahead, U.S. Republicans blocked critical financial aid to Israel and Ukraine, demanding tough new

border policies. In return a live report from Washington is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Police are still trying to find a motive for the latest mass shooting in the United States and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. A

lone gunman carried out the deadly attack on Wednesday inside one of the school's main buildings a shaken campus still trying to make sense of the

violent. CNN's Lucy Kafanov filed this report.

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police say three people were killed another suffered or a gunshot wound and is now in stable condition at a

local hospital the suspect also dead. Now police have not released the identity or the name as they are still notifying the next of kin.

[09:20:00]

But law enforcement sources tell CNN he is a 67-year-old career college professor who has connections with schools in Georgia and North Carolina.

Now his connection to this university as well as the motive for now remains unknown. Reports of shots fired began at around 11:45 am local time near

the Beam Hall, which is home of the University of Nevada's Lee Business School.

Police say that the shooting started on the fourth floor of that beam building went to multiple floors. The sheriff telling us that police

engaged in "Neutralize the suspect outside of "Beam Hall". And let me just set the scene for you.

This was a very busy time on campus. Students were in the middle of study week right before final exams before going home for winter breaks. A lot of

folks were on campus, there were actually tables set up outside where students were eating and playing Lego games according to the sheriff.

And the sheriff also said that a lot more lives could have been claimed were it not for the heroic actions of university police who acted so

quickly to neutralize the suspect. The students describing these terrifying moments, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now that I've calmed down a bit now I just feel angry. The fact that this happens over and over again is ridiculous. School

shootings have been happening since I was born. I was born in the year 2000 it is 2023. And I'm tired of it. And like I don't know how I can just walk

around on campus after this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See all these school shootings stuff always. And I'm like, I kind of knew it's going to happen to me one day, but it's weird for

to have it real. It's scary and it's real and it needs to be taken seriously. And it's like feel like -- this is like my actual life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAFANOV: And it's not lost on anyone that this is a city still scarred by one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history. We're just a few miles

away from the Mandalay Bay Hotel where, as you'll recall in 2017, a gunman opened fire at a music festival killing 58 people. Now this is still very

much an active investigation. We know that the FBI and ATF are involved. We'll keep you updated on the latest back to you.

ANDERSON: Well, Sources tell CNN that the suspect in the shooting is career college Professor Anthony Polito, who may have once sought a job at UNLV.

Well, on Capitol Hill in the U.S. Senate Republicans have blocked a key funding package that included financial aid for Ukraine and for Israel.

They have insisted that that aid be tied to major changes in U.S. border policy. Wednesday's vote makes it increasingly unlikely that the U.S.

Congress will approve fresh funding for its allies by the end of this year. Let's so get you more on this. Let's bring in CNN's Lauren Fox who is in

Washington. This Senate vote is now over. So where do lawmakers go from here?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah Becky, that is the key question right now on Capitol Hill as Republicans and Democrats are still

deeply divided over this issue of what border policy changes could be made, that everyone could live with.

I talked last night right after this vote to James Lankford. He is the top Republican negotiator in those border talks that had really stalled out

over the course of the last several days. He said he's not giving up he wants to continue having conversations with Democrats.

But when you ask the leading Democrat negotiator, Senator Chris Murphy, he is increasingly pessimistic about the chances that anything is going to get

done. When it comes to -- aid to you to Israel and Ukraine before the end of the year. Republicans defended their vote against advancing this

legislation in the Senate yesterday. Here's Senator Lindsey Graham arguing why he voted no.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We're more exposed here at home in the short term, then Putin winning in Ukraine. Ukraine is very important. So is

Israel. So it's Taliban (ph), but nothing's more important to me right now than securing our homeland that's the most exposed to a terrorist attack,

and other bad things in modern history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: And unlike in the House of Representatives, where you have a growing number of hardline conservatives who've made it clear they are opposed to

any additional funding for Ukraine. In the Senate, many Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are very, very supportive of

moving forward with more and additional funding for Ukraine for Israel, and yet they argue they are willing to let that go. If the president if

Democrats don't come to the negotiating table on border security.

ANDERSON: Yeah this is fascinating isn't it? And Lauren thank you for that. And so you know to a certain extent you are seeing a Republican perspective

there.

[09:25:00]

The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, who is a Biden Administration official, calls the U.S. immigration system broken and is amongst those

pushing Congress to provide additional funding to deal with the massive influx of migration along that southern border. Local leaders are also

demanding that President Biden see the deteriorating situation at the border for himself. CNN's Rosa Flores takes a closer look at what are the

growing problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The unprecedented migrant surge on the US southern border has forced thousands of migrants including

-- her three year old son from Venezuela to wait outside for immigration processing in two states, Texas and Arizona.

FLORES: So you've been here for hours at the Minnesota?

FLORES (voice-over): Federal authorities temporarily shutting down to international crossings with Mexico in the last week and redirecting port

of entry personnel to process migrants. In the Del Rio Border Patrol Sector migrant apprehensions have exceeded 2500 per day some days this week

according to a law enforcement source.

TOM SCHMERBER, MAVERICK COUNTY, TEXAS SHERIFF: They want somebody this age to come over here and see this problem.

FLORES (voice-over): Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber a Democrat says the influx puts a strain on his limited force.

SCHMERBER: I don't have the manpower and I don't have the equipment.

FLORES (voice-over): His deputies respond to drowning on the Rio Grande. Scenes like these showing an unconscious migrant mother getting CPR while

her children scream. Have happened too often in the last month making Maverick County the deadliest area for migrants in this 10 County border

region says Medical Examiner Dr. Corrine Stern.

FLORES: Have you seen these many drownings in a very short period of time before?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No not like this and especially not at this time of the year?

FLORES (voice-over): Dr. Stern says in the last week or so six migrant children between the ages of zero and 15 have drowned in Maverick County

alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's horrible. We shouldn't be burying our children.

FLORES (voice-over): Lord (ph) shows us the water was about knee high when she carried her son across the river. She says that she gets emotional

because it's just been a very tough journey.

FLORES: Would you invite President Biden to come here to Maverick?

SCHMERBER: It would be great. It'd be very, very good. I think that it would help him a lot.

FLORES (voice-over): In Arizona.

MARK DANIELS, COCHISE COUNTY SHERIFF: Why won't the President meet with us so we can address community concerns?

FLORES (voice-over): The Sheriff of Cochise County a Republican also calling on President Joe Biden to visit his border state.

DANIELS: This is frustrating, it's insulting, and for us try and do everything we can to protect our citizens.

FLORES (voice-over): Daily migrant apprehensions and border patrol's Tucson sector have nearly doubled in just months. A Homeland Security Official

says smugglers are dropping off large groups of migrants in remote areas creating a transportation nightmare according to CBP.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need the federal government to act.

FLORES (voice-over): Arizona's Democratic Governor also frustrated with the Biden Administration's border response.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need the federal government to step up and do its job and secure our border.

FLORES (voice-over): As for -- she is counting her blessings after surviving the journey.

FLORES: New ideas and whenever would you do it again?

FLORES (voice-over): No, she says that she would never do it again. Her message for migrants stay home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOX (on camera): The Biden Administration has added legal consequences to illegal entry into the country. It's dealing with this current surge

happening here in Eagle Pass, Texas and in Luke Ville, Arizona by using something called Enhanced expedited removal which means that asylum

officers make a determination on a migrant' case while they're in custody.

So if a migrant has no legal bases to stay in the United States, they are swiftly deported. Now this comes with its own challenges. And it's already

testing the migrant detention infrastructure on the U.S. southern border with some facilities already overcapacity Rosa Flores, CNN Eagle Pass,

Texas.

ANDERSON: Well, we are less than 40 days away from the Iowa Caucuses for Republican Presidential Candidates fought last night for Americans votes,

details ahead on the hits and misses of that Republican Debate. And Britain's Former Leader is in front of a public inquiry for the second day

we have the top lines from the UK's COVID inquiry and on the stand there, Boris Johnson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect World" we program this from Broadcasting Hub here in the UAE and

the time here is just after half past six in the evening. This is the latest on our top story.

Two months into the war between Israel and Hamas thousands of Palestinians are fleeing to refer at the southernmost tip of Gaza as a last resort. But

how safe does this look? Well a warning some of the video that we are about to see and show you maybe unsettling Palestinian medical sources say at

least 22 people were killed in this strike on Rafah.

Hundreds were wounded and taken to a hospital further north. Well, many of the victims were women and children. And you can see this man carrying the

body of a small child. The Israeli military says it has breached Hamas defense lines in Khan Yunis Gaza's second largest city to the north of

Rafah as Israel hunts down top Hamas leaders. It says it has surrounded the home with the mastermind of the October the 7th attack.

Political differences and personal sniping on stage in Alabama in the U.S. last night the final U.S. Republican Debate for the year is over, clearing

the way for the run into January's Iowa Caucuses. Now, caucuses are unique nominating contests where voters gather in small groups to decide who

should be their nominee?

And of course, Iowa is the first of these next year so effectively kicking off the race for President in 2024. Last night's battle was between Nikki

Haley, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy each of them hoping to become the leading alternative to the front runner who of course is

Donald Trump. Haley's rise in the polls was greeted with more attacks from DeSantis and Vivek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVEK RAMASWAMY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The only person more fascist than the Biden regime now is Nikki Haley.

NIKKI HALEY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Haley. Love all the attention fellas, thank you for that.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Her donors, these Wall Street liberal donors, they make money in China. They are not going to

let her be tough on China and she will cave to the donor she will not stand up for you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 15 seconds.

HALEY: First of all he's mad because those Wall Street donors used to support him and now they support me.

[09:35:00]

DESANTIS: Nikki I don't have a woman problem. You have a corruption problem and I think that that's what people need to know. Nikki is corrupt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor Haley, would you like to respond?

HALEY: No, it's not worth my time to respond to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Did the debate move the needle for voters well CNN's his Chief U.S. Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny, joins us live from Alabama. Let's

have a look at what happened last night. Chris Christie had a better performance compared to previous debates. Will that be enough to sway

voters come next month? I mean, you know it does seem like Nikki Haley has a momentum at this point, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Becky, she does certainly going into the debate. She had the momentum. She sort of receded

from a lot of the conversation. By design in some respects, she was not responding to all of the arrows that were coming her way.

But for Chris Christie's point, he clearly was the most forceful and aggressive trying to make the case to U.S. Republican voters that Donald

Trump, in his words is unfit for office. He went through some of the criminal cases that are before him. He said he could be a felon come next

year, when he -- if he happens to win the nomination so really trying to make the argument that the party should move on beyond Donald Trump.

He was fairly alone in that conversation. Most of the rivals have simply not gone after Donald Trump to that degree. They've sort of danced around

it on the edges a bit. But the reason for that is that this Republican Party in the U.S. is still very much the party of Donald Trump. So until

they move on from them, a lot of these rivals are afraid to sort of take him on, Becky.

ANDERSON: Just remind us why Iowa is so significant in January?

ZELENY: Well, the reason it's significant Becky and it is 39 days, 39 days from now, the voting begins in Iowa. The Iowa Caucuses, which you set out,

it's a series of groups of small meetings across the state where Republicans gather and express their preference on who they would like to

support.

And the reason it's important this year is because it's really going to send a signal if Donald Trump is going to sort of be on a march to the

nomination or if someone may slow his rise. And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has spent millions and spent so much time they're trying to focus

basically all of his efforts on Iowa.

In years past history will show for example, on the Democratic side, Barack Obama likely would have never become the nominee and gone on to be

President without the Iowa Caucuses, why? He delivered a surprising defeat of Hillary Clinton way back then in 2008. So it can humble front runners it

can -- it can sort of elevate challengers. So that's why Iowa is important and because it's first on the calendar on the night of January 15th.

ANDERSON: Yeah, less than 40 days to go. Busy times -- speak to you before the end of the year. Good luck. Well, in the UK, Boris Johnson is facing

tough questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic for the second day in a row.

Of course, he was the Prime Minister at the time. The independent inquiry is looking into how the Former Prime Minister's government implemented

lockdowns and other measures. Today, Johnson admitted that rules put in place were too complex for police to enforce and for the public to

understand that so listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: There needs to be a great deal of reflection about the simplifying the whole approach and

seeing what we can do to rely more on common sense and less on regulation and legislation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, he also challenged the characterization of the "Party Gate Scandal", saying it was a "Travesty of Truth" although he admitted that if

he had his time in office again, he'd "Have done things differently in number 10" more news after the break.

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[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Sadness and shock in Brazil for Santos and their supporters. Now, if you don't know the iconic club that is Santos featured Pele, Neymar and

other footballing greats. It's being relegated for the first time ever.

Amanda Davies joins me now. And even if you're not a football fan, this story -- this story should really resonate given who this club has sort of

developed and offered up to the world for footballing and non-footballing fans alike.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. I mean, this is the club where Pele made his name and burst onto the international scene as so to Neymar. One

of the most storied historic clubs in Brazilian football. Their heyday undoubtedly the 50s and 60s they've had financial trials and tribulations

that in recent times, but they have always hung on in there in the top division of Brazilian football.

But on Wednesday, their fate was sealed and in a really cruel fashion. All the results they would hope would have gone their way went against them. It

was a 97th minute goal from Fortaleza that ultimately sealed the deal. And here we're seeing the players and the fans with the upset the despair

sadly, Becky that very quickly turned to anger which was then taken from inside the stadium outside onto the streets of Sao Paulo.

Cars and buses were put set on fire riot police were brought into the mix. A really, really sad day for the club and of course it was less than a year

ago, just the start of this year, January that this was the venue where that incredible funeral for Pele was held after his death at the end of

December last year.

ANDERSON: Yeah, I was just thinking about those images and juxtaposing them of course with what we are seeing on the screens now and I know you'll do

more on this in "World Sport" that is up after this break. Stay with us.

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORTS)

[10:00:00]

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