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CNN International: Trump Slams D.A. & Judge Ahead of Hush Money Sentencing; 55 Plus Million Americans Under Winter Alert Across U.S.; South Korean Officials Seek Extension of Yoon Arrest Warrant; 82nd Star-Studded Ceremony Honors Hollywood's Best; Canada's Trudeau to Resign as Party Leader Next Hour. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired January 06, 2025 - 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, these are live pictures from a snowy Capitol Hill where in just a few hours, Congress will certify
President-Elect Donald Trump's election victory. It is 09:00 a.m. in Washington. It's 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. You're
watching "Connect the World" and wherever you are watching, you are more than welcome.
Also coming up this hour, lawmakers in the U.S. have another challenge today, getting to the U.S. Capitol, more on how that harsh weather is
affecting Washington and the wider country.
Well, just days before he leaves the White House, the Biden Administration is facing a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit from US Steel and Japanese Company
Nippon Steel, more on the merger block but those companies are calling purely political. And a star started evening in Hollywood last night, the
Golden Globes Ceremony dazzled with great Red-Carpet outfits and, of course, award winners.
Well, the stock market in New York will open about 30 minutes from now. It is a shorten working week. The New York Stock Exchange will be closed on
Thursday to mourn the death of Former President Jimmy Carter. More on those markets as they get up and underway about a half hour from now.
Well, in four hours' time, the U.S. Congress will meet to certify Donald Trump's re-election as president in what assuredly will be a very different
scene. What happened on this day four years ago? It is, of course, January the 6th, and that is when in 2021 Trump support his storm to the U.S.
Capitol in a deadly insurrection that disrupted the peaceful transfer of power. Well, today, no such protests are expected, and the Capitol Building
is under heavy security.
Well, Trump's certification today capping a remarkable political comeback for a man who will be sentenced as a convicted felon next week, while
running out the clock on a handful of other court cases now dismissed or in major legal limbo. Jeff Zeleny connecting us today from South Florida,
where Trump Jeff has spent most of his time since being re-elect and let's talk more about today's process and what we can expect in Washington.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, it's an extraordinary turn about four years ago, of course, as you said,
supporters of President Trump were breaking into approaching the Capitol trying to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
Today, that is not going to happen, at least not expected to happen. The Congress will come together in a joint session of Congress, the House and
the Senate, to do the duty that they have done, of course, throughout the course of this country's history, and that is to certify the presidential
election.
It's a formality, quite frankly. But four years ago, it was turned into a spectacle, a violent one at that. But today, it does mark the dramatic turn
about how Former President Donald Trump, now President-Elect Donald Trump, has used the events of January 6th as an asset, turning a deep political
liability into a strength that, of course, helped him win a re-election in November over Vice President Kamala Harris.
And a side note, Becky, Vice President Harris will be presiding in the United States Senate. That is her role as the vice president. She will be
presiding over her own defeat. She said in a video statement over the weekend that she believes this is the core part of democracy. There will be
no challenges to this election, so she will join the ranks of vice presidents in history. Al Gore also doing the same back in 2000 certifying
her own defeat, a dramatic turn-around from four years ago.
ANDERSON: And Jeff, you talk about how Donald Trump, to a degree, used January the 6th to his benefit. He has also used his legal cases as an
asset through this past 18 months, during the campaign and, of course, post-election. This certification, of course, today, coming just days
before Donald Trump is sentenced in the hush money case, just get us bang up today on what we can expect there.
ZELENY: Look Becky that sentencing is scheduled for Friday. It's unclear whether Donald Trump will go to New York for that sentencing in the hush
money case, which was the only case to actually reach a conclusion before the election.
[09:05:00]
The others were either delayed or dropped, but it is going to be the sentencing of course, he's not going to get any jail time for that, but it
is another formality. But you are right, he was able to turn all of those court cases as really a rallying point and portray himself as a victim, and
saying that he's a victim fighting for the American people, again, an extraordinary turn-about.
We will see if he attends on Friday, he did attend all of his other cases last year, and sort of relishing in being in the courtroom, but in two
weeks' time, he will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Always a pleasure, sir thank you. Farnoush Amiri is a Congressional Reporter for "The Associated Press" joining me now
from Washington. And it's good to have you. What are you seeing and hearing ahead of today's certification?
FARNOUSH AMIRI, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, AP: Yeah, Becky. I mean, as Jeff just told you, it's a stunning turn-around for, you know -- what I and many
of my colleagues covered four years ago, which is -- you know the violent mob that took over the Capitol, that stormed past police officers used
flags -- flag poles as weapons to hit Capitol Police who defecated in the marble halls of the Capitol.
And today we'll be seeing you know what this -- what this day is supposed to look like, which is a peaceful transfer of power, which is from one
president to another, from one party to another. And it's going to go -- you know, it's kind of a very boring event, usually, and obviously that
changed four years ago.
Senators will bring over mahogany boxes, over from the Senate to the House as Jeff mentioned, Vice President Harris will oversee the certification.
And really, it's just a nod. It's a formality of Congress saying we saw that this is how the states voted, and we are -- you know certifying it.
There's no vote that takes place. And honestly, members of Congress will probably be done by 03:00, 04:00 p.m. and can go about their day.
ANDERSON: If they make it because, of course, the conditions are pretty miserable out there today. But as you say, expected to be formalities,
certainly not expected to elicit the sort of images that we've just been seeing on our screens of 2021 January the 6th, as you have been speaking.
Top GOP leaders four years ago, very clearly blamed Donald Trump for the riots on January the 6th. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): All I can say is, count me out. Enough is enough.
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately
denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): There's no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of
the day. No question about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Look, Mitch McConnell is no great fan of Donald Trump, even these days. But hearing Lindsey Graham, who is a big supporter of the president-
elect, responding in the wake of in the moment after January the 6th, the way they did, with very different language to the sort of language that he
at least, if not McCarthy and McConnell would use today. Let's just discuss, if we can what it is that has changed for somebody like Lindsey
Graham?
AMIRI: Yeah. I mean, it is really stunning to hear the just complete 180 from Republicans, right? You talk about those moments that members were
huddled in a secret top -- you know top secret location so that mob rioters could not get to them. That was Republicans and Democrats.
Mob riots were not discriminating at that point. They wanted to hang Mike Pence. They wanted to kill Nancy Pelosi. But you see now, in the four
years, just the stunning rewrite that Republicans, obviously led by Donald Trump, have done of this day where Americans attacked their own government,
where Joe Biden almost did not get certified to become the next President of the United States.
And what you've seen there is that Republicans thought on that day where they were saying those statements that you just played, that Donald Trump
was his career, his political future was done, that he would likely face criminal charges from a Justice Department, that he would likely be
convicted and that he would not be able to run again for the presidency.
[09:10:00]
And what you've seen over the last two years, more specifically, is Trump's come back, and that they are coming to reality, that this is not only the
leader of their party, this is going to be -- you know before he won, this is going to be the next President of the United States, and their political
future relies on his.
And I think it's really stunning, and it cannot be understated how much Republicans have really just bowed their head to him and gone and kissed
the ring in the last few years. McCarthy especially was at Mar-a-Lago last week, and he was the one who said that on the House floor.
ANDERSON: This is a very different story than that which we heard from Joe Biden on Sunday in an op-ed published by "The Washington Post", he urged
Americans to never forget the January 6th, 2021 attack on what he described as their democracy, and should not allow the history of that day to be
rewritten.
And I just want our viewers just to get a sense of what he said, quote, in time, there will be Americans who didn't witness the January the 6th riot
first hand, but we'll learn about it from footage and testimony of that day, from what is written in history books, from the truth we pass on to
our kids.
That is Joe Biden's position as set out in an op-ed. Does that reflect, to your mind the view of the Democratic Party or the Democrats these days on
January the 6th, 2025?
AMIRI: It does. Yeah, it definitely does. Like any -- I mean, if you were to look at my inbox right now, the majority, if not all, of the statements
about remembering January 6th are from Democrats, right? Republicans when I catch them in the halls, rarely want to talk about it. They call it -- you
know, they say that we want to look to the future, that the media and Democrats want to focus on the past.
And that we overstated what happened on that day, which obviously we did not. There's footage for everyone to see. But yeah. I mean, Democrats see
it as something they want to keep pointing to, but they also saw it as a losing political message. I mean, the reason they feel like they lost the
House, the Senate and the White House, is because they focused too much on this abstract concept of democracy.
Joe Biden went around saying democracy is at risk, and voters wanted to focus on kitchen table issues. And so, I don't know how much of a political
message it will continue to be, but definitely the only people you can find on Capitol Hill talking about January 6th are Democrats these days?
ANDERSON: It certainly helped the Democrats in the 2022 midterms. But as you rightly point out, was really not part of the winning ticket, at least,
or didn't move the needle for Democrats in 2024. It's good to have you. Farnoush, thank you very much indeed for joining us. What a day to be on
the Hill?
Right now, in the U.S., tens of millions of Americans are up against a criminal -- crippling winter storm. Snow and ice emergencies have been
declared across a number of states as a powerful weather system sweeps through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the country. Just have a
look at these images coming into CNN.
And forecasters warned the winter storm could bring quote, considerable disruptions to daily life and travel in the hours to come. Well, let's get
you to the CNN Weather Center and to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam, which region of the U.S. is expected to get hit the hardest in the coming hours,
sir?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK, Washington, D.C., right? There, simple answer, right? And that's because of so much going on in that city.
On a dry day, it's difficult to get around D.C. with the traffic. You add in the nearly 12 centimetres that have fallen, which is the most snow
they've had in two years.
You've got a recipe for problems, and there's the potential that they could experience the most, more snow than they have in the past two winter
seasons combined. Of course, all of this in combination with a monumental day in D.C. where we're certifying election results. We've got a snow
emergency on the ground.
Schools are canceled. People are sliding off the roads. I'll show you video of that in just one moment. But this is a live tower cam. You're looking at
Washington, D.C., the Lincoln Memorial in the background, the National Mall here covered in snow, and it's all thanks to this large storm system that
has a severe weather component to the south.
An ice storm component in the middle and then the snow from the Mid- Atlantic, basically the nation's capital, the Delmarva Peninsula, westward over 1000 kilometers towards St. Louis and Cincinnati. So, here's a look at
the winter weather alerts.
Again, stretching several 100 miles, and as promised, the same storm system. Look at the sheet of ice that it dropped on the highways here. This
is an 18-wheeler nearly jack-knifing in front of this drive way -- this driver.
[09:15:00]
So treacherous road conditions and also impacting the airways too. We've got numerous cancellations and delays at all the major airports along the
eastern seaboard, from Philadelphia through Baltimore into D.C.
Temperatures supportive of snow, we need to be below zero degrees or 32 degrees Fahrenheit for that snow fall to fall from the sky. But you can
see, as you go a little further to the south, that's where we start to get that switch, the mix of precipitation with that shading of pink and purple
snow all to the west.
So, we'll get the first wall up of snow in D.C., now a temporary break, and then another round of snow just in time for the evening rush hour tonight.
So, here's the snow still to come, another 5 to 10 centimeters. It won't be a record-breaking snow fall by any stretch of the means, but still
impactful, and considering all the things going on in the nation's capital, it will be significant and a lot of wind behind this system as well.
So, as we accumulate the snow, as we accumulate the ice, it starts to pick up on the power lines and the trees and the tree limbs that comes tumbling
down. And we've already had over 300,000 people without power this morning, thanks to this winter storm, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, sir.
DAM: My pleasure.
ANDERSON: Oh, that's a pretty grim picture, isn't it? Well to the Middle East now, where Israel is denying a report on what would be a major step
forward in cease fire and hostage negotiations. Now, Reuters reported that Hamas approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to be exchanged in a possible
cease fire deal, but the Israeli Prime Minister's office says that is an old list from last July.
Meanwhile, a former Israeli soldier who fought in Gaza has fled Brazil to avoid potential prosecution. He was on vacation when a Brazilian judge
ordered an investigation into war crimes allegations against him. Jeremy Diamond watching all of these developments for us.
He is in Tel Aviv today. Jeremy, let's just get an update on the, excuse me, in direct negotiations that, as we understand it, have resumed in
Qatar. Caveat, you know, we've been there before, but there had been some optimism around these talks, and we know there are some significant
stakeholders moving around the region at present. Do you have any clear idea about how this is panning out?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, last night, we got this glimmer of hope, as Reuters reported that Hamas had approved a
list of 34 Israeli hostages to be released pending a final agreement with the Israeli government, while that would still require an agreement on the
other side of that equation, meaning the identities and the numbers of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange
It did appear to be the first glimmer of progress, real progress, that we have seen in about two weeks. But the Israeli Prime Minister's office today
is denying that report, saying that that list of names was one that Israel had submitted back in July, 34 hostages whose release it was demanding
during the first phase of a cease fire agreement.
And what Israel says it is still waiting for and what it actually needs, they say, to move forward with an agreement. Is a list of the living
hostages remaining inside of Gaza, because we know that of the roughly 100 Israeli hostages still being held today, at least 36 of them are believed
to be dead.
And several more, perhaps even several dozen more could also be dead, although their deaths have not yet been confirmed. Still, this week has
brought the return of these negotiations between Israel and Hamas, indirect negotiations, of course, as an Israeli negotiating team flew to Doha,
Qatar, a Hamas delegation there as well.
Brett McGurk, a top adviser to President Biden is also believed to be in the Qatari capital, and Ron Dermer one of the senior most advisers to Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is in Washington this week, meeting with Biden Administration as well as incoming Trump Administration officials.
So, it is clear that talks are back on the table right now. What is less clear is whether or not there can indeed be an agreement. But in the
meantime, the situation in Gaza, of course, is growing ever more disastrous. We have seen in just the last 24 hours that 48 people have been
killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Hamas also raising the stakes by releasing a video of the 19-year-old Israeli soldier Liri Albag, who was taken hostage on October 7th. Clearly,
all sides here raising the pressure as these negotiations enter yet another critical week, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you, and thank you for that. The former Israeli soldier who fled Brazil, who we are reporting about today.
[09:20:00]
What do we know about him and his case, Jeremy?
DIAMOND: Well, we don't know much about his identity, other than the fact that he is a former Israeli soldier who served in Gaza and was on vacation
in Brazil. The Israeli embassy facilitated his exit from Brazil after war crimes allegations were leveled against him by the Hind Rajab Foundation,
which has been tracking the activities of current and former Israeli soldiers who fought in Gaza.
That prompted a Brazilian judge to direct police to order to open an investigation into this Israeli soldier, former Israeli soldier, and
therefore the Israeli embassy promptly securing his exit from the country of Brazil. But this is not the first time that we have seen this foundation
bringing allegations of war crimes against Israeli soldiers.
As they have been traveling abroad, they have also sought the apprehension of Israeli soldiers visiting Thailand, Sri Lanka, Chile and other
countries, the Israeli government making clear that this is a growing concern for them and also casts light on the fact that Israeli soldiers
have been documenting their activities in Gaza, and that now is being used against him by various organizations and investigators, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond on the story, good to have you sir, thank you. When you're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, out of Abu
Dhabi, where the time is just after 20 pasts 6 in the evening. Still to come, the arrest warrant for South Korea's impeached president is set to
expire at midnight. We'll have the very latest as officials try to extend that. That that is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, in South Korea, the country's anti-corruption agency has requested an extension of the arrest warrant for the impeached President
Yoon Suk Yeol. That warrant is expected to expire in around 40 minutes from now, that is midnight in Seoul. CNN's Mike Valerio is there, and he filed
this report.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, investigators here in Seoul did two major things today, and let's spend some time talking about the first thing
corruption. Investigators asked South Korea's police force to take over to carry out the arrest warrant against South Korea suspended President Yoon
Suk Yeol.
He is suspended because lawmakers voted last month to impeach him after he declared martial law on December 3rd into the early morning hours of
December 4th, he has not been removed from office. That decision is up to a court, and that decision could be made within the next six months. So why
would corruption investigators here ask the police force to carry out this warrant.
[09:25:00]
It is because on Friday, these corruption investigators tried and failed to arrest suspended President Yoon. They went to his home, but Yoon's
Presidential Security Service and members of the military formed a human shield protecting Yoon from arrest. Now Yoon's lawyers say the warrant was
illegal and invalid.
So again, why move this into the hands of South Korean police rather than keep this with those same corruption investigators? Well, the police have a
larger force, more people and more resources to carry out an arrest. But it is still anybody's guess if this will be successful, because Yoon has told
his supporters he does not intend to turn himself in.
Investigators are also working against the clock here. That is the second major thing that they did today. They have requested an extension of their
arrest warrant because they were facing a midnight local time deadline.
Now, even though suspended President Yoon has managed to escape arrest, at least up until this point, there is still the first trial session for his
impeachment process that has been set for next week. And again, that process is what could remove him from office. Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.
ANDERSON: Well ahead on "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, a big court battle against the U.S. government. It involves Japan's largest steel
maker. More on that, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching "Connect the World". Time here is just before half past 6 here are your
international headlines this hour. And the U.S. Congress will meet in a few hours to certify the 2024 presidential election won by Donald Trump.
It is happening exactly four years after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Well woman Trump defeated in November Vice President Kamala Harris
will satisfy the election as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution. That certification comes as Washington braces for a massive winter storm.
[09:30:00]
The nation's capital is part of a major storm system dumping a dangerous mix of snow and ice throughout the U.S. Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions.
Today, forecast has warned that the winter storm could bring considerable disruptions to daily life and travel for more than 55 million Americans in
the hours to come.
Well, the stock market will open momentarily. The bell on Wall Street about to be run or has just been run. Let's check in on these markets and find
out what's going on. This, of course, is an -- it's a shorten trading week. This week, the New York Stock Exchange will be closed on Thursday as
traders and investors mark the funeral, of course, of Jimmy Carter that was announced on his death last week.
So, a four-day working week this week, and investors still keeping an eye on what the Fed is up to and whether or not we are in for further robust
interest rate cuts. This is the story of the day, and the NASDAQ certainly, and the S&P out of the gate and running the DOW, perhaps not so much, but
all those markets are higher on the opening.
Well, an industrial size court battle is in the making U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel, the largest steel maker in Japan, are suing the U.S.
government. Now this comes after outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel to buy what is the struggling U.S. Steel last week.
Let's get you to CNN's Matt Egan, who is covering this for us. Matt, the two steel giants claim that President Biden's executive order, and it is an
executive order to block this deal is for, quote, purely political reasons. Just explain what is going on here and why this battle with the government
at this point?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Becky, from the moment this deal was announced, it became a political football, right? This was all going on
during the heat of the 2024 race for the White House, and both parties were trying hard to win over Rust Belt voters and manufacturing workers. And
don't forget U.S. Steel is based in the must win battle ground state of Pennsylvania.
And so, in this lawsuit, the companies argue that the review process was not driven by national security as it should have been, but it was driven
by politics. Now, among other things, the lawsuit alleges that President Biden ignored the rule of law to gain favor with the steel workers union,
that national security was exploited to help try to win an election, and that regulators on CFIUS, that's the Committee on Foreign investment in the
United States that they fail to conduct a good faith review.
A key line from this lawsuit that we just got this morning says that the President's decision was based on illegitimate and self-serving political
considerations, a clear violation of the entire CFIUS process, which was created as an apolitical safe guard to protect national security.
Now, Treasury is declining to comment. We've reached out to the White House. I would note that President Biden, when he announced this decision
on Friday, he argued that a domestic steel industry and that steel workers are the backbone of the country, and that a strong steel industry is
critical to national security and to supply chains.
And we should also just point out, though, that this deal faced bipartisan opposition. It was not just President Biden and Vice President Harris who
were opposed. It was also President-elect Trump and Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance. So, Becky, no matter who won this election, this deal was
always going to face an uphill battle.
ANDERSON: Good to have you Happy New Year, sir. Matt Egan is in the House.
EGAN: Thanks Becky.
ANDERSON: And just in, CNN is hearing that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce next hour that he is stepping down as leader of his
party. That is, according to a source close to the prime minister. Now, Mr. Trudeau is facing a mounting set of crises, from threats by Donald Trump to
slap tariffs on Canadian goods to a steep slump in his poll ratings.
And of course, we will do more on this, as we get it. Well still to come on CNN, highlights from Sunday's English Premier League match between Man
United and Liverpool. The game did not end as many fans had expected. That is coming up. Plus, it was a huge night for Hollywood at the Golden Globes
awards on Sunday, a live report from LA on who won big and who fell short.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:35:00]
ANDERSON: Well, Hollywood's award season kicked off with the 82nd edition of the Golden Globes on Sunday night. Comedian Nikki Glaser become the
first stand-alone female host of the event, and had stars cracking up with her jokes about the nominees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI GLASER, AMERICAN STAND-UP COMEDIAN: Welcome to the 82nd Golden Globes, Ozempic's biggest night, The Bear, The Penguin, Baby Reindeer,
these are not just things found in RFK's freezer. These are TV shows nominated tonight. And challengers, girl? Oh, my God, it was so good. I
mean, that movie was more sexually charged than Diddy's credit card. I mean, seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ouch! Well, the biggest winner was the film Emilia Perez, the musical thriller won four awards, including Best Musical or Comedy, Best
Original Song. Meanwhile, drama series Shogun triumphed in the TV categories. Well, our Entertainment Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister
witnessed all the glory at the award show in Beverly Hills last night, looking fabulous yourself.
Joining us now from Los Angeles. We just heard from the host there, big night for her. What else do we hear?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: You know, talking about looking fabulous, and by the way, thank you, Becky. I am running on
about two hours of sleep, so not quite looking as glamorous today. But I sat down with Nikki Glaser a few days before the Globes, and she told me
beforehand that she had eight outfit changes, and she absolutely delivered on that.
Every time she took the stage, she was in a gown that was better than the next. But of course, what was better than her looks were her jokes. They
really landed, not just at home. She's getting great reviews from critics across the board, but also in the room. And I have to tell you, I have been
in a ton of these award shows.
This is not an easy room to impress. It's really kind of a fine line between roasting these stars and also making them laugh. And she did just
that, as we saw in some of those clips there, she really nailed it. And she had told me, when we sat down a few days ago that she's hoping to return
again.
She said, I would love to do this more than once. And of course, we know that there are many, many award show hosts who do return right. Ricky
Gervais hosted five times. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted a couple times. So, I would love to see her back, and I think that could happen. She's a
pretty good chance, after last night.
ANDERSON: Good stuff. Thank you for that. I'd love to chat on, but we have got some breaking news, and so thank you. CNN, hearing that Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau will announce next hour that he is stepping down as leader of his party. That is according to a source close to the Prime
Minister.
Let's get you straight to Ottawa now and to my colleague, Paula Newton. Paula, why is he stepping down?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, a lot of discontent. I mean, look, Canada must hold an election before the end of 2025, Becky.
[09:40:00]
And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is down in the polls to the Conservative Party its leader, Pierre Poilievre by more than 20 percent according to
polling averages. In short, Becky, even his members of parliament close to him, have told him, look, we just don't believe we can win the next
election with you.
What's going to happen next? He will resign as Liberal Party leader, but not as prime minister. He will stay in and with that caretaker role for
several months until the Liberal Party can elect a new leader. At issue here, though, is whether the opposition parties will really even allow this
to happen for that long.
They will want it to be quick. The Liberal Party will want to take as much time as possible. But suffice to say, Becky, that look Canadians, and this
will sound familiar to many viewers, no matter where you are, Canadians fed up with inflation, the cost of living, an affordable housing crisis, some
of all of that put into motion by what was really an uptick, a severe uptick in legal immigration that Canadians feel is just putting too much
strain on public services.
You know, Chrystia Freeland his right hand for so many years as deputy prime minister and finance minister, quit just a few weeks ago. She wrote a
resignation letter saying that she did not approve of so-called Justin Trudeau's political gimmicks. That was a quick tax cut on certain articles
of food and clothing that Trudeau put into place.
And she said that Canada really needed its fiscal fire power as Donald Trump was threatening these 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian imports. You
know, Becky, this was a progressive government when it came in, more than nine years ago. The judgment now from Canadians as though why it may have
fulfilled some of its promises, it is no longer fit for what Canadians want to see going forward, at least.
That's according to the polls. This is a man who came into office with so called sunny ways, Becky. We expect him in about an hour from now, to
resign as party leader on what is a cold and frigid morning here in Ottawa with a lot of uncertainty going forward in the coming months.
ANDERSON: And who are his main contenders at this point, who could take Canada forward, going forward?
NEWTON: Again, Becky, you will recognize at least one name. It's Mark Carney as Former Governor of the Bank of England, Former Governor of the
Bank of Canada, Justin Trudeau had been trying to recruit him to come into his cabinet for months, thinking that it could help his poll ratings.
Mark Carney has been reluctant. Many say that he has been considering a liberal leadership. He's been pretty coy about it till now, but also
mentioned Chrystia Freeland, who was the deputy prime minister and finance minister for so long in Trudeau's cabinet by his side from the beginning.
Also, again, name that might be familiar Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly, and we will see if she puts her hat into the ring as well. This will be
hotly contested in terms of who will take over the Canadian government in a few months, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Mark Carney, of course, Former Head of the Bank of England. He certainly knows his stuff on the financial side of things. Good to have
you, Paula, always a pleasure. And thank you. Getting to that as quickly as we could. We're going to take a break, back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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