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First Move with Julia Chatterley
Trump's Tariffs Threats; Trump Wants NATO Allies Spend Five Percent Of GDP On Defense; Judge Blocks Trump's Order To End Birthright Citizenship; Hegseth Narrowly Clears Senate Test; Salesforce CEO On A.I.s Future; Trump Says "Ukraine Is Ready To Make A Deal"; Marriage Equality Law In Thailand; "Emilia Perez" Receives 13 Oscar Nominations. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired January 23, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'll see you tomorrow.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: -- 6:00 a.m. in Bangkok, 3:00 p.m. in Los Angeles and 6:00 p.m. here in New York. Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean
in for Julia Chatterley. And wherever you are in the world, this is your "First Move."
A warm welcome to "First Move." Here's today's need to know. President Trump warns leaders in Davos he will impose a cost on products made outside
the United States. Trump's pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clears a key Senate hurdle, but Republican cracks appear. Hundreds of same sex
couples in Thailand tie the knot after the country's marriage equality law takes effect. And the next Netflix musical, "Emilia Perez," setting a
record for most Oscar nominations by a non-English language film. That conversation and much more coming up.
But first, let's get you started with Donald Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The U.S. president putting po political and
business leaders on notice, telling them he will insist that companies make their products in America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: My message to every business in the world is very simple, come make your product in America and we will give you among
the lowest taxes of any nation on Earth. We're bringing them down very substantially, even from the original Trump tax cuts. But if you don't make
your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff, differing amounts, but a tariff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: He also called on OPEC to lower the price of oil, saying it would help end the war in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE AND CNN ANCHOR, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS: This was classic Donald Trump. It was a fusillade of policies and
wishes and possibilities, many of which will never actually come to fruition. But buried in the at least dozen topics that he raised, there
were some major policy announcements.
For instance, he said he was going to ask NATO members to increase the amount that they spend from 2 percent of GDP to more than doubling it to 5
percent. He'd mentioned this several times during the campaign, but today was the first time he'd said he was actually going to do it.
Then he said he was going to ask the Saudis to increase the amount that they'd said they would invest in the United States from $500 or $600
billion dollars to more than a trillion dollars. And at the same time, he was going to insist, he said, that Saudi and OPEC lower oil prices, which
would in turn allow for lower interest rates. Conveniently not mentioning that he doesn't really have the power to unilaterally lower interest rates.
Perhaps for the European audience watching carefully, the biggest threat came on tariffs. Donald Trump warned the world's business that if you
manufacture in the United States, well, you would not only benefit from a lower corporate tax rate, you wouldn't be penalized with tariffs. But, if
you chose to not manufacture in the U.S., which, as he said, is your prerogative, then there would be a variety of tariffs at different scales
which would be imposed.
The world's leaders and now the world's business is in no doubt that this transactional president means business. No one can say they haven't been
warned.
Richard Quest, CNN, Davos.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Meanwhile, back here in the U.S., the first setback for President Trump's action on immigration is a federal judge issued a temporary
restraining order to block his executive order that aims to end birthright citizenship. Here's the president's reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Obviously, we'll appeal it. They put it before a certain judge in Seattle, I guess, right? And there's no surprises with that judge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Stephen Collinson is in Washington. He joins us now to talk more about this. And, Stephen, let's, let's pick up there with this birthright
citizenship issue. It was probably never a surprise this was going to end up in the courts.
[18:05:00]
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Right. And I think that's part of the administration's calculation, because even if it loses the
case, this is probably going to go all the way to go all the way to the Supreme Court and it's going to be popular among Trump's supporters.
What is at issue here is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which says that everybody that's born in the United States is -- or is subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States is an American citizen. What the administration is arguing is that children of undocumented migrants or even
parents who are in the country on a work visa, for example, who are not permanent residents are not U.S. citizens. That seems to go completely
against the plainly worded description of in the Constitution.
That's why this is being seen by many legal experts as almost certainly to be a losing proposition for Trump in -- even in the Supreme Court. But it's
part of the administration's hard line, new immigration policy designed to deter people coming from -- to the United States. And I think to create a
frisson of fear to undocumented migrants who are still here.
DEAN: Right. And look, it -- you have to underscore the fact that this is in the U.S. Constitution. A president, no matter how much executive power
they have, can't single handedly change the Constitution.
COLLINSON: That's right. To change the Constitution needs the agreement of three quarters -- two-thirds of the states and three quarters of majorities
in the House and the Senate. That isn't going to happen. There's no way that Trump can go through that process and get this changed.
So, I think this is another indication of the fact that the new president will test the Constitution and the rule of law to its absolute limits, and
is hoping that the core of new conservative judges that he put in through the lower courts and in the Supreme Court during his first term will give
him an advantage. But this case seems so clear cut that it would be an absolute legal earthquake if Trump wins.
DEAN: And there is so much going on, this flurry of activity as he enters office. So, let's put that to the side. We did see him on the world stage
today for the first time since becoming president of the United States for a second time. And he was talking about the economy, which is why American
voters put him into office. That was their -- far and away their biggest concern. Although, he's made the argument, he thinks it's immigration.
It was interesting to see him doing that before this international audience and to hear him, now several days into his presidency, addressing the
economy.
COLLINSON: This was a perfect forum for Trump. He was speaking as the world's great disruptor, the anti-globalist, to this meeting in Davos,
Switzerland, of global and European economic elites. Exactly the kind of people who Trump's voters disdain.
His aggressive attacks on the European Union were particularly notable. And also, his threats to tariffs. People always say that Trump is just
transactional, that he's seeking a new bargaining position, it didn't sound very much like it to me. It sounds like he's very serious about this. He's
saying that if you want to import goods into the United States, you will have massive tariffs to pay and they'll be less competitive, but you can
come to the United States and get a smaller corporate tax rate and you'll be very welcomed. That's the way he's trying to get jobs back to the United
States.
This is a completely different vision of the U.S. role in the world that Trump is laying out, that has prevailed for all of the years, at least
since World War II, and we're seeing a real shift, I think, in the way that the United States government will deal with the world under this new,
confident, aggressive, and even belligerent new president.
DEAN: All right. Stephen Collinson, thank you very much. We appreciate you this afternoon.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
DEAN: In the past few hours on Capitol Hill, there has been opposition within the Republican Party over Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon.
Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins joining Democrats in voting against a procedural vote in Pete Hegseth's nomination as U.S.
defense secretary. He is facing numerous allegations, including claims of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse. He has denied any wrongdoing.
But despite their opposition, that vote did pass, narrowly, clearing the way for a confirmation vote for Hegseth. There are new concerns also coming
out about Hegseth, according to documents obtained by CNN. And Manu Raju is joining us now to talk through all of this.
Manu, I know you have this reporting on this $50,000 payment that Hegseth says he paid to a woman alleging sexual assault. This information, of
course, coming at this kind of critical moment for his nomination.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no question about it. But even so, Jessica, he is well on his way to winning support, winning
confirmation is -- by tomorrow night, even though we are now learning the amount of money that he paid his accuser from this 2017 episode where he
was accused of sexual assault in Monterey, California.
[18:10:00]
Now, Hegseth, at the time, was a Fox News host. He has long denied the allegation that he engaged in sexual assault and said that he signed this
nondisclosure agreement in order to prevent her from going public, to prevent her from trying to tarnished his career, he said. His attorney told
us that this was a, quote, "nuisance claim" and said that the reason why they agree to this sum is that it would cost less to settle this by this
amount than it would be to fight this in court. So, that was their argument there.
But this all comes as Hegseth cleared a critical procedural hurdle today, Jessica, about a 51-49 vote in the United States Senate, where all
Democrats were joined by two Republicans in voting to try to block the nomination. That was not enough, because 51 Republicans voted to advance
the nomination.
The two Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, two moderate members of the party, raised serious concerns about his
qualifications, about his temperament, and even his character. Murkowski in particular cited some of those allegations of misconduct and questioned
them in her statement detailing why she plans to oppose this nomination. But that was simply not widely shared among Senate Republicans who control
the United States Senate on a 53-47 majority.
They need to ensure that any nominee who could be supported along party lines there that will no more than three Republicans break ranks. And here,
having just two Republicans break ranks, that was enough for Hegseth to get past this key procedural hurdle and to get confirmed by tomorrow night.
But, Jessica, even as he is planning -- likely widely expected to get confirmed by tomorrow night, there is -- the tightness of that vote is
significant. Most defense secretary nominees are widely supported on Capitol Hill with broad bipartisan majorities, that was not the case with
Hegseth in this furious battle that emerged over the last several weeks. But ultimately, winning enough votes to get the job by tomorrow night.
Jessica.
DEAN: Yes. And, Manu, you make such a great point because somebody like Marco Rubio confirmed by the Senate 99 to 0, that's a very different
situation than what we're seeing. And we still have a number of nominees that need to make their way through.
RAJU: Yes, that's exactly right. And in fact, some of the nominees will continue to sail through, Marco Rubio being one of them. We expect some
other ones over the weekend and potentially into next week, Kristi Noem to be the next Homeland Security secretary. She's expected to get some
bipartisan support as well. Scott Bessent who's the new treasury secretary nominee, expected to get bipartisan backing.
But there are others that could be much tighter. Watch for Tulsi Gabbard, who's Donald Trump's pick to be the next director of national intelligence.
There are some Republicans who are not certain about whether to back her at this moment. She has a hearing coming up next week. That's going to be key.
Also, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that lead the Health and Human Services Department. There are Republicans who are uncertain about his views on
vaccines. He has been critical of vaccines and falsely linking them to childhood autism in the past. He has revised those views in private
meetings with senators, trying to win over critical GOP support.
So, those are the two big ones coming up, Jessica. And we'll see if, ultimately, Donald Trump can get all of his people through or if more than
three Republicans break ranks and nominations from getting their jobs.
DEAN: All right. We shall see. Manu Raju on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much for that. Let's go now to Southern California where firefighters are
battling three new wildfires and one of them, the Hughes Fire, erupted on Wednesday. It's already torched more than 10,000 acres or around 4,000
hectares.
Tens of thousands of residents are under evacuation orders. Despite the hazardous conditions, farm workers continue to pick strawberries nearby.
Firefighters meanwhile are exhausted, battling multiple fires for weeks now.
Veronica Miracle is joining us now from near the Hughes Fire. And, Veronica, this community has already been through so much Southern
California and now more fires.
VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, certainly a very difficult few weeks for the entire Los Angeles area with so many people on edge. And
4,000 of those firefighters that you've been talking about who have been working so hard, they descended on this fire yesterday. And now, this fire
is 24 percent contained, which is really a testament to their hard work, because I don't know if you can see or tell how strong these winds are
blowing, but there are strong wind warnings up until at least 6:00 p.m. local time here. So, a few more hours of this and that's what really
firefighters have been tending with.
But overnight, they made very good progress. You can see, this is an area where the fire burned through, all of this charred landscape here, very
apocalyptic. And if you look in the distance, you can see a pink line, that's fire retardant meant to stop the fire, slow it down. It's made of
fertilizer. And you can see that it did its job here. Because closer to us you see that charred hillside and then just beyond it, you can see
vegetation that was untouched. That's really the purpose of those lines, to try and make sure that the fire doesn't move on and is contained, and
that's what they do for containment efforts.
[18:15:00]
It's hard to see here, but there's a group of firefighters there called Hot Shots, and they're working in the hillside there. And then over this way,
you can continue to see the really apocalyptic landscape. We've seen fire drops -- water drops, rather, from fire helicopters. They're not in the air
right now, but there's been an incredible effort.
Actually, oh, look at right here. If we turn our camera just up to the sky a little bit, Mike. Yes, there it is. There is one of those helicopters. It
sucks up water from a nearby lake and then dumps it on some of the hot spots.
So, though we're not seeing visible flames from this vantage point, there are still hot spots. The ground and deep into the Earth is still burning.
And so, that is a concern. And they want to make sure that all of this is out so that when these winds pick up again, as they continue to do, they're
not spreading embers to nearby homes.
Governor Gavin Newsom from the State of California also today signed -- is about to sign $2.5 billion relief package, that is going to help victims of
the recent fires and also help in efforts of cleaning everything up, not only the homes, but land like this, which will take many years to restore.
Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Veronica Miracle, thank you so much for that reporting. And straight ahead, Thailand becomes the first Southeastern Asian country
to recognize marriage equality as hundreds of same sex couples there are tying the knot. We'll have a special report for you.
Plus, make the Salesforce be with you. The head of software giant Salesforce discusses the future of A.I. and more with Richard quest in
Davos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: Welcome back. We see green arrows across the board on Wall Street, topping today's Money Move. The major averages keep their winning streak
alive with the S&P 500 hitting fresh records. Investors cheered by President Trump's renewed calls for lower interest rates and cheaper
energy.
Not every stock was a winner though. Shares of American Airlines falling from 8.5 percent after the company warned of a wider than expected first
quarter loss.
And a mixed day of trade in Asia. The South Korean KOSPI fell after the country reported flat economic growth. The Nikkei higher, ahead of the Bank
of Japan's interest rate decision, which will be announced in just a few hours. Investors believe the Bank of Japan will raise rates a quarter of a
percentage point.
[18:20:00]
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he views A.I. as a way to create what he calls digital labor. And a $500 billion A.I. investment announced this week
is just a taste of what's to come. That venture, involving SoftBank, Oracle, and OpenAI, was unveiled at the White House this week, and Richard
Quest began by getting his take on the new administration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC BENIOFF, CEO, SALESFORCE: I think everyone, of course, is very focused on, you know, change in the U.S. administration. This is the number one
thing on everybody's mind. What are all the changes that are about to happen? And there's going to be a lot of changes. You can see that. It's
going to be -- it's a whole new administration. This is what's great about our democratic system.
QUEST: The beauty of the system and the changes is that we know they're coming, but we're not really built for them at such a speed that would -- I
mean, that really is the issue here. This is coming like a rocket.
BENIOFF: Yes. Well, this is like the technology industry. I'm used to it. So, this is -- yes. I mean, in my industry, you know, the only constant is
change. Everything is changing all the time. And you have to have a beginner's mind to the world and technology. And I think right now, we have
to have a beginner's mind when it comes to the political environment as well.
QUEST: So, when you saw yesterday the announcement about the A.I. infrastructure, $500 billion, what do you make of that?
BENIOFF: I think it's the beginning of trillions. I think that you're just seeing the very beginning of what will be the one of the biggest investment
levels in the history of the world because this is an opportunity for us to completely transform how we do everything.
QUEST: You're relishing this.
BENIOFF: I am.
QUEST: And there are some like myself who are thinking, no.
BENIOFF: I am.
QUEST: Slow down.
BENIOFF: Yes. Well, that's why we chose our respective careers.
QUEST: Right. So, how did you get into a pissing match with Microsoft over Copilot?
BENIOFF: Well, because, you know, we're the second largest software company in the world, and Microsoft is number one. and, look, the reality is
Microsoft has just disappointed everybody in what they've done with this Copilot, which is just a repackaged ChatGPT plugged into their apps and it
doesn't really work. There's no adoption.
QUEST: But you don't back off from a battle over it. I mean, from coming out and saying what you think.
BENIOFF: No, because I think customers have to understand the differentiation that they can use something like Salesforce, they can
transform, go and become an incredible A.I. first company. And look, that's what we do in our company every single day.
QUEST: What will be the next thing for you to do?
BENIOFF: And the next thing for me is to make every company agent first. This idea that we're going to create digital labor. That is, it's about
humans and agents working together, just like it is now.
QUEST: How do you not displace the humans, or if you have displaced the humans, you don't fail them into -- we failed them in the industrial
revolution, we failed them in the internet revolution, we failed him in the fourth industrial revolution. We did not retrain.
BENIOFF: You're you are 100 percent right because we know that technology is marching forward. It's always getting lower cost and easier to use. And
there are labor implications. And as we're talking about now, a new industry of digital labor, and that's what's really happening. You know,
that humans with agents are working together here, not only at Davos, but in companies, well, now what does that mean for the future? And what it
means is, is that we have to do the things that are going to do right by humans as well.
If you look at my own company, I've deployed now in a -- what we call an agentic layer on our customer support teams. So, we get 36,000 customer
support issues every single week. If you asked me a month ago, 10,000 of those have to go to our 9,000 support agents. But by putting in an agentic
layer, now only 5,000 are going to our support teams. And that gives me now the ability to rebalance and move those support agents into other roles
inside the company. That's very exciting.
QUEST: As a CEO, in exactly that position, how aware are you and the priority you must give to the displacement of labor?
BENIOFF: Well, I think this idea that we have to be upskilling, reskilling, training, investing in education, and that's why you'll see at Salesforce,
these are things that we're doing on an active basis and have done for decades, because we believe technology is going forward. No one's going to
stop technology. So, how are we going to work together to make the world better? How do we improve the state of the world?
QUEST: Would you like more media properties? You've got --
BENIOFF: I'd rather not. I think one is enough for anyone.
QUEST: You're still committed to it?
BENIOFF: Look, I bought it because I love it.
QUEST: That's great.
BENIOFF: You know, you can see we've had a -- it's a great magazine. Everyone knows it here. You know, we just have an incredible issue right
now. Personally, you're Donald Trump.
QUEST: You don't want TikTok?
BENIOFF: Well, I think that if we can abolish Section 230 and hold all these social media companies accountable for what they're doing, I think
that would be a great thing for the world.
QUEST: Choose your color.
BENIOFF: I will choose blue.
QUEST: Excellent. You know, the next four years, in one word.
BENIOFF: I'm just going to have to say, digital labor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: That's two words. We'll be right back. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:25:00]
DEAN: Welcome back to "First Move" with a look at more international headlines this hour. A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked President
Trump's executive order that ends birthright citizenship in America. The judge calling that effort, quote, "blatantly unconstitutional." Democratic
led states brought the case to court calling it a violation of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment. The president says he will appeal.
Firefighters in California are battling three major fires today. The largest. just north of Los Angeles started on Wednesday. On top of that, an
extreme drought has arrived in Los Angeles County, making that area even more susceptible to fires, like the deadly fires we saw earlier this month.
A British teenager who murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift themed dance event has been sentenced to at least 52 years in prison. 18-year-old
Axel Rudakubana admitted to carrying out the killings in the English town of Southport last July. Those victims were between the ages of six and nine
years old. The killings led to days of rioting in the U.K.
A French divorcee has won an appeal in Europe's top human rights court. French courts had said the woman was to blame for her divorce after she
refused to have sex with her husband. She appealed that case, saying the lower court's ruling ignored, quote, "the privacy and dignity of women."
We return now to our top story as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks via video to the World Economic Forum, telling global leaders his
administration's efforts to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine are hopefully underway. President Trump had promised he would end the war
on his very first day in office. He may have missed that deadline. However, he says he believes Ukraine is, quote, "ready to make a deal." Matthew
Chance has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, the Kremlin is stepping up attacks across Ukraine, seizing as much
territory as possible ahead of a potential ceasefire in this brutal war.
[18:30:00]
This is the U.S. president speaking to the World Economic Forum in Davos, made an impassioned call for peace.
TRUMP: Our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway. It's so important to get that done. That is an
absolute killing field. Millions of soldiers are being killed. Nobody's seen anything like it since World War II. They're lying dead all over the
flat fields. It's a flat field farmland, and there's millions of Russians and millions of Ukrainians. Nobody's seen anything like it since World War
II. It's time to end it.
CHANCE (voice-over): The remarks come amid expectations in Moscow of a Trump call with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin. And after Trump's
scathing social media post telling Putin to reach a Ukraine deal or face more sanctions, a threat which left the Kremlin unfazed.
We don't see any new elements here, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, tells reporters in a conference call. In the first iteration of his presidency,
Trump was the American president who most often resorted to sanctions. He likes these methods, Peskov adds.
But the Kremlin and the Trump White House have left the door open to a presidential summit to discuss Ukraine's future.
Back on the frontlines, Russia's special military operation, what the Kremlin calls its conflicts in Ukraine, continues to take an appalling toll
in blood and treasure. An early end to the fighting is something that President Trump himself pointed out was in the Kremlin's best interests.
I'm going to do Russia, whose economy is failing, and President Putin a very big favor, Trump wrote in his social media post.
Publicly, the Kremlin leader insists Russia's economic situation is under control. But indicators, like soaring inflation and interest rates, suggest
otherwise.
And if a Trump brokered ceasefire also lets the Kremlin consolidate territorial gains, that may prove a very big favor indeed.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: As the fragile ceasefire in Gaza enters now its fifth day, Israel is pushing ahead with a major military operation in the West Bank. Soldiers
have put up new roadblocks cutting off some communities from the outside world. Israel saying it is an anti-terror operation. It says its forces
killed two men near Jenin overnight who were suspected in a deadly shooting attack earlier this month. Jenin's governor says the area is under siege,
saying some 20,000 people have been forced from their homes.
A journalist from the West Bank was one of the first Palestinian prisoners released as part of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal jailed by an
Israeli military tribune for her social media posts. She is now giving a chilling account of disturbing conditions and repeated abuse in Israeli
custody. CNN's Nada Bashir reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Little Elia is still adjusting to finally having her mother back home. Rula Hassanein, a Palestinian
journalist from the occupied West Bank, was arrested by Israeli security forces when her daughter was just nine months old.
Now, after 10 months in detention, she is among the first Palestinian prisoners to be freed as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.
RULA HASSANEIN, PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST AND RELEASED DETAINEE (through translator): Of course, my daughter forgot what I looked like. My husband
and family members would show her photos of me. They would tell her that this is your mother, but a photo is nothing like the real thing.
I would dream about my daughter a lot. My first Ramadan after having Elia was spend in prison. I was in prison for her first Eid and I also missed
out on the memory of her first birthday.
BASHIR (voice-over): This was the moment Rula was reunited with her daughter and husband last week, having suffered from health complications
in the first few months of life, Rula says it was a relief to see her daughter doing well after almost a year of agonizing separation. But Rula
herself has also been through unimaginable suffering while in detention.
HASSANEIN (through translator): During our transfer, we weren't allowed to drink water, eat any food, use the bathroom or even to pray.
BASHIR (voice-over): Rula says that the day she and 89 other prisoners were transferred for release as part of the ceasefire deal, they were subjected
to hours of psychological and physical abuse. She recalls that they were pushed down to their knees, dragged across the ground while handcuffed, and
dressed only in thin layers while out in the cold. They were then made to watch hours of Israeli propaganda video before being released.
But like so many other Palestinians in Israeli jails, abuse and harassment had become a daily occurrence for Rula.
[18:35:00]
BASHIR: What were the conditions like inside the prison?
HASSANEIN (through translator): Regarding the female prisoners, they violate all international human rights to protect us. We were also deprived
of our most private needs. During our time of the month, male guards would say we don't need to change our sanitary pads every hour, only every four
or five hours. They confiscated our underwear and left us with only one piece to wear.
We saw female prisoners from Gaza who were brought to Daman Prison. Some of them looked like they were in a very difficult state. During their time of
the month their clothes would be covered in blood. It was horrifying. The guards were mocking them.
BASHIR (voice-over): The Israeli prison service has told CNN that they are not aware of any such claims, but the harsh conditions faced by
Palestinians in Israeli jails has been widely documented.
In a report published in July 2024, the U.N. Human Rights Office said Palestinian detainees are subjected to systematic beatings, humiliation and
threats in addition to severe restrictions on food, water, and essential hygiene products.
Like many Palestinians, Rula was tried before a military court rather than a civil court and later charged with incitement on social media of a post
shared where she had expressed frustration over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
HASSANEIN (through translator): It isn't a new policy to hold Palestinian accountable for their thoughts. Many Palestinians have been targeted for
their art or writing. It has become so easy for them to arrest someone simply by accusing them of incitement on social media.
BASHIR (voice-over): For Rula, it is impossible to forget the suffering that she and other Palestinian detainees have been forced to endure. But,
she says, her focus now is on enjoying each moment with her daughter and husband.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: All right. Nada Bashir, thank you so much. Still ahead, saying I do and making history in the process. Thailand becomes the first country in
Southeast Asia to legalize same sex marriage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:40:00]
DEAN: Hundreds of same sex couples are getting married in Thailand as the country becomes the first in the in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage
equality with full legal, financial, and other rights. The landmark bill was passed by Thailand's parliament and endorsed by the king last year, and
then it officially took effect on Thursday. CNN's Mike Valerio has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A moment of pure elation. Marriage equality in Thailand, a milestone years in the making. On
Thursday, Bangkok police sergeant major Pisit Sirihiranchai and his husband, Chanathip, along with hundreds of other same sex couples, tied the
knot across the country.
SERGEANT MAJOR PISIT SIRIHIRANCHAI, BANGKOK POLICE (through translator): I feel so excited. It's the happiest day of my life. We could finally do what
we've been wanting to do for a long time. We are now a complete family. There's finally a law accommodating our relationship.
VALERIO (voice-over): Thailand is now the third place across Asia to legalize same-sex marriages, joining Nepal and Taiwan. Thailand's
parliament passed the country's marriage equality bill last year, an occasion marked with joy and fanfare.
Now that it's in effect, the country's LGBTQ couples can adopt, inherit property and make health care decisions for their partners like straight
couples have done for generations. After 30 years of being together, Concormemun (ph) and Ponkchakom Wongsupa say they are both overjoyed.
PONKCHAKOM WONGSUPA, LGBTQ SPOUSE (through translator): People here would have similar feelings. They may even be happier. For people at my age, I
could never imagine to see this kind of atmosphere in our lifetime but it did happen.
VALERIO: For many in the LGBTQ community, the next priority is asking the Thai government to recognize transgender people and that includes Nina
Chetniphat Chuadkhunthod, who just married her boyfriend of more than two decades. She says for now, they are simply appreciating the start of this
extraordinary chapter.
NINA CHETNIPHAT CHUADKHUNTHOD, TRANSGENDER BRIDE (through translator): We we're waiting for this moment for the entire 22 years. It's just
indescribable.
NATHNICHA KLINTHAWOM, LGBT SPOUSE (through translator): The most important thing is that love is beautiful, regardless of gender, no matter what
gender someone identifies as, love is beautiful. Everyone wants to experience good love. So, I hope people stop limiting love to just men and
women.
VALERIO (voice-over): For these couples, a historic occasion, the start of a whole host of happily ever afters.
Mike Valerio, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: Let's go to Japan now, which is experiencing a surge in the number of elderly women living in prison. Many such women face isolation and
rejection in the outside world, and say they turned to crime because they felt there were simply no other options. Hanako Montgomery has this report
from Japan's largest women's prison.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite what you see, this is no nursing home, It's Japan's biggest women's prison.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I celebrated my 81st birthday in here.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Tochigi Women's Prison is on the front lines of Japan's loneliness epidemic among seniors. One in five inmates here are
elderly. You see it in the wrinkled hands, gripping walls. Hear it in a slow shuffle of walkers. And you feel it too. A strange serenity blankets
this place. Security more a formality than a necessity.
MONTGOMERY: This is the first and only security checkpoint that we've gone through to enter this prison.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Inside we see inmate after inmate with gray hair, bent backs. The 81-year-old prisoner, who's anonymous to protect her
privacy, tells me she's here for shoplifting. But it's not her first time behind bars. 20 years ago, she was in for the same crime, she says. The
only way she knew how to get back to prison.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When I got caught this time, I thought, I don't care what happens to me anymore. I want to die. I don't
care if I live or not. I can't tell you how difficult it is to be alone.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Japan's crime rate is one of the lowest in the world, but its prison system is now flooded with senior inmates who
increasingly see prison as home.
MEGUMI, CORRECTIONS OFFICER (through translator): There's no one to take care of them outside, and they're repeatedly abandoned. They come here
because they don't have anywhere else to go.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): The Japanese government says the country's aging population means more lonely seniors and a surge in elderly crime.
In the last 20 years, the number of elderly inmates has nearly quadrupled. And it's changing life here for everyone.
TAKAYOSHI SHIRANAGA, CORRECTIONS OFFICER (through translator): Now, we have to change their diapers, help them bathe, eat. At this point, it feels more
like a nursing home than a prison full of convicted criminals.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): This inmate, in for drug use, tells me she earned her nursing license behind bars after spending so much time caring for
elderly prisoners.
We are shown a workshop where guards don't bark orders but help elderly prisoners with their medicine, making sure they don't hurt themselves.
Meals are taken in cells alone and in silence. But for some, just knowing someone is nearby is enough.
[18:45:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): My son tells me to disappear. He says, I don't care when you die. They are very good people in this prison.
I am very thankful that in prison I can live a regular life every day.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): With no one and nowhere to go, some of Japan's elderly are choosing a life of crime, as freedom is a cheap price to pay
for the chance to not die alone.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tochigi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: And still ahead, Netflix musical "Emelia Perez," making history with 13 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture. A grande day for "Wicked"
star Ariana Grande too. We'll have all the latest Oscar action. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: And welcome back. Netflix musical "Emilia Perez" made cinematic history on Thursday, racking up. 13 Oscar nominations, the most nods for a
non-English language film ever. They include Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay.
One of the film stars, Karla Sofia Gascon, was also nominated for Best Actress, making history as the first openly transgender performer ever
nominated in an acting category.
Other movies racking up sizable nominations included "The Brutalist" and "Wicked," those picking up 10 nominations each. And the Bob Dylan biopic,
"A Complete Unknown," landed eight.
Thursday's nomination ceremony was delayed twice because of the ongoing fire emergency in the Los Angeles area. The Oscars, though, still scheduled
to take place in Hollywood on March 2nd.
Segun Oduolowu is the host of the Boston Globe Today. He joins us now. Thank you so much for being here with us as the resident expert on this.
What were your first thoughts?
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, HOST, BOSTON GLOBE TODAY: Well, Jessica, thank you for having me. First, with fires in Los Angeles, a deep freeze on the East
Coast and Southern United States, all we need is a plague of locusts for this to be biblical Egypt, but the show must go on. Hollywood takes no
breaks.
And you hit the nail on the head. "Emilia Perez" is the juggernaut that "Oppenheimer" was last year. 13 nominations, Karla Sofia Gascon, the first
openly trans women transwoman to be nominated for an Oscar. And it shows how far the pendulum has swung in Hollywood.
Felicity Huffman, a cisgender woman played a trans person. Jared Leto in "Dallas Buyers Club," won an Oscar playing trans. And of course, Hilary
Swank won an Oscar in "Boys Don't Cry," playing a trans person. But they're all cisgender, and this is the first transgender woman to be nominated.
[18:50:00]
So, there's history that could be made, not to mention the fact that she's best actress Zoe Saldana, also in the movie best supporting actress. So,
yes, "Emilia Perez," Netflix, you hit it out of the park. This is the movie to watch, to see if it's going to bring home a lot of Oscar gold.
DEAN: Yes, it was -- I remember watching the Golden Globes a few weeks ago and "Emilia Perez" was just kind of cleaning up. And I turn to my friend
that's very into movies and I was like, oh, are we -- OK. We're going to watch this now. Like we -- this is a thing. This is happening. OK. So, what
about surprises? Anything that surprised you?
ODUOLOWU: Well, the biggest surprise is that Hollywood seems to not like sex because there were a lot of snubs. First, Nicole Kidman for "Baby
Girl." Why wasn't this maturing woman in a lustfully wonderful entanglement with a younger guy, why wasn't she nominated? She was nominated for the
Golden Globe. That kind of shocked me.
"Challengers" also kind of shut out. That was the Zendaya tennis movie that had, you know, kind of the threesome going on queer with Daniel Craig also
not around. So -- and then Pamela Anderson in "The Last Show Girl," Hollywood, I think, remembering show girls from 1995 and didn't want to
nominate it. FYI, it's a different movie and Pamela Anderson --
DEAN: It's so good. I just saw it this week. It was really -- I really --
ODUOLOWU: Thank you.
DEAN: Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing in it.
ODUOLOWU: No, it's a great movie, but it seems like sex was completely snubbed out of the Oscars. Also, Sebastian Stan, he's nominated for "The
Apprentice," but he won a Golden Globe for "A Different Man." So, you know, how could he win a Golden Globe for one movie and then it doesn't even get
-- that performance doesn't get nominated for an Oscar? We could count that as a snub.
But I am building my soapbox in saying that if Colman Domingo does not win for best actor in "Sing Sing," that will be the biggest snub. I do not want
to see Timothee Chalamet walk across that stage for playing -- for playing Bob Dylan in a biopic.
Listen, Timothee Chalamet has a long list and a long time to go get that hardware. This is Colman Domingo's time. He needs to get this for "Sing
Sing," which is technically brilliant with many of the cast. In fact, most of the cast being incarcerated inmates themselves. This film is a tour de
force and with untrained actors doing their best around someone like Colman Domingo. I invite everyone to go see it if they haven't. "Sing Sing" is a
really beautiful movie.
DEAN: Yes. OK. So, you heard it here first. We will keep an eye out for Colman Domingo winning. It has to happen. And the other thing, you know,
you mentioned that Timothy Chalamet has a long time. The Oscars have kind of a habit for -- they want to reward people -- they like to reward people
for, you know, kind of a longer career and I'm thinking about like Demi Moore who's never even been nominated and now -- I don't know. Again,
you're the expert. Is she a front runner? I don't know. But somebody like that. It's been in the industry a really long time.
ODUOLOWU: Yes, she should be. Demi Moore has been criminally overlooked. "G.I. Jane," when she put her body through, and you know, sometimes in
Hollywood you get this rap of being maybe like a popcorn or a blockbuster type of actor or actress and you can't -- you know, they don't see you as
doing gravitas. I think Demi Moore is definitely a person to watch.
I think Guy Pearce in "The Brutalist," all Guy Pearce has done is get fantastic performance after fantastic performance from "Memento" on. So,
it's good to see him nominated. And then Adrian Brody coming back from "The Pianist." He's in "The Brutalist." We haven't really seen him in Hollywood
do a lot in some time.
So, there's some names, you know, like Ralph -- don't, Ralph, don't call me. Ralph Fiennes in "Conclave." There's a lot of people -- there's some
faces that we will remember. There are some faces that, you know, we've seen in other movies, and I think they're getting there too. Isabella
Rossellini is also in "Conclave."
So, the faces to watch that we know and names that we'll be rooting for, because we've -- you know, we've grown up with them and we've seen them in
other films.
DEAN: Yes. All right. Segun, thank you so much for being here. That was fun. We really appreciate it. Everyone check out Boston Globe today. We
really appreciate it.
ODUOLOWU: Thank you, Jessica. "Sing Sing," Colman Domingo.
DEAN: Right. We got it. It's noted. Thank you. Let's return to Davos now, something that's become a tradition of sorts for our Richard Quest, his
Davos whiteboard. Every year, he uses it to get the take from some of the world's brightest on hot button issues. This year, no exception. Take a
look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: What word would you use to describe, as you see it, the next four years?
The board is all yours.
Turbulent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unpredictable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disorder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It says Zeitenwende.
QUEST: Zeitenwende?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Zeitenwende. It says, times are changing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know what word I want. Realignment.
QUEST: Digital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Digital labor.
[18:55:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's an American lesson, and a European necessity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Self-confidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to put two. Come on, growth potential is two.
QUEST: They tried to fool me on that one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Realistic optimism.
QUEST: Enthusiasm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the thing that powers everything else that we need in order to be able to pay for the other things that we want as we
bring everybody along on the journey? It's growth.
QUEST: Growth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a long one.
QUEST: And by the way, I'll say it's a lot harder writing on this board than you think.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEAN: And finally, on "First Move" today, panda cubs doing what they do best, you know, falling over and looking cute. These 25 cubs are the result
of a collaboration between two Chinese panda research centers, and they went on show in the province of Sichuan and sent Chinese Lunar New Year
greetings to the world. They're very cute. Enjoy that.
That just about wraps up our show today. Thanks so much for joining us. I will see you tomorrow. Have a great day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00]
END