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One World with Zain Asher
Talks Continue On Israel-Hamas Deal; Thousands Of People Line The Streets Of Kansas City To See Super Bowl Stars; Families Of Hamas Victims File An International Criminal Court Complaint; A Study Shows Amazon Rainforest Is On Course To Reach A Catastrophic Tipping Point As Soon As 2050. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired February 14, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:31]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Complete and total standstill. Negotiators have left Cairo without a deal.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: "One World" starts right now.
ASHER: Waiting on Hamas. Ceasefire talks are continuing, but right now no further meetings are scheduled.
GOLODRYGA: An urgent warning. A study released in the last hour says the Amazon rainforest is just a few years away from ecosystem collapse.
ASHER: And what exactly is the secret to 52 years of marriage? Meet a couple who know a thing or two about sticking together through it all.
GOLODRYGA: All right, so good to be with you. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching "One
World". You got the Valentine's Day memo -- dress in pink.
ASHER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: I'm in all black. I do celebrate.
ASHER: By pure chance, by the way.
GOLODRYGA: I do celebrate -- I do celebrate Valentine's Day. I love and happy Valentine's Day to all of you. We begin this hour in the Middle East,
where hours ago Israel's Air Force launched what it called an extensive wave of attacks in southern Lebanon.
ASHER: The strikes come in response to an earlier rocket attack in northern Israel, which the IDF says was fired from Lebanon. One Israeli soldier was
killed. Eight people were injured. This, as Gaza right now, remains on edge. A growing chorus of world leaders and organizations, aid
organizations specifically, are warning against a threatened Israeli ground offensive in Rafah.
We know that more than a million Palestinians are packed into that southern city right now. The WHO chief says that an incursion into Rafah would cause
a serious disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS GHEBREYESUS, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DIRECTOR-GENERAL: The outcome I think is clear. It will be a serious disaster. The best solution is not
to do it. And I think the whole world is calling for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is renewing his calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. He says the human tragedy there was the
focus of talks he held with the Egyptian President.
ASHER: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is now calling on Hamas to cement a deal for a pause in Gaza fighting and the release of
hostages, as well. A diplomatic source says U.S., Israeli and Qatari officials have left Cairo without a deal but a top Biden administration
official says the good news is that talks are continuing right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, WH NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We do believe that the conversations have been constructive, and it's important that they are
still ongoing, that neither side has backed away and said, nope, we're not doing this. I think we hold out hope that we can actually get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Nic Robertson is following all the developments and joins us live from Tel Aviv. A busy day there. Nic, let's start with any talks
about an agreement on releasing those hostages. A little bit of optimism, at least from the U.S. perspective, that the talks will continue.
It was interesting to see the P.A. leaders, Mahmoud Abbas, putting pressure, it appears. I remember the last time that we heard from him
publicly calling on Hamas to agree to a deal. But Prime Minister Netanyahu really saying nothing new to see here.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and that really puts the pressure back on Hamas. And as it is with any negotiation, both
sides are trying to use every point of leverage they have.
And it is interesting that essentially, Mahmoud Abbas is trying to use the Palestinian people, if you will, and remind Hamas that they're responsible
to the Palestinian people and what the Palestinian people want, and that is no more suffering and end to their own bloodshed in Gaza to get back to
their homes, to get their homes rebuilt.
So, all of that pressure does seem to be mounting up on Hamas when their backs are quite literally to the wall because they're understood that Hamas
leadership is understood to be in Rafah right at the southern end of Gaza where there's a possibility of an IDF ground force going to go in there at
some point.
And of course, that's part of the picture of a negotiation as well because from Prime Minister Netanyahu's perspective, that threat of a ground force
going in to the last bastion of where the IDF believes the Hamas leadership is, is part of the pressure of negotiations.
So, while we seem to be at an impasse, which is predominantly, it appears to be around the ratio of hostages released for the number of Palestinian
prisoners that Israel will release.
[12:05:00]
Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to be sticking with a figure of three to one, one hostage for three Palestinians released from Israeli jail. That's
not something that satisfies Hamas at the moment. But -- so, there is this impasse, but could it change quickly?
I don't feel that that's the moment that's arrived here, and I don't think there's a sense in Israel that that's the moment that's arrived, and I
think this is why we're hearing frustration from hostage families as well, expressing real frustration with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and we'll talk more about the hostage families and what they're going through and what they're doing right now to put more pressure
on both the Israeli government and also on the global community in a moment.
But let me ask you about concerns of that other second front that we had been talking about potentially opening in northern Israel. With Hezbollah,
we've seen fighting increase drastically within just the last 24 hours. Hezbollah firing a rocket into northern Israel, some casualties on the
Israeli side, and Israel returning fire now. What more do we know?
ROBERTSON: Yeah, you can sort of almost track this back to a moment yesterday afternoon when Hezbollah rockets hit Qiryat Shemona right in the
north of Israel. It's a town, the biggest town at the northern end of Israel that's part of that area that's been evacuated of Israel, mostly
evacuated of Israeli citizens.
That really seemed to trigger the IDF last night and the Israeli Air Force to have a couple of strikes deeper inside southern Lebanon. Then today, you
have Hezbollah, although they haven't claimed it yet, firing multiple rockets at swat (ph) this very important hilltop army base for the Northern
Command. That's the IDF's command with its forces right up at the top of the border with Lebanon.
So, an important strategic target that Hezbollah hit, resulting in the death of a soldier and a reservist actually very seriously injured as well,
and seven other people injured, one of them moderately injured, six of them less badly injured.
But that really strikes at the heart of the IDF in northern Lebanon -- so, northern Israel, rather. So again, the IDF and the Israeli Air Force taking
it up a notch and hitting, as far as we know, five different Hezbollah targets, command and control, they say, in southern Lebanon.
And the way the cycle has been going, and just outlined here the past 24 hours or so, we can expect probably Hezbollah to do something back. And
it's -- does this get out of proportion? Does it escalate significantly? So far, both sides have managed to avoid that. But it's moments like this
where that sort of thing can happen.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, the U.S. and France most recently are trying to mediate between the two sides to simmer. The quiet fighting that has been on-going
since October 7th between the two sides. But Israel and the IDF have long said that if this can't be handled diplomatically, that they will increase
their assault on Hezbollah. Really, really tense times right now. Nic Robertson, thank you.
ASHER: All right, family members of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza, as well as former hostages, are at The Hague right now. They're filing an
international criminal court complaint against Hamas. The court is investigating the October 7th attacks as well as Israel's response.
An Israeli delegation is reminding the world that it's been 131 days since the hostages were taken -- 131 days. CNN's Jeremy Diamond traveled with
them from Israel and has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've come all the way here to The Hague in order to file a complaint with the International
Criminal Court accusing Hamas of genocide, of war crimes, and of crimes against humanity.
Their allegations draw on a body of testimony and evidence, everything relating to the kidnapping of their loved ones, but also, of course, the
killings and the sexual violence that took place on October 7th and since. And so, these families have come here urging the prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court to file charges against Hamas' top leaders.
On the flight that we just took from Tel Aviv to here, Flight 131, which was named for the 131 days of captivity that the hostages who still remain
in Gaza have endured, I spoke with several of these family members and what they told me is that on the one hand, they are looking for justice. They
are looking for accountability.
They hope that Prosecutor Khan of the ICC will indeed use the evidence that they have presented to file charges against Hamas' leaders. But beyond
that, they are also hoping that the world doesn't forget what has happened to their loved ones.
And they're also hoping to build pressure, not only on Hamas, with the hope that sanctions could soon follow on these leaders beyond this ICC filing,
but also, of course, on their own leaders and on leaders around the world who are working to try and negotiate a potential ceasefire in exchange for
the release of hostages.
[12:10:00]
We know that those negotiations been taking place. They have been progressing in recent weeks. But all of that, of course, is far too slow
for these families who have waited an agonizing 131 days for their loved ones, unsure of their circumstances, unsure of their fate.
And so, certainly, they are hoping that this today will call attention to their plight and pressure the negotiating table, including Israeli leaders,
to make a deal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right our thanks to Jeremy Diamond, for that report.
GOLODRYGA: Next week marks two years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And while Moscow's forces appear to be gaining traction on the
battlefield, Kyiv is claiming yet another major naval victory. Ukraine says it has disabled a third of Russia's Black Sea fleet.
A defense official said today Ukrainian drones destroyed a large enemy warship off the coast of occupied Crimea. It's important to note that CNN
has not independently confirmed or verified that, and the Kremlin is not commenting, but the head of NATO is hailing it as a great success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: The Ukrainians have been able to inflict heavy losses on the Russian Black Sea fleet. They have actually
been able to push the Black Sea fleet away from the western part of the Black Sea. And this is a great achievement, a great victory for the
Ukrainians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Meantime, the fallout from Donald Trump's controversial comments over NATO continue. The former President at a campaign rally said he would
encourage Russia to do whatever the hell it wanted to NATO members that didn't meet their defense spending obligations.
ASHER: U.S. President Joe Biden, on Tuesday, seized on Trump's remarks. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: No other president in our history has ever bowed down to a Russian dictator. Let me say this as clearly as I can. I never
will. For God's sake, it's dumb, it's shameful, it's dangerous, it's un- American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Estonia's Prime Minister said Trump's comments should be a wake-up call for NATO members who haven't invested as much as they should in
defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAJA KALLAS, ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER: We have been advocating for doing more in defense and that means that all the NATO's members do more in
defense. I think what the presidential candidate in America says is also something to maybe wake up some of the allies who haven't done that much.
So, hopefully, hopefully we all do more and collectively we are stronger together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Joining us now is Estonia's Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkor. Mr. Minister, thank you so much for joining us. Listen, it has been long known
that behind closed doors, U.S. leaders have been pressing their European counterparts, their NATO partners to be spending more of their GDP on
defense spending. This has been going on for quite some time.
But to be doing it so publicly and I would say at the peril of NATO really promoting Russia doing whatever, quote, the hell it wants, with a NATO ally
that doesn't contribute two percent, which by the way isn't definite. That is just encouraged in the writing. It's really sending shockwaves around
the world.
You heard that from President Biden today. I also want to play sound for you from former President Trump's own Defense Secretary when asked about
his concerns of what Trump would do if he wins another term.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ESPER, FORMER U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: One of the first things he'll do is move to cut off all funding for Ukraine. The next thing he'll probably
do is to begin withdrawing troops from key countries, unless they meet a spending commitment.
But ultimately, we'll try to withdraw from NATO. But look, on the other hand, despite a law recently passed by Congress saying that he can't
without Congress' approval, there's so many other things the President can do to undermine the alliance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
When you hear those words from a man who worked for the former President, how do you respond? What concerns do you have?
HANNO PEVKUR, ESTONIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: Well, first of all, good evening and happy Valentine's also to you there in the studio.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you.
PEVKUR: But nevertheless, when we talk about these words, first what we have to remind to all of us is that the U.S. always wanted to be on the
winning side and on the side of the democracy. And this is why I really do not believe that it has any advantage for U.S. to step out from NATO or to
even think about such ideas. Of course, it is very rightful to say that every NATO member has to invest more.
[12:15:00]
And Estonia has been very vocal here and has been advocating for that for many, many years already and our own defense spending this year will be
over three point two percent. So, we are very close to U.S. spending. But one is for sure that as European allies need U.S. as a strong ally, also
U.S. needs European allies as a very strong ally because only together we are stronger.
And we have many missions all around the world together. So, this is why I really do believe that it is important to keep this unity and keep this
alliance which has been a safeguard or the guarantee of the free world and democracy for the 75 years in the Euro-Atlantic zone.
ASHER: Minister, earlier this week your country's foreign intelligence service warned that Russia actually intended to double -- to double the
number of troops stationed along its border with Baltic states and Finland as part of an effort or preparations rather for potential confrontation
with NATO members within the next 10 years.
I want to get your take on what does the world risk by not standing up or neglecting to support rather Ukraine at this very critical time. And I'm
obviously talking about the U.S. slowdown in funding for Ukraine at this time.
PEVKUR: Well, I would bring like two lines. First is that, of course, when I look into Estonia's neighborhood, then I clearly see that already today
Russia has more troops in their service as they had before invading Ukraine.
And obviously when this war will be over, it doesn't matter if it is this year or next year, hopefully as soon as possible, we will face the
situation that Russian army has, more troops and also more equipment, more tanks, more fighting capable of armed vehicles in its service.
So, and this brings to the conclusion that, yes, we need to do more in order to deter Russia and also to understand that the only threat to NATO
as an alliance can come from Russia.
Now, the second topic of the second line is that what Ukraine's -- or what Russia's victory could mean to all the other dictators. And the message is
very clear that when Putin will win this war in Ukraine, then every dictator in the world will get the message that it is okay to go to your
neighbor's territory and to take it by force.
And this is something we cannot allow and we cannot tolerate, that the world will see the phase where mighty neighbors can just come to your
territory and take it by force.
GOLODRYGA: There's no doubt that Russia's military has been severely degraded in these two years. That having been said, most analysts believe
that Russia at the rate that it's spending now on military footing and the amount of soldiers that are still expendable to them, they can withstand
this type of war for the next year or two. And we have an election coming up in Russia, as well.
There does seem to be a sense of emboldenment from Vladimir Putin. And the latest example of this is Russia putting your own Prime Minister on a
wanted list. That's the first time the Kremlin has sought criminal charges against a foreign leader since their larger scale invasion of Ukraine two
years ago.
Apparently, this may or may not be involving Estonia's efforts to remove Soviet-era monuments. Whatever the reasoning, what type of message does
that send you about how Vladimir Putin feels about the state of the war right now and the potential, not only for a Trump victory, but for
continued victory over Ukraine if that other aid from the U.S. doesn't come?
PEVKUR: Well, first, let me be clear. There will be no election in Russia. It will be a nomination or just a selection of the President.
GOLODRYGA: Of course.
PEVKUR: And when we take the expenditure of Russia to military spendings, then they've doubled that in two years. So, they had around 67 -- 68
billion in 2022. And this year they have around USD 118 billion for the military spendings.
So, this also shows that it doesn't matter what is the life standard in Russia, every penny, what is needed for the military will be given. So this
is what we have to, you know, keep in mind looking at the situation.
Now, coming to the Putin's decision to put our Prime Minister to the most wanted list.
[12:20:00]
Well, on one hand, I could say that this is even, you know, a compliment for our Prime Minister that she's in that list because that shows that we
are doing the right thing. And Russia, for me, this is just an informational operation.
And I've said that many times, that you know, when there is a difficulty on the battlefield or they want to have the focus somewhere else, then Putin
will do something crazy.
And then one of the craziest things he's done now is that he's putting the former foreign country Prime Minister to the voter list. So, this is why
I'm not taking it very seriously. But it rather shows to us that Estonia is doing the right things.
ASHER: All right, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
PEVKUR: Thank you, very much.
ASHER: All right, still to come, the U.S. Defense Secretary is out of hospital. He is working from home. We'll talk to you about what doctors are
saying about his recovery after the break.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: All stations here, new track 80306. I assess an anti-ship cruise missile inbound gravely.
UNKNOWN: Still tracking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And we'll take you aboard a U.S. warship trying to keep the Red Sea safe from Houthi rebel attacks. That story, up next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Plus, look at this. It is party time in Kansas City. You see the buses there with the players. You see the streets lined with people dressed
in red. You've got fans celebrating Kansas City Chief's dramatic Super Bowl victory over the weekend. We'll have more on the celebration later on this
hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is out of the hospital. He is expected back to work at the Pentagon later on this week.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, he was hospitalized on Sunday for a bladder issue related to recent surgery he had for prostate cancer. He is said to be on the mend
and will briefly work from home before heading back to the office. His health setback forced him to cancel a planned trip to Brussels this week,
but he was able to attend a Ukraine-related meeting virtually.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I planned to be in person with you today in Brussels, but I had to return to the hospital for non-surgical
procedures.
[12:25:00]
I'm in good condition, and my cancer prognosis remains excellent. And I'm really grateful for all the well wishes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And this time around, Austin did transfer his duties to his deputy when he went into hospital and then also made the Biden administration
aware of the situation.
The U.S. Navy wants the Houthi rebels to know they're close and they are watching. Their mission is to protect international shipping from missiles
and drones launched by Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Our Natasha Bertrand went abroad -- went aboard, rather, a U.S. warship on the front lines of
the fight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: We were on the front lines of the U.S. Navy's fight against the Houthis inside Yemen, who have
been launching missiles and drones into the Red Sea for several months now, targeting commercial vessels, as well as U.S. and coalition forces there.
And it's hard to overstate just how frenetic the pace was onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which has been launching jets
multiple times per day to be up in the air, ready to respond at a moment's notice in case they need to target Houthi weaponry and capabilities inside
Yemen at a moment's notice.
Now, we also got the opportunity to go inside the command center of a U.S. warship that is also stationed in the Red Sea, the U.S. warship called the
USS Gravely, and that has been the tip of the spear really in many of the operations being conducted against the Houthis, including by shooting down
their missiles and drones that they have been firing into the Red Sea over the last several months. Here's a peek at what it takes for the crew to
respond to an incoming missile on a pretty regular basis.
UNKNOWN: All stations -- air -- new track 80306. I assess an anti-ship cruise missile inbound Gravely.
UNKNOWN: Track 80306 with missiles. Restrain (ph).
UNNKNOWN: Track 80306. Missiles away 80306.
UNKNOWN: Check 80306.
BERTRAND: Now, the crew on board the Gravely, they told us that they often only have a matter of seconds to respond when a missile is launched inside
Yemen. And it is important to note here that it is not a foolproof system.
In fact, just last month, the USS Gravely had a very close call with a missile and they had to use one of their last lines of defenses called a
Phalanx system in order to shoot down that missile before it actually got close enough to do any damage to that warship.
But look, this is all in conjunction with the broader U.S. effort to try to degrade the Houthis capabilities. The Houthis, of course, are backed by
Iran. And so, the question now is, how long does the U.S. have to stay in the Red Sea to effectively deter the Houthis from carrying out their
attacks to degrade enough of their weaponry so that they can no longer disrupt international shipping in this very vital waterway? Here's what the
commander of Carrier Strike Group 2 told me when I asked him how long the U.S. plans to sustain this mission.
MARC MIGUEZ, REAR ADMIRAL, COMMANDER, CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 2: The sustainability, we can go for a long time. We've got our logistics train
already mapped out to stay here as long as the President needs us to stay here.
BERTRAND: Now, the U.S. clearly feels that it can outlast the Houthis and it remains to be seen whether that is the case or how the U.S. is going to
continue this mission without knowing for sure just how much of the Houthi weaponry they have managed to destroy.
The U.S. doesn't have a great picture of that at the moment. But for now they say they're going to continue this mission, this presence in the Red
Sea really for as long as it takes. Natasha Bertrand, CNN, in Bahrain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: Thanks to Natasha for that really interesting report. Coming up for us, a historic impeachment, huge election victory and a plea from the
Democratic leader of the House. There's a lot happening on Capitol Hill. We'll take you there live when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:32:27]
ASHER: All right, just one week after an attempt to impeach the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary went down in flames in a dramatic high profile
defeat, House Republicans tried once again and this time it worked.
But by the narrowest, narrowest possible margin in a 214 to 213 vote on Tuesday, Republicans made Mayorkas the first cabinet secretary to be
impeached in nearly 150 years. They say that it's because of his handling of the migrant crisis on the southern border.
So, the matter now heads to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where Mayorkas is not expected to be convicted or removed from office. Meanwhile,
the House Democratic leader is vowing to try and force a vote on a $95 billion foreign aid package. The Senate passed yesterday, after Speaker
Mike Johnson threatened to ignore it. Hakeem Jeffries told CNN the legislation is too important to dismiss.
ASHER: And it is a huge win for Democrats in what may be a bellwether election, less than nine months before Americans cast their ballots for
President. Former Congressman Tom Suozzi is now heading back to the House after defeating Mazi Pilip in a New York special election.
Suozzi flipped the seat, left vacant when disgraced Republican Congressman George Santos was expelled, making that razor thin GOP majority in the
House even slimmer. Earlier, House Speaker Mike Johnson went into damage control mode and said he wasn't concerned about what the election might
mean for the Republican Party come November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE JOHNSON, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: Their candidate ran like a Republican. He sounded like a Republican talking about the border and immigration because
everybody knows that's the top issue that is on the concern of the hearts and minds of everybody.
You know, there was a weather event that affected turnout. There are a lot of factors there. That is in no way a bellwether of what's going to happen
this fall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Annie Grayer joins us live now on Capitol Hill. Yes, just one special election, but the ramifications of this are huge because that thin
majority that Republicans have in the House just got thinner. Two hundred and nineteen now with Suozzi in to 213. Walk us through it, Annie.
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: That's right. Democrats are taking a victory lap after last night's victory in New York because this win has shrunk
Republicans' majority in the House even more. Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats went behind closed doors this morning, and they were all celebrating about
this win. And that's because this is going to make it even harder for Republicans to govern.
[12:35:00]
Prior to last night, they had three votes as a buffer to play with. And now, with Suozzi coming in to be sworn in, the new Democrat from New York,
then there will only be two Republican votes that they can lose on any given vote. And we know how divided the Republican conference is, how
difficult it is to bring them together and this decreasing margin makes it even more difficult.
I mean, look at last night's vote for example to impeach Mayorkas. Republicans only squeaked that by one. Would that have happened if Suozzi
had already been sworn in and the margins have been smaller? These are the kinds of questions that Republicans are going to have to be facing and deal
with their even smaller margins.
ASHER: All right, Annie Grayer, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, joining us live now to talk about all of this, former congressman
Adam Kinzinger, now CNN's Senior Political Commentator, joins us live now. So, Adam, we'll talk about Alejandro Mayorkas that Annie just touched on in
just a moment, but first let's talk about this special election.
There were so many things that I found particularly interesting about this race, not just the fact that the two main candidates sort of distance
themselves from the President and the former President, but also this idea that you had a Democrat making the migrant crisis really the centerpiece of
his campaign. I thought that was really interesting. Just give us your thoughts on that.
ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yeah, I mean, I think that's a lesson to Democrats, particularly Democrats running in swing
districts, which are going to be really important if they want to take the House back, that America does care about the migrant crisis. The border is
a real issue.
Now, the Republicans kind of gave the Democrats a gift in that they negotiated this package to fix the border and also to fund Ukraine and they
walked away from it. So, now, that's not going to mean that overnight, all of a sudden the Democrats are going to be the border party and the
Republicans aren't, but it can begin to chip away at that natural advantage that Republicans have on the border.
So, that's a lesson for Democrats going forward. I think the fact that frankly, it's showing that the current President and the former President
are both unpopular is reflected in the fact that both of these folks kind of ran away from their own party, but this is a really bad sign for
Republicans.
I heard your clip where Speaker Johnson was blaming the weather to an extent. Look, you've got to blame the weather for a loss. You are
desperately grasping at straws. So, yeah, I think it's a bad sign if you're a Republican right now.
GOLODRYGA: Well, to go even further on the weather issue, I mean, the reason that that is a plus for Democrats and an advantage traditionally is
that more Democrats typically vote early. That is something that former President Trump has knocked for years now.
And this loss for Republicans is being blamed by some, including Nikki Haley and obviously President Biden, on Donald Trump, saying once again it
shows that there is no real life for Trumpism. It's another failure on a national scale. How do you view it?
KINZINGER: Yeah, I mean, I think it's accurate. All you have to do is look out with Trump's, I don't know, believe he put out on Truth Social where
he's all caps angry about these laws, blaming this candidate because she ran away from him -- shows that that really hits him deep. I mean he
doesn't react angrily unless there's something that's very, very close to him.
So, you think about it, 2020, Trump loses. The first time in combat has not won re-elections since George H.W. Bush in a very different circumstance.
He lost the Georgia special election right about that same time, lost 2022 midterms underperformed.
All these, you know, special elections that are coming up, Republicans are losing. The problem is Trump is so popular in the base and as you all know
there are two different election systems in this country. There's the general election were Trump is, I think, generally pretty unpopular.
Now, the question is he or Biden more popular? That's what we'll find out in November. But then there's the primary election system where Trump is
the most popular guy since sliced bread.
And so, among all the Republicans, every candidate is now fighting between if I distance myself from Donald Trump, my base is going to be mad and I
could lose a primary, but I could also lose a general election. I mean, I've been in that kind of a situation in my 12 years in politics. It's not
a fun situation to be in, but it's very real.
ASHER: I'll tell you who else is not a in a fun situation right now, Alejandro Mayorkas, the GOP-led House, voted to impeach him just yesterday.
And, you know, I just want to get your take on this. This is the first time a cabinet minister -- a cabinet member, rather, has been impeached in over
150 years.
The fact that this impeachment was based on policy disagreements, not necessarily because there was an issue of corruption or a crime that had
been committed. What are the ramifications of that politically? What's at stake here?
KINZINGER: Well, first off, if you're going to get impeached, this is how you want to get impeached, right? Like, it took two times. It gets passed
by one vote. Nobody takes it seriously, and the Senate has no desire to take it up.
[12:40:00]
It's an obvious political move. And so from, you know, from Mayorkas perspective, it may even come out stronger from this. Who knows? But what
this does to the system, so impeachment is something that we take very seriously and use very rarely, because one thing you don't want is a
situation where you're constantly playing politics with something so big, like removing somebody from office.
What Republicans did by pursuing this impeachment on a border disagreement, a legitimate political disagreement, it's not even like anything criminal,
it's just a legitimate disagreement, is they've basically violated that norm that we take very seriously that this should only be used rarely.
So, what do I expect? Probably now the baseline for Republicans will be, you got to impeach one person every year. You know, obviously they're going
to try to impeach Joe Biden for no reason. And frankly, Democrats someday may decide they have to play by the same rules. That's frightening for
democracy, especially for constitutional Republic.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, but if this is just grandstanding, I mean, Adam, clearly this is going to go nowhere in the Senate, but they've got to act on this
quickly because you've got government funding up, what is it? March 1st and March 8th.
So, there are implications for a bigger issue in fallout from this as opposed to Republicans finally getting their guy after two attempts. We'll
continue this conversation down the road, Adam. Always good to see you.
ASHER: Thank you, Adam.
GOLODRYGA: Well, two of Pakistan's major political parties say they're forming a coalition government after no clear winner emerged from last
week's election.
ASHER: Not included in the power sharing deal, the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, even though candidates affiliated with his PTI party,
PTI party rather gained the most votes. Khan, who is in jail, warned against creating a government with what he called stolen votes.
GOLODRYGA: Well, coming up, if the Amazon rainforest isn't better protected, it could soon be too late to save it from collapse. How that
could have major consequences for the future of our planet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Plus, it's a very happy, fun-filled day in Kansas City as the Chief and their loyal fans celebrate the team's Super Bowl victory with a parade.
We'll have more on the celebration later on this hour. Look at that.
GOLODRYGA: Is Taylor Swift there?
ASHER: That is incredible. How many people are there? Wow.
GOLODRYGA: Well-deserved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:01]
ASHER: All right. A study released in the last hour says the Amazon rainforest is on course to reach a catastrophic tipping point as soon as
2050, with devastating consequences for the world's ability to tackle climate change.
GOLODRYGA: Researchers say deforestation and the human-caused climate crisis could cause a large-scale collapse of the forest system within just
the next three decades. CNN's Bill Weir joins us now for more.
Quite an alarming read here to say the least from this study, Bill. And the author said that he was surprised by the results. What was your reaction?
BILL WEIR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, it's the time scale that's most surprising, Bianna. No one has really talked about the Amazon collapsing
this century, but now this new holistic science looking at all of the stressors from deforestation, clearing, you know, trees to grow cattle or
dig mines, dig for minerals as mines.
The burning that goes on, both intentional and accidental as it dries out as a result of climate change. And then climate change in general, the
study finds that between 10 and over 40 percent could reach this critical tipping point.
And it's hard for us to consider now, but the Sahara Desert in Africa was once a rainforest until the patterns of weather around that changed. And if
they continue to change around the Amazon, that could have huge impacts for the entire region and the world really.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting because we talk about the Amazon often as being the lungs of the earth, right? They're hugely important.
Just walk us through what sort of changes, what changes do we need to make in order to save the Amazon?
WEIR: Well, the recommendations are to continue to stop deforestation. The new President, not so new anymore, Lula da Silva took over from Jair
Bolsonaro, who had opened up the Amazon to extractive industries. That deforestation has come down by about 50 percent.
A lot of his park rangers say they're overworked and underpaid and could need more help there. But to try to stop the damage as much as possible,
reforest as much as possible.
Because what happens is when those trees pull water up through their roots and out through the leaves, transpiration, it creates rivers in the sky
that then irrigate the Pantanal and other parts of South America. They place into the entire global weather pattern.
So, the tipping, you know, sort of the domino effect of these things breaking down would have wide-reaching implications, yet another warning
from science to pay attention to what we're losing, because boy, if it's gone, we'll really miss it.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it is rare that there is a crisis that actually, we know how to address, we know what to do, and yet there is still such resistance
and we're not meeting these very important thresholds and these markers. I mean, it's just jaw-dropping when you said that Sahara used to be like the
Amazon rainforest.
ASHER: Yeah, I had no idea. I couldn't even believe that. Yeah, I was just saying to Bianna, it is criminal what we've done to this planet, as you
know, Bill Weir. But always good to see you. Thank you so much, Bill.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Bill.
ASHER: All right, it's a race against time to save a mysterious shipwreck.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, last month the ship suddenly appeared on the shores of Newfoundland. Experts believe a fierce storm dislodged it from the seabed.
However, an approaching storm could destroy the vessel.
ASHER: Two men working with a coastal clean-up program are trying to protect the shipwreck from the storm, using ropes to hold it down. Its age
and origin remain a mystery, but one expert believes it could be around 200 years old.
GOLODRYGA: Wow.
ASHER: All right, still to come here on "One World" on Valentine's Day, CNN has uncovered an incredible love story that has lasted more than half a
century.
GOLODRYGA: They don't look so happy right there. I want to know their secret.
ASHER: We'll talk about it after the break. They're nervous in front of the camera.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:51:39]
(LIVE COVERAGE BEGINS)
GOLODRYGA: I want to be in Kansas City today. Thousands of people are lining the streets there to see the stars of the Super Bowl. The Kansas
City Chiefs are celebrating back-to-back Super Bowl wins with a victory parade this hour, and you're looking at live pictures of that event.
Three-time MVP Patrick Mahomes is among the players on the bus. We are such fans of his. The mayor of Kansas City is also enjoying this very special
day.
(LIVE COVERAGE ENDS)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUINTON LUCAS, KANSAS CITY MAYOR: It's hard to describe just how fun a Super Bowl parade is in the first place, but you add beautiful weather
today here in Kansas City. In addition, there is also a Swift factor.
Even if she doesn't come, it seems like we have so many more teenage girl fans than we ever have of our football team. The game itself was
interesting with an overtime win, so I expect this to be one of the biggest parades we've ever seen in the history of Kansas City.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: I'm glad he gave Taylor credit there.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: She is definitely a part of this. It's not clear. She's actually not going to be in attendance, rather. She is, as I'm sure everybody knows
right now, dating Chiefs player Travis Kelce, but she had a scheduled show on Friday in Australia. So she's not there. But everyone else in the city
apparently is.
GOLODRYGA: Remember, she flew back from Japan.
ASHER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: The Japanese government put out a statement saying, we will make sure she leaves in time.
ASHER: People were tracking her plane.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, like Santa Claus. Okay, so moving on, what's the secret to love, as we mark Valentine's Day around the world? Well, Linda and George
Porter may have a few clues.
ASHER: When they met in New York in 1971, they were complete strangers, and now they've been married for over 50 years. Their story is part of a CNN
travel series uncovering incredible stories of love around the world. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LINDA PORTER, MARRIED FOR 52 YEARS: George was very good looking. He still is. But he was. My friends at home were dead impressed, as you can imagine.
My name is Linda Porter.
GEORGE PORTER, MARRIED FOR 52 YEARS: And my name is George Porter.
L. PORTER: And we met at JFK Airport in New York, 1971, and have been married for --
G. PORTER: Fifty two years.
L. PORTER: I had been living in Paris before I went to New York, and I was going there to take up a part-time academic post in the northern Bronx. So,
I was very excited and also rather apprehensive.
G. PORTER: I was from a very small town in northern Arkansas. I'd been in New York City working on my first full-time employment as an architect and
absolutely enjoying learning my way about someplace that was very, very different to me. An old friend of mine said, would you please meet this
person that she had met in Paris?
L. PORTER: She suggested that it might be nice if George could come and meet me at the airport.
G. PORTER: The airport in New York is always busy, and I was just asking young women who perhaps could have been Linda. I was also realizing that a
man next to me was asking other people exactly the same question.
L. PORTER: One, I was expecting, that was George, though I didn't actually know what he looked like before I saw him.
[12:55:00]
The other was employee of Air France who was married to a girl I had known in Paris.
G. PORTER: Well, we had a quick conference and I sent him away. New York was a very, very interesting place at that time. And a lot of things that
I'd discovered about the city and the area that I thought it'd be fun to share with somebody. And I hadn't found her exactly the right person to do
that, though at that age you were looking a bit.
L. PORTER: You are, yes. I was entranced by driving through New York in a taxi. All these huge buildings lit up. It's almost as if you're driving
through a canyon. We spent quite a lot of time going to the theatre, going to art galleries and getting to know the city geographically.
I think if you share interests and have a fairly outgoing personality, which we both do, then things just grow from it. It was just one of those
natural things where you feel the person is right and the time is right.
G. PORTER: A lot of things change but indeed the time was right and the person was right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: I love that. You can learn a lot from Linda and George Porter. We wish them a happy Valentine's Day, and you as well at home. That does it
for this hour of "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. We appreciate you watching. Amanpour is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
