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One World with Zain Asher
Voting Underway On America's Super Tuesday; U. N. Experts Accuse Israel Of Intentionally Starving The Palestinian People In Gaza; CNN's Nick Paton Wash Gives An In-Depth Report On The Russia-Ukraine War. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired March 05, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, voting is underway in one of the biggest days in American politics.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: "One World" starts right now. Could this be Nikki Haley's last stand? Donald Trump says she doesn't have
what it takes to beat Joe Biden.
ASHER: Also ahead, the latest on urgent negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza. Antony Blinken is calling on Hamas to make it happen.
GOLODRYGA: And later, the satellite that could save the world. What it is and why some scientists say it's a game changer for the climate crisis. All
right, hello, everyone, I'm Bianna Golodryga in New York.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. You are indeed watching "One World". We begin with the race for the White House. Today is, of course, Super Tuesday, typically
a very pivotal point in terms of picking presidential nominees.
Four years ago, it was, of course, Super Tuesday that really helped cement Joe Biden as the leading Democrat.
GOLODRYGA: Not so much of a nail biter this time. There isn't nearly as much drama this year as both Joe Biden and Donald Trump seem to have all
but locked in the nominations. Still, they each have serious issues to address today as millions of Americans vote all over the country.
ASHER: The Biden campaign is on the lookout for protest votes, like, for example, what happened in Michigan, where a large number of Democrats
actually picked uncommitted rather than backing the sitting President.
GOLODRYGA: And for Trump, the big question is, can he land the knockout blow that forces Nikki Haley to once and for all drop out of the race? She
keeps telling voters that Trump has too much baggage and cannot win in the fall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIKKI HALEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Marquette, yes, last week showed I win by 18. Your own Fox poll shows I win by eight against Joe
Biden. This is just about winning elections. This is about getting our country back on track.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have beaten Biden in every poll taken for the last three months. She loses
to Biden in the polls. She had one fake poll that was taken a long time ago, actually, before she started on her little kick and where she was up.
Nobody ever heard of the poll. Nikki Haley loses to Biden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: We're covering the story from all over the country. Our Diane Gallagher is in North Carolina and CNN's Stephanie Elam is on the opposite
end of the country in California. And that's where we'll begin.
Stephanie, I know it is early yet, but what are you seeing behind you? I don't see much right now.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've seen a steady, slow trickle, Bianna and Zain, here this morning. I'm in Santa Ana in Orange County.
We've seen people coming in here and voting. Now, keep in mind, in California, you can cast your ballot by mail and a lot of people do do
that. We also have lower turnout when it comes to a primary race in California.
But I would caution people to just disregard this election because, for one thing, we also have a Senate election here. And this is really important
because how California does things here is that the top two candidates that get the most votes go on to the November ballot. And right now we have
three U.S. representatives who are vying for that position who are Democrats.
So, you've got Adam Schiff, you've got Katie Porter and you also have Barbara Lee. And then there's one Republican, Steve Garvey, who is also
going after that. Most people may not know his name unless they are big sports fans because he was an L.A. Dodger and a San Diego Padre.
So, what we are seeing here is that Adam Schiff has been taking the lead for a long -- the majority of this run here. There has been so much spent
on ads here in California. A lot of that also coming from Adam Schiff.
And he's really targeting Garvey. And the reason why he's doing that is because he's hoping to get a Democrat versus a Republican on the November
ballot because he doesn't want to have to go into a Democrat on Democrat grueling battle when it comes to November. And it seems that that may be
working because there does seem to be a bit of a lift behind Garvey in the polls heading into this election here.
Because keep in mind, California is deeply blue and it is two to one odds for Democrats as far as the registered -- registered voters here in the
state.
So, that is why Schiff seems to be playing this game. Also, a lot of people know him because he was the face of Trump's first impeachment trial. So, a
lot of people have gotten to know him. And so the odds are in his favor. He has a lot of support here in California. So, we will have to see how today
turns out for the big Senate race to replace Dianne Feinstein's seat here.
GOLODRYGA: In terms of name recognition, Major League Baseball super fan Zain Asher definitely knew --
[12:05:00]
ASHER: Yeah, you're right. You're right.
GOLODRYGA: -- who Steve Garvey was. Stephanie Elam in California.
ELAM: So, there you go. There you go.
ASHER: You are too funny, my dear. You are too funny. All right, let's bring in Dianne Gallagher in North Carolina. So, Dianne, before Bianna made
her joke there, Stephanie Elam was just talking about the fact that there had been a slow trickle, right?
It looked relatively quiet where she was, but she did say there had been a slow trickle in terms of voters coming in into that polling station in
Santa Ana. Just give us the lay of the land in terms of where you are in North Carolina. How are things looking behind you?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain, I don't have any MLB players on the ballots for you, but I do have a few people who are
still waiting to get into this precinct here in beautiful Cornelius, North Carolina.
Much like Stephanie said, early voting here in the state of North Carolina, as well. More than 695,000 ballots were already cast before people even
started voting today on primary day.
Also similar to California, there is a very healthy down ballot here underneath those presidential preferences. And so, everything from governor
to local offices, the attorney general, members of Congress, people are deciding who is going to represent the Republican and the Democratic Party
in November.
So, there's a lot to vote for in North Carolina. And when I've been talking to voters, some of the issues that we have heard over and over again have
been education, abortion, democracy, the border, when they talk about what is important to them.
Now, again, those healthy down ballot races, a lot of them for people to choose from. But when we talk about the top of the ticket, I want you to
take a listen to a Trump voter and a Biden voter about why they made the choices that they did and why this vote was important for them come
November.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENNIS STRICKLAND, TRUMP VOTER: He's the only man that can help us as a country and bring everything back the way it should be, a normal day-to-day
living for all Americans.
JARROD MADON, BIDEN VOTER: I want to make sure that gun laws in our country, especially with schools, that's taken care of and just opportunity
for resources. I know abortion laws is always changing. So, I'm making sure there's opportunities for ladies that do seek abortion, they can get the
opportunity to do so and they have equal rights to take care of their body and not other people telling them what to do with their bodies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER: And I've also talked to a couple voters who in North Carolina, if you're registered unaffiliated, you can come in and choose either the
Democratic or the Republican ballot, whichever one you would like.
And I have talked to several people who are registered unaffiliated and tell me they do plan to vote for Joe Biden in November, but today they
chose a Republican ballot because they wanted to vote for Nikki Haley as a form of protest against former President Donald Trump.
They also were concerned about the governor's race here in trying to prevent the leading Republican candidate, the Lieutenant Governor Mark
Robinson, from potentially getting that nomination, as well. He is a Trump- endorsed candidate who, of course, has a history of making some inflammatory and bigoted remarks.
And so, he's facing two other Republicans. But again, those are people who plan to vote for Joe Biden in November, but are choosing instead today to
cast their ballot for Nikki Haley to protest the former President Trump.
ASHER: All right, Dianne Gallagher, live for us there, thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: U.N. experts are accusing Israel of intentionally starving the Palestinian people in Gaza. In a statement, the experts called on Israel to
end its campaign of starvation and the targeting of civilians. Israel has consistently denied targeting civilians, saying that its war is against
Hamas.
ASHER: Yeah, the situation, though, in Gaza is getting more dire. By the day, the U.S. and Jordan conducted another airdrop of tens of thousands of
meals into northern Gaza on Tuesday. But that really does fall far short of what is needed on the ground.
Desperate Palestinians who are trying to feed their families are running and really scrambling at this point to get their hands on more food and
more supplies.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, some people are scavenging for food in trash piles. Take a look at this haunting video obtained by CNN. One Palestinian says people
are risking their lives for food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED AL-TALBANI (through translator): We have the willingness and ability to bear it. But is there a father in the world who can see his child
writhing in hunger in front of him and remain silent, even if the price is risking his life?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Aid for Gaza is at the top of the agenda as America's top diplomat sits down with Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, whose
presence in Washington has caused tension back home, with one Israeli official insisting Gantz does not represent the government on this trip.
ASHER: Earlier, Antony Blinken met with the Prime Minister of Qatar, a key broker in the hostage release and ceasefire negotiations.
The U.S. Secretary of State said it's on Hamas to decide whether it's prepared to engage in a ceasefire and called on Israel to allow more aid
into Gaza.
[12:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The situation for children, for women, for men who are caught in this crossfire Hamas is making inside of
Gaza is unacceptable and unsustainable. Israel has to maximize every possible means, every possible method of getting assistance to people who
need it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Let's bring in CNN's Alex Marquardt, who joins us now from Washington, D.C. And Alex, it appears the President right now is speaking
and reiterating some of the comments that we just heard from Secretary of State Blinken. They're saying there's no excuse that more aid needs to get
in to Gaza, but also saying that the ceasefire right now is in the hands of Hamas. What more are we learning?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bianna, it's really been interesting to hear the Biden administration over the
course of the past few days really ratchet up their demands of Israel and, in fact, their criticism of Israel. We heard the Vice President over the
weekend saying that there is no excuse for Israel not to allow more aid into Gaza.
And we saw that horrific incident last week with more than a hundred Palestinians killed in Gaza when they rushed that aid convoy. And that
really highlighted the fact that there is not enough aid in Gaza, not enough is getting in, and it's not getting to where it needs to be.
And so, Benny Gantz, throughout his meetings here in Washington over the past few days, would certainly have been told by Vice President Harris and
the others that more aid needs to get into Gaza.
Even though the U.S. is stepping up its pressure, Israel has rejected calls by the U.S. to open more border crossings. And that's why we are seeing
these aid drops being flown over Gaza, these aid packages being dropped into the Gaza Strip, which, frankly, are just a drop in the bucket of what
Gazans on the ground actually need.
So, the U.S. is pushing not just for aid to get in now, but also, of course, for this ceasefire, which they see as part of this effort to get
more humanitarian aid into Gaza, as well as, of course, those Israeli hostages home who have been held in Gaza for the past several months.
There does appear to have been some progress in the past few days and weeks. But the parties who are negotiating that deal are still working
feverishly, essentially, to get it across the finish line, the Biden administration making clear that they would like to see that ceasefire in
place in Gaza by Ramadan, which starts early next week. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Alex Marquardt, thank you. So, let's bring in CNN Global Affairs Analyst Mark Esper. He's the U.S. Defense Secretary under President Trump
and joins us live now from Fairfax, Virginia. Thank you so much for joining us.
So, let's pick up there. In terms of the pressure on both sides, on the Israelis to get more aid into Gaza to open another border crossing, but
also to reiterate what President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken have said, and that is that the onus is on Hamas right now to accept a ceasefire
deal in which more aid can get in and the hostages can come home.
What, in your view, needs to be done to put more pressure? Let's start with Hamas. Does this require third-party countries -- the U.S. putting more
pressure on third-party countries to get this to a deal?
MARK ESPER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, we do, of course, have a terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza. But yes, it does look like it's on
Hamas at this point in time. The Israelis seem to have put forward a workable plan for a temporary ceasefire and other things. But based on what
I'm reading coming out of the region this morning, Hamas is still demanding on a -- on a comprehensive ceasefire and for the IDF to be completely
extricated from Gaza. And that's just simply not going to happen.
So, look, we're counting down the days. We're, what, five, six days away from Ramadan. Israel is prepared to continue the conflict into Rafah beyond
then. And we'll see what happens. Again, they're only a few days late. We do know that Secretary Blinken met with the Qatari representative this
morning, and he's meeting right now with Benny Gantz from Israel. So maybe there will be news coming out of those meetings.
ASHER: And Mark, just in terms of other options here, I mean, you point out there is obviously a stalemate. You've got the fact that Hamas is looking
for a long-term ceasefire. And obviously, they want the IDF out of Gaza. That's simply not going to happen. Just in terms of finding other ways to
get these hostages, these 100 hostages out of Gaza, just walk us through what the sort of military options are at this point for the IDF.
ESPER: Well, let me step back first and talk about the political dynamic because clearly this is the one issue that has many Israelis putting
pressure on the Netanyahu government. They want the hostages back. The hostages have been there for four-plus months, a hundred thirty or so, we
think, maybe 30 of them are deceased. We know they're undergoing various traumas.
[12:15:00]
I'm disappointed the U.N. and others aren't speaking up more about this. But the fact of the matter is, for Hamas, this is their remaining leverage
in many ways. And I think they've got to be very concerned that once they give up the hostages, Israel is going to come in with full force into Rafah
and continue to attack the remaining militant battalions there, and then go for Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, and his leadership. And in my
view, that would probably constitute what they would claim was a victory against Hamas at that point in time.
Now, to your question, I think at the military level, they will need to go into Rafah. I think they have to certainly limit casualties, but they need
to find a way to move people out and then go block by block, limiting the use of aerial-delivered bombs, but really go block by block and be far more
discriminant in terms of how they clear those rooms and buildings, and the tunnels, by the way, underneath Rafah.
GOLODRYGA: And to keep as many civilians out of harm's way as possible. And they do believe that some of the hostages are currently held in Rafah right
now. Let me switch gears and talk about things closer to home here in the U.S., politically.
Yesterday, we saw former President Trump really come out and laud the Supreme Court decision that most expected that would keep him on the
Colorado ballot. Then he quickly switched gears and looked forward to what is expected to be a more significant ruling by the Supreme Court in the
next few months. And that is one presidential immunity.
And he is pressing to make the argument that any President, even a former President, is basically immune for life. And this is what he used as an
example. He said, "Presidents should be given total immunity. They have to be allowed to use to do their job.
And he brought the argument back to his work as President in taking out people like Qasem Soleimani and operations that he ordered, that he said,
if this provision, if this law wasn't in place, that could put any President in jeopardy of being prosecuted. You were there with the
President. You sit in the room when these decisions are being made.
Is this disingenuous on his part to be sort of conflating these two issues? There was no presidential duty that he was enforcing on January 6th and
inviting people to participate in an insurrection.
ESPER: Yeah, the short answer, Bianna is yes, but stepping back a little bit. Look, there was no surprise about the Supreme Court's decision
yesterday. Most expected it to come out the way it did. I think the good news, the important news from yesterday was it was nine to zero.
That was very important for the court, for the American people to see the justice coming together on that point.
But yes, look, I saw part of former President Trump's remarks. Conflating those two things is disingenuous. It's very misleading.
Of course, Presidents and Secretaries of Defense and other officials have immunity from official acts, acts pursuant to their duties, and that would
be for some of the things that he cited, but not for inciting an insurrection or not for committing a personal crime or things like that.
The two very different things.
And so, yeah, look, it's some people will be swayed by that, but I think most realize that there is a difference between the two. At the end of the
day, we all abide by a common American principle, and that is nobody is above the law, not even a President. So --
ASHER: All right, Mark Esper, we have to leave it there. Former U.S. Defense Secretary, we appreciate you being on the program. All right. In
terms of some other news, a United Nations team says it has found clear and convincing information that hostages in Gaza have been sexually abused.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this is a story we've been following closely since October 7th. Now, a U.N. special envoy said that there are reasonable grounds to
believe such violence is still going on. The report also found that sexual violence, including gang rape, likely occurred during Hamas' October 7th
terror attacks in Israel. The Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations lashed out at the U.N. for what he called its silence and its hypocrisy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GILAD ERDAN, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ISRAEL TO THE UNITED NATIONS: This year, the U.N. and U.N. women's silence in the face of Hamas' sexual
violence turned International Women's Day into a sick joke. This is the peak of the U.N.'s hypocrisy. The U.N. claims to care about women. Yet, as
we speak, right now, Israeli women are being raped and abused by Hamas terrorists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The report comes after a U.N. team visited Israel to gather information about what exactly took place during the Hamas attacks and
their aftermath. Hamas previously denied that its militants committed rape on October 7th.
[12:20:00]
GOLODRYGA: Well, coming up for us, CNN goes to the front lines in Ukraine, where dwindling resources are taking their toll on the troops.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Sort of surreal to hear that sort of noise over there and see this tank unit having
a Russian in their armband.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, Ukraine's military is touting what it calls a string of defeats for Moscow's Black Sea Fleet.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, you're looking at an attack on a Russian patrol ship near the Kerch Strait. Ukrainian intelligence says it destroyed the ship using
sea drones Tuesday night. The Kerch Strait separates Crimea, which is a part of Ukraine under Russian occupation, from Russia itself. Ukraine
claims that it has disabled about a third of Russia's Black Sea warships.
ASHER: Despite that success at sea, on land, it is a much different story.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah our Nick Paton Walsh has been on the front lines, where Kyiv's forces are under fire and short of ammunition.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH (voice-over): It's a lonely path ahead. The Russians have never been louder or closer. Occupied Bakhmut is just up the road. But now some
Ukrainian tank guns are silent just when they're needed most. Here, they don't have enough shells.
PATON WALSH: Sometimes, they just won't fire at all. For a whole day, other days, they'll be shooting constantly. And I tell you, it is loud on the
other side of that hill. And it's sort of surreal to hear that sort of noise over there and see this tank unit having to rush their ammo.
YAROSLAV, 42ND MECHANIZED BRIGADE (through translator): We have people but without weapons. This is not a war you can win with a sword.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): We learned they didn't fire at all that day, or the day before, or the next day. The silence here is what losing sounds
like. So, too, is what these soldiers had to say.
PATON WALSH: If the Americans don't give money, what's going to happen?
UNKNOWN (through translator): I think we're all going to die. Everybody who is here, we will be no more.
PATON WALSH: Is this the worst you've seen yet?
GARRISON FOSTER, U.S. VOLUNTEER FIGHTER: Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think, I think, this year is going to be the worst year in the war. Well, I do know
that there's certain units that they're running out of tanks.
PATON WALSH: How angry does it make you?
[12:25:00]
FOSTER: Yeah, I'm pissed. I'm absolutely pissed off. There's no point in trying to paint this in any sort of light where it's good for us that
Russia takes Ukraine. That's going to be very, very, very bad for us geopolitically.
PATON WALSH: It's here, Chasiv Yar, that already looks like defeat. Those left sounding like they'd be just about okay when Russia comes.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I want to see my granddaughter. She's in Moscow. My sister is in Kaliningrad. Half of Russia are my relatives but
I'm here alone.
UNKNOWN (through translator): No water, no gas, no power, nothing. They, Ukrainian soldiers, drive straight to the house where people live. And they
fire right from the house. They hide behind the civilians backs.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Further south, near Avdiivka, homes that dealt with about 10 years of war just up the road are finally emptying out.
VALENTINA, ZHELENI RESIDENT (through translator): You know, the house shook four times already. It's made of clay and straw. They shell so hard that
every time I think that's it, we are done. The most scary would be, if that horde, the Russians, come here. There can be no trusting people whose hands
are covered with blood.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): The skyline is bleak enough as it is, but now rumbles with Russia advancing. Ukraine said it would hold steady at three
villages near here after it left Avdiivka. That hasn't happened. All three are now heavily contested at best, and the noise of the Russian approach is
louder.
VIKTOR, OCHERETYNE RESIDENT (Through translator): Donbas was Ukraine, we were living a normal life. We had jobs. I will turn 70 soon. I've been
married for 52 years. We will be buried together right here. Right in the ditch there.
PATON WALSH: Did you expect the Russians to get so close?
EUHENE, OCHERETYNE RESIDENT (through translator): We didn't expect it. We thought it would somehow settle -- calm down.
PATON WALSH: Some units had enough shells, they said, these firing American rounds in a donated paladin, but still less than before. We didn't see much
in the way of heavy defenses around here, and the worry is, was and will be, that Russia does not stop. It may not be huge and subtle enough to make
the West pay urgent attention, but that's exactly what Putin wants anyway. Nick Paton-Walsh, CNN, Chasiv Yar, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, still to come by the end of today, it is highly likely that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden will have made a huge leap forward on
the road to a rematch. We will break down the Super Tuesday races. We'll talk about what's at stake, as well as the latest poll numbers, as well.
All that and more just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:32:03]
All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. It's considered the biggest showdown of the U.S. presidential primary season, and today's results may ultimately
determine who occupies the White House.
ASHER: That's right. From Alaska to Alabama, California to North Carolina, voters in 16 states, and actually one U.S. territory, are casting ballots
in Super Tuesday races. It is a particularly pivotal moment for Nikki Haley. How she performs today could really determine whether her campaign
wraps up or keeps on going.
GOLODRYGA: And it's looking increasingly likely that there will be a Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch in the general election. CNN's John King breaks
down the poll numbers for us.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Now, where are we? Assuming Trump and Biden continue their path to the nomination, where are we? This is our CNN Poll of Polls.
Forgive me for turning my back. I just want to bring this up a little larger.
Forty-eight percent for Trump, 46 percent for Biden. That is no clear leader. If you look at some of the late individual polls that go into this
average, Trump has been running a little bit stronger.
But if you average them all together, which is the smart thing to do, don't overinvest in any one poll. No clear leader, but Trump has clearly been
gaining a little bit of steam as we go forward. Why is he gaining steam? Well, these are the numbers that are troubling for the President.
Here's one from "The New York Times"-Siena College Poll. Is President Biden too old to be an effective president? Among all voters, 73 percent say yes,
25 percent say no. Here's the troubling part.
Even in his own party, the President needs big Democratic turnout in the fall. More than half, 56 percent of Democrats say they think he's too old
to be an effective President. Forty-three percent say no.
So, that is one challenge for the President as he runs out the primary season, as he gives that big speech Thursday night. Address that. The
problems are deeper for the President. Again, he is the incumbent president. Twenty four percent of Americans say the country's on the right
track. Two-thirds -- two-thirds say it is not.
Sixty-five 65 percent say the country is on the wrong track as the President prepares to deliver his State of the Union address. One more.
Incumbents are often judged by their approval rating. You start to get eight months out from an election, that's a problem. That's a problem.
That's the number the President has to change.
Thirty-six percent approve of his performance right now in office, sixty one percent disapprove. That means a lot of Democrats. If 61 percent
disapprove, that means Democrats, as well.
ASHER: All right, time now for The Exchange and a closer look at the Super Tuesday primaries and really what's at stake. Let's bring in CNN Senior
Political Commentator Scott Jennings, joining us live.
Scott, once upon a time, it used to be that Super Tuesday was a nail-biter. You didn't know what was going to happen. That is clearly not the case this
time around. What are some of the things we would need to look for, given that the outcome, just in terms of, especially on the Republican side, who
is likely to become the Republican presidential nominee is all but decided at this point in time. What are you watching for? Is it whether or not
Nikki Haley drops out after tonight?
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. You know, her campaign really has no path forward. Trump's going to roll tonight. And
although he can't mathematically clinch the nomination, he can get darn close. Sometime before mid-March, he's going to have the delegates needed
to be the Republican nominee. If you're Nikki Haley, what do you do? You've been saying you want to keep going.
[12:35:00]
There's really no way to do that if he's already got the delegates, Trump, that is. So, is she going to say, I'm dropping out and I'm going to pursue
a third-party candidacy? Some people say that that's been discussed in the background.
So, I'm watching her very closely tonight. I'm also watching the Republicans who vote for her and what they tell exit pollsters. Are there a
cohort of Republicans who say, I'll never vote for Donald Trump and how could that affect his chances in the general election? So, those are a
couple issues I'm watching tonight.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, she still has money. So, she technically could stay in it for a bit longer. But I think you're right to assume that this is all but
the end for her. But you're also right to point out what comes next, specifically from Haley, is something that's going to be very interesting
to watch because she wasn't able when asked recently to confirm her statement that she would support the Republican nominee.
There's enough animus now between the two of them. There have been arguments that perhaps if she had pursued this path and speaking out
against Trump sooner, she could be further. That having been said, how important is it if she does or doesn't end up endorsing him once he does
become the nominee?
JENNINGS: I don't think it really matters if she endorses him because I think the people voting for her hate Donald Trump. I mean, most of them, a
lot of them told pollsters they voted for Joe Biden before. They obviously don't like Trump.
And so, I don't think her endorsement is going to matter that much. What would matter is if she chooses not to endorse Trump and she says, and you
know what, I'm going to take it a step further. I'm going to keep running for President as an independent or a third-party.
Now, there's some logistical issues in some states about how that would occur. But that would then begin to matter because you could start to see
her eating votes out of both Trump and Biden. So, I'm not certain her endorsement is really all that impactful for the race today.
Could it be impactful for her future? You know, she's young. She could run again in 28 or beyond that, maybe. And I think she's conducted herself,
frankly, in a way that's going to leave a bad taste in the mouth of a lot of Republicans who think at this point, she's just trying to damage Donald
Trump for the sake of damaging him.
And Scott, after today, do you think that a conversation, a real sort of national conversation will start to emerge about who Donald Trump likely
will choose as his Vice President? I mean, what are your thoughts on that front?
JENNINGS: Absolutely. Well, people are already talking about it in the Republican Party. And when you look at the numbers John King just reported,
because so many voters think Joe Biden is too old, naturally they're going to look at, well, who's running for Vice President?
Because that could really matter. And obviously he's got Kamala Harris. And so who Donald Trump chooses to match up against Kamala Harris. I think this
is going to be a hot topic of conversation. Also, look, there's a lot of time between now and July when the Republican convention is, and then
August when the Democrats have.
We're going to have a lot of months here to talk about this campaign and endlessly analyze it. So invariably, choosing a running mate for Donald
Trump is going to be a big part of that conversation right now. My money's on Tim Scott, the South Carolina Senator who ran for president briefly and
dropped out. I think he's one of the strongest contenders. But truthfully, Trump's got a pretty strong bench on this.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, Tim Scott, who Trump in front of Tim Scott said ran a better campaign in supporting Trump than he ran his own. That'll be
interesting to see if he ends up being his pick. But in terms of the issues that both candidates -- assumed candidates and parties are focusing on and
think work in their favor, the Democrats look at abortion as a weakness for Republicans and the economy just from the numbers alone.
The statistics do show and the evidence does show that the economy is holding up pretty well. We've avoided a recession. And yes, the inflation
still is an issue, but it's definitely gone down. On the flip side, you have Republicans really focusing on immigration and crime. Which do you
think is ultimately going to be the issue that voters turn out for?
JENNINGS: Well, usually economy is, you know, the biggest issue in presidential elections, especially if people have anxiety or nervousness
about their own personal situation. Immigration is interesting. It has crept up. It was the number one issue in the Gallup Poll last week, and it
was the issue on which Joe Biden had the lowest job approval by issue. So, he's really struggling with that.
On the economy, I think the Biden campaign wants to throw charts and graphs at people. And I think people are still remembering how bad inflation was
for them personally. And I do think there's a lot of anxiety out there. Interest rates are still high.
People are having trouble visualizing whether they could buy a house or a car, things that have become staples of the American dream that seem out of
reach for folks right now. So, I don't think the economy is a clear-cut winner for Biden. I think Trump's going to talk about it a lot because the
American people clearly do have some issues with how Biden has conducted himself.
But immigration going to the top of the list, noteworthy. It almost never happens, but it's there right now. And people are really, really worried
about what it's doing, not just to the border, but towns all over the United States.
ASHER: All right, Scott Jennings, live for us there. Thank you. We'll see what happens tonight. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
JENNINGS: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Just a reminder to stay with CNN for all of your Super Tuesday highlights.
[12:40:00]
We'll bring you the results as they come in. Our special coverage starts today, 4 o'clock in the afternoon Eastern time. That is 9 o'clock at night
if you're watching from London, 10 o'clock at night if you're up late in Berlin. We will be right back.
GOLODRYGA: Hello to our friends in Berlin.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, floating above the Earth right now as I speak is a special satellite designed to keep an eye on where and how much methane gas
is being released into the atmosphere.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and here's why that's very important. Methane is a greenhouse gas 80 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon
dioxide. CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: Three, two, one, ignition. And lift-off, Falcon Nine.
BILL WEIR, CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paid for by the likes of billionaire Jeff Bezos and other donors, the non-profit Environmental
Defense Fund just launched a new kind of eye in the sky. Methane Sat is designed to circle the Earth every 95 minutes or so. And with cutting edge
detail, spot plumes and leaks of planet cooking pollution long associated with the production of natural gas.
If carbon dioxide is a blanket of average thickness overheating the Earth for centuries, methane is like a blanket seven feet thick with over 80
times the heat trapping power of CO2 for about two decades after its release. Sometimes it leaks from old equipment or orphan wells. And
sometimes when there's no one to buy it, companies just burn it in a practice known as flaring.
KELSEY ROBINSON, PROGRAM MANAGER, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND: What we found here in the Permian Basin is that operators are wasting enough gas to heat
about two million homes a year.
WEIR (voice-over): In 2021, EDF took us up over the oil and gas fields of Texas to sniff out methane leakers with a specially equipped airplane.
WEIR: This is carbon dioxide down here?
UNKNOWN: Yeah.
WEIR (voice-over): But now they can fly over every oil and gas basin in the world where 80 percent of global supplies are fracked and pumped.
STEVEN HAMBURG, CHIEF SCIENTIST, ENVIRONMENTAL DEEFENSE FUND: We can basically create a movie of what's going on with respect to methane
emissions. Before we could just take snapshots when we had a plane in the air and we can get permission to fly. This is a whole new game. It really
creates an enormous leap forward in our ability to really understand greenhouse gas emissions.
WEIR (voice-over): While other satellites can spot methane, what they find is often kept private.
[12:45:00]
But EDF says that in about 18 months, their data will be open and free on Google Earth Engine for anyone to see.
HAMBURG: You just have a real clarity now, a clarity we've never had before. And I think people realize you don't have to accept what somebody
says, whether that's a government or a company. You can actually directly look at it, see what it is. And that is completely different than anything
we've ever had for greenhouse gases. What I refer to is we're going to have radical transparency.
WEIR: And what has been the response from big oil and gas companies that you're doing this?
HAMBURG: Well, I think many of the companies see this as a real opportunity because they really do believe and I suspect they're right, that they're
doing a good job, but many of them aren't. It gives countries and companies the tools to select who they buy gas from and where that gas comes from.
So, the first time they'll have the ability to make really informed decisions and those informed decisions will have an enormous positive
impact on the climate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right and Bill Weir joins us live now. So, Bill, it's certainly no secret that methane gas is horrible for the environment. It is horrible
for climate change in particular. Now, that we are going to get a real sort of granular picture of where these sorts of emissions come from, what do we
do with that information?
WEIR: That is a great question. Well, certainly it's holding companies accountable. If ExxonMobil, for example, or Saudi Aramco says we have cut
our methane emissions or methane, as Zain and the folks at Exxon would say.
ASHER: Hey, maybe I'm mispronouncing it, right? Okay.
WEIR: No, no, it is the king's English. You pick your English, but either way -- either way, methane, methane, potato, potato is bad, right? And it
leaks.
ASHER: Dioxide, dioxide.
WEIR: Exactly, it was, you know, sold, marketed as a safer bridge fuel than coal, but it's only safer if it never leaks and it leaks everywhere right
now. Liquefied natural gas, you hear a lot about that. The United States, huge exporters and all that.
So, it's holding companies accountable who have pledged to cut this. This is like the most obvious, you know, if Earth is a car, like a hot baby in a
car and carbon dioxide is the glass and metal holding in the heat, methane is like turning on the heater in the car and aiming the vents at the baby.
You can start by turning that off.
That's the fastest and most reactionary way. So, it's holding governments and companies accountable. It'll be a tool for maybe consumers to make
choices or cities that have to buy fuel some way can say, look, let's buy the least bad form of this as we can.
But it really, Zain, is an experiment. I've always wondered, like, if you could see climate change pollution the way you could see smog in London or
Los Angeles in the years past and spurred action towards cleaner air, how would humanity react to this problem? Well, we're about to find out when we
start seeing these pictures in about a year and a half.
GOLODRYGA: It's also interesting, Bill, that now I believe he's officially the richest man in the world. Again, Jeff Bezos is behind some of this
investment because some of the world's richest men, specifically, have been criticized recently that they're investing more in some of their pet
projects.
You know, Elon Musk could say that he invested a lot in batteries and Tesla cars. But that having been said, you don't see a lot of attention on
investments that would really tackle the climate crisis. Do you think this is the first of many in terms of a change here?
WEIR: You'd hope so. You really would. And you know, this isn't just the kind of problem that's unfair based on where you happen to live around the
world.
It's really a story of class, whereas the folks at the very, very top leave lifestyles that if we all copied them, we'd need about eight Earths to
fulfill those appetites, right? The Bezos Earth Fund, I believe, put $100 million towards this particular project. I think their pledges are north of
a billion dollars. But yeah, absolutely.
Folks like Elon Musk have talked about moving industry off of Earth. And that's why we should go to Mars, move our factories to the moon. You can
debate whether that's feasible. We've got a lot of work to do right here on this planet.
But yeah, anything that makes us more aware of the invisible sort of costs of what we take for granted. A lot of people love cooking with gas. There's
a very emotional attachment to that. And it's sort of become a wedge issue, a culture war in the United States. Texas wants to ban new gas bans and all
those sorts of things.
But I think the more folks become educated to the hidden costs of these things, and there are so many better options now that are just coming
online and becoming more affordable every day, it'll change culture in a little way.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, really fascinating. Looking forward to perhaps our new studio one day on the moon. Who knows? We could have Elon Musk fund it for
us.
ASHER: I was wondering how you were going with that.
GOLODRYGA: Bill Weir, thank you.
WEIR: Thank you.
ASHER: Bye, Bill.
GOLODRYGA: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:52:39]
ASHER: The last man she could ever marry until Elizabeth Bennet saw him in that wet shirt. That is right. Mr. Darcy's iconic white shirt, all dried
out, of course, is up for auction.
Actor Colin Firth wore the shirt in the 1995 BBC series, "Pride and Prejudice". Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH BENNET, CHARACTER FROM THE MOVIE "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE": Mr. Darcy?
MR. DARCY, CHARACTER FROM THE MOVIE "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE": Miss Bennet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Well, that shirt that he was wearing there could actually sell for more than $12,000. That's according to the auction house holding the
charity fundraiser. There are clearly a lot of Darcy lovers out there.
GOLODRYGA: So, can I just admit something? When our producer asked us if we were Darcy fans, I really thought she met Oliver Darcy here at CNN, who, by
the way --
ASHER: He's in the stake.
GOLODRYGA: You know, we love his black shirts.
ASHER: Yeah, so no, they're worth $12,000.
GOLODRYGA: That's funny. Another famous outfit up for auction is the same sale, and the same sale is Drew Barrymore's costume from the film "Ever
After: A Cinderella Story." I did love that movie. Dozens of other garments are also being auctioned. Proceeds from the event will go to the Bright
Foundation, an arts education charity.
ASHER: Now to social media, where a Texas toddler's new hairstyle is going viral for her Golden Girls-inspired look. CNN's Jeanne Moos shows us how
this little girl is evoking 1980s nostalgia online.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She is a one-year- old, suddenly transformed into her golden years.
(MUSIC PLAYING "THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND")
MOOS (voice-over): There's a reason Evelyn Mae Mathis is accompanied by "The Golden Girls" theme song.
UNKNOWN: She turned into a little, a little, mini Betty White.
MOOS (voice-over): After Evie's grandmother, a hair stylist, gave her her first haircut, blow dry, and tease, the result -- teased the internet into
a frenzy of 80s nostalgia. That landline, those padded shoulders, applying Liz Taylor's White Diamonds perfume. Mom and grandma take their style cues
from the comments people leave.
Commenters recognize the 80s in Evie. "I took a jazzercise class from her in '89." "She sold me some Mary Kay cosmetics last week."
[12:55:00]
Most say she reminds them of either Blanche or Rose.
ROSE, CHARACTER FROM SITCOM "THE GOLDEN GIRLS": You did?
BLANCHE, CHARACTER FROM SITCOM "THE GOLDEN GIRLS": You didn't?
ROSE: Maybe I should have done my own hair. I've been doing it for years.
SOPHIA, CHARACTER FROM SITCOM "THE GOLDEN GIRLS": That's why it looks like something you buy on a stick at halftime.
MOOS (voice-over): Evie's hair literally bounces. The other day it bounced.
(MUSIC PLAYING "THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND")
MOOS (voice-over): To the grocery store, there's a whiff of the past in the wafers she passes, in the candy, she passes out. Her mom says the secret
sauce is the Texas toddler's large volume of hair and its texture. And of course --
UNKNOWN: Just got to tease, tease the heck out of it.
MOOS (voice-over): he says she was shocked when after that first hairstyling, Evie --
UNKNOWN: Popped out looking like an old lady.
MOOS (voice-over): Not old. Golden.
UNKNOWN: Whose hair do I wash next?
THE GOLDEN GIRLS: Mine.
MOOS (voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: How long does Edie let them do that until she says, you know what, this is not beautiful.
ASHER: But that walk down the street where she suddenly turns towards the camera, that is everything. That is everything.
GOLODRYGA: She was born an old lady. Wow. Well, that does it for this hour of "One World". I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. Amanpour is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
