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One World with Zain Asher
Passenger Plane In Japan Collides With A Coast Guard Plane Immediately Upon Landing; Survivors Of Japan Earthquake Assisted In An Emergency Shelter; Israel's Supreme Court Makes A Bombshell Decision Striking Down A Controversial Government Plan To Limit The Powers Of The Judiciary; Dozens Of Names Linked To The Late Accused Child Sex Trafficker Jeffrey Epstein Could Be Made Public; Republicans In Iowa Will Cast Their Votes In Two Weeks In Support Of A Presidential Nominee; Four-Time Grand Slam Champion Naomi Osaka Plays Tennis Again After About A Year-Long Break; Revolutionary Surgery Uses Partial Heart Transplants To Fix Life- Threatening Birth Defects In Babies. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired January 02, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:43]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, welcome everybody. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. Bianna Golodryga is off today. You
are indeed watching 'One World'.
Ninety seconds -- ninety seconds -- that is how much time hundreds of passengers on a Japan Airlines flight had to escape from a burning plane. I
want you to take a look at this incredible video coming out of Tokyo's Haneda Airport. You saw the fireball and the fire really erupt from that
plane as it landed.
What happened was a passenger plane collided with a coast guard plane immediately upon landing. The entire plane ended up engulfed in flames. All
379 people who were on board rushed, they evacuated immediately and they miraculously survived. Sadly though, the five crew members on the other
plane were killed instantly. I want to join -- I want to bring in our Pete Muntean who has latest on all the developments.
Pete, just the fact that so many people escaped -- and by the way, escaped alive is no small miracle, right? Just walk us through though, what
specifically went wrong here upon landing.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: There was a big success here in the evacuation that went so smoothly, but just by a huge failure of the
Japanese safety culture that is so central to the life there. This is something that is really a wake-up call around the world, especially in
Japan, and especially here in the U.S. We'll get to that in a second, but I want to walk through this incident.
We know that this Japan Airlines flight, 516, an Airbus A350, was coming into land at Haneda's Airport 34 right, when it apparently hit a Japanese
Coast Guard dash eight. That is a twin turboprop airliner. It was on its way to help relief efforts after the earthquake in a different part of
Japan and they apparently collided on the runway there.
The images that you're seeing right now will no doubt be a part of what will be a huge investigation that is just now getting started. We have
heard that Airbus will assist in this investigation along with the Japan Transport Safety Board which will lead the investigation here.
That is the fireball that took place only two seconds into that video in what appears to be this head on collision of this Airbus versus this Japan
Coast Guard plane. We know that five people in the Japan Coast Guard plane have died. The captain at last check was in critical condition. He is the
only survivor.
Haneda Airport, a very busy airport on the Pacific Rim. This happened at 5:47 P.M. local time, about 3:47 in the morning on the East Coast here.
Busy airport, four different runways. And so now, the question is, why was one of these airplanes in the wrong place at the wrong time, or was this a
failure by air traffic control, something that investigators will no doubt want to dig into.
The big success story here though is the evacuation, and the fact that this was done so quickly and efficiently without any injuries to those on board.
Three hundred and seventy-nine people including the crew, and a major congrats to them, they were able to do this so easily.
Some passengers reported not being able to get out of some of the exits. That's likely because of the fire that engulfed the airplane. They were
able, in one of the videos I was watching, to get out of the R-1 exit that is the front most door just behind the cockpit on the right side of the
airplane.
This is something that flight crews train for all of the time, not just the pilots, but the flight attendants, they are there for your safety. The
rules in aviation are written in blood and it is incumbent upon them to get all of these passengers out so quickly and so safely. They did a tremendous
job.
ASHER: I mean, you can say that again. I mean, it is pretty much a miracle, as you point out, the fact that evacuation was handled so smoothly. Indeed,
everybody survived in terms of the larger passenger jets. Obviously, it is unfortunate what happened to the smaller plane. Pete Muntean, live for us
there. Thank you so much.
And the Coast Guard plane that we were just talking about in that crash was actually heading to Japan's west coast to deliver earthquake relief
supplies.
[12:05:00]
Japan's west coast, that is where Monday's deadly 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck, and for many in the region, the aftershocks continue. CNN's Hanako
Montgomery is at a shelter with a group of survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm speaking in a slightly quieter voice right now because we are at an emergency shelter where survivors of
that very powerful earthquake on the western coast of Japan are taking shelter. There is no heating right now so people are sleeping on mats.
They're using thick blankets to stay warm. There's also no running water.
So, the Japanese self-defense forces are just outside this building handing out water to locals. Now, we know that in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is
very close to the epicenter and which is where we are now, at least 48 people have died. The Japanese Prime Minister has also said that 120 people
are still stuck underneath their homes.
Now, the Prime Minister has said that they've dispatched as many forces as possible to get to these survivors, to help them out from under their
homes, but it's been very difficult. A, because we're on a peninsula. There are only so many ways to get here, but also B, because the main road
leading into this peninsula has collapsed because of that very powerful earthquake.
Now, people here in the shelter have told us that they're still feeling a lot of aftershocks from that initial very powerful earthquake. Even in this
shelter alone, some of the cement pillars have rubble around them just again from that very powerful quake and the shakes coming afterwards.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Nanao City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And since Hanako filed her report, NHK reports, the death toll in this earthquake has now risen to 57. The death toll has now risen to 57. We
will, of course, keep you updated as and when we get developments out of Japan.
All right, we have more breaking news just into CNN. Lebanon is reporting that four people have been killed and many wounded in an attack in southern
Beirut. Hamas is actually saying that one of the victims killed here was a senior official with the group Saleh al-Arouri. That's his name. And he was
considered one of the founding members of Hamas' military wing.
I want to bring in CNN's Nada Bashir joining us live now. Nada, what more can you tell us about this attack by the IDF in Lebanon? And also, what
more do we know about Saleh al-Arouri, part of Hamas' political wing, but also one of the founding members of the military wing?
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, Zain, this is certainly a dramatic escalation. We are still getting more details around this latest attack,
which happened just in the last few hours. We have seen that dramatic video emerging appearing to show a car which exploded, building partially damaged
in a suburb of southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that was carried out just over an hour ago. And as you mentioned, one of the victims of that attack
reported to be the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri.
This is a significant escalation. We have heard from the Israeli military officials, as well as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the
past, over the course of this war, vowing to go after Hamas leaders wherever they are, not just in Gaza, not just in the occupied West Bank.
But this certainly marks a dramatic shift and an escalation.
Separately, of course, we have also been seeing escalating tensions between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. There have been
mounting concerns that we could see an escalation more broadly in Lebanon, not just centered around that border region, where we have, over the last
few days and weeks seen that exchange of fire.
We have seen over the last few days that Hezbollah group targeting Israeli targets across the border, Israel in turn carrying out airstrikes, drone
strikes in Lebanese villages near the border region. But this is a significant step up, the targeting of a Hamas official, a significant Hamas
official inside Beirut.
And, of course, the timing of this is also raising concern tomorrow. We are expecting to hear from the Secretary General of the Iran-backed Hezbollah
group, again separate from Hamas. But we are expecting to hear from Hassan Nasrallah speaking tomorrow.
He has in the past previously warned that if Beirut were to come under attack, Hezbollah would launch an attack on Israeli territory, even on one
occasion warning to attack Tel Aviv. So, that will certainly raise alarm bells over the potential for, again, this conflict to escalate more broadly
into the region. Of course, this will mark a deeply worrying development.
We are still getting more details, as you mentioned, at least four people reportedly killed so far but again, the fact that a senior Hamas official
is now confirmed to have been killed that will certainly be raising alarm bells around the region. Zain.
ASHER: All right, Nada Bashir, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, I want to turn now to a bombshell decision by Israel's Supreme
Court, which has struck down a controversial government plan to limit the powers of the judiciary.
[12:10:00]
This is certainly an unprecedented move. It could, of course, reignite some of the fierce political tensions we've seen throughout last year in the
country, but reignite them during a time of war. I want to go straight now to our Elliott Gotkine who's been covering this story from Tel Aviv. So,
Elliott, of course, this is a huge political blow to Netanyahu, but the fact that the ruling was so close, eight to seven, that is noteworthy, as
well.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST (on-camera): There are a lot of noteworthy angles to this, not least the fact this is the first time ever that the
Supreme Court has struck down a basic law or an amendment to a basic law, which is the closest thing Israel has to a constitution. And before October
the 7th, this was the main thing on the minds of Israelis.
There were protests every single week. This was the main focus of attention. This judicial overhaul. Obviously, everything changed since
October the 7th. But in this New Year's Day ruling, the judicial overhaul has once again taken the limelight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOTKINE (voice-over): It was a bombshell. In an 8-7 ruling, Israel's Supreme Court struck down legislation that removed its powers to throw out
government decisions on the grounds of reasonableness. It rejected the amendment because of the severe and unprecedented blow it represented to
the core characteristic of Israel as a democratic state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had argued the change was required to restore the balance of power between the executive and the court. The law
was the first of a multi-pronged government plan to weaken the judiciary to be passed by the Knesset last year.
The Supreme Court's decision could now reopen the deep divisions in Israeli society that saw the country convulsed by months of protests and even fears
of civil war. With Israel now almost three months into an actual war, after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks of October the 7th, those divisions had
felt a lifetime away.
Indeed, Justice Minister Yariv Levine, the architect of the government's judicial overhaul plans, assailed the timing of the court's decision,
saying it was the opposite of the unity the country now demanded. Strange as the timing of the Supreme Court's decision may appear, it had no choice.
Two of its justices had officially retired three months ago but had until this month to submit their final ruling. When the reform was introduced
last year, massive crowds regularly took to the streets to decry Prime Minister Netanyahu's plans, which they saw as a serious threat to the
country's democracy.
In Israel, which has no written constitution, the Supreme Court serves as one of the only checks on the executive and legislative branches of
government. In an interview with CNN in July, Netanyahu rejected the notion the overhaul posed a threat to democracy, but declined to say whether he
would abide by a Supreme Court ruling that went against him.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We'll go into uncharted territory and I really would like to believe that they won't do that. And
the reason is that, first of all, we're all subject to the rule of law. The Prime Minister is subject to the rule of law. The Knesset, our Parliament,
is subject to the rule of law. The judges are subject to the law. Everybody is subject to the law.
GOTKINE (voice-over): The closed decision marks a major loss for a Prime Minister still facing a corruption trial and outrage for failing to prevent
the Hamas-led massacres of October the 7th. But with no end in sight to the war in Gaza, Netanyahu has more pressing concerns than another spat with
the Supreme Court. That fight will be for another day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOTKINE (on-camera): And it just shows how times have changed since October the 7th, when there were warnings of civil war going on in the country.
This ruling by the Supreme Court really just being taken in everyone's stride, the focus very much still on this war. Political Analyst at Hebrew
University, Reuven Hazan --I spoke with him earlier. He said, putting it like this, if we didn't have the war with Hamas, we would have had an
internal war, and we've avoided that. Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, the country certainly does have bigger fish to fry right now. Elliott, so just in terms of other news that we've gotten,
Israel is going to appear before the International Court of Justice in The Hague to contest South Africa's accusations of genocide. What more can you
tell us about that?
GOTKINE: Yeah, this was South Africa saying that Israel's actions, either by omissions or its actions, are -- amount to genocidal intentions. Israel
has vociferously pushed back against those accusations. Prime Minister Netanyahu commenting that, you know, where were you, South Africa, when,
you know, people in Yemen or Syria were being killed or displaced in their hundreds of thousands. You didn't say anything then.
So, this is all really just vanity and lies. In his words, a spokesman for the Prime Minister earlier today saying, how tragic it is that the Rainbow
Nation that prides itself on fighting racism will be fighting pro bono for anti-Jewish racists, adding that they will be abetting the modern heirs of
the Nazis.
[12:15:00]
And so, I think Israel will defend itself very vigorously there, both in legal terms and in terms of what it's actually doing in the Gaza Strip. In
fact, it's made the point several times that it's not Israel that is committing genocide, but in fact, it's what happened on October the 7th
that was genocide, Hamas' attacks on Israel in which it killed, well, led the massacres of more than 1200 people and kidnapped more than 200.
So, it'll be saddening to see the arguments as they unfold. Israel and South Africa are both a party to the convention on genocide. But any
decision would take quite some time to come through. But it will be certainly an interesting aspect to this war, which continues to rumble on
between Israel and Hamas and the Gaza Strip, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Elliott Gotkine, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, Ukraine's foreign minister is urgently calling on the country's
allies to speed up their deliveries of more air defense systems and ammunition after Russia unleashed a barrage of attacks overnight.
At least five people were killed, dozens more injured in the missile and drone strikes, which officials say mainly targeted the capital, Kyiv, and
also the eastern city of Kharkiv, as well.
Clare Sebastian is following these developments from London. So Clare, here you have Dmitro Kuleba saying, listen, we desperately need help, especially
given the fact that Russia has stepped up its attack significantly, as Putin promised that it would. Walk us through what Ukraine really needs at
this point in time. This is going to be a very difficult year for them.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Yeah, I think, look, it's clear over the last five days that this air war has really stepped up in
earnest. And even before that, Ukraine was saying that air defense missiles and systems were its top priority. And the NATO chief warned at the
beginning of December that Russia had been stockpiling missiles ahead of a possible winter attack.
So this, we did expect, perhaps was coming. This was something Ukraine was extremely worried about. And now, over the past five days, President
Zelenskyy says that Russia has fired more -- 500 drones and missiles at Ukraine. So, that is a significant uptake. And with every attack, those air
defense missiles will be depleted.
Now, having said that, the air defense forces in Ukraine had significant successes in Tuesday's attacks. The head of the armed forces saying to CNN
in an exclusive comment that Ukraine had managed to shoot down all Kinjal missiles. These are these much vaunted ballistic missiles. Russia calls
them hypersonic. Putin himself had said that they were unstoppable.
Take a look at this comment from Valery Zaluzhnyi, the Commander in Chief of Ukraine's army.
VALERY ZALUZHNYI, COMMANDER IN CHIEF, UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES (through translator): Today, the Air Force of Ukraine has shot down 10 of 10 Russian
X-47M2 Kinzhal air defense missiles using Patriot surface-to-air missiles. This is a record. If these missiles had reached their targets, the
consequences would have been catastrophic.
I thank our servicemen for their work, and I thank our partners for their air defense systems. There is no reason to believe that the enemy will stop
here. That is why we need more systems and ammunition for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN (on-camera): So, echoing what we were talking about from Dmitro Kuleba, the foreign minister, using these attacks essentially to show the
West what Ukraine is up against and how vulnerable they are going into the New Year, especially as we see the deadlock still there in Congress over
providing more aid.
So, that is the situation on the ground. Zain, I think it's clear that the strategy from Russia is, as we've seen over the past -- now some 22 months,
is attrition, essentially, trying to exhaust Ukraine. President Putin's comments on Monday literally laying out the amount of artillery ammunition
that Ukraine can fire versus how much its allies can produce shows that that strategy is very much front and center. He's trying to exploit the
hesitation we see from Ukraine's allies.
ASHER: All right Clare Sebastian, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to come. Less than two weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses.
We'll talk about just how much Iowa matters and where things stand with the Republican hopefuls. Do they have time to beat Trump?
And later this hour, we are following today's court hearing involving the sexual assault probe against the former Spanish Football Federation chief.
That story next.
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[12:22:04]
ASHER: All right, dozens of names linked to the late child -- accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein could be made public as soon as today. Court
documents set to be released soon are expected to reveal the identities of some of Epstein's alleged associates and some of his victims, as well.
Until now, they've been known as John and Jane Doe's. It's important to note that inclusion on this list does not necessarily mean the person
committed a crime.
I want to bring in CNN's Kara Scannell covering this story. Just explain to us, Kara, why are these names being made public and what could we end up
learning today, or at least this week?
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): Yes, Zain. So, these names are all part of a civil lawsuit that was brought by one of Epstein's
accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre. And as part of this litigation, there was a lot of documents that was collected.
There were depositions that were taken, and that lawsuit was eventually settled. But news organizations had asked for the unsealing of many of
these records and some of the names in it, which had been kept private because these individuals were private.
Now, because there's been so much litigation about Jeffrey Epstein including the public file and conviction of his former girlfriend,
Ghislaine Maxwell, a lot of the material has come into the public records. The judge is saying that in many of these cases, these identities are
already public, so it's fair to make the documents that incorporate their names public, as well.
So, it could be a number of people that have been accused of being, you know, associates in Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking operation. It could also
be some employees who worked for him where there's no salacious allegation against them. And it could also be some of these accusers. You know, there
were depositions taken in this lawsuit, other people making accusations. So, all of this will come to light.
Now, it's not really clear since so much information has come out, what new we will learn, but it -- there is certainly more to be told about Jeffrey
Epstein's sordid life over 20 years of -- is the time span of when these accusations that he assaulted minors and underage kids had taken place.
So, we'll be looking to see what new information we learn. We expect there to be some high profile names because Giuffre has made public accusations
against Prince Andrew, against Alan Dershowitz, an attorney, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell and the former governor of Texas, Bill Richardson -
- they all denied any wrongdoing.
They denied ever knowing her or sexually assaulting her, though, you know, she did sue Prince Andrew. He did agree to a settlement, and he paid what
they said was a substantial amount to a charity that Giuffre had selected.
So, we might learn some more information about anyone else that may have mentioned any of these men. If there was more documents that would reveal,
you know, calendar entries, things of that nature. So, we really won't know what it is until we see it. And we're told that this will be coming public
as soon as this week. Zain.
ASHER: All right, Kara Scannell, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, in just two weeks, Republicans in Iowa will cast their votes in
support of a presidential nominee. The Iowa caucuses have so much riding on them because they come first and a win there can really give a candidate
the momentum they need to propel their candidacy forward.
[12:25:00]
But with Donald Trump dominating in the polls, in fact, a recent CBS poll showed him at 58 percent. How much can the other Republican candidates do
in the next 14 days to really change that?
Candidate Ron DeSantis has spent considerable time in Iowa visiting all 99 counties, but was recently polling at 22 percent. And the Iowa airwaves
have been filled with attack ads between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis as well, but neither of them daring to take a direct swipe at Donald Trump
himself.
Let's get more perspective on this. Joining us live now is CNN Political Commentator, S.E. Cupp. S.E. thank you so much for being with us. So, are
voters' opinions already solidified at this point? You've only got two weeks left. Who still needs convincing?
S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, in Iowa, in fact, especially being a caucus state, it's sort of infamous for being a bit unpredictable.
And that's in part because voters can change the registration that night. So, you know, the Republican state party allows independents, for example,
to go in and change the registration to Republican that night if they want to vote for Republicans. There are more independence registered in Iowa
than Republicans.
So, it is sort of anyone's guess. We can look at the polling. We know that Trump is far ahead in his lead and DeSantis and Haley are really kind of
duking it out for second. Now there are consequences that are different for both DeSantis and Haley, depending on those outcomes. But I think they are
turning on each other because they realize, essentially, they are fighting for second in that state.
ASHER: Okay. So, is that still the smart strategy? Them going after each other, them not, I mean, still this late in the game, still deciding that
they're not going to attack Donald Trump directly. Is that still a smart strategy two weeks out?
CUPP: This was never a smart strategy, if you ask me. These folks are never going to get the MAGA voters. This idea that there are two parallel
campaigns here -- one that is after the MAGA voters who are completely allegiance to Trump and nobody else, and that they can also run another
campaign, sort of side by side, going after independents, moderates, this effect of Republicans -- that just doesn't -- that doesn't exist.
They should, I think, have started attacking Trump earlier and going after everyone else, because the MAGA base is certainly loyal and rabid, but it
is also condensing. So, I think at this stage in the game, they are smart to continue the strategy, however bad it's been because it is too late at
this point to start peeling Trump voters off.
ASHER: What's interesting though is that polling shows that some people, obviously not the MAGA people that you talk about, but some people are open
to a Trump alternative. So, there is still a tiny, tiny chance here. They obviously haven't been convinced by the candidates that are on the table.
How do the likes of Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis change that two weeks out?
CUPP: Yeah, again, two weeks out, right? It's really close and a little late. Nikki Haley has a very interesting strategy. She, unlike Rhonda
DeSantis has not put all of her eggs in Iowa. She's sort of spread her resources out a bit more, but she has been focusing on Iowa.
Interestingly, they are not going to target independent voters in that state. They don't think they're winnable and they don't think that
independent voters come out on caucus day to vote. I would think, if I were her strategist, then Nikki Haley is actually a very appealing candidate for
independent voters.
And I would have advised her to specifically target those voters in Iowa and other states. We'll see if that strategy, you know, pans out if
targeting just Republicans, again, who are mostly elected for Trump, is a winning strategy.
ASHER: So, if Trump wins Iowa, is it effectively over? I mean at that point can we all just go home and accept who the nominee is going to be?
CUPP: Well, for me, it's been pretty clear for a while that Trump is likely to be the nominee. But we've got Iowa, as you mentioned at the top, you
know, getting some momentum out of Iowa has historically been important. Going into New Hampshire, where Nikki Haley is expected to do well, and
then you've got her home state of South Carolina, of course, anything could happen. And there are a lot of voters out there looking for a Trump
alternative.
So, this is a long race -- it's still a race until November. You know, I don't think we should all just go home after Iowa, no matter what happens.
[12:30:00]
But certainly there needs to be a shake-up and a condensing of the field, if anyone's going to have a chance at swinging at Trump.
ASHER: You point out that Ron DeSantis has put so much of his resources and time and energy in Iowa. His entire strategy really hinges on Iowa at this
point in time. If he doesn't do well there, then what happens? What's Plan B for him?
CUPP: This is always a tricky strategy. Rudy Giuliani did this before he was kind of a lunatic. When he was running for president, he decided
Florida was where he was going to live and campaign from. That did not work out. He didn't even win Florida.
But certainly if Ron DeSantis pulls out a very big night in Iowa, that will have been a good strategy. And it will finally give him some momentum. He
has not found momentum over the course of this campaign. It has been bad headline after bad headline, maybe an uptick and then another bad headline.
He's really struggled to find his footing. So, an Iowa win for him would be huge.
ASHER: Yeah, and worth noting that whatever happens in Iowa will affect New Hampshire. I mean, America loves winners, right? That's one thing I've
learned from living in this country for 15 years. Americas -- America loves winners. So, we'll see how much Iowa affects what happens in New Hampshire,
Nevada, South Carolina, as well. S.E. Cupp, thank you so much. We appreciate you being with us. Thank you so much. We'll be right back with
much more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher. Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka is playing tennis again after taking a
break from the sport for about a year.
The 26-year-old spent her time away prioritizing her mental health, taking care of herself, and she also became a mother in July. She resumed play on
Monday by winning her match in the first round of the Brisbane International. Osaka says she appreciates her fans cheering her on.
[12:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAOMI OSAKA, FOUR-TIME GRAND SLAM CHAMPION: I feel like the last couple of years that I played before -- you know, I had my daughter -- I didn't
return as much love as I was given, so I really feel like that's what I want to do in this chapter. I just really appreciate people coming out and
people knowing me and cheering for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Osaka will next face Karolina Pliskova in the second round. All right, Spanish Women's World Cup Star Jenni Hermoso testified in a Madrid
court today behind closed doors against former Spanish Football Federation Chief Luis Rubiales.
An investigating magistrate in Spain's national court is looking into the case against Rubiales after he kissed Hermoso after Spain's World Cup
victory last August. Hermoso said the kiss was unexpected and not consensual.
CNN's World Sport Don Riddell joins us live now from Atlanta. What did she say? What did Jenni Hermoso say, Don, in the hearing today? I understand
that she says it went well, but what did she say specifically during her testimony?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, Zain, good to see you. Happy New Year.
ASHER: Happy New Year.
RIDDELL: We don't know exactly what she said because it was held behind closed doors. We definitely have the gist of what was said. And as you say,
Hemoso said it went well. She was back in Madrid for this closed-door hearing today. As you have said, Luis Rubiales is facing two charges here,
sexual assault and sexual coercion.
There are also four other men who are kind of -- or rather a total of four, because the former coach is also facing a charge, as are two other Spanish
federation officials. This is what she said when she came out. She did speak briefly to the media and have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNI HERMOSO, SPANISH WOMEN'S WORLD CUP SOCCER STAR: Everything went well. I would just like to wish you a Happy New Year and the process will
continue its course. And I thank you for the support that you have shown many times for me and that everything goes great for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: So, the National Courts Prosecution Service did release a statement afterwards. They said that Hermoso had ratified what she had
previously told prosecutors, adding, "The kiss was unexpected and at no time was consensual. Following this incident, the situation experienced by
the victim, both from the flight back to Spain, as well as the stay on Ibiza at the hands of those under investigation was a harassment which
altered her normal life producing a situation of unrest and sadness."
Of course, we all remember this incident, Zain, and it totally overshadowed what was an extraordinary accomplishment by the Spanish team winning the
Women's World Cup beating England in the final last year.
But this incident happened during the medal presentation ceremony right after the game and that became the story -- that became the headline for
days if not weeks afterwards until Rubiales finally stepped down and it was such a tragedy because it totally overshadowed the women of their moment
and their achievement. And as we now know the story continues. The magistrate overseeing this case will decide at a later date whether or not
this can now go to trial.
ASHER: All right, Don Riddell, live for us there. Thank you so much. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:57]
ASHER: All right, I want to give you a quick update on the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says Israel bombarded its
headquarters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing several people, wounding a lot of others, as well. The group says about 14,000 people were
taken shelter there and also in an adjacent hospital. It describes scenes of chaos and of panic. CNN has contacted the Israel Defense Forces -- the
IDF for comment. All right. I want to talk about the historic ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court in a narrow eight to seven decision. The court struck
down a controversial change to limit the powers of the judiciary. What does that mean? This means that the top court will once again have the power to
declare government decisions unreasonable.
Of course, you remember that last year, we saw tens of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets almost every weekend to protest the
government's plans. A lot of them feared that by weakening and overhauling the judiciary and limiting the powers of the judiciary, that would damage
Israel's core character as a democratic nation.
The court's latest ruling deals a major blow to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his right-wing government, as well. Netanyahu, as I'm sure you
remember, is still facing a corruption trial, and a lot of Israelis blame him for failing to prevent the Hamas massacres on October the 7th.
And ordinarily, by the way, the court's decision would probably have sparked a lot of division in Israel, but the war against Hamas, rather, in
Gaza after the October 7th attacks has completely overshadowed it.
I want to bring in Ronen Bergman who's an Israeli journalist and also staff writer at "New York Times" Magazine. Ronen joins us live now. So, Ronen, a
huge blow to Netanyahu, but of course the country has bigger fish to fry right now. Just walk us through what has been the reaction among Israelis
to the course decision.
RONEN BERGMAN, STAFF WRITER, "NEW YORK TIMES" MAGAZINE: The reaction, even if you would ask me this before it was published, everyone in Israel could
draw down the reactions. Immediately, the ultra-right main components of Mr. Netanyahu's coalition and government launched an attack against the
Supreme Court with the peak today of one senior member of the coalition.
And parliamentarians said that, first, they will deal with Hamas, then they will deal with Hezbollah, and then they will deal with the Supreme Court,
as if the war between Israel and Hamas can be in any way compared to the relations between the coalition or the parliament or the government and the
Supreme Court.
And I think this statement that was not in any way pushed back by Mr Netanyahu, so far, I think, it reflects the amount and the depth and the
gravity of hatred and war that has been launched by the coalition against Mr. Netanyahu.
The opposition and much of the public has been, I think, very happy that the protest that you had mentioned before, hundreds of thousands marching
every week with the protests accelerating after the decision to diminish the power of the Supreme Court that has helped and that has brought an
outcome. It was one of the components that brought this outcome.
And some Israeli commentators said that following the horrific attack of October 7th and the court decision, it's the end of the so-called judicial
reform, which was in fact, an attempt by the coalition with Mr. Netanyahu to maintain the court power, limit their ability to criticize the executive
branch.
ASHER: You know, some people will have criticized the timing of this, saying that this is not the right time for this ruling to come down, but
there wasn't really much of a choice because you had two justices retiring, so they had to make the decision in January.
[12:45:00]
The fact that it was a very narrow ruling -- it was eight to seven. How significant and noteworthy is that, do you think?
BERGMAN: Yeah, well, it's significant, but I must say that this is not a, I would say a complete description of that ruling, because the main component
-- the main point of argument, which Mr. Netanyahu has raised again and again in interviews that he's giving to non-Israeli media, a county of
choice that he prefers to give interviews to rather than the Israeli media.
But he said that and his supporters, that the Supreme Court doesn't have the authority to cancel basic laws. And this was the point. And in that
point, it was an overall overwhelming majority of 12 judges that decided in complete contradiction to anything that Mr. Netanyahu and his supporters
and the coalition said.
So, on the specific law, it is indeed a very small margin, but on the authority of the court, on this, the death authority that exceeds the
ability of the parliament or the government to hurt human rights, to change legislation in a way that would serve only their parliamentarian and their
ministers, that has been decided by overwhelming majority. And I think this is a major defeat to anything this coalition was planning.
ASHER: And speaking of defeat -- political defeat for this coalition, I mean, obviously with Netanyahu, you've got a lot of people who blamed his
obsession or focus on overhauling the judiciary with the fact that the country may have taken its eyes off the ball and made the country
vulnerable for the attack on October 7th when it took place.
On top of that, he was Mr. Security. He was the guy who was supposed to protect the country against all eventualities. And then you had October
7th. And now you have this particular ruling that is a blow to Netanyahu, as I mentioned earlier. How does it impact Netanyahu politically going
forward, do you think?
BERGMAN: Well, I'm sure that it doesn't help. It seems that his coalition, his supporters, the Minister of Justice and others, and himself as well
have not changed much in their way. They maybe put some parts of this attempt to change the regime in Israel, not just the coalition or the
government, but the regime on hold as long as the war is going on.
But if you hear, if you read their statements, they said, as long as the war is going on, we should be united all other statements that basically
trying to justify not having any kind of criticism and not having any kind of court decision while the war is going on, basically just to delay that.
So they would not face the criticism.
I think, this is just another stone in a wall that is built against those initiatives, but also another pinpoint, another very important point on the
timeline of the disassemblement of this coalition. I don't know where it would happen, but I assume that once Israeli forces are out of Gaza -- and
I believe that they will be out of Gaza sooner than most people think, sooner than the Israeli army chief think. Then the focus will shift to
domestic Israel. And there will be a political havoc.
People that did not express their stronger position and frustration and anger, if not rage, towards Mr. Netanyahu and the catastrophe that he and
his policy have created in Israel, I think they will start demonstrating. And this will change the political scene. And I think I've said enough
about the future. I'm not very good with my optimism about life. Something distorts my ability to speak about the future.
ASHER: And actually, Ronen, before I let you go, I do have to ask you about some sort of breaking news that we got just before I came on air. And that
is there had been an IDF strike in southern Lebanon killing a Hamas leader, a Hamas political leader, one of the leaders of Hamas' political wing, who
was also the founding member of Hamas' military wing, Saleh al-Arouri. What more can you tell us about him and how significant it is, the fact that the
IDF -- there was an IDF assault that killed him?
BERGMAN: First of all, I'm not sure that it's confirmed that it was an IDF attack. You know, not that even it was an Israeli attack. And I don't want
to scoop myself. So, I think more will come when the hours progress. But what is, I think already declared by Hamas is that the Saleh al-Arouri was
the deputy leader of Hamas and the military commander of the West Bank.
[12:50:00]
One of the top five leaders of Hamas was indeed killed together with two other senior operatives of Hamas in Beirut. And they blame, of course --
they blame Israel. This -- if this is true, I'm sure that those Hamas statements were not given just if not vetted. This is a major, major
development in many different spheres and levels in the conflict. It's a senior Hamas member.
And it's taking place in Beirut where Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah said that this is off limit, this is all above, across
the line, that he will not tolerate assassinations in Beirut. Now, it's not that Hezbollah operating skill. My comrade of Mr. Nasrallah, and I'm sure
this will open a new chapter in this conflict, and I'm not sure that it will produce only good results in a few days.
ASHER: Right, I mean, as you pointed out, we're still waiting to get more information. The IDF, worth-noting, has not commented, but we will be
continuing to look into these reports. We have teams on the ground. All right, Ronen Bergman, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right, still ahead, a medical study documents a game-changing surgery for babies battling heart defects. You'll hear about the pioneering
procedure next.
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ASHER: All right, a new medical study is documenting something to be very hopeful about. A revolutionary surgery is using partial heart transplants
to fix life-threatening birth defects in babies. Take a look here, this is baby Owen, and at just 18 days old, he became the world's first patient to
undergo a partial heart transplant.
Meg Tirrell joins us with more on this life-saving procedure. Meg, just walk us through how this surgery is different. It sounds incredible.
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it really is. I mean, essentially what was available before this used donor, non-functioning
heart valves in order to help babies like Owen. And the problem with those is that they don't grow along with the child.
And so, the babies are faced with a future of having to get more and more surgeries over time as they grow and reach until they reach adulthood.
There's also only a 50 percent chance of survival with that method. And so, when Owen was only 18 days old, he was offered this chance with his family
to undergo this brand new procedure, this partial heart transplant.
Now, what this does is this uses donor functioning heart valves and arteries in order to fix the problem that's going on in the heart. And the
goal is that those donated parts of the heart should grow along with the child. The other thing that this procedure offers is the opportunity
potentially to save two infants with one donor heart.
[12:55:00]
Now, Owen underwent this procedure last spring. It was successful. He was discharged from the hospital. You can see him as a little baby there. He is
doing really well now. He is 20 months old. His parents say he's hitting all of his developmental milestones and this has been really successful for
him. So, a lot of hope here, both for Owen and for other babies born with these kinds of heart problems.
ASHER: I mean, it's incredible, especially the fact that he is healthy and everything is going well at this point in time. So, just give us a quick
overview about what this means for other babies with the same conditions.
TIRRELL: Well, the doctor that did this technique, Duke's Dr. Joseph Turek, says this could help hundreds of babies per year. They've already done it
on an additional 12. He says this does need to be proven out with more surgeries to show it can be done for more, but the hope is it can really
help a lot more kids.
ASHER: All right, Meg Tirrell, live for us there. Thank you so much. That does it for this hour of "One World". I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for
watching. Amanpour is up next.
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