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South Africa Begins COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign; Winter Storms Delay U.S. Vaccine Distribution and Inoculations; Millions in Texas Left without Power for Days; Myanmar Protesters Return to Streets; Facebook Blocks Australian Users from News; NASA Rover to Land on Mars Thursday. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired February 18, 2021 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, a humanitarian crisis, as millions are still without power following a rare deep freeze in Texas.

Britain's Prince Philip is in the hospital, the husband of Queen Elizabeth was admitted after not feeling well.

And people in Australia can no longer find news on Facebook. We will explain.

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CHURCH: Good to have you with us.

We start this hour with the long-awaited coronavirus vaccine rollout in South Africa. Health care workers there are now starting to get the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That is after the government hit pause on the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns it wasn't effective against the more infectious South African variant.

South Africa has recorded 1.5 million COVID cases and, on Wednesday, its president was among the first to roll up his sleeve to get the vaccine. We now turn to our David McKenzie, who is live at a hospital in Soweto, South Africa.

David, talk to us about the progress of this rollout and the significance of it there in South Africa.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is a truly significant moment, Rosemary. This Johnson & Johnson vaccine was administered yesterday for the first time. We were there where nurses and doctors are going around the hospital, receiving their single dose.

Today behind me you can see more medical professionals coming in, around 200 will be vaccinated at this site. It's very good news that this vaccine works against the variant discovered in South Africa.

But there's still a long road to, go and I'm joined here by Professor Shabir Madhi, who's the dean of the Witwatersrand Medical School. He also ran the Oxford AstraZeneca trial.

Professor Madhi, thank you for joining us.

Why is this a significant moment for South Africa?

DR. SHABIR MADHI, WITWATERSRAND MEDICAL SCHOOL: Well, I think it's important that South Africa start vaccinating because it's one of the most affected countries on the entire African continent, in terms of the number of cases that have been reported, as well as the number of deaths that have occurred from COVID-19 in addition to which the health care worker vicinity has been massively impacted with the virus.

Based on our own studies at this very hospital, health care workers have been working in the COVID-19 wards, looking after patients with COVID-19, close under 50 percent of them were directly infected during the course of the first wave and that trigger has probably increased up to a subsequent resurgence.

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MCKENZIE: Fifty percent, so it shows you how people are in harm's way. We spoke to a nurse yesterday, who said they are so happy to get this because they can protect their families. But there is a long road to go.

With the AstraZeneca vaccine, you were in charge of that study. What did it feel like when you saw the effect of this variant on that vaccine?

MADHI: Yes, certainly massively disappointing but probably not completely unpredictable because what we had already shown prior to us doing the analysis was that even first natural infection of the antibody that can induce this particular variant (INAUDIBLE) antibody. And for all intents and purposes, first infection of the coronavirus (ph) did not protect against mild or moderate infection from this variant that's currently circulating South Africa.

So with the AstraZeneca study, before we did analysis, we had done some legwork also which indicated to us that, unfortunately, the antibody that had been induced by the vaccine, that the (INAUDIBLE) was resistant to those antibodies.

MCKENZIE: It seems like it's a race between the variants, not just here in South Africa but they're discovered several in the U.S. recently and in the U.K. of course. And the vaccines itself. South Africa will be sending these vaccines to the African Union to distribute.

Will they be effective, given that this variant is widely circulating on the continent? MADHI: I think we need to become more targeted in terms of who we designate the vaccine for. I still think there's potential in terms of the AstraZeneca vaccine, being able to put that against severe disease due to the variant, based on (INAUDIBLE) of findings of the Johnson & Johnson study as well as the commonality in terms of the technology between these two vaccines and immune responses.

The problem with the South African study is that we had a relatively young age group demographic and they weren't (INAUDIBLE) development of severe disease. So the South African study wasn't able to address the question as to whether the AstraZeneca vaccine would protect against severe disease. And I think it's an important issue to sort out immediately.

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MADHI: So as these vaccines are deployed to high-risk groups, we've been able to do the effectiveness studies to be able to determine in a relatively short space of time where do the vaccine probably (ph) protects against severe disease.

MCKENZIE: South African scientists locally have been praised for working quickly to figure out the science and understanding the variant.

Do you feel South Africa has been unfairly punished in a way because variants are popping up all over the place?

MADHI: Absolutely. I think anyone believes that this variant hasn't disseminated into many other countries is being naive about it. The reality in the African context with the amount of traffic between South Africa and other countries in all likelihood, this variant has dispersed around southern Africa.

Unfortunately, there isn't much sequencing that's done in many parts of Africa, so they wouldn't have been able to identify it.

Same thing holds true for many high income countries. We've already seen this variant now being identified in 35 countries, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. in many of these countries, including the United States, they've established community transmission, which means that this variant has seeded.

And it might well be that they start experiencing many sort of outbreaks related to this variant, particularly (INAUDIBLE) the most vaccines or at least added to the resistance (INAUDIBLE) virus.

MCKENZIE: Thank you very much, Professor Madhi.

You know, Rosemary, it shows that this is a marathon and not a sprint. The vaccine developers are working on boosting these vaccines. Just yesterday, Pfizer said that, in fact, though it is less effective, it still does neutralize antibodies in lab tests for this particular variant.

But the good news, is there's a vaccine that works in South Africa and they're using it right now, today, and for many weeks ahead on health care workers.

CHURCH: Indeed, the beginning of the end, that's what we want to. See David McKenzie, joining us live from Soweto, many thanks.

Just a short time ago, Dr. Anthony Fauci weighed in on the variants. He told CNN that vaccines appear to be effective against the strain found in the U.K. but not as much against the one detected in South Africa.

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FAUCI: The South African isolate, the 351 isolate, is a little bit of a different story. The efficacy of the vaccines induced by both the Moderna and Pfizer have diminished multiple fold but they're such a cushion of efficacy at the level of antibodies that are induced that, even with that diminution, which there is some, for sure, with both of the vaccines, even with that diminution, there is enough protection to be able to protect against mild to moderate disease, not as well as you would protect against any disease. But the good news is that it protects very well against severe disease.

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CHURCH: Dr. Fauci added that the variants are creating challenges but said they must be addressed to avoid a surge in infections.

Joining me now is Dr. Murtaza Akhter, an emergency physician with Valleywise Health Medical Center and assistant professor at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine in Phoenix.

Thank, you Doctor, for talking with, us and for all that you do.

DR. MURTAZA AKHTER, VALLEYWISE HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you for having me, Rosemary.

CHURCH: We are now learning the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are all effective against COVID mutations, including perhaps to a lesser extent the South African variant.

How much confidence does that give you, that we can get on top of these variants before infections start trending back up again?

AKHTER: Yes, that's a great question. We were really hoping that there wouldn't be mutations that would affect vaccination effectiveness and that we would vaccinate people quickly enough that we could reach herd immunity before severe mutations happened.

As of now, it looks like the vaccines are still very effective and even with the variants, they should do great work in terms of at least reducing severe infections, which is the most important thing.

But it really is a race because the vaccine is a very smart virus. The virus evolves very rapidly. It's an RNA virus and the longer we wait to vaccinate people, the more chance we give it then (INAUDIBLE) the vaccine doesn't work. So it really is a race against the clock. I'm confident we can do it. But it's more than just a vaccine. There's still distancing and masks. And those people (ph) are really a long way from beating the virus.

CHURCH: Right, exactly, we can't emphasize that enough, wear the mask, wear two masks, if you need to.

But as you, say it's a race against time. But then there is this winter storm slowing down shipments of vaccines across the U.S. But once that storm passes and inoculations get back on track, many doctors are saying the U.S. needs to have a plan to administer 2 million to 3 million people a day.

They haven't reached that point just yet.

How can they get that done?

AKHTER: Yes, that's kind of a herculean effort, right?

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AKHTER: But the president has been trying to coordinate an effort where every state has the resources it needs to be able to vaccinate those people and I think the national coordinated effort is really what it takes to get then supplies out to people, because one of the issues, there's multiple issues as you know.

Some of the vaccines require really cold freezers, which not everybody has. A lot of people need appointments, which are difficult to coordinate. As you mentioned, it's the middle of the winter. Multiple states have been crushed.

You can imagine, if there isn't power to even heat your house, like in so much of Texas and other places, how are you going to be able to have power to have a subzero freezer holding a vaccine?

So remember, just like the virus, nature plays a big role in affecting how well humans can beat this disease. So it really takes a big, large coordinated effort in order to get that many people vaccinated, even after the storm passes.

CHURCH: Absolutely. And shifting messages on the vaccination of teachers is causing a lot of confusion. First the CDC said it wasn't necessary to get all teachers vaccinated before opening schools. Then President Biden told CNN Tuesday night he thinks teachers should get priority. By Wednesday, the White House was clarifying that point. There are 4 million teachers in America.

Why not just get them all vaccinated and open up all the schools?

AKHTER: I suppose I'm a little bit biased because my wife is a teacher and she hasn't been vaccinated yet, because she isn't a health care worker like I am. I'd love for every teacher to be vaccinated. I consider them frontline workers. I'm not sure there's anyone who doesn't consider them frontline workers. They are educating the people who are the most important to society, our children, who will grow up and end up leading the country and the economy.

So I think it'll be really great to up triage, if I can use that word, teachers, in order to get them vaccinated. There are a lot of people who say the elderly and immunocompromised should be the first. And I agree with that. Teachers are generally a little bit healthier and younger. But not all of them are.

And regardless, they are in front of our children. So not only do we need to protect the teachers, we also want to confer that protection to the children they're teaching. So I completely agree that we should move teachers up in the phase in order to get them vaccinated.

I think that would basically be a win-win for everyone. But again, it's a matter of coordinating that to be able to get everybody vaccinated and that can be a challenge. I hope we get there, we have the vaccine, which is miraculous enough in and of itself. We just need to get it out there to people.

CHURCH: Yes, a lot of kids suffering, not being in the classroom, learning their, lessons, falling behind. Dr. Murtaza Akhter, many thanks. Appreciate it.

AKHTER: Thank you for having me.

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CHURCH: Britain's Prince Philip is in the hospital after feeling ill for a few days, Buckingham Palace is stressing it's a precautionary measure for Queen Elizabeth's 99 year old husband. CNN's Max Foster has details now from London.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Prince Philip arrived at the hospital here in central London on Tuesday but the palace is emphasizing it was not an emergency admission. He was driven here; it wasn't an ambulance and he walked into the hospital unaided.

This is just a precautionary measure, according to the palace. It is not COVID related. All we know is that he was feeling unwell for a number of days, and his doctor advised him to go into the hospital to be observed and to get some rest.

The queen remains back in Windsor, where the couple have spent much of the pandemic but they are being cautious here, trying not to worry people by laying down some of the language that they have put in statements here.

But he is 99 years old. He is due to be 100 in the summer, so they are being cautious. That seems to be the reading all the statement and information we've been getting from the palace -- Max Foster, CNN, London.

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CHURCH: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, millions of people in Texas are spending another night in the freezing cold, without electricity, where people struggling to survive. We will discuss. And later on, Facebook blocks users in Australia from finding or

sharing the news. We will explain what's the feud is all about. Stay with us on CNN. Back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Millions of people in the U.S. state of Texas are still without electricity after a severe winter storm sent temperatures plunging. The deadly deep freeze literally has people struggling to survive.

Water treatment plants across the state are crippled and nearly 7 million people are being told to boil their water. Many are going to extremes just to keep warm, one family burning their child safety gates to bring some heat to their home.

Others are huddling in their cars or warming centers. The arctic blast has fast has forced coronavirus testing and vaccination sites to close and forecasters don't expect the temperatures to get above freezing until at least Friday. CNN's Camila Bernal reports from Dallas.

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CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Unlivable conditions in Texas. Frozen pipes bursting, flooding homes in bitter temperatures.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): Right now there still remains about 10,000 megawatts that is off the grid and as a result is not contributing to power in the state.

BERNAL (voice-over): Substantial relief is still days away as more than 3 million remain without power. Utility companies are shut down unable to generate electricity.

TRICIA LANCASTER, TEXAS RESIDENT: We knew for a week that this was coming. So if we knew for a week that this was coming why weren't we ready? Our house is 32 degrees inside. We're worried about the pipes.

BERNAL (voice-over): Linda Shoemaker was forced to take her 101-year- old mother to this warming shelter overnight.

LINDA SHOEMAKER, TEXAS RESIDENT: As a mother, you know, you could freeze in the middle of the night so we had to find someplace to go.

BERNAL (voice-over): The mayor of hard-hit Austin says Texas should have been better prepared.

MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D-TX), AUSTIN: The community right now that is scared and frustrated, confused, angry and I am too. BERNAL (voice-over): Governor Greg Abbott says the dangerous lack of power is not the state government's fault but a failure by ERCOT, the state's largest power grid management organization.

ABBOTT: ERCOT stands for Electric Reliability Council of Texas. And they showed that they were not reliable.

BERNAL (voice-over): Some 90 percent of the lone star state's power is managed by ERCOT. Alone electric council operates mostly independent of other federal power grids and thus mostly alone in its efforts to restore power quickly and safely.

BILL MAGNESS, CEO, ERCOT: The operators acted with judgment based on their training to prevent an event that would have been even more catastrophic than the terrible things we've seen this week.

BERNAL (voice-over): ERCOT says the bulk of the blackouts are due to oil and gas plants shutting down in the cold.

ABBOTT: About 19,800 megawatts of gas power generation is still offline because of either mechanical issues or the lack of the supply of gas.

BERNAL (voice-over): But Abbott isn't letting his state's lucrative fossil fuel industry take all the blame.

ABBOTT: Our wind and our solar got shut down and they were collectively more than 10 percent of our power grid. It just shows that fossil fuel is necessary for the state of Texas as well as other states.

BERNAL: And just to give you the big picture, 70 percent of the population here in the state of Texas is still under a winter weather alert.

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BERNAL: People are cold. They are frustrated. And they want answers as to whether this situation is going to get better. But the White House and FEMA say they are tracking this situation.

FEMA already provided generators and say they are bringing diesel to support the infrastructure here, things like hospitals and the water supply. And also at the request of the state of Texas, they are bringing water and blankets.

But Texans say that is not enough. What they want is the state and officials to really figure out how to get their power back and how to get it back as soon as possible -- in Dallas, Texas, I'm Camila Bernal -- back to you.

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CHURCH: Thanks to Camila Bernal for that report.

The winter storm gripping much of the U.S. caused President Biden to postpone a visit to Michigan in the coming day. CNN's Kaitlan Collins has more on the White House response.

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KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The winter storms in Texas have been so devastating, even the White House is weighing in after President Biden called the governors of several states, not just Texas, several others, that were affected by this.

But it was a subject that came up at the White House briefing on Wednesday, when the White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about this. She says that she believes that this is another point to why they need to build new infrastructure, create parts of it that are based on renewable energy, so you do not have a situation like what we are seeing so many Texans currently live through.

She also pushed back on this idea that you have seen, floated by some people in Texas, some Republican lawmakers, that things like frozen wind turbines are to blame for what is going on.

She disputed that point and says that it actually has more to do with coal and gas and less with those wind turbines and talked about that matter as well.

But you can see how just far-reaching this crisis is, given what is going on and what the people in Texas are living through. Even the White House is weighing in and FEMA is sending supplies to the state and we will wait to see just how extensive the White House response to this is going to be, given we expect it to last for several more days -- Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

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CHURCH: Joining me now is Yasmine Smith. She is the director of Justice and Advocacy for the Austin area Urban League in Texas.

Thank you so much for talking with us.

YASMINE SMITH, URBAN LEAGUE, AUSTIN, TEXAS: Thank you for having me.

CHURCH: So this winter storm has knocked out power for more than three days, leaving the most vulnerable to fend for themselves. And you have been helping people find alternative shelter after they have lost power and heating.

How difficult has that been?

And what are some of the major challenges that people are facing right now?

SMITH: It has been extremely difficult, from, you know, building trust with individuals that have historically been oppressed, even building that trust for them to leave their encampments. Our unhoused neighbors was a hurdle we had to face.

Once we built that trust and were able to move people, the very transportation, because our vehicles were not equipped, we were not equipped to be doing this.

CHURCH: Yasmine, while you've been dealing with that, you are in your office now where you do have power. But at home you lost power and heating.

How have you've been coping with that, knowing that there is no timeline here for when power might be restored?

SMITH: I actually had to be rescued by some of the same individuals that I have been coordinating to rescue others. It is very traumatic to be boots on ground in this manner and also be very afraid for your own safety. In my home, it was below 30 degrees. I did not have power. And it was a very scary place to be.

CHURCH: Yes, I totally understand that and, of course, Texas governor Greg Abbott is blaming everyone but himself, pointing the finger at ERCOT, the company that runs most of the state's power grid, even trying to score political points by attacking renewable energy, when we all know it is the frozen equipment of oil and gas plants that is the main reason for this power loss.

What is your reaction to the governor not taking responsibility for this?

And why do you think Texas was not better prepared for this winter storm?

SMITH: This is not the time to be pointing fingers. This is a time to be looking at what you have around you and making sure your neighbors are OK. And it would be a -- such a disappointing failure if we, as Texas, did not grow and learn from this experience so it should not happen again in the future.

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CHURCH: And what is the biggest concern that you have, for the next few days, as people try to survive?

This

SMITH: I am worried especially about our unhoused neighbors, who, for some reason, could not get into some type of shelter, having gone back to those encampments. I am worried about, I'm worried about families in their homes right now, under 30 degrees, 20 degrees, running out of food.

I am worried about how my city, that I love and is my hometown that I love so much, Austin, is going to survive and whether this storm, if we do not get some serious relief.

CHURCH: Yasmine Smith, we wish you all the best. Our hearts go out to you and all the people there across Texas that are trying to deal with this. We thank you so much for talking with us.

SMITH: Of course. Thanks for reporting out. CHURCH: Heartbreaking situation there. And we are hearing from those

in Texas but now we are also seeing just how disruptive and dangerous the situation has gotten across several states that are not used to the freezing temperatures.

In Louisiana, one woman shared this image with CNN. She filled two buckets with snow to make water since her taps and toilets have stopped running.

In Texas, this image shows border patrol agents rescuing one of 23 undocumented migrants exposed to the bitter cold there.

And animals are suffering as well. Game wardens rescued dozens of sea turtles from the frigid waters off the coast of Texas. They are trying to warm them up.

Coming up, we will explain why Facebook is blocking users in Australia from seeing and sharing the news.

And nightly internet blackouts are stopping the coup protesters from organizing. An update on Myanmar ahead.

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CHURCH: The U.N. secretary-general says rich countries are getting more than their fair share of the coronavirus vaccines. Some 130 countries have yet to receive a single dose. He echoed a call from Mexico for countries to stop hoarding vaccines and make distribution more equitable.

Mexico has struggled with its rollout, administering only about 750,000 doses so far.

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CHURCH: South Africa, as we reported at the start of this program, has just launched its own vaccination drive. Health care workers there are getting the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That's after the government suspended plans to use the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine over efficacy concerns.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was among the first to receive a dose.

A country with the second worst COVID outbreak in Latin America has now begun its vaccine program. Stefano Pozzebon has details now on the rollout in Colombia.

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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Colombia will commence vaccinations on Wednesday. It's a landmark moment for this country and there were moments there was eagerly expecting and awaited ever since the beginning of January, when the government granted emergency use authorization to the same Pfizer vaccine that will be dispensed commencing on Wednesday to more than a month for the vaccine to actually arrive in Colombia after the government granted the authorization.

The president, Ivan Duque, and his team have selected a nurse in a public hospital in the northern city of Sincelejo, in the rural department of Sucre, far away from the main cities, far away from the capital of Bogota.

This nurse in a public hospital, Veronica Machado, will be the first Colombian to receive the vaccine. And with this choice, Duque said he was trying to convene the message that the vaccine really is for everybody and there should not be barriers to accessing the vaccine.

On a press conference, late on Tuesday, President Duque again remarked that the vaccine will be dispensed free of charge and just many Colombians that should require, of course, priorities being given to health care workers and the elderly.

But the goal is to vaccinate up to 35 million Colombian citizens by the end of the year. And that is indeed a tough challenge ahead for Colombia, which is reaching these moments a few weeks after other countries in the region, like Brazil, Argentina or Chile, have already commenced vaccinations.

The government is adamant that they are high on their schedule and that they will respect their commitment. But with the worldwide shortage of the vaccine and the challenges in the supply chain of these price commodity, it is a very difficult challenge ahead for Duque and for all Colombians -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.

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CHURCH: Thousands of chanting demonstrators have returned to the streets of Yangon in Myanmar. The protests and civil disobedience strikes are hindering government business. The push against the coup has not died down, raising fears the military will respond with violence.

There have been nightly internet blackouts and the military has issued arrest warrants for six celebrities under an anti incitement law. They are accused of encouraging the strikes. Paula Hancocks has the latest. She joins us now live from Seoul.

Good to see you, Paula.

What more are you learning about what's going on in Myanmar?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know security forces on Wednesday did use some force against protesters in Mandalay. This according to the Reuters News Agency, who was on the ground.

They said that they believe that there were certain security forces firing into the crowds to disperse them. These particular crowds were railway workers who had actually blocked the railways to try and be part of the civil disobedience.

We saw similar things on Wednesday with cars, people pretending that their cars had broken, lifting the bonnet and telling police that they couldn't simply move along, so they were blocking the roads.

Now this is what we are being told by protesters on the ground, part of the creativity of this civil disobedience movement. They are determined to be, peaceful they are determined to stay out onto the streets, so and call for their democratically elected government to be back in power and for the military leadership to step down.

You mentioned 6 celebrities have been named as being on a wanted list an arrest warrant has been put out from the military. The reason for this is the military leadership say that they have been encouraging some of this civil disobedience, that they have been encouraging civil servants to not go to work, to come out onto the streets and protest against them.

An appeal code that they're using for this is one that effectively means you are not allowed to criticize the military. I spoke to the wife of one of the men on the list. She's an actress and she says that they are scared they're in hiding, so they can't be arrested. But they're also very angry about what's happening in their country -- Rosemary?

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CHURCH: All right, Paula Hancocks, keeping us up to date on what's happening in Myanmar from her vantage point in Seoul. Many thanks.

Australians who read a news article and want to share it on their Facebook page can no longer do so. The social media giant is now blocking news content in Australia, after the government proposed a law that would force tech platforms to pay for it. CNN's Angus Watson joins us now live from Sydney.

Good to see you, Angus. Like most things, this boils down to. Money and Australians are furious.

What is the latest on this?

ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: That's, right Rosemary. Like so many other places around the world, Facebook is almost an internet within the internet for Australian users. But those Australia users woke up on Thursday with no access to news on their Facebook feeds.

That comes as Facebook and the Australian government are in this very deep public war about who pays for news content. The Australian government is pushing through laws that it says will help news organizations recoup some of the money that they believe is owed to them from news content going on Facebook.

They believe that Facebook and Google as well should pay. That's resulted in Google signing deals with Australian news organizations. Facebook says it won't do it. So Facebook instead has pulled all news content from its site, saying that it's not a news platform and it doesn't need news to survive.

We had a statement today from news Facebook executive Campbell Brown, saying what the proposed law introduced in Australia fails to recognize the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers. Contrary to what some have suggested, Facebook does not steal news content. Publishers choose to share their stories on Facebook. I hope in the future we can include news from people in Australia once again.

So it took that drastic step today of pulling news content from its platform. But Australians here have said that there's been some overreach too and that Facebook has actually blocked non-news content, including things like domestic violence hotlines, fire and emergency services and even coronavirus information

That really has angered people in Australia and the government, including treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who had this to say on Thursday.

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JOSH FRYDENBERG, AUSTRALIAN MP AND TREASURER: The decision to block Australians' access to government sites, be they about support through the pandemic, mental health, emergency services, the Bureau of Meteorology, were completely unrelated to the media code, which is yet to pass through the senate.

What today's events do confirm for all Australians is the immense market power of these media digital giants.

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WATSON: So it's unsure when and if at all Facebook users in Australia will get the opportunity to have news on their site again. That raises serious concerns about what information or misinformation might exist when reputable news organizations have their content pulled off Facebook -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Exactly. Someone will take up that vacuum left behind. Angus Watson, many thanks for bringing us up to date on that story.

A NASA rover is nearing Mars. It could land on the Red Planet in just a matter of hours. Ahead, we will look at the mission and what you can expect when Perseverance touches down.

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CHURCH: In just a few hours from now, a NASA probe will try to land another rover on the surface of Mars. Sounds easy but NASA says it's one of the most difficult maneuvers it has to deal with. Kim Brunhuber breaks it down for us. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A preview of a perilous descent on the Red Planet after months traveling through space. It's what NASA describes as seven minutes of terror.

The U.S. space agency's Perseverance mission plunges into the Martian atmosphere at over 19,000 kilometers an hour. It breaks with tremendous force, lurching downwards as it endures temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Then it deploys a parachute and, at just the right moment, it releases a rover, rocketing toward a treacherous terrain.

MATT WALLACE, NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY: It all has to happen in about seven minutes. And it all has to happen autonomously. This is one of the most difficult maneuvers that we do in this space business.

Almost 50 percent of the spacecraft that have been sent to the surface of Mars failed. And so we know we have our work cut out for us.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): If the daring landing succeeds, NASA's Perseverance rover will touch down at Jezero crater, the site of a Martian lake more than 3.5 billion years ago. There, Perseverance will help prepare for human life in the future and search for signs of ancient life of the past.

It will also collect rock samples that will hopefully return to Earth for the very first time. The two-year mission is unlike any other, made possible by discoveries from NASA's four other rovers on Mars.

THOMAS ZURBUCHEN, NASA ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR SCIENCE: Our journey has been, from following the water, to seeing whether this planet was habitable to finding complex chemicals.

Now we are at the advent of an entirely new phase, returning samples, an aspirational goal that has been with the science community for decades.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Perseverance also promises new perspectives of the Red Planet. The rover has microphones and 23 cameras, can share sights and sounds never seen or heard before.

Also along for the ride, a drone-sized helicopter named Ingenuity. It will be the first to try flying on another planet. The new technology may help direct the Perseverance rover or even be a scout for future probes, as NASA's latest mission to Mars charts new realms of exploration -- Kim Brunhuber, CNN.

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CHURCH: Take a look at this massive crater in the Siberian tundra. The 30-meter hole appeared last year. But no one was really sure why; 16 similar craters have popped up in the same region since 2013.

Russian scientists recently flew a drone into the crater to investigate and have now released their findings. Their conclusion: methane gas. They believe climate change weakened the surface, making it easier for built-up methane to escape to the surface.

Thanks so much for watching, CNN NEWSROOM I'm Rosemary Church "WORLD SPORT" with Patrick Snell is. Next I will be back at the top of the. hour stay with us.