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Boeing 777 Grounded After Engine Failure; U.S. Coronavirus Death Tolls Nearing 500,000; Texas is Without Safe Drinking Water; U.S. Promises Firm Action Against, Military Says Protesters Will Suffer The Loss Of Life; Activists Hold Vigil For Protesters Killed By Police Gunfire; Leading Pro-Democracy Group Calls For Historic Protests. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 22, 2021 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST (on camera): Hi, welcome to all of our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. Thank you so much for joining me this hour. I'm Robyn Curnow, and I do want to get straight to our lead story.

The engine failure of the United Airlines flight from Denver is having some very serious consequences. Boeing wants all 777s' that use the same engine as that flight grounded. United Airlines has already done so, temporarily taking two dozen of their aircraft out of service.

And now, a team from the company that makes the engine will work with investigators to look into the flights engine failure. And I want you to take a look at this. This terrifying video of the engine on fire. U.S. regulators are ramping up inspections of that Pratt & Whitney engine.

Officials say the early examination shows two fan blades were fractured and the remaining blades show damage. The flight landed back in Denver with all 241 people on board safe. But here is what happened to the debris.

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Parts of that plane falling outside of a home in Colorado. Thankfully, fortunately, no one was hurt. Meanwhile, the repercussions of this incident are being felt on the other side of the globe. Japan is ordering all of its domestic airlines to temporarily stop operating Boeing 777's equipped with that same type of engine. Pete Muntean is following the story of the United Airlines incident and has the details on that investigation. Pete?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: We are getting our first window into what may have played a major role in that dramatic in- flight failure of United Airlines Flight 328. The National Transportation Safety Board now says one of the fan blades of the right-hand engine of that Boeing 777 broke off, damaged another one and other fan blades.

In fact, investigators were able to find parts inside of the inner containment ring of the jet engine. Now begins the process of piecing this altogether. And the focal point of the investigation will really be the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine, the one specific to the Boeing 777 200 in this incident.

In fact, the FAA has ordered emergency inspections of the fan blades on the Pratt & Whitney PW4000. And United Airlines says it's removing all of its Boeing 777 200's with the Pratt & Whitney engine from service that includes 24 airplanes.

United Airlines, the only operator of that airplane with that specific engine in the United States. Even though the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine, a workhorse in civilian and commercial aviation, more than 2,500 of them in service. Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.

CURNOW: Thanks Pete for that. So let's go to Japan now where the transportation ministry is ordering all domestic airlines to stop flying these Boeing 777's equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines. Blake Essig is joining me live from Tokyo with more on that. Blake, hi. Lovely to see you. Japan certainly being quick to make their own decision here.

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Robyn. You know Japan is the first to act, but you would be hard-pressed to believe that they're going to be the only country to move forward with the idea of grounding domestic airlines that operate this Boeing 777 aircraft with the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 series engines.

Here in Japan, there are two airlines that have those planes in their fleet. Japan Airlines and Nippon Airways. They operate 19 and 13 planes, respectively. Now, the Japan transport ministry has not issued a timeline regarding how long the suspension will take place, but they did say, essentially, that safety concerns and studies we will need to be addressed before that suspension is lifted. Robyn?

CURNOW: And there is also some suggestion that there was a concerning incident involving some of this equipment back in December. Tell us more about that.

ESSIG: Yes, Robyn. Japan is, unfortunately, familiar with the problems that Boeing, you know, experienced just yesterday in Denver. It happened late last year, December 4th, there was a plane flying from Okinawa to Tokyo that was forced to make an emergency landing back in Okinawa.

[02:05:03]

It was a Japan Airlines flight. They reported that the left side of the plane, the front engine cover, essentially fell off during the flight. Nobody was hurt, but again, this is now the second time that we are seeing a similar problem and explains why Japan was likely so quick to act.

Now, CNN did reach out to Boeing as far as that incident back in December and they didn't have a comment. Again, the big question here is, Japan is the first to act, will other countries follow, Robyn?

CURNOW: Okay, thanks for that. Good to see you. Blake Essig there in Tokyo. To aviation analyst, Alex Macheras joins me now from London. Alex, hi. I want to get your take on all of this because clearly this is a catastrophic failure that we saw. Luckily, no one was injured or hurt. And one that could be repeated, that Boeing seems to fear. What's the problem with these planes?

ALEX MACHERAS, AVIATON ANALYST: Well, as you have seen, they are taking quick action, but of course, with so many incidents. We often see the foreign nations take that action faster than the home country of the manufacturer itself. And this was the case with this incident.

So, Japan started things off by not only restricting all of their own 777's powered by these engines from flying, but they have actually banned all aircraft powered by these engines from even entering Japanese airspace, really, setting a bar there with the ban shortly followed by an announcement from the United States with the FAA, who have specifically said that the fractured fan blades have played a significant part in what is a very initial part of this initial investigation as to exactly what happened.

You know, Robyn, this was dramatic. As you say, this is an aircraft type that is the workhorse of the skies, the Boeing 777. If you've ever flown a long haul flight, I can almost guarantee that you've flown onboard this aircraft type, but specifically, is this aircraft type combined with those engines, the Pratt & Whitney PW4000.

Now, these are the engines that are now under the international spotlight. And while they are only in service powering the 777 in the United States with United Airlines, but in South Korea and Japan also, we know that Pratt & Whitney as a manufacturer in the United States, have had to come forward to re-assure the aviation world, this morning here in Europe, early hours there in the United States, that they will be keeping a very close eye on this investigation, playing an active role because this was a dramatic incident.

We have the inlet, which is that outer silver ring of the engine, totally separate from the engine itself, coming down into suburbs around Denver. Of course, it's being reported a lot as if it were debris, and some of it was debris.

But actually, these were large major aircraft parts falling from the sky, from the engines. And it has shaken not only airline customers who are operating this aircraft, but also the wider aviation community and the public given that Boeing can't seem to catch a break right now with the headlines that they make.

CURNOW: Yes. And I mean, absolutely. And also, if you were one of those folks seeing one of those parts of the engine coming down at you around the suburbs of Denver, that wasn't too pleasant either. I do want to ask you, though, about all those passengers on the plane. I mean, how lucky were they? I mean, we saw this engine on fire, these blades could have punctured, perhaps, the main body of the plane. How lucky were they? MACHERAS: Well, the engine to a certain extent, did exactly what it

was supposed to do after it suffered its explosion.

CURNOW: Yes.

MACHERAS: So, after the engine number two had exploded, the intention is to keep everything contained within the engine casing. And that's to avoid any situations, as you say, like heaven forbid, a situation where fan blades ultimately leave the aircraft and have the ability to slice into the fuselage where, of course, passengers are sitting just centimeters away.

But this was a testament to the professionalism of the pilots and the crew to the aircraft and the engine itself. Yes, of course, it has suffered in this dramatic way, but ultimately, the majority of the interior part of the engine, so those fan blades, they were kept inside.

Of course, the investigation shifts to the parts that ultimately became separated, but of course, the passengers will be feeling very lucky. These were very dramatic scenes. And given the modern day of social media, we have this extraordinary footage of passengers filming a very dramatic scene of the engine on fire.

We'll update you with the developments in the last few moments which is the Korean Airlines, they are the operators of the 777 with this engine type in South Korea. They have grounded the active fleet of triple 777's powered by these engines. For many of the operators including in Japan and also in the United States with United, most of these aircraft were already on the ground in long term storage because of the pandemic.

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CURNOW: That's interesting. And of course, CNN just needs to confirm that, but an indication perhaps of just how serious this is in terms of the widespread concerns about this anomaly, but you rightly point out about these pilots, Alex, extraordinary piloting and not just bringing them down, but also safely landing.

MACHERAS: Exactly, ultimately, all pilots are trained for these types of circumstances. There wasn't an error made in the textbook return of this aircraft, making a safe landing, of course. And it's something that they are training for.

You know, aviation prides itself with continuing to be the safest form of transport. You are probably most in danger in the whole air travel process in that taxi ride to the airport. So aviation continues to go on even in this pandemic, and with all implications, and even with these high profile sufferings, and the reputation damage that Boeing is suffering right now.

Of course, this is unlikely to be a global story for too long because there are only three operators worldwide to operate this combination of aircraft with those engines. But nevertheless, this is a very important investigation that is now underway with all parties involved.

CURNOW: Alex Macheras there, thanks so much, aviation expert. Appreciate you sharing your expertise there. Thank you.

MACHERAS: Thank you.

CURNOW: So, officials in the Netherlands are investigating an incident that is eerily similar to what happened in Colorado. So just listen to this, several cars and house were damaged when pieces of metal fell from the engine of a Boeing 747 cargo plane shortly after takeoff on Saturday.

Two people on the ground were slightly injured by falling debris. The plane was diverted to Belgium and was able to land safely. It's worth noting that while both Boeing planes had Pratt & Whitney engines, the issue with the fan blades that caused the problem in Colorado was specific to the 777. We'll keep you posted on all of those developments.

Meanwhile, still ahead on CNN, COVID cases are falling in the U.S. and around the world. But is this because of vaccines? Could it be another factor? A health expert weighs in, ahead.

Plus, the energy collapse in Texas has led to a different crisis as residents' lineup for bottled water. We get a report on the storm fallout from Houston. That's also just ahead.

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CURNOW (on camera): The U.S. death toll from COVID is steadily approaching half a million people. The country is expected to reach this disturbing milestone in the next few days. It will be just over a year after the first American death was reported.

Now, the good news is though, that daily infections and hospital admissions are declining, but experts say the public must still double down on safety measures.

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ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's something that is historic. It's nothing we've ever been through in the last 102 years since the 1918 influenza pandemic. It really is a terrible situation that we've been through and that we're still going through. And that's the reason why we keep insisting to continue with the public health measures because we don't want this to get much worse than it already is.

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CURNOW (on camera): U.S. President Joe Biden plans to mark this grim death toll next week with a candle lit ceremony at the White House.

Erin Bromage is a professor of biology specializing in immunology at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. He joins me now from Westport. Thanks very much for joining us, Erin. Lovely to see you again. So, we have nearly half a million people dead from COVID in the U.S. in just the past year. Dr. Fauci is right when he says it's devastating, isn't he? And this is far from over.

ERIN BROMAGE, BIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS DARTMOUTH: Yes, this really is far from over. I mean, we -- everyone seems to be breathing this collective sigh of relief right now, and yet we still got more people in hospital than what we did at the peak in April and even the summer time peak.

So, there is a long way to go just from this wave that we had over December or January. We can see the end of the tunnel here, but we still got a pretty strong big fight to go to get all the way to the end.

CURNOW: And how alert then are you to all of these variants in circulation, especially the ones found in the U.K. and South Africa. Do you think they'll be dominant and in circulation in the U.S. for example in the next few months?

BROMAGE: Yes. So the B117 variant that was originally identified in the United Kingdom looks like it's going to be the dominant variant that we're going to see worldwide for a while now. It certainly is more transmissible.

There is some really interesting evidence to suggest that people infected with that variant are able to transmit the virus for longer so they have a much longer, you know, period in which they can infect others which allows it to find more host more quickly. So, we're seeing it start to, well, you know, roll through the U.K. and then Denmark and Ireland.

You know, we're now seeing it in Florida really pick up steam there, you know, Los Angeles. It really is starting to, you know, gain momentum and it's going to be the thing that really determines what the next 4, 6, 8 weeks actually looks like for much of the world.

CURNOW: And he -- I think you've analyzed how infectious this variant is in an actual setting, in a scenario, tell us about that.

BROMAGE: Yes. So, you know, part of the work that I'm doing is working with different industries to get them back and getting them up and going again. And we actually came across the variant. We were able to identify it through sequencing.

And unlike many of the cases that I've seen up until now where an affected person maybe gets infected on a Sunday, for example, and then they start transmitting on a Wednesday or a Thursday. What we found with this one was the person got infected on a Sunday, by Tuesday they were infecting other people.

And they are infecting other people not just in close proximity, but over a distance, 8 to 10 feet away from them. Those people subsequently develops an infection that could be transmitted to others by Thursday. So we actually went through to two serial intervals in the time that in the past we've seen only once. So, two rounds of going through people.

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So it was scary to observe, to sort of witness this not firsthand with me, but be brought into actually look and see what's going on. And it's just like, it takes your breath away. You can see just how quickly it can move through a population.

CURNOW: Certainly a warning for what might be coming. But with that in mind, we are seeing numbers dropping, not just here in the U.S., but in places around the world. Is this because vaccines are slowly kicking in? Is this the slowing aftermath of the holiday period? Why are we seeing these graphs go like that?

BROMAGE: Yes. The drop in numbers is really quite perplexing at the moment. And I mean, a lot of people are putting out different ideas about why it's happened. So one of the things that did happen almost globally was the holiday period started to synchronize infections around the world.

So, in the U.S., you know, we had a number of holidays back to back to back that made the whole country sort of uniform in the way it was infected. United Kingdom and Europe, we had the same type of holidays there. So, everyone saw the surge at roughly the same time.

And then what happens is the lockdowns, the restrictions, the circuit breakers, whatever you want to call them, and the people's risk. As you start seeing those case numbers surge and hospitals fill up, more people become risk averse to being infected and naturally pullback what they are actually doing.

And then we had the rollout of vaccines which, you know, did have an effect. It's not a big effect yet, but the more people that get vaccinated or the more people that get infected and become immune, the more effect things like mask use or lowering the number of contacts that you actually have, really have on lowering transmission.

So we are stealing a lot of different effects at the one time actually cause this really sudden drop in infections everywhere. You know, that's the -- I think the best that we can come up with at the moment because it is a little perplexing.

But it's really what happens now in the next three or four weeks. Do we keep going down? Does it stabilize? Does this B117 variant start taking over and, you know, infecting people at a faster rate? It really isn't unknown for me and I think many scientist right now what's going to happen.

CURNOW: Okay, always good to speak to you. Erin Bromage there. Thank you very much.

BROMAGE: Thank you, Robyn.

CURNOW (on camera): Warmer weather is in the forecast for many Texans, but the crisis brought on by last week's deadly winter storm continues. Thousands are still without electricity and there are long, long lines for food and bottled water. Natasha Chen has the latest from Houston, Texas.

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RACHEL STEVENS, AUSTIN, TEXAS RESIDENT: We lost power on Sunday night and we got it back Wednesday. Things have defrosted enough that we are able to get in and check out stuff and we had lines that were just gushing water so now we've got zero water in the house. Just due to have and then turn it off until somebody can come out here to start fixing things.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rachel Stevens was without power and water for days. Now her family is left to clean up the damage left behind from frozen pipes, conditions found across much of the state.

SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR OF HOUSTON, TEXAS: Right now, with so many homes across the city having pipes that burst because of the frigid weather and major leaks, major water damage, we need a lot of plumbing materials and supplies like right now.

CHEN (voice-over): In the meantime, Texas officials are investigating the massive bills some customers who pay variable rates for their energy are now facing.

DEANDERE, UPSHAW, DALLAS, TEXAS RESIDENT: Well, I am trying to get, you know, gas and groceries and make sure that my pipes aren't exploding. The last thing that I'm thinking about is a $7,000 bill from my utility.

TURNER: All of this was foreseeable. I wrote about it in 2011. And so for these exorbitant costs, it's not the consumers who should assume that cost. They are not at fault to what happened this week.

UNKNOWN: Who should then?

TURNER: The bill should go to the state of Texas.

CHEN (voice-over): Calls for accountability are also coming from the other side of the aisle.

WILL HURD, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: This was preventable. This wasn't a problem with any individual fuel source. This was a problem of lack of leadership and lack of long-term planning.

DOLORES LOZANO, HOUSTON, TEXAS RESIDENT: We all have a voice and we all need to use it accordingly because there is a lot of people in leadership that are just really, just chilling in Cancun.

CHEN (voice-over): Also this weekend, embattled Texas senator, Ted Cruz, is tweeting pictures of himself handing out bottled water to residents. Cruz has been under fire after he was spotted jetting to Cancun with his family, while many Texans suffered through the storm.

MICHAEL MCCAUL, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Look, when a crisis hits my state, I'm there. I'm not going to go on some vacation. I know Mr. Cruz called it a mistake and he's owned up to that, but I think that was a big mistake.

CHEN (on camera): State leaders are now turning their attention to address those skyrocketing energy bills.

[02:24:56]

The governor today said that the public utility commission called an emergency meeting to issue a moratorium on disconnection of service due to nonpayment, as well as to restrict electric providers from sending invoices at this time. Abbott said that would allow time for them to address those huge energy bills.

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CURNOW: Natasha Chen there reporting. So coming up here on CNN, protesters are marching in Myanmar, even as the country's military leaders threatened violence. We'll bring you the latest.

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CURNOW: Lovely to have you back with me. Its 28 minutes past the hour. I'm Robyn Curnow. Welcome to all of our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. So a story we have been following here at CNN, Myanmar's military leaders are warning protesters that they will "suffer the loss of life" if they keep up their civil disobedience campaign.

But activists aren't planning to stop. The country's leading pro- democracy group is calling for historic demonstrations today. Tens of thousands of people have held marches and rallies every day for more than two weeks.

And those demonstrators have already suffered the loss of life. Crowds are holding a vigil for two protesters who were shot and killed by police just this weekend.

And the U.S. Secretary of State is promising "firm action against anyone who commits violence against the protesters." I want to talk about all of this with Paula Hancocks. Paula is covering this from Seoul.

Hi Paula. Good to see you. Why don't you just talk us through the quite dramatic images that we're getting out of Myanmar and also this threat from the military to the protesters?

[02:30:00]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Robyn, we are seeing significant numbers of people coming out on to the streets. This is what the movement wanted this Monday, they had called for an historic day as to the amount of people that have come out. They called on people to close shops, to close businesses and to come out onto the streets calling for the reinstatement of their democratically elected government.

And it seems as though that call has been heated. There are massive numbers on the streets in different cities around the country. But as you say, there is that ominous warning that we did hear from the military. This was on the state-run military channel. This was carried saying that they warned protesters they will "suffer the loss of life."

Now the military has been saying that the protesters are inciting violence and saying that this is the reason that over the weekend that they had to return fire as they put it. Now that was the most deadly weekend since the February 1 coup. Two people were killed. Two protesters were killed on Saturday, and also the first casualty.

One died on Friday after having been shot in the head about 10 days earlier. So certainly there is a great concern, this Military warning. We did hear from the UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews. He has tweeted saying that it is deeply concerning with an ominous public warning by the junta that protesters are inciting the people.

A little later on in that tweet, he also says unlike 1988, which was when there was a brutal military crackdown with the uprising then, actions are being recorded and you will be held accountable. And this is really the consistent message that we are hearing from the UN, from the U.S. that the world is watching and you will be held accountable, talking to the military in the hope that that would prevent them from using force against the protesters. Robyn.

CURNOW: Paula Hancocks there. Thanks for that update. We'll continue to monitor those pictures and those street scenes coming from Myanmar throughout the day. Paula, thank you. So China thinks its relationship with the U.S. has been damaged immeasurably by the Trump administration.

The country's Foreign Minister delivered that message in a major speech earlier on today. He says relations are the worst since diplomatic ties were established nearly 50 years ago.

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WANG YI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): In the past few years, the U.S. had cut off bilateral ties at almost all levels, and that became one of the main reasons of the deteriorating relationship.

We are always prepared to start an open and public dialog with the U.S. that is aimed at solving problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: China also says it's making human rights progress, but the U.S. accuses us of carrying out genocide against Uighur Muslims and other minorities. Coming up, it was one year ago today that Europe saw its first glimpse of what life under COVID lockdown would look like. We'll take you to Italy, where it all started. That's next.

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[02:35:00] CURNOW: Monday marks one year since Italy's first coronavirus lockdown and the first lockdown in Europe, the images of those silent streets and exhausted medics spooked the continent and certainly pointed of things to come. So, Delia Gallagher joins me now from Rome. Delia, hi. I mean, I can't believe that it's been a year. I mean, it's just the longest year and also feels like yesterday that we were speaking, when things suddenly shut down in Italy.

Just give us a sense of, of how of - how the country and all of you that are doing.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Robin, like for everybody around the world, it's been a very tough year, particularly for Italians in the beginning. nobody really knew what to expect. That first case that happened in the tiny town of Codogno, Italy, that triggered a national lockdown the first of its kind in Europe.

We returned there Robin, one year later to speak to some of its residents. Here's what they had to say.

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GALLAGHER: February 21 2020, is a date the people of Codogno, Italy will never forget. It was here in this tiny town that Italy's first case of COVID-19 was reported, resulting in a complete lockdown of their town and the beginning of what would become a national and international Pandemic.

Resident Pietro Chervie says it was the mother of all tests. We live differently now. The Mayor of Codogno, Francesco Passerini says he still gets goose bumps when he remembers that day which took them all by surprise. Seemed the risk in Europe, he says was practically zero, nothing. Instead, it was among us and had already stricken.

From that first patient Italy has seen the disease spread to more than 2.7 million citizens and close to 100,000 have died. 324 people died in Codogno from COVID in the first three months alone. In a town of only 16,000 residents this past year has taken its toll together.

We lost so many friends says resident Dario Quarti, so many relatives and they are never coming back. Codogno was the first town to go into strict lockdown. The Codognial model was followed soon after by other towns and eventually the entire country. One year on Codogno residents echo sentiments felt by many across Italy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's - it's crazy. I don't - I don't want to live like this anymore. No, no. No.

GALLAGHER: Mayor Passerini is optimistic that things have improved. Last year, we were really fighting barehanded, he says an enemy that we couldn't see and didn't know. This year we made Giant Steps both in prevention and in diagnosis. The mayor says he is proud of his town, a frontline it says where the battle was fought and where resistance and resilience continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GALLAGHER: And you know Robyn, resilience is still being required of

Italians still under curfew, under travel restrictions. But one thing has changed. Italy has a new Prime Minister Mario Draghi just installed last week, well respected economist and many hopes are pinned on him not only for the vaccine rollout plan to help speed that up. But also importantly for an economic recovery plan for this country. Robyn.

CURNOW: Yes, with that in mind, what do we know about - about the vaccine rollout plan in Italy?

GALLAGHER: Well, Italy like many countries in Europe, Robin is having difficulty receiving the right amount of vaccines. They have begun their rollout plan for residents who are over 80 and for health care workers.

[02:40:00]

But the emphasis right now is on trying to get enough vaccines from the companies in order to cover all Italians in the shortest amount of time possible. So that's where the emphasis right now is, especially with this new government to try and work out how best they can get those vaccines to all of their citizens in a short amount of time. Robyn.

CURNOW: Delia Gallagher. Thanks so much, live in Rome. Thank you. So thanks for watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow. For all of our international viewers World Sport is next, enjoy that. But for our viewers here in the United States and in Canada, I'll have more news after this quick break, so stick around for that.

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[02:45:00]

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CURNOW: Welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow. So in the coming hours President Joe Biden's nominee for Attorney General is set to go before senators for the start of his confirmation hearing, and we're already learning what Judge Merrick Garland plans to say during his opening statement. Arlette Saenz has the details from Washington. Arlette.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden's pick for Attorney General Merrick Garland will be in the hot seat for his confirmation hearing up on Capitol Hill. Garland is expected to talk about his commitment to the rule of law and also we'll be talking about that insurrection up on Capitol Hill on January 6.

Garland will be speaking about the plans for prosecuting those rioters that were involved. He's expected to say, "If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6, a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy, the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government."

Now, Garland is also expected to face some questioning from Republican senators about those federal investigations into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and also Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden. There's also the possibility that there could be questions into possible investigations into former President Trump now Biden has insisted that he wants his justice department to be independent, that he wouldn't be interfering in their decision.

So that is something that Garland will likely try to stress as he is pitching himself before this committee later today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Arlette Saenz there, and while the senate takes up more of Joe Biden's nominees, the house is pressing ahead with the President's $1.9 trillion stimulus package. The biggest hurdle, a proposed minimum wage hike that even some Democrats aren't on board with. Here's Suzanne Malveaux.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very busy week here on Capitol Hill, as Democrats say that the aid that is desperately needed by millions of Americans will be on its way just weeks away. This is a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package. The Democrats pushing it through without the support of Republicans. They point to things that they believe all Americans will appreciate the $1400 in stimulus checks, the enhanced unemployment aid, assistance for small businesses, for vaccine distribution for schools as well as state and local governments.

The main sticking point here however, the minimum wage, the increase $15 an hour now that is something that progressive Democrats are pushing for saying it is essential that it be a part of the COVID relief package.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRAMILA JAYAPAL, CHAIR, CONGRESSIONAL PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS: The President came out very strong early on saying he wanted a $15 minimum wage in this bill. He has been fairly consistent on that. I know there are questions about whether or not the senate can get it through but I can tell you, Dana, this $15 minimum wage increase would mean 30 million Americans would get a raise.

A million Americans would come out of poverty and 30 percent of those minimum wage workers are black, 25 percent are Latinx. It is absolutely essential that we do it. And I believe the Senate will do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEUAX: The Senate parliamentarian must actually approve of that increase, the minimum wage increase that it is not an extraneous provision inside of this budget bill. It is a reconciliation process. The rules are pretty tough there but also there are several Democrats who are calling out against this provision as well. It is not likely to survive this massive COVID Relief Bill. But

Americans rest assured they believe that the relief will come, it will come quickly and is on its way. Suzanne Malveuax, CNN at the Capitol.

CURNOW: Mexico's deputy health minister says his country is expecting its first shipment of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to arrive on Monday night. And as a matter of his now reports, it comes amid anger and frustration over the pace of Mexico's vaccination efforts so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yvonmonguel Vyesinior Domingo (ph) has been waiting a long time to stand in this line, the 65 year old about to be vaccinated against COVID-19. He says honestly, there's been some flaws but at least they've gotten started. The process is slow, but it's moving. And the vaccine rollout here is picking up speed. More people have been vaccinated in just the past week than in the previous two months.

The government says all health care workers will be fully vaccinated by this week. All people aged 60 and older are now eligible and Mexico also has agreements in place to secure up to about 232 million doses of different vaccines.

The Mexican president who says we're doing well getting vaccines despite the fact that there is such high demand for them worldwide and little production, and yet despite all that Mexico is woefully short of actually vaccinating its people.

[02:50:00]

As of Saturday, just 1.6 5 million vaccine doses had been administered. 0.3 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, the U.S. has done about 50 times that number, and though it has agreements to eventually receive more than 230 million doses, it's unclear when they'll actually get here.

DR. XAVIER TELLO, HEALTH POLICY EXPERT: We have this uncertainty on how many doses we will arrive into Mexico. And when we really don't know we're just guessing.

RIVERS: The government has said 900,000 doses will get here by next week and hopes to get millions more in March. But the vast majority of expected doses have no set in stone delivery schedule. CNN repeatedly asked the health ministry for more specific timelines, but officials declined to answer.

There's also criticism that the government's rollout has not only been slow but confusing. Alejandro Lopez Dufrau's mom couldn't get a vaccine this day. Her mom lives with her in the neighborhood that the clinic services, but her mom's official ID says she lives somewhere else. So vaccine denied.

She says I'm very, very angry because I've taken someone out who hasn't even walked to the corner in months to get a vaccine and they won't give her one. Jusedo Rodriguez's dad is the same way. The 87 year old cooped up inside for months. He was denied a vaccine for the same problem with his ID. She says I'm super frustrated because everything is badly organized. They don't give you any clarity.

Examples like that make Yvonmonguel feel lucky. He says I'm really happy to be one of the few that gets one because so many can't get vaccinated and so many have died. So in he went to get his first dose. In Mexico, how many can follow him and how quickly is an open question. Matt Rivers, CNN in (inaudible), Mexico City.

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CURNOW: And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will soon announce his plan to slowly lift England's coronavirus lockdown. He says the biggest priorities are getting kids safely back into school and reuniting people with their loved ones. Now this will all be done in phases starting March 8, but only if the ongoing vaccine program continues successfully.

There's evidence the vaccines are reducing hospital admissions and deaths. There's not been another surge in hospital admissions and if new virus variants don't fundamentally change the government's risk assessment. So now COVID infections are falling in England as you can see, and more than 17 million people across the UK have received their first vaccine dose.

And a South Carolina woman is now among the oldest people in the world to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus at age 111. This is the second pandemic she's been through and she's also lived through two world wars.

Gary Tuchman has her story.

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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maria Aulenbacher is the oldest known person in the state of South Carolina, one of the oldest people in the United States. And on this day, the 111-year old is getting her second dose of the COVID Vaccine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, that's good.

TUCHMAN: Maria Aulenbacher now one of the oldest people in the world to get the vaccination.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does it hurt?

MARIA AULENBACHER, OLDEST IN SOUTH CAROLINA TO RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINE: No, no.

TUCHMAN: Maria lives with her daughter and son in law near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Two of her grandchildren and her great grandson live nearby. But she was born in Germany and lived there a long time, more than a century to be exact. Incredibly, shortly after her 100th birthday, she moved across the ocean to the United States.

Everyone calls her Omi, an affectionate German term for grandma. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Omi, it's sunny and beautiful again in South

Carolina today. Isn't it so nice to live here?

AULENBACHER: Yes. It's beautiful.

TUCHMAN: Maria is incredibly optimistic. She loves her family, reading and naps and has a daily ritual that she's convinced has increased her longevity. Maria, what is the secret to living to 111-years old.

AULENBACHER: I drink wine, I drink beer. I eat what I like.

TUCHMAN: Maria was a little girl during the First World War and the Influenza Pandemic and in her 30s during World War II. She became a widow more than 75 years ago. Her daughter and son in law say she's had to be strong.

DOUG DICKERSON, MARIA AULENBACHER'S SON-IN-LAW: We look forward to seeing her every morning come out cheerful, ready to have breakfast, a couple of cups of coffee and take on the day.

TUCHMAN: How important was it to you that your mother get these vaccines?

BIRGIT DICKERSON, MARIA AULENBACHER'S DAUGHTER: Well, I - we kind of felt like it's a civic duty. Everybody has to get this vaccine because if we ever want to get over this, we all have to go and have the vaccine.

[02:55:00]

TUCHMAN: Maria is well aware she is now a role model.

AULENBACHER: I'm very happy to get the shot.

DICKERSON: I really feel blessed that I can have her for such a long time and I hope I have many more years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How old do you want to be?

AULENBACHER: Like, like Metuselah.

TUCHMAN: Like Metuselah. Metuselah is a biblical figure who lived to 969 years old. I hope you'll get there. And I think if anyone can, it would be you. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Travelers Rest, South Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: What a life, what a woman. Thanks to Gary for that story. So finally moving to a new home, we all know is hard enough on its own but physically moving the house itself is even a bigger, bigger challenge. I want to show you these pictures before we go.

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CURNOW: And yet that's exactly what happened in San Francisco this weekend when a tall Victorian home was transported through a narrow street by a truck. Dozens of people of course lining up to watch this as crews carefully move the building to its new location. This is amazing. less than seven blocks away. It's the first time the city has seen a move like this in some 50 years. It reportedly cost the homeowner about $200,000 in fees.

Well, they say home is where the heart is. That's something. Thanks for watching. I'm Robyn Curnow. It's been lovely having you the past hour. You can connect with me though on Twitter and Instagram as well. Robyn Curnow at CNN is the address. Another hour of CNN continues with my colleague Rosemary Church after the break.

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