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More Than 500,000 Souls Remembered Today; No Person Should be Left Behind; England is Looking to Exit from Lockdowns; Trump Lost Supreme Court Battle; Donald Trump Facing the Ramification of His Actions; United States Surpasses 500,000 Deaths, Tops Death Toll Of Three Wars; Iraq Averaging 3,000 Plus COVID-19 Infections In Past Week; IAEA, Iran Reach Deal Giving Inspectors Access For Three Months; Israel Oil Spill A Severe Ecological Disaster; NASA Releases First Video Of Spacecraft Landing On Mars; Daft Punk, French Dance Hanging Up Their Helmets. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 23, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Rosemary CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN Newsroom.

U.S. President Joe Biden marking an emotional COVID milestone in the U.S. More than 500,000 American lives lost in this pandemic.

A blow to the former U.S. President, the U.S. Supreme Court rejects Donald Trump's last-ditch efforts to shield his financial records. We will tell you who gets access to them.

And CNN gets a rare look inside of an Iraqi ICU where healthcare workers fear an overwhelming surge of COVID patients.

It has been one year since the coronavirus was detected here in the United States. Since then, a staggering 500,000 plus Americans have died. That's a half million parents, spouses, siblings, and friends, who have been lost to the virus.

The Washington National Cathedral bell rang 500 times in their memory. And the American flag on top of the White House and Capitol Hill were lowered to half-staff. U.S. President Joe Biden consoled the nation, he asked Americans to not become numb to sorrow, but to honor the dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To acknowledge the scale of this mass death in America, remember each person and the life they lived. They are people we knew. They are people we feel like we knew. Read the obituaries and remembrances. The son who called his mom every night just to check in. The father's daughter who lit up his world. The best friend who was always there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses stood in silence as the hymn "Amazing Grace" was played. Mr. Biden is looking to inspire the nation asking people to keep hope alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: This nation will smile again. This nation will know sunny days again. This nation will know joy again. And as we do, we remember each person we've lost, the lives they lived, and the loved ones they left behind. We get through this, I promise you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): CNN's Ryan Young has more on how the U.S. got here, and what is expected in the coming months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An unthinkable marker.

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: People decades from now are going to be talking about this as a terribly historic milestone, you know, in the history of this country.

YOUNG: Half a million Americans dead from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than the number of Americans who died in battle in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War combined.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), UNITED STATES SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Rise for a moment of silence.

YOUNG: The House paused Monday morning in honor of those who died.

ANDY SLAVITT, SENIOR ADVISER, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE TEAM: The occasion makes us more determined to turn the tide and COVID-19 so the losses can subside, and healing can begin.

YOUNG: The grim milestone comes with signs of hope and news that the new COVID-19 cases are on the decline. New average daily cases are below 70,000 for the first time since October. Hospitalizations have declined sharply, and COVID deaths are down 24 percent from last week. But with hope comes caution from medical experts.

PETER HOTEZ, INFECTIOUS EXPERT, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: I am worried about this variant, the B117 variant from the United Kingdom. If that takes over, the numbers are going to start to spiral up again.

YOUNG: There are questions still about the impact of COVID-19 variants, and whether they could cause another surge before Americans are vaccinated. ASHISH JHA, DEAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: The more

we can suppress it, the fewer mutations it has. So, I'm optimistic we are going to get there.

[03:04:58]

YOUNG: Vaccines are on the move again after a week of severe weather caused delays. The Biden administration expects the backlog to be gone by mid-week, saying at least two million out of the six million delayed vaccine doses have already been delivered. Helping to clear the backlog, the opening of a new mass vaccination sites this week in New York, Texas, and Georgia.

LINDA HOLDEN, RECEIVED FIRST COVID-19 VACCINATION: Getting the shot today is just the first step, maybe starting the beginning of return of normalcy.

YOUNG: More than already 44 million people have been able to receive at least one dose, while demand for doses continue to outpace supply. For those able to get the vaccine, it is a relief.

DON HOLDEN, RECEIVED FIRST COVID-19 VACCINATION: But it's so easy to fall into not doing anything. I'm definitely hoping that that is going to get a lot better. We are really glad to have the shot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG (on camera): And across the state of Georgia mass vaccination sites like this one has started to open up. This is the first day that this site is open, and they expect to do more than 1,000 shots. The plan is to do 22,000 over the next week across the four sites, this one being held outside the Delta Museum.

There are plenty of people who are excited about turning this page when it comes to facing the pandemic, this is been a tough year for all of us, especially with us reaching that high number of more than 500,000.

Ryan Young, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia.

CHURCH: Joining me now from Los Angeles is Anne Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. Thank you so much for being with us.

ANNE RIMOIN, PROFESSOR, UCLA DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY: It's my pleasure.

CHURCH: So, the United States surpassed a horrifying milestone Monday with more than half a million Americans dying from COVID 19. How is that possible that the richest nation in the world got to this point, and is this nightmare nearly over with deaths and hospitalizations now trending down?

RIMOIN: Well, Rosemary, it is a devastating, and it's very sad milestone that we've reached here in the United States. When we think back to last year when we were talking about some 250,000, 275,000 people dying, we were all aghast at this number. And here we are at half million deaths.

This is really something that we should all be very said about and the deaths are only one piece of the story. You know, there's a lot -- there are a lot of people who have made it through, but it is a struggle. Once they get out of the -- you know, they may be extubated, they may be in hospitals for weeks, for months before they recover.

And we know that there is this long haul COVID syndrome. There is not going to be one factor that we can put our fingers and say, aha, this is the reason that we got to where we are. There are a number of things.

One, the politicization of this virus and the public health measures amassed would become something that was symbolic of where somebody stood in their political spectrum. It was something that I don't think anybody could have ever imagined.

Also, the lack of -- or the unwillingness to acknowledge what a problem this was from the Trump administration, really did create a major issue. And then of course, the lack of investment in our public health infrastructure, chronic lack of investment for decades really left us quite vulnerable.

CHURCH: And so, you feel now with the deaths and hospitalizations and cases trending down that we are coming out of this? Of course, there are the variants out there that could threaten that trend. But do you feel this is the beginning of the end?

RIMOIN: I definitely feel like we are moving in the right direction. I think we've learned with COVID-19 that we cannot predict exactly what's going to happen. And the wild cards are of course, the variants, how long vaccine immunity is going to last, and how quickly we can get vaccines, not only to people here in the United States, people in Europe, but globally.

Because COVID-19 is definitely driven home this point that an infection anywhere is potentially an infection everywhere. So, we must get the whole world vaccinated, and vaccine distribution globally is going to be a challenge.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, that's it because the big hope of course for most people across the globe is getting access to the COVID vaccines. Not an easy task for many with supply issue slowing down the process. Variants, as we mentioned threatening possible surges.

How can these vaccinations get done faster and more efficiently? And not only here in the United States but in countries that are expecting to be at the end of the line when it comes to handing out vaccines.

[03:09:56]

RIMOIN: You bring up a really good question. And so, even here in the United States where we're stumbling because we are having such a hard time with vaccine supply. Once the supply is there, I think that we're going to be doing much better. We now have infrastructure in place and should be able to start really distributing these vaccines in a more expeditious manner.

We can expect to have hiccups. We've had weather, we've had delays that we just can't anticipate, that's the way it works when you are doing mass vaccination campaigns. In lower resource settings, it's going to be a problem. It isn't just about the vaccine supply. It's going to be getting vaccine out to the furthest reaches of countries like places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I also ran a research program.

So, I'm very well aware of the challenge that we're going to face in places like this where just getting vaccines out to distribution post is going to be very complicated. And if we don't vaccinate the entire world, we are going to see this virus continuing to evolve, continuing to create new variants that could pose problems to us everywhere.

So, it's not just a problem of those countries with fewer resources, it's a problem for every citizen of the world.

CHURCH: That is such an important point. Anne Rimoin, thank you so much for talking with us.

RIMOIN: It's my pleasure.

CHURCH: The chief medical officer for England says that the coronavirus is likely to be a recurring problem over the next few winters. This, as the British prime minister tries to bring England out of a full lockdown.

Boris Johnson warns there will be more deaths from the virus, but says the country could not persist indefinitely with restrictions. He unveiled a four-step plan on Monday to, as he put it, cautiously but irreversibly exit lockdown.

Step one begins March 8th with schools reopening across England.

And CNN's Isa Soares joins me now live from London. Good to see you, Isa. So, how is this going to work exactly? And are people viewing this as the beginning of the end of life under lockdown?

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Good morning to you, Rosie. This is going to be a slow and cautious opening, as you said. And this is something that the prime minister kept repeating time and time again. He did say he wanted to be irreversible, but he cannot promise that will be the case, although that is his intention.

So, this he said it will be a slow and cautious road out of lockdown. He wants this to be a one-way road to freedom. But, as you stated, there comes with conditions that have to be met. Let me talk you through them.

There are four phases to opening up. And the first one as you stayed, it starts on March the 8th. That's when schools open up. When two people can meet outside either for a coffee or for a walk, that starts on March the 8th. On March 29th, two households -- two households can meet outside. That's all happening outside. Sports also outdoor sports, football, tennis, golf, can all take place outside. That's phase one. Going on to phase two, which is April the 12th, will

need to meet a set of criteria. You and I discuss this yesterday, Rosemary, four criteria. The hospitalizations, the press is having on the NHS making sure the vaccination program is going ahead. Making sure the infection rate isn't rising, and also, there are no new variants.

So, once they have a look at the data, a period of five weeks where they look at the data, then it will then assess whether to open on April the 12th. As you can see there on your screen, it's gyms, nonessential retails, hospitality as well happening outdoors.

Another five weeks of looking at the data for the May the 17th to be the next step and that as most -- with most of the social gatherings -- social distancing will be slightly removed. People can finally half food indoors. The final one will be on June 21st, also, another five- week gap, then you will see the majority of social contacts or the limits that we have on social contacts being removed.

That is all based on data. And although we have been given those states, the prime minister says it's about the data and not about the date. The majority of people, I can tell you, have accepted this. They understand that it's going to be slow and cautious, even within the prime minister's part -- with in his party.

Many of them wanted it to be slightly faster, but that, but many are accepting it has to be slow and cautious. We've been here before. The prime minister has opened up too quickly and then we have to go into lockdown. But the prime minister said, there is no credible route to a COVID zero Britain. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: But no vaccine can ever be 100 percent effective. Not everyone will take them up, and like all viruses, COVID-19 will mutate.

[03:15:03]

So, as the modeling release by Sage today shows, we cannot escape the fact that lifting lockdown will result in more cases, more hospitalizations, and sadly, more deaths.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES (on camera): A very realistic prime minister there, Rosemary, but also a prime minister so different from the last one we heard where he is not over promising and then under delivering. Rosie?

CHURCH (on camera): A good point, it is quite a process, but if this is the last lockdown, then I'm sure that the people across England will be very happy to see this happen.

Isa Soares, bringing us the very latest there live from London. Many thanks. Still ahead, Donald Trump is dealt a major legal blow. The Supreme

Court says a New York prosecutor can access the former president's tax returns. Documents Trump himself has refused to release for years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: At some point, prior to the election, I'm going to be given out a financial report.

I don't mind releasing. I'm under a routine audit, and it will be released.

I would love to give them, but I'm not going to do it while I'm under audit. It's very simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:20:00]

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CHURCH (on camera): Donald Trump is blasting a U.S. Supreme court ruling that will allow a New York prosecutor access to eight years of his tax returns. It is a major blow for the former president who calls it a fishing expedition meant to make him look bad.

CNN's Jessica Schneider has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Donald Trump losing a major legal fight in a looming criminal investigation. The Supreme Court has cleared the way for New York City's top prosecutor to obtain Trump's tax returns and financial documents dating back to 2011.

Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance responding succinctly, the work continues. Prosecutors have been probing at least two separate schemes, possibly linked to the former president's taxes for more than two years.

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This shows me that the Manhattan D.A.'s investigation is getting more and more serious by the day. Now they are going to get tax returns, and that's going to be a key piece of the puzzle.

SCHNEIDER: They first began examining hush money payments Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen made to two women who allege affairs with Trump to see if the Trump Organization falsified any records in connection with reimbursements to Cohen. Then, the inquiry seemed to expand when court filings from Vance's team indicated they were investigating possible tax crimes, along with potential bank and insurance fraud.

Trump is responding to the Supreme Court decision, saying the Supreme Court never should have let this fishing expedition happen. But, they did. He also accused the district attorney of being politically motivated, and reiterated the witch hunt theme he has been harping on for years.

TRUMP: This is a continuation of the witch hunt, the greatest witch hunt in history. There is never been anything like it. Where people want to examine every deal you've ever done to see if they can find that there is a comma out of place.

SCHNEIDER: The criminal probe has only intensified. District Attorney Vance has been bolstering his team, adding a well-known former federal prosecutor with an expertise in financial crimes. And they have interviewed Michael Cohen who has already testified to Congress about Trump's alleged schemes.

FMR. REP. LACY CLAY (D-MO): Did the president or his company ever inflate assets or revenues?

MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYER: Yes.

CLAY: Was that done with the president's knowledge or direction?

COHEN: Everything was done with the knowledge and at the direction of Mr. Trump.

SCHNEIDER: But the public won't get access to Trump's tax returns as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling. They will be released to the D.A. for use with the grand jury only. A process for the proceedings are kept secret, but if Trump or his business face charges, details could be exposed.

The New York Times has already reported Donald Trump paid no federal income taxes for 10 of the 15 years beginning in 2000, because he lost much more than he made. And that in 2016, and 2017, when Trump was in the White House, he reportedly only paid $750 in federal income taxes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER (on camera): As for the timing of those tax returns, the D.A.'s office expects to get them in the next few days according to our sources, and they'll likely be in electronic form. Crucially, prosecutors will also have access to work papers and communications related to those tax returns which could shed light, and if there was intent to commit any crimes.

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

CHURCH: So, let's talk about this with CNN legal analyst, Norm Eisen. He is a former House judiciary special counsel in Trump's first impeachment trial, and former White House ethics czar. Good to have you with us.

NORM EISEN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Rosemary, always great to be with you.

CHURCH: Wonderful. So, Donald Trump's legal problems just got worse with the Supreme Court allowing the release of his tax returns to New York City's top prosecutor. How serious will this get for the former president? What is his legal jeopardy here?

EISEN: It's a very, very serious case of legal jeopardy for him. When we were investigating his first impeachment, we looked at these payments that he made to Michael Cohen. And Rosemary, it is a felony in New York state to prepare false books and records in order to cover up another crime. We know Michael Cohen was charged for campaign finance violations, and

that's just the beginning of the problems, potential tax fraud, bank fraud, and a variety of other issues that he faces including insurance fraud.

So, the difficulties are challenging, indeed, and now there will be tax returns and accounting work papers to make his situation worse.

[03:25:06]

CHURCH: Right, and you talk there about Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen. He has previously said that his boss allegedly inflated property values to get better loan deals, while also undervaluing his properties to avoid tax.

Now, Cohen reveals his delight about the decision saying this about the ruling. The Supreme Court has now proclaimed that no one is above the law. Trump will, for the first-time, have to take responsibility for his own dirty deeds.

So, what is your reaction to Cohen's statement there? And what all do you think Trump's tax returns will reveal?

EISEN: Well, as to Mr. Cohen who I got to know when we were conducting our investigation, hell hath no fury like a former lawyer scorned, Rosemary. So, I think Cohen's life was turned upside down, terrible suffering on his part because of his connection with Donald Trump. So, I do think there is an element of understandable humanity to that statement, but I think the substance of that statement is right.

We -- Donald Trump is facing a day of reckoning, in New York and in other criminal and civil proceedings. How they turn out, we don't know. But, yes, having the bright light of the prosecutors focused on him and his long history of allegedly financial misconduct, that is going to be a day of reckoning.

CHURCH: Do you think he'll end up in jail?

EISEN: Personally, I believe there is a substantial prospect because it's not just New York that he has to contend with. We've heard the tape of his call to the Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, can you just find 11,780 votes one more than necessary to win. That makes up a similar kind of alleged fraud under Georgia law, solicitation of election fraud.

So, this pattern of lies, 30,000 of them, while he was president. This pattern of lies is now coming back to haunt Donald Trump. So, I think he faces very significant risk of conviction, I do. CHURCH: Interesting, and of course, worth pointing out that the Trump

did push back on the decision, saying that the Supreme Court never should have let this fishing expedition happened. He appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court and is clearly surprised they didn't find in his favor. He is vowing to fight back but he's really exhausted all possibilities. How would he fight back?

EISEN: Well, he is exhausted the possibilities on fighting the subpoena. There are many, many battles to go in the New York criminal investigation, in the Georgia one, in the many civil suits that are being brought against him, and other potential federal criminal investigations.

So, there's other ways that he can, and we know he will fight, but there is a definite sense now that he's out of office, he's lost the powers of the presidency, that the walls are starting to move closer and closer. So, he must be having a very restless night sleep in Mar- a-Lago, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Ambassador Norm Eisen, always a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you.

EISEN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well a lack of trust is hurting efforts to treat COVID patients in Iraq. Ahead, we go inside an ICU ward in Baghdad to see how doctors and patients are coping.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): The COVID-19 death toll in the United States has now top 500,000. That is more than the number of Americans killed in two world wars and the Vietnam War combined. U.S. President Joe Biden, highlighted that heartbreaking figure on Monday, and hold this moment of silence, for the lives lost. The U.S. death toll is by far the highest in the world. And although the daily case count has gone down in recent weeks, experts warn new variants could reverse that trend.

Iraq is saying another devastating wave of COVID infections, averaging more than 3,000 a day, this past week. There are fears the nations health care workers will be overwhelmed with one Baghdad hospital saying patient numbers triple in just two weeks. And CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now from Baghdad, where she gained rare access inside an ICU ward. So, Arwa, what is the latest on infections and hospitalizations? And what did you find inside that ICU?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Rosemary, this new variants are causing great concern here as well, as they are in many other countries. And when we went inside the ICU, we encountered something quite unexpected. There was a certain warmth to the entire experience. Something that is, in many ways, uniquely Iraqi despite all of the suffering.

[03:35:05]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice over): The constant beeping of the machines is mind numbing. But at least here, there is something rarely seen inside a COVID-19 intensive care unit. Those struggling for each breath are not alone. Amna's (ph) weak laugh is muffled, an inside joke shared with the doctors about how her daughter Naba (ph) is constantly hovering over her. The family went to a wedding, no masks, no social distancing, a decision they all bitterly regret.

I also have COVID, but I had forgotten about it with the state my mother is in, Naba says, as her voice starts to crack. We filled the house with oxygen tanks, but it wasn't enough. And then, we brought her here. Amna nods her head, she is doing much better.

Wafat's (ph) family also try to treat her using oxygen at her home. They didn't want to bring her to a hospital, not an uncommon occurrence in Iraq.

Why do you think people are reluctant to come to the hospital initially?

UNKNOWN: Maybe because of culture, Iraqi culture.

DAMON: For some, it's a fear of being stigmatized. Having caught a virus that has brought the world to its knees. There are people, even now, who say, what is this corona? Wafat's daughter, Neeran (ph), tells us. They don't believe that the virus exists until it hits them. But, it is also a misunderstanding, that oxygen and vitamins aren't enough to treat the symptoms of the virus. And, there is also a lack of faith in Iraq's health care systems which have yet to fully recover from sanctions, dating back to the Saddam Hussein era and then, nonstop war.

UNKNOWN: This is a very bad thing to keep patients in the home, or at home. Treatment at home.

DAMON: Iraq's first COVID-19 wave devastated the country. Hospitals were overwhelmed. This particular infectious diseases hospital in Baghdad that the government facilitated are access to, saw its patient numbers triple in the last two weeks.

Are you ready for maximum capacity, or more?

UNKNOWN: We have doctors, we have nurse.

DAMON: And they do not have a choice.

HASSAN ALAA, CHIEF RESIDENT: Two months ago the virus nearly -- from Iraq deleted from all Iraq people. So, all people leave facemask, leave sterilization, leave everything and neglected everything, neglected all of protection.

DAMON: Does this make you stressed? Does this make you worried?

ALAA: Sure. We're afraid of family, of ourselves from this new virus but we should do what we can and do the benefit for the patients.

DAMON: The new virus means a new variant. Iraq's ministry of health recently stated that 50 percent of the new infections are of the highly contagious b117 variant, first identified in the U.K. The government only just made face masks mandatory, and re-implemented stricter restrictions, like nighttime and weekend curfews.

It should have happened before, not now, at the end, Neeran says of the government's measures. As her mother's chest heaves with each labored breath. She will not leave her side. No matter the risk, no matter the circumstances, in Iraq, no one stays in a hospital alone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (on camera): And Rosemary, there was some level of frustration being expressed by the medical workers in that particular hospital that vaccinations have not yet begun here. We did then reach out to the ministry of health who said they hope to start them by the end of the month.

CHURCH: Arwa Damon, we thank you for that remarkable story, bringing us that from Baghdad, many thanks.

Well, Iran is taking new steps with its new nuclear program and scaling back some of its cooperation with world powers. Ahead, how this could impact potential talks with the Biden White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. In Iran, state-run TV reports the country has now stopped the implementation of a protocol which allowed for snap inspections of the country's nuclear sites. That in a move that could leave room for diplomacy, Iran, and the international atomic energy agency, reached a deal on Sunday to allow inspectors continued access for the next three months. So, let's turn to CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, he joins me now live from London. Good to see you, Nick. So, what is the latest on this story? Where is the list going?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, essentially a lot of this back and forth diplomatic maneuvering involving also now the high stakes game of inspections is you might argue, futile, because both leadership of United States and Iran, both agreed they want to get back inside the JCPOA, the nuclear deal with different outcomes after that.

But we are in this extraordinary period of brinkmanship frankly as to who blinks first. Who in the United States' case may relieve some of the sanctions put back on by the Trump administration, or who, in the case of Iran, may stop the enrichment and other things that's been doing over the past months to suggest that it's stepping outside of the terms of the deal as well. [03:45:09]

We just had that today, the 23rd February deadline pass, which is all part of a timetable set by Iran's parliament to ratchet up tension, about things Iran will continue to do with its nuclear program that it insists is for peaceful purposes. Which, increasingly, raise concerns in the region and around the world, that they are getting better nuclear technology to hand.

Just a couple of weeks ago, they said that they'd start creating Uranium metal, they had created uranium metal. Many experts say that is mostly useful for weapons purposes, which Iran's says it denies. And in fact just yesterday, the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei came forward and said they might not stop enrichment to 20 percent that would already ring alarm bells in the region. And they might go as high as 60, citing the possible need for nuclear powered maritime vessels, potentially.

So, Iran always try to suggest that it has a civilian purpose for this increase rushed towards enforcement, yet many are saying, they are just simply after the bomb, aren't you? Now, at the same time to today we saw snap inspections as part of the additional protocol that the U.N. inspection agency, the IAEA put in.

They will no longer be in place, Iran has confirmed, but at the same time, they IAEA sent its president in, it's director in, to establish a last-minute deal with the Iranians to enable some sort of verification and monitoring system to continue over the next three months. Buying enough wiggle room for these negotiations to get underway.

It's not quite clear how the IAEA system will work, but they are still, obviously a gap here for both sides to get back inside the framework of the nuclear deal is just this very high stakes game involving lots of signals from Iran that suggest is looking outside of the civilian parameters of this nuclear program that leave many worried about miscalculation here. Rosemary?

CHURCH: We'll continue to watch this. Nick Paton Walsh, bringing us the latest there from London. Many thanks.

Well it is being called a severe ecological disaster. But Israeli officials, still unsure where this toxic sludge is coming from. We are live in Jerusalem, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

CHURCH: Volunteers are combing Israel's beaches, trying to clean up after what has been called, one of the country's most severe ecological disasters. Blobs of sticky tar started washing up on shore last week. But Israeli officials, still, are not sure where they came from. The country's interior ministry has asked the public to stay away from the worst affected beaches. And CNN's Sam Kiley, joins us now live from Jerusalem with more on

this. So, Sam, what were you learning about who might be responsible for this oil spill, and how is the cleanup progressing?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, Rosemary, the who's responsible is an international issue. The neighboring country of Lebanon has said that Israel is behind this spill. The Israeli court system has put an injunction on reporting details of this story in order they say, to prevent misinformation get out there. There had been dumped some oil, but that is simply in the realms of speculation.

What we do know is that an oil slick, some 50 kilometers or so off the coast of Israel and indeed Lebanon was seen some days ago. And it is starting to wash ashore along a very long coastline indeed. In the case of Israel, they have armies, literally, of the Israeli defense force and volunteers out, picking up, almost, impossible to see. Tiny, tiny, tiny specks of these oil, because it's being ingested by fish and other animals, particularly, turtles.

And there was last week, a mysterious death of a whale, that washed up on Israeli beach with his lungs full of some kind of black matter that the speculation is, of course, that this was some kind of oil poisoning. They don't know that for sure, at all, but it's become a kind of an international incident with these allegations flying around with the Israeli courts, and getting involved.

But what they are seeing, right across the Israeli coastline, anyway is this extraordinary effort on a micro level, literally, members of the armed forces and volunteers going from fingertip levels of search through the sand on Israel's beaches, trying to clean it up. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Salute to those people trying to do that cleanup. Sam Kiley, joining us live from Jerusalem. Many thanks.

And you are watching the first video ever released of a spacecraft landing on Mars. The footage comes from NASA's Perseverance rover. It shows the crafts journey through the Martian atmosphere and descent to the surface. NASA is also showing off the rovers video capabilities with this stunning panoramic shot of the red planet.

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It was composed by the 23 on board cameras, and its microphones captured the planet's first soundbite, a Martian breeze. Take a listen.

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CHURCH: Pretty sensational stuff there.

And dance music duo, Daft Punk is calling it quits. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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CHURCH: The group shared this symbolic video online, the Grammy award winning group formed in Paris in 1993, fashioning themselves as robots, making dance music, rarely being seen out of character. They are considered one of the most influential electronic acts of all- time, with numerous hit songs like One more time and Get lucky.

And thank you so much for joining us, I am Rosemary Church, I will be back with more news in just a moment. Do stick around.

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