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COVID Control Efforts Collapsing after Military Coup; U.S. Intel Chief: We Still Don't Know Origins of COVID-19; Kerry in China For Climate Talks; Biden to Begin U.S. Troop Withdrawal on May 1; CDC Advisors Put Off Decision on J&J Vaccine For Now; Defense Expert: Floyd Died from Heart Condition, Not Homicide. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 15, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:34]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back this is CNN NEWSROOM, live around the world. I'm John Vause.
Coming up this hour: the U.S. president calling home to the last remaining American troops in Afghanistan, ending an unwinnable were 20-long years after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Denmark is permanently pulling the AstraZeneca vaccine, the U.S. is extending a hold on Johnson & Johnson with other countries quickly following. That means millions of doses a vaccine may go unused over a miniscule chance of a blood clot.
And never let a crisis go to waste. How China and Russia are using the pandemic to expand global influence.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: U.S. troops will begin leaving Afghanistan just over two weeks, the deadline for a total military drawdown by September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
After announcing the troop withdrawal, President Joe Biden visited Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery known as the saddest acre of land in the United States, the final resting place of the U.S. troops killed in recent conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq.
The cost of America's longest running war had been staggering, $2 trillion over two decades, more than 2,000 American servicemen and women killed, almost 40,000 Afghans dead. And even though the Taliban is once again on the rise, it seems the American public lost interest in the fate of Afghanistan, long ago.
CNN senior White House correspondent Phil Mattingly has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSEPH R. BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's time for American troops to come home. PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): America's longest warm is kindly coming to an end. President Joe Biden standing the same exact spot where President George W. Bush launched operations in Afghanistan nearly two decades ago.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against the al-Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
MATTINGLY: Biden announcing to the world he will bring U.S. combat troops home by the 20th anniversary, of the worst terror attack on U.S. soil.
BIDEN: We went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago. That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021.
MATTINGLY: A decision officials described as month in the making, with Biden soliciting views from across this administration and global allies, and coming to this conclusion.
BIDEN: I'm now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan, two Republicans, two Democrats, I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.
MATTINGLY: A momentous decision brought with potential pitfalls, the U.S. intelligence community just this week explicitly stating the, quote, Afghan government will struggle to hold the Taliban at bay if the coalition withdraws support. Biden making clear the U.S. will continue diplomatic and humanitarian support, breaking sharply from the driving force of past withdrawal timelines.
BIDEN: We cannot continue this cycle extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal and expecting a different result.
MATTINGLY: Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sharply criticizing the move.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Apparently, were to help our adversaries ring in the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by gift-wrapping the country and handing it right back to them.
MATTINGLY: And issuing a warning from a similar decision in the not so distant past.
MCCONNELL: Our president should remember what happened when the Obama administration let can political considerations rush a retreat from Iraq, total chaos, and bloodshed, and ISIS.
MATTINGLY: Biden's decision went beyond bringing troops home, instead it officials say it's a real evaluation of U.S. defense priorities, one of the essential focus on China. The stakes underscored a hearing today with top intelligence officials. AVRIL HAINES, U.S. DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: China
increasingly is a near peer competitor, challenging the United States in multiple areas while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favor the authoritarian Chinese system.
MATTINGLY: With intelligence officials highlighting North Korea, Iran, terror groups in an increasingly aggressive Russia as major issues, to daunting picture for a team still inside its first 100 days in office.
[01:05:07]
But as Biden walked slowly through Arlington cemetery Section 60, the resting place of many of those killed in Americas wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he showed no hesitation or discomfort in his decision.
REPORTER: Was it a hard decision to make, sir?
BIDEN: No, it wasn't.
MATTINGLY: For a president who's pressed to leave Afghanistan for more than a decade, was one a long time coming.
BIDEN: To me, it was absolutely clear.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Phil Mattingly there with that report from the White House.
NATO secretary general says the troop withdrawal will mean a new kind of relationship with Afghanistan which focuses on diplomacy, humanitarian aid and economic assistance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We all aware that this is not the easiest decision, and this is a decision that takes risks. And also a decision that really requires that we continue to stay focused on Afghanistan, part to make sure that the withdrawal takes place in a safe and secure and orderly way, that we're sending a very clear message to the Taliban if -- that if they start to attack us, we will retaliate and answer in a very forceful way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: NATO forces will also begin withdrawal from Afghanistan May 1st in coordination with United States.
Indirect talks on salvaging the Iran nuclear deal will resume in the coming hours in Vienna, against a backdrop of Iran announcing significantly enrich uranium levels to 60 percent, a clear breach of the nuclear deal which is raising concerns in the U.S. and Europe. Saudi Arabia is also calling on Iran to de-escalate and says 60 percent enrichment cannot be for peaceful purposes.
But CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports, Iran remains furious and blames Israel for an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the incident that took place at the Natanz nuclear facility is calling a very defiant reaction in Iran, but also already having a big effect on the negotiations to try and salvage the Iran nuclear agreement.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, he came out Wednesday morning and he confirmed that Iran now wanting to upgrade its uranium enrichment, now enrich uranium to 60 percent purity, that that is a direct correlation and a direct result of what he called, the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility.
Of course, Iran is pointing the finger of blame at Israel. The Israelis have so far not said whether or not they were indeed behind it. But the Iranians are saying that Natanz will continue to operate, that they are going to use some of the most advanced centrifuges to bring uranium enrichment up to a grade of 60 percent.
The U.S., of course, is very concerned about all this. A spokesman for the White House, Jen Psaki, she came out and she said that Iran wanting to upgrade its uranium enrichment really calls into question as she put, it Iran's sincerity in the negotiations to try and salvage the Iran nuclear agreement.
Now, of course, both the U.S. and Iran have said that they want to salvage the agreement. The negotiations that are going on are very much indirect in nature. Nevertheless, it does seem as they are going to move forward. The next set of negotiations set to begin on Thursday.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The U.S. is expected to announce sanctions targeting Russian individuals and entities as early as Thursday, in response to SolarWinds cyber hack and U.S. election interference. Up to a dozen diplomats are set to be expelled as well.
And concern is growing that Russia's massive military buildup along Ukraine's border. The U.S. and other NATO members are pledging support for Ukraine as they call on Russia to de-escalate immediately.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: I call on Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity. We are committed to assisting Ukraine with its self defense needs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Russia says any concerns are, quote, unfounded. Kremlin also considering U.S. President Joe Biden's proposal for a summit meeting with Vladimir Putin. Both presidents talked by phone on Tuesday. The Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine will remain on hold in the
U.S. after an emergency review fail to yield any new guidance. CDC advisors say they need more time to work out if there is a link between the vaccine and severe an extremely rare blood clots. Authorities insist that the pause on the J&J vaccine will not hinder the overall U.S. vaccination campaign. They say it shows how seriously safety is being taken.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY, CDC DIRECTOR: Jointly, CDC and FDA were able to identify these where of fence an act quickly to alert health care providers and the public. This demonstrates that the safety systems we have in place are working.
JEFFREY ZIENTS, WHITE HOUSE COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATOR: Yesterday's actions should give the American people increased confidence in the FDA and CDC, the seriousness of the review process, and the steadfastness of their commitment to transparency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:10:11]
VAUSE: But in France, they have 200,000 J&J doses on hand and they are planning on using them.
CNN's Jim Bittermann reports now from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The question of which vaccine to use is dividing Europe, and no doubt confusing Europeans. While the French government says that he will go ahead and use the 200,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine that has already received, the manufacture itself has put distribution of its vaccine on hold.
In Denmark, the government said it hasn't made a decision about Johnson & Johnson vaccinations. But one a step beyond halting entirely the distribution of AstraZeneca vaccines after that vaccine too was blamed for a small number of blood clots.
Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency is weighed in on Johnson & Johnson, saying it remains in the view that the benefits for the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 outweigh the risks and side effects. And it said it would rule definitively on Johnson & Johnson use after more study, all of it will no doubt add to the vaccine hesitancy at a time here when COVID cases are at a high level and ICU bed usage for COVID patients is as high as it's been in nearly a year, at a time when the government would like to get as many people vaccinated as possible.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Phase two trials are about to begin in Britain and mixing and matching vaccine doses, could expand the efficacy of vaccines and their availability.
Researchers are also expected the trial to now include four different vaccines up to just two. Chief says that a study in my show that using different kinds of coronavirus vaccine might actually trigger a better immune response.
Joining us now is Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research.
Good to see you again, Doctor.
DR. ERIC TOPOL, CARDIOLOGIST & PROFESSOR OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE, SCRIPPS RESEARCH: Good to see you, John.
VAUSE: OK. Right now with this mix and match study which has been underway, they've been talking about this for a while. Where do you stand on this, do you think there could be benefits here and how does this actually increase the pool of vaccine availability?
TOPOL: Well, it's bit surprising that we're jumping into the mix and match this quickly, John, to extrapolate from mice and then go right into people, it seems like a bit of a reach, ideally we'd stick with the protocols that were so successful in clinical trials. We have such extraordinary array of highly effective vaccines.
If we get to a situation where we really have to do this out of desperation, OK, or if we have proof that it provides a really strong immune response. I'm not so worried about the safety of it but just to get the strong immune response would be good to validate before we adopt our policy
VAUSE: The other issue obviously is the ongoing issue with the Johnson & Johnson and blood clots and there is this investigation which is underway. Clearly, there is a need to get this right. But, on the other hand, the longer this goes on, taking this pause and take it out for another couple of days, is it likely to essentially cause damage if you like, to the public's confidence in the safety of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine? Because this is kind of happen to the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe.
TOPOL: Right, while I'm with you, John. I was very disappointed to see the CDC advisory committee say they need another 7 to 10 days to review more data. We have enough data. There is 7 million people who've had the vaccine. We know the incident.
We also know about the AstraZeneca because it is a shared issue. It's the adenoviral vector that is the common thread. So, we know the incidents is somewhere into the one to 200,000 to 1 of the million. And so, we know the vaccines, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca are very effective.
So we should just move ahead with the caveat and perhaps of course restricting it to a certain demographics. But to wait another week or 10 days just promotes the chance that the vaccine could go on a path of stigmatization, which is something we really need to avoid.
VAUSE: Yeah, because right now, Denmark, for example, was using the AstraZeneca vaccine completely. As you say, the Johnson & Johnson and the AstraZeneca are specific certain type. Moderna and Pfizer are different type of vaccine.
Here's the head of the CDC explaining why they are different and what the issues are, here we are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALENSKY: The AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines all use an adenovirus vector. These vaccines are different from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which are mRNA based vaccines. To be very clear, these types of reactions blood clots and combination with low platelets are not being seen with the authorized vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So this, point is there sort of a possible theory as to why the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines are the one that are likely having this issue with blood clots, and the others are not?
[01:15:00]
TOPOL: Right, while the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, is 182 million doses. Not a single case of these rare blood clots with the very low platelets. So, we know it is an issue, that gets down to that it has to be adenovirus itself, that vector, like the Trojan horse it brings in the message for the body to amount this immune response.
Now precisely what it is about the viral vector, it is still being explored, John. But the incidents here of the frequency is so incredibly low, we don't want to get that in the way of progress and, you know, hopefully, we'll get through this just as we know the AstraZeneca has gone ahead in most places, so should the J&J.
VAUSE: But there is a domino effect, though, right, that comes into play? Within hours the U.S. announcement of a pause for the J&J vaccine, many other companies followed suit, like South Africa.
Here's the health minister. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ZWELI MKHIZE, SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTH MINISTER: Based on their advice, we've determined to voluntarily suspend our rollout until the causal relationship between the development of clots and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is sufficiently interrogated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But the question is, can countries like South Africa which is struggling with the virus and they've already sort of suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccine, now Johnson & Johnson are seen as a alternative, one and done, do they have the luxury of having the other -- the time to make up -- to wait for this or to make up the shortfall with the other vaccines? It doesn't seem to be the case.
TOPOL: You know, every day counts here, and we know that the J&J vaccine work exceedingly well in South Africa with the variant that they have their, which is the one that is now of most concern for the immune property. So, this so-called B1351.
So, you know, I think it's part of the story today is that the committee here in deliberating Houston I just think about the U.S. and its worldwide impact. And I certain would hope that countries like South Africa, and as you've mentioned and others, you know, use these vaccines because the efficacy is incredibly overwhelming compared to this -- near infinitesimal or very, very low frequency of these rare blood clots.
VAUSE: Very quickly, though, the coronavirus caused more blood clots in patients then these vaccines did, right?
TOPOL: Yes. Absolutely.
So, the coronavirus COVID will cause strokes, all sorts of blood clots throughout the body. It's a far greater risk as you're pointing out. So, the risk of these rare blood clots, these so-called cerebral vein thrombosis and other areas of the body, this is so, so rare.
VAUSE: Yeah.
TOPOL: That's what we have to keep in mind.
VAUSE: Dr. Topol, thanks so much. Good to see you.
TOPOL: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: COVID deaths in Turkey have hit an all-time daily high, almost 300 on Wednesday. Nearly 63,000 new cases were reported as well. Also the most in just one day.
Turkey is under partial lockdown for the first two weeks of Ramadan, with nightly curfews and many indoor curfews prohibited. Turkey's president says restrictions will be tightened further unless cases begin to fall.
In the past 24 hours, more than 22,000 people in India were infected by the coronavirus. That's about 140 new infections every minute. Not surprisingly the highest number since the pandemic began, and it comes as millions of Hindu faithful gather for a month-long religious festival.
CNN's Vedika Sud is with us in New Delhi for more on this.
These numbers are staggering. I guess it's not surprising given the population of India, but still, 200,000 in 24 hours is huge.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: You know, John, you and I were talking yesterday about the staggering numbers, more than 200,000 cases in the last 24 hours.
Let's just go beyond the numbers, I want our viewers to know what's really happening on the ground in India, let's first bring in visuals from the Kumbh Mela festival, the largest religious festival across the world. Yesterday was an important day in the Hindu calendar for them. There were over 1.3 million people who took a dip in the holy Ganges River.
On Monday, there was another auspicious day where over 2 million people took that dip, and over the last 3 days, John, there have been more than 1,500 cases being reported from that district of COVID-19 infections.
Do remember, this goes on till the end of April. These people will be going home to their villages, their towns, their cities, only one can wonder what's going to happen when they get there, and the possible infections carries on and passed on to other.
Now I want our viewers to see visuals from the western state of Gujarat. You see a hospital with a line of hospital ambulances right outside the gate. There are patients inside those ambulances who are being treated because there aren't enough beds inside the hospital for them. And these ambulances are in high demand, there are others who have been waiting for those ambulances to get to their homes and take them to hospitals, but the bed capacity according to "Reuters" is just not enough to handle these numbers of cases.
[01:20:00]
And then there are the migrants who we have been talking about all of last year. They're going home again, John. They're going home because they are scared that they might be a national lockdown, yet again. Their livelihoods are at risk here, and they are just panicking at this moment, even though the finance minister of the country did mention that they would be no national lockdown.
But he has, there are partial lockdowns in different states of India. There's another state called Rajasthan that has also now enforced lockdowns. So, statewide, there are restrictions in place, but 200,000 cases in 24 hours is a staggering number. Over 1,000 deaths being reported. There's a lot more the needs to be done.
Doctors are exhausted, they're reaching out on Twitter and other social platforms asking the government to stop these religious and social gatherings, John.
VAUSE: Vedika, thank you. Vedika Sud in New Delhi.
Well, health folks in Brazil -- health experts in Brazil are warning of an unimaginable loss of life unless immediate measures are taken to contain the coronavirus. They say political chaos in government inaction means Brazil is the global epicenter of this pandemic. Death toll over 360, 000, behind only the United States, Brazil has the 3rd most infections worldwide, quickly approaching 14 million.
Well, when we come back, a stark warning on the coronavirus outbreak. U.S. intelligence says that the political and economic impact of the pandemic will be held globally for years to come. Those details in a moment.
Also, one medical expert says that George Floyd may have died from heart disease, drugs, carbon monoxide poisoning from a car exhaust, anything rather than Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck. His testimony coming up.
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VAUSE: Haiti's government has stepped down. There is now a new prime minister. The resignation comes after months of violence and political turmoil.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann has the very latest on a nation deeply divided.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Haiti's president says that he has accepted the resignation of his government and appointed a new prime minister.
The move comes as Haiti deals with increasingly political violence and uncertainty. Haitians say worsening economic situation and blatant official corruption has led to widespread lawlessness.
President Jovenel Moise says that change in government was meant to address a wave of killings and kidnappings that have plagued the country and spark public outrage.
Moise's critics and the opposition say that he is the problem, and the Haitian president shouldn't be in the office. According to the opposition, Moise's 5-year presidential term already ended and he was supposed to leave power this year.
Moise claims that since a dispute over his election delayed his taking office, his term is still not fish.
So far, the U.S. has not called for Moise to step down and instead has urged the Haitian president and the opposition to work together. Moise has vowed to reform the constitution and hold elections, but the opposition says that they no longer believe the Haitian president and that he is the one who needs to go.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Protesters faced off with law enforcement in Minnesota for a fourth night.
[01:25:02]
Tensions rise over the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright. As a nighttime curfew near, demonstrators threw bottles. Police used flash bangs and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Police have declared the protests unlawful assembly and have been arresting demonstrators.
The protests begin just hours after the former officer involved was arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter. Kim Potter has been released from jail on bond. She is expected to make her first court appearance later on Thursday.
Just 10 miles away from where Daunte Wright was shot and killed, the murder trial of former Police Officer Derek Chauvin is also underway. On Wednesday, the defense called its own medical expert who pushed a series of alternative theories of what may have caused George Floyd's death.
CNN's Omar Jimenez is following the trial from Minneapolis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID FOWLER, FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER, MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: I do.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Day two of defense witnesses in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, and the topics shifted from use of force to cause of death for George Floyd.
ERIC NELSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Did you form in your opinion, to a degree of medical certainty what you thought was the principal cause of Mr. Floyd's death?
FOWLER: Yes.
NELSON: And what is that?
FOWLER: Cardiac arrhythmia due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during restraint.
JIMENEZ: In other words, a bad heart while being restrained by police. No mention of asphyxiation as other doctors have testified or low levels of oxygen brought on by being chest down on the street handcuffed by the weight of three officers.
Dr. David Fowler went on to testify about what he thought were several possible contributing factors to George Floyd's death.
FOWLER: So we have a heart that's vulnerable because it's too big. There are certain drugs that are present in his system that make it, put him at risk of an arrhythmia.
JIMENEZ: He added the possible carbon monoxide from the squad car's exhaust.
FOWLER: It is an extremely toxic gas.
JIMENEZ: Fowler also testified that the force applied by the knee of Chauvin would not have directly impacted George Floyd's ability to survive.
NELSON: Is it your opinion that Mr. Chauvin's knee in any way impacted the structures of Mr. Floyd's neck?
FOWLER: No, it did not. None of the vital structures were in the area where the knee appeared to be from the videos.
JIMENEZ: But outside of this trial, Dr. David Fowler faces his own legal issues among others, accused a federal lawsuit filed of covering up police responsibility in the 2018 death of 19-year-old Anton Black in Maryland, and falsely attributing the cause of death to a heart condition, bipolar disorder and/or other natural causes, they're by blaming the victim for his own death and obscuring official responsibility, according to the complaint.
A representative from Fowler's legal team told CNN: Our case is in litigation and we cannot comment.
Back in this trial during cross examination, prosecutors pushed back on the doctors assertions.
JERRY BLACKWELL, PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: It's a yes or no question.
FOWLER: Yes.
JIMENEZ: They specifically focused on the cause of death, the central argument in this trial.
BLACKWELL: If a person dies as a result of low oxygen that person is also going to die ultimately of a fatal arrhythmia, right?
FOWLER: Correct. Every one of us in this room will have a fatal arrhythmia at some point.
BLACKWELL: Right. Because that's kind of how you go?
FOWLER: Yes.
JIMENEZ: Taking the witness to a familiar bottom line.
BLACKWELL: Do you feel that Mr. Floyd should have been given immediate emergency attention to try to reverse the cardiac arrest?
FOWLER: As a physician, I would agree.
BLACKWELL: Are you critical of the fact that he wasn't given immediate emergency care when he went in cardiac arrest?
FOWLER: Yeah. As a physician, I would agree.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ (on camera): And by all accounts, jurors were taking lots of notes during Dr. Fowler's testimony.
I should mention, they did not hear in court about his prior controversy. But nonetheless, they were engaged, even talking to each other at points during sidebars. And for the defense overall, this was really a chance to counter medical expert after medical expert prosecutors brought to the stand at really a critical time for the defense trying to make an impression on jurors in this final lead-up to closing expected to now just be days away.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, Minneapolis.
VAUSE: Still to come here, the latest casualties of the crisis in Myanmar, many of the military crackdown, they now fears that COVID is spiraling outside of control and that the public health system is on the brink of collapse.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What is happening with the battle against COVID-19 in Myanmar, since the February 1st coup?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Failing. Totally failing at controlling the disease.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:32:17]
VAUSE: Welcome back everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Well, the U.N. is warning that Myanmar's public health system is in near total collapse, a direct result of the February military coup. Soldiers now occupying hospitals, check points preventing civilians and others from reaching medical facilities. All of this against the backdrop of that military coup which has left hundreds possibly of civilians dead.
For more now CNN's Ivan Watson is standing by in Hong Kong. And the sad reality is, Ivan, that before the military coup, you know, Myanmar was actually making some progress in dealing with the coronavirus.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And that is part of what is kind of tragic here is that Myanmar -- people who work in the health care system in Myanmar really were afraid of what the pandemic was going to do and they were pleasantly surprised that people that things were starting to get better and then this coup sets in which affects so many different sides of life.
It has been more than two and a half months where you have things like basic banking that have come to a halt and education but also the health care system.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice over): The crackdown after Myanmar's military coup claimed hundreds of lives in just two months. But there are also many unseen casualties of this rapidly escalating crisis.
(on camera): What is happening with the battle against COVID-19 in Myanmar since the February 1st coup?
DR. PHYU PHYU THIN ZAW: Failing. Totally failing at controlling the disease.
WATSON (voice over): Experts like this epidemiologist from Myanmar are sounding the alarm.
DR. ZAW: I would say that the COVID-19 control mechanism is totally collapsed in Myanmar.
WATSON: Already one of the poorest countries in Asia, Myanmar was ill- equipped to handle the pandemic. but Myanmar ramped up testing and treatment and even began giving doctors and nurses their first vaccination shots in January of this year.
That progress came to a screeching halt on February 1st when the military overthrew the elected civilian government.
Confirmed COVID cases already on the decline suddenly plunged to less than 20 a day. But that, experts say, is due to a collapse in testing.
LUIS SFEIR YOUNIS, IFRC MYANMAR COVID-19 OPERATIONS MANAGER: No more than a thousand tests per day are being conducted and that is driven the context of before the 1st of February, the average was around 16,000 -- 15,000 -- 16,000 tests per day.
WATSON: Doctors were among the first to protest against the coup. Many health care workers joined an anti-coup civil disobedience movement and went on strike, including this doctor who we can't identify for his safety.
[01:34:56]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medical personnel don't want to do their under the coup.
WATSON: Until the coup, the doctor ran a hospital COVID treatment center. He says no one is working there anymore.
(on camera): Are you worried about another wave of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. If there is another wave coming in, the situation is worse than ever.
WATSON (voice over): For more than two months, the strike has all but paralyzed the public health care system. Prompting the military junta to issue public statements asking health care workers to return to work immediately.
But the crackdown that has killed more than 700 people hasn't spared medical workers. This week the military published this wanted list, including doctors accused of supporting the civil disobedience movement, now at risk of arrest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we are sure to be arrested. So who dares to go back to the hospital?
WATSON: Experts warn if COVID-19 explodes in Myanmar again, neighboring countries won't be spared.
The Chinese government launched a vaccination and testing blitz in the border city of Ruili after an outbreak of COVID-19 began late March.
Beijing says nearly half of confirmed positive cases in the province are Myanmar nationals. Meanwhile, refugees from Myanmar are starting to flow towards Thailand and India.
DR. ZAW: If refugee crisis is expected, you have to expect the COVID- 19 crisis along with refugee crisis.
WATSON: As one doctor in Myanmar puts it, if your neighbor's house is on fire, your own home will soon be in danger.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: So John we're in the middle of a once in a century pandemic. And the United Nations is warning that Myanmar is hurtling towards the possibility of civil war which is a combination of awful factors that I don't think we have seen, really, certainly in Southeast Asia within the last several decades.
On top of that, that bright spot that we mentioned, one of that was the vaccination program that had just begun in January. The doctors that I interviewed, some of them did get their first jabs, but never went back for their second injection after the coup.
And according to the World Health Organization, the number, the total number of vaccine doses for a country of more than 50 million right now, hovers around 100,000 administered and it has been stuck around that level for sometime now, John.
VAUSE: Yes, it's tragedy upon tragedy right now in Myanmar and nothing is changing it seems.
Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.
Well, in the coming hours, a hearing on global threats will resume this time in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. intelligence chiefs on Wednesday testified to the Senate.
And also they said Russia, Iran and North Korea all posed serious dangers to the U.S., they're calling the threat from China an unparalleled priority.
CNN's Alex Marquardt has details.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: There were so many important and frankly daunting threats to discuss in this worldwide threats hearing in the Senate Intelligence Committee that after the director of National Intelligence was done with her introductory remarks, the chairman, Senator Mark Warner, commented that it was a long list of what he calls awful things.
Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines was asked about the competing theories about the origin of the coronavirus in China, whether it escaped from a lab or moved from an animal to humans in nature. She said the Intelligence Committee still doesn't know.
AVRIL HAINES, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: It is absolutely accurate, the intelligence community does not know exactly where, when or how COVID-19 virus was transmitted initially.
MARQUARDT: Now, this hearing came the same day as President Joe Biden announced the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan which the CIA director Bill Burns said would result in a significant risk for U.S. intelligence gathering.
According to Bill Burns, ISIS and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan no longer pose a threat to the U.S. for now, but withdrawing troops means pulling back critical support for intelligence operation to monitor those terrorist groups. Take a listen.
WILLIAM BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: I think it is also clear that our ability to keep that threat in Afghanistan in check from either al-Qaeda or ISIS and Afghanistan has benefited greatly from the presence of U.S. And coalition militaries on the ground and in the air, fueled by intelligence, provided by the CIA and our other intelligence partners.
When the time comes for the U.S. military to withdraw, the U.S. government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish, that is simply a fact.
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MARQUARDT: Burns said the CIA would still maintain what he called a suite of capabilities and build other capabilities in order to keep their eyes and ears on the ground in Afghanistan.
On Russia, Bill Burns called their military buildup in Ukraine a serious concern and said it could be a precursor to what he called limited military incursions into Ukraine by Russia.
On China, the U.S. intelligence chief says the country is an unparalleled priority. China has become what they call, a near-peer rival to the United States, across a number of areas that threaten the U.S.
In terms of economic espionage, the FBI director Chris Wray said there are 2,000 open FBI investigations tied back to the Chinese government and that a new one is open every 10 hours.
Alex Marquardt, CNN -- Washington.
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VAUSE: Katherine Hirschfeld is a medical anthropologist at the University of Oklahoma, an author of "Gangster States: Organized Crime, Kleptocracy and Political Collapse" and she joins us this hour from Norman, Oklahoma.
Katherine, thanks for being with us.
KATHERINE HIRSCHFELD, MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA: Thank you so much.
VAUSE: Ok. I want to read one key line from this threat assessment report. Here it is. The economic fallout from the pandemic is likely to create or worsen instability in at least a few and perhaps many countries.
People grow more desperate in the face of interlocking pressures that include sustained economic downturns, job losses and disrupted supply chains.
And that includes countries as well like the United States in many ways. And you've made the point that this will all collide with growing conspiracy theories, increased political division and this creates the environment, I guess in the U.S. for new viral outbreaks.
So in other words, a post COVID world does not necessarily a post pandemic world?
HIRSCHFELD: Yes. That is right. and I think that we are so fixated on, and rightly so, on ending the current pandemic that we've lost sight of the fact that the conditions that created this pandemic have not gone away.
And that other emerging pathogens can take that same pathway out to reach vulnerable populations. And we should not assume that everything will go back to normal even as COVID begins to die down through our vaccination efforts.
VAUSE: And just talk about those conditions which have created these environment, the conspiracy theories, the social inequities, the lack of opportunities, that kind of stuff.
HIRSCHFELD: Sure. You know, I think that the United States especially has been experiencing a lot of downward economic mobility since the financial crisis. And this has made people angry and frustrated. I think it is so embedded in American values -- the idea of upward mobility is just a right and an expectation.
And when things go the other way, people don't know here to turn and so conspiracy theories fulfill one need. And they also channel people's anger, even in ways that don't seem very rational. But anger is not a rational emotion.
And so I think that people's response to the pandemic has been exacerbated by pre-existing tensions, social inequalities. But also it is taking it in a new direction that has created new challenges for public health. Even though we have good tools and technologies to keep this virus under control, they're not being utilized -- they're not being accepted by people.
VAUSE: There was this moment for many in the U.S. it seems, that public health care is now a realization, it's a good thing. Government regulations might actually be there for a reason.
Here's the U.S. director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAINES: The critical impact of this pandemic has also served to highlight the importance of public health to national security. And ecological degradation and a changing climate will continue to fuel disease outbreaks, threaten food and water security, exacerbate political instability and humanitarian crises.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Would you say that all the Post World War II public health measures and other social investments were a victim of their own success? They work so well many just sort of never realized why they were needed in the first place?
HIRSCHFELD: It is true. I mean many people have forgotten that there used to be epidemic malaria all through the United States and yellow fever, as far north as Boston, and typhoid, and all of these things that we think of as -- even if they were remembered, there are things that we think that we have solved forever and that they are not here anymore and they will never come back.
But that is not true. I mean we've seen measles start to come back due to vaccine hesitancy and anti-vax activism and the anti-science activism that Peter Hotez just pointed out that will frame his writing.
So I am concerned that people have forgotten what public health is, all of the things that it did to help this country in the 20th century, and that people will reject even the very idea of government sponsored programs to control disease at the source, to prevent infections in the first place.
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VAUSE: And there is also the role that China and Russia have been playing and will be playing in both stoking and exploiting that turmoil.
Again here is the director of National Intelligence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAINES: The effect of the current pandemic will obviously continue to strain governments and societies over the coming year. Face fueling humanitarian and economic crises, political unrest and geo-political competition as countries build influence -- I'm sorry, as countries such as China and Russia seek advantage through vaccine diplomacy to build influence and in some cases demand accession from other governments.
VAUSE: You know, in the case of China, if all this is confined to Beijing, just giving away, you know, kind of dodgy vaccines to less wealthy nations around the world, it wouldn't in itself be much of a problem but the Chinese are also building up its military and they're doubling the size of nuclear stockpile, I think over the next decade.
So how does this all fit together in terms of china's challenge to the United States?
HIRSCHFELD: Well, I think that countries like China that have very concentrated political power and that don't experience turnovers in leadership due to consolidated autocracy, I think that they play the long game, and that is what we are seeing here.
And so in addition to all of the things you just mentioned, China also has this information component to everything that they do. So they want to win on the information field as well and that includes, in addition to, producing their own less than ideal vaccine, but also funneling resource in disinformation to discredit or try to invalidate superior vaccines that we see coming out of other pharmaceutical companies.
So it is always a multi-pronged attack and information warfare is always a key component.
VAUSE: Katherine Hirschfeld, thank you so much. We appreciate you being with us.
HIRSCHFELD: Thank you very much.
VAUSE: Coming up Americas climate envoy in Shanghai trying to convince China to partner with the United States to combat climate change. The very latest in a live report from Beijing.
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VAUSE: Right now the U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is in Beijing trying to find common ground with China over the global crisis of climate change. China is the world's largest greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, more than double the U.S. according to Climate Watch.
And back in September Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to make China carbon neutral by 2060. Kerry's visit to China comes amid heightened diplomatic tensions between both nations.
Let's go live now to Beijing, Steven Jiang is standing by. So Steven, John Kerry, he's got some -- a tall order in front of him given the current state of relationship between the two countries?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is right. And the fact he is in Shanghai, not here in Beijing, the seat of this very centralized government tells you the delicate nature of this visit because the Chinese probably want to put him in a more politically neutral setting and not having to worry about if President Xi who has been really trying to present himself as the global leader on this issue will have to meet him.
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JIANG: Now these climate talks, of course, are happening at a time when the political climate between the two governments simply cannot get any worse.
So that is why I think both sides are trying to manage expectations here. Here in China, the state media in their editorials and commentaries have been emphasizing that these talks have to be conducted based on both parties being equals. Not on U.S. terms and China is now going to make unilateral concessions according to them to help advance the Biden administration agenda to really have the U.S. resume its global leadership role on this issue.
Now, they have also pointed out probably rightly so that it is very difficult to carve out niche areas on one or two issues that both sides can talk about cooperation when the rest of this relationship is in a freefall, because they say both sides simply lack the foundation of basic mutual trust conduct a meaningful negotiations.
But from Washington's perspective though, as John Kerry himself has said in recent days, this issue simply cannot be resolved without china being at the table. That is why he's in Shanghai meeting and talking to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinhua (ph) about this in terms of a potential cooperation.
But also probably reminding the Chinese, the gap between Mr. Xi's ambitious promise, you know, peaking emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060. And the reality here on the ground which is China has been expanding the use of coal in the past few years despite this being a major contributor to CO2 emissions.
And between 2015 and 2019, this country actually added 360 new coal- fired power plants and this trend is continuing despite all the talk about a green post COVID-19 economic recovery. And that recovery may also explain why China is the only world economy last year showing a rise in CO2 emission.
So John, all these issues probably on the table, but still very few people are expecting major breakthroughs at this stage, John.
VAUSE: Steven, thank you. Steven Jiang live in Beijing.
Well, former senior U.S. officials have met with Taiwan's president in Taipei on Wednesday. U.S. President Joe Biden sent a delegation to show support for Taiwan after China's recent military exercises in the region.
Taiwan says the visit marks a deepening partnership with the U.S. Beijing though firmly opposes any form of official exchange between Taipei and Washington. Well, last year the Trump White House is pushing for a controversial arms sale and now the Biden administration surprisingly has approved it. After all $23 billion was on the (INAUDIBLE). We'll explain.
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VAUSE: The White House looks set to approve a massive weapon sales to the United Arab Emirates. The deal was made by one term president Donald Trump but was put on hold and placed under review during the first days of the Biden administration.
CNN's John Defterios live in Abu Dhabi for more on this.
This deal is not without controversy but the good news is the U.S. State Department says the weapons will be used in a matter that respects human rights. I'm not too sure that an F-38 or F-35 (ph) can do that. But what is the rationale here by the White House to greenlight this deal?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, it is interesting because Joe Biden immediately hit the pause button when he came into office in January, but that did not last very long.
In fact, John, if you count the days it is less than 100 days for him to give the green light to this.
[01:54:51]
DEFTERIOS: I think at the heart of it is this F-35 jet fighter that the UAE and particularly Abu Dhabi wants to get its hands on, as you suggested, the deal is $23 billion dollars but I think it really tells us how far things have come along under the Abraham Accords which were signed under Donald Trump back in September with the normalization of relations between Israel led by the UAE. And then a total of four countries now stretching west to Morocco.
And also, if you kind of read the details here, John, no objections coming from Israel which as you know, always wanted to maintain defense superiority. So you can see the ties between Israel and the UAE moving very quickly.
And here's the person behind it. It is Mohammed bin Zayed. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi that runs military affairs and foreign affairs. He is seen as a key ally in the region right now.
And case in point, John Kerry was here two weekends ago meeting with climate officials from the UAE. They want to lead this effort to the Middle East and North Africa despite the fact they're major oil producers trying to illustrate the energy transition.
So if you look at the Gulf States and the broader Middle East, the UAE now you can see with the clearance of these sales, is going to play a more prominent position going forward.
VAUSE: Yes. John, thank you. John Defterios there in Abu Dhabi.
Thanks for the update.
Well, the man who admitted to running the world's largest financial fraud in history is dead in prison. Bernie Madoff was serving a 150 years sentence for masterminding a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme which ruined thousands of lives.
He was arrested in 2008 when investors demanded he redeem (ph) $7 billion which he did not have. A judge denied Madoff's request last year for an early release because of terminal illness. He called Madoff's fraud one of the most egregious crimes of our time. He was 82.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Stay with us the news continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church, after a very short break.
You're watching CNN.
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