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Cyclone Hampers India's COVID Relief Efforts; Taiwan Facing Its Worst Covid Outbreak Yet; U.S. Employers Battle Labor Shortage; U.S. Military Confirms Some "UFO" Sightings are Real. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired May 18, 2021 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He has on his resume, if you will, sex trafficking, false accusations, sex with a minor and he will have to answer to all of this as he goes forward with this case.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Orlando.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: The Gates Foundation has never received any formal complaints against co-founder Bill Gates. That was released after new reporting suggesting why Gates resigned from the Microsoft board of directors back in 2020. According to the "Wall Street Journal" Gates quit the board after it began investigating a romantic relationship he had with a Microsoft employee back in 2000. CNN has not confirmed the allegation cited by the journal. Earlier this month Bill Gates' wife Melinda filed for divorce.

Well still to come as India tops 25 million COVID cases, a massive cyclone is hampering testing and vaccination efforts on the country's west coast making the crisis even worse.

And Taiwan officials are concerned about a rush of vaccinations potentially leading to shortages. What the island is doing about its worst COVID outbreak yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, we are following the COVID crisis in Asia where two locations are seeing a sharp rise in cases. India just became the second country to top 25 million known coronavirus cases after the U.S. And now a massive cyclone is pummeling India's west coast, disrupting both testing and vaccination efforts in that region.

[04:05:03]

Taiwan is also seeing a record rise in COVID cases, one senior official is now asking people to reserve medical resources for critically ill COVID patients.

And CNN's Anna Coren is in Hong Kong and Will Ripley is in Taipei with the latest on those stories. Good to see you both. So Anna, I want to start with you, what is the latest on efforts across India to try to contain this virus and get more people vaccinated?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Rosemary, the focus is very much on the west coast of India right now after that cyclone Tauktae barreled into the west coast of the country. Gujarat is where it made landfall. Hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated from low lying areas and it really just complicates efforts in that part of the country that have been doing well, you know, we've seen cases drop as far as COVID goes in that part of the country.

Now with this cyclone, now with these mass evacuations, people being crammed into shelters, the fear is that the virus is once again going to surge. Hospitals had to be moved, certainly COVID patients in those low lying hospitals had to be moved and we've heard of power outages at hospitals, obviously fallen trees because of the high winds, the flooding, the heavy rain. It has been causing havoc.

The vaccination program in this part of the country had to be suspended because of the cyclone and now with the cleanup operations and having to restore, you know, the storm damage it could take days if not weeks to get that vaccination program back up and running, which India admits is the only way to tackle this second wave -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, it's such a tragic situation there. Thanks for that is correct Anna. Will, we go to you now. And Taiwan, of course, had contained this virus for so long but is now facing its most severe outbreak since the start of the pandemic. What went wrong?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's what makes this story here in Taiwan so important for everyone around the world, Rosemary. It's not the numbers specifically because Taiwan's numbers all along have been extraordinarily low. As of today, yes, you have more than 2,000 total cases for the entire pandemic and two new confirmed deaths today. So 14 people have died here throughout the entire pandemic.

Those numbers are extraordinary and they are the result of a nation that acted decisively at the beginning shutting down their borders and all but eliminating local transmission for most of the time that the rest of the world was locked down and cases were skyrocketing. And yet now here they are with their worst outbreak to date. 240 new confirmed local cases just announced this afternoon here local time and the concern is you have 23 million people living on this island and no herd immunity because fewer than 1 percent of the population is vaccinated right now.

There wasn't a whole lot of demand for vaccines prior to this outbreak to be perfectly frank because people were living life as if it was actually normal. Masks maybe, large gatherings, sure. Night markets and adult entertainment venues and big dinners with family and friends. Life was normal and so when those cases came in, they are believed to have come in through air crew, through pilots and then they spread silently.

People had no idea that this virus was going around and this is a nation that is highly susceptible because they have a vaccine shortage. They've almost run out of the doses they have. Locally- produced vaccines may not be available until late July, the president of the Taiwan says. And this island has struggled to get in more vaccines for a lot of different reasons including a complicated political situation between Taiwan and mainland China.

So it's not the fact that the numbers are so big at the moment but it's that this crisis could become very big. If Taiwanese don't follow the government's strictest guidelines in place now since the pandemic began, and so far, Rosemary, they're following them. People are wearing their masks. They are staying off the streets. They are staying away from gathering in large groups because people want life to get back to normal here but are afraid that the worst may be yet to come if they can't contain this outbreak.

CHURCH: It is certainly a cautionary tale for the rest of the world. Many thanks to Anna Coren in Hong Kong and Will Ripley in Taiwan. Appreciate it.

Well health experts are urging caution in the U.K. as parts of the country have rolled back COVID restrictions. Officials warn that until more is known about the Indian variants dominating U.K. infections large social gatherings may not be the best idea. And earlier I spoke with infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Drobac who says an upswing in new cases is expected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. PETER DROBAC, GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: I think there is cause for concern with this new variant.

[04:10:00]

We made a lot of progress, about 70 percent of adults in the U.K. have had one dose of vaccine, and about 40 percent have had two doses. But of course, they're still a long way to go. And you know, we experienced a really terrible surge of infections in January due to the B.1.1.7 variant.

And so now, this 1.6.1.7 variant, originally detected in India, appears to be even more transmissible. So while at the moment the individual risk of infection has restart to open up as low, you know, increasing of higher risk indoor activity, like indoor dining, and things, I think does pose the risk that we might see another upswing in infections, driven by this new variants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Dr. Peter Drobac speaking to me earlier.

Well the Tokyo Olympic games are just about two months away. Some preliminary events are taking place like the Olympic torch relay which passed through Hiroshima's Peace Park on Monday. The relay will continue through July 23 and end in Tokyo at the opening ceremonies. But calls are growing from protesters to delay the games or call them off as Japan battles a COVID-19 surge. A new poll by a Japanese newspaper found 43 percent of respondents in favor of canceling the games. U.S. President Joe Biden is heading to Michigan today to promote his

economic recovery plan. His trip comes as the U.S. faces a major labor shortage. Ahead, why it's hard for some employers to find workers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Gas shortages are persisting in several states and Washington, D.C., even as a major supplier has resumed its normal service. Colonial Pipeline says it's now fully operational, but it will take time for the supply chain to catch up. The company was forced to shut down critical fuel arteries for the East Coast after a ransomware attack.

[04:15:00]

That led to many drivers panic buying gasoline which has only made things worse.

U.S. president Biden is traveling to Michigan later today to promote his economic agenda and meet with members of the auto industry. His trip comes as many employers, in Michigan and across the country, are struggle with a growing labor shortage. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTI EISENBRAUN, CO-OWNER, BROWN IRON BREWHOUSE: How are we doing on reservations today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're doing good. We're on schedule.

EISENBRAUN: So, are we full?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Brown Iron Brewhouse, business is booming, or starting to, after a punishing year with the pandemic. But, one day each week, the dining room is dark.

EISENBRAUN: How is everything so far? Good?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very good.

EISENBRAUN: Good.

ZELENY (voice-over): Because Patti Eisenbraun has no other choice.

EISENBRAUN: It's not a lack of customers, it's purely for staffing reasons. I had 120 people before the pandemic, I am down to 70. I need immediate hire for 30 people.

ZELENY (voice-over): It's a stark warning sign in the economy, a labor shortage facing frustrated business owners here in Michigan and across the country. Now hiring signs from restaurants to manufacturing in most everywhere you look.

EISENBRAUN: We are trying everything we can. There's just not the people out there right now.

ZELENY (voice-over): Just as President Biden's fortunes were tied to tackling coronavirus, so too are they linked to an economic recovery. The rest of his presidency will likely rise or fall on the strength of that rebound.

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Yes, he will be judged on how the economy is doing, as well all of us. So our job is to work together and keep the economy strong.

ZELENY (voice-over): Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell says the labor shortages real, as are its root causes. Like childcare concerns, lingering COVID fears, and above all, women leaving the workforce in droves.

ZELENY: Optimistic about the economy, or too soon to say?

DINGELL: I'm going to choose to be optimistic, and it's my responsibility, and everyone else's to make sure we deliver on that optimism.

ZELENY (voice-over): And delivering on that optimism means fighting the unmistakable economic headwinds, many of which revolve around rebuilding America's vanishing workforce.

MARGIE MARTIN, UNEMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST, SER METRO DETROIT: We have tons of jobs, we have more jobs than folks.

ZELENY (voice-over): Margie Martin is an employment specialist, matching workers to jobs. She's on the front lines of a question hanging over the president's economic agenda. Are unemployment checks keeping potential employees on the sidelines?

MARTIN: I don't think so. In my own personal experience, there are other issues that doesn't allow someone to get employment. A single mom doesn't have a support system. All her kids are at home.

ZELENY (voice-over): Just north of Detroit, in Sterling Heights, Mayor Michael Taylor is a Republican, who's been watching the new president closely. When we first met him last fall, he told us, he was supporting Biden.

MAYOR MICHAEL TAYLOR (R), STERLING HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN: I can't wait to cast my vote to get Donald Trump out of office.

ZELENY: So, how are things going?

TAYLOR: Well, I'm still happy with my decision.

ZELENY (voice-over): But Taylor said he believes that unemployment assistance should not be extended so more people return to work.

TAYLOR: That's the number one concern I've heard from business owners.

ZELENY (voice-over): Back at the Brewhouse, Eisenbraun is offering a bounty for employees who bring in new workers. She also offers health care, and a 401(k), and dismisses those who blame all business owners for the labor crunch.

EISENBRAUN: I think that the misconception that I see, from the politicians, is that the reason why people don't go back to work is that the jobs aren't worth it. These are low paying jobs. But they aren't.

ZELENY: These hiring challenges are a critical piece of the complicated economic puzzle facing the Biden administration. Now, the president traveling to the Detroit area on Tuesday to promote the new electric vehicles being built by the Ford Motor Company. That is part of his jobs plan, part also of his climate plan. But all of these plans coming together representing trillions in federal spending rest at the heart of how successful the economy of course will be. How that ends will be a key part of President Biden's legacy.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Detroit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, it turns out the stuff of science fiction isn't always fiction. Coming up, the U.S. military acknowledges some UFO sightings are the real deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My gosh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're going against the wind. The wind is 120 miles from the west.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So look at that thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's rotating.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well UFOs are a favorite plot device for science fiction movies but now the Pentagon has confirmed the authenticity of several videos and images depicting close encounters with them. CNN's Oren Liebermann has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An object skimming the surface, apparently at high speed, when --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, got it. Woo-hoo.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Bull's-eye, the aircraft sensors home in on the -- the thing, the unidentified flying object. It's one of a few videos of these UFOs the Pentagon confirmed as authentic.

ALEX DIETRICH, FORMER NAVY PILOT: You know, I think that over the years we've sort of said, hey, man, if I saw this solo I don't know that I would have come back and said anything because it sounds so crazy. Your mind tries to make sense of it. I'm going to categorize this as maybe a helicopter or maybe a drone, and when it disappeared, I mean, it was just.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Alex Dietrich has never sold her story publicly. She is one of several Navy pilots who spoke with "60 Minutes" who've seen or picked up on sensors, similar objects often moving fast with odd shapes and no obvious method of propulsion.

DAVID FRAVOR, FORMER NAVY PILOT: There's definitely something that I don't know who is building it, whose got the technology, whose got the brains. But there's something out there that was better than our airplane.

LIEBERMANN: No one is using the word aliens here. The Pentagon calls them UAPS, Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a whole fleet of them.

My gosh. They are all going against the wind. The wind is 120 miles from the west.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Pilot Ryan Graves picked this up on his infrared sensor in 2004 off the coast of San Diego.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that thing. It's rotating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The highest probability is it's a threat observation program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could it be Russian on Chinese technology?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see why not.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Late last year the Pentagon created a task force to look at the nature and origin of UAPS. What are these things? Where do they come from and is there an intent here? The government sees this as a possible threat, something that may be able to outperform military capabilities. Lawmakers are demanding it be treated seriously.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): We have things flying over our military bases and places where we are conducting military exercises and we don't know what it is and it isn't ours. So that's a legitimate question to ask if it's something of -- outside this planet, that might actually be better than the fact that we have seen some technological leap on behalf of the Chinese or Russians or some other adversary.

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Next month the direct ever of national intelligence and the defense secretary are scheduled to deliver an unclassified report on UAPS to Congress. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper applaud the transparency but isn't expecting too much yet.

JAMES CLAPPER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I expect this report will be filled with ambiguity as well and people, depending on their leanings, will extract what they want out of this report.

LIEBERMANN: For years, the government and military largely downplayed or ignored reports of UFOs. Now the Pentagon's handling of these reports is under its own investigation. The DoD inspector general announcing earlier this month that it will look at how the Pentagon handled reports of UFOs in the past.

Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And thanks for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. Be sure to connect with me on Twitter @RosemaryCNN. "EARLY START" with Laura Jarrett and Christine Romans is up next. You're watching CNN. Have a great day.