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Australia to Ease Travel Restrictions for Australians; Government Shutdown Avoided, But Infrastructure Fight Looms; Belarusian President Dismisses Reports of Human Rights Abuses; Ex- Police Officer Gets Whole-Life Sentence; New Information on Ecuador Prison Carnage; Salvadorans Protest Bitcoin, President; Dubai Opens World Expo, One Year After Pandemic Halt; Japan's Princess Mako to Marry Long-Time Partner; Nearly 14,000 Afghan refugees waiting to come to U.S.; No vote tonight on bipartisan infrastructure bill; La Palma residents return to devastation from volcano. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired October 01, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hello. Welcome to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Michael Holmes. I appreciate your company.
Coming up here on the program, Australia races to reopen its international borders but not for foreign visitors. We are going to be live in Sydney for you with who will be allowed to enter and when.
Plus, sentenced to die in prison: The man who raped and murdered 33- year-old Sarah Everard in London given life without the possibility of parole.
And later, Dubai's Expo 2020 finally kicks off in style. CNN is live on the ground for you.
Within weeks, vaccinated Australians will be allowed to travel overseas with the government bringing forward plans to phase out an 18-month long ban on international flights.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announcing the new measures a short time ago. Residents in states with an 80 percent vaccination rate will be free to leave the country and on return require to home quarantine for a week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: And that is giving us the opportunity to get Australia ready for takeoff. It is -- will be time very soon that we will be able to open those international borders again and that will enable Australians who are fully vaccinated and Australians and residents of Australia who are overseas, who are fully vaccinated, to be able to travel again.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES (on camera): For more on this, let's go to Angus Watson, standing by for us in Sydney. There has been so much criticism about the hardships a lot of Australians have had, not being allowed to return to their country or leave and come back. Tell us about these changes and how are they going to work.
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Michael, what we heard there is the prime minister signalling into what was a very controversial policy, a policy of limiting the number of Australian citizens and residents allowed into the country, through the pandemic, in order to try to keep the virus out.
And this backtrack on that plan, the reversal of the plan to allow Australian citizens and permanent residents into the country as of November, signals Australia's willingness to live with the virus, to abandon their COVID zero principles that we've been living by here in Australia for so long.
It is partly because the delta variant has changed the game here in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, and Canberra authorities struggling to get on top of the spread of the virus.
So, now, what the federal government is saying is that it is going to allow Australians and permanent residents into the country to fly in to cities which have met that 80 percent mark, a fully vaccinated people over the age of 16, saying that now is time to live with the virus and it is safe enough to begin opening up to the rest of the world, but only for Australians and permanent residents at this stage, Michael.
HOLMES: Yup. No tourists. Not yet. Angus, good to see you. Angus Watson, appreciate it.
Now, the U.S. Congress avoided a government shutdown on Thursday, but two defining pieces of the Biden agenda are suddenly stalled right at the finish line. The White House says negotiations will resume first thing on Friday on two massive spending bills after a crucial vote for one of them did not take place on Thursday as planned.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried all day on Thursday to secure enough democratic support to pass a $1.2 trillion bill to fix America's infrastructure, roads, bridges, and so on.
But party progressives refused to go along on that one until they got a firm deal on a much bigger deal, $3.5 trillion dollar package of social programs and climate action.
Now, if there is a breakthrough, a vote could come at any time. But for now, it appears the White House and Democrats are facing a protracted period of tense negotiation.
Here is CNN's Ryan Nobles on Capitol Hill.
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RYAN NOBLES, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The vote did not happen. This is despite Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plan to vote on a bipartisan infrastructure package in the House of Representatives. The speaker waited until 10 o'clock on Thursday night to say there would be no vote, and that is because she just didn't have enough votes for the measure to pass.
House progressives held firm throughout the day, saying that they were not interested in passing this bipartisan infrastructure package without specific assurances that the much larger $3.5 trillion social safety net expansion would also be passed.
[02:04:57]
NOBLES: It required a lot of negotiation between many of the most important players to try and get to a place where they can even have that conversation.
Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, the two moderate Senate holdouts, along with Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Chuck Schumer and White House officials, were furiously into the night trying to hash out an agreement. But in the midst of those negotiations, it was Sanders who emerged from Schumer's office and said that this negotiating style was his -- he described it as being just plain absurd, that it didn't make sense, that they were going to try and pass something in the middle of the night instead of methodically coming up with an agreement that everyone would sign off on.
That was enough for Pelosi to say this is just isn't happening tonight. Those House progressives held firm, in a meeting of their own. So, the big question is what happens now? It is important to keep in mind that this was an arbitrary deadline. This wasn't a deadline set by any official need, I should say. This was a deadline that they just decided they wanted to get everything done by.
So these negotiations could continue on indefinitely and that is expected to happen. The House will reconvene tomorrow. They may attempt to try and push something through. But it is more likely that this will be a prolonged process where we see negotiators try and come to some sort of solid agreement on the much larger reconciliation package before they move forward on the bipartisan plan.
Ryan Nobles, CNN, on Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): The Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, dismissing reports of human rights abuses since his disputed reelection last year. CNN and human rights organizations have done extensive reporting on the crackdown in his country. In dozens of interviews, protesters and opposition activists told CNN of torture from systemic beatings to rape with the police baton.
Known as Europe's last dictator, Mr. Lukashenko has led the nation for nearly three decades. And in an exclusive interview with CNN's Matthew Chance, he says he has nothing to be sorry about.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Would you take this opportunity now to apologize to the people of Belarus for the human rights abuses that they have suffered at your hands?
ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, PRESIDENT OF BELARUS (through translator): No, I would not like to take this opportunity. If ever I would, I would do that through the Belarusian media. They are quite good here. What would be the point of doing it on CNN? I don't think this is a relevant question, and in principle, I have nothing to apologize for.
CHANCE: You say you've got nothing to apologize for, but human rights watch says multiple detainees have reported broken bones, broken teeth, brain injuries, skin wounds, electrical burns.
Amnesty International speaks of detention centers being -- becoming torture chambers, where protesters were forced to lie in the dirt, stripped naked, while police kicked and beat them with truncheons. You don't think that is worth apologizing for?
LUKASHENKO (through translator): You know, we don't have a single detention center, as you say, like one Guantanamo or those bases that the United States, your country, created in Eastern Europe.
As regards to our own detention centers where we keep those accused or those under investigation, they are no worse than in Britain or the United States. I can guarantee you that.
I would suggest that you discuss concrete facts and not the views or statements of some ephemeral human rights organizations.
CHANCE: I don't think Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are dubious. They are internationally-recognized standards of human rights activism. They all got testimony of former detainees in your prison camps, in your prison detention centers, both men and women who spoken of sexual violence against them, including rape and threats of rape. Are you saying that that is just made up, that it is a fake?
LUKASHENKO (through translator): Everything you've just said is fake and fantasy. I guarantee you it is fake and fantasy.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): And we will have more of that exclusive interview with the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, coming up in the next hour of "CNN Newsroom."
The former London police officer, who abused his power to rape and murder Sarah Everard, has been sentenced to die in prison. On Thursday, Wayne Couzens was handed a rare life sentence without the chance of parole.
And now, police admit they could have realized he was a threat sooner. Couzens has been linked to two allegations of indecent exposure. One happened just a few days before he abducted Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive and dumped her body in the woods. Her killing captured global attention and prompted a loud outcry in Britain over violence against women.
CNN's Nada Bashir has the story.
[02:09:59]
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN JOURNALIST AND PRODUCER (voice-over): This is Sarah Everard just hours before she was killed in March. Seen here in newly released CCTV footage being stopped by then serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, as she made her way home from a friend's house.
It is in this moment investigators say Couzens presented his police ID and handcuffed Everard, carrying out a false arrest under the guise of enforcing COVID-19 lockdown regulations. In the hours that followed, Everard was abducted, raped, and strangled to death with her killer's police belt.
(On camera): It is in this court behind me that Sarah Everard's killer was sentenced to life in prison without parole. It is a sentence that is only passed down in the most extreme of cases and was issued based on the severity of the crime committed and the abuse of power by the former serving police officer.
(Voice-over): Speaking outside of the court afterwards, the head of the Metropolitan Police apologized for the behavior of her former staff member.
CRESSIDA DICK, METROPOLITAN POLICE COMMISSIONER: His actions were a gross betrayal of everything policing stands for. There are no words that carefully express the fury and overwhelming sadness that we all feel about what happened to Sarah. I am so sorry.
BASHIR (voice-over): Defense lawyers told the court that Couzens is filled with self-loathing and abject shame. The confessed killer kept his head bowed and eyes closed throughout much of the two-day sentencing hearing, and only raising his gaze briefly when addressed directly by Everard's family.
Everard's family said in a statement after the sentencing they were pleased Couzens would spend the rest of his life in jail. Nothing can bring Sarah back, but knowing he will be imprisoned forever brings some relief. We remember all the lovely things about Sarah, her laughing and dancing and enjoying life. We hold her safe in our hearts.
Sarah's murder sparked a nationwide outpouring of shock, grief, and anger over what some have described as an epidemic of violence against women in the U.K. Anger which has only intensified in recent days following the murder of 28-year-old school teacher, Sabina Nessa, who was killed just meters from her home in Southeast London.
And while the sentencing of Wayne Couzens has brought some semblance of justice to the family of Sarah Everard, her death and the brutal manner in which she was killed remains incomprehensible for so many.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): New details are emerging about a horrific prison massacre in Ecuador. Coming up, why investigators believe Mexican drug cartels could be behind the carnage that took more than 100 lives.
Plus, protesters in El Salvador vent their anger at the president over his adoption of bitcoin as an official currency. But that is not their only grievance. We will have details when we come back.
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[02:15:00]
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(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNKNOWN: (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: Hundreds of police officers have sweept the prison in Ecuador, where gang rivalry turned into a bloodbath. At least 116 people were killed on Tuesday when rival gangs clashed at the facility near the city of Guayaquil. The inmates used guns, grenades, explosives. And as Matt Rivers reports, investigators now believe Mexican drug cartels may have had a hand in the bloodshed.
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anxious families cry out for answers, saying their loved ones are among the more than 100 dead in the largest prison massacre in Ecuador's history, detailing harrowing accounts from those inside the Guayaquil prison complex after deadly attacks that authorities believe are essentially proxy battles with people inside of the prisons belonging to gangs with potential links to two Mexican organized crime groups, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
UNKNOWN (through translator): (INAUDIBLE) sister. They are killing me. Call the police.
RIVERS (voice-over): Ecuador has increasingly become an important transit hub for Colombian cocaine and other drugs bound for the U.S. and Europe, according to the U.S. government and a former Ecuadorian military official that spoke to CNN.
These are routes that the Sinaloa Cartel has largely controlled. Now, authorities say the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is making a play for dominance, leading to a proxy war inside Ecuador's prison system with five major prison battles in 2021 alone resulting in more than 200 dead.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Because of the more dangerous inmates, there are deaths. You need to grab and remove the wrong ones. Those are the ones you need to take out.
RIVERS (voice-over): The mood outside the prison complex in Guayaquil, one of anger and despair. Loved ones unhappy with what they see as a slow response by police to the attack that began on Tuesday in one of the country's most overcrowded and understaffed prisons.
UNKNOWN (through translator): Look at where the police are. They are out here. It is my brother, not a dog.
RIVERS (voice-over): Authorities initially reported only five dead, moving into the courtyard, attempting to secure the facility, recovering explosives, grenades, guns, and other weapons as they struggle to regain control of the prison.
Overnight, Wednesday into Thursday, with the attack still unfolding, more than 400 police in riot gears swarmed the facility, discovering beheaded bodies and carnage on a much more massive scale. Family members questioning how such a huge security failure could have happened in the first place.
JUANA PINTO, MOTHER OF INMATE (through translator): When we go to visit, they search every single thing. They even make us undress. I don't know how all of the weapons get in. Everyone inside is armed, everyone.
RIVERS (voice-over): Ecuador's president declaring a state of emergency, trying to quell panic, vowing to get the situation under control.
GUILLERMO LASSO, PRESIDENT OF ECUADOR (through translator): It is sad to see the jails become a territory fought over by criminal groups. The state is going to act and the first decision we took is to declare a state of emergency over the prison system across the nation.
RIVERS (voice-over): President Guillermo Lasso also announcing 24 million in state funds to improving Ecuador's prisons, long reported by human rights groups as unsanitary and overcrowded with inadequate health care and weak security, making them an easy target for gang control.
For those outside waiting to hear their family member's fate, that presidential commitment to change may prove too little too late.
UNKNOWN (through translator): We want justice, Mr. President, for all the mothers who suffer here for our children.
RIVERS (voice-over): Authorities say they haven't begun the process of identifying the dead, but cautioned the severity of the injuries is making that process incredibly difficult.
Matt Rivers, CNN.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): Demonstrators in El Salvador venting their anger at the country's president, Nayib Bukele. They are protesting the government's policies, including a decision to adopt the bitcoin as an official currency earlier this month. The recent rollout has been plagued by technical glitches and polls show a lot of Salvadorans have very little confidence in the cryptocurrency. But the recent protests go beyond bitcoin. Many Salvadorans believe the president is consolidating too much power.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Salvadorans took to the streets on Thursday to protest against their president, Nayib Bukele, who increasingly is under fire after adopting bitcoin as the country's national currency.
[02:20:04]
OPPMANN: Critics of Bukele have said for quite some time that he has become an authoritarian president, that he does not listen to criticism, and that he pushes through whatever measures he likes, including changing the makeup of the courts and trying to change the constitution to remain as president for another term.
Up until now, Bukele has been incredibly popular in El Salvador. He is seen as having rescued that country's economy, as having managed well the pandemic, but this move to adopt bitcoin has created a lot of controversy. Many in El Salvador think it was a mistake to try and tie their country's economy to the wildly volatile cryptocurrency.
Bukele at the time said that he was trying to create buzz and headlines for El Salvador but instead it seems like he has only created headaches for his government.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana (ph).
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES (on camera): The Dubai Expo has kicked off a year after it was scheduled due to the COVID pandemic. It is a massive event. The UAE is the first country in the Middle East, Africa and the Southeast Asia region to host the World Expo. One hundred and ninety-two countries will participate in the six-month event. Organizers are expecting 25 million visits to its 211 pavilions. The event cost the UAE close to $7 billion over the past eight years.
Joining me now from Dubai is CNN's Scott McLean. What are you seeing? That is a lot, $7 billion, goodness. What are you seeing, $7 billion worth?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Michael, when you look around, honestly, you can see what the money was spent on. It's a pretty impressive setup here from the huge opportunity pavilion. There are a lot of other ones that are equally impressive. All of the wacky- looking country pavilion as well.
But the focus right now is the fact that the main gates just opened a couple of minutes ago. People are going through the metal detectors. They also have to show proof of a negative COVID test. There is not huge lineup by any stretch but there is a steady stream of people coming.
Now, this walkway here that people are coming in from the parking lot, it may not look like a far walk but it is already just after 10:00 o'clock and it is well over 30 degrees and really, really humid. So walking even short distances can feel like a lot.
Once people get inside, they still have to show -- they still have to wear a mask, excuse me, even outdoors which is really, really uncomfortable. The people we spoke to didn't seem too bothered by it but they're all locals. They are people from all around the world that we've met so far but they all live here. So maybe they're a little bit more used to the heat than most.
Obviously, the Emirati government is going to try their best to try to attract people from outside. That might be difficult given the temperatures right now. But obviously, it is a lot more enticing come December, come January.
A lot of Americans likely maybe don't even know that World Expos are still happening since the last one happened about 60 years ago in the U.S. But this is a big deal for Dubai. They spent a lot of money to make it happen.
You can just see some of the really impressive country pavilions. Norway there, Columbia, the Chinese one is behind there. The Belarusian, those white posts there or white tents there. That is the Austrian pavilion. Then you can see Egypt beyond that.
And so they spent an enormous amount of money. They wanted to make sure that as many countries as possible were represented. And so the Emirati government, Michael, actually fronted the money for a lot of these countries to build the actual shell of the pavilion.
Countries like Lebanon, you can imagine why that it took place given the situation in that county, but also they build the United States Pavilion as well because under U.S. law, they're not allowed to spend taxpayer money on international expositions or international events like this. They have to rely on for donations and sponsorships. For some time, their participation in this event was really in doubt.
One other thing to point out, this site that you see here, the almost $7 billion price tag, if you can just imagine when they won the bid back in 2013, Michael, this was open desert. This was some rolling dunes. There was a camel farm. There were couple trees, we are told, but that is it.
So everything you see here, the metro station, all of the county pavilions, all of the infrastructure, the bathrooms, the hotels, you name it, the parking lots, this was all built entirely from scratch.
HOLMES: Interesting stuff. All right, Scott, I will let you get out of the sun there. I think it is 93 degrees, where you are right now. Scott McLean, appreciate it. Thanks. [02:24:56]
HOLMES: Do be sure to tune in to a special edition of "Connect the World," Friday, live from Expo 2020, giving you a front row seat of the global conversations taking place in Dubai. You will see there, look at the layout there. That is 6:00 p.m. in the UAE, 3:00 p.m. in London.
After a three-year delay, Japan's Princess Mako is to finally marry her long-term partner later this month. She will be giving up her royal status in order to do so.
Let us get the latest from CNN's Selina Wang in Tokyo. Tell us about the good news.
SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, after three years of delay, three years of intense media scrutiny, we finally had the date for this very controversial wedding. It was originally announced, their engagement, back in 2017.
At first, Michael, it sounded like a fairy tale love story. You have Japan's Princess Mako falling in love with her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro, her long-time boyfriend.
But from there, things got very complicated. The wedding was supposed to happen in 2018 but it was postponed after news reports surfaced that Kei Komuro's mother had failed to repay about $36,000 dollars to her ex-fiance. That controversy continued to spiral and you saw public opinion really turned against Komuro. And Michael, that news here in Japan was significant because family background carries a lot of weight.
The Japanese public is very much divided on this marriage. In fact, we spoke to Japanese residents today and half of the people we spoke to were in favor of it. The other half said they didn't think Kei Komuro was good enough for the princess.
Komuro graduated from law school in New York and he is actually living there, working for a law firm in New York. And reportedly, after the wedding, the couple is set to move to the U.S.
This wedding, Michael, is not expected to have the usual traditions and pomp and circumstance that come with a royal wedding because of all the controversy that this marriage has been enshrouded in.
In fact, Komuro arrived in Tokyo earlier this week. At the airport, he was sporting a ponytail which generated a frenzy of news here in Japan. A lot of the press said it was an example of how he was improper and unfit to marry the princess.
Importantly, this marriage has also brought up and resurfaced these concerns about Japan's imperial law. The princess is going to be stripped of her royal status because she is marrying a commoner. From the Japanese law, these women are not allowed, after they married commoners, to maintain their royal status. Right now, there is only one, young potential heir to the throne. So even though much of the Japanese public, according to surveys, are in favor of having a reigning woman as empress, the ultra conservatives in Japan still think that they should stick to this outdated tradition. Michael?
HOLMES: All right. I appreciate the update there. Selina, thank you. Selina Wang there in Tokyo.
Well, he lost his mother to cancer and his country fell apart. How a Florida family found this young Afghan boy and what it took to bring him home right in the middle of the Taliban takeover? We will be right back.
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[02:30:00]
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes, you're watching CNN Newsroom. Nearly 14,000 Afghan refugees are waiting to get to the United States. They're currently at U.S. military bases in Europe in the Middle East. Pentagon officials say there are about 53,000 Afghan refugees in the US right now. Many are waiting a permanent and safe place to live but refugee groups are struggling to find housing, one telling CNN they're hoping to do over the next few months, what they would usually do over the course of four years.
My guest this hour is Bahaudin Mujtaba who recently adopted an Afghan boy Noman. He and his wife Lisa Marie looked into adoption once they realized they could not have their own children biologically. The path to adopt from Afghanistan, though filled with bureaucracy and paperwork but the Mujtabas did not give up. They worked with two adoption agencies, and Bahaudin made several trips to Afghanistan to visit Noman. And it's great to have you with us to tell some of this story.
You spent five years trying to adopt Noman. And then of course, the country collapsed before you could get him out. What was it like for you and your family when the chaos began and Noman was still there inside the country?
BAHAUDIN G. MUJTABA, ADOPTED AFGHAN BOY: Thank you, Michael, for having me here. Yes, of course, it was very stressful and lots of anxiety, when obviously the transition took place from one government to the new government. It was very chaotic and uncertain. Five years of working, trying to get your son home.
And unfortunately, all of that basically being in jeopardy during the government transition. So in that case, and not only myself and my wife, but also many of our relatives, as well as the adoption agency staff members, and employees tried to help to get Noman out safely and hopefully home soon.
HOLMES: Did you - Did you at any point think it's not going to happen? We're not going to get him here?
MUJTABA: Unfortunately, yes. There were many sleepless nights and days where we were basically hopeless trying to communicate. But unfortunately, we couldn't get any urgent answers. So we tried to communicate with the U.S. embassy staff in Kabul. And we know that they were very, very overwhelmed with a lot of work and SIV applicants. So we knew that our case might be way, way behind in the pile of their work.
So but - but we did try and unfortunately, sometimes it was hopeless. But luckily, obviously that was not the case.
HOLMES: Yes, in that in that chaos at the airport, you - you with the help of others, were able to get him airside and out. I mean, you yourself emigrated from Afghanistan decades ago, 40 years ago, I think, and Noman is a distant relative of yours, not a close relative. What made you want to adopt him? What was the trigger?
MUJTABA: Well, in 2016, when I happened to be in Afghanistan, for a guest lecturer, during summertime, one of my relatives told me that there was this little boy available for adoption because his mother had passed away from cancer two years earlier. And he did have some chronic illnesses and needed medical attention immediately.
And his family could not take care of him due to disability and other issues at that time. So they put him up for adoption, so he could be taken care of, and I when I did get a chance to actually meet him and the family, and the words that he spoke at that time of being age five, we connected almost immediately. So it was heart-to-heart connection.
And I could understand obviously, where he was coming from, because I lived in Afghanistan for the first 15 years of my life during the Soviet invasion. And I could relate to him. And at the meantime, he wanted to come to us and be with his new family and have a mother and father to take care of him. So we obviously were willing to be adopting parents.
And in this situation, he was old enough to where we could speak with him. So we were lucky at the right time at the right place for him.
HOLMES: It's an amazing story. Give us a sense of how he's settling in learning English going to school. It must be a vastly different environment to what he's used to. How is he settling in?
MUJTABA: Oh, he's settling in very, very successfully, I believe and despite the fact that this is the first time he's actually speaking English, but he loves his school, he loves his teachers. He loves the activities that they're involved in. So every day is actually better than the previous day when he comes home. So he tells me lovely stories about what he did and when he has a new teacher or new activity. He really gets all light up about his and his smiles and tells me the new things that happen or even if he tries some sort of a new food during lunchtime, he's really excited about it.
[02:35:00] So every day is going better than the previous day. HOLMES: It is such a, you know, heartwarming story. I know, I know things are difficult, we're out of time. But I know things are difficult for other people still trying to get kids that they had long plan to adopt out of Afghanistan, and I know you're in touch with them. And we wish them well, we got to leave it there. Bahaudin Mujtaba, thanks so much and our regards to Noman.
MUJTABA: It's good to be with you. Thank you so much.
HOLMES: Always say that opportunity knocks at every man's door. But in Oman, there is a big one off its chores and it might lead to big changes in the nation's economy. We'll explain when we come back.
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HOLMES: Look at these live pictures here coming to us from the Canary Islands. No let-up in sight for that volcano that's been erupting there. And it has been erupting down for nearly two weeks destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. New fissures have been spotted and earthquake activity continues. Some 6000 people have been evacuated and are unable to return.
Officials warning that chemical reactions of the lava hitting the sea - seawater could cause toxic gases so far though the air, safe to breathe. And this is the scene in Hawaii as one of the world's most active volcanoes is at it again. Observers notice lava spewing from Hawaii's killer whale of a volcano on Wednesday just hours after increased seismic activity there.
Officials say it is not a present danger to nearby residents on Hawaii's Big Island. The volcanoes most recent eruption began last December and continued for five months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A big change is underway in the Gulf nation of Oman. Oil and Gas have traditionally been the backbone of its economy. But Oman has a plan called 2040 vision to diversify its businesses. And it's now looking into an opportunity that is near its shores and largely untapped. Eleni Giokos reports.
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ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fishing boats of all sizes for the harbor and dot the coastline of the Gulf of Oman. Fishing is a way of life here and a big part of the culture. The country has one of the highest rates of fish consumption per capita, and most of the fish is caught by small scale independent fishermen who sell their catch each morning at markets like this one in Muscat.
So the country relies on artisanal fishermen for 95 percent of the entire country's production but the World Bank says that Oman is on its way to becoming a leading player in the fishery sector. [02:40:00]
Oman wants to get the most out of its natural resource without disrupting the livelihoods of these artisanal fishermen.
ADHAM AL SAID, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY: What we need to do is have either a formal system that goes for example into deeper fishing, for example, way off the coast where a typical fisherman finds it either more dangerous or more hazardous to go. But the other thing is this type of fishing, makes sure that our fishing stock is more sustainable for the future, rather than other countries have found that the experience of trolling and whatnot actually reduces the fish stock available.
But the fact that we need to build around what is there rather than trying to disrupt people's lives.
GIOKOS: Al Wusta Fisheries is trying to do just that, with a new fleet of three commercial fishing vessels.
DAWOOD AL WAHAIBI, CEO, AL WUSTA FISHERIES: This country is very particular, most of the continental shelf is within less than 20 nautical miles where most of the fish that that isn't and fishermen are dependent on. We operate in this slightly deeper water.
GIOKOS: Al Wahaibi is visiting the newest vessel in his fleet. It's the first time he's seen it up and running. He says the ship is outfitted with the latest equipment and technology for catching large amounts of deep water fish. On average, 200 tons per day than freezing and packing them right on board. And it's all happening in an environmentally conscious way.
AL WAHAIBI: You can have your vessel to really be fit ecologically, environmentally be right by deploying sensors within your nets. We call them TED, Turtle Exclusive Devices that is pushing all the big fish out, it gets automatically rejected from the nets, then the nets they are big enough to allow all the small fish out.
GIOKOS: Oman is also investing heavily in aquaculture, more commonly known as fish farming, as a way to produce greater quantities of fish and seafood in a more sustainable way.
AL WAHAIBI: I've been in this industry for the last 20 odd years. And our fish have been reaching markets as far as Japan, Florida in the U.S., New York, Canada, lots of places, I don't have a doubt that Aquaculture industry will be able to do a similar - similar thing.
GIOKOS: A massive new shrimp farm is under construction set to begin operating next year. Production will begin slowly but the infrastructure is being put in place now for future growth. We have started late and we might catch up by 2030 or something. But one of the things that we are trying now to establish is organic shrimp farming in Oman.
And this is this is a niche market. It's very becoming very popular in the States and Europe and even in China. People are eager to know what they are offered on the pits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Thank you for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN. World Sport coming your way next.
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[02:45:00]
BRIAN FALLON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEMAND JUSTICE: Are we going to have two years of free community college in the bill? Are we going to expanded child tax credit? The horsetrading on these provisions, all of which Joe Biden campaigned on is now happening in earnest. That is what progressives have wanted to force Manchin and Sinema's hands to have to negotiate on these things. So I do think this counts as progress.
DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Brian, you sound like I don't know, if you got had a chance to listen to Stacey Plaskett, who was just before you came on in the segment before you, before the break, saying, look, we agree this is just - we're having a family discussion, and you're just kind of in on the kitchen table talk right now, the idea of that we're not together on this, she doesn't believe that it's true.
She's saying is just how big we are going to go. You believe they're going to come to an agreement and this timeline is just this deadline is this arbitrary?
FALLON: I do. The time line really is arbitrary. And the truth is 97- 98 percent of the Democrats serving in Congress want to pass both of these bills, they want to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill. And they also want to pass the rest of the Biden economic agenda. So these progressives that you keep hearing about in the House, led by Congresswoman Jayapal, these are not people that are holding hostage, you know, for the sake of things like Medicare for all, this is not the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign agenda that they're trying to insist upon.
They are trying to insist upon the moderate proposals that Joe Biden campaigned on. These are very popular, 70 percent supported by the public, ideas like expanding the child tax credit for families that have kids under six, instead of getting $2,000 in your pocket for a kid under six, you get $3600 extra in your pocket every year for a kid under six, they want to make that extended for four more years.
That's either going to live or die in this package, depending on whether we end up with 1.5 or 3.5. That's a very real economic impact for households. And so Pramila Jayapal and the House Democratic Caucus, that are standing by this bill, they're saying we want the most robust version of that child tax credit.
We want the two years of free community college, we want measures that really confront climate change. And Joe Biden wants those things too. And so I really think that at the end of the day, this is not a battle between, you know, half the caucus on one side, that is so called progressives and half the caucus on the other side.
97 percent of the Democrats serving in both the House and the Senate want to pass both of these measures, you just literally have a handful like less than 10 fingers of people that are holding up the package. Two of them are Sinema and Manchin in the Senate. And because they only have 50 seats in the Senate, they have outsized sway, but even the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents that have to run in very purple districts in 2022 want to pass the robust version of the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Program. So I think at the end of the day, they'll get there.
LEMON: OK, I want you both to stand by. And I'm going to bring you back on the other side of the break as Kaitlan, what I want to know from you is now what for the president as you're standing there at the White House, and if you're getting any more information, but before we go to break when we come back with our breaking news, we're being told that there will be no vote tonight on the infrastructure bill. No votes tonight and back tomorrow. We'll have Kaitlan and Brian on the other side of this break. More on our breaking news.
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[02:50:00]
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LEMON: OK, so we're back now with our breaking news tonight. No vote in Washington on the infrastructure bill or bills in the House and Senate. So I want to bring in now Brian Fallon and Kaitlan Collins back with me. So Kaitlan, now what? Now what for the president?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's a good question. We do know that officials are saying these talks will continue tomorrow, we'll see if they get any closer to getting to a framework because this was a chief complaint that you heard from someone like the Senator Bernie sanders tonight saying that they were negotiating this late into the night.
He was worried about what this was going to look like calling it absurd at times. And he was - he was pretty frustrated with the idea that they were going to try to settle on something tonight. So they could get that agreement to get to that infrastructure vote. And so whether or not they try to vote tomorrow, it really remains to be seen, Don because I don't think this morning, aides thought that they would be going this late into the night to try to get to a vote and then not ultimately get to one.
They kind of forced - they thought Speaker Pelosi would delay the vote earlier in the day and they're really leaving all of this up to her Don because she's the one negotiating with these progressives. Yes, it's President Biden, who is the chief person working with Senator Sinema, Senator Manchin about what this top line number is going to look like. But really how they decide to come to this remains to be seen. They still think that ultimately they will get that infrastructure deal pass, they still think that ultimately they'll get a reconciliation bill passed, but Don, what they've been saying is some version of the reconciliation bill. So that is all still far from certain. And we'll likely find out more, but it is notable, we have not seen the President on camera today talking about this. We could potentially tomorrow.
LEMON: OK. I'm just looking here. So I just want to make sure before I go, I have a question for Brian. But the - the reporting that we have now Pelosi delays vote on trillion dollar infrastructure bill after House negotiations. OK, so the question is Brian, does it matter if it's tomorrow or Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday of next week? Or does that? Does it really matter, you think?
FALLON: Well, you know, done in a certain way. I would be surprised if there was a vote tomorrow either. And I wouldn't completely rule it out. But I guess I'd be surprised. Here's - here's why. Because at this point, what the progressives' position is, is don't just come to us with a back of an envelope, you know, you know, chicken scratch proposal about what Joe Manchin says he might support in two weeks when we actually get legislative language because we don't trust him.
Congresswoman Jayapal and the House progressives as well as a bunch of progressive senators in the Senate do not trust that Sinema and Manchin will vote for the larger Build Back Better package if they surrender all their leverage and just vote for the highway bill now. What they want to have happen is have these bills pass in tandem. They want to see the senate move and pass the full reconciliation bill, and then they'll pass the bipartisan highway bill.
[02:55:00]
And so just - it's hard - it's hard to imagine that with all the negotiations that are happening late into the night tonight on Capitol Hill, with Brian Deese, and other White House staffers with Chuck Schumer, staff and with Pelosi's staff, that they're going to come to a meeting of the minds overnight tonight on the full scale and scope of the Build Back Better reconciliation package that and they'll get Manchin and Sinema to say yes to it, they'll get Josh Gottheimer to say yes to it, such that progressives are convinced that it's real, and will then release their votes for the highway bill.
So otherwise - short of that you're asking progressives to take the leap of faith and assume that Joe Manchin and Sinema can be trusted to vote for something down the road, if they vote for this highway bill tomorrow. I would be surprised if it's tomorrow either.
LEMON: I've got less than 30 seconds before we get to break. I know you want to jump in. Go ahead, Kaitlan.
COLLINS: I just wanted to say to look at the level of negotiation though that happened today where Manchin and Sinema met for about 45 minutes, you've seen White House aides be on Capitol Hill for several hours today, in Schumer's office and Pelosi is office. They think that they are covering good ground here. But as Brian noted, the question that will come tomorrow when the sun is up is whether or not they covered enough ground to get to a vote.
LEMON: All right, very well stated. Man, I lucked out having both of you here, for this. I just happen to be in the middle of an interview with Brian and then Kaitlan also got up and for in front of the camera and helped us out with the breaking news. We're going to reset everyone thank you very much, when we reset, get to the top of the hour.
We don't know what's going on because there could be more information that comes out. When they're going to vote on, if it's going to be tomorrow. What the President does next? What Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer, or Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema. We have no idea and there's news coming out of Washington. So stand by more breaking news. No vote tonight. We'll be right back.
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