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FDA Backs Booster Shots; U.S. Missionary Group Kidnapped In Haiti; David Amess Remembered; Russia Hits New Record For Daily COVID- 19 Cases; Venezuelan President's Alleged Moneyman Extradited To U.S.; Lebanon In Crisis; Funerals Held For Victims Of Latest Afghanistan Mosque Bombing; U.S. President Honors Fallen Officers In Capitol Hill Ceremony; Steve Bannon Defying House Subpoena; "Downton Abbey's" Highclere Castle Welcomes Back Visitors. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired October 17, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And a warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and right around the world. I'm Paula Newton.
Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, Venezuela retaliates after Nicolas Maduro's alleged moneyman is extradited to the U.S. to face charges.
We now know the identity of the man accused of killing a British MP, as police investigate a possible extremist motivation behind the stabbing.
Plus, rising sea levels: a frightening look at what our future holds if nothing is done to fix the crisis.
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NEWTON: And we will get to those stories in a moment but first the latest developments in the breaking news we're covering out of Haiti.
A group of 17 Christian missionaries have been abducted by gangs outside of Port-au-Prince. "The Washington Post" reports one of the victims posted a call for help on the WhatsApp messaging service while they were being kidnapped.
An Ohio-based organization called Christian Aid Ministries has confirmed the victims are members of its group. We get more now from CNN's Matt Rivers. We spoke to him earlier.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Basically, this is an ongoing situation at this point. I can tell you, is we were doing stories about kidnappings months ago. When we were, there after the Haitian president was assassinated, July 7th. This has been an issue that is played Haiti for a long time.
This year, specifically, a significant spike in kidnappings. And I have a couple statistics I can read to you.
Since January, at least 628 kidnappings have taken place, 29 of, them before this latest kidnapping 29 of whom, were foreigners. That is according to data from a nonprofit group, that tracks this, in Port- au-Prince.
All these gangs, do this for ransom money, which they are were often paid, sometimes to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Depending on the analyst you speak to, 50 percent of Port-au-Prince is in the hands of gangs, Robyn.
So it is an extremely dangerous time, for people, right, now in Port- au-Prince. And, this latest kidnapping, is just further proof of a horrific situation, right now, in that country's capital.
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NEWTON: And to the U.K. now, where a government source tells CNN, the suspect in the fatal stack of MP Davis Amess is Ali Harbi Ali. Police are treating the case of a terrorist incident and crown prosecutors say they are supporting the investigation.
The fatal attack, the second in five years against a member of Parliament, has heightened security for all lawmakers. Prime minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer were among the dignitaries paying their respects on Saturday, visiting the church where Sir David was murdered.
The prime minister tweeted he laid a wreath for the lawmaker, calling him a much-loved colleague and friend. Salma Abdelaziz has been covering the story and joins us from London.
You're at 10 Downing Street and it was quite a display there from the prime minister and showing a sign of unity with the opposition leader as well.
What more do we know about the investigation, especially now that the suspect has been named?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know right now that counterterrorism police are interrogating the suspect. They will have a period of time under the investigation laws in this country to investigate and interrogate this 25-year-old man.
And there's possibly a motive linked to Islamic extremism. But there's also a much larger conversation that's happening here, because this is the second time in just about five years, Paula, that a lawmaker has been killed in this fashion.
It was in 2016 that Jo Cox, a Labour MP, was also stabbed and killed just before the Brexit vote, also during her constituency surgery, her open office hours, essentially.
So you can imagine that lawmakers up and down this country are asking questions about their own safety, about the future of this very important tradition in British politics, which is to hold these open office hours with the public, allow them to come and meet their local politician, meet their local lawmaker.
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ABDELAZIZ: And speak of the issues of the day. That tradition right now is under threat. The person being questioned on this is the home secretary, Priti Patel, who ordered an immediate security review of all MPs across the country.
She's asked police to look at their security arrangements. And this morning, she was on Sky News, explaining what procedures could be put into place to try to protect lawmakers further. Take a listen.
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PRITI PATEL, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: There are things already in place but I'm now very much and Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House and I, with the police and with others, as well.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now there's a few things there that the home secretary mentions potentially as additional procedures. Among them, making sure that you know the location where you're using -- where you're holding your surgery. That is that is something Sir David Amess did.
She also talks about booking appointments. That is also something that Sir David Amess did. He asked people on Twitter to book appointments before arriving at the church, to not be alone. That was another thing that the home secretary said, again, Sir David Amess was alone.
If you're looking at some of these suggestions, none of them would have potentially saved Sir David Amess from this very brutal murder. The question is still there, Paula. And of course, there's the practical implications.
If you put security with every MP who's meeting with voters, what is the cost to the public of that?
Is it a reasonable cost?
So you really do have a very real threat to this tradition again of meeting with the public, being able to be out with your voters, with your constituents, two murders in just five years, Paula. That is an extremely bleak record.
So a lot of politicians here saying, this is not just a threat to one lawmaker, this is not just an extreme radicalized individual, this is a question about the very nature of the political process and democracy in this country, Paula.
NEWTON: And let's be clear, these were brutal, savage murders, both of them. You are right to point out the fact that a lot of those safety measures were already taken. Some now talking about the discourse, right, about whether that needs to change.
And I'm sure a lot of people around the world will be keeping an eye on that. Salma, I really appreciate the update.
Now COVID vaccination numbers are slowly ticking up in the United States. As of Saturday, nearly 57 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, around two-thirds of everyone who's eligible.
And now more Americans could soon qualify for vaccine boosters. On Friday, an FDA advisory panel recommended boosters for all adults who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Experts say those who did get that shot should get the extra shot, as soon as it's available.
Now the CDC still needs to weigh in, though, before making a final decision. Public health officials are also considering whether to mix and match boosters. This is really interesting. Listen to the director of the National Institutes of Health.
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DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: There was data presented yesterday from NIH about the mix and match question. And there was data that suggested, if you are going to get a booster for J&J, maybe getting a Moderna or Pfizer booster would actually have some advantages, in terms of giving you an even stronger immune response.
So don't run out, anybody who got J&J. I would wait another week right now and see what CDC's advisory committee does with this next week. And by maybe a week from today, I'll tell my grandkids what I think they ought to do.
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NEWTON: Dr. Peter Drobac is an infectious disease and global health specialist at University of Oxford and joins from us Oxford, England.
Really good to see you. We keep turning the pages on this pandemic quite quickly. We're at boosters now. There is a lot of conflicting information about whether or not they are even truly needed.
I mean, from your survey of the recent studies, what do you think?
How vigilant should people be, especially if they are more than six months out, on any vaccine?
DR. PETER DROBAC, INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND GLOBAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: New data coming in all the time. So we're learning as we go here. It really depends on your risk and your age group.
I think at this point, the data are pretty strong, particularly for those who are immunocompromised and those over 65, that there is evidence of the immunity waning. And there's a strong evidence base to get a booster.
With Johnson & Johnson, it's a little bit different. I think the preponderance of the evidence is suggesting to us that perhaps it really should have been a two-dose vaccine in the first place and that the single dose had a little bit lower efficacy than some of the other vaccines.
So it may well be that, as the advisory panel recommended last week, that everybody, at least every adult who's had the J&J vaccine, should go ahead and get a second dose.
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DROBAC: So it might just be appropriate to think of that as a two-jab course, like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. So it is a confusing time at the moment.
The most important thing is to remember that we have really good evidence that vaccines work. And first and foremost, for those people who have not yet been vaccinated, the most important data I saw in the last week from the CDC suggested that the unvaccinated are six times more likely to die, 11 times more likely to get infected with COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated, across all age groups.
So we just need to get people vaccinated.
NEWTON: And the studies are definitive, it seems, on a lot of that data in terms of the risk. Yet so many people who are fully vaccinated are still worried about those breakthrough cases, which is why boosters certainly seem to be a topic of conversation of many people right now, even if fully vaccinated.
DROBAC: That's right. We have to remember, even though we see a little bit of evidence of waning efficacy with some of the jabs after about six months, they still do provide very good protection, well above 80 percent for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, for example, and very, very, very good protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death.
So it's still extremely rare, particularly for those under the age of 65, for a fully vaccinated individual to get infected with COVID-19 and get very sick or die. You can get infected but it tends to be a milder course.
So across the board, we're seeing these vaccines do provide extraordinary protection. And you still need to be cautious about COVID-19 and getting infected. But your risk of severe disease and death is really minimal if you have been vaccinated.
NEWTON: And it is that tough decision, the fact that maybe you're fully vaccinated and you still need to take those precautions, whether it's masking, social distancing or only doing the essential activities.
I want to ask you, in fact, about something we hear a lot about but is very difficult for someone untrained to understand.
How worried are you now about the way this virus is developing and whether or not another variant may still be out there that will escape the defenses of the vaccine?
I know we've spoken about this over and over again. But there are some people wondering as to whether this is truly the end.
DROBAC: Yes, well, first off, I think, at this point, most of us agree that SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus, is becoming endemic, meaning it will be in circulation; it's not going to go away, it's something we're going to have to learn to live with and continue to have vaccines for, et cetera.
Six months ago, we were worried about all kinds of variants that seemed to be popping up every couple of weeks. What's happened recently is the Delta variant, because it is so transmissible, has outcompeted all the other variants, including some of the variants that had a bit more evidence of vaccine escape.
At the moment, the Delta variant is the dominant variant everywhere. And we're not seeing other variants really have a chance of out- competing. That doesn't mean the risk doesn't exist.
And the bottom line is that the more virus is in circulation anywhere in the world, the more cases that we're seeing, the more chances that a random mutation may lead to an advantage and emergence of a new variant.
Every new case is a lottery ticket for the virus to produce a variant. So we need to remain vigilant about that. But at the moment, Delta remains dominant everywhere.
NEWTON: I like the way you put that, the lottery ticket issue. I have been -- this thing has been very complicated. A lot of people have been trying to put their hands around it and it's important to be able to lean on experts like you, Dr. Peter Drobac, thank you very much.
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NEWTON: Now meantime, some European countries are seeing a backlash against their latest COVID restrictions. In Italy, for instance, people took to the streets to protest the green pass requirements for workers that went into law on Friday. The pass requires proof of vaccination, a negative test result or recent recovery from the virus.
There are also protests in Switzerland. A pass is required there to enter bars, restaurant and fitness centers.
And COVID cases and deaths now surging in Russia. On Saturday, the government reported more than 1,000 deaths for the first time ever. For more, we are joined by CNN's Nada Bashir, who's following all of these developments for us from London.
Such a tragic record there, 1,000 deaths, it's alarming, especially given the fact that Russia's case load continues to climb. Vaccination there, still not very popular. The numbers are still quite low.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Paula. Just over 30 percent of the population now vaccinated. And when we see these troubling statistics coming out, just yesterday, 1,002 deaths over 24 hours and 33,208 new cases.
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BASHIR: These are record levels we're seeing in Russia and it paints a grim picture for what is to come if the trend continues.
And as we near these winter months, there are serious concerns, particularly with the spread of more transmissible variants, like the Delta variant, that the situation could spiral out of control once again.
We've seen Russia come under the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic before in the past few months of the pandemic, the health care sector really coming under pressure. So officials in Russia are wary. They are calling for more people to get vaccinated.
President Putin himself speaking on Tuesday, urged citizens to listen to the medical advice and the medical experts and get that jab. But there are medical professionals across Russia, calling for that campaign led by the government to be ramped up.
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ANNA NAZAROVA, EMERGENCY DOCTOR (through translator): There must be more adequate campaign to get more people vaccinated, more advocacy.
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BASHIR: And 38 regions in Russian have now mandated mandatory vaccine requirements for public-facing roles.
And as we continue nearer into these winter months, there's a question of whether the government will take tougher measures in terms of extending that vaccine mandate to others, as some other countries across Europe have done, as well as the potential for a lockdown again.
Now Russia has said, the officials have said that they aren't seeking another lockdown. Some lawmakers have described this as unreasonable at this stage. And like many countries across the globe, going into lockdown is not the ideal scenario. It's put enormous pressure on the economy and social life.
So that's something officials are keen to avoid. It's something people are keen to avoid. But yet this vaccine uptake in Russia is still low and poses a real threat, as we move on to these winter months.
NEWTON: The problem with the lockdowns, it's also very difficult to get people to comply. We are seeing high levels of, let's say, vaccine resistance in surprising places in Europe as well.
BASHIR: Well, there are pockets of resistance across parts of Europe. There are high levels of vaccine uptake in most countries in western Europe and we have seen that.
But in recent days, we've seen protests in Italy and Switzerland as well, over the measures being taken to really people encourage people to get that jab.
A protest in Italy over the green pass, people will have to provide proof of getting the vaccination or getting that infection recently, recovering from that or indeed getting a negative test within the last 48 hours.
And those who don't comply with that green pass could face getting a fine of up to $1,700.
And those in Switzerland putting in a restriction for those who don't comply with the health pass when going to restaurants and bars and clubs.
But just last year, polls reflected that many people were not keen to get that jab. And when president Macron announced that there would be the health pass, we saw that vaccine uptake surge. So there is a example of these kind of measures encouraging people to go out and get the vaccine.
NEWTON: It seems universal that there is an increase in vaccine uptake when they have those mandates. Nada, appreciate the update.
A close ally of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro has been taken into U.S. custody, accused of money laundering. And it now looks like Caracas is retaliating. Stefano Pozzebon has details.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Five U.S. citizens and a U.S. (INAUDIBLE) resident, who were serving house arrest in Caracas, Venezuela, were picked up by the country's security service on Saturday, just hours after Alex Saab, a Colombian financier, who works very close with embattled leader, Nicolas Maduro, was extradited, from the Cape Verde, to the United States.
He was first arrested, in Cape Verde 2020. Saab faces charges of money laundering in Florida, related to his activity as a government contractor in Venezuela. The men, detained in Caracas, are known, collectively, as the CITGO 6.
They are former executives of U.S. oil refinery CITGO. And their arrests, in Venezuela, since 2017. They are facing corruption charges, which they deny and, they were moved to house arrest, just in April, this year.
One of them was able to send a video message to his family, shortly before his detention.
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JOSE PEREIRA, VENEZUELAN DETAINEE (through translator): We are here, recording this video, because at this time, we are very worried and our families are very worried. We don't know what's going to happen to us, now that Alex has been extradited. We are worried.
[04:20:00] PEREIRA (through translator): And our families are very worried.
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POZZEBON: Saab is now expected to face a U.S. court, in the coming weeks -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
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NEWTON: Still ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, more protests are expected in Beirut after the worst violence that Lebanon has seen in more than a decade. A live report, coming up.
Plus, attacks claimed by ISIS-K are casting doubt on the Taliban's ability to keep Afghans safe. What the country's new rulers say they'll do to protect Shia Muslims.
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NEWTON (voice-over): Bullets in the air following the funerals for those killed during the worst violence that Lebanon has seen in years. A Shia protest over an investigation into Beirut's 2020 port explosion turned into deadly street battles Thursday.
Many in the Lebanese capital now fear the violence could spin out of control. More protests are expected today on the second anniversary of the October revolution.
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NEWTON: We want to bring in CNN's Ben Wedeman. He is live in Beirut's Martyrs' Square, the epicenter of those 2019 protests.
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NEWTON: And Ben, I am wondering what you're expecting today, especially given that there are accusations that political factions are using the violence and the bloodshed to further their own causes. I know that that's the cynical view.
But what do you see unfolding in the hours to come?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think as far as the various political parties exploiting the violence, well, that's politics, politics anywhere. And of course, here, even more so.
Now, yes, we're in Martyrs' Square, where I can tell you, exactly two years ago today, this square and the road leading up to the prime ministry was full of people, people protesting against a political system that seems immune to anything. What we've seen over the last two years is the Lebanese economy
collapse. For instance, the minimum wage, the minimum monthly wage was worth $450 two years ago. It's now worth $34.
You have hyperinflation, massive employment. You have had the COVID pandemic, which has killed about 8,500 people. You had the Beirut port blast in August of last year, which killed more than 200 people, rendered 300,000 homeless and caused billions of dollars of damage to the capital.
Despite all of this, the political elite remains immune. But what seems to be concerning most of them is the fact that the port investigation and the judge leading it has called for the interrogation of key ministers and powerful people within the establishment, all of whom seem to be resisting that call, seem willing to push Lebanon over the brink into chaos, catastrophe, collapse and perhaps even civil war to avoid the sort of accountability that so many people here in Beirut demanded two years ago -- Paula.
NEWTON: We were showing photos of that rally and the protests two years ago. And it's so striking that those people, many of them on the streets, were that younger generation, still looking for a better life.
And yet, things have gotten so much worse since then. Ben, remind us of how hard lives have gotten, everyday ordinary lives.
What you do to put food on the table, get to work, send your kids to school?
WEDEMAN: Well, for instance, petrol is now hard to come by and has gone up dramatically in price. So there's not much traffic anymore, because many people can't afford to buy petrol.
In terms of electricity, you have just a few hours of state power a day. The difference has to be made up with generator power, private generator power, which costs around $100 a week. And most people simply can't afford them.
So you go to the stores, these sort of luxury items, even basic items that were plentiful before simply aren't there. And I think that study was done recently that said that 70 percent of the population has difficulty to find the resources to buy an adequate amount of food.
So the situation has dramatically declined. And many of those who can, including the young and the well-educated, the skilled are trying to leave this country as quickly as they can. And as you can see, the square, with the exception of these soldiers behind me, is empty.
NEWTON: And I've looked many times when you've been speaking from the streets of Beirut and, as you said, a lot less traffic than you would expect to see, which is a sign of how difficult things are. Ben, I know you will continue to keep us updated on the protests there today, appreciate it. There's little respite for Shia Muslims in Afghanistan. ISIS-K has
claimed responsibility for two recent attacks on Shia mosques. For protection, the religious minority now has to rely on the very group known for targeting them in the past, the Taliban.
A look now on the continuing threats in Taliban. A warning, the report contains graphic and disturbing content.
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NEWTON (voice-over): Row after row of dusty graves, a crowd gathers in Kandahar to burn the dead.
Relatives weep as their loved ones are lowered into the ground. It was just a day earlier the victims were at the city's largest Shia mosque for Friday prayers, a solemn moment that was abruptly silenced, when a group of suicide bombers set off their deadly explosions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): My own brother died in that attack. My brother had 2 little children.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He had a home to live in. He had everything. The pain of the loss cannot be described in words. It's a matter of the heart.
NEWTON (voice-over): Members of the Taliban visited some of the wounded in hospital, the group reaffirming its pledge to bring peace and stability in the embattled country. Officials in Kandahar say special security officers will guard Shia mosques and those responsible for the attack will be punished.
The terror group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the Kandahar attack, as well as a similar assault on a Shia mosque in Kunduz the week before. Members of the country's Shia minority have long been persecuted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The entire world should condemn this. The Islamic world should condemn this. It should be condemned from every corner of this proud nation.
NEWTON (voice-over): But it's these continued assaults on civilians, even on the Taliban itself, that are spreading doubt that the new leaders of Afghanistan can actually bring peace and whether Taliban protection is enough to prevent more mass graves like this.
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NEWTON: OK, President Biden pays his respects, meantime, to families of fallen police officers, just as many departments are under fire for their policing practices. Ahead, the uphill struggle to make the Biden agenda a reality.
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NEWTON: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton and you are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
U.S. President Joe Biden traveled to Capitol Hill on Saturday to pay his respects to fallen police officers.
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NEWTON: Now it was a visible show of support at a time when many police departments right across the country have been facing heavy criticism.
Just hours earlier, in fact, in Houston, Texas, a deputy was fatally shot and two other officers wounded in what police describe as an ambush outside a bar. Now the president noted the tragedy in his speech. We get more now from CNN's Joe Johns.
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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: A lot of the significance of this speech was about the timing. After a period of so much harsh criticism of police and policing in the United States, the president goes to the Capitol and gives a speech, praising police officers for their courage.
Exhibit 1, the response: the United States Capitol during the riot on January 6th. Listen.
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BIDEN: Being a cop today is one hell of a lot harder than it's ever been. And to the families of the fallen, you've suffered an enormous loss. But understand, your loss is also America's loss -- America's loss -- and your pain is America's pain.
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JOHNS: The president also sending his condolences to the three sheriff's deputies who were shot in Houston over the weekend. One of those deputies died.
The president also talked a bit about his priorities for police reform in the United States, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which got hung up on Capitol Hill in September -- Joe Johns, CNN, the White House.
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NEWTON: Natasha Lindstaedt joins us now from Colchester, England, where she teaches government at the University of Essex. I imagine that at this point in time, the country is trying to move
forward, right, from everything that has transpired in the last few years. Joe Biden is there; he's at this speech. And yet, it is the very symbol of the fact that the country can't move on from that aftermath of January 6th.
NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: No, exactly. Joe Biden has a real challenge on his hands, because only 61 percent of the American people believe that he was elected legitimately.
And you have the Republicans that have become increasingly under Trump's thumb. And the party has become more and more authoritarian and have been able to sell these false narratives that the election was stolen.
And not only that but those that engaged in violence shouldn't be persecuted (sic). In fact, right after the violence had happened at the Capitol, there was a poll of Republican voters. And 77 percent believe that those that engaged in violence deserve to be prosecuted.
Today that number has slipped to 57 percent. So we see there are two Americas, one in which you have a different set of information out there and another that has a completely different other set of information.
So Biden is struggling to unite people, just because we can't even really agree on the facts. And that's going to make it difficult. But also making things difficult, he doesn't seem to have control over his own party. I'm sure we'll speak more about this in a bit. But the dynamic inside the Democratic Party isn't helping matters.
NEWTON: Absolutely, as you said, there is this cleavage, really, between the two factions in his own party.
Before we get to that, though, this issue of trying to hold Steve Bannon, right, accountable for any involvement that he or the president may have had on January 6th, I'm fascinated by the fact that even by trying to call him in contempt of Congress, that this may not work.
And to quote our own analyst, Stephen Collinson said, that by doing this, he may be preventing the mastermind of Trump's blow it all up strategy, yet another platform to try to tear down America's institutions.
It is incredible to me that really, he could avoid this, Steve Bannon, for quite a few months or even years to come and just use it as fuel for his own theories.
LINDSTAEDT: Exactly. We've seen that Bannon has refused to cooperate before with the Trump-Russia investigation. He benefits from this, because he can then promote this idea that there's this deep state that's out to get him.
And the punishment for being in contempt is up to 12 months in prison, which is a lot and only about $1,000. And he feels like this is something that only he can chance. And he can hide behind this vague idea that he has executive privilege under Donald Trump, when that's actually not even true because Trump is not the current president.
But as you mentioned, Bannon uses this on his radio show to convince his supporters and listeners that the state is out to get you, that they're out to get innocent people. So this works in his favor. And we see that Trump's approval rate among Republicans never wavered.
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LINDSTAEDT: It didn't matter what he did. It was always around 87, 88 percent. And the same is true of people that work in his orbit, that agree to spew these same type of election lies, about the election being fraudulent and about the Capitol riots.
NEWTON: I don't have a lot of time left, but we alluded to it, the fact that Joe Biden has his own Build Back Better agenda. He would want his own credibility to be as high as Trump's is with the GOP.
What's at work here and how much longer do you believe that Joe Biden really has to crack this thing?
LINDSTAEDT: I think he's trying to just get anything done at this point. Because if you look at the infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better plan, all of these aspects of the bill, are very popular, whether it's improving Medicare or providing more support for people after they retire.
All of these things are very popular. It's the price tag. And if you break it down to what it costs per year, which is about $350 billion, then it's not so bad. And actually up to 70 percent of Americans believe that it is critical to start taxing the rich and corporations more.
So what he's going to try to need to do is sell this to his own party and get something done. I think the issue is that Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin don't seem to think that their livelihoods depend on any of these bills being successful.
And that's going to be a problem for the midterms, because, at the moment, this makes Joe Biden look incompetent, that he can't get anything done. And I think they're better off getting something done than trying to achieve everything.
NEWTON: We will leave it there but definitely another important to week to come in Washington. Thank you very much for your insights. Appreciate it.
LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.
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NEWTON: When it comes to climate change, rising sea levels are huge concern. Up next, we'll look at the world's underwater future if nothing is done to address the crisis.
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NEWTON: In two weeks, world leaders will meet in Scotland to tackle one of the most pressing crises of our time: climate change. The COP26 climate crisis couldn't come at a more crucial moment and with so much at stake.
Our planet is rapidly warming, causing extreme weather events right around the world. This year alone, we've experienced snowstorms, deadly floods, historic droughts with and massive wildfires. But among the largest concerns is rising sea levels.
What could our future world look like if nothing is done?
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NEWTON: Now if you're a "Downtown Abbey" fan, think about this, CNN's Richard Quest is in the house, literally, in the house, in the castle. The real-life owners of the show's famous estate tell him how they kept it all going through COVID.
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NEWTON: So the TV series "Downton Abbey" is, of course, a worldwide smash. But its setting in the English countryside is almost as famous as its cast of characters. Downton Castle is really named Highclere Castle and it's a business and home for a British family.
As CNN's Richard Quest found out, running the extravagant palace has its rewards but also challenges.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST (voice-over): How else are you going to arrive at Highclere Castle?
Come on.
QUEST (voice-over): Highclere Castle has stood for more than 300 years. Yet the world knows this magnificent place better as "Downton Abbey," home to Lord and Lady Grantham.
It's exactly the same as it is on the telly? (LAUGHTER)
FIONA AITKEN, LADY CARNARVON, OWNER OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE (voice-over): Yes.
QUEST (voice-over): The real Granthams, if you will, are actually the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon.
AITKEN (voice-over): So that's my husband in the queen's arms here because she is his godmother.
QUEST (voice-over): Yes.
Highclere has been the family seat since the 17th century, through two world wars and now COVID. In the early pandemic, we spoke to Lady Carnarvon from Highclere, when she was one of our voices of the crisis.
AITKEN (voice-over): Like many other businesses, these are incredibly tough times. And we all have fallen over a cliff.
QUEST (voice-over): What did you promise me?
AITKEN (voice-over): I promised you afternoon tea.
QUEST (voice-over): And as good as your word -- ooh.
Tea at "Downton." I must remember not to call the butler Carson. To be honest, he is used to it.
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QUEST: When we spoke last year, you were in the process of working out ways to get the thing moving again.
How bad did it get?
AITKEN: I think it got -- well, it got to zero income, which for any business is definitely really bad, because obviously the bills continue to come and the costs continue to be there. So like other businesses, working out what we could do, the art of the possible.
QUEST: Did you ever get worried?
GEORGE HERBERT, LORD CARNARVON, OWNER OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE: It was very, very difficult. People were on furlough and coming and going away again.
AITKEN: I think we were all frightened for our health, for those we love, frightened for our business, frightened for what we had built up and frightened for the future.
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QUEST (voice-over): Keeping Highclere in good shape is a constant struggle. AITKEN (voice-over): It's an extraordinary building.
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AITKEN (voice-over): And I don't know that we would have the craftsmen today to make it.
QUEST (voice-over): The eighth Earl of Carnarvon inherited the castle from his father 20 years ago.
Did you think, good Lord, I mean, it's very beautiful but -- look at this.
AITKEN (voice-over): We did used to wake up in the middle of the night and I would go and get a cup of tea, thinking, what do we do?
QUEST (voice-over): The landed gentry in England are used to this tug of war between keeping the heritage and managing to pay the bills.
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QUEST (voice-over): Lady Mary would be proud of the way the real countess views the business.
AITKEN: There is no secret pot of gold. What we do here every month, and firstly pays the salaries because that is going to pay the mortgages.
HERBERT: Yes, because it's beautiful and romantic to look at but it's only there because someone is continually paying --
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AITKEN: Working and bringing some money in. I've always remembered that sales is vanity, profits insanity (ph). And I don't want to be a busy fool.
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QUEST (voice-over): The Carnarvons run their home like a business. And that means working all hours to make the castle and its grounds profitable to keep the heritage.
AITKEN: The farm and estate are about 4,000-5,000 acres. And within that, we have got about 2,000 acres growing crops for us all to eat. We farm everything in hand. I am a farmer's wife.
QUEST: Right.
AITKEN: And I have gone (INAUDIBLE) harvest. I've even driven it.
QUEST: Really?
AITKEN: Very badly.
(MUSIC PLAYING) QUEST (voice-over): As the pandemic bit hard, the Carnarvons were able to draw on the huge popularity of "Downton." With no revenues coming in but all ingenuity, they created events, such as online cocktail parties. And they sold Highclere-branded products. And underlying it all, this is the real "Downton."
AITKEN (voice-over): So it's lavender all the way around.
QUEST (voice-over): Oh, I love that.
AITKEN (voice-over): Now we collect it and put it in our chit (ph) because we're nothing if we're not practical.
QUEST (voice-over): Look at all the bees.
AITKEN (voice-over): It's amazing, isn't it?
QUEST (voice-over): Look at all the bees.
AITKEN (voice-over): Making your honey.
QUEST (voice-over): Forgive me, I'm a huge "Downton" fan and I can't resist looking everywhere.
AITKEN: I think you're going to recognize this room.
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QUEST: Lord Grantham's desk.
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QUEST (voice-over): Do you find it a bit surreal that your home is a fictitious place?
AITKEN (voice-over): It is surreal. How wonderful. Magnificent, isn't it?
This is Lord and Lady Grantham's bedroom. Brian used to leap out of the cupboard there, in which there are actually dressing gowns.
QUEST (voice-over): This is the staircase.
Has the morning post arrived?
Highclere is coming back to life. The doors are open and the earl and countess are once again welcoming visitors. There's always a classic finger sandwich or a delicious scone on hand. Mrs. Patmore would definitely approve.
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QUEST: I want to know what did you learn about yourselves during the pandemic? HERBERT: Being calmer than I thought I probably could have done about it.
QUEST: That surprised you?
HERBERT: Yes. Surprised my wife too, probably.
AITKEN: Well, I was looking for that still small voice of calm. It's just step by step. And you can do it. You can do it. We can all do it.
QUEST (voice-over): Highclere is not "Downton" but "Downton" has helped Highclere survive.
AITKEN: It has put it on a different course.
HERBERT: It's a glorious window on the world that. It allows Highclere to be an icon of heritage and actually help other heritage properties in this area in Great Britain, which has so much to show for foreign tourists.
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AITKEN (voice-over): I always think it's the most extraordinary home and I feel very privileged to be walking where people have walked for 1,200 years.
QUEST (voice-over): Does it still have the capacity to move you?
AITKEN (voice-over): Oh, God, yes. And it's still the most extraordinary feeling of a world apart of a special arcadia (ph).
QUEST (voice-over): Even after all these years?
AITKEN (voice-over): Every time.
QUEST (voice-over): To walk through these rooms, to hear the history, to meet the Carnarvons, It's like, well, "Downton" -- Richard Quest, CNN, Highclere Castle or "Downton Abbey" or Highclere Castle.
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NEWTON: I'm telling you, it's amazing we got him out of that castle.
I'm Paula Newton. Thanks for your company. I'll be back in just a moment with more CNN NEWSROOM.
