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G20 Shows Unanimous Support for 15 Percent Global Tax; COVID-19 Vaccines, Climate Change Top Agenda in Rome; U.K. Prime Minister Says Success of COP26 Is "Touch and Go"; Baldwin Calls Fatal Incident "One in a Trillion" Event; Fuel Shortages Put Haitian Patients' Lives at Risk; Eastern Europe Struggles with COVID-19 Surge. Aired 12-12:30a ET
Aired October 31, 2021 - 00:00 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): Hello and a warm welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton. Coming up:
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NEWTON (voice-over): We are hours away from the start of COP26, world leaders gathering to discuss radical changes needed to fight climate change.
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NEWTON (voice-over): And Eastern European countries are grappling with COVID surges, what governments and police are doing to curb it.
Plus actor Alec Baldwin speaking out publicly about the deadly film set shooting. Why he has decided to speak out now, coming up.
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NEWTON: It is Friday and in Rome the G20 leaders will soon begin their second and final day of meetings on the greatest challenges of the times, including climate change and vaccines.
Now in the coming hours, U.S. President Joe Biden will lead a session addressing the bottlenecks in the world supply chains, then on Monday and Tuesday, he will be at the U.N.'s COP26 climate conference in Scotland, to urge concerted global action.
U.S. officials say the president did secure some of his top priorities during Saturday sessions. Unanimous endorsement of a 15 percent global minimum tax.
And after meeting on the sidelines with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, they issued a joint statement, saying the Iran nuclear deal could still be saved, if that is what Iran wants, as CNN's Nic Robertson has the latest now.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): It's two years since world leaders came together in person for the G20 summit of the world's wealthiest nations. The photo, slightly different this year.
Applause for first responders, who helped care in countries through the devastating pandemic. Italy's prime minister hosting them in Rome, warned the virus is not done yet. Vaccines are not getting to everyone.
MARIO DRAGHI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER: In high income countries, more than 70 percent of the population has received at least one dose.
In the poorest ones, this percentage drops to roughly 3 percent. These differences are morally unacceptable and undermine the global recovery.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Several countries are sending doses to nations in need. The U.K., announcing Saturday, it will donate 20 million doses of AstraZeneca by the end of the year.
With COP26 on the heels of the G20, climate crisis center stage at the summit and on the streets of Rome. Police quickly clearing a climate protest sit-in, blocking the main road as the G20 started. U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson urging climate action with an ominous warning.
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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: The Romans thought they were going to go on forever. They thought that their empire was going to flourish forever. Then, wham, middle of the 5th century, they hit a complete crisis.
You have the Dark Ages. The lesson is that things can go backwards. Unless we fix climate change, unless we halt that massive growth in temperatures, that's the risk we run.
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ROBERTSON (voice-over): Later in the day, police say thousands of protesters marched in Rome, climate activists joined by trade unionists and workers who lost their jobs to globalization.
A senior U.S. administration official, telling CNN, all leaders at the G20 endorse a global minimum tax, a top priority for the Biden administration.
On the sidelines, the U.S., France, Germany and Britain addressed the Iran nuclear deal, saying it is possible for a quick return to full compliance but only if Iran changes course. This days after Iran agreed to restart talks before the end of November.
U.S. President Biden taking time in his business schedule to attend mass. The day after, the pope says, called him a good Catholic. The day ending with a visit to Rome's ancient imperial baths before sharing dinner and informal conversations, climate change on the formal agenda ahead Sunday.
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ROBERTSON (voice-over): Nic Robertson, CNN, Rome.
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NEWTON: Now Vladimir Putin did not travel to Rome for the summit. Instead, he participated on Saturday via videolink. The Russian leader is also skipping the COP26 conference in Scotland. CNN's Sam Kiley has more now from Moscow.
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SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Vladimir Putin joined his colleagues at the G20 in Italy by video. This is how he described what he really wants to see coming out of this.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): Let me remind you that Russia was the first in the world to register a vaccine against COVID-19, Sputnik V. To date, this drug has already been approved in 70 countries of the world, with a total population of over 4 billion people, and demonstrates high safety and effectiveness.
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KILEY: That is essentially he wants to be able to see more Russian vaccines distributed around the world and, perhaps, be able to import more foreign vaccines, given the slow rate of takeup of his country men of their homegrown versions of the anti COVID medication.
But on top of that, he also made a plea for greater integration on energy markets, hinting at the continuing friction between Europe and Russia over what Europeans are saying are the Kremlin's efforts to strangle the supply of natural gas into Europe, at a time when prices are skyrocketing.
But on top of that, really, this is all about Putin's staying away, as he will do for the COP26 meeting coming up in Glasgow, with his focus really very, very tightly on a future meeting, sometime this year or early next year, they hope in the Kremlin, with none other than Joe Biden.
It is the meeting, the bilateral meetings with the U.S. President, really, that Vladimir Putin is all about -- Sam Kiley, CNN, Moscow.
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NEWTON: Now along with world leaders and dignitaries at the G20 summit, there are, of course, protesters.
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NEWTON (voice-over): Thousands of them demonstrated in Rome, singing, dancing and chanting phrases like "Power to the people." CNN's Ben Wedeman explains what the protesters hope to achieve.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The leaders of the G20 are meeting here on a different part of town. Several thousand people are protesting. They are protesting against a lack of action by the leaders of the G20 when it comes to climate change.
They are protesting against globalization. Some of the people here are workers who have lost their jobs because their factories have been moved abroad. Some used to work for the national carrier of Italy, Alitalia, that has now gone out of business and many of the people who were there no longer have jobs.
There is a feeling among many of these thousands of protesters that the political elite, not just here in Italy but in many of the G20 countries, has ignored their needs and their demands to fight climate change or economic justice.
So far, the protest has been peaceful; as many as 5000 members of the Italian security forces, as well as several hundred soldiers from the Italian army, have been deployed to ensure the security of the G20 meeting.
The airspace over Rome has been closed and some areas are off limits, except for those who have passes or are residents in the area. But so far, the protests here have been noisy but peaceful -- I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Rome.
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NEWTON: So the pressure is on for world leaders to deliver more than just those empty promises at COP26. It wasn't just Rome; cities around the world held protests, demanding action on climate change. But some leaders are already casting serious doubt on what could be accomplished in Glasgow. CNN's Scott McLean has more.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With less than 48 hours before the COP26 climate summit begins in Scotland, a spokesperson for the British prime minister Boris Johnson, says that the success of the summit still hangs in the balance.
While there has been some progress ahead of the summit in getting more countries to agree to become net zero carbon emitters decades from now, it will take a lot more to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In fact, the British government says that global emissions will have to be halved by 2030 in order to stay below that threshold.
[00:10:00] MCLEAN: Johnson's spokesperson says that COP26 needs to mark the beginning of the end of climate change. But for a while now, the prime minister has been honest about the fact that he is not sure that the summit will get there. Here's what he said this past week.
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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: It's going to be very, very tough, this summit. And I'm very worried, because it might go wrong. And we might not get the agreements that we need. And it's touch and go.
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MCLEAN: One of the countries he needs to convince to do more is China, which alone is responsible for one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Johnson spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday about climate change, among other things.
But so, far there have been no public signals that China's going to take steps to significantly improve on the mild climate change targets that it set for itself already -- Scott McLean, CNN, London.
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NEWTON: And a quick programming note from us: we will have extensive coverage of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. That is November 1st-12th. Tune into CNN each and every day. For that and all the latest climate news and COP26 developments, head to cnn.com/climate.
Still to come here for us, actor Alec Baldwin speaks out for the very first time since the fatal shooting on the set of his latest film. Straight ahead, his emotional message and the changes he wants to see in the wake of the tragedy.
Plus, the growing crisis in Haiti. Hospitals are running out of critically needed fuel, putting patients' lives at risk. That story, after the break.
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NEWTON: Alec Baldwin says the fatal incident on the set of his latest film was, quote, a "one in a trillion event." The actor made his first comments on Saturday since the prop gun he discharged killed the movie's director of photography, Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin remembered her as a good friend on a tight-knit crew. CNN's Natasha Chen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Saturday, in Vermont, Alec Baldwin and his family were apparently being followed by cameras. Baldwin got out of his car to talk to paparazzi, answering their questions; being careful though, not to answer anything about the ongoing investigation.
He did say, however, that he was friends with Halyna Hopkins, the director of photography, who was killed by the shot he fired. He also said he has been in touch with her husband, who is in overwhelming grief.
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ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: She was my friend. The day I arrived in Santa Fe to start shooting, I took her to dinner, with Joel, the director. There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time. But nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion tragedy.
It's a one in a trillion death and so he is in shock. He has a 9-year- old son. And we are in constant contact with him because we are very worried about his family and his kid.
We are, you know, in constant contact with him because we're very worried about his family and his kid.
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BALDWIN: And as I said, we're eagerly awaiting for the sheriff's department to tell us what their investigation has yielded.
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CHEN: Baldwin said it's unlikely that filming would continue for the movie "Rust," in which he is not only an actor but also a producer. He said he would be supportive in the future of new measures to make film sets safer, for example, using plastic guns or prohibiting live ammunition altogether.
In the meantime, the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, released a statement on Friday through her attorneys, saying she has no idea how a live round got onto the set and that safety is her top priority.
The sheriff here in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said he would like to do follow-up interviews with both her and the assistant director to clarify some issues -- back to you.
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NEWTON: That was Natasha Chen. We thank her for that report.
Meantime to Sudan, where nationwide protests against the military takeover grew to their largest yet Saturday.
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NEWTON (voice-over): As you see there, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated across the country, with banners and chanting anti coup slogans. This was the scene in the capital, Khartoum.
Protesters want the military to restore civilian leadership and stop interfering with the government. They are also calling for Sudan's top general to resign. A civilian doctors' group meantime says at least 13 people have been killed and another 140 injured. And that is since the military takeover Monday.
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NEWTON: Hospitals in Haiti are on the verge of collapse. Fuel is scarce, as gangs block access to fuel terminals, as they demand the resignation of the country's prime minister. And the risk of kidnapping is causing a shortage of medical staff. But it's not just the hospitals feeling the pain. CNN's Matt Rivers has more from Haiti.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Spot protests across Port-au-Prince, burning tires below sending Black smoke into the sky. The country is in crisis once again, in part fueled by a lack of fuel.
A crushing shortage of gasoline has crippled the capital city. Here, taxi drivers are protesting, arguing with police outside of a gas station with no gas.
"We don't have a government," this man says. "If we don't demand change, who will."
Tires set on fire and debris thrown into the street are desperate attempts to cause enough chaos that the governor tries to fix the problem. But it won't be easy. Not only is the government so broke it often can't buy enough fuel but when some arrives, it can't get delivered.
The vast majority of fuel is imported at these two locations but gangs in Port-au-Prince are so powerful they have near complete control over this crucial stretch of highway, which means they control the flow of fuel into the capital.
A gas retailer, identity hidden due to security concerns, told us what happens if you try and drive a tanker truck in to pick up fuel.
RIVERS (on camera): So I might get kidnapped.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RIVERS: I might get shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. If you don't stop.
RIVERS: I might get killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RIVERS: Or at the very least, I'm going to have to pay an exorbitant bribe to get past.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, of course.
RIVERS (voice-over): Haiti's government and law enforcement are either unwilling or unable to secure a flow of fuel from the ports.
RIVERS (on camera): But not having enough fuel doesn't just mean you can't use your motorbike. Consider this: here in Port-au-Prince, the electricity grid is not reliable.
So let's say you own a small store and you sell cold drinks. In order to keep that refrigerator running, you need to use a generator. And of the fuel going into that generator is way more expensive than it was before, that means you need to charge your customers more for those cold drinks.
Not having enough fuel makes all kinds of things more expensive and that's brutal in a country already dealing with so much poverty.
Because you don't have gasoline, do you think that that is risking the lives of some of your patients, because they can't get the treatment that they need?
KEDNER PIERRE, COUNTY DIRECTOR, INNOVATING HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: Yes. Of course. Of course. This is a problem for us.
RIVERS (voice-over): Kedner Pierre runs Haiti's largest cancer treatment center at Innovating Health International. He showed us this x-ray machine, like other equipment here, sitting idle, because there's not enough gas to run the facility's generator full-time.
In another darkened room nearby, we use our phone's flashlight to see a bank of refrigerators, with medicine for chemotherapy, all turned off.
RIVERS (on camera): So you put ice in there to keep this cold, because you can't -- You don't have enough gas --
PIERRE: No. I don't have enough gas.
RIVERS: -- to run a generator to keep these refrigerators on.
RIVERS (voice-over): This clinic is still treating patients, something that is barely happening inside the empty hallways of Hospital de la Paix. Normally packed with patients, just a few are inside now. Most days, only a handful of doctors make it to work, either because there's no gas or because they fear being kidnapped by gangs.
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RIVERS (voice-over): Ketia Asteil's (ph) son almost died during an asthma attack overnight. She says, "The doctor was using his flashlight on his phone to put my son on oxygen, because there is no electricity. It's so bad, I almost lost him." RIVERS (on camera): Normally, all of those cribs would be filled with sick kids but the hospital is turning away nearly every single patient that comes here, because right now, there's simply not enough doctors, nurses or electricity to take care of them. That means that one of Haiti's largest hospitals is essentially not functioning.
RIVERS (voice-over): "The doctors are trying," she says, "but they cannot do anything. They have no help. Only God can help at this point." Perhaps God and gasoline.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
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NEWTON: Now polls are open for just a few more hours in Japan's first national election in two years. A ruling coalition led by the prime minister's Liberal Democratic Party is widely expected to win this majority.
Japanese celebrities are throwing their star power behind a call to vote in the now-viral YouTube video released earlier this month. Entitled "The Voice Project," the video is a chance to see celebrities there speak out about politics. And the video has had now more than 600,000 views.
Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, countries across Eastern Europe are paying a heavy toll, as COVID-19 ravages much of the region and health care systems struggle to keep up.
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NEWTON: Beginning in November, Cuba will open up those who've -- open up to those who have had the COVID shot. Now the Cuban public health ministry says fully vaccinated travelers will not have to quarantine upon entering the country and that is starting November 7th.
They will also drop PCR testing requirements beginning November 15th. But all travelers aged 12 and over, will still need to present proof of vaccination.
And Spain, says it plans to donate millions of vaccine doses in the coming months, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted on Saturday, that his country will have donated some 50 million doses by next March. This comes amid a rise in COVID cases and deaths across Europe.
Now much of Eastern Europe is, of course, paying a higher price over vaccine hesitancy. While there is not really a shortage of those COVID shots in those places, there is a reluctance. And that reluctance has been widespread.
Also, with few following mitigation measures, surging COVID cases are overwhelming in the region.
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NEWTON (voice-over): An ambulance arrives at a Moscow hospital. Essential workers are still allowed on the job in Russia but much of the rest of the workforce, right across the country, is in lockdown, until at least November 7th.
It's part of a government plan to try and cut down on the number of new COVID-19 cases that are overwhelming hospitals and logging record high daily death tolls.
Shops are closed except for pharmacies and supermarkets. Restaurants in Moscow are open only for delivery or take out but it's not a stay- at-home order. The city's streets are still busy.
Some people are leaving town to take advantage of time off. One resident says she thinks the new measures are not tough enough to make a difference and old measures are not always being followed.
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NATALIA STEPANENKO, MOSCOW RESIDENT (through translator): The restrictions certainly make sense. But they don't work properly because there are still so many people. There are lots of people in the public transport and the metro. They don't wear masks. And it's an issue.
NEWTON (voice-over): That issue, of not following coronavirus guidelines, is one that is also derailing health plans in many Eastern European countries.
In Ukraine, where COVID-19 deaths are also skyrocketing, police are cracking down on a booming black market of fake COVID-19 vaccine and test documents. Authorities recently released videos of raids of suspected criminal activity, including one in a doctor's office.
Ukraine's deputy interior minister says the country is, quote, "close to drowning" in forged certificates.
The cards are in high demand, especially since the country added new measures for travel. Proof of vaccination or a negative test is required to board planes, trains and long distance buses. But only 16.5 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
Latvia is also undergoing a surge of infections. One hospital official says, in some places, they don't have enough medical staff to treat the rising number of COVID-19 patients.
And in hardhit Romania, hospitals morgues are filling up as well. One medical examiner says all the victims here are unvaccinated and, in some cases, entire families have been killed by the virus.
He says vaccine reluctance and public attitudes have to change in order to stop spreading infections and lower the rising body counts, inundating the region.
CLAUDIU IONITA, AUTOPSIST (through translator): The vaccine does not mean that you can have a coffee with your friends or go to a concert, stuff that we used to do before. The vaccine means that you will not end up here. This is the most important message.
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NEWTON (voice-over): And you can certainly hear the frustration in his voice there.
OK, we're going to leave you with this. Large areas of the world are getting a dazzling light show this weekend.
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NEWTON (voice-over): The northern and southern lights are being seen right across parts of the United States, Canada and Europe, and to the south in Australia and New Zealand.
Now a shocked viewer in Cincinnati, Ohio, tweeted, "I can't believe my eyes."
I'll say, gosh.
But how is this for the wild moment?
NASA released video of the exact moments a large flare exploded on the sun. It injected charged particles, which collided with gases in the Earth's atmosphere, creating that spectacular curtain of colored lights.
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NEWTON: Definitely stunning. I'm Paula Newton. Thanks for your company. "LIVING GOLF" is up next here on CNN.
