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Concert Went Wrong Killing Eight People; Democrats Passed President Biden's Bill; Former POTUS Remind World Leaders; Europe Bracing for Fourth Wave; Biden's Vaccine Mandates Faces Lawsuits. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 08, 2021 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, victims mourned. A criminal investigation underway and now a lawsuit filed after a deadly concert crush in Houston.

Customs officials at the U.S.-Mexico border preparing for an increase in travel volume as vaccinated international travelers are once again welcomed in.

Plus, former President Obama returns to the world stage today addressing the climate crisis at COP 26 as a leader from one island nation goes to the extreme to show everyone what's at stake.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Well, in Houston, Texas, mourners are visiting the site of the Astroworld tragedy that claimed the lives of eight people on Friday. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the deadly crush. Dozens of people were injured and Houston's mayor says two concertgoers remain in critical condition.

Meanwhile, one attendee has filed a lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott and the festival's promoters. They are accused of failing to conduct the concert in a safe manner and ignoring the risks to concertgoers.

The plaintiff, whose lawyers say he was knocked down and trampled is asking for more than a million dollars.

Rosa Flores tells us what's known about the timeline of this tragedy.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The incident at the Astroworld music festival was first described as a crowd stampede or as a crowd compression. Well now it's a criminal investigation. This, after the Houston Police Department announced that a security officer felt a prick in his neck, he went unconscious. He was administered Narcan, and then revived and he is not the only one who received Narcan onsite according to authorities.

Now, as for the timeline, according to the Houston Police Department, at about 9.15, that's when the crowd started compressing towards the stage on Friday. By 9.38, this had turned into a mass-casualty event with one police officer on scene describing that he could see multiple people on the ground needing medical attention, some of them in cardiac arrest.

By 10.10, according to police, that's when the concert ended. Now, I have talked to multiple concertgoers and there is an array of accounts. The people who were closer to the stage say that they couldn't breathe. It was very difficult for them to gasp for air because it was so crowded. They felt packed like sardines.

People that were closer towards the back say that they left the venue not even knowing that this had turned tragic. Well now, Live Nation, the Astroworld festival, and Travis Scott issuing statements saying that they are heartbroken and that they are cooperating with authorities.

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TRAVIS SCOTT, RAPPER: We are working closely with everyone to try to get to the bottom of this. City of Houston, HPD, fire department, you know, everyone, you know, help us -- help us figure this out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Eight people died between the ages of 14 and 27. Here are some of their names. Twenty-one-year-old Franco Patino, 27-year-old Danish Baig, 16-year-old Briana Rodriguez and John Hilgert. He was a 9th grader at Memorial High School in Houston.

Now, this investigation continues as the family of all of those who died will want answers.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Houston.

CHURCH: And the sold-out Astroworld festival was so tightly packed that when audience members were pushed toward the stage some say they were crushed to the point that they couldn't breathe. Here's how they're describing the terrifying experience.

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VANESSA WHITE, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD: Definitely, was traumatizing. I've never been in such chaos, like so unorganized and just so many people, like, slamming into me. Like, there was -- it was just -- it was -- it was really hell. It was really hell.

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SINCLAIR HOYT, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD: You could feel, like, everybody pushing up behind you. Like, you couldn't move your arms. You couldn't breathe. Like, you couldn't see anything. It was like you were seeing the back of, like, really tall people's heads so like when everybody was moving, there was like 15, like 20 minutes where we weren't in control of our bodies.

Like, we were literally moving with like the wave of like the people and it was very claustrophobic.

JOYA MELVIN, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD: It was -- I got separated from my friends and I got pushed in the middle. And when literally each song was going on, I saw, like, two people and they were literally behind me and everybody was moving out the way with a whistle and they were like it's a dead body, move out the way, it's a dead body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, earlier, Houston's mayor spoke to CNN about the investigation saying it's very active and very early and will probably take weeks, if not longer.

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MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON, TEXAS: We want to look at every single detail. Looking at the site plans, the security plans, talking with the producers of this con -- of this concert. Live Nation. We want to visit with as many witnesses. If people have any information, please call that information in to the Houston Police Department. We are waiting for the medical examiner's report. But that is the question. We want to know what happened, how it happened, and to make sure that we have all the details so such that this will not happen again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): U.S. President Joe Biden is fresh off a major victory in Congress. Lawmakers passed his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Friday. It came after weeks of delays and marathon negotiations on Capitol Hill. But now, the president faces an even heavier lift, convincing enough lawmakers to pass his larger social spending and climate bill.

CNN's Arlette Saenz has more now from Washington.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden is hitting the road this week to promote the newly passed bipartisan infrastructure bill. The president will be traveling to Baltimore on Wednesday, where he is expected to talk about the ways that the bill will help improve the nation's ports as well as issues relating to the supply chain.

But while the White House is taking this victory lap when it comes to that infrastructure bill, they also still have a long road ahead on that larger social safety net spending bill that they are hoping to get passed in the coming weeks.

They are waiting for that CBO score which moderates have demanded to see and analyze the pay-for for this bill. But those moderates have said that they will vote for the larger package no later than the week of November 15th. So, we will see if they keep their word on that. Once the bill -- if

it passes the House -- it still needs to move on to the Senate, where some senators like Senator Joe Manchin have already indicated they want to see changes to the bill. One thing Manchin takes issue with is the inclusion of paid-family leave in that larger proposal from the House.

But take a listen to White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, who expressed confidence that the bill still will pass, acknowledging that there will be changes. Take a listen.

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RON KLAIN, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I think this bill will pass the House when the House comes back. I'm sure the Senate will make changes. That's the way the legislative process works. But we are going to get a very strong version of this bill through the House, through the Senate, to the president's desk, and into law.

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SAENZ (on camera): Now, as for that bipartisan infrastructure proposal, the president is planning on hosting a signing ceremony here at the White House in short order. He will be inviting both the Republicans and Democrats who worked together to get that bill across the finish line. But even as they are celebrating that win, the White House still has a long road ahead when it comes to that larger spending bill they are hoping to get passed in the next few weeks.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: Michael Genovese is a political analyst and the author of "How Trump Governs." He is also the president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount, and he joins me now from Los Angeles. Thank you so much for being with us.

MICHAEL GENOVESE, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL POLICY INSTITUTE, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

CHURCH: So, once President Biden signs the infrastructure bill into law, he then needs to get his social safety net bill passed. But this process has exposed deep divisions within his own Democratic Party. What damage has already been done to the political fortunes of the Democrats in the 2022 midterms, do you think? Or could they turn this around before that critical vote if that second bill gets passed and the pandemic ends?

GENOVESE: Well, you know, there is an old saying winning solves everything. But does it? And does it last? You can't paper over some of the deep fault lines in the Democratic Party between the moderates, on the one hand, and the progressives. They were openly fighting and there is the threat of open warfare.

And they came together and the question is can Biden get the two sides to pull their ores in the same direction? That's the bigger battle he has working with or against the Republicans. Now, in the big spending bill that he just got passed, he didn't get a

few Republican votes. He will get -- he will have a tougher time with the next go-around with the social spending but, you know, public fights within a party, within a family -- they can be ugly.

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And the Democrats have a history of when -- when, you know, time to be a governing party, they tend to form into a circular firing squad. Biden's job is to get them to pull their ores in the same direction. A Herculean feat, if he does it.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, he has certainly been patient along the way, hasn't he? Steady as he goes sort of thing. But how difficult do you think it will be to sell the social safety net bill to Republicans and the American people when the Democrats can't even get all their own people onboard with it?

GENOVESE: Well, I -- I think Biden's given up on the Republicans for the social spending bill. He knew he would get some votes for the infrastructure bill because both sides have been touting it for really three decades. And so, there were a lot of people on both sides of the aisle who knew it was long overdue.

On the social spending, that's a real longstanding dispute between the two parties. Democrats wanting more social spending; Republicans, less. So, you are not going to see Biden, I think, being able to reach across the aisle and get Republican votes. The question is can he pull the Democrats together?

You know, the great baseball player Babe Ruth once said, you know, yesterday's home runs do not win tomorrow's games. And so, while Biden is going to have some glow and afterglow from the big victory that he just got on the infrastructure bill, it's -- may not translate very well into the next spending bill, a $1.75 trillion massive effort to fund so many different social programs. Many of which, the moderates don't like and some of which independent voters don't like.

CHURCH: So, how will the Democrats repair the damage already done within their party? And of course, prevent the Republicans from taking any more advantage of their lack of unity? I mean, the Republicans are sitting back, enjoying all of this.

GENOVESE: Well, the Republicans' best strategy is to sort of sit back and let the Democrats self-destruct. And even if they don't self- destruct, if past is prelude, president's party tends to lose numerous seats in midterm elections.

And so, for 2022, you would expect if the norm holds that the Democrats will lose 20 to 25 seats in the House and five in the Senate. If they even just lose half that many, they'll lose control of the Senate and probably the House. And so, the Republican strategy now is don't mess things up. Let the Democrats fight and we'll just pick up the pieces afterwards.

The problem, though, is Donald Trump doesn't want to let that happen. So, the question then becomes, for the Republican party, is Donald Trump going to be in their rear-view mirror? Or is he going to be out front? Is he going to be an asset or an albatross?

The Virginia governor's race that just took place where the Republican won in an upset demonstrated a roadmap for going forward for the Republicans in a post-Trump era. Which is to basically distance yourself a bit from Donald Trump. Not so much that the base notices but enough so that the average voter doesn't.

That's a good strategy, electorally. But will the base let that happen? So, the -- the Republicans will be smart if they just sit back and do very little.

CHURCH: All right. We'll watch to see what happens. Michael Genovese, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

GENOVESE: Thank you.

CHURCH: It's crunch time for critical climate talks in Glasgow as the COP26 summit enters its final week. Negotiators will now be focusing on how to finance the big pledges made by world leaders last week.

Former-U.S. President Barack Obama will be delivering remarks at the summit in the coming hours. He is expected to focus on the progress since the 2015 Paris agreement, which the U.S. signed onto under the Obama administration.

CNN's Phil Black joins us now live from Glasgow. Good to see you, Phil. So, what all can we expect to come out of this day, and of course, this week starting the final week of the COP26 and former-U.S. President Barack Obama speaking in just a few hours?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, Barack Obama's appearance will be a reminder to the world, to each country, precisely what they promised to work towards when they signed the Paris agreement in 2015. That is, to cut emissions deeply enough to ensure that average-global temperature increase doesn't go beyond 1.5 Celsius by the end of the century.

And crucially, at this halfway point into this conference, the needle hasn't moved enough. The commitments are still desperately insufficient in terms of that ultimate goal. So, at this halfway point as the conference begins its final stretch towards the deadline at the end of the week, it's not just about identifying gaps, but specifically which gaps can potentially be closed in the remaining days?

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And I think there is no doubt that emissions cuts remain the most important issue because, as I say, countries simply have not committed to do enough in order to keep the goal on track. And not just in the long-term because what we have seen is a number of countries coming to this conference promising to hit net zero carbon by the middle of the century. But very few have come to this conference with detailed plans, showing

just how precisely they are going to get there. And the science says in order to hit carbon neutrality by 2050, the world needs to cut deep and hard by 2030. Otherwise, that goal slips away.

So, how to get those emissions cuts back on a credible path that reflects what the science says is necessary within the timeframe -- the very limited timeframe that the science says we have.

So, making progress there in the coming weeks will be crucial. There remains a small group of big-polluting countries that have essentially indicated they are not going to do much or change their behavior significantly before 2030.

Australia, Brazil, Mexico, China. Still, realistically, those countries are not going to overhaul their positions completely in the coming week so, therefore, one of the key goals of this conference becomes about how do we revisit this sooner? How do we impose a mechanism or a process, whereby countries come together at a shorter interval, instead of just the five-yearly period that is currently - that currently exists under the Paris agreement in order to ramp up the ambition.

The hope is that meeting more frequently would bring a greater sense of urgency, increase the pressure, and encourage countries to make much tougher action sooner. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Phil Black, many thanks bringing us that live update.

Well, still ahead here on CNN Newsroom. Europe is the new epicenter of the coronavirus. We will go live to London where officials have new advice about how to keep the holiday safe and happy.

Plus, the Biden administration's vaccine mandate put on hold. Ahead, why a federal court is temporarily blocking the new rules.

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CHURCH (on camera): Well, new signs Europe is struggling to beat back its latest COVID surge. On Monday, Germany's infection rate hit a new- record high with more than 15,000 new infections in the past 24 hours.

In Austria, new infections have quadrupled in the last month, forcing officials to crack down on COVID rules. Starting Monday, unvaccinated customers will be banned from restaurants, hotels, and large events. Iceland is also tightening its COVID rules as new infections approach record highs. The average number of new cases has more than doubled in the last month, alone.

Well, officials in the U.K. are urging COVID boosters to avoid restrictions this Christmas. It comes as case numbers are starting to decline in the U.K. after surging for weeks. But the country is still averaging more than 30,000 new infections a day. And the health secretary says getting booster shots to as many eligible Britons as possible is the best way to avoid new restrictions.

So far, more than 10 million people in the U.K. have received a booster dose.

Well, for more, we are joined now by CNN's Nina dos Santos. she joins us live from London. Great to see you, Nina.

So, after seeing some progress Europe is again at the epicenter of this COVID pandemic. What went wrong? And what's the new advice here?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Rosemary. It appears as though this is a question of loosening the restrictions prematurely at a time when, of course, those people who might have even had two shots against COVID-19 are seeing their immunity start to wane.

Over the course of the weekend, a U.K. government adviser -- scientific government adviser -- went on television and said that, yes, there was evidence that coverage from the COVID-19 vaccine, even if you have had two shots of it, especially in elderly people whose immune systems is perhaps less robust than other younger people is starting to wane within about six months.

And for that reason, they are rolling out this big-booster program to cover more people in the country where already more than 80 to 90 percent of the U.K.'s citizens have had at least one shot against the coronavirus. They have already, as you said, as of Sunday, rolled out about 10 million booster shots. That program is continuing apace.

Many people across the U.K. have been getting text messages on Sunday and through into this morning urging them to book in with their doctors to get that third shot against the coronavirus. But it's not just the U.K. that's having to embark upon these measures.

As you just heard there, Germany for the last week or so, even though it is still trying to form a nascent government is in this state of alarm where it's seeing what it is calling a massive-fourth wave of coronavirus. And particularly, some parts of the country and that's had health officials having to deal at both the national and local level to try and figure out how they start to avoid another lockdown.

And again, get those boosters in a country where not as many people are covered as, say, proportionally as in the U.K. And this isn't just in Germany.

As you mentioned, Austria there again coming up with some of these social tightening restrictions. Preventing people from entering, say, restaurants if they haven't been double jabbed.

We are now seeing countries like Latvia and the Baltics declaring a state of emergency. The Netherlands introducing compulsory mask wearing. And finally, Iceland that was supposed to repeal coronavirus emergency legislation just this month now having to do a complete U- turn and having to tighten it.

By the way, the backdrop to all of this, as well, interestingly enough, Rosemary, is that now, finally, if you have been double vaccinated, you can go to the United States as of today because the borders are back open for vaccinated European travelers. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Nina dos Santos, joining us live from London. Many thanks.

Well, the Biden administration's vaccine mandate is continuing to face legal troubles. A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the rule, which requires employees at large companies, certain health-care workers, and federal contractors to be fully vaccinated by January 4th.

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The lawsuit was filed by Republican-led states and private businesses. The White House chief of staff believes the mandate will still go ahead as scheduled.

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KLAIN: I'm quite confident that when this finally gets fully adjudicated, not just a temporary order --

CHUCK TODD, HOST, NBC: Right.

KLAIN: -- the validity of this requirement will be upheld. It's common sense, Chuck.

TODD: All right.

KLAIN: If OSHA can tell people to wear a hard hat on the job, --

TODD: Right.

KLAIN: -- to be careful around chemicals, it can put in place these simple measures to keep our workers safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Jessica Levinson is a law professor at Loyola Law School and host of the Passing judgment podcast and she joins me now from Los Angeles. Great to have you with us.

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: Good to be back.

CHURCH: So, why did a U.S. federal appeals court temporarily block the Biden administration's vaccine mandate for workers at businesses with more than 100 employees? What was their reasoning for this?

LEVINSON: Well, their reasoning, I think, amounted to about four paragraphs here. And they basically said we have grave concerns about the statutory and constitutional authority. That's not the reasoning that you need to use in order to issue a stay.

We've known for centuries what type of reasoning -- or at least for decades -- what type of reasoning you need. You need to show that the people challenging the law, saying we need this stay, are going to face irreparable harm. You need to show that they are likely to succeed on the merits of the case. You need to show that the people who are defending against the stay -- what type of harm will they face? And you need to look at the public interest.

The court didn't engage in any of those inquiries. This is just a decision that -- I hate to say -- it was made by three judges, appointed by Republicans. They said we have concerns and they issued a stay and they did not go through the proper legal process or analysis here.

CHURCH: I mean, very odd because vaccine mandates are there to save people's lives, of course. And the court has asked the government to respond by 5 p.m. Monday but didn't specify whether its order would have nationwide consequences. So, what is your legal reading of that?

LEVINSON: So, I think we're going to have to wait to see how the Department of Justice responds. We know what they're going to say is that we have that statutory authority under an act called OSHA. And that, they have that emergency authority. That there are circumstances where workers face grave risks, and that the only way to save them from those grave risks is to implement something like a vaccine mandate.

Whether or not the fifth circuit decides to try and make that decision a nationwide stay or injunction, we don't know exactly how they are going to style it. What we know so far is that they really haven't, I think, followed the typical legal process and procedures.

CHURCH: So, how likely is it that we'll see many more challenges from states and school districts that could end up effectively killing off vaccine mandates even though these mandates work and they save lives? We can't labor that point enough.

LEVINSON: We cannot emphasize that point enough. The scientific proof is there. And of course, I'm not a scientist, so I'm deferring to every other scientist who has shown this to be true. So, how many more challenges can we see?

I think one thing that's interesting is that the fifth circuit's decision here was so slapdash that in a weird way, it might actually be helpful for the Biden administration if they do want to appeal this to the Supreme Court because even this conservative Supreme Court, I think will look at a decision like the one coming out of the fifth circuit and say you really have to, you know, at least pretend to dot your i's and cross your t's here. And that could potentially chill other challenges.

Now, when it comes to these challenges, we know that they're going to crop up. They'll be different when it comes to, for instance, school vaccine mandates. Those will be challenges to state authority, as opposed to this that comes from a challenge to the federal government and the Biden administration's authority under OSHA.

But we know that there is a vocal minority who feels very strongly, and is taking their fight to court and they will see -- I think will see these blips of wins throughout the way.

CHURCH: So, where do you see all of this going? And essentially, do you think this is about politics more than about what's best for the public?

LEVINSON: Well, I think the challenges -- I mean, we know they're coming from conservatives and Republicans. And we know that those who are vigorously trying to enforce these mandates are coming from Democrats and blue-leaning states. And so, of course, we can't take the politics out of that.

One thing to note, though, and I know we always say this very conservative Supreme Court and this court where a majority of the justices were appointed by Republican presidents.

[03:30:02]

But if you look at what they have done with some of these COVID mandates, this vaccine mandate, they basically said, no, go ahead, allow it to stay in effect. They haven't gone, you know, challenge by challenge to the extent that the ones that have come up to them, saying, strike that down, strike that down.

So, I think the Supreme Court, if it comes to them, could allow us potentially to take some of the partisanship out of this. I hope they'll just look at the law and see for a century we have allowed vaccine mandates in this country.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Jessica Levinson, always great to have you with us. Appreciate it.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

CHURCH: And coming up, China's Xi Jinping is set to be placed on the same level as Mao Zedong as communist party leaders meet behind closed doors.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, China's ruling communist party is kicking off a four-day plenary session. President Xi Jinping is expected to tighten his grip on power during the closed-door session of the 300-plus member committee.

CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Steven Jiang, joins us now live. Great to see you, Steven. So, just how significant will this plenary session likely be? What are their expectations here?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Rosemary, you know, Xi Jinping's real power really derives from his top position within the Chinese Communist Party. That's why we are watch so closely this conclave of few hundred men, mostly men, old men, because the top-down power structure within this one-party system as illustrated by this graphic.

[03:35:00] JIANG: Now, even though this is the world's largest ruling party with more than 95 million members, what really matters is the central committee and that's what's been meeting here behind closed doors. And when you go up from there, the numbers quickly get even much smaller, culminating in the seven-person Politburo Standing Committee, which is the country's top decision-making body, and that, of course, has been dominated by one man, Xi Jinping.

Now, this meeting is taking place at a time when Xi continues to be sort of the party's dominance in every aspect of Chinese life, not just politics, including foreign policy and military, but also the economy and even people's private life.

In the weeks leading up to this gathering, state media has been relentlessly touting his achievements and using extravagant terms we really haven't heard in years, building this personality cult, leading up to this meeting during which they will pass a resolution on the party history.

Now, this may not sound very exciting to most people, but previously, this had only happened twice in the party's 100-year history. And on both occasions, it had cemented the undisputable supremacy of the party's leader at the time, first, Mao Zedong, then Deng Xiaoping, now only for the third time, Xi Jinping.

So, this would, of course, mean in the future any suggestion against his policy or himself will be considered party heresy. So really, Rosemary, paving the way for him to seek an almost unprecedented third term as the party's supreme leader next year and allowing him to dominate not just politics here but also the world stage for the foreseeable future, if not for the rest of his life. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Steven Jiang bringing us that live update. Appreciate it.

Well, Iraq's prime minister is vowing to pursue his would-be killers after surviving an assassination attempt on Sunday. Mustafa al-Kadhimi convened an extraordinary cabinet meeting following the botched hit job at his residence in Baghdad's green zone. So far, there's been no claim of responsibility for that attack, which reportedly involved two drones armed with explosives. Mr. Kadhimi wasn't hurt, but several members of his security detail were.

A top African union representative traveled to the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region on Sunday looking for a way to resolve the conflict between the central government and a rebel alliance.

Meantime, this was the scene in Addis Ababa. Thousands rallied in support of the government and against rebel groups and what they're calling foreign interference.

CNN's David McKenzie joins us now live from Johannesburg in South Africa. Good to see you, David. So, what is the latest on the violence and the protests, of course, in Ethiopia and what efforts are underway to find a solution? DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, I think the very significant thing is the high-level diplomatic efforts to try and scale back this crisis that is rocking Ethiopia. You had people of Nigerian president in Tigray to meet with leadership there.

And at this hour, there's a meeting of the Peace and Security Commission at the African Union which is, of course, based in Ethiopia to discuss this crisis. You had the horn of Africa, representative of the U.S. also in Addis and now in the region to figure out how to deescalate the situation.

Over the weekend, these very large-scale crowds of pro-government supporters in the capital at the main square in Addis Abba, many of them with signs in English obviously meant to be noticed by the international community, including telling the U.S. to butt out, complaining about the coverage of international media, and just a sense that Abiy, the prime minister, and his leadership are trying to show that they have the support of at least the capital.

Unclear where the fighting is right now. The troops of the military have been engaging with two separate -- two separate rebel groups who were at some point several-hundred kilometers away from the capital last week, which sparked off this latest round of intense speculation about whether Abiy could stay in his seat as prime minister.

A growing list of countries have asked its nationals to leave the capital. It speaks to the seriousness that diplomats are taking of the situation. But repeatedly, the government had said -- has said that the coverage has been alarmist and there's really -- if not nothing to worry about, certainly no need for panic from their perspective, publicly. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. David McKenzie bringing us up-to-date on the situation there. Appreciate it.

Well, Nicaragua's longtime president is defending his country's election amid protests and widespread criticism that Sunday's vote was a -- quote -- "parody and a sham."

[03:40:00]

CHURCH: But supporters of Daniel Ortega, who is all but guaranteed a fourth-consecutive term, flooded the streets to celebrate. Mr. Ortega's government is being slammed for stifling the competition in the lead-up to the vote. Dozens of critics were detained, including seven who were likely presidential candidates.

Nicaraguans in cities from Spain to the U.S. turned out in protest over what some called an electoral farce. In Costa Rica, dozens of protestors dressed as clowns, saying Sunday's election was a circus.

Well, former-U.S. President Barack Obama is set to talk climate change in just hours from now when he addresses the COP26 summit in Scotland. And Tuvalu's foreign minister is looking to make a bold statement at what's at stake when it comes to the climate crisis by speaking from the sea. There's the visual. We're back with the details in just a moment.

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CHURCH: The crucial COP26 climate summit in Glasgow is now entering its second and final week and negotiations on key issues are expected as countries are being urged to make ambitious commitments.

In the coming hours, former-U.S. President Barack Obama is set to deliver remarks on the threat of climate change. Participants will also hear from Tuvalu's foreign minister this week. He recorded his statement behind a podium in knee-deep seawater in an effort to highlight the impact of rising sea levels on Pacific nations like his own.

So, joining us now from Glasgow is Mark Maslin, professor of Earth Science at University College London. Thank you so much for being with us.

MARK MASLIN, PROFESSOR OF EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: It's a pleasure to be with you.

CHURCH: Wonderful.

[03:44:59]

CHURCH: So, activists at COP26 are calling for less talk, more action. So, what's been achieved so far as this climate summit enters its second and final week and what are your expectations once it ends on November 12th?

MASLIN: So, the first thing is we've had three big announcements in the first week, which has been really encouraging. The first one is the one to end deforestation completely by 2030, which was signed by most of the major nations of the world.

We've had two big coal announcements. One, on stopping funding of new coal and also countries pledging to actually phase out coal, which is really good. And then also the big one, which was the 30% reduction in methane emissions, which is a very powerful greenhouse gas, by 2030.

And the interesting thing is if you put all of those together and the countries actually deliver all the things they've promised, we could already keep the temperature to 1.8 or 1.9 degrees above preindustrial times.

CHURCH: So, that's really the key, isn't it? So, you sound fairly positive. You don't think this will just end up being a talk fest?

MASLIN: Well, it is a talk fest because I think people are expecting COP26 to have some big announcements. Paris in 2015, we have the underlying agreement. What this really is about operationalizing it. Making sure that countries do what they say and actually trying to produce funding to allow that to happen, particularly in least- developed countries. And actually, agreeing all the rules and regulations. It's really strange but this is a bureaucratic system. And actually, this is where the councils (ph) are coming to the forefront because, of course, we need to work out who is actually emitting carbon, who is absorbing carbon, and how do we account for it.

CHURCH: And in just a few hours, former U.S. President Barack Obama will deliver remarks about the threat posed by climate change. And so, too, will the foreign minister of Tuvalu, who will highlight the impact of rising water levels by standing in the water. So, how important will their contributions to this be, do you think?

MASLIN: Well, I think their voices are very important and there are so many voices, world leaders. And actually, I think probably more importantly, the youth voice. We have seen these incredible protests in Glasgow, both on Friday when young people went to the streets and then on Saturday when literally the whole of Glasgow closed down because people of all ages came out and said, this is enough, okay? We need to deal with climate change.

And so, therefore, adding these two voices, President of Tuvalu and President Obama, I think, is just adding to that. And again, what I'm really hoping is that certain leaders -- because a lot of countries are onboard and are trying to decarbonize. But of course, there are some that are actually trying to undermine the negotiations.

CHURCH: Yeah, that's an important point, isn't it? Because some world leaders do appear to grasp the emergency our planet faces right now, but many don't, including the world's biggest carbon polluter, China. Also, Russia and Saudi Arabia. Their leaders not even bothering to attend COP26. How much does their lack of participation worry you and what might it signal?

MASLIN: So, I think that's really interesting because the media have picked up on that the leaders aren't turning up. You have to remember we are in a global pandemic and they have issues at home that they are looking after.

And the other thing is that we live in a world of zoom. We live in a world of teams. It's not like they're not in contact with their negotiation team on an hourly basis. So, if that country actually agrees something, you know that their leader has actually signed off on it and it's as good as a handshake with Boris Johnson.

I also think we have to look at some of these countries. So, China is going to make huge changes. They have got a huge carbon trading system internally already set up. They are going to try to limit their expansion of emissions by 2030. And they are going to go net zero by 2060. So, they are actually trying to move their huge economy onto the decarbonization pathway.

CHURCH: Professor Mark Maslin, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

MASLIN: Pleasure.

CHURCH: And still to come, the U.S. is finally rolling out the welcome mat for foreign visitors. Details on the new COVID travel rules just ahead.

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[03:50:00]

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CHURCH: The U.S. is reopening to fully-vaccinated international travelers, ending a ban on foreign visitors that lasted months. The change affects both air travelers and those crossing land borders. Officials are already warning international travelers to expect delays as the new rules take effect. Still, the changes are welcome news for families separated during the pandemic and for the battered-travel industry.

For more, let's bring in CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. She joins us live from London. Great to see you, Salma. So, vaccinated U.K. and European citizens allowed to travel to the U.S. What numbers are we likely talking about here and how is this going to work exactly considering cases are going up in Europe right now?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely, Rosemary. Huge and very welcomed news. Finally, after an almost 20-month ban, non-Americans living in the E.U. or the U.K. who are fully vaccinated can now travel to the United States.

Again, it's been almost a year and a half since that took place. So, you can imagine people are absolutely excited to finally reunite with families, for businesses to resume and to be able to reengage in that travel, that deep connection between the European region and the United States.

Now, all passengers will have to show a proof of vaccination and they will have to show a negative-COVID test taken up to three days before their departure. But again, big, big news.

[03:54:58]

ABDELAZIZ: And airliners, as you said, warning of a huge surge. United Airlines saying they are going to see a 50% surge potentially in travelers, international travelers. Virgin Atlantic predicting 600%, six times as many travelers to the United States. Delta Airlines warning that there could be long queues and long waits, asking passengers to be patient.

And this is the reciprocity, really, that European officials, British officials wanted to see from the United States. Remember, Rosemary, the U.K. lifted its travel ban for Americans in July. The E.U. recommended Americans come in from June. So, for months now, officials have been pushing for the United States to reciprocate that action, not tapping now. But as you said, this is a sensitive time when you are looking at coronavirus numbers.

The World Health Organization last week warning that the E.U. could be the epicenter of the pandemic. This winter, there could be up to half a million deaths due to the virus. Germany, recording in -- record infection rates today. So, a lot of concern about COVID numbers.

But again, what you are seeing here is officials moving towards living with this virus, allowing normal life to resume as long as those precautions are in place, Rosemary, vaccinations, proof of vaccination and that negative-COVID test.

CHURCH: Yeah, that seems to be the best approach, doesn't it? Salma Abdelaziz joining us live from London. Many thanks.

It's always news when moose -- yes, moose -- are on the loose. This big guy was galloping toward a touchdown at South Dakota State University football field. That's a run any halfback would envy. Then, the animal ambled calmly out an open gate and was herded out of town.

North of the border in Saskatoon, Canada, another moose roamed a neighborhood before crashing through a school window. Kids scattered everywhere, but only one minor injury was reported, believe it or not. Officials tranquilized the moose -- actually, they are members of the deer family -- and trucked it away into the wild. Glad it survived that adventure.

Thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church, but I will be back with another hour of news in just a moment. Do stick around.

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