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U.S. To Restricts Travel From South Africa, Seven Other Countries On Monday Due To New Coronavirus Variant; Moderna: New Variant Poses "Significant Potential Risk: To Vaccine; GOP's Boebert Makes Anti-Muslim Remarks About Dem Colleague; Critical Week Ahead With Spending Bill, Debt Ceiling In Limbo; Wash Post: Allies Pushing Biden To Talk More About Inflation. Aired 5-6p ET
Aired November 26, 2021 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:00]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: And to give it a name, Omicron. Cases have already been detected in Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium.
Investors around the world are rattled. The Dow Jones logging its worst day in more than a year.
CNN's Arlette Saenz is live from Nantucket, Pete Muntean joins us from Reagan National Airport outside of Washington.
Arlette, some very big COVID news is intervening during the President's trip to Nantucket. The President spoke about these new restrictions today. What did he have to say?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, President Biden said he wants to take a cautious approach when it comes to this new Omicron variant. And that is why he has decided to go ahead and issue restrictions on travel from South Africa and seven other countries in that southern African region.
The President speaking to reporters, acknowledging that there still is a lot that needs to be learned about this variant. But for now, he believes this is the right approach. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I decided that we're going to be cautious. We don't know a lot about the variant except that it is a great concern, and it seems that it spread rapidly and I've spent about a half hour this morning with my COVID team, led by Dr. Fauci, so that was the decision that we made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: So that decision was made in consultation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the President's top medical adviser and the rest of his coronavirus team. And one thing that officials are hoping is that issuing this restriction, these new travel restrictions will essentially give the administration more time to learn about this variant and what it could potentially do, if it were to make its way to the United States.
Now, these restrictions are set to go in place on Monday. Officials say they are acting as quickly as possible, but that that time is needed over the course of the next two days to issue directives to the TSA and also work with airlines as they are trying to put these restrictions into place. But the Biden administration today really trying to stress that they are acting quickly and taking this seriously.
And one message that the President reiterated both at a paper statement and when he was speaking to reporters here in Nantucket, is that he believes that the unvaccinated need to go out and get their vaccine shots. And also, that those boosters are extra, extra pivotal at this time, in order for Americans to be protected against the virus and any other variants that may come the United States way.
ACOSTA: All right, Arlette.
And Pete, this is going to cause a real scramble for travelers. I'm sure there are people all around the world right now, who are very worried about their travel plans being changed and all of these concerns about getting into their countries of origin and so on. How are the airlines responding?
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, no doubt, Jim, because the entire U.S. airline industry was just wondering exactly when these restrictions would come down after they kept popping up in Europe and in the U.K. We know that the federal government right now is formulating a directive to give to the airline industry with some guidance about what they should do next. We also know that there was a meeting today via phone between the airline industry and the federal government.
It's two major U.S. airlines that are operating flights right now between this region and the United States. Delta Airlines operates a flight three times a week between Johannesburg and Atlanta, United Airlines operates a flight five times a week between Johannesburg and Newark.
The real question here is why wait until Monday. Just look at the alternative here, after these restrictions popped in Europe and the U.K. with immediacy on Thursday and today. Just one example, in the Netherlands, passengers on board a flight from South Africa to Amsterdam found out midflight that these restrictions came down and they had to be cordoned off for a time in the airport in Amsterdam while officials there just figured out exactly what to do with this.
Initially, the industry was calling this a bit of a knee jerk reaction. It is no doubt a gut punch to the international travel world, which was this seeing a bit of signs of life. In the U.S., there were restrictions that were relaxed not even three weeks ago allowing foreign nationals to come into the U.S. so long as they can prove they don't have COVID and that they are fully vaccinated. This is also happening during a time when the travel levels are really high, 2.3 million people at airports across the country on Wednesday and it's expected that Sunday will be another huge day for air travel. Just another wrinkle just shows how quickly things can change in this space in this pandemic era, Jim.
ACOSTA: Right. And more time this weekend for that variant to just travel all over the world.
Arlette Saenz, Pete Muntean, thank you so much.
Public health experts are warning there's a lot we don't know yet about this strain. CNN's David McKenzie reports it could be weeks before we start to get some real answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a world fatigued by waves of COVID-19 now renewed fear. In South Africa, scientists identifying a troubling new variant of the virus that is dominating infections here.
[17:05:04]
DR. JOE PHAAHLA, SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTH MINISTER: A variant of serious concern which is now driving this spike in numbers.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): More than 30 mutation say scientists in the spike protein alone, it's a worrying sign. Scientists are working in labs like this one in South Africa, scrambling to confirm if the variant evades immunity from previous infections or crucially, if it weakens vaccine efficacy. Definitive answers could take weeks.
SALIM ABDOOL KARIM, EPIDEMIOLOGIST AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: We think it may be a more transmissible virus, and it may have some immune escape. Now, we don't know that for sure, but that's what it looks like.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: The European Commission has today proposed to member states to activate the emergency brake on travel from countries in southern African.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): But even without clear answers, the world is shutting its doors. Countries all across the globe, rapidly banning travelers from parts of Africa, they say to curb the spread of the variant. Now 1000s are likely stranded.
In Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, hundreds of passengers from South Africa forced to sit on the tarmac for hours after landing, then crowding in a COVID testing site after the Netherlands bands traveled from South Africa. The International Air Transport Association saying, "Restrictions are not a long term solution." They've already lost billions to the pandemic. And anger in South Africa, where officials called the bans, draconian, knee jerk measures.
RICHARD LESSELLS, INFECTIOUS DISEASES SPECIALIST, UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL: What I found so disgusting and really, really distressing, actually from here was not just the travel ban being implemented by the U.K. and Europe. But that was the only reaction or the strongest reaction and there was no word of the support that they're going to offer to African countries to help us control the pandemic
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Countries in Africa, now Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium have so far confirmed cases of the variant.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
MCKENZIE: Now, know the sign that there is this parent in the U.S. confirmed at the moment.
Just moments ago, Jim, this news coming in that the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control saying that there is a high to very high risk that this variant will spread through Europe. And it's the expectation that if it is more transmissible, it will spread globally, but it's too early to say at this point.
It must be stressed that the WHO and the African CDC have said that these travel bans are not the most effective way of stopping variants of concerned. And I must say that several scientists have expressed to me today in South Africa that they believe they're coming up very quickly with this news and being transparent has led them to be punished and this country to be punished with these bans. That's the view from here, at least, Jim.
ACOSTA: All right, David McKenzie, I suspect you are correct. Thank you very much for that report.
Joining me live to discuss, Dr. Peter Hotez, Co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital, and Dean of the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Hotez, gosh, I had a feeling we were going to be having this kind of discussion sooner rather than later that some new variant was going to emerge that was just going to cause all kinds of trouble around the world. We just got a new alert from the European version of the CDC, as David McKenzie was just talking about a few moments ago saying that there is a very high risk -- high to very high risk that this new COVID variant will spread throughout Europe. I suspect, it's not going to be very long before our CDC says the same thing.
DR. PETER HOTEZ, PROFESSOR AND DEAN OF TROPICAL MEDICINE, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: Well, a few thoughts, Jim, one, this is the consequence of failing to vaccinate the African continent, only 6 percent of the continent is vaccinated. We knew additional variants were going to emerge in that setting, because that's how variants that concern arise. They emerge among unvaccinated populations. And so the fact that there was not a good faith effort to go beyond mRNA, and add no virus vectored vaccines to vaccinate with recombinant protein vaccines, we could have had the African continent vaccinated by now, had we done that? So, part of this as a self-inflicted wound.
But look, you know, I think it's important to convey the message that there's concern but the sky is not falling. And here's why, Jim. First, this variant does not appear to be causing worse disease than anything we've seen before. This is not the Andromeda Strain. So it's not likely the mortality goes up even further with this variant. Second point is yes, there are a lot of mutations in the spike protein including the receptor binding domain that binds to the receptor. But in the past, those kinds of vaccine escape variants have not really translated into major global pathogen. So we've seen this before, to some not as extreme, but with the beta variant out of South Africa before, remember the B1351 and the lambda variant out of South Africa, those never really took off. So there's nothing intrinsic about having a lot of mutations in the spike protein that transmit that would account for global spread.
[17:10:25]
The two worst ones, the Alpha variant that arose out of an unvaccinated population in the U.K., and the Delta variant that arose out of an unvaccinated population in India was because of an amino acid substitution in the 681 position that caused it to be much more highly transmissible. So the most important question for this weekend and the next few days next week is, is this variant more transmissible than Delta? Does it have the ability to outcompete Delta? And we really don't know that yet.
It's possible. But we still have to do a lot more studies.
ACOSTA: Yes.
HOTEZ: Because the Delta variant has been the worst so far. And so I think all of those things have to be kept in mind.
ACOSTA: Well, I'm glad you mentioned that, because, you know, that is a key question here. Moderna, we should point out to our viewers, released a statement just a short time ago, of course, a lot of people have gotten the Moderna vaccines here in the U.S., Moderna releasing a statement saying that mutations on this new variant represent a, quote, "significant potential risk to both natural and vaccine induced immunity." How concerned are you about that?
HOTEZ: So, this weekend our scientists working on our recombinant protein at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor are doing just that. We're looking at the antibody responses to our vaccine and seeing if it can cross neutralize the Omicron variant. And I'm sure Moderna and Pfizer in the pharma -- other pharma companies are doing the exact same thing. And so we'll get some idea of its ability to cross neutralize the variant in the laboratory.
It's not quite the same as a vaccine effect in the study, but it gives us some indication. And I think that's going to be very important as well. But it's still critical to remember that the biggest crisis right now facing the United States is still that we've only vaccinated half the population.
ACOSTA: Right.
HOTEZ: We've got 41 percent that are totally unvaccinated, we have a significant percentage that have only gotten two doses of the vaccine with waning immunity. And we have those who are infected and recovered who have incomplete immunity because they've not gotten vaccinated. ACOSTA: That's right.
HOTEZ: So the emphasis has -- the game plan doesn't change, we need to vaccinate the American people fully. And the travel restrictions, we've not seen a big impact on travel restrictions so far in terms of helping the situation. If you remember at the beginning of this pandemic, you know, we talked about travel restrictions from China when the whole time this virus entered into New York City from southern Europe.
ACOSTA: Yes.
HOTEZ: So I think this variant is pretty widespread already.
ACOSTA: It's already moving around the world. And I just spoke very briefly via text with Dr. Anthony Fauci a short while ago, and I asked, you know, whether or not this means people should not get their boosters right now. And he says, absolutely, you should get your boosters right now, all the more reason to do so.
Dr. Peter Hotez, thank you so much.
Coming up, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert caught on camera making shocking Islamophobic comments about one of her Democratic colleagues while Republican leaders remain silent.
And more than two dozen people die in a disaster at sea, taking a migrant crisis to a tragic new level.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:17:55]
ACOSTA: Breaking news, chaos unfolding at a North Carolina mall which is now on lockdown after shoppers heard multiple gunshots. Durham City council members saying at least one person has been shot in this situation. Let's get straight to CNN's Nick Valencia.
Nick, what do we know? Is the shooter in custody right now?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of our affiliates is reporting that at least one person has been taken into custody, Jim. But so far, CNN has been unable to independently verify that or confirm that.
We did just a few moments ago speak to Durham City Councilman Mark- Anthony Middleton, who tells us that at least one person has been shot. Their condition is unknown.
And we did ask them if a suspect has been apprehended. He says there's no information on the shooter but he just got off the phone with the police chief. We understand that there's a 5:30 Eastern press conference planned by the local police department to update us on the situation.
But news of this shooting on a very historically busy shopping day, Black Friday, happened just a couple of hours ago, the shooting happening at South Pointe Durham mall with reports of people just running terrified, running for cover. A video from the scene shows a large police presence, multiple police officers, law enforcement vehicles outside of the mall. According to eyewitnesses that our assignment desk (ph) spoke to, they heard multiple gunshots sometime this afternoon and saw people running scared for their lives.
We don't know exactly, you know, all the details surrounding this situation. We understand it is still very fluid. But a scary situation, no doubt here, Jim, on Black Friday when hundreds, if not more people are likely in that mall.
And just really quick here, I mentioned that 5:30 p.m. press conference, Southpoint mall, maybe familiar to some of our viewers, it was last month, October 24, that a large fight broke out in that mall. There was reports of shots fired, it was actually a broom that slammed on a table. But people very much so on edge around this time of year, you know, when things like this, you know, are the worst things that you could expect when you're going to the mall shopping, you know, with your family on a historically busy shopping day. You see these images here coming from Durham here, Jim, so we're waiting on that 5:30 p.m. press conference. We'll give you an update soon.
ACOSTA: All right, Nick Valencia, thanks very much for that report.
[17:20:01]
Still no condemnation from Republican leaders up on Capitol Hill today after a video surfaced of Republican Congressman Lauren Boebert making horrific Islamophobic comments about one of her Democratic colleagues. Boebert suggesting that she was scared to get on an elevator with Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim, because she was worried Omar might blow it up.
CNNs Lauren Fox is live up on Capitol Hill.
Lauren, Congresswoman Boebert is now, I guess, apologizing to members of the Muslim community. She hasn't really apologized to Congresswoman Omar, though, right?
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, look, this was an incredibly shocking comment that Congresswoman Boebert made back in Colorado. And I want to play you this clip so that you can see just what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO): I look at my left and there she is, Ilhan Omar. And I said, well, she doesn't have a backpack, we should be fine. So we only had one floor to go and I say, do I say it or do I not? And I look over and I say, look, the jihad squad decided to show up for work today. Don't worry, it's just her staffers on Twitter that talk for her. She's not tough in person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Did you hotspot decided show up for work today.
FOX: And you can see there the crowd cheering and laughing as she tells this story, which Ilhan Omar tweeted wasn't even true.
In her tweet apologizing, Boebert, said quote, "I apologize to anyone in the Muslim community I offended with my comment about Representative Omar. I have reached out to her office to speak with her directly. There are plenty of policy differences to focus on without this unnecessary distraction."
I reached out to Omar's office to see if the two women have had an opportunity to connect. They aren't commenting at this point. But we should add that Representative Omar is asking her leadership and Republican leadership to step in to take action, to do something to stand up against these comments. The question of course, is there anything that they will do?
I reached out to both McCarthy and Scalise's offices, the Republican leadership, crickets so far, Jim. The question whether or not Democrats will take action on their own like they did last week in censuring Representative Paul Gosar. They could censure, they could also have some other kind of resolution of disapproval. There's also a possibility they could strip over of her committee assignments. Whether or not they take that action, though remains to be seen, Jim.
ACOSTA: Yes. A familiar pattern in our new cycle up on Capitol Hill these days. All right Lauren Fox, thanks very much for that report.
Let's discuss with our panel. Former Republican Governor of Ohio, John Kasich, and CNN Opinion Editor and Contributor Dean Obeidallah.
Governor Kasich, it's been nearly 24 hours since these remarks have surfaced. We haven't seen anything from Republican leadership, as Lauren Fox was saying a few moments ago. What are your thoughts on this? Shouldn't they be condemning this by now?
JOHN KASICH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look, Jim, let's talk about the bigger picture. You know, all the religions, the great religions, if you take the Muslims, you take the Christians take the Jewish community, they all believe in the same thing, love God, which creates utility for people and love your neighbor or help your neighbor, the way you would want your neighbor to love you or to help you.
Jim, what's happened in our country is that the sense of our needing to be responsible to a higher power, here, particularly in the holiday season, has lost favor in the public square. And as a result, people see each other sort of too much the time like widgets.
For a woman to make this kind of a statement means that she's ignoring the fact that we're all made in the image of God, and we all deserve respect. We don't deserve attacks. And then people who would laugh at this, they just simply don't understand what faith is all about.
And we wonder, we wonder in this country, why there is so much fighting, why there is so much name calling, and not just in politics but across the board is because people have lost sight of how important religion is in terms of guiding individual behavior. And it's not about the negatives, it's about the positives. So the idea that somebody would say something like this means they have really little understanding of what it means to have faith.
I can't question her to think she's not a faithful person, but it sure gives you a sense that she does not understand that that is completely and totally inappropriate. And frankly, as a person that is a Christian, it's flat out wrong, and it's very disappointing. And these things need to be healed. These things need to be observed if we're going to begin to heal this country.
ACOSTA: Yes.
Dean, what are your thoughts? The governor brings up a good point. I mean, you know, especially this time of year, you know, would it hurt to be just a little kind to people on the other side of the aisle? You're worried, though, about what kind of message Boebert is sending to her supporters with remarks like this. Somebody could get carried -- somebody could hear what she's saying and get very carried away and do something with just terrible consequences.
[17:25:14]
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, CNN.COM OPINION CONTRIBUTOR: You know, let me take a step back, Jim and be blunt about this. The GOP has been spewing anti- Muslim bigotry since the 2012 presidential campaign when you had Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich begin with the Muslims want to impose Sharia law garbage, then the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump took it to new heights with totally shut down on Muslims and Islam hates us and retweeting anti-Muslim bigots. And we saw hate crimes on Muslim against my community in 2016 and 17 higher than after 9/11 because of Donald Trump, the leader of the GOP.
So Boebert's comments are perfectly in line with today's GOP. That's the blunt reality. So, could we be nice to each other? Sure. How about having Republican leaders denounce open bigotry, but they won't.
We just had a vote on Paul Gosar a week ago, who put out his fantasy snuff video where he kills, literally kills AOC, a woman of color. Over 200 Republicans refused to condemn it and only two did. And now you have Boebert.
Let's be clear. Boebert's been demonizing Congresswoman Omar for months.
ACOSTA: Yes.
OBEIDALLAH: Saying she's a terrorist sympathizer, a spokesman, she demonized Rashida Tlaib, the only other Muslim in Congress calling her part of the jihad squad. So look, this is bigotry. It's ranked, but sadly, it is part of this GOP. They're not going to condemn it. It's part of their currency.
ACOSTA: And Governor, does the Republican Party just have a problem here as Dean was saying? And I shouldn't put it in the form of a question, the Republican Party does have a problem here.
KASICH: Look, when it comes to not respecting the religion of other people, when forgetting what your whole purpose is, as a human being, Jim, it's not just the Republican Party that has lost his way. Religion has been driven out of the public square too much of the time. And when we look at each other, and we fail to see the fact that we are commanded, we are commanded to love other people and treat them the way that other -- that people -- we want other people to treat us, we've missed it all. So, it's not just a Republican problem. It's a crisis of faith in our country.
Can we heal it? We can if we can get back to basics and understand that at some point in time, we're all going to be held accountable for how we were made and what we did with the gifts we were given.
ACOSTA: And Dean, final thought, what do you think?
OBEIDALLAH: Democrats are not demonizing people for their faith in ginning up the worst stereotypes that do lead to hate crimes. We need the GOP to stand up and say this is wrong, and they won't because it's part of who they are as a party. They embrace bigotry, and embrace at least the specter of violence with January 6. And people like Boebert has embraced Donald Trump.
So, look, this is who they are. It's up to America to decide in 2022 if you want more of this.
ACOSTA: All right, Governor Kasich, Dean Obeidallah, thank you so much for both of your comments this evening. We appreciate it.
OBEIDALLAH: Thank you.
KASICH: Thank you.
ACOSTA: Coming up, a big test ahead for President Biden as the country faces a debt ceiling deadline while the Democrats are still struggling to get his sweeping spending bill through the Senate.
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[17:32:40]
ACOSTA: A critical week ahead for President Biden in his effort to overhaul the U.S. social safety net while at the same time facing a deadline for Congress to raise the country's debt-ceiling. Let's get more with Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. Congressman, thanks so much for being with us.
Congress cannot afford to miss the December debt-ceiling deadline with so much on the to-do list. Do you think that that's going to push negotiations on that Build Back Better bill into next year?
REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL): Well, I think that the deadline can't be missed. We can't toy with the debt-ceiling. And if we do, it's like a national episode of dine and dash where we're actually paying for past bills as part of the debt-ceiling debate. It's not about future incurring of debt.
And so we have to pay those past bills. We have to make sure that we get it done. But we can do that and we can do the Build Back Better negotiations at the same time.
ACOSTA: And as you know Senator Joe Manchin is in no rush to pass this bill. How essential is it, in your view, to pass this bill and to pass it before the end of the year? Or can you negotiate with Senator Manchin, potentially Senator Sinema enter the New Year?
KRISHNAMOORTHI: I think we should do it all now. I think that there's momentum for getting it done. I think that we have to deal with some of these challenges that are going to plague our economy long term. You know, 2.5 million women dropped out of the workforce because they can't afford childcare.
And I think that right now is the time to deal with that particular issue as well as, for instance, passing some of the provisions that I've authored, investing in workforce training, vocational and skills based education, to deal with those acute skilled labor shortages. If we do these things, we can help to tamp down inflationary pressures over the long term because we'll have the workers to produce the goods and services needed by the economy.
ACOSTA: And on the economy, The Washington Post reports that Democratic allies are pushing President Biden to speak up more on inflation and acknowledge how big of a concern this is for voters. What do you think? Do you agree he needs to talk more about inflation and ramped up the messaging over at the White House on these rising prices hitting Americans or do you think the whole thing is overblown? What are your thoughts on it?
[17:35:09]
KRISHNAMOORTHI: Yes. And I think he is increasing his discussion of this issue. Everybody sees their gas prices going up and so forth. I think that the President is doing everything possible. But I urge him to do even more.
So, for instance, I think ultimately, inflation is COVID induced. Remember, COVID was what, you know, essentially idle workers in factories. Even as demand bounced back, there were tremendous supply disruptions around the world. And so, what I've been pushing along with my global vaccination caucus chairs, such as Ed Markey in the Senate, is we've got to increase dramatically our aid to basically vaccinate the rest of the world.
In Africa, only 11 percent of the continent has received its first dose of vaccine. So it's no surprise that the Omicron variant has now developed, which threatens again, to idle more workers in factories around the world disrupting more supply chains. We've got to rush vaccine aid to Africa and other places and make sure that we can snuff out COVID once and for all, because that is the ultimate cure to our economic ills as well.
ACOSTA: Right, you are. Unfortunately, we may be doing some of that a little too late considering this latest variant that is starting to make its way around the world. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, thanks as always for joining us. We appreciate it.
KRISHNAMOORTHI: Thanks, Jim.
ACOSTA: Thanks for your time this evening.
And human smugglers arrested after more than two dozen migrants drown in English Channel. We're learning new details of this disaster at sea.
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[17:40:56]
ACOSTA: In France, five human smugglers have been arrested after 27 people died when a boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel. Now French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are agreeing to step up efforts to prevent more crossing.
Let's get right to CNN Cyril Vanier who is live for us in France. There's such a awful tragedy that occurred zero, what's going on there? What's being done to prevent this from happening again?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the worst ever tragedy, Jim. I'm a port in Dunkirk. Behind me, one of the boats, the volunteer boats that get -- regularly gets called out to rescue stranded migrants at sea. So when you're standing in front of that reality, frankly, that the bickering that we've seen over the last 24 hours between the French President on this side of the channel and the British Prime Minister on the other side of the channel about what to do with this migrant crisis seems just totally disconnected with the suffering that we've seen over the last 48 hours.
We wanted to meet these migrants, these people to find out who they are, why they're willing to risk everything to cross the channel. This is what we found, Jim.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER (voice-over): Migrants huddling under the rain, a father and his little girl, no more than eight years old, seeking some warmth. This stretch of road tucked behind a highway is one of several migrant encampments dotted near France's northern coast.
21-year-old geography student Ahmed (ph) says he arrived three days ago from Afghanistan.
(on-camera): So this is where you live?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
VANIER (voice-over): His earthly possessions, this tent and a few blankets. His final destination he hopes, the United Kingdom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By boat is the only option.
VANIER (on-camera): You know some people died trying to cross the other day?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this is not a mall (ph) for us. You know Turkish border, Iran border, much more people dying there. Nobody care.
VANIER (voice-over): Consider his five-month Odyssey through Asia, Turkey, the Balkans and Europe, thousands of kilometres on foot, in trucks and trains crossing borders illegally. And it becomes clear Ahmed (ph) won't stop now. Nor will the others hear.
Some 200 migrants fleeing Iraq, Iran, the world's trouble spots. They're are sometimes offered shelter by government agencies. But even those who go only use it as a temporary reprieve.
In recent years, migrants used to jump onto trucks bound for England. With security tightened, this is now the last leg of their journey. The English Channel, cargo ships, strong winds and near freezing temperatures, dangerous but so close to England, a mere 50 kilometers away.
French police do patrol these beaches. However, a local officer acknowledged to CNN that they don't have enough resources to monitor every inch of coastline and the smugglers take advantage.
(on-camera): This is one of the boats that was provided by smugglers to a group of migrants. Clearly, this one was intercepted by law enforcement. They're about 10 meters long, they can fit several dozen people. And you can see they're fairly rudimentary. I mean, this is the bottom of the boat pretty easy to make just wooden planks.
Local police tell us often these are buried and then when the time comes, migrants can inflate them fairly easily. Several dozen people get in and head out to sea in that direction.
(voice-over): 8,000 migrants have been rescued at sea since the beginning of the year, according to French authorities in operations like this one. Strewn along the beach, engines, a jerrican and personal belongings.
(on-camera): It's even -- in the inside pocket here, a ring. Now, the people all this belongs to, at this stage, either they crossed the channel in there in England, or they failed in their back in France or they're dead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[17:45:00]
VANIER: And Jim, you know, I asked that Afghan geography student what concerns him the most after that tragedy that killed 27 people. He says what concerns him the most is it brought all this media attention to this stretch of the French coastline. More cameras means more security means less smugglers. He calls them agents, less smugglers and that means less opportunity for him to try and cross over to the U.K. Jim?
ACOSTA: Excellent report, Cyril, really eye-opening stuff. Thanks so much for that report. We appreciate it.
Coming up, race in America. We'll talk to the head of the National Urban League about three-high profile cases all making headlines in the last week.
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[17:50:08]
ACOSTA: Within a span of less than a week, three of the most closely watched trials in the U.S. concluded with Kyle Rittenhouse acquitted. The organizers of the Charlottesville white supremacist rally held financially accountable, and the killers of Ahmaud Arbery found guilty of murder.
And joining us to talk about this is Marc Morial, he's President and CEO of the National Urban League. Mark, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate your insights, as always. You say Ahmaud Arbery's murders have been held accountable, but this case leaves a deep and painful wound on our nation's soul.
In light of these very emotionally charged trials that we've all witnessed in the last several days, what are your thoughts? How are you reflecting on the ongoing push for racial justice in this country? And is it OK to say that we've made just a little bit of progress?
MARC MORIAL, PRESIDENT & CEO, NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE: So Jim, first of all, Happy Thanksgiving to you and all of your viewers. The way I would characterize this is that these three cases represent a split decision, a split decision in the Wisconsin case, justice was not done. In the Georgia case, clearly, the strength of the convictions, the way in which the jury in just 11 hours carried out its duties means that in that instance, justice is done.
In Charlottesville, which, of course, is a civil case. Clearly, the imposition of a very significant damages, if you will, award, I think represents the cause of justice being done. What we have to take away from this is the idea that there can be justice. Justice is possible. And that's what the case in Georgia indicates, that justice is possible.
But let's keep this in mind that in the Georgia case, there was overwhelming evidence.
ACOSTA: Right.
MORIAL: On one hand, you had a videotape. On the other hand, you had a 911 call. On the third hand, you had the defendant, Mr. McMichael, in effect, admit that he was never threatened, which in effect took away his defense. So it's important to recognize that these cases are distinct. They're different. But it is a split decision for the cause of justice. My heart pains for the Arbery family. My heart pains for those two men in Wisconsin who went to a peaceful protest, and did not have an opportunity to go home. And certainly, in Charlottesville, with the civil case, it will send a strong message to these hate groups, that they're going to pay a financial penalty. If they continue this vigilanteism, this violence induced nationalism, which has no place in American democracy.
ACOSTA: Yes. And Marc, you make a good point. I mean, what does it say in this day and age a black jogger is presumed guilty by vigilantes, and a white teen with an assault rifle, Kyle Rittenhouse is acquitted on all charges? I mean, that, in and of itself tells us that we're certainly not out of the woods.
MORIAL: Well, let me say this too, Jim. You know, we were not in the jury room to listen to the deliberations. No, could we ever be in the jury room. And I had a sense that the prosecutor in the Georgia case was strong, assertive and no nonsense. And the glimpses I caught of the courtroom in Wisconsin didn't give me the same level of confidence in the prosecutor. Nor did I believe that the judge did not, in one or two instances, tip his hand by scolding the prosecutor in the presence of the jury, which always has a prejudicial effect.
So, while these two cases yielded different results, when I look at them much more closely, I don't know what the jury in Wisconsin was thinking because you had two unarmed men, and a man with a heavy assault rifle, who in effect, induced himself and pushed himself into the middle of a situation. He walks out.
The McMichael, father and son and the other person, that crime that heinousness and the barbarism of that crime, shocked me and shocked every American from the beginning. We cannot sanction that kind of behavior that kind of conduct, that kind of vigilanteism in America today.
ACOSTA: Yes, it may be too much to say that we've made tremendous progress in the last week. But I do think back to what Ahmaud Arbery's mother told me a couple of nights ago that, you know, last Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving without Ahmaud Arbery. But this Thanksgiving is the first Thanksgiving they had justice for Ahmaud Arbery.
Marc Morial --
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MORIAL: We should claim progress, Jim, while at the same time tampering, tempering our enthusiasm.
ACOSTA: Yes.
MORIAL: Because after all, Ahmaud Arbery is not with us. So --
ACOSTA: That's right.
MORIAL: -- I think we've got to always keep this in the proper context and continue this work and continue the fight going on.
ACOSTA: Marc Morial, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
MORIAL: Thanks, Jim.
ACOSTA: All right, breaking news next, a disturbing new variant of the COVID virus from sudden travel bans and sends financial markets tumbling. Our medical experts are standing by with what everyone needs to know.
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