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Countries Rush To Contain Omicron; South African Officials Frustrated By Travel Bans; Migrant Tragedy Fuels Tension Between U.K. And France; Authoritarian Trends In Latin America; Afghan Refugees Celebrate First Thanksgiving; "NatGeo's" "Afghan Girl" Given Refuge In Italy; Trudeau Visits Flooded Western Canada; Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Gives Truck To Navy Veteran. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired November 28, 2021 - 02:00 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 INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): A warm welcome to our viewers, all around the world, I am Paula Newton.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the Omicron variant, putting nations, across the globe, on high alert. New travel restrictions, in place.
But can that curb the spread?
Plus, Latin America's recent elections, pointing to an authoritarian trend, what it could mean for democracy in the region.
And, her stare, captivating people right around the world. The photographer who took that picture, tells us where she is, now and the photo's meaning for asylum seekers, everywhere.
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NEWTON: At this, hour countries, around the globe, are scrambling to get a handle on the new COVID variant called Omicron. Now in recent days, it has already spread from southern Africa and has now been discovered in Italy, Germany, the U.K. and the Czech Republic.
And, there are, unfortunately, now more suspected cases around the world.
The variant, is also, being studied extensively. Scientists don't know whether it is any more deadly or whether it can blunt vaccine efficacy or, natural immunity. Scientists fear, it could, actually, be more contagious. More contagious, even, than Delta.
Dozens of countries, already banning or limiting travel, from parts of South Africa and several of its neighbors, where there are now, confirmed cases of the variant. Governments, also, scrutinizing travelers as they land inside their borders.
Australia is urgently, testing people entering the country, after two arrivals from South Africa tested positive for the new variant. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: It is a fast-moving issue but we will continue, as we always have, sensible, balanced, guided by the best possible medical evidence, and medical expert advice, that is what has enabled Australia to be so successful, through the course of COVID, to open safely and to remain safely open.
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NEWTON: Cases, popping up across Europe, with more now expected. I'm joined by CNN contributor, Barbie Nadeau, she is live for, us in Rome.
Barbie, Europe, already, is gripped by a COVID surge.
Is there talk now of more restrictions, especially when it comes to travel?
Perhaps even travel within E.U. borders?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's on everyone's mind, what happens next?
There are restrictions, every country in Europe, right now, is putting more restrictions in place. Whether it is a mask mandate, whether it is some regulations, in terms of curfews or full lockdowns like we have seen, in Austria and to some extent, in the Netherlands.
When it comes to travel, however, if you look back to March of 2020, Italy was the epicenter of the pandemic, in the beginning there. No one wanted travelers from Italy. We were all blocked, in this country, you couldn't go anywhere.
That didn't really work. And, I think, a lot of people are looking at these governments and is looking at what has happened historically, as well.
Has it worked to block travelers?
Or, is it better to just have people tested when they get into the country?
That was in place for a long time, before the summer, before last summer, when you needed a PCR test, before you entered a lot of European countries, even from another European country.
That was relaxed a little bit, over the course of the summer and, as the caseload went down. I think we will see more testing, those things are being talked about, right now, before you see full travel bans, here, within the European Union.
NEWTON: Barbie, you know, medical experts we spoke to have been hearing, for months and months, have said that, even with vaccines, testing, really, is the key.
I want to talk about those vaccines. There's a huge divide in Europe between countries like you are, Italy, Spain and Portugal, with very high rates of vaccinations. Then we have countries, like Austria, the Czech Republic, even Germany, where there is quite a bit of hesitancy.
Is there a sense that that can, no longer, stand throughout Europe, in any country in Europe?
NADEAU: I think that is absolutely right. I think you will see very strict vaccine mandates, coming along right now. And, it will be interesting to see if the Omicron variant responds to some of these vaccines.
Many booster programs, in fact, have not kicked off across the country. In Italy, people between the age of 40 and 60, finally, are being offered boosters starting December 1st.
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NADEAU: But perhaps, that can work to the advantage if they can beef up these vaccines to fight the Omicron variant. Maybe the fact that the boosters are coming around, later, could, potentially, be more useful.
But there are a lot of people here who still don't have their first vaccines. The European Medicines Agency just approved vaccines for younger children, 5 to 11. So those kids haven't had their vaccines yet, even the first round. That is a problem here.
And, it will be continuing, these vaccine mandates, they will continue to be priority, all across Europe, Paula.
NEWTON: Barbie, there are tough times ahead, especially as we mentioned before, in Europe, right now, the epicenter of this pandemic. Barbie, thank you so, much appreciate that.
Many countries, as we said, are tightening their borders over fears of a new variant and that includes South Korea. For more on this, I'm joined by CNN's Paula Hancocks.
Paula, good to see you. It has been months now and we've been touching base with you, as we covered this pandemic. In Asia, arguably, they have taken quite a cautious approach.
How are health officials, now, handling the emergence of this new variant?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, ironically, some countries in Asia had just started to ease some of these fairly stringent restrictions, as you say. There was a movement, here in South Korea, as well, to live with COVID.
Now that appears to have stalled at this point. South Korea, for example, has banned the entry of people from eight southern African nations. They are not issuing visas at this point.
This is something we are seeing, from a number of countries, not just here in Asia. Also, around the world, in the United States, for example as well, trying to stop people from coming in from those countries.
Now it has been criticized, this move by South African officials, saying that they believe it is draconian, they believe it is a knee jerk reaction but we have also been hearing some criticism from the IATA, the International Air Transport Association, saying that travel restrictions are not a long-term solution to control COVID variants.
Clearly, airlines and the IATA would have lost billions over the past couple of years, trying to deal with all of these travel restrictions. Just when they were starting to ease somewhat, then you see this new worrying variant.
And you can see a lot of these doors being shut, once again. South Korea, being no exception.
But what we also hear, on the other side, from officials in the U.S. and elsewhere, that this is so that they just buy a little bit of time to figure out what the new variant is and what it represents. Because there were so many questions, we don't know, how much more transmissible is it?
Can it avoid the immunity given to you by either infection or vaccination?
And does it make you sicker?
These are questions, we simply, we don't know at this point. So countries like South Korea, that are putting these extra restrictions back in place, are defending it by saying, it just gives them a bit more time to try and figure out what they are dealing with -- Paula?
NEWTON: A lot of these countries were criticized, in the first place by not putting in bans early enough. I think South Korea's experience can show us a lot right now. There are limitations to vaccine efficacy over time, right.
In looking at the high number of people, in critical care, right now, in South Korea, there are breakthrough cases that do seem alarming to anyone, who reads the data.
Do they expect that more restrictions, will now, have to be reintroduced even there?
HANCOCKS: Certainly, it is possible. I spoke a few days ago to the head of the National Institutes of Health here and he said the worrying thing is, we see record numbers of deaths, of critical cases last week and, the majority of them were people who are over 60, people who had been fully vaccinated.
But they'd been fully vaccinated earlier on in the process. So they were due for a booster. At this point, South Korea is giving a boost to those over the age of 60 but the director of the NIH admitted, it had to be done quicker and they needed to push these booster shots out, faster because, there is --
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NEWTON: -- applauded for their discovery. South Africa and its neighbors, are being punished. CNN's David McKenzie, reports from Johannesburg.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More and more countries, confirming cases of this troubling variant. Particularly across Europe. Now several of those people, confirmed to have the Omicron variant, have traveled from southern Africa where I'm sitting.
Scientists here have been angry at the swift travel bans being put in from across the world, including the U.K. and, on Monday, the U.S. There was a discussion between the secretary of state of the U.S., Antony Blinken, and his counterpart here in South Africa.
Blinken praised South African scientists, saying that their swift description and alert of this variant should be a model for the rest of the world.
But the South African government says that, in some way, they are punished because of their, quote, "excellent scientists."
There is now a race to figure out how bad this variant is.
Will it have breakthrough infections with the vaccine?
Will it go through immunity from previous infections?
We just don't know. There are some indications it's more transmissible and the cases are rising fast here in Gauteng province of South Africa.
But a lot is still unknown, as, more and more countries, shut this region off -- David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
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NEWTON: Israel is barring foreigners from entering the country, for two weeks due to fears over the Omicron variant. Now the move, starting Sunday night, makes Israel the first country to completely shut its borders, in response to the new variant.
Israel is also, imposing strict quarantine rules, forcing residents to re-enter the country from abroad, to isolate at home, for at least three days. Israelis, returning from a country on, a so-called, red list, including most of Africa, which will be required to isolate, for seven days, in a designated hotel.
Now at least two cases of that new variant have, already, been discovered in the U.K. That is prompting immediate action from the British government. CNN's Nada Bashir, has more, on Downing Street's reaction.
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NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): Warning signs: U.K. prime minister, Boris Johnson, announcing new COVID-19 restrictions, as fears and questions, growing over the new Omicron coronavirus variant.
Johnson says, the variant has already been detected in the U.K. and scientists warn, this highly mutated strain, first identified circulating in countries in southern Africa, could challenge some of the hard-fought advances, already, made against the virus.
BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Our scientists are learning more, hour, by hour. And, it does appear, that Omicron spreads very rapidly and can be spread between people who are double vaccinated.
BASHIR (voice-over): England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty says the possibility that vaccines may not be as effective against the Omicron variant is what is galvanizing the government response.
DR. CHRISTOPHER WHITTY, BRITISH CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Delta, it was primarily, driven by the ability to spread really rapidly. This, one here, really the biggest thing that is leading us to wish to move rapidly is to do with the least strong theoretical reasons, for thinking that in fact some degree of vaccine escape is likely.
BASHIR (voice-over): After suspending flights from several southern African countries on Friday, Johnson says, new targeted measures are necessary to contain the new variant.
All travelers to the U.K., will have to take a PCR test, within two days of their arrival. And, quarantine, until they get their results. All contacts of positive Omicron cases must quarantine for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.
Face coverings will be mandatory in shops in public transport and the government is looking to expand the booster program. Top U.S. health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, says that the new variant, is likely, more widespread than it's known.
And tightening COVID-19 measures, like the U.S. move to restrict travel from some countries in Africa, starting Monday, is a way to buy critical time.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF COVID-19 MEDICAL ADVISER: The issue of blocking travel, from a given country, is to just give us time to assess it better. That is the reason for doing that. Not any reason to panic. But we want to give us some time to really fill in the blanks of what we don't know right now.
BASHIR (voice-over): Some experts say it is not surprising the Omicron variant first took root in Africa, with only 7.4 percent of the continent's population fully vaccinated.
LILY CAPRANI, ADVOCACY FOR HEALTH AND VACCINES, UNICEF: This, time last, year we were all sitting here hoping for a vaccine. And science did what it does, it comes up with solutions. They were available and now the world has billions of vaccines a year's -- this short time later.
The problem that we haven't solved is to equally distribute them. We still have got most people in Africa have never been offered their first shot yet.
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CAPRANI: They are dangerously and protected.
BASHIR (voice-over): A problem that, is increasingly, becoming a global one as more countries confirm their first cases of the Omicron variant -- Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
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NEWTON: Joining me now is Githinji Gitahi, the CEO of Amref Health Africa, a nonprofit organization, dedicated to helping Africans receive much-needed health care.
I really thank you for joining us at this hour.
How would you grade the world's reaction to this new variant thus far?
I ask, because the African CDC -- and I believe you served on its board -- is, categorical saying that it strongly discourages these travel bans. And adds that they have not worked, at any other time, during this pandemic and they won't work now.
GITHINJI GITAHI, CEO, AMREF HEALTH AFRICA: It is extremely frustrating but not surprising. I think the reaction we see, is this is how the world has treated Africa all along. The world locked vaccines from getting to Africa, now they're locking Africa from accessing the world.
It's unfair. It's completely unacceptable. I think that for anyone to think that you can lock out a virus, by stopping Africans from traveling, is completely, unacceptable.
Why is it that we're not seeing border closures to and from Belgium?
Why are we not seeing border closures to and from Hong Kong?
Why is it that the U.K., now, that has identified the virus as well, is not being closed from accessing Africa?
It is unfair, it is racism (ph) and unacceptable. The behavior we saw on vaccine supply, being locked out from Africa is now, we're seeing the same behavior worse than being locked out from the world. It is unacceptable, it is not scientific, it is not supported by any measure and should stop, immediately.
NEWTON: In fact, many have pointed out, look, Europe is the epicenter of the pandemic right now, not Africa. It is another point that many officials have said, they are indebted to the scientists in southern Africa, who identified this variant.
I want to ask you, to get back to that point on vaccines, we just heard that, despite vaccines being a reality for almost a year, precious few Africans have, even, been offered their first dose.
Do you think, at this point, this still amounts to vaccine hoarding?
Are you hopeful and asking for there to be some massive, worldwide effort to, finally, get vaccines to every corner of the globe?
GITAHI: It is, absolutely, pretentious for the world to assume that they need to punish South Africa for actually sharing the (INAUDIBLE) of a new variant to the world. On vaccines, we know that there is injustice, 17 (ph) percent of the world live in Africa but only 2.8 percent of the total doses administered, which count to 7.9 (ph) billion, actually have been administered in Africa.
Why?
Because rich countries took to the front of the queue, booked all of the doses and, therefore, Africa has been unable to access them. This is the reason we are asking. Even (INAUDIBLE) South Africa.
We are demanding, through a petition, that stop (INAUDIBLE) us and stop and those countries holding doses, should release them to mechanisms (ph) like COVAX or (INAUDIBLE), the Africa vaccines task field (ph).
(INAUDIBLE) vaccine would be available to everybody, equally. And we protect the world. We cannot expect that we are going to lock up the virus by closing our doors and windows and leaving (INAUDIBLE) the door. It is not possible.
Supply of vaccines to Africa, our petition demands release the stockpiles, stop the booster doses until everyone has a vaccine. Would you believe that total doses given to Africa are equivalent to total booster doses that have been given.
It is in this case that we don't see the value of primary vaccination and we see more in (INAUDIBLE) booster shots. Let us increase production. Let us share licenses. Let us stop stockpiling and let us limit the booster doses. That is our petition and that is what we want the world to listen to, rather than blocking trade and blocking travel, because a variant has been shared by a country.
And yet, that virus is across the world. What do we intend to achieve (INAUDIBLE)?
NEWTON: And I do want to point, out the WHO has also said, boosters should have been, basically, paused until the rest of the world could get at least one shot of the vaccine.
I have to ask you, in Kenya, where you are, it's a great example of this in terms of the challenges of even when you have the, doses what happens. There is a lack of infrastructure in Kenya, you have been hampered by few education campaigns. There has been a disappointing uptick (sic).
There is vaccine hesitancy.
What do you think could be done?
You know, as well as I do, even where vaccines have been offered in Africa, right now, hesitancy remains an issue.
GITAHI: The biggest hesitancy we've seen of vaccines, in the world, is in the U.S., not in Africa. In Africa, now, we have a delayed vaccine. We can't talk about hesitancy for something that's not available.
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GITAHI: The vaccines have not been available. In Kenya, as we speak, we've not got more than 10 million doses for close to 50 million people. So the supply is starting to ramp up. And we know that people are queuing for vaccines.
The challenge has been, that people who want the vaccines, (INAUDIBLE) told they are not available. People who are going for vaccines for their second dose are told, oh, now we don't have that one; we have this other one. So you have to go and wait.
So there is no hesitancy. Let us not frame this as a demand issue. It is purely a supply issue. And as the vaccines become available, we are seeing that people are accepting them.
But remember that the best ambassador for vaccine is somebody who has received it. So if no one has received it, then who is there to advocate for it?
NEWTON: Understood. Before I let you go, I want to ask you, because there has been distribution issues and there are problems with the infrastructure, does Africa and many other countries in Africa, need support with that as well?
GITAHI: Exactly. We know that, even for childhood vaccines, that we provide to under 5s, there is huge support to countries, to ensure that their vaccination campaigns, that (INAUDIBLE) come for information and travel, people live far from health facilities. Some people live 1,500 kilometers away.
And this is the reason why we are demanding that universal health coverage is a priority, not just globally but more specifically, in Africa. We must invest in (INAUDIBLE) coverage, because (INAUDIBLE) coverage assures us or what says (ph) all health accesses to everybody.
We have problems with children who have not accessed a single dose of vaccine. (INAUDIBLE) those children. This is because of health infrastructure challenging.
So the world must focus, also, on ensuring that everyone has (INAUDIBLE) because, you know what, if we do not protect people at getting access to health services through financial protection, then, we are going to see multiple and multiple pandemics and pandemics starting, because simply people will not access the (INAUDIBLE).
So this is the priority, so we must make vaccines available, we must support vaccination and we must have solidarity and stop behaving as if the virus is actually being generated by some countries, and not others. We must treat the world, equally and stop this pretential (sic) behavior, that by locking up borders (INAUDIBLE) country that we are actually going to keep the virus away.
You saw with Delta, you cannot keep the virus away. The best is (INAUDIBLE) vaccinated for everyone so that we protect everyone.
NEWTON: We definitely did see that, with Delta. Mr. Gitahi, thank you so much for your perspective on this important issue, especially as we see this new variant emerge. Appreciate it.
GITAHI: Thank you for having me, thank you.
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NEWTON: Still to come on CNN, the diplomatic spat between France and the U.K., over migration in the English Channel is escalating and quickly.
Plus, free and fair elections are under threat, in many Latin American countries. A look at the rise of authoritarianism, across the region. That is coming up.
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NEWTON: This week's mass drowning in the English Channel has sparked renewed concerns and anger over migrants fleeing to Europe from the Middle East and Africa.
France will be hosting an emergency meeting with most neighboring countries in a few hours to discuss the escalating crisis.
Meanwhile, take a look at fresh video of a makeshift camp along the coast in France, where aid workers are providing food, clothing and other emergency supplies to migrants. French officials try to routinely dismantle camps like this one in an effort to discourage migrants from crossing the Channel into Britain.
But tens of thousands of migrants fleeing wartorn countries and poverty, have shown, year after year, that they are determined to make the dangerous trek over crossings like the English Channel, despite the risks.
France, meanwhile, has excluded the U.K. from attending that emergency meeting over the migrant crisis, which is set to start soon. CNN's Jim Bittermann is covering that part of the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: The immigrant tragedy has contributed to some pretty undiplomatic words between France and Britain. After the broken submarine deal earlier this fall and a dispute over fishing rights, the finger-pointing over the migrant deaths in the English Channel has added to the acrimony between the two countries.
After British prime minister, Boris Johnson, tweeted out a letter addressed to French president Emmanuel Macron, Macron was said to be outraged and showed it at a press conference yesterday.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): I am surprised at the methods, when they are not serious. We do not communicate between one leader, to another, on these issues by tweeting and writing letters and making them public. We are not whistleblowers. Come on, come on.
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BITTERMANN: Macron's interior minister has disinvited the British home secretary on Sunday to discuss ways of dealing with the refugee issue. Meantime, a spokesman for the prime minister said Johnson had no regrets about posting the letter on Twitter and that both Britain and France have a shared recognition of the urgency of the situation -- Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
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NEWTON: Polls, soon opening across Honduras and elections already mired in warnings of potential foul play. The right-wing national party, tangled up in allegations of corruption and drug trafficking, could lose power for the first time in more than a decade.
There is more than one dozen presidential candidates, but polls show the race is between the national party and the left wing, liberty and refoundation party. There are growing concerns of unrest if the victor does not win by a clear margin.
Now the presidential election in Honduras, the latest test facing Latin America, as authoritarian trends spark concerns that democracy is crumbling, across the region. CNN's Matt Rivers, reports.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you are a fan of democracy, November has been a very bad month in Latin America. The latest example, Venezuela, which held local and regional elections on Sunday. President Nicolas Maduro claiming victory for his party, which won 21 of 24 state governorships.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language). RIVERS (voice-over): He says the result is because of our hard work and our honesty. Critics, though, and the outcome was already determined. The vote can't be trusted, they say, in a country where Maduro controls state institutions.
Allegations of course, to voting and violence against opposition members, during yesterday's vote have already surfaced.
And then, there is Nicaragua, where, on November 7th, president Daniel Ortega won another term in what can only be described as sham elections. His regime unleashed a campaign of political terror back in June, arresting any prominent would-be opposition candidates and tossing them in jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
RIVERS (voice-over): Those in jail are sons of (INAUDIBLE) of the imperialist Yankees, he says. They're no longer Nicaraguans.
We even tried to get into Nicaragua ourselves to see what was happening there. But authorities deported my team and me after just a few hours. In his victory speech, Ortega spoke about journalists like us.
"These scoundrels want to come cover the elections, we already know they're employees of the American intelligence agencies."
So Ortega wins a fourth consecutive term and Nicaraguan democracy is on life support.
RIVERS: But it's not just those three countries that are having problems. This is a map from Freedom House, a pro-democracy research group. And each country is given a score that measures it's liberal democracy.
Green, means an improving score and, as you can see, there's not a lot of green on this map. From 2019 to 2020, nearly every country in Latin America and the Caribbean either became less free or stayed the same. There are signs of creeping anti-democratic norms all over the place.
RIVERS (voice-over): Like in Latin America's largest country, Brazil, led by right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro.
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RIVERS (voice-over): Who, earlier this year, reminded many of the country's dark days of military dictatorship.
He had approved a military parade on the same day that lawmakers were voting on a controversial change to the country's voting laws. The law didn't pass but Bolsonaro has since suggested he won't respect next year's election results.
"From what I see," he says, "I will not accept any election results that do not declare me the winner. My mind is made up." A dictatorial declaration, the kind of language, some say, is also
coming from another country, El Salvador. Currently run by "the world's cruelest dictator," Nayib Bukele -- not my words, of course. He wrote that himself on his Twitter bio earlier this year.
The Millennial president might have been joking but his attacks on democratic institutions and the opposition are no laughing matter. Some have concerns that he could be Central America's next strongman. What's happening in these places might not stay there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The recent threat of contagion, of diffusion of these authoritarian trends --
RIVERS (voice-over): Across 18 Latin American countries, only 49 percent of people said democracy is the best form of the government, according to a late 2020 poll by Latinobarometro.
MARTA LAGOS, LATINOBAROMETRO: The next four years, yes, you might get very worried, because things can get very worse. You know, we will have all these monsters that work here and there.
RIVERS: What Marta Lagos also told me is that she's actually really hopeful about democracy in Latin America, that so many people actually still support democracy, even after all of the corruption and economic hardship and even violence that so many countries in this region have dealt with recently.
As one expert told me, where it's bad, it's really bad. But with thriving democracies in places like Costa Rica and Uruguay, if you are a fan of democracy, he says there is still a lot of hope to be had -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
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NEWTON: Ahead for us on CNN NEWSROOM, the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, forcing many Afghans to become refugees in other countries. Now some of them, in the United States, have celebrated their first American Thanksgiving. We will meet one of those families, after the break.
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NEWTON: Our top story, countries, around the world, are racing to curb the spread of the new COVID variant called Omicron. It was first detected in southern Africa but now, cases have been confirmed in Hong Kong, the U.K. and several other European countries.
Governments, have already, started to act imposing new restrictions and travel bans, as they try to get ahead of the spread.
[02:35:00] NEWTON: The U.S. has not confirmed any cases of the new variant, so far but its top infectious disease expert says, he wouldn't be surprised if the variant is, already, in the United States.
In less than 24 hours, new U.S. travel restrictions, going into effect. But as Arlette Saenz reports, the White House isn't saying much about whether more restrictions could be in the works. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration, refraining from saying whether they would enact other travel restrictions or mitigation measures, due to the Omicron variant.
Even as the United Kingdom has announced some new steps that they are taking. President Biden, out shopping in Nantucket on Saturday, ignoring questions from reporters, asking about those possible mitigation measures.
But vice president, Kamala Harris, says they are simply taking things one step at a time.
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KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have been briefed and, as the president has said, we will take every precaution. So that is why we take the measures we have.
QUESTION: Do you think there will be any additional travel restrictions?
HARRIS: We will take it one step at a time. But as of now, we've done what we believe is necessary.
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SAENZ: Biden health officials are in contact with health officials worldwide, as they try to get a grasp about this new variant. Officials say, imposing new travel restrictions set to take place on Monday, will simply buy the administration more time to understand what this variant can do, such as the type whether it, can potentially, have severe illness that goes along with or, even possibly, evade vaccines.
But one thing the administration continues to push is vaccinations and booster shots, arguing, that is the way for Americans to protect themselves. The secretary of state, Tony Blinken, also had a phone call on Saturday with the foreign minister in South Africa, where he thanked them for their transparency in notifying the world about this variant.
Of course, South Africa has been critical about this travel ban that the U.S. and others, have put into place. President Biden returns to the White House on Sunday and we will see the further steps that they might announce, in the coming days -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president, in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
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NEWTON: A holiday shopping season is off to a roaring start in the United States. Millions of Americans went to the stores in the busiest shopping weekend of the year. But with supply chain bottlenecks and fears of inflation, shoppers will, likely, find higher prices and still, a few empty shelves. Polo Sandoval, with the details.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Industry experts expecting roughly 158 million people will be doing some of their holiday shopping by the time this weekend wraps up. We should mention the majority of those, according to same experts, are expected to do some of their shopping in person.
One of the reasons is because of that lingering fear about supply chain shortages. That lingering worry that, maybe, some of those goods and those gifts that they are looking to purchase won't actually make it to their destination on time.
What we are seeing right now is certainly many Americans actually taking to some of the retailers throughout the country, to make those purchases.
In the meantime, we do know that some of those industry experts are very confident that some of the larger retailers, the big box stores, have been loading up on their inventory ahead of this holiday rush, this holiday shopping season. The president of the National Retail Federation, explaining, why that is.
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MATTHEW SHAY, CEO AND PRESIDENT, NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION: Retailers have been working on this, since the beginning of the pandemic, they understood the real stress the supply chain was under.
They've invested billions of in their teams and their systems, working with their partners to get goods here. That's why really we've survived the last 20 months and been able to get most of the things we needed when we needed them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANDOVAL: That covers some of the larger retailers. The big concern this weekend, are some of the more independent, smaller, mom and pop stores. Hence, Small Business Saturday, when Americans were encouraged to do some of their shopping, at some of those stores, they're the ones that have been particularly hit hard during the pandemic.
But whether you make those purchases at those locations or here are on Fifth Avenue, the National Retail Federation, estimating, there will be roughly $843 billion spent, this holiday season. This as Americans are still, struggling with the rising price of everyday goods, due to inflation -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Many Afghan refugees, who fled to the United States after the
Taliban takeover had their very first Thanksgiving this week. Volunteers from a nonprofit organization in California opened their doors to Afghan families for the typically American holiday tradition.
Natasha Chen went to one of those celebrations and has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, how are you?
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kiki Nagy was already cooking a Thanksgiving meal for a large group of friends.
KIKI NAGY, VOLUNTEER, MIRY'S LIST: Why is everything was so much harder after the pandemic?
I've forgotten how to do this.
CHEN (voice-over): But she also wanted to open her Los Angeles home to some of the country's newest residents.
[02:40:00]
CHEN (voice-over): She volunteers for an organization called Miry's List, that helps refugees settle in the United States.
NAGY: I just threw it out to Miry, do you know any Afghani families who need to have a first Thanksgiving with an American family?
And so she said, "Yes, why don't you invite Wahid?"
CHEN (voice-over): Wahidullah Asghary tells us he was a translator and interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan. He arrived in late 2020 with his four children under a special immigrant visa. His wife joined them five months later. This was the family's first invitation to a tradition Thanksgiving meal.
WAHIDULLAH ASGHARY, AFGHAN REFUGEE: Sometimes when they ask what turkey is, I say turkey is like a big chicken.
CHEN (voice-over): Nagy made sure there would be at least something familiar on the table.
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CHEN (voice-over): This experience wasn't just about new foods. It was also about learning the tradition of sharing gratitude.
ASGHARY: We have more opportunities in our lives, in our hands, so, of course, the foremost example is this, that we are together with the family.
CHEN (voice-over): With his wife's visa delayed, he says they're lucky she arrived before the chaotic exit of U.S. troops in August. The scene of people trying to escape particularly resonated with fellow Thanksgiving guest, Tam Van Tran.
TAM VAN TRAN, VIETNAMESE REFUGEE: When I saw the photo of the Afghans in the cargo plane, it reminded me of very much of -- I was in the same. But it was a gigantic cargo ship.
CHEN (voice-over): Tran came to the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975 when he was around the same age as Asghary's oldest children. He says he can offer a warm welcome.
TRAN: Brotherhood, a camaraderie.
CHEN (voice-over): And can imagine what they might be experiencing.
Like at many holiday gathering, not everyone here practices the same religion or holds the same political beliefs. Despite that --
NAGY: There is something essential to the American experience that is rooted in gratitude, that is rooted in the volunteerism that you leave your country, you leave a situation and you come here, sometimes with very little, sometimes with nothing and you start over.
CHEN (voice-over): Asghary tells his kids to work hard to seize this opportunity.
ASGHARY: We are here for you. And the United States is here for you. And everything you have got in your hand, what are you going to do is you have to study. That's it.
CHEN (voice-over): Starting with what Nagy hopes is a lesson from their first Thanksgiving.
NAGY: I would want them to see that that kind of tolerance is really possible in the United States, that Americans are, at heart, really a generous people.
CHEN (voice-over): Natasha Chen, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: The Afghan girl who captured hearts everywhere after appearing on the cover of "National Geographic" in 1985 has found refuge as an adult now in Italy. The striking portrait of the 12-year-old orphan with piercing green eyes and a searing glare, you may remember it, came to symbolize displaced people in Afghanistan.
It was an immediate sensation. But her identity wasn't known for years. Now in her late 40s, Sharbat Gula has been granted refugee status in Italy after some hard times.
A couple of years ago, the mother of four suffered from hepatitis, which killed her husband. She was briefly under arrest in Pakistan for using a forged Pakistani identity card, reportedly a common practice among Afghan refugees. She retired to Afghanistan, where the former government gave her a new
house. But according to the Italian prime minister's office, she appealed for help in leaving the nation after the Taliban took over in Afghanistan in August.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Joining me now is the man who took that photo more than 30 years ago, award winning photographer Steve McCurry.
Steve, thanks so much for being here. It is quite a story. I do want to start with what you know of Gula's challenges since the Taliban took over. She had challenges, obviously, as a child in a refugee camp and now as a woman and a mother. She has really never been safe in her homeland.
STEVE MCCURRY, PHOTOGRAPHER: It started when she had to flee for her life after Soviet jets were bombing her village. Then she fled to Pakistan, where she lived in a refugee camp, eventually getting married.
And then we met again in 2002. Life was fairly peaceful. In about 2016, there was a sort of trumped-up charge that she had had false identity papers, which was never proven, by the way. She was put in jail. And then it became this sort of PR nightmare for the Pakistan government.
[02:45:00]
MCCURRY: They released her; she went back to Afghanistan. The former president kind of welcomed her with open arms, gave her a home. And she was living there peacefully with her family until the Taliban took control. And I think that she felt unsafe and she requested to leave.
NEWTON: We are looking at video of her finally leaving again, leaving Afghanistan there.
Why her?
What's threat is she to the Taliban?
Why would they target her?
MCCURRY: Well, I think she's an international figure. It was her choice to go. Maybe she knew something that we didn't. So we just tried to help her in every possible way and various human rights and humanitarian organizations got together to try to help her, as they've been doing with tens of thousands of other Afghans.
I mean, her story -- yes, her story is -- there's tens of thousands of people that are worried, they're anxious. They want to go to a safer place.
So that's -- and it's been like this for 35-40 years now in Afghanistan. Literally, millions of Afghans have fled to Pakistan, to Iran, to central Asia, to Turkey. And this is an ongoing story. And there's no end in sight.
NEWTON: Still fleeing today.
I do want to ask you, you yourself, helped her, I believe, helped her to leave Afghanistan?
You felt it was her duty to help her to safety again?
MCCURRY: My sister and I had been working with her, with these aid organizations, to try and fulfill her wish to be in a safer place. So, yes, we took an active role in that.
NEWTON: And did she feel that she just wouldn't have any freedom?
Or did she just fear for her life?
MCCURRY: I'm not exactly sure what her thoughts were. I think that she felt insecure, that something could happen, maybe due to the fact that she was living in this house provided by the former government. Maybe that had something to do with it.
But I personally haven't spoken to her; my sister has. But we just tried to help in every way we could.
NEWTON: Right. Your searing, iconic picture -- you know, it wasn't really a portrait that inspired pity. In fact, her eyes, the framing that you took, it really spoke volumes about resistance, about how fierce that look was.
Why do you think the photo has become an emblem for really, even, asylum seekers and refugees all over the world?
MCCURRY: Well, I think there's a dignity to her expression. I think there's a resilience as afforded to it; her head is held high. She is proud, despite the fact that it's clear that she is poor, living in a refugee camp, (INAUDIBLE).
I just think that she had this force in that gaze that said, I am not going to give up, I'm going to persevere. And I will do whatever it takes. I'm going to survive.
NEWTON: Yes, it definitely spoke to so many people around the world. She will need all that resistance and resilience and then some in the coming months as she settles into a new life. Steve McCurry, thanks for joining us.
MCCURRY: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And we will be right back with more news in a moment.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:50:00]
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NEWTON: Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, you see him there, touring parts of British Columbia on Friday. Canada's westernmost province suffered through catastrophic floods earlier this month, forcing evacuations, damaging highways and infrastructure and disrupting shipping.
The prime minister blamed climate change for worsening weather disasters this year. Remember, they went through the wildfires there just a few months ago. He also said it's just a glimpse of what is to come, as the region now braces for more flooding and mudslides.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NEWTON: Coming up, thanks to the movie star, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, one Navy veteran will be riding in style. What led The Rock to give him his own personal truck.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:55:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
NEWTON: It's already a holiday season to remember for one U.S. Navy veteran, he got the surprise of a lifetime from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON, ACTOR: Ladies and gentlemen --
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: How you guys doing?
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: There's a dude here, I read his story, I want to highlight him, Oscar Rodriguez.
Where are you, Oscar?
OSCAR RODRIGUEZ, NAVY VETERAN: Get out of here, bro.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: Oscar, come on down.
(APPLAUSE)
JOHNSON: Good to see you, brother. RODRIGUEZ: Nice to meet you, bro. Wow. Wow. Dude!
NEWTON (voice-over): Oh, Oscar was clearly overwhelmed. He was attending a special screening of the actors movie when red notice he was learning that he was getting his own custom truck.
JOHNSON: I want to show you, real quick.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes.
JOHNSON: I got this car. It's a little thing.
RODRIGUEZ: What the heck?
JOHNSON: Thank you for your service, brother. Enjoy your new truck.
RODRIGUEZ: What the hell?
Get out of here, bro!
Oh, my god!
JOHNSON: You do a lot of good for people, man. You do a lot of good for people.
RODRIGUEZ: I thought this was your truck, bro.
JOHNSON: It is my truck.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: Now it's your truck. This is my personal truck. It's yours now.
NEWTON (voice-over): This was all too much for Oscar. The former wrestling superstar learned about Oscar's story and how he takes care of people in his community. Rodriguez says he feels blessed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: I'm Paula Newton and I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment.
