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Stores Boost Security After Smash And Grab Crimes; Countries Rush To Contain Omicron; U.S. Travel Restrictions Begin Monday; Corruption, Poverty Main Concerns In Honduras Elections; Inflation, Supply Fears Hang Over Holiday Shopping; Afghan Refugees Celebrate First Thanksgiving. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired November 28, 2021 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to all of you in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
New cases, new restrictions, new fears, the new Omicron variant is spreading across the globe. We'll bring you live reports and speak with a virologist.
Plus smash and grab robberies plague the U.S. just before the holidays.
And democracy in risk in Latin America. We're keeping an eye on elections in Honduras.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Countries around the world are scrambling to get a handle on the new COVID variant called Omicron. It's already spread from southern Africa and has been discovered in Italy, Germany, the U.K. and the Czech Republic and now in Australia.
There are more suspected cases around the world. The variant is being studied extensively. We don't yet know whether it's any more deadly or whether it can blunt vaccine efficacy or natural immunity. But scientists fear it could be more contagious.
Dozens of countries have banned or limited travel from South Africa where there are confirmed cases of the variant. Governments are also scrutinizing travelers as they land inside their borders. Australia is testing people entering the country.
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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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BRUNHUBER: We have team coverage of how this new variant is impacting every corner of the globe. Paula Hancocks is live in Seoul. But let's go to Barbie Nadeau, standing by in Rome.
More restrictions as Omicron is being found in more countries.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Europe was facing a very difficult winter ahead and so now the idea that we have a new variant to deal with, when the boosters programs aren't up to snuff, is very troubling.
European nations are trying to figure out what to do to save the holiday season -- not limit people too much, not destroy the economy any further. It's a very troubling moment in Europe.
BRUNHUBER: The continent is still in the throes of the existing COVID crisis because of the Delta variant.
How are the worst hit countries dealing with that?
NADEAU: We have full lockdown in Austria and partial lockdown in the Netherlands. Each country is looking at more mask mandates, looking at even vaccine mandates now as a way to sort of counter the surge in cases and see what's coming next.
You have to think about the fact that a lot of people are not vaccinated in Europe, especially young people. The European Medicines Agency just approved the vaccines for the 5 to 11 group. They haven't even been vaccinated the first time, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Thanks so much, Barbie Nadeau.
I'm joined by CNN's Paula Hancocks from Seoul.
Looking across Asia, are more restrictions on the way in the face of this new variant?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, we've certainly been seeing that. South Korea, for example, is in a group of many in Asia and around the world that has banned all travelers from eight South African countries.
It suspended visas to those countries. Even Korean nationals coming back from those countries have to do a 10-day quarantine in a government facility. We're seeing similar restrictions in other countries as well.
Ironically, many countries across Asia were starting to open up. Here in South Korea, they unveiled the policy of living with COVID. Suddenly there were no curfews anymore on most businesses. And larger groups of people could start to gather as well. And the same with Australia, for example. They had just started to
open up their international borders, having been isolated for so many months. I think what we're going to see here, in fact, is this coming to a screeching halt.
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HANCOCKS: We have seen some restrictions being put in already here in South Korea, for example. It was going to be in a couple of weeks they were going to decide whether to go to phase II of their opening up.
I spoke to the head of the National Institutes of Health and he said one of the main things they do need to do is to get boosters to many people over the age of 60 faster. And that is what we're seeing around the world as well.
But the booster shots for some of these countries who have been lucky enough to get two shots already is necessary, as the efficacy is waning in the vaccines. There is criticism in South Africa, knee-jerk reaction, draconian rules, that people are shutting down the borders.
What we have been hearing from officials, they're just trying to buy some time, they tell us, so they can figure out exactly what this variant is. So this shutting down borders to certain countries, although I think we're understanding now that it is already in many more countries, but they're just trying to buy time to figure out what they're dealing with, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much. Paula Hancocks in Seoul.
Well, the U.S. hasn't confirmed any Omicron cases so far but the top expert in diseases says he wouldn't be surprised if the variant is already in the U.S. Arlette Saenz has more.
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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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BRUNHUBER: Joining me now is Lawrence Young in Birmingham, England. He's a virologist and professor at the University of Warwick.
Thank you for joining us. The fact that this variant was described just recently and already cases are reported so widely around the world, does this confirm what you already knew about how quickly coronavirus spreads?
LAWRENCE YOUNG, VIROLOGIST AND PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK: Yes. This comes as no surprise. Once a variant is identified, particularly one that is likely to be more infectious, it will spread quickly. So this comes as no surprise. It's a product of the way international travel works and the infectiousness of coronavirus.
BRUNHUBER: Seeing how this travels, we're seeing these travel bans around the world. We heard from African experts and politicians pushing back strongly, saying travel bans haven't worked in the past.
Why go back to this failed measure?
It may be good politics but bad science. We heard Dr. Fauci saying it's not going to stop the virus but it buys us time.
Is that why you support travel restrictions?
YOUNG: It is. At this stage everything we're doing is precautionary. We know so little about this variant. We need to control and limit the spread of this variant. That means travel restrictions, one way of preventing the virus spreading whilst we gain time to understand more about this variant, whether it's more infectious and, indeed, whether it's more vaccine resistant.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that's one of the big worries, of course, that it will evade the vaccines.
You said in an article you think they will still offer some level of protection against this variant.
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BRUNHUBER: So where's the cutoff in terms of vaccine efficacy that would mean we would all have to line up for a new different shot if the shot didn't offer 50 percent protection or less?
Where do we draw the line?
YOUNG: That's an interesting question. We just don't understand enough about the protection, particularly how long-term protection will be provided by booster shots.
It's true, for Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, all the variants we've been dealing with, current vaccinations, particularly for vaccination and booster vaccinations, provides very good protection.
That's why we believe, looking at the enormous number of mutations in this Omicron variant, that vaccination is very likely to protect against severe disease. But you're right, if protection drops below 50 percent, we'd have to really seriously consider the use of modified vaccines.
I think that's unlikely. But we're having to wait for laboratory testing. It will take two or three weeks to fully understand whether immunity induced by vaccines will protect sufficiently to prevent severe disease with this new variant.
BRUNHUBER: Many are blaming this on the fact that we haven't vaccinated the world population as well as we should have done.
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown, now WHO ambassador, has been outspoken about how this variant is no surprise, saying, "Our failure to vaccinate the rest of the world is going to come back to haunt us."
The current prime minister, Boris Johnson, has pushed back against that narrative when it comes to the Omicron variant. We'll play the clips back to back.
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GORDON BROWN, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Let's just remember, only 25 percent of what America has promised in vaccines, to the rest of the world, has been delivered. Only 11 percent of what Britain has promised has been delivered; 19 percent of the European Union; only 5 percent of Canada.
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BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: I think when you look at the arrival and the spread of Omicron, sadly, it's been in countries where the problem has not been supply of vaccine; it's been really due to hesitancy and lack of takeup.
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BRUNHUBER: So which position do you support here?
Or do they both have a strong case?
YOUNG: I think it's a really interesting situation in terms of the way that governments respond to this. What Omicron is telling us is that you have to control the pandemic globally as well as locally.
It comes back to the mantra we've heard, that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. It's true there are low levels of vaccination in South Africa. A lot of that is not to do with vaccine supply; actually, it's to do with hesitancy and to do with getting the jabs out of the fridges and into arms.
Nevertheless, this is a wake-up call for us. I don't see why this should be a either/or. We should all be able to look after our own populations as well as support the rollout of global vaccination by ensuring there's enough vaccine being manufactured and that we do everything internationally to support the practicalities, the logistics of getting vaccines into people's arms.
BRUNHUBER: In the meantime, we're looking ahead to what vaccines we might potentially need for this Omicron variant. It's unknowable right now.
But I'm curious, from your perspective, how long do you think it would take to do the research, to look into how it responds and then to potentially produce a new vaccine, if one were needed?
YOUNG: Yes, so I think they're going to determine whether antibodies introduced by current vaccines are able to block infection. That will take two to three weeks. In the meantime, we know a number of companies, including the mRNA companies, are already starting to modify the vaccines. They're testing new variant vaccines already.
So they say that will take about 100 days to develop and start testing a new vaccine if that would be required. That said, that's difficult to know. The vaccine manufacturers are on the case and the drugs we have, the recently approved drugs, are also going to be effective.
In fact, the changes in the bits of the virus that those drugs target are not that significant, actually, in Omicron. So the drugs that are there already can be used for people with early infection. So we're OK. We've got enough in our armory to protect us. But we do
need to take precautionary measures to protect us to be sure we can all enjoy Christmas.
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BRUNHUBER: Yes. Absolutely. That's a good note to end on, to assuage any panic people might be feeling in hearing all of this news. Really appreciate your insights, Lawrence Young. Thank you very much.
YOUNG: Thank you.
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BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, stores across the U.S. are ramping up security as brazen thieves ran sack high-end shops in smash and grab robberies.
Plus as the Omicron variant spreads, there are near fears around the world such that some countries already are facing backlash for attempts to curb the spread. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Just as the holiday shopping season gets underway, an uptick in so-called smash and grab robberies has been reported in cities across the United States. Brazen gangs of thieves are targeting high-end retailers. CNN's Nick Watt looks at what's behind this sudden surge in crime.
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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Oak Brook, Illinois, a coordinated smash-and-grab swarm overwhelmed security at a Louis Vuitton store, more than 100 grand in handbags and more were stolen.
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WATT (voice-over): In downtown San Francisco this past weekend, another Vuitton store and more hit by a mob.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not a problem limited to San Francisco.
WATT: Just outside the city, burglars, their arms filled with merch, made their getaway from a Nordstrom's Saturday night. An employees was pepper sprayed during the brazen raid.
BRETT BARRETTE, MANAGER, PF CHANG'S WALNUT CREEK: Probably saw 50 to 80 people, in like ski masks, crowbars, like a bunch of weapons.
WATT: They fled in 10 cars. Three arrests were made, two guns recovered. Sunday night another raid at another Bay Area mall. CHIEF LERONNE ARMSTRONG, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, POLICE: The thing that we are not used to is these groups' willingness to actually use firearms and shoot at people.
WATT: At the Grove down in L.A., a Nordstrom was hit Monday night; $5,000 worth of goods stolen, $15,000 worth of damage. This mall had beefed up security after the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.
RICK CARUSO, OWNER, THE GROVE: You saw these bad guys with 20-pound sledgehammers having a very difficult time to break a window because all of our windows have ballistic film on them.
WATT: Many more malls now beefing up security and Californian authorities promising action.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): These people need to be held to account. We need to investigate these crime, we need to break up these crime rings and we need to make an example out of these folks.
WATT: In Oakland this weekend --
ARMSTRONG: We will have tactical teams deployed throughout the city.
WATT: -- but as we saw what that San Francisco raid, even when cops are quick to the scene --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These (INAUDIBLE) ain't playing.
WATT (voice-over): -- with a mob, many will, still, get away.
Why is this happening right now?
Well, stores are fully stop for the holidays and there is also a market for stolen goods this time of year. Some experts tell us, the penalties for the sort of crime just aren't high enough. Here, in California, for example, if you steal goods worth $950 or less, it isn't a felony, it's a misdemeanor -- Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
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BRUNHUBER: Professor Charis Kubrin is with the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California/Irvine.
Thank you so much for joining us. Professor, almost literally every day now we're getting new reports of attacks by flash mob thieves. What we're seeing, it seems like scenes from some sort of dystopian movie.
What's behind all of this?
CHARIS KUBRIN, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA/IRVINE: Well, so, I mean, we're still trying to get a handle on exactly what's going on with these types of crimes. On the one hand, the places that they're occurring, cities like Los
Angeles and San Francisco, at least in California, are places that have seen lots of retail thefts over the years and, in fact, rank in the top 10.
On the other hand, as you mentioned, they're quite distinct. They're very unique. These are involving many, many individuals that are highly organized, using social media in many cases, to get that organization down and then using social media where these are playing out.
So it's very -- it's a very distinct situation here. In terms of why this is happening or what's behind this, I don't think that we have the full answer at this point. There's lots of culprits that I've heard, being thrown around, everything from the pandemic and associated lockdowns, which led to economic displacement, economic disadvantage, among many.
There's been the social and civil unrest. I like to say that crime is caused by many factors. At this point, we don't know but it's probably some combination of those.
BRUNHUBER: All right, so we don't know why. Let's look at who. I mean, these are gangs.
I mean, are these like organized, established criminal gangs that are just sort of, you know, trying something new?
Or is it something completely different altogether?
KUBRIN: I think in many cases it is. The sheer volume of folks involved in some cases dozens of people suggests that this is not just like a seat of the pants, let's do this tonight and make this happen. They're very highly organized. They're organized criminal rings, if you will.
However, there are other cases popping up in other parts of the country that maybe look a bit different, that maybe are imitation or copycat sorts of things because these videos have been shown so widely on social media.
There is concern with imitation and the diffusion of these types of crimes in other places and in other situations and types, if you will.
BRUNHUBER: I want to ask you about something you touched on here and that's the theory that the pandemic and the economic disruption caused by that seems to have played in. The link seems a bit tenuous. But take me through it.
Why would everything we're seeing kind of lead to something so specific as this?
KUBRIN: Right. Well, so, I mean, I think no one would argue that there's been the economic disinvestment, disadvantage, that's resulted for many folks due to the pandemic and the lockdown.
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KUBRIN: This does raise questions about these kinds of crimes for profit. There's lots of scams going on, on the internet and otherwise. So this may be a unique form that has arisen in response to these economic demands and that sort of thing. So, you know, there is some link between economic conditions and these types of crimes for profit.
BRUNHUBER: So thieves are just getting more creative then, I guess.
How do you stop it?
What would you advise, you know, stores do to combat this?
KUBRIN: There's a number of different measures stores can take. I mean, for example, increased police presence, hiring more private security guards, increased surveillance so that police officers have video footage for after the fact if they are able to review that footage and identify suspects. Those are some of the steps that stores can take.
I think the police have to do a lot as well. They need to be looking through social media, trying to identify groups, breaking these groups down, potentially identifying the next places where these types of crimes will occur. So those are some of the things that can be done.
What I don't think should be done, I didn't mention this in the previous question around the what's causing this, is there's been a lot of concern in California about recent criminal justice reforms and claims that these thefts, these large retail thefts, are the result of these criminal justice reforms.
I don't see any support or evidence for that whatsoever. There's reason -- I don't think these reforms have anything to do with that. So I would hate to see the state undo a lot of these reforms, assuming that's what's causing these crimes to occur.
BRUNHUBER: Well, let's hope they can start getting a handle on it because it's absolutely terrifying for customers and has a huge effect on retail stores, especially the smaller ones, that get caught up in some of the side effects of all of this.
So people stay away from in-person shopping because of this. We have to leave it there. Thank you so much for your insights, professor. Really appreciate it.
KUBRIN: Thank you.
Still ahead, protection or punishment?
As the Omicron variant starts another round of travel bans, some say the restrictions are unfair and unjustified.
And free and fair elections are under threat in Latin American countries. We'll look at authoritarianism across the region. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
Our top story, people are racing to stop Omicron. It was first detected in southern Africa. It's been confirmed in Israel, Hong Kong and the U.K. and several European countries.
There are new travel bans on South Africa and neighboring countries trying to curb the spread. Australia says two people arriving from South Africa have tested positive for the new variant.
In the U.S., new travel restrictions on eight African countries go into effect in less than 24 hours. As Nick Valencia reports, flights between the U.S. and the affected region will still keep going.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At least two major U.S. airlines will continue their flights to South Africa and continue business as usual, despite the emergence of a new strain of COVID-19, Omicron.
United Airlines and the Atlanta based carrier, Delta, say they will continue their flights to Africa and South Africa specifically, despite an upcoming travel ban that will go into effect on Monday.
The travel restrictions will affect eight African countries but U.S. citizens will be exempt as well as lawful permanent residents and the spouses of both those groups, perhaps leaving the door open for Omicron to more easily come to the United States.
For some in the health community, it's only a matter of time. They're skeptical that these travel restrictions will do much to stop the spread of Omicron.
There's clearly a lot of concern. We heard from Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday, saying it's not time to panic and there's no indication Omicron is here in the United States. On Saturday morning, he struck a more cautionary tone, saying he wouldn't be surprised if the strain is already here.
Here's what the CDC had to say.
"The CDC is continuously monitoring variants and the U.S. variant surveillance system has reliably detected new variants in this country. We expect Omicron to be identified quickly if it emerges in the U.S."
To be clear, there is a lot we don't know about this strain but what we do know is scary -- Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.
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BRUNHUBER: America's top diplomat is applauding South Africa's quick response to the Omicron variant. During a call with the South African foreign minister on Saturday, U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken praised South Africa's scientists for the quick identification of the Omicron variant and South Africa's government for transparency and sharing this information, which should serve as a model for the world.
But the Africa CDC strongly discourages the flurry of travel bans impacting the continent, saying they don't generally yield a meaningful income throughout the pandemic. CNN spoke to one health leader who is particularly upset about the restrictions.
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GITHINJI GITAHI, CEO, AMREF HEALTH AFRICA: 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 same behavior we saw on vaccine supplies, being locked out from Africa, is now, we're seeing the same behavior of Africa being locked out from the world.
It is unacceptable, it is not scientific, it is not supported by any measure and should stop, immediately.
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BRUNHUBER: Some experts and officials say, instead of being applauded for discovering the new variant, South Africa and its neighbors are being punished. 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.
[04:35:00]
MCKENZIE (voice-over): 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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BRUNHUBER: Israel is barring foreigners from entering for two weeks over fears of the Omicron variant. 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 quarantine rules, such as forcing residents to reenter the country from abroad to isolate at home for at least three days. Israelis returning from a country on a so-called red list, that includes most of Africa, will be required to isolate for 7 days in a designated hotel.
Protests against COVID measures intensified and spiraled into violence in the French Caribbean on Saturday. Police arrested nine people in Martinique. Protesters set fire to a gas station, blocked roads with burnt cars and debris and vandalized the post office.
The French government is looking to end the demonstrations. The health ministry said on Friday they're postponing the deadline for public sector workers in the region to get a mandatory COVID vaccine.
On top of that, Paris says it's going to discuss autonomy for Guadeloupe. The French minister for overseas territories says officials from Guadeloupe raised the issue. COVID-19 rules handed down from Paris reignited longstanding resentment over the island's relationship with France.
Still to come on CNN, the diplomatic spat between France and the U.K. over migration in the English Channel is escalating and quickly.
And signs of authoritarian trends across Latin America have many worried about the future of the region. But some say democracy isn't dead yet. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Wednesday'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. But France uninvited the U.K. from the meeting after a diplomatic spat earlier this week between French President Emmanuel Macron and British prime minister Boris Johnson over a tweet about the migrant issue.
Meanwhile, at a makeshift camp along the coast in France, 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.
Polls will soon open across Honduras in elections mired by warnings of potential foul play. The right wing national party, amid allegations of corruption and drug trafficking, could lose power for the first time in a decade. 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 doesn't win by a clear margin. Now the election in Honduras is the latest test facing Latin America as authoritarian trends spark concerns that democracy is crumbling across the region. 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, 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.
[04:45:00]
RIVERS (voice-over): "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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BRUNHUBER: A group of female Afghan students graduated from a private university in Kandahar on Saturday. They were forced to wear veils due to a rule imposed by the Taliban. Before the Taliban takeover, an estimated 100,000 girls were attending universities.
The graduates fear finding jobs might be difficult because of both the Taliban rule and the country's worsening humanitarian crisis.
Barbados is preparing to cut ties with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and it will become a new republic. It officially comes into existence on Tuesday, making it the first country to drop the British monarchy in nearly three decades.
Sandra Mason, seen here with the queen, will be the new leader of the Caribbean nation. She was elected president in October. Mason has said ending Barbados' ties to the British monarchy after hundreds of years, quote, "is the ultimate statement of confidence in who we are and what we are capable of achieving."
The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan forced many Afghans to become refugees in other countries. Now some in the U.S. have celebrated their first American Thanksgiving. We'll meet one of those families after the break.
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BRUNHUBER: The holiday shopping season is off to a roaring start in the United States. Millions of Americans hit the stores and were also shelling out for goods online. Sales were up dramatically on Black Friday from the same day last November. Nearly a 30 percent increase. Clothing sales led the way, almost doubling.
But with supply chain bottlenecks due to the pandemic, shoppers may find a few empty shelves.
Many Afghan refugees who fled to the United States after the Taliban takeover had their 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.
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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. 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.
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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.
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BRUNHUBER: And before we go, France's largest Christmas market and fair is open in Strasburg after it was canceled last year due to the pandemic. This year people need to show a health pass and wear a face mask to get in. And alongside the hot chocolate and mulled wine, hand sanitizers.
COVID cases are increasing in France but visitors say the market's return is a boost to their morale.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a moment. Please do stay with us.
