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France Seeing Skyrocketing COVID Cases; South Korea's Hospitals Overwhelmed with Cases; Unvaccinated Ended Getting the Virus; Secretary Antony Blinken Meets Russian Counterpart; U.S. and NATO Allies Serious to Punish Russia with Sanctions. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired December 02, 2021 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, as the Omicron variant spreads, our vaccine mandates the way forward? European officials are beginning to ask that question.
The U.S. Secretary of state warns Russia that there will be severe consequences if it takes even more aggressive action against Ukraine?
And in a bold move, the Women's Tennis Association suspends its tournaments in China because of ongoing concerns about the safety of tennis star Peng Shuai.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us.
Well, the United States, Norway and South Korea are among the growing list of countries reporting their first cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. At least 28 countries and territories have confirmed cases. But the World Health Organization says that the Delta variant remains dominant around the globe.
WHO leaders are highly critical of travel bans meant to stop Omicron, but they are also advising people in high-risk groups to postpone travel in areas with community spread. Scientists in South Africa where Omicron was first identified, say the cases they have seen are mild and most of the people who end up in the hospital are unvaccinated.
A WHO specialist says we could have answers on the variant's severity and transmissibility very soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGIST, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We don't have all of the information yet on transmission, in terms of if there is a fitness advantage, if it's more transmissible. There is some suggestion of that, but again it's early days. We expect to have more information on transmission within days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): The top infectious disease expert in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, says people can protect themselves from Omicron by getting their vaccines and a booster shot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The level of antibodies that rise and go up following a boost is much, much higher than the peak level that you get after your second dose of a two-dose vaccine.
That is what you really want to see, because we know that from our experience with Delta, that even though the vaccine is not direct specifically at Delta, it's directed against the ancestral strain, the Wuhan strain.
Yet when you get your levels of antibodies high enough, you protect against Delta. That's what we are hoping we'll see with the Omicron variant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And CNN is covering this developing story with our resources around the globe. We will hear this hour from correspondents in Europe, Asia and Africa.
First to Europe, a fifth wave of the pandemic is hitting France. Nearly 50,000 infections were reported in the past 24 hours. A new record since April.
And our Jim Bittermann is in Paris, he joins us now live. Good to see you, Jim. So how is France responding to this rising Delta variant cases?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary we've been listening to the head of the scientific council here in the last hour, who was on television basically talking about this new variant. And what -- what it means for the French people.
It really, the French, about two weeks ago actually imposed some more important instructions on wearing a mask and the use of the health pass. So, they have already in place that.
He said the head of the scientific council this morning, they are going to do everything they could to avoid a lockdown, another lockdown. He said he does not believe that Christmas is in danger as he put it because of the new variant. But he said that is only if the measures that we all know about are followed.
The wearing a mask and booster shots, and things like that. He says this is a variant that we've been fearing because it's been spreading so rapidly. On the question of restricting people with vaccination, mandatory vaccinations, he said they are not there yet but they are in fact opening debates.
There have been calls from other quarters here in France that they open this idea of debate. The idea of making vaccinations mandatory. As they are beginning to debate in Germany and as they already have done in Austria.
[03:04:57]
So, across Europe, there is a kind of variation how governments are responding. One of the things that has been imposed here in France is that all travelers from outside of France must have a current antigen or PCR test that prove that they are testing negative before they get on any flights before they arrive here.
And that's because with the various vaccinations, you can be kind of asymptomatic and not know that you are in fact can spreading the disease when you are there.
So, the head of the scientific council said this morning that it's important for at least the first 10 or 15 days of these new variants to help restrict the transit of these variants from various countries to other countries.
But after that, once it has arrived in a country, it really can't be stopped except by the measures that we all know about, the boosters and the masks. Rosemary?
CHURCH: It's been a wakeup call for all of these countries trying to figure out what they need to do. But certainly, putting all of the measures that they know they need to do into place.
Jim Bittermann, joining us live from Paris, many thanks.
Not only is South Korea confirming its first cases of the Omicron variant, it's also setting new daily COVID records. Authorities report more than 5,200 infections from Wednesday. The second day in a row to set a record.
And CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us live this hour from Seoul, South Korea. Good to see you, Paula. So, what is the latest on these first Omicron cases and of course the rise in Delta variant infections across South Korea?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we have in South Korea five confirmed cases of the Omicron variant. But really, what health officials are very concerned at this point, is before the variant was even discovered, the level of infections here was particularly high.
As you say, the second day in a row we've had new cases we've set a record high. But it's also the critical cases. The hospitalizations and the number of deaths are hovering around record highs as well, which is very concerning. We've been hearing from health officials of the crunch of the health
system. We heard just today that some 90 percent or more of ICU beds within the Seoul area, within the capital area, have been taken. So, they really are struggling to find new beds to open up to in case they are needed.
One doctor I spoke to who -- spoken to at the beginning of the pandemic, had said that the concern is it's not just about the ICU bed. They could probably find that. But they simply don't have enough qualified doctors and nurses to be able to man that. He said in his hospital here in Seoul, they couldn't take a single COVID patient from now on because they were completely full.
So, there is a concern about just how high the infection level is. Now it's mostly, we are being told, over the age of 60. These are the people who would've been vaccinated early on in the process and these are the people that the government is trying to hurry to give a booster shot to as the waning efficacy of the vaccine has become a concern.
South Korea had been starting to live with COVID over the past four weeks, that has been walked back. We now know that they are not easing more restrictions. There's a possibility they could even walk back what they've eased so far.
And they are reintroducing quarantine for everybody that is coming from overseas into South Korea, Korean nationals included. So, all exemptions of quarantines have now been canceled. They are null and void. And coming into the country you will have to do 10 days quarantine.
And officials say that they are concerned. We are going into winter. Winter in South Korea is cold. People are inside. And there is a concern that that is going to push these infections up even higher. And that's before you even consider the new variant. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. Important port. And Paula, China's northern border city of Manzhouli is reporting dozens more COVID-19 cases. What more are you learning about that?
HANCOCKS: Yes. This is a -- this is a city that's bordering Russia. And it's a city in China that has seen an outbreak in recent days. China, remember, is one of the very few countries in the world that's still trying to keep to this zero COVID policy.
So, what they have done is they have effectively lock down that particular area. Many people not able to leave their homes at this point. And they are continuing to carry out mass testing. There are some 300,000 people within the city itself. And as you say dozens more tested positive as we have heard from officials today.
So, there is a concern in that area of course. Beijing wanting to keep this zero COVID policy, they are just a couple of months away from the Beijing Winter Olympics. And they want to keep the numbers as low as possible. There was -- there was no sense of China wanting to live with COVID as
many other countries have decided they had to. Although of course with this new variant, that is being walked back. Rosemary?
[03:10:04]
CHURCH: Right. Our Paula Hancocks joining us there from Seoul. Many thanks.
And in South Africa, health officials now say the Omicron variant is dominating in one key province.
So, let's go live to Johannesburg where CNN's Eleni Giokos is standing by. Good to see you, Eleni.
So, talk to us about these cases. And the fact that the Omicron variant is dominating in this key province. What does that signal to scientists there?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, it's the Gauteng province it's actually where I am right now. I want to take you quickly to the caseload of South Africa right now. We are sitting at 8,500 positive cases in the last 24 hours. We're seeing a doubling of these positive cases. We are seeing 28 deaths.
So, I want to bring those numbers to your attention. Because they pale in comparison to what you are seeing in other parts of the world. But importantly here, the genomic sequencing that is occurring. The samples that have been taken show that the Omicron variant is dominating here in Gauteng.
This is a very small sample, but it's important to know that the Omicron variant was first detected as early as the 8th of November. So, there's a lot of backdating that is occurring to try to ascertain when Delta was then overrated by Omicron.
Now Delta was the dominant variant in South Africa until the end of October. According to the latest information that we have. Now the ever sequencing that is occurring to try and understand if this new variant is going to escape vaccine efficacy. The importance in understanding whether this causes severe illness and importantly as well, hospitalization.
The anecdotal evidence that we are seeing right now and a lot of the information that we are hearing from scientists, as well as health workers, is that the unvaccinated are dominating hospitalization rates at the moment. And you are starting to see a surge in cases, Rosemary, around the country which of course is a major cause of concern.
CHURCH: Yes, understood. And also, too, Eleni, what is the latest on the impact of these travel bans on South Africa? As more countries prevent entry of travelers from the region.
GIOKOS: I think, you know, when you are seeing leaders from across the Southern African region and around the world and experts say that it holds no benefit, you kind of get the sense that this was aggressive, it was very swift and perhaps it was done without really thinking about the consequences.
African leaders have been very clear about this. The economic impact is going to be absolutely dire. The South African president has called it discriminatory, as well as disappointing.
The tourism sector, Rosemary, has always been a very important revenue earner. It's going to be one of those sectors that was going to help kickstart the South African economy and also regional countries as well.
These travel bans have caused immense stress and panic for people that have been stuck here. You know, citizens that were traveling from other countries. But also, for South Africans that were desperately trying to get out as well for business reasons, and also visiting family that they haven't seen for two years.
This is going to be absolutely catastrophic for many people on many fronts experts say. And that is they're still calling for the lifting of these aggressive bans.
CHURCH: Yes. Eleni Giokos, many thanks bringing us up to date on the situation there from Johannesburg. I appreciate it.
Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips is the chief clinical officer at Providence Health System. She joins me now from New York. Thank you doctor for all that you do.
AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, PROVIDENCE ST. JOSEPH HEALTH: Thank you for having me here tonight, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Absolutely. So, we don't yet have enough scientific evidence to answer the three critical questions of how contagious Omicron is, how severe it maybe, and whether COVID vaccines are effective against it. But what do you make of the anecdotal evidence from the case just confirmed here in the U.S. and what we've learned from cases in South Africa and Israel?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Well, I think that the good news is that signs are looking positive. That it's at least no worse than any of the other variants when people do get infected with COVID. And particularly from the case here in the U.S., the person who came back from South Africa and had the germ with them had been vaccinated and had a mild course of the disease and got better without infecting anybody else.
And so, it is hopeful that the vaccines that we have today work against this variant even though that's the big concern for everyone.
CHURCH: Right. And that certainly seems to be the anecdotal evidence so far. Of course, we need to find out in the next few weeks a whole lot more.
But President Biden will deliver a major speech in just a few hours from now on his strategy to defeat the Omicron variant. What are you hoping to hear him say, given he is emphasizing they will fight this variant with science and speed not chaos and confusion? [03:15:09]
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: I really hope that he doubles down on the things that we know absolutely work. And that's wearing particularly medical grade gas mask when you are in a crowd or you're somewhere that you can't be socially distance from other people.
It's investing in ventilation and filters that make sure that we have enough air exchange. It's making sure that if you are somewhere in public, that you have an option to go to or not that you show your vaccination card to get in.
And that we make testing very widely available, particularly that antigen testing that's cheap and inexpensive and people can do on a regular basis. And then have contact tracing for people who do get infected, so that we can nip this spread of this particular variant in the bud.
CHURCH: And Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging that everyone get their two shots, and their booster if they're at that stage. Do you agree with that advice to protect against Omicron, even though we don't know whether these vaccines fully protect? And what other advice would you give everyone to better protect themselves.
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: I completely agree with Dr. Fauci. I think that everybody, you know, over the age of five should be vaccinated, and if it's been more than six months since your last vaccine, get your booster. If you've had the Johnson & Johnson, thinking you are one and done, you need an mRNA booster to really make sure that you up your antibody level for that.
Because the more people we have with high levels of antibodies floating around in their bloodstream, the less likely Omicron, or by the way Delta, Delta is still around and it's really contagious, and it's surging in multiple parts of the country. The more people we have vaccinated with the appropriate antibody levels, the less likely we'll have people dying of yet another fourth wave this winter, from this entirely preventable virus.
CHURCH: Yes. It is so important to emphasize that we have the tools available to us, all of us, right now. We need to use them. So how much confidence do you have in the Merck COVID pills that could be authorized here in the U.S. within a matter of days. Do you think this could be a turning point, particularly with this new variant?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: I think that the Merck pills are definitely a good add into the treatment armamentarium now between things like Dexamethasone and Remdesivir and the Regeneron antibody cocktails, and now the Merck pill. We have several tools that we can use to fight COVID when people get it.
By the way there's another antiviral pill that hopefully will be approved in the not-too-distant future from Pfizer that looks like it has better efficacy than the Merck one. But all that said, still the best prevention is the vaccine. We have tools to treat you if you get infected with the germ these days, but it's so much better not to get in the first place.
CHURCH: Yes. So much easier, just get the vaccine. Right? That's the big message here. Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, always a pleasure to have you with us. Many thanks.
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Thank you so much.
CHURCH: And coming up on, urgent meeting between the U.S. secretary of state and his Russian counterpart is set for the coming hours as Moscow's aggression towards Ukraine intensifies.
Plus, the Women's Tennis Association is standing up to China, why it's suspending all tournaments from the country.
[03:20:00]
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CHURCH (on camera): The U.S. secretary of state will soon meet with his Russian counterpart in Stockholm, Sweden, at a time of heightened tensions between the two nations.
Antony Blinken says Russia is setting the stage for a possible invasion of Ukraine as Moscow significantly increases its military presence along the border. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Now, we don't know whether President Putin has made the decision to invade. We do know that he is putting in place the capacity to do so on short order should he so desire. So, despite uncertainty about intentions and timing, we must prepare for all contingencies while working to see to it that Russia reverses course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): And CNN's Alex Marquardt is traveling with Secretary Blinken, and joins us now from Stockholm. Good to see you, Alex.
So, after issuing a stark warning to Russia, what is likely to come out of this meeting between Secretary Blinken and his Russian counterpart?
ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this meeting, of course, is highly anticipated, it's taking place in just under two hours' time right here in Stockholm on the margins of the OECD summit that's taking place.
It is not expected to be very long, and Secretary Blinken is expected to be direct in terms of laying out consequences that Russia would face should they choose to invade Ukraine. Now, Blinken has repeatedly warned over the last few days that there will be severe consequences for Russia if they invade Ukraine. And the goal of his meeting with other NATO foreign leaders, forein
ministers over the past few days in Latvia was to get everyone on the same page. And what Blinken has said those severe consequences would be are what he calls high impact economic sanctions that have not been used before.
Now Blinken declined to go to any sort of detail, for example, would they try to cut Moscow off from the financial system or something like that. I did ask Blinken whether he would be communicating in detail to Lavrov what those sanctions would look like, Blinken would only say that they would do that at an appropriate time.
But this meeting between Blinken and Lavrov is expected to be short and direct. As you played in that clip there, NATO is not certain whether Russia and Putin plan to invade Ukraine, what they say is that the capacity is in place to do so at very short order.
And what they are seeing all the intelligence indicates that the circumstances are very similar to what we saw back in 2014 when Russia again massed troops along the border of Ukraine and then invaded. And on top of those troop movements, what we're also seeing right now is a huge amount of Russian disinformation about Ukraine being the aggressor.
Yesterday, Blinken noted that there had been a tenfold increase in social media accounts talking putting out anti-Ukrainian propaganda. And Blinken has repeatedly talked about the meddling that Russia does internally in Ukraine, as well.
So, on top of the threat of consequences, of sanctions, that Blinken has laid up and will communicate to Lavrov today, what he's also saying at the same time and what NATO is also saying is that this can all be resolved diplomatically, that there is a diplomatic off ramp to de-escalate the situation on the border between Russia and Ukraine. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right, joining us live, Alex Marquardt in a very cold Stockholm. Many thanks.
William Taylor is a former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, he joins me now from Arlington, Virginia. Thank you so much, sir, for talking with us.
WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: Thank you, Rosemary. Good to be here.
CHURCH: So, the U.S. is telling Russia to pull back its troops from the Ukrainian border or face sanctions. What's Russia's intent here, do you think?
TAYLOR: Rosemary, that's a great question. It's hard to get into President Putin's mind. He's done some unusual, unexpected, and dramatic things in the past, as we know he invaded Ukraine in 2014. So, it's difficult to say, there are two possibilities in my view. One is he is massing these forces on the border, on several borders of Ukraine, in order to put pressure on President Zelensky.
[03:25:03]
In order to put pressure on NATO, or to put pressure on President Biden. To put pressure on his opponents to give him what he wants. Or, he may actually want to invade Ukraine. He may actually want to control, occupy Ukraine more than he does now.
Of course, he's occupying illegally part of Ukraine already, in Crimea. He has troops in another part of Ukraine, Donbas. It could be that he wants to be the great Russian leader gatherer of lands, and pull Ukraine back into the Russian control.
So hard to tell in either case. What we need to do is what you said. That is try to deter him from that invasion. And make it clear to him that Ukraine is a sovereign country that we support.
CHURCH: And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is threatening Russia with sanctions, and says that they would hit Moscow harder than any imposed in the past. If Russia doesn't agree to pull back its massing troops, but is that enough of a threat to persuade Russia, do you think?
TAYLOR: I think the combination of things that -- and actions that Secretary Blinken is talking about, that is very tough sanctions. And, Rosemary, there are some very tough sanctions that have not been imposed on Russia to date. That could be, and would be very painful for the Russian economy.
President Putin, undoubtedly knows this, indeed, he's made some statements that indicated that they're trying to make themselves less vulnerable to these sanctions. So it would clearly have an effect.
But that's not the only thing to talk about. As you know, Secretary Blinken has just been consulting with his NATO allies, at the NATO foreign ministers meeting. And they had strong support from not just the United States but also from the rest of the NATO allies for not only sanctions, but also increased military assistance to Ukraine, to help them defend again with the idea of deterring a Russian invasion.
So, military support, economic sanctions, diplomatic support, all of these things again in combination with Europeans, they're all designed to influence President Putin's thinking so that he doesn't invade.
CHURCH: And of course, we don't know what Russia's President Putin is planning to do here. But what do you think his endgame might be, and what needs to happen if this ends in conflict with Ukraine?
TAYLOR: If this ends in conflict, on your last question, it will be, sadly, very bloody. Ukrainian military is much stronger today than it was in 2014 when the Russians last invaded. The Russian military has been fighting for more than seven years, coming on eight years. They are battle hardens. They know how to fight this opponent.
They have better equipment now, they have better training now, they have better leadership. The society, the Ukrainian society is more unified now against the Russians, because the Russians have invaded them seven and a half years ago, the Ukrainian society is now united against them, and it will be a very difficult fight.
So, this is -- this will be hard for the Russian people to see their brothers and fathers and sons come back shoulder wounded from a conflict that they don't support. So, this is -- this is a problem for President Putin.
CHURCH: Ambassador William Taylor, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.
TAYLOR: Thank you, Rosemary. It's good to be with you.
CHURCH: The Tigrayan People's Liberation Front is disputing the Ethiopian prime minister's claims that the military has captured several key towns. The TPLF says they have now repositioned themselves for strategic attack purposes. CNN cannot independently verify these claims.
Well, the Women's Tennis Association is staying true to its word, and suspending all tournaments in China amid ongoing concerns over tennis star Peng Shuai. We look at why the WTA says China left us no choice.
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get you caught up on our top story this hour. The president of the European Commission says it's time to start thinking about mandatory COVID vaccinations. Ursula von der Leyen's comments come as at least 28 countries and territories have now confirmed cases of the Omicron variant. The U.S., South Korea, Ireland, Ghana, and Norway are among the latest.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is criticizing blanket travel bans, but says people in high-risk groups should postpone travel to areas with community spread.
Well, now, there's even more attention on South Africa as health care workers race to learn more about the Omicron variant. CNN's David McKenzie visited a lab in Johannesburg that is studying the variant.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After tracking COVID for many months at this lab, Jeanine du Plessis is bracing herself.
Have you seen a lot more positive cases in the last few weeks?
JEANINE DU PLESSIS, MEDICAL SCIENTIST, WITS VIDA RESEARCH UNIT: Yes, we have.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): First a trickle, then a flood. At the Wits VIDA Lab, they're studying a disturbing variant of an old foe (ph).
DU PLESSIS: It's still too early to actually tell. There is so much that is so unknown about the variant. I feel (ph) a little bit of a hopelessness in a moment like that.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): This lab is really at the cold face (ph) of the COVID response.
(On camera): You know, they're expanding so fast. They're putting these samples in freezers right here in the hallway. They come in in shifts. And as this wave develops, they will be operating 24 hours a day.
(Voice-over): We've covered COVID here since the very beginning, and know how bad it can get. In July, we rode with ambulance teams --
UNKNOWN: Hello. Good morning.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): -- going into people's homes that were too sick to walk.
In hospitals, Delta's impact was awful. Patients stacked in hallways, struggling to breathe, in an exclusive footage obtained by CNN. That's why Omicron is scary. We fear we could slide backwards, back to the chaos, back to locked-down streets and fear, the fear we all felt in the very earliest months. But this time seems different. We have more tools to fight.
(On camera): Baragwanath (ph) is one of the biggest hospitals in Africa. But right now, the pressure on the COVID wards is not that intense. Doctors I'm speaking to who work here say they are expecting those numbers to rise in the coming weeks.
And it's not just the lab tests that are important. It's the clinical evidence that this variant is possibly more transmissible, whether there are breakthrough infections. And crucially, the question everyone wants to know is whether people who are vaccinated get severely ill.
[03:34:58]
MCKENZIE (voice-over): What does it feel like that the entire world is hanging on this discovery that was figured out here initially?
ALLISON GLASS, PATHOLOGIST, LANCET LABORATORIES: I mean, it can -- it does feel a bit sort of surreal when you watch the news and you see the impact it is having globally. You're thinking, wow, you know, it's sort of affecting stock markets and airlines and people's travel plans. So, you know, you are kind of don't plan on having that sort of ripple effect.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): A spike in cases first happened in Pretoria with a cluster infection at this technical university. But hints of a new variant were first detected here by scientists and pathologists at Lancet Laboratories and their PCR machines named after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
(On camera): What happened in early November is that the team noticed an anomaly in the positive test that harkened back to the Alpha variant. Because that is not expanding possibly (ph) displacing the Delta variant, they thought this needed to be something, that they took to other authorities to try and figure out just what was going on.
(Voice-over): What was it like to see this anomaly cropping up again?
GLASS: It was a bit disturbing because it made us worry that we are dealing with something new. And because it coincided with the new increase in positivity rates, it made us very aware that we could be dealing with a new variant.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Lancet urgently notified South Africa's genomics team. Within days, they described and made public disturbing details of the highly-mutated virus. Much of the world shut off travel from Southern Africa. Scientists here say they are now struggling to fly a critical reagent (ph) for their work. Many say travel restrictions are punitive and don't do much good.
Why was it so important to alert everybody about this?
GLASS: Especially with the reaction of the world to Southern Africa on the announcement of the variant, a lot of people say, why don't you just keep quiet about what you find? But what's important is we know that a new variant is likely to cause an increase in cases, whether they will be more severe or not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, as a Michigan community grieves, the teenage suspect in the school shooting that left four students dead makes his first court appearance. We will have the details just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: A Michigan teenager will be tried as an adult on first-degree murder and terrorism charges for the deadliest U.S. school shooting this year. Authorities say they learned 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley and his parents met with school officials just a few hours before the shooting to discuss behavior school officials found concerning. Foure students were killed and seven other people wounded.
Adrienne Broaddus reports on a traumatized community.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[03:39:58]
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The suspect appeared virtually in court as police described the shooting and his attorney asked the court to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
MARC KEAST, OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: He methodically and deliberately walked on the hallway, aiming the fireman at students and firing. Right outside the bathroom, he began firing, judge. This continued on for four, approximately five minutes. The defendant went to another bathroom. As deputies arrived, he set the firearm down and he surrendered.
BROADDUS (voice-over): The suspect's parents also watching the proceedings via video as police detailed video the suspect recorded on his cell phone and his journal writings.
UNKNOWN: The night before the incident wherein he talked about shooting and killing students the next day at Oxnard High School. Further, a journal was recovered from Ethan's backpack, also detailing his desire to shoot up the school, to include murdering students.
BROADDUS (voice-over): The Oxford, Michigan school student shot 11 people on Tuesday, killing four, after a meeting with his parents and school authorities earlier that same day.
We were with the Pittman family learning about one of the victims, Tate Myre, from his friend JaVon.
JAVON PITTMAN, OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: He's probably the most -- the best person you could probably meet, besides my dad and besides God. Tate was always -- he is smart in class. Me and him used to joke around. We used to play.
BROADDUS (voice-over): And then news another classmate died.
PITTMAN: Justin.
(CRYING)
PITTMAN: Justin. I knew Justin.
JAMAR PITTMAN, FATHER (voice-over): That was the boy (ph).
(CRYING)
BROADDUS (voice-over): JaVon described calling his dad during the shooting.
JAVON PITTMAN: I was whispering because I didn't want the shooter to hear me and my classmates. And my dad was just asking me what's going on, what's happening. And I told him it's a shooting and somebody is shooting up the school. And he told me, he said, okay, I'm on my way.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Why your dad? Is he your superhero?
JAVON PITTMAN: Yes.
JAMAR PITTMAN, FATHER: You can't save your kids. That's devastating. I would rather been the one that got shot than my kids.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Afraid for their lives, other students sheltered in their classroom, barricading the entry, refusing to open the door for authorities.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Open the door.
UNKNOWN: We're not taking that risk right now.
BROADDUS (voice-over): And then escaping through a classroom window, following the training they never wanted to use.
When police took the suspect into custody on Tuesday, he's still had 18 rounds of ammunition. Tonight, in Oxford, Michigan, families are now left with a nightmare that for some will never end.
VONTYSHA PITTMAN, MOTHER: I'm turning off the light and I have my kids. But (INAUDIBLE) don't have Tate. I can turn off the light and they're in the room. But there are some parents that -- their room is completely empty.
BROADDUS (on camera): And we also learned the suspect's father purchased the gun that was used in the shooting four days prior to the shooting. On Wednesday, the prosecuting attorney said the suspect's parents could face potential charges. When asked if there was evidence to support those potential charges, she didn't go into detail.
Meanwhile, JaVon Pittman and his family were vulnerable with us, as you just saw in the story. JaVoon said he will miss his classmates. Every Thursday, he and his varsity teammates met up at Tate's house for dinner ahead of their football games. This is their senior year, a time when they are supposed to create memorable moments, but what happened inside of the high school behind me is something JaVon says will haunt him forever.
Adrienne Broaddus, CNN, Oxford, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): That's a heartbreaking report to watch. Now, the first alleged victim to testify in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell broke down on the stand Wednesday during her second day of testimony.
When asked about money she received from the Epstein victim compensation fund, she said sometimes it's the only thing victims in this country can get to move on with their lives. The woman says she was 14 years old when Jeffrey Epstein began sexually abusing her, and Maxwell would sometimes join in. Maxwell is charged with six federal crimes, including the sex trafficking of minors. She has pleaded not guilty.
[03:45:00]
CHURCH (on camera): Actor Alec Baldwin sat down for his first interview to talk about the fatal shooting on the film set of "Rust," saying he did not pull the trigger when the gun went off. He became emotional as he spoke about Halyna Hutchins, who was killed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ANCHOR, ABC NEWS: It wasn't in the script for the trigger to be pulled.
ALEV BALDWIN, ACTOR: Well, the trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you never pulled the trigger?
BALDWIN: No, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never. She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with her, liked by everyone who worked with her, and admired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (voice-over): Investigators have been focusing on a prop store in Albuquerque where they suspect some of the rounds may have originated. They have not yet determined how a live round got into the gun on the movie set.
Human rights activists are urging pop singer Justin Bieber to cancel his upcoming performance in Saudi Arabia. Coming up, why one activist says the singer is helping cover up the Saudis' human rights record. We'll have that in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber is under pressure to cancel his performance this weekend at Saudi Arabia's Formula One event. Human rights activists say the crown prince is using the singer to distract from the government's human rights record. The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered by Saudi agents in 2018, is leading the charge. She pleaded for Bieber to back out of the event and condemn her husband's killers.
Sarah Leah Whitson is the executive director for Democracy for the Arab World Now. She joins me from Washington. Good to have you with us.
SARAH LEAH WHITSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEMOCRACY FOR THE ARAB WORLD NOW: Thank you.
CHURCH: So, in a tweet, you attacked singer Justin Bieber and two other performers scheduled to perform in Saudi Arabia, telling them they are making money on the backs of corpses of Yemen's kids. Why did you feel the need to send those messages and did you receive any responses back?
WHITSON: Well, I haven't received any responses, but I think it's very important that artists like Justin Bieber be aware of the role that they're playing in a war thousands of miles away.
The Saudi government is very deliberately using their image, their credibility, their artistry in order to hide the very ugly reality of its brutal war in Yemen, an ongoing war led by the Saudi government, which has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Yemeni men, women and children, which UNICEF has described as the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world.
CHURCH: So, what is your greatest complaint about Saudi Arabia's human rights record? Why do you think the U.S. and indeed other nations seem comfortable dealing with the Saudis despite the murder, for instance, of "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi?
WHITSON: Well, it's very important to understand that the whole world has to deal with the Saudi government. This is not about dealing with the Saudi government.
[03:50:00]
WHITSON: It is about whether or not the international community, including artists like Justin Bieber, actively aid and abet the unelected, unaccountable Saudi government in hiding its crimes, enabling its crimes, and allowing it to get away with its crimes.
The reality is that the Saudi government is orchestrating concerts like Justin Bieber's in order to propagate a false image of its approach, not only to its own citizens, but to the citizens of another country.
It's very important that artists like Justin Bieber not be allowed to use their image and their name to further and hide the very harsh abuses of the Saudi government.
CHURCH: And you want the international community to boycott Saudi Arabia, but how likely is it that this will ever happen? How effective cultural boycotts compared, say, to sanctions?
WHITSON: I think it's very important to understand that there is no call for a cultural boycott of Saudi Arabia. This has nothing at all to do with a boycott of culture or a boycott of art. What this is a call for people like Justin Bieber to take responsibility for their role and participation in a state-sponsored, state-orchestrated PR stunt that is using culture to whitewash, to music wash, to arts wash a very brutal record.
CHURCH (on camera): All right. Sarah Leah Whitson, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.
In an unprecedented move, the Women's Tennis Association is suspending all tournaments in China and Hong Kong. The WTA chairman says Chinese officials have failed to address sexual assault allegations made by Peng Shuai last month against a retired senior communist party leader.
Chinese state media posted several videos of the tennis star, but the WTA says they have serious doubts Peng is free, safe, and not subject to censorship. Its CEO says they are willing to take a significant financial loss in order to uphold their principles.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE SIMON, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, WOMEN'S TENNIS ASSOCIATION: This is something we can't walk away from. If we walk away from this, we're basically telling the world that not addressing sexual assault with the respect and seriousness it requires is okay, because it's difficult to do. That is something that we simply cannot have been and it's not what we stand for as an organization.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH (on camera): CNN's Will Ripley joins me live now from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Will. So, what is being said about this bold move by the Women's Tennis Association suspending its tournaments in China in protest, in essence?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a wide range of reactions, Rosemary, from the sports world. There is a lot of praise for the Women's Tennis Association. And inside China, a lot of criticism, saying they could even face legal repercussions for walking away from this 10-year reportedly billion-dollar deal. But getting lost in al of this is the original complaint from Peng Shuai herself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PENG SHUAI, TENNIS PLAYER (voice-over): I shouldn't have come into this world, but I don't have the courage to die.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The painful words of Peng Shuai, Chinese tennis star, three-time Olympian, sexual assault accuser.
SHUAI (voice-over): Why did you have to come back to me, take me to your home to force me to have sex with you? I couldn't describe how disgusted I was.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Those allegations against the retired senior communist party leader, made one month ago on Chinese social media, censored by the government, erased in less than 30 minutes.
The Women's Tennis Association suspending a lucrative 10-year deal in China and Hong Kong, demanding a full investigation and direct communication with Peng.
SIMON: We are planning to suspend our events until such time that the Chinese authorities do the appropriate thing.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The head of the WTA sailing CNN, Chinese leaders left him no choice.
SIMON: I can only imagine the range of emotions and feelings that are likely going through Peng right now.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Two emails to the WTA supposedly from Peng walked back her accusations. The WTA not buying it, not backing down.
SOPHIE RICHARDSON, CHINA DIRECTOR, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: The WTA has really turned in an exemplary performance, essentially saying that her well-being is more important than business.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The WTA's strong response in stark contrast to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC released this single photo of its video call with Peng last month, an attempt to calm the controversy. The Beijing Winter Games right around the corner.
DICK POUND, MEMBER, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: That's the evidence we have.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The IOC's longest serving member telling CNN, that call alone is proof enough that she's okay.
POUND: She is fine. She is not under any kind of coercion or confinement.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Chinese state media ignoring the story inside their country.
[03:55:02]
RIPLEY (voice-over): Outside, tweeting updates and videos of Peng. Videos activists say are almost certainly staged, aimed at a foreign audience to repair China's reputation ahead of the games. One high- profile state propagandist tweeting, the WTA is coercing Peng Shuai to support the West's attack.
Chinese Global Times tweeting the WTA's decision was based on fictitious information. The foreign ministry in Beijing says China has always been firmly opposed any act that politicizes sports.
Some of the world's most famous athletes praising the WTA for not staying silent. Who is staying silent about Peng? Olympic partner sponsors.
RICK BURTON, PROFESSOR OF SPORT MANAGEMENT, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: They are aware that taking the stance against an individual from China or against the country itself can have damaging repercussions.
RIPLEY (voice-over): With billions of dollars of stake --
SHUAI (voice-over): I feel like a walking corpse.
RIPLEY (voice-over): -- Peng Shuai's call for help goes largely unanswered.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (on camera): Perhaps the most ironic tweet coming from that high-profile Chinese propagandist, Hu Xijin. I'll put it up on the screen for you. You can see that line in the middle there, saying they are depriving Peng Shuai's freedom of expression, the WTA depriving Peng Shuai's freedom of expression, exactly what many observers believe the China is doing by silencing and censoring this tennis stay who dare to speak out against the retired communist party leader. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Extraordinary story. Will Ripley joining us there live from Hong Kong. Thanks for that report. Appreciate it.
Well, next year's Major League Baseball season is in jeopardy after players and owners failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement. Players are now locked out of team facilities, and we could be without baseball for the first time since the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
If the issue is not resolved, the economic impact could be huge. Thirty teams, times 162 games, adds up to a lot of money. Forbes magazine says Major League Baseball grossed a record $10.7 billion in 2019, the last pre-pandemic season.
And thank you so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Isa Soares.
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