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Deadly Tornadoes In The U.S.; Deadly Building Collapse In Italy; British Prime Minister Under Fire For Christmas Party; Israel Hosts Miss Universe Pageant. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired December 12, 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 ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM --

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KYANNA PARSONS-PEREZ, CANDLE FACTORY COLLAPSE SURVIVOR, MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY: We are trapped. Please, y'all, get us some help. We're at the candle factory in Mayfield.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Incredible stories of survival in Kentucky and other states, following a string of deadly tornadoes.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Plus, developing out of Italy, where several buildings have collapsed early this morning, we're live with the latest.

And political controversy and beauty pageants don't always go hand in hand. We'll explain why this year's Miss Universe competition is dealing with just that.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin with the astonishing damage from one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in the U.S. in decades. At least 84 people are feared dead after a series of powerful tornadoes ravaged six states.

And officials say the death toll is likely to rise above 100. It's feared many of those deaths happened inside this candle factory that collapsed in Mayfield, Kentucky. More than 100 people were inside when the storm hit. Just 40 have been pulled from the rubble. Dozens more are unaccounted for. CNN spoke with one man, who raced to the factory where his wife had

been working. He managed to pull two people out but his wife is still missing. And the wait for answers is agonizing.

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IVY WILLIAMS, HUSBAND OF MISSING CANDLE FACTORY WORKER: Someone that know, please contact me. I want to find my wife. I want to find her and know she's still somewhere safe. I hope she's somewhere safe.

And Baby, please call me so we can get connected. Please call me. I'm looking for you, baby. We been looking for you, me, Tamara (ph), the kids, we all looking for you right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: The longest stretch of devastation spanned more than 250 miles, around 400 kilometers, across several states. Kentucky's governor says one tornado may have been on the ground for 200 miles in his state alone.

In all, more than 30 tornadoes were reported across six states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee.

In Illinois, an Amazon warehouse collapsed, killing at least six people. Officials say search and rescue efforts are still underway.

In Arkansas, at least one person was killed when a tornado ripped through a nursing home. Many others were trapped after the storm and at least 20 people were injured.

U.S. President Joe Biden has already approved a federal emergency declaration for Kentucky and he says the federal government is ready to provide whatever other help is needed. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is likely to be one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history. The federal government will do everything, everything it can possibly do to help.

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BRUNHUBER: Kentucky governor Andy Bashir toured some of the hardest- hit areas on Saturday, including the candle factory that was flattened in Mayfield. He says the extent of the devastation is staggering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): The devastation is unlike anything I have seen in my life. And I have trouble putting it into words.

When it was safe to travel this morning, I flew to Mayfield. My first stop was that candle factory, 110 people working in it at the time the storm hit. They've rescued 40. There's at least 15 feet of metal, with cars on top of it, barrels of corrosive chemicals that are there. It will be a miracle if anybody else is found alive in it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Britain CNN is covering this story across several states from all angles, from the staggering damage and loss of life in Mayfield and Dawson Springs, Kentucky, to Edwardsville, Illinois, where part of that Amazon warehouse collapsed, to the White House for the latest on the federal response.

The mayor of Mayfield says her town now looks like matchsticks and the human toll isn't yet known. CNN's Brynn Gingras is there.

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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Waking up this morning, Kentucky's governor fears the death toll in this state could rise past 100. It's the worst devastation that this state has ever seen.

Take a look behind me. And what we're looking, just in the center of this town of Mayfield, it's hard to tell what these buildings actually were because they have all just been decimated. And we're talking about for miles.

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GINGRAS: In fact, as my crew was driving into this town on a four-lane highway, the second we saw the sign that said "Welcome to Mayfield," it's like we entered a completely different world. Nothing is recognizable.

A candle factory, not far from where we are with, more than 100 employees working around the clock to meet Christmas time demand, well, that building is now a pile of rubble.

One worker telling CNN they were warned; some got out safe. About 40 people were rescued as of yesterday, according to the governor. Others, though, among those feared dead.

FEMA teams are in the state and efforts to find those lost is going to continue later today -- in Mayfield, Kentucky, I'm Brynn Gingras, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: In northeastern Arkansas, at least two people were killed in the tornadoes, one in the town of Monette at a nursing home destroyed by the storm. Have a look at these pictures.

The one on the left, that nursing home, before the storm; the one on the right, after the massive tornado hit. There were 67 residents in that nursing home at time. The last time the town had damage from a tornado, 1984.

BRUNHUBER: Joining us now over the phone from Monette, Arkansas, is Mayor Bob Blankenship.

Mayor, thank you so much for being here with us. Your city was really hard hit and unfortunately, there was loss of life.

Now that you've seen the damage during daylight hours today, just how bad is it?

MAYOR BOB BLANKENSHIP (R), MONETTE, AR: Well, I think the initial shock was last evening, when we saw what had happened, what we knew could happen and the reality is it did happen.

But in the daylight hours, to see -- to see the widespread of what it had done, not just in the inner part of our city or the outskirts of our city but to see what it had done before it got there.

And then as it left there, to see not just that we were the only ones going through such heartache and pain and the devastation that we've seen but to see, I guess, just how massive, just how much strength was in the destruction, how it could uproot trees and totally destroy, take roofs off of buildings and see that.

But I think this morning, when I looked at our eyes this morning, with our eyes this morning, with the daylight in front of us, I think we had the opportunity to see just how close we came to how much more area could have been taken with this. You've got to stop and pause and be thankful more that, that only that small area was hit in our town.

BRUNHUBER: You had what, maybe 25 minutes' warning, is that right?

Less than half an hour.

BLANKENSHIP: Yes. We had 25 minutes. That doesn't seem a long time but then again it is a long time. You know, as I said earlier today, that we -- we knew all day long and a couple days prior to that. But that particular time that we could be under some very severe weather.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, as you say, it could have been much worse.

Looking at the recovery now, how long do you think it's going to be before you can get your city back to whatever it was?

BLANKENSHIP: Well, I think for our personal homes that were damaged or destroyed, you know, three months, four months, I think, from the time that -- on the worst ones, it's going to take to get those either replaced or the people relocate to another area in our community.

The ones with the minor damage, where there's roof or windows or something like that, I look for maybe two weeks, three weeks, four weeks.

But the biggest and is going to be our nursing facility. I know that's going to take several months to clean up the debris and then go through all of the procedure of architectural and contract and so forth. It's going to take a while. It may be a year before we see that come back.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Well, we've certainly see the community come together and people are very resilient. And I know plenty of folks out here are thinking of you and all the cities and towns that have been hit by this and so close to Christmas as well. We wish you all the best of luck in your recovery. Thank you so much, Mayor.

BLANKENSHIP: Thank you.

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BRUNHUBER: And you can help those in need after those deadly tornadoes. Go to cnn.com/impact and there you can find verified ways to help tornado victims. Once again, that's CNN cnn.com/impact.

All right. We have much more just ahead, including a look at the devastation left behind after an Amazon warehouse in Illinois took a direct hit from a tornado.

And emergency crews are searching for survivors after several homes and buildings collapsed in Italy. We will have the latest details in what might have caused the incident in a live report from Rome. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, updating you on our top story. This tornado disaster is now responsible for at least 84 deaths in five of the six states that were hit. At least six people died in the collapse of an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois; 45 people got out alive there.

But it's still not clear how many people had been in that warehouse when the EF-3 tornado hit. A shift change was happening at the time.

And in Kentucky, from Mayfield to Bowling Green and beyond, we're seeing the disaster grow worse as well. At least 70 people are feared dead in the state. The governor warns that the toll could top 100. And children are among the 12 known dead in Warren County.

And in Tennessee, one person is missing in Lake Court. Four people are dead statewide. The governor believes effective storm warnings kept the numbers from being much higher.

We're also hearing from people who had close calls with tornadoes during those storms. CNN caught up with one man, who was at home when a tornado did this in Mayfield, Kentucky. He described what he did when he realized the twister was coming.

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ROBERT MILLER, TORNADO SURVIVOR: We got our closet with -- put some mattresses inside because, you know, it's not the new to hear tornado warnings around this area. So we're going out on this front porch. And I remember seeing just the -- all the power -- just last night, I

remember the power just went out, the sky turned blue. And then I've seen the funnel cloud over that way.

I ran inside. I told my other buddies and he's out here trying to finish his cigarette. He barely made it back inside, man. That was it. (INAUDIBLE) so fast. Just everything started caving in. It was nuts.

Right next door, about three houses down, people were screaming. I helped the little lady out from rubble. So this is my first thought as was everybody else. I checked everybody on the house and everybody was good.

And then there's a bunch of people on other street, about five, six people doing CPR. And there's, I think, it was a little boy. And I heard he didn't make it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Dawson Springs in western Kentucky is dealing with the crushing effects of the tornadoes. There's destruction almost everywhere. CNN's Ed Lavandera is there with the latest.

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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The city of Dawson Springs has nearly 3,000 people and much of it has been left like the ruins you see behind me. We are about 70 miles east of the city of Mayfield, Kentucky.

And this is an area where many of its residents were watching the storm as it started moving toward them. We spoke with one gentlemen, who was watching and tracking the tornadoes on a radar.

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LAVANDERA: And when he realized that his neighborhood, this neighborhood, was about to take a direct hit, he decided to leave and get away, which was probably a smart decision because, for miles and miles, many of the homes look like what you see behind me, piles of rubble.

You might be able to see there in the distance some homes essentially sheared in half. The destruction here is really stunning. When we first pulled in, we walked up onto a concrete porch that is left intact but no home attached to it any longer.

This goes on for miles. This looks like the epicenter of an explosion that is simply just massive. The medical examiner here in this county, Hopkins County, tells us that the tornadoes here killed 10 people.

And that in this area, this is the hardest hit area of the county. Overnight, no power for as far as we can see. This is a sea of darkness all around us. So many people left homeless that the county has set up cottages at a nearby state park so people can get some shelter here, especially through these very frigid nights that are expected.

As we walk around here, we talk to some people who rushed here to this scene, who were helping people escape from the debris field. They described pulling people out with broken bones.

The nearby hospital that has treated people said they treated nearly 100 people from around this area with traumatic injuries caused by this storm.

And the one thing you're left with, as you watch other people comb through the rubble, trying to find whatever belongings they can salvage, is really a sense of people stunned and in disbelief by what they have endured here -- Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dawson Springs, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: As we mentioned, the tornado that struck an Amazon warehouse in Illinois hit during a shift change. Police said some people were initially trapped underneath the rubble. And as Polo Sandoval reports from the scene, officials now say there's no one left to save.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Families here in western Illinois receiving some truly heartbreaking news as the state's governor updates the death toll from two to six people, all workers at this Amazon fulfillment center.

You can see what's left behind here after one of dozens of tornadoes that touched down on Friday night actually led or caused that partial collapse of the building here.

Some more disheartening news, also, that was shared by authorities, was that this is now transitioning from a search and rescue mission to a search and recovery. One local official saying now that there is no hope of finding any survivors.

So now the big question is whether or not there are any people that are still unaccounted for. They may have to be recovered in the days ahead. And meanwhile, as we heard from Governor Pritzker on Saturday night, the governor sharing a message of condolence for the families of those six people who were killed here.

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GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Please know that the people of Illinois stand with you. We are one Illinois. In this moment and in the days, months and years to come, you are not alone. We will stand with you to help you through your grief and then to honor your loved ones. May their memory be a blessing.

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SANDOVAL: Governor Pritzker also adding that he and his office have been in contact with Amazon. The company saying that is does intend to assist the community in rebuilding and recovery efforts. There are still many questions here on the ground, though, as to what kind of protocols and policies were in place to make sure that employees could stay safe.

Authorities confirming on Saturday night that this building that you see behind me did not have a basement. So as we enter Sunday, that will be one of the key questions here, is what kind of options did the staff here to actually seek shelter, as the severe weather was threatening on Friday night -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, Edwardsville, Illinois.

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BRUNHUBER: A town in Sicily woke today to the sound of a blast. Just ahead on CNN, two people are dead, buildings have collapsed, as rescuers search for the missing.

Plus, G7 foreign ministers are meeting for a second day in England, hoping the threat of harsh economic sanctions will deter Russia from invading Ukraine. We'll have a live report from Liverpool, just ahead. 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, this is CNN NEWSROOM. Back to our top story.

At least 84 people are feared dead after a series of powerful tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states. And officials fear that death toll will rise, as search and rescue operations ramp up in the coming hours.

Kentucky bore the brunt of the devastation. The governor says at least 70 people likely died in his state alone. The small town of Mayfield was nearly leveled by the storm, homes and businesses reduced to piles of rubble in mere moments.

The storm flattened this candle factory in Mayfield. Officials say more than 100 people were working inside when the storm hit. Just 40 have been rescued and dozens more are still unaccounted for.

One woman who was working in the factory spent hours trapped under the rubble. At some point, she started broadcasting on Facebook Live, desperately asking for help. Listen to this.

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KYANNA PARSONS-PEREZ, CANDLE FACTORY COLLAPSE SURVIVOR, MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY: Y'all, please send us some help. Somebody please send us some help. We are trapped. The wall is stuck on me. Nobody can get to us. Y'all, please. We can't move.

Andrea, calm down.

Y'all, please, y'all, pray for us. Just get somebody to come and help us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN spoke with that woman, Kyanna Parsons-Perez a short time ago and she told us what it was like to be trapped in the rubble. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PARSONS-PEREZ: It was terrifying. It was -- I can't even think of any other words to describe it. It was a very terrifying experience.

We talked to each other quite a bit, trying to keep each other calm, letting each other know how we were doing.

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PARSONS-PEREZ: If someone wasn't breathing, you know, as we were trying to maneuver our way around and out, we talked to kind of work together, to figure out what we were doing and what we should do.

And even at one point, somebody was moving around toward my foot. And whatever they was doing was causing pain to my ankle. And I'm like, please stop, whoever's doing that. And they stopped.

So we were in communication. But one thing I realized is, where we were, although all of us were in the same area, the way that the ceiling and the building collapsed on us, it kind of divided us and divided us into groups.

So like I was in a group in one little area and then there were other groups, because the debris was around us and had us all kind of just sectioned off, almost like little cubicles were on top of me, you know. It was just like little clusters.

It looked like a landfill. That's exactly what it looked like. It just was completely demolished. It was gone. I couldn't believe that the building that was -- it was a big building, it was a big-sized building -- but that that building was completely turned into rubble.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: As the community starts to come to grips with the devastating aftermath, the White House is responding as well. Our Arlette Saenz reports.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden says he plans to visit the communities devastated by a string of tornadoes over the weekend, predicting it may be the largest outbreak of tornadoes in American history.

The president said he will not travel to those regions until he knows that his presence there will not hinder from rescue and recovery efforts.

The president has said his heart aches for those who have lost loved ones, those who still do not know where their family members are, and also the rescue teams and first responders working on the scene.

The president has pledged federal assistance, approving an emergency declaration for the state of Kentucky. He has also said that he will offer more federal assistance if the states feel that they need it. But take a listen to the president, talking about a possible visit to see and survey this damage firsthand.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I spoke with -- I started off this morning with the governor of Kentucky and offered to -- I said I'll be happy to come. But I don't want to be in the way.

When a president shows up, he shows up with an awful lot of personnel, an awful lot of vehicles, an awful lot of -- we can get in the way, unintentionally. And so what I'm working with the governor of Kentucky and others, who may want me to be there, is make sure we are value- added at the time and we're not going to get in the way of the rescue and recovery. But I will -- I do plan on going.

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SAENZ: While no timeline has been laid out for a possible presidential visit, on Sunday, the Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell will visit the region to survey damage as they are looking to offer that federal support, as so many communities are reeling after these storms -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

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BRUNHUBER: We're following developing news from a town coping with a tragedy on the Italian island of Sicily. Emergency teams are searching for survivors after several buildings collapsed in Ravanusa. Fire officials say at least two people were killed and others are missing. Barbie Nadeau joins me live from Rome.

So Barbie, what's the latest on that catastrophe?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're still searching for survivors, hoping that there are people that they'll be able to pull out alive. But of course, as time goes on, it always becomes more difficult to find survivors in these situations.

This explosion devastated three buildings but it also damaged several others in this small town of about 10,000 people on the southern coast of Sicily. There are about 50 people who aren't able to return to their homes. And what we know so far is that this was a gas explosion. We don't

know what triggered it, though. Some reports say that it could have been someone using the elevator or some reports say that there could have been some seismic activity.

But every 30 minutes, they're stopping the rescue efforts to listen and try to see if there's anybody calling for help. Two women were rescued alive, one because she had her cell phone on her and was able to call and say where she was in this rubble.

But it's a devastating, devastating situation for this small town. Everybody knew everyone there. It's a close-knit community. So when they're searching, they know who they're looking for. And that is difficult for them, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. You know, give us a sense of exactly where this is. And you have sort of outlined there what effects this would have on such a small community.

NADEAU: Yes, no, it is a small community.

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NADEAU: And this is near Agrigento in Sicily, a very popular tourist area, with Greek ruins. But this was a town that wasn't part of the tourist track. This was a community of 10,000 people. And they didn't have a huge fire department with a lot of equipment.

So the mayor last night, early morning, when it was happening, he put out a plea on Facebook, anybody with shovels or any kind of equipment that could help start moving some of this heavy rubble -- these buildings, of course, are made of stone -- to come and please try to help.

So it's devastating for them and it's still not over yet until they find everyone that's missing, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: We'll stay on this story. Barbie Nadeau in Rome, thanks so much.

The foreign ministers of the G7 nations will soon hold a second day of meetings in England, with the goal of deterring Russian aggression toward Ukraine. After the G7, a senior U.S. diplomat will travel to Kiev to confer with Ukrainian officials.

She'll also visit Moscow to get the Russian view of the situation and then consult with NATO and E.U. officials in Brussels.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from Liverpool.

Nic, a show of unity from the G7 against Russia. Take us through what happened so far and how Russia has been reacting.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, what we understand is that there will be a separate G7 statement on Russia- Ukraine to send a united message. We're told, that the foreign ministers are here are fired up and, you

know, forceful agreement is how it's being described, that they have around the issue of wanting to send a clear and united message to Russia.

If its troops go into Ukraine, there will be consequences, strong orders of magnitude bigger, economic consequences for Russia, if that happens. So that separate statement wasn't anticipated, prior to the summit.

There is, of course, normally a post-summit or post-meeting statement. This is going to be in addition to that. That's the expectation.

Russia, for its part, the embassy here in London has criticized the British foreign secretary Liz Truss for comments she has made prior to this summit, saying that, you know, she -- the British foreign secretary has said that Russian troops are aggressive, that they are potentially going to invade Ukraine.

The Russian embassy is saying that's not correct. Russia has no intention of invading Ukraine and they say the civil war in Ukraine is the thing that's getting hot and explosive. And that's their concern.

They're saying that it's Britain that's moved troops closer to Russia's border in Estonia and Poland. They are a relatively small number, several hundred tops as part of the NATO reinforcement on its eastern flank with Russia.

So it is a war of words.

Is Russia paying attention to what the G7 foreign ministers are saying here?

Absolutely.

Will we get some more clarity on the strength of that unity and commitment later today?

We're anticipating that.

BRUNHUBER: All right, Nic. Looking ahead as I mentioned, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, who oversees Europe and Eurasia, will be going to Ukraine to talk about the military buildup.

So what we are expecting to come out of this?

ROBERTSON: When President Biden spoke with President Putin just about a week ago, the conclusion was that there would be follow-up diplomacy at sort of a lower level track. And this appears to be that.

A very U.S. senior diplomat, Europe-Eurasian affairs, assistant secretary of state, is a senior diplomat. However, this seems to be the outflowings of that conversation. She will go to Brussels, we understand, to talk to E.U. leaders, to hear their positions firsthand, to go to Kiev and speak with Ukrainians. But of course, on to Moscow; it is not clear that her mission is to

completely reset Russia's thinking but open some dialogue around what President Biden has said to President Putin.

However, the message from here at the G7 will be very clear. And that is something that she, of course, will be able to echo when she reaches Moscow.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, Nic Robertson in Liverpool.

Political headaches keep on coming for British prime minister Boris Johnson. Still ahead, Johnson slides in the polls, as a new photo feeds the controversy over parties at 10 Downing Street.

Plus, we'll examine concerns that falling temperatures in the U.S. could mean a cold weather COVID surge is on the horizon. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: Embattled British prime minister Boris Johnson faces a new twist in the growing scandal over 2020 Christmas parties. A photo has emerged, showing him hosting a Christmas quiz party at 10 Downing Street while the country was under strict COVID-19 lockdowns.

Nada Bashir joins us now with more from London.

This controversy now directly involving the prime minister.

What can you tell us more about the controversial photo?

I think you have it with you, right?

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Absolutely, Kim.

This photo is the one that's grabbing headlines today, Boris Johnson hosting a Christmas quiz party. The headline in the "Sunday Mirror" has gone for, "Taking Us for Fools Again."

This comes just days after the prime minister's former press secretary was seen in a video, actually making light of these COVID restrictions and suggesting that a party would help.

So to see this party now come out with the prime minister at a Christmas quiz has caused some frustration.

It is understood, as reported by the "Sunday Mirror," that other members of staff in Downing Street were participating in this quiz, although Downing Street has asserted that this was a virtual quiz and those taking part within Downing Street were already present in their offices, working as part of the COVID response and may have just taken part from their desks.

They have acknowledged that Boris Johnson did participate in this Christmas quiz party briefly. They said this was to give thanks to the staff members for their work over the last year.

But of course, as with that video that surfaced of the former spokesperson for the prime minister, suggesting that that party was held and, of course, news from CNN affiliate ITV that the prime minister's press chief himself was present at this party, handing out mock awards and certificates to up to 50 people.

There is a real sense of anger and frustration, of course, many people were unable to meet with their loved ones over the Christmas period last year due to those COVID restrictions.

Social gatherings were strictly prohibited and the government was pretty stringent in enforcing those rules and calling for Christmas parties and gatherings and such to not be held during the winter period. And of course, many people losing loved ones over those winter months due to coronavirus. There's a real sense of anger.

[04:45:00]

BASHIR: And recent polling has shown that 54 percent of adults in Britain now think that the prime minister should resign.

So as the government tries to bring into force these tougher measures to stem the spread of the Omicron variant ahead of the Christmas period, there is a concern now that the government won't be able to convince members of the public to adhere to these rules, given that government officials in Downing Street last year failed to adhere to these regulations.

Now the prime minister and the government have asserted that COVID regulations weren't broken. But an investigation is being carried out by the cabinet secretary. And it remains to be seen whether or not this is true.

BRUNHUBER: I wonder how they contain the damage from this one. Nada Bashir, thanks so much, appreciate it.

Concerns are growing that the United States has entered a new winter surge of the coronavirus. Average cases have increased well over 60 percent in just the last month and are now hovering around 120,000 new infections a day.

Hospitalizations are rising as well and more than half have been in Midwestern states like Michigan and Ohio. The Delta variant is still dominant strain in the U.S. but the Omicron variant has been detected in at least 27 states, as of Friday.

Turkey has detected its first case caused by the Omicron variant. The country's health minister said Saturday that six cases have been detected in Istanbul and western Izmir province, according to state media. And British scientists ran computer models of the Omicron variant's impact and predict it could cause a bigger surge in COVID hospitalizations than the one we saw last winter. And the European Union rolls out vaccines for children ages 5 and up this week. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for use in children. A dozen nations are set to begin inoculations in the coming days.

South Africa plans to roll out boosters for eligible residents by the end of the month. The Omicron variant is pushing case numbers up. But many doctors there say it mainly causes mild infections. Our David McKenzie joins us live now from Johannesburg.

Health officials seem to be treading a careful line there between taking urgent action to fight this variant and tamping down some of the more alarmist rhetoric about Omicron we're seeing elsewhere.

Is that right?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And the level of fear that the announcement of this variant engendered across the world just more than two weeks ago hasn't necessarily translated on to the ground yet.

Yes, here in South Africa, you've seen a very rapid rise in cases. But at this stage of the pandemic, many clinicians are saying, it's more about whether they are severe cases and deaths; that is the critical factor. At this stage, it hasn't translated into that.

They warn that, because of the nature of this virus, you do have to wait some time to truly assess that. But doctors, surveillance workers and people that I've talked to, over the many months of this pandemic, say that they are seeing far less severe cases at this point, in this wave than in the previous waves.

As an example, you know, there are fewer serious cases in hospitals. Those people that do get to hospital because of COVID are there for a shorter amount of time. We should get more indications, concrete indications of this, in the coming days from researchers. But, at this stage, it is not the catastrophe that was feared. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: And so in response, they're pushing vaccines and boosters in particular.

But what about the lockdowns?

I remember South Africa had very hard lockdowns at the start of the pandemic.

Are they going to do the same thing now?

MCKENZIE: Well, we'll know again in the coming days, because president Cyril Ramaphosa is having a meeting with his command council this coming week. In the past, that has precipitated into harsher measures.

Of course, we are entering the holiday period here in South Africa, where many people travel outside of their home provinces and have large gatherings. There is, you know, some worry from those who look at it this way, that there could be restrictions put in place.

But so little is known about this variant. Those initial clinical indications are still pretty early. And this government has shown that it has taken a cautious approach and rather tightened restrictions than have a run on the hospitals.

As you said, South Africa had a very strict lockdown for the first five or so weeks. It's unclear how they will move with this variant, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. We'll be watching to see. David McKenzie in Johannesburg, thank you so much.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, Israel is hosting this year's Miss Universe pageant but controversy ensued when one attendant refused to pull out after the government told her to. We'll have a report after the break. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The Miss Universe pageant is underway in Israel. But controversies are casting a shadow on participating contestants, caught in political crosshairs. Hadas Gold has the story.

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HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sparkles, stilettos and swimsuits: 80 Miss Universe contestants have taken over the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat for the preliminary stages of the 70th annual pageant. But these spotlights pushing the competition into another, the decision to host Miss Universe in Israel pulling some of the contestants into the political spotlight.

South Africa's government withdrawing support over what they say is Israel's treatment of Palestinians, calling on their contestant, Lelela Mswane, to pull out.

But Miss South Africa refused to bend to the pressure and will compete.

NOA COCHVA, MISS ISRAEL: I really think the Miss Universe competition is not about politics. It's about us as humans and us as strong women.

GOLD (voice-over): On the other end of the spectrum, contestants from places like Bahrain and Morocco, countries that were part of last year's historic normalization agreements with Israel, strutting across an Israeli stage.

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GOLD (voice-over): Something that may have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

MEG OMECENE, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, MISS UNIVERSE: I hope that they have a more rich understanding of this area. They've gotten to meet a lot of Israelis. We have contestants here from other areas in the Middle East.

And so I think that they're all going to come from this experience learning a lot and hopefully taking that back to their home country.

GOLD: Typically thousands of fans from all over the world descend upon the Miss Universe competition. But with Israel shutting its borders to foreign nationals over fears of the Omicron variant, these seats will be filled with mostly locals.

GOLD (voice-over): Israel's strict COVID measures, like vaccine requirements and regular testing, creating close calls for some contestants. One of the women testing positive when she arrived, getting out of quarantine just in time for the preliminaries.

ELLE SMITH, MISS USA: We have taken every necessary precaution needed. I got my booster before coming here. We have masks. You'll see that we always have masks. It's stricter here than in the States in regards to protocol. So I feel like we're taking every necessary precaution.

GOLD (voice-over): But with hundreds of millions expected to tune in to the broadcast of the final, no politics or virus will keep these 80 women from competing for the crown -- Hadas Gold, CNN, Eilat, Israel.

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BRUNHUBER: The reclusive artist Banksy is selling T-shirts to raise funds for those facing trial over the removal of a controversial statue in Bristol, England. Protesters toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston during the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in June 2020.

Four people were charged by police over the removal and are due to go to trial next week. The shirt depicts an empty plinth, where the statue once stood, with the word "Bristol" above it. It costs $33.

That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber and I'll be back in just a moment with more news. Please do stay with us.