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Dozens Killed After Tornadoes Hit Several U.S. States; South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Positive For COVID-19; Boris Johnson Warns Of Omicron "Tidal Wave". Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 13, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:24]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes, appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom. Still searching for the missing in towns that look more like landfills after deadly twisters ravaged the U.S. Midwest.
Also --
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming.
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HOLMES: A grim warning from Britain's scandal plagued Prime Minister. His plans to get the nation boosted as his poll numbers for.
And historic trip of the first official visit by an Israeli prime minister to the UAE, a sign of deepening ties between Israel and the Arab world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: We begin with the desperate search for survivors after the deadliest December tornado outbreak in U.S. history. Dozens of people killed when a series of powerful tornadoes tore through several states over the weekend.
Kentucky the hardest hit, the governor says in the best case scenario, at least 50 people died in his state but he says crews are still finding bodies and he fears the final toll could be much higher.
Still rescuers are looking for signs of life as they dig through the rubble, including at a candle factory that was flattened in the small town of Mayfield. Initially, officials feared dozens may have died inside the factory, but a company spokesperson said Sunday that most employees fortunately made it out. Eight have been confirmed dead however, and eight others still unaccounted for.
Of course it wasn't just the factory that was destroyed the entire town of Mayfield was pretty much decimated. Tornadoes also caused destruction in several other towns and cities. The heads of U.S. Homeland Security and FEMA and now on the ground bringing federal resources in to help.
U.S. President Biden also just approved a major disaster declaration in Kentucky freeing up even more federal funds. Kentucky's governor says the outpouring of support has helped ease some of the heartbreak.
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ANDY BESHEAR, KENTUCKY GOVERNOR: We're grateful for the outpouring of love. It's the best way I can describe it. From all over the country and from all walks of life, I want to thank everybody for standing with the people of Kentucky. We feel it.
In fact one of our biggest challenges right now is organizing the amount of people that want to help, want to donate and want to volunteer, but you know what? That's the best challenge that any of us could ask for.
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HOLMES: CNN's Brynn Gingras is on the ground in Mayfield where she spoke with one family who managed to ride out the storm.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing electric crews, volunteer fire departments, police departments descending on Mayfield willing to help everybody here, get through this and there is so much work to be done.
I just want you to see what's behind me what I believe is a preschool. This is just some of the damage that is really all across this town of 10,000 people. This particular school is actually blocking part of the street in downtown Mayfield and it was moved off its foundation. You can still see inside the school some of the stuff in there is still intact. It's quite an eerie scene.
And I got to tell you talking to so many people in this town, the people that call Mayfield home, they're stunned. They're in disbelief. They're trying to figure out what the next day and the next day is going to bring them. Some of them thanking God that they are alive. We talked to one couple who hunkered down in a crawlspace of their home with their six year old daughter. I want to hear -- you to hear from them about how they survived the storm.
SAMANTHA BURNS, SURVIVED TORNADO IN BASEMENT: Me and our daughter were sitting on that palette. This store here is what kept us alive basically, along with him because he was holding it with a lanyard. Just a lanyard.
DE'AMONTE WILLIAMS, SURVIVED TORNADO IN BASEMENT: I never felt like that ever in my life. It felt like there were 10 grown men outside this door trying to pull it off and just.
GINGRAS: So he's holding the door shot.
BURNS: Yes.
GINGRAS: You're holding your six-year-old daughter?
BURNS: Yes.
GINGRAS: Can you just describe being a mom?
BURNS: We are just -- I just told her to close your eyes. And she started counting so she's like, so hide and seek, mom?
[01:05:05]
GINGRAS: And of course, as we know, there is so much loss of life as well still people are being where there is work to try to rescue them or recover their bodies, particularly at that candle factory where so many people are still missing.
We talked to one family who lost a member of their family, a 47-year- old who was working at that candle factory at night family now remembering him as just a happy person and missing him. This holiday season coming up so much despair in may feel but again, so much resilience to move forward from all of this devastation. Back to you.
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HOLMES: Brynn Gingras there for us. Now, the destruction from these storms stretches far beyond just one town. Communities across Western Kentucky are just starting to assess the damage that many residents say they're just thankful to be alive. CNNs Nick Valencia is in Bowling Green with one family story.
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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Families in this subdivision of Bowling Green are just now starting to come back to their homes, what's left of their homes anyway, and salvage the belongings that they're able to. This shipping container was actually parked on the other side of the street.
And I want to show you the power of this storm, just exactly what it did to the shipping container. Flipping it on its side. You can see the wheels there. And the perspective just gives you a sense of what this resident -- these residents in this community went through just over the weekend here. Hemo (ph), you actually were home at the time of this. You live here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
VALENCIA: This is unbelievable to see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes. So we were actually in the home while the tornado hit.
VALENCIA: What is it was like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, we were sleeping, it was about 1:45 when he started. And I heard sounds -- sounded like gunshots, very loud gunshots and I got up automatically. And I checked, you know, the living room in every single window was blown through. Everything was thrown, thrown in the living room. And the trailer that you were speaking of behind me here --
VALENCIA: Yes, there's right behind us here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- was actually thrown towards my windows.
VALENCIA: Show us where your window is here. I mean, you could see all this debris here that's left behind. You guys are starting to clean up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We actually move this trailer so we can open and get some of the belongings that are in there. This trailer was actually connected to this wall right here. So it was on this wall here. This is my bedroom here. So, I honestly think if this trailer wasn't here, the tornado would eat up my whole home.
VALENCIA: You said there were small children inside with you as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I have a two-year-old niece and a three-year- old nephew that were sleeping. And I'm glad God moved my brother the way he did. Because if he didn't move in for half a second. All that glass that exploded would have been on my niece's head and my nephew's body.
VALENCIA: What do you make of this, Hemo (ph)? Because you look next door, and next door the homes are gone. I mean, your home suffered some significant damage, clearly. I mean, we're standing on parts of your home here. But what do you make of that? I mean, the tornado spared most of your home while leveling your neighbors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm glad. I'm thankful that I still have my mother and my father and my family with me. My neighbors that have lost their homes are literally one house, two houses from me. It's a tragedy. It's a tragedy. I'm glad I'm thankful that God has blessed me, my family and all the families around here that are still alive and that are still walking and speaking. I'm blessed.
VALENCIA: Hemo (ph), you know, you had told us off camera the reason that you have the shipping container here is because you guys were going to move. You were on your way to Georgia the next morning. Then the storm's hit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. Correct. We were -- we just purchased a residence in Georgia. We packed everything up the whole day prior to the tornado. And, you know, we locked everything up. Next thing you know, the tornado is, I mean, the excuse me, the trailers coming towards my window.
VALENCIA: Just, you know, what do you guys need right now? I mean, that's the question that we're all getting. What can people do to help you, people like you and your situation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most? I mean, everybody getting together and everybody kind of being there for each other is I think the most we can do right now is being there for one another. God is great. So.
VALENCIA: Hemo (ph), thank you so much. God bless you. Thank you for taking the time with CNN really appreciated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
VALENCIA: Hemo (ph) and his family, you know, they count themselves among the lucky ones here. You know, just looking at this devastation all around. You know, so much has been made of what happened in Mayfield. Bowling Green, though, was particularly hard hit. And this is an event, you know, that they don't see here.
You know, I was talking to other residents here who say that they've gotten the alerts on their phones before for severe weather, but nothing has ever materialized. This time it did though, and it's going to be an event that residents like him and his family will remember for the rest of their lives. Nick Valencia, CNN, Bowling Green, Kentucky.
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HOLMES: Forrest Lanning is the principal structural engineer for Endapt Consulting. He joins me now from San Francisco, and thanks for doing so. It's an important conversation given what's happened. I mean, when you look at the magnitude of damage to these towns and neighborhoods, where do you, when you look at this, where do you even start when it comes to rebuilding?
FORREST LANNING, PRINCIPAL STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, ENDAPT: Well, there's going to be a lot of insurance claims, and that's going to be sorted out individually. So every homeowner is going to have to have their own battle, getting that done.
But it's basically is going to be first removal of the debris, debris up these types of disasters produce so much volume of debris, and that is a system is going to need to be done to find out where they can safely deposit it, and transport it. So that's going to be a huge operation in itself right off the bat.
HOLMES: And like, how long could it take to rebuild a town? I'm thinking like Mayfield, in Kentucky with the destruction just seems to have been almost total. I mean, we're talking years?
LANNING: Absolutely years, it's going to be at least a few years to actually have some part of the city rebuilt. And because buildings are going to have to be demolished. Cleared out. There's going to have to be insurance claims have to be sorted out. And then once that's done, they can start actually funding for new houses, new schools, or any other type of building and they need to be designed also. So it's definitely a minimum of a few years.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, you know that there's so much sadness and tragedy in this. But when it comes to the rebuilding angle, is a situation like this, in a way an opportunity to rebuild better, either stronger buildings, things like upgrading services, underground power, you know, even better neighborhood layouts and things?
LANNING: Absolutely. I worked on the Christchurch rebuilt in New Zealand after the 2011 earthquake. And that was a great example also on how to rebuild and it gave them an opportunity to build back better, build back more resilient, and also to change certain city planning aspects and the urban design of their downtown area.
So it is an opportunity for that. But you just have to really balance doing that because building back greener or building back more resilient is going to cost more for construction costs. So you really have to balance that along with not getting in the way of actually people being able to build their houses back.
HOLMES: Yes, yes, it might cost a lot more in the beginning that maybe a pays off longer term. I mean, I'm thinking Greensburg, Kansas, hit by a huge tornado in 2007. I think 90 percent of the town was destroyed. But it's interesting in the years since it's been held up as a model for building that green. Now, what sort of changes could be smart environmentally?
LANNING: Well, it's low carbon. Yes, Greenburg is great example of doing that. But you have to also keep in mind is that I don't believe all the houses and all the residents have returned. So it's not at the same level of population as it was before. So that needs to be taken into account.
But getting greener materials is one thing. But you also have to take into account if you can't transport materials as from far away because there's a higher carbon footprint. So there's a lot of different aspects that need to be thought through on designing your buildings. You got to make sure that all the materials you're using are locally available.
HOLMES: What would be the priorities then to build a different better town or neighborhood? And I guess, what are the potential road bumps as well? Regulation, red tape, and so on, what are the priorities?
LANNING: I think the priority is the ones that we can actually tackle right now is we can build that greener, we can build back to be a more friendly, user friendly city. Building back stronger in the respect of withstanding or being resilient to tornadoes is going to be the biggest challenge. Because these are extreme events.
I mean, no house is going to be able to withstand, you know, 200 mile an hour winds, even 150 mile an hour winds unless you're building a concrete bunker with no windows. Property damage is going to happen. Now in the save lives is that they need a program for evacuation and alerting system to minimize or reduce or eliminate property damage is going to be the biggest hurdle from tornadoes.
HOLMES: It's a fascinating and important discussion as I said, and I know Christchurch and I know the work that was done there and hopefully this might be an opportunity as well when the dust settled. Forrest Lanning with Endapt Consulting. Appreciate your time. Thank you.
LANNING: Great. Pleasure to be on here.
HOLMES: Now in Edwardsville in Illinois crews are sorting through debris at an Amazon warehouse. Six people died when the tornadoes tore into that building. Thick concrete walls crumbled inward, the roof collapse. 45 people made it out of the building. And Amazon spokesperson says workers have time to find a safe place before the tornado touchdown.
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KELLY NANTEL, AMAZON SPOKESPERSON: The tornado warning siren actually went off and we had about 11 minutes from that time to the time that the tornado hit the ground in order to get our employees and our partners into a safe place.
Our managers were on the loudspeakers telling people to get to the shelter in place area. They were also being guided by other managers and other employees who were trying to get everybody to that safe location. We had people into different sheltering areas.
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HOLMES: 29-year-old Clayton Cope died in the Amazon warehouse collapsed. The U.S. Navy veteran had been working as a mechanic there for just over a year. Clayton's mother says she spoke with her son minutes before the tornado hit. She believes he was making sure others were safe.
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CARLA COPE, SON DIED WHEN TORNADO HIT WAREHOUSE: In my heart, I know that he went to try to warn other people to get where they needed to be. And between his military training and just who he was, he would have done that, no matter whether, you know, he was told to or not. So that's the only thing I can hold on to is that I feel like he must have been trying to help someone else.
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HOLMES: Now amid this multistate tragedy, a remarkable uplifting story has emerged. Katie Posten new Alberni -- in New Albany, Indiana found this photo stuck to her car window. She posted it on Facebook. And Cole Swatzwell (ph) slots all from Dawson springs, Kentucky, commented on the pros -- post, quote, to think this traveled so far. This is my dad's grandparents. The photo in fact traveled more than 150 miles whipped up in tornado debris from Kentucky. Swatzell (ph) said his family plans to meet with Posten to retrieve the photo.
And you can help those in need after the deadly tornadoes go to cnn.com/impact. There you will find verified ways to provide help for tornado victims. Once again that's cnn.com/impact.
Still to come on CNN Newsroom, governments around the world reacting to the spread of Omicron and pleading with their citizens to get vaccinated. We'll be right back with that more.
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HOLMES: South African officials say President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for COVID 19 and is receiving treatment. His symptoms are mild apparently, but he has delegated his responsibilities to the deputy president for the next week.
Mr. Ramaphosa said in a statement, his infection serves as a caution to everyone in the country to get vaccinated and remain vigilant against exposure.
Meanwhile, some pretty sobering numbers for the U.S. in the COVID crisis. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. is now approaching 50 million cases and taking closer to 800,000 deaths. Nearly 61 percent of the country is now fully vaccinated. That's according to the CDC. And just under 27 percent of that group has received a booster now.
Meanwhile, the Omicron variant has been found in at least 29 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Experts say vaccinations and booster shots, of course, are still the best protection against the variant.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Preliminary data show that when you get a booster, for example, a third shot of an mRNA, it raises the level of protection high enough that it then does do well against the Omicron, which is again another reason to encourage people who are not vaccinated to get vaccinated, but particularly those who are vaccinated to get boosted because that diminution in protection seems to go way back up again. So that's the importance of getting that best and optimal protection you can.
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HOLMES: Now the Omicron variant is prompting governments around the world to act the British Prime Minister sounding the alarm on Sunday after the UK confirmed its first hospitalizations due to the variant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHNSON: We must act now. Today we're launching the Omicron emergency booster national mission unlike anything we've done before in the vaccination program to get boosted now. A fortnight ago I said, we would offer every eligible adult a booster by the end of January.
Today, in light of this Omicron emergency, I'm bringing that target forward by a whole month. Everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year.
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HOLMES: Starting Monday, the government recommends that everyone in England who can work from home does so face coverings and our compulsory in public and Parliament meets Tuesday to consider a mandatory COVID-19 pass.
In China authorities urging citizens against travel during the Chinese New Year as the country grapples with fresh Coronavirus outbreaks. Officials say the epicenter of the outbreak has moved from Inner Mongolia to the southeastern province of Zhejiang. For more on this, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong. So the epicenter of infection is moving. What's the latest?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well COVID-19 cases continue to rise in China particularly in this Zhejiang province. This is a major manufacturing centers, it's also a shipping port is located there.
On Sunday, China report it at new locally transmitted cases of the virus, 74 from Zhejiang and this is significant. What we're seeing here is the epicenter of this latest flare up of COVID-19 infection in China, moving from the north from the Inner Mongolia region, that's on the border with Russia, down to the eastern coastal area of Zhejiang.
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Again this is a factory hub. This is where Alibaba, the tech giant is located. This is where one of the world's busiest ports, Ningbo Shan is located. This is the world's third busiest container port. You may remember earlier this year in August, there was just a single case of COVID-19 that was detected at this port. The entire port was shut down for a number of weeks. That led to shipping congestion and it wreaked havoc on the global supply chain.
And already, there are reports about a dozen listed Chinese companies have suspended production in Zhejiang province because of new pandemic measures that have kicked in and are now enforced.
Now as the number of COVID-19 cases rise in In China, a number of governments are saying advising their residents to stay put and to not travel ahead of the Lunar New Year season. The Lunar New Year is kicking off in January the 31st. This is of course, the time of year with hundreds of millions of Chinese travel home for the holidays, especially migrant workers resulting in what has been called the world's largest annual human migration. But like last year, we have a number of governments three places right now telling their residents to stay put including a district and Zhangjiakou. That's in Hebei province. It's also one of the host cities of the Winter Olympics. Back to you, Michael.
HOLMES: Wow. Interesting. And now Omicron, yet to be detected in China, is that right? Our officials concerned are they confident about that?
LU STOUT: Yes, Chinese officials in the mainland, they remain very confident and not concerned even though the Omicron variant is spreading all around the world. I should also about the Omicron variant was detected at the border here in Hong Kong, but has not been detected or reported inside Mainland China.
Over the weekend, we heard from a top respiratory specialist in China who spoke at a vaccine summit in Shenzhen will bring up the statement for you. This is from Zhong Manshan, China's top respiratory expert, he says this quote, We don't need to be afraid of Omicron by applying the dynamic zero case policy and strictly observing the set precise prevention and control measures, end quote.
China is confident and now what it's calling a dynamic zero COVID strategy. It's a strategy of throwing the entire pandemic playbook at even just a handful of cases. You got mass testing or contact tracing, snap lockdowns, border controls, travel restrictions, et cetera. I think China is using the word dynamic here because it realizes it is very difficult to keep the number zero but they do have what it takes with this pandemic playbook strategy to bring those case numbers down as low as possible. Back to you, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes, yes. Great information. Kristie Lu Stout there in Hong Kong. Thanks so much.
LU STOUT: Welcome.
HOLMES: All right. Still to come here on the program, Israel's Prime Minister looking to deepen ties during his trip to the UAE. The first such visit by an Israeli leader. We'll have the details in a live report from Jerusalem.
Also, Mexico deploying its National Guard to some tourist theories to combat a recent spike in deadly gang shootings. Coming up, I'll talk with an expert on how Mexico's beaches became war zones. We'll be right back.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world.
I'm Michael Holmes.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Israel's prime minister will soon sit down with the UAE's crown prince after Naftali Bennett became the first Israeli leader to make an official visit to the country. He arrived in Abu Dhabi late on Sunday, more than a year after the two countries normalized their relationship.
Mr. Bennett says he will discuss ways to further deepen ties during his visit with the crown prince.
CNN's Hadas Gold is following developments, joins me now live from Jerusalem.
So meetings have begun. Tell us about what's been going on and just how historic this is -- unthinkable a little while ago.
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Michael, to paint a picture about how significant of a change in the relationship between the Emiratis and the Israelis are, I'll give you an example.
In 2017, so about four or five years ago, an Israeli judo fighter had won a competition in Abu Dhabi. But during the gold medal ceremony authorities in Abu Dhabi refused to fly the Israeli flag or play the Israeli national anthem.
And until these normalization agreements were signed, Israeli tourists weren't allowed to enter the Emirates.
But this time Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister received a much different reception. He received a red carpet welcome, an honor guard when he arrived in the country last night.
And in just a few hours, as you noted, he will sit down with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed for the first official meeting between the Israeli prime minister and the crown prince.
In fact, actually Michael, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who signed -- who was the prime minister who signed those historic normalization agreements, those Abraham Accords was supposed to make the initial visit but several of these planned trips were canceled for various reasons. So instead it goes to Naftali Bennett.
Now, while he's the first official Israeli prime minister to come to the Emirates, he's not the first Israeli official. The foreign minister has been. The two countries have opened embassies in their respective countries. Tourism and trade has started.
In fact, in the first seven months of 2021, bilateral trade between the two countries worth more than $600 million -- that's about $550 million more than it was before. So there has been a lot of activity between these two countries.
But these meetings today are incredibly important and incredibly historic. They've already started to take place. Naftali Bennett just met with the minister of industry and technology. He's in the middle right now, I believe of the meeting with the Emirati minister of transportation. And in just about an hour will be the big meeting at the palace with the crown prince.
And it's not just a meeting. They're actually going to have lunch together as well. So a lot of eyes are going to be on those pictures, those videos of the meeting. What is the body language going to be like between these two leaders and how will that set the tone for the relationship between the two countries moving forward.
HOLMES: Yes. It's an incredible moment. I wanted to ask you this. Last week the crown prince's brother and the UAE's national security adviser, they flew to Iran for meetings. And we know all about Israel's concerns about Iran and the nuclear program. Has that Iran trip complicated things at all?
GOLD: Listen, the Emiratis and the Israelis share a mutual concern when it comes to a nuclear Iran. And that's partly what helped push them towards these normalization agreements. And I think that's a really important point to make.
[01:34:52]
GOLD: And so yes, the Emiratis' national security adviser was in Tehran last week and he in fact even met with Iran's president. It was a very rare meeting because, as I've noted, the Emiratis have seen the Iranians as a security threat.
But Michael, you can't change geography. And a lot of analysts note that Iran and the Emirates are very, very close neighbors. So for the Emiratis, it's also important to try to keep the regional stability intact.
On the Israeli side, the Israelis have been continuing their rhetoric about how they are ready to strike Iran. They are getting ready to strike Iran militarily if diplomatic talks fail.
So this meeting today will be very important for Bennett, this meeting with the crown prince, because Israel needs the Emiratis, really needs the UAE as a strategic partner in the face of a possible nuclear Iran.
HOLMES: All right. Hadas Gold there in Jerusalem, appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Now a French territory in the Pacific voted against independence in a referendum marred by a boycott. Early results showed only about 44 percent of people came out to vote on Sunday in New Caledonia. The indigenous Kanak people called for a boycott even though they largely favor independence.
They ask to postpone the vote because they are in a customary mourning period following a September surge in COVID infections. France denied their request.
The beaches of Cancun in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula are some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. But in recent weeks the typically idyllic paradise has been plagued by a spike in deadly gang violence. And now the government is responding.
CNN's Matt Rivers reports.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The gunfire started on the beach on November 4th just outside the Hyatt Ziva Resort just south of Cancun. Authorities said a gun fight between rival drug gangs erupted on the beach sending tourists fleeing indoors.
Video from Twitter user Mike Sington (ph) shows guests sheltering in place in the hotel. Some in a back room, others in the lobby.
Less than two months before a shooting at this restaurant in Tulum, again authorities say, between rival drug gangs left two tourists dead. And just in the past week, several men pulled up to a Cancun beach on jet skis and fired their guns in the air.
Multiple security incidents in recent months have some questioning just how safe Cancun is. A tourist magnet, it draws millions of sun seekers every year. A few say they're rattled by the violence.
"I don't feel safe here," says this Brazilian tourist. "As tourists, we don't feel safe. We've seen multiple recent incidents on the news."
The federal government has taken notice. Nearly 1,500 National Guard troops have now been deployed to the state of Quintana Roo, specifically focusing on Cancun and other tourist areas nearby.
Mexico's president says "These are painful events because nationals and foreigners lose their lives and this cannot be repeated. We have to prevent that from happening. So that's why we have a plan to reinforce security."
But all that said, is traveling to Quintana Roo state and its popular travel destinations like Cancun or Tulum too dangerous? Tourism officials in Mexico told CNN that the vast, vast majority of the millions of visitors that come here each year do so without incident and that any violence almost always stays between drug gangs.
Though the U.S. government says travelers should use increased caution, it doesn't recommend avoiding the state like it does so many other places in Mexico. And the number of tourists has shot up as the pandemic has eased.
The government at all levels in hand with the citizenry is committed to protecting each and every visitor said the former minister of tourism in Tulum Eugenia Barbachano.
Crime statistics in the state have largely held steady in recent years, too. Though there's no doubt that recent headlines have some people spooked and rightly so, drug gangs remain operating and so too does the collateral damage that comes with it.
But Cancun succumbing to crime becoming an unsafe place for tourists? Those ideas seem premature.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, holiday shopping in full swing, but consumerism is impacting the environment. Next, we talk to an expert about how to reduce consumption without hurting the economy.
We'll be right back.
[01:39:23]
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HOLMES: Well, it's the season to be shopping, at least in wealthier nations where people have been spending more and more on stuff. In the U.S. alone, consumer spending, buying things basically is in our DNA. It accounts for nearly 70 percent of gross domestic product.
But do we think enough about whether we really need much of what we buy? And what damage rampant consumerism does to the planet?
Well, journalist and author JB Mackinnon knows a bit about all of this. In fact, he wrote a book about it, "The Day The World Stopped Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves The Environment And Ourselves".
JB Mackinnon joins me now from Vancouver, British Columbia. And thanks for doing so.
It's an important issue, some nations are worse than others, aren't they when it comes to consumption. I mean I'm thinking about the U.S. in particular where I think consumption grew from about 65 percent from 1990 to 2015. Compared with about 35 percent growth in Europe. Why is that? Why do you think there's this impulse in the U.S. to buy and so often buy things we just don't need?
JB MACKINNON, CANADIAN JOURNALIST: I think a lot of it is cultural. The American dream is really built around this idea of economic prosperity. So if you want to consider yourself a success in American society, then you are often doing so by measures like your income and your possessions.
And this has had this result where Americans do nearly every social thing through consumption. From marking the milestones of life to celebrating holidays, of course, to expressing love for one another through gifts through expressing our identities. And the result has been a whole lot of accumulating consumption.
HOLMES: Yes. And as we said household consumption I think it's 67 percent of GDP. I mean is it even economically smart to rely so heavily on consumer spending?
Your latest book, "The Day The World Stopped Shopping", what would happen if we magically did stop spending or at least spending so much?
MACKINNON: My book imagines a 25 percent drop in consumer spending around the world. And for that to happen, the heaviest consuming countries like the United States would have to make even deeper cuts to spending.
[01:44:51]
MACKINNON: And the short answer is that as we saw in the pandemic, when consumption slows down, we end up with an economic, you know, a really serious economic crisis. But at the same time, you see this resurgence in the natural world and improvement in the health of the climate.
You see that we would immediately start to adapt to these new circumstances and kind of re-create the economy for lower consumption. And as individuals, we would begin immediately to start making a turn away from these materialist, consumeristic values and more towards a new set of values.
HOLMES: You mentioned the climate impacts. And that's important to talk about. The climate impacts from production, also environmental impacts from what we throw away.
I mean what damage is done to our planet by rampant consumerism? It affects pretty much everything, doesn't it?
MACKINNON: It affects pretty much everything and doesn't really matter what you buy. It's having an impact. In 2019, the U.N. Panel that studies global natural resources announced that since probably about the year 2000, consumption has been the biggest driver of our environmental problems. Greater even than the growth in the human population around the globe.
So what that means is that how much each one of us consumes now matters more than how many of us there are. And that's playing out in everything from climate to deforestation, toxic pollution, plastics. You name it, consumption is a major driver of it.
HOLMES: Yes. No, I remember hearing you talk about, you know, how a T- shirt from the growing of the cotton to the manufacturing to the shipping -- all of those things until it gets to your door and the environmental impact of that.
And then most clothes are worn seven times and thrown out.
You know, one thing I wanted to ask you about, too, what then is realistic? What is doable in terms of reducing consumption and letting the planet recuperate. Because there are going to be a lot of people say you can't cut consumption. It's what drives the world.
MACKINNON: Yes, I think we really do need to look at making some kind of transition in our economy and our society. And I think we can do that by transforming the economy in ways that allow us all to reduce consumption.
The other thing we can do is make changes to how we do business, what kind of business models we play out.
And here I take my inspiration from companies like Patagonia and Levi's that they are moving away from this model of constantly selling new goods and more and more disposable goods and moving towards things like more durable goods, making second-hand sales of their own products a bigger part of their business model. Making repair and maintenance of their products a bigger part of their business model.
The end result is fewer new goods sold and you still have this high level of economic activity.
HOLMES: It's such an important issue for, you know, both the -- well, mainly the planet. And I'm glad we're having this conversation.
JB MacKinnon, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
MACKINNON: My pleasure. Thanks so much.
HOLMES: Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, CNN checks in with one of the very first people to get a COVID vaccine one year ago.
We'll be right back.
[01:48:23]
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Martin Kenyon won viewers hearts last year in a CNN interview about being among the first to get a COVID vaccine. He quickly became a viral sensation with his spunky British humor.
CNN's Cyril Vanier caught up with him again to see how he's doing one year later.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN KENYON, AMONG THE FIRST TO RECEIVE COVID VACCINE: I said what's this thing? You're doing, the vaccination? They said yes.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Remember this from a year ago?
KENYON: I hope I'm not going to have the bloody bug now. I don't intend to have it because I have got granddaughters and I want to live a long time.
VANIER: A dash of humor, a zest of dry wit and good old-fashioned British common sense.
KENYON: Well, there's no point in dying now when I've lived this long is there?
VANIER: This, from newly vaccinated 91-year-old Martin Kenyon on the day the U.K. rolled out the world's the first COVID-19 vaccine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was sitting here. I'm sure Jim, too, beaming from ear to ear that entire interview.
VANIER: for a brief viral moment, 6 million views on Twitter, Martin was everyone's cup of tea. Gushing headlines and a star turn on "Good Morning Britain".
KENYON: Now, who are you?
VANIER: When we catch up with him at his London home, Martin hasn't changed one bit.
(on camera): So Martin, how have you been? Great to see you. It's been awhile.
KENYON: I'm still alive. That's the most important thing, isn't it? I had a whole year of being alive since I last saw you. I've been very well.
VANIER (voice over): How does he feel about his overnight fame?
KENYON: I never saw any of it. I had no idea it is there. I still haven't seen it. It requires other people to tell me about it. I've never seen what was in -- because ANC -- is it called. What Americans are --
VANIER (on camera): CNN. We're very fond of you at CNN.
KENYON: CNN, that's it. The fact is that when this thing happened, other people did see my name in the paper. Every single damn London newspaper was there which rather shocked me, you know.
VANIER (voice over): So how is life after vaccination?
KENYON: I can't really pretend it's changed at all. I had the injection. I remember going to get it. I took my initiative and got on with it.
VANIER: One thing inoculation does help with, seeing his granddaughters.
KENYON: And they love their grandfather, that's the great thing. They take a great deal of care about me which couldn't be luckier. I couldn't be luckier.
[01:54:55]
VANIER: Like last year, Martin plans to spend Christmas with his family, unruffled by the pandemic but cautious. He got his booster shot more than two months ago. The vaccination card always in his back pocket.
(on camera): Do you have any parting thoughts for us?
KENYON: Well, I think you're lovely.
VANIER: I think you're lovely, too. Thank you very much.
KENYON: Ciao.
VANIER (voice over): Cyril Vanier, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: He's had another year of being alive and Cyril Vanier is lovely.
Now, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen finished in first place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to capture his first Formula 1 world title.
It's been called one of the most dramatic Formula 1 races ever. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton close to victory when another car crashed into the barriers with four laps to go.
That meant, of course, the race had to restart and Verstappen overtook his rival for the win. Mercedes lodging a formal complaint or protest after the race.
Now Miss India has just been crowned Miss Universe 2021.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: India.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: 21-year-old Harnaaz Sandhu beat out the runner-ups in Miss South Africa and Miss Paraguay to claim the prestigious title. Sandhu is an actor and strong advocate for women's empowerment.
The competition was held in Israel this year. And because of the omicron variant, the Israeli government shut its borders to foreigners two weeks before the event so not many people could go.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I've had another year of being alive as well.
I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN.
CNN NEWSROOM continues though with Rosemary Church after the break.
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