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Israel And The UAE's Historic Meeting; U.K. Confirms U.K.'s First Death Of Person With Omicron; U.K. Urges Third Shot For All Adults By End Of December. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 14, 2021 - 02:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[02:00:24]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to have you is joining us from all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead. Omicron is spreading fast. Health experts are urging everyone to get boosted as the world braces for the incoming wave.

Plus, an historic meeting between the leaders of Israel and the UAE marks a turning point in the nation's relationship but Iran is not so happy about that.

And rescue teams continue their search for any survivors from the deadly weekend tornadoes.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is confirming what could be the world's first known death of a COVID patient infected with the Omicron variant. It comes as the country and London especially are experiencing a surge in COVID cases. The British health secretary says the number of infections is doubling every few days. And a new study from Oxford University shows two dose vaccines don't produce enough antibodies to protect from the mutation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: What we've learned about this new variant only con in the just in the last week is that first of all, it's spreading at a phenomenal rate. The number of infections is doubling every two or three days, there's going to be a tidal wave of infection. The second thing that we've learned in the last week is that two doses of the vaccine are not enough to protect you. But three doses a booster shot is -- it will be hugely effective in protecting you against symptomatic infection.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Prime Minister Johnson is speeding up the vaccine booster rollout urging all eligible adults to get a third shot by the end of this month. The government wants Britons to work from home and soon they will have to get a third shot to qualify for a vaccine pass that lets them into nightclubs and other large venues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that's something we need to set on one side and just recognize the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. And what we need now is for the public to respond and to do that -- do what is necessary to get boosted now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now from England, Dr. Peter drawback is an infectious disease and global health expert at the University of Oxford. Thank you, Doctor, for all that you do.

DR. PETER DROBAC, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD: Good morning, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Good to see you. So Britain's Prime Minister warns of a tidal wave of infections from this new Omicron variant with cases doubling every two to three days, particularly in London. In response, he is speeding up the rollout of booster shots for all eligible adults. How likely is it that Brits will respond to his pleas to get that third shot? And how bad could things get if they don't?

DROBAC: Well, as we just heard, the early evidence suggests that a two-dose course of vaccine probably won't be enough particularly to protect against severe disease, but that a third shot may indeed provide a fairly strong protection. So it is very critical that everyone out there who is eligible go to get your booster shot when possible. It's going to require a ramping up and that's already happening ramping up of the vaccination capacity.

So we're seeing new sights being added increased eligibility, the military is being called in. And we're talking about a million jabs per day to reach the government's target. So that is an ambitious target to set. I think that if you look at the history over the last year or so that here in the U.K., in general, there are pockets of vaccine hesitancy and resistance most people have responded to that call to action.

And judging by the numbers in the vaccine Web site crashing yesterday, there's a lot of demand for people to go out and get their boosters.

CHURCH: That is certainly encouraging, isn't it? Of course other measures being put in place in England include work from home for those who can. Compulsory mass in public and very soon, a COVID vaccine passed for those who can prove they received three shots allowing them access to those large public gatherings. So, how quickly could these new restrictions and of course the accelerated booster shots turn this around if everyone does, what they're being asked to do?

[02:05:00]

DROBAC: Well, it's a race against time and as we just heard this new variant Omicron spreads so quickly. We anticipate that by today the majority of cases in London will indeed be with the new variants. And in the days and weeks to come, then, as it becomes dominant across the country and other countries, we expect to see the numbers of cases begin to rise exponentially. And that's quite concerning.

The measures that have come into place this week with a so called Plan B, should help to buy us some time, at least. I don't know that the -- there will be enough to fully stem the increase that we expect to see. But the hope is that it slows it down. It buys us time for more people to get their boosters for the NHS to prepare. And, of course, we still don't know a lot yet about Omicron, we don't have a good sense of whether it's more or less likely to cause severe disease, for example.

Even if the early indications bear out and is less likely to cause severe disease than previous variants. If we're talking about hundreds of thousands of infections per day, potentially, you know, at a -- at a population level, that still could be a very difficult situation for the NHS and cause a lot of death.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, just more people getting infected, and more -- the more vulnerable of course, as well. And Doctor Austria has ended its locked down for the vaccinated and those who can prove they recovered from COVID-19. But the unvaccinated, they have to stay under lockdown. Is that how nations will need to respond to those refusing to get their shots if this just keeps dragging on month after month, given what we're dealing with right now?

DROBAC: Yes. With Delta, what we saw was that this became -- in many ways a pandemic of the unvaccinated, almost everybody who ended up in hospital in ICUs and dying were those who were unvaccinated. And I think some countries have made the decision that it's, you know, it's not OK for a minority of the population who's not willing to get vaccinated to sort of hold the rest of the country hostage and to shut down an entire population in order to do so.

And that's difficult, you know, politically and it's controversial. The reality is that the evidence we have so far from countries that have introduced some form of vaccine passports or vaccine mandates is that they do work in terms of encouraging people to go out and get their vaccines. Back from France being one of the first countries to impose a vaccine passport months ago, a million people signed up for their jobs the next day.

So, that to me is one of the most important advantages of some of these new policies. CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Dr. Peter Drobac, thank you so much, as always for joining us. Appreciate it.

DROBAC: Thank you.

CHURCH: The surge in COVID cases is happening as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting off another scandal. CNN's Sam Abdelaziz is live in London. She joins us now. Good to see you, Salma. So, the Prime Minister coming under increasing pressure, even within his inner circle, but he says he certainly broke no rules just by had photos and videos suggesting otherwise. And now, his approval ratings have plunged to an all time low. Can he survive this?

SAM ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: I think everyone in this country is asking that question right now, Rosemary, because this is a scandal that's absolutely snowball. It's no longer just about how many parties took place plural at Downing Street, who was there and who was in attendance because we now have allegations of multiple social gatherings taking place during a very strict lockdown last year.

During a period in time in which there was a variant, the (INAUDIBLE) variant of COVID-19 that was sweeping through this country. Claiming lives, keeping families apart. The allegation is that the Prime Minister and his senior staff were eating cheese, drinking wine. So you can imagine that this has now become about how the Prime Minister has handled this. There is this sense among his critics that he has bold faced lied to this country.

And the real test of this is going to be when he goes into Parliament today to try to pass new COVID measures. But I want you to take a look at how we got here, Rosemary.

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ABDELAZIZ (voice over): Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to save his credibility and office after a week of scandal that set off public fury.

JOHNSON: Good afternoon, everybody.

ABDELAZIZ: The latest hit coming from British tabloid The Mirror. A newly leaked photo showed Johnson at a Christmas party quiz inside Downing Street December last year. At a time when indoor social gatherings were banned in London. Downing Street admits Johnson took part in the virtual event briefly, but added those participating in person were already working in their offices.

It adds to mounting information that multiple parties took place at the Prime Minister's office and residents last year. A brazen violation of lockdown. CNN has confirmed that two social gatherings were indeed held. One on November 27th and another on December 18th. And that Johnson himself gave an impromptu speech at the first one. Days earlier, a leaked video of a mock press conference showed officials laughing about the alleged December 18th Christmas party.

[02:10:08] ABDELAZIZ: Allegra Stratton, the Prime Minister's spokesperson seen in the video.

ALLEGRA STRATTON, BORIS JOHNSON SPOKESPERSON: I'm truly sorry.

ABDELAZIZ: apologized and resigned shortly after. Last week Johnson launched an investigation into the social gatherings. Still, he has continuously denied that any party's took place or any restrictions were broken.

JOHNSON: I can tell you that I certainly break their rules, the whole thing will be looked into by the cabinet secretary. And what I'm focused on, frankly, is the vaccine rollout.

ABDELAZIZ: It comes as health officials warn, Omicron cases in the U.K. are doubling every two to three days. On Sunday, the Prime Minister pled for compliance with new COVID rules and urged everyone eligible to get boosted.

JOHNSON: There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming.

ABDELAZIZ: But the country's opposition leader Kier Starmer said Johnson is a threat to public health and no longer fit for Office.

KIER STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: Now that trust is broken and many people are now saying well, if the Prime Minister is going to allow breaking of the rules, parties, quizzes going on in Downing Street when we're being asked not to see our loved ones. Well, why should I follow the rules?

ABDELAZIZ: Johnson is set to be back in Parliament this week to push new COVID measures. He is expected to face a rebellion from his own party appearing to lose faith even among his own circle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Now as you heard there, Rosemary, there's going to be a vote in Parliament today because Prime Minister Boris Johnson rather is trying to push through some new COVID measures, some tougher restrictions to deal with the Omicron variant and he faces a rebellion from his own conservative backbenchers, more cracks here in the system.

CHURCH: And we'll be watching to see where all of this goes. Salma Abdelaziz joining us live from London. Many thanks. Well, COVID cases are still rising in France ahead of Christmas. But the Prime Minister says the rate of increase appears to be slowing down. For the latest on COVID in Europe, CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us now live from Athens, Greece. Great to see you, Eleni. So, certainly encouraging news from France.

But it goes against what we're seeing and hearing in other parts of Europe. What is the latest from France and of course, across the country?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really interesting to hear the Prime Minister saying that there's a certain deceleration of epidemic that's occurring right now. And there was a warning, there was a caveat to that, that the sixth wave rose we could follow in January and that would be fueled by Omicron. That being said, last week, we saw some of the highest positive daily numbers on record in France.

And you still have ICU beds, half of those full by COVID-19 patients. So yes, we're seeing a deceleration. But I think that authorities, they're watching these trends very closely, because it's a big unknown factor of Omicron. And if you see what's happening in the U.K. and you see those trends, all E.U. countries are watching that case very closely. And you're seeing numbers playing out in a similar fashion across the continents as well.

But I have to say in France, and this is really important. Remember that health pass, there are so many protests about that was implemented this year? Well, there's been a huge discovery that there's a network that is currently offering fake health passes in France. They're currently investigating about 400 of those networks that have gotten out thousands the government says have fake health passes right now in the country.

That is causing a lot of concern because France has been trying to clamp down on the unvaccinated, you'd have to show your health pass if you're going into certain public areas, and they don't want to increase restrictions, but they want to focus on the unvaccinated and of course they want to encourage people to get that third booster shot. That is going to be so important in fighting the Omicron bases that have been increasing across Europe, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Indeed. Eleni Giokos bring us the latest there from Athens. Appreciate it. Well a hatred of COVID vaccine mandates and lockdowns is creating some strange bedfellows in Europe, bringing together the far left and far right. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's the new front in Europe's fight against the pandemic. No longer the hesitant. But those dead set against vaccines and COVID-19 restrictions. A fight that set to get much (INAUDIBLE) nearly one year into the E.U.'s vaccination program and amid a surge in COVID infections, vaccines are becoming mandatory for entire populations or certain categories, like the elderly or healthcare workers.

ALEXANDER SCHALLENBERG, FORMER CHANCELLOR OF AUSTRIA (through translator): Despite months persuasion, despite intensive media campaigns, despite discussion in various media we have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated.

[02:15:04]

BELL: In November Austria became the first European country to announce that vaccines would be mandatory for all starting from February. The far-right Freedom Party immediately called for demonstrations. But it isn't just the far right across Europe and for populist parties from all sides of the spectrum, the COVID-19 measures and vaccines have provided a federating new focus that transcends the old left right divide.

JEAN-YVES CAMUS, POLITICAL STRATEGIST: It's a divide about whether you trust the media or not. And whether you trust your politicians or not of the new divide is between the mainstream and the periphery, and the referee is made of all kinds of people.

BELL: Sophie Tee (ph) here agrees she's helped organize several of France's COVID demonstrations.

We want to create a citizens opposition which is beyond electoral considerations, and much more like a watchdog that sits outside the world of politics. To be able to tell it look here, you are no longer protecting our rights.

Researchers at the University of Turin have found a strong correlation between anti-vax and populist sentiment which means that mainstream governments are now taking on those they've already lost.

SILVIA RUSSO, POLITICAL SCIENTIST, UNIVERSITY OF TURIN: The results here would be that those anti-vaxxers would hold even more extreme positions. If the vaccine become mandatory, then the government would need to have some kind of control about it. And this can also undermine institutional trust.

BELL: increasingly aggressive vaccine policies may force many more people into vaccination centers, but they're also likely to push many more forcefully onto the streets. Melissa Bell, CNN Paris.

CHURCH: Mainland China is reporting its first case of the Omicron variant. State media report it was found in the northern City of Tianjin in a traveler who came from overseas on Thursday. The latest, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Kristie. So what more are you learning about China's first confirmed Omicron case apparently from this inbound traveler?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, we have health authorities in Tianjin, the port city in China confirming mainland China's very first case of the new Omicron variant. What we know is this it was detected among inboard travelers who are coming in from overseas, one traveler touching down in Tianjin confirmed to have the virus and it was detected at the border this last week on December the 9th.

Now meanwhile, we know that the epicenter of the outbreak continues to be this eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. On Monday China reported 51 locally transmitted new cases of the virus. 44 New locally transmitted cases of the virus in this province of Zhejiang which is a factory powerhouse, it's a shipping hub. It's where Alibaba is based. It's where Ningbo-Zhoushan, this major container port is based.

It's the third busiest container port in the world. In fact, it was in August last year -- excuse me, August earlier this year, when one confirmed case at that port, shut down the port and contributed to the global shipping crisis. Now, meanwhile, we also learned that, you know, as Zhejiang is trying to clamp down on these cases, you know, tens of thousands of people are being put into quarantine. On top of that about a dozen mainland Chinese listed companies have suspended production. Again, only 44 cases of the virus in that province alone. Back to you.

CHURCH: And Kristie, what impact might all of this have on the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics?

STOUT: Yes. The Beijing Winter Olympic Games less than two months away earlier, we did hear from a top respiratory expert who said that, you know, China was confident that is China is not afraid of the Omicron variant. And China is not afraid because it believes strongly in not at zero COVID policy but what it calls a dynamic zero COVID policy in recent weeks, China acknowledging that it is nearly impossible to bring cases down to zero, but they can try to bring the cases down as low as possible.

Through mass testing campaigns, through contact tracing, through snap lock downs and travel restrictions, border closures and other measures. But when the Beijing Winter Olympic Games kick off, there'll be the ultimate test of this dynamic zero-COVID policy. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Kristie Lu Stout bringing the ladies from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

Well, America's top diplomat is kicking off a Southeast Asia tour with some strong words about China. What Antony Blinken is saying about shipping in the South China Sea. That's ahead. But first, Iran is reacting to the Israeli Prime Minister's historic visit to the UAE. Why Tehran is calling the trip detrimental to the region. That's next

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[02:21:59]

CHURCH: Israel's Prime Minister is describing his historic talks in the United Arab Emirates as meaningful in depth and straightforward. Naftali Bennett met with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Monday more than a year after the two countries normalize their relationship. CNN's Sam Kiley has the details from Abu Dhabi.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made history here when he met for the first time ever for an Israeli prime minister with any Emirati official here on Emirati soil. He met for four hours, that's two hours longer than was scheduled with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and then left leaving this message behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAFTALI BENNETY, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I'm finishing a good visit here in the United Arab Emirates. I want to thank His Highness, Mohammed bin Zayed for very warm hospitality throughout this visit. Throughout the day, we had meaningful in depth and straightforward talks about our two nations, about the region, and about our economy and technology and what we can do together.

I'm flying back to Israel, very optimistic that this relationship can set an example of how we can make peace here in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KILEY: And what's notable about that message is that there's no mention of Iran, nor indeed, of the Palestinians. The two red letter issues of the day. Top of the list, though, really is Iran with the Emiratis being severely out of step with, certainly with the Israelis and even the United States in their view that no longer is it worthwhile putting any serious pressure on the Iranians trying to get them to return to the nuclear deal that was effectively torn up by Donald Trump, which was a deal intended to reduce their capability to produce a nuclear weapon.

Now there have been efforts under the Biden administration to re vivify that agreement, which lately the Iranians have walked away from the Americans wanted greater sanctions indicated this and the Emiratis were very swift to say they're not interested in any further sanctions. Indeed, they have been reaching out to Tehran, they have been planning to have a major solar farm being built in Iran.

They've sent high level diplomatic delegations. And of course, the Israelis in the background have been threatening military action if there's no diplomatic solution to ending Iran's alleged nuclear program. But at the same time, this has also been a triumph for Naftali Bennett who had been his predecessor, who had effectively negotiated what are called the Abraham Accords that normalize the relationship between the United Arab Emirates and several other Arab countries and Israel led by the Emirates.

That was a famous breakthrough in diplomacy over many years of isolation. These two countries have never been at war together against one another, but they have certainly been extremely frosty it was impossible until 15 months ago for an Israeli citizen to set foot here.

[02:25:05]

KILEY: Now there are some seven flights a day backwards and forwards between Israel and Dubai. Many more other tourist operations being planned. What both sides said coming out of this meeting is that they were hoping to deepen the economic relationship, already worth some $600 million a year, and above all, an invitation offered by the Israeli prime minister to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to visit at some future date Israel was made and was accepted. Sam Kiley, CNN in Abu Dhabi.

CHURCH: Iran has condemned the Israeli Prime Minister's visit to the UAE according to state media. The Foreign Ministry spokesman called it detrimental to the security and interests of the region, while Iran remains a security concern for both Israel and the UAE. Tensions with Iran were not mentioned as we heard in that report following that meeting.

Well, senior European diplomats are warning the time is running out on reviving the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal. They say it could soon become an empty shell without any progress. In a statement, British, French and German diplomats say Western powers have still not been able to get down to real negotiations. And the U.S. is warning it's prepared to look at other options should diplomatic efforts to salvage the deal fail.

America's top diplomat kicked off a Southeast Asia tour Monday with a trip to Indonesia. It's Anthony Blinken's first trip to the region since becoming Secretary of State. And like most things involving U.S. policy in Asia, China is very much on the agenda. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We're determined to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Where Beijing's aggressive actions they're threatened the movement of more than $3 trillion worth of commerce every year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And Blinken isn't the only big news coming out of Indonesia right now. More than a dozen aftershocks have been reported after a powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia's coast. Well, coming up. Communities are just starting to pick up the pieces after a series of deadly tornadoes tore across parts of the United States. Those details just ahead. Plus, a new report finds Colombian police were responsible for 11 deaths during protests in Bogota last year.

Reaction to the findings. That's after the break. Stay with us.

[02:30:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, in the U.S., officials are struggling to assess the devastation after a series of violent tornadoes ripped through the Midwest and South. At least 50 tornadoes, touched down, across eight states over the weekend, leaving at least 88 people dead.

Kentucky was the hardest hit with at least 74 killed. And there are fears that the toll will rise with more than 100 still missing. Exact numbers have been hard to pin down so far. And this is partly why, entire communities reduced to rubble. Unrecognizable to the people who lived there as they begin sifting through the debris, picking up pieces of the lives they had built. CNN's Gary Tuchman, with more, from Bremen Kentucky.

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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The tornado tore right through the small town of Bremen Kentucky where only a few hundred people live. The twister left dead and injured within the town limits and nearby parts of Muhlenberg County.

TUCHMAN (on camera): And you know all these people?

ALEX PIPER, MUHLENBERG COUNTY, KENTUCKY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: I do. TUCHMAN (voiceover): Alex Piper is a deputy sheriff with the Muhlenberg County Sheriff's Department. And, a lifelong resident here.

PIPER: I think, at this point right here, most of us are all still in shock.

TUCHMAN (voiceover): Much of Bremen has been destroyed or damage. This was a neighborhood of many homes. But now, it is almost as if the houses evaporated. No evidence a home was ever here. In other areas, you see rubble and some (INAUDIBLE) was inside the house like kitchen appliances, but no sign of the kitchen. And schoolbooks, art projects, stuffed animals, reminders of the horror that so many children and their families experienced late Friday night.

In other parts of Bremen, houses still stand but are demolished inside. Joe Gish is a farmer who lives in town, he says, his house was OK, but --

TUCHMAN (on camera): Do you brother and his wife live in this house?

JOE GISH, BREMEN, KENTUCKY RESIDENT: Yes, they did.

TUCHMAN: You knew they weren't here because they have a premature baby and they were at the hospital?

GISH: Yes, sir. Yes.

TUCHMAN: When you came here and you saw this house, you must have been so eternally grateful that they were not here.

GISH: I was eternally grateful, but after about an hour, of just being through this, I hit the ground. I passed out. I just -- you know, it was just too much.

TUCHMAN (voiceover): Profound emotion turmoil was something that everyone we talked to is going through here, because of how tight-knit this community is.

PIPER: The age ranges from the loss of life here has been, you know, five months old to folks in their 70s.

TUCHMAN: How quickly all this damage occurred is absolutely stunning. When people suffer this kind of damage during a hurricane, it typically takes hours of winds and rain. But the people who experience this say it all happened within one or two minutes.

TUCHMAN (voiceover): The shock that this happened to Bremen and Muhlenberg County will eventually go away. But the sadness and grief will be part of the fabric of this community for generations.

PIPER: I'd actually saw a Facebook post earlier, someone was talking about something, a conversation they had an hour before, one of their friends had passed, you know, I was -- it's just -- like I said, it's hadn't -- it's still not sinking in.

TUCHMAN (voiceover): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Bremen, Kentucky. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: This weekend's storms were truly unprecedented. It is now the deadliest tornado outbreak on record for December and could be among the deadliest ever if the toll continues to rise. For more, we want to bring in our meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri.

Good to see you, Pedram.

Of course, the devastation just shocking. And experts think that just one storm cell touchdown in four states, perhaps making it the longest continuous tornado in history. Could this perhaps become the new normal?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it is incredible to hear that, especially in the cold season, Rosemary. And, of course, given the impacts of climate change and warmer world, certainly could see a shift in all of this. So, when you typically expect, say, the tornado season or severe weather season to really ramp up across portions of the U.S., in say in March or April, maybe that transitions back into say February and March, before it gets to March and April. So, we kind of could see a shift with the warmer world.

And we want to show you what we are kind of breaking down here. Not sure if the computer is still active, it looks like it may be faulty here or on my end. But if you can advance the elements, showing you where the evidence has been when it comes climate change it really is limited data at this point to kind of bring together the impacts of climate change related to tornadoes, specifically.

Widespread evidence suggests that excessive heat, significant flooding, certainly drought, these large-scale events that are regional in nature, in some cases lasting months or even years, those have a very, very significant fingerprint on them from a manmade climate change impact.

But tornadoes, there are small-scale events. They often just that last a few minutes and they are localize to one in particular community. So, the data is just not there to support that right now. And that's really the biggest differentiator when it comes to tornado evidence and climate change. It certainly doesn't mean that the warmer world certainly doesn't impact or fuel these storms more so than they would otherwise. But it is kind one area to point out.

[02:35:00]

But we do excessive warmth right now across the Eastern U.S., Rosemary. Temperatures are running some 20 to as much as 40 degrees above average, which, in the month of December, that might seem mild, it might very nice, but if you put those in the warmth season that becomes very deadly. But really important to note here, as much as 160 records, possible, over the next several days, across the Eastern U.S., which does include this area of Kentucky as well that has been impacted and portions of Tennessee certainly by these tornadoes into the State of Arkansas as well. So, incredible warmth. And, again, those have fingerprints of climate change written all over them when you see these warmth and excessive heat events that take place. And as far as rain is concerned, there is storms coming into this region. Initially, again, Rosemary, it is going to be dry, it is going to be mild for recovery efforts for folks across that area. But some rain is possible as early as Thursday into Friday across portions of the South and into areas that have been impacted. So, we're going to follow that carefully.

CHURCH: Yes. We appreciate that too. Pedram Javaheri joining us there many thanks.

A U.N.-backed report has found Columbia National Police were responsible for the deaths of 11 protesters in Bogota last here. They were killed during a wave of protests against police brutality. Journalist, Stefano Pozzebon is in Bogota with more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: The Colombian National Police were directly responsible for the deaths of 11 protesters in the Capital City of Bogota last year according to an independent inquiry supported by the United Nations.

The protest against police brutality erupted in September 2020 after a video went viral showing police officers tasing a man who was being detained for violating COVID-19 restrictions. The man, Javier Ordonez, died a few hours after his detention, and the policeman was later convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The incident was often compared to the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 in Minneapolis, which similarly triggered widespread protest against the police in the United States. The inquiry was commissioned by the mayor Bogota, Claudia Lopez, earlier this year. And Lopez broke into tears when the report was released on Monday.

CLAUDIA LOPEZ, BOGOTA COLOMBIA MAYOR (through translator): This is painful for the soul. But it is necessary to rescue and recover our democracy. The pain we feel in confirming something we denounced in September last year, it is enormous.

POZZEBON: She later apologized for the loss of lives and pledged to present the results of the report to the Colombian president, Ivan Duque, and to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. Police violence remains a contentious topic in Colombia more than five years after the peace agreement with FARC.

Earlier this year, protest against an equality again erupted in violence and left dozens dead, triggering calls for structured reform within the police, which in Colombia, response to the Ministry of Defense. President Duque has pledge to prosecute any perpetrator of police abuse, but maintained his support for the institution as a whole and for its current leadership.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: In a statement to CNN, Colombia's National Police said they are interested in having justice delivered and those responsible for those events must be punished. The full weight of the law must fall.

And just ahead here on CNN, look up in the sky for a once in a lifetime opportunity. A comment is zooming by earth for the first and only time this month.

Plus, the U.S. warns of a major software vulnerability. How it could affect millions of devices, around the world. That's next.

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[02:40:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, hundreds of millions of devices worldwide could be exposed to a newly-revealed software vulnerability. It is in a java based a software known as log for jay, which large organizations used to log data. It offers hackers a relatively easy way to access an organization's computer server.

The U.S. government is urging industry executives to take action. A top U.S. cybersecurity official says, this vulnerability is one of the most serious that I have seen in my entire career, if not the most serious. Organizations are now trying to figure out if their systems have been exposed.

Well, take a look up at the sky this month, this will be your only chance to see the newly discovered comet, Leonard, before it disappears forever. Leonard has spent the last 35,000 years traveling toward our sun. It is set to make its closest pass on January 3rd. In the coming weeks, look for a fuzzy star near the horizon just after sunset. The comet should look like a slow-moving object, but, really, it's actually blazing through the solar system at 71 kilometers per second. Look at that.

Well, Elon Musk launched the first ever tourist mission to earth's orbit. And this year, he became the richest person in the world. And now, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has been named "Time" magazines' Person of the Year. :"Times" editor-in-chief says, "The designation is a marker of influence and few individuals have had more influence than Musk on life on earth, and potentially, life off earth too."

Well, the traditional started in 1927 as Man of the Year and has evolved over the decades to include the impact of a group, movement or idea.

And we want to thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. World Sport with Patrick Snell is up next. I'll see you back here at the top of the hour with more news. Don't go anywhere.

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