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No Signs of Russia Deescalating On Ukraine Border; Birthday Celebration For PM Sparks New Party Row; Benedict Admits Being At Meeting About Priest Accused of Abuse; Burkina Faso Soldiers Oust President Kabore In Military Coup; At Least Eight Killed In Crush At Cameroon Stadium. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired January 25, 2022 - 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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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, no signs of de-escalation as Vladimir Putin continues with his troops build up and Ukraine's border, the U.S. puts thousands of troops on high alert, NATO forces its military presence to the east to defend against Russian aggression.
The British Prime Minister leaving a country under pandemic lockdown the lesson it seems, is you can't have your birthday cake and eat it too. And with the overcrowded variant spreading rapidly around the world, the WHO says there's now a chance to stabilize the pandemic. But is this just another false dawn seen from the rearview mirror after turning a corner on the way to a place called Game Changer?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thank you for joining us for another hour of CNN Newsroom. We begin with the latest in the growing crisis of Ukraine, with Russia's troop buildup on the border showing no sign of slowing down. Right now more than 100,000 Russian troops amassed in the region. Moscow has also sent additional troops or joint military drills with Belarus, which also borders Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry announced earlier this week naval exercises will take place in the coming days in the Black Sea. The U.S. has now placed thousands of troops on high alert to support NATO's rapid response force also known as NRF.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: In the event of NATO's activation of the NRF or a deteriorating security environment, the United States would be in a position to rapidly deploy additional brigade combat teams, logistics, medical aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation and additional capabilities into Europe.
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VAUSE: U.S. President Joe Biden says he and his European allies are on the same page of the urgent talks on the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the White House, they discussed quote, preparations to oppose massive consequences if Moscow takes military action. CNN reporters are following the story around the world with Clarissa Ward in Kiev, Nic Robinson in Moscow, but we begin in Washington, the CNN's Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann.
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KIRBY: The United States has taken steps to heighten the readiness of its forces at home and abroad.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pentagon preparing for a potential deployment of military forces to Europe, putting as many as 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert.
KIRBY: The United States would be in a position to rapidly deploy additional brigade combat teams, logistics, medical, aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation and additional capabilities into Europe.
LIEBERMANN: Most of the troops will be part of the NATO Response Force but the Pentagon making clear it's preparing for other contingencies as well. Flights packed with lethal aid and ammunition from the U.S. arriving in Ukraine over the weekend. Part of the latest $200 million security package approved by the Biden administration. More is on the way.
With U.S. approval, Eastern European allies are sending us weapons to Ukraine to bolster the country's self defense against a potential Russian invasion. That includes Javelin, anti-tank missiles and Stinger, anti-aircraft missiles. NATO countries are already on the move sending fighter jets and ships to the region.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: We all have deployed battlegroups NATO multinational bathrooms to the three Baltic countries and Poland. So we have stepped up about this is defensive, and NATO stopped threatening Russia.
LIEBERMANN: Russia amassing more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, including fighter jets and tanks, the tools for a massive military offensive. Russian weapons have also been rolling into Belarus head of joint exercises their next month, which some analysts worry could be the cover for an invasion of Ukraine.
The Kremlin spokesman said the risk of conflict is very high, higher than before, but blame the West for the tension. The map looks set for war. Even with diplomacy still on the table. France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine are set to meet for talks on Wednesday, while the U.S. has been in near constant communication with its European allies. But concerns of conflict are growing. The State Department authorized the departure of nonessential U.S. personnel and families from Ukraine. England did the same one day later.
[01:05:05]
Ukraine says the move is premature, while Russia has accused the west of hysteria.
(on camera): Sending additional troops to Europe isn't the only potential movement of troops the Pentagon is considering putting on Press Secretary John Kirby saying there could be the movement of troops within Europe, suggesting the troops from Western Europe could be moved to the Eastern flank of NATO standing up both to bolster defense against a possible Russian move, as well as as a deterrent against potential Russian action against Ukraine. Oren Liebermann, CNN at the Pentagon.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (on camera): Russian officials really seem to be picking up on these growing tensions between Ukrainian authorities and the United States about the diplomatic drawdown Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman saying on her telegram channel, comparing and contrasting what a Defense Council official in Ukraine has said that they see no evidence essentially of an eminent full scale Russian invasion, comparing and contrasting that with a Pentagon spokesman who said he sees no evidence of a Russian de-escalation.
The spokeswoman goes on to say that the United States is intending to undermine the morale of the Ukrainians here and going on, essentially to taunt U.S. politicians saying they don't care for their mothers. Do they -- can you really expect them to care for the mothers in Ukraine?
So Russia trying to exploit that growing tension, if you will, with it that exists. And at the same time as well, the Kremlin spokesman blaming the United States, blaming NATO for what he calls informational hysteria, false information about a lot of what is happening in Ukraine, but also pointing to the Ukrainian government has been responsible for growing tensions along the Line of Control between the pro-Russian backed separatists in the east of Ukraine in Donbas and the Ukrainian forces as a Ukrainian forces there who are building up their military hardware and threatening the Donbas area. So, the Kremlin pointing to that as a growing point of tension, Ukrainian forces, they essentially say to blame for the rising tensions. Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.
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(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Ukraine was very upset last week that they thought President Biden wasn't taking this threat seriously enough when he sort of accidentally said that potentially a minor incursion wouldn't bring about the same sort of swift and robust response that a full on invasion would.
But now Ukrainian officials are concerned and upset for a different reason. They're very upset about the fact that the U.S. has decided to withdraw families, embassy personnel and also allow for any nonessential embassy personnel to also leave Ukraine because of the mounting threat. They believe that that's contributing to an atmosphere of panic.
We have heard from the President, we have heard from the Prime Minister, we have heard from the foreign minister, really trying to assure other countries that there's no need to follow suit that this is essentially an overly cautious reaction.
And in fact, we even heard from one the national security director in defense counsel, he said today, we see no reason to make allegations of a full scale invasion against our country. This cannot even be done physically. So basically saying that it's not even possible for Russia to fully invade Ukraine.
The question becomes really, is it at this stage that Ukrainian officials believe firmly that the U.S. is overplaying the threat now? Or is it sort of the reverse that Ukraine is trying to underplay the threat somewhat, because they're concerned about the effect that it's having on people here that it might lead to panic, that it might increase anxiety, that it might deter foreign investment, and difficult to know from here in Kiev where exactly the truth lies.
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VAUSE: Earlier I spoke with Steven Pifer. He's a fellow a research fellow at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation as well as a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine asked about the threat of sanctions for Russia.
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STEVEN PIFER, WILLIAM J PERRY FELLOW, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: If we're now at a say three, on a one to 10 scale, there's a lot of room left to impose pain on Russia with sanctions. But I think there are two other deterrence. One is the West has said it would increase military assistance to Ukraine if the Russians invade, and you already see that assistance beginning to flow. For example, last week, British C-17s were flying land light and armored weapons into Kiev. And the other deterrent is the Russians don't like NATO military presence on NATO's eastern flank. Well, NATO saying if you go into Ukraine, we will have no choice. We will need to assure our allies in the eastern flank and you will see those NATO forces increase.
VAUSE: OK, with regard to the Russian presence on Ukraine's border the Pentagon spokesman John Kirby was asked to simply about that on Monday. Here's his response. Listen to this.
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KIRBY: Yes, it's gotten bigger. Absolutely. They continue to add battalion tactical groups to the western, to their western border to the border with Ukraine. And in Belarus as well, the numbers there are increasing. So they have not only shown no signs of de-escalating, but they are in fact adding more force capability.
VAUSE: So at this point, if the U.S., the NATO, were hoping that you're the third of these Armageddon, like financial sanctions, combined with I guess the military aid to Ukraine and NATO forces to the east, would give Putin pause that hasn't happened. Has Putin factored in the cost of the sanctions? For example, does that equation include, you know, a lesson unified response by NATO allies?
PIFER: Well, at this point, Vladimir Putin may not yet decided what he wants to do, when that is why it's important for the West to be making very clear that the Western response would be very strong, it would be unified, and it would include very painful consequences for the Russians.
Now, at the end of the day, Moscow have to sort of tote up and look at those costs, versus what it hopes to gain in terms of political objectives. I also think we should remember that the main costs will be imposed by the Ukrainian military if the Russian goes in. The Russian military may prevail, but the Ukrainians will make them pay a price. And well, I believe the Russian public, Putin's constituency, they like somebody out there who's talking tough and standing up to NATO. I'm not sure if that is sustained. If the price that policy begins to be significant number of Russian military casualties.
VAUSE: In an opinion piece, The York Times, Fiona Hill, who served as an advisor on Russia to three U.S. presidents, as this warning, she writes, this time, Mr. Putin's aim is bigger than closing NATO's open door to Ukraine, and taking more territory. He wants to evict the United States from Europe. As he might put it, goodbye, America, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
She goes on to argue the response so far from the U.S. and NATO has been too narrowly focused. Putin is moving pieces around the world, it's all connected to one another, which means the response needs to be much more global in scope for several point.
PIFER: Well, I think, you know, you need to look at the ways to push back in a maximum way on Russia. But again, terms what the United States has been doing in Europe, with NATO and with the European Union, and our European allies and partners are, of course, going to be focused on Europe.
Again, I think the Biden administration has done a fairly good job. They've been very intense consultations coordination. And so I expect if the Russian military goes into Ukraine, you're going to see a fairly unified Western response, and it will be one that the Russians will not like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Please stay with CNN for more coverage of the tension between Russia and Ukraine, growing fears of a Russian invasion. We'll have more on this story about 20 minutes from now.
But Boris Johnson's political self-destruction appears we're taking yet another turn for the worst with new revelations he attended a surprise birthday party organized by his wife and held indoors at Downing Street light in violation of lockdown rules at the time, which prevented any social gatherings and was strictly enforced for the rest of the country. CNN's Bianca Nobilo picks up the story.
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing more allegations of yet more parties held in Downing Street while the country was under a strict lockdown. This time, two parties reportedly happened on Boris Johnson's birthday the 19th of June 2020. According to CNN affiliate ITN, there was one attended by as many as 30 people held in the Cabinet Office in the afternoon of June 19. Not long after 2:00 p.m., and another that evening, which was hosted at Johnson's residence and attended by family and friends.
A source who worked in Downing Street at the time independently confirmed to CNN that the gathering took place on that day, and that it was arranged by Johnson's wife, who led the singing of Happy Birthday.
At that time in England, you were not allowed to gather indoors and the rule of six applied outdoors that a maximum of six people were allowed to meet. But Downing Street denies that any rules were breached by that evening's gathering. They say this is totally untrue. In line with the rules at the time, the Prime Minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening.
The beleaguered Prime Minister is already one of the subjects of the Sue Gray investigation to determine whether or not COVID rules were broken in Downing Street during lockdown, and rumors and reports continue to swirl about the amount of letters received by the highly influential 1922 Backbench Committee in the House of Commons, which, if the threshold is met, has the power to force a vote of no confidence in Boris Johnson and potentially end his premiership. Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: With us now from Los Angeles, British journalist and author Sandro Monetti. Sandro, good to see you.
SANDRO MONETTI, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: Well, I hope Boris enjoyed that birthday cake. It's probably the most expensive slice he's ever had because it could cost him his job
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VAUSE: Well, we'll get into that. So, you know, according to a statement from Downing Street, a group of staff working in Number 10, that they gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room, just briefly, after a meeting to wish the Prime Minister a happy birthday, there was cake. He was there for less than 10 minutes.
But even that admission seems to be a problem in itself, given the rules and recommendations at the time, according to The Guardian newspaper, throughout the pandemic, singing near others was cautioned against interference, it could aid the spread of the virus. Gatherings were permitted for up to six people outdoors, not permitted indoors.
And I think this was the only time the rules and guidelines have been bent or broken, there may be some sympathy or forgiveness. But clearly this is not a one off. So, to your point, how does Johnson survive this scandal?
MONETTI: Well, think of all the bereaved families who couldn't gather to sing a hymn in memory of the loved ones they've lost to COVID. How are they going to feel when the Prime Minister is allowed to have numerous people sing Happy Birthday to him? It seems like an awful sense of hypocrisy at play here.
And I think maybe leaders in other countries could survive this. But this is Britain, where there's such a sense of fair play following the rules. And when the British public tend to hear do as I do not -- do as I say not do as I do, you know, he could have written his own death warrant with that decision.
VAUSE: But, you know, the leader of the Labour opposition had a very succinct summary of how this political crisis has unfolded for Boris Johnson. Listen for this.
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KEI STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: He started by saying the word no parties, and all the rules were followed. Then he said, are the word parties I just found out and I'm furious. Then there was evidence that he had gone to a party and he said, I didn't realize was a party. Then last week, he was on the fourth defense, which was nobody told me it was against the rules. And now these allegations mean that all of that can't possibly be true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It seems to drip, drip, drip, which is the most damaging part here. At this point, is it too late, you know, for mere copra full admission or public apology?
MONETTI: You know, no one knows what's in Sue Gray's reports. But I think we can pretty much guarantee that Boris Johnson is guilty of very bad judgment and certainly a PR own goal. I think it is perhaps too late for an apology. Because, you know, it's always best if you just face these things up and tell the truth.
You know, if you say I made an honest mistake, people will generally forgive you or there is a way back. When you try and fudge it and say things like, Well, I didn't realize it was a party. And then more things come out. As you said, the drip, drip, drip, what will the excuse be this time? It's getting too late for an apology unless the upcoming report completely exonerates him. You know, he might be writing a resignation letter to the British public.
VAUSE: Yes, around the same time all this happened, a little seven- year-old girl wrote to the Prime Minister telling me about cancelling her birthday party because he asked everyone to stay at home and she was willing to do it to keep everybody safe. And, you know, the Prime Minister wrote her back and he also tweeted out his response saying Josephine sets a great example to us all by postponing her birthday party until we have sent the coronavirus packing. Together we can beat this. In the meantime, let's all wish happy birthday, twice. Whilst washing our hands.
This is sort of just another example of what seems to be total cynicism by this prime minister. And what is now a total lack of credibility moving forward.
MONETTI: Maybe seven-year-old Josephine should be running the country. She seems to have the right idea and understand the importance of sticking to the rules. You know, John, this could be the first time in political history where a prime minister is brought down by a letter to a seven-year-old girl.
VAUSE: So essentially, what we're looking at here in a timeframe where the report coming out this week, and then what happens next?
MONETTI: Well, then-Boris Johnson will have to answer to the house. And he said when he was under fire last week and the Prime Minister's questions, let's wait for the report. And then I will be happy to give full answers. And yes, Sue Gray, the senior civil servant, who was reportedly aware of this birthday party has been investigating all these lockdown gatherings at Downing Street. Were just days away sometime this week from the announcement. Then Boris will have to face the music so to speak, and we'll see what happens but if I was a betting man, I'd start to taking odds on the next prime minister.
VAUSE: Can have your birthday cake and eat it too it seems. Sandro, thank you.
Pope Benedict XVI has corrected the record now admitting he attended a meeting about a priest accused of sexual abuse. The 34-year-old originally denied he was at the 1980 meeting in Germany, but on Monday, Benedict's private secretary says there was an error in the editing of his statement. We very sorry for the mistake, notes from the meeting were released last week as part of an independent investigation they found Benedict fail to act on sexual abuse allegations when he served as Archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.
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Well, there was a deadly crash at an Africa Cup nations football match. Coming up, what hapspened at the stadium in Cameroon's capital is the host the continental championship. Also had, the president Burkina Faso disappears following a military coup. Why that's a reason for celebration for so many. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: We have this just into CNN. According to military officials in Seoul, two cruise missiles were fired by North Korea Tuesday morning. If confirmed this will be the North fifth missile test by Pyongyang just this year. According to North Korea's state media the launch is intended to bolster the country's defense against the US. North's ballistic missile nuclear programs have been sanctioned and declared illegal by the UN Security Council.
Celebrations in the streets of Burkina Faso after the President was overthrown in a military coup. Army officials made the announcement on state television Monday, they said the former government had failed to protect the country from violent extremists. Army leaders told CNN they're holding the former president in an undisclosed safe place after he signed his resignation. But for many they're just happy he's no longer president.
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MAHAMADI QUEDRAOGO, QUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO RESIDENT (through translator): Today we have a feeling of joy. We are so relieved because President Roch Kabore is no longer president of Burkina Faso. The powers with the military. We are happy. Most of the people support the military. We are really encouraged. We are mobilized to support the military in peace.
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VAUSE: Army vehicles riddled with bullets were found near the former president's home is unknown if she was there at the time of the attack. They say people have been killed during a stampede and an African Cup of Nations match in Cameroon. State media report the crash happened as fans arrived at all of the stadium and (INAUDIBLE) down for a match between Cameroon and Comoros, at least 50 people. CNN producer Blaise Eyong is in Buea, Cameroon with the very latest. So what do we know about how many people been killed in this? How many people have been hurt? And what was the cause?
BLAISE EYONG, CNN PRODUCER: Hi, John. So, from sources at the stadium, this is a police officer stationed outside the stadium, said people from surrounding areas and neighborhoods around the Olembe Stadium heard that the marshals played and the gate was open is meant to be free for them to have access to, but they try to force their way they got into around the stadium try to force their way to the stadium into the stadium. And that's when the stampede happened. A lot of people struggle on others and some other people try to scale the fence because of the hills. We had a lot of people who sustained injuries they're currently in hospital.
Early this morning, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Health and also the Secretary General of CAF went to visit some of these people who sustained injury and like you mentioned in your introduction at least eight people have been confirmed dead.
[01:25:10] VAUSE: So Blaise, what do you know about the 50 or so people who have been injured, what are their injuries like, what condition are they in? And are we expecting that deaths on the rise?
EYONG: Yes, for people who sustained injuries, they are being treated in at least four hospitals around the Olembe, and sources saying that they sustained very serious injuries. And so the government has said they're going to take care of all the injured people. There was a word from the President that everybody is going to be taken care of. But we do not know if the numbers have increased because nurses and doctors that I spoke to last night, they said that some of these people came in very critical condition. And the number of death toll may just as well increase.
VAUSE: Blaise, thank you. Blaise Eyong there in the capital of -- in Buea (INAUDIBLE) there in Cameroon, thank you.
Well, (INAUDIBLE) stay on Wall Street, when we come back, it takes a surprising turn though just before the close. Details in a moment.
And the risks that come with economic sanctions on Moscow. We'll look at the options for the West if Russia decides to invade.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom. Our top stories this hour. The tense standoff of Ukraine ramping up with the U.S. and its NATO allies stepping (INAUDIBLE) in Eastern Europe amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden talking with European leaders on Monday to discuss the growing crisis, saying everyone is now on the same page.
Meantime the Pentagon says Russia's buildup near the Ukrainian border showing no signs of slowing down with all the 100,000 troops in the region and growing. The U.S. is now placed thousands of its own forces on high alert for possible deployment. NATO says it's sending more material, military equipment rather, into Eastern Europe, putting forces on standby as well. The White House and NATO officials though say there's no plans to deploy troops into Ukraine. NATO Secretary General saying Monday the moves are all defensive.
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STOLTENBERG: We are considering to further enhance our presence in eastern part of the alliance. This could include the deployment of additional NATO battle groups. These deployments are proportionate and in line with our international commitments, and they reinforce European security for all of us.
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VAUSE: The possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the U.S. Federal Reserve plans to raise interest rates has many investors are on edge. Wall Street spent most of the frenzy day in the red on Monday. [01:29:54]
At one point the Dow was down more than a thousand points, but with just minutes left to trading the major indices reversed course. The Dow finished 99 points higher.
as well as a columnist and associate editor for the "Financial Times". She is with us this hour from New York. Good to see you.
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Great to see you.
VAUSE: Ok, so this was down. It was spectacular, in terms of context here. It took the Dow 76 years to reach 1,000 points. That was November 1972. On Monday, it added almost a thousand points in just over an hour from the closing bell to close in positive territory.
None of the concerns driving the fall earlier in the day had actually gone away. So was this just investors sort of reacting like padlocked dogs drooling and salivating over a dip in the market?
FOROOHAR: You know, very possibly yes. And I think we're in for more of this. You know, we know all of the bad stuff. Russia amassing troops on the Ukrainian border. The fact that we have runaway inflation in the U.S. We're probably going to see some rate hikes this year. that will be bad for stocks. There's a corporate debt crisis.
All of that is reason for the market to go down. It's always been reason for the market go down, with the exception of Russia. But there's a lot of geopolitical risks out there right now. We have known that this is going to be a (INAUDIBLE) for years.
What's fascinating to me is that investors still seem to buy the dip. They still seem to believe, particularly in U.S. stocks which is interesting. You know, they've had quite a run over the last 10 years. You could argue that, you know, maybe U.S. stocks could go down, but possibly other markets have some room to roam.
suspect, John, that I am going to be back here having this conversation with you many, many times in this coming year. I think we are in for rollercoaster ride.
VAUSE: Something to look forward to.
Before we had this rebound on Monday, so many felt like the stock market bubble had popped. But now, we have this suggestion by some analyst that, you know, the selloff has been overdone, the declines are mostly over. How do you see it?
FOROOHAR: Well, you know the bulls that say ok yes, stocks are close to record high, many of them are over record highs. But corporations are still profitable, and they're getting more profitable.
I mean one of the things that's been interesting in the midst of the pandemic is how much money corporations have been spending on technology. Driving down their costs, becoming more efficient, you know, if profits stay high, then you can argue that the share prices should stay high as well.
You can also argue in a bizarre way that, you know, bad news could be good news because if there is a sense that the economy is slowing or, you know, China is in lockdown, that's going to have more supply chain roll out throughout the world that you could say well maybe the Fed is going to err on the side of being more dovish, maybe they won't hide this (INAUDIBLE).
All this is in play. I have to say I have never seen a more complicated environment for predicting economic policy and market prices as we have now.
VAUSE: Yes, and we've seen this major run up in stock prices just, you know, since the beginning of the pandemic, back in March 2020. And the first week of this year, the Dow has almost doubled in value.
So what actually does trigger a correction? And when that happens, what does it look like? Is it a universal decline? Do some companies get hit harder than others? Do some profit?
FOROOHAR: Great question. Well, you know, technically a correction is a 10 percent fall from a top. And, what stocks are going to be hit the hardest, well everything's been hit recently. The most speculative asset, particularly hard cryptocurrency, certain very frothy tech stocks.
But, you know John, we've had, what's called an and everything bubble where asset prices of all kinds have risen in the last decade, and so I think that you're going to see wholesale correction when it comes. And indeed you saw that not just across asset classes but also across geographies.
There is a case to be made that at some point investors are going to say, ok, U.S. stocks have had a really great run. You know, maybe they're due for more of a correction than European stocks or Asian stocks. But we just haven't seen that yet. And now we've got a Asia locking down, you know, Europe still having problems with COVID, so I think we're going to see corrections across the board.
VAUSE: Just very quickly to the week ahead, who is more important in terms of where stocks could be heading? The Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, or the Russian President Vladimir Putin?
FOROOHAR: Golly, I'm going to say Powell long term. The Fed has put many, many trillions of dollars into the market in the last decades pumping it up and we're going to have to look at the Fed and maybe point some fingers as it falls.
VAUSE: Rana, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Good to see you.
FOROOHAR: Nice to see you.
[01:34:45]
VAUSE: So what will those Armageddon-like financial sanctions on Moscow look like should Russia invade Ukraine? How much leverage does the U.S. and NATO really have over Moscow? And what's the downside given the West's financial ties and energy reliance on Russia?
CNN's Anna Stewart has some answers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Away from the border with Ukraine, a different battle strategy is being drawn up as western allies consider how to respond to a potential Russian incursion with economic weapons.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: The European Union is by far Russia's biggest trading partner and by far the largest investor. And yes, this trading relationship is important to us but it is far more important to Russia.
STEWART: In 2020, the E.U. accounted for over a third of Russia's total trade. It's their biggest market for oil and gas and their biggest foreign investor, with investments worth $350 billion in 2019.
Some sanctions are already in place, imposed in 2014 for Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. And more were added as relations with Russia continue to sour.
TIM ASH, SENIOR EM STRATEGIST, BLUEBAY ASSET MANAGEMENT: Sanctions do have an impact. I mean a, lot of people brush them away as being ineffective. Russia spent a lot of money since 2014 lobbying against them and suggest they don't like them and more restrictions and sovereign deaths, Russians ability to borrow overseas I mean there's still a whole host of things they can do.
STEWART: The Kremlin has repeatedly denied they plan to attack Ukraine. But western allies remain wary.
Europe faces a problem though, energy. The E.U. relies on Russia for more than 40 percent of its natural gas imports and 25 percent of oil.
Some allies, and I guess we can go off and to point to Germany, are very committed to an approach of dialogue and diplomacy.
And through Germany, a lot of the rest of western Europe get Russian energy supplies, which if cut off totally would leave us with a very cold winter indeed.
STEWART: Which is why other more extreme options on Europe's table could backfire. Germany could refuse to give the final approval to Russia's new $6.5 billion dollar Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are at the heart of the global financial system.
STEWART: Or the west could cut Russia off from the global payment system, Swift, used by banks.
ASH: Russia has made it clear that it would see a cut off from Swift. I mean, I think -- the Kremlin press secretary said that it would be equivalent to a declaration of war. And I think in that scenario, Russia could well suspend energy deliveries to Europe.
STEWART : Western allies and the E.U. in particular have powerful economic weapons to hand. But wielding them comes with risks. It will be hard for the west to agree on sanctions, but if Russia invades Ukraine, they'll need to stand united.
Anna Stewart, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Mainland China once again sending warplanes into Taiwan's air defense zone. 13 on Monday, and a day after Beijing hit spent nearly players -- largest incursion this year. And let's believe , it's likely a response to a recent training drill by the United States and the Japanese Navy, which was conducted near Taiwan.
A U.K. court has ruled that Julian Assange continue with his legal fight against -- extradition to the U.S. The Supreme Court gave the WikiLeaks founder permission to try and appeal his case on Monday.
Assange is accused of violating the Espionage Act when his Web site published classified documents in 2010. This decision now opens the door for the U.K.'s high court to take up the case should it decide to. Assange's fiancee called the ruling a victory.
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SHEILA MORIS, JULIAN ASSANGE'S FIANCEE: What happened in court today is a precisely what we wanted to happen. The Supreme Court has to decide whether it will hear the appeal. But make no mistake, we won today in court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Assange has been in a British prison for almost three years after being evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy. He was sent to the U.S. and convicted. He faces up to 175 years in jail.
Still to come here, the U.S. CDC has added 15 more countries to its high risk COVID travel list, we'll tell you where they are and what this warning is to travelers who once wants to go there.
Also ahead, some hopeful news on the COVID-19 pandemic from the WHO's Europe chief. Will show you what he's saying and the smackdown from his boss.
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VAUSE: The latest now on the COVID pandemic. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has moved another 15 places into its highest risk travel category. This is in addition to the 22 destinations added last week.
Meantime, fully vaccinated travelers arriving in England will no longer be required to take COVID tests. The British prime minister announced the change but did not specify when the new rules go into effect.
And South Korea reported a record high number of new Daily COVID cases Monday, same day as the government said omicron has become the dominant variant.
China once again using its heavy hand to contain growing COVID outbreaks with the Lunar New Year and the Beijing Winter Olympics coming up next week. In the coming hours, the International Olympic Committee president is expected to attend events in the Beijing closed loop system.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout, live for us this hour from Hong Kong. So there are outbreaks inside the loop and there are outbreaks outside the loop. So what's going on?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes. And it's all happening at a delicate time, less than two weeks before the start of the Beijing Winter Olympic games. COVID-19 cases are rising both inside the closed loop system, outside the closed loop system.
Earlier this morning we heard from the Beijing Olympic Committee. They announced that there were 15 new locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19 that were detected. But also that about 12 of those cases were detected at the border before they effectively entered the bubble.
We also heard from Beijing local health authorities who said that there were five new locally-transmitted cases of the virus in Beijing outside of the bubble.
This is just a handful of cases, but again, we're talking about China and that means zero COVID China. So that means mass testing is underway, two million people in the district of Beijing called Fengtai (ph) being subjected to daily COVID-19 testing.
It also means that lockdowns are underway, some 13 residential blocks, again in this Fengtai district are being sealed off. Residents not allowed to leave their homes for about 21 days.
And on top of that, this additional measure where you have Beijing ordering all residents who have purchased fever, cold or flu medicine in the last two weeks, to be tested for COVID-19.
And presumably this is to make sure that no one is masking any symptoms of COVID-19 during this delicate time. Failure to do so, failure to not abide by this ruling would mean that you're not allowed to travel, that your barred from going to public places or visiting restaurants. Places that require you to use the Beijing City Health app. We've been monitoring social media for reaction. A lot of angry responses. I'm going to show you a couple that were number compiled by our (INAUDIBLE) in Beijing. One angry Weibo user said this quote, "I haven't been out for several months, I bought Chinese medicine online and now my health app isn't working."
And again, you need that health app in order to go to public places in Beijing, like restaurants.
We have another one from another angry Weibo user. Another angry Chinese medicine who writes this, quote, "I bought medicine 15 days ago, now my health app is not working. My flight is tomorrow, I can't go anywhere."
This is the reality in zero COVID China, John. During again, this delicate time, the Beijing Olympics less than two weeks away. Back to you.
VAUSE: Also there is the Lunar New Year holiday. And for many -- I imagine what it is to go we go into these cities to work, this is their only chance to go home. Really, they only go home once a year.
And it's going to be a third straight year that they're -- most likely they won't be getting home. I mean this is really heartbreaking for so many people there. What's the reaction there for yet another lost holiday?
[01:44:48]
STOUT: Absolutely. Another lost holiday and as my colleague (INAUDIBLE) here in the CNN Hong Kong Newsroom points out, for many people across China, a third year where they lose the opportunity to have these cherished family reunions. Forget that Lunar New Year.
I mean outside of China Lunar New Year is like Christmas and Thanksgiving and New Year's combined. And for many migrant workers it's the one chance of the year where you could finally reunite with their families, but because of these travel restrictions that are in place, in places like Beijing and all across the country, they are being denied another opportunity to see their loved ones.
And we have one particularly poignant response has been going viral, I want to share with you. This one that was widely shared and we've (INAUDIBLE) just follow, is it wrong for a migrant worker who toils day night, who lives far away from home to return to his hometown and reunite with his family during his only few days of annual holiday?
I mean, even this is interesting to note, state media has joined the backlash as well. We heard from "People's Daily" who posed the question, it is only human nature to want to return home for reunions during the spring festival, so why is it malicious?" unquote. Again that's from state run media.
It feels that lunar new year maybe this is a tipping point, cracks are starting to emerge in terms of public acceptance of zero COVID rules and restrictions in China, John.
VAUSE: If it doesn't quite go over this -- it's not a (INAUDIBLE) I mean this is truly heartbreaking and so unfair to so many people.
Kristie thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live for us Christina, thank you.
The World Health Organization is warning that it's dangerous to (INAUDIBLE) the omicron variant spells at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Few nations to stay vigilant. Although the situation is improving, the head of the WHO Says global conditions remain ideal for more variance to emerge.
The warning came after the Europe director of the WHO said the spread of omicron created commissions for the possible stabilization of the pandemic. Here he is.
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DR. HANS HENRI KLUGE, WHO REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE: There is absolutely light the end of the tunnel. Important that the pandemic is not over, but there are 3 things coming together in European region.
The first one, is that one that took omicron various there will be a large capital of immunity. Be it thanks to the vaccine or due to infection. The Second, is that winter seasonality Alex, well have a paus. And the third one is that we know that the omicron variant is milder in the booster individually, which means that for some weeks or months, there will be tranquility and the governments and the people can prepare to get out of the --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Dr. Jorge Rodriguez is a board certified internal medicine specialist and viral researcher. He is with us live this hour from Los Angeles. Jorge, good to see you.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST AND VIRAL RESEARCHER: You too, John.
VAUSE: So explain the thinking here which is based on what, a combination of natural immunity for those who have recovered, by a number of people who are vaccinated. Somehow this leads to the stabilization and normalization in kind of a best-case scenario, how does it work?
DR. RODRIGUES: Well, it looks theoretical is how it looks. And first of all, it's really annoying to me that we keep throwing out these hopeful thing. Bet we all want to be hopeful, we also want to be correct. Nothing is worse than giving people false, hope, and then something not turning out.
We know now, fortunately, that getting natural immunity does not always protect you against the next variant. So, if we had a virus that didn't mutate, and we vaccinated a great number of the whole world and the other half of the world got immunity naturally, then yes then things would end. But unfortunately, that's not the case here.
So, we are at a point where we don't know what's going to happen next.
VAUSE: There have been so many new doors, we've seen the pandemic in the rearview mirror after turning a corner on the way to this place called game-changer. Every single time we get it wrong.
Why not just admit we have no idea and this is going to end, we don't know when it's going to happen, we don't know what that looks like. We just don't know what the new experiments will bring.
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Well, I don't think that's completely right either, John. I mean you're right, but I think the problem has been is that have been to hyperbolic. I mean, a lot of us have said hey listen -- and then some of us not actually.
And say, listen, this pandemic's going to end everything. This medication is going to stop something. What we do know is that we have vaccines that decrease the severity of the illness and death.
What we do know that if you get boosted you are less likely to catch it or spread it. We have a golden six months that if we vaccinate a huge percent, 70 percent of the world, we could contain the next variant from being very disruptive if at all possible for it even to come up.
VAUSE: So what you're saying there, it could still return to some kind of normalcy I guess, but what does normalcy look like in 2022? Are we willing to accept a much higher death toll compared to two years ago?
DR. RODRIGUEZ: You know, I'm afraid that some people are. And sometimes the more I talk to people, they are unfortunately so fatigued that a lot of people are thinking well you know what, the hell with it.
[01:49:57]
DR. RODRIGUEZ: It's now survival of the fittest. And what will be will be, which I think is absolutely the wrong mentality. We have to stay strong, you know, and continue to fight this or we are going to have potentially 50 million deaths or more.
VAUSE: well, the director of WHO says it is dangerous to assume that the end of the pandemic is nigh. But notably, he was not all doom and gloom. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WHO DIRECTOR-GENERAL: We can end COVID-19 as a global health emergency and we can do it this year.
What does that look like. It means achieving our target to vaccinate 70 percent of the population of every country with a focus on the most at-risk groups.
VAUSE: Which is to your point, this golden six-month period possibly that we have right now. But you know, are we splitting hairs here when we talk about ending a global health emergency and ending the pandemic? What's the difference here? And why assume that we can actually do this because we haven't been able to do it so far.
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Well, I think we haven't done it because there hasn't been cooperation between nations. I want to lay some of the blame on the World Health Organization. It's great, you know, to set a goal, I mean that's a goal that needs to achieve. But how do you get the countries to cooperate? It's more than just
throwing vaccines out, there has to be concerted effort. X countries going to give this. X countries going to give this. It's going to go here. It's going to go there, you know.
And we have to be assured of the distribution. you know, this is something almost akin to creating the atom bomb right? To end a world war. There needs to be that much input.
It's almost like putting a man on the moon. There has to be focused, concerted effort, more than just plant, more than just goals.
VAUSE: Yes, from your lips to God's ear, let's see what happens.
Dr. Jorge Rodriguez in Los Angeles, thank you sir.
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: Coming up here, from islands in the Aegean Sea to the (INAUDIBLE) in Athens, Greece being slammed by a very rare snowstorm. We'll have the latest forecast when we come back.
You're watching CNN.
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VAUSE: A winter blizzard wreaking havoc in Turkey. Flights halted at the Istanbul Airport Monday, where the roof of a cargo warehouse collapsed after heavy snow.
Transportation across the country was impacted including road and ferry traffic. Authorities say the weather left thousands of people stranded, many were taken to shelters.
A rare snowstorm is also paralyzing parts of Greece. Snow blanketed the Acropolis in Athens, much of the city was shut down. Flights canceled, trains, bus services suspended. Schools were closed.
Greece's climate minister is apologizing for the transportation headaches after many drivers were stranded in the snow-covered streets. And more snow is expected on Tuesday.
So let's get more on the latest forecast. CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is standing by. Pedram.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes John, you know, an impressive storms as you noted here when it comes to the amount of wintry weather we saw and widespread coverage of it across the south and east. And really the perfect storm here setup across the eastern Mediterranean.
We've got arctic air from the north, temperatures running about 10 degrees in spots that are below average. And then the moisture surging in from the eastern end (ph). Now, put that together, the elements in place to even produce a rare snow devil or a waterspout across this region.
[01:54:51]
JAVAHERI: Not often you see this and certainly not on video. Very few documented cases of wintry weather. Notice the snow on the ground across the porch there, the rooftops. And yes, the water spout there and near the hills as this particular event took place.
So really speaks to the severity and the intensity of the storm system and potentially producing a significant amount of it when you look at what played out here.
Look at Athens, snowfall impressive snowman, accumulations estimated to be around 8 or so centimeters in Athens. And keep in mind, they do see some snow every single year. But by some we're talking about say one centimeter. So 8 times the annual amount coming down across portions of town as impressive as it gets.
And you go back to the year 2000, John, only 6 times, six events of snow events have happened here across Athens in these last 22 years.
So the alerts are in place and going to still see some snow, some ice on the ground. Certainly very cold temperatures, gusty winds in place. That's in store for your Tuesday. Temperatures by the afternoon climb up above the freezing mark. But you'll notice a nice gradual warming trend eventually gets us back to seasonal averages.
Now, Istanbul as you noted also getting in on the action. And across this region, snowfall averages per year are about 5 centimeters, they picked up just about a year's worth of it there, 6 centimeters came down in the past 24 to 36 hours. The end result looks something like this here with, of course, roads buckled across that region.
Also for them, good news we're climbing out of this in a more gradual pace eventually getting towards closer to seasonal averages, John.
VAUSE: A snow devil? Did you make that up, is that really a thing?
JAVAHERI: It is an unofficial term. You know, we've only seen two documented cases of its, but that's what they call it.
VAUSE: A snow devil. Ok, I learn something every day from you. Thank you. Thanks Pedram.
Well, month after lift off, a special telescope has reached its final destination in space, more than 1.6 million kilometers away. Unlike the Hubble telescope that orbits the earth, the James Webb space telescope will be orbiting the sun. NASA says the telescope will peer into the atmosphere of exoplanets, basically bringing us closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe.
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AMBER STRAUGHN, WEBB COMMUNICATION DEPUTY PROJECT SCIENTIST: We expect the first science images from (INAUDIBLE) to come back in about five months. So, we are getting excited, getting ready for those to come back later on this summer. And, we can expect really spectacularly beautiful images to come back from this awesome new telescope. We will be looking at things in the universe ranging from objects within our own solar system, all the way out to searching for the very first galaxies to be born after the Big Bang and everything in time and space in between. It's going to be awesome.
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VAUSE: The telescope has unfurled a sun shield the size of a tennis court, which will protect its massive gold mirror from the sun's blistering rays.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with my friend and colleague Rosemary Church after a very short break.
I'll see you back here tomorrow.
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