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U.S., Russia Clash During U.N. Security Council Meeting; Boris Johnson Says "Sorry" as Damning Report Released; Truckers Pack to Ottawa to Protest Vaccine Mandate; Some Olympians Test Positive for COVID-19; Scientists Tracking New Omicron Mutation BA.2; European Energy Worries; Irish Fishermen Force Russian U-turn over Naval Drills; Syria's Displaced Struggle in Freezing Conditions; Crisis in Myanmar; Proposed Law Would Ban Hijabs in Sports Competitors. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired February 01, 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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[01:00:28]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This hour here on CNN, diplomatic clashes over Ukraine at the U.N. Security Council were on the ground. Russia ramps up the number of combat ready troops at a possible military confrontation. A failure of leadership and judgment a damning finding by a civil service investigation into British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and partygate at Downing Street. And the 2022 Winter Olympics, tainted by China's record on human rights tarnished by diplomatic boycotts and impacted by a global pandemic, not exactly the celebration, Beijing was expected.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Wherever you are around the world, thank you for joining us and we begin with dialogue, discord, and a push for diplomacy made high level efforts to ease tensions on Ukraine's border and avoid a full- scale Russian invasion. Moscow has now responded in writing to Washington, just days after U.S. officials sent a written response to Vladimir Putin security demands, that back and forth expected to be the focus of a phone call Tuesday between U.S. Secretary State Antony Blinken and the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Meantime, the Pentagon reporting Russian forces need Ukraine's border continue to swell, joining more than 100,000 troops already in region. That military buildup was the focus of a bitter diplomatic brawl at the U.N. Security Council Monday. Ambassadors from the U.S. and Russia, both claim they want to avoid confrontation, blaming each other for pushing tensions to the brink.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VASILY NEBENZYA, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N. (through translation): They themselves are whipping tensions and rhetoric and are provoking escalations. You are almost calling for this. You want it to happen. You're waiting for it to happen as if you want to make your words become a reality.
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: You've heard from our Russian colleagues that we're calling for this meeting to make you all feel uncomfortable. Imagine how uncomfortable you would be if you had 100,000 troops sitting on your border. This is not about antics. It's not about rhetoric. It's not about U.S. and Russia. What this is about is the peace and security of one of our member states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Daniel L. Davis is a retired Lieutenant Colonel after 21 years of active service with the U.S. Army. He is currently a Senior Fellow and military expert at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank. Welcome back, Colonel, good to see you.
LT. COL. DANIEL DAVIS, U.S. ARMY (ret.): Hey, thanks for having me back.
VAUSE: OK, so we had Russia's ambassador to the U.N. on Monday, towing the Kremlin mind, refusing to even acknowledge that there's his troop buildup on the border area, with Ukraine, saying there is no proof Russia was planning an invasion. The U.K. ambassador, though had this reminder of events leading up to two other Russian invasions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES KARUKI, U.K. DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: In 2008, Russia told this council, they were sending peacekeepers into Georgia. In reality, it was invading an independent democratic country. In 2014, Russia denied to this council, the presence of his forces in Crimea. In reality, his soldiers were annexing part of an independent democratic Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So 2022, will it be any different in 2008 and 2014, a different outcome expected this?
DAVIS: Well, we certainly hope there's a different outcome. But that the ambassador is absolutely right to point out those facts, because look in diplomacy in any other way, you got to pay some attention to what said, but you really have to pay attention to what's happening on the ground. And without question, this is the largest military buildup in Europe and certainly by Russia, really, since the fall of the USSR. So, you know, you're talking 30 something years, this is significant. This is bigger than anything that happened before Georgia, anything before the 2014 annexation. They are serious here. And I think we have to take that into consideration, that there is a good chance that they're going to act on this if they don't get what they want diplomatically.
VAUSE: OK, so we'll get to the military side of the moment. But was there any benefit from this U.N. Security Council, this session? It kind of played out pretty much as they say, everyone expected, right?
DAVIS: Yeah, it did. And because, you know, Russia and China, both are also veto wielding members of the USC. Everybody knew ahead of time that this was not going to, you know, have resulted in any kind of action because that's not going to happen. I guess both sides really said, hey, we want this do this because we're going to put our position out there and we're going to get our talking points out there, but I think really both sides are probably talking to their domestic audiences as much as the international audience.
[01:05:10]
VAUSE: OK, well, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby had an assessment, Monday, regarding the buildup of Russian ground forces, not just on Ukraine border, but also neighboring Belarus. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: It's not just infantry, for instance, artillery, it's air defense. He's got a full range of military capabilities available to him, which only continue to increase the number of options available to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And to your point earlier, the economist says this is the biggest concentration of firepower in Europe since the Cold War. So, at this point, how much of Russia's military is now parked in Belarus and on Ukraine's border? And when it reaches this level of mobilization? Is escalation more likely the de-escalation?
DAVIS: Yeah, that's right. That's exactly what I was going to point out. It's much more than what Kirby was talking about there. Because they also have 140 warships that have that have departed their ports for various locations around the world, around -- certainly around the area, around the Crimea, but also in other parts in the Pacific in the Atlantic. So, I think that they are, they're showing that they are deadly serious about this.
And again, this is not just for show, they actually have the forces necessary out there to actually carry through some of this stuff. And it could be pretty significant.
VAUSE: Civilian to the troop buildup in Belarus, it could mean some serious problems for the Ukrainians. This report from New York Times has this with much of Ukraine's military might concentrated in the country's east, where a war with Russian backed separatists has raged for eight years. Military analysts and Ukraine's own generals say it'd be difficult for the country to muster the forces necessary to defend its northern border.
In fact, it's 140-mile fast drive on a newly paved road straight to Kyiv from that border with Belarus with almost no Ukrainian soldiers in sight, and no Western cavalry coming to save the day, either?
DAVIS: That's right. And those are some of the most important things to really point out here. Because nobody is coming to their rescue. And that's openly said, both by NATO leadership, by President Biden. And I think even force, you know, in the U.K., Boris Johnson, I think that they all been unequivocal and saying that's not going to come.
Ukraine on their own, cannot defend against the Armada. It's a massive against them. So that's why it is so important to right now that we need to really just look at things on a cold reality base and acknowledge that we can't stay with the status quo and keep Ukraine from being invaded. We can't go with these deterrence things that we want with like with sanctions or whatever thinking that's going to stop Putin, because it's almost certainly will not. We got to do something different if we want to avoid that outcome.
VAUSE: Yeah, we've talked for the last couple of days as well, that outcome being to avoid this, it has to be some kind of moratorium on Ukraine's entrance into NATO, and then hold those discussions, but that does not seem to be on the table right now. Lieutenant Colonel, great to see you, thank you, sir.
DAVIS: Always my pleasure. Thanks.
VAUSE: Partygate just goes from bad to worse to terrible for the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A preliminary report by the Civil Service has found a failure of leadership as blaming for at least 16 private gatherings at Number 10 while the rest of the country was under a COVID lockdown and other pandemic restrictions.
Johnson did apologize before Parliament but continues to refuse to resign. Despite growing national outrage and plummeting approval ratings. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more now reporting from London.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: A day of reckoning at Westminster.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Firstly, I want to say, sorry, and I'm sorry for the things we simply didn't get right and also sorry for the way that this matter has been handled. And it's no use saying that this or that was within the rules and is no use saying that people are working hard.
ABDELAZIZ: And another half apology from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, this time saying sorry for the damning initial report into multiple parties at 10 Downing Street, and other government offices, like the gathering in this photograph taken in May 2020, showing Johnson and his wife seated at a table with wine and food in the Downing Street Garden with multiple other people. The 12-page document a slimmed down version details and investigation of 16 gatherings that occurred when the country was under strict COVID rules. Johnson desperately trying to show he can fix the mess.
BORIS: That is why we are making changes now to the way Downing Street and the Cabinet Office run so that we can get on with the job that our job that I was elected to do, Mr. Speaker, and the job that this government was elected to do.
ABDELAZIZ: The reports initial findings from civil servants Sue Gray published on Monday found that some lockdown gatherings in government represented a serious failure to observe what had been asked of the public, Gray identified failures of leadership and judgment in Number 10 and the Cabinet Office. The report continues on to say that the British public was let down and that there was too little thought given to what was happening across the country, adding that excessive alcohol consumption is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time.
[01:10:19]
And this while Britons were under a strict lockdown, often while hundreds of people were dying of COVID-19 on a daily basis, the second probe by the Met Police into gatherings that took place on eight of the dates is ongoing.
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: His desperate denials, since he was exposed have only made matters worse, rather than come clean every step of the way, he's insulted the public's intelligence.
ABDELAZIZ: The opposition leader going hard after his opponent, and even members of his own party and the former Prime Minister turning on Johnson.
THERESA MAY, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: What the Gray report does show is that Number 10 was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public.
So, either my right honorable friend had not read the rules or didn't understand what they meant and others around him, or they didn't think the rules applied to Number 10. Which was it?
ABDELAZIZ: This could be the beginning of the end for the Prime Minister, his own party must now decide if he is still the man fit to lead the country. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Back Los Angeles now and CNN European Affairs Commentator, Dominic Thomas, welcome back, Dominic.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Hi, good evening, John.
VAUSE: So, here's a little more from the I'm sorry, part of Johnson's appearance in Parliament. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS: But it is not enough to say sorry. This is a moment when we must look at ourselves in the mirror, and we must learn. While the Metropolitan police must yet complete their investigation, and that means there are no details of specific events in Sue Gray's report, I of course accept Sue Gray's general findings in full, and above all her recommendation that we must learn from these events and act now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: He is very sober, he brushed his hair there seem to be some contrition, but it was brief. And then he went back onto the front foot talking about Brexit, the achievements of the COVID vaccine rollout it seemed as if Johnson had seriously misread that room. And in a bigger sense, possibly he misread the national mood of the anger all of this has caused.
THOMAS: Yes, absolutely. And this has been consistent over the past two weeks, and he comes across as selfish, as I've said repeatedly as entitled, and seemingly just does not understand the pain and suffering that the people he is supposed to represent have gone through over the past two years in a country where let's not forget, the desktop of over 150,000 is the largest in the European area.
So, he comes across as heartless and insensitive and ultimately has shown no signs at any point in his career, let alone since he's been in Downing Street, that he can learn from his lessons from the lessons and so to that extent, he comes across as self-interested and not interested in the good of the general public. And I think ultimately, those are the things for which he will not be forgiven as time moves on.
VAUSE: While many are calling for Johnson to resign, including the leader of the Scottish National Party in Blackford. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN BLACKFORD, SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY MP: They can laugh, but the public know, the public know, this is a man that can no longer trust. He has been investigated by the police. He must lead the house. He must now resign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, according to the ministerial code from 2019, it reads it is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity. Ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer the resignation to the Prime Minister.
What happens when the Prime Minister has knowingly misled Parliament because that's what this story is really all about, in today's oatcakes about party, it's about misleading Parliament being honest and truthful.
THOMAS: Absolutely. And when Blackford uses those words, no longer truthful, he's essentially calling him or falling, just short of calling him a liar. So, he's essentially pointing to that ministerial code. And you're absolutely right that at the end of the day, the best way to deal with this is the actions of a prime minister should be such that you don't get embroiled in these kinds of problems and then find yourself lying and essentially compounding the errors that you -- that you have made.
The problem here and in many ways this situation has been developing in the lead up to the Brexit referendum and to the sort of the politics in the U.K. after that sort of divisiveness and lies and the sort of the politics of fear mongering and in many ways Boris Johnson and others have established this sort of correlation is enabled by a group of people that are not unlike the people that were around, and during the Trump presidency and since then, in the United States, and until there's a shift in that kind of dynamic in many ways, this behavior and their sense of entitlement will continue to shape the political spectrum in the U.K. right now. And it's a kind of -- it's a very sad state of affairs.
[01:15:12]
Just very quickly, how does this scandal play into the crisis over Ukraine? How does Vladimir Putin benefit from British Prime Minister caught up in this sort of controversy?
THOMAS: Yeah, well, we have a distracted Prime Minister, who is essentially trying to distract the British people by once again engaging in fear mongering and getting them to shift their focus to international affairs. And I think what's important here is that in many ways, what we see happening in the region in Europe and in global politics in a more general way, is a sort of deferral of what was starting before the Trump era. And let's not forget that the ways in which President former President Trump undermine the E.U. and NATO, and multilateralism in general is precisely what Boris Johnson did, as the architect of Brexit, is destruct the E.U., weaken the E.U. And as he travels to Ukraine on Tuesday, he will travel as the leader embroiled in controversy and crisis, representing ultimately a less important and less powerful United Kingdom, now that it is no longer in the European Union and ultimately a leader, unlike, say, the German chancellor, the Estonian Prime Minister, or the French President, that have been so closely involved with this, that really lacks credibility on the international stage, and it's the kind of Little Britain that is moving here and stepping into this crisis. And that also is very sad to watch.
VAUSE: Dominic, thank you. Dominic Thomas there in Los Angeles with some good analysis of the situation right now at Number 10. Thank you.
THOMAS: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Well, coming up, COVID in Canada, protesters locked down a city railing against vaccine mandates. The latest from Ottawa in a moment. Also, ahead, it's the Winter Olympics are the over test of Beijing zero-COVID policy than the virus is taking gold. Live from Beijing with the very latest on the spread of the pandemic.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added a dozen new destinations to the highest risk category for COVID travel, many popular tourist destinations like Mexico, which has spent months in a less severe category until record high numbers of new infections in January. Five other countries are in South America while there's also countries in the Caribbean and parts of Europe, so as Singapore and the Philippines.
In Canada, Central Ottawa remains blockaded by dozens of trucks and other vehicles part of a protest by anti-vaxxers truck drivers angered by lockdowns and mandates for vaccines and masks. They traveled across country in a so-called Freedom Convoy arriving over the weekend and according to police, some parks on the grounds of the National War Memorial while others urinated on that hallowed ground, some damage on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then there were the SWAT stickers and other symbols of hate. Here's CNN's Paula Newton.
[01:20:03]
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Protesters from Canada's so called Freedom Convoy are imposing a lockdown of their own. Ottawa, the country's capital gridlocked for days now hundreds of rings and cars lining city streets with protesters camped out in front of Parliament and beyond. With passion and anger, they are demanding vaccine and mask mandates be dropped and life return to pre-pandemic normal. They say they're not budging until that happens.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm staying. I'm not leaving until the mandates are gone.
STEPHEN PENDEMESS, UNVACCINATED TRUCKER: This convoy is all about freedom. It's not only with the truck drivers, it's actually for every single person, you me, buddy down the road, it doesn't matter. It's all about your free choice.
NEWTON: They started as a cross country truckers protest by those against vaccine mandates imposed in January in both Canada and by the Biden administration, gained a following from a vocal minority of Canadians fed up with COVID restrictions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You should not be mandated to take vaccine. Any medical vaccine, whatever, should be a personal choice.
NEWTON: That kind of sentiment gateway to this standoff now in Ottawa.
JIM WATSON, OTTAWA, CANADA MAYOR: There's a small minority that feel that they can, you know, shut down a city or try to take over a government. It's just a bit bizarre to put it mildly.
NEWTON: Well, police said protests have been largely peaceful. There have been a handful of disturbing displays of hate symbols incidents of vandalism and harassment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of here, we don't want you here.
NEWTON: People stomping on the nation's war memorial reports of retail workers and residents being harassed even at a soup kitchen. Ottawa police say they are investigating the incidents. Mr. Justin Trudeau says he's shocked and disgusted.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: I want to be very clear we are not intimidated by those who hurl insults and abuse at small business workers and steal food from the homeless. We won't give in to those who fly racist flags. We won't cave to those who engage in vandalism or dishonor the memory of our veterans. NEWTON: Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The British government rules scrap a COVID vaccine mandate for frontline health care workers. Previously NHS workers in England had until April 1 to get vaccinated or else they could be dismissed or redeployed. A recent government report found as many as 73,000 NHS staff could lose their jobs under that policy, law makers pass the mandate late last year during a wave of the Delta variant. Here's what the health secretary told parliament on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: While vaccination remains our very best line of defense against COVID-19, I believe that it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of deployment through statute.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Right now, more than 70% of the U.K.'s population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. With the Olympics just days away 24 New COVID infections are being reported among athletes and personnel. Beijing's Olympic Committee says so far 200 people have tested positive since the closed loop system to keep athletes safe came into effect. CNN's Steven Jiang joins us now live from Beijing with the very latest on this. I guess if, you know, we were looking at, you know, Beijing zero COVID policy and the Winter Olympics being the ultimate test of that policy, the virus seems to be kind of ahead right now.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: That's right. First of all, John, Happy Year of the Tiger to you before I forgot. But, you know, as you say the official line here is despite how contagious Omicron is, their system for the closed loop management is working. Because you mentioned the numbers there. And their line is this is a tiny percentage of all the personnel within the Olympics bubbles and there is no community spread so far, and they're intending to keep it that way. And they also emphasize how open and transparent their quarantine and testing procedures for everyone in the bubbles has been. But what we are starting to see, of course, is athletes, including high profile ones starting to announce that they have tested positive upon arrival here in Beijing. Among the first ones to do so is Audrey King. She is a 19-year-old skier from Hong Kong who had been training actually in Bosnia before flying into Beijing and here's what she said on social media.
AUDREY KING, HONG KONG SKIER (through translation): This was really surprising as I caught it in early January, but now I caught it again, which is a bit unfair, but I hope I can quickly test negative because I feel fine. My body feels healthy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIANG: So, as she said she has no symptoms that she really looks forward to the opportunity to compete in her first event which is set for February 9 and similarly we have just heard from American bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor. She's a two-time world champion and a three-time Olympic medalist in her sport. And she said on social media, she tested positive in Beijing a few days ago, and now also in isolation. But she says she hopes for a quick recovery because she has no symptoms as well.
[01:25:21]
And they're really, really characterizing this as the latest obstacle in her long Olympic journey. But she remains optimistic.
So, it's unlikely we're going to hear more and more cases like that. But the issue here is, even though they have no symptoms, according to rule, according to the rules, they have to test twice a negative on two consecutive days before they can be discharged. And even after that, they have to be treated as a close contact for seven more days. So, all of this obviously adding uncertainty, as well as complication and pressure on these athletes in already high-pressure environment. But as you said, this is China, and this is the Olympic in the pandemic. And actually, compared to people outside of bubbles, they're probably, you know, getting some sort of special treatment because just three blocks away from the bird's nest, the stadium where the opening ceremony will be, authorities in Beijing have just sealed off a few more neighborhoods because of a few latest case in the city. John.
VAUSE: Steven, thank you, Gong Xi Fa Cai, all the best for the year. I appreciate it.
Dr. Robert Walker is Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California in San Francisco. He is author of the Digital Doctor. He joins me now live from San Francisco via Skype.
Doctor, thank you for being with us. We appreciate your time.
DR. ROBERT WACHTER, CHAIR, UCSF DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE: My pleasure.
VAUSE: So just as Omicron appears to have peaked in many places, it now seems we have some of Omicron BA.2, the original Omicron variant is known as BA.1. So, from Reuters News, a daily study has found that the BA.2 subvariant, which has quickly taken over in Denmark, is all transmissible than the more common BA.1, more able to infect vaccinated people. And from CNN's reporting on early U.K. data, Omicron BA.2 variant has increased growth rate, higher spread, compared with the original Omicron BA.1.
In the viral world, contagion is always king. So, it's not entirely surprising that each new variant or subvariant would be more contagious than the one before. But this is what the third significant mutation since Delta emerged about a year and a half ago. Are we watching evolution happening at lightspeed here?
WACHTER: It is happening quickly, in part, because there are so many infections happening all over the world. And each one is an opportunity for the virus to mutate. This one is, I'd say a little worrisome, not massively so, it would be massively so if there was evidence that was more severe or that was escaping immunity, either vaccination, immunity or immunity from a prior infection, there's no evidence of that. There is some evidence that it spreads a little faster. So, it's likely to prolong the slide down the mountain as we come out of the surge, it probably will take longer in some places.
So, it would be better if it didn't happen, but it's not the most worrisome thing I've heard. And yes, there's an opportunity for other variants to emerge over the next several months is really no way of predicting it unfortunately.
VAUSE: This variant is also known as the Stealth Omicron, which kind of seems misleading in many ways?
WACHTER: Yeah, it's a little bit -- it sounds a little like a movie title. It just means there is a shortcut to getting a sense that you might have Omicron from the results of a PCR with the old Omicron. And with this one, that signal on the PCR, doesn't give you that clue that this might be Omicron. But the main way that Omicron is diagnosed, is not through the PCR, it's through specific genetic tests. And with that, you can find this variant. I wish they came up with a different title.
VAUSE: There's also a new study on Omicron surface transmission. Medical News Today reports the Omicron variant survives longer on plastic surfaces and skin than other variants, increasing the likelihood of spreading through touch. According to that study, so I've seen like 200 hours on plastic, that 21 hours on skin, it's still spread mostly via airborne transmission. But so, does this new data on surface transmission, really changing anyway, mitigation efforts?
WACHTER: I don't think so. Because if you remember, in the early days of 2020, we were all cleaning the mail and quarantining our shopping bags, and a turn -- and there was evidence that the virus even then, could last for six hours or even 12 hours on a smooth metal surface. And there were almost no reported cases of transmission that way. So, the fact that this hangs out a little bit longer on surfaces, I don't think changes the dynamic. I'd still treat this, essentially as an aerosolized virus.
But I think it does transmit better than the prior variants. And that means that things that were perfectly safe in the past like being outside now you've got to be a little bit careful when I walk my dog. I still don't wear a mask. But if I'm in very close contact talk with people even if I'm outside I will wear a mask whereas I might not have with some of the prior variants.
[01:29:46]
VAUSE: We did have a story about protests in Canada, the anti-vaxxers who are opposed to vaccine mandates. Some of the protesters are saying, you know, the decision to get the vaccine is a personal decision. Why is that no longer the case when it comes to, you know, the pandemic we're dealing with right now?
WACHTER: Yes, I mean the decision to take a medicine or to take chemo therapy, to take a cholesterol medicine -- those are personal decisions. Your decision about doing it only impacts your health and no one else's.
That's just not true of vaccination. Vaccination impacts your own health but you are fully capable of catching the virus and then spreading it to other people if you are not vaccinated.
Now, the vaccines don't work perfectly in terms of preventing infection. We've all seen plenty of breakthrough cases. But they still work very well. If you have three shots, your chances of getting an infection have gone down by 50 percent.
So I think there is still a community interest in having so many people vaccinated as possible. The vaccines are free, at least in the U.S. and in many places they are free. They are extraordinarily safe. So I think there is a societal interest in getting people vaccinated.
VAUSE: Dr. Robert Wachter, as always, thank you so much. We appreciate your time.
WACHTER: My pleasure.
VAUSE: And we will take a short break.
When we come back why a conflict between Russia and Ukraine could ultimately lead to higher energy costs for most of Europe.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
More on our top story this hour. Russia and the U.S. digging in as both sides clash over the crisis on the Ukrainian border. On Monday, Moscow delivered a written response to a U.S. proposal aimed at deterring a Russian invasion of Ukraine. It comes ahead of a phone call set Tuesday between the U.S. Secretary of State and the Russian foreign minister.
Meantime the U.S. says Russia continues to buildup its military presence along Ukraine's border, more than 100,000 troops are already deployed.
Tensions also flaring during Monday's U.N. Security Council meeting. A lot of finger pointing between the American and Russian ambassadors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VASILY NEBENZIA, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (through translator): Since our American colleagues convened us today, let them show us any evidence apart from bogus narratives that Russia is intending to attack Ukraine.
LINDA THOMAS GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Russia further invades Ukraine. None of us will be able to say we didn't see it coming and the consequences will be horrific. (END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:34:52]
VAUSE: There are also fears that Europe could face skyrocketing energy costs especially if the Russian president decides to weaponize the price of natural gas.
CNN's Anna Stewart explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Europe's winter could feel much colder in the coming weeks.
HENNING GLOYSTEIN, DIRECTOR, ENERGY, CLIMATE & RESOURCES EURASIA GROUP: If all Russian gas stops for Europe you'll see prices literally going -- really going through the roof.
STEWART: Gas dependency is a hard habit to kick.
(on camera): The E.U. relies on Russia for over 40 percent of its gas import and some countries are more vulnerable than others. For example, you can see here Austria, Finland and Latvia rely on Russia for all of their imported gas.
Germany, Europe's economic powerhouse is particularly vulnerable. Not only does it rely on Russia for the majority of its gas imports but it depends on gas for over a quarter of its energy. And actually this gas dependence has grown over the past few decades as Germany transitions away from coal and nuclear power.
(voice over): It's surprising, given the E.U. has faced this problem before.
JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, FORMER PRESIDENT EUROPEAN UNION: Guess that should come from Russia through Ukraine to the European Union is not coming.
STEWART: Russia has invested billions of dollars in more pipelines to Europe since 2009. To avoid transiting through Ukraine. There's Nord Stream 1 shown here in yellow and alongside it the new $11 billion Nord Stream 2 currently awaiting certification by German regulators.
That pipeline future though is in doubt.
VICTORIA NULAND, U.S. UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.
STEWART: There are concerns that this measure, and others, could trigger Russian retaliation against the west. It could suspend all gas exports to Europe which is now scrambling to shore up supplies. One option is liquefied gas via ship.
GLOSTEIN: Over Christmas and New Year, European Union has quietly ordered an entire fleet of LNG imports, mostly from the U.S. and Qatar. And they are all due to arrive this month and it's a lot of gas.
STEWART: It isn't a fix for all. Experts agree there wouldn't be enough LNG to replace Russian gas. Many European countries lack LNG terminals and re-directing gas through Europe is also challenging due to limits on existing pipelines.
Another option is storage.
AMY MYERS JAFFE, RESEARCH PROFESSOR, FLETCHER SCHOOL, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: Europe still has nine weeks' supplies in storage. And there is the so-called emergency cushion that puts another 10 percent. So, all good. I mean maybe they could like squeak through.
STEWART: There are non-gas options. Experts say decommissioned coal and nuclear plants could be fired back up. Ultimately, Europe could survive a winter without Russian gas but at a great financial cost.
It would also have a cost for Russia, one reason experts think full gas suspension to Europe is unlikely.
(on camera): Does Europe seek to reduce its reliance on Russian energy, does this backfire eventually longer term on Russia?
MYERS-JAFFE: We all thought it had in 2009, right? Because, you know, all these LNG receiving terminals went in and the U.S. started drilling, drilling, drilling.
But you know having the actual physical asset and inventory of tanks and LNG export capacity -- none of that is useful if you don't use it in the strategic way. And you're not thinking about the security premium which people felt they didn't have to pay anymore.
STEWART (voice over): Energy security comes at a price.
Anna Stewart, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, Irish fishermen 1, Russian naval fleet nil. A surprising twist as fishermen managed to convince the Kremlin to scrap planned naval drills off the Irish coast. So how did they do it.
Donie O'Sullivan explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK MURPHY, CEO, IRISH SOUTH AND WEST FISH PRODUCERS ORGANIZATION: You can imagine after (INAUDIBLE) year and next thing a rocket goes flying over your head and they're going "Jesus what was that".
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Irish fishermen worried about rockets that would be fired as part of a Russian military exercise at the Irish coast this week.
MURPHY: We don't want anyone (INAUDIBLE), you know. It's our backyard. It's where we make our living and our livelihood.
O'SULLIVAN: Concern here in Castletownbere (ph), a fishing village on Ireland's south coast, that Russian naval drills could pose a threat not only to the safety of fishermen but potentially to the environment and fish stocks.
ALAN CARLETON, FISHERMAN: We are worried about what damage this live fire might do to the fish stock and the main life. And this way (INAUDIBLE) it's turned into fear and frightened me. It frightened me so it's definitely bound to frighten them.
O'SULLIVAN: Fishermen like Alan Carleton, had planned this week to go fishing up the Irish coast like he always does despite warnings from the Russian embassy in Dublin that doing so could be dangerous.
CARLETON: This is where we keep a look out for other ships and things like that.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): People look at for the Russian navy?
CARLETON: Well, hopefully we don't see them.
O'SULLIVAN (voice over): At O'Donohue's pub on the Castletownbere Harbor, locals worried about the Russian military.
[01:39:57]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fishermen are very anxious about the whole thing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are worried, yes. That is affecting our fishing. It's affecting our safety of people.
O'SULLIVAN: Fishermen turned diplomats. Fishing representatives met with the Russian ambassador to Ireland last week to express their concerns about Russia firing rockets where they normally fish.
(on camera): When you went in to speak to the Russian ambassador, what did you say to him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't we give them some prawns?
O'SULLIVAN: If you had a message for Vladimir Putin, what would it be?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe just to go, (INAUDIBLE) don't affect the fish stocks as much.
O'SULLIVAN (voice over): And Saturday night, that's just what happened. The Russians saying after appeals from the Irish government and the fishermen themselves, Russia would move its ships further out to sea from the Irish fishing boats. The news reaching this community by tweet.
MURPHY: Well.
O'SULLIVAN (on camera): How do you feel?
MURPHY: Shocked really. I didn't think that little old us from the Irish South and West would have an impact on international diplomacy.
O'SULLIVAN (voice over): The news, a relief for the whole community here.
(on camera): You must have felt a great sense of relief, happiness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody did. Everybody did. (INAUDIBLE). Our stocks, our livelihoods.
O'SULLIVAN: They're hoping they'll have a very good catch this week?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully then. Everyone's catching the boat.
O'SULLIVAN: And not catching any Russian ships.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No definitely not, no.
O'SULLIVAN: Or any ship.
Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Castletownbere, County Cork, Ireland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back, this winter is among the harshest to hit Syria in decades and those sub-zero temperatures are making life even more visible (ph) for tens of thousands already living in refugee camps.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Rescuers in Sao Paulo, Brazil are searching for survivors after heavy rains on Sunday triggered floods and landslides. Roadways turned into rivers and homes were destroyed. Authorities say at least 24 people are killed, that includes 8 children. More than 1,500 families have been displaced.
For millions of displaced Syrians, they are now facing the biggest snowstorm in the country's northwest. And that's leaving many at risk of freezing to death.
Aid groups are pushing the international community for more support to help people struggling in these freezing temperatures.
Here's CNN's Arwa Damon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): What do you do when your home cannot protect you from the whipping winds? When you can't warm the chill away from your children's cheeks or frozen hands? Or when the snow collapses the only shelter you have?
"Look at all this," (INAUDIBLE) says, "can anyone have mercy? Don't bring us food or water, just a home."
Her son's clothing lies drenched on the flooded floor. The children don't have proper shoes, the lucky ones they run around in rubber boots. Most are in flip-flops and some, none at all.
[01:45:02]
DAMON: This winter is among the harshest to hit Syria in decades. And for those living in camps, it's unbearable.
"Just help us to stay warm," Dalai (ph) pleads, "The kids are crying from the cold. We have collected everything there is to burn even from the garbage, from plastic, to wood, to anything else."
But it is not safe. Idris was burnt when his parents used this paste that's left over from pressing olives for oil.
"I don't know what happened exactly but the stove exploded," his father says. Idris' skin melted as if he was poured acid on it.
Burnt injuries brought on by unsafe living conditions are common throughout these camps, especially in winter. And the weather is not just aggravating already hazardous living conditions. According to the World Health Organization, the inability to stay warm is causing an increase in severe respiratory illnesses among children, especially the little ones.
Dr. Abdurahman Shufan (ph) tries to stifle this baby's cries. But when he finally calms down, you can hear just how labored his breath is.
"This is what we were talking about," Dr. Shufan (ph) the doctor says, "children this young with bronchi-allergy and bronchiolitis. It can be deadly."
Hospitals don't have the support or medicines they need. Aid agencies don't have the funding they need. And while there are local efforts on the ground to help, it is hardly enough.
The international community never stopped the mass killings of Syrian civilians. Will it now help them survive the winter?
Arwa Damon, CNN -- Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: One year on, since the military seized power in Myanmar and the country is facing a worsening humanitarian crisis including mass displacement and a shortage of food and aid.
Activists are calling for a silent strike to protest the coup urging people to stay inside and businesses to close.
Human rights groups and the U.N. all report ongoing use of torture as well as mass killings by security forces. But in parts of the country, there is now armed resistance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOELEEN HEYZER, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO MYANMAR: One year since the 1st of February 2021, violence and brutality in Myanmar has only intensified and widened. The road ahead long and difficult, but the time to act is now. And time is running out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The U.S., Britain and Canada are imposing new sanctions targeting judicial officials, an alleged arms dealer, and a company accused of providing financial support to the military dictatorship.
Mali has given the French ambassador 72 hours to leave the country. Mali's foreign minister says Joel Meyer was expelled over hostile statements by France's foreign minister. He described the transitional government as out of control and illegitimate, escalating tensions between the two countries. Mali has severed diplomatic ties with France and ordered French troops also to leave.
When we come back, go inside the closed Olympic loop. Life with 60,000 athletes, officials and journalists as well as Chinese workers tested every day for COVID-19 cut off from the rest the world.
[01:48:20]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back.
Taiwan's Olympic committee has reversed an early decision and will now send a delegation to the opening and closing ceremonies of the winter games. Diplomats originally cited transportation and the pandemic as their reason for not attending.
Ties with Beijing have also been especially strained of late as the mainland continues to fly war planes close to Taiwan's air space. Taiwan is hoping to send four athletes to the games.
Just three days now until the start of the Winter Olympics and China is depending on what it calls a closed loop system to keep COVID infections at the games low. That means, precautions for those attending the games actually started weeks ago. CNN's Selina Wang -- she's now inside the loop and she takes us with her as she enters this closed loop system.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): My team and I are traveling to Beijing for the Winter Olympic games held under some of the strictest COVID countermeasures in the world. Our journey starts weeks before.
(on camera): I'm here in, Tokyo it's 14 days before the games, but I've already got to download this Olympic Health app to start tracking my health in here every day and upload my vaccine certificate.
I'm getting some deja vu using this app since we had to use a similar one for the Tokyo Games.
(voice over): But this time I'm using a burner phone because of cybersecurity concerns in China. (on camera): For the next week I'm limiting physical interaction with others as much as possible.
96 hours before departure here we go for my first test.
(voice over): Back home, I upload my information to get this green QR code.
(on camera): Here we go, we are taking off.
Just landed in Beijing. It is totally surreal. I haven't been back here since I moved about a year and a half ago.
First thing I saw walking out the airplane is a sea of hazmat suits. It feels a bit more like going into a medical facility than the Olympic buzz you'd expect getting out of the airplane.
That was extremely painful, I just had a nose and a throat PCR test. I was tearing up a bit.
I clear customs, immigration, and get my Olympic badge without seeing a single face. I'm officially in what organizers are calling the closed loop, multiple bubbles connected by dedicated transport. The goal, to keep Olympic participants separate from the rest of China.
Finally on my way to (INAUDIBLE) on this specially bus that is just for transporting Olympic participants.
Arrived at the hotel, they've got this giant wall all around the hotel so you can't just walk in and out easily. The local staff here are also part of this bubble. They'll have to quarantine for 21 days before leaving the bubble and returning to their homes in China.
Beijing isn't taking any chances, entire communities in China have gone into lockdown over even just one COVID case. I've been waiting six hours, just got the call. My results came back negative. I am so relieved. But is not over yet. I'll be tested daily and will be mostly confined at this room and Olympic venues during my entire stay here.
Selina Wang, CNN -- Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And a good time was had by all.
It's all hijab (INAUDIBLE) but in France, right wing lawmakers are calling for a ban on the head covering at all official sporting events. Opponents criticize the plan for discriminating against Muslim athletes. But supporters argue that sporting events need to be neutral spaces where no one displays religious symbols.
French President Emmanuel Macron has not backed calls for tougher regulation surrounding hijabs but with the presidential election around the corner the divisive topic has become a key topic for debate. CNN's Nada Bashir has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: This isn't your average game of soccer. This is a protest. Staged in front of the French senate, these young women are taking a stand against a proposed law which could prevent them from playing the game they love, all because they choose to wear the hijab.
Based in the suburbs of Paris, (INAUDIBLE) Les Hijabeuses have become a vital source of community and sisterhood. But with some French lawmakers pushing for a ban on the hijab in all official sports competitions, this community has now become the focal point of a campaign to tackle the exclusion of Muslim women from sports.
FOUNE DIAWARA, CO-PRESIDENT, LES HIJABEUSES: As Muslim women, we face many barriers whether it's in school or sports or in finding a job.
MAMA DIAKITE, LES HIJABEUSES: It's the talent that should be recognized, not what you wear on your head, the color of your skin or your religion. We are on the field to play soccer. So it's our talent that should be recognized and nothing more.
[01:54:53]
BASHIR: Under current French laws, wearing the hijab is prohibited for civil servants in their place of work and in schools. The French Football Federation has also banned the hijab in official soccer clubs despite FIFA lifting its own ban in 2014.
And with two years to go until the Paris Olympics, the debate around the hijab has raised questions over the image France is presenting as it prepares to welcome Muslim athletes and supporters from around the world.
(on camera): For so many women around the world who choose to wear the hijab being able to cover your hair or dress modestly isn't just a matter of religious commitment. It's also about freedom of expression and choice.
But here in France some supporters of the new law say the hijab goes against French values and could pose a threat to unity and cohesion in society.
(voice over): And with the French presidential election just ahead government policy on the hijab continues to be a divisive topic.
VALERIE PECRESSE, LES REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (through translator): In club sorts and at national competition level one cannot wear religious symbols. I'm against unitarianism them in our country. I want there to be spaces of neutrality in our country today when no one shows their religious signs.
BASHIR: The French government has long faced criticism for laws many feel marginalize and discriminate against the more than five million Muslims living in France.
And in a country centered upon the values of liberty, equality and fraternity, these young Muslim women want to know why this doesn't apply to them.
DIAWARA: We simply want to play soccer. We're not here to promote our religion, we're here because we love soccer and we love the values that soccer holds, cohesion, solidarity, unity and diversity.
BASHIR: On Monday, the senate conceded that bitter disagreement amongst lawmakers over the proposed ban would prevent the law from being passed in its current state. Expressing regret over the government's lack of will to put a stop to what they described as the development of Islamism in sport.
But while some lawmakers are still pushing for regulation around the hijab to be tightened, for the Hijabeuses, their message remains clear. Let us play.
Nada Bashir, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. The news continues after a very short break with Rosemary Church.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[01:57:26]
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