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Putin Breaks His Silence; Torch Relay Kicks Off Final Countdown to Winter Games; Denmark Drops All COVID Restrictions; U.S. FDA Reviewing Pfizer Vaccine for Children Under 5. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 02, 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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[01:00:26]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This hour he on CNN, he speaks. Russian President Vladimir Putin breaks it almost month-long silence of Ukraine claiming his security demands are being ignored. But he hopes negotiations will continued.
Also, this hour.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here on the Ukrainian side, there's no sense at all that anyone is preparing for an invasion.
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VAUSE: On the frontlines of Ukraine relative calm but one soldier says is fighting every night.
And in Beijing, low-key scaled back Olympic Torch Relay now underway just days before the opening ceremony for the winter games.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Good to have you with us for another hour. We'll begin with the latest on Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking out for the first time in weeks accusing the U.S. and NATO of trying to draw Russia into an armed conflict and ignoring Russia's security concerns. Those comments came after a five-hour long meeting with the Prime Minister of Hungary. Viktor Orban describes his visit to the Kremlin as a peacekeeping mission and said Russia's demands were reasonable and sanctions pointless. Well, Hungary is a member of NATO during a news conference with Orban and Putin accused the alliance of a history of deception.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): We were given promises not to push the infrastructure of the NATO block to the east one inch everyone knows this well. Today, we see where NATO is located. Poland, Romania, the Baltic countries. They said one thing they did another as people say they screwed us over. Well, they simply deceived us.
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VAUSE: While in Kyiv, members of Ukraine's parliament held up flags from countries pledging support, while the British Dutch and Polish Prime ministers met with Ukraine's president, or warning of the consequences of a potential Russian invasion.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Our country has changed. Our society has changed, our Army has changed. There will be no occupation of any territory or city in Ukraine. Unfortunately, there will be a bloody tragedy if the invasion of our country starts and therefore, I'm being very open. This is not going to be a war of Ukraine and Russia. This is going to be a European war, a full-fledged war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: For now, no science Russia is planning to stand down. During a phone call with the U.S. Secretary State Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Minister gave no indication Moscow plans to deescalate. Notably U.S. officials have not responded to Mr. Putin's public remarks. Details on all of this CNN's Kylie Atwood reporting in from the State Department.
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KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: As the world waits to see if Russia will start a war with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin says the United States isn't giving the Kremlin what it wants.
PUTIN: The fundamental Russian concerns were ignored. We have not seen adequate consideration of our three key demands.
ATWOOD: His comments the first in over a month, watched intensely by U.S. officials, reiterating a top demand that Ukraine not join NATO, which the United States has repeatedly called a non-starter.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: NATO's door is open, remains open.
ATWOOD: State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the U.S. would wait for a formal written response from Russia instead of reading into what Putin said today.
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We heard from President Putin a variety of things I will leave it to the Kremlinologists out there budding professional amateur otherwise, to read the tea leaves and try to interpret the significance of those remarks.
ATWOOD: Putin remarks come after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave no indication that Moscow would de-escalate its true presence along Ukraine's borders during a phone call with Secretary of State Tony Blinken. That's according to a Senior State Department official. The United States and its allies continued to press for a diplomatic solution and for Russia to pull back its massive troop buildup along Ukraine's borders, or else they steep consequences.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I hope very much that that President Putin steps back from the path of conflict.
PRICE: Even as we far prefer the course of diplomacy and dialogue, we are continuing to prepare down the course of defense and deterrence.
ATWOOD: The United States is hoping that yesterday's sharp standoff at the United Nations intimidated Russia.
[01:05:00]
LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: I think what was important is that the Russians heard almost every member of the Security Council tell them that they agree with that set the path of diplomacy is, is better than the path of war.
ATWOOD: The U.S. and Russian Ambassador saw one another in normal diplomatic meetings, a diplomat told CNN, but the United States is waiting for substantive diplomacy to resume and there's no timeline for when the Kremlin will respond to the proposal that the United States gave them last week.
ATWOOD: Now President Putin also said today that he hoped there is a solution though, that won't be easy, and he's not ready to talk about what that would look like.
Now, he is keeping open channels of diplomacy. He is expected to speak in the coming days with the U.K. Prime Minister and President Macron of France is expected to visit Moscow sometime soon. Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.
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VAUSE: To Washington now, Jill Dougherty is an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service. During her three-decade long career, she was CNN's Bureau Chief in both Moscow, as well as Hong Kong. And it's been a while it's good to see you, Jill.
JILL DOUGHERTY, FORMER CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Hey, John, good to see you. VAUSE: So along with the accusations that the United States and NATO are using Ukraine as a tool to hinder Russia, Putin offered up kind of a very strange hypothetical. Here he is.
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PUTIN (through translation): Let us imagine that Ukraine is a NATO member and is stuffed with weapons. And there are state of the art missile systems just like in Poland and Romania, who will stop it from unleashing operations in Crimea, and Donbas, Russia sovereign territory.
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VAUSE: And he's talking about Ukraine, reclaiming territory illegally seized by Russia, which seems very off the point here, but you know, talk to that, if you will, but also overall, is the tone from Putin, just generally, in this news conferences, he tried to turn down the crisis, especially with that author to keep the door open for diplomacy?
DOUGHERTY: You know, I think John, today he was -- at this news conference with Prime Minister Orban of Hungary. I think he was because he did not mention the threats that he's had before. You know, if you don't do what we want, we will take military technical measures, there was nothing really that. It was more the complaints that he has put out many times before, saying, you know, the United States is trying to push Ukraine into armed combat. And the end that would explain you to go into Crimea, retake Donbas. On Crimea, he said, forget it, the story's closed, it's over. It's part of Russia.
But I think the tone is a little bit more hopeful, because he did say, maybe we can, you know, talk and have some type of way that we can protect the interests and the security of everyone. But, you know, this is a very, very delicate maneuver, because he actually, almost, I'd say, began to enter the negotiations with an idea of what NATO could do with Ukraine telling essentially, sorry, you can't be a member. So, there's a little hope, but this is we're a long way from any resolution.
VAUSE: You mentioned, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, was in Moscow, he held this news conference after meeting with him. Hungary is a member of NATO, is this the emergence of cracks in NATO's united front?
DOUGHERTY: You know, that is what Vladimir Putin would like, of course, and there's a lot of diplomacy going on right now. President Putin has been talking to President Macron of France and Boris Johnson and a cast of 1000s and in each meeting, most of the allies are on the same page with Orban it's slightly different because he does see more eye to eye with President Putin.
But I think President Putin's idea is, as this drags out, and you have more people coming to Moscow talking by phone, the more chances for the cracks that you're talking about, John, to emerge, and the differences because there are some differences. Even among the unity of NATO, there are some differences. And so, if you can exploit those, then it works in President Putin's favor.
VAUSE: During Putin's news conference, he specifically referred to, a return to the 1997 NATO-Russia founding agreement. It's not a legally binding treatment. It was signed almost 20 years ago, when the security atmosphere was very different. But they did agree to carry out its collective defense, ensuring the necessary interoperability integration and capability for reinforcement, rather than by additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces, on the territories of the former Warsaw Pact states.
So, here's the thing, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, NATO members directly bordering Russia had no NATO troops deployed on this soil until 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. A similar story again, with the buildup of NATO forces in eastern parts of Europe. That's all as a direct result of Russia's action. So, it seems what Russia is doing is bringing these NATO forces closer to the border.
[01:10:04]
DOUGHERTY: They are, there's no question, because you have certainly an increase in the number of forces that are going in there. They're still small numbers. You know, when you say 5000 people compared to more than 100,000 of Russian troops, they're not large numbers. But Russia is taking it as an increase in threat. And certainly, if Russia were to attack, then, according to the, you know, United States and to NATO, they would send even more forces in to buttress the members of NATO that are on Russia's borders. So yes, they would end up -- Russia would end up with more of NATO on their borders.
VAUSE: OK, Jill, thank you. As always, it's good to see you. Thanks so much.
DOUGHERTY: OK.
VAUSE: Right now, the Olympic torch relay is underway. The red and silver torch meant to resemble a ribbon in the wind, carry by 1200 torchbearers before lighting the Olympic cauldron on Friday.
Certainly, COVID regulations only select residents will be able to see the relay firsthand. The government is encouraging everyone else to follow online.
In for hundreds of athletes competing it with a game, it's a stark reminder of China's extensive state surveillance. Seven National Olympic Committees have urged their teams to leave personal electronic devices at home over cybersecurity concerns. The FBI is asking U.S. athletes to use disposable cell phones known as burners while they're in China.
CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jiang joins us now live with more on this. And you, Human Rights Watch cut to the chase a few days ago, calling China at a well (ph) surveillance state and they're pretty close to the mark.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, John, this is really not shocking or surprising for anyone who has been paying attention. You know, for travelers coming to China, at least before the pandemic, this has long been a known practice in terms of bringing a burner for devices and be mindful of the pervasive high-tech surveillance not only online, but also in the real world as well.
And for those of us based here, obviously, you just kind of factor this in as part of the reality of living and working here and plan and act accordingly. Now, obviously, the high-profile nature of the Olympic Games is now placing this issue under intense global spotlight. But this is really, in a way, something we've known for quite some time, John.
VAUSE: We're going to situation with the surveillance and the fact that you have people know that if you go to China, you will be listening to there is a chance of being hacked. We also have a situation now with the Olympic torch relay. And the last time the relay made its way to Beijing, it went around the world for months, it was a lightning rod for protesters. This has really changed, though, this really is nothing like the 2008 summer games.
JIANG: That's right. You know, this is a much more truncated version of the affair we saw back in 2008. As you mentioned, protesters dog part of that regulate routes because of China's human rights record. And that actually greatly angering the Beijing government and eventually prompting the International Olympic Committee to scrap all future international torch relay.
Now, this time, of course is taking place in a much more controlled environment. It's only going to be three days with torchbearers traveling through the three zones in and around Beijing, not only passing venues, but also some iconic spots like the Great Wall of China and the Summer Palace.
Now, in selecting the torchbearers this time, the organizers try to highlight a combination of patriotism, and sportsmanship. So, the first torchbearer we saw today was an 80-year-old former Chinese speedskater who was the first ever Chinese athlete to win a world championship in a winter sport back in 1963. And also, among other peoples, we saw a Chinese astronaut as well as of course, Yao Ming, the always towering figure in Chinese basketball. John.
VAUSE: Towering to say that, yeah, precisely, very tall guy, Steven Jiang, thank you. Steven Jiang live for us there in Beijing.
Much more ahead this hour, the blistering pace at which every crime has spread around the world now prompting a new warning from the World Health Organization.
Also, head, this --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is now really the best time to do away with the rules?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
VAUSE: And the torpedoes with record high infections days health officials just ended all COVID restrictions.
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VAUSE: In the 10 weeks since the Omicron variant was first identified almost 90 million COVID cases have been reported globally. That's more than the total for all of 2020.
Well, Omicron appears less severe than other variants, the World Health Organization is urging countries not to be complacent to continue testing, tracking, as well as vaccination efforts.
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TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: It's premature for any country either to surrender or to declare victory. This virus is dangerous. And it continues to evolve before our very eyes.
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VAUSE: Despite that warning from the WHO Denmark is lifting all COVID restrictions, the first country in the E.U. to do so. The government says it no longer considers COVID-19 a socially critical sickness. Danish health officials credit widespread vaccination and booster shots. More than 80% of the population fully vaccinated. Details now from CNNs' Scott McLean reporting from Copenhagen.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Loud Music, stiff drinks, and close talking in Denmark, they're partying like it's 2019. After two years of on again off again restrictions mask mandates and lockdowns, Denmark has officially kissed COVID restrictions goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am over it, like I think everybody is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm excited. You know, we've been waiting for this moment for so long.
MCLEAN: In reality, the pandemic hasn't gone away. In fact, new average daily infections in Denmark are more than 12 times higher than the country's previous peak and rising.
(On camera): Is now really the best time to do away with the rules?
SOREN BROSTROM, DIRECTOR GENERAL, DANISH HEALTH AUTHORITY: Sure. And, of course, everybody's asking us that question. But when we're looking at our hospital admission reach day by day, and we see fewer and fewer cases. And we see very few cases in the elderly that are vaccinated actually admitted to hospital or even dying.
MCLEAN: And that's just because of vaccination?
BROSTROM: I have no other good explanation why Denmark is in such a unique place.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Denmark has one of the highest vaccination rates on Earth. Late last year, they lifted most restrictions only to once again batten down the hatches in December, closing schools, mandating masks indoors, and putting curfews on bars and restaurants. Now, virtually all of those restrictions are gone.
(On camera): Is it really the end this time?
MAGNUS HEUNICKE, DANISH HEALTH MINISTER: Well, we hope so. But we promised the citizens of Denmark that we will only have restrictions if they are truly necessary, and we'll lift them as soon as we can.
MCLEAN (voice-over): It's not just Denmark. Last week, England lifted nearly all of its domestic restrictions as lawmakers set out a novel new strategy.
SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: We must learn to live with COVID in the same way that we've learned to live with flu.
MCLEAN: Before the vaccine COVID was a lot more deadly than the flu. But as immunity rose and a less severe variant emerged, deaths directly caused by influenza or pneumonia are now not far off of COVID. And lately, they're contributing factors far more often.
MCLEAN (on camera): Is it reasonable to treat COVID like we treat the flu?
LIAM SMEETH, DIRECTOR, LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE: I think it's not a bad model. Unless of course the virus advisor comes up with a nasty, highly infectious variant.
MCLEAN (voice-over): Back in Denmark, people are free to circulate. So, was the virus but two years three vaccine doses and a lot of sacks sacrifice later COVID doesn't seem so scary anymore. Scott McLean, CNN Copenhagen.
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[01:20:09]
VAUSE: Joining me now is Dr. Eric Topol, Professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research, a nonprofit research institute focusing on Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Topol, good to see you.
ERIC TOPOL, CARDIOLOGIST: Great to be with you, John.
VAUSE: OK, so what are your thoughts on Denmark, essentially, you know, damn the torpedoes declaring an end to the pandemic. They say the coronavirus is no longer a critical threat to society. The argument here is that because it's virtually impossible to prevent Omicron from spreading, and has a much lower mortality rate, just let it run wild to be done.
TOPOL: Yeah, it's really interesting and controversial. I think the key for Denmark and other countries in the E.U. is that they have a very high rate of vaccination, and boosters. So that gives them a lot more leeway than countries that aren't near that 80% and 60% some percent of people that have had a booster shot, that's giving a lot of protection, especially as noted in the people of advanced age. The other thing just to note is that Denmark is one of the most aggressive testing places in the world. So, they're very high case numbers were they were highest in the world or second highest even right now, that has to be normalized for the fact that they very aggressively test. So other countries may look better and at the moment, but that's because they're not testing nearly as much.
VAUSE: Also, they shifted the focus from the number of New Delhi infections to the number of hospital admissions. And now it seems it's the hospital admissions which are the key here.
TOPOL: Yeah, especially also ICU and the desk, which are going in really good direction in Denmark. And so that really looks at least right now that things are heading in the right direction, even though there's this dissociation with cases. So, it we're going to see in the next few weeks. Remember, Denmark did this several weeks ago, lifting restrictions, and it didn't go too well, because Omicron came along. So hopefully this time it will.
VAUSE: Yeah, we wish them luck. Meantime, in the U.S. regulators, they're asking Pfizer to submit a request for emergency authorization for the two-dose co-vaccine for children younger than five. Here's the U.S. Surgeon General. Listen to this.
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DR. VIVEK MURTHY, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: And what the FDA is going to do is do a thorough and thoughtful analysis of that data to understand the answer to two critical questions. Is this vaccine safe for kids under five? And is it effective for kids under five? And if the answer to both of those questions is yes, then they will recommend that it be used.
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VAUSE: But here's the thing back in December, Pfizer's clinical trials found that kids aged six months to two years, they saw an immune response similar to teenagers, the others did not. So, the trials were extended to include a third dose of the vaccine and those results were expected at the end of next month. The timeline here doesn't make a lot of sense, given the FDA advisory board is scheduled to make two weeks from now. So, what's going on here? Why the rush?
TOPOL: You know, John, this is very unusual. Here, Pfizer wasn't the one pressing, but actually, the FDA asked him to bring in the data they had. Remember, they use a very low dose of the vaccine 10 micrograms, as opposed to the adult dose of 100, or the dose in ages five to 11 of 30. So, a very low dose, and it didn't have the desired effect on the immune system, which is why they're going with this third dose. And as, you know, we won't have that data in the next couple of weeks.
So, one way to have done it would have been just to wait until that third dose data is wrapped up or do a trial with just two doses at a higher level. But this is an unusual circumstance. And I think the FDA is trying to accelerate things to be in a position so that when that third dose data is ready, then they will have those kids who, with their parents elect to go ahead with a vaccine in a position to get them fully vaccinated.
VAUSE: So, they're making it what, gamble, if you like. The third shot will make up for the deficiencies of the two doses. Is there any way that that they not work out that like that?
TOPOL: Well, it probably will work out. But, you know, we're not sure if one thing it's very, very safe. I mean, because just to lower dose. I think that's what we've learned whether the third dose, which is spaced about helps because you've primed the immune system, and now you're given a dose later, so it's probably going to work fine, but we won't know until we see the data.
VAUSE: Yeah, I guess it's a safe gamble at best. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, though, among five to 11-year-olds, who are now eligible for the vaccine, less than 19% of fully vaccinated less than 30% have received their first shot. That rate is much lower than many health experts were expecting. Clearly a lot of parents are hesitant. They're worried about their kids getting vaccinated and moves by the FDA to rush authorization. Did they do a lot to build confidence here?
TOPOL: Well, I think the real problem is that parents were spooked about this myocarditis thing that we're seeing mainly in teens, in boys but it hasn't been seen in ages five to 11. There's a total of like 11 cases and these kids did very well.
[01:25:09]
So, we haven't yet been able to turn this around that the dose that was used, again, much lower in ages five to 11, a third. That works really well, very safe, highly effective. And the myocarditis thing that was the real issue just really is not an issue here. Very disappointing that we don't have high rates and uptake in that age group.
VAUSE: Yeah, especially given the fact that yeah, the young group is being affected by the COVID and Coronavirus is increasing rate and more, more and more kids going to hospital. Dr. Eric Topol, great to see you. Thank you.
TOPOL: Same here. Thanks, John.
VAUSE: Still to come, officials say an oil spill of Peru's coast is much worse than first reported and high-level executives from the Spanish own refinery responsible for the massive league now banned from leaving the country.
Also, alarm bells ringing from London to Brussels to Washington but on Ukraine's front line, they say not much has changed despite the threat of a Russian invasion.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Foreign language). He's saying that every night there's fighting once it gets dark.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN Newsroom.
And more now in our top story this hour, Russian President Vladimir Putin breaking his silence on Ukraine. But the tense diplomatic stalemate between Moscow and the West is showing few signs of easing, with more than 100,000 Russian troops in circling Ukraine on three sides, U.S. defense officials say Moscow could move to invade at any time. But Russia's Foreign Minister continues to downplay the troop buildup on Tuesday during a phone call with the U.S. Secretary of State.
Meantime, Mr. Putin spoke publicly about the standoff for the first time in weeks taking questions after meeting with Hungary's Prime Minister. He accused the U.S. and NATO trying to goad Russia into a conflict, ignoring Moscow's key security concerns.
In Kyiv, Ukraine's President sat down for talks with the Dutch polish and British Prime Ministers. Boris Johnson warned after their meeting that a Russian invasion would be a disaster, with implications well beyond Ukraine's borders.
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JOHNSON: This is about something even bigger. I'm afraid it's about the whole European security architecture. Because be in no doubt about what I think President Putin is trying to achieve here. I think that he is trying by holding a gun as it were to the head of Ukraine by intimidating Ukraine to get us to change the way we look at something that was absolutely fantastic.
[01:29:40]
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VAUSE: While the Russian president has aired a long list of grievances and accusations, he also left open the possibility of resolving this crisis through diplomacy and further negotiations.
CNN's Matthew Chance now reports in from Kyiv.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are the first significant comments about the growing comments in the region that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has made in several weeks. And he used a joint news conference with the Hungarian prime minister in Moscow to lash out at the United States, accusing the U.S. and NATO of ignoring Russia's main security concerns about expanding the western military alliance. And accusing Washington of not caring about Ukrainian security, but instead, of using Ukraine as a tool to constrain and to provoke Russia.
There were pretty harsh words -- take a listen.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Their main task is to contain the development of Russia. Ukraine is simply a tool to achieve this goal. They could draw us into some kind of armed conflict, and force their allies in Europe to impose the very tough sanctions that are being talked about in the United States today.
Or they could draw Ukraine into NATO, set up strike weapon systems there, and encourage some people to resolve the issue of Donbas or Crimea by force, and still draw us into an armed conflict.
CHANCE: Russia of course, denies it has any plans to invade Ukraine again. They did so in 2014, remember, but these comments by President Putin suggesting it may be drawn into a conflict coupled, of course, with the fact that Russia has positioned more than 127,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, is not doing much to ease concerns about Moscow's plans.
Matthew Chance, CNN -- Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: U.S. officials believe the number of Russian troops and military hardware deployed on Ukraine's border is now force-capable, in other words, capable of a full scale invasion.
But in eastern Ukraine, CNN's Clarissa Ward spoke with troops on the frontline near the Russian border and many seem unconcerned.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Ukraine's first line of defense if Russia decides to invade, and it is basic. Half a dozen soldiers in snow cover trenches, no signs of heavy weapons. Russian-backed separatists are just half a mile away.
(on camera): He's saying that every night there is fighting once it gets dark.
(voice over): These front lines have been frozen for years, a Russian offensive would change that in an instant. But the alarm in Washington is not shared here.
(on camera): What's amazing to see is that, despite the buildup of tanks and heavy weaponry on the Russian side of the border, which is less than 20 miles from here. Here on the Ukrainian side, there is no sense at all that anyone is preparing for an invasion.
(voice over): The sergeant here asked we not give his name, He says he doesn't expect conflict but he is prepared. "Our commanders told us that we must be alert," he tells us, "we are
ready to meet guests from Russia."
(on camera): What kind of weapons do you have a disposition? Do you have any heavy weaponry? I don't see any but I just want to make sure.
(voice over): "You don't need to see, and the enemy doesn't need to see," he says. "But we have everything."
What they don't have here are many layers of defense. Driving from the front we see just a handful of checkpoints. If the Ukrainian army can't hold this area, Russian forces could reach Mariupol, a port city of half a million, in hours.
Despite the threat, life here goes on much as normal. At the local market, stalls are open and the shelves are full.
(on camera): I'd love to know if you think that there will be a war?
(voice over): "We don't want war. We have children and grandchildren," Natalia says. And there won't be war. We believe that."
Some like Erjan (ph) say that America is exaggerating the threat.
"No, there will not be a war," he says. "It's only Biden who thinks this."
(on camera): It's interesting talking to people here. Nobody seems to be remotely concerned about the prospect of an imminent invasion.
(voice over): These people are no strangers to war. All around Mariupol, the hollowed out remnants of villages destroyed and abandoned by fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists.
[01:35:01]
WARD: But whether moved by denial or disbelief, these soldiers and the people they are protecting don't expect history to repeat itself. For now, they wait and they watch and they hope.
Clarissa Ward, CNN -- Mariupol, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: At least 24 people have been killed in a massive landslide in Quito in Ecuador. Rescuers are searching through muddy debris, looking for a dozen people still missing.
Those who survived say they had to climb the walls to escape an immense black river which swept through the city. The storm which triggered the landslide brought more rain to Quito than the city has seen in almost 20 years.
Peru has suspended a Spanish oil firm's unloading operation operations, and has banned company executives from leaving the country following a spill that caused far-reaching environmental damage.
The environment ministry estimates that 12,000 barrels, double the initial report, were dumped into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Lima last month.
Gustavo Valdez reports now on the ongoing cleanup.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUSTAVO VALDEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: This is a slow and tedious process. As you can see behind me, hundreds of people using basic tools like shovels to scrape the top of the beaches of these areas, trying to remove the sand contaminated with oil. The problem, they tell me, is that once you remove some of the sand there is more coming from the sea.
Government officials say, have spotted oil as far as 50 miles from the refinery where the incident happened on January 15. This is a refinery owned by the Spanish company, Repsol. They were receiving a shipment of crude oil and something happened.
Initially it was said that because of the high surf related to that volcano eruption in Tonga, there was an alert of tsunami and that that high surf was the cause of the initial spill. All of this is now part of the investigation.
The Peruvian government has ordered Repsol to stop receiving oil into that refinery, something the company says is unproportional (ph) to the incident and unreasonable, but nonetheless, they will cooperate with the investigation.
Also part of the investigation is a series of letters written by the captain of the Italian ship that had delivered that oil to the refinery. He says, in those letters, that the action, the response from the officials at the refinery, were insufficient.
From the moment he reported the initial spill and the way they responded as more oil was spilling into the ocean. He said that the actions taken were insufficient to contain the spill.
The Peruvian government has ordered the captain, the crew, and the ship to remain in the country as the investigation moves along, as well as top officials from Repsol. They cannot leave the country. They cannot leave Peru while this investigation is ongoing.
The workers here tell me that they are not seeing as many injured or dead animals now as they go about their cleaning. But they say that they still see these damages in this area.
Gustavo Valdez, CNN -- Ventanilla, Peru.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Another leading human rights group says Palestinians are living under apartheid and Israel is to blame. Details on that and how Israel's ethnic divide compares to those in western countries. [01:38:29]
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VAUSE: A Dutch publisher has hit pause on the printing of a new book which reveals who tipped off the Nazis about where Anne Frank and her family were hiding. After a very splashy release two weeks ago, historians and researchers went to work and now casting doubt on the central finding that a Jewish notary may have betrayed the Franks. This was the conclusion of a six year investigation by a retired FBI agent and his research team.
The Dutch publisher now says he should have taken more care and taken a critical stance and will now wait for answers to some of these key questions.
The book's English language publisher, Harper Collins, is yet to comment.
The Israeli government is calling Amnesty International anti-Semitic after the human rights group released a report accusing Israel of apartheid for how it treats Palestinians.
The lengthy report details unlawful killings, detentions, torture. Palestinians have been denied basic rights. Even before the report was published, Israel denounced it as false and biased, claiming Amnesty is a radical organization which echoes propaganda without fact checking.
Israel's staunch ally, the United States, also rejects the apartheid label.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We reject the view that Israel's actions constitute apartheid. The department's own reports have never used such terminology. We are committed to promoting respect for human rights in Israel, in the West Bank in the Gaza Strip. We have an enduring partnership with Israel, and we discuss a wide range of issues with our Israeli counterparts, including those related to human rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But in a statement, the Palestinian foreign minister welcomed the report, saying the United Nations Security Council and the General Assembly are obliged to heed the compelling evidence and hold Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinian people, including, through sanctions.
CNN political commentator Peter Beinart is with us now from "New York", his weekly newsletter, "the Beinart notebook" is available at subset.com. Good to see you, Peter, it's been a while.
PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Nice to be with you. VAUSE: So this 278 report, it's the result of a four-year long
investigation by Amnesty, here's part of it. "We found that Israel's crude policies of segregation, dispossession, and exclusion across all territories under its control clearly amount to apartheid. The international community has an obligation to act, referring to Palestinians, they're every move is subject of the Israeli military's approval. And the simplest Daily Task means navigating a web of violent control.
There were earlier reports by Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights groups, B'Tselem, reached similar conclusions.
In the past, the Israelis essentially reject the findings or were ignored to report. What happens this time?
BEINART: I think in the short term that's true, but I think in the longer term, these things are having an effect in public conversations, certainly in the United States. The fact that the two most prominent human rights organization, and Israel most prominent human rights organization, have all said that Israel is practicing apartheid as defined under international law, I think actually does start to shift public consciousness about this over the long term.
VAUSE: Yes. And the thing that really riles up the Israelis is the comparison with apartheid South Africa. The Amnesty reports that mutual, any direct lines and as you say is using the international legal definition of apartheid.
And according to the "Washington Post", Amnesty International said its conclusions came from analyzing international conventions, including the Rome statute of The International Criminal Court, which defines apartheid as an institutionalized regime of systemic oppression, and domination by one racial group over any other racial group.
Under that definition the United States, Australia, Brazil -- a lot of can be accused of a being apartheid states, can't they?
BEINART: Potentially but I think there are some important differences here. The first is you have to understand that most of the Palestinians who live Israeli control are not even Israeli citizens. They can't become Israeli citizens.
Palestinians in the west Bank, East Jerusalem and in the Gaza strip, which Israel controls all its borders, access sin and out.
So that's a pretty important difference, than the United States and Australia where, of course, there is serious systemic de facto discrimination.
But still, in the case of -- in black people in the United States, there actually -- they're still citizens of the United States. They can vote for the government of the United States.
[01:44:56]
BEINART: Whereas Israel is actually defined as a state that privileges Jews in its very definition, over Palestinians.
Now again, America may do that in practice, but our founding document actually talks about a state in which everyone is equal under the law. And that's an important difference.
VAUSE: Also, when it comes to apartheid and -- you hear the word, apartheid, you think South Africa. The Israeli foreign minister though says that Israel is a long way from South Africa. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: Israel isn't perfect. But we are a democracy committed to international law, open to criticism with a free press and a strong and independent judicial system.
Amnesty doesn't call Syria where the regime has murdered half a million of its own citizens an apartheid state, nor Iran, or other murderous regimes around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I am not a big fan of what-aboutism -- but in this instance does he have a point? For example, right now among the 47 members on the U.N. Human Rights Council there is China, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia and Venezuela. Not exactly leading examples of tolerance and progressive governments.
BEINART: Absolutely. But that is a separate question from Amnesty. I mean I think you can legitimately say that the U.N. gives a lot of countries a pass. But Amnesty doesn't, actually.
I mean they do human rights criticism and are criticized by governments all over the world for criticizing those governments. In fact, Israel itself relies on Amnesty's work when they want to criticize the abominable human rights record in Iran.
It is definitely true that Israel and apartheid in South Africa are different. But as you said, apartheid has an international legal definition which is separate from what the specifics of what was done in South Africa.
It basically means the domination of one racial group. And racial is important to say. It doesn't have to mean a race. It can also mean a religion or an ethnicity over another group.
Again, and the fact that Israeli Jews have full equal rights, the right to vote, the right to be a citizen, the right to free movement, the right to due process throughout Israel.
And that most Palestinians can't vote for the government that controls their lives. They're not even citizens. They live under military law. They need a pass to move from town to town. And those -- even those Palestinians who do have citizenship, have second-class citizenship in really profound ways. That, actually, I think, probably does meet the legal definition of apartheid, as in fact ironically even several Israeli prime ministers, starting with Yitzhak Rabin and then going to Ehud Olmert, Ehud Barak have all warned warrant in their language that Israel was on its way to being what they call an apartheid state.
VAUSE: Yes. Ariel Sharon made that point I think before he died as prime minister.
Peter, good to see you. Thanks for being with us.
BEINART: My pleasure.
VAUSE: Actress and comedian, Whoopi Goldberg, has been suspended for two weeks from co-hosting "The View", after falsely claiming the Holocaust was, quote, "not about race and between two groups of white people".
The remarks were made Monday during a discussion on the show about a book depicting the horrors of the Holocaust. It immediately drew widespread outrage. Goldberg apologized on Twitter and again Monday night on "The Late Show" and again on Tuesday and was then suspended.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, TV HOST: I misspoke. And I tweeted about it last night but I kind of want you to hear from me directly. I said something that I feel a responsibility for not leaving unexamined because my words upset so many people which was never my intention. It is indeed about race because Hitler and the Nazis considered Jews to be an inferior race. Now words matter and mine are no exception.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: On Tuesday, the chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust invited Goldberg to visit the site to learn more about the persecution and the mass murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, as the world comes together celebrating the Olympics. Beijing is literally divided because of COVID precautions.
Go inside the Beijing bubble. That is after our break.
Also ahead, meet the U.S. Olympic speedskater who almost quit the sport altogether and what kept her on track and the road to Beijing.
[01:49:10]
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VAUSE: U.S. speed skater Maame Biney will be back on the ice in Beijing for her second Olympics. In 2018 she became the first black woman to make the U.S. short track team. And she spoke with CNN World Sports Coy Wire about her quest for gold. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAAME BINEY, U.S. SPEED SKATER: I have worked a lot and I have worked super hard in order to get to this point. And I am super, super excited to represent the U.S. in Beijing.
I don't really have any expectations. I am just going to go out there and race and have fun. Be happy and be confident within my abilities. And we will see where that gets me.
COY WIRE, CNN WORLDSPORT CORRESPONDENT: What have you learned about yourself since Pyeongchang?
BINEY: I have learned how mentally strong I am and how I can overcome the obstacles and speed bumps that life brings me. I have also learned that I have a very big and very supportive community behind me that wants me to do well.
And even if I don't do well or even if I'm disappointed within myself, they are still there for me and they still love me for who I am as a human being. It's amazing.
WIRE: Maame, how close were you to walking away from the sport?
BINEY: Pretty close. Like, December of 2019 and January of 2020, I just really wanted to be done just because there were so many things that were not going my way. But, I finished up the season. I was like, you know, I'll just like -- I'll try again. And I am pretty happy that I did because I met some amazing people along the way in the last two years.
WIRE: What did it mean for you in 2018 to become the first black woman to skate for the U.S. Olympic team at short track speedskating.
BINEY: Yes, at meant a lot just because I know that I was able to represent my community in ways that they hadn't felt represented, especially in sports and especially in sports that is majority like white and Asian. And just being able to fulfill that dream and hopefully like let other young black women and men, really, just say, oh man if I can like overcome these obstacles that are in my life, I hope that I was able to like stir that pot a little bit, I guess.
WIRE: A wise person once said, laugh until you can't laugh anymore.
BINEY: Yes.
WIRE: Why is that your favorite quote?
BINEY: Just because like the world needs more laughter. The world needs a lot of like smiling. And just happiness in general. Just because it's not a great world sometimes to be in.
And I think that if people are able to laugh and cry of like joy and happiness and have love in their life then their life is going to be more fulfilled and I hope that like me being there will like help them achieve that. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, Beijing has created a closed loop system to keep athletes, coaches, and support staff separated from the general public. But with dozens of COVID infections reported from inside the loop, is it really working?
CNN's Selina Wang and CNN's David Culver show us what life is like on both sides of the bubble.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The motto of Beijing's winter games is "together for a shared future". It's a nice sentiment. But daily life in the Chinese capital is far apart from the Olympic enclave within it. And absolutely nothing is shared between the people that inhabit the two worlds.
Too great is the risk of omicron for China as it tries to maintain its zero COVID policy. In the week leading to January 30th, 237 symptomatic infections were reported in the country of 1.4 billion people.
Meanwhile arrivals testing and the daily screening of games participants has already registered around 200 positive results.
[01:54:59]
CULVER (on camera): The closed loop system means those Olympic personnel who are visiting from other countries won't be able to freely wander and check out some of the iconic tourist sites like this one -- the Forbidden City. For them it is truly forbidden.
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Instead, for athletes, organizers and us journalist, inside the close loop, Beijing has become a series of bubbles.
Our hotels, the sporting venues and places like this media center are as much as the city has to offer.
(voice over): There are even literal walls, security, blocking us from freely moving about. We're COVID tested every day outside the hotel.
(on camera): Technology takes the place of many lost interactions. Here, at the media center, a robot serves our food. Then there is a robot bartender, mixing and serving our drinks.
(voice over): Only a limited number of Beijingers have joined our close loop to look after and transport all the people connected to the games.
And they too will need to stay separate from family and friends for weeks. Quite a sacrifice as the lunar new year holiday overlaps with the Olympics.
But as COVID has disconnected Beijing from the international events it's hosting it has also disconnected the people here from the rest of their country.
CULVER: And normally, during the lunar new year holiday, major cities like Beijing, they're empty. All the folks who live here, going back to their home provinces. But this year, because of the outbreaks happening all over China, they are asking folks to stay put. So you have crowds like this gathering at some of the more popular spots.
(voice over): Crowds that won't get to be there as the metals are contested and won. No sporting tickets are on sale. Instead, the government will issue some to a lucky few.
(on camera): Beijing 2022 is a tale of two cities. The host --
WANG (on camera): --- and their guests so close but so far.
For CNN, I'm Selina Wang inside the Olympic closed loop.
CULVER: And I'm David Culver on the outside -- Beijing, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: So close, yet so far.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. The news continues with my colleague and friend, Rosemary Church.
I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
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[02:00:04]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.
