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Putin Meeting Xi Ahead of Olympics, Amid Ukraine Tensions; India Announces Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics; Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi Died in U.S. Raid in Syria; Four Senior Aides Abruptly Resign from Downing Street; Study Shows How the Virus Spreads Through a Cough; Putin Meeting Xi ahead of Olympics amid Ukraine Tensions; Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi Died in U.S. Raid in Syria; Large Parts of U.S. Pummeled by Deadly Winter Storm; Rapidly Intensified Storm Bears Down on Madagascar; Chilean Plant-Based Company Aiming for Global Success. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 04, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:21]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. I appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes.
Coming up here on the program, President Xi will soon welcome Vladimir Putin to Beijing for the Winter Games. We could hear from them at any moment when it happens. We'll bring it to you live.
New details on the deadly counter terror raid in Syria, how the U.S. knew it was the right time to strike. And the giant storm that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the U.S.-Canadian border nearly 300,000 American homes and businesses that without power.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: And we begin with new U.S. allegations of a Russian false flag operation as a pretext to invade Ukraine. Officials say Moscow is preparing a graphic propaganda video of a fake attack by Ukraine on Russian territory or on Russian speaking people in Ukraine. Russia's ambassador to the European Union denies the claims but U.S. officials say the video would include corpses and scenes of destruction and Russia is already recruiting actors to play mourners. The White House says Russia has done this kind of thing before to justify military action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JONATHAN FINER, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The number of forces that Russia has amassed on the border with Ukraine and now in Belarus suggests that it has sufficient forces to begin a military action should it make the decision to do so, and that action could begin at any time. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The tensions between Russia and Ukraine are expected to be on the agenda for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jingping. Mr. Putin is expected in the Chinese capital any time now for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
CNN's Ivan Watson is live for as this hour in Hong Kong. Ivan, good to see you both. Both leaders say the Olympics shouldn't be politicized. But here they are meeting during the games at a time of high politics. What are their shared interests when it comes to the tensions over Ukraine?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they share much more, Michael, than 4000-kilometer-long border. They share antipathy towards the U.S. right now, Russia, of course, in a much more acute face off with the U.S. and its NATO allies. But the relations between Beijing and Washington are also very strained. I mean, just look at the fact that the U.S. has led a diplomatic boycott of these Winter Olympics being hosted in Beijing.
The two leaders are, I believe this is going to be Xi Jinping 38 meeting with Vladimir Putin, his first face to face meeting with another head of state since the beginning of the pandemic in some two years, there foreign ministers have put out statements in the run up to Friday Summit, saying that they had some logistical stuff to sort out, for instance, there has been some interruption of cross border trade in areas where on the Chinese side, there were outbreaks of COVID perceived to have come from Russia. They've discussed Afghanistan, which after the U.S. withdrew so quickly. That's a potential problem country much closer to both Russia and China that they may have to deal with. But they also discussed Ukraine. China's position here is interesting. It has said that Russia has legitimate security concerns. But also, China has never formally recognized Russia's annexation of Crimea back in 2014.
The two foreign ministers met. They discussed this. And then China put out a statement stressing the "principle" that security is indivisible, and that China understands and supports that when it comes to Russia, and its relations with the U.S. and with NATO. There will be -- it'll be really interesting to watch how China could react if there is any potential hostilities involving Russia and Ukraine and it's just something that we'll all have to watch closely. Michael.
HOLMES: Yeah, yeah, China with economic interest in Ukraine to. Tell us about India's new diplomatic boycott of the games?
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WATSON: Yeah, I mean, this is surprising. The U.S. has led traditional Western allies in a diplomatic boycott but now in the last 24 hours India announcing one not over China's human rights record, but over recent deadly battles along the Indian Chinese border. Take a listen to the spokesperson from the Indian government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ARINDAM BAGCHI, SPOKESPERSON, INDIAN MINISTRY OF EXTREME AFFAIRS: It is indeed regrettable that the Chinese side has chosen to police politicize an event like the Olympics. I wish to inform that our Sharjah the affairs of the Embassy of India and Beijing will not be attending the opening or the closing ceremony of the Beijing '22 Winter Olympics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Michael, India is protesting the fact that a Chinese People Liberation Army Commander participated in the Olympic torch relay. This commander had also been a participant reportedly wounded in this deadly battle on -- in the Himalayas on the border in 2020, where at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed. India will not be broadcasting the opening and closing ceremonies the public broadcaster has announced. And this, again, is different from the U.S. and Canada and Australia and other countries engaging in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics. It just goes to show how complicated the geopolitics are around this. And don't forget, Russia is a good friend of India, sells lots of weapons to India. And India is angry with China right now. Go figure.
HOLMES: It's a complicated neighborhood. Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson there in Hong Kong for us.
All right now for more on the Putin and Xi meeting in Beijing. I'm joined by Richard McGregor in Sydney, Australia. He's a Senior Fellow at the Lowy Institute and the author of The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers.
It's good to have you with us. When it comes to Putin and Xi certainly both have antipathy towards NATO. Both are happy to see the West, the U.S. in particular weakened or at least looking weak over Ukraine. What do you see as their shared interests when it comes to the current tensions?
RICHARD MCGREGOR, SENIOR FELLOW, LOWY INSTITUTE: Well, as you say, China is happy to see the U.S. off balance, it would be happy to see the U.S. humiliated or weakened in any fashion. But I'm not so sure they so interested in a war in Ukraine, that's much more destabilizing. You know, China wants stability and predictability in its diplomatic relations, particularly this year, because it's a big political year in China. When Xi Jinping is seeking a third term in a war in Ukraine, I don't know whether it's going to happen. And, you know, frankly, I doubt whether Xi knows whether it was going to happen because I doubt whether Putin is telling him that could boil energy markets all manner of markets. So, China's interest supports Russia, but up to a point.
HOLMES: Yeah. And China, of course, plenty of investments in Ukraine as well. How much will China be reading into the U.S. positioning its handling of Russia-Ukraine, in the context of Taiwan and, and U.S. willingness to protect a Thai payer? Are there any parallels that Beijing is going to be watching? MCGREGOR: Well, there's no immediate parallels you've had some people say that, you know, if Russia engaged the U.S. or NATO in Ukraine, that was an opportunity for China to move on Taiwan. I think that's that makes no sense. That's, you know, China would in fact, be offended by that sort of parallel because that they're going to do Taiwan in their own timetable not dictated by Russia. But certainly, they would look at the U.S. response, they would look at the effectiveness of the U.S. sanctions, how far the U.S. is willing to go and of course, U.S. resolve. But if there's something does happen in Ukraine, you know, the test of the U.S. is not over in one or two weeks. It goes on for much longer than that. And of course, the same applies to Putin as well.
HOLMES: So, if a Russian invasion or a limited incursion, perhaps in the Donbass does happen, and the West does apply the serious sanctions, it is threatening, how might China mitigate those sanctions help Russia out if you like?
MCGREGOR: Well, I guess, you know, Russia itself, as we know, has been in theory preparing for this such an event for some time, you know, being cut out of the global banking system, they've got their own treasure chest. But I think China would be willing to help Russia up to a point again, financially, they can trade outside of the U.S. dollar zone, for example, Russia can pay in renminbi and the like, or they could use another currency. But I don't think China is going to be rushing to help China directly militarily and the like because, you know, more symbolic actions, financial actions, but not much beyond that China does not want to get involved in a conflict in Europe.
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HOLMES: OK, so could Chinese assistance, whatever form that might take, you know, make Russia perhaps more dependent on China in a way it gives China leverage over Russia as China continues to expand, expand its global influence, you know, give it the ability to drive a hard bargain on bilateral issues.
MCGREGOR: Yes, it's an interesting question. Of course, the Chinese leverage over Russia, I think it's been growing gradually for about, you know, over the past 5, 10, 15 years. Whereas once Russia wouldn't have sold China, its best military equipment, the Chinese demanded now. Now, the Chinese are replicating some of the arms that Russia, you know, used to supply it with. China could have more power and dictating the terms on which it buys gas and oil from Russia. And, of course, I think China would lorded over Russia and sort of, you know, make it sort of dependence to clear that China looks for leverage out with everybody, and I think they wouldn't miss their moment.
HOLMES: Yeah, fascinating stuff. Richard McGregor in Sydney, I appreciate the analysis. Thanks so much.
MCGREGOR: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right, new details are emerging on the U.S. operation that killed the leader of ISIS. A senior White House official says the intelligence gathering on Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, ramped up in recent months and plans for the raid took shape in December. Authorities say the ISIS leader blew himself and his family up as U.S. special forces closed in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: It was really built up over a while looking at the intelligence from a different variety of sources to help us make sure that we had the right person, we had the right compound and of course, to your question the right time. And timing is always a factor with respect to things you can't necessarily control like the weather, and the moonlight and that kind of thing. You want to do these kinds of things at nighttime. So, there were a couple of times where we thought we might be able to go a little earlier and just the conditions weren't right. Last night the conditions were perfect. The opportunity was there, and we took it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, there were civilian casualties. Arwa Diamond shows us the aftermath of the raid and explains how it all went down. A warning, her piece does include images you might find disturbing.
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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A small body is carried down the dark stairs. The rescue workers speak in thick whispers, wait, wait, wait one warms it stuck. They gently coax a tiny child's corpse out from under a large slab of concrete. It's a little girl. Another small body, a boy is carefully wrapped in a blanket.
This is what is left behind after U.S. special forces conducted on overnight raid in Syria. Later the White House announced that they had, "removed the leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi." But the reality of what happened is uglier than that simple statement. And the fog of war is filled with questions.
The owner of the building says that two families lived here. One man, his wife and three children and his sister lived upstairs with her daughter, (inaudible) says. Seven bodies were found here.
President Biden says it was al-Qurashi who detonated a bomb, killing himself and his family. But were there more people in the house that night? We don't know yet. But in all at least 13 people were dead in the raid aftermath, including six children.
Eyewitnesses described helicopter gunships hovering overhead for hours. Warnings to evacuate the house and surrender. Intense gunfire during multiple explosions. Light clashes occurred and then the helicopter struck with machine guns, this man remembers. One of the strikes was here and the rest were striking the targeted house. Did the U.S. forces fire on other buildings? Footage from the scene and the surrounding areas showed damage to multiple other buildings as well.
This child's body, green socks on tiny feet was ripped in half. Taking out ISIS' leader may be a win for America. It may put a temporary damper on ISIS' abilities. But ISIS will rise again. And the war on terror will leave more innocence in its wake. Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:15:06]
HOLMES: All right, I want to bring in CNN's Jomana Karadsheh joining me now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Jomana. So, what does all of this mean for ISIS? And its resurgence, if you like?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Michael, time and time again, we have reported on the leaders of terror groups, whether it is ISIS or others, those leaders who are killed in counterterrorism operations, and we have seen this, this does not mean the end of a terror group. They have the ability to adapt to cope and to replace their leaders. But I mean, this is still a major blow up for ISIS, at least in the short term, this is going to likely disrupt their plans. This is coming at a time where we are seeing ISIS making attempting, to make a comeback, whether it is in Iraq, where we've seen an uptick in attacks, or in Syria, where, you know, over the past couple of weeks, we saw that brazen major attack that complex attacked by hundreds of ISIS members on that prison in Hezekiah, an attack that lasted for days a really complex attack.
And we heard President Biden yesterday saying that this leader, this man, Hajji Abdullah, as he is known, was directly responsible for this attack. You know, Michael, this man did not probably have that same kind of name recognition, his other terror leaders, like al-Baghdadi, for example. Most people probably hadn't heard of him until yesterday. But those who follow this organization, ISIS really closely, those who have investigated the group would tell you that this is a man who had a really dark history and a legacy of genocide. The U.S. has said that he was really heavily involved in the Yazidi genocide have also been speaking to an NGO, a group that has been for years investigating ISIS' crimes in Iraq and Syria.
This group see just says that since 2015, they have been investigating this man, Hajji Abdullah, they say they have collected evidence against him, describing him as one of the key architects of the enslavement and the slave trade of Yazidi women and children. They say that this man himself is -- was -- he raped women, he enslaved women, but they also believe that they had enough evidence, Michael, to accuse him of genocide, extermination, rape, slavery. And, you know, we heard from one Yazidi organization saying they really had hoped that this man would have been brought to justice that he could have faced justice in a court of law, but they understand in operations like this, that sometimes this time today would not be possible, Michael.
HOLMES: Yeah, fascinating. Jomana, thanks. Jomana Karadsheh there in Abu Dhabi.
And we are not done with our coverage of the killing of al-Qurashi. Later this hour, we'll take a look into what kind of leader he was and how damaging his death is to ISIS.
All right, I'm going to take a quick break. When we come back another dismal day for Boris Johnson, with four of the Prime Minister's top aides abruptly quitting on the same day. The latest on the partygate fall out when we come back. Also, why our top official with the World Health Organization says the COVID pandemic might be drawing to a close in Europe. And how efficient of masks when a person coughs, we'll look at a study that shows us how far COVID can actually travel. We'll be right back.
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[01:20:52]
HOLMES: Welcome back, embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered one of his most embarrassing political setbacks to date, with four top aides abruptly resigning from Downing Street on Thursday. Perhaps the biggest blow was the departure of policy chief and Longtime Senior Aide Munira Mirza. She resigned over the Prime Minister appearing to blame opposition leader Keir Starmer for not prosecuting an infamous pedophile more than a decade ago. Mr. Johnson's off topic and misleading broadside outraged members on both sides. CNN's Bianca Nobilo with details from London.
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Four senior members of Boris Johnson's Downing Street Team gone. All of them resigned Thursday, his Chief of Staff, Director of Communications, Head of Policy, and Principal Private Secretary, not all of them were unexpected, but taken together the optics is one of a number 10 derailed.
Munira Mirza, his Policy Chief landed the biggest blow when she resigned. Citing the Prime Minister's remarks on Monday. She wrote, I believe it was wrong for you to imply this week that Keir Starmer was personally responsible for allowing Jimmy Savile to escape justice. There was no fair or reasonable basis for that assertion. This was not the usual cut-and-thrust of politics. It was an inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse. You tried to clarify your position today. But despite my urging, you did not apologize for the misleading impression you gave.
The Prime Minister speaking before Mirza's resignation had this to say about his remarks in the House of Commons on Monday.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I want to be very clear about this because a lot of people have got very hot under the caller, and I understand why. Let's be absolutely clear, I'm talking not about the Leader of the Opposition's personal record when he was -- when he was DPP. And I totally understand that he had nothing to do personally with those decisions. I was making a point about the -- his responsibility for the organization as a whole. I think people can see that. I just -- I really do want to clarify that because it is important.
NOBILO: The resignations might have come as a shock, but the Prime Minister did say that he would be making big changes to his Downing Street operation in the wake of the partygate scandal. But still, the optics are chaotic, four senior staff members resigning on the same day, a day after three more members of the Prime Minister's own party publicly declared that they'd submitted letters of no confidence in the Prime Minister. And all of this miss their backdrop of open condemnation, and the Conservative Party putting the Prime Minister on notice. Bianca Nobilo, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The World Health Organization's Europe Chief says the end of the COVID pandemic in Europe could be in sight. Despite about 12 million cases being recorded across the continent last week, Dr. Hans Kluge says it is a result of vaccinations, seasonal pause and the relative mildness of the Omicron variant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. HANS KLUGE, WHO REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE: This context that we have not experienced so far in this pandemic leaves us with the possibility for a long period of tranquility and a much higher level of population defense against any research in transmission even with more virulent variants.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, take a look at this map. You can see some countries in Europe have a fairly high rate of vaccination. But Dr. Kluge cautions that the pandemic is not over and that hospitalizations continue to rise in countries with lower vaccination rates in vulnerable populations.
Now, Australia's new rule making COVID vaccinations mandatory for all adults is expected to go into effect in the coming hours. The Upper House Parliament approving legislation to make it compulsory on Thursday after the Lower House ratified the bill last month and now the Austrian president is set to sign the legislation into law.
[01:25:11]
However, compliance checks won't begin until mid-March, when those without a vaccine certificate or an exemption could be slapped with fines of nearly $700.
Now, beginning next week, Sweden will lift most of its COVID restrictions following similar moves by Norway and Denmark earlier this week. The government health agency says the COVID situation in the country is, "stable enough to start easing rules." Starting February 9 at 11 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants will be lifted. Public events will be allowed to operate at maximum capacity, and people won't have to show vaccination certificates to attend.
Now, around the world, many are slowly returning to some semblance of normal life. So, some professors in Florida wanted to see how the virus would behave in real world scenarios like an office or a retail store. CNN's Randi Kaye visited their lab. Here's what she found. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a cough, 3, 2, 1.
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Inside this lab at Florida Atlantic University, two engineering professors are measuring the power of a cough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 3, 2, 1.
KAYE: Using a dummy they fill its mouth with a mix of glycerin and water, then with a pump, force the dummy to cough, then wait to see how far the droplets travel. They fill the air visible with the green laser light, simulating what happens when we cough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It generates particles in -- on the order of 10 to 20 microns, which is roughly close to what the smallest droplet sizes are when we cough.
KAYE: Take note how quickly the simulated respiratory droplets spread. The droplets expelled traveled a distance of three feet almost immediately, within five seconds, the droplets were at six feet, then nine feet in just about 10 seconds. Remember, nine feet is three feet beyond the recommended social distancing guidelines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's already reaching roughly nine feet now it's still moving farther slowly.
KAYE: The fog of droplets lingered in the air but kept moving forward, taking just another 30 to 40 seconds to float another three feet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting closer to 12 feet now.
KAYE: Yes, he said 12 feet. Over and over again, the simulated droplets blew past the six-foot mark often doubling that distance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK and that's fast three feet already approaching six feet. And it looks like it has crossed six feet. And now it has slowed down.
KAYE (on camera): How long might they linger at nine feet in 12 feet?
MANHAR DHANAK, PROFESSOR OF OCEAN ENGINEERING, FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY: So, nine feet, they could linger for -- provided still air two to three minutes, OK. But the concentration is less than what it would be at six feet by about a factor of eight.
KAYE (voice-over): The professors say the droplets become less dense the further they travel, but they still hang in the air, still with the ability to carry disease. And watch this, even when we put a simple mask on the dummy particles still dispersed from the sides of the mask, so they didn't travel very far.
(On camera): Certainly, if you're not wearing a mask, you're supposed to cough into your elbow. But if you cough into your hand, this is what happens. Let's turn out the lights. I'll put my hand up against the mouth of this dummy and simulate a cough. You can see the droplets spray in all directions. They may not travel as far maybe about three feet or so, but they spray everywhere. And they can linger in the air possibly for as long as three minutes.
(Voice-over): Intensity of the cough matters. So, we tested a gentle cough too. The lighter cough didn't go very far at all about three feet. But the question remains how close is too close?
(On camera): Do you think based on what you've seen in your own lab that six feet is enough for social distancing?
DHANAK: Six feet is the minimum distance that you should keep. It seems that --
KAYE: But further is better.
DHANAK: Further is better.
KAYE (on camera): The professors do believe that more testing needs to be done because the lab where we were doing these tests was a very controlled environment. Whereas in the real world, people would be moving around so the droplets would be behaving differently. The airflow would be different in that room. So, they want to see how it works more in the real world. But overall, the professor's think that the screens are a good idea, as long as they are built properly. They think they need to be at least three feet high.
And Professor Dhanak says you need really four things to make all of this work well in the real world and that would include good ventilation, masking behind these screens for people in this room. Also, the desks he says need to be spaced out and staggered and he does say that the screens need to be well designed. Randi Kaye, CNN, Orlando.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:29:49]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the possibility of getting long COVID could be an expensive proposition, according to an estimate from the COVID-19 Long Hauler Advocacy Project. The total income lost by American workers with long term COVID symptoms is nearly $89 billion.
The group used internal surveys and U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics to calculate that figure, and the financial toll, of course, can be devastating on an individual level.
A poll of nearly 500 COVID long-haulers found that 48 percent reported they were experiencing financial ruin. 21 percent had to sell furniture or other valuables just to pay the bills, and 20 percent said they were completely out of resources.
The group is calling on President Biden and federal officials to create Long COVID Assistance programs.
Quick break here on the program. When we come back, China's president welcoming Vladimir Putin to Beijing just in time for the Olympics opening ceremony.
We'll look at the close bond between the two leaders, strengthened by their shared world views after the break.
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HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Now the Russian President Vladimir Putin has now arrived in Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. He will also, of course, meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They're expected to discuss tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as well as strengthening business ties.
Meanwhile, Russia denying it's planning a false flag operation to justify an invasion of the Ukraine. The U.S. claims Moscow is preparing a graphic propaganda video, showing a fake attack by Ukraine on Russian territory or and Russian-speaking people. U.S. officials say the video would including corpses, mourners and scenes of destruction.
Now, we are just hours away from the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, marking the official start to the winter games. And it is Vladimir Putin who is topping the guest list of foreign dignitaries hosted by China's president.
The close bond between these two authoritarian leaders goes back years, and is strengthened by their shared views of the world.
CNN's David Culver reports.
[01:34:57]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A mesmerizing opening ceremony, expected to be attended by two strongman leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as their countries stand shoulder to shoulder in defiance of the West.
Despite a lingering dispute over issues such as economic interest in the Middle East, Beijing and Moscow managed to see past those differences and focused instead on one common adversary, the United States which has launched a diplomatic boycott of the games over Beijing's human rights record.
And as tensions rise between Russia and NATO, over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has publicly backed the Kremlin. In a recent phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi stressed that Russia's reasonable security concerns should be taken seriously and resolved.
These frequent interactions, a sign of increasingly close bilateral ties despite how different the two leaders are. The images tell it all. The pair in 2018 happily sampling together a traditional Chinese pancake. A few months later, they made a Russian version of the dish complete with caviar and vodka.
They visited with China's iconic pandas the following year and took in an ice hockey game. Later basking in the sunset boat tour.
The cozy China-Russia relationship, not stopping the U.S. from trying to sway China on the Ukraine crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are calling on Beijing to use its influence with Moscow to urge diplomacy.
CULVER: But analysts say Beijing sees little benefit to side with the West.
DANIEL RUSSEL, ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE: What's Putin and Xi Jinping have in common here is actually a desire to undercut U.S. Credibility, to drive a wedge between Washington and its allies.
CULVER: Other democracies and U.S. allies like Taiwan will be watching closely as China steps up its military activities across the Taiwan Strait.
RUSSEL: If the people in Taiwan saw that despite all of Washington 's efforts, and all of NATO's tough talk that they didn't succeed in deterring Putin, they're going to ask themselves, can we on Taiwan, really count on the United States in a crisis?
CULVER: After the U.S.'s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, Ukraine presents the latest test on the U.S. capability to maintain global peace and security. And the outcome may further convince China and Russia of an emerging new world order that both have long sought.
David Culver, CNN -- Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now, another big story we are following. The U.S. operation that took out the leader of ISIS. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died this week during a Special Forces raid on his compound in northwest Syria.
We are told, the Isis leader, who also went by Haji Abdullah, killed himself and his family in a suicide blast. There were at least a handful of civilian casualties as well. Unclear, exactly, just how many.
The U.S. President says the operation showed terrorists quote, "We will come after you and we will find you."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Haji Abdullah, oversaw the spread of ISIS affiliated terrorist groups around the world after savaging communities and murdering innocents.
He was responsible for the recent brutal attack on a prison in northeast Syria, holding ISIS fighters which was swiftly addressed by our great partners in the Syrian Democratic Forces. And thanks to the bravery of our troops, this horrible terrorist leader is no more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Joining me now is Kamram Bokhari, the director of analytical development at the New Lines Institute as well as a national security and foreign policy specialist at the University of Ottawa.
It's great to have you on.
Now the White House press secretary Jen Psaki, says the death of al - Qurayshi, quote, "delivers a catastrophic blow to ISIS. Would you agree with that given the group's ability in the past to replace leaders. Is it a catastrophe for them?
KAMRAN BOKHARI, DIRECTOR OF ANALYTICAL DEVELOPMENT, NEW LINES INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGY AND POLICY: Well, yes, Michael because the key here is that the group had been down since the fall in 2017, 2018. And in 2019, had lost its longtime central leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
And since then the group has been struggling to revive itself under the leadership of Qurayshi. Now that we've gotten him, we've delivered back to back blows, and this causes a massive disruption within the organization, demoralization, and it stops any operations that were in the pipeline.
[01:39:44]
BOKHARI: And the people, you know, in the organization are now scrambling to plug holes and figured out how this location of Qurayshi was leaked or how did the U.S. intelligence get their hands on his coordinates.
HOLMES: Which brings me to my next question. The U.S. knew the precise location of al-Qurayshi, down to which floor he was on in the building.
And there was an -- an assessment by U.S. experts that a suicide blast, which the U.S. says is what happened would not bring down the building.
Is this raid and that intel show an improvement in U.S. intelligence?
BOKHARI: Absolutely. I mean I think, you know, we've come a long way in terms of not just being able to penetrate the communications. But having a really good idea of where HVTs, high value targets are hiding.
We -- our human source network on the ground has vastly improved. And of course, technology has allowed us to really size up the facility that we're going to be targeting in any given operation.
Now, obviously, there are risks, it's never perfect but I think that, you know, the decision to actually go an execute the operation was done after a careful cost-benefit analysis.
HOLMES: Right. How would you assess then the overall ISIS capability right now in Iraq, in Syria, elsewhere? Is it weakening, or strengthening? Or is it evolving in transition, if you like, after losing the geographical caliphate?
BOKHARI: You see, that is the tricky part is that while these kinds of decapitation strikes really undermine the organization, and are devastating for its operations, this is an entity that we've seen rise from the dead in the past and on multiple occasions.
So the key here is to keep up the pressure. So yes, it's in a debilitated state, but I don't think we should celebrate just yet. This is a long battle, particularly because the strategic, and tactical environment in these groups like ISIS operate, is really, really -- you know, it's like a strategic vacuum, if you will.
And because of the lawlessness and because of the lack of anything resembling an authority, or a government, allows for a -- an recruitment-rich environment for these people.
HOLMES: And you know, I guess as with al-Qaeda as well, I mean there are franchises. What of the ISIS K franchise which was operating in Afghanistan? What do you make of its capabilities or aims perhaps outside of Afghanistan?
A top Pentagon official said back in October, the group could be capable of carrying out attacks inside the U.S. this year.
BOKHARI: You raise a really good point, Michael because I think that if ISIS is going to resurrect itself, it's going to be in Afghanistan. I wrote a piece for the "Wall Street Journal" shortly after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
And my argument was basically that here you have a proto-jihadist regime in massive strategic vacuum that the United States is leaving behind. Pakistan is in a very weekend state. The Central Asian states are also not doing too good.
So, this is sort of the environment in which the Taliban continues to push towards pragmatism, in order to be able to govern, and get recognition and money from the outside world, they're going to lose people to ISIS.
So the more the Taliban -- excuse me -- move into the direction of pragmatism, the more they risk looking like they are ideologically compromised. And this is exactly what ISIS in Afghanistan, ISIS-K is hoping to cash in on.
HOLMES: Fascinating analysis. Kamran Bokhari, thanks so much for your time.
BOKHARI: My pleasure.
HOLMES: Still to come on the program, a powerful cyclone headed straight for Madagascar. We'll got to the CNN Weather Center for the latest on that storm.
We will be right back. [01:43:50]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Snow and ice as far as the eye can see. This is what it's like for millions of Americans outside their homes right now -- pretty bleak isn't it -- a massive winter storm stretching from the Gulf Coast to Canada.
So far, it's caused at least three deaths and knocked out power to some 300,000 homes and businesses while close to 3,000 flights scheduled for Friday have already been canceled.
Forecasters expect the storm to linger until at least Friday night.
Ed Lavandera with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A major winter storm is slamming much of the U.S. 100 million people under winter weather alerts across 25 states facing the risk of snow, ice, dangerous cold, flooding, and even possible tornadoes.
GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR, (D-KY): Stay off the roadways, if possible, as rain, snow and ice continue through this evening, and then through Friday morning.
LAVANDERA: Snow is moving from the Rockies through the Central U.S., Midwest and then expected to hit the northeast tomorrow as snow and rain. Crippling ice storms with the potential to bring down trees and power lines are threatening Texas and Arkansas through Kentucky and Ohio.
GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R-TX): We are dealing with one of the most significant icing events that we've had in the state of Texas in at least several decades.
LAVANDERA: Authorities are warning drivers about getting stranded after interstate closures like this one yesterday in Missouri.
MICHELLE FORNERIS, MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: If you must travel, please be prepared. Have food, water, blankets.
LAVANDERA: According to FlightAware, there have been more than 5,000 flight cancellations so far today, the worst day in at least a year.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was forced to close for several hours with a ground stop. And about 300,000 customers are without power, nearly half of them in hard-hit Tennessee.
And tens of thousands here in Texas, a state still on edge, after last year's ice storm power grid catastrophe that killed nearly 250 people. Officials here say the only outages today are due to lines down, not supply.
ABBOTT: The power grid is performing very well at this time. There is plenty of power available at this time.
LAVANDERA: But emergency shelters are set up, just in case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, the temperatures are really going to drop.
LAVANDERA: Snowplow drivers are working 12-hour shifts, asking the public for help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay clear of us when we're plowing. We're trying to clear the streets.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Freezing temperatures are expected to last into the weekend here in Texas. State officials say they expect a peak demand for electrical power not to hit until Friday morning.
But despite that, state officials still say they expect the electrical grid here in Texas to hold up.
Ed Lavandera, CNN -- Dallas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Just weeks after a deadly tropical storm hit Madagascar, the island is bracing for another dangerous cyclone. Tropical cyclone Batsirai is expected to make a devastating landfall on the east coast of the country this weekend.
It tore through Mauritius earlier this week. More than 7,000 homes left without power due to the cyclone's strong winds and heavy rain.
Let's bring in meteorologist Karen Maginnis to tell us more. What are you seeing, Karen?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, for the 28 plus million people who live on Madagascar, this is potentially devastating. And as you mentioned, right on the heels of a previous tropical cyclone.
But this one rapidly intensified. It looks very impressive on the satellite imagery. A clearly-defined eyed that lets us know that it has been intensifying as it rushed out over the south Indian Ocean and takes aim at Madagascar.
What can we expect as this makes landfall? Well, it is a very powerful storm system so the wind will knock out power, bring down trees and powerlines. Also, there is going to be a tremendous amount of moisture associated with this.
[01:49:55]
MAGINNIS: All right. This western edge is kind of eroded because of its interaction with land here. But don't let that fool you because this is still supporting winds of 195 kilometers per hour with some higher wind gusts.
Now, the sustained winds make it the equivalent of a category three hurricane. And as it approaches Madagascar, there you could see it. It kind of makes its way more towards the southwest and move through the Mozambique channel.
Still, it's a fairly tropical system. But it looks like as it moves towards the south, it's going to gradually weaken. But in its wake, the 28 plus million people who live here are going to expect the potential to be without power for some time and the flooding rainfall that will be associated with this.
So, this is not to be taken very lightly. It looks like it is expected to make landfall some time around Saturday morning. So, we still have another 24 hours or so for this to linger across South Indian Ocean, still intensify.
There you could see that eye, very impressive on the satellite imagery. And this is going to be throwing that water all on shore. And so for a lot of the boating interests, hopefully, they have gotten out of the way of the system, have battened down the hatches.
There is a spine of mountains right down the center of Madagascar. And this will be the area that we will see the potential for flooding and very heavy rainfall. And that is the potential danger that lies there as well. But we'll keep you updated.
Michael, back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Karen, thanks so much. Karen Maginnis there. Appreciate it.
Now, an alternative to a meat company is a regional success in Chile. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, how it hopes to go global with the backing of one of the world's richest men.
We'll have that, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Look pretty happy, don't they? Egyptian fans rejoicing there after their football team secured a spot in the Africa Cup of Nations final. They beat host nation, Cameroon, 3 to 1 in a penalty shoot. Jubilant fans celebrating in the streets dancing and waving Egyptian flags. They will now face Senegal in the final on Sunday.
Now, a company in Chile that sells plant based meat substitutes is already a regional powerhouse. Now they're aiming for global success with a powerful wealthy investor.
CNN's Rafael Romo with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): So what do we have here?
MATIAS MUCHNICK, CEO, NOT COMPANY: So here, we have the not burger.
ROMO (voice over): Matias Muchnick likes to talk as much about what his company's products are, as what they are not.
(on camera): So there is nothing but plants in both of these?
MUCHNICK: Exactly.
ROMO (voice over): In fact, he has created a whole company around the word "not", as in not milk, not ice cream, and not mayo. It is a whole line of plant-based food products that are intended to be a substitute for those made from animals.
MUCHNICK: When you look at the food system, it has become the common denominator to every major environmental ill known to humankind.
ROMO: Perhaps, the most daring one is the not burger, which is intended to replace the once made from beef.
(on camera): What kind of market share have you been able to reach?
[01:54:54]
MUCHNICK: So at this point in time, only one year, a little bit over a year, we launched the not burger. We have more than 7 percent of the total market share of burgers, and that includes animal burgers.
ROMO (voice over): That's in Chile, the South American country where Muchnick launched his company in 2016.
Not quite 6 years later, Not Company now sells its products in four Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Columbia and Mexico. It has also branched out to Canada and the United States.
MUCHNICK: We started off with mayo in Chile where basically we got 7 percent of market share in only seven months of sales. And that's what really kind of caught the attention of the investment world.
ROMO: Investors like Jeff Bezos are behind a $370 million push that may allow Not Company to expand to Europe and Asia. But not everybody is happy with NotCo's success. The young company has been sued by dairy producers in Chile.
MUCHNICK: They're really afraid of this change of consumer behavior, of consumer, you know, preference as well.
ROMO (on camera): NotCo is not the first one to produce plant-based food aimed at replacing animal products. American brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have been around for about a decade and Swedish Oatly (ph) was formed in the 90s. But NotCo is filling a void in Latin America where plant-based alternatives were rare until recently.
Does it taste like beef?
MUCHNICK: Well, you tell me.
ROMO (voice over): As for the products themselves --
(on camera): It tastes very close like a real burger. What is different from burger is that the texture is very even. (voice over): It is like the real thing, but not quite the real thing.
(on camera): What do you say to those who don't like what you are doing? Who say that this is not real food, this is fake food, it is going to go nowhere. What is your answer to that?
MUCHNICK: I think my first answer would say, let's look at the numbers. It's -- a category that has grown in double digits in 15 years.
ROMO (voice over): Muchnick himself, who claims he doesn't eat animal products, admits that plant-based alternatives are a work in progress. His technicians are always trying to improve in terms of nutrition, taste and texture.
Rafael Romo, CNN --
Mind if I take another bite?
MUCHNICK: Please do, you're welcome.
ROMO: Santiago, Chile.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I think it's pretty good.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN.
Do stick around. CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber is up next.
[01:57:22]
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