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Macron To Meet With Putin Then Travel To Ukraine; U.S. Military Reinforcing NATO Allies In Eastern Europe; U.S. Officials; Putin Has 70 Percent Of Forces For Full Invasion; IOC President Meets With Chinese Tennis Star Peng Shuai; Mikaela Shiffrin Crashes Out Of Giant Slalom; Ottawa Declares State Of Emergency Over Demonstrations; Reaction to Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee Announcement; Madagascar Recovering from Two Major Storms; How "Wishcycling" Contaminates the Recycling Process. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired February 07, 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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[01:00:24]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. Appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes. And coming up on CNN Newsroom, the French President headed to Russia in an effort to avert war in Ukraine. I've looked at why Emmanuel Macron has Vladimir Putin's ear.

Plus, a critical meeting between the IOC chair and an athlete not in the Beijing Games. Why tennis star Peng Shuai says her sexual assault claims were just a big misunderstanding. And Australia will soon be reopening its borders but there is a catch. We'll look at the new rules for international travelers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: The latest diplomatic push to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine will play out in Moscow in a few hours. The French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Later, U.S. President Joe Biden will hold talks with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House. Mr. Scholz had signaled a willingness to deploy more troops to Lithuania to support NATO.

Now all of this says new satellite images show Russian deployments in several locations in Belarus. Joint exercises between the two countries aren't due to begin on Thursday, but some of the images show the Russian camps hundreds of kilometers away from the exercises close to the border with Ukraine. In a tweet, the British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Russia's actions show their claims that they have no plans to invade are false.

Now after his meeting with President Putin, Mr. Macron will travel to Kyiv in a concentrated round of shuttle diplomacy. Melissa Bell reports on Mr. Macron's delicate mission to reshape European security.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Deescalate tensions and to prevent further Russian aggression against Ukraine.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT BOLDUAN: For several months now, the diplomatic activity around Ukraine has been intense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language).

BELL (voice-over): But despite the visits and phone calls, the handshakes and smiles, Russia's military buildup has continued and NATO's has begun. Now the French President is heading to Moscow with a message.

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translation): There won't be order security and stability for Europe if Europeans don't have the ability to defend themselves and to deter. But also, if we don't have the ability to build a common solution with all our neighbors.

BELL (voice-over): The U.S. has already sent additional troops to Eastern Europe, a move aimed at demonstrating NATO's unity and its strength. France has also offered to send troops to Romania.

JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): I don't think that we can say this as a provocation, that responding to commitments that we've made in the framework of our NATO presence. I don't see how this could disturb the discussions between the French President and President Putin. The important issue at this moment is de-escalation.

BELL (voice-over): France hopes they+ can build on the success of talks with Russia, Ukraine and Germany that were revived last month. The Kremlin, however, is more pessimistic. The delegations of the so- called Normandy Format talks are expected to meet again in Germany this week.

DMITRY KOZAK, RUSSIA'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR FOR UKRAINE (through translation): We hope to be more constructive there. And we'll have something to tell you. Because today, we have nothing to brag about. As much as we want to move forward, the progress that we have equals almost zero.

BELL (voice-over): With so little progress made so far, there's a lot riding on Macron's visit to Moscow. A French presidential officials said Macron wants to focus on the structure of talks between Kyiv and separatists in eastern Ukraine. Given the direct communication between the two has so far been excluded from the Minsk agreement.

The second, "Much more difficult focus will be the reduction of Russia's military posture around Ukraine." The French officials said.

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: I think diplomacy has run its course quite some time ago. I think Putin will do what Putin wants. But look, diplomatic talks are better than none whatsoever. And the other thing it does and directly is it allows United States and other allies to better prepare for the worst. BELL (voice-over): Even as Putin's intentions remain unknown, one thing is clear, that France and Russia agree that the old treaties aren't working. And by taking a leading role in European diplomacy after Germany's Angela Merkel stepped down, Macron hopes to be the leader to forge new ones.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:05:09]

HOLMES: And CNN Producer Nathan Hodge is following developments for us from Moscow. Good to see you, Nathan. So how is Mr. Macron, and more importantly, his message likely be received there in Moscow?

NATHAN HODGE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Michael, all lies, of course, here in Moscow, ahead of the French President's visit. We've just been monitoring, for instance, Russian state television, which is a very reliable barometer in many ways of what some of the official thinking is ahead of visit by Macron. And while much of the pronouncements that we've seen from the Russian side and the depiction on state TV has been very often sort of mocking Western leaders, for instance, Boris Johnson, making fun of Western coverage of the Ukraine crisis.

It's been generally sort of respectful when it comes to Macron. And we do know that the Kremlin does see. I think the phrase is, Macron has a quality interlocutor at this stage. So will be interesting to see what kind of heft he brings here as he comes to Moscow. He's had a series of phone calls over the past 10 days or so, three in total with President Putin. So there's been a sort of a flurry of diplomatic activity.

But as Melissa had explained earlier, he's trying to basically put efforts into kind of two main buckets here. One is to sort of kickstart the diplomatic process, which is a very difficult one, which involves a lot of complexity with the Minsk process and what's called the Normandy Format talks. But the more difficult task here is to try to see if there's some kind of concrete sign of de-escalation on the Russian side.

Now, there are Russian military exercises that are planned and announced in Belarus. But what's concerning to U.S. and Western officials is the presence of new encampments of Russian troops right close to the Ukrainian border. And so perhaps what they might try to see if there's going to be some kind of concrete sign of a pullback of those troops to places further away from the border, again, it's very difficult to say, but American officials do believe that there's about a sort of a 70 percent capability of troops and material there in Belarus positioned close to the Ukrainian border.

If Russia and if Russian President Vladimir Putin does decide, and he is the person who will decide here, if they do want to make an incursion into Ukraine or a full scale invasion. So certainly, we're going to be watching for any kind of concrete signs, see how warmly the talks go today here in Moscow. But again, the big question is going to be what kind of concrete steps can Russian President Vladimir Putin take?

And what is his longer game plan because, again, it comes down to him. He's talking to many, many world leaders here. Macron's effort, of course, concentrating on that. But this is going to be the key takeaway from today, Michael.

HOLMES: All right, and you'll be keeping an eye on it for us. Thank you, Nathan. Nathan Hodge there in Moscow for us.

Well, while we wait for that Macron-Putin meeting, the U.S. military is moving forward with President Biden's orders to deploy troops and equipment to reinforce NATO allies in Eastern Europe. American troops are being sent to Poland, Germany and Romania. Meanwhile, the eighth U.S. shipment of military aid for Ukraine has arrived in Kyiv. The U.S. Embassy calls that shipping, quote, 80 plus tons of solidarity.

Isabel Rosales has more on the U.S. military efforts.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing right now inside of the reception area about a football field away from those large military aircraft that are taking them overseas. So right behind me, these soldiers, they are waiting to be deployed and it can be a waiting game until they get that final order. It can be hours spent, maybe napping, packing, reading, playing cards, but when it is go time that focus, that training, it kicks in.

In total, 2,000 soldiers will deploy from right here in Fort Bragg, 300 of them from the 18th airborne. They're already in Germany. But they're still working on deploying the 82nd airborne. Altogether, 1,700 soldiers from that division will go to Poland. And inside of those large C-17 planes are not only soldiers but also equipment and Humvees.

And I'm also learning that these soldiers will conduct drills with their Polish counterparts. That's according to a spokesman of the 82nd airborne, who calls it routine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. BRETT LEA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, U.S. ARMY 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION: So we're there to assure our allies and to reinforce our ironclad commitment to our European allies. We cannot really anticipate the future. We hope that our presence will assure our allies that we're committed to a safe and stable Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: These soldiers are headed to Europe and they don't have a timeline as to when they'll be able to return home. The Pentagon is calling this mission temporary. But it's not ruling out that they might send even more troops. 8,500 of them aside from these 3,000 are on heightened alert there, at the ready for any order from the President and the Pentagon.

[01:10:10]

I'm Isabel Rosales, CNN, Fort Bragg.

HOLMES: Joining me now is Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. He's the former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe and the Seventh Army and a CNN Military Analyst. So a man who knows this potential battlefield. Well, you've got the U.S. saying that the Russian President Vladimir Putin has got 70 percent of assets he'll need in place for an invasion.

You commanded U.S. forces in Europe. You know the landscape better than anyone. What's your assessment of his assets and capabilities as we know them right now?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I've heard that figure is 70 percent, Michael. And because I'm not -- I'm no longer privy to the classified information, I don't know exactly what that means. I don't know if that means that they are missing some elements of their force, like the logistics, or the rocket and artillery force, or they haven't displaced aircraft into the area. I'm just not sure what that means.

But at the same time, you have to take a look at what the potential courses of actions might be. You know, and the military judges, you know, most likely and most dangerous, the least likely course of action. So I think they may be judging the potential of using that conventional force in various scenarios.

And truthfully, I'm not sure that's the way it's going to go down. I think we're going to see if Mr. Putin does make the very bad and rush decision to go into Ukraine. He's going to start off with some things that aren't going to be the conventional force, that is the tanks and the BMPs and ground forces coming across the border.

There are going to be some other indicators first before he launches --

HOLMES: Right.

HERTLING: -- a conventional attack force if he does decide to do that, which I personally don't think he will.

HOLMES: Yes. Well, a lot of people think that, you know, when perhaps easier option is to go into the East in the Donbass where he's already got forces and have a Crimea type situation. But I wanted to ask you, though, are you worried that Putin, the man, wouldn't back down with nothing to show for all of these moves, the expense the effort that's gone into putting this in place? What are the dangers of him feeling cornered with everything there and no concessions?

HERTLING: There certainly is a danger in that, that's for sure. But I think the Biden administration and the NATO leadership together have made it clear to him that any additional attacks into Ukraine will be met with a corresponding series of actions, whether that's sanctions, whether it's a penalty to oligarchy, where it's sanctions on the world stage. So I think he's troubled by considering what may happen to him.

But make no mistake, Michael, whatever does happen, Russia will be seen as a pariah. Putin will be seen as a near, if not, a potential war criminal for attacking a sovereign nation. And he is going to be finding himself in a very difficult situation for an attack.

Now, it goes back to your question, can he find a way out of this? And this is what's been the interesting dynamic, because he has established such a huge force, almost two-thirds of his military on the Ukrainian border. And that's difficult to pull back from. But knowing Mr. Putin, he has always tried to shove that ban in and until he made steel, and then that's when he withdraws.

HOLMES: Yes.

HERTLING: How he withdraws, it's going to be interesting to watch.

HOLMES: In the hypothetical scenario that he does go in the invades and he holds Ukraine, there will certainly be an insurgency. We know that. And he knows that because he went through, you know, he knows what happened in Afghanistan. But what would it mean if he was in there for NATO's posture in Europe? Basically, what's the NATO going to do about it?

HERTLING: Well, you're going to see. I think your position about insurgency is a very important one to discuss because it will happen. Having watched Ukraine and Ukrainians army develop over the last decade plus, during a time when I was working them and then with them, and then even after they left, it's a strong force.

I mean, you're talking about 250,000 plus soldiers under arms, first of all. And as you said, a population that has become very patriotic. And, interestingly enough, Putin has pulled that population together to counter him, as well as some of the other states in NATO.

And when you're talking about an alliance, it certainly does look like a big build up on his border, over 130,000 and possibly more coming in the next few weeks. Take a look at starting to count up the forces and all the European NATO forces that would oppose this kind of move, and you would quickly see Russia being overwhelmed. They might go in and there would certainly be an insurgency by Ukrainians -- their -- Ukraine's population but you also have to consider the fact of with all the other NATO countries going against him.

[01:15:13]

He would not be able to sustain supply lines. He would not be able to sustain over flight. There would be continued pressure on his border and other locations. Other countries might rise up. So, Mr. Putin would find himself in a very precarious situation if he decided --

HOLMES: Right.

HERTLING: -- to go in at any yet.

HOLMES: That's a scary hypothetical, but well-worth discussing, especially with your experience. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, as always, thanks.

HERTLING: Pleasure, Michael. Thank you.

HOLMES: Now day three of the Winter Olympics is now underway in Beijing. There are still several more gold medals up for grabs on Monday, after the Russian Olympic Committee dominated the team figure skating competition to take gold. Meanwhile, we're learning new details about a meeting between the IOC President and the Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. She made headlines last year after accusing a top Chinese official of sexual assault then disappearing from public view.

CNN World Sports Patrick Snell is here in Atlanta with the latest Olympic action, but let's go first there are Steven Jiang live in Beijing. And Steven, what more do we know about this meeting and the latest on Peng Shuai and her welfare?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Michael, we know Peng Shuai and Thomas Bach had dinner at the Olympic club in Beijing on Saturday with the two were really talking about their shared experiences as athletes. And Peng telling back that she was going to attend Olympic events, several events in the coming days with Bach inviting her to visit him at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Peng accepted that invitation and saying she would do so when the pandemic is over.

Now, an IOC spokesman has since told reporters that the sexual assault allegations did not come up during their conversations and actually emphasizing it was not up to the IOC to, quote unquote, pass judgment on whether or not there should be an investigation or whether or not Peng was actually speaking, doing duress. Now, the spokesman really reiterating a rather controversial IOC position that as a sporting organization, what they can do is just to simply stay in touch with athletes and conducting so-called quiet diplomacy.

Now more interestingly, though, Peng, for only the second time since the whole saga began, spoke to a foreign media outlet again just a few hours ago. And this time to a well-respected but highly specialized, a sports publication from France. And doing that nearly hour long interview, Peng said again, that she has never made any sexual assault allegations against, I guess, against Vice Premier -- former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli in her case.

And also, she seemed to, at least, acknowledge that years long affair, though, saying that her personal problem, her personal love life problems should not be mixed with sports and politics. And she also seem to acknowledge at least she did write the original post that triggered the whole international storm saying she deleted herself after it attracted international attention saying, quote unquote, because I wanted to.

Now again, she said she's been safe, well and free doing all this time and also confirming she did personally roll back to Steve Simon, the president of the Women's Tennis Association, which of course has suspended all tournaments in China because of concerns over her safety.

Now, she also revealed that her professional tennis career may be over because of her age, injuries as well as lack of training since the pandemic started. But all of this, of course, is probably not going to stop or even make the international storm that original posts created subside because, obviously, a lot of people still have doubts over whether or not she could speak freely as long as she is in China. Michael?

HOLMES: All right. Steven, thanks. Steven Jiang there in Beijing for us.

And let's bring back CNN World Sports Patrick Snell joining me here in Atlanta. Let's get back to sport. What caught your eye today?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, Michael. Hi there. Yes, great to see you. Nine medals -- nine gold medals up for grabs. But, you know, I wouldn't want to start with what has been a big talker so far on this day one of the biggest names at the games. I am talking, Michael, the U.S. Superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, a name that absolutely transcends the sport of skiing, right?

Earlier today, this is how it all played out. Not good news for the defending Olympic champ dramatically crashing out of the women's giant slalom during her very first run. A 26-year-old, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, remember important to really take stock of our credentials when it comes of sport at which she's already excels. She came sliding off her skis. Coming down the course that has dubbed the ice river.

[01:20:04]

Shiffrin not appearing to be heard after the slip, Michael, calls that a missed gate midway down the course afterwards. Naturally enough expressing her disappointment, but vowing -- and I found this significant -- vowing to maintain a positive attitude throughout it all. Shiffrin, the second skater to crash out during the first run after the Italian Marta Bassino V raised it down. Why thing.

I want to point out as well that these winter games are the first that Shiffrin is taking part in since the tragic passing of her father Jeff some two years ago. Shiffrin still has four events remaining. On Wednesday, she will be competing in the Slalom. Two days later, it's the women Super G. Tuesday, the 15th of February, by the way, it's the women's Downhill. And then she's got the women's Alpine Combined as well.

Another name during plenty of attention, you alluded to this right at the top at these games, is the Russian Olympic Committee figure skater, Kamila Valieva, just 15 years of age. Today, the team becoming the first ever one to land a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympics. Truly historic achievement, securing a gold medal for herself and her team on this Monday.

The U.S. winning silver, Japan bronze, the gold medal on a team event is the ROC, second gold so far at these games. It's six medal overall, but there's a truly historic day, no question about it in terms of winter games history. Meantime, plenty more to come in the coming hours so much to keep us occupied. And we are tracking it every step of the way. Among the events we got -- well, we got the Alpine Skiing Men's Downhill. We got the Women's Giant Slalom. That's later on this Sunday. Short track speed skating as well. The women's 15 kilometer individual Biathlon also on tap.

But those stories, we're going to stay across them. Shiffrin one really attracting much attention. She's such a huge name, Michael, as I say.

HOLMES: Yes.

SNELL: A name transcending the sport.

HOLMES: Absolutely. Absolutely. Good to have you on it, Patrick. Thanks for that. Patrick Snell there.

We'll take a quick break here on the program. When we come back on CNN Newsroom, a state of emergency in Ottawa, Canada after protests over a vaccine mandate and COVID restrictions stretch into a second weekend. We'll have the latest coming up.

Also, open for visitors. Australia is set to welcome back international travelers after about two years of tight border controls but there will be conditions. We'll have a live report coming up.

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[01:26:23]

HOLMES: Anger over COVID measures spreading across Canada as demonstrations spill into a new week. The mayor of Ottawa issuing a state of emergency on Sunday to get a handle on protests he's called out of control. What started as truckers unhappy with vaccine mandates has expanded to other COVID rules. The small but vocal minority say they're fed up with restrictions, like mask mandates, vaccine requirements and lockdowns.

Members of the U.S. Congress will hold a moment of silence Monday for the more than 900,000 Americans who have died from coronavirus. COVID- related deaths have been steadily rising in the U.S. over the last seven days, while cases have continued to fall. Currently, death rates are the highest in Mississippi and lowest in Hawaii.

Meanwhile, a former FDA commissioner says all states need to agree upon some common metrics to determine how and when it is safe to start lifting restrictions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, U.S. FOOD & DRUG ADMIN.: We're still tragically in this fight. I think when you look across the country right now, you see the cases declining very quickly all across the country in almost every state. If you look week over week, cases have declined sharply. So we're a good part of the way through this Omicron wave.

If you look at places like New York, New Jersey, Maryland, cases are down to about 20 to 30 cases per 100,000 people per day, which is a low level. We're not close to the end right now, depending on how you measure that. I think this is going to be a long struggle. This is a virus that's going to be persistent. We're going to have to take -- continue to take measures to protect vulnerable people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: We are following the latest developments on the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. And in the coming hours, Chile will be rolling out its second booster vaccine dose to people aged 55 and up. Chile has found extraordinary success with vaccine uptake. About 90 percent of the population fully vaccinated.

In Russia where cases have been hitting record highs, Moscow now shortening the self-isolation period for those who are asymptomatic. Beginning on Monday, those who test positive in the city will be able to end their isolation period after seven days, if there are no symptoms.

And in western China, millions now under lockdown after mass testing revealed more COVID cases. CNN's Ivan Watson joins me now live from Hong Kong to talk about all of this. And Ivan, you're hearing Australia is moving back to welcoming travelers. Thailand looking to reopen?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison telling the country's tourism industry to get ready because he says the doors will open in two weeks time. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: It's almost two years since we took the decision to close the bowls to Australia. National security committee has -- Cabinet has decided today that Australia will reopen out borders to all remaining visa holders on the 21st of February of this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So visitors, tourists will be allowed in, provided, a, they have a visa and, b, they are double vaccinated. And Morrison pointed out it was just last month that the tennis star Novak Djokovic was effectively had his visa canceled because of his vaccine status.

And this is a big deal. Australia has been loosening up but it had some of the strictest border controls in the world. And there were reportedly tens of thousands of Australians months ago that were stranded outside of the country, unable to come in because of the expensive mandatory paid hotel stay, quarantine that they would have to face. So that country opening up.

[01:29:46] Another country here in the Asia Pacific region, as you mentioned

Michael, is Thailand which depended so heavily on tourism, which has all but dried up.

The tourism industry going from about 40 million visitors in 2019, to just 230,000 in 2021. It is relaunching now, a test and go scheme whereby visitors can apply and, provided they are double vaccinated, and that they take a PCR test 72 hours before the departure they can come to Thailand, they have to spend two nights in hotels, on the first night and their fifth night where they will have to get COVID tests and then they are allowed to stay.

And this was opened last week. But because it takes about a week to get processed, it's taking a little while to get underway.

In this region, the big country that is not opening up is China. Its chief epidemiologist said its Centers for Disease Control telling the "Global Times", China is going to stick with its zero tolerance for COVID cases policy. And the case in point is the southern city of Baise, which is going into lockdown because of several dozen confirmed cases.

Some four million people not allowed outside their homes unless it's to get groceries or get a mandatory COVID test. That is an approach that we have seen China use again and again in cities around the country whenever COVID cases have been confirmed. And the country is sticking by that approach now more than two years into the pandemic, Michael?

HOLMES: All right. Great wrap up there. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, appreciate that.

We're going to take a quick break here. When we come back on the CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. ramping up support for its ally Ukraine amid fears Russia's military buildup is reaching a critical point.

And, how the woman at the center of a royal scandal could one day become Britain's queen consort.

[01:32:16]

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HOLMES: In a few hours the French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in an effort to defuse tensions at the Ukrainian border.

The U.S. President Joe Biden will also hold talks Monday with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has indicated he's willing to send troops to Lithuania.

Meanwhile, new satellite images show Russian deployment in Belarus for joint exercises. Some of the Russian camps close to the Ukrainian border.

That military crisis just one of many big issues facing the U.S. president right now.

CNN's John Harwood takes a closer work at Mr. Biden's very full plate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, this week, President Biden will try to build on the success he enjoyed on multiple fronts last week but he faces big challenges.

Last week, of course, he ordered the successful strike that took out the leader of ISIS. This week, he's still dealing with the crisis in Ukraine with Russia massing troops on the Ukrainian border for potential invasion.

On Monday, he'll meet at the White House with the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to try to protect a united front on the challenge in Ukraine.

But there have been differences between the two countries over that Nord Stream pipeline. The United States says it will not be completed if Russia invades Ukraine. He's going to try to get Olaf Scholz to hit not toward that position as well.

Now, an economic front, last week he had a blowout jobs report which really emphasized the hot labor market. This week, he's going to turn to the cost facing Americans. Inflation of course, is a top concern and emphasize the benefits of his economic agenda that has stalled in Congress.

But that's not going to be easy with resistance from people like Joe Manchin of West Virginia in the Senate. They're going to have to rename that Build Back Better bill, reshape it. And that is what the administration is going to be working on.

Behind the scenes, of course, the president is working on the selection of a new Supreme Court justice to replace Stephen Breyer. That is likely to be a win for the administration once that choice is made.

But they have a lot of work to do before they get that choice announced. And that is going to be consuming the president's time as well this week.

John Harwood, CNN -- the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, the Platinum Jubilee for Britain's Queen Elizabeth is being overshadowed by a surprise announcement. The Queen gave her blessing for Prince Charles's wife Camilla to one day be called Queen Consort.

But as CNN's Max Roster reports, not all of Her Majesty's subjects are on board with the idea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Prince Charles led tribute for his mother in what he described as her remarkable 70-year reign. He also said that he was honored that Elizabeth used her Jubilee message to say that she wanted Camilla, Charles's wife, to be known as queen consort when Charles becomes king.

It is seen as a reward for years of public service from Camilla. But also an endorsement to the kind of monarchy that Charles is trying to create.

But Camilla is still a divisive figure. Some people still blame her for the divorce of Diana and Charles. This is what a few Brits had to say about the news.

TOBIAS FOX, LONDON RESIDENT: I don't think some people will be too happy with this decision. It's before my time but a lot of the people who grew up with Diana being the next queen effectively, they feel like she was wronged by the royal institution and her abuse in subsequent, you know, what happened after the divorce and all of that.

So I don't think a lot of people will be too happy that Camilla's got this -- got this role.

ALICE TOMLINSON, LONDON RESIDENT: That's great, and everything, but I think the royal family is an establishment. The respect that different people have for it might be lost just because there's been so much scandals surrounding Charles and Camilla's life. You know, with the death of Princess Diana, et cetera.

FOSTER: We didn't see the Queen on what's called Accession Day because it doesn't just mark he beginning of the Queens reign but also the end of her father's reign and her father's death. So she always spends it privately on the Sandringham Estate in the countryside.

The time for celebration will come later. Culminating in a full day holiday weekend centered here at Buckingham Palace.

Max Foster, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:39:55]

HOLMES: The timing of the announcement coming up on the Queen's jubilee, platinum jubilee, is no coincidence. We spoke with a royal expert about what it signifies and how it might affect the future of the monarchy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Quite interestingly, it's always been the line of the palace that Camilla would not be crowned with Charles in the coronation ceremony and she would be called princess consort, not queen.

And that == I've seen a sea change actually recently a couple of years ago they used to have it as a Q&A on the Royal Web site what would be Camilla's title. And then (INAUDIBLE) a few years ago, I thought some changes occurred. And clearly now it's decided that the platinum jubilee, this is the moment to make it clear what the monarchy would be in the future.

The Queen here she's seen ups and downs in popularity at the moment. She's at the peak of her popularity. She's so popular and people love her. And yet she's thinking, what about the monarchy to come? How can I future-proof (ph) monarchy to ensure that my popularity continues when I'm no longer here?

And that, I think, is a really important intervention. She knows that sometimes the public levels (ph) change. And she wants very much all the affection and all the attention that she's enjoyed to be transferred to Charles when that time comes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Coming up here on the program, Madagascar recovering from yet another major storm. Up next, the devastating toll cyclone Batsirai took on the island.

We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: Recovery efforts are under way in Madagascar after tropical cycle Batsirai made landfall there on Saturday. The storm left behind major damage and, of course, came on the heels of tropical storm Anna which hit the area just weeks ago.

Now residents facing even more devastation and finding themselves in desperate need of basics like clean water.

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HOLMES: Two major storms in two weeks. Parts of Madagascar dealt a second devastating blow on Saturday as Cyclone Batsirai barreled through the country.

The storm brought whipping powerful winds and torrential rain, washing away entire neighborhoods in some areas.

This town, where the storm made landfall felt it's full fury. Some villagers ventured out to survey the damage. Many houses reduced to piles of boards unfit for families to live in.

One man says they are in desperate need of help.

He says, "Here, almost 95 percent of the city has been destroyed. As you can see now, the road is cut off and the sea has risen."

Many residents hunkered down in shelters including in the country's capital, which is still recovering from tropical storm Anna after it hit the country in late January killing dozens of people.

One local official where the storm made landfall says he is worried about accessing clean water as the utility company switched off supplies ahead of the storm.

He says, "The problem is there is no drinking water. We make do with what we have but it scares us because of the diseases."

The World Food Programme says it's already on the ground providing relief to those affected by tropical storm Anna. And they say they are prepared to do the same after Batsirai, and the United Nations has rescue aircraft on standby, help that is needed after a devastating one-two punch of powerful storms.

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HOLMES: Well, it turns out recycling isn't as easy as some might think. After the break, I'll sort through the problems of the recycling industry with an expert who says most Americans could be doing more harm than good in their recycling bin.

We'll discuss.

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HOLMES: Well, now to a problem hurting the environment caused by a desire to help the environment. It is called wishcycling. That is when people put things in the recycle bin hoping they'll be recycled without actually knowing if they can be recycled.

Now, despite our best intentions, many of these products end up in landfills, never to be reused or recycled. Now the entire process takes a toll on sorting systems, equipment and a substantial labor team needed to pick through all of those items.

Now a number of factors contributed to the problem incorrect labeling on some items which leads to a buildup of materials that cannot be recycled.

The U.S. also has a backlog of waste after China tightened restrictions on which types of scrap material could be brought in from other countries. And experts say we need to rely less on single-use plastics and put much more investment into upgrading our recycling systems.

Kate O'Neill is a professor in global environmental governance and global waste politics at the University of California Berkeley. She is also the author of "Waste Trading Among Rich Nations: Building a new theory of environmental regulation".

Great to have you here, Professor. I mean, such an interesting topic. I checked around the NEWSROOM and most of us here are guilty of this, see something without a recycling stamp, put it in, hoping it can be recycled. But what's the damage in that? KATE O'NEILL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY: Yes. You know, it's a

universal thing, this thing called wish cycling which is, you know, we really want to recycle. We are sort of born and bred in us to want to kind of save things.

But in fact, if we put things into the recycling bin that don't belong there just because we think they might be, they might actually contaminate and destroy everything that's already in the bin.

So, if you take your half full jar of mayonnaise and just throw it in the recycling, that's a contaminant. And that means that the whole lot could be turned our.

HOLMES: Right.

O'NEILL: So, this is really, really common. And something I think all of us do.

HOLMES: Yes. One thing that has always worried me is, you know, I put out the recycling, it gets picked up. But then is it all recycled? Or do some or all end up in the landfill depending on where you are. I mean is the recycling system effective?

O'NEILL: The recycling system is pretty broken. And I think it's clear that it's easy to say that And, a lot of what we put historically too that we put into the blue bin just one winds up being thrown out at the sorting station. And most significantly, for the last couple of years, there's often no market for those recycled goods.

So you put some plastic or some paper that is totally recyclable in the bin and there's nowhere that the sorters, the collectors can sell it on to. One of the reasons is that China closed its doors to importing all of this stuff.

So that means it gets thrown out or landfilled and only the best stuff especially plastics. And plastics are the really big (INAUDIBLE) here. You can't actually recycle --

HOLMES: What about manufacturers? I mean, are they doing enough to sort of redesign products and packaging and do things that can be readily and easy recycled?

O'NEILL: Yes, there's a few things that they're doing. And I think that we are seeing some real commitment on the part of a lot of producers. You have the big companies like Pepsi or Coke that are committing to having quite a high percentage of their packaging be recycled, or secondary plastics. And you have people who are trying to make things out of recycled plastics trying to create a market for it.

We are doing better with paper. Paper has always been pretty recyclable. We're developing more facilities here to deal with them. So it's a complicated -- it's a complicated (INAUDIBLE) moving forward but probably the most important thing is just simply to be designing (ph) the non-recyclable content out the first place.

HOLMES: Right. And to that point, is recycling even a solution anymore? Or is it part of the problem.

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HOLMES: I mean when we think things can be recycled it makes us feel better about buying single-use things, packaging and so on which just perpetuates the waste problem instead of solving it. I mean should the system be more designed around reusing?

O'NEILL: Yes. A lot of people say we should toss recycling out. I'm not one of those people because I do think that there are things that we need to pass on. They have after lives. Other people can use them and repair them if that's possible and we process them.

But yes, we really need to be thinking about reusing and again not buying as much disposable products (ph).

HOLMES: Yes, I know. I have like a tiny amount of garbage every week and I have a full recycling can (ph). Have there been -- are there advances in using recycled material? I mean turning it into something useful?

I bought a pair of sneakers in London made from recycled plastic water bottles. Is there enough of that going on?

O'NEILL: There is not enough of that going on. But I think it's a really cool idea. I mean I have my favorite pair of lockdown sweatpants that's made from recycled plastic. And they're great. They were really expensive. Certainly for my budget.

So there are things like that happening. But again, I think what we are trying to push for is get these big companies to really start thinking about incorporating like secondary use plastics, recycled plastics and what they use for packaging and soon.

I say that as a sort of -- that's a low-hanging fruit as we like to say.

HOLMES: Yes. We're right out of time, but I'll just -- I'll get you to answer real quick. So if you're not sure something can be recycled, what do you do?

O'NEILL: Throw it out.

HOLMES: Ok. Yes. Good advice. This is a huge issue. I'm passionate about recycling. Hopefully they can sort it out.

About Kate O'Neill, good to see you. Thanks so much.

O'NEILL: Great. Thanks so much for having me on.

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HOLMES: And thank you for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN.

Stick around though, Rosemary Church will have more news for you in just a moment.

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