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Russia And Belarus Staging Joint Military Drills; Top U.K. And Russian Diplomats To Meet In Moscow; American Nathan Chen Claims Gold In Men's Figure Skating; Protesters Demands COVID-19 Mandates Lifted; Boris Johnson Pressed to Apologize to Starmer; Police to Attendees of UK PM's "Partygate" Scandal; UK PM Attempts Damage Control; Prince William Attends Expo 2020 in UAE; Election in India; U.S. Military Findings No One Hit by Gunfire; Kurt Zouma's Controversial Video; Billie Eilish Visits President Biden. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired February 10, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:00:20]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead. Thousands of Russian troops begin 10 days of military drills in Belarus, ratcheting up tensions in Ukraine.
Still honking and holding things up in Canada. The vaccine-mandate protests are growing and so is the misinformation around them.
And they won the gold medal on the ice but the celebrations on hold and there's a reason why.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us. Well, it's 10:00 a.m. in Belarus where an estimated 30,000 Russian troops are starting 10 days of military exercises certain to raise tensions in Ukraine. The Kremlin admits the drills are scaled up this year but blames unprecedented threats from NATO. British leaders are leading the latest diplomatic efforts to avert a crisis.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will meet with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to visit NATO Secretary General and then the Polish president and prime minister.
Meantime, a U.S. sources Russia has added another 2000 combat forces to border areas near Ukraine, but Russia insist a de-escalation can happen very quickly if its demands are met. The foreign ministry says arms deliveries to Ukraine must stop. Western military advisors must leave Ukraine or join Ukrainian NATO military exercises must end and all previously delivered weapons shipments to Kiev must be removed. But that's not likely to happen anytime soon. In fact, a new shipment of weapons from the U.S. arrived in Kiev on Wednesday, CNN's Melissa Bell is live this hour in Kiev, Ukraine. She joins us now. Good to see you, Melissa. So, what has been the reaction in Ukraine to what will be 10 days of these Russia-Belarus joint military drills?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the second part of the military drills. There had been 10 days of military drills that had begun 10 days or so ago. And this is something that Ukrainian officials and the military have been keeping a close eye on. And you're quite right. It does add to that sense that those extra troop deployments than more than 2000 that were deployed in -- within 24 hours according to American intelligence.
These military exercises long planned but as you say, scaled up in response, says Moscow to NATO's actions. Also, the military exercises that we're seeing in the Black Sea with six Russian warships that have been sent there do add to this sense of an escalation rather than the de-escalation that had been being called for over the course of the last few days. Now just a word on those 2000 troops that have been added to the more than 100,000 the American intelligence services believe are already near the Ukrainian border.
They are made up now, Rosemary, of 100 battalion tactical groups, those highly mobile and autonomous Russian military units that plays a key part in Russia's activity here in Ukraine in 2014. They include not just between 800 and 1000 men each but also artillery, anti-tank weaponry, engineers, reconnaissance, and they can be highly effective. Now to give you an idea of how quickly that scaling up has been.
In mid-December, American intelligence reckoned that there were some 50 of those units near Ukraine's border. Now it reckons there are approximately 100 of them. That takes us to that more than 100,000 troops that U.S. intelligence believe are not far from the Ukrainian border. So, an escalation in terms of those troops being masked not far from Ukraine, but also an escalation in the language are quite right what the Russian Foreign Ministry had to say yesterday which is that any de-escalation will depend on Ukraine, sending back its weapons -- sending back any trainers that might have here.
Any people here to train their military, that is ratcheting up as well the demands from Moscow and really adds to the sense that we're very far from finding any kind of conclusion to all of this and any hope of finding a compromise, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Melissa Bell joining us live from Kiev. Many thanks. I'm joined now by David Marples, a professor of Russian and Eastern European history at the University of Alberta. He joins me now from Edmonton, Canada. Thank you so much for being with us.
DAVID MARPLES, PROFESSOR OF RUSSIAN AND EASTERN EUROPEAN HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA: My pleasure.
[02:05:01]
CHURCH: So, while Ukrainian forces prepare for battle in the event of war, so to the Russian troops in conjunction with Belarus where joint military exercises begin today. What sort of training will they be doing? And what's their strategy here?
MARPLES: Well, it's a different sort of exercise. Russia and Belarus have had military exercises for some time now known as the West or Zapad exercises which have sort of envisage some kind of NATO threat. But this is something rather impromptu. It's not something that was planned well, in advance and it will take place in a number of regions throughout Belarus and involve about 30 -- 35,000 troops from both Russia and Belarus.
But most of the troops are from the Russian eastern front, that is -- they've been transferred over from the eastern regions of Russia. And they will be in different parts of Belarus. And there's already some speculation that they're not in places where they were scheduled to be according to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense. That is, he allocated certain places. But in fact, many of these troops seem to be very close to the Ukrainian border in places where there's not actually a known military training ground. So, there's some kind of doubt about exactly what these troops are going to do.
CHURCH: Yes. And I did want to ask you what the nature of the relationship between Russia's President Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Lukashenko is. Will Lukashenko be doing Putin's bidding when it comes to another invasion of Ukraine? Because that's certainly not what he did back in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea.
MARPLES: Right. Well, things have changed for Lukashenko since then. In August 2020 he took part in a presidential election, and by all accounts, he probably lost that election. Then there were mass revolts in Belarus. None of the European states and North American states recognize the election. And since then, he's been heavily reliant on Vladimir Putin as his one supporter, the one person who stood by him.
So, despite a fairly difficult relationship in the past, a lot of irritants between them. Today, Lukashenko is very much beholden to Putin and Putin can more or less tell him what to do now and has done for the past few weeks. The tone of the conversations has also markedly changed and I've watched them talk together quite a lot over the years. It's always been on an equal basis, but now quite clearly Putin is leading the way.
And Lukashenko is very conciliatory and clearly the junior partner of Putin. And he said that he since then he's recognized Crimea as a Russian state and is also prepared to invade Ukraine if necessary. Revolution forces, in other words, would be allowed to go over the border if they were ordered to do so by Russia.
CHURCH: Yes. That's quite a change in tone, isn't it? Then of course. Meantime, the White House approved a Pentagon plan for 2000 U.S. troops to help Americans evacuate from Ukraine if Russia invades and Russian warships are heading to the Black Sea, while another 2000 Russian combat forces are heading to Ukraine's border. So, we are seeing this clear escalation on all sides while these diplomatic efforts go into overdrive.
Do you have any sense that an invasion can be averted at this juncture or has this just moved too far forward?
MARPLES: I think he's gotten much further forward than the -- than the earlier one where there were a larger number of troops on the borders in that -- this time, they have the weapons there. And they've kept this troops in a state of readiness now for a long, long time. I mean, they've been there well over a month in these positions. But at the same time, when you think about 130,000 troops when Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia back in 1968.
There were 500,000 troops and Ukraine is much bigger than Czechoslovakia. In other words, there are not enough troops there right now to occupy all of Ukraine. That could be enough for some limited campaign either in the east, or perhaps a direct attack on the Ukrainian capital, whatever that would prove. So, I don't think a full-scale invasion right now is on the cards. He would need a much more extensive build up.
So, I think this is all a matter of a chess game. Putin trying to decide how we can irritate Ukraine, how we can undermine the Ukrainian state and how we can eventually remove the Government of Ukraine and put a government in there that's a little more compliant.
CHURCH: The Kremlin says Russia and Belarus are facing unprecedented threats from NATO and they want concessions. Should any concessions be given during this very delicate diplomatic dance do you think?
MARPLES: Well, it is -- it is delicate but at the same time when you think that the last NATO expansion into the borders of Russia took place in 2004, just 18 years ago why now there's no threat to NATO, from NATO to Russia right now.
[02:10:16]
MARPLES: And in fact, the states that have joined NATO didn't do so out of aggressive intentions toward Russia. They joined them because they were afraid of Russian intentions toward them. So, I don't think the expansion of NATO, whether in fact is illegal expansion, and whether in fact, it goes against what was promised to Russia back in 1990, or 1991, in fact, is now in place.
And it isn't threatening Russia, there hasn't been a single attack on Russian territory. And I don't think you can seriously say that Ukraine is threatening to occupy all of Donbass. Let alone move over the border into Russia. This is simply farfetched.
CHURCH: David Marples, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.
MARPLES: Yes. You're very welcome.
CHURCH: Team USA is celebrating a major victory as another day of competition heats up at the Beijing Winter Olympics. 22-year-old Nathan Chen claimed gold in men's figure skating hanging on to the lead after setting a world record with his short program earlier this week. But a potential scandal threatens to overshadow the performances on the ice. The medal ceremony for the figure skating team event has been delayed.
And there are reports it's because of a positive drug test. And we are covering it all on CNN NEWSROOM. World Sports' Don Riddell joins us here in Atlanta. But first, let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson who joins us live from Hong Kong. So, Ivan, what is going on with this report of a positive drug test?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Russian figure skating team was supposed to be awarded the gold medals on Tuesday evening for their performance on Monday. And that hasn't happened yet. And when you ask the International Olympic Committee why they say there is a legal matter and active legal matter underway, and that's about it.
Take a listen to what the spokesperson had to say earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ADAMS, SPOKESPERSON, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: I'm not going to comment on all sorts of speculation that I have also seen overnight and that speculation will continue. As I said, as you said I had a -- we had a situation arrived yesterday at short notice has legal implications. And I'm not -- I hope you would appreciate I'm not from the podium of a press conference going to comment on a -- on a -- on a legal case because it wouldn't be appropriate.
On the wider issue, you said a potential doping case and I think that's complete speculation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: So, in the absence of an explanation, we're having to read between the lines here. CNN Sports Analyst Christine Brennan, she has multiple sources telling her that the delay is in part because an athlete who is a minor tested positive for a prohibited substance. The Russian newspaper RBC Sports has gone on to say that one of the six figure skaters on the Russian Olympic Committee team tested positive for a sample back in December of a banned substance called trimetazidine, which according to the World Anti-Doping Agency is a banned metabolic modulator.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry made a video statement in which she talked about how Russia's star, a figure skater, this 15-year-old named Kamila Valieva was a true miracle. She went on to say that there were forces of evil in a contest between good and evil right now and they were trying to cause evil much as had happened she claimed to Russian gymnast some time ago.
So -- and she was saying that the Russian government was going to stand by Russian athletes. So, read between the lines here and there are rumors swirling in reports swirling of possible positive doping test and that it involves a minor and there's only one minor on that six-person Russian Olympic Committee team and that is their star 15- year-old athlete. One further important piece of context here is there's a reason why I'm not calling it the Russian Olympic team. That's because Russia has been punished for years now for not complying with anti-doping measures. And that's why this loophole has been created to allow Russian athletes to compete under the Russian Olympic Committee loophole this name.
So, there is a dark cloud of doping in the past when it comes to athletes coming from Russia and big questions swirling around the current supposed to be gold medal winning team. Rosemary?
[02:15:06]
CHURCH: We'll keep watching for details on this. And Don, let's go to you now for all the Olympic highlights and a great day for Nathan Chen.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. A fantastic day for Nathan Chen, Rosemary. And a day that was four years in the making. If we go back to PyeongChang 2018 when he had high hopes, he stumbled on a key moment and had to settle for a bronze medal. But he put all of that behind him with a brilliant performance earlier this week, with record breaking performance in the short program and he did more than enough in the free skate.
Actually landing five quads to win finally his first gold medal, dancing to a medley of Elton John tracks, Rocket Man Nathan Chen, finally an Olympic champion at the age of 22. He now has three Olympic medals to his name, one of each color. Within about the same hour that happened the Americans also won another gold medal with Chloe Kim in the women's halfpipe.
She is just 21 years old. She's now a two-time Olympic champion. You may recall at the tender age of 17 she was one of the big stars of the Olympic Games in South Korea when she won. Then she has admitted that that completely changed her life in ways both good and bad. She had to adjust to this kind of new life she had of being such a megastar at such a young age.
But she's managed to navigate that. she went to Princeton University, she got herself back into competitive mode, and is now a two-time Olympic champion at the age of 21, which is just amazing.
Another American Gold Medal coming on Wednesday. Lindsey Jacobellis in the snowboard cross. This is an amazing story. Again, one of redemption kind of similar to Nathan Chen except she didn't have to wait four years to make good, she had to wait 16 back in Torino. That's 2006. She was nailed on for a gold medal but went for kind of an unnecessary trick as she was just heading to the finish line.
And it all went wrong and she ended up losing the gold. And it seemed as though her big chance had come and gone. But finally, now in 2022 she's landed the Olympic title.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LINDSEY JACOBELLIS, SNOWBOARD CROSS GOLD MEDALIST: I definitely have put 2006 obviously in the past and have done a lot of soul searching to realize that that moment does define me as an athlete, as an individual. What I've accomplished in the sport and how I've shaped this sport is, you know, huge and instrumental in how this sport moves forward.
I'm really happy that I've been now shaping the sport for women over the last two decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Congratulations to Lindsey. It's an amazing achievement. It's nice to be talking about the athletes. That is of course what the games are supposed to be all about, Rosemary, but we know they are being overshadowed by so many other things right now.
CHURCH: It is so true. Ivan Watson, Don Riddell, many thanks to both. Appreciate it.
Well, Canadian authorities, patience is wearing thin but the truckers protesting COVID mandates say they aren't going anywhere.
Coming up. Copycat protests in cities around the world.
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[02:20:24]
CHURCH: The trucker protest against COVID vaccines and restrictions that has clogged the streets of Canada's capital is now spreading to cities around the world. The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement across the U.S. that a possible convoy of truckers could impact the Super Bowl and the State of the Union address.
At least 120 people have been arrested in protests outside of New Zealand's Parliament. Police say they could be charged with trespassing or obstruction. They also say two officers were assaulted during the arrests.
In France, protesters say they want to go back to normal life and will bring their convoy to Brussels.
And in London, protesters swarmed and shouted at Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, calling him a traitor for backing COVID vaccinations.
Meantime, Canadian officials are looking for ways to clear blockades to border crossings. And to end the 13-day occupation of Ottawa. Donie O'Sullivan spoke to the protesters there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want all these mandates gone and I'm not leaving until all the mandates are gone.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is the stuff that you can't do right now as a non-vaccinated person?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I live in Quebec, so it's a bit more intense than other places in Canada. But look, I can't go skiing, I can't go to Wal-Mart, I can't go to Canadian Tire, I can't go to Home Depot, I can't go to restaurants, I can't go to bars, I can't go to the gym.
O'SULLIVAN: Truckers here in Canada have brought part of the country's capital to a standstill right outside the national parliament.
DYLAN FRIESEN, PROTESTING VACCINE MANDATES IN CANADA: I was hired on a job not too long ago for a transport company out of Whitby, Ontario. And I was let go due to not willing to get the vaccines for my job. And -- I mean, that's not right for companies to be able to decide that and take away our right to earn money and support our livelihood.
O'SULLIVAN: Now this is all happening despite these protesters representing a small minority of Canadians, more than 80 percent of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated. And the Canadian Trucking Alliance, the primary advocacy group for Canadian truckers, which has condemned these protests has said about 85 percent of Canadian truckers who regularly cross the U.S. border are vaccinated.
And for you, why is it important for you to be here today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, because --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fake news.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sorry. Because like your --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, don't talk to them. This is fake news.
O'SULLIVAN: But despite the fact that these people may be part of a minority in Canada, they are receiving a lot of support from conservatives and other right-wing figures in the United States.
PETER SLOLY, CHIEF OTTAWA POLICE SERVICE: We are now aware of a significant element from the United States that have been involved in the funding, the organizing, and the demonstrating.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): the Canadian truckers are heroes, they are patriots and they are marching for your freedom and for my freedom.
O'SULLIVAN: This is very much a 21st century protests playing out as much on the internet as it is on the streets. Viral memes and sometimes false and highly offensive historical comparisons that circulate online are being repeated verbatim here like this.
Because you're not vaccinated, have you -- is there a business, is there stuff you can't do in Canada now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Like -- I'm like, well, basically, if you want to compare Canada, to anything, it's like, Hitler's Germany. And we're like the Jews say. One of the goals is to simply -- is to get a group of people you can get everybody angry with. And this case is the unvaccinated. O'SULLIVAN: There's a lot of people here streaming live online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just going to follow you guys to make sure you tell the truth.
O'SULLIVAN: It's all right.
Documenting every moment on social media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You take those cans off of that truck. Is that your property?
O'SULLIVAN: In an effort to clear the protesters, police have begun confiscating gas canisters, resulting in encounters like this, that clock up thousands of views online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Jim Kirk (ph) and I give a shit about (INAUDIBLE) how do you feel? Hi, my name is Jim Kirk. And I care about human beings, especially once you're trying to keep themselves worms in his truck while fighting for the freedoms of Canadians. How you feel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The main problem I have is all the censorship that's going on. That's the main problem that I have. There is censorship everywhere. Yes. People's accounts get taken down. And even Facebook if you don't say the right thing, even this convoy, a lot of groups started and people are even live streaming and all of a suddenI heard yesterday in the restaurant, my feed was cut, my feed was cut.
O'SULLIVAN: Facebook shut down some groups on its platform supporting the truckers after the online outlet Grid News found that they were are being administered by a hacked account that had belonged to a woman in Missouri.
[02:25:04]
O'SULLIVAN: So, whoever was really running the groups wanted to hide their identity. And GoFundMe shut down a fundraiser for the truckers after police told him the protests had become an occupation. But organizers here have still been able to raise millions of dollars true and alternative service. A self-described Christian fundraising platform. Organizers say the money will help keep the truckers on the street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last time I saw my wife was on January 28. I have not seen her since. I am here of my own volition, 100 percent. There are some groups with resources trying to help us, sending money, helping us so we don't go bankrupt.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We want those great Canadian truckers to know that we are with them all the way.
O'SULLIVAN: Trump indicating he is supportive of truckers descending on Washington, D.C. Other American right-wing figures goading their audiences to act.
TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: The question is how long before protests like this come here?
LAURA INGRAHAM, FOX NEWS HOST: Will we need our own trucker rally to end all of this insanity once and for all?
O'SULLIVAN: What is the main goal, the main objective of the truckers here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Freedom.
SANGER: Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Stephanie Carvin is an Associate Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University, and she joins me now from Toronto, good to have you with us.
STEPHANIE CARVIN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, CARLETON UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me on.
CHURCH: So, despite the small number of trucker protesters, they are receiving support from conservatives and other right-wing figures in Canada and the United States. So, who exactly is behind these protests at Canada's border? And why do authorities there appear reluctant to bring this two-week blockade to an end?
CARVIN: Lots of good questions there. In the first instance, the actual organizers of the -- these protests are actually some pretty hardcore far-right individuals in Canada, maybe the, you know, world doesn't think of Canada's having this kind of far-right movement. But we do. And these are individuals who have expressed anti-semitic, Islamophobic and really conspiratorial worldviews.
And they've tried numerous times to actually organize convoys. It's really only been with, I think, the frustration of the pandemic, that these individuals were able to kind of catch a more populist fire within Canada. Unlike other countries, we're just coming out of a fourth, very strict lockdown in most provinces, and, you know, Canadians are tired. And, you know, some of them feel that this is the best way to express their frustration to the government.
CHURCH: So, why can't authorities end it?
CARVIN: Right, that's a great question. And I wish I had a better answer to you. The answer, I think, is several factors. The first is that, you know, in Canada, we're dealing with three layers of governments, municipal, provincial, and federal. And I think none of them really want to take responsibility for it, if I'm quite honest with you. There, you know, it's probably going to be quite messy.
And I think there's some nervousness about the potential for violence. The second thing is, is just police forces appear to be outnumbered. And they don't seem to want to take action, which is, you know, a little disturbing. But also, thirdly, you know, in some provinces, they're coming up to elections, politicians, I think, are worried about what might happen if this goes badly. But, you know, even just taking, you know, non-violent steps, like
parking tickets and noise violations, there's been reluctance to issue that. So, I think Canadians generally, and maybe the international community as well as looking at this. And we're just scratching our heads and wondering why we really haven't had a more fast solution. Because in failing to act, quite frankly, I think this movement has spread within Canada, and also now might be spreading internationally.
CHURCH: Yes. And we want to talk about that because the longer they stay, the more they do inspire others across the globe. We know that there have been similar demonstrations in New Zealand and across Europe, tapping into the anti-vaccine sentiment, pandemic fatigue and also inciting this civil disobedience. And now the U.S. Department of Homeland Security says trucker convoys like these could soon disrupt the Super Bowl in the United States.
And of course, the State of the Union and other big events. How bad do you think this could get and how do you stop this?
CARVIN: Well, honestly, I never expected it to get really to this point. I mean, I was well aware of who's organizing this event, but if you had told me this would spark off a worldwide rebellion of angry people with industrial machinery. I would not have believed that three weeks ago. I mean, really, this whole thing started January 14th when we saw a go-funding campaign, it's a crowdfunding site.
You know, the established effectively sponsor this. And, you know, far-right groups in Canada picked it up, but it caught wind and social media, in U.S. circles as well.
[02:30:00]
And I think that's what's really, you know, for lack of a better word, interesting here is that, you know, in the United States they saw this campaign and they -- we believe, although we can't be certain because the campaign donations are anonymous that a lot of this money, over $10 million Canadian, so about $8 million U.S. is effectively coming from the United States. They raised more money in two weeks than all the Canadian political parties did in the fourth quarter.
CHURCH: And of course, we're also seeing false information surrounding these protests, misleading photos, false tweets spreading online about the so-called freedom convoy with some pictures falsely captioned. And one glaring example, is a picture of millions of people at an anticommunist rally in Moscow back in 1991 but claiming to be a recent aerial shot of crowds in Ottawa. And even Tesla boss, Elon Musk, posted of an aerial shot of a Canadian convoy of trucks from 2018, implying it was linked to these current protests. So, how do people avoid getting fooled by this misinformation and how did we get to this point?
CARVIN: I mean -- I think there's something over, like, 150,000 trucks in Canada. There's really just a few hundred taking part in this protest. Many of the people who organized this, virtually none of them are actually truckers. But I think this is one of the things that is really kind of scared Canadians. Because we have been warned for a number of years by our various intelligence and national security agencies that this is exactly the kind of issue that foreign states would try to pick up in order to kind of sow division in, like, the same way we have seen perhaps in the UK, in France, and the United States.
So, in doing so, I think it's really important to recognize that there is the potential here for clandestine foreign interference to be taking place that we just may simply not yet know about or recognize. We have no hard proof of that. But, yes, I mean, it's not surprising to me that the convoy itself is spreading disinformation. It's been spreading disinformation about the pandemic really since the spring of 2020. But could there be other international actors that have an interest in doing so? It's likely, even if we don't have hard proof yet.
CHURCH: Yes. It has certainly energized a lot of bad actors, hasn't it? Stephanie Carvin, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.
CARVIN: Thank you so much for having me on.
CHURCH: Well, there is tinsel, there is champagne, and at least several people not wearing masks during a lockdown. Why this newly- published photo could signal more trouble for the British Prime Minister.
Plus, Prince William is now in the UAE for the Dubai Expo. And to lay the groundwork for stronger trade ties with the UK. A live report from Abu Dhabi when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:35:00]
The British Prime Minister is facing more uncomfortable questions in the so-called "Partygate" scandal, and this is why. Another photo, this one, published by the Daily Mirror, appears to show Boris Johnson gathering with others in an office with a bottle of champagne and no masks in sight. The Daily Mirror Newspaper says the picture was taken in December 2020 when London faced strict COVID restrictions. A member of the Opposition Labour Party pressed the Prime Minister for answers on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FABIAN HAMITON, BRITISH LABOUR MP: A photo has emerged of the Prime Minister in Downing Street on the 15th of December 2020, surrounded by alcohol, food, and people wearing tinsel. It looks a lot like one of the Christmas parties he told us never happened. So, for the sake of my constituents and the sacrifices she made, will the Prime Minister be referring this party to the police as it's not one of the ones already being investigated?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prime Minister?
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: He -- I'm afraid -- first of all, I'm very sorry about his constituents and for the difficulties that she's been through. And I understand -- I understand very much her feelings, Mr. Speaker. But Morty (ph) has he's just said, I'm afraid, he is completely in error.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meanwhile, London's Metropolitan Police say they will question more than 50 people suspected of attending the Downing Street lockdown parties. And with us now, Richard Johnson, who is a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. Thank you for joining us.
RICHARD JOHNSON, LECTURER IN U.S. POLITICS, QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: Thank you.
CHURCH: So, just when we thought it couldn't get any worse, another photo of Boris Johnson partying during lockdown pops up. How would you assess Johnson's attempt to damage control, and can he continue to hang on with this?
R. JOHNSON: So, I mean, it -- it sounds like there are more photos to come. It's not like this is the end of the story. And this drip, drip, drip is very bad foR. JOHNSON. His approval rating is now sub 30 percent. I've seen variations as low as 20 percent, 28 percent. If we were near an election, I think Boris Johnson would be toast. This is -- these are not the kind of numbers you would go into an election with. But the parliament can last until December 2024. So, actually we could -- in the UK have our next general election after the U.S. goes to the -- for the next president.
People think the election could be brought forward a little bit. But Boris Johnson has a bit of time on that. So, what really matters for Boris Johnson is among Conservative MPs. That his fate is in their hands. This may sound familiar to the people who remember the impeachment situation in the United States, Donald Trump's fate was in the hands of Republican Senators. Boris Johnson's fate is in the hands of Conservative backbench MPs.
And so, Johnson is going to do everything that he can to appeal to them in the next few months to keep them on site. And that's why I think he made those announcements yesterday about removing COVID, or at least, those were helpful for appearing to Conservative backbench MPs who have been very skeptical of the COVID restrictions. So, that's what his attention is going to be in the coming weeks.
CHURCH: Yes. I mean, he is very lucky he has time on his side. But that police investigation into these COVID lockdown parties will be extensive in involving more than 50 people who attended the parties. Hundreds of images, hundreds of pages of information provided by the UK Cabinet Office, how damning could all this prove to be? And if this forces Boris Johnson to step down in the end, as it possibly could, who will likely replace him?
R. JOHNSON: I mean, it looks -- it looks really, really bad. The -- that the photo yesterday looks, you know, with (INAUDIBLE), it looks like a photo with tinsel, it looks like a photo of a Christmas party. This is at the same time that government guidance said, you may go into work if essential, but you cannot have work Christmas parties. So, you know, it really seems that he was -- had a liberal interpretation of its own rules that many other people in the country didn't have. And whenever a politician does that, it looks very bad.
You know, the way that the Conservative Party rules work for replacing Boris Johnson, is that he would face a vote of no confidence in his own leadership. And if he loses that, then it's a simple majority, in a secret ballot of Conservative MPs. And as a new leadership election, then Johnson is not allowed to stand in that election. That's different from the Labour Party rules. Jeremy Corbyn lost a vote of no confidence from his MPs but he was allowed to stand in a subsequent election.
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So, then people are talking about, perhaps, the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or the chancellor, Rishi Sunak. They're seen as the most likely people to succeed him. But there are possible dark horses who might emerge, the education secretary, sometimes people talk about him. It could even be someone from the backbenches. It doesn't have to be a member of the cabinet. What I'd be looking at in the coming days is -- and weeks is cabinet resignations, ministerial resignations. Because that gives you a sense of who's moving against the Prime Minister.
CHURCH: And now, we're learning too that nearly 70 percent of Brits think Boris Johnson is responsible for protestors harassing Opposition Leader Keir Starmer according to a snap poll. Johnson had helped those false accusations he made about Starmer would stake but instead, they appear to have backfired. So, how desperate does Johnson look right now with this, and of course, all his other mounting troubles?
R. JOHNSON: So, the -- there have been these anti-lockdown protesters outside parliament for a number of months now, and they've attacked journalists and politicians of both parties. But what was most unfortunate in this most recent episode of harassment against the Labor Leader Keir Starmer, is that one of the slurs, the attacks that they were shouting at him had been made by Prime Minister in the chamber, the House of Commons. And that accusation has had wide condemnation from members of both sides of the aisle, both Labour and Conservative MPs.
And even the speaker of the House of Commons who's a neutral figure in the British system, quite different from the U.S. house speaker, even he came in and argued for much more judicious language and care in terms of the language that's been used. So, he was rebuking the prime minister which sounds quite, maybe, muted compared to what people might be used to from a speaker in the U.S. context. But it was significant here.
So, you know, things had just seemed to be getting worse and worse for Boris Johnson. And that -- if we were near an election, that would be, I think, fatal for him. I think what it means at the moment is, how uncomfortable are Conservative MPs going to be with what's going on? And the more Conservative MPs that don't like what's going on, just feel they can stomach it more, that's where his leadership really runs against the road. CHURCH: All right. We'll watch for it closely to see. Presumably there will be more leaks and we will report them. Richard Johnson, joining us live from London. Many thanks.
R. JOHNSON: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, Britain's Prince William has arrived in the United Arab Emirates as the UK looks to strengthen ties with the oil rich gulf state. The Duke of Cambridge is scheduled to visit the expo 2020 world fare in Dubai during his trip. He is said to be -- it's said to be his first official trip to the UAE and comes at a time when the UK seeks stronger international trade ties following Brexit.
So, CNN's Max Foster is following this for us. He joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, Max. So, how big a role will Prince William play in establishing the stronger trade ties and what exactly is on his agenda?
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting. So, he's spending the morning looking at a couple of initiatives that he's interested in. So, typically what happens at these events, the British government will ask Prince William to come here and go to the expo, for example, which he's doing this afternoon. It's a UK day at Expo. At the same time, he wants to promote his own interests.
So, they've -- they found a couple of areas of interest that overlap both Abu Dhabi's interest also Prince William's. And this is one of them, this is a Mangrove Park. And what's fascinating, Rosemary, is that there's -- looking at this, they're really investing heavily in these here and Abu Dhabi and that's because they are seen as a solution to climate change. They soak up four times as much carbon as the rain forest. So, Prince William was here planting some mangroves earlier on with Sheikh Khaled.
So, this very much speaks a lot of interest that Prince William has. And he's now going to the ports, which is the busiest port in the Middle East, the port in Dubai. And he's going to find out how they're tackling and intercepting criminal cargo effectively. Wildlife -- illegally trafficked wildlife goods. So, that's another part. And we're going to see a demonstration there but later on. And then he goes on to Expo. So, it's a whirlwind visit, really. His first official visit to the UAE and it really shows, you know, the UK using its soft power whilst we have all of this chaos in the politics back home.
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CHURCH: Indeed. Max Foster, joining us live from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks.
India's Prime Minister is looking for a big win as elections kick off in the country's most popular state. A live report from Uttar Pradesh just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) A follow-up now to the report on our four-month investigation into the
deadly terror attack at Kabul Airport last August. The Pentagon said the blast was the work of a lone suicide bomber. 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians were killed. CNN reviewed medical records, analyzed video, photos, and audio from the scene, and spoke to over 70 witnesses, families of the dead, doctors, and survivors. They insist some of the dead and wounded were shot. The U.S. and British military say warning shots were fired, after the blast, at a suspicious man and to prevent a crowd surge, but the shots did not hit anyone.
CNN hired a forensic blast analyst to examine the scene, his conclusion was the bomb was not big enough to kill 180 people. Other experts we spoke to said it could have been that powerful. Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby spoke with Wolf Blitzer, Wednesday, about our report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: I want to be clear, U.S. investigators didn't speak to any Afghans, or any of the five Kabul hospitals that CNN spoke to over these past few months. They didn't speak to any of the victims who have medical records of gunshot wounds
JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: Yes.
BLITZER: So how can you be so sure, jim?
KIRBY: They didn't speak -- you're right, they didn't. And again, we -- even in the initial treatment of our troops, our own doctors at first diagnosed gunshot wounds. And then after getting in and working on these troops, realized that there were no gunshot wounds to our troops. That they were -- the injuries were called -- caused by five- millimeter ball bearings which leave a wound that very much looks like a bullet wound.
And I -- you know, reading the CNN report, there's no autopsies that were done by those doctors in those hospitals of Afghans as well. So again, we respect the reporting of CNN clearly, but our -- we're going to stand by the investigation which did not find any conclusive evidence that there was gunfire of any kind by American troops on Afghan citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And we will, of course, continue following developments on this story.
Well, voting is underway in India's most populous state in an election viewed as a midterm referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule and a test for his ruling party's popularity. Polls opened just hours ago and Uttar Pradesh. The Northern State has about 200 million residents, a larger population than all of Russia.
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And CNN's Vedika Sud joins us now with the very latest. So, Vedika, how are these elections likely to go?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Well, it's an interesting election given the population of this State, Rosemary. Like you mentioned, if I could just elaborate on how huge the State is, if taken as the country all throughout Asia, we're the eighth largest country in the world. That's how big the population here is.
Now, currently, it's ruled by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party -- Janata Party, known as the BJP. The incumbent chief minister is a very interesting protagonist. He's a saffron robed monk who's now a politician and he's known for his divisive politics. His controversies are many, especially his comments on Muslims that are seen as a minority here in India. Remember, there's about a 13 percent to 14 percent population of Muslims in India.
Now, as recent as Wednesday night, local time, Yogi Adityanath chief minister of Uttar Pradesh came out and stood and handedly put out a video and the last few lines were very controversial. He said, beware voters, beware my supporters, don't make the mistake or else Uttar Pradesh will be another Kashmir, another West Bengal, or another Kerela Now, just to put that into context for our viewers, these are three States that have a huge and significant Muslim population.
My team and I traveled to Ayodhya. It's a temple city, it's a holy town, rather, in Uttar Pradesh and has a controversial past. It's ha communal rights between Hindus and Muslims. And it's also now a temple town where deity's temple is being made known as Lord Ram here. We try to engage and understand, Rosemary, what people would really work for especially after the devastating second wave that the State and the country saw last year. Here's what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUD (voiceover): A lifeless body stirred to the banks of the River Sarayu in Ayodhya, a holy city in India's Northern State of Uttar Pradesh. It's one of the 217 bodies, social worker Ritesh Mishra says, he cremated in four months during the peak of the second wave of the COVID epidemic in 2021 when the Delta variant swept India. Some unclaimed, others abandoned.
Many families either to put to perform the final rights of COVID-19 victims or just too scared of contracting the virus. Last year, mass funeral pyres in the State indicated there were more COVID-19 deaths in Uttar Pradesh than numbers released by the State government.
I asked him which political party he'll be voting for in the upcoming State election. Mishra supports the ruling dispensation.
RITESH MISHRA, SOCIAL WORKER (through translator): I'm compelled to vote for the BJP. They're constructing the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, that was their main agenda.
SUD (voiceover): Uttar Pradesh is currently governed by Yogi Adityanath, a firebrand monk and trusted aide of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Also, the championship of the BJP's Hindu nationalist agenda. In 2019, a verdict by India's Supreme Court vindicated Modi and his body stands on a decades long legal battle. A holy site in Ayodhya considered to be the birth place of the revered Hindu deity Ram was handed over to the Hindus.
A mosque once stood there before being demolished by a Hindu mob in the early 1990s.
As millions watched Modi set the ceremonial cornerstone for a temple in the midst of a pandemic. Right wing supporters, like Pawan Kumar Das Shastri see this happening elsewhere.
Pawan Kumar Das Shastri, Seer: Our next mission is constructing grand temples for our gods and other holy cities.
SUD (voiceover): In the State capital lockdown, an emotional Harshit Shrivastava wipes away his tears. He talks to us about his father who died of COVID-19 in April last year. Despite all efforts, Shrivastava failed to find a hospital that would take his father in. The family was staunch supporters of the BJP but not anymore.
HARSHIT SHRIVASTAVA, FATHER DIED OF COVID-19 (through translator): In the name of religion, this government is taking advantage of the poor and uneducated.
SUD (voiceover): Yogi and his lieutenants have repeatedly rejected allegations of polarizing communities or mishandling the pandemic.
DR. DINESH SHARMA, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER, UTTAR PRADESH (through translator): BJP's spoil agenda was, is, and will always be development.
SUD (voiceover): How do voters get a look at the government's performance? Do they value development or the assertion of religious identity? The answer might determine what happens and the 2024 national elections.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SUD (on camera): This is a state election, a huge one, but will have a huge bearing and impact on the 2024 national elections, Rosemary. A crucial one for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win for his future aspirations. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Vedika Sud, joining us live from New Delhi. Many thanks. And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:55:00]
West Ham united defender, Kurt Zouma, is facing a police investigation over a video sparking outrage online. Zouma is filmed seemingly throwing shoes at a cat, then slapping it and kicking it. CNN has not independently verified the video. Zouma has apologized, according to the club who says, there are no excuses for his behavior. West Ham has found the defender, saying it condemns his actions. Yet, Zouma was still in the starting lineup on Tuesday in West Ham's match against Watford.
U.S. President Joe Biden cleared his schedule for an important meeting on Wednesday, not the Diplomats or heads of state, but for popstar Billie Eilish. The president posted a photo of himself with Eilish and her brother to social media with the White House spokesperson saying, the Biden's are long-time fans of their music. The, "No Time to Die" singer and recent Oscar nominee was a supporter of Biden's presidential campaign. Eilish was in Washington as part of her world tour.
And thanks so much for joining us at this. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more CNN Newsroom in just a moment. Do stick around.
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