Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Anti-Mandate Protests in Paris, Holland, Australia, New Zealand; Hong Kong Tightens Restrictions Amid Record Virus Cases; Kamala Harris to Attend Munich Security Conference Amid Ukraine Crisis; Flower Prices Surge Due to Supply Chain Issues; Crypto Companies Run Ads During Super Bowl for First Time. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired February 14, 2022 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, New this morning, the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit has reopened. On Sunday Canadian law enforcement cleared out those protesters who blocked this major economic artery for days, costing workers and businesses tens of millions of dollars.

It's a different story in Canada's capital, Ottawa, where this anti- government protest enters a third week of occupation. The mayor of Ottawa says the truckers' leadership has agreed to urge drivers to remove their trucks from residential neighborhoods, at least.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: So, the anti-mandate sentiment that started these blockades in the first place isn't just in Canada.

[04:05:00]

CNN's Paula Newton takes a look at the global impact of the so-called freedom convoy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jammed streets, blaring horns over the past few weeks, there has been a loud and clear message from freedom convoy truckers in Canada and their supporters about their opposition to the government's COVID-19 vaccine mandate and other health restrictions.

A cacophony of horns resonating with protesters right around the world and staged similar demonstrations over COVID-19 restrictions over the weekend. A convoy of cars and vans in Paris snarled traffic on the Champs-Elysee for hours on Saturday. Processors waived French flags and climbed on top of their vehicles near La Piscine after bypassing police checkpoints and defying a ban by authorities by entering the city center.

Police eventually sprayed tear gas to disperse the protesters who say they are opposed to the country's vaccine pass. Some adding they are also upset over lower standards of living and inflation.

One demonstrator described the convoy as something extraordinary. He says there was honking everywhere. We took the highway, people waved at us, volunteers were there with food and everything.

In the Netherlands a convoy of vehicles brought the Haig city center to a brief stand still to protest coronavirus restrictions there. And police warned protesters they would be fined and arrested if they did not leave by midafternoon. So, the drivers withdrew.

Another so-called freedom protest happened in Canberra, Australia's capital. Where there weren't as many trucks, but many shared sentiments with the truckers in Canada.

Lines of vehicles rolled into New Zealand's capital city last week, blocking streets near Parliament. Some protesters setting up tents on the lawn in a mass campout to protest mask mandates and vaccine requirements for police and medical workers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are here to ensure that the mandates are taken away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you tell us about what's going on here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We might need food.

NEWTON (voice-over): Officials in New Zealand using softer tactics to try and get people to move on, playing songs from loudspeakers, like "More Beautiful" from James Blunt, and music from Disney movies, even Barry Manilow. But protesters say their spirits haven't dampened even in the rain. And after authorities turned sprinklers on them last week, local residents say they are losing patience with the disruption.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Destroying the grass, destroying just here, like come on

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a little bit annoying for us who live here. I think the police are doing the best they can.

NEWTON (voice-over): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the demonstrators are a fringe minority. But the protests this past weekend have been hard to ignore.

Paula Newton, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, new developments around the world in the fight against coronavirus. In the U.S., the FDA has postponed its meeting of expert advisers are Pfizer's vaccine for children under 5 saying that more data is needed. South Korea reporting more than 50,000 cases for the fifth day in a

row as the Omicron variant spreads fast across the nation. Cases also skyrocketing in New Zealand as protests against the vaccine mandate as you saw there are entering their second week.

And in Hong Kong, hospitals are warning a new wave of cases is overwhelming their capacity. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live in Hong Kong with more. Kristie, where will patients go if the hospitals run out of space?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, that is the big question. That is the reason why Hong Kong government officials recently went to Shenzhen to ask mainland China for help. Here in Hong Kong, the health care system is being absolutely overwhelmed as the territory is being hit by a record surge of COVID-19 cases.

In the last few hours, we got the latest numbers. Hong Kong reporting over 2,000 new daily cases of COVID-19, adding on top of that 4,500 suspected cases. That is a significant rise from the previous day. We've also learned that in terms of beds, hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, they are at 90 percent capacity.

Over the weekend, it was on Saturday, that was when Hong Kong government officials met with mainland Chinese officials and they got a pledge for some help from Beijing saying that they would help with testing, with treatment, with quarantine capacity. But as for a timeline and when that help would arrive, that remains to be seen.

Late on Sunday we also heard from Hong Kong government officials. They said that they planned to open up vaccination to children ages 3 and up. That to start from Tuesday. And this is just grim because what you have are COVID-19 cases exponentially rising despite the already-in- place dynamic zero COVID strategy, the strict controls in place here in the territory. Back to you.

[04:10:03]

ROMANS: All right, Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong -- Laura.

JARRETT: This week a major diplomatic test for Vice President Kamala Harris. She will attend the Munich Security Conference meeting with U.S. allies all in the hopes of deterring Russia from invading Ukraine. CNN's Jasmine Wright joins us live in Washington this morning. Jasmine, what exactly is the vice president's mission on this trip?

JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN REPORTER: Well, Laura, the vice president's trip will be all about reaffirming the U.S.'s commitment to NATO, to its partners and of course to Ukraine. And it could not come at a more critical time. I could not emphasize that enough. We heard National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on our air yesterday saying that we are well within the window of a potential attack here.

Of course, we know Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that it could come before the end of the Olympics. That is Sunday. And this conference in Munich, it starts on Friday. The vice president has a big task here, a very big diplomatic test as you said. And so, White House officials tell me that she will be meeting in-person, one on one on the side lines with allies. That is one of the great things about those conferences, how many groups a principal can meet with. And of course, she will be giving remarks, really reaffirming the U.S.'s commitment to NATO, to its allies abroad and of course to Ukraine and Ukraine's sovereignty. That is a big deal.

And now the vice president's trip will fit within this full-court press from administration officials, from the president himself, all trying to deter Russia from invading Ukraine. And here on Friday, she will be in the thick of it. Now, this will follow, of course, the president's own engagement. We know that he talked to Russia's President Putin over the weekend in an hour-long call when he was at Camp David. As well as yesterday he spoke with President Zelensky of Ukraine, really trying to reaffirm once again the U.S.'s commitment to Ukraine, to its ideals, in this really heightened tension moment.

JARRETT: Yes, it's an interesting move to have her go. She's tried to sort of carve out space for herself in different areas, trying to -- on the immigration front, in other ways. Some of these foreign trips have been a little bit tough, I think, on her, it's fair to say. But this is really a chance for her to show off her foreign policy chops.

WRIGHT: That's exactly right. And look, that the one of the things that sources close to her told me. Just in the beginning of her tenure, that she wanted to really beef up those foreign policy chops. We know, of course, during the Senate she was on the Senate intel committee. And before that she was Attorney General and she focused on transatlantic crime. But she's always been in D.C. for four years before taking this new job. So, she has not met with the amount of foreign leaders that other vice presidents have.

So, here on this role, when you talk to her own aides, she says that this will be, one, her fifth trip abroad as you said. But also, they talk about how she has met with dozens and dozens of foreign leaders at this point, with the president's encouragement, really trying to shore up.

And of course, this is a conference that President Biden, then senator and also vice president went to himself. This is really just another data point of the fact that he seems to be trying to push her to places, do things that he did as vice president, also that she's accepting that challenge, really trying to beef up in this area that we haven't seen her super publicly engage with. But this will be the chance really for her to go out and put forth those American policies. Of course, she'll be watched very, very closely while she is in Munich -- Laura.

Certainly, more high pressure in the thick of it now. That's for sure. Jasmine, thank you for your reporting.

ROMANS: All right, this morning Hollywood is remembering director and producer Ivan Reitman, who passed away this weekend. Reitman was the brains behind some of the most beloved comedies of the 70s and 80s, like "Ghostbusters."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready, ready, get her!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: That film earned nearly $300 million, nabbed two Oscar nominations and a birthed a veritable franchise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BELUSHI, ACTOR, COMEDIAN: Ah, thanks. I needed that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Reitman's first big break was National Lampoon's Animal House, which he produced. Reitman's children say he passed away at his home in California. Ivan Reitman died at 75.

JARRETT: And by his family. What a great director-producer.

ROMANS: Big talent, big talent.

JARRETT: Watching him down that bottle was making me sick at 4:30, 5:00 in the morning, though.

All right, love roses for Valentine's Day, everyone does. But you got to hate those prices. That and other thorny issues next.

ROMANS: Well done. And the crypto company is spending millions at this year's Super Bowl.

[04:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JARRETT: A rose by any other price would smell as sweet. This Valentine's Day we're talking about the rising cost of affection. Here's CNN's Lynda Kinkade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): The classic red rose, a symbol of romance and a staple of Valentine's Day around the world. But this year because of COVID-19 and supply chain issues, florists are facing some thorny issues, like price increases. According to the society of American florists, in some areas the cost of Valentine's Day roses is as much as 60 percent higher than their everyday price. But that increase can vary based on location. Shipping and increased labor costs have driven up the price, which florists pass on to the consumer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely higher prices. Definitely like even double, double from like last spring.

[04:20:00] KINKADE (voice-over): Despite the high prices, people are still buying. Sales of Valentine's Day flowers, candies and cards in the U.S. are expected to rake in nearly $24 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Just two years ago, flower growers in the Netherlands, the world's biggest flower exporter, were destroying their stems because of a lack of demand. Many florists around the world have temporarily closed their business because of COVID lockdowns.

But the industry is blooming once more. Weddings are back on and florists say people send flowers as a way of keeping in touch during the pandemic, and that hasn't slowed down. Flower growers in Colombia who primarily sell to the U.S. say the biggest challenge this year is keeping up with demand.

AUGUSTO SOLANO, COLOMBIAN FLOWERS EXPORTERS ASSOCIATION (through translator): The difficulties have been huge. The main thing has been to protect the health of the workers. And on the other side, the logistical problems, the lack of aerial transport.

KINKADE (voice-over): Experts say it's best to be flexible when shopping for flowers this year.

MARK CHATOFF, CALIFORNIA FLOWER MALL: There is a shortage in what I understand, with white flowers and roses and whatnot. But there are other products and other floral products that are readily available and abundant.

KINKADE (voice-over): As Shakespeare wrote, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. This year consumers might have to look to other options if the price of that perfect red rose is too dear.

Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Lynda, thank you for that. If the prices of roses is too steep for you, here's another way to your valentine's heart. A French fry scented perfume. Treats by Idaho is said to smell like fries in all their greasy salty spoon. That sounds really good right now. The Idaho Potato Commission says the sent is too good to resist, and so apparently is the price. Less than $2 for a 1.7-ounce bottle. You will pay more at Wendy's or Mickey D's.

I love French fries but I don't want to smell them.

JARRETT: I used to work at a pizza place. And I can remember smelling like pizza and just like -- I don't want be to smell like the grease trap at the burger joint.

All right let's get a check of CNN business this morning.

Tough going for global stock markets right now to start the week. Two factors here. Rate hikes are coming and fears of a potential Russian invasion in Europe. I mean, look at Paris, Frankfurt, London. Europe has opened sharply lower here. Wall Street stock index futures also leaning down here.

The Russia factor at play Friday in the stock market, stocks fell and oil rose, zeroing in on 100 bucks a barrel. Wall Street dropped sharply right after the White House told Americans to leave Ukraine immediately. Oil price near eight-year highs. Russia is the world's second largest producer of both oil and natural gas. U.S. crude prices rose about 3.5 percent, briefly hitting above $94 a barrel the first time since 2014.

High oil prices will drive up prices at the pump, of course, currently at a 7-year high and can contribute to historic inflation. More inflation news coming this week. January's Producer Price Index, that's what companies pay, that's factory level inflation. That's out tomorrow. In December that index rose at the fastest annual pace on record.

All right, Super Bowl ads, along with products of snacks and cars and beer, and this year crypto.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's FTX, it's a safe and easy way to get into crypto.

LARRY DAVID, ACTOR, COMEDIAN: Nah, I don't think so. And I'm never wrong about this stuff, never.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER: If you want to make history, you got to call your own shots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We going to the league. We're going to the league.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Share ideas. Trade stocks. Crypto and beyond. In other words, eToro, the power of social investing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: All right, wo crypto currency trying to join the mainstream, shelling out for the record $7 million 30-second slots. There are ads from Bitbuy, crypto.com, eToro, FTX, superstar endorsements from Lebron James and Larry David. Coin base ran that floating QR code. It was so popular it crashed the app. Even non-crypto companies jumped on the blockchain bandwagon like TurboTax and Bud Light.

JARRETT: Do you think our chief business correspondent has feelings about crypto.

ROMANS: I do actually. No, I mean, sometimes they're always fads, you know. I remember the dot-com boom. I remember so many companies that sort of came and went. So, we'll see. But I thought it was interesting, the stars who are powering up behind the crypto company. So, we'll see. All right, up next, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's journey from

Detroit to Super Bowl champ.

JARRETT: And new COVID rules at America's largest employer, Walmart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: It is Monday, February 14th, Valentine's Day. It's 5:00 a.m. exactly here in New York. Thanks for getting an EARLY START with us. I'm Christine Romans.

JARRETT: I'm Laura Jarrett. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. We begin, of course, with the big game. For just the second time in franchise history, the Rams are Super Bowl champions. L.A. rallying late to beat the Bengal's. Andy Scholes was there and joins us with this morning's bleacher report. All right, Andy, did you get any sleep? Were you out partying all night?