Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
China Tightens Security After Days Of Anti Zero-COVID Protests; Brazil, Portugal Fans Celebrate As They Advance To World Cup Round Of 16; U.N. Calls Humanitarian Situation In Southern Ukraine Critical. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 29, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:28]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Paula Newton. Ahead right here on CNN Newsroom, Beijing cracks down China's government tries to crush large anti-lockdown protests, which have spread right across the country.
Warnings of a critical humanitarian situation in Ukraine as millions struggle without power or water and winter sets in and threats of torture sources say the families of Iran's football team face violence or prison with players protest at the World Cup.
In China, police are out in full force and the government is tightening online censorship hoping to prevent more scenes like this one.
Thousands of people protesting strict COVID lockdowns and the Communist Party's firm grip on all aspects of life.
CNN has verified protests in 15 cities with dozens more reported but the Chinese Foreign Ministry claims media accounts do not reflect what actually happened. Meantime, China reported more than 38,000 new COVID cases Monday. It's in fact the first day in nearly a week that it didn't set a new record.
Panic over the pandemic and Beijing's response sent Wall Street plunging. The Dow dropped nearly 500 points or one and a half percent Monday. Meantime, the Biden administration stopped short of criticizing China's response to the demonstrations but said the U.S. supports the right to protest peacefully. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was more direct.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We recognized China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism. Instead of listening to their peoples protests, the Chinese government has chosen to crack down further including by assaulting a BBC journalist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now the protests started after COVID restrictions reportedly slowed firefighters' response to a deadly fire in Xinjiang province last week. CNN's Selina Wang has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): They chant Xi Jinping stepped down, an extraordinary show of defiance in China. In Shanghai, they chant for freedom, democracy, an end to COVID lockdowns, even targeting the Communist Party and the Supreme Leader himself.
Unprecedented protests are erupting across China from major metropolis to elite college campuses even far flung cities, searing nationwide anger triggered by a deadly fire in China's far west Xinjiang region. Water unable to actually reached the fire blazing from the high floor of the apartment building. Videos indicate COVID restrictions prevented fire trucks from getting close enough apparently blocked by fences and metal barriers normally used during lockdowns.
In the buildings chat group, a mother please help us my kids are dying. We don't have enough oxygen. At least 10 people died.
The nation grieving the deaths of victims that likely spent the last months of their lives trapped in that building. Most of Xinjiang has been locked down for more than 100 days. The protests even spilling into the Capitol.
WANG (on camera): They're chanting that they don't want COVID tests. They want freedom. And many people are also holding white papers in their hands which is a sign of solidarity against censorship.
WANG (voiceover): They sing and cheer. Shout to be unsealed and some even break down into tears. A man with the loudspeaker shouts we always support the Communist Party but we want democracy and freedom.
[01:05:00]
I asked a protester how he was feeling, overwhelmed, he said, all conscientious Chinese people should come here and stand together. I said, you realize there's a risk being here. Of course there is, he responded.
WANG (on camera): And if we just turn the camera around, you'll see there is a row of police.
WANG (voiceover): Hours later, masses of police filed in pushing the protesters back. Demonstrators shout towards the authorities, we are not your enemy. We are in this together. These are unbelievable scenes in China, where public criticism of the party can lead to prison time or even worse.
In Shanghai, police arrested roughed up protesters violently dragging them into cars. No protests of the scale demanding political reforms have been seen since the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests in 1989 that led to a massacre of unarmed protesters. These demonstrators know what their risky, but they're determined to make their voices heard. Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NEWTON: Went across now live to Hong Kong were seen as Kristie Lu Stout is tracking the latest developments. And we saw there from Selina's package that China is, you know, trying to tighten security. But how are they doing that now?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That China is indeed clamping down in the wake of these sweeping anti-zero COVID protests, China is tightening security. We're seeing it in Beijing and Shanghai where police are out on patrol on the streets. We're seeing it in Shanghai where authorities there have set up these big blue barricades on Lamouchi (ph) Road, which is the site of those protests over the weekend.
And CNN has also learned that protesters are being rounded up according to a protester telling CNN that Shanghai police have detained 80 to 110 protesters after the Saturday night protests in Shanghai. The protests are also telling CNN that the police collected their biometric data, including their fingerprints, their retinal scans, their photographs. The protests are also telling CNN that the authorities told them in detention that they were being used to foment a color revolution. And the fact that the protests erupted nationwide was somehow proof of that. It's unclear at this moment how many people remain in detention.
And on Monday, we did not see a repeat of the scenes that you're seeing on the screen there. There's dramatic scenes of protests over the weekend. On Monday in Beijing, also in Shanghai, no signs of major protests taking place there. But CNN has been able to verify that 20 COVID related protests have taken place in 15 different cities across China. We have a map of it. Take a look at this.
And just to emphasize the sheer reach the scope and scale of these protests. I'm want to read up the list of the cities where protests have taken place in Beijing. We have verified five protests have taken place there, protests in Chengdu, in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hotan, in Korla, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Urumqi, in Xi'an, in Wuhan. We know and verified at least two COVID related protests have taken place there.
And there was also an extremely rare protest that took place last night here in Hong Kong, extremely rare in the back of the national security law being imposed here by Beijing, or dozens of protesters turned out in a corner of the central business district with flowers with banners and with those symbolic white sheets of paper symbolizing censorship, and now becoming a symbol of the protest movement.
But Paula, when the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked about the sweeping anti-COVID protests in his country, the spokesman just outright dismissed. Any sides any suggestion of dissent. Back to you.
NEWTON: And it makes the situation right now in China ever more interesting in terms of what they do next to actually try and control the cases of COVID. I mean, we have had a little bit of backsliding, maybe on the restrictions, but not recently. What do you think will happen in the coming days in terms of that COVID policy?
LU STOUT: Well, look, wait, there is a press conference later today and a lot of people are looking forward to here. We're going to get more clarity on that. But in recent days, we've been monitoring state run media and an op-eds published by the People's Daily and Shinwa they continue to double down on the zero-COVID policy saying that it is scientific and it's effective and it's also as we head into winter season, COVID cases are rising in China is at a high not seen according to official statistics since the start of the pandemic.
[01:10:00]
But of course, we're only talking about 38,000 or so new local cases in the country 1.4 billion, you know, that pales in comparison to global standards. But in China and zero-COVID, China, that's a bit too high. As cases continue to rise, where pandemic restrictions are expected and our fact rolled out an provincial level and city levels all across China, adding to it just a sense of unease in the population about what to expect next.
But it's very difficult this moment to imagine how China is going to unwind from this punishing zero-COVID policy that is in place has been in place for over three years now. Even right now when COVID cases continue to rise. Back to you, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and you get a sense of the frustration as you just said people do not know what to expect next --
LU STOUT: Precisely.
NEWTON: -- in terms of this policy. Kristie, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
LU STOUT: Thank you.
NEWTON: In Monday's World Cup action top ranked Brazil defeated Switzerland one nil.
Oh, they're happy in the (INAUDIBLE). That was the scene as Brazilian fans celebrated back home. The victory clinched Brazil spot in the round of 16. And joining them is Portugal who punch their card to the knockout round after defeating your way of two nil. World Sports Don Riddell has our highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT (on camera): nobody has a World Cup record quite like Brazil. They've won the tournament a record five times but it's been a while. And 2002 now seems like a lifetime ago. However at this tournament, they have so far justified their billing as one of the favorites.
On Monday night here in Qatar, the (INAUDIBLE) edge past Switzerland in group G with a late goal from Manchester United's midfielder Casemiro. Thanks to their earlier win over Serbia, they're now guaranteed to qualify for the knockout round alongside the holders France.
One of the games of the tournament played out elsewhere in group G, Serbia came from behind take a three one lead against Cameroon. Aleksandar Mitrovic seem to have given his side an unassailable advantage. But the indomitable lions fought back with two goals in just four minutes. Vincent Aboubakar and then Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo- Moting secured a thrilling draw for Cameroon.
They still have it all to do though. In order to stay in the tournament, Cameroon will have to beat the favorite's Brazil and hope that the other game goes in their favor. If Switzerland avoid losing to Serbia, they're through.
In Group A, it's another thrilling game involving an African side, Ghana threw away a two nil lead against South Korea. Weak lies with a thundering herd from Cho Gue-sung, but the Black Stars weren't rattled, and kudos to Mohammed Kudus secured a famous win for his team.
Portugal won the late game of the day against Uruguay. It looks as though Cristiano Ronaldo put them ahead, but his head mustn't have actually touched the ball. Because his former ManU new teammate, Bruno Fernandez was credited with the score, and he later made the game safe with a penalty.
So Portugal also joined Brazil and France and the knockout round. The other three teams in this group still have a chance. And next up, it's a grudge match between Ghana and Uruguay. Tuesday marks the start of the final round of group games and therefore a lot of teams are soon going to be packing their bags. Back to you.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NEWTON: Our thanks to Don and as he said the group stage is winding down. Here's a preview of Tuesday's matches. In Group A, the Netherlands and Ecuador lead the group with four points each, Senegal is right behind them though was three. The Dutch play against Qatar which has already been eliminated. Ecuador and Senegal though will face off likely determining which of them will advance to that all important next round.
Over in Group E, the United States must win it's politically charged match against Iran, or they go home. Group leaders England are looking to lock up a spot in the Round 16 with a win against Wales.
Still had for us, controversy over a doctored image or on criticizes the U.S. Soccer Federation for changing the look of its flag how the move is affecting both sides ahead of the World Cup match but first defiance and desperation and Kherson. CNN travels to southern Ukraine for a look at the struggles residents are now facing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:16:28] NEWTON: UN is describing a dire and critical situation in southern Ukraine where the cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson are struggling with a lack of water, heat and power. Making matters worse in Kherson is that constant shelling by Russian forces. Civilians in the recently liberated city continue to flee as more and more attacks target residential areas.
Russian forces stationed on the east bank of Dnipro River are launching strikes which have also hit other towns in the Kherson district and that includes just a few hours ago.
Now meantime, on Monday Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Foreign Ministers from seven Baltic at Nordic nations in Kyiv. They discussed more aid for Ukraine as the country works to restore power following Russia's relentless strikes on its infrastructure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today is everything single day. The occupiers again shell Kherson and the region's communities. It just one week the enemy struck 30 settlements, settlements of our Kherson region 258 times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: It has been more than two weeks since Russia's retreat from Kherson and the initial scenes of celebration have now been replaced by signs of desperation. Residents are struggling with power and water shortages and it could get worse of course winter is on the way. CNN's Matthew Chance reports now for us from southern Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The devastation, Russia is retreating forces left behind a village in southern Ukraine torn to shreds and until now abandoned to this war.
Valarie (ph) told me, he's lived here 51 years and after evacuating for eight months is home to stay. Even amid this wreckage. It's like a stone weighing on my soul. We built everything here with our own hands. It's hard to look at those Russian scars a short distance away.
In newly liberated Kherson, a pool of blood where Russia is attacking the city it just left behind for were killed when this grocery store was hit. Now one desperate resident picks through the debris, looting scraps of food and toilet paper.
He said everything so bad here. It's not good, he response.
CHANCE (on camera): All right, well, getting basic supplies though in Kherson has become a massive risk. We've come to the sea port. What's the river port really right on the Dnipro River with this woman here, Tatiana (ph) from Kherson on to collect water, so she can do her washing up and wash her clothes and go to the toilet and things like that. The water supplies have been completely cut off by the Russians. This is the only way -- you can hear the artillery shells going off soon in the background. This is the only way she can get water for her house. And it's dangerous because this is basically the front line. The Russian forces have retreated to the other bank, right.
Yes. So the Russian forces are just across the river.
CHANCE (voiceover): But the risk is one that has to be taken. What can we do? Tatiana asks. We can't live without water.
[01:20:05]
There's this electricity either, and people are cramming into makeshift charging stations like this one, just to stay connected. We found defiance here too, in the face of hardship.
There's no water or power, Hannah (ph) tells me, but also no Russians, so we will get through this. What do you think? I think our enemies will all die soon says Nastia (ph). He's only just turned nine. Show them what you get for occupying Ukraine, she says.
For many the hardships are already too much, roads out of her son cramped with residents trying to leave. But for those who stay, it is a desperate struggle to survive. Matthew Chance, CNN, Kherson.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NEWTON: Now meantime, officials in Moscow are denying claims from Ukraine that Russian forces are in fact planning to withdraw from the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. CNN's Sam Kiley has our details.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The head of Ukraine's atomic energy industry has said that Russia he believes is planning to leave the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which had captured back in March.
Now his allegations have got very little substance behind them. Other than he says information he's picked up on the internet and indications from people on the ground in the city nearby that the Russians appear to be preparing to make some kind of move.
But this should be seen really in the context of the ongoing psychological war between the two countries who are also of course, involved in a physical war because Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station is a major strategic asset for the Russians.
At its peak, it supplies 20 percent of the power of the electrical power into the Ukrainian energy structures, those very structures that have been under relentless attack by Russia and cruise missiles for the last month resulting for example, in the city of Kyiv. The capital having to reduce its energy consumption, they hope by 60 percent just to keep the essential services functioning. So it's very unlikely that the Russians would give that up. On top of that it is an important military base for them. They've been using it and its environment to shell against Ukrainian positions, Ukrainian civilian towns on the other side of the Dnipro River. And if they were to evacuate, it would become a bridgehead for any kind of future Ukrainian operations to try to recapture more of the Southern territory with the ultimate eye on the Crimean peninsula, which of course, Russia illegally annexed back in 2014-2015.
But this is all coming at a time when the Ukrainian government has also announced that 32,000 civilian targets have been deliberately hit by Russia. They're saying that outside of the front line, only 3 percent of the targets struck by Russia could be described as military. Now, of course, this is again, a Ukrainian claims that have been hotly refuted by Russia. Sam Kiley, CNN, in Zaporizhzhia.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NEWTON: Still to come for us, protesters fill the streets of China as COVID cases continue to spike there. I'll ask a doctor if Beijing's zero-COVID policies will help the country actually beat the virus.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:25:54]
NEWTON: You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Paula Newton. More now on our top story this hour. The Chinese government is trying to quell protests over its unrelenting COVID restrictions and calls for political change.
Now there's a strong police presence in cities where crowds have been gathering and that includes Shanghai, where a protester says police detained as many as 110 people on Saturday night alone. Now CNN can't independently verify that number.
This was the gathering meantime in Chengdu on Sunday where protesters chanted their demands and it's a rare look at people openly define the government, even in Beijing showing how tired Chinese citizens have become of what some view as suffocating COVID measures. One U.S. official says China needs to seriously consider what its people are asking for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMMS. COORDINATOR: This is a moment for, you know, for the Chinese people in the Chinese Government to speak to we have been nothing but clear and consistent. People should be allowed the right to assemble and to peacefully protest policies or laws or dictates that they take issue with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now these protests started after COVID restrictions reportedly slowed firefighters response to a deadly fire in Xinjiang province last week. CNN's Ivan Watson spoke exclusively to the families of some of those victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Anger on the streets of Chinese cities, the biggest nationwide display of discontent this tightly controlled country has seen in a generation. Protesters pushing back against police and the government's zero-COVID policy.
The unrest triggered by a deadly fire in Urumqi in China's Western Xinjiang region last Thursday. Videos emerge of fire hoses, barely reaching the blaze which killed at least 10 people. Among them Qemernisa Abdurahman and four of her children.
WATSON (on camera): What happened to your mother and your brothers and sisters?
SHARAPAT MOHAMMAD ALI, FAMILY KILLED IN APARTMENT FIRE (through translator): The fire started on the 15th floor. The smoke poisoned my family, but government could not stop the fire in time.
WATSON (voiceover): Two surviving adult children of Qemernisa Han (ph) speak to me from Turkey. Unable to see their family since 2017 due to the harsh crackdown, the government accused of putting up to 2 million of their fellow ethnic Uyghurs and members of other minorities in internment camps. They say their loved ones were trapped in the building by COVID measures.
MOHAMMAD MOHAMMAD ALI, FAMILY KILLED IN APARTMENT FIRE (through translator): They could not escape because the fire escape was blocked and the fire escape to the roof of the building was also wrong.
WATSON: Accusation CNN cannot independently confirm but Chinese authorities have been seen literally locking residents into buildings. Outrage over the Umuqi Chief Fire compounded by previous deadly incidents in recent months directly linked to COVID prevention. Though CNN verified 16 protests in 11 Chinese cities this weekend, a Chinese government official told a journalist they just didn't happen.
ZHAO LIJIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): What you mentioned does not reflect what actually happened. China has been following the dynamic zero-COVID policy and has been making adjustments based on realities on the ground.
WATSON (on camera): On Monday the white papers that have become a symbol of the protests in mainland China spread here to Hong Kong, where these small groups of demonstrators are holding a vigil for what they say are the victims of China's zero-COVID policy.
"JAMES", PROTESTER FROM SHANGHAI: I am a victim. So I cannot go home for many years, like two to three years right? My parents were locked down for three months. And even relatives of my good friends they suicide because of the lockdowns.
[01:29:46]
WATSON (voiceover): With China reporting record breaking new daily cases of COVID, there appears to be no end to the lockdowns in sight.
Meanwhile, siblings Mohammed and Sharapat (ph) cannot even pray for closure after suffering the unimaginable loss of five immediate members of their family.
Will you go home for the funeral of your family?
MOHAMMAD MOHAMMAD ALI, FAMILY KILLED IN APARTMENT FIRE: We want to attend the funeral of our family members but if we went back now, China will put us in jail or even torture us.
WATSON: Ivan Watson, CNN -- Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Such a heartbreaking story there.
And like Ivan just said, these protests have been happening amid record new COVID infections in China over the past few days. That's despite lockdowns and mandatory mass testing.
On Monday, China reported more than 38,000 cases. Now, the number, while it is of course high for China it breaks the streak of six consecutive days of record highs.
Joining me now is Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a board certified internal medicine specialist and viral researcher. And he joins me now from Los Angeles.
It is good to see you again. And I wish we were not speaking about really such a vulnerable part of the world that is still so vulnerable to this virus.
You know, I have to say, it seems like for China, time has stood still here, right. I mean what options does it have especially given how vulnerable its population is with the lack of vaccines.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, BOARD CERTIFIED INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Well, I think you make a great point. And China, they are trying to make time stand still. China's moving forward and the virus is moving forward.
So, they do not have many options because China has relied on just this very totalitarian type of blockade if you will, you know. But the virus has changed. Omicron changed the whole thing by becoming so resistant.
And unfortunately, China does not have a good Plan B. They do not have a good vaccine. You know, if they're going to do something mandatory, they should probably have their people have a mandatory vaccine.
So I think this horse is out of the barn. And the fact that they are having these many tens of thousands of infections now, means that the zero tolerance, the zero availability of people to get out of their homes is already a very failed tactic. NEWTON: And yet, what do they do now? You know, Dr. Anthony Fauci was
on CNN Monday. He offered his thoughts and was quite candid about the fact that as a scientist, it was hard to keep one step ahead of this virus. I want you to listen now to what he said about the Chinese situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGIES AND INFECTIONS DISEASES: When you are talking about shutting things down, it should always be a temporary phenomenon not a long range strategy. But you should do it with a purpose in mind to allow you to open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: In terms of allowing to open, what can China do even if they wanted to, you know, pull back a little bit from the COVID zero policy given the fact that vaccination levels are so low.
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Well, that is why I think they are between a rock and a hard place because they really don't have that. They need to bring in good vaccines into the country.
Now, this is one of the most populous countries in the world. So it's going to be very difficult to do. I think that part of the reason that they are resorting to these zero COVID policies is because they may not have the financial means to bring really good vaccines.
So I think they are going to be within a very difficult situation because the fact that they are already having tens of thousands of cases per day, these are going to continue to increase exponentially.
So I don't have an answer to that, but I think they may have to reach out diplomatically and try to seek help, you know, from the rest of the world. That do have mRNA vaccines to do have better ways of protecting their people.
WILLIAMS: Yes. And the rest of the world has already said that it is there to help if China asks for it. It has not so far.
I want to go through what was really a chilling assessment earlier this year. It was published in "Nature Medicine" in May. It was really trying to spell out what an omicron wave would mean for China. And this is just the conclusion after a lot of research.
"We find that the level of immunity induced by the March 2022 vaccination campaign would be insufficient to prevent an omicron wave that would result in exceeding critical care capacity -- let us underscore that -- exceeding critical care capacity with the projected intensive care unit peak of 15.6 times the existing capacity. And causing approximately 1.55 million deaths."
I mean, Doctor, where do you go from that kind of stat? Vaccination rates have not moved that much. How alarming is that? When you look at the consequences for 1.4 billion people.
[01:34:56]
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Well, it's very alarming not just for those 1.4 billion people, but the fact that you are going to have 1.4 billion people that even a small fraction of that are going to be reproducing new viruses and will affect the rest of the world. And the world has to wake up to the fact that maybe the way China goes with a new wave of infections is the way that the world may go.
So really, this is going to need to be a concerted effort. If China is going to use totalitarian tactics to try to prevent the spread of COVID, they should use and I am not advocating to tell (INAUDIBLE) anything, don't get me wrong, that they should use at least, you know, something that works. And the only thing that is working now to some degree to decrease the spread, to decrease the deaths are mRNA vaccines. And that is where I think they need to head.
They need to, you know, seek help from the rest of the world. They need to sort of humble themselves and seek external help.
NEWTON: And unfortunately it is unlikely they will do that.
I want to drill down a little bit more on the consequences you are just talking about. I mean 1.4 billion people, if COVID does get to a point where it is uncontrollable there, there are consequences for the rest of the world just in terms of the way viruses behave right?
DR. RODRIGUEZ: Of course. That is whole point. Listen, we are not isolated. And that is why from the beginning, this way of treating COVID was doomed because there was no concerted effort with the whole world. You can't just treat it in the United States. You can't just treat it in the U.K. We are completely united by transportation, by immigration, by economics.
So that's what's been lacking. And maybe the WHO did not do enough. But we can't just blame it on the WHO. If every country is not going to cooperate and realize that we are all in this together, we are going to be where we are.
And unfortunately, I think we are too lackadaisical nowadays. And we're taking it for granted because people are not dying as much.
So what's next? That super virus that is just going to completely obliterate a great portion of the world? It may happen. And China is a 1.4 billion petri dish possibility.
NEWTON: Yes. It's chilling when you put it in those terms. Again, the unfinished business still of this pandemic. Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, thank you again.
DR. RODRIGUEZ: You are welcome.
NEWTON: Now, Shanghai Disneyland in the meantime just announced it is closing again over COVID restrictions. This latest closure comes days after the park reopened late last week. No word yet on how long this latest shutdown will last. Now an act of defiance by Iranian footballers could have severe
consequences ahead. The alleged threat against their families after their refusal to sing the national anthem.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:39:59]
NEWTON: Now, in the day ahead, the U.S. and Iran will play one of the most matches of the World Cup. The contest could determine which team advances to the next round and it will be marked by a new controversy.
At issue is an altered image of the Iranian flag that was shared on Team USA's social media accounts. The U.S. Soccer Federation displayed the flag without the emblem of the Islamic Republic to show support for protesters demanding human rights in Iran.
Now the American football coach has apologized for the federation's move saying the team itself was not involved.
Now he and his He and his Iranian counterpart have been trying to downplay the drama, to try and focus more on the game ahead.
Now, on top of all of that controversy, it looks like Iran's players could be facing severe punishment, government punishment over their behavior. That's according to a security source. The players have been warned that their families could face violence if they declined to sing the national anthem like they did last week.
CNN's Brian Todd has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the most stirring moments of the World Cup and of the recent protests in Iran. Members of the Iranian national soccer team refusing to sing their national anthem, a pre- game tradition, before their World Cup game last week against England. Seemingly a show of solidarity with the protesters.
Now, CNN has learned that the Iranian regime has threatened the players families within imprisonment and torture. If the players failed to quote "behave" before their crucial match on Tuesday against the United States.
That's according to a source involved in the security of the game.
CAMERON KHANSARINIA, NATIONAL UNION FOR DEMOCRACY IN IRAN: It is not an empty threat that they're facing. This could be serious consequences that they are forced to face. And you can see it on some of their faces.
TODD: The source who spoke to CNN said after the players' refusal to sing the anthem at that first game, they were called to a meeting with members of Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps. The source said they were told at that meeting that their families back home would face quote, "violence and torture" if they did not sing the anthem or if they
joined any political protest against the regime.
Before their next game against Wales on Friday, the Iranian players did sing their anthem.
What might the regime do to their families if they don't quote, "behave"?
KHANSARINIA: If what we are seeing right now, in the past two months of these protest movements is any indication, it could be very dire. They could be killed, they could be tortured. They could be prevented from leaving the country.
TODD: On the same day as players refused to sing the anthem, Iran's coach Carlos Queiroz (ph) who is from Portugal spoke of the enormous pressure the Iranian players were experiencing.
CARLOS QUEIROZ, COACH, IRAN NATIONAL TEAM: You don't even imagine, you don't even know the behind the scenes of what these kids, they've been living. Whatever they do, whatever they say, they want to kill them.
TODD: CNN's source says Revolutionary Guard members also met with Queiroz after they threatened the players' families. But the source did not say what was discussed with the coach.
American players have expressed solidarity with their Iranian counterpart.
WALKER ZIMMERMAN, U.S. NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM: We know that they are all emotional, they're going through things right now. They're even -- and again, we empathize with that human emotion. So we completely feel for them.
TODD: U.S. Soccer Federation temporarily posted a changed Iranian flag on its social media accounts, to show support for the protesters in Iran.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: They have taken opportunities when they've been given them to make statements, social statements, cultural statements, political statements. Bravo to them.
TODD: We've tried to reach officials with Iran's mission to the U.N to get their response to CNN's reporting about the players' families being threatened. We were not able to get a response.
In recent days, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, praised members of a militia that has led the crackdown on protesters who the Supreme Leader referred to as rioters and thugs.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Jason Rezaian is a global opinion writer for the "Washington Post". He previously served as the "Post" correspondent in Tehran. And he was unjustly imprisoned by Iran for more than a year until his release in 2016. And now he has written his opinion piece for the newspaper and it says
this. "I am Team USA, but it is more important that Iran advances in the World Cup.
Jason, thanks so much for joining us. Obviously a thought-provoking column there. And you wanted it to be that way. I mean this must be not just what you are just thinking but what you're feeling at this point. Why?
JASON REZAIAN, "WASHINGTON POST": Well Paula, first of all, the U.S. And Iran have not played in the World Cup since 1998. That was the only other they faced off in this competition.
And for me throughout my entire life, when the U.S. and Iran would compete, I'm first and foremost an America, I root for America. But this time around, with everything is happening inside Iran, the ongoing protests now in their third month.
[01:44:58]
REZAIAN: The number of people who've been killed by the regime, the arrests and detentions of thousands of protesters. And this is all happening at a time when there are so many other things going on in the world. A think it's an important moment for people to keep eyes on what is going in one inside Iran and a spotlight like the one that the World Cup shines is hard to beat.
NEWTON: I don't want to put too strong a point of it, but do you think that that could change the course of history? And I don't mean on the soccer or football pitch.
REZAIAN: Well look, I mean I think we are watching history play out inside of Iran. Whether or not people around the world know about that is an indication of just the number of different things that are grabbing for our attention.
You might have seen during one of the games, earlier on Monday that someone ran onto the field wearing a t-shirt saying save Ukraine and on the back, respect Iranian women.
And this is a sight that literally billions of eyes witnessed. And so, you know, as history was being made in that country, as we talk about these games invariably, the geopolitics come into it. I think it's a really important platform.
NEWTON: You know, we are talking a lot about the provocative move on the part of the U.S. team. And yet, many are now pointing out that what the Iranian team members did was incredibly courageous by not singing the anthem during that first game.
I found that the coach himself, speaking as a European and not as an imperium, obviously not as much as state for him. He basically said it won't lead to everyone.
You cannot imagine what these young men are going through. What are they going through, Jason? You know better than most. REZAIAN: Well, is massive pressure.
You know, they are -- the representatives of their country of their fellow Iranians, at the same time there came after a regime that is brutal, and ruthless. And that exerts a lot of pressure on them.
And your reporting here at CNN has indicated that the Iranian security agents have put more pressure on these players to fall in line. Not publicly support protesters. But just by virtue of standing up and not singing the anthem.
Or in a press conference talking about their support for the grieving Iranians who've lost loved ones in this protest. Talking about how they are standing with them.
It's incredibly powerful. It might seem subtle to us and the outside world. And who live in Freedom but for Iranian standards over the last 43 years. It's a big deal.
NEWTON: What do you expect to see on the pitch between the players? And I don't want to ask you your opinion on football, I'm in kind of the way they will treat each other. And what will ultimately happen during the match?
REZAIAN: Ultimately, I hope that it's similar to what happened in 1998, which was a great show of sportsmanship, friendship. You know, at the end of the day, they're going to be on the field battling it out as competitors but I hope in a fair and friendly way.
And I expect as an American of Iranian heritage and knowing these two countries really well and the people of these two countries, I think that's what's going to happen.
NEWTON: Jason, I can't thank you enough, not just for your informed perspective but a very personal one as well. Really appreciate it.
REZAIAN: Thanks, Paula.
NEWTON: Now it has been just over one week since the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar became the center of the football universe and the matches have not disappointed. More surprising though has been how much politics and off field issues have impacted the tournament.
Our Becky Anderson spoke with World Sports Don Riddell and Amanda Davies about their impressions one week into the World Cup.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: I mean I've had a great time. My first World Cup, I've been waiting my whole lifetime to cover one. I know it's controversial. We've been talking about all of those stories. And rightly so.
But the experience here on the ground, I think has been amazing. I've loved the culture, I've loved the people, the sights, the sounds, the, tastes, the smells, the stadiums are amazing. And the games that I have seen at least of almost all of them being absolute classics.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: I mean ai think it could be summed up in one word, which is nuts. I mean that from a footballing perspective with the first tournament, with four games a day because we know this is going to be so condensed.
But also because every single day, there has been more and more of the off field issues, the political stories, the societal issues.
[01:49:42]
DAVIES: And it really seems to me as a tournament that is reflecting where we are a bit more in society, where sport is more comfortable, whether people like it or not, addressing these bigger issues.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: I don't remember a more political World Cup.
DAVIES: You, like I, have been here a number of times over the last few years and seen the kind of evolution of the journey. And I think what has upset a few people in this last couple of days is those split-second decisions. When you have 12 years in a run up to a World Cup, and there has been a way of doing things, and there is a process that has maybe rubbed people off the wrong way.
ANDERSON: One of the decisions which is being called out again and again is not allowing Iranians to demonstrate their support within the stadium for the women and very brave men of Iran.
You know, obviously the Iranians story here, not the demonstrations is a big one.
RIDDELL: It is building to a head with the final game in the group against the United States. And you know, I take my hat off to the Iranian team. Because they are athletes. They play football. And whatever you think of the government or what the institution of the Iranian football team stands for.
These are athletes. These are human beings who are stuck right in the middle of it. And it's not just, do they think, or do they think that. But these are life or death situations.
The protesters are fighting for the future of their country. And these players are stuck right bang in the middle of it.
DAVIES: Ok. What a year it would be for them to get out of the group stage for the first time.
ANDERSON: Tournament organizers have promised a World Cup not just for Qatar, but for the region. And part of what we are seeing here is regional support for the regional teams which I think is fascinating, right?
RIDDELL: We certainly saw that when Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina. I mean the whole place just erupted. It was a victory for the Arab world.
DAVIES: I think it's challenging isn't it, the norms. That was the whole point.
When this tournament was awarded in such controversial fashion. They were all those people who said well, watch the polling, history and culture to cast our hats. The point is it is a first tournament in the Middle East. It is bringing the world's biggest sporting event to somewhere different. And it is forcing people to have uncomfortable conversations, and address issues they don't necessarily want to address.
Can we have a football tournament without alcohol being served at the stadium, absolutely. Just because it's always been done one way does not mean that is how it has to be everywhere it goes.
ANDERSON: On the pitch, we are seeing some great games. Favorite game so far?
RIDDELL: Yes. Nothing will top Saudi Arabia beating Argentina. We all went excited to see Messi in his last tournament and is he going to finally going to do it? The Argentina team supposedly was set up just for him. And Saudi Arabia just have not read that script. And with two extraordinary goals, knocking them off the path.
DAVIES: I hate to make it all about Messi, but Argentina, Mexico -- had never been to -- it really was breathtaking. It matched any stadium, any game I had been to anywhere in the world with the atmosphere. And then that moment when Messi got his goal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Well, they got through a lot there, didn't the. Our thanks to Becky Anderson, Don Riddell and Amanda Davis. At the World Cup in Qatar.
Still ahead for us here on CNN newsroom, a rare sight in Hawaii. Two volcanoes erupting at the same time. We will ask our meteorologists about the impacts this could have on the area.
[01:53:15]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: There are two scientists backed by the U.N. who says Australia's great barrier reef should be listed as endangered World Heritage Site. Now this comes in a new report which says the region is facing major threats due to climate change.
And it says rising motion temperatures and water acidity are leading to mass bleaching. Scientists are calling for urgent action here to protect the reef and that includes reducing emissions.
Hawaii meantime is experiencing a very rare event. Two volcanoes erupting at the very same time. Now, one of them, Analoa (ph) is the world's largest active volcano. And it's erupting for the first time in almost 40 years.
The other one, Kilauea, has been erupting since last year. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins me now with more on the impact this could have. Please explain this. What is happening, and again two volcanoes at the very same time?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know. It's certainly something a lot of folks to cross the barrier used to from time to time but when you take a look at what took place there, on Monday night 10:30 p.m. local time about 4:30 eastern, time on a Monday morning, I should say, Sunday night for folks across Hawaii.
You see what's happening here as far as the visual perspective of it. But the volcanoes itself, Mauna Lao (ph), as you noted, it's the world's most active large volcano. And erupts on average, and it erupts it has as erupted on average every five years since the 1800s.
But the last time it happened was back in 1984. So certainly when the stirrups in conjunction to another volcano, it's just a few kilometers away. Gets a lot of people attention. And we know officially are saying there was no immediate threat or lava flows associated with these volcano.
And they certainly (INAUDIBLE), activity begin to ramp up. The fact since July, about 20 across per day were occurring across this particular island that they got enough Hawaii.
And the community here about 10,000 square kilometers of land, 200,000 people call this Island home. A vast majority of them kind of the outer edge of near the coastal communities.
So in (INAUDIBLE), seeing the vast majority with the earth place and activity then the volcano and the lava flows are actually coming in on the northeastern periphery, where if they're not impacting protests or community evacuations.
No one evacuations for everyone in place. But the biggest concern, the ashfall, ashes accumulated, some were 7 centimeters of which, across some of these communities, certainly the dangers associated with that breathing it becomes a major issue.
Airlines, a (INAUDIBLE) place as a result of it. And then there's another element with the ash, there's rain fall in the forecast and any time, you mixed rain with the ash, you create what is called a lahar, essentially a cement like sludge that forms and here's an example. From a volcano in Guatemala.
So you'll notice when they're style, brain mixed with the ashes that has already been deposited and create a sludge and it becomes positive. You create a sludge and it becomes really abrasive, destructive to communities and can bring down rooftops. So this is the biggest concern for the communities across the region.
NEWTON: Yes. And all very good reasons as to why we should be keeping an eye on this for the next few days for us. Appreciate it Pedram.
JAVAHERI: Thanks.
NEWTON: Now, I want to thank you for joining us here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.
The news continues on CNN with Rosemary Church. She'll be back right after this.
[01:57:54]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
