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Leading Scientist Warns Variant Will "Sweep the World"; Portuguese Foreign Minister Speaks to CNN; Close Call with Nuclear Football; China Bans BBC News, A Week After CGTN Withdrawn in U.K.; David Guetta Joins Us in Dubai. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 12, 2021 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:24]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON PEACOCK, DIRECTOR, COVID-19 GENOMICS U.K. CONSORTIUM: The new variant that's swept the country, it's going to sweep the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, the pandemic but not as you know it. We look at the new variants sweeping the globe.
And see that suitcase there? Well, that is America's nuclear codes being rushed from a crazed mob. Stand by for details.
Plus, world famous DJ David Guetta and I have a chat 200 meters above Dubai. Why? Well, why not?
Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.
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ANDERSON: Well, there aren't only variants that you need to know about but variants of variants.
I'm Becky Anderson. Thank you for spending your time with us this hour.
We begin with an undisputed fact, vaccines are good news. The more, the better. But more contagious variants are worrying.
And that is why the pandemic we have today isn't the same as when it started. It's changing. It's evolving. It is becoming more threatening.
Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEACOCK: What's really affected us at the moment is transmissibility because the new variant that's swept the country is going to sweep the
world in all probability. In the future, I think the key is going to be if something is particularly problematic with vaccines and I think we're going
to be able to duck and dive around that to get our vaccines so we can get them rolled out and getting boosters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, a key worry, a strain which was first sequenced in the U.K. It accounts for at least one in five of the cases now in France. Up to
70 percent of cases in Ireland, the prime minister of that country telling me that on CONNECT THE WORLD. And it is why Germany is extending its
lockdown and tightening border controls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELOR (through translator): We have a situation where the vaccination campaign is gaining speed. But in the forthcoming
months, it is not going to give us the sort of collective protection, but individual protection. Many people expects that the time has come to show
very clear easings, openings, and we know that the danger of the mutations may well destroy any success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, it's not just Europe. It's gotten to Australia as well, causing an emergency five-day lockdown that just began a couple of hours
ago across the entire state of Victoria.
The bottom line, this strain spreads fast. I want to zone in on Portugal. It was recently one of the worst affected countries on earth per capita.
Now that same variant from the U.K. hitting Portugal hard. The hospital system already nearly crushed by this pandemic. The country of 10 million
people has extended its lockdown until at least March the 1st. It had been set to expire this Sunday. But cases have doubled since January the 1st.
And more than half of Portugal's coronavirus deaths have occurred in the New Year. Have a look at this graph. It is really, really worrying.
Joining us live, the Portuguese minister of foreign affairs, Augusto Santos Silva.
Minister, thank you for joining us.
Are you and your family well?
AUGUSTO SANTOS SILVA, PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER: Yes, thank you very much.
ANDERSON: Good.
We are looking this hour at the massive spread of the so-called U.K. variant which, as I understand it, is the most prevalent form of the virus
in Portugal. Just how concerned is your government?
SANTOS SILVA: Yes, indeed. We, as you know, we have close connections with the U.K. because we have hundreds of thousands of Portuguese living in the
U.K. and thousands of thousands of British people living in Portugal. So, we were hit by so-called British variant, almost half the new infections in
Portugal by now are of the -- from the British variant.
So we have to decide whether (INAUDIBLE) strict measures. Fortunately, things are going better, and the numbers are really decreasing.
[10:05:05]
So, in terms of new infections, new hospitalizations, people in the intensive care units are decreasing. So things are better, but still, we
are in very strict lockdown, and we have just extended lockdown throughout February.
ANDERSON: Let's just discuss what happens next, if we can. It is extremely heartening to hear that case numbers are easing and deaths, of course, as
well, and that the hospital capacity isn't as bad as it was.
But let's just start with this lockdown and border controls. Germany extending its lockdown and border controls now. You say that you expect
this lockdown to extend through March. Just how much further might it go, sir?
SANTOS SILVA: Well, we hope that we can handle this lockdown until March, and perhaps after Easter, things go better. For the moment, we live in a
sort of full lockdown in the sense that schools are closed. The same goes for shops, for restaurants, or bars, cafeterias, and so on.
And the Portuguese cannot leave the country. Cannot go abroad. So, right now, only transport (ph) workers and, for instance, truck drivers are
authorized to go abroad. So we have decided, as you can see in a very strict way, in order to be in full lockdown right now so that our health
system can be responding to the new cases and the fears can go down.
And meanwhile, we are accelerating our vaccination strategy. And we are testing. Portugal is one of European countries with the highest rate of
testing.
ANDERSON: Do you share the concerns that certainly the German Chancellor Merkel -- Angela Merkel has about the efficacy of current vaccines that are
on order against this new variant?
SANTOS SILVA: Well, by now we think that the vaccines are effective considering the new variants, at least the British variant. And the British
variant is the one which concerns us because we don't have any prevalence of so-called South African or Brazilian variants.
And concerning the British variants, we know that the vaccines were already authorized by the European Medicines Agency are effective against the
disease, the pandemic.
ANDERSON: Let me ask you this. I understand the case numbers and deaths are mercifully sliding downwards. I just want to remind our viewers just
how bad things have been in Portugal.
Here's a -- here's a clip from my colleague Isa Soares' recent reporting. Stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO REBELO, PARAMEDIC (through translator): It's very hard to work in these conditions. We struggle to see. We struggle to examine, the work
itself, it takes longer. And then patients can be very critical. So it's a constricting situation for us.
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the long and arduous shift progresses, it doesn't get any easier for them. They must now transport
this COVID-19 patient already on a ventilator to another hospital in Lisbon, to free up much-needed ICU beds in this part of town.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Sir, I understand that the -- that France and Germany are now sending help to Portugal. That's after Germany sent teams and equipment
last week. You say that the hospital system is coping better than it was, but just how difficult are things at this point?
SANTOS SILVA: Well, now, we can see that things are really better.
[10:10:05]
But by the end of January, our health system was under pressure and it was very important for us to get policemen (ph) to support of German teams. So,
some German doctors and nurses helped us in order to reinforce, to increase our capacity to respond.
But, fortunately, now, we are seeing the numbers going down and the capacity of response of our health system is improving.
Our health system was under pressure, but it did not collapse. It is very important to take this thing to consideration.
ANDERSON: Sir, your vaccine rollout has been sluggish, at best. You are significantly behind the goal to vaccinate seven out of 10 people by
September. I've had discussions with many European leaders who are concerned about the European vaccine rollout.
And we have heard from Ursula von der Leyen who has admitted that mistakes were made. Let's just hear specifically from the commission president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, in the fight against the virus, we're still not where we want to be.
We were late to authorize. We were too optimistic when it came to massive production, and perhaps we were too confident that what we ordered would
actually be delivered on time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Were those mistakes that were made at the E.U. level costly to Portugal? What sort of impact has that delayed rollout of vaccines across
Europe had on your country, sir?
SANTOS SILVA: Well, by now, 4 percent of our population has already been vaccinated. And we still have this goal of having 70 percent of adult
population in Portugal vaccinated by September. And we still consider that this goal is feasible. We can -- we can reach this goal.
But, of course, we have to recover the pace of our vaccination. Until now, the problem is supply problem because, you know, some of the plans have
some difficulties and as a consequence, the supply provided by the pharmaceuticals -- for instance, by AstraZeneca, those supplies were in
less amount than the one that was contracted. So let's see.
But right now, our vaccination rollout is going on. We have just did the vaccination of our priority groups, meaning the health care personnel and
the elderly people living in residential structures, and now, we are vaccinating the third priority group and this is all the Portuguese people
who are 80 years old and also the people that are in the front line of public services.
ANDERSON: Okay. Sir, there was no lockdown in Portugal over Christmas or New Year. People were allowed to make their own decisions on seeing people.
Do you regret that, and does your government accept responsibility?
SANTOS SILVA: Well, if you allow me, let me correct because in the New Year festivities, we were in lockdown in the sense that we had curfew, and
it was only during Christmas that people were allowed to visit their families and have the Christmas Eve celebrations.
So, at that time, there were conditions to facilitate the circulation of people.
[10:15:07]
But we do think that the major factor that explained the increase of the COVID numbers in January was the British variant. This was really the major
reason.
ANDERSON: So, you don't accept responsibility? You don't believe that the government needs to accept responsibility for any mistakes made? Is that
what you're saying?
SANTOS SILVA: No, no, of course, the government assumes its responsibility.
ANDERSON: The economic toll of this pandemic is vast, of course. The British economy shrank some 10 percent last year. And as I understand it,
Portugal is seeing its worst slump since 1936, despite successfully bringing in some tourists in 2020.
Just how concerned are you about the impact on the Portuguese economy of this pandemic, especially given that tourism is such a key sector in your
economy?
SANTOS SILVA: Well, of course, the economic effects, the economic consequences were devastating and still are because, as you perhaps know,
our tourist values were 8 percent of the Portuguese GDP, and, of course, tourism and aviation are the sectors who were hit the most by the pandemic.
So we -- when we see the economic sectors in Portugal concerning industry manufacturing and agriculture, things are going well, but in what regards
to tourism and aviation, the consequences were very negative.
We expect some recovery this year and we expect that by the next summer, things can be better and we can have overcome the third wave and the --
avoid any fourth wave. So let's be optimistic, but realistic as well.
ANDERSON: Sir, it is a pleasure having you on. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. The foreign minister of Portugal.
All right. So that is the struggle that one European country, of course, is facing. Very much echoed across the bloc.
I want to connect you now to Denmark where officials think they have the key to opening up safely. A coronavirus passport is set to roll out there
in the coming weeks. And all-access of sorts meant to get shoppers and travelers back to normal.
But as our Nina Dos Santos explains, not everybody is on board.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Denmark, it's been a long winter. Many are feeling it's high time life got back to normal. So
could this be the answer? An electronic COVID-19 passport easing restrictions for those who've had their inoculations.
The kingdom plans to have offered all of its 5.8 million citizens a jab by June. Before that, it could be one of the first places in the world to
unveil a scheme for its vaccinated, perhaps as early as the end of this month. It's all part of a plan to open up business travel first, with a
push from hospitality and entertainment to be part of the solution after that.
LARS RAMME, HEAD OF TOURISM, DANISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: If we do not start now, then when COVID-19 has left society, then it will be too late.
So with this project, this close cooperation between government and business organizations in Denmark, we're very positive that we will have a
summer, a summer of joy, of football, of music.
DOS SANTOS: COVID passports are not new. The idea has been around since the start of the pandemic, but finding a way to access data easily, while
storing it securely, will be key to their take up.
MARTIN LENNARDS, DANISH PUBLIC SECTOR INDUSTRY LEAD, IBM: So I want to board my plane. I'm going to trigger my corona pass.
DOS SANTOS: Two strategies are in the running, one that uses the cloud, and the other based on Blockchain, like IBM's Digital Health Pass, which
its developers in Copenhagen have already created and adapted to store information on new variants.
LENNARDS: It's proven that I am vaccinated and tested negative, so no corona. I'm good to go.
CARSTEN STORNER, ACCOUNT PARTNER, IBM: We've opened up the corona passport to store all relevant data to -- with COVID-19, so it's the testing
results. It can be the antigen results. It could be vaccines, and it can be any kind of vaccine related to the mutations that we've seen from the
virus.
DOS SANTOS: That may sound simple enough, but some restaurateurs have reservations.
[10:20:03]
PHILIP HELGSTRAND, OWNER, STRANDCHOTELLET RESTAURANT: I don't know how it would work, because you'd have to see the passport all the time. It should
not be the restaurant's job to check if they have the corona passport. I don't think that all the shops and restaurants should -- can handle to
check the corona passport.
DOS SANTOS: And what about health discrimination?
Chelina Hansen has launched a petition with Parliament to block the passport's roll-out. Here's why.
CHELINA HANSEN, AUTHOR, CITIZEN PROPOSAL AGAINST COVID-19 PASSPORT: I think it will split the population in sort of a "A" and "B" class. It will
make it hard for people who don't want the vaccine to navigate in the society.
JEPPE KOFOD, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: It has to be done in a way that respects privacy and also the safety and security of data. We have a very
digitalized society. The public sector is the most digitalized in the world. So therefore, we can do that. We have the systems to safeguard,
also, the security of -- of the individuals' information.
DOS SANTOS: Denmark isn't the first country to consider this type of technology, especially in the E.U., where freedom of movement is critical
to the block's ethos. Back in September, before vaccines were available, Hungary introduced what was dubbed an immunity passport.
Now, Greece, Sweden, and Poland are reportedly planning their own digital COVID documents.
Whoever rolls theirs out first may give cover for others to soon follow suit.
Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, to get a vaccine passport, first you'll have to be vaccinated. Some of the world's biggest stars have been enlisted to help
build public trust in COVID vaccines. Brit's Elton John and Michael Caine, both legends in the entertainment world, filmed adverts for the U.K.'s NHS.
That's the National Health Service in Britain. But first, they had to audition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELTON JOHN, BRITISH SINGER: My name is Elton John.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go for your Michael Caine impression. Let's see what it's like.
JOHN: My name is Elton John.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful. Cut there.
JOHN: The more people in society that get vaccinated, the more chance there is of eradicating the national COVID pandemic. It's really important
to know that the vaccines have all been through and met the necessary safety and quality standards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this is a bit where you'll have a vaccine now, Elton. Just kind of pretend that you're having the vaccine from a nurse.
JOHN: Ugh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was that, Elton?
JOHN: That was me acting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, let's cut there.
JOHN: And as you can see, I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
MICHAEL CAINE, BRITISH ACTOR: Thank you.
Hello. My name is Michael Caine. I've just had a vaccine for COVID. It didn't hurt. Not many people know that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Fabulous.
Vladimir Putin's most prominent critic is sounding off again in a Russian courtroom. The West watching as Alexei Navalny faces a new round of
charges.
We'll get you live to Moscow, up next.
Plus, America's nuclear codes not far from rioters inside the U.S. Capitol. How this disturbing revelation surprised officials at the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GUETTA, DJ: This is what happened in the '20s. It was ten years of craziness. So I'm ready!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And the party is just getting started for celebrity deejay David Guetta. He tells me what the world and the world of music could look like
after this pandemic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:25:46]
ANDERSON: Well, Alexei Navalny back in a Moscow courtroom denouncing the procedures as political theater and demanding a new judge. The jailed
Russian opposition leader is accused of defaming a World War II veteran.
Let's connect you to Moscow and to CNN's Matthew Chance who spent the day at the courthouse. And just for reference, it's minus 14 degrees Celsius in
Moscow.
So we will not make you hang around too long. What did we see in court today, Matthew?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it was another performance by Alexei Navalny. In fact, that court proceeding
is still going on now even though it's well after 6:00 in the evening local time. Arguments are still being had inside that Moscow across. Another
performance by Navalny in terms of his criticism of the legitimacy of the courts, his rejection of the charges against him.
To remind you, these charges date back to last year with social media video that was put on by Alexei Navalny in which he criticized a state media
report which featured several people sort of promoting the constitutional reform referendum that was held the middle of last year. He called them
traitors.
And one of those people was a 94-year-old military veteran. His family started legal proceeding against Alexei Navalny and Navalny has castigated
them for that saying they are exploiting this old man for political purposes. And he's been constantly trying to kind of take control of the
proceedings by asking the various witnesses questions themselves from the - - from his position in the court.
He's been told, I think, 15 times now by the judge to be quiet and to not try to interrupt the proceedings. And he's also been warned it will be
taken away from the courts unless he stops.
But I think supporters of Alexei Navalny not only don't see any legitimacy in this proceeding but see it as a way the authorities are using to
delegitimize Alexei Navalny further in the eyes of the majority of people in the country. They're basically saying, look, this is a guy who
disrespects our war veterans. Of course, in any country, particularly in a country like Russia, that doesn't go down well with the general public.
ANDERSON: Matthew Chance is in Moscow. Stay warm, Matthew. Thank you for that.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD, from our Middle East programming hub in Abu Dhabi.
Still ahead -- America's nuclear codes whisked away from an approaching mob inside the U.S. Capitol. I know, kind of unbelievable, right? How the U.S.
military is only now finding out about it.
And the BBC gets labeled fake news. Which country is pulling the plug on the network? That after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:31:25]
ANDERSON: One of the most secure devices in the world put at risk during the recent Capitol siege as Secret Service agents rushed then-U.S. Vice
President Mike Pence from the Senate chamber on January the 6th. A military official behind him carried the so-called nuclear football with the codes
needed to launch a nuclear attack.
It's identical to the one the president has. That close to the capitol mob.
And defense officials didn't know about it until House impeachment managers showed the video to senators as they tried to prove Donald Trump incited an
insurrection.
Meantime, the Democrats wrapped up their case on Thursday. Now it is team Trump's turn. They'll present their case in a few hours. And after shaky
opening statements, they are expected to use only a fraction of the 16 hours of time allotted.
One reason, and maybe the main reason -- it appears a near certainty that House managers will not get the 17 Republican senators to join Democrats
for the 67 votes needed to convict Donald Trump.
At one point yesterday, CNN observed at least 15 empty seats on the Republican side of the chamber.
And remember, senators are supposed to serve as impartial jurors in impeachment trial. But three Republicans, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz and Lindsey
Graham, met with Trump's lawyers on Thursday for a strategy session. Something you would never see in a court of law.
But it's not hard to find people in Washington or indeed many Western capitals who all agree on one thing. The threat, as they see it, that China
poses.
But as leaders in the West (INAUDIBLE) how to counter China's ambition, Beijing setting itself even greater goals. Case in point: take a look at
this latest achievement. You are looking at brand-new pictures of Mars taken by a Chinese probe that entered orbit around the Red Planet this
week.
It is getting crowded up there. The U.S. probe expected to land on Mars next week and the UAE also put a probe into Mars orbit on Tuesday. But in
addition to taking pictures from orbit, the Chinese probe includes a lander and rover that will descend to the surface of Mars in May or June. The
Chinese spacecraft is named Tianwen which translates to questions to heaven.
Well, back here on Earth, China has banned the airing of BBC news. The country has been upset with the BBC reporting on China's pandemic response
labeling fake news. The BBC also reported on China's treatment of Uighurs.
The move appears to be a retaliation for last week's decision in the U.K. to withdraw the broadcast license of China's global television network.
Let's bring in our David Culver to connect the actions of these two countries -- David.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we can't overlook the timing. As you pointed out, a week after CGTN, which is CCTV's English language
broadcast, was withdrawn and pretty much banned from being in the U.K., China now taking this action. Reciprocity, that's how they've labeled it in
the past with other actions, mostly towards the U.S., but now, this involving journalism and the U.K.
[10:35:06]
Essentially, the real world impact is that the broadcast of BBC World News in international hotels in particular won't be going forward. It's not
really something that's going to impact everyday Chinese because it's not going into their homes already. In fact, even as we broadcast, we
experience something considered to be censorship. They black out our cameras a lot of the times when it's about sensitive issues.
This, though, goes a step further with the U.K. And it's something we have to watch closely, Becky, because the reality is it could be setting
precedents and go beyond the tit-for-tat and perhaps involve news gathering and impact the U.K. journalists that are here in mainland China doing
stories, reporting on those sensitive issues, including the Uighurs and including the initial response to COVID-19, something China is very
sensitive about and concerned it's being misreported in their words.
That's how they've labeled this with the U.K. in particular, fake news. Something we saw with the Trump administration. That's how they'd label
many of the national news networks but now, this is something that, obviously, is going to play out back and forth. We don't know what, if any
response, will come from the U.K., but it extends now into Hong Kong.
So this is something that now the Hong Kong public broadcaster is impacted by. They can no longer air BBC World News content, Becky.
ANDERSON: David Culver is in Shanghai for you. David, always a pleasure. Thank you for that.
The United Nations calling out Myanmar's security forces for violating international law. A U.N. human rights investigator says police have used
live ammunition and lethal force against protesters and is asking for mandated sanctions.
Anti-coup demonstrations are now in their seventh day as the military there proposes a new cybersecurity law. CNN's Paula Hancock spoke to a Myanmar
activist about what is the volatile situation there. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THINZAR SHUNLEI YI, ACTIVIST: Many of them are especially to limit our freedom to shut down to legitimate (ph), to shut off the Internet. So they
are basically trying to legitimize what they are doing.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you have concerns the military could shut down the communication completely with the outside world?
YI: I'm deeply concerned about it because this is the only source in the world. We can't travel and the COVID restriction. No flights available for
us to travel out of the country, you know, in fear of violence or arrest. You know, we are completely locked down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Just coming into the -- us here at CNN, Israel's internal intelligence agency says it has uncovered a trafficking ring involving the
illicit sale of armed cruise missiles to an unnamed Asian country. Officials say the alleged ring includes more than 20 Israeli citizens. Some
of whom are former defense industry employees.
Israel's security agency says it is concerned the weapons will end up in the hands of countries hostile to Israel. We will bring you more on this
story as and when it develops.
Well, thank you for joining us. There's an awful lot to get through. Up next, time to pump up the volume.
DJ David Guetta partying for a good cause. We talk about keeping people's spirits up during the pandemic and how the music industry has had to adapt.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:53]
ANDERSON: All right. How do you party in a pandemic? Well, just ask David Guetta.
At a time when live music is all but shut down, the world-famous DJ has been taking his show on the road. No audience, at least not as you would
imagine it. Guetta's #unitedathome tour is live streaming to millions watching at home around the world. Broadcast from New York, Paris, Miami
and, most recently, well, just down the road from here where I am. You may recognize the location.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Two hundred meters above the city of Dubai. The legendary DJ David Guetta putting on a show like you've never seen before.
And he's doing it all for charity. So I, of course, didn't want to miss the chance to catch up with him.
DAVID GUETTA, DJ: I wanted to do good and had this idea. So the principle that people can watch the show and give money online. Here, we're doing it
with Dubai Cares and UNICEF. So it's for kids.
(MUSIC)
GUETTA: I do this because I want to share my love for music and give people a good time. So there's no other way right now. So I'm just
imagining people dancing at home with their kids, with their girlfriends, having a party.
I want to see some family partying at home with their kids, with their dogs!
And this is how I do it. And also look at this. This is so spectacular. It's amazing.
ANDERSON: I want to talk about the industry because it's been massively impacted by COVID. You have said that you would normally be on a plane all
the time. You don't see your kids from week to week, and yet you've had to stop and the industry has had to stop during COVID. What's the impact?
GUETTA: The impact is a disaster. And honestly, we didn't receive a lot of help. There are also all the technicians, the tour managers, all the people
that are working in this industry, the festival promoters.
And honestly, I don't think they are going to survive this. I think half of our industry is going to be dead, unfortunately. And the need for
entertainment is huge.
This is united at home.
ANDERSON: What would you say to artists in the industry who are struggling at the moment and are trying to stay afloat and are worrying about the
future for live music?
GUETTA: We are all in this situation, you know? It's just that it's very unfair. The people that had enough money on the side, they're going to be
okay. The people that didn't, you know, they are in a terrible situation.
You know, I heard some statements from some government saying just get a new job. You know, like it's nothing. But you know, when you've been a
musician all your life, it's not that easy to forget about your entire life in one month.
[10:45:00]
ANDERSON: You have been a musician all your life. I take myself back. You and I are almost exactly the same age, and I take myself back now nearly 30
years to a club in Ibiza (ph) one night when you were the DJ there. It's a long time ago. You were brilliant then, and you're brilliant now.
GUETTA: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Now take us back --
GUETTA: We still look so good. Look at us.
ANDERSON: You do. Maybe not me.
GUETTA: You do, come on.
ANDERSON: How did you get into this gig? Take us back.
GUETTA: You mean -- you mean just being a DJ?
ANDERSON: Uh-huh.
GUETTA: It's very strange because, you know, today, a lot of kids, they want to be a football player or DJ because you are famous. You make a lot
of money.
You know, but at the time, there was no such thing as a superstar DJ. When I started, not even a famous DJ. That concept did not exist.
I started this when I was 14, and I just pursued my dream. Step by step. I never thought one day, I'm going to fill stadiums or be on the top of Burj
al-Arab, you know? I never thought of this.
But slowly, slowly, I had a dream and another one, and I am ending up here with you.
ANDERSON: What are your best memories of the early days?
GUETTA: They're all amazing. From the first time that I -- that, you know, they gave me a chance in the club, and it was the vinyls and my hand was
shaking because I was so scared and I couldn't put the needle on the record, to, you know, working when I was a DJ and I played "One Love Takes
Over", instrumental, and Kelly Rowland was in the club and she came to me asking what was this record and proposed me to sing. That's how we met,
"One Love Takes Over, and it was -- it's incredible.
"I Got a Feeling", you know --
ANDERSON: Big break, right? Big break.
GUETTA: Which was really like a record that changed the industry at the time with the Black Eyed Peas.
(MUSIC)
GUETTA: All those moments were so important like working with Sia and making "Titanium" without knowing it was a hit, you know, all of those
moments that change your career.
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: When you think back and you say making "Titanium" without knowing it was going to be a hit, and now people say to you, you must have
known that was going to be a hit. I mean, we all love it.
GUETTA: It's always like this. It's very funny because like sometimes I was like, even criticized, ah, yeah, of course, but you make choruses that
stick in your head. It's so obvious.
Yeah, but, no, it's not true. It's easy to say after, yeah, this is an obvious hit. But when most of the time, it's not the one that we expect to
be big that is big.
ANDERSON: When you are mixing things, do you imagine that club, Space in Ibiza stacked to the hill? Obviously not these days, but back in the day,
in normal times, does that help you to mix a tune?
GUETTA: Oh, yeah, 100 percent.
ANDERSON: And light as well --
GUETTA: Everything I do when I'm in the studio, I'm imagining when I'm going to play that record. I'm picturing, and Ibiza -- you're talking about
Ibiza now. It's probably the place where I get to test new sounds and see the reaction of the people.
It's a little bit like a laboratory where I can try things. And yeah, I bring this experience home in my studio and make music thinking like, oh,
my God, I cannot wait to drop this, you know?
ANDERSON: People affectionately call you the godfather or even the grandfather of electronic dance music. Fair?
GUETTA: Godfather? Maybe. Grandfather, I don't like it at all.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: I swapped it up a little bit. Thought you might like that.
GUETTA: But you know, actually, it's crazy when I think about it because I'm 53, and I started when I was 14. That's a long time.
ANDERSON: The big-time music exec Mark Geiger expects a Roaring `20s period when live music returns. That's what you're talking about. That's
what you want.
GUETTA: Exactly. It's interesting because I was actually discussing this. This is what happened in the '20s.
[10:50:01]
It was ten years of craziness. So, I'm ready!
(MUSIC)
ANDERSON: Tell us about the new music. What can you tell us?
GUETTA: Just imagine normally traveling all the time. I have so much time. I never had this, so much time in my head.
So just the fact I can take my breakfast and wake up every day in the same bed, for me, it's a complete revolution in my life.
So, then, after my breakfast, I start making music. And so, yeah, I've been -- again, adapting, you know? I'm doing sessions on Zoom with a musician
that is in Montreal. Another one that is in Amsterdam and in Los Angeles and we all work like this.
It's a new way of making music, you know? But it's working. I made this record with Sia completely in confinement called "Let's Love."
(MUSIC)
GUETTA: And this is how we did it online. We have no other choice.
ANDERSON: David Guetta, the last year has been a really reflective period for all of us. And we are all taking stock of what's important in our lives
and what our next moves might be. What does the next chapter for you, David Guetta, look like?
GUETTA: So basically you question is, what have I learned from this experience? And fortunately, I think I'm a lost cause. And my vision is
that, you know, we're going to witness the biggest party year of all time, and I'm just ready for it.
So I think I'm going to go with even more love and passion and get on stage as soon as I can.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was straight up a cool interview. What a guy and what a location. The helipad on the Burj al-Arab.
Time for a very quick break, Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics is looking for a new president after the current chief resigned. This comes after sexist remarks that he made during
a trustee meeting last week.
Yoshiro Mori commented that meetings with women took longer because they were, quote, competitive and might feel the need to speak if others did.
Mori apologized during his resignation and said he never meant to neglect women. The CEO of the games said a new chief will be picked as soon as
possible.
Well, dress codes have always been a hot-button issue, but things came to a head this week in New Zealand after a member of parliament wore a Maori
green stone pendant in place of a traditional necktie, a requirement in New Zealand's parliament. Rawiri Waititi was ejected from the chamber after
attempting to ask a question. You can see the confrontation now, and indeed his pendant.
[10:55:01]
The parliament has since backtracked and dropped the necktie as part of its dress code.
Well, following the exchange, Rawiri Waititi likened the necktie to a colonial noose.
I spoke with him after all of this happened and asked him how he felt in that moment. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAWIRI WAITITI, NEW ZEALAND MAORI MP: One of my ancestors many years ago was wrongfully accused of a crime and hung. He was wrongfully accused of
killing a missionary, and he was hung. But before he was hung, he said (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) which translates, take the noose around my neck
so that I may sing my song.
And I likened the mandatory tie-wearing in New Zealand parliament to a colonial noose which I was not prepared to wear. So I was evicted.
TREVOR MALLARD, NEW ZEALAND SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I do not recognize the member. He will now leave the chamber.
WAITITI: My people were constantly discriminated and prejudiced. And every decision made in this country. I thought it was an archaic rule. And it
needed to be changed. And I'm glad that we're now in a space that we can have an adult and mature discussion about how we represent our people.
ANDERSON: Asked to comment on this incident that we are discussing, the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she didn't have a strong opinion on the
matter and had no objection to someone wearing a tie in parliament or not. Saying, there are much more important issues for all of us. Did you feel
like you had her support in this?
WAITITI: Not directly, but I do -- I do share the sentiments of the prime minister when she said that she didn't have strong views around people
wearing ties or not in parliament. The other thing is that we've got more pressuring issues is correct but that comes from a very privileged point of
view. She doesn't come from a culture that's been discriminated or prejudiced for over 181 years.
ANDERSON: Before we go, sir, I wonder, would you describe what your tattoos mean? They are absolutely remarkable. And for the benefit of those
who are watching around the world, can you just describe them for me, if you will.
WAITITI: So we call this moko. And moko is etching of ink into your skin that represents your genealogy and represents the -- your ancestry. But it
also represents the future. It shows that we are not going anywhere. And that we will be -- we will be here forever and ever and ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Really, really important story.
Thank you for joining us tonight and all this week. It's a very good evening from Abu Dhabi. Wherever you are watching, do stay safe and stay
well.
[11:00:00]
END
