Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
China Denies Involvement In Myanmar's Coup; Davies: Our Leaders Didn't Talk About HIV/AIDS During The 80s; CNN Speaks To Writer And Creator Of "It's A Sin"; Exhausted Paramedics In Wales Relieved At Drop In New Cases; Investigators Focus On "The Oath Keepers" For Their Role In Attack; Brad Yasar: Can't Access Bitcoin Now Worth Hundreds Of Millions. Aired 11a- 12p ET.
Aired February 16, 2021 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: It is 11:30 in the morning in D.C. it is 7:00 in the evening in - and it is 8 pm here in Abu Dhabi. Hello
and welcome. We begin with a blunt warning.
The U.N. says Iraq's very stability is under grave threat tonight after what it calls a heinous and reckless act. A rocket attack on U.S. led
forces in Erbil has killed a civilian contractor and wounded nine other people including an American service member.
It was the deadliest such attack in nearly a year. The Rockets hit a coalition based near Erbil airport as well as residential parts of the
city. But Daybreak residents surveyed the damage sweeping up streets littered with broken glass, and debris a sheer militant group with alleged
ties to Iran has claimed responsibility but provided no evidence.
The American Secretary of State says U.S. is outraged pledging to help Iraq hunt down those responsible. Well, the attack poses a major test for Joe
Biden in the early days of his presidency. Let's get you to the Pentagon and to our Barbara Starr for more. What more do we know about this attack?
And how has the U.S. responded specifically, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky right now, what we are told is through intelligence channels, the U.S. trying to determine
exactly where the attack was launched from the origin point, if you will, where did those rockets launch from? And who was there launching them, they
want to know who was behind the attack?
There have been some claims of responsibility from a group tied to Iranian backed militias, but no confirmation yet, in the eyes of the United States
that those are the people that were really behind it.
So they want to know that and then they're going to determine what the next steps are? Right now, we are hearing mainly diplomatic messages very tough,
but very much in diplomatic channels as Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken issuing a statement saying in part and let me read it.
We are outraged by today's rocket attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region; we express our condolences to the loved ones of the civilian contractor killed
in this attack. And to the innocent Iraqi people and their families who are suffering from these ruthless acts of violence.
A tough message, but not quite the fire and brimstone, if you will, that the Trump Administration often expressed in these situations. Look, if the
military is ordered to launch any strike against a militia camp. They're perfectly capable of carrying it out.
But right now, diplomacy seems to be the way and in this region of Northern Iraq. This is one of the safest regions of the country a lot at stake a lot
of economic investment there. So the local government in this region is also going to find it very much in their interest to try and find the
perpetrators. Becky,
ANDERSON: An early test in this region of the Middle East, for the Biden Administration, Barbara?
STARR: Well, it is and I think everyone will be watching and trying to interpret what the U.S. does and how it may have matched up against the
Trump Administration? President Biden making very clear that his initiatives with Iran is to get them back into that nuclear deal.
But when you are the President of the United States and U.S. military personnel are injured in this case, the question becomes what do you as
Commander in Chief do about it? And do you let perpetrators think they can get away with it? And next time, it could potentially be worse. So this is
going to be a calculation and very much a test for the Biden Administration. Becky.
ANDERSON: Joe Biden has said specifically that foreign policy will be run in his administration through the prism of how Americans are affected? How
national security is affected? How what happens abroad, affects those at home? Thank you.
Well, Myanmar's detained leader Aung San Sui Shi has appeared in a court via video conference. That is according to her lawyer who says a second
charge was filed against Sui Shi relating to a national disaster law and his protest against a military takeover continue.
United Nations is warning Myanmar's military of "Severe Consequences" for any heavy handed action saying the world is watching closely. But the
military says it security forces are the ones being attacked by protesters and a spokesman for the ruling council denies the overthrow was a coup.
Let's get you to CNN's International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson for more Nic, the U.N. Special Envoy on Myanmar warning military leaders that
the world is watching.
[11:05:00]
ANDERSON: Now you have been specifically looking at China's response to what is going on? Walk us through the nuance here, if you will?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Becky. And I think we can certainly say that this, in a way is another test of President Biden
at the moment. I mean he has very clearly come out and said that the Miramar Military should step back from this coup step down from this coup.
China remains as it does, traditionally and historically, saying, let's have the two sides they're sorted out amongst themselves. But of course,
the situation in Miramar is that there are people out there who have been protesting against the government and they see China as having a protesting
rather against the military coup.
And they see China is having by their apparent ambivalence or not taking a position on this by default, as backing the military coup. So there you
have Biden and China on two opposite sides of this, and it's unfolding in a very dangerous way in Myanmar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON (voice over): Outside China's Embassy in Miramar, formerly Burma, protesters vent fears China support Myanmar's military coup.
ENZE HAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: This thing gets out of control and I think that ongoing China government or Chinese
interest in the country can become targets.
ROBERTSON (voice over): The coup is proving an early test of Joe Biden's Presidency and his ability to influence his biggest foreign policy foe
China.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The military must relinquish power seized.
ROBERTSON (voice over): Friendly nations supported Biden's call that China and Russia blocked the U.N. move to condemn the military. And so far don't
back Biden sanctions on the military either. China has a huge geostrategic stake in Myanmar.
PHIL ROBERTSON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, ASIA DIVISION, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: What they really want is they want the access to the warm port the Indian Ocean.
ROBERTSON (voice over): In recent years, China has cut development deals with both the military and ousted leader Aung San Sui Shi including plans
to construct a train line linking China's landlocked west to the Indian Ocean and an agreement to develop an Indian Ocean Port into a busy cargo
hub.
ROBERTSON: China has worked with both sides; they're not going to be forced to make a choice for China. It's too important. Myanmar is all about what
it gives to China.
ROBERTSON (voice over): It reinforces China's traditional diplomatic unwillingness to take sides.
WANG WENBIN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER: China is Myanmar's friendly neighbor. We have all parties in Miramar can properly manage their
differences under the Constitution and the legal framework.
ROBERTSON (voice over): This despite Aung San Sui Shi being an easier trade partner the Myanmar's Military
HAN: Work easier as the military in past decades also has been that Military was unpredictable.
ROBERTSON (voice over): That it's Myanmar's Military who have the most to gain by keeping China happy. The U.N. report alleged the military carried
out atrocities in their campaign against Rohingya Muslim four years ago following on top generals to face genocide charges. But the military backed
by Aung San Sui Shi has repeatedly denied it deliberately attacked on Rohingya.
ROBERTSON: They have been relying on China to prevent any sort of referral to the International Criminal Court of the allegations of crimes against
humanity.
ROBERTSON (voice over): Biden's game plan to curb the coup.
BIDEN: We will work with our partners to support restoration of democracy and the rule of law and impose consequences on those responsible
ROBERTSON (voice voice): Question is Can Biden out leverage China in their backyard stake in the anti-China protests tipping China toward the
military.
HAN: If they can proceed this is a plot to tarnish the Chinese government's image then they might respond a different way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So far, frustrations and fears are finely balanced Biden and China in a cautious first test. But I think we're seeing that balance sort
of swaying a little bit. Today, Becky, we've heard from the Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar, calling allegations that are coming from the street
protesters that China is supporting the military that they've been flying in people and material to support the Chinese military.
They're calling that nonsense but on top of that, what they're saying is people who support that views that appear to indicate that there is an
outside manipulation and instigation from outside forces against China.
[11:10:00]
ROBERTSON: So you see the way that this could potentially go. You could make a comparison here with what happened in Hong Kong, two entirely
different sets of circumstance. But China perceiving a more organized international anti-China threat, and deciding to proceed down a particular
path because of that perception and that's what's at stake here very much at the moment it appears Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, now, that's fascinating. And, Nic, just as an aside, you could hardly describe the rest of the world's response to what is going on
in Myanmar as unequivocal, could you?
ROBERTSON: At this stage, it's been quite clear, there are countries that are lined up behind the United States, United Kingdom and many European
nations that have been very, very clear in what they're saying that this is a coup. And it was very - they were these nations and in particularly the
United States, were very quick to use this language and declare it for what it was Biden took a little time to arrive at his position.
But it has been a solid position. But where's the leverage? How do you change the situation? And how do you bring all these countries that say
this that call it a coup? How do you bring that pressure to bear that's just not what's clear at the moment, Becky?
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. Nic, thank you. Well, both the stories that we've connected up to so far this hour, Iraq, and Myanmar are big foreign
policy tests for U.S. President Joe Biden's first 100 days and his foreign policy will likely be on the agenda.
Just hours from now do join us for CNN town hall with Mr. Biden moderated by my colleague, Anderson Cooper that will be at 9 pm Tuesday Eastern time.
That's six in the morning, here Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, and we will replay that at more convenient times if those on your screen are not convenient.
They see the updated replay times as well.
Well, South Africa says it's still ready to roll out its COVID vaccination program just not with doses of AstraZeneca we'll find out why and a live
report from Johannesburg a little later this hour. And--
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They think it's this fine risk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were boys dying all over the world from sex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That would be ridiculous. That will be all over the news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A heart wrenching new series shines a light on the AIDS epidemic in 1980s London. We'll speak to the creator of the show about why it is
crucial for the world to see this story now stay with us?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00]
ANDERSON: Through the most innocent of gestures Princess Diana here, helping change the world simply by sitting next to someone who was
suffering with AIDS, or in shaking their hands. She recognized them as people, not a virus of people.
It was an incredible kindness to a community shunned, because at the time, it was, quite frankly, made out to be shameful to have AIDS, people were
made to feel guilty about it, they were cut off, unable to get help. No one talks about it, people avoided any association with it.
Look at this demonstration here in New York City, the year was 1987, the height of the HIV AIDS epidemic so many protesters frustrated and angry
over this deadly disease being ignored. They trace their bodies in chalk making it look like a crime because that's what it was a crime that so many
lives were lost to a sickness that nobody seemed to care about. It was a deeply, deeply traumatizing time for so many people.
Well, now a new television series named "It's a sin" is telling the story of those who were forced to hide in the shadows of the AIDS crisis, the
show is being held and rightly so, as a heart wrenching, but heartwarming and important tribute to those who lost their lives during the epidemic
that started back in the early 1980s.
Well, I had the chance to speak to the Writer and Creator of the show, Russell T. Davies. And I started by asking him why he chose to tell the
story now?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSSELL T. DAVIES, WRITER & CREATOR, "IT'S A SIN": It was time, I would have gone to my deathbed ashamed of myself if I hadn't eventually turned
around and done this. And I've been telling a story for a long time. I did a show called - back in 1999.
And I've had a good tradition of writing this stuff. And in a way, this is the story. Maybe I was running away from it. I think we all ran away from
it a bit. I think we all raised money in charities and made ourselves busy, that would just stop ourselves looking back sometimes at those terrible
losses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So where do you see yourself in five years time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you want to be doing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the plan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to be happy. I want to learn everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll be thinking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad because I'm older. I got a perspective; I think I'm glad I've got this maturity to look back on it without screaming
without storming out the room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm getting out of view.
ANDERSON: I am interested in you explaining why it was so difficult to talk about this and to write about this?
DAVIES: Well, of course, I mean, now if only during the 80s if only when HIV was rearing its head it wouldn't we could have talked on the news and
had long phones and our leaders talking to us on television about it. That's what didn't happen. Because it was it I mean, obviously HIV can
affect anyone, but it largely affected the gay male population and it's a sin as about that gay male population.
And so in Britain that was only like 15 years after the legalization of homosexuality and it was seen as the physical act was seen as shameful it
what couldn't be spoken about. And once you establish shame and secrecy, you create the perfect pressure cooker for a virus to thrive, then
everything becomes secret, everything becomes terrifying.
And ignorance spreads out of that that literally contributes to the death count, literally drove people to their desk, the fact that nothing could be
said nothing could be done, our leaders wouldn't face up to Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, they wouldn't look at what was going on. And so
people died.
MARGARET THATCHER, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Children are needs to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have
an inalienable right to be gay. All of those children are being treated, have a sound start in life. Yes, cheated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The government knows all about it, and they're keeping it quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think there's an illness that only kills gay men?
ANDERSON: What struck me the most when watching this is I was just reminded about what people felt about the gay community back in the 80s, and how far
we have come? And I remember I have a personal experience of this.
My brother, my older brother died of AIDS, when he was 32-years-old in 1992. There was so much discrimination at the time, I wonder whether you
know, that's something that in some ways is the positives that come out of telling this story. Now is a reminder of just how far we've come.
DAVIES: It's still there, but it was so much more institutionalized that, that as I said, that creates the shame that creates the fear that lets the
virus grow all these things are connected.
ANDERSON: How much of your own experience and memories did you write into this series?
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: And how did it feel rehashing those experiences?
DAVIES: It was an excavation it did. I was unusually slow writing this because I had doors and bolts and dungeons to open. But at the same time,
the same time, it's an honor to do because I realized now that almost every line, I think every single line of these five episodes, you could I could
trace back forensically to find the man who said it to me.
The person who said it's been most to them that now the story the whole, two decades since about 1991 was the story of a mother turning up on a ward
of a friend of mine, who discovered that he was gay, that he was HIV positive, that that was AIDS that he was dying all in one second. And
that's not an extraordinary story that happened time and time and time again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't get better for AIDS there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really, anyone knows.
DAVIES: I think the important thing to say about it to sin is that it's not just about the deaths. The point is it's about the lives of the people. I
think we forget sometimes all of us to remember the joy the fantastic lives those boys that how funny they were a beautiful they were how kind they
were.
ANDERSON: Just take me through some of the characters and the series, what were your favorite sounds like the wrong word, doesn't it? But let's use
that word. What were your favorite parts?
DAVIES: Well, my favorite part is the fun that they have. Because it is I'm listening to this with my own thinking, well, this sounds like a very
serious drama. And I wanted it to be entertaining. AIDS its funny, it's - I've got some good gags in there. And it's enormously colorful characters.
And they have a great time. Because that is what the lives of those people we lost was like they had good time.
To create people you love, so that you miss them because that's the feeling of the 80s and 90s and into the 2000s. This thing, I've compressed this
into 10 years, actually it went on for decades. So I wanted you to love them, so that you miss them.
An extraordinary thing about the success of this show is that you can feel people loving these people and breaking their hearts for them. And I think
that's the point. That's what I want you to do. That's what really happened.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If there was an illness as you had it. And you slept with him. And then you slept with him. And then you slept with 500 people
all of you do every weekend and tell me - you're so clever. What's going to stop it spreading?
ANDERSON: Jill has really resonated with so many people and there is this hash-tag during the rounds #bemorejill. As I understand it Joe was based on
a friend of yours. Can you tell us a little bit more?
DAVIES: Yes. Yes, we met when we were 14 in our little youth days together. And she went off to London. I didn't go to London. She went off to London
at 18. She literally lived the story of it's essentially got a flat she got it the big palace. She lived with a bunch of gay men.
They have parties every weekend. And then the virus came along and then she found herself becoming a fundraiser and an activist. And more than that she
sat at those bedsides holding the hand holding, the hands of some men who have no one else whose families wouldn't visit them.
Some men wouldn't even tell their friends how or why they were ill. And she did this unsung for all her life. And so I wrote a character called Jill, I
couldn't even change her name. I should have done that. But I couldn't imagine any other name.
And in one of the lovely things that happen in my job we then cost real life Jill, as Jill's mother on screen. She but she plays her own mother on
screen, which is just one of those great delights and with those great rewards.
ANDERSON: That hash-tag during the rounds is absolutely right. We should applaud Jill and be more like Jill. I want to talk a little bit about this
AIDS crisis. You said even then, the truth was surrounded by nonsense that headline call that a plot because that's what everybody said the virus was
created by the Russians, the Chinese the Americans escaped from some villainous high tech secret lab.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think there's an illness that only kills gay men?
ANDERSON: Do you see similarities between the misinformation and the sort of nonsense that was going on and being said about AIDS at the time and
what we are hearing now about this COVID crisis and the way things are being handled?
DAVIES: It's shocking the similarities between the two ages are this was written before the Coronavirus came along. We finished shooting this in
January 2019. And to see that happening, I mean, it just goes to show people blame the internet for misinformation. We invented ourselves in our
own head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got some news for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to live.
[11:25:00]
ANDERSON: There is one message that you hope that people will take away from this series, it will be what?
DAVIES: I have two. One is just remembering them. Remember those who speak up, tell their stories. It's like, listen to the stories of others.
Remember those people who died, men and women remember them. The second is very simply, in HIV testing, we get tested because now if you get tested,
if you're negative, that's great. If you're positive, that's great.
There's medicine. If you get the medicine that makes it transmittable, that's great. That is a step towards eradicating HIV within our lifetimes.
Testing used to be terrifying. Now it is an entirely good process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Russell T. Davies speaking to me recently. Well test, stay safe and remember them. I want to take a very quick break back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, this just into CNN. I want to update you on our top story Iran rejecting any involvement in the deadly rocket attack on coalition
forces in the city of Erbil in Northern Iraq. As I reported at the top of the hour, the attack killed a civilian contractor and wounded nine other
people including an American service member.
It was the deadliest such attack in nearly a year. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman called any attempt to link Iran to the attack dubious and
condemned the "Rumors". Well, the developing world will now have wider access to the AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine. The World Health Organization is
given the green light for its emergency use which means the Covax program, as it's called can get shots in the arms in the world's poorest countries.
The W.H.O. says the vaccine is safe. It's also been hailed as cheaper as and easier to distribute than some of its rivals. But South Africa is going
to take a pass it is offering its AstraZeneca stock to the African Union because of a recent announcement about vaccines limited efficacy against
what is the dominant variant in South Africa.
Well, the country says it still plans to roll out his vaccination program this week, but with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Well CNN's David
McKenzie standing by for us in Johannesburg, David.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right; Becky was with much fanfare that there are 1 million doses of this vaccine. The Oxford
AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in South Africa some weeks ago. But then there was that curveball when clinical trials here in South Africa showed that
that particular vaccine has very limited if minimal efficacy against mild and moderate versions of COVID-19 when it is this strain discovered in
South Africa late last year.
[11:30:00]
MCKENZIE: Now, it is worth repeating that it still could be effective against severe disease and hospitalizations. But they didn't study that,
particularly in this narrowly focused trial here in South Africa.
So, as you say, they are going to be giving this vaccine offering it to the African Union to distribute it to other countries. And in the coming days,
they shifted their strategy to use the one dose, Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is more than 80 percent, according to trials effective against severe
disease of this variant.
And the way they are doing this is through a very large scale implementation trial. Everyone on the trial will get the vaccine, there are
no placebos, and they will all be health workers, potentially hundreds of thousands of them, Becky, and there'll be monitoring very closely the
effect of that vaccine.
Just a short time ago, the Health Minister addressed parliament saying they believe they have the vaccines to cover the population, they'll have at
least 9 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines and 20 million Pfizer vaccines, neither of those yet have been formally approved by the South African
regulators, Becky,
ANDERSON: Yes, and there have been a lot of questions asked haven't there about the impact on the vaccine rollout, of course in South Africa? And I
just want to quote the Health Minister, here specifically trying to sort of correct some what he believes are some wrongs out there.
He says I wish to once again, put it on the record that the vaccines have not expired, and that the expiry date of April 31, was established through
our quality control processes. And it's wrong; it's a wrong impression that was created that the vaccines have expired. That is simply not true.
So he's putting to rest he hopes one of the narratives around what is going on in South Africa. Meantime, as you say, there are other vaccines, the
South African population will be eager to find out how quickly the vaccine program will now roll out and gear up? Is there an answer to that at this
point?
MCKEZNIE: Well, they will. It will be a kind of incrementally expanding rollout. You won't see what you saw in the U.K. in the U.S. where, you
know, once finally vaccines were approved, and they were rolled out at a pretty fast clip and at a very high level because these vaccines don't have
approval yet here.
And because it will take time to get those large shipments in this implementation study in a way is to get a backdoor way of getting people
vaccines, particularly those frontline health workers. Now there has been a substantial amount of criticism in months passed by the South African
public that the government didn't do enough to negotiate these bilateral deals. You do have to fail for them, though, in a way because when they
finally got those vaccines in, it will seem to be an effective, they've been pretty nimble and changing their strategy.
The question is, you know, we focus a lot on South Africa, of course, this variant discovered here is definitely circulating in large parts of the
continent, what impact will that have and on Covax's strategy to use this AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine as its primary Vaccine? I think there are still
some open questions about that, given the disappointing results that they found here in South Africa, Becky?
ANDERSON: Yes. David McKenzie, on the story, David, it was a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
The U.K., as David has rightly pointed out, is on a roll as it were, this week meeting its goal of delivering 15 million first vaccine doses it is
hoping that the impact of that will bring new daily case numbers even lower. It has just recorded its lowest numbers since October.
And you can see that drop very clearly on this graph, but some officials crediting the drop to tougher lockdown measures rather than just the
vaccines themselves, while the rollout is for the most vulnerable, and it is gathering pace in Wales and that is welcome news for exhausted and
stressed ambulance workers.
In two days only two possible COVID cases emerged during a CNN opportunity to ride along with ambulance crews. Nick Payton Walsh has that for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Endless bad news here has traces of good in it now. Paramedic team Angie Lynda over months of
exhaustion and loss raced between back to back COVID call outs. This is a normal busy morning for the ambulance crew but with one key difference.
They're finding the winner in the middle of a two day period where these COVID cases are dramatically dropping off. On one day we spent here in this
city of half a million Cardiff they were only.
[11:35:00]
WALSH (voice over): Could it be just a glitch or a global first Vaccine sweeping in and easing pressure on the very front line?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, my sweetheart.
WASLH (voice over): This turning up to an elderly possible COVID patient and discovering McCarney (ph) had the vaccine two weeks ago will soon be
the norm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you struggling to breathe?
WALSH (voice over): --says a home test found COVID but only has a slight fever and is awaiting a proper test. She decides not to go to hospital.
She's already alone enough. This house mired in a new solitude and grief. Her son Rahim (ph) died just days ago from a non COVID heart attack.
The U.K. has one of the worst death tolls, but also the fastest vaccination rates. In Wales, where nearly a quarter all the vulnerable had had their
first dose by this day. They are even ahead of the U.K. schedule.
They went into lockdown a little faster than England to and now something could be changing as we only see one other COVID case in two days who isn't
that sick. Lynda, have been a team for 12 years.
ANGIE DYMOTT, PARAMEDIC: We finish each other sentences.
WALSH (voice over): But this year, have patients they'll never forget.
DYMOTT: She was my next door neighbor. So I knew her. I immediately knew she was - so I called for an ambulance myself for her.
WALSH (on camera): It must be harder to know the person.
DYMOTT: It was really, really hard, really hard to tell her that she really, really needed to go in, which I don't think she expected too.
WALSH (voice over): She was OK.
DYMOTT: No, she wasn't. No. So that particular lady did pass away five days later.
LYNDA STEPHENS, ADVANCED EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHINICIAN: And you know it might be the last time they say goodbye to their family on the back of the
ambulance.
WALSH (on camera): Is there a patient that stays with you when you say that?
STEPHENS: A woman?
WALSH (on camera): What were they saying to each other?
STEPHENS: Just mostly just goodbye? Don't worry. I love you that sort of thing. Yes. I think everybody's well aware of - families are well aware
they might not see their family, that person again.
WALSH (voice over): And then there was April, when Angie became a COVID patient herself raised by her own colleagues to hospital.
DYMOTT: I was really scared. I was scared. And I although - I kept telling myself, you know, I'm healthy and I'm you know, youngish. I still kept
thinking, you know, I could deteriorate at any time now. My oxygen levels weren't getting better.
WALSH (on camera): Was there a moment of panic at some point?
DYMOTT: Oh, yes, definitely. Yes.
WALSH (voice over): Would it be possible to come back to work without Angie for you?
DYMOTT: Probably not. No. I hope this vaccine is what - what we need to you know, we really hope there's not a third way. I think we're all exhausted
now.
WALSH (voice over): Wales's First Minister Mark Drakeford thinks the lockdown is more behind the drop in cases than the vaccine.
MARK DRAKEFORD, FIRST MINISTER OF WALES: Where it will have begun to make a difference. We know it is three weeks before the Vaccine begins to make a
difference and we're only 66 days into our program altogether today. What has really made the difference was the decision we made, the very difficult
decision to go into a full lockdown before Christmas.
WALSH (voice over): Hope good news something so alien now to these streets. It will take time to be sure of it. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Cardiff, United
Kingdom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Still ahead. Excuse me, we go inside the right wing Oath Keepers group, one of those said to be behind the January the sixth Capitol
attacks. Also ahead, we've all been there a password or file misplaced a bag and a big hassle to make it right. Well, we're going to talk with
somebody who says his lost password is costing him millions in Bitcoin that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ANDERSON: In the wake of his acquittal, Donald Trump now being sued over the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Democratic Lawmaker
Bennie Thompson, who leads the House Homeland Security Committee is fighting a personal civil lawsuit accusing Trump and his lawyer Rudy
Giuliani of conspiring with right wing groups to incite the deadly riot now the suit points to Trump's words and tweets in the months before the
attack.
Meantime, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is announcing plans for an independent commission to investigate the violence. She says it will be similar to the
one created after the 911 attacks. One of the groups mentioned in that lawsuit against Donald Trump is the Oath Keepers, that groups been getting
a lot of attention in connection with the Capitol attacks. CNN's Sarah Seidner has some frankly shocking details about some of its members, some
of whom came from the ranks of law and order.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Members of the extremist anti government Oath Keepers were a part of this siege. They are seen in combat
gear brazenly bragging about breaching the Capitol. The extremist paramilitary group is known for recruiting current and former members of
the military and law enforcement.
It has emerged as one of the groups that are a major focus of federal investigators. The FBI is trying to hunt down the suspects in these photos,
some of whom are wearing oath keeper gear. These three alleged Oath Keepers and military veterans Jessica Watkins, Donovan Crowle and Thomas Caldwell
were the first to face significant conspiracy charges related to the Capitol attack.
ERIC SWALWELL, U.S. HOUSE IMPEACHMENT MANAGER: A leader of a militia group known as the Oath Keepers received messages while he was at the Capitol.
SIDNER (voice over): The federal claims against the accused Oath Keepers even mentioned during the second impeachment trial against Former President
Donald Trump.
SWALWELL: The leader was given directions to where representatives were thought to be sheltering and instructions to "Turn on gas", "Seal them in".
SIDNER (voice over): An accused leader of the group that day Caldwell denies any involvement with the Oath Keepers. His attorney claims the FBI
has shown no evidence of him inside the Capitol. In court papers his lawyer says he worked for the FBI and has held a top security clearance since
1979. But this is also Caldwell, talking about members of Congress on January 6th.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every single - is a traitor, every single one.
SIDNER (voice over): A source with inside knowledge of how the Oath Keepers operate told CNN about a dozen members were in federal law enforcement but
purposely kept off the group's official membership database.
SIDNER (on camera): Would it be a surprise that someone who was in federal law enforcement was a member of the Oath Keepers?
ALEX FRIEDFELD, INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCHER, ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: Unfortunately not right? For years of keepers have been targeting, you
know, military and law enforcement personnel, especially at the federal level with their messaging recruitments.
SIDNER (voice over): Federal prosecutors say just days before the attack, Caldwell discussed with another extremist, bringing weapons across the
Potomac via boat. We could have our quick response team with the heavy weapons standing by load them and ferry them across the river to our
waiting arms.
Federal agent says he also sent messages to accuse Oath Keepers Crowle and Watkins. In this one to Crowle he says I will probably do pre strike on the
fifth maybe can do some night hunting, and then mentions when his oath keeper friends North Carolina will show up.
[11:45:00]
SIDNER (voice over): In video from January 6th, it appears the three may not have been acting alone. Walkins is scene with others marching towards
the Capitol. The FBI said she was part of a group of eight to 10 people all wearing paramilitary gear and oath keeper paraphernalia signifying their
affiliation with the conspiracy fueled anti-government group.
Here she is again behind the guy with the eye-patch, the Leader and Founder of the Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes in the November Trump rally in DC. Two
months later, Rhodes is seen outside the Capitol during the attack. He has not been charged with any crime. He was clear on his Oath Keeper's mission
in D.C.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In our mission there is as we stated on - in our call to action to go to D.C. was all - we will always do protect people, protect
venues and protect events. That's it, you know, do VIP escorts.
SIDNER (voice over): And some dead appearing to stand guard with Trump Advisor Roger Stone. This is Oath Keeper Roberto Manuto (ph) of New Jersey
according to several people who know him. Later that day, Manuto is seeing yelling at police outside the Capitol soon after a man wearing the same
goggles and clothing is seen breaching the Capitol.
Despite the mounting evidence and manhunt for some of his Oath Keepers this is Rose 24 days after the siege, talking about the current government.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's going to be resistance. The only question is, is what will be the spark?
SIDNER (voice over): Rhodes is still spewing the lie that the election was stolen and egging on his followers to act.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got to declare this regime to be illegitimate? You got to declare everything comes out of King Biden's mouth as illegitimate
and null and void for inception because he's not a legitimate president.
FRIEDFELD: He is continuing to use violent rhetoric and spread conspiracies that frame you know, today's events in a way that necessitate action on the
part of his followers.
SIDNER (voice over): The Rhode says it was a mistake for people to actually go inside the Capitol that day. Even in light of the insurrection, his
rhetoric has not changed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have plans for us that they know will rebel against, and they're afraid because there are 365 million of us we
outnumber them vastly. And we're armed, well armed. So there they have a problem and so they're afraid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: We tried to reach out to Roberta Manuto who you see they are in the Oath Keeper gear that appears to be protecting Roger Stone and then later
on you see him yelling at a police officer. He did not return our calls but someone at his business did say that he had no comment.
We also attempted to reach out to Donovan Crowle and Jessica Watkins, both of whom are charged with conspiracy charges. Those two are both still in
jail and at the moment they do not have any attorneys representing them.
ANDERSON: Sara Sidner reporting there. Still ahead, digital hell as Bitcoin surges and makes a lot of people rich. We're going to talk to someone who
says he has lost millions after misplacing his digital wallet that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Once touted as the currency of the future, Bitcoin may actually have finally arrived. The electronic currency has been surging at an eye
watering rate briefly crossing the $50,000 mark earlier. Not bad for a coin that doesn't jingle in your pocket. So why are we seeing this sudden rise?
Well, I'm going to connect you to the widest story on that in just a moment.
[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: First, let's just quickly reset on what Bitcoin actually is? Bitcoin is a Crypto currency. It was created in 2009 by an unknown person
using the alias, Satoshi Nakamoto. Transactions also done anonymously if you decide to invest your Bitcoins will be stored in what is called a
digital wallet, which is either saved in the cloud or on your computer's hard drive.
There are of course, some inherent dangers. A hacked server, a deleted file or a lost password could mean all in a blink of an eye, adding lost funds.
As an investment, it has been quite volatile. In fact, it's had quite the volatile run.
And that leads us back to today, the currency now accelerating faster than an F1 car, and the person behind that wheel none other than the world's
richest man, Elon Musk. Last week, Tesla invested a hefty $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, all the while announcing that customers can now use the digital
currency as payment.
Well, this move a big leap to legitimize Bitcoin and of course, where you lead others will follow of course, a slew of other big names from Uber to
MasterCard also now saying that they will start accepting the crypto currency, it's a cracker of a story, unless, of course you have lost your
password or misplaced your Bitcoin wallet.
Well, that is exactly what has happened to my next guest. Brad Yasar is an Entrepreneur and the Founder of Beyond Enterprizes an Advisory Firm that
focuses in part on Crypto currency he has spent hundreds of hours trying to save his Bitcoin after losing his digital wallet years ago.
So far, as I understand it, there has been no luck. Look, Brad, who is joining me tonight from Istanbul. For those not so Bitcoin or tech savvy,
just explain what it means to lose your digital wallet, sir.
BRAD YASAR, ENTREPRENEUR AND FOUNDER, BEYOND ENTERPRIZES: Hello, thank you for having me. It's really simple. A digital wallet is just like a regular
wallet or a bank account. If you lose access to it, you lose access to what's inside.
But you know it works the same way a digital wallet contains all your digital assets, at least the types that it can accommodate and gives you
access to them.
ANDERSON: And you sound very calm about the fact that you have lost your digital wallet. And just remind us, how much have you misplaced as far as
you know, dollars and cents a concern at this point?
YASAR: Well, I mean, I think the overall value is not that relevant. It was quite a few Bitcoin in a couple different wallets, but I also was able to,
you know, keep and preserve a portion of it. So, you know, again, it was a good learning experience. And, and I wish I had access to those, but it's
really, you know, not a determining factor at this point, because they're not accessible.
ANDERSON: Right. And so how - I'm going to push you on this because I think you say it's not an awful lot. But I was told it was actually quite
significant amount of what we'd say, you know, Bitcoin and I just wonder how much you'd have if you were able to access your wallet at this point,
because obviously we're seeing the price shoot up at the moment, aren't we?
YASAR: Yes, I mean, it was several 1000 Bitcoins. So depending on - you know, market condition, it's in the hundreds and millions.
ANDERSON: Oh, OK. And, why did you decide to originally invest in Bitcoin out of interest?
YASAR: I actually didn't invest in Bitcoin. I learned about it through a friend of mine who sent me a couple files to compile and said Brad; you're
going to enjoy these. So I did compile them and it turned out to be full Bitcoin, the wallet and a miner.
So I started mining Bitcoin in the early days. So in those days, you didn't need special equipment or really powerful computers, you could just mined
Bitcoin on a simple 286 PC and mined 50 of them a day on a single machine.
[11:55:00]
YASAR: So it was a relatively different setup than what we have today. So given the fact that it was mined, I didn't really pay for it and at the
time had no intrinsic value. It was just an experiment. You know, I did not really think I would need access to them 10 years, you know, later.
ANDERSON: But now you see - now you see this incredible trajectory that Bitcoin is on at present. How do you feel about that?
YASAR: I'm very happy. The wallets in question were my earlier wallets from 2009/10 till maybe 12 - 2012. From that point on, I was much more careful
with all my crypto assets, not just Bitcoin. So lessons learned. And again, it's been a wonderful journey.
ANDERSON: Lessons Learned on what has been a wonderful journey and if our viewers are any, for those who don't have a real understanding of Bitcoin,
I'm not sure that that we did a particularly good job in explaining because it is complicated, but look, you sound as if you're completely sanguine
about things. So that's good. Thank you.
Before I go, one quick programming reminder, be sure to join us for CNN's Town Hall with U.S. President Joe Biden moderated by my colleague Anderson
Cooper, that will be up Tuesday at 9 pm Eastern that is 6, Wednesday morning here in Abu Dhabi, I will of course be up right and early to watch.
My producers on the other hand, love a good sleep it and said we will be playing it again for them at more convenient time. And that is it from all
of us here; my producers and me stay safe stay well. Good evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It is an important day for President Joe Biden. He's hitting the road to Wisconsin for his first official trip as President of the United
States for a CNN Town Hall moderated by Anderson Cooper that will be Tuesday at 9 pm Eastern Time at 6 Wednesday morning here in Abu Dhabi. But
for now I want to hand you over to my American colleagues John King has "Inside Politics" for you.
END
