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CNN 10
Questions Are Being Asked About China Ahead Of The Winter Olympics; Part Of The U.S. Recovers From A Nor`easter; Facial Recognition Technology Expands In Airports; Great White Sharks Are Filmed Swimming Under Surfers In San Diego, California. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired October 28, 2021 - 04:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. Welcome to the show. In normal times is a phrase we`ve used a lot lately. It harkens back to a simpler
time, to a world without COVID-19. When the Olympics, for instance, were held on time every two years, alternating between the winter and summer
games.
Well, these ain`t normal times, COVID forced the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics until just a few months ago, and in less than 100
days from now another international sporting event dawns in Beijing, China. The winter games will be held less than a year after their counterpart in
Japan, and like Tokyo, Beijing is putting a number of rules in place to try to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
It`s hard to say whether that worked in Japan. It did manage to successfully host the events, despite the concerns and some calls for the
games to be postponed again. In the days before and following the Summer Olympics, Japan saw an increase in COVID cases driven by the highly
contagious Delta variant.
But they dropped off sharply after a peak in mid to late August, and medical experts just don`t know for sure whether hosting the games had an
impact on Japan`s COVID cases. Now, with the spotlight turning to China, worries are welling up about its own recent increase in cases, despite the
fact that an estimated 75 percent of its population has been fully vaccinated.
China has reported 133 new infections in recent days. It`s a relatively tiny amount compared to many other countries, but Chinese officials did
postpone the Beijing Marathon that was supposed to be held Sunday, and they`ve increased testing and clamped down on travel. As it gears up for
the start of the Winter Olympics on February 4th, China`s readiness to prevent COVID is only one of the questions being asked about the communist
country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One hundred days until China hosts another Olympic Games. This one, like Tokyo, taking place in the midst of the
pandemic, but unlike Japan, Chinese officials are preparing for rather extreme containment measures, creating bubble-like atmospheres.
Olympic venues in and outside of Beijing will essentially be sealed off. Planners even dedicated specific lines of transportation between the three
main competition sites. Only domestic spectators will be allowed, so you`ll likely see fans full with mostly Chinese fans. As of now, organizers intend
to keep those traveling into the country and those attending the events separated from the rest of us already here in China so as to keep the virus
from spreading during and after the games.
This 100-day countdown coming amidst another COVID-19 outbreak here, once again linked to the Delta variant. Targeted lockdowns, travel restrictions,
mass testing, strict contact tracing, all of that back in place as daily confirmed case counts are back in the double digits. Might not sound like a
lot, but you`ve got to remember, China is sticking with their zero COVID policy, no matter how disruptive it may be to everyday life here.
And this outbreak, once again calls into question the efficacy of Chinese vaccines, especially considering this recent cluster of cases was first
detected among a group of people who had been fully vaccinated. The games will also be plagued by growing geopolitical pressures, questioning China`s
human rights record and its cracking down on pro-democracy movements, from Hong Kong, to Tibet, to Xinjiang, to Taiwan, this country faces a range of
extremely sensitive issues.
Internationally, we have already seen many calls for boycotts, but ahead of the games China is trying to push past all of that, showcasing itself as
wanting global peace and stability, and as a leader in battling climate change.
Even promoting these games as the first Olympics with competition venues fueled 100 percent by green energy. These 2022 Olympic games will no doubt
highlight China`s ability to wow the world with pageantry and performance. They`ll deliver on that, but can they change how the world views this
rising super power. David Culver, CNN, Shanghai.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which type of storm occurs most commonly between September and April? Hurricane, Nor`easter, Monsoon or Typhoon. Though they
can form at any time, the most common time for Nor`easters is during the colder months.
And the first one of those of the season has soaked the U.S. northeast with rain and left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the dark.
From Delaware to Maine and all the states in between, officials were reporting flooding, damage or power outages from the storm.
Wind gusts along the coast of Massachusetts yesterday were predicted to be as high as 85 miles per hour. That`s the equivalent of a Category 1
hurricane though the Nor`easter only brought gusts this high, not the ongoing winds of a hurricane. Still, experts say this can be more damaging
at this time of year, because the trees still have most of their leaves.
The rain makes them heavier and the wind can blow them like a sail causing the trees to bend more and possibly crash down on power lines. This doesn`t
happen as much through the bare branches in winter. Several northeastern states say the heavy rains have brought flooding and some police officials
say they`ve had to make more than 12 water rescues during this Nor`easter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A Nor`easter occurs within the most crowded coastline of the United States, the northeast, and they can occur
any time of year but most common between the months of September and April. That`s when weather conditions are prime for a Nor`easter.
You start with a low. It`s going to travel from the southeast to the northeast and intensify. Nor`easters are strongest around New England, as
well as the Canadian maritime provinces. Now we have very warm water, the Gulf of Mexico and all around the coast of Florida, it`s going to warm the
air above it and that warm air is going to clash with very cold air coming in from the north.
Now Nor`easters carry wind out of the northeast at about 58 miles per hour or more. And keep in mind, the wind direction out of the northeast is what
defines a Nor`easter. It`s also going to cause beach erosion as well as coastal flooding and very, very rough ocean conditions. Now not all
Nor`easters have snow, but some of the most memorable ones have dumped lots of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Can facial recognition technology help speed up security checks at U.S. airports? Some security officials and airlines say yes, and that it
could help smooth out the check-in process. But many privacy advocates don`t like the idea of a computer recognizing your face serving as your key
to get around. There are concerns about identity theft.
What if your image is not deleted? Or it gets hacked or it falls into the wrong hands? There are concerns about the use of this technology expanding,
being required anytime you get on a plane or go into certain buildings, and sometimes it doesn`t work taking up extra time to have your identity
checked the old school way. But for organizations that support the new tech --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the first time, your next flight could be unlocked by facial recognition technology starting at bag check, going through
security and all the way to the gate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a test. You`re welcomed aboard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The new partnership between Delta Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration, aims to save passengers time as
people are flooding back to airports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And really hope reduce stress and increase the speed at which people traverse through the airport.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Delta`s Ranjan Goswami showed me how the system works at bag check. He says what typically takes two minutes and thirty seconds is
now down to 30 seconds. He says the process of verifying your identity at the TSA checkpoint is now down to only six seconds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the timing could not be more perfect in many ways, because, you`re right. More and more regular travelers are coming
back to travel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The trial will start at Delta`s busiest hub, at first, for those in Delta`s frequent flyer program who also have TSA Pre-check.
Passport and visa photos in a Federal database are compared with your live photo. The TSA insists that file is immediately destroyed, upping security
from cyber threats and hacks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`ve definitely taken privacy considerations into account the whole way. If somebody does not want to participate, they do
not have to opt in and participate. They really have that choice if they want to have the experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Four 10 out of 10, you know that show "Shark Tank"? Well, this drone video shows real sharks lurking just beneath surfers and swimmers near San
Diego, California. And we`re not talking about those friendly nurse sharks or whale sharks, these are great whites.
Experts believe they`re juveniles and in these pictures, they leave the humans alone. Shark attacks are reportedly rare in this area, though the
people and animals get awfully close.
Here`s the plan. We won`t tell the shark how "sweet or salty" people could be and we`ll ask the surfers to keep quiet about "sharkfin" soup and
"sharkskin" suits. Yes, some will say we`re "sharking" our duty to be transparent, but that water`s transparent enough.
And the last thing we need is for either side to get "frenzied" or "finnnnatical" and start making a "splash" if you know what I`m saying.
We`re glad our show`s making a splash at William E. Tolman High School. It is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It`s great to have you watching. I`m
Carl Azuz.
END
