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More than 17,000 Infected Globally as Virus Spreads; Multiple Countries Ban Traffic from China; China's Stocks Lose Nearly $500 Billion in Market Value; Thailand Says Second Patient Being Treated with Drug Combo; Iowa to Hold First Major Voting in 2020 Race; Senate Votes on Articles of Impeachment Wednesday; London Attacker Shot Dead by Police After Stabbing Two People; Boris Johnson Says Early Release of Convicted Terrorists Must End; Turkish Soldiers Killed in Shelling by Syrian Regime Forces; Jennifer Lopez and Shakira Steal Super Bowl Halftime Show. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 03, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Tonight hundreds of people dead, hundreds of billions of dollars in market value gone. But could Thailand now have a
cure. The latest on the Wuhan coronavirus.
An epic clash as a vote in Iowa collides with the impeachment of America's President.
Plus speaking of an American spectacles --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAKIRA AND JENNIFER LOPEZ, SING AT SUPER BOWL: Born in the USA Born in the USA
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Shakira and J.Lo take on the Super Bowl halftime show in distinct style.
It's 7:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. It's 10:00 in the morning in D.C. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. And wherever you are in
the world, you most welcome.
Our big story this hour, the Wuhan coronavirus killing more and more victims and spreading fast. And it is posing an enormous threat now to the
global economy. The outbreak is now more than double the number of people who were infected by SARS in 2003. Just have a look at this. Just look at
how quickly the number of people infected has actually risen. It more than doubled in five days, almost tripling in six days.
What do we know and what's been the impact? Well Asian markets plunged on the first day of trading after the extended lunar new year holiday bringing
China stock markets down near to a one-year low at closing, shaving off some $450 billion in market value.
Well in Hong Kong medical workers concerned about the outbreak have gone on strike. They are demanding that more be done to stop people coming in from
China's mainland, and they want better protection, including more masks and more isolation wards.
China criticizing the United States for its actions regarding the outbreak saying that the U.S. is overreacting. The country needs help from Americans
in the form of medical supplies. That's while the two nations struggle to reach a trade deal. Here is what U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says
about the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We hope also to bring some medical supplies in the context of those aircraft traveling into the region. We're
working closely and hand in hand with the Chinese government to try and resolve what is now this global epidemiological challenge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN's business emerging markets editor John Defterios with me here in Abu Dhabi and correspondent David Culver live from Beijing. And
that is where we're going to start, David. We saw the impact on these markets as Beijing and much of China began its first working day since the
lunar new year extended holiday. What is the latest where you are?
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Technically the working day starting again, you're right, after the holiday. However, not many people seen out
and about working. That's because businesses here, Becky, have encouraged folks to stay home. They still are trying to avoid the gathering of large
crowds. They want to stop potential exposure from one person to another and it seems like businesses are moving forward with that.
It was interesting, as you point out there, what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had to say with regards to the U.S. Because that's what's really
starting to make the rounds here. Particularly the fury that came out of the foreign ministry. And they express this as the U.S., essentially as you
put, overreacting. They call it unnecessary. Here's why they are really upset.
They feel like the fact that the U.S. put this travel ban in place, this restriction early on, it set a precedent and other countries started to do
this. And you and I were talking about this just 24 hours ago. The countries that were jumping on board with that same type of ban, including
Australia, New Zealand. And they feel like they have grown increasingly isolated because of that.
And so, now what we're seeing is China and the U.S. government going back and forth and it seems to be impacting real people, namely the U.S.
citizens who are trying to get out of Wuhan. We know that there was a scheduled flight that was supposed to go out today. I talked to some of the
folks on the ground there. They said for some reason we were confirmed to be on it. We were told it was delayed. They didn't give any other
explanation.
Well it seems like as we go higher up and we see back and forth between the foreign ministry and Secretary of State even making those comments, it may
be held up in political mess, if you will.
[10:05:05]
Essentially what the foreign minister here is saying, is that you've got all these other countries that are bringing in aircraft, and we've talked
about Japan and South Korea. When we fly aircraft that will eventually take citizens out, Becky, the aircraft that's coming in are bringing much needed
supplies. They feel as though the U.S. has not been living up to that. So they didn't say explicitly that that's why the flight was delayed and not
coming in but they did suggest the airport in Wuhan only has so much capacity and they need to be bringing as much supplies as possible --
Becky.
ANDERSON: Well the extended lunar new year holiday there, as David suggested, over, people are going back to work slowly. Again, there are
people who will be staying at home. But this is what Beijing looked like today.
John, authorities criticizing the U.S. for its reaction, also criticizing investors for adopting a herd-like mentality running this Chinese stock
market down to its limits at one point of negative 10 percent. Some half a trillion dollars wiped off the market. I don't think we should be surprised
by that. This is the first trading day since this crisis.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, indeed, and It was an extended new year holiday. In fact, they extended it because of the
crisis itself. So we did go limit down at one point. Individual stocks have a floor, Becky, of 10 percent and they tested that. It could have been much
worse. So we're looking between Shanghai and Shenzhen an average fall of 8 percent, as you suggested, half a trillion dollars.
The central bank and even the government are sounding a little bit desperate. They were quick to put liquidity in the market, $173 billion
with the pledge to keep interest rates lower. They had criticism of the United States due to overreaction right now. And I have to think because of
the Hubei province that sits in the center of the country we're only look at services sector right now and airlines, right.
Think about this in the broader context of the manufacturer to the world and how things would freeze up. We have a little graphic here looking at
China, $13 trillion at the end of 2018. If you take the next seven biggest economies in Asia, it's $12 trillion and they're all very interconnected in
2020. So I would think that this estimate of 6 percent growth for 2020 is in jeopardy. They're saying the first quarter go down to 4 percent. I
think it could be much worse in comparison to SARS in 2002, 2003 because we're much more dependent on China for growth worldwide than we were back
then.
ANDERSON: And it's fascinating just to have seen the impact on a traveling basis. For example, the amount of airlines who have now suspended their
flights in and out of the country. We are just learning this hour that the UAE, where we live here, will be suspending all flights to China except
they say those going to Beijing. That is effective this Wednesday. Passengers coming in from Beijing they say will have to go through what's
being described as a six to eight-hour medical screening at the airport.
We have already seen other carriers around this region suspending their flights and, of course, carriers around the world have been quick to do
that a little earlier. It is clear from the actions of these airlines that certainly authorities don't see the peak in this sort of any time soon. And
this really just shows the importance of this, or the impact of this virus.
DEFTERIOS: I would say that the UAE likes to serve as the bridge between the East and West, the new modern silk road. They were pushing to get this
market opened up and creating this visa-free travel for Chinese coming into this market. In fact, the expectation for tourism in the Gulf states, the
six states within this region we live in, was 1.6 million visitors back in 2008. But that was supposed to go to 2.8 million. So reluctantly I'm sure
Emirates made that decision but they had to follow the lead of what the Europeans did and initially what the United States carriers did and why the
Chinese are suggested you jumped the gun a little too quickly.
I think you have to air on the sense of caution. I was talking to friends in Italy and Greece. They are saying that the streets of Rome right now
look empty because in the lunar new year they expect all these Chinese travelers who spend about 1,200 euros per person on shopping. They are not
there right now. So this is that interconnectivity I was talking about in the economy today and the interdependently on China for growth within the
manufacturer. But outbound tourism sector, they love Europe. They like the Middle East. And this is a relationship that was growing.
One final point is that we talked about it last week, Becky, but the real numbers are there. This it's the largest oil importer in the world, 10
barrel a day that they import. Their demand is down 3 million barrels a day already.
[10:10:02]
And it may force the hand of the OPEC class players this week to make a rash decision to cut production by a million barrels a day.
ANDERSON: We were talking about the UAE suspending its flights into China, bar those into Beijing. I do want to show our viewers this. In a show of
solidarity, you can see here the world's tallest building all in lights. Dubai, of course, the Burj, about 140 kilometers from here lit up. This is
Burj Khalifa as a symbol of support for the Chinese people and the city of Wuhan as they struggle with this coronavirus outbreak.
All right. Thailand scrambling to come up with a cure for the Wuhan virus strain. Thank you, John. Health officials there say they had success
treating a 71-year-old woman from China with a combination of drugs. And they are working on treating a second patient. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. KRIANGSAK ATIPORNWANICH, RAJAVITHI HOSPITAL PHYSICIAN (through translator): It's a mixture of anti-HIV drugs and flu drug oseltamivir,
which China has been using in cured MERS. The mixture of both treatment shows fast improvement 48 hours after applying the treatment and the result
turns negative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Joining me now is longtime adviser to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A chat that we've had on the show here as
this story has developed. Dr. William Schaffner joining us once again. And sir, it's fantastic to have you back. This is not an approved cure. How
promising is it though in terms of helping here?
DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, DIVISION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER (via Skype): Well we have our fingers crossed.
The theory, the biological theory is good, and we'll see what results are, but we need really good clinical trials to determine which drugs work
effectively and which ones do not. A series of anecdotes is but the beginning but it is a beginning.
ANDERSON: Is it clear at this stage, sir, how long this will last and how bad will it get? How does what we are seeing now, compared to SARS and the
common flu?
SCHAFFNER: Well, what's happened is that the world is doing an extraordinary public health experiment. We're interfering with travel, with
the movement of people. And of course, people are the vectors for the virus. And we'll just have to see how effective that is both within China
and in the recipient countries around the world.
I think many of the developed world countries can do a very good job in identifying cases and isolating them. I'm a bit worried about whether this
virus, if it were introduced, for example, to Africa, where the ministries of health are not nearly as strong, not nearly as facile, whether it could
take off in Africa even though it's curtailed in other parts of the world.
ANDERSON: There are no vaccines approved for the new coronavirus, but the race is on to develop one. There are lessons from these SARS outbreak that
will help in that development.
SCHAFFNER: Absolutely. The work that was done with SARS and MERS is what we might call a platform on which the vaccine manufacturers today and our
National Institutes of Health can begin work. And that's giving them a fantastic head start.
Nonetheless, before we get a vaccine candidate in the laboratory, that can take a couple of months, and then, of course, the clinical trials in human
beings, make sure that the vaccine is safe and, indeed, of course effective, that can take more months. So the vaccine can help us at the
back end of this epidemic, but it's not to help us the immediate future. As they say, it won't help us get through the night.
ANDERSON: Finally, sir, China criticizing, for example, the U.S. for, as they say, overreacting to this outbreak. And this is with regard sending
planes in to repatriate their citizens in quite some numbers. Do you believe that countries are taking appropriate measures from a health
perspective?
SCHAFFNER: Well, please recognize this new virus encounters an entire global population that is susceptible. And what we would like to do is help
China combat its outbreak within China but we certainly don't want to have new outbreaks occur in other countries around the world.
[10:15:00]
So the response, although vigorous, is certainly in my estimation appropriate. I'm reminded of our founding father Benjamin Franklin who told
us an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
ANDERSON: And with that we will leave it there. Your insight, sir, invaluable as ever. Thank you.
Well up-to-the-minute updates on our live blog at CNN.com with everything you need to know. Plus do read about Hong Kong having experienced over six
months of mass protests now worrying about how to stave off what could be called an epidemic. Learn about the double whammy the city is getting. That
is at CNN.com.
Next up, it's the beginning of the end in the U.S. impeachment trial and Senators are defending their decisions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA) : Generally speaking going after corruption would be the right thing to do.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN, ANCHOR STATE OF THE UNION: No but going after the Bidens.
ERNST: He did it maybe in the wrong manner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We're going to hear the closing arguments before Senators take to the floor.
Plus, Joe Biden in a tight race with Bernie Sanders. Who will come out on top in the first big contest for the Democratic presidential candidates for
2020. We'll have more on what are known as the Iowa caucuses for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The most powerful country on earth rip roaring into what was a political spectacle this week with the incredible confluence of three
monumental stories. It is the beginning of the end on impeachment, whereas in Iowa it is the end of the beginning. As slap bang in the middle Donald
Trump's State of the Union address.
First up, impeachment. In less than an hour, closing arguments will begin in Washington in Donald Trump's impeachment trial. But the outcome which
we'll get on Wednesday isn't in any doubt. The President is set to be acquitted.
Monday is also the Iowa caucuses kicking off the Democratic nominating contest. The Democratic presidential hopefuls are making their final push
in the state. They spent tens of millions of dollars campaigning and, in several hours, voters will choose who they think should face off with
Donald Trump.
But there's still months and months of voting to go to narrow down the field, of course, to just one.
And sandwiched between those huge political stories, the President's annual State of the Union Address. In a moment we're going to hear from Ryan
Nobles, who is in Iowa. First up Suzanne Malveaux is joining us from Washington. Pleasure having you on. Today's events where you are on Capitol
Hill amount to little more than an anti-climactic and to what, Suzanne, always was a long shot on the part of the Democrats. Correct?
[10:20:00]
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Well that's right, Becky. There's a certain sense on The Hill of bitterness, of anger. I just had a
chance to speak to a Senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen. Who said that the President is not the only one who's guilty here. He said it is the
Senate that is guilty as well for failing to do their constitutional duty. There is a lot of resentment and anger between these Senators. And that is
something that he says only time will heal.
We're looking at about 40 minutes away from the House impeachment managers as well as the President's defense team to make their concluding argues.
It's going to be about four hours or so with a potential lunch break. And then they will open up later this afternoon the floor to Senators who will
actually have an opportunity, last opportunity to talk about their own case and how they feel about the impeachment process. And then Wednesday is that
final vote at 4:00, Becky, the vote to acquit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Despite Senate Republicans ready to acquit President Trump, some of his top GOP supporters are now saying it was wrong
for the President to pressure Ukraine into investigating his political rivals.
ERNST: The President has a lot of latitude to do what he wants to do. Again, not what I would have done but certainly, again, going after
corruption.
TAPPER: If it's not something you would have done, why wouldn't you have done it? Because it was wrong? Because it was inappropriate.
ERNST: I think generally speaking going after corruption would be the right thing to do.
Tapper: No but going after the Bidens.
ERNST: He did it maybe in the wrong manner.
TAPPER: The wrong manner.
ERNST: But I think he could have done it through different channels.
MALVEAUX: The admissions coming after the Justice Department acknowledging the existence of blocked e-mails that could provide more insight on why
Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine. Still Senators like Lamar Alexander arguing Trump's conduct was not impeachable. Defending his choice to vote
against witnesses and new evidence in the trial.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN): I think he shouldn't have done it. I think it was wrong. Inappropriate is the way I'd say, improper, crossing the line.
And then the only question left is who decides what to do but that.
CHUCK TODD, NBC MEET THE PRESS: Well, who decides what to do about that?
ALEXANDER: The people, the people is my conclusion.
MALVEAUX: Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff saying it's not enough for Republicans to just say Trump's conduct was inappropriate.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I also think it's important the Senate take the next step. Having found him guilty, if, indeed, that's what they found,
they need to remove him from office. Because he is threatening to still cheat in the next election by soliciting foreign interference.
MALVEAUX: Trump ally and Senate judiciary chairman Lindsey Graham looking to vindicate Trump, vowing to issue subpoenas for the Ukraine called
whistleblower and former Vice President Joe Biden to testify even after this week's vote.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): And let me tell Republicans out there, you should expect us to do this. If we don't do it, we're letting you down. And
I guarantee you if the shoe were on the wrong foot Democrats would be eating us alive.
MALVEAUX: And for the Democrats, Schiff declined to say whether the House will subpoena former national security advisor, John Bolton.
SCHIFF: But I will say this, whether it's in testimony before the House or it's in his book or it's in one form or another, the truth will come out --
will continue to come out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: So Wednesday is that impeachment vote. And, Becky, it is all but certain, there are no doubts that the President will be acquitted on that
day. It would make it the shortest impeachment trial in U.S. history of a president as well as the only one without witness testimony.
And again, Becky, in speaking to Senators, I asked Senator Van Hollen, is there anything that they might do as a body to punish the President or hold
him accountable for some of the misdeeds and misconduct at least that some of the Republicans are talking about, perhaps a censure resolution. He says
its things they are discussing. But he says, quite frankly, he's not holding his breath. He is not confident that anything like that will
happen, that this will be the end of it on Wednesday -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Suzanne Malveaux is in D.C. and we then roll on from there -- Suzanne, thank you -- to Iowa and to Ryan. If history is any guide, these
Iowa caucuses really do matter. The winner of the Iowa caucuses on the Democratic side at least is frequently gone on to be the Democratic
nominees. So how are things stacking up for these 2020 candidates?
RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, right now these candidates and their campaigns are really focused on getting people to
these caucus locations tonight. You know, the Iowa caucus is a unique brand of American politics. It requires an enormous investment in the time of the
voter. It also requires that voter to stand up and publicly be accountable for these campaigns. So it's a big deal and requires a lot of work.
[10:25:00]
So the complicating factor, of course, for many of these candidates is they are in Washington right now participating in the final stages of this
impeachment trial. So it's really in the hands of their campaigns right now. And their canvases are going to be out across the state really
rallying in the troops and getting them to these different caucus locations.
And you know, the Bernie Sanders campaign right now feels that they're in the strongest position. They believe that the most Democratic available
voters are on their side. It's just going to be a matter of getting them out to the polls. I spent most of the day with Bernie Sanders yesterday.
And that's what he did. He went to canvas locations to kind of encourage his volunteers to get out on the ground today. And he finished it off with
a Super Bowl party last night here in Des Moines. And this was his kind of final message to his campaign and his supporters. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So tomorrow night is the beginning. It is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBLES: And if there is one unifying message in the Democratic party, Becky, it is that, that they want to beat Donald Trump. And so, they may
fall on many different spots on the political spectrum here in the Democratic party but that is the one thing you can get Democrats all to
agree on. So that's why electability is so important. That's the case that Joe Biden is making. It's the case that Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of
South Bend is making. And it's the one that Elizabeth Warren is making as well. It's going to be up to Iowa voters here to at least way in for the
first time as to which one of these candidates has the strongest ability to do that.
And, Becky, one other note, weather is also so important, right, because of the investment in time. It was 50 degrees here yesterday, 50 degrees
Fahrenheit, nice and warm. Much colder today, the wind is blowing. But there's no snow in the forecast. So the campaigns feel pretty confident
that weather will not be an impediment getting voters out to the polls. 240,000 caucus goers - that was the record back in 2008. There's a chance
they could break that tonight -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, this is fascinating. Ryan, thank you for that. As Ryan pointed out, this is a big investment in time and energy. And these
caucuses sort of oddly unique. How do they actually work is a question I get asked a lot. Well our digital interactive page explains all of that.
See how what you are seeing in Iowa is very different from traditional ballots.
Now voters can rally support for the 41 delegates. You can also learn more about the way's caucuses could be divided amongst the Democratic hopefuls.
That is at CNN.com, of course. And the sure to stay with CNN for our special coverage of the impeachment trial. That begins next hour, 8:00 p.m.
in Abu Dhabi, 4:00 p.m. in London. The beginning of the end of that impeachment trial. More coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD.
The Super Bowl came with a little geography lesson. The U.S. President may be a little of bit stone cold embarrassment. Details on that up next.
And terror on a London street. Another extremist apparently released early another terror attack. The questions are out there. More details after
this.
[10:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Only months after a knife wielding terrorist caused havoc on London streets back in November, the city was the scene of a similar attack
on Sunday. Just as before a man armed with a knife and hoax device was shot dead by police after attack civilians. Two civilians were stabbed and a
third was injured by flying glass. All three are now recovering.
Well at the previous incident, a source says the 20-year-old man had only recently gotten an early release from prison after being jailed for
terrorism offenses. Well naturally questions are now being raised as to why this man who was under surveillance and evidently a danger to the public
was released early. At least two individuals in the U.K. have left prison apparently more radicalized than when they entered.
Nic Robertson joining me from London with more on that. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowing to bring an end to early release. I just
wonder if you want to step back for a moment and explain what the issue is here and whether what Boris Johnson is suggesting is the answer.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: There are many issues here. Very simply Britain's jail system is struggling to cope with its
current jail population. The radical Islamist subset of that is something that they really don't have a grip on in as much as people are going into
jail, be they on terror charges or even on other charges and they are becoming radicalized in jail. So you have this problem that jails are
feeding into the issue.
And then what the Prime Minister said today was how could somebody like this be released. He said it's a complex legal issue that he said he's
trying to find a way to stop and that there will be an announcement on legislation to prevent that in the future. And then there's the issue of
how do you deradicalize people who are in jail and know they are going to be safe before their release. This is how the Prime Minister framed this
issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I am, I have to say, concerned about the way we handle this. It's very, very difficult. We have an issue
about if you have about 200 or so inside, the question is how do you detain them. Do you detain them on block as it were in one group and try to keep
them together, because that avoids in effecting or passing the virus of their beliefs to others in jails or do you disperse them and try to stop
them from re-infecting each other. And that's a very, very difficult problem.
Looking at the problems we have with reeducating and reclaiming and rehabilitating people who succumb to Islamism, it's very, very hard and
very tough. And it can happen but the instances of success are really very few.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So I think what we heard there was the Prime Minister sort of explaining to himself and the audience the dilemmas that he faces. I think
there certainly people in the U.K. who would take issue with the notion that it isn't possible to deradicalized. But there are those that would
say, yes, lock them up and throw away the key.
But the problem for the Prime Minister is that does compound the problem within the jails, which is another issue that he faces. So I think the
difficulty that this government is going to have full square on its plate right now is how does it tackle this issue. And it doesn't have a
verifiable working methodology at any level it seems in place at the moment.
And part of what compounds all of this, there was a counter-terrorism report at the United Nations last week that stated very clearly the
pressures on people like Boris Johnson that across Europe there are as many as a 1,000 terror related prisoners due for release this year alone. And if
there isn't a credible and certain fire way of making sure they are not deradicalized and not a danger to the public. This is a big problem for
politicians like Boris Johnson.
ANDERSON: Sure. Nic Robertson is in London for you. Thank you, Nic.
[10:35:00]
There's a lot going on in the Middle East this hour. Let me take you through what is on our radar in this part of the world.
Iraq's President has appointed Mohammed Allawi as the country's new Prime Minister designate. It comes after months of anti-government protest there
demanding an end to corruption. But the announcement doesn't seem to be quelling people's anger. Iraqis have been demonstrating across the country
rejecting Allawi's ties to previous governments. Despite that Mr. Allawi has declared his support and pledged to protect the protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED TAWFIG ALLAWI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE (through translator): I call for immediate dialogue with peaceful protesters to
work toward achieving their legitimate rights in accordance with law and constitution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Flights have begun taking off from Yemen's Houthi held Sana Airport on Monday. The first plane carrying 30 patients in need of urgent
medical attention. Successfully arrived in Amman, Jordan, according to the World Health Organization. Now this move marks a long-sought confidence
building measure in efforts to end the country's bloody five-year war.
Well the Syrian regime shelling in northwestern Syria killed five Turkish soldiers and one civilian with nine more wounded on Sunday. It's the first
deadly incident resulting from direct confrontation between Turkish soldiers and the Syrian Forces since the start of this nine-year civil war.
Turkey's President said up to 35 Syrian soldiers have been killed in response and he pledged further retaliation. CNN's Arwa Damon has been
following the developments from Istanbul and she joins me now live with more. What have you got?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we're also now hearing from Turkish communications director who is effectively
saying that if Russia cannot control the Assad regime then Ankara will not hesitate to do so. And this is something of an echo of what we heard from
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier today. As he was saying that the Turkish intelligence services had identified 40 potential targets that
they would go after. Saying that from their perspective at least, this was an ongoing operation.
Of course one that was propelled and sparked because of the deaths of those Turkish soldiers. An ongoing operation that according to Erdogan could
include the use of F-16s, howitzers and artillery. This is a very dramatic and potentially devastating development for the broader picture when it
comes to what's happening inside Syria in the sense that it takes this conflict perhaps to an entirely different level.
Look, Turkey has had incursions into Syria in the past. They have gone after ISIS and cleared ISIS from some areas. They had that more recent
operation last year where they went into the Kurdish held areas going after the YPG, which Turkey views as being a terrorist organization, one in the
same as Kurdish separatist group PKK. But this would be the first time, if this does escalate even further, that Turkey would launch a military
operation directly against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
From Turkey's perspective, they feel as if Russia has not lived up to its end of the political bargain. That they regime and the Russians
continuously are violating this cease-fires, in name at best that have repeatedly been brokered and then broken when it comes specifically to
Idlib province.
And that this also serves to aggravate an already catastrophic humanitarian situation. You have upwards of 3.5 million citizens inside Idlib. A million
of them at least jammed up against the border with Turkey, a situation that is untenable inside of Syria but one that Turkey says it cannot handle if
it were to open its own border -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Arwa Damon in Istanbul on the Turkish side there.
Some alarming new developments from Somalia. The country has now declared a national emergency as growing swarms of desert locust spread across east
Africa. Government officials say these short-horned grasshoppers like these uncommonly large, they are threatening Somalia's food supply and
livelihood. The United Nations warns this surge has the potential to become a, quote, regional plague. It says a small swarm, covering one kilometer
can eat the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people. We'll take a very quick break.
[10:40:00]
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ANDERSON: Right, to the Super Bowl where Latina girl power stole the show at halftime. Shakira and J.Lo, Jennifer Lopez left it all on the floor.
Shakira proving her hips don't lie. She began with her set with Miami, whenever, wherever, the Colombian pop icon didn't miss a beat and she
showcased her culture throughout her performance.
And then Jennifer Lopez on a pole invoking scenes from her film "Hustlers." J.Lo brought plenty of Latin flair to the Miami Super Bowl stage making us
think is this the new 50. Jenny from the block sang "Born in the USA" while wearing a Puerto Rican flag. Her 11-year-old daughter and a children's
choir joined her for that number and also "Let's Get Loud."
Or from that didn't steal the show, oh no, from the politically subversive to the presidential congratulatory tweet that went wrong. A tweet to the
Kansas City Chiefs that didn't go down so well. You can see here President Trump praising the Super Bowl champs for representing the great state of
Kansas so very well. However, the chiefs are actually from Missouri, not the state of Kansas.
Of course, Twitter couldn't let that mistake slide. Former U.S. Senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill implied in not so subtle terms, it's
Missouri you stone cold idiot. After about 10 minutes the President deleted the tweet and posted a new one with Missouri. I'm Becky Anderson. That was
CONNECT THE WORLD from Abu Dhabi in the UAE. "WORLD SPORT" up next.
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[10:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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