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Connect the World
Coronavirus Death Toll Passes 1,000; Sudan's Omar al-Bashir Faces International Criminal Court; Democratic Race Intensifies Ahead of New Hampshire Primary; Palestinians Say Trump's Deal Is Apartheid; Lebanon Protests; Thousands Celebrate Birth of Islamic Republic of Iran; ACLU Slams Facial Recognition Company Clearview. Aired 11a-12:00p ET
Aired February 11, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It started at the local level. This was an issue as perceived by many here that was simply a coverup and a messup.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What the Japanese health officials are saying is, look, anyone who got this virus on board this ship got it before
the quarantine was in place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did what he was supposed to do. He called ahead to the hospital; he went to a special ward and then he went straight home, put
himself into isolation.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has raised concerns that there could be transmission taking place within the pipes.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST (voice-over): This hour, the deadliest day in the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Plus Democratic candidates make their final push in New Hampshire.
And the app that's stockpiling billions of online photos, even ones you thought were deleted forever.
It's 11 am in the meantime in New York, midnight in Beijing. I'm Zain Asher.
The deadly virus from Wuhan, China, has a new name, COVID-19. The World Health Organization warns of the grave threat posed by the outbreak. There
could be signs it may be slowing. This virus has killed more than 1,000 people and infected 43,000.
The WHO director general spoke a short time ago. He said a vaccine may not be ready for another 18 months but there's a realistic chance of stopping
this virus from spreading. He also said the disease could create havoc if it reaches a country whose health system isn't capable of handling such an
outbreak. Earlier we heard from China's top disease expert who indicated the worst may soon be over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZHONG NANSHAN, CHINESE EPIDEMIOLOGIST: There's a prediction based on a mathematical AI model and also based on the monitoring of the real-time
development of the recent days and based on the risk factors and also based on the strong intervention of the Chinese government.
So we suppose maybe the peak time may be reached maybe in the middle or late this month, February.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Outside of China, the biggest number of cases, 135 reported on a cruise ship docked in Japan.
Meantime the Westerdam, owned by Holland America, is practically wandering the ocean looking for a place to dock. It's been turned away from Japan,
the Philippines Taiwan and now Thailand, despite no confirmed cases on board.
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen is standing by with more on the international response and the health angle for us.
First, I want to go to David Culver live from Beijing.
David, according to health experts, we might not see a vaccine for another 18 months.
In the meantime, what can Chinese authorities do to stop the rapid spread of this virus?
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Part of it is rooted in what you heard from the leading epidemiologist. He became well known really back in the
2003 SARS epidemic. His assessment of that was highly respected, to be honest.
But one of the things he says looking at this is that the peak, as you heard there, would likely come in the next couple of weeks perhaps. Maybe
we're getting closer to it than that.
But he also stresses the containment effort. We know these are extreme containment efforts underway. In some cases you have in certain local
jurisdictions only one person in a household can leave every three days. It's only to get groceries and come back.
So the extreme measures there, even he points out, perhaps they raise human rights concerns. But at the same time he believes they will be effective in
combating this virus. It's yet to be seen. Meantime, it is supposed to be business as usual here in Beijing. But you step outside and it feels so far
from normal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER (voice-over): You're looking at the post Lunar New Year holiday rush on the streets of Beijing.
[11:05:00]
CULVER (voice-over): Most years millions of migrant workers will be pouring back into the capital. This year, a slower pace and thin crowds.
The normally bustling shopping districts desolate.
Think you'd find more life indoors?
Health checkpoints like this one screen people at every entrance of this shopping mall, sanitized only to enter a sterile and near empty space.
On any other given Sunday, malls would be packed with people. Instead, we're pretty much the only ones here.
CULVER (voice-over): Popular restaurants like this one have had no need to change out the white tablecloths for weeks. Many are scared to even talk
face to face to others, let alone share a meal with them.
But there's still a need to make money and there's still a demand for fresh produce. The restaurant staff has set up tables outside their storefront,
creating a makeshift farmer's market of sorts.
ZHANG RUI, BEIJING RESIDENT (through translator): They can't operate because of the epidemic. They need to sell out the stocks.
CULVER (voice-over): It's convenient for customers like Zhang Rui. He's been working remotely in I.T. for a week. His company encouraging their
employees to work from home. But he's noticed a slump in company productivity.
ZHANG (through translator): It's not as efficient as working in the office because it's not very convenient if colleagues are not physically together.
CULVER (voice-over): He's still among the fortunate ones. The outbreaks left many without jobs to clock into.
Huang Keyun videochatted with us from central China. She like many migrant workers had expected to travel back to Beijing to her job as a nanny.
HUANG KEYUN, MIGRANT WORKER (through translator): My boss told me he would leave for America. I asked him when he would come back but he said he might
not return.
CULVER (voice-over): Now jobless, she's living off the two extra months of pay her employer provided her. But that's draining with each passing day.
HUANG (through translator): I just stay at home and don't go out. The government asks us not to go out as well. I just stay at home with my
family.
CULVER (voice-over): And even if she wanted to return to Beijing, she would be expected to self-quarantine for two weeks. That's two more weeks
without pay.
Many migrant workers facing similar financial struggles as the government's efforts to stop the spread of the virus intensify, for now at least, there
is no containing the growing economic uncertainty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: And we know of at least two other folks who have lost their jobs and that is two senior officials within the local level of the health
commission, according to some of the health experts that are coming out of Beijing. That's what we're hearing.
The two senior officials have been let go and they've been replaced by somebody from the national health commission who has stepped in to take
that role. It shows you the central government really is pushing the local government out of this and looking like they're taking the fall for this.
ASHER: All right. David Culver, live for us. Thank you.
Health officials in Hong Kong are especially concerned about conditions inside an apartment building after at least four residents contracted the
coronavirus. Ivan Watson filed this report for us after the second case had been confirmed. He explains why health officials are so worried.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: The police in Hong Kong are taking extra precautions as we can see here, covering themselves in extra protective material as they approach a
residential tower block over my shoulder here.
It's called Hongmei (ph) House. And the authorities have partially evacuated this building. After Hong Kong's 42nd case of confirmed
coronavirus was discovered here, a 62-year-old woman about a week and a half after a 75-year-old man living in the same building was found to have
coronavirus.
It has raised concerns that there could be transmission taking place within the pipes of the building between the sewage system and the air ventilation
system, that there could be a leak that virus could be transmitted that way.
So we see the police here going into the building. But it has been partially evacuated. Some people placed into hospital isolation, others
into quarantine and there's precedent for this.
In 2003 during the SARS epidemic there was a housing estate in Hong Kong that saw hundreds of residents infected when virus was spreading between
the sewage and ventilation systems. At least 42 people died in that residential housing complex.
This is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. So the city is very much on the lookout for this. This building, the authorities say,
will be thoroughly disinfected in the days ahead.
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WATSON: Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And again, after Ivan filed that report, Hong Kong raised a number of confirmed cases there to 49. Two of those seven new cases are residents
of the apartment building. Another case is a father of one of the residents.
I want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen.
What do people who live in high-rises and these massive apartment buildings in Hong Kong in that area need to know?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think this is a very difficult time. Because they're trying to investigate whether the
virus could spread the way that we just described it. It is unclear.
This was an issue during SARS, where you had plumbing and air vents and other kinds of things all mixed up together. That was an issue during SARS.
We don't know if this is an issue right now.
I think that all the people can do really is take all the precautions that people are supposed to take, which is to wash their hands and to maintain
distance from people. But right now I mean, I'll be honest, there's an element of people being sort of stuck since we don't know all the answers.
ASHER: I want to play you sound from the U.S. president. He says he expects the virus to go away by April. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Now the virus that we're talking about having to do, you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat as the heat comes
in. Typically that will go away in April. We're in great shape, though. We have 12 cases, 11 cases and many of them are in good shape now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: April?
That's quite specific. I had no idea that President Trump was a clairvoyant.
COHEN: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: I also didn't know he was a medical expert. Right?
We ran this by actual medical experts, people with degrees. One of them said this is reckless. And all of them said to us, look, we don't know.
Is it possible that this is a seasonal virus kind of like flu that does, indeed, get better as the weather warms?
Sure, that's possible.
But do we know that?
Absolutely not. We've only known about this virus for less than two months. Who the president is talking to, who is telling him wait until April, it
will be fine, we don't know who those people are. Or maybe he thought of this himself.
Who knows?
But we talked to multiple experts and they said, no. Just not true. We do not know that this is going to get better in April.
ASHER: All right. OK. Thank you for clearing that up for us.
In the meantime, we did see President Xi walking around with a face mask and people have placed a lot of value on wearing face masks in public in
these areas.
How useful are face masks in reality in terms of preventing the spread of this virus?
COHEN: You know, a face mask can be useful because this is a virus that is believed to be spread by droplets. So someone coughs and droplets hit you
if you're standing nearby. So a mask can be useful.
But it's tricky, because if the mask isn't fitted properly, it's not going to be useful. You need the right kind of mask and you need to fit it
properly. Some of the masks people are using can be helpful but some of them might not be.
ASHER: Elizabeth, thank you.
A senior Sudanese source says that former president Omar al-Bashir will be handed over to the International Criminal Court to face charges of war
crimes. Bashir was ousted from office in April of last year after months of protests. He faces five counts of crimes against humanity. And another two
counts of war crimes into connection with Sudan's military actions in Darfur.
CNN's Nima Elbagir.
This is obviously massive, massive news. Just take us through it.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a decade and a half since the ICC issued the indictment for president al-
Bashir. In that time, most people you would speak to, even those who lost loved ones in the Darfur conflict had begun to lose hope.
Even when he was toppled in April, most of those we spoke to believed there was no way that any Sudanese government, in whatever iteration it found
itself, would be willing to take on what they believe to be the outrage of potential loyalists and nationalists inside the country.
But they have. And our understanding is it is because they are hoping for something bigger, which is a lasting peace, finally in Sudan after decades
of war. We understand it has come through an agreement between the government and domestic rebel groups, some of whom were involved in the
conflict in Darfur.
A lot of questions about how this will actually play out. The wording we're hearing is that appear in front of the ICC.
[11:15:00]
ELBAGIR: Which means that potentially we could look at a mechanism that would allow the Sudanese justice system to be involved, perhaps in Sudan.
Hybrid courts is something we've heard. So much to discuss. But the very reality that al-Bashir who ruled Sudan for three decades could be facing
justice. Some of the people have been overcome with emotion on this.
ASHER: It's a bit of a reversal of the military council's previous position.
How did we get here?
ELBAGIR: Well, it seems like the rebel groups held a firm line. The ones in the southern border region between the South and North Sudan but also in
the west itself. That for them this would signal a clean slate. This would signal there would be nowhere for anyone to hide.
This idea, the imagery of handing over a leader of any country, I imagine in that part of the world, to seek outside justice is a very difficult one
for most governments to take on and it's often termed as disloyal.
But it appears that the rebel groups played a strong hand and knew, for their constituents who suffered through this in the west of the country,
that this was crucially important to believe that finally al-Bashir's era was behind them.
ASHER: We still don't know the details about how and when he'll be handed over. Nima Elbagir, thank you.
Still to come, in today's U.S. presidential primary in New Hampshire, first place matters but so does third and so does fourth.
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DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It's go time. It is go time.
JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The first primary.
LEMON: First primary.
You said Iowa was a gut punch. What are you expecting here?
BIDEN: I think it's an uphill race.
ASHER (voice-over): Can Joe Biden work his way from the back to the front of the pack?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And in last hour, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N., categorically rejecting the White House's peace plan. No surprises
there. We'll bring you the details just ahead.
Plus:
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DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN TECH CORRESPONDENT: Wow, oh my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that you?
O'SULLIVAN: That photo is me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't look like you.
That's when you were younger?
ASHER (voice-over): That's actually really scary.
Just how private are your privacy settings on social media?
Details on the facial recognition technology that is raising alarms from lawmakers and tech giants alike.
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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This turnout tells me why we're going to win here in New Hampshire, why we're going to win the
Democratic nomination.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Time and time again New Hampshire has surprised the nation by giving us incredible precedence. New
Hampshire has not always gone with the most famous person.
PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), MAYOR OF SOUTH BEND, IND., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is primary season, the heat of competition. Elbows will find their way
out a little bit.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Democrats cannot do a repeat of 2016. We can't go into a general election divided and angry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Democratic presidential candidates making their final pitch. Voting is underway in New Hampshire. The Granite State home to just more than 1
million people. But it plays an outsize role in the American political landscape.
After a bumpy start with the caucus chaos in Iowa, this is a chance to gain momentum, narrow the field and influence how the next states will vote.
All eyes, however, will be on not beyond those who come first but rather who comes in fourth after Joe Biden's sluggish start.
The latest polls show Bernie Sanders in the lead both locally and nationwide with 29 percent support in the CNN/University of New Hampshire
tracking poll and 25 percent in a new national poll from Quinnipiac University . So many questions. For the answers let's bring in Jessica
Dean.
Here's the thing. I understand you've been following Joe Biden. I get Joe Biden wants to hang on until South Carolina specifically because he thinks
the African Americans that will vote for him. Surely if he comes in third place or fourth place in New Hampshire continue, surely he's done after
this.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Surely he's done if he comes in third or fourth?
ASHER: Yes, he's done.
DEAN: I don't know that he's done. I think he gets one more chance. One more crack at this. And his campaign certainly hopes that. And here's why.
This is a -- with so many candidates in this race this time, it isn't a two or three-person race. There will be four or five people coming out of New
Hampshire who still have another bite at this, so to speak.
He and his campaign have been focused on Nevada and South Carolina so much that they see South Carolina as a firewall, believing he has African
American support. We just found out that Joe and Jill Biden will be traveling to South Carolina tonight.
That tells you all you need to know about how important that state is because the reason they believe that's going to be so important is, once a
more diverse population starts voting in this primary process, they believe Joe Biden will do well.
Iowa and New Hampshire are majority white liberal states. And so those are not really his key demographics. That's where he fares the worst if you
look at the data. He fares better once it fans out.
To your point, if he does not have a very convincing win in South Carolina and Nevada, if he isn't able to put a lot of points on the board, that
calls into question the viability of his candidacy.
But you really have to get to Super Tuesday probably to really see all of that play out. But South Carolina is going to be absolutely key for the
Biden campaign.
ASHER: And just in terms of competition from Pete Buttigieg, Biden has been attacking Buttigieg's lack of experience. He was only mayor.
Does that matter in the post-Trump era?
Does experience matter anymore?
DEAN: Yes. It's a good question. I mean, look, you have Donald Trump in office, who had no political experience before he assumed the presidency.
Pete Buttigieg is making the argument that, look, as a mayor, I had to be an executive. I had to get things done.
He's pushed back against that criticism, saying that, as a mayor you can't kick the can down the road. You have to get things done for your city and
show up and have results. But again, as you mentioned, Joe Biden has really been hammering away at that.
But also Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota, also hammering away at experience. We've heard that argument from both of them, that you really
don't have on the -- you don't have time for on the job training once you get into the Oval Office. You have to be ready to lead.
ASHER: All right. Jessica Dean, we'll see what happens. Just a few hours from now. Thank you.
The bottom line, New Hampshire matters. It could be the beginning of the end for some of the Democratic candidates as we were just talking about
there. It's a long road to the general election in November. Stay tuned. Anything could happen.
[11:25:00]
ASHER: President Trump was in New Hampshire last night. He claims it was the biggest political rally in the state's history.
Hmm.
During the rally Trump suggested his supporters vote in the Democratic primary the next day. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We hear from could be because you have crossovers in primaries, don't you?
I hear a lot of Republicans tomorrow will vote for the weakest candidate possible of the Democrats. Does that make sense?
You people wouldn't do that. My only problem is I'm trying to figure out who is their weakest candidate?
I think they're all weak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: I want to play another clip from the president at the New Hampshire rally. He refers to the State of the Union address and he takes a thinly
veiled shot at Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I had somebody behind me mumbling terribly. Mumbling. What-what- hah. Mumbling. Very distracting. Very distracting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And President Trump has no real competition in today's Republican primaries. Why did he show up in New Hampshire?
He has lots of thoughts on that. I encourage you to read this. You can get the take at cnn.com/politics. Be sure to watch CNN for all the most indepth
coverage out of New Hampshire. We'll have the latest updates and developments as history is being made tonight. Only here, of course, on
CNN.
Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD --
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MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): I have come to you today, ladies and gentlemen, to reaffirm the Palestinian
position that rejects the Israeli-American proposal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The Palestinians have made their case. We are live outside the U.N. for you up next.
And 41 years ago today, Iran overthrew its last monarch, the shah. How the nation is marking its revolution anniversary just ahead.
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ASHER: Welcome back.
New information from the World Health Organization on the coronavirus as the death toll tops 1,000. The WHO director general says a vaccine could be
ready in 18 months and the virus now has a new name, COVID-19.
There are more than 43,000 confirmed cases around the world, most in China. A leading Chinese disease specialist says he's hopeful the outbreak will
peak by the end of the month.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N. Security Council a short time ago, expressing his opposition to the White House
Middle East peace plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS (through translator): This is the state that they will give us. It's like a Swiss cheese, really.
Who among you will accept a similar state and similar conditions?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The deal was unveiled by Donald Trump along with the Israeli prime minister last month. Palestinians were not consulted on the details of the
plan. They say it panders to Israeli interests.
CNN's Richard Roth is standing by outside the United Nations where the president, Mahmoud Abbas, was just speaking. We are also following the
reaction from Jerusalem.
Now that we know the vote on a resolution has been delayed here, what exactly is the Palestinian president hoping to get out of coming to New
York?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: That's an important thing to note. As soon as the Trump peace plan was announced, the Palestinians here
said Mr. Abbas is coming to the Security Council and there's going to be a resolution, a significant piece of U.N. legislation, the resolution,
especially when it comes to the Middle East.
A couple of days ago the Palestinians found out they didn't have the support. U.S. was blocking it.
So for Mr. Abbas, he uses the stage of the Security Council table to make his case that this plan, the Trump peace plan, is illegitimate and tries to
do away with the fate of the Palestinian people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS (through translator): I would like to say to Mr. Donald Trump that the proposed American deal cannot achieve peace and security because it
cancelled international legitimacy.
Who can cancel international legitimacy?
President Trump. Trump did so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Now the Israelis responded, the Israeli ambassador Danny Danon, says the Palestinian Authority leader should just drive to Jerusalem. There's no
need to come to the U.N. You want to talk negotiations, let's talk. Here's what he said to reporters echoed later in his Security Council remarks.
DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Abbas is well versed. He is out of double speak. He comes here to the U.N. He pretends to be committed
to peace but he remains committed to incitement back home.
Before he left, he encouraged Palestinians to engage in violence against Israelis. The sad result is casualties on both sides, Palestinians and
Israelis.
ROTH: Now you said what else is Abbas here for?
In a couple of hours, he'll be joined by the former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert. The two men discussed peace and a possible plan back in 2008.
Never happened. And that is at a hotel a few blocks from here. Israeli ambassador Danon said this is an embarrassment for the former leader of
Israel, later jailed on corruption charges -- Zain.
ASHER: Richard, stand by.
Oren, obviously we know that the Palestinians are highly unlikely going to come to the negotiation table when it comes this U.S. peace plan.
What's been the reaction on the ground where you are to Abbas coming to New York?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There have been protests against the peace plan itself, rejected not just by the Palestinian Authority but by
Palestinians themselves.
[11:35:00]
LIEBERMANN: That was one of the key selling points of the Trump administration. They put pressure on their leadership to accept the plan
because, according to the Trump administration, there was so many good elements in the plan for them.
Two different options of how to move forward from this point, coming from Abbas and Danon. For Danon, it was to replace Abbas. Abbas had to step down
for real progress.
But for Abbas, how do you make progress?
The failure at this point is that the peace plan and the peace process has been led by the United States. For him, the right way forward was to bring
an international coalition in as a moderator of the peace process and it wouldn't be solely led by the Americans. Neither of those at this point are
likely to happen. It means we're stuck in the point we are now.
You have Abbas making a fairly powerful speech here in front of the Security Council but it's not backed up by a resolution. That would be
vetoed by the United States. It would be largely symbolic and wouldn't carry any binding measure to it to enforce it.
ASHER: And to play that, we're hearing news about a software flaw in Israel's election app. And that has meant that 6.5 million Israeli voters
have had their data exposed because of this kind of security flaw.
What more do we know?
LIEBERMANN: This is a story that's unfolded here over the course of the last few days. This was an app used primarily by Benjamin Netanyahu's
party. It was designed in a way it would boost voter turnout on Election Day and allowed voters to reach out to their family and friends and to try
to boost voter turnout.
Netanyahu plugged it last week at a few different rallies, saying this was one of the keys to victory on Election Day that's only three and a half
weeks away, less than that. But it had a security flaw exposed on Friday night. It may have been a flaw for longer than that. It was fixed by
Saturday night.
But anyone -- and this doesn't require any serious knowledge of hacking; it barely requires any knowledge of hacking -- could go to the developer's
website, view the source code behind it and in that source code was the logins and passwords that gives access to all of Israel's voter registry
data, the election data of some 6.5 million voters.
The app was downloaded far beyond Israel in places such as China, Russia, Moldova and the United States. And if the voter registry had been
downloaded before the app was fixed, it can still at this point be shared.
How was it used?
How will it be used?
There's now three weeks until the election at this point and we'll find out. The prime minister's party pins the blame on the developers and says
it's fixed but they are the one who is are responsible at this point.
Somebody we spoke with, an expert on election integrity, says there's not likely to be any penalty against either the party or the app developer for
a security flaw.
ASHER: Richard, Oren, thank you both so much.
Let's get you up to speed on some of the top stories that are on our radar right now. A suicide attack in Afghanistan has killed four Afghan soldiers
and two civilians. A bomb went off at the entrance to a military academy in Kabul. The Afghan government blames Taliban rebels. But a Taliban
spokesperson denies responsibility.
Now 12 people, including 7 children were killed in Idlib by Syrian government airstrikes according to the White Helmets. Tensions have been
rising between Syria and Turkey as Syrian government forces continue to push further toward the last rebel held enclave. An activist says a Syrian
army helicopter was shot down with at least one pilot killed.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, hundreds of people have been injured in clashes between protesters and security forces. After demonstrators attempted to
block MPs, this ahead of a confidence vote regarding the new prime minister Hassan Diab. As Ben Wedeman reports, for many in Lebanon the new government
is a matter of too little, too late.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're on one of the roads leading to parliament. But the road has been blocked. At the moment,
the parliament members or just a little more than half of them have begun their discussions of the vote of confidence for the new government of
Hassan Diab.
But there is profound opposition in the streets to what's going on behind those walls. Let's move a little closer. What we see here, they have been
firing tear gas, hundreds of rounds of tear gas into the crowd, the crowd firing back with rocks and bottles and sticks.
[11:40:00]
WEDEMAN: And now they're trying to pull down this wall, which has been constructed to stop people from getting anywhere near parliament.
These protests have been going on since the 17th of October and now they're picking up steam again and this is going on against the backdrop of a
failing economy. The Lebanese economy has come to a halt as a result of the demonstrations.
They're firing tear gas back at us at the moment. Definitely this is a situation in which governing this country of Lebanon is probably mission
impossible -- I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Staying in the region, Iran's President Rouhani calls the killing of General Soleimani a criminal act by Americans, that while
celebrating the anniversary of the Iranian revolution. More details ahead.
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ASHER: Thousands flooding the streets of Tehran today, celebrating 41 years since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. February 11th marks the day that
Iran's last monarch, the shah, fell, resulting in the country becoming an Islamic republic and appointing the first supreme leader.
The strong support on the streets comes ahead of legislative elections. This year's anniversary also comes amid some of the highest tensions
between Tehran and Washington we've seen in the past 40-odd years. Tomorrow marks 40 days since the killing of Qasem Soleimani and the end of Iran's
official mourning today.
Rouhani called the death of the general a criminal act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The U.S. must know it has made a blunder. That's been a major blunder committed by the U.S.
administration. Our commander was a guest of the Iraqi government, was assassinated. That's been a major criminal action by the Americans. That's
been a contravention with international law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: My next guest believes the killing of Soleimani was a moment of both weakness and strength for Iran. Ali Vaez is the product director for
the International Crisis Group joins us live from Washington.
Walk us through where things stand in terms of the tensions we're seeing right now between the U.S. and Iran.
How does that compare to the height of the tensions that we saw back in 1979 during the height of the revolution when the shah was toppled?
[11:45:00]
ALI VAEZ, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: When the shah was toppled, basically the U.S. lost an arc (ph) ally, one of the pillars of U.S. security in the
region. But that didn't bring the two countries necessarily on the verge of a military confrontation.
What happened next, which was the Iranians took U.S. diplomats hostage in Tehran for 444 days in reaction to the U.S. admitting the shah into U.S.
for medical reasons, set off a process of enmity that lasts to this day.
And in the past few months has brought Iran and the U.S. three times to the brink of a military confrontation that would be not just disastrous for
them but for the entire region.
ASHER: Over the past four years, it seems that U.S. politics has been -- become rather increasingly unpredictable. Many people believe it's likely
President Trump will get another four years in office.
How much does Iran need a change in leadership in the White House to fully reset U.S.-Iranian relations?
VAEZ: Look, I think if we have another four years of President Trump, it would be very difficult for the Iranians, because, on the one hand, they
now are very reluctant to deal with President Trump, who they blame for killing general Soleimani, who was seen internally as a national hero.
And no Iranian politician would be able to shake hands with President Trump and smile in a photo opportunity. And so that would be very difficult for
them to deal with President Trump directly.
They will try probably to find a way of deescalating tensions, first by strengthening their hand and then by demonstrating to the Trump
administration that there is a very high cost associated to continuation of maximum pressure strategy against Iran through attacks in the region and to
ramping up their nuclear program in the hope that a mediator would find a way out.
But if a Democrat is elected, I think the dynamics would be different and there might be a way for the Iranians to be able to find a better for
better or a more for more arrangement, that sees both sides coming back into full compliance with the nuclear deal.
(CROSSTALK)
ASHER: Right. Especially when it comes to the JCPOA. So Rouhani is trying to encourage people to vote in the parliamentary elections.
How much disillusionment is there among moderate conservatives?
VAEZ: There's a huge degree of frustration within Iranian society about political stagnation and economic stagflation and generally I think the
population has become totally disillusioned with the values and ideals of the Iranian Revolution.
It delivered on a promise of maybe bringing about independence in Iran's foreign policy but it really never delivered on the promise of freedom and
liberty. And all hopes have been lost and any kind of reforms to this system.
And as a result of that, I think there will be a high degree of apathy, of political apathy. And I doubt that we would see a high turnout, especially
because the system also has not allowed even the limited degree of pluralism that it used to allow in these elections.
And it's a tightly managed election, in which basically the result is already clear that conservative hardliners are going to take over the
Iranian parliament.
ASHER: CNN is learning, now just to pivot slightly, learning the strike on Iraq in retaliation for the killing of General Soleimani has resulted in
over 100 U.S. military members being diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. I want to play you a claim President Trump made about this last
month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I heard that they had headaches. And a couple of other things but I would say -- and I can report it is not very serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: So had we known back then that the consequences of that strike was, indeed, that over 100 U.S. soldiers would have been diagnosed with brain
injuries, do you think President Trump wouldn't have walked back escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran, that we would see a very different
landscape now between the two countries, that there would be a more dangerous escalation?
VAEZ: I think it would have been much more difficult for the president not to respond to that attack. But the lesson that the Iranians have learned by
the president's attempt to downplay the consequences of that attack is basically that Trump would do hit and run type of operations.
[11:50:00]
VAEZ: But he really doesn't have the stomach for a full fledged military confrontation with Iran. He doesn't want a war, which he believes might
jeopardize his reelection and might alienate his base in the United States.
And I think that is likely to encourage the Iranians to do more of pushback in the region against the U.S. through their proxies. And, therefore, the
goal that the Trump administration had in mind with killing Soleimani, which was to restore deterrence against Iran, I don't think has been
fulfilled.
ASHER: Ali Vaez, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
VAEZ: Thank you.
ASHER: Still ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GURBIR GREWAL, NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I was deeply disturbed. I was concerned about how Clearview had amassed its database of images. I was
concerned about its data privacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: A new app is triggering fears about how far facial recognition technology can go. More on that next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ASHER: Your social media settings might say private but, let's face it, nothing you post online is. Case in point, Clearview AI is a program with
powerful facial recognition technology that can match anyone's face to other images online.
The man behind it claims to have a database of billions of photos. Now he's under fire from both lawmakers and tech giants. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan
reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
O'SULLIVAN: Wow. Oh, my God.
Is that you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That photo is me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't look like you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's when you were younger?
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): That's my face, a photo I haven't seen in years, found in seconds by the facial recognition app, Clearview AI.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearview is basically a search engine for faces.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Clearview has scraped billions of images from sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google to use in a facial recognition
system. He claims more than 600 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada are using it, though it's unclear how many have actually paid for
it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that's the photo of you.
O'SULLIVAN: So this is a photo of me from cnn.com. Wow. We're starting to see pictures of me that are not from that original image.
This is from Medium.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Tech giants aren't happy about that. They say it violates their terms of service and have sent cease and desist letters.
O'SULLIVAN: This AI technology is looking at what?
It's looking at --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unique features. So it learns to ignore things like the beard and focuses on features that stay the same across different ages.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you understand why people feel this is creepy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can understand concerns around privacy. It's only publicly available information. We're not making technology for its own
sake. We're helping law enforcement solve crimes.
GREWAL: I was concerned about how Clearview had amassed its database of images.
[11:55:00]
GREWAL: I was concerned about its data privacy. And I was concerned it was tracking law enforcement searches.
O'SULLIVAN: Are you concerned about taking it out of the hands of law enforcement?
GREWAL: A facial recognition tool can be used properly if we understand how the database is created.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Clearview claims its app is 99 percent accurate, a claim that CNN hasn't verified.
O'SULLIVAN: So you think this is an area that should be regulated?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, absolutely. I don't think regulation is a bad thing and we want to work with the government to create something that is
safe and understandable and keeps the whole public at ease.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: And there is much more from Donie's reporting, including how law enforcement is using this facial recognition technology to solve crimes.
Just go to our website for more at cnn.com.
All right. I'm Zain Asher. This was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching. "THE EXPRESS" with my colleague, Richard Quest, is up next.
