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Connect the World
Cindy McCain On How Joe Biden Flipped Arizona; Cindy McCain: Time To Put Aside Differences And Work Together; Lancet Editor: Pfizer Release Should Be Peer Reviewed; Middle East Eyes Incoming Presidential Era Carefully; Children's Hospital Ward "Like Dealing With Ghosts"; Amnesty International Alleges Massacre In Northern Ethiopia. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired November 13, 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]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Growing lists of Republicans are urging the president to accept his fate and move forward for the good of the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're engaged in an absurd circus right now, refusing to accept reality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Department of Homeland Security declared the 2020 election the most secure in American history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to consider the former vice president as the president-elect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: COVID patients in hospitals hitting another all-time high deaths also climbing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a humanitarian tragedy.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: And this hour, hospitals are near a breaking point in the United States. Utah maxed out on intensive
care beds, as the country tops 153,000 COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours. Those record-breaking cases and hospitalizations a grim indicator of
what is to come.
Daily deaths set to shoot up as well in the next few weeks and months, and influential model often cited by the U.S. government finds by the time
President-Elect Joe Biden takes office in January, the U.S. will be looking at 2,200 people dying a day from COVID-19. The model also warns U.S. death
toll will approach half a million people by March. That number, more than the number of U.S. soldiers killed during World War II.
And what does Donald Trump have to say about all of this? Well, nothing. He's been silent. The president who lives for the theater of office, the
man who loves to perform on TV has not spoken a word to the cameras in eight days. Since the president last spoke publicly, 7,000 Americans have
died of COVID-19. Even his Twitter feed has been mostly silent on COVID.
Instead, focusing on conspiracy theories about how the election was stolen from him. Speaking of that election, CNN has now called the State of
Arizona for Joe Biden, only the second time Arizona has voted for a Democrat in seven decades.
And there are more than signs that reluctant Republicans are beginning to accept that Joe Biden will be the next American President. Several Senators
including Trump ally Lindsey Graham now say Biden should be getting intelligence briefings, regardless of the election's outcome, so he can be
prepared to deal with the nation's threats.
Well, we just mentioned Arizona and its remarkable flip from red to blue. Well, that vote could be a tribute to the legacy of Arizona's late
Republican Senator John McCain. He was a giant of the U.S. Senate, a war hero, a conservative maverick twice-defeated presidential candidate often
tussled with President Bush - sorry, President Trump.
And he was known for reaching across the aisle. But earlier, I spoke to John's widow, Cindy McCain, who is now a member of Joe Biden's transition
team. She's on the Advisory Board. I began by asking her what her late husband would think of this transition.
CINDY MCCAIN, WIDOW OF LATE U.S. SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: I know my husband would have been very upset about what - what has gone on in the past within
this White House and been very frustrated about the lack of civility, the lack of working together.
All the things that we all know took place within the White House. But he would be very pleased that Joe Biden did win this, because having worked
with Joe, he knew the kind of man that he is and the kind of person that he is with regards to working across the aisle and also working together for
the good of the country, not the good of the party or good for himself which is very exciting.
ANDERSON: How did he flip the state?
MCCAIN: I think - I think just simply, again, the lack of civility on behalf of this president. I think - I certainly think my husband had a
little bit to do with it in one way or another. And I think also, just the idea that somehow this country deserves better. We do and I know people in
Arizona that means a great deal to them.
[11:05:00]
MCCAIN: And I think that in the end, what we saw were people like me that said, I'm going to step across the aisle now and do to them. And I think
that in the end, to them. And I think that in the end, what we saw were people like me that said, I'm going to step across the aisle now and do
what's good for the country, not what's good for the party.
And I think a lot of people joined me in that step. And I'm grateful for whatever, whatever happened, I'm grateful that they decided to vote for
Vice President Biden.
ANDERSON: So looking forward, then, Cindy McCain, do you think the president's grip - and I'm talking about Donald Trump here, his grip on the
Republican Party, is so strong that it is unlikely to loosen, as it were, anytime soon?
MCCAIN: There's many ways to govern or to lead a group of people. You can lead by fear or you can lead by integrity. And I believe that in this case,
that leading by fear is probably going to go out the door.
To lead good people, you know, into democracy or any other position, for that matter, you need to be someone who believes in them first. And I think
that's definitely the case with Joe Biden and certainly is not the case with this president.
ANDERSON: I want our viewers just to have a listen to this. It's some sound from your late husband.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LATE SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ): Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences
remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many
challenges we face.
I urge all Americans - I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill
and earnest effort to find ways to come together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Those are the words of your late husband, conceding in 2008 to Barack Obama. That's such a different time now, Cindy McCain, through which
we live through. How does the country come together?
MCCAIN: Well, number one, it's time. It's time that we work together, again, for the good of the country, but most importantly, this lack of
civility, this lack of - this anger - not lack of, but this anger that has occurred within the united states, has to stop.
And I think for the most part, people are really tired of it. Many of us believe, and I think those who voted for Biden certainly believe, that it's
time that we do begin to work together not only for the good of our democracy, but for the good of our communities and our neighborhoods.
We cannot continue in the fashion that we have with this hatred and this vitriol. And expect to lead as a great democracy as we used to.
ANDERSON: Does it worry you, the fact that the country is so divided, so polarized? There is so much, as it were, on Joe Biden's shoulders now and
of course, his Vice President, Kamala Harris. Do you think four years is long enough to get anything done, to heal anything at this point?
MCCAIN: I certainly do, because it again, is the leader that does this. Joe is willing to really sit down and make this work. He is willing to work
with all of us. As you know, I sit on the transition team. And part of my job is to bring in good Republicans to fit into slots within the
administration.
He wants an administration that will represent all people. And work together in every area. And if there's anyone that can do it, Joe Biden can
do it, because I've seen him do it in the Senate.
ANDERSON: You do sit on his transition team, and it is important, you all say, that there are decent Republican voices within the Biden
Administration. How difficult is that going to be for Joe Biden, given that there is a left side, a progressive wing to his party that is unlikely to
see eye-to-eye with a moderate Republican voice?
MCCAIN: Well, I do know, as I've said, that Joe believes in working across the aisle and working together. That's part of his mantra. That's who he is
as a man, as a leader, as a diplomat. All of those above so - and that works for both sides.
[11:10:00]
MCCAIN: That works for the far right and the far left. It is time that we put aside a lot of our differences, many of our differences, hopefully all
of our differences and work together. And be party to something that begins to make this country great again.
I know you're aware, because, of course, you were overseas, but I don't believe that this country is respected in the fashion that it used to be.
That it was - we used to be the beacon that people would look to, the beacon of hope. And that I know for a fact is not the case right now. And
all of us who believe in that want that back. And we believe Joe Biden can do that.
ANDERSON: And I know your husband would have wanted the same, I'm sure. Barack Obama's new memoir is an opportunity for the former president to
remember your husband, John McCain, and he wrote this, quote, he wasn't an ideologue.
He respected not only the customs of the Senate, but also the institutions of our government and our democracy. I never saw him display the race-
tinged nativism that regularly affected other Republican politicians and on more than one occasion, I'd seen him display real political courage. He
will be calling on you, Cindy McCain, to have that courage going forward. Won't he?
MCCAIN: Well, I hope that in any case, I hope that Vice President Biden, President-Elect Biden knows that he cannot only rely on me, but rely on
many of us to do just that, show courage and hopefully lead our party in the right direction.
ANDERSON: That's Cindy McCain speaking to me a little earlier. Well, just ahead a family tragedy in the U.S. that echoes what many people are going
through across the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said, Tray, I'm dying. And she said, dad, I am too. And he said, and then I'll look for you in heaven.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: How one family is urging others to stay safe in dangerous times then, in what has been a heartbreaking year, we know the importance of
putting a spotlight on the most inspiring moments, CNN heroes does exactly that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One man, a white former police officer, wandered into the crowd and started to get beat up. Black Lives Matter protester, Patrick
Hutchinson saw that he was in peril and carried him to safety.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I'm going to show you how to vote for this year's most inspiring people and moments just a little later in this show taking a break back
after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: More than 150,000, that is a record number of daily COVID infections that the U.S. has reported Thursday. A surge so bad that in some
places hospitals and even morgues are now beyond capacity like Utah, the state has run out of ICU beds, just as it is record highs for new cases.
[11:15:00]
ANDERSON: CNN's Lucy Kafanov went to meet a Utah family who hope that their tragic story inspires others to play safe in this pandemic.
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Coronavirus pandemic is ravaging the State of Utah cases skyrocketing, the death count soaring officials
sounding the alarm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GARY HERBERT (R-UT): We're at the breaking point and ready to have some serious repercussions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: The numbers shattering records. The state recording nearly 4,000 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, Utah's seven-day new case average now at a
record 2,738 cases, the positivity rate for the first time surpassing 23 percent and the death toll nearing 700 and climbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERBERT: Those numbers should be alarming to all of us as we look at the death rates and those that are being hospitalized and the overrunning of
our hospital system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: The surge wreaking havoc on hospitals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: Is Utah at a tipping point when it comes to COVID infections?
DR. ELIZABETH MIDDLETON, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HOSPITAL: I think so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: Dr. Elizabeth Middleton helps oversee the University of Utah hospital's intensive care unit and is preparing for another surge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MIDDLETON: If you ask me in two weeks, we'll be having a different situation again, because I think we'll see our hospitalizations increase
across the state. And again, it's the suffering that weighs on me. The suffering of the patients, the suffering of the staff who feels helpless.
HERBERT: I'm declaring a new state of emergency to address hospital overcrowding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: The crisis leading Governor Gary Herbert to issue a two-week state of emergency, requiring all Utahans to mask up, despite previously
resisting a mandate, banning residents from socializing with people from different households, ramping up testing across the state, even deploying
more national guard to help with testing and contact tracing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's crazy to think that this lady right here is - this is what she is now, just memories. And it's heartbreaking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is one of the last photos taken of them together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: But Lindsay Wootton says those measures are too little, too late. Her grandfather died of COVID-19 last month. Days later, the woman she
calls her best friend, her mom, also lost her life to COVID. Her father battled the disease for 46 days in the hospital, now home recovering and
mourning the love of his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSAY WOOTTON, LOST MOTHER AND GRANDFATHER TO COVID-19: The whole day was probably one of the harder days of my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: Se recalls when doctors broke the news her mom wasn't going to survive. Moments later, she learned her grandfather was about to pass.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOOTTON: We called my grandpa and I put him on speakerphone so he could talk to my mom. He called my mom kiddo. He called us all kiddo, but he
said, kiddo, I'm not doing good. And she said, dad, I'm not either. And he said, Tray, I'm dying. And she said, dad, I am too. And he said then I'll
look for you in heaven.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAFANOV: She wants others to learn from her family's tragedy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOOTTON: It's frustrating that people brush it off, that it is just the flu, because for some people, it's not. For some people, it costs their
life. It took my mom and that's irreplaceable. My kids - my kids don't get their grandma. My mom will never see my kids get married.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That was Lucy Kafanov reporting. And according to at least one U.S. official, the help that's so needed could be on its way as soon as
next month. We are, of course, talking about the vaccine, developed by Pfizer, which according to the company, at least, is 90 percent effective.
By April, that vaccine could be available to all Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX AZAR, U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETRY: Initially, in December and January, we're going to be having very targeted vaccinations, also
helped in large part by some of our largest chains like Walgreens and CVS by the end of March to early April. We think across all of the vaccines
that we have invested in, we'd have enough for all Americans who wish to get vaccinated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, Alex Azar there talking about what is going on in the states, of course, regarding that Pfizer vaccine. My next guest says
publishing interim results for a press release is neither good scientific practice nor does it help build public trust in vaccines. He says instead,
it should come with full publication of peer-reviewed research in a scientific journal.
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: Well, that's the opinion of Richard Horton, Editor in Chief of the "Lancet" which among the world's oldest and best knows peer-reviewed
medical journals. He joins me now from London. To your point should we expect to see publication about the Pfizer vaccine in "Lancet" at any time
soon?
ROBERT HORTON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE LANCET: Well, I can't tell you when they're going to publish their work. And of course, we've got the
AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, in fact, a total of 11 vaccines are in late- stage clinical trials and we should be seeing those results published, some of them before the end of the year, I'm sure.
ANDERSON: You made a very good point. This Pfizer announcement by social media, effectively, you know, to many people, it felt like a rush to get
first in the queue when it comes to this vaccine race. And you say that's worrying. You say that's worrying, because it doesn't give people
confidence.
HORTON: Yes, and you saw a few days later, the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine, they put out a press release saying that their vaccine was 92 percent
effective. So it feels like we're in the space race, but for Coronavirus vaccines.
You know, the big worry is the anti-vaccination movement. And they're making headway. And so we've got to disclose results about these vaccines
as carefully and scientifically as possible, so we don't give them any head room to damage confidence. And that's the danger of science by press
release.
ANDERSON: Yes, well, President Trump has been teasing a vaccine by or around election time for a very long time. Can he claim this as a win for
his administration, out of interest?
HORTON: It's definitely a win for American science. In fact, it's a win for science worldwide. It normally takes seven to eight years to get a vaccine
from initial starting point. Within ten months, we have over a hundred vaccine candidates at various stages of study. That is unprecedented, like
everything else about this pandemic.
But it's a real tribute to scientific cooperation between universities between private sector and between big Pharma. We've never seen anything
like it before in history.
ANDERSON: The next stage will, of course, be manufacturing and distribution. Distributing a vaccine like this, as I understand it, is
extremely challenging. Just explain if you will.
HORTON: Yes, the vaccine is relatively unstable, so that means it has to be kept at a temperature of minus 70 to 80 degrees. Your normal fridge
temperature is about 4 degrees. So you can imagine that it's not - there aren't many freezers that operate at that level.
So you're going to have to have the vaccine in major pharmacies, in hospitals, where it will then have to be distributed to pharmacies or
primary care centers, but you only have 48 hours where you can have the vaccine in not in minus-70 temperatures. So it's going to require a very,
very efficient network for distribution. So it's going to be tough. It's possible, but it's going to be difficult.
ANDERSON: Israel announcing the purchase of millions of Pfizer doses, as has the EU. We know that this is likely - well, this is a vaccine that will
come, you'll need two doses. So any numbers that we see, you'll need to break that down by half.
Australians have purchased over 134 million doses of several vaccines, including 10 million from Pfizer. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison said
they are not putting all their eggs in one basket, he said. And we will continue to pursue further vaccines, should their medical experts recommend
them.
The big question everybody is once asking at this point are, what sort of timeline are we looking at for global distribution and for likes of you and
me and those watching around the world to get their hands on a vaccine, if, indeed, we want one?
HORTON: The sequence, Becky, is going to be this. The first doses of vaccine are going to be given the most vulnerable groups. That's going to
be front line health workers, older members of our population, and people living with chronic disease.
Once they have received the vaccine, and I would anticipate that's going to be in the first quarter of 2021, then by the spring of next year, I think
we'll see the vaccine wildly available.
[11:25:00]
HORTON: The main limiting factor is just producing enough vaccine. Some companies like Johnson & Johnson started early and they're estimating that
they will have 1 billion doses of their vaccine available in 2021. So I think we will have enough vaccine, but we're just, for the likes of you and
me, we're just going to have to wait a little bit. Spring of next year would be my best guess.
ANDERSON: That's your best guess, all right. Let's not put money on this. Firstly, we shouldn't be betting anyway. Secondly, none of us should be
sort of accelerating the acceleration as it were. We've got to wait and make sure that these things are safe and effective.
To that point, the W.H.O has confirmed with CNN that they have been in touch with the Russian institute between these - behind these Sputnik "V"
or Sputnik V Coronavirus vaccines, saying in a statement that the Galileo Institute, Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has
expressed interest in applying for W.H.O emergency use listing. Now, you know that vaccine, well, you and I have spoken about this.
HORTON: Yes.
ANDERSON: "The Lancet" did publish a review on it early dose. It's a vaccine which will go into Phase III trials by chance here in the UAE after
the Sinopharm I has finished its trials. What does this mean for the W.H.O? And where do we stand on that Sputnik vaccine?
HORTON: So the Sputnik vaccine, they have done an interim analysis of their late-stage clinical trial. They've put out a press release this week saying
that it was 92 percent effective. It's a very small number of events, unfortunately.
So it's too soon to tell for sure that it is safe and effective. But I think by the end of this year, we will know for sure whether it is safe and
effective. At that particular point, what they need is they need to have a global authorization to make sure that the vaccine is passed through
regulatory approval.
And that's why they're going to the World Health Organization. If W.H.O gives them that approval, then their vaccine can be used worldwide. And
that would be a big win for Russian science.
HORTON: That is fascinating. It was interesting talking to the head of the fund - the Sovereign Wealth Fund, which is behind the research there and
the development of that vaccine and I know you and I have talked about this before, fabulous.
Listen, your insight and analysis is so important. It has been over the past six months or so. Let's continue to talk. Our viewers are getting an
awful lot out of you. This is CNN, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: Well, Donald Trump may not be give weigh to the White House, but other international leaders are looking ahead to Joe Biden's Presidency.
And that includes those who might not usually take a partisan stance on U.S. politics, including the Head of the Catholic Church.
But Pope Francis says he looks forward to working with his fellow catholic on issues such as climate change and migration. And listen to the tone of
this statement from China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have been following the reaction to the U.S. Presidential Election of both the United States and the international
community. We respect the choice of the American people. We extend congratulations to Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris. Meanwhile, we understand the
results of the U.S. election will be determined according to U.S. laws and procedures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: While all this week, we've been connecting you to what a Biden Administration may mean for the world, especially here in the Middle East,
because that relationship might not be too easy to predict.
In an op-ed for the UAE's "The National" newspaper, Firas Maksad who is a Adjunct Professor at George Washington University School for International
Affairs writes, and I quote, it would be a mistake to conflate President- Elect Biden's prospective approach to the Middle East with that of Obama's.
And the reason Firas who joins us now from Washington D.C the reason you point that out is that you hear this so much don't you, across this region?
You know the idea and when everybody knew that Biden was running it's here we go again that it's just another Obama Administration. What do you mean
by this, sir?
FIRAS MAKSAD, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Becky, it's good to be with you. You are in the region. I'm sure you feel some
nervousness around there about Biden's election.
It really comes down to two pieces in my position personality and policy, right? I mean, these are two very different people. Obama was the outsider
who came out of nowhere, came on a ticket or a promise to change Washington, D.C. and Biden is the ultimately insider.
He's been in the Senate since 1973, serving on the Senate Foreign Relations' Committee. He is knee-deep in international affairs and he has a
track record that's clearly forward leaning in terms of intervening in the Middle East and other places.
So they're very different people. And also on policy, in an op-ed published with CNN, Biden this summer said that the nuclear agreement with Iran, the
JCPOA, sort of one of those achievements of the Obama Administration, will be the starting point for any engagement with Iran, but not the end
objective.
And he has pledged to tackle the ballistic missiles concerns and also Iran's very troubling track record of interfering in affairs of the
neighbors in the region. These are two very different people.
ANDERSON: Yes, and it was the JCPOA which was of such great concern to many, not least those in the region where I am here. Which didn't, of
course, include this sort of expansionist activity around the region, nor, indeed, in a first situation did the JCPOA include the ballistic missile
program.
So we are yet to see, but get a hint of where he might stand with regard to Iran. What we have seen under a Trump Administration, of course, is the
signing of the Abraham Accords, the UAE, Bahrain, and indeed, Sudan, normalizing relations with Israel.
And CNN has learned that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning a visit to the West Bank settlement next week, as part of a visit to Israel and
several other countries, including here in Abu Dhabi. The visit would be the latest manifestation of the Trump Administration's break with previous
U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Before we talk about where Biden might go next in other places, how will this Trump Administration be remembered, do you think in this region?
MAKSAD: Well, I mean, I think it will be remembered for two things, at least. One is the maximum pressure campaign against Iran really sort of the
focal point of its approach to the Middle East.
And I think there is a sense in the Middle East that we're going to go from maximum pressure to maximum accommodation under Biden. And that's just not
going to happen. You're going to have diplomacy, but you're going to have a robust form of diplomacy in which sanctions will continue to feature large.
[11:35:00]
MAKSAD: The second thing that I think that the Trump Administration will be remembered for is of course these landmark accords, the Abraham Accords.
And I think what the UAE and others in the region have done with it is that they've given Biden something to cherish.
I think an incoming Biden Administration would want to preserve this landmark deal. I think they would be very key on maintaining positive
relationships, of course, not with Israel - not just with Israel, but also with their key Arab allies in UAE being amongst them if only to preserve
this landmark peace agreement.
ANDERSON: Yes, and certainly, Joe Biden, one of the few things that he has applauded about a Trump Administration was, you know, some of its foreign
policy specifically, alluding to the normalization of Arab states with Israel.
Listen, I'm running out of time, so I'm going to have to crack on tonight, but I would love to have you back Firas. It's a really good op-ed that you
wrote for "The National" and it is one that we should explore further, as the weeks go by.
The Biden Administration, of course, some 70 days away from being inaugurated. Thank you, sir. Biden will also inherit the much-neglected
humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Civilians in the war-torn country are being crippled even further by the pandemic and it could lead to catastrophe.
David Beasley, who is Head of the U.N. World Food Program, sounded the alarm on Wednesday in front of the U.N. Security Council that Yemen faces a
looming famine. And I know we've heard this before, but this is really serious.
Speaking to the Security Council, he said, and I quote, the warning lights are flashing and they are not flashing yellow. They are flashing red as red
can be. Well, David and I discussed what a Biden Administration will mean for Yemen, but we started talking about just how bad things are on the
ground. Have a listen.
DAVID BEASLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: This is the worst humanitarian crisis by far around the world. And now, we're running
out of money, but here's what the dilemma is? We've not been able to get the access we need. We set working with the donors, seven preconditions
working with the authorities.
They've denied us the access we need. We haven't been able to work through those. We've been literally working on biometrics in many of these
conditions for two years. I mean, these are conditions that we do all over the world that should be worked out in a matter of hours and days, not as
we have been having to be drug along, dragged along, like a dog and pony show, and it's just outrageous.
And so we've not been able to get the elements to move to the degree we think is necessary. Now, a week ago, they finally made a step forward on
biometrics. We hope that's a major breakthrough. We hope that's hopefully a sign of good things to come, because right now and this is what I told them
Becky, look, this is not a time to play games.
ANDERSON: Mark Lowcock who is the U.N. Aid Chief described to the council last night and I was listening in, what it feels like to starve. What it
feels like to die starving. And it was chilling stuff. What is it that you are calling for now, David?
BEASLEY: You know, Becky, I remember walking in a hospital in Yemen and it was a children's ward. And you know, even in a children's hospital, you
usually have some laughter and a lot of noise. It was like deadly silent.
And I remember walking into this room and a little like 2-year-old little girl, her little feet were sticking out the blanket and I thought, I'm a
dad of four children, I went and tickled the feet and it was like tickling a ghost.
It was like being in a funeral home, the death of silence that was there. It was heartbreaking. What we need, and I mean, this is what we need at a
bare minimum to avert famine. If we get the access and $1.9 billion for next year, we will avert famine. That's at a bare minimum, Becky.
That's not what we really need to give the full rations to the children and the families that are literally a victim of this war, $1.9 billion. Do the
math. That's $150 million a month. We can't be nickel and dimed on this. It's not like we don't know what we need.
So the international community, the international donors have got to step up. If we don't get the money, just some of this money in the next 60 days,
Becky, we're going to have to cut an additional. We're already at half rations for $9 million people.
We will have to cut even further for an additional $6 million people. We run out of money in March, and right now, with the way we're heading, we
will have famine conditions by late spring, and if we run out of money, we'll have famine conditions in a few months. That's where we are.
And we're not talking about numbers, Becky; we're talking about little children that are dying. And as Mark talked about, it's a slow death.
[11:40:00]
BEASLEY: When you don't get the food you need and all the parameters for famine are now ticking up. Once you declare famine, it's too late. But
we've got to get ahead of this. And if we can get the access and get the money, we can avert famine. We've done it before and we can do it again.
ANDERSON: Have a listen to this resident in Aden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INTISAR ABDULLAH IBRAHIM, ADEN RESIDENT: With COVID-19, we had a very difficult time. We couldn't afford our daily expenses anymore. We were very
afraid and we didn't go out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: David, how do you make a difference on the ground?
BEASLEY: Well, if we cannot just get food on the ground, but if we can get liquidity, that's why the biometrics are so very important that we begin to
implement, so that donors know that the money and/or the food goes to the intended beneficiaries.
And if we can go from commodities to cash, we can put about half a billion dollars worth of liquidity into the marketplace over 2021. And that will
drive down the Riyal to a much better price. Before the war started, the Riyal was 225 to 1. It's now at 881. So people are paying four times, you
know, what they would normally pay, because of the war.
And if we can bring this liquidity in, we can drive pricing down for food, and that helps not just the 13 million people that we help, but we also
help the rest of the population of 30 million people and that would have a dynamic positive impact on the economy of Yemen. And right now, it needs
that.
ANDERSON: All right. Well, that is this biometric testing, of course, this biometrics are breakthrough. Let's see whether this works. This is a
conflict that's been going on for around five years. Briefly, what does a Biden Administration mean for the country, David?
BEASLEY: You know, what I have found, Becky, this has been great, the Republicans and the Democrats seem to be fighting over everything in the
United States. But when it comes to food aid, I can tell you, the Republicans and the Democrats lay aside their differences and come
together. So I'm very confident we're going to have the support we need from the White House down to the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.
I've already been talking to leaders on both sides of the aisle and they are very concerned. They want to step up. They've done that in the past.
When I arrived, we were at $1.9 billion from the U.S., now we're at $3.9 billion.
I see no indication that's going to be banked down regardless of how the economy is being impacted by COVID. So that's a commitment I do believe
that we expect going forward. And I'm hoping that the other nations will follow suit as well.
ANDERSON: And when you're talking about the other nations, you're talking about Saudi Arabia and other gulf states, of course?
BEASLEY: Well, there's no question. I mean, the international community has got to step up. And Becky, they can't wait six months. We're running out of
money now. So Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States really need to step up now and the international community coming together.
And I know - this is one of the things that I've told many of the Gulf State Ambassadors the other day. I said, look, we've got tragedy and crisis
in the Central - West Africa, East Africa, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia.
You need to really step up in Yemen and the Middle East so we can take some of the pressure off the North American and western donors so they can help
in some of the tragic crisis we're facing in Africa for example and other places like Afghanistan.
So if the Gulf States will step up, it really will save lives and really relieve some of the pressure on some of the other donors for other regions
around the world.
ANDERSON: That's David Beasley, who is the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, talking to me earlier. I just want to show you some footage
coming to us from Armenia now where much like in Yemen, people are living under the threat of this pandemic while facing huge and terrifying up evil,
scores of people leaving what is a war-torn disputed region of Nagorno- Karabakh.
Just days ago, Armenia's Prime Minister signed a peace deal with Russia and Azerbaijan to end the conflict there. Under the deal, the region that was
formerly held by ethnic Armenians will now be controlled by Azerbaijan, the story that we've followed through this entirety. We'll continue to update
you on that.
Still ahead, Amnesty International says the situation in Ethiopia is getting worse. What the humanitarian group found while thousands flee for
their lives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: We have some information on what is an important story now amid reports of butchery beyond imagination. The alleged attack was carried out
here in Ethiopia's restive Tigray region. The aid group Amnesty International saying it has evidence of a horrific massacre there.
Now it's unclear who carried out the murders, but it is vital to know that the attack comes as Ethiopia slides towards what could turn out to be an
extremely bloody civil war. David McKenzie is with us out of Johannesburg, South Africa, with more. What do you know at this point, David?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that this is a really horrific attack, that Amnesty International has been investigating, Becky. And this
situation in Ethiopia is extremely troubling. I believe that what the blackout of the media in that region, it's possible that there are other
atrocities and certainly a bloody conflict going on that we know precious little about. But this conflict has been brewing for some time.
Under a state of emergency with communications cut, this is some of the only video emerging from Ethiopia's Tigray region, seemingly far from the
fighting, soldiers posing on state TV. But a senior U.N. official warning that the conflict could spiral out of control.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling for a full inquiry into a brutal mass killing; possibly of hundreds of day laborers that
Amnesty International says occurred in Southwest Tigray on November 9th. Witnesses told Amnesty that it looks like the dead were killed by knives
and machetes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABIY AHMED, ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER: This mischievous force is surrounded on all sides. It's a force in its final throes of death. Your children are
suffering death and injuries on the front line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said that the concerns his country will descend into chaos are unfounded, but fears of an all-out
civil war continue to grow. The recent tension in the north began in August, when Abiy's government delayed elections because it said the risk
of COVID-19 was too high.
They held elections in Tigray anyways, setting off an escalation of rhetoric and action. That tension turned into full-blown conflict in early
November, with an alleged attack by the Tigray people's liberation front, or TPLF, on a federal military base in the region.
For the prime minister, a red line had been crossed and he ordered troops in. Remember, this is the same prime minister who won a Nobel Peace Prize
last year. He quickly negotiated peace with Eritrea, ending a dangerous stalemate following the Ethiopia/Eritrea war that ended in 2000.
But peace at home is proving more difficult to achieve. In Ethiopia's federal system, regions often divided among ethnic lines have considerable
autonomy and run their own police force and militia. When Abiy came into power, his appeal was built in part with his campaign of synergy, an effort
to promote Ethiopia United above regional or ethnic lines.
Some accused him of a power grab, including regional leaders in Tigray, and they complained that Abiy's promises of a democratic transition were sham.
[11:50:00]
MCKENZIE: That set up a clash between the central government and - regional capital leaders. Ethiopian parliament has since dissolved the region's
leadership and Abiy has arrested opponents. He tweeted that the TPLF has shown criminal hubris and intransigence and says he's just enforcing the
country's rule of law.
Becky, thousands of refugees are now today streaming over the border into Sudan. There is a real worry that the humanitarian situation will get worse
and worse as this conflict escalates. The prime minister has said this would be a rapid conflict and that he'll be able to bring it to a close
soon, but there are worries, of course, that it could escalate and get entirely out of control. Becky?
ANDERSON: I'm getting a lot of correspondence on this, both on social and by email. I mean, this is - this is an issue that is of huge importance.
We'll keep an eye on it. And David, back with us when you have more and believe me on "Connect the World," we will continue to report on this.
Thank you, David.
Well, it is nature that is behind a devastating loss of life in the Philippines. At least 42 people have been killed and 20 others are missing.
Rescue workers risking their own lives, trying to reach survivors. Why?
Well, this storm made landfall on Wednesday night and hundreds of villages are trying to cope with flooding landslides and power outages. You're
watching CNN. I'm Becky Anderson. We are with "Connect the World." We're going to take a short break back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, 2020 has been a remarkable year, one where even the simplest of tasks can present dangerous new challenges. But in the face of
this pandemic, CNN has found many stories of people willing to risk their own lives to make other lives better.
And those are what we call CNN heroes. And here's Anderson Cooper, my colleague, with a sneak peek of this year's very special awards show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: It's been an incredible and unprecedented year of change, in almost every way imaginable. But at times, it's also been a
year of hope and inspiration. We've seen yet again that the human spirit is resilient and communities are connected and that life can be filled with
joy.
This year's "CNN Heroes: An all-star tribute" will be a celebration of the heroic efforts of the many people around the globe, from two of the biggest
stories this year, the fight against Coronavirus, and the battle for racial equity and social justice.
Women, men, and children in little towns and big cities all over said, we can get through this. We can do better. CNN heroes salutes the remarkable
people when faced with two simultaneous crises stood up to do more to help each other.
We want you to help us share some of the incredible moments of inspiration that moved you all this year. Moments that helped keep our spirits lifted
and moving forward together. Here are some of this year's most inspiring moments.
Before we never noticed the shift change, we didn't see the health care workers and first responders heading home after a long day, but now we do.
We celebrated these heroes every night in cities around the world.
[11:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's so nice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: For nearly eight minutes, George Floyd pleaded for his life. His death sparked worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic
racism. At a press conference, his daughter, Gianna, shared a hope for us all.
When the call rang out for PPE to keep our front line workers safe, Americans responded with great generosity. For the workers at Nebraska
America did something extraordinary. They moved in and quarantined in two of their manufacturing plants for nearly an entire month to get the job
done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's the team! The boys!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: In June, a photograph captured the world's attention. During a London protest, events turned violent. One man - a white former police
officer wandered into the crowd and started to get beat up. Black Lives Matter protester, Patrick Hutchinson saw that he was in peril and carried
him to safety.
In Florence, people sang the Italian National Anthem. In Chicago, they countered the sorrow with "living on a prayer" and a Broadway legend, Brian
Stokes Mitchell serenaded us with "The Impossible Dream" from his balcony.
All over the world, we found a way to lift each other up and connect through the power of music. And this summer, millions of people worldwide
were willing to risk their lives amid the pandemic by stepping out and stepping up to protest systemic racism.
They called for justice, equality, inspiring a movement of all ages, races, religions, and creeds. Which of these moments inspired you the most? Vote
now at cnnheroes.com. And every day through November 30th to let us know your favorite.
Once you vote, you can upload your own videos telling us why these moments moved you. You may just see yourself on "CNN Heroes: An all stars preview"
at Sunday, December 13th, at 8:00 pm eastern on CNN.
ANDERSON: Well, it will be an incredible night. And it will be your night. And you can join us. Cnnheroes.com, as Anderson said to vote for the
moments that inspired you the most and do tune in as Anderson and Kelly Ripa host our annual "CNN Heroes all-star tribute", live on Sunday,
December the 13th.
Well, there is so much good in the world, and that's no cliche, it's no platitude, and not just in jazzy television pieces. Just look around you,
wherever you are, you'll find something in the world that is good. Look for the good. Improve the bad. Remember that, do take care. Stay well it is a
very warm good evening from us here in Abu Dhabi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, right this hour CNN tracking Joe Biden's win growing and growing even as Coronavirus numbers of course spike across America. My
colleague Mr. John King has more.
END
