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Connect the World
Understanding COVID-19 Vaccines & Potential Side Effects; Iran Passes Law To Ramp Up Nuclear Enrichment; Iran Posing New Challenge To Biden Administration; China Sentences Democracy Protesters To Prison; United Nations Calls For More Inclusive Post-COVID World; South Korea Holds College Entrance Exams Despite Rising Cases. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 03, 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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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi this is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin, I'm afraid, with tragic and alarming news from the most powerful nation on earth. In a new record, the
U.S. has reported more than 2,800 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday. Earlier tally of more than 3,000 was actually revised downwards due to an error.
But the fact is, well over 270,000 people have now died from the virus in America, with almost 40 million confirmed infections. Now, add to this the
colossal struggle for hospitals, intensive care units, in particular, and you can understand why the Head of CDC in the states says the next three
months could be the most difficult in the history of American public health.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: The reality is December and January and February are going to be rough
times. I actually believe they're going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation largely because of the stress that
it's got to put on our health care system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What's the president doing? Well, when it comes to the pandemic and not to politics, your guess is as good as mine. Despite all the
warnings, his top diplomat is inviting hundreds of guests to the State Department for holiday reception receptions.
It might feel easy to dismiss or get numb over these numbers when we hear such shocking figures almost day in and day out, but U.S. health experts
say the urgency of this situation cannot be overstated. Here is Adrienne Broaddus.
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Across the United States, the Coronavirus pandemic passing devastating milestones this morning.
ANDY BESHEAR, KENTUCKY GOVERNOR: No way to sugar coat it, it is the deadliest day that we have had.
BROADDUS (voice-over): The country recording the most deaths in one day since the pandemic began, and more than 100,000 people are in the hospital
with the disease. The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that number will only increase, saying there could be
close to 450,000 deaths by February.
DR. REDFIELD: I actually believe they're going to be the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation largely because of the
stress that it's going to put on our health care system.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Los Angeles County this week reporting its highest number of people in the hospital with the virus. And with new cases on the
rise, the city's Mayor enforcing a stricter, safer at home orders.
ERIC GARCETTI, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: It's time to hunker down. It's time to cancel everything. If it isn't essential, don't do it.
BROADDUS (voice-over): Health experts are bracing for an even higher number of new cases and hospitalizations in the upcoming weeks, when infections
stemming from Thanksgiving gatherings surge. This pushing the CDC to again call for people to cancel travel plans for the winter holidays.
DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: It's likely that unless really major efforts are to push harder with the public health
measures, we could be facing the kind of circumstance that we really hoped not to, where many hospitals just run out of capabilities to take care of
all the sick patients.
BROADDUS (voice-over): According to Operation Warp Speed, the first shipments of Pfizer's vaccine will be delivered on December 15th, and
Moderna's one week later on the 22nd. Both still need FDA approval. Federal officials say 40 million doses should be available by the end of December
enough for 20 million people to be vaccinated.
DR. MONCEF SLAOUI, CHIEF SCIENCE ADVISER, OPERATION WARP SPEED: Between December and end of February, we would have, potentially, immunized 100
million people, which is really more or less the size of the significant at-risk population, the elderly, the health care workers, the first line
workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That's exactly what Americans want to know right now. When will a vaccine be available for the most vulnerable and, indeed, themselves and
their loved ones? The latest, a top official of Operation Warp Speed says tens of millions could be vaccinated early in the New Year. Nearly every
vaccine carries side effects. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke with a participant in one of the vaccine trials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YASIR BATALVI, VACCINE TRIAL PARTICIPANT: That evening was rough. I mean, I developed a low grade fever and fatigue and chills.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yasir Batalvi is describing the side effects that he experienced during Moderna's COVID
vaccine trial.
BATALVI: 30 minutes later I had a little bit of stiffness, muscle soreness in my left arm. It is like you're punched in the arm, basically.
[11:05:00]
DR. GUPTA: When you're going through this process, Yasir, 22-page consent form, hearing about all the potential side effects, knowing that you're
trialing something that, you know, we don't have a lot of data on at the time, did you have any second thoughts before taking it?
BATALVI: Honestly, Sanjay, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's claiming an efficacy of--
DR. GUPTA: Every decision we make is risk versus reward. When the company announced early data showing over 94 percent efficacy, Yasir was confident
it had been worth it.
BATALVI: It doesn't last long and the potential of folks not getting this vaccine and actually infecting people with COVID, those effects last a lot
longer. They can be life or death.
DR. GUPTA: These are early days, and the two vaccine front runners in this country, Pfizer and Moderna, use a type of genetic sequence called MRNA.
It's a technology that has never before been used in humans outside of a clinical trial.
MRNA stands for Messenger RNA. It carries the instructions for making whatever protein you want. In this case, the spike protein the virus uses
to enter our cells. These vaccines require two doses, one to prime, one to boost.
A few weeks apart so the body mounts what we hope will be a lasting immune response. One of the biggest concerns now is that the side effects that
Yasir is describing, fatigue, muscle pain, fever and chills, will deter people from getting that second dose.
SLAOUI: Maybe 10 percent, 15 percent of the subjects immunized have noticeable side effects that usually last no more than 24 to 36 hours.
DR. GUPTA: Do you worry about the impact of this vaccine on you long term?
BATALVI: I gave it a lot of thought. The only thing that gave me some calm was trying to research the actual vaccine. Trying to understand how MRNA
vaccines work.
DR. GUPTA: We understand this for sure, you can't get infected from this vaccine because the vaccine doesn't actually contain the virus. Even though
these are genetic-based vaccines, they don't alter our DNA. As far as those side effects go, that may even be a good sign.
DR. PAUL OFFIT, VACCINE ED, CENTER CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: That means your immune response is working for you. You should feel good
about that. It shouldn't really be any difficulty coming back for that second shot, knowing that you're now in a much better position to fight off
this awful virus.
DR. GUPTA: For now, Yasir is looking forward to his next appointment, which is on December 10th, the exact day the FDA might authorize the first
vaccine for COVID-19.
BATALVI: So I put my name down because I just felt so helpless. It's public service. I have to do it because I think mass scale vaccination is really
the only realistic way out of the pandemic that we're in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What an important report. This time yesterday, we spent a lot of time looking at the UK's decision, give emergency approval to a vaccine
developed in partnership with the American company Pfizer. Meanwhile the U.S. is still awaiting agency approval, here's how America's top infectious
disease expert put the apparent delay state side.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We really scrutinized the data very carefully to guarantee to the
American public that this is a safe and efficacious vaccine. The UK did not do it as carefully. They got a couple of days ahead. I don't think that
makes much difference. We'll be there. We'll be there very soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, but one British Minister somewhat churlishly defending the UK's decision to get the vaccine first. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GAVIN WILLIAMSON, BRITISH EDUCATION SECRETARY: I just reckon we've got the very best people in the country, and obviously the very best medical,
better than the French, better than the Belgians have and the Americans have. That doesn't surprise me because we're a better country than every
single one of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, even London's Mayor described those claims as linguistics nonsense. OK, that's a broad look at the state of play on vaccines just
before the situation in America at large, which is seeing an incredible volume of people getting sick.
Fact is we don't have a broad rollout of vaccines right now. We might not get one for a while. We have to act smart. In the report we started with
from Adrienne Broaddus she mentioned Los Angeles County and its stay at home order.
Well, the State of California trying to decide whether to impose the statewide ban on gatherings. Let's get you on the ground in L.A. with
Stephanie. California has been debating this stay at home order now for a while. What exactly is being discussed, Stephanie?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, I think we might be hearing something about that this week. It's worth noting that here in Los Angeles
County, which is the most populous county in the state, I actually think the most populous county in the country, we are already back in a stay at
home order of sorts.
It's not as drastic as what we saw earlier in the year, in the springtime, but, still, the reason why is all about the numbers. Let me paint this
picture for you. Yesterday when the most recent data came out from California, the state announced 20,759 new cases.
[11:10:00]
ELAM: That shattered the old record by far, which was just set in November, by the way. I point that out. The worst of this was not in the spring or
summer surge, it's happening right now. You look at the hospitalizations. We have more than 9,300 people who are hospitalized right now.
That is a new record there, as well. We're also looking at a positivity rate for the last 14 days, now at 6.9 percent. That is up about 1.9 percent
so almost 2 percent from 14 days ago all of this just showing a dire situation when you look at the data analyzed from Johns Hopkins University.
The last some days California has added over 104,000 new cases, which is up 8 percent from last week. Drilling down on what's happening here in Los
Angeles County, and the way that we've seen our cases raising here, the hospitalizations are up about 85 percent over the last two weeks. That
number over 2,400 people who are in the hospital right now.
The county also saying that right now, we only have 122 ICU beds available keeps in mind; this is a county of 10 million people. They're saying we
could run out of hospital beds if no further intervention is put in place.
By the time we get to Christmas, just scary, scary numbers. That is why you hear the Mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti saying that, "Instead, I
know it is December we should be all about merry everything, he saying right now, it is about cancel everything." take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARCETTI: My message couldn't be simpler. It's time to hunker down. It's time to cancel everything. If it isn't essential, don't do it. Don't meet
up with others outside your household. Don't host a gathering. Don't attend a gathering. Following our targeted safer at home order, if you're able to
stay home, stay home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: I wish Becky that everyone could talk to someone who has recovered from having been sick with the Coronavirus, to know what it is like for
many of these people. Talk to the people who have lost people, to understand what this means and why it is so important for people to follow
the guidelines. Maybe if people had those conversations, maybe they'd change their behavior.
ANDERSON: Yes, no, and I hope by watching this show and the shows in the states, people are getting a sense of the personal stories here. Because
you're absolutely right to point that out, Stephanie. These numbers, you know, we've become almost immune to, don't we?
We've become numb to these numbers when we report them on a daily basis. But it's actually experiencing this through a personal association, I
think, people really, really get it. Thank you, Stephanie Elam reporting.
Well, Iran hitting a million cases of Coronavirus today, complicating what is already an extremely difficult and volatile political situation. In just
the last few minutes, news crossing that yet more sanctions is being piled on Iran from America; against it chemical weapons research organization.
Now, you'd be forgiven for thinking that there wasn't much left to sanction, but the news is coming as we've been talking about, Iran's
nuclear enrichment. Let me walk you through that. With the Iranian lawmakers passing a law that lays out a timeline to ramp up enrichment if
economic sanctions aren't lifted.
Well, that's even as President Rouhani spoke out against the measure, saying it could undermine efforts to revive the nuclear deal once the Biden
Administration enters the White House. I'm sure you'll remember that he was instrumental in brokering that same deal, the joint plan of action, as it's
known.
But the assassination last week of Iran's top nuclear scientist has changed the mood in Tehran. This is the first time CNN has been in Iran since the
pandemic began. Nick Paton Walsh is standing by for us in the capital of Tehran.
And we have been recording on these new numbers, as far as COVID are concerned, the decision by parliament to order the uptick in enrichment,
were the sanctions not to be lifted, and now we are reporting on the fact - and we knew this was coming - that the U.S. is piling more sanctions, not
less, on the country. What's the perspective where you are on the political front?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: It was quite clear that the Trump Administration in its closing days is doing all it can to
make diplomacy harder. And frankly the sanctions are already being put on that left many observers wondering quite what is left at times to sanction
that could feasibly be done.
Even the Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif who is the educated in the U.S., said personal sanctions were levied against him. This is all about
the Trump Administration trying to - the options for his successor, Joe Biden.
[11:15:00]
WALSH: Now the parliamentary moves we saw yesterday that aren't immediately kick into effect but they are essentially a sign of Iran's government isn't
always one voice. The hawkish parliament laying out a timetable, which the President Hassan Rouhani, says he doesn't agree with, but a timetable that
would, in two months, require his government to stop inspectors getting access to nuclear facilities.
And then essentially at the end pull out of the non-proliferation treaty, and also to increase enrichment to 20 percent. That's key because it is an
alarm bell figure that brings Iran close to a nuclear weapon enrichment levels if it chooses to do so.
Publicly, it says it doesn't want to do that at this time. But this is to say at the hoax laying down a timetable for the moderates, Hassan Rouhani,
who is against this parliamentary move to speed up diplomacy potentially. There is no obviously surprise that this two-month deadline falls just
after Joe Biden would take power after his January 20th Inauguration.
But it definitely demands that the government get results and sanctions relief, otherwise these measures kick in. So essentially, it does raise
tension here, certainly, toward diplomacy, and in the background to the assassination for which Israel has been accused by denied of the nuclear
scientist Mohsen Fakhrazadeh may also go to Tehran last Friday. Yet another instant that - has got many concerns of potential escalation and violence
in retaliation here in the region, Becky.
ANDERSON: And just as we've been on air, Nick, crossing in the last few minutes, the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif saying that uranium
enrichment law is reversible if the U.S. returns to the nuclear deal and lifts sanctions. So we are clearly then looking at this decision as a
tactic, correct?
WALSH: Yes, this is about escalating pressure, as I say. There are those in the hawkish side of the government that feel diplomacy can't really
continue when they're seeing their top officials - remember, Qassem Soleimani the key military figure killed by the Americans in January
outside of Baghdad.
They can't have that happening to Iran while looking to get back to the negotiating table with the Americans. Becky, all of this happens with the
backdrop of Coronavirus as an epidemic here in Tehran. They passed the million case marks today that are a million Iranians who have tested
positive with PCR tests for the disease.
That's not the full picture. Sadly, sanctions mean that a lot of medicine they'd like here is not available. They're not able to do what they'd like
to do. That was pointed out by their Foreign Minister we mentioned before Mohammed Javad Zarif when he spoke today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Unfortunately, we're suffering from something more than the rest of the world is and that is an
economic war. This is way beyond restrictions. The United States even prevents us from using our own money in different countries to pay for the
vaccine.
If they say otherwise, they're simply lying. We've been trying, Ministry of Health has been trying, Central Bank has been trying to transfer money we
have in billions in other countries to W.H.O. for Covax, and we haven't had much success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: And the Americans say that they have provided exemptions for Iran to get medicine, although Iran says that is no way near - effective and you
heard the complaints there. But this backdrop of the damage done by the pandemic here in Iran is extraordinary, frankly, to see just how empty the
streets have been at certain times.
It's obviously feeding into the dynamics. Anger at sanctions, anger at the United States continually imposing what they call maximum pressure,
sanctioning virtually everything they possibly can, even just now as they're on their way out, the Trump Administration.
That is making dynamics harder for Joe Biden. But you might also argue, too, it makes him the good cop after so many years of bad cop. So we'll see
how this diplomacy moves forward, given the escalating tension and the tight timetable at Iran's parliament is trying to put in play. Becky?
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, Javad Zarif really playing it out, the situation for people on the ground. Covax of course is the global Vaccine Alliance set up
to ensure that these vaccines are equally distributed. And Javad Zarif pointing that out this is all about a country, in the end, a country that
is absolutely struggling with Coronavirus with a million cases, with getting access to medicines.
Now, it seems, struggling to get access to the very vaccine that will help sort this whole pandemic out. Thank you for that. As more Hong Kong
activists are sent to prison, we're going to get some insight on this latest crackdown from democracy activist Nathan Law that is coming up. And
December 3rd is the International Day of persons with disabilities. We'll speak to 11-time Paralympics athletes on inclusion, accessibility, and what
she is doing to celebrate?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. We've been talking this show about Iran's plans to increase its uranium enrichment stockpile in the wake of the assassination
of its top nuclear scientist last Friday. It's also set to block nuclear inspectors, all conditional, though, on whether economic sanctions are
lifted.
Iran's Foreign Minister just saying that the law passed to increase uranium stockpiles is reversible. You can see the wider strategies and tactics
playing out right in front of your eyes here on the show. Karim Sadjadpour focuses on Iran and U.S. policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace a regular guest on this show joining us via Skype from Washington.
I want to talk about what's going on here, the kind of wider story and the calculus both in Washington, in Tehran, and in the capitals around this
country. But let's just have a look at what just crossed here in the last few minutes.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, saying uranium enrichment this new law is reversible if the U.S. returns to the nuclear deal and lifts
sanctions. Clearly, what we are looking at here is what you and I and others have been discussing over the past couple of weeks, Tehran looking
for something from this new incoming administration.
They know what they're going to get from the Trump Administration. It continues maximum pressure. But Karim, they want some compensation, be that
financially or just sort of metaphorically, as it were, at this point. Are they going to get that?
KARIM SADJADPOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE EDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Well Becky, you're absolutely right. I think Tehran wants to give the Biden
Administration a sense of urgency. It's not the American economy, which is dependent on a return, a full or partial return to the nuclear deal; it's
the Iranian economy, which has really been battered by not only the economic sanctions but the pandemic and endemic corruption and
mismanagement.
So I think this is a signal that Iran is trying to send to the Biden Administration, that you don't have time to waste. I think Iran is also
calculating that Joe Biden doesn't want to begin his presidency with an escalatory crisis with Iran. In order to diffuse that crisis, he should
have a sense of urgency to go back immediately to the nuclear deal.
ANDERSON: While that is going on and we're reporting, and we are reporting today, Nick Paton Walsh is on the ground in Tehran, which is great, and
we've been reporting on the incremental moves out of Tehran, we are also reporting on Jared Kushner's trip here in region, between Doha and Riyadh.
For the purposes of our viewers' understanding, the sort of machinations of this region that you and I discuss on a regular basis, but we need to stand
back for everybody's benefit and explain the significance of what Kushner is up to when we consider we're talking big picture Iran here? Explain.
[11:25:00]
SADJADPOUR: Becky, essentially, the message that both the Trump Administration with Jared Kushner and, frankly, the Biden Administration
will try to send to the countries in the Persian Gulf is that your countries are much weaker when you're divided and trying to counter the
threat which you perceive from Iran.
If you Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the UAE spend more of your bandwidth and efforts fighting amongst one another, it leaves you far more vulnerable to
Iranian machinations. Essentially, they're trying to build up some unity.
Frankly, as I said, I think that even under a Biden Administration, you would probably try - you would probably see an effort from the U.S.
administration to try to bring about inter-gulf repo.
ANDERSON: What chance that - at this point?
SADJADPOUR: Well, my sense is that - between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, looks more likely than, for example, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. There's some
very bad blood there. But at the end of the day, these are very small countries facing an - they all do perceive Iran, to various degrees, as an
existential threat or, certainly, a major threat.
And at the end of the day, it does behoove them to work with one another. None of them perceive Iran to be an ally that has their best interests in
mind.
ANDERSON: Iran has vowed to avenge the death of its nuclear scientist, the response yet to be delineated, as it were. Meantime, the U.S. is
temporarily withdrawing some staff from its U.S. Embassy in Baghdad amid concerns about retaliation on the anniversary of the killing of Qassem
Soleimani at the beginning of January.
That was - that's how we started this year. Can you believe it? Before the cloud of COVID, I mean that was the breaking story at the beginning of the
year, the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. Do you - clearly, Washington have some concerns about what may be looming. There will be concerns about
this region, as to whether Tehran is prepared to respond to either of these deaths with something significant. What's your sense?
SADJADPOUR: I think Becky that Iran has two competing priorities, which it is going to have to figure out how to reconcile? On one hand, in order to
restore their economy, they have to go back, either fully or partially, to the nuclear deal.
On the other hand, to restore deterrents, to restore regime pride in the aftermath of the assassinations of both Qassem Soleimani and their top
nuclear scientist Fakhrazadeh, they may feel like they have to retaliate and avenge those deaths.
But the problem is, if they choose to retaliation, whether it's against Israel or the United States, and they inadvertently kill a lot of people,
that really could sabotage the prospect of a return to the nuclear deal, which their economy is dependent on. So Iran really doesn't have great
options at the moment.
ANDERSON: Then you consider this Iran has just reached a very, very, very disturbing number, a million confirmed cases of Coronavirus. Those are just
the recorded numbers. That number could go or could be even higher. In a virtual conference today, Karim, Iran's Foreign Minister accused the U.S.
of waging an economic war. This is within the sort of, you know, atmosphere of COVID. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZARIF: Unfortunately, we're suffering from something more than the rest of the world is and that is an economic war. This is way beyond restrictions.
The United States even prevents us from using our own money in different countries to pay Covax for the vaccine.
If they say otherwise, they're simply lying. We've been trying, our Ministry of Health has been trying, our Central Bank has been trying to
transfer money we have in billions in other countries to W.H.O. for Covax. We haven't had much success.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: How damaging has the response to COVID been for authorities in Iran? When I talk about that, you know, clearly, we're not talking about a
monolith here. How damaging?
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: What do people - how do people feel on the ground?
SADJADPOUR: You know, I would argue, Becky, that the whole response to COVID in Iran, and I've seen unofficial estimates which say that the number
of COVID deaths and cases is three times the official rate, you know, I would argue it's far more been a question of leadership than it has been a
lack of resources.
Look at the United States as an example. We have all the resources in the world, but Donald Trump's poor leadership has produced a really
catastrophic situation. Likewise, in Iran, they haven't had transparency.
They haven't had leadership, ask they haven't chosen to put the economic welfare and the welfare of their people ahead of regime ideologies like
death to America and death to Israel. When I was listening to the clip of Foreign Minister Zarif, I was actually reminded of something that he,
himself, told me about 12, 13 years ago once in a meeting.
He was defending the tension of British sailors in the Persian Gulf, Iran's detention of British sailors in the Persian Gulf. He cited a Persian
proverb and he said when you're fighting a war, don't expect sweets. Essentially, the United States and Iran have been in a cold war and proxy
war for decades.
ANDERSON: Karim, we're going to have to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us. Back after this, viewers.
SADJADPOUR: Thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Three prominent activists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to prison. As China cracks down hard on the democracy movement Joshua Wong
says it is not the end of the fight after being sentenced to a year on charges of unauthorized assembly.
He would serve his sentence alongside other brave protesters as he called them, and he urged the tenacious people of Hong Kong to continue to support
each other. Well, my next guest is a close friend to all three of the activists who were arrested.
He tweeted that the arrests are "Devastating, absurd" and urged people to re-tweet his post if they had his same feelings and demands. That includes
the immediate release of the trio, stopping prosecutions under the national security law, and to sanction accountable government officials.
Nathan Law is one of the founders of Hong Kong's Umbrella Democracy Movement. He is joining us now via Skype from London, where he now lives in
exile. We thank you for joining us.
[11:35:00]
ANDERSON: And the very fact that you are joining us from London speaks volumes about where we are at this point. Are those demands that you have
laid out and that you're asking people to re-tweet, repost are they realistic at this point, sir?
NATHAN LAW, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: Well, from now on, it is important that we could pile up the pressure as much as we can. Obviously, this sentencing
is harsh. Joshua got 30 months. Another got 10 months. They're most prominent figures in Hong Kong's Democratic Movement, so it is definitely a
signal to the world that they have the full control in Hong Kong.
They're going to incarcerate political activists. And for now as to don't know when they walk out from jail because both Joshua and Agnes they both
have additional charges. If the sentencing powered up - in addition for them, if the government prosecutes them under the national security law, it
could be years. So I urge the world to stand by them and support our Democratic Movement.
ANDERSON: You are close friends with Joshua, with Agnes and Ivan, but particularly Joshua, who you spent the last seven years on the front line
with, fighting for democracy. Tell me about those times and what all of this means for you.
LAW: Well, Joshua and I have been working very closely for the past six years, and he is a tenacious guy. I've never seen anyone who is committed
as him. He basically devoted all his time and energy on campaigning for democracy.
So he's such an admirable person. It is devastating for me to witness everything. Last time Joshua went to jail, I was in Hong Kong and could
really help him, I could pay a visit to him, help with the daily chores, et cetera.
For now, I can only see it from a far away distance, and I can only offer very limited help. It really makes me feel sad. I really hope that, in the
future, we could meet together when Hong Kong's democratic and free.
ANDERSON: I want our viewers to have a listen to what Joshua said when both you and he were released from prison back in 2017.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA WONG, HONG KONG PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: Maybe one day, few months later, Nathan and I will need to go into the jail again, but I hope to say
that the government can lock up our body but they can't lock up our mind. At the same time, they can put us in prison, but they can't put aside our
determination to fight for democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I can only imagine how that makes you feel, given what is happening right now. Outgoing pro democracy lawmaker, who visited Joshua at
the detention center, said that solitary confinement was a torture for him. Just describe what it was like for you when you were jailed.
LAW: Well, when I went to jail with Joshua in 2017, when you're in jail, you feel completely isolated and lonely. If the cell mates or the officers,
they have different political opinion with you, you'll feel extremely unsafe and insecurity.
So I believe that there are a lot of inmates who are charged with political charges, they have the same feeling. So we indeed have to pay attention to
them and hope that they stand the pressure, by bringing it to the news or wherever we can, to lessen the pressure inside.
ANDERSON: You penned an op-ed in "The New York Times" today entitled "Mr. Biden, keep the pressure on Hong Kong." You said, and I quote, incoming
Biden Administration must not only remain critical of the CCP or the Chinese Communist Party regime, but also have the courage to foster a new
China policy that prioritizes human rights over other interests.
Only then will the United States be able to restore its leadership in the global order committed to freedom, democracy, quality, and multi-
lateralism. Now, we know that Anthony Blinken, who runs Joe Biden's foreign policy team now is the Secretary of State, has suggested in the past at
least that human rights and values of democracy will be at the heart of any Joe Biden policy going forward.
What would you like to see that incoming administration, and President- Elect Joe Biden, do right now?
[11:40:00]
ANDERSON: Because there are still 50 days before they actually take the reins, Nathan.
LAW: Well, for the Biden Administration, we are expecting stronger leadership globally, in terms of defending democracy, and also multi-
lateralism targeting and tackling the Chinese authoritarian expansion.
But there is also worry that, at least in the article, there are certain topics that the government has to cooperate with China in order to take
over. For example, public health and climate change. Will these be a leverage taken by China to receive less pressure from the community? I
think this is - this remains a worry for us.
Still, I think that being very tough and assertive toward China, seeing it as a strategic threat is already a political consensus in the U.S., across
political aisles, and we're looking to work with our allies in order to preserve democratic values and support Hong Kong's Democratic Movement.
ANDERSON: And I'm sure that you will hope that more than just Washington is embedded in that fight with you. I just want our viewers, finally, to have
a listen to what you said in an interview with my colleague, Fareed Zakaria, last year. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAW: Hong Kong is my hometown, and I devoted my previous years of fighting for the democracy. I was elected as, well, congressman, legislator in Hong
Kong, but I was subsequently revolted because of Beijing's attention.
I have been in jail because of my peaceful support of the protesters. I will be back to Hong Kong to stand with my fellows and to work together
until Hong Kong is another great city with democracy and with respect to the human dignity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, you are now in London in exile. Hong Kong is home. When do you think you will return, and can you continue your fight from exile at
this point?
LAW: I've left Hong Kong for five months and been doing a lot of international advocacy work. We can really see that that is a shift towards
a more progressive approach toward China in Europe and in the UK government.
So I think this is a very important signal and encouragement for us to continuously work on the international front, even with different offices.
For me definitely, I really do believe that I'll be back to Hong Kong, even though it will take years or even decades.
I have a strong faith that Hong Kong people will conquer because we never give up. Democracy and freedom are the values, are the important elements
of our society, and we'll fight until the end.
ANDERSON: With that, we'll leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us, for giving us your time, and we will continue to stay in
touch as you pursue your fight. Thank you.
Coming up next, it is the International Day of persons with disabilities. We're going to take you - or give you a look at what we can do to build a
better post-pandemic world for everyone. Plus--
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wanted to go to the study room but couldn't due to the Coronavirus. We also had to wear face masks at school, making it hard
to breathe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: South Korean college applicants are going ahead with their exams. Never mind a looming second wave of COVID.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: Every December the 3rd, we mark the International Day of persons with disabilities. This year's theme highlights not only the
disproportionate toll that the pandemic has taken on those with disabilities, but also the potential to create a post pandemic world that
is better for everyone. It is building back better, an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post COVID-19 world by far and with for persons
with disables. Here is the U.N. Secretary General.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: Disability inclusion is a fundamental human right. When we fight to secure those rights, we move our
world closer to upholding the values and principles of the United Nations charter. I want United Nations to be a choice for persons with
disabilities. I want humanitarian, development, and peace operations to fully recognize and address the rights of persons with disabilities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, joining me now is Tanni Grey-Thompson an 11-time Paralympics gold medalist and Chair of the non-profit group UK Active. I
take my hat off to you. You are prolific in picking up those medals. How are you celebrating today? This is, of course, a very important day.
TANNI GREY-THOMPSON, 11-TIME PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: It's a hugely important day. It is one day out of the year, so it's important to have the
conversation, to get non-disabled people to listen to disabled people's lived experience.
I'm hoping that you know as we come out of the pandemic, we think very differently about how we treat disabled people. All around the world,
disabled people are still routinely excluded from employment and education. We know the pandemic has hit them very hard. In the UK, 60 percent of
people who have died have been disabled. So we really need to do better in terms of how we include disabled people in the future.
ANDERSON: And sport has the power to change the world, as Nelson Mandela once rightly said. I know that sport has been a big part of your life and
has shaped it enormously. How, is my first question, and, secondly, how do you believe sport might help provide a better post pandemic world for
people with disabilities?
GREY-THOMPSON: Well, on an individual level, sport gave me the chance to travel all over the world, to see how disabled people live and work, and
see how they're discriminated against? I think sport in non - way lets us look at disabled people and ask questions and learn about them.
There's no doubt, 2012 was the most amazing Olympics and Paralympics ever. I'm a bit biased in that. But we can't expect a sporting event - we can
expect it to influence but we can't expect it to change everything. In the UK, since 2012 hate crime against disabled children has doubled. Hate crime
against the adults is on the increase.
You know, we need the address those issues if we're going to do better for disabled people. Sport brings people together, it allows us to have that
conversation, but it needs to be backed up with legislation and with action. 25 years since our Disability Discrimination Act. Ten years since
our Equality Act.
Disabled people, the outgoing Chair of the Human Rights Commission, said disabled people haven't done well by the Equality Act. It shows we still
have so much further to go. I experienced discrimination in education as a child. I still deal - and now I work in house lawns. I still deal with
discrimination cases against disabled children. So we must all do better to give people a fair chance.
ANDERSON: And your voice is so important in the - I don't want to call it a struggle, because, I don't know, maybe I should call it a struggle, but you
have the power to create and motivate change.
[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: Abu Dhabi, where I am right now, hosted the 2019 Special Olympics world games. These are the first Special Olympics ever taken place in the
Middle East. I attended it, and it is incredibly inspiring people of determination, which is what we call people here with intellectual
disabilities. Abu Dhabi also hosting - in 2018. Have a listen to what one young Emirati girl told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAICA AL QASSIMI, MARTIAL ARTS PRACTITIONER: We want to show people this is who we are. We can change and we all fight for what we really loved.
ANDERSON: Do you see change happening around you?
AL QASSIMI: Yes, I do with a mass movement of the Special Olympics coming to Abu Dhabi, and seeing the different communities coming together, and I
have really good friends behind me that really touched my heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I just wanted our viewers to get the sense of just how important those games here were and what a change they made to perceptions about
people with intellectual disabilities. Not just in the UAE, but around this region, which had had issues in the past.
I got the chance to interview Sebastian Coe while he was here for those games. He, of course, is the President of the International Association of
Athletics Federations. Have a listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN COE, PRESIDENT, IAAF: Young people have - don't just look at your activity, whether it's sport, whether it's politics, whether it's the
media, whether it's a charity, whether it is a university, whatever it is, the arts and culture community, as being simply that.
They ask a much more fundamental question, does your organization look like the world I live in? If they don't feel an emotional connection with what
you're doing, then they'll move on to something else. Actually, the sadness of it is it probably won't be sport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Does the world look like you want it to look at this point? Does it reflect who you are, is one of the big questions we must ask ourselves.
What's your one message as we close out this show tonight?
GREY-THOMPSON: I talk to the same people listen to lived experience, and it gives an opportunity to be included. We're 20 percent of the world's
population. Disabled people deserve a better chance.
ANDERSON: Tanni Grey-Thompson out of London this evening, thank you very much indeed. I think you're in London; actually you're certainly in the UK
though. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. We wish you the very best over the festive season. We are taking a very short break back after.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Earlier, we looked at how the U.S. had its deadliest day in this Coronavirus pandemic. Now, we are just getting word from the UK that it has
passed a tragic milestone. More than 60,000 people have died from the virus there. That includes more than 400 just today.
Here's a look at how the UK compares to the rest of Europe and, indeed, the U.S. is worst. Well, South Korea, so far, managed its breakouts pretty
successfully by international standards by following strict protocols, but it is seeing rising case numbers now.
In fact, hundreds of thousands of students are refusing to let that put their plans on hold. They are taking grueling college entrance exams, which
can make or break their professional future.
[11:55:00]
ANDERSON: Paula Hancocks has more from Seoul on how the country is conducting those tests.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Becky, we've seen exams around the world being canceled because of the Coronavirus, but the South Korean
government decided simply that wasn't going to happen here. This particular college exam was simply too important.
I spoke to the Education Minister, and she told me that this country has proved that they could hold a national election, so why not a national
exam? Although, she also did admit that she is nervous every day that there could be an outbreak.
It is one of the most important days on the South Korean calendar, the college entrance exam. Not even a deadly pandemic could stop it.
Temperature checks, hand sanitizer, socially distanced desks, and plastic dividers all brought in to minimize the risks.
The students will be here in the school for the next nine hours, a full day of different exams, of different topics. There will be far more
restrictions in place this time around. This year, they cannot gather in any numbers in between those exams. Their lunches, they have to bring in
their own lunch and sit at their desk, these restrictions really adding to what is already a stressful day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIN SEUNG-MIN, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: We wanted to go to the study room but couldn't due to the Coronavirus. We also had to wear face masks at school,
making it hard to breathe. So it was really hard to study this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: More than three dozen students who tested positive for the virus are taking the exam in hospital. This government film simulation shows
moderators in full PPE bringing the test in, then taking it away in a plastic sleeve to be stored for a few days before it is marked, to ensure
no live virus is on the paper.
More than 400 students currently in quarantine because of exposure to the virus are sitting the exam at separate test sites. Even in a regular year,
the entire country adapts to this test. Businesses and even the stock market opens one hour later so the nearly 500,000 students taking the exam
are not caught up in rush hour traffic.
Flights are suspended during the English listening part of the exam so no one is disturbed. President Moon Jae-In toured a school Sunday to show his
support for the tests going ahead. His Education Minister Yoo Eun-Hae says up to 300,000 people are involved moderators, disease prevention staff, and
ministry personnel but she is still worried.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOO EUN-HAE, SOUTH KOREAN EDUCATION MINISTER: The college entrance exam is like a gateway that decides their career path, so I'm concerned they may
not be able to perform well if they're psychologically worried, infected, or in quarantine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Some 6,000 people signed a petition, calling for the exam to be postponed for two weeks, saying it was, "Like throwing students into a pit
of fire". Others voiced concern online about catching the virus during the exam and missing additional university entrance exams, which happen next
week.
But the government is pushing ahead, confident they have held an election during a pandemic, so why not a nationwide exam? Well, this exam is also
taking place at a time when the number of new Coronavirus cases is high. 540 new cases for Wednesday not necessarily high for other countries, but
it is high for South Korea. Officials were hoping that the increased social distancing rules they had put in place recently would be having an effect
by now. Becky?
ANDERSON: Paula Hancocks closing out the show for us out of Seoul this evening. From Abu Dhabi, it is a very warm good evening. Take care. Stay
well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
