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European Leaders Urge Multilateral Cooperation against COVID-19; Biden: U.S. to Buy 200 Million Additional Vaccine Doses; U.K.: Incoming Travelers Must Quarantine in Hotels; E.U. Countries Fighting Over Vaccine Deliveries; U.S. President Joe Biden Holds First Call with Russian President Vladimir Putin; Biden Takes on Climate Crisis as Matter of Survival; U.S. Assures Support for Two-State Solution. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired January 27, 2021 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNNI HOST : It's 10:00 in the morning in Washington. It's 3:00 in the afternoon in London, 7:00 in the evening here in Abu Dhabi.

From our Middle East broadcasting hub. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.

Right now we are watching the global quest for a vaccine be slowed down and jammed up by government ineptitude or national stockpiling, increasingly

bitter and confusing approaches that cost lives, perhaps millions of lives and money, perhaps trillions of dollars.

All this as the pandemic explodes to a recorded 100 million infections around the world.

Folks, it doesn't have to be like this. It shouldn't be like this. But it is the way it is right now.

The lightning speed of progress of vaccine development has been a shining light through this COVID-19 pandemic, the science remarkable; the politics,

ridiculous at best. Many of the poorest nations around the world face the prospect of a very long wait before they get access to vaccines.

Why?

Well, greed, really, or what's diplomatically called vaccine nationalism.

But make no mistake. Someone not getting vaccinated halfway around the world has a direct impact on you, even if you have had a jab. There needs

to be equity here. Many governments agree, in theory. Now we need to see equal access made a reality.

Well, Melinda Gates, along with her husband, Bill, at the forefront of vaccine development and surveillance, you'll remember I spoke to her a few

months ago. Her new warning, as blunt as ever, that we are "riding towards a future of immunity inequality."

The World Health Organization, for its part, sees it much the same way. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Even as the first vaccines begin to be deployed, the promise of equitable access is at

serious risk. We now face the real danger that, even as vaccines bring hope to those in wealthy countries, much of the world could be left behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And we cannot say that we weren't warned. Even in many of the richest countries with the biggest supplies, logistical problems are

hampering distribution.

The United States, responsible for a fifth of the global cases, left distribution plans up to individual states under the Trump administration

and most are struggling.

The European Union, left dangling after drugmaker AstraZeneca announced it will deliver fewer doses than originally planned. And both sides blaming

the other, accusing one another of not showing up to meetings.

But amid the political/corporate squabbling, what happens?

Well, people get forgotten. The U.K., a vaccine trailblazer, just passing 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, it has the second worst per capita death rate in

the world over the past week. And you can point to a long, long series of U-turns from the government there.

It is now introducing new rules, meaning all arrivals must quarantine for 10 days in hotels or other accommodations provided by the government. The

reality is, there is a long way to go before this pandemic is over.

While we wait for vaccines, we can all play a role in stopping the spread, of course, with advice that's barely changed over the past year: socially

distance, wash your hands and wear a mask or, as is emerging in the guidance, even two. Keep yourself safe.

Over the next two hours, we are going to connect you to all of the latest COVID developments, good and bad, with our team, fanned out across the

globe.

I want to kick off with the big picture. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us from the States this hour.

Sanjay, it's good to have you.

[10:05:00]

ANDERSON: An ominous day, with 100 million cases around the world, never a number that you or I ever thought or wanted to talk about. The director-

general at the World Health Organization saying that countries are falling behind, Sanjay.

Who is falling behind?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is a huge amount of inequity. There's been a huge amount of inequity almost every

step of the way.

And there was concern with the vaccines that the countries would fall behind in terms of being able to have vaccine allocates.

Right now if you do the math, 75 percent roughly of the vaccine that's been distributed has gone to just 10 countries, about 5 percent of the

countries, 75 percent of the vaccine to around 5 percent of the countries. That means many countries are being left behind.

And the point you make is a fundamental one, one that came up during a lot of our reporting around Ebola as well, the simple idea that an infection or

outbreak anywhere in the world nowadays is an infection or outbreak everywhere in the world.

So it matters that there's an equitable sort of distribution of immunity to places all over the world. We're not seeing that right now.

Some good news is that, you may remember, here in the United States, we were going to pull out of the World Health Organization. We weren't going

to support COVAX, an international vaccine distribution arm. We are now, it seems, the United States, going to be involved with those things.

But clearly there's still a lot of vaccine inequity that's happening right now.

ANDERSON: Yes, when we fly, whenever that might be again, of course, the flight attendant instructs us to put on your oxygen mask first before

helping others.

Is that how we should expect countries to behave going forward, regarding vaccines, do you think?

GUPTA: I don't think this "me first" sort of mentality works really well. Just from a scientific perspective, even if you put aside the issues of

obvious nationalism and things like that, we know who is at most risk of dying from COVID.

The thing about these vaccines -- and this is a really fundamental point -- is when we say a vaccine is 95 percent effective, what does that mean, 95

percent effective at what?

Well, it's 95 percent effective at keeping you from getting sick. So if you recognize that, then it should be given to the people who are most likely

to get sick.

The idea that young, healthy people in some countries would be getting vaccinated before health care workers or people at more risk in other

countries, it just fundamentally doesn't make sense.

So the oxygen mask sort of analogy may not exactly apply here because we understand who is most likely to benefit. If we can vaccinate them first,

we'll bring the death rates down. Even if there's virus spreading, people won't get as -- be as likely to be hospitalized or die if we can get the

vaccines equitably distributed.

ANDERSON: Yes, we're only as strong as our weakest links. We've said that before and it's not like we haven't been warning about this. All right.

Well, that's the sort of big picture and we really wanted to ensure that we flesh that out today because it needs to change. This vaccine inequality

needs to change. Look, let's drill down a bit.

There are plenty of kinks in the U.S. rollout of vaccines. President Biden upping the ante with his goal, now saying he'll buy 200 million more doses.

I just want our viewers to have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to get through this. We will defeat this pandemic. And to a nation waiting for action, let

me be clearest on this point: help is on the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: "Help is on the way," he says. And his administration has given themselves 100 days and we will report and monitor that.

Before acquiring and distribution, though, there are, of course, these challenges with hesitancy and, currently, as I understand it, only 50

percent of Americans say they are eager to get or have already gotten the vaccine.

How big a challenge does Biden face beyond supply, as it were?

GUPTA: I think this is probably the biggest challenge, beyond the mechanics of just getting the vaccines, the syringes and the vaccinators to

actually administer the shots. The biggest issue is hesitancy.

It's not a new issue. In some of our reporting, we looked back at H1N1 in 2009. And there was hesitancy around that vaccine as well. There's been a

lot of vaccine hesitancy throughout the years.

[10:10:00]

GUPTA: I think what is most concerning, dovetailing off the previous things we were talking about, is that the hesitancy does seem to be among

populations who may also be some of the most vulnerable; people of color in the United States, who have had disproportionately had frontline jobs,

putting them more at risk, have had fewer resources to be able to quarantine and things like that if they do become exposed.

So people who, again, are most at risk of getting sick and/or dying of this disease are people who should be at the front of the line and,

unfortunately, that's where you're seeing some of the greatest hesitancy.

It's moved around; I think, as you see people actually getting increasingly inoculated, other people observing that, understanding that the process of

creating the vaccine included people of different demographics in the trials that represented the burden of disease, I think it helps.

But it's still an issue, Becky. If we can't get to an adequate percentage of people being vaccinated, we're not going to get to that herd immunity,

which just means this pandemic just lasts longer.

ANDERSON: Yes, meantime, even for those who have been given a chance and are willing to take a vaccine -- let's be very clear, this vaccine helps

you to stop getting sick from the symptoms of the virus. You're not -- it's not a done deal once you get this vaccine that you're sort of immune, which

means, of course, we should still be considering social distancing and all of the things that you've been telling us, reminding us what we must do,

including wearing masks.

And I just want our viewers to get your view on where we stand, with growing guidance, it seems, on wearing multiple layers -- one, two or even

three masks on top of each other. I see a lot of this doing the rounds now, particularly on social media, where many people get their information.

What is the deal, Sanjay?

GUPTA: Well, you know, I think the basic premise is this: you should wear a mask whenever you go out in public and not all masks are created equal.

Those two things are true.

And I think the reporting and the scientific evidence around this has grown. We evolved on this. I think the basic idea is that there are

certainly high-risk situations in our lives. When you'll be in a population dense area, for some reason, a grocery store or something like that, if

you'll be around other people, those -- there are certain areas where you'll be at the greatest risk.

If you're going to wear a mask, the idea is you should wear the best kind of mask to protect yourself. One of the masks that health care workers

suggest is N-95 masks. Now these are not widely available. And that's been a problem. They're not widely available in the United States and many parts

of the world.

I will say KN-95 masks made out of China, which are much more available, are also authorized under emergency use in the United States and meet many

of the same regulatory standards.

But if you are -- if you don't have access to those types of masks -- and those are special because they have electrostatically charged fibers which

help neutralize the virus -- if you don't have those, wearing two layers of masks, a surgical mask and a cloth mask, will probably get you to 90

percent effectiveness and preventing the virus from crossing over.

It's not perfect. But it makes a big deal. I mean, I work in a hospital, Becky. I'm indoors. I'm around people with COVID. I've never become

infected. I get tested regularly. I think a large part of that is just because of the diligence around masks. Got to make sure there's enough and

that people wear them properly.

ANDERSON: Yes. Sanjay, it's always a pleasure, thank you.

And Sanjay will be involved in what is CNN's global town hall later, "Coronavirus: Facts and Fiction." Experts from President Biden's COVID

team joining the CNN team tonight. This is a global town hall. That's 1:00 am Thursday London time. 5:00 am in Abu Dhabi and 9:00 am in Hong Kong,

only here on CNN, of course.

Happening next hour, the White House Coronavirus Task Force will brief the U.S. public with an update on America's response. And we will get you the

latest on that as we get it, of course.

If you want a case study in confusing policy response around the world, you need look no further than the United Kingdom, where, for a year, a constant

series of U-turns from the government of Boris Johnson has resulted in that government now overseeing what is, right now, the very highest death rate

from COVID per person in the group of the top most badly affected countries on Earth. That is 100,000 people.

[10:15:00]

ANDERSON: It is quite frankly, nothing short of carnage. And this is meant to be in a so-called first world. And I'm having to report on those

appalling numbers.

In just the past hour or so, the government there issuing new rules. Travelers coming from high-risk countries will now have to quarantine in

hotels for 10 days at their own expense.

Now other countries have had similar plans, as you will be well aware, for some time now, months and months in the case of some countries. We are

connecting to London now and CNN's Salma Abdelaziz.

The prime minister says he takes responsibility for these 100,000 deaths. This is 100,000 people who have lost their lives. And today, in just the

past hour, bringing in new regulations. Let's just tackle the first issue.

How does Boris Johnson take responsibility?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: It really does feel like a day of reckoning, Becky, 100,000 deaths. And this is not a proportionate toll.

It's important to remember that you are much more likely to be one of those victims if you are elderly, if you are a person of color, if you live in a

multigenerational home, if you are a key worker, if you are clinically vulnerable.

And that's exactly why there is so much anger and grief. There's a sense this country's most vulnerable, the weakest, those who needed the most

protection were failed by this government.

Now prime minister Boris Johnson was in Parliament earlier today, facing some really tough questions.

How, why did the U.K. get to this terrible milestone, one of the highest death rates per capita in the world?

This is how the prime minister responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: There will indeed be a time when we must learn the lessons of what has happened, reflect on them and prepare,

Mr. Speaker. I don't think that moment is now, when we are in the throes of fighting this wave of the new variant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: This is not the time. But I can tell you lots of people will say this is exactly the time for the government to learn the lessons it

needs to learn, especially when this country is still very much in the throes of this surge of coronavirus cases created by this new variant.

This is the time to figure out what went wrong and to figure out how to do it right.

So questions are being asked, did the government act quickly enough?

Did they listen to scientific advisers closely enough?

These questions, if you ask a critic, they'll say, no, absolutely not.

Again, you mentioned all of those U-turns. Schools are going to open, schools are going to close. We're going to have Christmas, we're not going

to have Christmas. Eat out to help out, go to the restaurants; wait, oops; stay home. You're not allowed out.

All of this confusion around public messaging is part of the reason why this has happened but I think the most sombering (sic) thing is to realize

this is not past tense. This country is still struggling with this new variant and that death toll is only going to climb.

ANDERSON: Salma Abdelaziz, on the story out of London, reporting on what is going on across England and with the new government regulations coming

in for the United Kingdom, thank you.

There is, across the Channel, on continental Europe, hardly a better story to be told. There, there is the unmitigated disaster of vaccine rollout,

the latest episode exemplified in the row between the European Union and the drugmaker, AstraZeneca, which has taken a confusing turn.

A meeting scheduled today after the E.U. accused the drug company of failing to uphold its vaccine contract. However, the European Commission

announced the company had canceled the meeting, only for AstraZeneca to tell CNN that the meeting was, in fact, going ahead. CNN's Cyril Vanier is

with us now with more from Paris.

And you could be forgiven for thinking that Europe's vaccine rollout has been an unmitigated disaster and this issue between AstraZeneca and the

E.U., which you can perhaps sort of engage with us on a little bit more to work out where the kind of -- the truth is in that, is something that we

should discuss.

But is it fair to suggest that, you know, that Europe really has kind of blown this, Cyril?

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, look. That's a great question. It's what Europeans also want to know. We are looking down the

barrel at a third wave of coronavirus, fueled by this new variant first identified in the U.K. Numbers, unfortunately, are going up in quite a few

countries.

[10:20:00]

VANIER: That's the case in France, Spain, Portugal, which are actually recording records either in terms of hospitals or intensive care admissions

or even deaths. Records, as compared to all the numbers they've had since the very beginning of the pandemic.

So the 27 member states of the European Union were hoping they would be able to hit the ground running as soon as the AstraZeneca vaccine would be

approved, which is expected to happen on Friday, and that they would be getting deliveries at pace and at scale. And that now is not going to

happen.

We don't know exactly what the shortfall of vaccine deliveries is. But it is very significant. Some countries have given us an estimate: France says

that it now expects to get only one-third of the doses that it was meant to get between now and the end of March.

And because the vaccination is going so slowly, for instance, in France, we have just north of 1 million people vaccinated, as compared to the 5-plus

million in the U.K. I believe they have hit 6 million now. So there's a big number. You can't just explain that by the fact that the U.K. had a two-,

three-, four-week head start. It's more than that.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, there is no doubt, is the closest thing we have at the moment to a silver bullet against this pandemic because this one is so

much easier to roll out than the Pfizer vaccine. This one can be kept in a refrigerator. It doesn't have to be kept at the deep freeze temperatures.

Unfortunately, the E.U. is not going to be getting the vaccine doses it was hoping for. AstraZeneca says it's because of a supply chain problem and

that they have done their very earnest best to meet their contractual obligations.

But they say they're not in breach of contract because the contract mentions them giving it their best effort, which they say they've done,

Becky.

ANDERSON: Cyril Vanier, on the story there in Europe, Cyril, thank you for that.

Right. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Ahead on this show --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Russia without Putin," some yelled. Clearly noticeable, the many younger

people in the crowd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: The Kremlin portraying these protesters as radicals. We'll tell you about the mass arrests being made as the country's youth ramps up the

pressure on President Putin. That is just ahead.

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ANDERSON: The new American President Joe Biden is taking a tough stance on Russia, having accused his predecessor of being too weak on Moscow. The

White House says Mr. Biden spoke to president Vladimir Putin on the phone on Tuesday. Right now, Russia is beset by protests and has made mass

arrests of supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

[10:25:00]

ANDERSON: Now Mr. Biden confronted Mr. Putin on the poisoning of Navalny and a range of other issues, including the enormous SolarWinds cyberattack

we've reported on.

The White House says the two leaders also expressed their willingness to extend a nuclear arms reduction treaty.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, trying to control the narrative on these protests. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow.

You've spoken to some of the youngsters out there.

What have they had to say to you?

PLEITGEN: Well, a lot of them are unhappy with a lot of the things happening here in Russia over the past years, especially the treatment

right now of Alexei Navalny. The big protests have happened not just in Moscow but many cities across the country last Saturday.

Were called for because the folks there wanted Navalny to be released. What we're seeing here this week is pretty much more of a crackdown. In fact,

earlier today, there were raids that went on of Navalny's apartment, his wife's apartment as well, where you could hear in a video, police knocking

on her door and her saying she's not going to open the door until her lawyer comes.

And then also the offices of the Navalny organization, the anti-corruption organization, those have been raided as well.

And, of course, it's one of the things where a lot of the folks we've been speaking to say those are some of the grievances they have, the perceived

repression going on, the lack of free speech as well.

Some of the younger folks we spoke to at the protest in Moscow this weekend told us they believe their time to stand up and speak up is now. Let's have

a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny gearing up for more protests after coming out last Saturday,

demanding his release from prison, confronted by scores of riot cops and a heavy-handed response.

"Russia without Putin," some yelled; clearly noticeable, the mainly younger people in the crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Generally, I'm happy about how things are going in Russia and as well I'm really -- I feel sad for us, I feel sorry for him

because he definitely does not deserve this.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russian state media is trying to portray the protesters as radicals, but especially the younger ones also as shallow and

naive, brainwashed by content on social media. But political science student and TikToker Mikhail Petrov says their grievances are real.

MIKHAIL PETROV, STUDENT, TIKTOKER: I don't want to be under the Putin's regime anymore because they've been living under this regime of their whole

life and they want something better.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Alexei Navalny called for the protests after being detained as he returned to Moscow after five months recovering from

poisoning by the chemical nerve agent Novichok.

Navalny's group also released an investigation into Vladimir Putin's alleged wealth, calling it, quote, "Putin's palace."

In a sign that the claims made in the investigation and the nationwide protests are becoming a problem for the Russian leader, Putin, who won't

even mention of only by name, used an event with handpicked youths to publicly deny and try to mock the allegations.

"It's boring, girls," Putin said, but the joke might be on Putin himself.

Social media already ridiculing his alleged extravagant taste, like this rap video taking aim at an aqua disco that Navalny's investigation claims

is installed inside the palace. However, the anger many Russians feel over alleged government repression and corruption are very serious, the head of

Navalny's organization in Russia tells me.

"At these rallies, people came out to support Alexei Navalny," he says, "but there are so many problems and grievances in their minds, a lot of

anger that's been building up."

And Alexei Navalny's group doesn't plan to stop. They've called for the next major protests across all of Russia for this weekend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: And those protests are set to happen on Sunday, both here in Moscow and in other cities in Russia as well. The Navalny supporters quite

emboldened by the fact the turnout was high at that demonstration that took place last Saturday.

So now they are calling for these new protests to take place right in the vicinity of Russia's intelligence service, the FSB. Of course, that's also

the intelligence service that Navalny blames for poisoning him -- Becky.

ANDERSON: New and different, which equals news. Thank you, sir.

That's Fred Pleitgen on the story for you.

A new U.S. president and a new approach to saving our planet, it seems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: If CO2 is a blanket of average thickness, methane is a blanket as thick as LeBron James is tall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:30:00]

ANDERSON: Just ahead, our chief climate correspondent reveals some of the dangers of this crisis in a way that you just may not have seen before.

And coming up in the next hour of CONNECT THE WORLD, a different kind of danger from the coronavirus. We'll show you what some journalists and

whistleblowers in China have had to reckon with for trying to tell the truth about this health crisis.

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ANDERSON: While the fight against COVID-19 clearly taking priority, the new Biden administration is also revealing what looks like certainly an

ambitious policy agenda, a different theme each day for his first week in office.

They are themes, not cure-all solutions. It takes an awful lot of work to make fixes work in the real world. That said, the theme today is the

climate crisis.

The message?

This fight is a matter of environmental justice, national security and the future of our planet. High priorities: moving away from fossil fuels and

supporting clean energy jobs. There's also an awful lot of undoing ahead.

An end to new oil and gas leases on federal lands could soon be announced, as well as a halt to more than 100 environmental regulations weakened or

scrapped during the Trump administration. CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir has been looking at the new administration's all hands on deck

call, as it were, for action on the climate crisis.

And, Bill, you're joining us now.

Where do you want to start?

Because we know that Biden is due to sign several executive actions on climate today.

So just what do we know and what can we expect?

WEIR: We can expect he will elevate this. This is the second batch of environmental climate executive orders, that he will elevate this to a

matter of national security. Some are urging him to declare a national emergency, which would -- the way Donald Trump used to build his wall,

would give him a lot more money to play with.

He's also going to invite world leaders to a climate summit at the White House on Earth Day and they're making some other announcements today.

But he's already meeting stiff resistance from some Republicans and conservative Democrat or two. And I wondered how this debate would change

if we could actually see the planet cooking, climate change and pollution that's belching all around us.

[10:35:00]

WEIR: And I actually got my hands on a camera that allows us to do just that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEIR (voice-over): During a 2020 filled with broken record-breaking fire and drought, massive swarms of locusts and so many hurricanes they ran out

of names, Joe Biden promised to help avoid planet cooking, climate changing, fossil fuel suicide.

BIDEN: A cry for survival comes from the planet itself.

WEIR (voice-over): And within hours of his oath, he signed an executive order for every agency and government to be guided by the best science,

while undoing the many results of Donald Trump's fossil fuel fetish.

The first target listed, involves places like the Permian Basin of Texas, where a certain kind of heat-trapping pollution belches, unchecked and

invisible.

WEIR: Unless you have a special infrared camera like this, which can turn a Texas blue bird sky into this. And this is methane, a greenhouse gas, 80

times more potent in carbon dioxide. If CO2 is a blanket of average thickness, methane is a blanket as thick as LeBron James is tall.

WEIR (voice-over): The gas does lose its potency much faster than CO2, but the volume is staggering. Along with all the active oil and gas production,

the U.S. has millions of abandoned wells leaking methane.

Biden's strategy to stop this may become clear with Wednesday's second batch of climate orders when he's also expected to halt any new drilling

and fracking on federal land and water. And since he also rejoined the Paris Accord, the whole world is watching.

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: We come back, I want you to know, with humility for the absence of the last four years and

will do everything in our power to make up for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so happy to hear that John Kerry say this, because we need the U.S. to be back at the center of the action.

WEIR: Not so happy?

Republicans like Ted Cruz, who's already turned Trump's line about representing Pittsburgh, not Paris, into a bumper sticker. But the evenly

divided Senate also has a Democrat.

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): I'm Joe Manchin --

WEIR (voice-over): -- who once shot a literal hole through his own party's climate plan.

MANCHIN: I sued EPA and I'll take dead aim at the cap-and-trade bill because it's bad for West Virginia.

WEIR (voice-over): In a statement, the senator from coal country now says the Paris accord must be improved so all countries are held to the same

standard and that every resource must be used in the cleanest way possible.

WEIR: Who do you think is a bigger obstacle to the goals of real climate action?

Is it Republicans like Ted Cruz or is it a coal state Democrat like Joe Manchin?

VARSHINI PRAKASH, CO-FOUNDER, SUNRISE MOVEMENT: It's hard to substantiate, you know, which one is more or less of a threat.

WEIR (voice-over): The Sunrise Movement had twice as many members arrested for their 2018 Capitol Hill protest than the mob on the day of the

incursion.

And their cofounder vows to keep the pressure on everyone, including the man she helped get elected.

PRAKASH: I think the key here is that Joe Biden cannot litigate these issues behind closed doors, with obstructionist Republicans. He cannot

immediately moderate or temper his vision.

There is this false sense that just taking a policy and moderating it or making it milk toast will make it apply to a broader swath of people. But

that's simply not true.

WEIR (voice-over): And for Biden, the test is time and, every day this invisible problem goes unsolved, the results get a lot more visible.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEIR: Maybe the biggest announcement today will be that moratorium on new drilling and fracking on federal land and water -- that's a huge part of

this continent here. And many environmental activists are cheering that one very much.

ANDERSON: Keep an eye on exactly what is unveiled later today. For now, Bill Weir, it's always a pleasure. Terrific report, mate. Thank you.

And you have, I know, much more on why the coal country of West Virginia is a key part of Joe Biden's climate crisis.

Check out Bill's analysis on Senator Joe Manchin on the digital site at cnn.com.

Let's get you up to speed on other stories on our radar right now.

Antony Blinken has been sworn in as America's next secretary of state. He calls the new role the honor of his life. Blinken is a long-time associate

of President Biden with prior experience at the State Department in the Obama administration. His confirmation was welcomed by senators on both

sides of the aisle.

The Biden administration says it intends to restore relations with the Palestinians and renew humanitarian aid.

[10:40:00]

ANDERSON: It is also recommitting the U.S. to the quest for a two-state solution between the Israelis and Palestinians. Now that pledge came in a

U.N. Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia's annual investment conference, which many have called "Davos in the Desert," is underway. Business and political leaders from around the

world are there, hoping to get a piece of the kingdom's $400 billion sovereign wealth fund. Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman laid out his

investment strategy earlier on in the week.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from Abu Dhabi. We've got a lot more for you in the next 1.5 hours. Do stay with us. We'll be back right after

this.

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ANDERSON: Tempers flaring out of control in Milan, when two of football's biggest players went at each other.

Tuesday's match between AC Milan and their crosstown rivals Inter Milan was pretty fiery from the beginning. Right before halftime, it all boiled over.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his former teammate, Romelu Lukaku, got into a spat. Both players booked for the fracas. I've got to say, it was pretty ugly

stuff.

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