Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Awaiting United States Intel Report On Jamal Khashoggi Murder; Growing Calls In Europe For "Vaccine Passports"; Latvian Foreign Affairs Minister Speaks With CNN; Battle Over Biden's Proposal To Raise The Minimum Wage; Report Reveals Disturbing Details About White Supremacists In Military; Paintball Gun Mounted On Robot Dog, Chaos Ensues. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired February 25, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: Now we may be on the verge of getting more answers. We're waiting for U.S. intelligence report on the killing. Reports have

been out there that is being released to public as the U.S. looks to toughen its approach towards Saudi Arabia.

Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Turkey October 2018, and was never seen again it is believed that he was tortured he was killed and he

was dismembered as well. The CIA has said that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman probably ordered the killing, but he has consistently

denied it.

In the meantime, Saudi documents labeled as top secret filed in a case being heard in Canada show the two private planes used by the - were owned

by a company controlled by Bin Salman. I want to bring in CNNs Nic Robertson, who has been following the story from the very start. So Nic,

this report was supposed to be revealed or released rather today. What more can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, I think perhaps part of the sort of sequencing here and we don't know for sure, but there

was expected to be a phone call between President Biden and the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman.

And certainly on the Saudi side of the equation, they expect, and they say the sources I talked to say that they have a good relationship with this

new administration. It's been a positive relationship. And there's an expectation there that, that if there were big announcements coming in the

United States, relevant to Saudi Arabia, then there would be a sort of a formal heads up if you will.

So I think one of the questions today is given that the White House was expecting to speak with the King last night and didn't and then this report

on this unclassified report on Jamal Khashoggi's killing was expected to be released today, and has that has the sequencing has the timing slipped a

little bit so the report hasn't been released.

But I think one thing is clear about the report, the more damning it is of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, because the one thing that we do know so

far is the CIA's high confidence assessment that he personally ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

The more damning the evidence that would be put forward in this report, then the tougher the relationship between President Biden and the King and

the United States and Saudi Arabia would become, however, at the moment, the expectation at the moment is that there isn't a smoking gun in this

report that would directly link Mohammed Bin Salman to the killing, no direct smoking gun that is.

So you know the importance and the delicacy of the sort of nuance of the step work before the report is released in terms of relationship with Saudi

Arabia and what the implications are for the relationship going forward when it becomes public.

And therefore, when there becomes greater pressure on President Biden to reform or as he has said, recalibrate his relationship with Saudi Arabia

based on what we find out in that report, then the pressure becomes greater.

ASHER: And I want to just talk to you about the differences in terms of how the Trump Administration handled Saudi Arabia and how we expect the Biden

Administration to handle Saudi Arabia, whether or not there is a smoking gun out of this report?

You of course, remember that back in 2017, Saudi Arabia was actually the first place that Donald Trump visited as U.S. President after which was May

2017. And he announced an $8.1 billion arms deal that profited a lot of American companies.

Obviously, this relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia is extremely profitable financially there is a tight economic relationship there between

both countries.

ROBERTSON: There is an alliance of partners as well, I mean, going back 30 years, the United States stepped in to help Saudi Arabia with a massive

coalition, when Saddam Hussein in Iraq invaded Kuwait, took their oil fields, and there was felt to be an international threat to Saudi oil

fields.

And it has always been that sort of relationship, the United States would protect Saudi Arabia's oil assets, because they're important to strategic

global stability, important to United States stability, that that sort of relationship has shifted more recently, because the United States can now

produce large quantities of oil, you know, from the United States by itself.

So there isn't that same dependence on oil. The other thing that's changed in the equation is that is that China is a much bigger player and much

stronger economic power on the world stage, but also an exporter of weapon systems as well.

When President Trump was in power he said, look, if we don't do a deal with the Saudis and continue this good relationship, then they can turn

elsewhere. They can look to China, they can look to Russia, for those relations, you know, for those weapons systems, but I think you know, that

although the figures from the President Trump amounts were huge figures.

They went beyond the sort of actual money of weapon systems that were exchanged. But where President Biden finds himself now is if the report

were to be damning, he was certainly fine. Stiffer congressional pressure to perhaps put some sanctions on the sale of U.S. weapon system, certain

U.S. weapon systems to Saudi Arabia.

[11:05:00]

ROBERTSON: Right now he said, look, I'm not going to support their war in Yemen. That's against the Houthis who overthrew the sort of internationally

recognized government. They're not going to support the military campaign, I will support diplomacy and his stopped himself by his own decision from

sending weapon systems to Saudi Arabia to support that war.

That's different from having his hands tied by Congress with legally binding sanctions. So that you know, it becomes a much more difficult thing

to sustain that strong relationship with a strong ally, when your hands are tied in that way. And that opens the door for other players on the globe,

China and Russia at the moment.

And that's sort of the bigger picture context for President Biden as he sort of recalibrates this relationship, which is done very publicly so far.

And he's been very clear about now. It's sort of - we're getting into some of the tough detail for him to navigate.

ASHER: Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank you so much. Coronavirus variants are spiking new warnings out of Europe today both Germany and

France facing the prospect of a third wave amid uncertainty over the speed of vaccine rollouts.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says how country may have to move from a partial lockdown to a full shutdown if necessary, proportions are not

taken. The current infection rate there remains almost double what Ms. Merkel says is needed to fully reopen the country.

Cases are spiking in France more than 30,000 in a single day for the first time since November. Localized lockdowns are going into effect this

weekend. Vaccines are a major source of hope and frustration in the fight against COVID-19.

I've been discussing vaccines with the Head of the Vaccine Alliance GAVI this group is helping lead the Covax initiative to bring vaccines to

developing nations. The Biden Administration recently reaffirmed its commitment to that effort; the U.S. is contributing about $4 billion. I

spoke to Dr. Seth Berkley about that, and how the Covax program is working so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SETH BERKLEY, CEO, GAVI, THE VACCINE ALLIANCE: We are delighted to have America back engaged. The first day of the new Biden Administration, they

announced that they would join Covax and they released this financing for us, it's very important because what we need to be able to do is to put in

place the advanced purchase agreements to have vaccines available for low and lower middle income countries.

And that's what this money will help us do. But also, there have been generous donations from other countries as well. We've now gotten to a

level of $6.3 billion against the goal of $7 billion for 2021.

ASHER: Ghana just received a shipment of about 600,000 doses of the vaccine. When you are dealing with delivery like that, just in terms of the

vaccine rollout in Ghana, how do you make sure that it is distributed within Ghana, as fairly and as equitable as possible so that it doesn't

just go to the wealthier Ghanaians, who are in the capital, Accra, but all across the country, including the poorest of Ghanaians as well.

DR. BERKLEY: So the initial rollout of vaccine is actually directed at health care workers. And the critical nature of that is to try to protect

the health systems and to make sure that they are there to take care of people when they're sick, because they're both at high risk. But of course,

if they do get sick, then there isn't healthcare available.

So in that sense, it's easier than it would be if we were trying to do a full population delivery. But what we do ahead of time is ask, are the

countries ready? And there's a whole checklist of readiness, including has the regulatory systems been put in place?

Has is the cold chain adequate? Is the supply chain ready to go? Do they have plans to deliver the vaccine to the right people? And once they meet

all of those requirements, then they receive their shipment. Of course, we will watch closely how the vaccines are being used because there will be

many more shipments coming in the future.

ASHER: And this particular shipment actually came in from India, what other countries are being used in the manufacturing process?

DR. BERKLEY: So we have vaccines that will be coming from all over the world. In the next couple of weeks, we'll see vaccines, not just from the

Serum Institute of India, but also from AstraZeneca, where, again, those vaccines are made in multiple places, but these will be made in South

Korea.

We're also going to see doses from Pfizer. So we have lots of different manufacturers around the world producing these vaccines. And what's

critical is that we make sure that they have the regulatory approvals to be able to roll them out.

ASHER: I was speaking with a close friend of mine who's based in Ghana just this morning who was saying that people in that country are really a lot of

people rather are not taking the virus as seriously as they should be?

[11:10:00]

ASHER: How important is it that even as the vaccine is rolled out there that people are still taking the necessary precautions, they need to really

cut the spread of COVID?

DR. BERKLEY: Of course, the answer is it is critical until the population is vaccinated; one needs to continue to use the non pharmacologic

interventions. And it's interesting because a place like Ghana; we've had some very high profile infections and members of the cabinet and leadership

of the country.

And so I think it's, you know, hopefully over time, as people begin to see the vaccine rolled out, they'll get more comfort. What's interesting is

there was a lot of vaccine hesitancy and even in the IPSAS study that was looked at around the World Economic Forum this year; we saw the confidence

of vaccines go up between December and January as the vaccines were beginning to be rolled out. So hopefully, that will continue.

ASHER: The vaccine hesitancy has been a bit of a problem, of course, throughout the continent of Africa. But in terms of another obvious

problem, new variants, how troubled are you that amid the vaccine rollout, you know, new variants may indeed pop up beyond the South African strain

that that may hinder the effectiveness of some of these vaccines?

DR. BERKLEY: Of course, the first thing to try to stop those variants from coming is to try to get as many people vaccinated as possible, because the

more we have large parts of the world that have no blocks of transmission and the viruses circulating, the more likely it is that we're going to have

mutations that are going to pop out, some of which will be problematic.

And so we want to continue to roll out the vaccines. The good news is, is that for most of the variants, so far the vaccines have worked, or maybe

they showed a slightly reduced efficacy level. The one concern was about a trial and South Africa that only showed for mild and moderate disease, a

big reduction for the vaccines, but it was a very small trial, not statistically significant.

And of course, we still don't know in that case, does it protect against severe disease and death, which the main point is going forward. But we

will have to be prepared to not only roll out the vaccines that exist today, but if necessary, adapt the vaccines or provide booster doses if

needed in the future.

ASHER: For discussion in Europe right now growing calls for so called vaccine passport. Some leaders say they will be crucial to reviving the

economy, especially with many Southern EU countries depending heavily on tourism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Anna Stewart is covering that for us from London. So Anna, obviously a lot of members of the travel industry is rooting for these vaccine

passports as our government's whose economies are dependent on tourism. However, there is some skepticism about Vaccine passports as well.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: There were lots of problems here. The travel industry has been clamoring for vaccine passports for many months now. And

there are several apps already in the works - developing one that's the industry body that represents airlines, that one's called travel pass.

There are two I know of that being traveled by lots of airlines common pass and travel pass, sorry an ARK pass. But of course, then what they really

need now is for governments to get on board as well. This will require huge coordination between governments and airlines right across the world.

And as you said, also people using them and there is some skepticism and you can understand why there are lots of very thorny issues when you

actually look into the issue of vaccine passport, freedom, fairness, science, data protection, I'll start with fairness.

The fact that fact is not everyone can get a vaccine right now, in countries like the U.K. where the vaccine rollout is fairly advanced. But

it's kind of discriminatory, you know, there is a priority list for more vulnerable people to get the vaccine first.

So that is an older generation by introducing vaccine passport for travel, while younger people might not be able to travel just yet. Then as you're

speaking with your guests, just then with a GAVI, there's the issue of how vaccines are being rolled out in different countries around the world, or

going at a very different pace. Do you see that some people from some nations can't travel?

There are issues of freedom. People argue for their political freedoms for religious freedom, saying they don't want to take the vaccine on those bit

on that basis. That shouldn't stop them traveling. And then of course, there's also the issue of science.

These vaccines are well, the ones that had been developed and are being rolled out right now have very high efficacy levels, but they're not 100

percent protective. New variants of Coronavirus may diminish the efficacy in the future, Zain.

ASHER: Anna Stewart, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. All right, also on the agenda today European lawmakers are grilling

pharmaceutical companies desperately trying to find ways to speed up the blocks vaccine role now that's because Europe actually wants to inoculate

or vaccinate rather 70 percent of adults in each member state by the summer.

[11:15:00]

ASHER: Melissa Bell joins us live now from Paris with the latest. So Melissa, what are some of the ways that Europe can actually speed up the

vaccine rollout in each member state so that they are on track to meet that target?

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the first thing that's happening today, and it's going on even now Zain is that grilling of the

CEOs of the Big Pharma groups by European parliamentarians their opportunity for European MPs at last to get some of the answers they

believe they're owed.

So we've been hearing from a number of different CEOs, including the CEO of AstraZeneca, you'll remember that it was AstraZeneca that was at the heart

of that big round with the EU over the shortage of supplies for the first quarter. There are fears now over supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine for

the second quarter.

And that's what MPs tried to get to the bottom of now we've been hearing from him and he's, it's trying to explain more about what happened with

United Kingdom reminding MPs in Europe, that it was with Oxford University that that vaccine had been developed with funding from the British

government and trying to explain really, that there had been no shortage of vaccines on that side of the channel.

Later, it will be the turn of European leaders to meet this time to try and talk about that vaccine program Zain. And you're right, how to make it

better how to get more jobs in arms, because it has slowed down and it is a question of supplies, and also of organization.

So an important meeting this afternoon, where EU leaders will get a chance to see what they can do to improve things. And all eyes very much on what's

happening United Kingdom as Anna was just saying the vaccine rollout there has been pretty smooth, more than 26 percent of the population said at

least one dose.

Here in the EU, you take the biggest economies France, Italy, Germany, and Spain they're all well under 5 percent of their population who have yet to

have so far received at least one dosing.

ASHER: And in terms of various member states, how much coordination is there? And how much are the different member states working together in

order to figure out a solution with a vaccine rollout?

BELL: Well, you put your finger on something that's been at the heart of the EU's problems. Health had traditionally been in the realm of the

competencies of major of the member states, it was with this crisis, that health became an EU issue. And they tried to deal with it in a coordinated

way.

And of course, that slowed down, for instance, on vaccine procurement, the early signature their contracts with some of these companies. And later, of

course, now you're talking about that you were talking about the EU vaccine passports.

Well, that is also at the heart of discussion, stay with some countries, you won't be surprised countries like Austria and Greece, so dependent on

tourism really pushing for the EU to come up with a Europe wide mechanism.

But it is even as it tries to coordinate itself in the middle of a pandemic in the middle of a crisis, that the EU is really facing its greatest tests,

how to coordinate things that hadn't been coordinated before on such a large scale and at such a time of crisis in most of our life is there.

ASHER: Melissa Bell, live for us there. Thank you so much. More on Europe sputtering vaccine rollout ahead, we'll speak with the Foreign Affairs

Minister for Latvia and ask him about his nation's push to battle vaccine disinformation.

Plus, the battle over the minimum wage in the United States drags on as President Biden's COVID relief plans to head to the House floor but some

states are already paying their workers more, more on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00]

ASHER: As you've just been reporting vaccine production delays in Europe are front and center today in European Parliament, lawmakers are grilling

farmer execs about the delays with a particular focus on AstraZeneca.

The EU accusing the drug maker of not delivering its contracted quotas and EU officials saying all vaccine makers will be told to fulfill their

commitments. The Foreign Affairs Minister of EU Member State Latvia Edgars Rinkevics joins me live now to discuss all of that and how it's impacted

his country's rollout?

Thank you so much for being with us. So from what I understand Latvia has so far received about 70,000 vaccine doses with a population of about 2

million, what's being done to sort of increase the speed of vaccine rollouts in your country?

EDGAR RINKEVICS, LATIVIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER: Thank you very much for having me. You're absolutely right. We are not very happy with the way

vaccines are being delivered, because the contractual commitments are not being taken into account.

And we are working with the European Commission with like-minded member states to try to push for more vaccines being delivered. And of course,

there are also decisions taken to order more vaccines than actually we need so that we can have also some spare vaccines or any needs coming.

But there is also another challenge, which I believe we are facing now, if all those mutations of vaccines were required modifications of vaccines, I

think that's another challenge we are going to face.

ASHER: Right. And an additional challenge in terms of with all of that, on top of all of that, I should say is this idea of disinformation when it

comes to vaccines when it comes to COVID-19. You're not the only country that's dealing with this vaccine hesitancy vaccine misinformation

disinformation is a problem in a lot of countries. But how is Latvia dealing with that problem specifically?

RINKEVICS: Oh, you're absolutely right. There is quite a big group of people in Nigeria and who do not believe in vaccines. They are a bit afraid

of using new vaccines. And then there is also a group that believes that the Western made vaccines is not as good as for instance, Russian made

Sputnik that we are dealing?

Well, first of all, there has been the case where the government, National Security Council members took vaccines, took AstraZeneca vaccines because

there have been a lot of discussions about specifically AstraZeneca vaccines, there is information campaign, prominent people are going to be

vaccinated, they have agreed senior people are being vaccinated.

But of course here we also need the cooperation with social media because as you may imagine, news on Facebook, some fake news is spreading quite,

quite quickly.

ASHER: And obviously COVID-19 has taken a massive toll on Latvia's economy how much division is there, within Latvia, especially among members of

parliament about when certain restrictions in the country economically should be eased?

RINKEVICS: Well correctly, I just came from quite tense government meeting where you have two actually contradicting policies. One is, as you rightly

say, how we can ease the economic toll. But second, we all understand that the third wave is coming.

And now we are searching the best way how to address challenge of all those mutations that we already see in our neighboring countries and also the

increase here we understand that restrictions cannot be lifted quickly. But then we all understand that we cannot keep everything close.

So we are in a desperate search, how to keep economy going. Some indicators are not as bad as one can imagine. Of course, there are people who are

suffering. They are unemployed for quite a long time. And on the other hand, we all understand that this third wave is actually around the corner.

And that's how the cabinet the parliament is now trying to find the right balance. It's not an easy task.

ASHER: So how is in the meantime, states support being equitably distributed so that Latvians who are suffering financially can have a

helping hand?

[11:25:00]

RINKEVICS: Well, we just made the decision to pay 500 Euros per child to each family. That's one of the latest decisions, how to actually get money

to those families with children, especially as you may imagine many of those in the distant learning since October, families are suffering, we are

now also sinking.

And I think that decisions are going to be taken very soon about support to elderly again, that's going to be one time support. There are of course

already well established policies, where we are supporting those economies, parts that are not able to work like restaurants like cafes.

But again, this is not only about economic support, I think that people are tired. This is the social and what we really hope that vaccination, also

all those decisions that we should take to restrain virus and of course, some are coming is going to ease the toll.

But in this respect, we really are hoping that the more vaccination is going to happen, the more people are going to be vaccinated, the less

troubles we are going to experience. With that caveat, I just said, we do not know how to address those strains, those mutations. And we do hope that

pharmaceutical companies also are going to address those issues, the need is coming.

ASHER: And finally, I just want to pivot to Alexey Navalny, because obviously you've called for the release of Alexey Navalny. I know that the

Biden Administration is currently reviewing U.S. sanctions against Russia, just in terms of your perspective, how can sanctions against Russia be made

much more targeted and much more specific in order to have the desired effect?

RINKEVICS: Well, first of all, of course, it's very symbolic that we are targeting people in power who are responsible for those actions. But it is

also very important that we go after what we call dirty money that we are targeting those people who are of economic importance or financial

importance to the Russian regime.

And here, I believe that the United States and the European Union should cooperate. As you know, Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union

decided on Monday to impose additional sanctions, I hope that the list is going to be published soon. But we should actually look more at how to deal

with money laundering.

We have experienced here in Latvia how to deal with that some harsh lessons learned but we are now I think, much better prepared and equipped to do

that also the European. But here, there is a need to have a close cooperation between the United States, European Union and U.K. other like-

minded nations, otherwise, we are not able to, let's say influence the real decision making in Moscow.

ASHER: Cooperation is needed indeed. Alright, Edgar Rinkevics, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it. Joe Biden is on the verge of his

first nomination defeat, we'll look at why the fight over one nominee may paint a bigger picture of the battle ahead for his administration?

Plus, from fighting to protecting the U.S. to the frontlines of extremism we'll take you - we'll look at it - we'll have an in depth look at

extremists within the ranks of the military and what's being done to keep them out. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

ASHER: So far, only nine of Joe Biden 23 cabinet picks have been confirmed by the Senate and the process may get even slower. Mr. Biden's choice to

lead his budget office is facing bipartisan opposition the hearings to vote on Neera Tanden have been postponed possibly leading to the nomination

being polled. Republicans object to biting tweets about top Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): By friendly advice to President Biden is to withdraw Neera Tanden's nomination and select someone who at the very least

has not promoted wild conspiracy theories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: That may be a sign of things to come because of the 50/50 split in the Senate. Any dissension in the ranks means trouble for proposed

legislation. Republicans already dealing with the sense, seven Republican Senators voted in the impeachment trial to convict Donald Trump for

inciting violence.

And there's word of a splinter group of anti-Trump Republicans who plan to run on what they call principled conservatism. You'll see another rift in

the Republican Party over the weekend Former President Trump will return to the political stage at a huge conservative conference. Lauren Fox has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAUREN FOX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On Capitol Hill House Republican leaders openly clashing over Former President Donald Trump's

role in their party as the Conservative Political Action Conference begin today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you believe President Trump should be speaking or Former President Trump should be speaking as you have this weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we should.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congresswoman, that's up to seatback. I've been clear my views about President Trump. I don't believe that he should be playing a

role in the future, the party or the country.

FOX (voice over): While top Republicans continue to fight about Trump House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is encouraging the GOP to stay united in

opposing President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion Coronavirus relief bill.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): This bill is too costly to corrupt and too liberal.

FOX (voice over): The House expected to pass the relief bill tomorrow, while Democrats are still divided over including Biden's proposal to raise

the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

REP. STACEY PLASKETT (D-NY): And we're going to pull it together for the American people moving forward. And I think that while we may have some

trepidations about some of the line items, Democrats are unified and realizing that we have got to get money to people now.

FOX (voice over): With two Senate Democrats opposing that increase getting the president's bill through the Senate will be more difficult, but

Democratic leaders still remain optimistic.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Well, if Congressional Republicans want to oppose all that my response is good luck. The country needs this final

push.

FOX (voice over): This as a frustrated Biden is slowly building his cabinet.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't so much blame it on the Senate. I blame it on the failure to have a transition that was

rational.

FOX (voice over): With a paper thin margin in the Senate divisions within the Democratic Party are putting some of Biden's picks on the line. Neera

Tanden's nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget could fail after Senator Joe Manchin announced his opposition.

The White House is waiting to hear how moderate Senator Kyrsten Sinema will vote and it will need help from at least one Republican Senator like Lisa

Murkowski, who was still undecided on Tanden.

JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: In the stage we're in is working to continue to fight for her nomination. And as you know it's a numbers game.

FOX (voice over): Sources tell CNN the Biden Administration is conceding the Tanden's nomination could fail as two Senate Committees postpone the

vote on her nomination.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): It's really sad to see someone with her ability being denied an opportunity to serve this nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: U.S. lawmakers are locked in a debate over the size and scope of the president's $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan the biggest issue, raising the

country's minimum wage to $15 per hour Republicans says that would cripple small businesses and even Democrats are voicing concerns as well.

But how does the American public feel I want to bring in Vanessa Yurkevich is live for us in Washington. Vanessa, thank you so much for being with us.

[11:35:00]

ASHER: So the federal minimum wage in the country has not increased in about 10 years. But if it did, it would benefit about 20 percent of

America's population, especially women and minorities.

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Right. And we are in the longest stretch of time that the minimum wage has not been raised

since it was enacted after the Great Depression. And the minimum wage is really there to support a lot of the workers who are being most affected by

the pandemic here in the United States.

Now, while the Congress is debating this minimum wage, some states are raising it on their own, including right here in Washington, D.C.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NISHAD SAYEM, EMPLOYEE, WELL-PAID MAIDS: I used to work two jobs a day; I had to support my family.

YURKEVICH (voice over): Nishad Sayem used to make $10 an hour working from 8 am to 10 pm to scrape by. Now he makes $18 an hour cleaning homes that

allows him to not only cover his bills, but take time to care for his disabled father.

SAYEM: I work only 35 to 40 hours a week, and I'm making more than two jobs. And now I can give some time to my family and I can help my dad when

he wakes up.

YURKEVICH (voice over): The federal minimum wage has been stuck at 725 for over a decade. But 29 states and Washington D.C. pay more than that. D.C.

where Sayem works is the highest at $15 the same city where Congress is currently debating raising the federal wage to that same level.

BIDEN: No one should work 40 hours a week and live in poverty.

YURKEVICH (voice over): President Biden wants that sweeping move to be part of his COVID-19 relief plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did it here in D.C. we were like the first major jurisdiction to get it done federal is the way to go about it and do it the

quickest to the most people.

YURKEVICH (voice over): A $15 minimum wage by 2025 would lift nearly 1 million people out of poverty, but could also cost 1.4 million jobs

according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

ANGELA FRANCO, INTERIM PRESIDENT AND CEO, DC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Small businesses and especially the ones that have the hourly rate, sometimes

they handle like lower margin. And at the end, they have to transfer that cost. So they have either to cut hours right, or cut employees or increase

prices.

YURKEVICH (voice over): But some small businesses like Little Sesame and D.C. have made the math work. The restaurant paid employees 1325 an hour

when it opened in 2018 but quickly pivoted to the new $15 minimum when it took effect this past summer.

NICK WISEMAN, CO-FOUNDER, LITTLE SESAME: We knew that this $15 mark was coming and we made sure that the model supported it. But that was an

integral part of our business. It was the right thing to do and it was a good thing for us as a business.

YURKEVICH (voice over): But during the pandemic more than 400,000 small businesses had closed by September, at the same time support for workers

has grown 67 percent of Americans back raising the minimum wage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just under a year ago, we decided in the - these people to be essential, I think the right thing to do is, is to pay them $15 an

hour a living wage.

YURKEVICH (voice over): A living wage means a world of difference for Sayem. He's saving money for the first time, he has plans to go back to

school for a career in IT and for reunion from Bangladesh a year in the making.

SAYEM: I'm saving because of future and I just got married one year ago.

YURKEVICH (on camera): Congratulations.

SAYEM: Thank you and my wife is coming soon. Hopefully, by 2022, she will be here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: Now part of this debate also centers on whether or not states such as in the Midwest, which have lower costs of living should be set

paying the same amount as for example, Washington D.C. here which can afford in some ways to pay their workers $15 an hour?

But the question really is around whether or not the minimum wage should be blanket at a federal level. So we know that $15 an hour though, is just

above the poverty level, no matter where people live, and Biden is trying to in his plan include a scaling up of that federal minimum wage to $15 an

hour in order to try to give those small businesses a chance to catch up and make that work Zain.

ASHER: And speaking of which, Vanessa even though the increase would be gradual, I believe it would happen at around 2025. The fact is a lot of

businesses are skeptical. Is there an industry or a group of workers who would be impacted the most?

YURKEVICH: The restaurant industry here in the United States has suffered dramatically, just in the pandemic alone. Many of these workers rely on

tips to get them up to a living wage. So now you're forcing some restaurants to have to start their employees at $15 which could be a very

dramatic raise in the wage for them. But obviously for the workers it's welcome for the small businesses it'll be a lot tougher Zain.

[11:40:00]

ASHER: Right, Vanessa Yurkevich, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, let's go back to the January attack on the U.S. Capitol. CNN

analysis shows more than two dozen other rioters came from the ranks of the U.S. military the very people swore to protect the country.

And the Pentagon report we obtained shows that while there aren't believed to be many supremacists in the military, that number is growing and that is

certainly very worrying. CNN's Oren Liebermann has more on how the Pentagon is tackling the issue?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BROWN, REDEMPTION NK: The cover up was I want to say six total sessions.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The ink can hide the symbols of extremism, but the damage runs far deeper.

BROWN: When he first came in and showed us the work that he had. I think everybody jaw kind of hit the floor.

LIEBERMANN (voice over): At Redemption Ink in Colorado Springs, Dave Brown has covered more than 70 extremist or hate inspired tattoos. More than 20

he estimates were military, and he has a waitlist of 635 people.

BROWN: We have covered everything from portraits of the founding fathers of the KKK to swastikas. I've covered up a human trafficking branding.

LIEBERMANN (voice over): The Army veteran camouflage is the tattoos of hate for reformed extremists. But these ideologies and their symbols are still

spreading in the military. Tattoos can be a calling card for white supremacists and extremists in the military a way to grow their own ranks

in secret amidst a nationwide surge in white nationalist activity.

But according to the Department of Defense report on extremism obtained by CNN, some of the recruiting tactics are more brazen and more open. One

example in the report, a military member and Co-Founder of the Neo Nazi Group, known as Atomwaffen Division told another member that he was open

about everything with his friends at training.

They love me too, because I'm a funny guy. He wrote in a message, the Defense Department determined that others find each other through obscure

fascist symbols on T-shirts, or simply connect on social media and messaging apps.

U.S. troops are primary targets for many extremist groups who want their training, their combat experience and the legitimacy they bring to an

organization. The report found that members of one far right extremist group shared military manuals, including an army manual on IEDs, Improvised

Explosive Devices on the encrypted messaging app known as Telegram.

The Capitol riots of January 6th put a spotlight on military extremism. A CNN analysis has shown that at least 27 people facing federal charges in

connection with the riot are current or former members of the military. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has made the fight against domestic

extremism, one of his top priorities.

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: These tears at the fabric very fabric of cohesion. And it's important for us to be able to trust the men and

women on our left and right.

LIEBERMANN (voice over): Extremism has been a problem in the military for decades. Austin says he believes the number of extremists in the military

is low, but there is no data to back up his assertion. Austin has ordered a review of policies on extremism but extremism expert Heidi Beirich says

this will take time.

HEIDI BEIRICH, GLOBAL PROJECT AGAINST HATE AND EXTREMISM: This is a massive management task. And it's not going to be something that's done very easily

at all.

LIEBERMANN (voice over): The military has strict legal limits on the screening and background checks it can do of applicants and service members

deeper, more intrusive investigations required working with the FBI a key recommendation of the DOD report. Beirich says the military needs a better

screening process to root out extremism before it enters the ranks.

BEIRICH: I would say you need to fix your screening procedures immediately. Social media accounts need to be taken a look at not just voluntarily but

seriously. You need a functioning tattoo database for your recruiters and they need to be trained in the signs of white supremacy.

LIEBERMANN (voice over): Even beyond the challenges of rooting out domestic extremism within active ranks, there's the issue of veterans more than 18

million of them who are also prime targets for domestic extremists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMANN: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's first big move when it comes to domestic extremism is ordering that military wide stand down or

review of policies and procedures in place already to deal with extremism. Crucially, that also includes discussions at all levels of the military.

For example, the Navy has already put out some guidance on this thing. It has to review the Navy's core values, the oath of office as well as the

rules that are already in place. In terms of the discussions Austin has said it's also an opportunity for military leaders to listen to what their

troops have to say to them about either experiences with domestic extremism, or about ideas on how to tackle it.

But one of the parts of this that's also obviously very necessary is the data which is fundamentally lacking at this point about how widespread this

problem is, and where specifically it exists?

ASHER: Now to a bizarre story out of Hollywood a source close to Lady Gaga says her dog walker is recovering well after being shot. On Wednesday

night, two of Gaga's French Bulldogs was stolen in the attack. She's now offering half a million dollars to get them back.

[11:45:00]

ASHER: Los Angeles Police say the suspect use a semi automatic handgun and fled the scene in a white sedan. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: And now we turn out to "Call to Earth" CNN's initiative to promote a more sustainable future. Today's story is about beavers. They may be cute

and fairy, but they can have a huge impact on the environment. In the West of England they have the potential to reduce flooding by up to 60 percent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): This is Pink Tag. She's a Eurasian beaver. Pink Tag and her family live on the river Otter in Devon, and they

have some of the first wild beavers in England for around 400 years.

Historically, beavers were hunted for their pelts. What people didn't realize is how important beavers are to the landscape. The dams they build,

regulate water flow, increase biodiversity, and even drive down pollution. In short, beavers are what are known as ecosystem engineers.

JAKE CHANT, BEAVER TRIAL FIELD OFFICER, DEVON WILDLIFE TRUST: It's just been shocking how much we miss from this country by not having beavers.

There is a climate crisis going on. There's a biodiversity crisis going on. And this is a species that could help solve both of those issues.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Beavers build dams and canals for their own protection. The dams raised the surrounding water, which helps them

escape from predators. It also slows the water flow producing floods downstream in the wet season, and trout in the dry season.

As the climate crisis worsens, experts warn that areas like Devon are expected to see more flooding. But a recent study on beavers in England

showed that their dams can reduce average floodwaters by up to 60 percent. The organization behind reintroducing beavers to Devon is the Devon

Wildlife Trust.

CHANT: So this is a three hector enclosure that was built in 2010. Can you see? That's right, that's the dam there that goes all the way across. It's

about 40 meters long. When we put them in here and started to see what they did to the watercourse, it was really profound, you know, we all suddenly

became much more conscious of just how powerful this animal was?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): The trust received permission to release beavers into the wild in 2015. It was the first license in England to do so

and the effect on the River Otter Basin was dramatic.

[11:50:00]

CHANT: This pond has been created by the beavers. They built a small dam that has increased the water level in this area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): There's also been a huge increase in biodiversity as the wetland habitat attracts water voles, amphibians, and

bird life. But beavers can cause trouble. For one, they're big beavers like Pink Tag can weigh up to 30 kilograms, or 66 pounds.

CHANT: That's quite a big dog. We've had fishermen telling us stories that they've been a bit scared whilst fishing close to beavers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): They also can water log farmland and eat orchard cheese. But overall, beavers are a huge benefit. And nations across

Europe are working to restore them to their original range.

CHANT: None of us really, I don't think quite realized the significance of the animal that we were talking about. The opportunity to bring them back

is, is an amazing one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And we'll continue showcasing inspirational stories like that as part of this initiative at CNN. Let us know what you're doing to answer the

call to earth with the hash-tag on social media #calltoearth. You are watching CNN. We'll be right back after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: One of the world's most active volcanoes is putting on quite a show. This is Italy's Mount Etna erupting for a sixth time in eight days. In

addition to these incredible - views surveillance cameras caught lava overflow moving towards the nature preserve below the both volcano but the

Etna Observatory tells CNN no damage or injuries have been reported.

And speaking of volcanic eruptions, this house in Pompeii has been undergoing some heavy duty work. Here you can see work as painfully

restoring and spectacular frescoes and paintings damaged largely by humidity and lack of upkeep. This restoration was a complicated process

often done by laser.

And here is the after picture. The house is known for these incredible paintings as part of the site that was preserved after Pompeii was buried

by a volcano eruption some 2000 years ago. It was an interesting idea strapped a paintball gun to a robot dog, put him on camera and let

strangers take control from home. But the high tech art display didn't exactly go according to plan. Here is Jeanne Moose with more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was billed as spots rampage, take up paintball gun, attach it to spot the Robot Dog and let

folks at home trigger it using their phones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The way that a military person might pilot a drone.

MOOSE (voice over): The head of an art collective called mischief wanted to show how a Robot Dog could be sinister, not just lovable. Way Boston

Dynamics portrays its $74,500 creation so lovable.

It tugs at our heartstrings when someone tugs on spots tail to demonstrate his durability, so the art collective bought one and let viewers control

him as he bumped into replicas of art objects like a drunken sailor at a Brooklyn Art Gallery. Viewers took turns shooting paintballs at the walls.

[11:55:00]

MOOSE (voice over): Spot trampled and already broken statue and his most wanton display of destruction is creators at Boston Dynamics were not

happy. This art fundamentally misrepresents spot and how it is being used to benefit our daily lives.

The art collective says Boston Dynamics suggests that they ditch the paintball gun and in exchange made an offer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are ways that we can sweeten that deal. And it could be like, giving you two more of these robots.

MOOSE (voice over): Free but in the end, the so called war dog was his own casualty. Spot wound up sprawled on his side, he kept collapsing. Be right

back, the live stream kept saying that after about an hour spot no longer came back and they began running instant replays of his glory moment.

Instead of this--

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'll just be able to wreak havoc.

MOOSE (voice over): Spot wreak havoc on himself, viewers kept trying to trigger paintballs but spot had painted himself into a corner on his side

twitching instead of spot's rampage it was spot's whimper see spot draw. Jeanne Moose, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: And thank you for watching "Connect the World". I'm Zain Asher coming to you live from New York. You can of course, connect with me on

Twitter @zainasher but in the meantime, please stay safe stay well and look after one another good night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END