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NYSE Floor Reopens With Changes After Shutdown; Trump Mocks Biden For Wearing Face Mask; U.S. CDC: Antibody Tests For COVID-19 Are Often Wrong; Anger Over Brazilian President's Botched Virus Response; China Seeks To Pass National Security Law For Hong Kong; Trump Adviser Blames China For U.S. COVID-19 Deaths; Twitter Fact Checks Trump's False Claim of Voter Fraud; Joe Biden Blasts Trump for Mocking Face Masks; Floor Trading Resumes at New York Stock Exchange; Macron Announces $8.8 Billion Auto Industry Bailout; The Controversies and Conquests of Elon Musk; German Bundesliga Rivals Play Crucial Match without Fans. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired May 27, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Studio 7 at CNN's World Headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, burying the dead in Brazil, the new epicenter of the pandemic with the highest daily death toll now in the world.
Also ahead, testing for COVID or flipping a coin, the latest research shows antibody tests with COVID-19 are wrong half the time. And police state in Hong Kong a massive security presence shuts down protests as lawmakers debate a controversial bill which would criminalize insulting China's national anthem.
In the past hour, a White House travel ban came into effect preventing foreign nationals who have been in Brazil within the last two weeks from entering the United States. Brazil now appears to be the new epicenter of the Coronavirus, the world's second highest number of infections. And now overtaking the U.S. in the number of daily deaths. Recording more than 1800 in just two days, compared to about 1200 in the U.S. during the same time. But actual numbers of infections in Brazil is likely much higher, in part because of a lack of testing.
Meantime, we're hearing antibody tests which determine past infections of the Coronavirus are not accurate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says they could be wrong up to half the time. And the pharmaceutical giant, Merck, is now entering the vaccine race with two potential candidates. One based on its Ebola vaccine technology, another based on an altered measles virus. Human trials for both expected to begin later this year.
The U.S. has recorded nearly 99,000 deaths from the Coronavirus. As more Americans ignore social distancing, that number is only going to rise. Jason Carroll shows us what's happening across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As the nation steadily closes in on 100,000 deaths from Coronavirus, the number of new cases across the country holding steady in 13 states, with 20 states seeing declines in new cases. Still, alarming numbers in 17 states seeing increases in new cases, including Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas, where the governor described a second peak.
More encouraging news coming from the epicenter of the pandemic, New York's governor rang the opening bell to mark the stock exchange reopening the trading floor after an historic two-month hiatus.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): New York is back; we're reopening all across the state, and we're going to get back, and we're going to -- we're going to be better than ever. That's what it means.
CARROLL: Neighboring New Jersey taking a significant step. The governor says, outdoor graduations will be allowed starting July 6th. Still, the World Health Organization urging caution saying there could be a second peak if people become complacent.
Troubling images like these are of particular concern to health official's fallout from this packed holiday weekend Pool Party in the Ozarks after the video went viral. Missouri health officials issued a travel advisory, telling those partiers who did not practice social distancing to self-quarantine for 14 days.
SAM PAGE, COUNTY EXECUTIVE, ST. LOUIS: Activities like these, this is an international example of exactly what not to do. And this has the potential of setting us back.
CARROLL: Missouri moving forward with phased reopening, the same with Arkansas, where standalone bars, for example, can now serve patrons in a limited capacity. And some say it's long overdue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could get killed by COVID or I could get hit by a bus or a car tomorrow. I am practicing proper handwashing and hygiene.
CARROLL: In Georgia, one of the earliest states to ease restrictions, the number of new cases has just about remained steady over the past month. This is several students from an Atlanta private school who graduated by drive through tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an unsanctioned graduation gathering. And while there is encouraging word from another company called Novavax joining the ranks to begin a human vaccine trial, some health experts continue with grave warnings.
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT: Let me just say, the virus itself is going to do what it's going to do. You know, we're not driving this tiger, we're riding it.
[01:04:59] CARROLL: Governors all over the country anxious to reopen and economically get states back on their feet, New York no exception. On Wednesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will meet with President Trump to discuss ways of doing just that. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
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VAUSE: With me now from Nashville, Illinois is Dr. Raj Kalsi, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician. It's good to see you again. Thanks for being with us.
DR. RAJ KALSI, BOARD-CERTIFIED EMERGENCY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: OK, we'll start with the U.S. President who had some criticism of his Democratic rival Joe Biden for wearing a face mask on Monday at a Memorial Day service. Here he is.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He was sitting outside with his wife perfect conditions, perfect weather, they're inside, they don't wear masks. And so, I thought it was very unusual that he had one on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The President was sort of implying Biden wasn't really at a risk while outside. But this is the advice which we've constantly heard from senior government health officials, again, listen to this.
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DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: As the country begins to reopen, don't forget to wear a cloth face covering when in public.
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE COORDINATOR: We have the scientific evidence of how important mask wearing is.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Go out, wear a mask, stay six feet away from anyone.
BIRX: A mask does prevent droplets from reaching others.
FAUCI: As long as you're not in a crowd and you're not in a situation where you can physically transmit the virus. And that's what a mask is for.
ADAMS: Remember, I wear my face covering to protect you, and you were yours to protect me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, the bottom line here is that there is a risk, but it is a grave risk, outside maybe lower, but there's still a risk. And also, add to this, we still don't really know a lot about how transmission occurs. So, I guess, you know, without getting into the politics of it all, you know, is someone right to be wearing a mask outside even on a nice day?
KALSI: Absolutely. And I think individuals will mitigate their risk individually. And it's hard to say what to interpret with President Trump's remarks about Biden's use of the mask. I think leadership comes with a great gravity in terms of you lead with example. And we know what science and scientists have told us about COVID.
And the best of science tells us that wearing a mask in close proximity to others, certainly within six to -- six to 10 feet is important. So, to see someone like Biden wearing a mask is representative, its leadership. To make comments anything less than a, you know, complimentary of that leadership is derogatory, in my opinion.
When people go out and they choose not to wear a mask, two things happen. One, they do confer some risk to themselves as well as to others. But they also suggest and they confer some uncomfort to other people watching them because some people are invested in wearing masks and believe in science, and that's not fair to others.
VAUSE: It's funny, you should mention that that this whole, you know, leadership by example of what the President does, you know, or does not do, carries a lot of influence. I want you to listen to one man who was not wearing a mask. And this is reason why. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, if he's not wearing a mask, I'm not going to wear a mask. If he's not worried, I'm not worried.
VAUSE: And the he was referring to there was the President. So, if someone is not inclined to wear a mask because they see a leader not wearing one, that seems like tested approval not to do so, even though there are benefits in slowing the spread of the virus or not.
KALSI: Absolutely. You know, we have to start from the top down. And I think with all due respect to the executive branch, we need to just give up our personal grievances towards the left and the right and whatever we don't believe in, and focus on the people, the people that we govern. Again, as I've come on here many times and said I'm not a politician, but I believe in science, and science tells us something very simple; wear a mask.
And if leadership is not doing that, there is a strong percentage of people out there in America that are counting on leadership to guide them, whether it's visually or verbally, and they're going to listen to them. So, if they see -- they see President Trump not wearing a mask, they're going to do the same as you just heard there.
VAUSE: Yes, adding to this pile of what is and is not known. We now have this new information about testing. And in particular, antibody tests used to determine if people have been infected in the past with COVID-19 might be wrong up to half the time.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said, now on the upside, it means they're right at least half the time. But why does it mean so many problems here with testing? And if the tests are not reliable, and there's no vaccine, what does that mean for efforts to try and control not just a, you know, a second wave but maybe a second peak?
KALSI: Great question. We are pushing the envelope because this is pandemic This is an unprecedented times, John, and we are pushing science to speeds they're not used to and not meant for. So, these tests are being pushed beyond what we're notably and reliably able to allow them to be pushed to. And we're getting false negatives. False negatives mean somebody is positive for antibodies, but the test says negative. And that's frustrating for sure.
[01:10:15]
But it's something we're being asked to do as scientists and doctors is get the people the tests that they want, because we're afraid. And fear is driving a lot of this, fear. If it wasn't for the fear, we'd be taking our time sitting back and only vetting the tests that were appropriate and valid. What does it say about moving forward into safety for America, that we cannot rely on these tests absolutely. And we don't know how to really interpret a 50 percent sensitivity test for moving forward in determining who's safe and who's not.
VAUSE: Very quickly. We're almost out of time here, but we'll maybe the second peak in four to five months to coincide with the flu season, the seasonal flu season.
Overall, is that enough time for this health system to recover after it's already been through so much stress and strain at the beginning part of the year? Is it time to restock, to rebuild for everyone to get back up to speed for healthcare workers to get back out on the front lines and be able to, you know, full speed, if you like, in that short period of time?
KALSI: Not at all. Not at all. We still, John, don't have the appropriate PPE for COVID right now. We are months away from a flu season. What on earth are we going to do when we have people with influenza who have the exact symptoms of COVID? What are we going to do?
We will not have the supplies, we will not have the robust safety measures in place because right now, as evidenced by all of healthcare, we just don't have it now. So, I have yet to see the evidence that we'll be prepared for the next few months for flu in addition to a possible Fauci-predicted second wave of COVID.
VAUSE: Yes. Dr. Raj Kalsi, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights, and best of luck. Appreciate it.
KALSI: Thank you. Thank you.
VAUSE: Take care. Brazil has recorded a highly Coronavirus death toll than the United States for a second consecutive day. With more than 1,000 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the nationwide toll to 24-1/2 thousand. But as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports, the official numbers do not tell the full story.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: This is a landing of last resort, seeking salvation in a Coronavirus hotbed. Tiny planes bring the sickest COVID patients from hundreds of miles away deep in the Amazon to Manaus, Brazil's worst-hit city and to a hospital bed. A journey most make alone from which some won't go home. This is what doing well looks like on these flights, moving. The woman on board struggling, motionless. Once they had to intubate a patient in midair.
SELMA HADDAD, DOCTOR: It's very hard to carry a weight that you don't see. Every time I carry this weight, I feel like I carry this weight.
WALSH: They arrive in a city marred not only in depth, but also fury. The Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has made light of the virus, and called the mayor here a piece of excrement for digging these mass graves. They had little choice here, when the bodies started piling up. This month, they buried 103 in one day, digging at night. Even in two hours, five come. One by one laid in the trench. Many mourners say theirs aren't Coronavirus deaths, but it's hard to know here.
The official numbers in Brazil don't tell the whole picture partly because there isn't enough testing. You can see that here. These are those who've died and have tested positive for Coronavirus but these graves staggeringly, well, they're the ones that they suspect may have died of the disease. The mass burial itself distressing.
PEDRO CHAVES, MANAUS RESIDENT: We are here around 30 minutes waiting for more bodies. I just -- I just want to put my mom there and finish this. We don't need this. My family doesn't need this.
WALSH: We asked the gravediggers who thinks fewer would have died here if the President had kept quiet?
No one listens to Bolsonaro one says, he's not there for the people, had another. He should have asked us what was going on. But still, the hospitals here receive a daily stream of new patients. These from outlying villages where local tribes lived, badly hit, too. The ICU, which avoids ventilators where possible using less invasive means is frenetic. And even the patients have heard what the President said.
The mayor is just trying to save lives says, Raimondo, and the President is against that. Inside, a local indigenous leader visits newly adopting the role from his father killed by the virus two weeks ago.
I took my father into hospital, where he was intubated for five days, he says. Now, we have 300 people with symptoms. Politically, the president forgot us, and is killing the indigenous people. Bolsonaro insists he is for economic growth and safety, but the virus is still tearing through the poor here. Their remote way of life was no protection from this modern plague. It just put help further away. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Manaus, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Protesters in Hong Kong have been met by a massive security presence, shutting down their plans to demonstrate against another controversial Beijing-backed bill. We'll be live in Hong Kong with the very latest in a moment. Also, and for the first time, Twitter is fact-checking President Trump. Well, at least some of them. And here's a shock, he's not happy.
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VAUSE: Heavy police presence has been deployed across Hong Kong with tight security outside the Legislative Council building. Protesters plan on social media to disrupt the second reading of a controversial national anthem bill. So far, though, police have made just a few arrests. Earlier, they weren't demonstrators they could face a maximum of five years in jail for unlawful gathering.
The Anthem Bill is seen as the latest power grab by Beijing. It's expected to become law next month and would require China's national anthem. Much of the volunteers to be taught in school, and would criminalize insulting or disrespecting the anthem with up to three years in jail, and a maximum fine of more than $6,000 U.S.
CNN's Anna Coren live again for us this hour in Hong Kong. And it seems it's all relatively quiet, and the protesters have been, what, totally shut down by this overwhelming deployment of police.
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, protesters can't get anywhere near the Legislative Council. There is a heavy police presence, certainly here where we are at (INAUDIBLE) but right across the city, although, we are getting reports from local media that there has been these pop-up protests in Causeway Bay, and also in central, so we'll be heading there straight after this live shot.
But there are people chanting in the streets and we're hearing that police are being deployed to those areas. But as far as the Legislative Council, which is where that national anthem bill is up for debate for the next four days, it will not be disrupted whatsoever. Protesters cannot get anywhere near this area. We had to go through various police checkpoints to even get to this particular location.
I felt like I was back in 2017 when Xi Jinping came to Hong Kong, and the entire place was locked down. Reporters pinned in to certain areas, and you can see the media here behind me and they said median strip. We are very restricted as to where we can go. That has not been the place the state of affairs here in Hong Kong certainly not last year, we were able to just move around freely, but with this new national security law that Beijing has proposed, he's very likely that the media will be restricted.
[01:20:15]
I mean, we're hearing reports that that potentially opposition at media outlets could be shut down. There's great concerns as to what this means for freedom of the press. John, a little bit earlier, we bumped into Joshua Wong who was heading into -- heading out from (INAUDIBLE) I should say, and he is really concerned. Obviously, he has a target on his back. Hong Kong has been asking him, they've arrested him numerous times. China obviously see him as public enemy number one. Take a listen to what he had to say about his concerns about this new law.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSHUA WONG, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: Beijing (INAUDIBLE) of Coronavirus, and which is crystal clear how they hope to silence the voice of Hong Kong incidents. In the previous day, we might be arrested, prosecuted and jailed in Hong Kong. But once the national security law passed, secret police from Beijing could arrest me to mainland China, and I'm going to jail in Beijing instead of Hong Kong in the future. So, I think now is the time for the world to stand with Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Joshua says, John, that Hong Kong is now virtually a police state. And as we were coming into the Legislative Council this morning, police issued a warning saying that any protesters who tried to assemble here would be arrested and could be jailed for up to five years.
That fear and intimidation, we have not seen anything quite like this. Police are using different tactics. They are prepared. They are ready. They have used the Coronavirus, that downtime when no one was allowed out to the streets. There were no protests happening to really train and prepare for this very moment. But we also heard from police, John, that they've arrested so far up to 16 people.
VAUSE: I'm sure Taiwan and Macau are looking on with great interest to what happens in Hong Kong. Anna, thank you. Anna Coren there live for us with the very latest. Appreciate it. We're joined now by Antony Dapiran, lawyer and author of "City of Protest: A Recent History of Dissent in Hong Kong." Antony, it's good to see you again.
And just be clear, the law which they're debating right now, it would criminalize and, you know, insulting the Chinese national anthem, which is called March of the Volunteers. This seems to be more of the sort of the opening act before the main game, which would be the imposition of those new national security laws. It's all of a similar nature, but the security laws seem first more sweeping and much greater impact.
ANTONY DAPIRAN, LAWYER & AUTHOR: Yes, absolutely. I mean, initially, this national anthem law was what everyone had their eye on and was worried about, and that was before Beijing announced the new security law last week. Now, of course, the significance of this somewhat pales into the background with the much bigger security law looming and being considered by the National People's Congress in Beijing tomorrow. VAUSE: OK. So, the last British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten. In all this, he's accused Beijing of effectively tearing up the deal, which was stuck with London for the 1997 handover, which promised, you know, continued autonomy for the territory, including rule of law, freedom of the press. This is what he told CNN a littler earlier.
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CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, LAST BRITISH GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG: Why is China doing it now? Why is Xi Jinping doing it now? Because the Chinese government today, the Chinese Communist Party is terrified of what it's promised to people in Hong Kong, the rule of law and freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: That may be well untrue, but it doesn't really explain the timing here. Why is Beijing decided, you know, this is the time to bring Hong Kong into line? There's been plenty of other opportunities in years past.
DAPIRAN: Well, I do think that the scale of the protests last year, the direct defiance that they showed to Beijing's rule, the calls for independence that popped down in the course of those protests, and you really have to see those protests last year as the biggest open defiance of Communist Party rule on Chinese soil, at least since the 1989 protests. And I think that really alarmed Beijing.
And there also is the bigger context of the ongoing trade war with the U.S. and perhaps the sense in Beijing, they need to put their foot down not only to show the people within China that they are in control and to show people in Hong Kong who's boss, but also to let the U.S. know, perhaps send a message to the U.S. that Beijing is in control, and is not going to break any interference by any other country.
VAUSE: I mean, just a day ago, we heard from the commander of the PLA, the People's Liberation Army garrison, which is stationed in Hong Kong has about 10,000 troops under his command. He said that we're ready to safeguard Chinese sovereignty of Hong Kong.
Now, the General Secretary Xi Jinping has reportedly told his military officers, "it is necessary to step up preparations for armed combat, to flexibly carry out actual combat military training to improve our military's ability to perform military missions." He made no direct mention of Hong Kong but if he wasn't talking about Hong Kong, what else is he referring to?
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DAPIRAN: Yes, it's certainly very, very alarming statements, not just for people in Hong Kong but I dare say for people in Taiwan, as well. It was a notable emission of the words peaceful before the word reunification when Taiwan was discussed last week at the National People's Congress sessions.
And I think all of this has to be seen, not just in the context of keeping control over Hong Kong, but looking at an eventual unification with Taiwan one way or the other. And so, I think those messages are also intended for the audience over on Taiwan.
VAUSE: You mentioned the -- this is also a message not just for the people of Hong Kong, but, you know, for the United States and the rest of the world. Well, President Trump, the U.S. President has promised a response to China's move. He says, Come on next couple of days, but we've heard from one of his aides, Peter Navarro, who's a well-known China hawk. He made what seemed to be an incredible accusation on Fox News a few hours ago. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER NAVARRO, ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: This is what astonishes me. The evidence, Martha, is overwhelming that the Chinese Communist Party foisted this pandemic on the world, destroyed trillions of dollars of wealth, and they killed close to 100,000 Americans so far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, it's obviously a reference to the death toll from the Coronavirus in the U.S. but accusing Beijing of directly having blood on their hands for the pandemic seems more than inflammatory. And it plays well with the domestic base in the U.S., but that will not go down well with the communist government.
DAPIRAN: No, it is clearly a very inflammatory accusation and some -- one that as far as I'm aware, there's no concrete evidence for. And really, I think just goes further to encourage, in a sense, the mentality of being under siege in Beijing, and that -- and that they really have no friends across the Pacific in the U.S. and really, I think hardens their resolve to try and put their foot down and not engage in any overtures or compromises with the U.S. or the broader global community, but -- so that sort of rhetoric really is a concern. I think it's not -- it's not helpful.
VAUSE: Yes. It also begs the question, what happened to that, you know, that special relationship, the friendship between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump which was forged over chocolate cake at Mar a Lago while lobbing a few missiles into Syria?
DAPIRAN: Yes, absolutely, things do seem to have changed. I think, I mean, President Trump is always a dealmaker. Perhaps when he felt that there was a deal to be made, he was willing to act as a friendly negotiating partner.
But now that a deal looks increasingly unlikely, he seems to ever soured on that relationship. And I believe that in Beijing, they may be wondering whether they have any rational negotiation -- negotiating partner to deal with. So, it seems that things are rapidly souring in both directions.
VAUSE: Seems a fair question to ask at this point by Beijing, given some of the words that we're hearing from the White House. But Antony, thank you for being with us. We really appreciate it.
DAPIRAN: Thank you. Thank you. VAUSE: Take care. Still to come, the U.S. President not backing away
from the insults, conspiracy theories and just plain nastiness. He tweeted out over the long weekend, despite being widely criticized as being inappropriate as the Coronavirus death toll approaches 100,000. Also, the President getting called out after mocking facemasks. We'll tell you what Joe Biden said about Trump's leadership in an exclusive interview with CNN.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
Right now coronavirus cases worldwide approaching 5.6 million. And Latin America emerging as the latest hot spot, fueled in part by a surge in Brazil, now home to the second highest number of cases globally.
And in the next day, maybe the one after, the number of dead in the United States is expected to pass 100,000 -- far more than any other country. The death toll on Tuesday in the U.S. was almost 700.
President Trump has been bragging about his handling of the pandemic as this death toll continues to climb. He has also been insulting political rivals, pushing debunked conspiracy theories and making false claims about voter fraud.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: On Tuesday at the White House, we saw President Trump deny that he was mocking Joe Biden when he re-tweeted that tweet saying it was clear that this picture of Joe Biden wearing a mask was the reason President Trump has refused to wear one in public.
Though, at this press conference, the President did question why Joe Biden isn't wearing one when he is inside his house with his wife but he did wear one in public on Memorial Day as he was visiting this Veterans Memorial.
Now Joe Biden says he was just following CDC guidance, federal guidance that says you should be wearing a mask when you are outside and in potentially close distance of other people.
But the President has instead framed the mask wearing as in this political debate saying he believed the reporter is being politically correct by refusing to pull down his mask on Tuesday so that the President could hear the question better. And of course, that comes after the President said he did not want to wear a mask in public because he didn't want to give the press the justification of seeing him wearing one. Now, that wasn't the only thing the President had been tweeting about in recent days. You also saw him promoting those conspiracy theories that do not have any merit in fact about the MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough.
The President stood by those claims at the press conference saying he does believe the death of a young aide who worked for Joe Scarborough about 20 years ago should be investigated, even though police have never suspected foul play and her autopsy did reveal that it was an accident because she hit her head on a desk due to an abnormal heart rhythm.
However, the President continued to defend those attacks. He continued those attacks and his press secretary also defended him as well. And she also defended the President's claims about mail-in voting, which he said on Twitter on Tuesday that he believed potentially could be subject to fraud.
Meaning that Twitter for the first time since Donald Trump has been in office marked one of his tweets as not completely accurate and put a little fact check at the bottom, saying that people should learn more about these mail-in ballots, this voting that people have started looking at, given the coronavirus pandemic, something the President later pushed back on, on Twitter.
Kaitlan Collins, CNN -- the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN's Donie O'Sullivan has more on now on why Twitter is ignoring other offensive, misleading and just outright inaccurate tweets posted by the President.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Twitter fact checked its most prolific user for the first time on Tuesday. The company placed a small label on a pair of tweets from President Trump that falsely claimed mail-in ballots would lead to widespread voter fraud in November's election. Mail-in ballots, of course, are being considered as America plans for an election in the age of COVID-19.
But although Twitter fact checked Trump when it came to voting information, earlier in the day the company told CNN that it would not be removing tweets from the President where he falsely accused MSNBC host Joe Scarborough of murder.
After learning that Twitter had fact-checked his claims about mail-in ballots, Trump did what he always does. He tweeted. He said Twitter is now interfering in the 2020 presidential election. He added that Twitter is stifling free speech, and he would not allow it to happen -- perhaps a threat.
Obviously social media will play an important role in November's election. And Silicon Valley executives can expect to find themselves facing some potentially very big questions about how they handle political debate on their platform.
Back to you -- John.
VAUSE: Donie -- thank you very much.
Now after being mocked by President Trump for wearing a face mask, former vice president Joe Biden did not take the high road. In an interview with CNN, he insulted Trump's intelligence, accused him of fueling a dangerous culture which is costing peoples lives.
[01:34:59]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: He mentioned the mask, that you wore a mask Yesterday. President Trump went to a Memorial Day service. He did not wear a mask.
It's not just some people making fun of you. He did.
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.
BASH: He did on Twitter. He retweeted a photo of you wearing it. He is trying to belittle you for wearing a mask, making it seem like it is a sign of weakness. Is it?
BIDEN: He is a fool. An absolute (ph) fool to talk that way.
I mean, every leading doctor in the world is saying we should wear a mask when you're in a crowd, and especially when you know you're going to be in the position where you're going to inadvertently get closer than 12 feet to somebody. I know we are 12 feet apart. I get that.
But it's just absolutely -- this is a macho stuff. A guy -- I shouldn't get going but it just is -- it's cost people's lives. It has cost some people's lives.
And like I said we are almost 100,000 dead today -- 100,000 people. Columbia studies showing that we could have -- if you started a week earlier -- we'd have saved thousands of lives. I mean this is -- this is a tragedy.
BASH: But wearing a mask has become a cultural and political flash point. And the President is involved in that, even stoking that.
BIDEN: Sure he is. And look -- stoking deaths. That's not going to increase the likelihood that people are going to be better off.
BASH: So do you think wearing a mask projects strength or weakness?
BIDEN: Leadership. What it presents and projects is leadership. Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine. It reminds me of the guys that I grew up with playing ball. They walk around with the ball in their hand, but they didn't like to hit very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: During that interview, Biden said Trump was missing a step, implying he was a bit slow. Also says he was lying a lot about voter fraud.
Well, after a two-month hiatus, traders returned to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. New measures in place to keep them safe. More on that in a moment.
Also, even with few if any guests to serve, hotels are keeping staff busy planning for hospitality in a COVID-19 world.
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VAUSE: Signs of optimism on Wall Street. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo rang the opening bell Tuesday as floor trading resumed at the New York Stock Exchange after a two-month long break. Traders wore masks and are now separated by plexiglass.
Stocks rallied across the board on news of another human trial for a COVID vaccine. More signs of business picking up over the holiday weekend in the United States.
That optimism has carried over to the U.S. futures. Let's take a quick look now.
Dow futures up by almost 0.7 percent. Nasdaq up by 0.8 percent. S&P up by almost 0.7 percent as well.
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VAUSE: Time to take a look at Asia, we can look at the Hang Seng down by 0.7 percent. Nikkei up also -- almost by 1 percent. Shanghai pretty much flat. And the Seoul Kospi also pretty much flat as well.
John Defterios has more on all of this from Abu Dhabi. And you know, John -- looking at these markets and these futures and everything just coming in, a lot of this optimism seems to be driven, you know, by hope in these vaccines.
And there was an interesting op-ed in "The Washington Post". And here's part of it. "Private companies, governments and research institutes are holding news conferences to report potential breakthroughs that cannot be verified. The results are always favorable, but the full data on which the announcements are made -- or based rather -- are not immediately available for critical review."
"This is a publication by press release, and it is damaging trust in the fundamental methods of science and medicine at a time when we need it most."
So, you know, what that basically is saying is that, you know, a lot of these announcements that we're hearing about, a vaccine and all the rest of it are basically being made to drive up share prices of these companies -- these, you know, pharmaceutical companies that are working on these vaccines. JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes. And John -- they go
off to the races here with best-case scenarios of how fast the U.S. can recover if we get those vaccines into the market.
It's extraordinary that investors are taking this as a glass half full scenario right now. And I think the reaction we are seeing in Asia is a more sober assessment of what is going on because the Nikkei average is up because of the stimulus package there worth about $300 billion. But the other markets are much more subdued. And there's a couple of factors behind it.
But if you look at the S&P 500 we are up 37 percent -- John from the lows in March and just 11 percent from the highs that we saw on the benchmark here. It could not hold on to 3000. There's another reason for that. And the Dow Industrials are just shy of 25,000.
So let's talk about the risk here beyond the vaccines and the hopes that are there. There are concerns, of course, that the U.S., particularly Donald Trump, is trying to distract because of the deaths that we see in the United States going after China and perhaps may even put forward sanctions here because of the situation that China is taking and the decisions that it's taking against Hong Kong. That's a very big risk of course that's there.
And also, JPMorgan's chief executive officer, Jamie Dimon was suggesting now, which is quite extraordinary as well that we could see a V-shaped recovery, if those vaccines hit the market.
So back to your point here, a lot of emphasis, a lot of hope on the drug makers here coming through with the breakthrough. We saw consumer confidence edge up, and also even home sales as well.
But this U.S.-China dispute could come back as a political issue as we get closer to the election. It could take the winds out of the sails of this rally that we see today.
VAUSE: Yes. It does seem in many ways that the markets, especially in the U.S. are being driven by hopes and dreams rather than reality and facts.
DEFTERIOS: Yes.
VAUSE: But one of the facts out there right now is that for all the airlines out there, if they're going to survive, they have to borrow a ton of cash. What are we looking at here?
DEFTERIOS: Well, you know, if there's a couple sectors that are on the front lines of the COVID-19 challenge right now, it is airlines and I would put the cruise lines companies and we've seen a demolition of their share prices as well. But they are starting to bounce back.
And the International Air Transport Association, better known as IATA, is suggesting that this is mostly down with a debt pile of over half a trillion dollars. So if you look at the numbers, it's $550 billion with the debt rising nearly a third -- 28 percent in the year. And most think that these have been cash bailouts around the world. That is not the case -- John. There are some tax breaks that are there. These are low interest loans. So if you take two, maybe three years to get back to the new normal of the airline industry, they're not going to be able to service that debt even if the interest rates are extremely low. This is the concern that we have there.
We had another carrier in Latin America called LatAm coming out of Chile and this is the second airline on the continent that has filed bankruptcy in less than month. This is going to be a long haul back to normality, if you will.
VAUSE: Yes. it makes you wonder just how many of those major carriers will be left as, you know, any kind of viable position by the end of this. But, you know, I guess we'll see.
John -- thank you. John Defterios in Abu Dhabi.
DEFTERIOS: Yes.
VAUSE: Hotels have been left deserted by the coronavirus. And now many are retraining staff on what the future of hospitality will look like.
Here is CNN's Richard Quest reporting in from The Four Seasons in New York.
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RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR AT LARGE: In this unprecedented crisis, hospitality is being reinvented. COVID-19 has changed everything.
The Four Seasons is one of New York's poshest hotels in Midtown Manhattan on 57th Street. The hotel is closed, of course, to the general public. Instead, half of it is being used to house medical staff.
[01:44:57]
QUEST: The art deco details are here -- that is just about the only thing that hasn't changed.
Mask on as I am now meeting other people.
There's an alternate entrance where I'm greeted, not by a concierge or porter, rather a nurse in PPE.
RUDY TAUSCHER, GENERAL MANAGER, FOUR SEASONS: It's difficult for us right now, still this is in our DNA.
QUEST: Rudy Tauscher, the hotel's general manager recognizes this is hospitality in the era of COVID-19.
TAUSCHER: Hotels will need to operate different. We are very fortunate here. We have huge spatial layout, you can have two entrances, we can design the hotel. But if you don't have this opportunity and you have a small lobby and you have crammed restaurants, then you have to look at it differently.
QUEST: This Four Seasons is housing frontline workers, so their precautions are extreme. Now, that plan is being adapted for the general public. Rooms will be disinfected daily and receive black light inspection. Public spaces will be cleaned every hour and kits with masks and hand sanitizer will be provided to guests.
Four Seasons global president Christian Clerc says they're working with health experts from Johns Hopkins. The more they learn, the more their policies will evolve.
CHRISTIAN CLERC, GLOBAL PRESIDENT, FOUR SEASONS: We want to have an approached that is based on science. You know, Richard, there's so much background noise here. And so heed (ph) with care is about being founded in facts and science and keeping in mind that there is so much we don't know about this virus.
QUEST: The world is starting to move, there's a glimmer of increasing demand for hotel bookings. According to a hospitality analysis from STR -- occupancy last week hit 32 percent in the United States. That's up from last month, but let's be blunt. It's less than half of what it was this time last year.
CLERC: This is not going to be a smooth ride. My sense is that every part of the world, every nation is going to move at a different pace. You see it already, right, around the world -- different (INAUDIBLE) or different region applying different approaches.
QUEST: All hotels are now are working out the logistics of how do you reopen in a COVID world. Should room service be allowed in? How often do you clean? Guests who don't want their rooms cleaned, sanitizing all these rooms on a daily basis. Should gyms be allowed? Spas? The list goes on and on.
But you never thought you'd have to deal with these -- this sort of thing in your career?
TAUSCHER: No, never. That's a new one. I've gone through financial crisis and 9/11 here in New York, and now COVID-19. It will reshape us. It will reshape this industry.
QUEST: The great advantage of a hotel is it is a refuge from home life, so said George Bernard Shaw. Now, grand hotels like the Four Seasons have to redefine what it means to be my (ph) host.
Richard Quest, CNN -- New York.
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VAUSE: The French government is moving to support its struggling auto industry which has been devastated by a collapse in demand because of the coronavirus.
CNN Cyril Vanier reports from Paris.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The French president announced an 8 billion euro aid package for the French auto industry which was dealt a massive blow during the health crisis. According to the President some 400,000 cars are currently sitting in factories or parking lots unsold.
Sales have dropped 80 percent compared to the same time last year. So the first thing the aid package does is heavily incentivize consumers to buy new cars, 7,000 euros off electric vehicles, 2,000 euros off for a new hybrid vehicle. All of those government subsidies.
The hope is that it will send consumers back into dealerships, and boost consumption. But the bailout is also aimed at making the industry greener. The President wants to turn France into the biggest electric car producer over the next few years.
The government has put money on the table to modernize production lines. However, although carmakers aren't getting this money for free. In exchange for the bailout, French carmakers are expected to keep their production lines in France and bring back some production, especially environmentally-friendly technology.
For ailing French carmaker Renault, these measures could represent a lifeline. Renault was crippled by the coronavirus crisis with its factories in France, all shut mid March. It is expected to announce a $2 billion euro cost cutting plan later this week.
Cyril Vanier, CNN -- Paris.
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VAUSE: Two NASA astronauts leaving the coronavirus behind as SpaceX prepares to send them to the International Space Station. A look at their mission when we come back.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five, four, three, two, one, zero.
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VAUSE: SO apparently, that was just a test, as SpaceX prepares to launch two astronauts to the International Space Station. The actual real launch scheduled to take place in Florida on Wednesday.
If successful, it will mark the first time a commercial aerospace company has been used to send astronauts into earth's orbit. Now, in preparation for this, NASA's Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley spent quarantine together.
The stakes have never been higher for SpaceX as we count down to the launch.
CNN's Clare Sebastian looks at the controversies and the triumph of its founder, Elon Musk.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elon Musk's unfiltered style and unedited tweets haven't tempered his rise. Tesla is the clear market leader in electric vehicles, the company's stock price has quadrupled in the past year and now he's bringing back human space flight to American soil.
DAN IVES, SENIOR EQUITY RESEARCH ANALYST, WEDBUSH SECURITIES: It's almost viewed as Teflon like in terms of when you look at a stock that's north of $800 going though this COVID-19 pandemic as a car company and everything that Tesla and Musk has been through on the cusp of launching another rocket into space with SpaceX, the Musk brand has gone much more, what I would say, almost culture, iconic status among his fans.
SEBASTIAN: Controversy is a big part of the brand and that has also hit new highs in the past few months. Musk tweeting, quote, "The coronavirus panic is dumb," and proclaiming there would probably be no new cases in the U.S. by the end of April.
On Tesla's most recent earnings call, he rails against lockdown order.
ELON MUSK, CEO, TESLA: -- to say that they cannot leave their house, and they will be arrested if they do -- this is fascist.
SEBASTIAN: His frustration culminating in mid-May when he reopened his California factory in defiance of local regulations.
While he eventually reached a deal with the county, experts say the move still carries considerable reputational risks for Musk should the plant have health and safety issues later. That's enough to deter a presidential tweet in support of Musk's battle to reopen.
IVES: As rebellious as he is, he's almost become viewed as such an asset within the country to both state government officials, others that have different transportation, logistical worries, and that is why I think you continue to see that status elevate, especially not just on Tesla's side, but SpaceX is a big deal.
SEBASTIAN: Brand Musk has withstood multiple spats with investors --
MUSK: Boring bonehead questions are not cool. Next.
SEBASTIAN: A lawsuit by U.S. regulators over a series of tweets that cost him the chairmanship of Tesla --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Musk's tweets were false and misleading.
SEBASTIAN: -- and the trial for defamation, which he won.
And yet as a global pandemic upends the auto market competition in electric vehicles mounts and he takes a giant leap into human space travel, the ultimate disrupter's brand faces a whole new set of challenges. Clare Sebastian, CNN -- New York.
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VAUSE: The National Hockey League has unveiled plans for a resumption of competition which will see in the NHL head straight to the playoffs with 24 teams in the field for the first time ever as opposed to 16.
[01:55:01]
VAUSE: The league and players associations still need to figure out health and safety protocols and where to play. No start date has been announced but the earliest players can return for training July 1st.
As for the NBA, there are a number of ideas on the table, including a world cup style playoff with 16 teams split into their tier, spaced on their regular season records. The games would reportedly be played at the Disney sports complex in Florida.
And in Germany, the top teams in the Bundesliga have played the biggest football match since the rollback of coronavirus restrictions.
CNN's Alex Thomas has more on the potential title-clinching game.
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ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT: In a world gripped by coronavirus- riddled misery, the return of some top level sport has been welcomed by those seeking a lighthearted-distraction. And after record TV audiences watched the match too at the weekend, effectively just an exhibition golf contest, Tuesday night saw an even more significant event.
German football's two biggest rivals, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich going head to head in a game that would go a long way to deciding the Bundesliga title.
It is still strange to hear the players and the ball hitting boots. There were no crowds because of COVID-19 and Dortmund stadium is normally filled with 80,000 deafening fans.
Think of the noise they would've made when Joshua Kimmich scored the only goal in a one-nil victory for Bayern Munich that all but guarantees them an eighth successive title. They lead the Bundesliga by seven points with only six matches to play.
An expected showdown between Bayern's prolific star Robert Lewandowski and Dortmund's teenage protege Erling Haaland never really materialized even though it seems strange that the VAR officials didn't take a closer look at what might have been a second half penalty when Haaland's shot hit Jerome Boateng's arm.
Whether in front of no fans or 80,000 of them, Bayern Munich are relentless. Although maybe they're win has disappointed the neutrals because it means the only big European football league in action is now slightly more predictable. Alex Thomas, CNN.
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VAUSE: And for the very latest on this global pandemic, please don't miss Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta and their "GLOBAL TOWN HALL: CORONAVIRUS FACTS AND FEARS", 8:00 p.m. Thursday in New York. That's 8:00 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM with me, John Vause.
My colleague Robyn Curnow takes over right after this.
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