Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Trump To Hold Rally In Tulsa Despite growing Outbreak; Portugal Marketing Itself As A Safe Option For Tourist; N. Korea Ready To Retaliate Over Propaganda Leaflets; Protesters Call for Police Reform; Increase in Police Officers Resigning; Trump to Push through Rally in Tulsa; Bolsonaro tells Brazilians to Inspect Hospitals Themselves; COVID-19 Cases Increasing in 18 U.S. States. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired June 16, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, response to excessive use of force by Atlanta police, the mayor orders immediate changes and charges could be coming this week.
Also as coronavirus cases top 8 million worldwide, we ask if this pandemic could ultimately end up shifting the global order.
And the U.S. Supreme Court, writing a historic change to the law of the land. An unexpected milestone win for the LGBTQ rights.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
VAUSE: After 21 days of demonstrations and soul searching over unequal treatment of African Americans, grief and anger are still being felt, especially here in Atlanta.
Protesters have been marching but this time after killing of Rayshard Brooks, shot twice in the back by a police officer on Friday. We now learned that the officer had a number of complaints against him, including a reprimand for the overuse of force.
Atlanta's mayor said on Monday police are meant to be guardians, not warriors. And she's rolling out new orders which include additional training in deescalation techniques.
New York police are reassigning some 600 anti-crime officers into new roles like neighborhood policing.
Connecticut is the latest to prohibit police from using chokeholds. And the U.S. president is also expected to sign an executive order on policing in the coming hours which he claims should be comprehensive but it sounds kind of limited.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms called Brooks' death murder and him the guy you're rooting for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D-GA), ATLANTA: To watch Mr. Brooks on Friday night, talk about wanting to go home for his daughter's birthday, it breaks my heart. And there is nothing that I can say and that I can do as mayor that will bring him back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Members of Mr. Brooks' family are talking emotionally about what they've lost and what they want to see changed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMIKA MILLER, RAYSHARD BROOKS' WIDOW: There is no justice that can ever make me feel happy about what's been done. I can never get my husband back. I can never get my best friend. I can never tell my daughter, oh, he's come to take you skating or a swimming lesson.
So this is going to be a long time before I heal. It's going to be a long time before this family heals.
TIARA BROOKS, RAYSHARD'S NIECE: Not only was he a good dad, he was a loving husband, a caring brother and most importantly to me an uncle I could depend on. Rayshard Brooks was silly. He had the brightest smile and the biggest heart and loved to dance.
Me and my uncle are both 27 years of age, 27 years of age. No one walking this green Earth expects to be shot and killed like trash in the street for falling asleep in a drive-through.
GYMACO BROOKS, RAYSHARD'S COUSIN: They didn't have to kill them, because he wasn't that type of dude. You people that are looking around the world and you have your feelings, before it happened to us, I could only guess at what you felt. But now I understand. Life shouldn't be this complicated.
[02:05:00]
G. BROOKS: Life should not be where we have to feel some type of way if we see a police or somebody of a different color.
I didn't come down here to talk to the media, I came to love on my people. And if you ask, how old this young black man was, look at your children when you see them laugh, that innocence, that joy, that pureness of soul. And you had a glimpse of what we lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And we are learning more about the final moments of Rayshard Brooks' life. CNN has obtained a 9-1-1 call made by one of the Wendy's restaurant workers to police. The caller said Brooks appeared intoxicated as his car blocked the drive-through lane. She did not think he was armed. Here's part of it.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, do you need police, fire or ambulance out there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, the police.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, tell me what's going on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a car -- I think he's intoxicated and he's the middle of my drive-through. I tried to wake him up but he's parked dead in the middle of the drive-through. So I don't know what's wrong with him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he breathing, ma'am, do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he woke up, looked at me and I was like, you got to move out of the drive-through because people can't -- they're going around him. He's in the middle of the --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- they're trying to go around him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the color of --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- pull over. If he had too much to drink to pull over and go to sleep. They said --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- went right back (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of car is it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a white car. (INAUDIBLE) and he won't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he black?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) yes, he's black.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, in a white sedan in the middle of the drive- through.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, let me see what kind of car it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right here --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- he's right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cars going around him?
OK, all right. Does he appear to have any weapons, ma'am?
Ma'am, does he appear to have any weapons from where you can see him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no; I think he's intoxicated.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VAUSE: That 9-1-1 call confirms previous information from Atlanta police as to why they were initially called to the restaurant, to confront Brooks. We're also getting a recording from a call during George Floyd's arrest. This time an emergency dispatcher apparently watching the arrest on a nearby surveillance camera, was concerned enough to call a supervisor. Here's part of that call.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, you can call me a snitch if you want to, but we have the cameras up for 320's call. I don't know if they had to use force or not but they got something out of the back of the squad and all of them sat on this man.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, since these protests began, dozens of police have walked off the job in protest. Now especially in some of the flashpoint cities. Here in Atlanta, officials say eight officers have resigned just this month. CNN's Josh Campbell has more and a warning, this deport report does contain some disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST (voice-over): Tonight, the city of Minneapolis confirming to CNN that at least seven police officers have now left the departments since the death of George Floyd last month. And more than half a dozen are now in the process of leaving, departing for unknown reasons.
And it's not just Minneapolis, other departments around the country are seeing police officers head for the exits, either publicly resigning from tactical teams or leaving their departments all together. From Buffalo, where two officers were suspended earlier this month after shoving an elderly protester, 57 officers resigned from the department's emergency response team.
PROTESTERS: Get your knee.
PROTESTERS: Off my neck.
PROTESTERS: Get your knee.
PROTESTERS: Off my neck.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): To Florida, where the Hallandale Beach SWAT team saw 10 resignations after city officials including the police chief took a knee with protesters. Officers there say they feel minimally equipped, under trained and restrained by politics.
To Atlanta, where six officers were charged and arrested earlier this month for excessive use of force against demonstrators. That incident followed on Friday by the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks, an African-American man killed after officers attempted to arrest him for a suspected DUI. Brooks had taken one of the officer's Tasers in a scuffle and fired at a police as he ran away.
The Atlanta police chief abruptly resigned. The district attorney there says possible charges against the officer who shot Brooks could include felony murder. A police union official warns this climate will lead to more departures.
VINCE CHAMPION, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF POLICE OFFICERS: What we're suffering within Atlanta, I believe, is we are playing politics. We are bowing down, if you will, to try to appease the rioters.
If he gets charged without the due process and everything, I think you're going to find those officers who are senior who have the time in to get their retirement and leave, they're going to start leaving. I think you're going to start seeing officers trying to find another place to go.
CAMPBELL (voice-over): Other law enforcement experts say Brooks killing appears unjustified.
[02:10:00]
CAMPBELL (voice-over): And as a nation remains on edge, have a message for those considering dramatic mass resignations.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I understand the internal workings of a police department, the emotion and all that sort of thing. Well, you've got a job to do and we're in the middle of a crisis across the country. This is not the time to quit. And so I don't have very much tolerance for that sort of thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thanks to Josh Campbell for that report.
A landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of the LGBTQ community with the court deciding a longstanding law against workplace discrimination based on sex extends to those who face bias because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Meantime, President Trump's first appointee, Neil Gorsuch, wrote the 6-3 ruling, it comes a week after the Trump administration lifted protections for transgender people when it comes to health care.
Well the U.S. president will have a large campaign rally in a few days from now. Even as experts predict more coronavirus infections and a much larger death toll to come.
Also ahead, lockdowns and mass testing in Beijing on a wartime footing as the coronavirus makes an unwelcome return. (MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
VAUSE: More than 8 million coronavirus infections have been reported worldwide. The U.S. accounts for more than a quarter and as states continue to ease restrictions, a model often cited by the White House now projects that the country's death toll could pass 200,000 by October. CNN's Erica Hill has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR DAN GELBER (D-FL), MIAMI BEACH: People really got to take this seriously. It's not -- this is not an all clear where people can do whatever they want.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The mayor of Miami Beach not ruling out new mandates for his city, one of the last in Florida to reopen as cases across the state continue to rise. More than 2,500 new cases added on Saturday, a third straight day of record high numbers. They're up in Texas, too. And it's not just because there's more testing.
DR. UMAIR SHAH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: The question I'm getting asked a lot is, you know, did reopening or did other events have something to do this? And some saying no, it didn't and the answer is absolutely it did. The hard part is to know how much.
HILL (voice-over): Across the country, 18 states seeing the number of new cases trend up over the past week. In Oklahoma, also deep orange on the map, Tulsa recorded its highest daily increase in cases on Friday.
[02:15:00]
HILL (voice-over): President Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally there this weekend. The county health director telling a local paper he wishes it could be postponed to a time when the virus isn't as large a concern.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: Well I made a few phone calls and said to restaurant owners, bar owners, what are you doing? People are violating everything. Everything. No masks, no social distancing.
HILL (voice-over): In New York State, more than 25,000 complaints about businesses and patrons breaking the rules. Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeting this video of packed streets and few face coverings.
CUOMO: There are a lot of conscientious people who paid a very high price did the right thing. And they don't want other people ruining it for them.
HILL (voice-over): The surgeon general encouraging Americans to wear a mask, tweeting, "Face coverings bring more freedom."
Dr. Anthony Fauci in a new interview with "The Telegraph," urging people to keep them on when chanting and screaming at demonstrations, estimating real normality likely won't return until at least next year.
The CDC now recommending all close contacts of confirmed cases should be tested, not just quarantined and monitored.
South Carolina Congress man Tom Rice announcing on Facebook today he and his family are recovering from the virus though calling it the Wuhan flu. Last month he told CNN he didn't wear a mask on the House floor because he was social distancing.
And the FDA revoking emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine based on new evidence that they may not be effective to treat COVID-19 and could have adverse health effects.
TRUMP: Hydroxychloroquine, try it.
HILL (voice-over): President Trump repeatedly touted the drug without evidence -- Erica Hill, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In Beijing at least 29 neighborhoods are on lockdown, that after dozens of new cases of the coronavirus were linked to one of the biggest food markets in Beijing, one of the biggest in Asia.
The video shows what the market looked like in early May, weeks before the shutdown. Now two other major food markets in the area have closed also after reporting new cases. CNN's Steven Jiang joins us live.
And, Steven, what do we make of this vigorous response to these new cases?
Given what we know, is it too vigorous?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER, BEIJING BUREAU: Well, they are trying to strike a balance between containment efforts and economic recovery. That's why they are locking down these neighborhoods.
And also remember, you mentioned the next few days will be crucial, that is because officials and experts have said the first infection in this market likely happened in May and when you factor in the incubation period, people who contracted this virus should be developing symptoms in the next few days.
That's why people are watching very closely if the city will see a spike of new cases and if that's the case, that will not bode well for Beijing. But right now the authorities are focused on doing the contact tracing and mass testing for anyone who had been to this market since May 30th, as well as their close contacts.
This is going to be a daunting task, according to state media, they have tracked down 200,000 people who fit into this category. All of them have been asked to stay at home for at least two weeks for medical observation.
The worry is also whether any infected people may have left town. There were still not travel restrictions in and out of Beijing. We have seen cases linked to this market pop up in at least three other provinces in China. Some of these people took trains or flights to get to their destinations and passengers on these trains and flights are being asked to report themselves to local officials.
So still a lot of concern here. That's why you're seeing tourist attractions being closed and students asked to study from home. So in the words of the city's top Communist Party official, the situation remains very severe.
VAUSE: OK, thank you, Steven Jiang with the very latest from Beijing. Appreciate it.
So Brazil reported more than 20,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, bringing the nationwide total to almost 900,000. There's no health minister there right now. The president is reaching out to Russia for some unexpected advice. Here's Shasta Darlington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brazil and Russia working together to slow the spread and impact of COVID-19. In a tweet on Monday, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said he spoke to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about coronavirus as well as broader bilateral cooperation.
Meanwhile Brazil's attorney general has called for an investigation into several invasions of hospitals in the country, after its president urged people to inspect the conditions of medical wards treating COVID-19 patients. He claimed local officials might be inflating the numbers to get more aid.
[02:20:00]
DARLINGTON (voice-over): And to make him look bad. On Monday, Brazil reported more than 20,000 new cases of COVID-19 and 627 new deaths -- Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN political and national security analyst and national security correspondent for "The New York Times," David Sanger joins me now.
Hello, David.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you. John
VAUSE: Thank you. Now the coronavirus pandemic is being described as a bolt of lightning before the thunderous social upheaval that will follow, the bigger the crisis, the bigger the upheaval. I guess it could be positive or negative.
But at this point what signs do you see to give us an idea of the direction this is all heading?
How does this all washed out in 10-20 years from now?
SANGER: These kind of crises tend to accentuate existing schisms in the world order more than they tend to create entirely new order. I think you will see some of that. You've already seen the level of distrust between China and United States, which was pretty wide before this, open up dramatically.
You may well see that China has hit the wall here both in its economic growth and in its ability to persuade American allies, Europeans, some developing nations, to follow it instead of the United States. That is one possibility.
The other possibility here is that what appears to be a relatively incompetent, slow response by the United States to the coronavirus will diminish American influence around the world, take some of the sheen off American soft power.
VAUSE: "Foreign Policy" magazine, they said that why some countries are doing better than others, it didn't have a lot to do with democracy versus autocratic or repressive regimes.
"The factors responsible for successful pandemic responses have been state capacity, social trust and leadership. Countries with all three -- a competent state apparatus, a government that citizens trust and listen to and effective leaders -- have performed impressively, limiting the damage they have suffered.
"Countries with dysfunctional states, polarized societies or pool leadership have done badly."
This seems to muddy the waters, when you talk about the liberal democracies that will emerge in all this in favor of the sort of nationalistic regime that we've seen rise the last two years.
SANGER: It sure does. It would be nice if there was a convenient slice here, which you could say authoritarian states did poorly, democracies did well or even in the reverse.
But the fact of the matter is, that countries have handled this the best, like South Korea and Taiwan, had a fair bit of trust in the governments by their people and people who were accustomed to all getting on the team.
In the case of some of the Asian countries that did well, including Japan, and understanding about the need to wear masks early on.
But among the democracies, you know, it's interesting that the United States, with what you would consider to be the most developed health care system, actually did pretty poorly.
VAUSE: Right now if you look around the world, we have the U.S., Brazil and Russia, Trump, Bolsonaro and Putin, the gold, the silver, the bronze for the confirmed number of cases; three leaders not known for an intellectual approach to an issue. Here's President Trump, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, you can -- which you can do, either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that, too. It sounds interesting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll get it to the right folks who could.
TRUMP: And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute.
And is there a way we can do something like that by injection, inside or almost a cleaning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Really he is not known for empathy and a short sound bite from Brazil's Bolsonaro.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIR BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Some people are going to die, yes, they are going to die. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, that is life. That is reality. We can't stop a car factory because there are 60,000 transit deaths each year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And finally three leaders not known for being totally honest 24/7. Here is Russia's President Putin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): We are exiting the coronavirus situation steadily with minimal losses. God willing. In the States it is not happening that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know the theory is, that their failed response to this pandemic will lead to the failure of their form of government and will see institutions rise up, liberal democracy take their place, renewed faith in global institutions.
But as easy it can go in that direction it could easily go in the other direction as well, couldn't it?
SANGER: It could. [02:25:00]
SANGER: I think if you think about the comparison there, President Trump's press conference that you ran was one of the last that he ran with the Coronavirus Task Force. Now we've swung in the other direction because the president used these in some ways, hijack the press conference that was initially meant to for the medical professionals.
We are now not hearing as much from those medical professionals. So we have veered wildly on the messaging. And even today, you heard Vice President Pence offer some rather dubious assertions to some of the governors in an effort to make the American situation sound better than it was.
For Bolsonaro, you just see a complete lack of empathy for his own people and, of course, he was in denial when it was happening.
And same for President Putin, who, of course, wants to argue that Russia is emerging from this, when we don't have any statistics to indicate that they do.
What do all three have in common?
They all denied this was happening and was real in the early weeks, when the most could've been done in the way of preparation, getting people accustomed to the thought that they would have to lock down and act early.
And all three of them had tremendously poor reflexes for this. I think it's worse for the United States, because the U.S. at least had run many simulations about what these would look like and then ignored many of those lessons.
VAUSE: Yes, and all three countries are playing a high price for that. David, thank you. It's good to have you, thank you.
SANGER: Thank you so much, great to be with you.
VAUSE: Just as Europe's borders are slowly reopening, traveling to the continent might keep you healthy. We'll tell you how it works when we come back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody.
Donald Trump has not had much to say about the nationwide protests sweeping the country, dividing real change in race relations. He's barely mentioned George Floyd by name.
So what will he say about police reform in the coming hours, when he signs an executive order?
More now from Jim Acosta, reporting from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is no longer reasonable --
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Facing a growing backlash to his handling of the protests after the death of George Floyd, President Trump told reporters he was disturbed by the police shooting death of Rayshard Brooks that led to a weekend of unrest in Atlanta.
TRUMP: I thought it was a terrible situation. Very disturbing.
[02:30:00]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: On police reform, the president is trying to have it both ways insisting he will curb officer misconduct while stressing a lawn order message.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the overall goal is we want lower order. It's about justice also and it's about safety.
ACOSTA: On Tuesday, the President is expected to sign an executive order making incremental changes like creating a database to track police misconduct, and adding more mental health professionals to law enforcement agencies.
JA'RON SMITH, DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: There's many communities that are violent. And we want to quell those violence, and we also want to allow for safe and peaceful atmosphere. The only way you can do that is to bring the police and the community together.
ACOSTA: It's unclear whether the President will support a nationwide ban on police chokehold, something his fellow Republicans are pushing.
SEN. TIM SCOTT (R-SC): There are other aspects of it that we can be more clear on like the chokehold. This is a policy whose time has come and gone.
ACOSTA: Two weeks after the administration violently cleared out Lafayette Square for the President's church photo-op, Mr. Trump is still tearing into protesters tweeting, "Many Democrats want to defund and abolish police departments. How crazy."
The administration appears to be following the President's lead, taking down a Black Lives Matter banner and even a pride flag at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea. Democratic leaders say the president is twisting their positions.
REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): I have always said nobody is going to defund the police. We can restructure the police force. Restructure, reimagine policing, that is what we're going to do. The fact of the matter is that police have a role to play. ACOSTA: The President is eager to get back on the road looking ahead
to his rally this weekend in Oklahoma firing back at critics who say the event could cause an outbreak of the Coronavirus, tweeting, "The media which had no COVID problem with the rioters and looters destroying Democrat-run cities is trying to COVID-shame us on our big rallies. It won't work."
The Tulsa us world newspaper ran editorial calling on the president to scrap it adding, the public health concern would apply whether it were Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or anyone else. This is the wrong time. White House officials say attendees should follow administration guidelines like wearing masks, even though the president doesn't use them.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: We certainly hope that the people in Oklahoma will adhere to all that reasonable guidelines.
ACOSTA: The President is pushing back on any concerns about his own health after he gingerly walked down a ramp and carefully took a sip of water at the West Point commencement over the weekend, tweeting, "The ramp was very long and steep, had no handrail and most importantly, was very slippery."
Mr. Trump has made questions about his health, fair game given his comments about Democrat Joe Biden.
TRUMP: Look, Joe is not all there. Everybody knows it. And it said when you look at it, and you see it, you should see it for yourself, he's created his own sanctuary city in the basement of wherever he is. And he doesn't come out.
ACOSTA: And the president is also weighing in on the rising number of Coronavirus cases telling reporters they're all due to increase testing, saying, "if we stopped testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any. But that's not true. Administration health experts have told us that the new cases are in part due to more testing, but also because there have been spikes in infections. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A new app and Web site will help travelers in Europe navigate during this time of the coronavirus. It's called Reopen E.U. The platform will provide details on things like which airports are open and whether you'll need to quarantine or take a test.
According to the E.U., tourism contributes as much as 10 percent to Europe's GDP. The app is right on time. Internal European borders have started to reopen, external borders will start opening on the first of next month.
London took a big step towards reopening on Monday. Non-essential stores allowed to open after three months of lockdown? CNN's Anna Stewart Oxford Street, where else, where it was busy but not quite business as usual.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Well, here in the heart of London, Oxford Street almost feels like pre-pandemic normal. The streets are very busy. Few people are wearing facial coverings or masks. It's not compulsory here in the U.K. unless you're on public transport.
The shopping experience they have has felt different. Early this morning before the shops opened, lines had formed outside some of the flagship stores. Nike on Oxford Circus, the Apple Store on Regent Street. Around 80 percent of those people in line outside Apple though were actually there for repairs or returns rather than buying new products.
Now, most of the keys have now disappeared. And speaking to people that have been shopping, it's interesting to see how different their experiences being in different stores. Some are taking temperature on arrival. Some asked you to sanitize your hands, some have very few new procedures at all other than the social distancing outside the shop and around us.
The latest figures from the ONS say that only 37 percent of adults in the U.K. feel safe leaving their homes. I was expecting to see fewer people on the streets here. I was expecting to register a little bit more anxiety. But that has not been the case at all. Plenty of people in the U.K. are willing to go out shopping, which is good news of course for the retailers. Anna Stewart, CNN, Oxford Street, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:35:23]
VAUSE: It was notably low the Coronavirus death toll and infection rate than many other countries in Europe, Portugal is now trying to market itself as the safe option for tourists. Its new campaign includes hygiene sales of businesses serving tourists, and the idea of a so-called green corridor to the U.K. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Even in these times of pandemic, Lisbon's most famous bakery Pasteis de Belem is still churning out cream cakes. But owner Miguel Clarinha says his business has been hit hard by the lack of tourists, and he doesn't think that will change soon.
MIGUEL CLARINHA, OWNER, PASTEIS DE BELEM: We're hopeful, of course. But we also know that this year is going to be a very, very slow year even with the borders opening up.
PLEITGEN: Even as many European countries are lifting travel warnings, only a few tourists can be seen in Lisbon's historic old town.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In free areas, it's not very dangerous. Only in small spaces, in rooms or something. And so we are not scared about that.
PLEITGEN: Among European nations, Portugal is one of the most dependent on tourism. The country is now launching a campaign to win travelers back. I caught up with the Prime Minister just as he unveiled the program.
What is Portugal's strategy to try and bring tourism back to this country in a safe way?
ANTONIO COSTA, PRIME MINISTER, PORTUGAL (through translator): We've created protocols between the health authorities, all the hotels to create a specialty clean and safe to give everyone guarantees that they can come and they'll be safe.
PLEITGEN: Portugal is viewed as having dealt successfully with a pandemic so far. Having shut down early, the COVID-19 death toll here remains low, and anti-Coronavirus measures remain on prominent display like temperature checks at the airports for all those arriving.
The prime minister says he believes Portugal's track record will help the country out other nations and the quest to lower wary tourists.
COSTA (through translator): We're among the countries that tested the most, one of the countries that better knows the real spread of the virus where the numbers are the safest and where people can come with confidence. And confidence will be one of the differentiating factors at the moment of choosing where to go on holidays. I think Portugal is a good destination.
PLEITGEN: Portugal's economy has been hit extremely hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the country is battling to come back making reviving its tourism sector a top national priority. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Lisbon, Portugal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: We head to Spain now. Students are returning classrooms which seems to be nothing like the ones they left behind. High cleaning status and social distancing are in place and that's just the start. Atika Shubert has more now reporting from Madrid.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: School may be a distant memory for kids in quarantine, but in Madrid, the Colegio Virgen De Europa is welcoming students who want to come back with coronavirus precautions. Temperature checks at all school gates, handwashing before and after each class, and teachers are regularly tested for the virus. It's all about getting used to the new school rules, explains primary coordinator Sarah O'Halloran.
SARAH O'HALLORAN, PRIMARY COORDINATOR, VIRGIN DE EUROPA SCHOOL: I think children find a sense of security in rules and repetition. So this routine that has quickly become the new norm is something they feel quite comfortable with. SHUBERT: Classes are also smaller. At the moment half the class is
online. The other sits in desks spread far apart. Frequent cleanings to disinfect hallways and other high traffic areas. Recess and lunch times are staggered as teachers corral classes into separate spaces. No football or other ball games allowed.
What's the hardest thing about coming back to school?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't give hugs and we can't like play, like sports, like sport that we share on things like football, basketball.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. The two meters from one patient to another.
SHUBERT: There's only about a week left of classes in the year, but this school is trialing out what could be the new normal. In September, that includes mandatory mass in the hallway, but also as you can see, these lanes that make sure that students and teachers keep a safe distance apart.
So how much of a risk is opening schools? We asked an epidemiologist.
ANDREA BURON, SPANISH SOCIETY OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND SESPAS: I believe risk of reopening school is not very high, actually quite the contrary. I think the relevance and the benefit of reopening schools for children and parents of these children's is actually very high. And children are at extremely low risk of catching the disease as well as trading the disease.
[02:40:22]
SHUBERT: But schools still need to teach students to be vigilant about containing any possible spread. Spain is still finalizing what nationwide requirements will be for September, but test cases like this school will pave the way. Atika Shubert, CNN, Madrid, Spain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come, North Korea threatens to re-militarize the border with the South saying its army is ready to take action over these propaganda leaflets being floated over the border from defectors.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back. Well, North Korea is warning of military action to defectors who continue to play propaganda leaflets in balloons over the border from the south. According to state media, the army is prepared to take control of demilitarized areas and "turn the frontline into a fortress." CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is live in Hong Kong with the very latest on this.
So, you know, there are some statements which we get from North Korean state media which we should take very seriously, and then there are some which we need to ignore. What do we do with this threat?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We need to take it with a little bit of grain of salt but also look at what this threat is all about. This threat is about unraveling. The comprehensive military agreement that was signed between North and South Korea and the sidelines of the third inter-Korean summit took place in Pyongyang back in 2018. And at that time, that agreement was hailed as a landmark because it would create these buffer zones to prevent military skirmishes.
North Korea is threatening to undo that. This comes at a time of rising tensions between North and South over the issues of the actions of North Korean defectors inside South Korea. We heard that warning earlier at the weekend by the sister of Kim Jong-un calling South Korea the enemy and saying that North Korea would decisively carry out the next action.
This despite the fact that South Korea has taken action. It has taken legal action against North Korean defectors who have been using balloons to send over anti-North Korean leaflets and propaganda and SD cards across the border. They've also been using bottles to send food and rice across the border as well.
But that legal action in the eyes of the North Koreans is not enough. They remain furious. They have already cut off inter-Korean communication lines. They've also are threatening to shut down the liaison office in case on North Korean. And all of this is happening during a week that is supposed to be a week of celebration.
This week is a major anniversary. It marks 20 years since the first inter-Korean summit when both sides North and South pledged cooperation, pledged dialogue. And yet 20 years on, North Korea is not picking up the phone. Both sides are not talking to each other. When you have North Korea calling South Korea the enemy and issuing these military threats, it appears that North Korea is spoiling for a fight. John?
[02:45:40]
VAUSE: So what you were saying is essentially the brilliant comrade or the other the young master as they like to call Kim Jong-un essentially, it's all about him being insulted than the country being insulted by these propaganda leaflets. It's simply an excuse to make their happiness known.
STOUT: What observers are saying is what North Korea is doing here is just creating a crisis. It is creating a crisis in order to have leverage over South Korea for what perhaps for economic benefits or to gain an upper hand at ongoing nuclear talks.
Other observers have also pointed out that because of the coronavirus outbreak, and given the opaque nature of North Korea, we really don't know how it has ravaged the country there. Perhaps this is a distraction to be able to distract the local population from the ravages of the pandemic. These are gestures designed to rally a nation. John?
VAUSE: Yes. It's always difficult to read the tea leaves from North Korea. They're so far away. Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout with some good analysis there and Hong Kong about the situation in North Korea and South Korea. I appreciate.
Well, after being grounded, EasyJet is back in the air. But Europe's second business carrier says it could be up to three years before business returns to pre-pandemic levels. A live report in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well, major U.S. airlines will begin to strictly enforce the wearing of masks on flights later this week. United Airlines made its own announcement warning travelers who refuse to wear a mask could end up on a restricted travel list beginning Thursday. Six other airlines promised to roll out new policies, each one saying they might ban customers who do not comply.
Well, it was a tentative return to the skies on Monday for EasyJet after being grounded for almost three months. The budget carrier is operating around 30 percent capacity, well, that's the hope at least, flying mostly domestic routes. CNN's John Defterios has more on this from Abu Dhabi. He joins us live.
And you know, the situation with EasyJet, it's, you know, hoping to get back maybe the next three years, I think, you know, to a pre- pandemic levels of travel. That's a long road to survive over the next three years with you know, limited capacity.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: That is for sure, John. And you have to remember, and I was looking back at the earnings over the last two years for EasyJet, in 2019, they were dealing with all that Brexit uncertainty and the ability for consumers to want to open up their wallets and that sort of environment.
So, 2020 is the COVID, and think about it in 2021, they're going to have both the Brexit and COVID. So this is not going to be an easy path to profitability for EasyJet. That is for certain. It's almost kind of like baby steps to get back into the market. Mainly U.K. destinations as we go into the summer months, and then the idea is to expand during the peak of the European holiday season. So the idea is, and listen to this carefully, it's half of the network coverage.
But by the end of summer, John, we're looking at maybe a third of their capacity going forward in terms of passenger capacity. Let's listen to the CEO who's on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."
[02:50:13]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHAN LUNDGREN, CEO, EASYJET: By July, we're hoping that we're basically going to be covered 50 percent of the whole network, but mind you, when you look at it from a capacity point of view, throughout July, August, and September, it's only about 30 percent, we estimate, what will be operated compare to what was originally planned. But it's a great first step.
(END VIDEO CLIP) DEFTERIOS: I'd say it's a good baby step, John, not a great first step because it's just getting back into the market and try to get people used to travel again. You have that story about people arguing about wearing masks in the United States. Well, EasyJet, of course, it's going to be mandatory mass for the staff and the passengers and they're pledging deeper cleaning.
And what do they do about the quick turnarounds and that sort of environment, John? Because they live on high volume of course, and turning the plane around quickly, so they can keep up that volume and frequency.
VAUSE: Well, if you can't social distance on a plane, then the only option is to wear the mask I guess, if you don't want to get the virus. One thing about EasyJet, though, it's U.K. based and the government there is issued a 14-day quarantine for all visitors. This seems to be, you know, one of the major headaches for the airlines. It's not really workable for tourists. So, what's EasyJet doing regarding this? Are they look into some kind of change in policy?
DEFTERIOS: Well, that was a policy that almost came out as a kind of a bolt from the sky, I think because you know, you have the U.K. with the highest cases and the highest number of deaths in the European Union, having passed Italy here. And they're suggesting for tourist arrivals to have to have a 14-day quarantine, John. I just don't even know how that would work.
And that's the same when you talk to B.A., EasyJet, and Ryanair. And you know, EasyJet and Ryanair compete fiercely against each other. They're coming together in court. They're challenging this and they want to see a decision by the end of June. Here again as the CEO of EasyJet on what he thinks needs to be done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LUNDGREN: In which you put in place, you know, dampens that effect. And we also saw that the first stage of the virus when quarantines were in place, that they actually killed off very much the demand that is out there. So it's absolutely crucial for us to make sure that those quarantines are lifted or replaced with something that makes better sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: So you have a case where EasyJet is going to be focusing on major destinations in Europe, France, Italy, and Spain ranking in the top five worldwide, John.
VAUSE: John, thank you. John Defterios there live in Abu Dhabi. I appreciate it. Well the U.K., the English Premier League is about to make its long-awaited return. First matches set for Wednesday. CNN's World Sports Don Riddell is with me now for more. So, Don, the Premier League, it's the world's biggest Football League, the most famous. It's been missed around the world to say the least. So, what can we look forward to now that it's coming back? DON RIDDELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORT ANCHOR: John, good to see you. 100 days, can you believe that? 100 days since we last saw a ball kicked in the Premier League. Hopefully, it's all going to be worth the wait now that it's coming back this week.
Liverpool is obviously the biggest storyline, the most dominant team in the country who raced into an extraordinary 25-point lead and who were right on the brink of clenching their first league title in exactly 30 years. It is surely now inevitable that they will do it. And it would have been incredibly cruel if they had been denied it.
Here's what you need to know. They only need two wins from their last nine games. And if Man City lose to Arsenal in their first game back on Wednesday, then actually Liverpool would only need one win, and that could be in their own city against Everton on Sunday.
VAUSE: I'm just wondering, was there ever a point, was there any serious talk about the league just sort of giving everything up, walking away, you know, and never coming back -- you know, back on like it is now?
RIDDELL: Well, there was never a guarantee that it was going to be finished. I mean, just look around Europe, the Scottish League, Dutch league, and Ligue 1 in France never returned. And it was a great deal of concern about the Premier League especially given that the U.K. has one of the highest death totals from coronavirus in the world, and pack stadiums are super spreader events.
But there is so much money at stake that nobody seems to really want to cancel it. And the return of the Bundesliga last month in Germany showed how it can be done safely. Obviously, there won't be any fans of these games. The option of fake crowd noise will be piped in through your television speakers, but it's all a lot better for sports fans than the alternative.
VAUSE: Where there is money there is always a way, I guess. In one of the first games though, will feature Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. So he is a survivor, if you like.
RIDDELL: Yes, how fitting that he's involved in the first game. One of the most prominent people in European football to actually contract the coronavirus back in March. And it was the news of that which prompted the Premier League to screech to a halt. If it wasn't for that, at least one more round of games would surely have been played in England, and tens of thousands of fans would have been packed into stadiums spreading the virus around. So I guess unwittingly, Mikel Arteta may well have saved a lot of lives.
[02:55:03]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKEL ARTETA, MANAGER, ARSENAL: I have think about it. And I said the night that I started to ask some symptoms how serious I was. And it was a matter that I could not make a decision. But they had to be reported, because obviously I could put in risk a lot of people and I wasn't willing to do that. I love this game but we have bigger responsibilities than that. To do that, I think we made the right call and the right decision after that season, the Premier League as well went really strong on that. And I think I agree with you that it could have been much worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Mikel Arteta looking well, at least. You know, so much has changed. Like the last game, what March 9th, that was -- that was a world away. You know, that was ancient history. You know -- and we're not talking about, you know, the world in a pandemic and, you know, COVID-19. There's been sort of global awakening well on racial issues. And a lot of players in the United States or professional sports from around the world in the U.K. all making their voices heard as well.
RIDDELL: Yes, and we've seen that in recent weeks from players from Germany, Italy, and Spain have demonstrably come out in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Several players have displayed slogans and messages of support. At the weekend, actually, Real Madrid's defender Marcelo knelt on one knee and prominently raised his fist.
I'm pretty sure that we're going to see something similar across these games when the Premier League returns. Players in England were already pretty vocal about racial abuse and social injustice. One of the most prominent actually is Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
Now, you may recall at the start of the Coronavirus episode, the U.K.Government picked on overpaid Premier League football players and try to make an example of them for not doing enough to help in times of hardship. Well, many of them ended up being very charitable and now the shoe is on the other foot so to speak.
Rashford has already raised $25 million for a food distribution charity, and he's just written an open letter to politicians in Britain urging them to keep the school meal voucher program going throughout the summer holiday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCUS RASHFORD, FORWARD, MANCHESTER UNITED: I'm just hoping to do it as soon as possible. I know they did mention that they usually do this, you know, this time of year, summer holidays, but because of because of COVID, the situation has been completely different for everyone in the world.
You know, my mom was a single parent. She's got five kids that was all living in the same house, and that moment was the most difficult moment. She's working very hard to put food on the table. And then it's the stress on my shoulders that affected her after we've ate our dinner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: And old wise head on some very young shoulders there. Marcus Rushford, he's done incredible good throughout this Coronavirus episode. Now, of course he's looking forward to getting back into action on the field. John, back to you.
VAUSE: Yes, a good point. A good one to finish on. Don, thanks. I appreciate it.
I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching. Natalie Allen will pick up our coverage after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
