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Macron: Without Reforms, Lebanon Will "Continue to Sink"; Lebanese Authorities Declare Beirut a "Disaster City"; Massive Explosion Linked to Warehoused Chemicals; Volunteers Clean Up Beirut's Streets; Russia Planning to Approve COVID-19 Vaccine Soon; Skeptics Doubt Lebanon Will Enact Reforms. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 06, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a land so often cursed by violence, a catastrophe.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR(?): The government in Lebanon has declared Beirut a disaster city.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In addition to the dead and the wounded, many, many people have lost their homes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to get out of this -- this region. I just want to get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president called it an attack.
TRUMP: It could have been an accident and it could have also been something that was very offensive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Well, cometh the hour, cometh the man.
Is Emmanuel Macron, the French president, really the magician that Lebanon needs now?
It is 5:00 pm in Beirut, 6:00 pm in Abu Dhabi. Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.
The scale of the disaster in Beirut coming into focus today, both on the ground and internationally, with the first visit by a major head of state
who is giving a blunt warning about Lebanon's future. First,
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): I want to show you this. A stark view of the size of the crater caused by the blast. It measures 124 meters in diameter. That
is over 400 feet. It looks like an asteroid has hit the ground. The explosion was so large it obliterated almost everything in the immediate
area and left large parts of the Lebanese capital buried in rubble. There are now 137 people confirmed dead and thousands are wounded. And with more
people still missing, the death toll is likely to rise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, a few hours ago, French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to rally international support but he said without major governor reforms,
any help that Lebanon gets now will come to nothing. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): The priority is to assist and support the population with no conditions. For months and
years now, however, France has been demanding indispensable reforms in certain sectors, energy, government procurement and the fight against
corruption.
If these reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Documents reveal that 2,750 metric tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate had been sitting in this port warehouse for six
years after it was offloaded from a Russian ship. Back then, one analyst likened the ship to a floating bomb.
Lebanon's prime minister admits it was stalled there without safety measures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: but who's responsible for leaving it there and was the explosion truly an accident or a willful act of destruction?
Well, the government is promising a full investigation. But for the millions in Lebanon who have endured years of political corruption and
hardship, there's little reason to trust the results. Ben Wedeman now reports from Beirut.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: George Faraoun has come with a friend to see what they can salvage from the remains of his parents' apartment, which looked directly
onto Beirut's port.
Tuesday's blast turned it into a moonscape, a panorama of utter destruction. Dried blood marks the spot where his mother was resting in bed
when the explosion sent a wall slamming on top of her. She's still in hospital.
This was his parents' retirement home.
GEORGE FARAOUN, BEIRUT RESIDENT: This was their life. Everything they did here. Look what happened.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Given the damage, they probably will never be able to move back.
Many neighbors were badly injured, others killed.
WEDEMAN: In addition to the dead and the wounded, many, many people have lost their homes. According to the governor of Beirut, more than 300,000
people in the city have been made homeless.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): People are packing up and moving out. While others try to salvage what they can, the area near the port is now a hive of
activity as an army of volunteers like Maggy Demerjian has launched into a massive cleanup effort, perhaps to show themselves that, despite this
country's mountain of woes, good will prevail.
MAGGY DEMERJIAN, LEBANESE CLEANUP VOLUNTEER: Lebanese people doesn't deserve.
[10:05:00]
DEMERJIAN: Yes, we are good people.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): They've come from all over the city, handing out food and water, pitching in wherever, however they can. Officials believe
the blast emanated from a warehouse filled with 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate, sitting there under lax security for six years.
The government has promised a quick and transparent investigation. Yet going back decades, Lebanon has witnessed a series of a high-profile
assassinations and, rarely, if ever, has the truth emerged.
JAD ACHKAR, BEIRUT RESIDENT: This, this accident here, this crisis, for 20 years we're going to talk about the investigation. There's never going to
be no conclusion and no results.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): And no confidence among many here that the truth will ever be known.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Ben joins me now from Beirut on the phone.
Your report reflecting the reality for so many people in Beirut today. A young woman who you spoke to there insisting, though, that good will
prevail.
Will it?
WEDEMAN: That's a very good question and certainly many people -- I mean, what we're seeing -- what I'm seeing right now in front of me, Becky, I'm
in the neighborhood which is -- which was severely damaged by the port, which is right next by.
And I'm seeing good prevailing. There are hundreds, thousands of volunteers with brooms and shovels and whatever equipment they could get, trying to
clear up the mess, trying to fix what can be fixed. There are others here, volunteers handing out water and sandwiches, all of it for free. All of it
donated by ordinary citizens.
And that's what -- you know, I have seen and many people have seen over the years, that among the ordinary citizens of Lebanon, there is an intense
impulse to do good, to help those in need, to help your neighbor.
But the problem is, of course, you have that great mass of decent people and then you have at the top of the pyramid these politicians, these
leaders, these militia, these former warlords, who have been profiting off of foreign donors, who have been siphoning whatever excess funds there
might be to put in their pockets and transfer to bank accounts overseas.
Now it's been interesting to see the reaction to Emmanuel Macron, the French president. He walked through this neighborhood with relatively
little security and he was cheered. He was looked upon as a savior, with people chanting, you know, that -- that the Lebanese politicians are
criminals, are terrorists.
And he promised that France and the international community would help the people and that he would not allow whatever aid comes to this country to be
siphoned off.
Now can that be realized?
It's difficult to say, given the current political structure of this country; where as I said, you have a political elite which serves itself
while the people have to fend for themselves.
And, you know, looking around me what I see is private initiatives, individual initiatives to repair the damage. There's very little in the way
of government assistance. And in fact, the governor of Beirut has said he estimates that the damage from the blast on Tuesday evening was between $3
billion and $5 billion.
How much has the Lebanese government come up with to provide in the aftermath of this blast?
$66 million, a drop in the bucket of the need. So as is so often the case here in Lebanon, the people have to help themselves because there's little
expectations the government will do anything -- Becky.
ANDERSON: And you're making a very good point about the arrival and visit of Emmanuel Macron, the French president, who we will hear from in the next
90 minutes or so.
He insists that there must be sort of root and branch change in order for any money forthcoming from the international community to work.
How much sway does he have at this point, do you think, with this current structure, this current administration?
[10:10:00]
ANDERSON: I mean, should -- you described him as being greeted like somewhat of a savior. We described him as -- we suggested, you know, is
this -- is this the magician that Lebanon really needs?
What are your thoughts, Ben?
WEDEMAN: Well, I think at this point, Lebanon doesn't need a magician. It needs divine intervention. Of course, France, as the mandatory power in
Lebanon, appointed by the League of Nations after World War I and which ruled this country for several decades, is seen as sort of the big brother
of Lebanon, the one -- the country that comes to Lebanon's assistance first.
And, of course, Macron is the first leader to come to Lebanon after Tuesday evening's blast. Certainly when France expresses a willingness to help
Lebanon, other Western countries often fall into place behind it.
But for instance, the French foreign minister was here in Beirut just a few weeks ago. And he pleaded with Lebanese officials, help us, help France
help you. And sort of the subtext was, get your act together. Fight corruption, the corruption that has really drained, sucked the lifeblood
out of this country.
But despite that somehow we see time and time again the Lebanese people showing a resilience that is almost biblical (ph). But if anyone can help
Lebanon out of this crisis, its crises right now, it's France.
But President Macron has made it clear, it's not going to be a blank check. Something has to be done in return. Lebanon, particularly, the political
leaders, have to get their house in order -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman on the line, out of Beirut. Ben, terrific work. Thank you so much.
As I say, we will hear from the French president in the next 1.5 hours or so.
Well, the U.S. president is once again claiming without proof it could have been an attack. Here's what Donald Trump said on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It would seem like it, based on the explosion. I met with some of our great generals and they just seemed to feel that it was. This was not a
-- some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of event.
This was a -- seems to be, according to them, they would know better than I would, but they seem to think it was a attack. It was a bomb.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, now you have probably seen that catastrophic explosion several times but let's take a different look at that moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): If you slow it down and look very closely there are actually many clues as to what was behind that colossal blast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN's Sam Kiley has been analyzing the footage. He joins me now.
Sam, what's in it?
KILEY: Well, it's been a gruesome and fascinating process, Becky, working with former Major Chris Hunter, who served with British Special Forces and
still continues to be a leading bomb disposal expert in Iraq and Syria.
So if there's anybody to go to for analysis of this sort of an incident, he would be the man, particularly to take a look at whether or not a weapon
was likely to have been used. But his conclusion was otherwise. This is the report based on his analysis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KILEY (voice-over): In a land so often cursed by violence, a catastrophe, more likely the product of human incompetence than malicious design.
At the core of the Beirut explosion, government officials fear, is some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a common ingredient for fertilizer. But
mixed with fuel or sugar it could be a precursor for homemade bombs.
They have been used by the IRA and terrorists worldwide. Antigovernment extremists used 2 tons and killed 168 in Oklahoma. Chris Hunter is a
decorated bomb disposal expert. He served with British Special Forces and still works in Iraq and Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS HUNTER, BOMB DISPOSAL OPERATOR: What you can see is a series of sparks and flashes, basically down toward the base of the flames and the
smoke. And that is consistent with something like fireworks cooking off. If it's confined in shipping containers, then what you can get is effectively
a giant pipe bomb.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY (voice-over): But that he says was just the detonator for the vast ammonium nitrate explosion.
[10:15:00]
HUNTER: Moments later, of course, we see the explosion itself. That's preceded by that sort of brilliant red-colored smoke coming up as well.
That is consistent with chlorates and nitrates of the type used in fertilizer.
KILEY (voice-over): Lebanon's prime minister has vowed investigations and punishment for whoever allowed this to happen. Hunter says the white smoke
further suggests it was an accident. A fuel mix, used in terror attacks, would be black.
The shock wave still supersonic. So in his expert opinion, the blast that flattened so much of Beirut was not an act of malice. But that doesn't
explain how the fireworks store or ammunition dump caught fire, much less why.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KILEY: Now, Becky, that will be an avenue for the investigators to look at, obviously how did that initial ignition get going that led to the
almost happenstance disaster that followed, in the view of Chris Hunter.
The other point he made, which I think is pretty cold comfort for the people of Beirut, is that those enormous grain silos that the government
there said contains most of the grain stocks for the Lebanon, actually probably saved an awful lot of lives because they're about -- they're
pretty much due south-southwest of the blast, heading into downtown.
And in Chris' view -- and you can actually see it in the smoke as it goes over those silos. There's a ton of space created in this monstrous white
cloud, indicating that a degree of the shock wave was actually blocked. They served as a blast wall and things could have been much worse -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, that investigation has been launched. Meantime, can I just play you, Sam, another part of what Donald Trump said on Wednesday. Have a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're working very closely with the government and we're working very closely with many different agencies including the military. And we'll
be able to figure it out. We already probably have figured it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Were the military to figure out and decide that this was identified as some sort of an attack, the U.S. would need to move military
assets into the region, correct?
KILEY: Well, I was surprised by a Pentagon source saying that yesterday. I don't think so. It's a one-off event, it's not an invasion, it's over. And
if they were to decide who had done it, it would really depend on whether or not the large number of Americans were victims.
In the past Donald Trump has avoided taking punitive action, for the sake of argument against a rival/enemy such as Iran, if they were behind it.
This might be a cause (INAUDIBLE) but I think those sorts of -- that sort of language coming out of the Pentagon, particularly from Donald Trump, is
pretty exaggerated.
Behind the scenes and in fact the Defense officials have been very explicit in this, they don't believe it was an act of terror and nobody has really
commented on the need or the desire to send troops.
But I thought that was a bit of really strange, frankly. It would not be normally be requiring deployment of troops unless you had a huge number of
Americans, particularly American military, victims -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. And the reason I asked you was that I had noted exactly the same statement yesterday and had wondered about it. So thank you. Thank you
for sorting that out.
Up next, my interview with the head of the Lebanese Red Cross.
Plus, surrendered by debris, blown-out windows and punctured walls, a grandma plays some notes of hope.
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[10:20:00]
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ANDERSON: Well, front line responders in any crisis are the real heroes. And you can only begin to imagine the scenes that emergency workers faced
in the Beirut explosion's aftermath.
Thousands of volunteers from the Lebanese Red Cross were among those first on the scene, with 75 ambulances deployed by the independent organization
almost immediately.
Well, earlier I spoke with the secretary-general of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettaneh. He described to me the overwhelming scale of the rescue
effort in those initial hours following the explosion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE KETTANEH, LEBANESE RED CROSS: This explosion -- these explosions for us was a big tragedy, a big problem. How we have to respond, how we
have to heal the people who are stuck in the building. And you cannot arrive to help them.
So we started to coordinate with all the actors in the field because we are not alone. We started to talk to the (INAUDIBLE) how much they can receive
because they start calling us, please send someone to take some (INAUDIBLE) from our (INAUDIBLE) we cannot receive more.
All the other hospitals -- you cannot forget the COVID-19 also. Some hospitals they have and the ICU COVID-19. So we have to send also the
ambulance and the teams to this hospital to transfer them.
I have to call the minister of health as operation (INAUDIBLE) and I have to call also as Red Cross the other hospitals to transfer this one from
Beirut to outside of Beirut, (INAUDIBLE), Bekaa, (INAUDIBLE) and (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: There is a desperate search for those missing. That continues. George, at least 300,000 people have been made homeless.
What do Beirut residents need most right now?
KETTANEH: Right now, opening, they need the health secretary, which is very important for the hospitals. The chronic disease, the shelter, the
basic assistance, the psychosocial support with and the primary health also without forgetting the chronic disease, as I mentioned and the last but not
least, restoring families (ph).
ANDERSON: In the long term, George, what do residents need?
What do the people of Beirut need?
KETTANEH: The people need peace. The people need hope. The people want their dignity. The people need to be protected. This is what the people
need.
Why we succeed as the Red Cross because they have to trust you. When they trust you, they accept you. When you have -- when you're neutral and
independent and impartial, they can tell you everything. They have this matter of trust. They feel that there is someone is with them to help them.
This is what they want.
ANDERSON: George, support from around the world has flooded in on social media. Many people are turning to the Red Cross to provide support.
How much money have you raised in donations?
And what are you using that money for?
KETTANEH: We mount an (ph) appeal through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and we start with the (INAUDIBLE) disaster
relief emergency fund.
Then we realize there's a need for three months, (INAUDIBLE), I'm not talking about the hospitals or the infrastructure. I'm not talking about
the roads, buildings and (INAUDIBLE). I'm talking about to help as Red Cross to continue maintaining our support for this community.
We launched about 20 million (INAUDIBLE) appeal to see how we can as Red Cross continue in responding to these 300,000 in the ambulance service,
blood bank, primary health and (INAUDIBLE) and relief.
[10:25:00]
KETTANEH: Relief needs more and more. But according to our government what I'm trying to tell you, we, as Red Cross, we are planning to see how we can
protect these people. They have to feel that they are safe. This is a priority. They have to feel there's no problem, no crisis, we're always
living in crisis.
ANDERSON: I have spoken to a lot of Beirut residents, citizens of Beirut over the years but particularly over the last 36 hours. Many have lost
their homes, many have lost their livelihoods. Many are injured. Many have received assistance from you and your organization and many have completely
lost hope.
George, how will Lebanon rebuild?
KETTANEH: It's a big question. You are asking me something where we need to have a clear vision. To see where we have to go as Lebanese. We want, as
I told you openly, I'm talking now and as a volunteer or as a responsible (INAUDIBLE) Red Cross. But and I'm with the community.
What we want is community. We want to be safe. We want to protect our families. We want to have electricity 24 hours. We want the peace. We want
water. This is what we want. We want to continue our kids to be in schools and university. We want to have the health system be supporting our
families.
This is what we want which means we cannot -- we cannot achieve what we want if we -- if there's no way to respect rules and regulation, to respect
human beings; in fact, to respect each other.
This is my message to my volunteers always. We have to be always accepted, which means we have to give the good example where we have to go. We need
to have peace for the long term. We deserve it. We deserve it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: George Kettaneh, who is head of the Lebanese Red Cross.
Well, that organization is acting as a de facto health service. In Lebanon, you can't really expect the government to help out. You have pretty much
got to get on with it yourself, so people are taking to the streets, volunteering their own accord -- on their own accord, moving debris and
cleaning up, an entire city wrecked.
You can see here, people moving rubble out of the way for traffic. Neighbors helping neighbors cleaning out damaged apartments whose windows
have been blasted out. The city with not much left to do than simply try to get on with the business of life once again.
Well, there are, of course, ways that you can help. Do head to cnn.com/impact. There's a comprehensive list of organizations like the
Lebanese Red Cross prescreened by CNN. That is cnn.com/impact. Please do what you can.
Now for a moment of peace amid the destruction, brought to us by 79-year- old Mae (ph) Melki, who plays the only thing that seems to have survived in this apartment unscathed, the moment captured by daughter as family and
volunteers sift through the rubble.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
France's president is the first world leader to visit Beirut since Tuesday's deadly explosion. Emmanuel Macron promises to help mobilize aid
to Lebanon after the blast, which killed at least 137 people and injured thousands more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACRON (through translator): In the coming days we will organize more support in France and on a European level. I would like to organize
European cooperation and, more widely, international cooperation.
In the coming hours, France will propose new initiatives informed by the discussions we have here on the ground and with the authorities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Meanwhile, local authorities are investigating how much or how more than 2,700 metric tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored for six
years at the port without safety measures.
When it ignited on Tuesday, it left a crater 124 meters in diameter. You can see that on the satellite image here.
Many of those living in Beirut are doing their best to heal their city, taking to the streets to clean up the damage, which stretched for
kilometers.
Bureaucratic failure may have played a big part in this tragedy. Letters and emails to authorities asking for that massive amount of ammonium
nitrate to be removed went unheeded. Local officials wrote and wrote about the potential danger, to no avail.
We have been reviewing the documents and, from them, we want to show you this timeline of events leading up to Tuesday's horrific blast.
It all started back in 2013 when a Russian owned ship carrying ammonium nitrate bound for Mozambique arrived in Beirut. Later that ship was
abandoned over unpaid fees and the cargo ended up in a customs hangar near the port.
Then Lebanese customs officials turned to Beirut's courts and spent years flagging the need to get rid of what they knew was hazardous material. One
official even described it as a floating bomb.
But nothing happened until Tuesday, when everything went wrong. CNN's Nic Robertson has more on the investigation.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Becky. So you have the head of customs writing to senior judges, saying repeatedly, in
2014, twice in 2015, 2016 and 2017, saying that this material that's now been unloaded on the docks there is dangerous, extremely dangerous.
So the question, when you look at the investigation falls into two parts.
What did trigger that explosion?
And then on top of that bureaucratic intransigence, malfeasance or just plain broken bureaucracy?
But all this does begin and it appears to begin with the Russian sailors aboard that Russian ship, who actually were complaining about the
conditions and the safety aboard the ship before it even arrived in Beirut.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Too soon to know if this explosion was an accident or an attack.
[10:35:00]
ROBERTSON (voice-over): But what we do know about the devastating detonation that has killed more than 100 people and injured thousands of
others, is staggering.
At its core, ammonium nitrate shipped into Beirut aboard this relatively small Russian own cargo vessel late 2013. The 86-meter M/V Rhosus with
Moldovan flag had arrived from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia via Istanbul loaded with fertilizer was on route to Mozambique but ordered into
Beirut port for seafaring violations.
The cargo, ammonium nitrate fertilizer is so dangerous, U.S. forces and the Afghan government banned its use in 2010 because it was being used to kill
U.S. troops. Once in Beirut port, M/V Rhosus' owner abandoned the ship and crew.
According to the captain, he left us in a knowing dangerous situation, doomed to hunger. The captain also telling Radio Free Europe, M/V Rhosus
was impounded for failure to pay fees. The 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate then shifted to a warehouse. Why so much? And why such a dangerous bomb
making precursor was still there six years later is central to the government's investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN DIAB, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Facts will be announced about the dangerous warehouse that has existed since 2014,
meaning from six years ago. But I will not jump into any conclusions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: President Trump told reporters that his generals think it was an attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They would know better than I would, but they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Although hours later, the DOD dialed back the bomb theory. Three U.S. officials telling CNN, they didn't know what the president was
talking about. However, Lebanese officials, are still investigating one intelligence officer, said the theory they're working on is the explosions
were triggered by a bomb and are scrolling through footage of the explosions, searching for clues.
One reliable regional intelligence source told CNN the ammonium nitrate storage was well known to Lebanon's international partners who pressured
the government to get rid of it. Already, in tatters economically, politically and medically, Lebanon long a cordon of vexed competing
interest has much at stake in figuring out who is to blame.
If the investigation finds it was an attack, not an accident, the government may have a sliver of hope navigating the immense anger of people
who have suffered so much, only to be thrown into such a hell again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: So focusing on that bureaucratic track, focusing on the documents, trying to figure out where it inexplicably peters out into
inaction, therefore why was there inaction?
As explained, with competing interests in Beirut, suspicion can potentially fall on any group that may have seen the potential of the explosive
purposes or explosive use of ammonium nitrate fertilizer that's known about globally to be to their advantage in the future to sit on it.
Is that one of the reasons here?
Obviously that's something that the government will look at and there was an implication perhaps of that in what the prime minister said there,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson, thank you.
Our digital colleagues have put the findings revealed to CNN thus far. Do head there for further detail on what was a huge haul of ammonium nitrate
stored in Beirut.
Well, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. At the stroke of midnight in Paris, a solemn tribute to honor the victims of Beirut's blast.
Plus, the French president calls for reforms in Lebanon after the horrific event. But some local experts say, don't count on it. That all coming up
after this.
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[10:40:00]
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ANDERSON: While the clean-up from the blast in Lebanon continues, so does the risk for more coronavirus infections. A health minister tells state
media that the interactions between the thousands of wounded and doctors without protective equipment may increase the case counts in the coming
days.
Even with emergency response supplies on the way from the international community, equipment was lost in the explosion. Hospitals are damaged and
crowded with the influx of injured.
The Lebanese ministry of health reported 209 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the day of the blast, and 146 new cases on Wednesday, the day
after.
Well, any day now, Russia could approve the world's first coronavirus vaccine, despite overwhelming concerns over its safety and effectiveness.
Russia's health ministry said it was working to approve fit for public use as early as next Monday.
Front line health care workers would be the first to get vaccinated with a planned nationwide rollout in October. But Russia has not released any
scientific data on its fast-tracked testing, raising concerns that human testing of the vaccine may be incomplete.
So is Russia putting national pride over safety to have another Sputnik moment in this pandemic?
Well, the new coronavirus testing facility at Moscow's main airport is trying to do just that. Our Matthew Chance gained exclusive access.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the new front line in Russia's war on COVID-19. We gained exclusive access to the
rapid testing being introduced at Russia's airports. Soon, every passenger could be screened like this. In what Russia says is another example of its
scientific edge.
ANDREY KASHUBSKY, EMG DIRECTOR, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: This is the leading edge of everything in the diagnostics. It's called point of
care system, so it can be used everywhere, wherever people need it. Here, you're going to witness it takes one hour.
CHANCE: Chance, Matthew.
For those behind this new technology in Moscow say that the tests can be used in global airports around the world, including in the United States.
It's a way of resuming flights, they say, while protecting the safety of passengers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Open up.
CHANCE: Russia has been casting itself at the forefront of efforts to tackle the global coronavirus pandemic, as well as mass testing. It's
poised to approve what it says will be the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, developed at breakneck speed at this Moscow research lab.
Claims of Russia's world beating medical advances ring hollow to critics like Anastasia Vasilyeva, a Russian doctor turned prominent opposition
campaigner, who now broadcasts her concerns on a popular online show, which seems more like propaganda, she told me, than progress.
ANASTASIA VASILYEVA, DOCTOR'S ALLIANCE: They just want to say, we are the first. But this vaccine is not safe, is not effective, because they didn't
do the necessary investigations with this vaccine.
[10:45:00]
CHANCE: Why did they need to be the first?
VASILYEVA: I think Russia is a big and strong country, including the big and great president who just wants to be the best president maybe in the
world.
CHANCE: Right. Hi.
The moment of reckoning, there are concerns about the accuracy of Russian testing, too. Officials admit early cases could simply slip through.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Negative (INAUDIBLE).
CHANCE: Relief from Russia could prove premature -- Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the pattern of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be changing in the United States. White House task force coordinator Dr.
Deborah Birx said the virus is now spreading in both rural and urban areas. That's causing new areas of concern, including nine major U.S. cities.
They're seeing early warning signs that coronavirus cases will spike.
Well, despite the concerns, the U.S. president continues to downplay the pandemic. So much so that Twitter and Facebook are both cracking down on
his accounts for posting misleading information. He's also spreading false claims during his press conferences, such as this one about children and
the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: If you look at children, they're able to throw it off very easy. Some flus, they don't. They get very sick and they have problems with flus
and they have problems with other things. But for whatever reason, the China virus, children handle it very well. That's according to every
statistic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, despite warnings of his false coronavirus claims overall the president thinks things are going well. When asked how long the
pandemic could last, here is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's going away now. It'll go away like things go away, absolutely. It's --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: -- no question in my mind. It will go away. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: While the president ignores the advice from the Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Anthony Fauci again warns the numbers don't lie. He tells CNN an
increase in positive test results shows the virus is still spreading unfortunately.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's a clear indication that you are getting an uptick in cases, which
inevitably, as we have seen in the southern states, leads to surges. And then you get hospitalizations and then you get deaths. So it's a pretty
good predictor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, another concern and probable contributing factor to case numbers in the United States is the length of time it is taking to get test
results. Listen to Dr. Fauci on that point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: It's unacceptable, period. The gap between the time you get the test and the time you get the results, in some respects, obviates the
reason why you did the test.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, as Lebanon cleans up from the blast, in Beirut, the health minister warning that coronavirus cases could spread.
Plus, Russia is trying to jump to the front of the global race for a coronavirus vaccine. We have seen that story. We'll be back in Lebanon
after this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. Well, a somber moment in Paris. You see the lights on the Eiffel Tower just about midnight there. Moments later, they go dark.
Lights dimmed to honor the victims of the Beirut explosion. France also set to provide emergency aid to Lebanon.
As we mentioned earlier, French president Emmanuel Macron is in Beirut, saying reforms are now a must in Lebanon. Some local experts second him on
that one. One of them tells CNN Mr. Macron's visit could be the last hope to pass the stalled reforms, saying he is a lifeline to get the country out
of its long economic and political crisis but that expert also says he doesn't have much faith that the government will follow through.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON NEAIME, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT: I doubt that the government will grab that opportunity, that very important opportunity to have the
French president come to Lebanon.
The past history -- I mean, what happened also, the foreign minister is not encouraging at all. So I believe that the government will squander that
opportunity, that very important opportunity, like they have squandered other opportunities and like what they're doing with the IMF three-month
negotiations. They're still at point zero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, my next guest says rebuilding the economy will be much harder now. The blast destroying one of Lebanon's economic arteries, the
port, and causing billions of damage to the city and the way that the city makes its money.
Jad Chaaban is an associate professor of economics at the American University of Beirut.
It's good to have you on. The French president tweeting on his arrival today, Lebanon is not alone.
Is this the savior Lebanon needs at this point?
JAD CHAABAN, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF LEBANON: Hello, Becky, good to see you again. You know, the only savior is us, is the Lebanese. We definitely
appreciate support but we need to save ourselves but we need to save ourselves from these ruling thugs, this corrupt, political class that has
ruled over us for 40 years, has squandered all of the assets and stole all of the money.
And basically what exploded in the port exploded in our face. This is corruption that exploded. And this game as -- it's not an earthquake. It's
a manmade slaughter done by this political class.
And what we need definitely, the construction, definitely monetary support but we need our dignity back. We need to know that we are ruled by people
who care for their citizens, not by these thugs in power.
ANDERSON: So how do you go about doing that?
I mean you and I have been -- we talked months ago. We had practically the same conversation. And I know that this is tiring for you, it's exhausting
for those Lebanese who have been protesting during the October-November -- I mean, it went on and on.
And yet, here we are as one person describes it , we're entering the catastrophe already on the brink. This just accelerates the free fall.
CHAABAN: Well, you know, first, we need a commitment and pressure for political change. You know, 150 people died; 5,000 murdered (sic). We're
still taking people from the rubble. The remains of people are in the sea.
And not a single person resigned. Not one minister, not one director, nobody had the dignity to resign. There is political responsibility for
this crime.
Beyond any investigation, who cares for the investigations?
We know they'll be rigged and they will take maybe months to come with results. We need political accountability. That comes on top of any reform,
any economic reform, any reconstruction. There needs to be finally in this country someone who is held accountable for anything.
You know, in the last 14 years, do you know how many ministers or directors were jailed or prosecuted for corruption?
Zero. The only person that was prosecuted was for an old deal in '94, then he was brought out of jail a few months after.
This has to end. We have, you know, our dignity. We have our families, our kids, to raise. We cannot be just in the mode of, you know, waiting for the
next disaster and saying, thank God we survived.
This cannot happen again. That's why there's massive anger on the streets and massive anger that is beyond what's happened in October. This is just
waiting for people to come together and save themselves --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Let me put this to you.
CHAABAN: -- and they will put --
ANDERSON: Let me put this to you.
[10:55:00]
ANDERSON: Some 44,000 people have signed a petition demanding that France take over Lebanon again, restore the French mandate.
Is that a solution?
CHAABAN: Not, for me, it's not a solution. We don't want colonialism again. We are past that. We're a sovereign state, we're free citizens in a
center we call home. We will save ourselves. We have a lot of assets, we have a lot of goodwill.
People are now cleaning on the streets. Young men and women working 24/7 to help each other. (INAUDIBLE) ready to help again. But nobody wants to work
the thieves in power and these criminals. We don't want them.
We know it's very hard to change. It is very hard. This system, other countries have one dictator, we have seven or eight dictators. It is very
hard. But this has to start somewhere.
Early elections, a caretaker government that organizes these elections and organizes humanitarian aid and then we organize elections and we bring in a
new leader. The head of the state, the head of the parliament, the head of the council of ministers, they need to resign. It's a political
responsibility to resign.
ANDERSON: With that, we'll leave it there with one appeal amongst the many. It is, in fact, the same appeal from so many. Thank you.
Tel Aviv's mayor is standing by his statement that humanity become -- comes before any conflict. He ordered the front of the city hall be lit up with
the Lebanese flag in solidarity with the victims of Tuesday's blast.
You can see the red, white and green lights with the cedar tree in middle. It's become a tradition there to use the front of the 13-story building to
demonstrate solidarity with those who have suffered misfortune, manmade or otherwise.
However, this is different. Israel and Lebanon, of course, have technically been in a state of war for decades. The Israeli prime minister also seemed
to put aside tension, like some of its citizens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): A very great disaster occurred yesterday in Lebanon. We're ready to provide
humanitarian assistance to Lebanon as human beings to human beings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a very kind thing to put this flag on this building. I like to watch it. I think that's -- I think that the citizens
seem to care about the things that's happened in the world and not just here in Israel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What can we do than hoping for the best and, like I said earlier, I just really hope they will accept this aid, this support
from Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Israelis responding to the blast.
Well, next hour we hear from the French president right here on CNN. Do stay with us.
[11:00:00]
END
