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Worldwide Coronavirus Cases Now at 20 Million; Lebanon's Government Resigns Amid Protests; Russia Registers Its Coronavirus Vaccine; Inside Colorado's Mail-In Voting System; World Food Programme Providing Food and Equipment to Lebanon; Russian Influence under the Spotlight in Britain; Morikawa Reflects on PGA Championship Triumph. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 11, 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]
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know that if the virus has an opportunity to spread, it will. And it hasn't gone away.
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST (voice-over): More than 20 million coronavirus cases around the world. The grim milestone coming as role model New Zealand
lurches back into lockdown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI (voice-over): Plus this:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not so much Diab's government as it is against the failures of the Lebanese state writ large.
GORANI (voice-over): The Lebanese government has resigned, so what happens next and, more crucially, how will Beirut rebuild?
We are live on the ground with the head of the World Food Programme
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI (voice-over): Then Sputnik V, Russia registers the world's first COVID vaccine but the question still circles, is it safe?
Is it even ready?
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GORANI: Hello, everybody. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
Brutal and steady, the virus that has changed life as we know it, now has more than 20 million cases around the world. Almost three-quarters of a
million have died now from COVID-19. Those are the latest numbers from Johns Hopkins University.
But of course, that is just what is being reported. Actual numbers are likely much worse.
The exponential rise is being driven by the Americas. Cases have started to grow again in Asia and Europe is seeing new clusters emerge. The World
Health Organization said it's never too late to turn a corner but countries must do better and react more quickly to the inevitable flare-ups.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MICHAEL RYAN, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: This virus is proving exceptionally difficult to stop.
This virus has demonstrated no seasonal pattern as such so far. But it has clearly demonstrated that, you take the pressure off the virus, the virus
bounces back. That is the reality, that is the fact.
It's brutal in its simplicity. It is brutal in its cruelty. But it does not have a brain. We have the brains and I think we may outline how we can
outsmart something that doesn't have a brain but we are not doing such a great job right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: But even in the most hopeful of cases, the virus is continuing to spread and that's worrying. Here is CNN's Scott McLean with our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For months, scenes like this have been playing on a loop especially in Brazil where the coronavirus is
spreading like wildfire, foreshadowed by scenes like this one last week in Rio de Janeiro, packed bars and few masks.
Now the world has hit a sad milestone, 20 million confirmed coronavirus cases. More than half of those come from just three countries, Brazil,
United States and India. While Countries like Russia, South Africa, Columbia and Mexico are hot on their heels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: I know many of you are grieving. And that this is a difficult moment for the
world.
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MCLEAN: But amidst the mammoth failures to contain the pandemic, there have been successes too. None greater than in New Zealand which says it
just marked 100 days since the last locally transmitted case of the virus. The prime minister is now staking her reelection bid on her decision to
close the borders and lockdown the country early on.
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JACINDA ARDERN, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: When people ask is this a COVID election? My answer is yes, it is.
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MCLEAN: There are also encouraging signs in Germany where masks are mandatory in newly reopen schools in some states.
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DOMENICA ACRI, DIRECTOR, CARL-ORFF-GRUNDSCHULE (through translator): Today, not a single child has forgotten his or her mask. All of which seems
to show that the situation is returning to normal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: Masks are also now required for a stroll down the Seine in Paris. But in Sweden, face coverings are few and far between. Despite World Health
Organization guidance to wear them, Sweden's government has no national mandate to wear them anywhere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTEN SPORRONG, SWEDISH BUSINESSMAN: I think that the Swedish people are taking the responsibility. So if you're sick, we stay at home. And if we're
not, we can be outside.
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MCLEAN: And there is more cause for concern across Africa, where experts fear the low testing rates may be masking the true scale of the outbreak.
In Britain, beaches have been packed, cases are on the rise and the prime minister is pledging to reopen schools next month.
Vietnam had no locally transmitted cases between late April and late July. But officials there are now trying to tamp down an outbreak in a popular
tourist town. And in Australia where new daily cases have gotten down to single digits, there is now a second spike even bigger than the first.
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GHEBREYESUS: There are green shoots of hope.
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GHEBREYESUS: And no matter where a country, a region, a city or a town is, it's never too late to turn the outbreak around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: The world can only hope that's true -- Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, plenty more to come, of course, on the coronavirus pandemic, including a development on Russia's vaccine.
Can it even work even though they haven't even done a phase 3 trial?
But now to Lebanon though.
A day after the prime minister announced the resignation of the government, the big question is what happens now?
The anger over that devastating explosion one week ago remains palpable on the streets of Lebanon. You're seeing what happened on Monday. For
instance, demonstrators there in central Beirut. And many believe the ruling class will continue their decades of corruption and graft.
Remember it's been less than a year since the last government shakeup that installed Prime Minister Hassan Diab who admitted in the resignation
announcement yesterday that the corruption he promised to fight is, in his words, "bigger than the state." Sam Kiley has more from Beirut.
Where does this leave the country, the resignation of Diab's cabinet?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very much as it was yesterday, Hala. The cabinet remains in office until they can put together
a new government.
As you point out, the previous governments took a long time to put together, four months for the Diab administration, which, as we say,
remains in office. There's no promise indeed of elections, which might have shifted the political landscape here.
And I think ultimately and certainly, in the view of both young activists and some members of the old guard here, is exactly what's wrong with the
present political dispensation they're telling me. This is our report.
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KILEY (voice-over): If you're in the Lebanese opposition, this is democracy in action.
(on camera): Thirty or 40 years down the street, it's barricaded there is now supported for the Lebanese parliament. The demonstrators are absolutely
dead set, they've told me, on getting into more and more government buildings to try and demonstrate that the government itself is really a
chimera, it is hopeless. It is a sort of joke.
(voice-over): As the cleanup continues after thousands of tons of fertilizer is believed to have blown up and destroyed parts of Beirut,
activists are adamant that Lebanon's sectarian system, its dynastic politics, corruption and negligence led to the blast.
SAMIRA EL AZAR, PROTESTER: We will go to the parliament, we will go to their houses and we will go to each place to get them down. They will go to
a place where they will not be able to go back to this place ever.
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EL AZAR: They killed people. Is a big thing to us.
KILEY: Lebanon's parliament, which are 128 seats are shared among Christians, Sunnis, Druzes and Shia under electoral law following the Civil
War 30 years ago, was dissolve Monday ahead of new elections. But Walid Jumblatt, the Druze leader who inherited his role from his father and has
arguably benefited from the existing system, is pessimistic that even early elections would bring change.
WALID JUMBLATT, LEBANESE DRUZE LEADER: When I see the protesters, the revolutionary, when I saw them and I see them yesterday and they want to
change Lebanon. They want a new Lebanon but the obstacle for change in Lebanon is, in this specific point, alliance of minorities and the
electoral law. Because you cannot change Lebanon through, let's say, a military coup d'etat. It's impossible.
KILEY: Close to the epicenter of Tuesday's blast, the Kataeb Party's headquarters is in ruins. It's a largely Cristian Maronite Party. Its
secretary general was killed in the explosion. His bloody handprint is still visible. The grandson of the party's founder and son of the former
president, nephew of another president who was murdered, Samy Gemayel supports the street protests.
SAMY GEMAYEL, LEBANESE MP: We are all from families that were part of the old Lebanon. This is how the new -- the new generation didn't come from
nowhere. And it's our duty to do our revolution, our own revolution, each one in his society and the place where he is.
KILEY: But in Martyrs' Square protesters now include former Lebanese commando leader, Colonel Georges Nader. He wants to see the old guard swept
away entirely.
GEORGES NADER, FORMER LEBANESE COMMANDO LEADER (through translator): Change is coming. And I recommend they leave peacefully or we will go to
their homes and do it by force.
KILEY: That night, it was the protests who were eventually swept away but not for long.
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KILEY (voice-over): They have plans to harness public anger over the Beirut blast to a more powerful revolutionary rage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KILEY: Now in that report, Hala, Walid Jumblatt said -- he was talking about the alliance but what he means is an alliance between Michel Aoun,
the leader of the major Christian party, and Hezbollah, which as you know has a very powerful militia. Has very strong political presence in the
country and its own funding through criminal and legitimate business enterprises.
It arguably -- in fact, not many people would even argue -- is actually stronger and better organized than the Lebanese state itself and certainly
doesn't have any future vested interest in constitutional reform which might undermine its power.
But particularly the younger generation no longer sees Hezbollah as symbols of resistance against the long-gone Israeli occupation or existence of the
Jewish state but many of them have said they'd rather live in peace with all of their neighbors -- and that would include Israel -- and see an end
to foreign influence.
By that they often mean -- in fact, they almost always mean Iran. And it's Iran that really controls Hezbollah.
GORANI: All right. Sam Kiley, thanks very much indeed.
Plenty more to come on Lebanon including the World Food Programme says it will have Beirut's port back up and running in two weeks in some capacity.
But is that even possible?
I'll speak to the head of the organization coming up.
And also Russia says it has registered the world's first coronavirus vaccine.
Will anyone outside the country take it?
We'll speak to experts about whether or not they believe this vaccine is viable.
And as President Trump continues his campaign against mail-in voting, we take you inside one Colorado county, where voting by mail is very much the
norm. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, says his country has registered the world's first, very first according to him, coronavirus
vaccine. In fact, he said his own daughter has taken it and that it works effectively.
But the vaccine is called Sputnik V, after the first satellite launched into place by Russia. Researchers there fast-tracked the vaccine. However,
phase 3 human trials haven't happened yet. They'll go on while the vaccine is being administered to some of the public. Mr. Putin says he hopes other
countries will follow suit.
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): So we're the first to have registered.
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PUTIN (through translator): I hope our foreign colleagues' work will move as well and a lot of products will appear on the international market that
could be used.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: While this is all being taken with a dose of skepticism from observers outside of Russia, Matthew Chance is joining me live from Moscow
with the details.
So without a phase 3 mass trial completed, it seems as if the process hasn't run its course here.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No. But you know, the Russians sort of oversee their own process. They have control over
their regulatory process and they passed a law that enabled them to fast track research into a vaccine amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And that meant that under Russian law you don't have to go through phase 3 trials, human trials, before the vaccine is approved and is administered to
members of the public.
And that's exactly what they have done. In fact, the phase 3 trials, which are crucial because they look into and take and assess, you know, the
overall effectiveness and safety of a vaccine like this, don't start until tomorrow.
In the meantime, the Russian health ministry says front line health workers and teachers and Vladimir Putin's own daughter has been given the vaccine.
The health care workers and the teachers will be getting it in the months ahead.
In terms of the other countries, Putin saying he hopes it will pick up internationally but there's such an appetite, such a desperation, if you
like, for some kind of solution to this coronavirus problem, the Russians say 1 billion doses of their vaccine are already being ordered by at least
20 countries.
So rightly or wrongly, whether this is effective or safe or not, it looks like in the weeks and months ahead, people inside of Russia and outside of
Russia are getting this injection. That's interesting. We'll see what effect that has.
GORANI: So the results of the phase 2 trials haven't been made public.
I mean, is there any way to review some of the results that the Russian laboratory has already been able to study?
CHANCE: Well, we know there isn't because they haven't published those results yet. They say they're going to very soon although, they're a bit
cagey on when exactly those clinical trial results are going to be published because, normally, publication would precede any kind of
approval. The results would be peer reviewed. There would be a general acceptance in the scientific community before a vaccine like this is
approved for public use and then administered.
But as I say for the reasons I explained, that's not the legal situation in Russia during this coronavirus pandemic. A couple of reasons for that. They
have the fourth highest number of infections in the world. So they're desperate themselves to find a solution to this problem because it's
killing Russians.
But also there's a high degree of political pressure being put on scientists in this country from the Kremlin to get there first. It's seen
as a prestige project. Vladimir Putin, I think, really likes the idea of Russia leading the way scientifically to find a solution to this global
pandemic.
And that's created a whole, you know, kind of powerful set of pressures that the scientific community have been put under in order to get this
vaccine sort of created and approved as soon as possible.
GORANI: Thank you very much, Matthew Chance.
The U.S. is also racing to put out its own vaccine. Right now, two phase 3 trials are underway. And last week, president Donald Trump said he was
optimistic that a vaccine would be ready around Election Day in November.
But experts say there's no way to get one done by that time. Now some are worried Mr. Trump will rush a vaccine approval for an October surprise only
to win votes. Elizabeth Cohen joins me from Atlanta to help us better understand the timeline for these vaccine trials.
Just a question on the Russian vaccine.
What are you hearing from your sources?
They're saying a billion doses have been ordered by 20 countries and Putin said his own daughter has taken it.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, who cares if his daughter has taken it?
First of all, do we believe them?
Second, it doesn't matter. Just because one person takes it and doesn't get terribly sick or doesn't drop dead, it doesn't mean anything. It's one
person. A, we don't know if it really works because she would had just taken it and who knows if it really protected her and, number two, it's
just one person.
You have to give it to tens of thousands of people to make sure that it doesn't hurt people.
There are vaccines that can be fine in one person but can be terrible for other people. You want to make sure that you're testing it in a lot of
people. So as Matthew Chance said, lots and lots of skepticism about this Russian vaccine.
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GORANI: Also skepticism surrounding the president's hope that there will be a vaccine readily available before the election in November.
COHEN: Right. If we do this right, do phase 3 trials and wait for the results, there's no way for that to happen by November 3rd. The concern
here in the U.S. among many prominent doctors is he's going to try to pull essentially what Putin is doing right now.
He's going to say, OK, I know we haven't finished the phase 3s but the data is good enough, let's put this on the market.
Now I spoke with the director of the National Institutes of Health, he said, I hear this concern. I know about this concern.
But if that happens, if Trump puts pressure on the FDA to approve a vaccine before it's really been proven to be safe and effective, my voice will be
among the loudest to protest.
He said Tony Fauci's voice would also be among the loudest. This is not a sort of theoretical concern.
We saw what President Trump did with hydroxychloroquine this spring. He pressured the FDA to approve it with no data and it worked. They did give
it an emergency use authorization and then had to yank it a couple months later when data showed it not only didn't work but it actually wasn't safe
for some people.
GORANI: Yes, rushing the process can lead to problems down the line. In the last month, there's been a 90 percent uptick of COVID cases for
children.
So how significant is that number for the wider population?
COHEN: Well, that number is important for all of us, for anyone who cares about children. You know, there's sort of been this thought that like, oh,
this is so not a big deal for children. It doesn't affect them. I know a child who got sick and they recovered in a day.
You know, that's great. And that is true for most children.
But a doctor with the American Academy of Pediatrics here in the U.S. pointed out that 90 children in the U.S. have died of coronavirus. About
100 die of flu every year and we spend lots of money and time and effort and love and care to protect children so that they don't die of the flu. We
should be doing the same for coronavirus.
It is not just sort of this harmless virus for children. It has killed 90 children. Now some of these numbers, this huge increase, some of that is
because we're testing children more. But some of it is because children are out and about in the community more. And that and other reasons sort of
explain this increase.
GORANI: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks very much.
Well, with next to no chance of a vaccine before November's U.S. election, voting by mail has become a divisive issue. It didn't used to be but it's
being very much politicized.
The White House is now mulling over the idea of a symbolic executive action on mail-in voting. That's according to a source that spoke to CNN.
President Trump has been attacking mail-in ballots for months now, even though he's voted by mail numerous times and so have his family members,
speaking about it again on Monday.
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TRUMP: I'll tell you who's meddling in our elections. The Democrats are meddling by wanting and insisting on mail-in ballots where there's
corruption all over the place.
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GORANI: Well, there is no evidence that Democrats are doing anything nefarious by trying to let more people vote from home.
To get an idea on how mail-in voting actually works -- by the way, it's important to note that mail-in voting benefits Republican candidates as
well, so it's not just that the process benefits one side -- CNN's Lucy Kafanov went to Colorado, that's already been using the system for many
years.
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GEORGE STERN, CLERK AND RECORDER, JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO: This machine here processes 20,000 ballots an hour. It's really loud. We would not be
able to be talking this closely right now to it.
LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): George Stern is an Elections Administrator for Jefferson, Colorado's fourth-largest county, located in
the Western suburbs of Denver.
(on camera): So everything here is out in the open?
STERN: Everything is out in the open.
KAFANOV (voice-over): He's invited the president and CNN to tour the County's mail ballot processing facility. His message? STERN: There's no
massive fraud, that our elections are secure as much as they are accessible.
KAFANOV: All registered Colorado voters automatically receive a ballot in the mail. You can still vote in-person. But an overwhelming majority of
ballots, including 99.3 percent in this year's State primary have consistently been returned by mail or Ballot Drop Box.
TRUMP: Everyone knows mail-in ballots are a disaster.
KAFANOV: This week, the president sued Nevada to contest the expansion of mail-in voting. Tweeting in July, mail-in ballots will lead to massive
electoral fraud and a rigged 2020 election.
STERN: We've been doing universal vote by mail in Colorado for seven years and we can say with certainty that that is not the case.
KAFANOV: That's because of what Stern says is a rigorous system of checks and balances. For a mail-in ballot to be counted, the envelope must be
signed.
[10:25:00]
KAFANOV (voice-over): A bipartisan team of election judges, trained by FBI handwriting analysts, then compares the envelope signature to those stored
on file.
STERN: If there isn't a signature that matches, that's getting pushed off to the side and it's going to be investigated by the District Attorney's
Office.
KAFANOV: Data from the conservative Heritage Foundation shows nine instances of voter fraud out of millions of ballots cast, since Colorado
began voting by mail in 2013.
STERN: Nine's too many, right? We want that number zero. But that's nine out of 16 million, that's literally less than one in a million.
KAFANOV: In June, the president falsely claimed that millions of mail- in ballots will be printed by foreign countries and others.
But Colorado election officials say that's also not a concern. An adversary would have to mimic everything perfectly, from a signature on file, to the
ballot size, style, paper weight and even the envelope it's mailed in, all of which differ from county to county and change in each election cycle.
Another bonus --
STERN: Everything is paper, right? When you have mail ballots, you got paper ballots. And we've got a paper trail and we store that paper trail
for two years after the elections.
Our voting equipment, our voting machines, never connected to the internet. They never have been. They never will be. Our County equipment never
connected to the internet.
KAFANOV: Which helps prevent hacking.
TRUMP: It would be a total joke.
KAFANOV: Another false claim by the president that mail-in voting benefits Democrats, tweeting, "Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to
statewide mail-in voting. Tremendous potential for voter fraud and for whatever reason, doesn't work out well for Republicans."
SEN. CORY GARDNER (R-CO): Tonight, we shook up the Senate.
KAFANOV: In the 2014 general election, the first election after Colorado switched to mail-in voting, Republicans flipped a U.S. Senate seat, won a
majority in the State Senate, gained seats in the State House and won three of four statewide offices.
STERN: We've seen that there is no partisan advantage. We've seen record voter turnout from Democrats and Republicans and unaffiliated voters in our
elections.
KAFANOV: The president has also suggested that election results could be delayed for months.
STERN: We actually deliver most of our results on election night every time because of this vote by mail system.
KAFANOV (on camera): So in some ways, the mail-in voting actually makes the process faster.
STERN: In Colorado, unquestionably makes it faster.
KAFANOV: And how easy is it to fake a ballot from someone who is deceased.
STERN: So dead people cannot vote. And they do not vote in Colorado. We regularly update our voter registration lists.
TRUMP: Somebody got a ballot for a dog.
STERN: Well my dog walks to vote with me every single election but he's yet to get a ballot or turn one in himself.
KAFANOV (voice-over): Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Golden, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Interesting though you hear there that election officials say it doesn't benefit one party or another and then in Colorado, after they
switched to the mail-in voting, many Republican candidates won. And some Republicans in Washington are actually concerned that President Trump
repeatedly saying that there can be fraud will actually hurt their side more than it might hurt Democrats.
Still to come, devastation in Beirut. The World Food Programme is declaring the city could run out of bread in a matter of weeks. I speak to the head
of the organization for more on how they're helping on the ground.
And the opposition leader flees as the Belarusian president gets a thumb's up from Moscow and Beijing on his disputed reelection. Protesters say it
was all rigged and the challenger has fled, she says, for the sake of her children. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: Well, over the past 24 hours the world has reached another grim milestone. There are now more than 20 million coronavirus cases globally
and the world is edging closer to 750,000 deaths.
More than a quarter of the cases are in the United States, which has the most deaths and infections of any nation. The head of the World Health
Organization says this whole situation can still be turned around. But that's if governments put strong, widespread precautions in place.
You'll remember we have been talking about New Zealand as really the poster child for how to handle this pandemic. New Zealand was leading the way,
controlling the outbreak. There were no local infections there for 102 days.
But now there are four locally transmitted cases in Auckland. In response, the city has reinstated restrictions.
And one of the biggest concerns in the world is the matter of education and how to return to classrooms safely. Many schools are opting for virtual
learning but still some want in-person studies. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., warns that masks should be worn
universally in schools.
Now to Lebanon and the political fallout from last week's devastating explosion in Beirut. Nearly 24 hours ago, the country's government stepped
down and violent protests and calls for reform have continued to echo throughout the streets.
Here is a scene from yesterday. So on top of the massive burden of having to rebuild their capital city, the Lebanese people must now choose their
third prime minister in less than a year.
But just how will Beirut rebuild when they face both political and economic crises?
And a more immediate concern is food since the blast destroyed Lebanon's largest grain silo, which was located in Beirut port. David Beasley says
the World Food Programme is working to get Beirut's port operational. He joins us from Lebanon's capital.
Thank you, David Beasley, for being with us.
What can the World Food Programme achieve in two weeks -- because that big grain silo has been obliterated -- what kind of capacity do you think you
can manage to achieve at that port in a couple of weeks?
DAVID BEASLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WFP: Well, you know, this is in a perfect storm that's taking place. You had economic deterioration and then
COVID coming on top of that and then this port explosion. You have the grain reserves that are gone and now you have about 2.5 weeks left of
bread.
So we've got to operate quickly. That's why I'm here. Our teams are on the ground assessing this situation. So we're bringing in 17,500 metric tons of
flour and that will provide food -- provide bread for the people of Lebanon for about 20 days.
So while we're doing that, we're bringing in another 30,000 metric tons of grain for the people of Lebanon. But what we have got to do is clean part
of the site. That's why I was here with our teams, looking at the site.
What is it going to take to clear parts of the site that can be operational?
We're flying in, as we speak, mobile cranes and other equipment, forklifts, everything that we need to get the site operational on an emergency,
temporary basis so that we can bring grains in for the food because 85 percent of the grains that are needed for the people of Lebanon come
through that port. So we have to act quickly.
GORANI: Sure.
Who controls the port?
I mean, who are you talking to do make this happen?
Because there's been talk that Hezbollah controls part of the port, that you have another part that's controlled by the military and another by
other groups and actors.
So who are you negotiating with at the World Food Programme?
BEASLEY: Well, this is an extremely important question because the people on the streets are really mad. And they want to make certain that aid comes
directly to the people. And the donors are the same way.
[10:35:00]
BEASLEY: So right now, under the emergency conditions, the military is in control of where we are. So we're working with the military to clean the
site and doing everything necessary, meeting with the various leaders and being very clear that the donors and the people want to make sure that the
aid gets to the people in need.
And that's how we operate. And we will achieve our goals and objectives but we have to have politicians out of the way and we have to have operational
independence and we will. I'm confident we'll achieve our goals. And if we don't, we'll be jumping up and down and saying, stop it and we need help.
GORANI: Yes. So how do you do that?
Because getting aid directly to the people and bypassing the politicians and the institutions -- I mean, just logistically, how do you achieve that?
(CROSSTALK)
BEASLEY: Yes, yes. You can imagine what we're facing here. First, you have the immediate need of the people that have been impacted right in the blast
zone, so to speak and that's several hundred thousand people impacted.
You have the temporary need there and then you have the port which supplies all the people of Lebanon, including 1.5 million Syrians who are here as
refugees. So there's a lot at stake here.
So we have put in the systems in place to make sure that we have operational independence and make certain that we identify the people that
need the help so the food does not get politicized.
We do this all over the world. This is what we do best. And we feel very confident if we get the resources we need, the access we need, we can help
the people of Lebanon.
But it's a bad situation. Before this explosion, food prices had tripled just in the last year. We were already seeing a severe economic
deterioration, currency devaluation, as well as food insecurity rising. And we were already planning to scale up to a million Lebanese people. So this
has only accelerated the problem that we're facing before the blast.
GORANI: So you feel like, in your discussions with the military, for instance, that they have assured you that you'll be able to operate
independently, that you'll be able to distribute the food and the grain, independent of political authorities?
BEASLEY: That's the assurances we have so far. And I'm hopeful that we'll be able to deliver on that because the donors, I know, and the people are
the same way. What we're hearing, people and the leaders that we have been meeting with, I mean, we have NGOs on the ground, local and international,
civil society.
So we're hoping to have that operational independence. And I'm confident we will. But I'm sure we'll run into obstacles and we'll deal with them as
they come up and, so far, so good. So we'll see.
GORANI: On top of everything else there's, of course, COVID to contend with. You yourself have recovered from coronavirus infection.
How does that complicate things for you, for your operations?
BEASLEY: Well, it complicates things in a multitude of ways in terms of distancing and practicing all of the safety mechanisms that you need with
COVID-19. But at the same time, COVID is still playing out its economic impacts on economies around the world and Lebanon is not exempted from
that.
COVID has only exacerbated that and that's still playing out. Then now the explosion taking place here in Beirut, which has devastated, obviously the
port in a major significant area of the city. And so COVID is creating an issue.
But we're working through those. We feel confident we will be able to meet the short-term emergency food needs inside the city.
But equally as important is, does that port -- it doesn't feed just Beirut but all of Lebanon. And that port, we use it to -- 30 percent of our
supplies in Syria come through that port.
So we have a lot of issues at stake here. That's why we're all hands on deck so we can get it done so nobody goes without bread on their table,
whether it's Lebanon or Syria or wherever it may be.
GORANI: Well, we certainly wish you the best of luck. As I was conducting research for this interview, I ran across footage of you in 2015, saying
that you believed Donald Trump was good for the party and would make America great again. We're in 2020 today.
Do you still believe that?
BEASLEY: Well, I'm here as a humanitarian, I'm not engaged in politics. My goal is working to help the people in Lebanon and help people around the
world. And what has been encouraging, in spite of all of the fighting that goes on in Washington, D.C., with the Republicans and Democrats, when it
comes to food security, this is really hard to believe.
But the Republicans and the Democrats when I go to Washington they lay down their political differences and come together and the funding from the
United States has gone up literally from $1.9 billion to $3.4 billion.
[10:40:00]
BEASLEY: And so the American people are always generous and Republicans and Democrats, while they fight on everything, they have come together on
food security and helping people around the world. And that's where I'm focused right now.
GORANI: They're not taking that many refugees, though. So some people in that part of the world might disagree with you on that. But we wish you the
best of luck at the World Food Programme. David Beasley, pleasure talking to you. Thanks for joining us.
A word on Mauritius, which is seeking international help to contain a major environmental disaster. This Japanese tanker ran aground southeast of the
island on July 25th.
It is now -- this is just an unbelievable picture -- it is now breaking apart and leaking over 1,000 metric tons of fuel right into the sea. In the
meantime, volunteers at this lagoon have been trying to clear the oil by scooping it up with buckets. So you can imagine the task they have on their
hands. CNN's Kaori Enjoji has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: An environmental disaster in Mauritius could get worse. As the operator of this grounded ship says cracks are expanding
inside the hull. The MV Wakashio ran aground two weeks ago.
And despite the multinational salvage operation, Japanese shipping giant Mitsui OSK says 1,800 tons of fuel oil and diesel remain on the bulk
carrier.
A thousands tons of oil have leaked out already from the Wakashio, turning the famed blue waters off the southeast coast of Mauritius into a deluge of
black slick. This ship has been grounded since July 25th. But its operators say the team has yet to reach the site.
Brace for the worst, warned the prime minister of Mauritius, which is already seeing tourism crippled this year amid the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIKASH TATAYAH, MAURITIAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION: The first thing is that this ship should not have been there at all. It was a ship coming from Asia
and it was meant -- it was bound for Brazil. It should have been way off the coast of Mauritius.
It's still -- we had -- why would ever come to Mauritius?
People are mad furious about this, that this happened, mad furious. And I think we need a proper commission of inquiry to look into this and to
(INAUDIBLE) all the light is -- comes out of this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENJOJI (voice-over): Mitsui OSK and shipowner Nagashiki Shipping apologized for the incident on Sunday. But they said they did not know why
the ship had been so close to the shoreline.
After bad weather delayed the building of an oil fence, salvage crews are now trying to remove remnants of oil from the ship. Volunteers and
conservationists are helping to clean up the toxic waste amid fears that the vessel may break in two -- Kaori Enjoji, for CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Up next, it's no secret Britain's Conservative Party gets on well with Russia's oligarchs. But the U.K. Parliament is warning of Moscow's
growing influence on British life. So we did some digging into those concerns. We'll tell you what we found after the break.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI (voice-over): Live images coming to us from Beirut. It's a march, this is (INAUDIBLE) I'm discovering the images at the same time you are.
Looks like a pretty somber march through the streets of Beirut, with people holding up placards and what looks like pictures, presumably of people who
lost their lives in the Beirut explosion last week.
There's some sort of marching band there leading the way. Live images, once again, from the Lebanese capital. It is now 5:45 pm there as the sun slowly
sets over this city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Eyebrows and questions raised in London. Recently the British prime minister made the son of a former KGB agent a lord in the House of
Lords and the U.K. parliament has been warning of the growing influence of what it calls a Russian elite in British life. With that in mind, CNN's Nic
Robertson has been doing some digging. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Through this British beautiful beach, a power cable is to be laid. Residents are angry, not just
because of the disruption it could cause.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the directors of this company has paid in political donations 1.3 million pounds to the political party of the
ministers, who decided that they will make the decision and they have stopped local people making the decision here in Portsmouth.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The director responsible for the alleged $1.7 million largesse, oligarch Alexander Temerko, made his fortune in energy
following the breakup of the Soviet Union in the 1990s and is now one of Boris Johnson's Conservative Party's biggest donors and proud of it.
ALEXANDER TEMERKO, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY DONOR: I'm just not modest. I'm big donors, not significant donor but not the biggest.
ROBERTSON: And your aim with that money, is that to get famous?
You know, I have donated (INAUDIBLE) party because it's my party.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Temerko says, last year, he hosted the government minister responsible for decisions on the power cable at the time and other
MPs to a $13,000 a head Conservative Party fundraiser.
TEMERKO: Many, many from piece -- I think it's almost 13 p -- I tried to support any people who ask me of support.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The minister recused himself but weeks later, one of Temerko's other guests, MP David Morris, raised Temerko's company,
Aquind, and his power project in Parliament.
DAVID MORRIS, BRITISH MP: -- working with the British company, Acquind, to deliver across the board (ph) energy infrastructure.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Morris hasn't responded to CNN's request for comment. Temerko denies any wrongdoing.
Temerko: David Morris not talk about only my project.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): And he insists he's no friend of Putin or of his corrupt practices.
Temerko: We need to stop Putin's money, which stolen with Russian people or get to the illegally or money who's going from illegal business, all
laundry (ph) money.
ROBERTSON: Temerko's project could bring much needed jobs. But at the heart of Britain's long-awaited Russia report, the investigation into
Russian interference in the U.K., the question on this and myriad other oligarchs and their business dealings is, at what cost?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): He claims his undersea power cable project linking the U.K. and French power grids would be a big win both sides of the
channel. But he is using U.K. law to hide the identity of one of his partners.
ROBERTSON: Why don't the British people know who's going to invest in such a significant project?
Temerko: We disclosed the name, my partner and company house and government and every relevant organization. If for personal reason, it's
not happened, it's not -- I cannot say publicly. That is -- there's a reason. But it's not economic with them and is absolutely personal reason,
normal.
ROBERTSON: Is he British?
Temerko: Yes, British.
ROBERTSON: Yes.
Of British origin?
Temerko: Yes. Is British and is even in the U.K. longer than me. It's not original but it's in the U.K. longer.
ROBERTSON: From Russia originally?
Temerko: I'll tell you what they tell me.
ROBERTSON: Despite Temerko's secrecy, the British newspaper, "The Times," has published the name of his business partner, a former Russian business
man, who, like Temerko, made his money in energy during the breakup of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Temerko says he can neither confirm nor deny the
name.
[10:50:00]
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In Portsmouth, such revelations are likely to add rather than ease their concerns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Britain needs to make sure we're protected and keep a reputation for not being corrupt and that we don't import maybe some of the
Russian ways of doing things, which are much more corrupt. We need to avoid that.
ROBERTSON: In the weeks following the report, there's been scant evidence Boris Johnson's government is heeding its warnings that Russia's elite is
permeating British society. Johnson's government has handed a peerage to a former KGB agent's son, who owns two British newspapers -- Nic Robertson,
CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, he won golf's first major of the year and almost dropped the trophy. We caught up with the PGA champion to ask him about this moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLLIN MORIKAWA, PGA TOUR GOLFER: There's probably a lot of memes and a lot of jokes and it will never get past me that I dropped part of the
trophy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: All right. Well, European club football resumed on Monday and Don Riddell joins us now with more.
Hi, Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Hala, thanks very much.
Football, as with many other sports, are trying to play sport in the bubble. We have seen it with some sports quite successfully. The NBA seems
to have mastered the bubble concept at Disney World in Florida.
The UFC president Dana White says it's the only way to get it done. European football's governing body, UEFA, has decided to finish out their
Champions League season in one city, Lisbon in Portugal, while the Europa League is played out across select cities in Germany.
All of the players are expected to abide by strict lockdown restrictions.
(WORLD SPORTS)
[10:55:00]
RIDDELL: For many college graduates these days, finding their first job can be a bit of a challenge. But just 15 months after leaving university,
the American golfer Collin Morikawa has won three times on the PGA Tour, including a major tournament, the PGA championship on Sunday.
I caught up with him the next day and he admitted that the whole thing had been something of a whirlwind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MORIKAWA: I haven't had much sleep, haven't eaten a lot of food. We're just running on a lot of adrenaline right now. I got a taste of what it's
like to win a major championship, you know, to what those other players have won before. And I definitely want it again.
It's crazy to think back a year ago that I was just some guy walking along the -- you know, the Berkeley college campus just like any other student
athlete out there.
You know, there wasn't really much that separated me other than, you know, I was pretty good at golf. I still hope to fly under the radar as Collin
Morikawa as much as I can. You know, I don't think I'm at that point yet where people are going to start recognizing me.
RIDDELL: How long would you have set yourself to get to this stage in your career when you left college?
MORIKAWA: Whether it's golf or life whatever it is, I always try to take it as much and just try to learn. I don't think you can teach a
competitiveness. I love to compete at everything we do. You and I could be a coin flipping contest and I'd try to beat you even though it's luck.
RIDDELL: What did your mom and dad say to you once you had some privacy after the round yesterday?
MORIKAWA: It was crazy because, on Friday, my mom never told me this but they had a balloon fly up from someone else's yard into their trees at our
house. And it was just the number 1.
It was a 1 balloon, just floating in the trees and it never popped. It stayed there. They left it there. So you know, that was pretty special. And
I think that balloon meant something and they might have known that from the start of the week.
RIDDELL: What was going through your mind when you lifted the trophy and the lid started to slip?
MORIKAWA: There was probably a lot of memes and a lot of jokes and it will never get past me that I dropped part of the trophy -- or the lid at least
in my first major championship. But it will be something I'll remember forever. You know, it just all added to a little bit more laughs and more
smiles for the week for everyone to talk about.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIDDELL: And Collin Morikawa is flying high and I do hope that somebody climbed the tree to get that balloon down because that's going into his
museum one day if he builds it. Certainly something that the family will want to keep, too.
GORANI: All right, thank you, Don. See you on the other side of the break with more news. Stay with CNN.
[11:00:00]
END
