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Judge Amy Coney Barrett To Face Senate Questioning Tuesday; Facebook Removed Trump Post Last Week About COVID-19; CNN Speaks To YouTube CEO About The Challenge Of Monitoring Content; U.S. Averaging Around 50,000 New COVID Cases Per Day; Nigeria Dissolves Controversial Anti-Robbery Police Unit; Indian Celebrity Feeds Millions During Pandemic; Volunteers In U.K. Take Part In COVID-19 Vaccine Trials. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired October 12, 2020 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:15]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, we've got triple digit gains on the Dow for the fourth straight day in the market. It is somewhat
optimistic that there could be a stimulus deal in the near future.
These are the markets and this is the day so far.
Amy Coney Barrett begins a job interview like no other. I'll speak to a former colleague of the Supreme Court nominee.
And Boris Johnson announces a new set of virus restrictions focused on local lockdowns.
And British Airways has replaced its CEO with the airline industry still in crisis.
Coming to you live from New York, it is Monday, October the 12th. I'm Zain Asher and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening. Tonight, Judge Amy Coney Barrett states her case before the U.S. Senate on day one of her confirmation hearing for the U.S. Supreme
Court. She thanked predecessor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for paving the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE AMY CONEY BARRETT, U.S. SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: When I was 21 years old, and just beginning my career, Ruth Bader Ginsburg sat in this seat.
She told the committee, "What has become of me could only happen in America."
I have been nominated to fill Justice Ginsburg's seat, but no one will ever take her place. I will be forever grateful for the path she marked and the
life she led.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The process has been heavily politicized from the very beginning. Republicans say that she is unassailably qualified and there's nothing
wrong with confirming her with the election already underway. Democrats disagree, loudly, I might add. They say Barrett also poses a threat to
healthcare in the throes of a pandemic. Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): The bottom line is Justice Ginsburg, when asked about this several years ago, said that a President serves four years
not three. There's nothing unconstitutional about this process.
This is probably not about persuading each other unless something really dramatic happens, all Republicans will vote yes and all Democrats will vote
no.
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA): Healthcare coverage for millions of Americans is at stake with this nomination. This well could mean that if
Judge Barrett is confirmed, Americans stand to lose the benefits that the ACA provides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, let's go straight now to Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill. So Lauren, it's clear that there's nothing or not much of the Democrats can do
to stop this combination, but they are going to press her. They are certainly going to ask questions. What does today's preview tell us about
what we can expect for the rest of the week?
LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, clearly Democrats are setting the table here that they are going to be laser
focused on healthcare.
Every single member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who is a Democrat brought with them not just a story about healthcare, but literally a
photograph of a constituent who had been helped by the Affordable Care Act. And this, I am told by aides on the committee was really a strategy that
was borne out of multiple member meetings, as well as a phone call between presidential candidate Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the top
Democrat in the Senate. They all agreed that the best strategy here was really going to be to focus on healthcare.
And that's because the week after the election, the first case that the Supreme Court is going to hear is one being brought by Republican Attorney
Generals on the Affordable Care Act. So, that's why you saw Democrats really making their opening statements today, 10 minutes each about
healthcare.
But I'll tell you that tomorrow is when they're actually going to have an opportunity to question Amy Coney Barrett.
I am told that they have agreed they are not going to be talking about her faith or her religious practices. They are going to stay laser focused on
what she means for healthcare and abortion -- Zain.
ASHER: And in terms of a possible election dispute, I mean, a lot of Democrats believe that Amy Coney Barrett should sit that out. Obviously,
that's something that's going to come up this week as well.
FOX: Well, exactly, and I will tell you that you know, this has come up in multiple meetings with Democrats and Amy Coney Barrett over phone calls
that they've been having with her, and she has not said what she would do in that situation. That's pretty typical of a Supreme Court nominee.
They're not going to get into how they would rule if a certain case went before them or whether or not they would step aside if a certain case went
before them.
That is a discussion that a judge and a decision really that a judge makes in the moment when that case comes before them, but Zain, certainly
something you can expect the Democrats are going to be pressing on her tomorrow.
[15:05:07]
ASHER: And how might the landscape in this country shift quite dramatically, especially just in terms of what Democrats are fearing, if we
end up with six to three conservative dominated U.S. Supreme Court.
FOX: Well, certainly that's the case that you see Democrats making both today and the case that you'll see them making into the future. Now
Republicans are trying to downplay that. You know, Senator Crapo of Idaho, he made the case that everything that Democrats were saying about
healthcare was wrong, that she wasn't going to be trying to take away Americans healthcare, but you also heard Kamala Harris, the VP candidate
for the Democrats making the case that look, Republicans tried multiple times to take away the ACA in Congress. They failed at every turn, and now
they're turning to the court.
So certainly a fight that you can expect to see. And certainly Democrats are trying to make the case, Zain, that the shape of the court for decades
to come will be reshaped if Barrett moves forward with her nomination.
I will tell you, the Democrats do not have the votes to stop this nomination as things stand today.
ASHER: But there's a lot at stake, certainly going for both parties. Lauren Fox, live for us. Thank you so much.
Derek Muller is a Law Professor at the University of Iowa. He's also one of Barrett's former law students. He joins us live now from Iowa City.
Derek, thank you so much for being with us. I just want to read to you part of Amy Coney Barrett's opening statement today, she said that, "When ruling
on cases, I have done my utmost to reach the result required by the law whatever my own preferences might be. When I write an opinion resolving a
case, I read every word in the perspective of the losing party."
Is that your experience working with Amy Coney Barrett? Is she's somebody who will take into consideration the perspectives of every single person
involved, regardless of political persuasion?
DEREK T. MULLER, LAW PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA: Yes, I think that's absolutely right. I mean, Judge Barrett comes from the world of being a law
professor where she picks apart legal arguments from any side. She really pinpoints weaknesses in arguments and wants to present the best and
strongest case going forward.
Liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, as she was approaching the Seventh Circuit, all said the same thing that she is very
precise. She pinpoints weaknesses in arguments and only wants strong cases to go forward.
But at the same time, she has this great empathy where she is recognizing that there are different parties that show up in the court with a hot and
contentious issue. And when she writes those opinions and thinking about the consequences of them, she is writing in a way that recognizes that
there is a dignity to both parties, to both sides of the issue and approaching the law in the most fair and even minded way that she can.
ASHER: And just in terms of what she is going to bring to the court, I mean, obviously, there are five other conservative Justices on the Supreme
Court right now, what sort of fresh perspective do you think Barrett will add to that?
MULLER: Well, I mean, the other eight Justices all went to Harvard and Yale. So, they are all coming out of institutions where they have just a
small sort of network of people where they've been discussing the same sorts of ideas with each other for an extended period of time.
And Judge Barrett comes from the American South in New Orleans, and she spent much of her career in northern Indiana. She went to Notre Dame for
Law School and she is going to bring sort of a different diversity of perspective, a fresh idea set as she approaches the Supreme Court and
engages with eight other colleagues.
ASHER: Do you think that she should recuse herself if there is an election dispute between Donald Trump and Joe Biden?
MULLER: I think, as you know, other commentators have said, when it comes to election disputes, it's really on the context of the facts that is
presented before the court. And there might be a case where as a Seventh Circuit Judge, she heard a case out of Wisconsin where she ought to recuse
herself, but there are other instances where she might not.
And so it really depends on the situation and the facts before her although, when we talk about election disputes, there was only one Bush
versus Gore in 2000. We very rarely see the Supreme Court intervening on presidential election disputes.
So at this point, it really is hypothetical conjecture.
ASHER: And then what do you make of the fact that there's been so much talk about her religion? The fact that she is a Catholic, a lot of
Democrats are concerned about what that means for Roe versus Wade, what that means for women's rights. Do you think it's fair that her religion is
even coming into the equation at all?
MULLER: It seems like Democrats in the committee recognized that when they attacked her for her faith in 2017, that that was something that backfired.
That was not the right approach. And in 2020, it appears on the committee, they are not going to be questioning her religious faith and commitments.
You know, everyone comes to the law. Everyone comes to the court with their sort of previous commitments, whether it's faith or whether it's their
upbringing, or whether it's their educational background, much less a constitutional statutory interpretation philosophy.
So Judge Barrett, I think, is able to set aside sort of personal beliefs and personal preferences when it comes to interpreting the text of statutes
in the Constitution as she has done for the last three years in the Seventh Circuit.
[15:10:07]
ASHER: Derek Muller live for us. Thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
MULLER: Thanks for having me.
ASHER: U.S. stock markets are up to start the week. The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 are jumping on tech gains as Apple and Amazon look forward to big
events tomorrow.
Apple is likewise pushing the Dow up today. If they hold today's gains, it would extend the indices' best rally since August. Let's bring in Paul La
Monica joining us live now from New York.
So, Paul, just in terms of what else is really boosting markets today? I mean, it's unlikely we're going to see a stimulus bill passed before
Election Day. Election Day is only in three weeks, but that is really what investors are hopeful, crossing their fingers and excited about at this
point.
PAUL LA MONICA, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, I think, Zain that investors obviously want more stimulus. And even though there is this back and forth
between House Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin about what could or could not get agreed upon. And obviously, you've got to look at
what Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans have to say as well.
There is also a hope that in a couple of weeks, possibly we get a blue wave, which might mean that Biden is the next President. It might mean that
the Democrats take control of the Senate, and all of a sudden, the narrative seems to be shifting to, if you wind up having this blue sweep in
the Oval Office, and the Senate, assuming the house obviously stays blue, too, then you might get even more stimulus.
And I think that you can't discount that that is something that the market is looking at right now as a possible good sign, because you're right, it's
all about stimulus. We know that the Federal Reserve has done everything in its power to try and pump liquidity in this market and that's not going to
change. So we're hoping to have more fiscal stimulus as well as monetary stimulus.
ASHER: You're right, it is all about stimulus. But there's one other factor that the markets are considering right now, and that is, of course,
earnings. We are at the eve right now of third quarter earnings results.
You know, six months into this pandemic, will we see that Corporate America has perhaps turned a corner here?
LA MONICA: Yes, I think that investors are betting on that as well, Zain. You do have this expectation that while results for the third quarter are
not going to be great in absolute terms, they're going to show another big drop in corporate profits, potentially a double digit percentage drop.
It won't be as bad as the second quarter, and then the hope is that the fourth quarter is even better than the third quarter with regards to a
smaller than expected drop. And then the first half of '21, you have easy comparisons and pretty sizable jumps in corporate profits, while at the
same time those tech companies that you talked about earlier, Apple and Amazon leading the rally today, they're still going to post very good
results even in the face of this pandemic.
ASHER: And speaking of tech companies, Amazon got its Prime Day. I mean, what are we expecting this year compared to last year? The landscape, just
in terms of where we are as a society here in the U.S. is very, very different. How will the pandemic impact Prime Day?
LA MONICA: Yes, you would have to think that what we've seen so far with Amazon's results being as solid as they have been in 2020 that people will
take advantage of those deals on those two days of Prime Day. But that it's not just about Amazon, e-commerce in general has become this vibrant part
of the economy. So expect Walmart, Target other big retailers with sizable digital footprints, they're going to be playing offense as well in trying
to get some of those consumers that are seeing all those Amazon Prime Day headlines to buy stuff from their sites as well.
ASHER: Paul La Monica, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. Coming up, the CEO of British Airways is out after four tumultuous years as the airline tries to navigate the industry's worst ever
crisis.
And Twitter flags the presidential tweet while Facebook gives the same message across. How social media companies are responding to misinformation
sometimes from U.S. President himself. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:16:38]
ASHER: The British government is unveiling sweeping new lockdown measures aimed at turning the tide after a major surge in COVID cases. Prime
Minister Boris Johnson is trying to thread the needle between lives and livelihoods with a three-tiered approach to COVID lockdowns.
Shops, schools and universities remain open across the U.K., but in some of the worst hit areas, pubs, restaurants, and some other businesses could be
forced to close.
Speaking earlier, Boris Johnson said the country was left with no choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: No one wants to impose these kinds of, least of all me, wants to impose these kinds of restrictions, erosions
of our personal liberty, but I'm convinced as I've ever been that the British people have the resolve to beat this virus and that together we
will do just that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: In recent weeks, cases in the U.K. have shot up to levels much worse than anything seen this past spring. Cases are rising fastest in the
north of England. Cities and towns there will now face the toughest restrictions.
Nic Robertson is in London for us. So Nic, just walk us through what this three-tiered approach actually is? What are these changes that Boris
Johnson is implementing and will they be enough? Will these changes be enough to actually turn the tide for the U.K.?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, I think the very simple answer is, as they stand in the limited form that the Prime Minister
has presented, they won't go far enough. But that's only part of the story.
The Prime Minister said very clearly, we have as many people in hospital now with COVID-19 as the country had when it went on to lockdown, a
national lockdown on the 23rd of March earlier this year. He said that infection rates have gone up fourfold over the space of three weeks. He
said that this afternoon in Parliament.
So the three tiers that he has announced, the medium, high and very high. Very simply, the medium is no one gathering in groups of more than six
indoors or outdoors. Pubs stay open until 10:00 p.m. The high level is the pub still stay open to 10:00 p.m. But that households cannot mix indoors.
You can meet outdoors up in groups of up to six.
In the very high areas, pubs will have to close and households cannot mix indoors or outdoors, and that limit of six would still apply. But you
cannot mix with other households only in very open areas like beaches or parks. That's at a simple level.
But the real twist here to the point of what you are saying is that there needs to be bolt-ons and add-ons and this is how England's Chief Medical
Officer describe what's at stake on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WHITTY, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR ENGLAND: I am very confident that the measures that are currently in place are helping to slow the virus and
these measures will help to slow it further. I am not confident and nor is anybody confident that the tier-three proposals for the highest rates, if
we did the absolute base case and nothing more would be enough to get on top of it.
The base will not be sufficient. I think that's very clearly the professional view. But there are quite a lot more additional things that
can be done within that with local guidance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:20:07]
ROBERTSON: And what the Prime Minister has said is that he needs the buy in and support of the local councils principally in the north of the
country, and he has got one of them in Liverpool to support him already. And they're the bars are closing, the gymnasiums are closing, leisure
centers are closing, casinos, gambling shops, they're all closing, but the Prime Minister said he is still yet to work out a deal with local councils
in the northwest, in the northeast, in Yorkshire and Humberside.
So really, we're talking about very large areas of the country, that the Chief Medical Officer says we need to have tougher restrictions, and the
Prime Minister has yet to work out a deal with those local authorities that everyone agrees is so important -- Zain.
ASHER: Nic Robertson, thank you.
In London, stocks fell slightly after the new COVID restrictions were announced. The FTSE 100 lagged behind other European market indices, French
and German stocks were boosted by rallies in Chinese stock markets and growing optimism for a stimulus deal here in the United States.
British Airways is adding one more name to its long list of job losses Alex Cruz will step down as CEO after leading the carrier through the most
troubled and turbulent period in its 100-year history. Even before the COVID pandemic bought air travel to pretty much a standstill, the airline
was hit by a pilot strike and a data breach which affected hundreds of thousands of customers.
Shares in BA's parent company, IAG fell following the announcement. They've fallen about 85 percent since the pandemic began.
Brian Sumers is editor-at-large at Skift. He joins us live now from Los Angeles via Skype. Brian, thank you so much for being with us. So how bleak
right now is the financial picture for U.K. airlines especially just given the fact that that country is in the middle of a second wave and these new
restrictions that Boris Johnson has just announced.
BRIAN SUMERS, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, SKIFT: Well, it's bleak for pretty much every airline in the world and British Airways is included. We've said for
a long time that this is the worst economic crisis in the history of aviation.
Of course, people know that in the United States, U.S. airlines have gotten huge bailouts, eye popping numbers. But the truth is, the U.S. airlines
aren't in that much better shape than say British Airways.
Very few people are traveling. When they do travel, they fly in economy class, short distances say from London to Portugal.
British Airways makes its money taking people in business class, first class from London to New York, London to Tokyo. They can't compete in that
market. So you're right things are very bad for British Airways right now.
ASHER: You talked about the airlines making money from flying people business class from say, London to New York, for example. There's talk of
this corridor opening up now between London and New York, for example. How much will that do, do you think to resuscitate U.K. airlines or help them
ever so slightly?
SUMERS: It will help U.K. airlines, but probably as you say, ever so slightly. You know, it's a problem now to go from the United States, New
York specifically to London, because when you get to the U.K., you have quarantine for 14 days. But that's only part of the problem. There is very
little demand for air travel.
If you told all the bankers in New York that used to spend, you know, 8,000 pounds on a plane ticket in first class that they could go to London, no
problem anytime they wanted. The vast majority of them wouldn't go anyways. They are still worried about getting the virus themselves and they've also
learned that Skype and Zoom, while not perfect, are good enough.
So in the past, you might go from New York to London for a two-hour meeting or a four-hour meeting and then fly right back. Those people aren't doing
that right now. So on the margins, yes, opening that corridor would help, but it's not going to fix anything.
ASHER: So Alex Cruz, the now former CEO of British Airways was dealt -- I mean, just based on what you're saying -- a very difficult hand. So what is
Sean Doyle going to do? He is currently at Aer Lingus. He is about to step into Alex Cruz. What is he expected to do that Alex Cruz simply couldn't?
SUMERS: Well, it's a good question. In practice, I'm not sure that the new CEO can do that much differently -- anything that much differently than
Alex Cruz. The business is in very bad shape. You are not going to fix that.
If you're a U.K. airline or any airline, you have to get smaller and more cost efficient. You have to get leaner, you just have to.
The thing about Alex Cruz is he had been there for four years, and a lot of the employees and even the passengers had lost faith in him. So everybody
is talking now about cost cutting, but he was talking about it three or four years ago. Employees were upset. This is an iconic global airline.
And this guy came in from Spain where he was the CEO of a low cost airline called Vueling. And he said, you know what, British Airways should be more
like a low cost carrier. That's good in theory. But people care deeply about British Airways. It's been around for decades.
Everybody expects a great experience. And when they get that experience on British Airways, they really rebelled.
So now you can have a new CEO who comes in and maybe does the same things in practice, but in rhetoric, he is going to be different. He is going to
say, we're going to be a new British Airways, we're going to treat our people better. We're going to treat our customers better.
And so, I just think you'll see different rhetoric out from the new CEO.
[15:25:28]
ASHER: Brian Sumers, live for us there. Thank you.
Airlines are having to get creative, as Brian just talked about there, to drum up revenue in the crisis. This weekend, Qantas actually ran a seven-
hour flight to nowhere, right to nowhere from Sydney and back.
Passengers paid up to $2,700.00 for a bird's eye view of the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef from Sydney to Sydney.
CNN's Kim Brunhuber takes a closer look at the journey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Qantas Flight 787 to Sydney now ready for boarding.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These diehard travelers in Australia, many of them grounded for months because of
coronavirus restrictions are ready to embark on their next adventure, even if it's only a seven-hour flight on Qantas Airways from Sydney to Sydney.
For them, it's about the journey, not the destination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN GOODRIDGE, FLIGHT PASSENGER: It's very upsetting for us because we love traveling and so on. And as soon as we saw this one here; Jason, and
Arthur, we've got to go on this flight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice over): Tickets to the so-called flight to nowhere sold out within 10 minutes. The airlines middle seats were left empty so
passengers could social distance. The Boeing Dreamliner flew over some of Australia's iconic sites for a bird's eye view of places like Uluru and the
Great Barrier Reef.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look. It is spectacular. I thought that some of the sites that we saw today, one would never get the chance to see it quite
like that. I felt that I was so close to a lot of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice over): And of course, there was an inflight meal for that special class of people who miss eating a meal at 30,000 feet.
The experience is designed to be a morale boost for travelers yearning to fly again. And an airline that posted the nearly $1.5 billion loss earlier
this year because of the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPTAIN LISA NORMAN, QANTAS 787 FLEET MANAGER: It's been a very challenging year and you know when flying is in your blood, you know, I
think we're all really struggling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Critics say flights like these are just joy rides and harm the environment though Qantas says the flight will be fully carbon offset.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX PASSERINI, PILOT: Thankfully, we've planted some seeds in terms of people's next holiday plans. We want more of these flights. Can't wait to
get everyone again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (voice over): And not to be outdone by the airlines, Singapore announced a travel plan to begin cruises with no port stops in November, an
embattled travel industry that's taking the staycation to the next level.
Kim Brunhuber, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Coming up, Twitter flags the coronavirus tweet by President Trump for misinformation, but Facebook chooses not to flag the exact same post.
We'll look at the increasingly difficult battle of social media companies fighting misinformation even as it comes often from the White House.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:00]
ASHER: Hello, everyone. I'm Zain Asher, coming up in the next half hour of QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. The CEO of YouTube tells us how the company is trying
to stop the spread of misinformation, and we'll be live in Nigeria where anti-corruption protests have swept some of the biggest cities that. Before
that though these are the headlines on CNN at this hour.
The Senate began its confirmation hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Earlier in her opening statement, she thanked her predecessor, Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, for paving the way for her career. She will face questioning from the senators on the Judiciary Committee starting Tuesday.
China will test all nine million people in the city of Qingdao over the next few days after Coronavirus pasta was detected in the city. China has
largely been coronavirus free since mid-August, but 12 locally transmitted cases are sparking concerns of a wider outbreak.
Protesters in Portland, Oregon toppled statues of former American President Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt Sunday evening. The protesters were
part of the indigenous people's day of rage, the day before the federally recognized Columbus Day holidays. Some have called for the holiday to
celebrate indigenous people instead of the Italian Explorer.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will meet with the Crown Prince of the UAE soon, that would be the first meeting after the two
countries agreed to normalize relations in August. It's not clear where it will take place, but both issued invitations to that perspective countries.
Twitter slapped a warning label on a tweet by President Trump after he claimed, without evidence, that he is immune to the coronavirus. CDC says
that there is no evidence people are immune to the virus if they have been infected once. But Facebook did not put a warning label on the same claim.
Let's go now to our Donie O'Sullivan. So, why don't you just, just walk us through this? What exactly is Facebook's policy when it comes to
misinformation by the President of the United States, especially three weeks before an election?
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, it's an extremely inconsistent policy, Facebook, particularly, Zain. When it comes to COVID-19 misinformation,
this is where Facebook said they would draw the line, that if there's dangerous information, false information about the coronavirus, they won't
just label it, they'll take it off the platform.
Twitter has a different rule for world leaders and such they will put labels on it saying this, it might be against our rules or it is COVID-19
misinformation, but we're keeping up because we want you to be able to see what a world leader is saying but also flagging that it's false. That is
what Twitter did last night.
Facebook too took no action whatsoever on the posts. It's very clearly against Facebook's own rules here. As you mentioned the CDC, health
officials, and Trump's own administration, specifically warning people if they have COVID-19, if they've had it, it doesn't necessarily make them
immune.
And unusual for Facebook, who has been very out there. They have a large communications team and they always like to highlight the good work they
say they're doing, they had absolutely nothing to say about this. We've been asking them multiple times.
Meanwhile, that post from the President is still on Facebook, and it's been like shared, commented on, and reacted to almost a million times at this
point; meaning, it's probably been seen by millions of people on Facebook.
ASHER: But you mentioned the communications team, not only that, Facebook also has an oversight board. I mean, is there any real difference that they
can make to the situation at hand given just how, how much they're struggling under the weight of misinformation three weeks before the U.S.
election.
[15:35:06]
O'SULLIVAN: Yes, Facebook has set up this oversight board which they're describing a sort of an independent Supreme Court counsel, which will make
decisions on behalf for the company. Unfortunately, that oversight board, which Facebook has been talking about for a very, very long time, doesn't
really get to work until after the election. So, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg has very little people looking over their shoulder and actually holding to
the accounts apart from you know, us in the media and activists who are calling out Facebook's in action here.
And I mean, look, Facebook, it's Facebook, who sets their own rules. And that is all we're highlighting, is that Facebook says they'll do one thing
when it comes to COVID-19 misinformation. But when it comes to it, they won't they do the other. And in this case, obviously, they're either afraid
of pushback from the Trump administration, or there's some other reason where they're not taking action on this blatant piece of misinformation on
their platform that is now being seen by millions of people.
ASHER: Right. Donie O'Sullivan, live for us. Thank you. YouTube is struggling with the same problems as Facebook and Twitter. Now, its CEO
says it's looking closely at what to do about the QAnon conspiracy theories. CNN's Poppy Harlow asks Susan Wojcicki how they can stop QAnon
videos from being shared so widely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN WOJCICKI, CEO, YOUTUBE: The first thing is, is that the changes that I talked about with regard to our recommendation system have already had
over an 80 percent reduction in terms of any of the viewership of that. So, so a lot of that content would be classified as what we would may say
borderline content. We also have already removed a lot of it in terms of hundreds of thousands of videos, because of -- it could violate other parts
of our policies: hate, harassment, COVID information.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Except this week, I watched two QAnon videos on YouTube. One of them had over five million views, the other had over three
million views. And the FBI says that QAnon is a potential domestic terror threat. So, I guess I'm wondering what is what is the hesitation to ban it
on your platform? What would be the reason not to?
WOJCICKI: So, we are continuing to evolve our policies here. It's not that we're not looking at it, or we don't want to make changes that in terms are
responsible. But if you look at QAnon, part of it is that it's a grassroots movement, and so you can see just lots and lots of different people who are
uploading content that has different QAnon theories.
HARLOW: I asked because things like, you know, the Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory, actually led a man to go to a pizzeria in D.C. with a gun. And
recently there have been examples of mothers in Colorado and Utah, who have followed QAnon direction and gone to try to kidnap their own, their own
children. So, there's just real-life consequences here of that. Moving on to the election, I'm sure you heard --
WOJCICKI: If anything like that, we would remove. I mean, we're very proactive in terms of removing it, and I think you'll see us continue to be
so.
HARLOW: It must be odd to have to take down something that the President of the United States has said, but you guys have opted to do that, in certain,
certain circumstances. You did it with a Fox News interview that he did in August, where he claimed that children are "almost immune from COVID-19,"
because it's just not true. But there are other things the President has said about COVID that aren't true that are still on YouTube, why, and where
do you, where do you draw that line?
WOJCICKI: Yes, so that's definitely a good question. And I'll say that, you know, basically, we hold all politicians, no matter where they are in the
country, or what their rank is to the same standards that we hold everyone else. And so, if there is something that is said, that is harmful, that we
think can lead to real world harm, that's a violation of our policy, we will remove it.
But a lot of times, it's -- I think it's important to also look that, you know, you may have seen those quotes from President Trump in a news
broadcast, meaning that it was covered, for example, in CNN, and their commentary afterwards, maybe questioning what he said or clarifying it. And
so, you know, we look at that context, too. So, you know, under an educational or documentary standpoint, some of that content, we would still
allow, provided that the news provider actually provided context in terms of that information.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: A new study estimates the coronavirus pandemic will cost the U.S. more than $16 trillion. The article in the Journal of the American Medical
Association says that's an optimistic assumption. CNN's Erica Hill reports researchers are warning of a second wave of devastation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN REPORTER: The numbers are not good. Nationwide, we're adding an average of more than 49,000 new cases a day, up 41 percent from
just last month.
[15:40:00]
DR. PETER HOTEZ, BAYLOR COLLEGE MEDICINE: We're predicting a pretty worrisome fall and winter.
HILL: New cases are surging in 31 states, more than a dozen posting their highest weekly averages for new daily cases. Seven states reporting their
highest daily new case counts since the pandemic began.
DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: These are extremely alarming trends, and there should be warning bells going off around the
country.
HILL: Hospitals, especially in rural areas, bracing.
DR. GEORGE MORRIS, PHYSICAL VICE PRESIDENT, CENTRACARE: We have the beds; we have the people, but as we get more of these exposures, what's going to
happen to our availability?
HILL: North Dakota, which leads the nation in cases per capita has fewer than 20 ICU beds available.
RENAE MACH, DIRECTOR, BISMARCK-BURLEIGH PUBLIC HEALTH: People are continuing to operate kind of as they had before COVID even was here, and
that's leading to a lot of our numbers increasing.
DR. THOMAS FREIDEN, FORMER DIRECTOR, CDC: Anytime we ignore, minimize, or underestimate this virus we do so at our peril.
HILL: New research in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds a 20 percent increase in U.S. deaths from March to August, adding to the
evidence that our current COVID death toll is likely an undercount.
FRIEDEN: If you died from COVID, and you also had diabetes. You died from COVID.
HILL: As an influential model now projects nearly 400,000 COVID related deaths by February 1st. But if more Americans wore masks, that could change
dramatically.
DR. PAUL OFFIT, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA: If 95 percent of Americans wear a mask, we will prevent roughly 80,000 deaths over the next
few months. I mean, it's a remarkable statistic. Those are people. I mean, if you saw those people you would you would try and do something to prevent
their deaths, but somehow, we just, just ignore it all.
HILL: The human toll is growing, both in lives lost and in lives forever changed.
DR. DEEPAK CHOPRA, CLINICAL PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO: People are going through different stages of grief. So, some feel
victimized, some angry, some are hostile, some are resentful, some are helpless.
HILL: Researchers at NYU warning of a second wave of devastation. This one tied to mental health and substance abuse. The magnitude they write is
likely to overwhelm the already frayed mental health system. Of particular concern, essential workers, including those on the frontlines.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: A controversial police unit will be disbanded in Nigeria. We are live here in Lagos, where protesters say they'll continue marching until
police brutality in all forms is brought to an end. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:04]
ASHER: Nigeria is once again disbanding a police unit accused of kidnapping, harassment and extortion. The unit is known as SARS or the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The move follows days of nationwide protests against police violence. This weekend, one person died and several others
were injured after police fired tear gas and ammunition into the crowd.
Nigeria is considered to be among the most corrupt nations in Africa. It is ranked 146 out of 180 countries worldwide in Transparency International's
Corruption Perception Index. The accounting firm, PwC, estimates corruption could cost Nigeria 37 percent of its GDP by the year 2030. That amounts to
nearly $2,000 a person. We'll be in Nigeria with our Stephanie Busari, hopefully in just a moment for you. In the meantime, there are some other
stories that we are following.
India has now surpassed seven million coronavirus cases, that's the second highest total in the world. The country's economy took a major hit in March
from a strict lockdown meant to stem the spread of the virus with cases still rising. India's health minister is now urging people to stay home
from festivals set to begin this week.
India's growth was already slowing before the pandemic. Now, this concern hundreds of millions could slip back into poverty. Renowned Indian chef is
trying to help those who are struggling. Vedika Sud tells us more about the man on a global delivery mission.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: More pre-kindle for millions of India's underprivileged who've been struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
This massive food drive is the brainchild of Indian chef, Vikas Khanna.
For the last six months, Khanna has been planning every step of the project from his home in New York City. After India implemented its first lockdown
in March, Khanna donated through charity. But images of Indians in need, stayed with the chef who decided to take direct action.
VIKAS KHANNA, INDIAN CELEBRITY CHEF: We started getting shortlisted in different cities. So, on the room, I had this wall will put the name of the
city and the start putting the name of the places where we need food.
SUD: Khanna soon realize managing logistics from over 7,000 miles away, it wasn't easy. So, he collaborated with India's National Disaster Response
Force to deliver food and amenities to remote areas of the country. He says, they distributed food to sex workers, seniors, HIV/AIDS patients,
flood victims and migrant workers.
S.N. PRADHAN, DIRECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE FORCE: Even if it was a one man show out there from there, I said OK, we can be all hands
on the arms and legs.
SUD: Khanna, who cook for President Obama in the White House is one of the first Indians to have been awarded a Michelin Star. He has written 35
books, including what's been called the world's most expensive cookbook itself. He's also a filmmaker, but his mission to feed millions of his
fellow Indians remains closest to his heart.
KHANNA: It starts here, it started here. This was stopping the project. Brain was saying that you have too many pending projects.
SUD: There are days when Khanna feels overwhelmed by the magnitude of the project. His mother back home in India doesn't let him give up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I convinced him by saying that. If you have gone out of India, you should do something for your country. Why not when
everybody's suffering?
SUD: The 48-year-old Indian says he was born with club feet. For 11 years he walked with the support of braces and then boden shoes. For Khanna,
supporting millions of fellow Indians will always be a bigger moment than the day he first read. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Time for a quick break here on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. After which, we'll be back in Lagos with more on those nationwide protests that have
rocked Nigeria; a lot of people calling an end to police brutality. More on that after a short break, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:52:00]
ASHER: As people start to lose patience with coronavirus restrictions, COVID fatigue is no doubt becoming a real problem. The good news is the
race to find an effective vaccine is really picking up. 42 vaccine candidates are in human trials around the world, of course, human trials
require human test subjects. While most of us are trying to avoid the virus, some people are volunteering to actually expose themselves to COVID-
19 to try and help with the vaccine research. CNN Phil Black went to meet some of those volunteers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN REPORTER: Like so many, Stefania Hidalgo, has quietly enjoyed the challenge, the inconvenience of living through a pandemic. But
she wanted to do more.
STEFANIA HIDALGO, VOLUNTEER: This was a way for me to take control of the situation to feel like I was in a more or in a less hopeless place in a
less hopeless world and be like, OK, I can do this, to make it better. I chose not to be in fear.
BLACK: So, she volunteered to be deliberately infected with the coronavirus.
HIDALGO: I was shaking but then I just without knowing I just typed my name in and was like, let's go for it.
BLACK: Shaking?
HIDALGO: I want to can be part of it. Yes, because it can be scary, right? Like, you're going to be potentially exposed to the virus.
BLACK: Alastair Frase-Urquhart is also very keen to be infected.
ALASTAIR FRASE-URQUHART, VOLUNTEER: I've just got the e-mail.
BLACK: He helps with running the recruitment campaign Stephanie has signed up to. One day sooner, finds volunteers so far tens of thousands around the
world, and has been lobbying the U.K. Government to make use of them through potentially risky research.
URQUHART: I wake up thinking about challenge trials. I go back to bed thinking about challenge trials.
BLACK: Challenge trials involve giving young healthy people a potential vaccine, like this one developed by London's Imperial College. But then
later, testing it by deliberately dosing them with the virus. Proponents say it's faster than waiting for test subjects to be exposed to a specific
virus in the real world. With numerous COVID-19 vaccines being developed, some scientists think challenge trials could help identify the best of them
sooner.
URQUHART: By taking that small restaurant myself, I can now potentially protect thousands of other people's from, you know, having to be infected
without consenting to it.
BLACK: Critics say challenge trials have limited use because the young healthy people who take part don't represent the broader population. They
have been used against other viruses.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Flucamp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For you to quarantine, then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.
BLACKWELL: This is corporate videos from a London facility that recruits, exposes, and strictly quarantines people to test influenza vaccines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got a wonderful safety record that we're all proud of.
BLACKWELL: But there are always risks, especially with a new virus that's already killed more than a million people. And epidemiologists say it's
likely some volunteers would be needed for a control group to make sure the virus dose can cause disease. It means they'd be exposed to the coronavirus
without receiving a vaccine.
[15:55:07]
The real potential for doing harm to volunteers would be closely scrutinized by regulators.
TERENCE STEPHENSON, CHAIR OF ENGLAND'S HEALTH RESEARCH AUTHORITY: A challenge trial would have to make the cogent argument that the benefits to
society greatly outweigh the risk. And that, that evidence or those data could not be achieved in a simpler, safer way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually built out.
BLACK: Test subjects and challenge trials are compensated financially, but Alastair's father knows that's not motivating his son.
ANDREW FRASE-URQUHART, VOLUNTEER'S FATHER: It's at the forefront of Science and Technology. It's something to benefit others. It's something rather
brave, it's something slightly different. And that's, that's him in a nutshell.
ALASTAIR U.: To be totally honest, I really don't care what he says, I do what I like.
BLACK: A crucial ingredient for any COVID-19 challenge trial will be the determined idealism of its young volunteers. Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, trading is almost over on Wall Street. Just another five minutes or so to go. We'll have the closing bell and a very special
announcement after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Tonight, we are trading a profitable moment for a glass of champagne. A very special congratulations to Richard and Chris, who tied
the knot this weekend in Las Vegas. On behalf of the entire QUEST MEANS BUSINESS team, we wish you a lifetime of happiness. We are so happy for
you. And whenever you are up to in the years ahead, you guys we know that it will be profitable, of course.
And that is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS everyone, I'm Zain Asher in New York. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" is up next. You're watching CNN.
[16:00:00]
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