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China Charges Canadian Citizens With Spying; Trump Claims Coronavirus "Dying Out," Rally To Go Ahead; Administration Fires Back At Bolton's Book Allegations; New Virus Clusters In China Set Back Claims Of Success; Nearly 8.5 Million global Cases, 453,000+ Deaths; Brazil Nears One Million Virus Cases; International Energy Agency: Now is the Time to Invest in Green Jobs; How Iceland Became a Model in the Fight Against COVID-19; Police Morale, Down in Racially Charged Environment; Protests Motivate Some Black Voters to Mobilize in Wisconsin. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 19, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
OPAL TOMETI, CO-FOUNDER BLACK LIVES MATTER: Are realizing that things aren't going to change unless they get up off the sidelines. And that their silence is complicity.
And we're seeing a sea change in this moment and it's really heartening.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: A warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes.
And coming up here on CNN newsroom.
In denial. President Trump claims with a straight face the coronavirus is going away. It is not.
And "traitor and liar." That's what one member of the Trump Administration says of a former member of the Trump Administration. We'll tell you all about it.
And coronavirus cluster. A major food market in Beijing being linked to new cases. We'll look at the market and restrictions in place to contain the outbreak.
Welcome, everyone. As coronavirus cases in the United States surpass two million, the country finds itself struggling to control the spread. Nearly half of the states across the nation are seeing an increase in infections. On Thursday, Johns Hopkins University reporting nearly 26,000 new cases.
And yet, President Donald Trump claims the U.S. has largely beaten the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you look, the numbers are very minuscule compared to what it was. It's dying out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Only that's not true. It isn't dying out. Oklahoma has recorded its largest increase in new cases since the pandemic began, up 110 percent from last week.
This as Trump supporters are lining up in Tulsa ahead of Saturday's planned rally. Masks will be handed out at the event but people won't be required to wear them. Many of them just won't.
Meanwhile, the Trump Administration firing back at former national security adviser John Bolton. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling him a traitor who told lies and half truths about the president in his new book.
Bolton details a series of allegations claiming the president was motivated by one thing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FMR. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: There really isn't any guiding principle that I was able to discern other than what's good for Donald Trump's reelection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: It has been a trying week for President Trump. From that uptick in coronavirus cases to political slams and supreme court setbacks.
CNN's Jim Acosta takes a look at the latest turmoil the president is facing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, SNR. CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With 2020 shaping up to be a re-election nightmare, President Trump appears to be in denial when it comes to the string of crises overwhelming his administration.
Take Mr. Trump's response to concerns about the coronavirus at his rally this weekend in Oklahoma.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: No. Because, if you look, the numbers are very miniscule compared to what it was. It's dying out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: But that's not true as the virus is spiking in states across the south in places like Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JEANNE MARRAZZO, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: The potential for the virus to take off there is very, very nerve-wracking and could have catastrophic consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The president is even questioning the value of testing for the virus, telling the "Wall Street Journal":
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"I personally think testing is overrated, even though I created the greatest testing machine in history."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: No wonder one of the administration's top health experts, Dr. Anthony Fauci, worries about an anti-science bias in the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: One of the problems we face in the United States is that, unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias that people are -- for reasons that sometimes are inconceivable and not understandable -- they just don't believe science.
And they don't believe authority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Besides the virus, Mr. Trump's presidency is in a tailspin on a number of fronts. From the unrest in U.S. cities to losses at the supreme court to the biting comments from his own former aides. Like John Bolton.
After the supreme court ruled against his administration's plans to scrap the DACA program that shields young undocumented immigrants from being deported, Mr. Trump tweeted:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"Do you get the impression that the supreme court doesn't like me?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Doesn't sound like the winning he promised voters in 2016.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We're going to win so much. You are going to get so sick and tired of winning. You're going to come to me and say please, please, we can't win anymore."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: As for Bolton, who's just the latest ex-aide to slam the president, the former national security adviser is alleging in a tell- all book that Mr. Trump sought China's help in the 2020 race. And even blessed Chinese concentration camps for ethnic minority Uighurs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLTON: I don't think he's fit for office. I don't think he has the competence to carry out the job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The president, who once said he only hired the best people, told the "Journal":
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"The only thing I liked about Bolton was that everybody thought he was crazy."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: In terms of Bolton, he broke the law. He was a washed up guy; I gave him a chance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The president is also defending his Lafayette Square photo op where he held up a bible after protesters were pushed back with force. Saying:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"You have people screaming all over the place and I didn't think it was exactly the right time to pray. So I went there, stood there, held up the bible, talked to a few people and then we left. I came back and I got bad publicity."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Incredibly, the president is claiming success for raising awareness about the Juneteenth holiday dedicated to remembering the end of slavery -- as that was the original date for his Tulsa rally before he postponed it.
Saying:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The president insists his rally will be safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: No, we'll go there. Everyone is going to be safe, they have to be safe. They want to be safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: The president concedes there is a chance a small percentage of the people at his rally in Tulsa this weekend may contract the coronavirus.
As it turns, out the topic of his rally did not come up at the latest meeting of the coronavirus task force, the one place where experts would have told aides to the president an indoor political event in the middle of a pandemic is a bad idea.
Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Nearly half of the 50 U.S. states are seeing sharp increases in new coronavirus cases. Ten states are seeing record new numbers over the last week.
And the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute believes that we're going to see a lot more unless there are some serious policy changes.
According to Johns Hopkins, more than 118,000 people in the U.S. have died so far, more than 2.1 million have been infected.
State and local leaders weighing what to do. Some are mandating that masks must be worn in public, others sending police to enforce social distancing regulations.
In several states where new cases have spiked, like Florida and North Carolina, hospitalizations are on the rise too. Epidemiologists says that is a sign that the new numbers don't simply come from more testing.
And Dr. Jorge Rodriguez practices internal medicine and is a viral specialist who joins me now from Los Angeles. Good to see you again, Doctor.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL & VIRAL SPECIALIST: Thank you.
HOLMES: So, yes. Wednesday in the U.S., June 17th, 25,610 cases. That's up seven percent over the previous 14 days. As we've been saying, 23 states have increasing numbers.
Clearly, despite what the president and vice president say, the situation is getting worse not better. What is being done wrong?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, you're absolutely right. The situation definitely has not gone away. He said that this is not a second wave, he's correct. It is the continuation of the first wave.
And unfortunately, there are hotspots throughout the country and we travel now throughout the country. So we are spreading this virus from Florida to Arizona to Las Vegas to California.
What's being done, unfortunately, is not a concerted effort. I believe that not until there is a federal strict guideline as to what every state should do are we going to contain this.
It just doesn't make sense that we have these hodgepodge states and communities all giving out completely different recommendations. It's just not going to work.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, indeed. One place with rising numbers, as we were just saying, is Tulsa, Oklahoma. You look at where big spreads have happened throughout this pandemic -- meatpacking plants, church services, student graduation parties, reopened bars.
And yet, the president wants to put 20,000 people together in an enclosed place for a political rally where you sign a waiver you won't sue if you catch it.
What is your take on that rally even happening?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, my take is that not only is it ludicrous, I think it's borderline, if not completely, criminal.
People are being asked because of political reasons to put their life at risk. We don't have major sporting events for this reason, we don't have concerts for this reason.
We know that there are two things that spread the virus more than anything. And not only is that being in close proximity to someone who is infectious but being in close proximity for a prolonged period of time.
This rally is basically asking for trouble. And it's going to get it. There's no way that people are going to come out of there unscathed and will not spread it. It's just not going to happen.
HOLMES: The president said, quote:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"If you look at the numbers, the numbers are very miniscule compared to what it was. It's dying out. We'll go there" -- meaning Tulsa -- "everyone's going to be safe."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The vice president said there are embers of the virus. Said there's no second wave, as you pointed out, we're not done with the first wave.
What are the risks of that kind of messaging to the American people?
[01:10:00]
RODRIGUEZ: Well, it's very detrimental. And unfortunately, this pandemic in the United States has become politicized. People are already lining up in Tulsa.
People are -- it's sort of here in the U.S., the basketball games are skins and shirts. It's now the two teams are masks and no masks. And that is a shame. So people are using not wearing a mask almost as a MAGA hat.
And since the president says that there's nothing wrong, I'll be damned, some people are going to go out there and prove that there's nothing wrong.
Give me liberty or give me death.
I'm afraid they're going to get both; the liberty to do what they want and deadly results from it.
HOLMES: What do you make of that small study that was published in the "Journal of Nature [sic] Medicine" on Thursday? And we're just hearing a report about it -- found that a group of three dozen COVID- 19 patients from Wuhan, basically asymptomatic carriers, were infectious longer than those with symptoms, and produced fewer antibodies.
It's confusing. Does that show how little we do know about this thing?
RODRIGUEZ: Exactly. That was going to be my point. The good thing about a study like this is that we are learning.
Michael, we have to keep in mind, that humans have never been infected with this virus before. So we don't know what is going to happen.
This study showed that people that didn't get a lot of virus, probably the ones that are asymptomatic, didn't develop a lot of antibodies. And if they did, those antibodies, 40 percent of them, had lost them within two months.
So this should be a cautionary tale for people that have antibodies and assume that they are forever going to be protected against the virus. We don't know if that's the case, we don't even know for how many months you're going to be protected.
So the bottom line and the final -- and the message is that until we have a treatment or a vaccine, we need to wear facial coverings, use extreme hygiene, and social distancing. Because we still don't have all the answers.
HOLMES: Yes. Dr. Fauci commenting on what he calls anti-science bias among many in America.
Some people in the country, they just won't believe the science even when it's compelling and put right there in front of them.
Do you agree, and what s the danger?
RODRIGUEZ: I agree with him 110 percent. This is something that's been happening for a while in this country. And listen, if I'm going to get -- and I already have, I guess, very
political is I think that the amount of education in this country has decreased.
If you don't understand science, how can you believe in science?
And institutions are also being questioned. I don't see people questioning how an airplane flies, right, they still trust that it does.
But something has happened. In the fact that now we get snippets because of mass information through the Internet and we sort of use that information to validate what we believe. As opposed to understanding science that has been around forever.
So, I hate to say it, I think we've gotten dumber therefore we don't believe people that we think are smarter.
I don't know if that's fair to say but I do believe that he's right.
HOLMES: It's staggering, isn't it? Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, great to talk to you, as always. Thanks so much.
RODRIGUEZ: Always.
HOLMES: And do stay with us here on CNN for our "GLOBAL TOWN HALL: CORONAVIRUS FACTS AND FEARS," with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
That's next hour. 7:00 am if you're in London, 2:00 pm in Hong Kong.
Dozens of new cases reported in China, setting back officials' claims of success in the fight against coronavirus.
Some of these cases are linked to a major food market in Beijing.
A top health official says the outbreak is under control and praises authorities for stepping up restrictions.
More than 350,000 people connected to the market are reportedly being tested.
CNN's David Culver reports.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Beijing health officials have labeled this most recent cluster under control but it's come with widespread testing. We're talking hundreds of thousands of people in just a few days' time.
It's also coming with a return of the closures to things like gyms and restaurants and other public spaces. And we're seeing physical barriers go up, particularly around the market where this most recent outbreak began.
In fact, we drove past it staying in the car for obvious reasons but we can give you an idea as to what we saw driving by. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CULVER: I'm going to give you a little look right here through the window.
This is the outskirts of the market. You can see there are some folks back there with hazmat suits on. All of this is shut off.
[01:15:00]
The reason we're not stepping out of the car -- actually, let's keep driving because I don't want to draw too much attention -- is because, if we were to cross into this restricted zone, we would then be potentially flagged and be put into government quarantine.
How do they know that? A few ways. One is they could physically stop us and get our information, another is they would see the tags of the car and they would mark that down and track us down. And another big data that we've been living by here, they would trace you through your cell phone.
We've heard several reports of people being flagged because of where their cellphones were located geographically within those high-risk areas. And then being contacted and told they essentially need to be sealed off from the rest of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Now part of that contact tracing has to do with smartphones and QRs. This is what one of four now that I have registered for look like.
Pretty much every jurisdiction has one of its own so you end up collecting quite a few if you're travelling around China.
Meantime, I can tell you that while it's tedious to do that and sometimes redundant and seems a bit inefficient, according to government officials it's been effective.
David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And CNN's Anna Coren joins me now live from Hong Kong with more on this.
That test and trace operation is remarkable, 300- or so thousand. But, obviously, still a worrying moment for the country.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. China can do this because they have an authoritarian regime in power and can tell people what to do. But it is extremely effective.
Hence they have tested 356,000 people that they think have come into contact with those who were working at the Xinfadi market. And there are tens of thousands of people who were working there before it was shut down on the weekend. But even though authorities are saying they have this under control, the number of cases have been rising.
Today the number's 28 new cases, 25 of those in Beijing, taking the number in the capital to 183 stemming from that Xinfadi food market that David was just outside.
That food market supplied 80 percent of Beijing's fresh produce -- fruit, vegetable, meat, seafood.
And interestingly, Michael, it was detected on a chopping board that was used for imported salmon. Now authorities have come out and said that the salmon is not what was the host of the coronavirus, there's no evidence of that.
But as a result, salmon sales have absolutely plummeted in Beijing. It's not being served in restaurants and obviously not being sold in any supermarkets.
But the CDC in China said that the reason that the patients who work at the seafood and meat stands contracted the coronavirus is because of the conditions.
Low temperatures, high humidity, is favorable to the spread of coronavirus. So that is why they are saying that the majority of the patients were working at those stands.
Beijing is in soft lockdown. It is virtually impossible now to get out of the city unless you test negative for the virus within seven days. Schools have been shut, public institutions have been shut like museums and parks.
They are taking every single precaution to ensure that they don't see a repeat of what happened in Wuhan earlier this year when millions fled that city before it went into lockdown.
And, of course, by millions of people leaving Wuhan, it allowed the virus to spread around the world.
So Beijing is making it a top priority to contain this latest outbreak -- Michael.
HOLMES: All right, Anna. Thank for that. Anna Coren there in Hong Kong.
And, in fact, we do have some breaking news out of Beijing to bring you.
(BREAKING NEWS)
China has formally charged two Canadian citizens with spying, and now Canada says China targeted Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in retaliation after Canada arrested the CFO of the electronics giant, Huawei, in late 2018.
China's move to formally charge the two men is likely to add more tensions to its relationship with China [sic].
When we come back here on the program, the secretary of state to the rescue.
How Mike Pompeo is defending Donald Trump from his latest attacker. We'll be right back.
[01:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back. The Trump administration firing back at former national security adviser, John Bolton.
Just a short time, ago the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said Bolton told lies and half truths about President Trump in his new book.
Pompeo said a statement, quote:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"It is both sad and dangerous that John Bolton's final public role is that of a traitor who damaged America by violating his sacred trust with its people."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Bolton says the administration is trying to censor him from sharing embarrassing facts about President Trump.
Bolton's book contains numerous allegations of improper and incompetent actions by the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOLTON: I don't think he's fit for office. I don't think he has the competence to carry out the job.
There really isn't any guiding principle that I was able to discern, other than what's good for Donald Trump's reelection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Among the most explosive parts of Bolton's book are the portions that talk about President Trump's relationship with China's Xi Jinping.
CNN's Ivan Watson with more on how it is impacting U.S. China relations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, SNR. INTL. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hong Kong protests. Indoctrination camps for Uighur Muslims in China. The U.S. China trade war. All flash points in the tense US-China relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I appreciate you joining us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: All areas where a former Trump insider alleges the U.S. president's public message doesn't match his private statements.
Beijing is bristling, condemning a new law signed Wednesday by Trump. The Uighur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 threatens sanctions against those accused of the mass incarceration of hundreds of thousands of mostly Uighur Muslims in China's Xinjiang region.
CNN interviewed dozens of Uighurs over the last two years.
Some say they survived what they described as modern-day concentration camps, others say loved ones disappeared into the sprawling prison system.
In his yet to be published book obtained by CNN, former national security adviser John Bolton alleges Chinese President Xi Jinping, quote:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"... explains to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang ..."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
-- at a G20 meeting in Osaka in June, 2019.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
At the meeting in Osaka, Bolton writes, quote --
"Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps."
Adding --
"That it was exactly the right thing to do."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Beijing routinely defends its network of so-called re-education camps, arguing they're necessary to combat violent extremism.
On June 9th, 2019, more than a million people in Hong Kong marched through the streets protesting against a proposed law that would allow suspected criminals to be extradited to Mainland China.
Three days later, Bolton claims Trump told him --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"I don't want to get involved. We have human rights problems too."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Finally, during trade negotiations with Xi in Osaka last June, Bolton alleges that Trump --
[01:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
-- "turned the conversation to the coming U.S. presidential election, alluding to China's economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he'd win" --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
-- through the increased Chinese purchase of U.S. soybeans and wheat.
That account now rejected by a top White House official.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMB.ROBERT LIGHTHIZER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: Absolutely untrue, never happened. I was there, I've no recollection of that ever happening. I don't believe it's true. I don't believe it ever happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Trump, meanwhile, accuses Bolton of being both a liar and a criminal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He broke the law. Very simple. I mean -- as much as it's going to be broken. This is highly classified, that's the highest stage. It's highly classified information. And he did not have approval.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Asked about Bolton's claim that Trump asked China for help to get reelected, a Chinese government spokesman responded Thursday saying China does not interfere in U.S. internal affairs and elections.
But Trump's relationship with China will likely be a pivotal issue in the run up to November's presidential election.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And let's bring in CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing to talk a little more on this. They are really extraordinary claims.
President Trump asking President Xi help me win the 2020 election. That's the allegation.
I can't imagine China is thrilled about this. What have you been hearing?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SNR. PRODUCER: That's right, Michael. And this story has become so sensitive here in China.
Every time we talk about it on CNN, government censors strike. They have been blacking out CNN signals every time the story's on air, including just now when Ivan's report was being broadcast.
Now I actually asked the Chines government for their reaction to Mr. Bolton's claim that Mr. Trump personally sought Mr. Xi's help in getting him reelected.
And to that, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday that China pursues a policy, a principle of non interference. And China has no intention and will not interfere in U.S. internal affairs or elections.
But even that simple exchange between us was scrubbed from the ministry's transcript of the daily press briefing.
So this is really a huge taboo here in China. Probably not surprising. Because they simply do not want to have their leader or government to be associated with this growing scandal in Washington.
And they're also extremely sensitive about being accused of interfering in other countries' affairs because that's something they often accuse the U.S. of doing, especially here in China.
And also, remember, a few months after that alleged conversation took place between Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump, the two governments did sign a trade deal which includes provisions of Chinese commitments to buying huge amounts of U.S. agricultural products.
So if there was any quid pro quo going on, the Chinese simply do not want to talk about this -- Michael.
HOLMES: All right. Steven Jiang, appreciated. Thanks so much.
Interesting times. Those trade discussions a part of John Bolton's book as well.
Talk to you soon. Thanks for that.
We're going to take a short break.
Still to come on the program. Latin America, the main COVID-19 epicenter right now. But some nations in the region are still moving ahead with plans to reopen their economies. Despite record numbers of new cases.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:41]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.
The coronavirus pandemic still touching every part of the world. Johns Hopkins University counts nearly 8.5 million confirmed cases globally. And those are just the ones we know of. Overall more than 453,000 people have died from the virus, again at least; the counts aren't always accurate.
The country with the highest death toll so far is the U.S. which is seeing spikes of new cases. And other countries with new case clusters, like Germany and China, have renewed lockdown measures in some areas. While some countries in Latin America, they're opening up again but seems the virus is far from contained.
Brazil getting closer to one million confirmed cases as it reports more than 22,000 new cases on Thursday alone. Again, they're just the official numbers. In Mexico officials confirming a record number of new cases in just 24 hours as well.
Matt Rivers reports from Mexico City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there just continues to be more bad news out of Latin America.
Let's start in Brazil where health officials there on Thursday evening announce that roughly 22,000 newly-confirmed cases of the coronavirus that brings the overall total there to about 978,000 which means that Brazil could pass the one million total case mark as soon as today if not tomorrow. We are also expecting Brazil to surpass 50,000 deaths as a result of this outbreak in the coming days.
We also know that government leaders throughout this region have been severely impacted by this outbreak. I'll start in Honduras where on Tuesday evening the president of that country announced that both he and his wife had tested positive for the coronavirus. President Hernandez saying that he has mild symptoms and continues to fulfill his duties while in isolation.
We also know the president of Argentina has announced that he has entered voluntary isolation after coming in contact with someone who had been exposed to this virus.
And finally here in Mexico yet another record daily increase in terms of newly-confirmed cases with health officials on Thursday evening reporting more than 5,600 additional cases. That comes as Mexico's government is moving forward with plans to reopen parts of this economy.
Matt Rivers, CNN -- Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Turning our attention back to Brazil now, the nation with the second most cases and deaths in the world behind the U.S., the virus hitting Brazil's indigenous communities especially hard. The well- known leader of one group falling victim to the virus.
Shasta Darlington explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brazil's Paulinho Pajakan, an indigenous leader known for his environmental protests has died after being hospitalized with COVID-19. Pajakan was a famous defender of the Amazon rain forest.
Coronavirus has spread through Brazil's indigenous communities at an alarming rate and has killed several tribal leaders. The health ministry says 107 indigenous people in traditional villages have died from COVID-19 but activists say when you include indigenous people living in urban areas, the figure nearly triples.
On Thursday, Brazil reported close to 23,000 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total close to one million.
Shasta Darlington, CNN -- Sao Paulo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: With lives and economies being savaged by the virus, you might think this is the wrong time to be worrying about the environment but the International Energy Agency says exactly opposite. In a new report it recommends governments spend big on green initiatives that can both help the environment but also boost the global economy as well.
The agency says that for $3 trillion, nations could fight climate change and create millions of green jobs.
John Defterios is live for us from Abu Dhabi.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Is this a call to arms to fight both the recession and climate change? Sounds smart.
[01:34:54]
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: And that sounds like a good way of describing it, a call to arms -- Michael. Because it is the dual challenge of the climate change and the Paris Accord going to 2050 but also the global recession.
And this is the impact it's had on oil demand specifically, dropping about 10 percent this year. That would be a record. But more importantly in this context at least the IEA is suggesting that it will purge energy investment by the tune of 20 percent this year alone. And we're talking about big money here, about $400 billion.
And something that is often overlooked, throughout this inflection point when it comes to the energy transition. Solar, wind, even hydrogen costs have come down. If you asked me this question ten years ago could we pull it off, I would say no. But we are on a new path and the IEA, together with the International Monetary Fund, by the way, is suggesting that you could add 1.1 percent a year of growth by making this investment of $3 trillion.
And Michael -- they're not looking 10, 15 years down the road. They're saying 2021 and over a period of three years you can get the results. And in that context again, the U.S. put up $3 trillion to fight COVID- 19. They are suggesting globally everybody could invest $3 trillion and get the same results.
HOLMES: Yes. I mean it just -- I don't know, it just sort of I'd file it under no-brainer. It just seems to make perfect sense. From a government point of view, who is the leader here and is there a danger especially under this president that the U.S. gets left behind?
DEFTERIOS: Good way of putting it again -- Michael. You remember the game we played as children show and tell? The IEA is suggesting we'll show you the new road map. We're not going to tell you to do it because of sovereign rights of the states and as you suggested President Trump pulling out of the Paris Accords. So this is a kind of delicate maneuver.
And I think it is also fair to say that the European Union is kind of grabbing the mantle and moving forward here. They have already announced their green deal worth a trillion dollars of investment up front. But get this, they're planning to spend about $300 billion a year between 2020 this year through 2030.
At the same time you have the international oil companies of Europe leading the way in this fight to go to carbon neutral by 2050 as oil and gas companies. So BP, Shell, Eni of Italy, Total of France, Equinor of Norway -- all have announced their plans at the same time the U.S. major oil companies have kind of taken a backseat.
So what we have in the United States, the federal government has pulled out of the Paris Accord but we have big large states leading the way into transition -- California, New York and Texas. It's just not pervasive -- Michael.
And this is that critical window to get it right. It's what the IEA is suggesting today.
HOLMES: Yes. Hopefully there is a move on it. It does seem to make sense.
John Defterios -- fascinating stuff. Thanks -- John. Appreciate it.
DEFTERIOS: Thanks.
HOLMES: Iceland is one of the countries with the world's lowest COVID- 19 death rate. That's despite its massive infection rate.
CNN's Max Foster visited the lab behind the country's unique approach to dealing with the virus. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iceland's latest visitor experience --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breathe out slowly as --
FOSTER: -- a virus testing station for incoming air passengers. While not the most comfortable welcome. I have had at an airport; it was either that or going to quarantine for 14 days here.
It may be a remote and sparsely populated volcanic island but Iceland had a high virus infection rate. That didn't translate into a high death rate though. In fact it had one of the lowest in the world.
The country didn't go into a full lockdown. The restaurants stayed open. Faces uncovered. When someone tested positive, a rigorous contact tracing system kicked in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a call and I was told that I had been around a person that tested positive for COVID. And it was a waiter at a place where I had lunch (INAUDIBLE). The tracing team told me that I needed to go to self isolation.
FOSTER: this is the lab where all the tests samples sent. I got my result by text a few hours after landing.
Here it is. You have not been diagnosed with COVID-19.
They don't just test for the virus here but also its mutations. That allows them to map which countries the latest infections came from and how they spread through Iceland.
KARI STEFANSSON, CEO, DECODE GENETICS: Since we (INAUDIBLE) comes the virus from everyone infected in Iceland, we can first of all determine where the mutation came from and then we can follow it as it spreads in society.
FOSTER: Karl Stefansson who runs the lab is baffled that other countries aren't using the same system.
[01:39:51]
STEFANSSON: I insist that what has happened in the United States, what has happened in Great Britain is that because of lack of screening, because of a lack of an attempt to understand what is really going on, it has been really difficult to contain the infection.
FOSTER: But scientists had a big advantage here. Politicians including the prime minister stood back and allowed them to lead on the pandemic and front the public response.
KATRIN JAKOBSDOTTIR, PRIME MINISTER OF ICELAND: This crisis has been (INAUDIBLE) and it was very important not to politicize this crisis.
FOSTER: Now they have pretty much beaten the virus, the government is pushing to reopen the country for business. JAKOBSDOTTER: In Iceland we are faced with very high unemployment
rates right now. We are not very used to high unemployment rates. So the main -- our guideline now in the government will be how to lower that number and have more people working again.
FOSTER: So as the government reopens tourist sites like the Blue Lagoon businesses will return and refill these pools. Inevitably there will be risks. But the government feels now is the right time to restart the economy.
Max Foster, CNN -- the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Beautiful country.
New details in the killing that stirred more protests and protest in the U.S. Coming up, how prosecutors plan to pursue the case against two former Atlanta police officers accused in the death of an African- American man.
Plus in the battleground state of Wisconsin black voters say they are not sitting on the sidelines anymore when it comes to voting. We will tell you the reasons why, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We have some new developments in the case of two Atlanta police officers charged in the killing of a black man, Rayshard Brooks. The Fulton County district attorney says he will not seek the death penalty against fired officer Garrett Rolfe. He and his former partner Devin Brosnan both turned themselves in on Thursday.
CNN's Ryan Young with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After nearly a week of emotions, anger and tension, both responding officers charged in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks have surrendered.
Former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe is being held without bond stemming from 11 charges including felony murder. His attorneys told CNN his use of force was justified.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Critics say you overcharged. How do you respond to that?
PAUL HOWARD, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: I just say that's just not true. What we did is we charged based upon the facts.
YOUNG: Officer Devin Brosnan turned himself in earlier today and has since been released on a signature bond. Brosnan is charged with aggravated assault for allegedly standing on Brooks shoulders which he denies. His attorney says Brosnan put his foot on Brooks' arms for less than 10 seconds to make sure he couldn't get access to weapon. [01:45:01]
DON SAMUEL, DEVIN BROSNAN'S ATTORNEY: He's disappointed in the system, to be honest with you. He was dedicating his life to law enforcement. He knows the system will work eventually whether it's the DA's office, or the GBI, or if it has to be a jury eventually. But it's going to be a rough couple of months.
YOUNG: On Wednesday night, hours after the charges were announced, officers across Atlanta refused to respond to calls in three of the department's six zones. Others walked out or called out according to the police union.
The Atlanta police department denies claims of a walk out but acknowledged a higher than usual member of call outs.
CNN spoke to a handful of officers who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution. One telling CNN "We are one bullet away from dying and one mistake from an indictment." Another saying "The morale is the lowest it's been in 18 years. This is because of the mayor and the DA."
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D), ATLANTA: Across the country, morale is down with police departments and I think ours is down tenfold.
YOUNG: Despite this, Atlanta's mayor the city has shown its commitment to the officers through a pay raise and bonuses.
BOTTOMS: This is been a very tough few weeks in Atlanta.
YOUNG: In a newly-released interview filmed four months before his death, we're hearing from Rayshard Brooks in his own words the challenges he faced after being released from jail. He had no money, in need of a job and had a mountain of debt.
RAYSHARD BROOKS, KILLED BY POLICE: We can't get the time back what we can make up for it. I'm not the type of person to give up.
YOUNG: Months before his death he talked about his struggle with a previous arrest where he pleaded guilty because a public defender told him he could get 10 years behind bars.
BROOKS: It hardened me at a point. You know, I said like hey, you know, I have to have my guard up because the world is cruel. You know, it took me through seeing different things, you know, in the system, you know. It just -- it makes you hardened to a point.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: That was CNN's Ryan Young reporting.
Rayshard Brooks' funeral is going to be on Tuesday, by the way, at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Now, as you heard in Ryan's piece there, police morale is down all over the U.S. CNN spoke to former Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey about the effect the racially-charged atmosphere is having on law enforcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Listen, this is a tough situation for police across the country. I do not agree that officers should not come to work. I mean this isn't pro-bono work. You do get paid to do this. And you have an oath that you have taken and you have a responsibility that goes along with that.
Having said that though, I think it is important that we think about we need to have balance when we're talking about policing in this country. The last month almost has been very, very negative to a point where in some instances it's almost as if the police are being demonized as a group.
And we have to be a little careful because it is demoralizing. It does I think wear on officers, not just in Atlanta but across the country. So these police chiefs have to hit these roll calls, have to talk to the men and women, keep their morale up as high as they can, get them out there doing their jobs.
If they do their jobs properly they have nothing to be concerned about. If they don't or if they're one of these people like we saw in both Minneapolis and Atlanta, yes you've got a problem.
And so I think we just need to make sure that they have the balance they need so they can continue to get out there and do their job.
And if I could just say one more thing about the prosecutor. My whole point was that in -- this is a heightened emotional state. Words matter and you have to be very careful. If you knew from the beginning you are going to seek a death penalty then either don't throw it out or throw it out there and then say but that's not what where we're going because people have unrealistic expectations when something like that is thrown out in this current state that we are in right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That was CNN law enforcement analysis Charles Ramsey speaking earlier.
Now, in 2016 Donald Trump of course, narrowly won the state of Wisconsin by 23,000 votes. Well while some black voters stayed on the sideline in that election, they tell CNN's Jeff Zeleny this time around they are going to make their voices heard.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Mariah Smith has been marching. And come November she will be voting.
MARIAH SMITH, ACTIVIST: If you don't go out and vote you are voting for Trump, period. That's it. There's no other way around it.
ZELENY: With tributes to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor painted across Milwaukee, along with murals and signs calling for peace and justice, the soundtrack of American politics is now animated by protest. With anger towards President Trump resonating far louder than adoration for Joe Biden.
[01:49:53]
PRENTICE MCKINNEY: There is a time when you go to the polls to vote for something. And then there is a time where you go and you take a stand against something.
ZELENY: Prentice McKinney has been watching these demonstrations closely. Stirring memories from 1967 when he helped lead a fight for fair housing in 200 straight days of Marches.
These images seared into his mind like coming face to face with two policemen outside the Mayor's office.
MCKINNEY: I came in love.
ZELENY: In today's protests he sees broader diversity with the unifying purpose.
MCKINNEY: Part of the universal appeal of this movement is because of Donald Trump. Because people realized who and what he is.
ZELENY: Here in one of the nation's most segregated cities, a summer of unrest is now part of the Presidential race that will test whether protesters have awakened a political movement.
ANGELA LANG, BLACK LEADERS ORGANIZING FOR COMMUNITIES: There are people that are like I didn't know Trump was racist. What do you mean he's racist? Point to something very clear and specific.
We can point to this moment just a few months ahead of the presidential election about how he is treating our community.
ZELENY: Angela Lang, founded a group to mobilize African-Americans after Trump narrowly carried Wisconsin in 2016 when turnout among black voters and others substantially fell.
Since then there are some signs of change. In April, David Crowley was elected as the first African American Milwaukee County executive, a seat once held by Republican former governor Scott Walker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This election matters because people know that we need absolute change.
ZELENY: The Trump campaign isn't ceding black voters. Opening a Republican field office here on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive with a quote from the slain civil rights leader in the window.
David Bowen -- a Democratic state representative said voters should not be fooled.
DAVID BOWEN, WISCONSIN STATE ASSEMBLY: It's very offensive to the standpoint that nothing in his administration or that he has done really lines up with those words. ZELENY: Protests in Milwaukee are approaching a third straight week,
organized by Frank Sensabaugh (ph) who said he intentionally did not vote four years ago.
Do you plan to vote this November?
FRANK SENSABAUGH, PROTESTER: This November yes. I actually will be trying to vote. This November I think that it's going to be more serious of a vote.
ZELENY: And that gives hope to McKinney that these young demonstrators will keep their eye on November.
MCKINNEY: I think they will be there. I think that is what Trump is afraid of.
ZELENY: The anger and disdain for President Trump is so clear from so many Democratic voters we spoke to whether or not they voted in 2016. They say they will be voting in November.
The burden though is also on Joe Biden to excite Democratic voters between now and Election Day. He is starting a $15 million ad campaign in six states including here in Wisconsin. And no coincidence will be accepting the Democratic nomination two months from this weekend.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN -- Milwaukee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: President Trump faces another rebuke from the Supreme Court. In a 5-4 ruling, justice blocking the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, more commonly known as DACA.
Now what it does is it protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, very young children sometimes. They're also known as dreamers and DACA was protecting them from deportation.
is the second time in a week that the court has ruled against the President. On Monday, it ruled that gay, lesbian, and transgendered employees are protected from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Tributes pouring in after the passing of a British entertainment icon. When we come back we will have more of the legacy of Dame Vera Lynn.
[01:53:37]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: I'll leave you now with the sad passing of a British icon. The entertainer, Dame Vera Lynn, died on Thursday at the age of 103. Best known, of course, for singing the World War II ballad "We'll Meet Again".
CNN's Nina Dos Santos has more on her enduring legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dame Vera Lynn believed her calling and her duty was to entertain the allied troops during the Second World War through her radio program and visits overseas.
Her show gained notoriety among secret listeners in occupied Europe. And she was dubbed the sweetheart of Britain's Armed Forces.
DAME VERA LYNN, BRITISH ENTERTAINER: I was the girl next door. I wasn't a glamorous person. I could've been their sweetheart, their mother, their wife singing to them and I suppose that is why they accepted me because they felt that I was one of them.
DOS SANTOS: Lynn is best known for her iconic song war time "We'll Meet Again".
LYNN: And it was perfect for me to close my programs on it. It was optimistic and left the listener with a little hope and something to think about.
DOS SANTOS: This year she became the oldest artist to get a top 40 album in the U.K. after "We'll Meet Again" was referenced by the Queen during the coronavirus crisis. The bygone song providing new hope for Brits separated from loved ones.
Public service was a lifelong career for Lynn who supported veterans' charities and created a foundation for children with cerebral palsy.
The Forces sweetheart continued to lift British spirits during good times and bad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: 103 years old.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me and watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes.
[01:57:42]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
