Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
South Korea Says Second Wave of COVID-19 is Underway; Coronavirus Cases Spike around the World; Coronavirus Outbreak in Latin America Now Rivals Europe's; Trump Extends Limits On Some Work Visas Through 2020; EPL and Burnley Football Club Condemns "White Lives Matter" Banner; India Records 100,000+ New Cases In Eight Days; President To Address "Students For Trump" Rally In Arizona; Outbreak In Germany Centers Around Meatpacking Plant. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired June 23, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to our viewers, from all around the world. I am Anna Coren in Hong Kong.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, worrying trends in coronavirus cases around the globe, rising numbers in the Americas, second wave in South Korea and a surge in India. The pandemic's impact on the global economy and what the IMF is forecasting in the painful months ahead.
And the fight to tear down icons of the past, the latest target a former president's statue just steps away from the White House.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COREN: Well the numbers are sobering, there are more 9 million cases of coronavirus around the world with the Americas hard hit. Brazil has passed 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths over the weekend. Mexico reported nearly 4,600 new cases, in a 24 hour period.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 2 million cases across Latin America and the Caribbean.
And in the Middle East, for the first year in modern times, Saudi Arabia will prevent people from outside the country to attend the hajj.
And British prime minister Boris Johnson will announce another easing of the nationwide lockdown to allow museums and galleries and movie theaters to reopen. from July 4th.
South Korea is warning that the second wave of the coronavirus is underway in the country. Our Paula Hancocks is standing by, with the latest.
And Paula, South Korea is really the first developed country to announce a second wave. Why is it taking authorities a whole month, considering that the
second wave started in May, to make this public?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anna, the fact is, there is no overall classification of what a second wave is. We have been hearing from Korea CDC consistently, there have been a number of cluster infections, most notably within the capital of Seoul.
But then on Monday they decided they would label that as a second wave. They said the first wave here in South Korea, was February to April. And then the mass testing and the contact tracing managed to decrease the number of new infections significantly. It was 10 or below for many, many days.
But then after the May holiday, they say that is when the spike started again. Now they are not calling it a large-scale infection, they are saying that they are regional outbreaks. We've been seeing cluster outbreaks in warehouses, logistics centers, churches and nightclubs and many different areas, which they are trying to grapple with.
But the Korea CDC deciding they are going to call this a second wave. They did say though, that this doesn't mean there's not going to be another wave when it comes to autumn and winter, which is when most countries are warning of the second wave. They say they are preparing for that.
They are expecting large numbers of infections at that time and making sure they have enough hospital beds ready.
COREN: It's an interesting point, because as we discussed for months now, Korea was very aggressive in tackling the pandemic and believing the virus has been contained. And I guess the first wave is over but if the second wave can happen in Korea as organized, highly resourced and compliant country, what hope is there for other countries, that are nowhere near as aggressive in its approach?
HANCOCKS: Well, I think it's worth pointing out that, the numbers in Korea, while they are high compared to what South Korea has been experiencing, from the end of April, beginning of May. They're certainly not high to what many countries are experiencing. Over 40 were reported today but that also includes a Russian flight ship, that is docked off the southeast coast of Korea in Pusan.
They have about 16 Russian soldiers who have tested positive. That is part of what -- the numbers they are reporting. And particularly that area is a new cluster in this country. They are saying there are more than 170 port workers, who came into contact with those particular individuals, going on board to take cargo off.
So now they are being quarantined, tested as well to try to contain that cluster. But it is true, it's a cautionary tale for many countries around the world. And South Korea has dealt with this pandemic very well. There has been mass testing and contact tracing that has helped.
[02:05:00]
HANCOCKS: But still it just takes one person to have another cluster which can happen anywhere.
COREN: Yes, absolutely, very hard to get on top of this. Paula Hancocks, joining us from Seoul, thank you for the update.
Even though nearly half the U.S. is seeing a rise in cases, many areas are still pushing ahead with reopening. But as Nick Watt reports, some of the early openers are seeing the downside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Florida reopened early, now, paying the price. Fewer than a thousand cases reported the day they began. Saturday, a new record, more than 4,000.
MAYOR DAN GELBER (D-FL), MIAMI BEACH: Right now we know exactly what's happening. Young people are going out because they do think they're invincible. They're getting the virus and they're spreading it into the community and it's just harder to protect people when that happens.
WATT (voice-over): Meanwhile in New York which waited until today to reopen restaurants and retail in the city.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): We went from the highest transmission rate in the United States to the lowest. Three other places basically did re-opening as a political exercise. It was politicized by the White House and some states ran to reopen and just forgot about the metrics and the science.
WATT (voice-over): Nationally, we had largely flattened the curve of new cases, but they're now rising again, fueled by those early openers in the south and the west. Record high hospitalizations right now in Arizona, the Carolinas and Texas. And the death rate rise says Dr. Anthony Fauci, will follow in a few weeks.
MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D-TX), AUSTIN: I wish we had done this more slowly so we could have seen the data along the way.
WATT (voice-over): Oklahoma where the president just was, set a new record Sunday, nearly 500 new cases.
TRUMP: I said to my people, slow the testing down, please.
WATT (voice-over): And Arizona where the president will be tomorrow, the average new case count has quadrupled in just three weeks.
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYSESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself. It's the lack of global solidarity and global leadership.
WATT (voice-over): The U.S. is the global super power and the largest economy on Earth and natural leader. Yet, this country can't even manage its own crisis -- makes up around 4 percent of the world's population, but 25 percent of global COVID-19 cases and deaths. The White House, now prepping for a second wave.
PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE TRADE ADVISER: We are filling the stockpile in anticipation of a possible problem in the fall.
WATT (voice-over): And the CDC expected to publish new guidance on masks any moment.
GELBER: The CDC has been late and then haven't been giving us - haven't given us a great playbook, if one at all, frankly. So, we've sort of been on our own trying to write this thing as we go along.
WATT (voice-over): New Jersey chose a cautious path, opened outdoors already, parks, beaches, but only starts some indoors, barbers, tanning salons and such today. And the governor is still preaching caution.
GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): We're now going inside. Folks are going to have to be careful. Obey the rules. And this is a big step for us today.
WATT: And here at the international terminal at LAX, they are trialing thermal imaging cameras that will scan everybody coming into the terminal from outside or off a plane and, if your temperature is 100.4 or above, boom, you are flagged.
The mayor of Miami also just made face masks mandatory on Monday. It's clear our leaders are planning for the future and it's looking like a long haul -- Nick Watt, CNN, at LAX.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Dr. Anne Rimoin is a professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Global and Immigrant Health at UCLA.
Doctor, great to have you with us.
We heard from Kathleen Sibelius, former HHS Secretary, a few hours ago, who said that the U.S. was way behind the virus and still reacting. We are now months into this pandemic.
Would you agree that the U.S. is still playing catch-up?
ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: I agree. We have been chasing behind this virus from the beginning. We did not have the infrastructure in place, we had years of defunding of our public health infrastructure and no good planning in place for the eventuality of epidemics and a pandemic.
So we are doing exactly what we always warned against, chasing behind these things. This is a here a clear case of an ounce of prevention versus a pound of cure. And now we have to spend that pound of cure to even be able to get our arms around here.
COREN: Now you have the administration, like Peter Navarro just said, planning for a second wave. And the U.S. has not even gone through the first wave yet. RIMOIN: Correct. We are still trying to get testing ramped up, enough
testing for everybody, making it easy for people to get tested. And even if testing is available, people have to be able to access it. And that is very difficult to do for many people, in many communities. And so we are really not there. Also the contact tracing.
[02:10:00]
RIMOIN: We are still not there with enough contact tracers. Our health systems are beleaguered. We don't have enough people in the Department of Health able to do their job. So we are really stretched very thin.
COREN: As we just reported, South Korea has announced a second wave of the virus. And it's really the first developed country to publicly declare a second wave. And it has been aggressive in its response. And so I guess it is an ominous warning, then, for other countries who are struggling and floundering with this pandemic.
RIMOIN: South Korea, whether they're still in the first wave with a resurgence or a true second wave, either way, what South Korea is showing us, is it just takes one or 2 people, to kick off a whole entire new wave of cases.
And so vigilance is really important. But Korea has done -- South Korea has done an excellent job of contact tracing, of testing and really being able to understand where they are in this pandemic.
So I think that South Korea, it's been easy for all of us to say we are waiting for the second wave, when is it going to occur or what is the first wave and what is the second wave. But either way it's all about the same things: testing, tracing contacts, isolating people and being able to control when we start having new clusters.
COREN: Dr. Rimoin, tell us about the changing characteristics of the virus. I read about one health official calling it erratic and what makes it so difficult to control is that it is not uniform spreading.
RIMOIN: We are still trying to understand the spread of this virus. And what is complicated is there is a lot of spread from asymptomatic spreaders. And trying to understand truly when people are contagious and if they are contagious before they have symptoms, it is very, very difficult to control.
If people don't know if they're exposed, if they're asymptomatic or presymptomatic, if they around other people, it makes it very, very difficult. That's why these blunt public health measures like wearing a mask and social distancing are really our only hope until we have a vaccine in place.
COREN: You mentioned masks and there are some states where it is compulsory to wear masks in public. But it is so disjointed across the United States. So with that issue alone, trying to contain this virus, you are virtually are up against a brick wall from the get-go.
RIMOIN: Well, absolutely, you are correct. The problem here is when there is a lack of consensus, we have politics filling the void. That is really what is happening, with the politicization of masks.
Masks work. They are a perfect blunt measure to reduce the spread of this virus. We know it's spread by droplets. If you wear a mask, you can keep your droplets to yourself, it is important and very straightforward. There should be no debate on wearing a mask.
Wearing it protects people from you and also provides protection to the wearer as well. It is really quite simple. I think it should be widespread and adopted everywhere and it doesn't matter, where you are, if we wear masks, we will be able to reduce the spread.
COREN: If only it was uniform right across the country, across the world actually. And Dr. Anne Rimoin, it's great to have you with us. Thank you for your insights.
Well, for the second straight day, Mexico's death toll has exceeded Brazil's with more than 715 dead on Monday and close to 5,000 infections. Amid a surging outbreak, Mexico has continued to restart its economy. Workers can see the move is risky but the alternative would see families going without food and basic necessities. CNN's Matt Rivers has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once a year San Juan Carlos Cruz Gonzalez (ph) doesn't take off his equipment at the crematorium where he works, housed in a public cemetery. There is no downtime between bodies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Spanish).
"Honestly, this epidemic has not ended," he says. "It's still going on every day."
The ovens didn't stop firing in the hours that we were there but they couldn't keep up. Some families who had brought loved ones had to wait for hours for them to be cremated. It's a morbid illustration that Mexico's epidemic is far from over and the numbers back it up.
This chart shows the daily trend of new cases of the coronavirus in Mexico. It is not hard to see that things are only getting worse.
"So is reopening the economy dangerous?" we ask.
"Yes," Juan Carlos says.
[02:15:00]
RIVERS (voice-over): "It is still too early to go back to normal."
But Mexico's president disagrees. He says we have to go back out, little by little, carefully, to exercise our freedom.
Mexico's economy is in dire straits and Lopez Obrador know it so he has backed a phased reopening plan that for most started June 1st, sending hundreds of thousands back to work across different industries. And he has plenty of support.
And Mexico City's massive Centrale Avastos (ph) wholesale market, vendor Rodolfo Macharo's (ph) sales have dropped 70 percent since the outbreak began.
"We want everyone to go back to normal," he says, "months of quarantine, it's too much."
It is a very common sentiment here and amongst the millions of Mexicans who have lost their jobs recently.
"If I don't go out to work, who will feed my family?
That is why we have to come here."
But the market itself reinforces the high cost of reopening. Officials say more than 600 people that work here have tested positive for the coronavirus since April.
"Thirty percent of me wants to reopen and 70 percent doesn't, says this vendor. "They say it's necessary but people aren't being safe enough."
Mexico's death toll has more than doubled in just the last three weeks. A model from MIT says it could pass 50,000 by early August.
And back inside the crematorium, that death toll becomes real. Of the five bodies we saw, four were likely COVID-19 related deaths.
"Those that work here, see it," he says.
"We know this is not over."
RIVERS: In the end the government's decision is both straightforward and painful, reopen the economy, allow people to go out and earn a living with the knowledge that by doing so, there is every chance that cemeteries like this one will become more full -- Matt Rivers, CNN, outside Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still to come, stark warning from the International Monetary Fund, the grim new economic forecast is up next.
Plus ashamed and embarrassed, an English Premier League club denounces an offensive banner displayed at a football match Monday night.. More on that reaction next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
COREN: U.S. president Donald Trump has suspended visas allowing tens of thousands of foreigners to work in the U.S. through the end of the year. The administration argues that limiting visas will help Americans searching for work during the pandemic.
[02:20:00]
COREN: The move impacts a wide range of workers and takes effect on Thursday. Many companies oppose the decision, including the tech industry, which heavily relies on skilled foreign workers.
Google's CEO was among those speaking out. He tweeted that immigration has contributed immensely to America's economic success, making it a global leader in tech. And also he goes on to say he is disappointed by the proclamation and will continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all.
Well, meanwhile, the IMF is warning that the 2020 recession will be deeper than initially forecast. Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, the managing director also warned of slow economic recovery in 2021.
CNN's emerging markets editor John Defterios is standing by to talk about many issues.
So much to speak about; obviously the IMF predictions but let's start with the suspension of those working visas fiercely opposed by U.S. leaders and the Chamber of Commerce.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes, and it's serious electioneering, I would say, Anna, by President Trump here and expanding the executive orders here on two categories of visas, one is a temporary worker so companies based in the United States allowing workers to come in on a temporary basis.
And then the H-1B, which allows foreign workers to transfer to U.S. soil and stay and become investors over time. The president's position is he wants Americans to be able to apply for these jobs, particularly after the pandemic.
But Twitter weighed in and we know the clash between the White House and Silicon Valley particularly with the social media companies, suggesting this will eat away at America's diversity, which is its greatest asset.
And this is something that not only is a thorny issue in California but throughout the United States. But in particular, the president challenging California as a liberal state and he's even got head to head with the governor of the state as well.
So at the same time, we see on both sides of the coast -- and it's amazing, the number of people who have spoken up. You said Google but also Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla, Facebook and of course Google and Twitter but even on the East Coast, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is traditionally pro Republican but in this instance says we cannot agree with the president on this executive order.
It's extended to the end of the year because we have the election in November. It's come on and off through the years, but this is a president that has been time to challenge it and picked the pandemic as a time to do so.
COREN: John, the IMF forecasts, tell us more.
DEFTERIOS: Well, this IMF forecast in the context of what's happening in the markets in the last 24 hours has put the two of them together, it's the U.S.-China trade dispute, reemerging again in somewhat ugly fashion.
Peter Navarro, the trade adviser to President Trump of FOX Business, kind of a friendly platform for him, said that the U.S.-China deal, representing $200 billion of products, is off even though it was cited on January 15th.
That he said was taken out of context. And we're not sure why because President Trump weighed in on Twitter and said the deal is still alive. But will the Chinese still live to the spirit of that agreement, to buy agricultural products, energy and a range of other things that would support the president in his election year?
And in that context, we have the pandemic. So the IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva told Christiane Amanpour, look, we need support and it will need to continue. And it's even rising as we speak, let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMF: We are now edging up to $11 trillion of fiscal measures alone. And what we know is, as long as this high degree of uncertainty is with us, as long as we need to protect firms and people, that necessity of additional support for the economy is there.
But we do need to think of the world on the other side, higher debt, higher deficit, likely higher unemployment and, very important, a risk of higher inequality and more poverty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: So the IMF managing director, was bold enough to say what's on the other side. It's going to be a huge challenge, with a higher debt and higher unemployment and we have to look at the second wave, United States, Brazil, major economies, India.
This will hold back growth but that number is eye-popping. Nearly $11 trillion put forward and she is saying it will have to continue in the climate we're in today -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, sadly it's a grim outlook. John Defterios, good to see you, thank you.
[02:20:00]
COREN: And in the U.K., an English Premier League club is strongly condemning an offensive banner that flew over the match in Manchester. Don Riddell has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the English Premier League, Black Lives Matter. Around the world, those three words have come to represent an awakening. A powerful movement in response to racial injustice, police brutality and oppression.
Those words, Black Lives Matter, are on the shirts of the players and on the minds of many. Before Monday night's game at the Etihad Stadium, all players from Manchester City and Burnley took a knee in support of the movement.
But before the game had begun, their eyes were drawn to the sky. And the sight of a banner being towed by a plane. The message, white lives matter Burnley.
The players could hardly believe what they were seeing. Afterwards, Burnley's captain, Ben Mee, told Sky Sports of the team's disgust.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN MEE, BURNLEY CAPTAIN: I am ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to pull that on the stadium and completely miss the point. People are ashamed and embarrassed to see that.
And it's not what we are about at all. Missed the point of the whole thing trying to achieve, trying to do. I think these people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL (voice-over): Burnley Football Club condemned the banner and the stunt in a strongly worded statement, saying the side strongly condemns the actions of those responsible for the aircraft and offensive banner that flew over the Etihad Stadium.
"We wish to make it clear that those responsible are not welcome at Turf Moor."
For the record, two goals each help Manchester City to a 5-0 win. The result will extend the title race for at least a few more days. Liverpool, denied the chance to clinch their first Premier League title on Wednesday.
RIDDELL: But none of that really seemed to matter on Monday. And while the game and the positive protest movement were only briefly upstaged by a banner in the sky, it goes to show you the extraordinary lengths that some will go to try and silence their voices -- Don Riddell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Fans and fellow drivers came out to support NASCAR's Bubba Wallace, after a noose was found in his crew's garage. Before the race began, Wallace drove onto the track, surrounded by the other racers, a powerful display of support for the only black driver in NASCAR's top circuit.
Wallace finished 14th, at the Talladega, after running low on fuel, late in the race. Here's what he had to say about the emotional race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUBBA WALLACE, NASCAR DRIVER: All in all, we won today. The pre-race deal --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), Bubba.
WALLACE: -- the pre-race deal was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness in my life. From all the supporters, from drivers, from crew members, everybody here, the baddest fan base -- thank you guys for coming out here.
(APPLAUSE)
WALLACE: This is truly incredible and I'm proud to be a part of the sport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: An emotional Bubba Wallace speaking to his fans.
The White House is in damage control mode, after Trump said he asked officials to slow down testing to keep COVID-19 numbers in check. How his allies are defending his comments next.
And Germany sends in the army to deal with a new coronavirus outbreak. Why one meat processing plant is now connected to over 1,000 new cases.
[02:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Anna Coren. Well, Coronavirus cases are dramatically spiking in India. Nearly half a million people are infected there, according to Johns Hopkins University. That's the fourth-highest total in the world. Now they've added more than 100,000 cases in a little more than a week.
Vedika Sud joins us now from New Delhi with the latest. And Vedika, India's beleaguered hospital system has been completely overwhelmed by the pandemic where ordinary patients are being turned away and dying. And I believe that you have spoken to some of those families.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, two such families have spoken with me recently. Disturbing news early in developments that took place when they tried to take their loved ones to the hospital. In one case, it was a father in law of the person I spoke with. He was showing symptoms of COVID-19 and he was rejected by at least three hospitals when they call them up to ask them if there was a bed available at these COVID facilities. The reason given was that they don't have enough beds.
He was finally taken into a government hospital in Delhi, the largest in the national capital. And he was denied entry when he collapsed just 10 feet away from the entrance point. The reason given was go back to the place where you got your father-in-law tested. We did speak with the hospital. They claim that this person was brought dead to the hospital. That's just one case, Anna, and many more, especially in the national capital.
We're talking about over 60,000 cases in Delhi today. What's worrying is that the Delhi government has said and predicted by the end of July there will be half a million cases only in the national capital, which is New Delhi. And for this, they need at least 80,000 beds.
Currently, I've just looked up figures, they're close to 13,300 beds in New Delhi. We're talking about end July. That's not too far off. It's going to be a huge task, a Herculean task for them to even get half those beds and numbers given. At the current moment, most of the hospitals in Delhi are turning away patients stating that they don't have enough beds in the city, Anna.
COREN: Vedika, the Indian Supreme Court said the situation in Delhi is "horrendous, horrific, and pathetic." But what does that mean? And will this dire statement force the government to take action at a time when it wants the Indian economy to be back up and running?
SUD: Valid question there, Anna. You have the central government already stepping in. As you mentioned, the Supreme Court came down hard on the Delhi government stating the pathetic conditions in wards and of patients, after which you've had the Home Minister of the country, Amit Shah, also hold a series of meetings with the Delhi government representatives. They've also set up a panel that has recommended a few measures over the next few weeks.
So now you do Have the central government stepping in monitoring the situation, especially at the time of prediction of half a million cases in Delhi has already been announced. The world's largest COVID facility which will be a temporary one has been set up at a spiritual center. We believe there'll be 10,000 beds that will be available for patients there.
Some train coaches, interestingly, are also being converted into COVID facilities for patients. So those are a few developments already happening. We're expecting a lot more to happen. But we will keep an eye, Anna, on whether 80,000 beds can be made available by the end of July. This is the biggest challenge that the Delhi government and the central government is facing. Anna?
COREN: Well, they only got a week left. Vedika Sud, many thanks for the update. President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail despite warnings not to hold mass gatherings during the Coronavirus pandemic. After his Tulsa rally fell short on crowd size, Mr. Trump is off to Phoenix, Arizona in the coming hours for a rally organized by Students for Trump. He didn't wear a mask in Tulsa and he doesn't plan to wear one in Phoenix. Eight of his campaign staffers who attended the rally have tested
positive for Coronavirus. We learned of the latest two on Monday. But the Trump campaign says they were wearing masks and quarantine and contact tracing protocols have been activated.
But as President Trump heads to Arizona, the Coronavirus cases are spiking in the states as you can see from this map. Mr. Trump told Tulsa rally goers he's asked for testing to be slowed down to keep the case numbers down. Well, his staff says he was joking, but here's what CNN Boris Sanchez found out.
[02:35:49]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ask to slow it down?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If it did slow down, frankly, I think we're way ahead of ourselves, if you want to know the truth. We've done too good a job.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House today insisting the President was joking Saturday night in Tulsa, upset about media coverage.
TRUMP: So I said to my people, slow the testing down, please.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It was a comment that he made and jest.
SANCHEZ: The apparent joke coming as the U.S. surpasses 120,000 Coronavirus deaths, and nearly half of U.S. states are reporting an increase in cases.
TRUMP: We saved millions of lives. And now it's time to open up, get back to work, OK. Get back to work.
SANCHEZ: Administration officials also eager to quell concerns about a second wave of cases this fall.
LARRY KUDLOW, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: We know how to deal with this stuff. Now. It's come a long way since last winter. And there is no second wave coming. It's just you know, hotspots they send in CDC teams.
SANCHEZ: Though other administration officials admit the White House is preparing for a second wave.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Are you preparing for a second wave in the fall?
PETER NAVARRO, DIRECTOR, US. TRADE AND MANUFACTURING POLICY: Of course, we're -- you prepare -- you prepare for what can possibly happen. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but of course, you prepare. SANCHEZ: The president pushing forward with a planned event Tuesday in a state surging with Coronavirus cases, Arizona. Despite new rules requiring the use of masks in public, the mayor of Phoenix tell CNN Trump's speech will be an exception.
KATE GALLEGO, MAYOR, PHOENIX, ARIZONA: We are not going to be focused on enforcement during the rally.
SANCHEZ: The speech coming after Trump's Tulsa rally failed to meet expectations, drawing far fewer supporters than anticipated and leaving the White House to try and spin his latest racist remark.
TRUMP: Oh, it's COVID. It's this again -- by the way, it's a disease without question has more names than any disease in history. I can name Kung Flu. I can name 19 different versions of them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why does he use racist phrases like the Kung Flu?
MCENANY: The president doesn't. What the President does do is point to the fact that the origin of the virus is China. It's a fair thing to point out as China tries to ridiculously rewrite history. To be clear, I think the media is trying to play games with the terminology of this virus where the focus should be on the fact that China let this out of their country. While the media wants to focus on nomenclature, the President is going to focus on action.
SANCHEZ: The Press Secretary also struggling to explain the surprise firing of Geoffrey Berman last week by Attorney General Bill Barr. The now former U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York who was leading several investigations related to President Trump initially refusing to resign, ultimately ousted through a letter published by Barr saying Trump wanted him gone. Though the president later claimed he wasn't involved.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did the President say he wasn't involved in the firing of Jeff Berman when the Attorney General said the President was the one who fired him?
MCENANY: Because the Attorney General was taking the lead on this matter. He did come to the present and report to him when Mr. Berman decided not to leave. And at that point is when the President agreed with the decision of the Attorney General and that to fire Mr. Berman and to promote Mr. Clayton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So he was involved in it then?
MCENANY: He was involved in the sign of capacity.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: That was CNN's Boris Sanchez reporting there. Well, meanwhile, a source tell CNN the House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler is planning to subpoena U.S. Attorney General William Barr for a hearing in July. There are growing reports President Trump's racist language to describe the Coronavirus is hurting Asian Americans. Dr. Leana Wen told CNN's Anderson Cooper that every time she gives advice on COVID- 19, she gets racist messages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: Every time I read a paper or I'm on your town hall or otherwise I'm speaking about Coronavirus and giving advice on reducing risk for people and their families, I get messages calling me a bat eater, telling me to go back to my own country, and saying that I should have admit that it's "my people" who are causing this virus. And I have friends and colleagues or Asian American doctors and nurses who are -- patients are spitting on them and refusing to be treated by them because they are the ones who are apparently are carrying this virus.
Now all of us as health professionals, we do our jobs. We move on, we do our best, we internalize this, and we don't let this bother us as much as we can. But I think the fact is that this doesn't have to be this way. We see leaders in other countries, our own state of local leaders, many of them step up and speak out against racism and xenophobia, and really the President of the United States should be doing the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:40:39]
COREN: Well, she added that for many Americans, the President is the most credible messenger and, in this case, words do matter. The number of workers testing positive Coronavirus at a poultry plant in Wales has risen to 179. All workers at the Two Sisters Chicken Factory on the Isle of Anglesey have been asked to sell isolate for 14 days. The plant has been shut. And Wales health officials say they're using a track and trace system to control the outbreak.
Germany Coronavirus reproduction rate has spiked by more than 60 percent after a surge of new cases. Health officials are linking this to what they call an explosion of cases at a meat processing plant in Western Germany, where more than 1,300 workers have tested positive.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us from Berlin with the details. Fred, authorities is scrambling to contain this outbreak.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly are, Anna. And I was looking at the most recent numbers from Germany's Center for Disease Control, and that our number, the reproduction number has actually stayed at a very high level. It was 2.88, according to yesterday's data. It's 2.78 according to today's data.
And obviously, the German government said a long time ago that in order to continue beating the virus back, it has to be below one. So certainly, very concerning especially because of that large-scale outbreak at that meat processing plant. And the Germans have kind of gone so far to even call in their military to help with the situation. Here's what we're learning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PLEITGEN: Germany has called in its army after more than 1,300 workers at the Tonnies Meat Processing Plant in the city of Gutersloh tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus. Local authorities are ripped into management saying in many cases, the firm failed to provide the addresses of employees even as health officials were urgently trying to trace those who may have been in contact with the virus.
I want to say clearly that the trust we have in the Tonnies company is zero, the crisis team leader says. I have to say this clearly.
While the company says German data protection laws slow the information sharing process, the owner says he's sorry the outbreak occurred in his business.
I can only offer my complete apologies and give my apology because we are the cause of this issue and carry full responsibility, me as a businessman and the company as a whole, he said.
The outbreak in Gutersloh is one of the main reasons the reproduction number for the Novel Coronavirus in Germany has soared, the country's Center for Disease Control said. But it also spotlights what many activists and politicians say are unacceptable working conditions in German abattoirs with employees often laboring and living in very close quarters.
Germany has seen a series of outbreaks and its meat processing industry and the government says it will take action to improve conditions. The federal government is determined not to be guided by the interests of lobbyists but by the interests of the public, Germany's labor minister said, at its core. This is a decision between public well-being or egoistic interests.
Meanwhile, in the town of Gutersloh, state authority say they might have to put the entire region around the Tonnies plant under a blanket lockdown.
The source of this outbreak can be found at this specific company, so it is still the case that we are unable to rule out a wider lockdown, the state governor said.
While Germany has often been praised for its strong reaction to the Coronavirus pandemic, politicians acknowledge they need to do more to make sure the meat industry here does not remain a source of heightened infections.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: Again, I was just checking again the numbers there for that very specific plant. And they've actually gone up from more than 1,300 people infected to now more than 1,500 people infected. So certainly, the authority is still conducting those mass tests, still trying to find out exactly how to trace all the people who were infected in that plant and hoping they say that all of that does not spill over into the general population.
Now, parts of that area are already on lockdown. No schools for instance are in session, some of the houses are -- especially the larger houses are on lockdown as well. However, late last night, there was a press conference by the local authorities and they are saying that they believe with every day, a wider lockdown of that region could become necessary and will become more likely.
So you can see the Germans clearly scrambling with some major issues with a gigantic meat processing industry as they have and clearly also questioning some of the methods and some of the way that the workers there are housed and the way that they have to work in those plants, Anna.
[02:45:32]
COREN: Fred Pleitgen joining us from Berlin, many thanks for the update. Well, tributes for three victims of a terror attack in an English Park, we'll take you to the city of Reading which is trying to cope with shock and loss.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: The British government warns the U.K. is facing a growing risk from so-called lone-wolf terrorists. This comes as police investigate Saturday's terror attack in an English Park not far from London, where three people were killed. Investigators say the suspect, a 25-year-old Libyan refugee acted alone. Meanwhile, CNN's Nic Robertson says the city of Reading is devastated by the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Joe Richie-Bennett from Philadelphia, James Furlong, a teacher, and David Wails all died in Reading's terror attack Saturday. Martin Cooper knew the mall. Friends in Reading's Pride Organization, Joe, the best of all.
MARTIN COOPER, CEO, READING PRIDE: Joe, now there's a character, very bubbly, vibrant, flirty at times, but genuinely nice guy, always will pick you up if you've ever fell in the down or low.
ROBERTSON: He is still processing the horror seen in videos posted online.
COOPER: I've literally witnessed my friends dying, and that's not going to get out of -- out of mind now. It's -- it was horrific. So, yes, I would say please don't share that sort of footage.
ROBERTSON: Joe had sent him a text message that morning.
COOPER: The text that I sent back was in the evening, saying, I hope this wasn't you. Please tell me you're safe. And obviously, I didn't get a reply back. So that's a -- it's a very poignant moment.
ROBERTSON: Was there a moment when you realize that it could have been you.
[02:50:03]
COOPER: Well, yes, and it could have been anybody. This appears to have been a random attack.
ROBERTSON: Not targeted at the LGBTQ community?
COOPER: I just don't know.
ROBERTSON: At the high school gates where James taught, tributes pile up for a much loved teacher.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Walking into his class was like the best thing on a Monday morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was -- he was really kind and really funny. He encouraged curiosity in all of his lessons to every pupil, and it was a privilege to be taught by him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He really made history fun because last year, I had a rubbish teacher and he did made my grades improved this year and he did make it enjoyable.
ROBERTSON: At the scene of the attack, community leaders showed solidarity, bore witness to the grief of victims' families.
MATT RODDA, BRITISH M.P. FOR READING EAST: You cannot imagine what they're going through. And I just like to offer my deepest condolences to them and the town -- and the whole town thinking about them at this difficult time. This has been the most dreadful, awful incident.
ROBERTSON: At a dark moment, the flowers a reminder of happier times, and brighter days to come. Nic Robertson, CNN, Reading, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, the U.S. Justice Department announced several charges against an Army soldier on Monday including providing material support to terrorists in a plan to attack his fellow Americans. The soldier is accused of planning a mass casualty attack on his own unit. The indictment lays out his alleged communications with a neo-Nazi white supremacist group.
It says the soldiers shared information related to his unit's deployments, location, and security details in order to facilitate an attack. The U.S. Army and the FBI say they thwarted the attack in May and arrested the soldier on June 10th.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still to come, the U.S. controversial monuments are sparking fights. So, is taking them down erasing history or is it keeping -- was keeping them up honoring the unforgiveable?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: Well, President Trump is threatening protesters near the White House with 10 years in prison for trying to tear down a statue of former President Andrew Jackson. On Monday, protesters in Washington Lafayette Square attempted to topple the monuments. Police later forced them back. On Twitter, the President described the scene as disgraceful vandalism
of the magnificent statue. Jackson was the seventh U.S. president. His ruthless treatment of Native Americans has made his statue a target of demonstrators protesting the U.S. legacy of racial injustice.
Well, the statue in Lafayette Park is one of many in the U.S. honoring questionable historical heroes. As CNN's Brian Todd report, this one is sparking important discussions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For 80 years, the statue of Theodore Roosevelt on horseback has stood outside New York's American Museum of Natural History intended as a tribute to Roosevelt's tireless work as a naturalist. But now, there are plans to remove the statue.
Flanking Roosevelt are depictions of a Native American man and an African American man on foot appearing subservient to Roosevelt.
BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR, NEW YORK CITY: The statue clearly, you know, presents a white man as superior to people of color, and that's just not acceptable in this day and age, and it never should have been acceptable.
[02:55:10]
TODD: Historians say Roosevelt did make progressive moves on race while he was president, like inviting African American leader Booker T. Washington to dinner at the White House. But the museum called some of his views on race troubling. And that particular statue has offended people of color for decades. The Roosevelt family agreed it should be removed.
Observers say the protest movement following the killings of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and others has brought a turning point and a renewed debate over how Americans view their monuments.
MICHAEL DICKINSON, HISTORY PROFESSOR: I think what has changed is that hopefully that these perspectives of people of color and African Americans in particular are finally being heard.
TODD: Early on, the movement went after Confederate monuments as examples of racism against African Americans. But now a broadening where symbols of the oppression of native of Americans and of European colonization are being targeted.
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PROFESSOR, RICE UNIVERSITY: Some monuments to Spanish conquistadors might be coming down in Latino communities. But this is not just kind of statue ripping season in the United States like Donald Trump will make it sound like.
TODD: The President has recently stoked the fires of a culture war over statues and monuments, sometimes framing it as a partisan divide.
TRUMP: The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments our beautiful monuments. TODD: Trump lamented that statues of figures who are still revered by many have been defaced or torn down. Monuments to Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we think slave owners should have statues?
TODD: Historians say this could present an opportunity for Americans to have a smarter discussion of the complexities of those maps.
BRINKLEY: There are many sides to Thomas Jefferson. There's Jefferson, the slave owner. Books are coming out on it and school kids learn about it. But there's also Jefferson who gave us the Declaration of Independence.
TODD: The answer one historian says, may not be to destroy those monuments completely.
DICKENSON: They should be placed in spaces where they can be contextualized fully. And I think museums are wonderful spaces for that, to tell a larger narrative of where we've come from and where we are going toward.
TODD: The historians we spoke to say there are no simple answers in our debate over statues, that no matter which monuments are brought down, someone will be offended. But many of them agree, this is the moment to have our discussions over this, that the country has been presented this opportunity by recent events, and we've got to seize it. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Anna Coren. The news continues with Rosemary Church after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
