Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Next Two Weeks In The U.S. Will Be Critical To Control Coronavirus; The E.U. May Bar American Travelers From Visiting Europe; Brazil And Mexico Report Staggering Upturn In COVID Cases; Trump Seeks Arizona Boost after Tulsa Rally Fizzles; Debunking Trump's False Claims on Mail-in Voting; IMF Expected to Slash Growth Forecasts; Russia Marks 75th Anniversary of Victory Day; Anger Over "White Lives Matter" Banner at Football Match. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 24, 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]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: At Rayshard Brooks' funeral asks a simple question. If your complexion is the crime, what do you do to stay alive?
Health experts are sending an urgent warning to try and step up efforts to battle the coronavirus as cases spike in a number of areas.
Leading U.S. health officials testified before a congressional committee on Tuesday. The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the surge in U.S. cases is disturbing, and he says the next two weeks are of vital importance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The first thing that we would need to do is to try as best as possible to get the complete outbreak under control.
So that everything is at such a low level that when there are cases that come up, you can contain them as opposed to mitigating where you're essentially chasing after a forest fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The head of the Centers for Disease Control told lawmakers that this virus has brought the nation to its knees and has highlighted decades of underinvestment in public health.
Twenty-five U.S. states have reported rising rates of the new cases, that's compared to a week earlier.
And, this. Welcome to Europe, but not so fast if you're traveling from the United States.
With the E.U. set to reopen its borders and restart tourism, a number of diplomatic sources have told CNN the still rising number of infections could mean that Americans will join countries like Brazil and Russia banned from entry.
The decision will not be mandatory, only individual countries can decide to open or close individual borders.
CNN's Cyril Vanier is with us live this hour from Paris.
This decision, though, it seems will be based, basically, on a criteria which is fact-based, science-based.
And one other thing is that when they do come to this decision, yes, it's up to individual countries but they tend like to stick together, right?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, it's in the nature of European countries to stick together.
In fact, they're highly incentivized to do so because you know, John, here in Europe it's a free travel zone, meaning that a traveler from outside the E.U., when they enter one European country, they can then jump from country to country.
So there is a high incentive for European countries to make a common decision.
They haven't yet made that decision but, you're right, our sources are telling us that that that is being discussed at the highest levels within European institutions. An announcement is expected to be made next week.
And I think back to the speech, the address to the nation made by the French President Emmanuel Macron about 10 days ago. And he told the French as he was easing restrictions here in France, he told the French, look, you will be able to travel outside the E.U. starting July 1st to destinations to destinations where the virus is under control.
And I think that is exactly what Europe is thinking about right now. As they open their borders to the rest of the world, it won't be to everywhere.
They want to -- they have managed to curb the outbreak. Remember, a few months ago Europe was the epicenter of the outbreak, the U.S. only had a few cases. They've now managed to curb the outbreak, they don't want to allow in travelers from parts of the world where the virus is under [sic] control.
And under those circumstances, it seems unlikely at this stage that U.S. travelers would be allowed to come to Europe starting July 1st. Given that cases are surging in several parts of the U.S.
VAUSE: Yes. Cyril, thank you. Cyril Vanier there with the very latest on what could be a potential travel ban for Americans and Russians and Brazilians to Europe.
Thanks, Cyril. So even with the U.S. infection rate which is rising, President Trump says he was not kidding when he called for a testing slowdown to keep the numbers down. He did that at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The leading expert, though, on infectious diseases said the United States should actually be doing more testing to fight what he calls a disturbing surge of infections.
Dr. Celine Gounder is the former assistant health commissioner for New York City. She's host of "Epidemic," the podcast, and a CNN medical analyst.
And she's with us, again, for this hour. Thank you very much for taking the time.
DR. CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Oh, of course, John.
VAUSE: OK. Well, there was one remark that came from Dr. Anthony Fauci during that testimony before congress, which kind of seemed to explain why there's been such a mixed public response to how to deal with the pandemic, I guess not just in the U.S. but also around the world.
Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: You know, I've been dealing with viral outbreaks for the last 40 years. I've never seen a single virus that is -- one pathogen have a range from 20 to 40 percent of the people have no symptoms, to some get mild symptoms, to some get symptoms enough to put them at home for a few days.
Some are in bed for weeks and have symptoms even after they recover. Others go to the hospital. Some require oxygen, some require intensive care, some get intubated, and some die.
So you have a situation that is very confusing to people. Because some people think it's trivial, it doesn't bother me, who cares?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:05:00]
VAUSE: So, in other words, if COVID-19 was equally deadly for all, we might be in this together. But we're not.
And we need to start thinking much more about others, which is when it comes to wearing a mask it's important, it's a minor inconvenience, but it brings substantial benefits.
GOUNDER: Well, John, I think what for me, as an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist -- not unlike Dr. Fauci -- has been so perplexing about the coronavirus is how unpredictable it is.
And yes, older people are at higher risk of these complications. But I can tell you right now on my service I have a patient who came into the hospital sometime in April and he's still in the hospital, he's only 25.
He still has severe complications of COVID and is still -- he lost some 40 pounds, is still so weak he can barely eat.
So this is not something that is a predictable, oh, the elderly are the ones who get sick and die, the young people are the ones who barely have a cold.
I think what is so scary and what Dr. Fauci is really alluding to is that this is such an unpredictable virus that behaves in unpredictable ways in different parts of the body. And we are still very confused by many of these manifestations.
VAUSE: Yes. And of course, yes -- and that is one of the areas which makes it so difficult to treat and to prevent.
We also saw the U.S. president, who spent most of Tuesday in Arizona. This is a state which on Tuesday reported 3,600 new cases of the coronavirus. That's a daily record.
As it happens, almost as many supports were at a campaign stop for the president a few hours ago. They were indoors, crammed together. Couldn't really see a lot of face masks there.
Perhaps they were taking comfort in this presidential tweet from earlier:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"Cases are going up in the U.S. because we are testing far more than any other country, and ever expanding. With smaller testing, we would show fewer cases."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Yes, he's right. Fewer tests would show fewer cases, that doesn't mean there would actually be fewer cases.
So the leader of the country, the 45th president, seems to be deliberately misleading about testing. Also at the same time refusing to wear a mask.
GOUNDER: Well, this is how the dictator of a banana republic speaks. You want to suppress information because it is in your interest to suppress information.
Those of us who work in public health, transparency and information are the most important things for us because we need to know where the problem is.
It would be like saying to a detective, "Well, we don't want to give you any clues, you can't work with any clues, you just need to come to a conclusion that fits the judge." And that's essentially the scenario we're dealing with now. Is that we're being asked to provide evidence with no evidence to suit the case the judge is trying to make.
VAUSE: Yes. And also, with that in mind, I'd like you to clarify another statement we heard from Donald Trump a little earlier in the day.
He visited his wall that is precious, he boasted about how it has stopped COVID-19.
Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And I built the wall, and it worked 100 percent, you know I'm talking about? Because now it's stopped COVID, it stopped everything. It stopped the whole deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: For the record. How many documented cases are there of concrete, steel, and rebar effectively stopping a pandemic?
GOUNDER: None that I'm aware of. Yes, this is not something that's prevented by building walls.
This is something that's prevented by identifying the people who are infected, getting them the care they need, isolating them and separating them from people who are not infected.
And, if anything, some of our policies at the border fuel transmission. Where people got infected in some of the holding cells and so on at the border, and we threw them back over the border to reinfect a bunch of other people.
So I don't see our border policies as preventing transmission. If anything, they're promoting that.
VAUSE: And border policies. The E.U. is looking to reopen their borders. Diplomatic sources have CNN that Americans may not be allowed entry because of the outbreak here in this country.
The "New York Times" reports the criteria like this.
The benchmark for entry is the E.U. average number of new infections over the past 14 days per 100,000 people, which is currently 16 for the entire bloc. The comparable number for the United States is 107; Brazil, 190; and Russia is 80.
OK. Just from an empirical look at the facts and the criteria. Does that ban by the E.U. make sense in terms of preventing the spread of the virus within the E.U. border area?
GOUNDER: Well, the E.U. is making policies on the basis of what is the risk, the likelihood that you may be carrying the infection, whether you know it or not. And that you may infect their citizens.
[01:10:00]
This is not about what is the color of your skin, this is not about whether you're rich or poor, this is about you live in the United States where the country has clearly de-prioritized preventing transmission, and so you are higher risk for introducing transmission in their countries.
And it's actually quite a rational decision. It's not about you're a good or bad person, it's simply you present a risk to our citizens.
VAUSE: So it's based on science and fact, nothing personal?
GOUNDER: It's nothing personal, it's not anti-American. It's simply on the basis of, you know what, Americans are at higher risk for carrying this infection because of the policies you guys have instituted, or not. And so we are doing what we can to protect ourselves.
And it is, frankly, a very rational policy, given what we have chosen or not chosen to do in this country.
VAUSE: Dr. Celine Gounder, we'll give it there. Thank you -- we're out of time. But I appreciate you being with us. Thank you.
GOUNDER: My pleasure.
VAUSE: More than three months after an African American woman was shot dead by police in Kentucky, the officer who fired the shot has lost his job.
Twenty-six-year old Breonna Taylor was killed in her sleep March 13th. Police had a no-knock warrant, they broke down the door to her apartment and Officer Brett Hankison opened fire. She was hit eight times.
The chief of the Louisville metro police department said Hankison displayed an extreme indifference to the value of human life when he wantonly fired 10 rounds. Two other officers have been placed on administrative leave.
Protesters want all three to face charges.
Family members and friends gathered in a historic Atlanta church Tuesday for the funeral of Rayshard Brooks. He was shot in the back twice by an Atlanta police officer outside a fast food restaurant.
Adding to the tensions over racism and police brutality that erupted after George Floyd's death last month.
We get details now from CNN's Ryan Young.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A somber scene as Rayshard Brooks is laid to rest.
Hundreds filled Ebenezer Baptist Church to pay respects to the man shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer earlier this month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBREA MIKOLAJCZYK, COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND OF RAYSHARD BROOKS: He radiated such a bright light that, regardless of the cowardly act that took his life, his light will never be dimmed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: It was an emotional afternoon, commemorating the life of a 27- year old father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JYMACO BROOKS, COUSIN OF RAYSHARD BROOKS: This is the family that we come from. We didn't have a lot of anything, but we had a whole lot of love for each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: And providing a backdrop for a larger conversation on racism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. DR. BERNICE KING, CEO MLK CENTER FOR NON-VIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE: This time, the answer is not more diversity and inclusion, it's now time for Black lives matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Brooks' death comes during nationwide against systematic racism and police brutality. And less than a month after George Floyd died in the custody of the Minneapolis police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. RAPHAEL G. WARNOCK, SENIOR PASTOR, EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH: George Floyd complied; Rayshard Brooks ran, yes, that's true. But they are both dead. And therein is the problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Brooks was shot in the back by Officer Garrett Rolfe, one of the officers who responded to a call of a man asleep in his car at a Wendy's parking lot.
Video of the incident shows him running away after resisting arrest and grabbing one of the officer's tasers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hands off the (bleeped) taser. Hands off the taser. (END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Rolfe is facing a felony murder charge. He says he heard a gunshot and saw a flash and fired his weapon fearing for his safety.
Officer Devin Bronson is charged with aggravated assault, telling the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" he would not have done anything differently that night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"I have 100 percent faith the truth will come out. People will see this for what it is. They will understand I didn't do anything wrong."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: But for many, the circumstances surrounding Brooks' death are a symptom of a larger problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL MARTIN, FRIEND OF RAYSHARD BROOKS: No matter the race, let's treat each other how we wanted to be treated as people. Let's love one another and fight for everyone's rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Some really powerful moments inside that church.
I can tell you, it was the young people who seemed to lead the way today asking for changes, not only in the community but how the city moves forward.
They said they're looking for lasting changes, they don't want Rayshard Brooks to die in vain.
Reporting in Atlanta, Ryan Young, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And when we come back. An FBI investigation into a noose found in the garage of NASCAR's only Black driver, has wrapped with a surprising turn of events.
And tennis star Novak Djokovic, is sorry, really, really, really sorry. But his peers may not be ready to accept that apology.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:15:00]
VAUSE: Professional sports around the world all trying to reboot after being sidelined for months by the pandemic. Major league baseball in the U.S. is (inaudible) deal with players
after weeks of contentious negotiations which will see a 60-game season starting late next -- starting late July. Players will report for training next week.
Meanwhile, golfer Cameron Champ has withdrawn from this weekend's PGA tour event. He tested positive for COVID-19, the second PGA golfer to actually contract the virus. Nick Watney tested positive last week.
The PGA is testing 450 golfers, caddies and officials per week.
The top-ranked tennis player in the work, Novak Djokovic, and his wife have both tested positive for coronavirus.
This comes after he organized and starred in a series of tennis matches where social distancing guidelines were pretty much ignored.
Christine Brennan is a sports columnist with "USA Today" and a CNN sports analyst. So good to have you with us, Christine. Thanks for taking the time.
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: My pleasure, John. Thank you.
VAUSE: OK. Let's start with that apology from Djokovic.
He said:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"Everything the organizers and I did the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. We believed the tournament met all health protocols.
We were wrong" -- and I was -- "and it was too soon. I can't express enough how sorry I am for this and every case of infection."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
But given this is the same guy who, what, back in April, said he was unlikely to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Was doubtful about playing at the U.S. Open if crowd numbers were reduced because of social distancing, and he was seen doing the limbo in the early hours -- nightclub after the tournament.
And initially refused to be tested because he didn't feel sick.
Somehow the apology kind of rings hollow a little bit, especially the part about meeting all the safety protocols.
BRENNAN: Well, especially as a public figure, as a role model, to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of people who watch him. He knows that the role he plays is an important one not just in tennis but throughout sports and in our world.
And so the burden of being that person, of doing the right thing increases, of course. With any of these athletes who have such a high profile.
And, of course, he's got the best medical attention. And if he doesn't have -- doesn't know, if he has a question, just turn to your left or right and ask a doctor, ask someone who's around the tournament.
And so, it's embarrassing, it's shameful. The behavior of Djokovic is certainly unbecoming of someone of his stature to act as if this isn't a big deal. When, clearly, if you've paid any attention over the past three, four, five months you know that this has shaken this entire world to its core and has cost so many people their lives.
The heartbreak, the sorrow, the sadness over this; obviously, the economy, jobs lost. It has literally changed our lives.
And for him to be so cavalier about this is appalling. And thankfully he has received -- a lot of scorn and shame has come his way. And it should.
VAUSE: And --
BRENNAN: Because this is a really low moment in his career.
[01:20:00]
VAUSE: Some of that criticism coming from his peers. Andy Murray says he was "not surprised" how many players tested positive. That's after seeing videos from the tournament and at the party.
And Nick Kyrgios, who was surprisingly not actually playing, called it, quote, "a bone-headed decision to pay. And Dan Evans said, "Djokovic should feel some responsibility," after players at the event tested positive.
He's about as popular as Donald Trump right now at a Black Lives Matter meeting. But apart from the scorn of his colleagues, is Djokovic facing any serious sanction from professional tennis from this?
BRENNAN: There certainly could be something, I think there should be. There should be some kind of punishment. I don't know exactly what form that would take.
But his cavalier attitude harmed other people, it has harmed himself, and it's hurt his sport. And so yes, there should be punishment.
I guess over the next few days and weeks, we'll find out what it is. But he has become the poster boy for exactly how not to behave.
And the world of tennis has to, I think, take note of that. Absolutely.
VAUSE: Let's go to the noose, NASCAR, and Bubba Wallace. It turns out it was a non-event.
A spokesman from the FBI in Birmingham, Alabama, tells CNN: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"It's my understanding that the rope was fashioned into a noose knot and used as a door pull."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
-- to close the garage door. It had been there since October last year.
Firstly, it's a relief there was not a hate crime in the first place. And maybe, apart from some embarrassment, maybe, for whomever made that initial report.
It doesn't really take anything away, though, from the genuine response of supporters that came out for Wallace and the drivers and the pit crews and made that stand against racism that we saw on Monday, right?
BRENNAN: That's right. Well, what a strange and bizarre twist in the story. But the point of, I think, the whole thing and what we will remember from that is that scene, that I think probably everyone has seen.
Of Wallace in his car and every other driver walking with him and then the masses behind him of all the pit crews. In other words, all of NASCAR standing behind this man, Bubba Wallace, who is the one who asked to get rid of the confederate flag finally, thankfully, with NASCAR.
The man who stood up, the man who had the "Black Lives Matter" T- shirt. This is -- that was the moment.
And that is not taken away by the bizarre nature of the ending of this story. And, in fact, that this is strange turn of events gave us that moment, it's all for the good.
VAUSE: Yes.
BRENNAN: And obviously, why NASCAR didn't investigate what the rope was before this became a big deal would be a question I would ask NASCAR.
But the end result was so good in terms of that moment, that visual for the world to see. And I think it also enhanced NASCAR's standing in our society at this point.
So hopefully --
VAUSE: Yes. I never thought --
BRENNAN: (inaudible).
VAUSE: I never thought NASCAR would give me goose bumps but at that moment it actually did. It was one of those great moments in sport.
Christine, thank you so much for being with us.
BRENNAN: John, my pleasure. Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A court in Brazil has ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a face mask while in public. Now the country's attorney general is pushing to have that decision overturned.
Brazil has reported a staggering jump in new cases, nearly 40,000 in just 24 hours. Second only to the U.S. in total cases.
CNN's Shasta Darlington has details now from Sao Paulo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A Brazilian judge has ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a mask in public after the coronavirus skeptic appeared at many rallies without one.
The judge said Bolsonaro would face a fine of up to about $380 a day if he refused to use one while in public in the country's capital, Brasilia.
Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the virus, insisting the economic fallout from social isolation measures would be worse than COVID-19.
His supporters have staged multiple rallies calling for an end to quarantine and he has frequently joined them, without a mask, shaking hands and embracing the crowds.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise.
Brazil reported nearly 40,000 new infections on Tuesday, and more than 1,300 additional deaths.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Mexico is once again reporting a record number of new infections. The health ministry counted more than 6,200 cases on Tuesday, pushing the total past 190,000.
With more than 23,000 dead, Mexico accounts for almost a quarter of all confirmed fatalities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
And for the first time in modern history, Saudi Arabia is barring Muslims from around the world from traveling to Hajj. The government says the coronavirus makes it too dangerous for pilgrims to come to Mecca.
In a normal year, more than two-and-a-half Muslims would attend Hajj. This year, only a small number of Saudi residents will be allowed.
[01:25:00] And the process of freeing England from lockdown is underway. Come July 4th, much of the country's hospitality and tourism industries will be allowed to open their doors. Even the pubs will be back in business.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson says even -- he too is looking forward to having a pint with friends after three months of tough restrictions. But he's asking people not to get carried away.
Anna Stewart has been checking the pubs and getting reaction in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The national hibernation is coming to an end. That was the announcement from U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson as he laid out his plan for the next stage of lifting lockdown.
Businesses in England, including pubs, hotels, hair salons and cinemas, will be able to reopen on July 4th, the first time in over three months. The social distancing rule has been relaxed from two meters to one.
Businesses will have to implement new measures to keep their customers and staff safe, according to new government guidelines.
This pub has been open for the last few weeks, take-away pints only. And, as you can see, with a very social distanced queue.
Speaking to people here, though, they may be happy to have a pint outside in the sunshine. Will they feel happy going inside a pub or a restaurant? Will they want to go to the cinema? Will they feel safe?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being young, I don't feel like I am as much of a risk. And my company are making us go back to the office from next week. So if I can go back to work, I feel like I can go to do other things that (inaudible) more fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wouldn't want to sit next to people I'm just not sure about. And I really miss the cinema, I really miss that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think I'd be happy to go. Probably not the cinema, but certainly to the pub. And where we live, there's a pub nearby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: And that is the big concern for this sector. Businesses may be able to reopen; will they have enough customers?
Over nine million peoples' salaries are now being supported by the U.K. government's furlough scheme. As that tapers, there is a risk that some of those businesses will simply have to cut jobs, further depressing consumer spending and prolonging the U.K.'s deepest ever economic slump on record.
Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN. The U.S. president hoping for a restart of his campaign restart. This time in Arizona.
Plus we're waiting for the latest global economic forecast. A live report on the very grim news, live from Abu Dhabi in just a moment.
(WFH NEW REALITY):
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maintaining relationships can be tough at the best of times. Now, imagine doing when you're living together and working from an apartment the size of three parking spaces.
Tech executive, Jodie Chan, and the restaurateur, May Chow (ph), have it better than most in their slightly larger 500-square foot apartment.
JODIE CHAN: May has a wonderfully resounding voice, as do I on occasion. So when we both have work calls, we have to definitely find ourselves in different rooms.
ELIZABETH KORAGA: You have to tag team with your spouse or your partner. You've got to be in it together because if you're at each other, you're not going to make it.
You have to have open dialog. So having that conversation, not in the heat of the moment, it's when you're feeling more calm.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:29:55]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody, I'm John Vause.
An update on our top news this hour. The leading U.S. infectious disease expert says the next two weeks will be critical in trying to slow the surge of the coronavirus. In a congressional testimony, Dr. Anthony Fauci says people should not gather in crowds. If they do, wear a mask.
The U.S. spike in cases has the European Union considering whether to bar American travelers from entering the bloc. Guidelines for the decision are still under discussion. Any recommendation would not be mandatory. Any individual country can decide whether to close their borders.
And the biggest country in South America reporting a staggering jump in cases -- nearly 40,000 in 24 hours means Brazil is second only to the U.S. in terms of total cases. A senior judge has ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a face mask in public.
Top experts agree just one simple precaution would make a significant impact in trying to contain the coronavirus. That's wear face masks. The U.S. President though consistently refuses to do so. Apparently he doesn't like the look.
That's not all. Doctors say testing is critical to bringing the pandemic under control and again, the U.S. President says it was not a joke when he told a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma over the weekend that he told officials to slow down with the testing.
Oh, he's also resurrected a racist slur for the virus. Here's what he told a gathering of young conservatives in Phoenix, Arizona.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's got all different names -- Wuhan. Wuhan was catching on. Coronavirus, right. Kung flu, yes. Kung flu.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Arizona is critical for the President and his bid for reelection. As CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports as he's resurrecting some familiar messages for the base and it comes from 2016.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump landed in Phoenix with hopes of reviving his reelection bid after a low turnout in Tulsa on Saturday. And this time he'll survey one of his biggest promises in 2016.
TRUMP: We will build a great wall along the southern border.
COLLINS: The trip was billed as a celebration of 200 miles of new wall. Though only roughly three miles are where no barrier existed before, and the rest is a new system that replaced outdated structures that were already there.
TRUMP: It's just about unclimbable.
COLLINS: As coronavirus cases in Arizona spike, Trump is scheduled to host a mask-optional rally for college students at a mega church as several of his campaign staffers are still quarantining after testing positive.
Before leaving Washington, Trump contradicted what his own officials have said for days. That he was just kidding when he said he told staff to slow down coronavirus testing.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It was a comment that he made in jest.
PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE TRADE ADVISER: You know, it was tongue in cheek. Come on now.
Trump said today, it wasn't.
TRUMP: I don't kid. By having more cases, it sounds bad. But actually what it is we are finding people.
COLLINS: Adding to the confusion as Trump was contradicting his own staff, his top health experts were contradicting him while testifying on Capitol Hill.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: To my knowledge, none of us have ever been told to slow down on testing. That just is a fact. In fact we will be doing more testing.
COLLINS: Addressing reporters today, Trump also called for lengthy jail sentences for those who unsuccessfully tried to topple Andrew Jackson's statue in Lafayette Park in front of the White House last night, using straps and chains until police intervened with chemical agents and batons and pushed them out of the park.
Trump said he will sign an executive order enforcing a law already enacted to preserve monuments like Jackson's.
TRUMP: We are looking at long-term jail sentences for these vandals and these hoodlums and these anarchists and agitators -- call them whatever you want. Some people don't like that language but that's what they are.
COLLINS: The President said no monument will be removed on his watch, but Jackson's maybe more personal. He has long admired the seventh president, who signed the Indian Removal Act, enforced the march now known as "The Trail of Tears". And Trump has his portrait hanging in the oval. Trump has compared their elections and even paid tribute to Jackson at his national plantation once.
TRUMP: Andrew Jackson was a military hero and genius and a beloved president. But he was also a flawed and imperfect man, a product of his time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: That report from CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
Well, a reckoning and racism and police brutality has electrified the Senate primary race in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Voting in Louisville was briefly extended to allow a crowd of people waiting outside one polling station. Most votes though were cast by mail because of the pandemic and President Trump once again trying to undermine the legitimacy of mail-in voting with new false claims and some old ones as well.
CNN's Brian Todd has the facts. [01:34:57]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It seems to be President Trump's conspiracy de jure (ph), his recurring claims about voter fraud in this year's election, specifically fraud with ballots that are mailed in.
TRUMP: When you do an all mail-in voting, ballots -- you're asking for fraud. People steal amount of mailboxes, people print them and then they sign them and give them in. The people don't even know that they've double counted.
TODDS: In one barrage of tweets this week, Trump pounded on the idea.
Mail-in ballots will lead to a rigged election. Millions of mail-in ballots will be printed by foreign countries and others. It'll be the scandal of our times.
Trumps attorney general had the same talking points on Fox Business.
WILLIAM BARR, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Right now, a foreign country could print up tens of thousands of counterfeit ballots and be very hard for us to detect.
TODD: But William Barr himself said he has not looked into it, and he has offered no evidence to back up the claim.
CNN has done multiple fact checks on the theories of widespread mail voter fraud and we found no evidence that any of it is true. The Federal Election Commission and independent experts back us up.
MICHAEL MCDONALD, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA: It's miniscule versus the number of ballots that have been cast.
TODD: Experts tell us committing mail voter fraud on a mass scale in the U.S. is exceedingly difficult. Each county in America, almost every precinct has different styles of ballots, they say. So fraudsters would have to duplicate them perfectly. And if a foreign country tried to inject counterfeit mail-in ballots, safeguards in place would nail them.
MCDONALD: The election officials themselves are printing bar codes on the ballots and the envelopes and to making sure that the ballots are going out to the proper voters. Voters are signing those return envelopes. So there is a signature verification that is going on on the election official's end.
TODD: About a quarter of American voters cast ballots absentee by mail in 2016. President Trump has voted by mail as has Vice President Pence, Attorney General Barr, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
With coronavirus still a major health threat, experts say the percentage of those mailing in votes could go way up this year and should to be safer.
So why does the President keep harping on the conspiracy?
LAURA COATES, FORMER U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT VOTING RIGHTS ATTORNEY: I think that President Trump and AG Barr are fixated on voter fraud as a distraction. In the past we've heard the President make comments that if you expand the franchise and have more people voting, that he believes it will minimize the chances for a Republican being elected.
TODD: But the President does not seem to have the backing of some top members of his own party for his conspiracy theory. CNN spoke with several Republican senators including those in top leadership positions. None of them said they agreed with the President's comments about mail-in voting.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In the coming hours the International Monetary Fund will take the wraps off a report the world has been waiting to see. The IMF will unveil its global economic outlook which will illustrate just how much damage the coronavirus pandemic has done to the world economy.
The IMF amongst other things is expected to slash forecasts for economic growth.
Let's go to Abu Dhabi. Live now, CNN's John Defterios.
So, we've heard from the IMF managing director already earlier this week on CNN, warning that this recession of 2020 will be a lot deeper than previously thought. What are the expectations from today's outlook? What's going to happen here?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, we know it's not going to be pretty -- John,, because it's gotten a lot more complex for the International Monetary Fund because of the great lockdown, as they suggested, in April. But because of the return of the coronavirus, so how do you predict how some of these countries are going to be faring?
We know a this stage it's negative 3 percent. That was their forecast in April and they have a tendency to underestimate what is going on. So the managing director Kristalina Georgieva and the chief economist Gita Gopinath, both I found very interesting.
They're trying to manage expectations much lower and this is the first time we have to remind everybody that we have the industrialized world, the big G7 countries and also the emerging markets collapsing at the same time. And there'll be a lot of attention on those who did not respond well to the coronavirus. So most notably the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Brazil -- they are all big populations, big economies. The U.K. John -- lost nearly 30 percent of its economy in two months.
So they're going to try to gauge what's going to happen in the second half. And then look at those who dealt with the virus much more rapidly like China or Germany. How can Germany, the largest economy in Europe, recover?
But again, it's the snap back and the influences they have on consumer sentiment and then also the rehiring for companies in the third and fourth quarters. Nobody is talking at all about a V-shaped recovery -- John, despite what the stock market had been telling us.
VAUSE: Yes. So, we're looking at countries that have done the best in the worst scenario.
DEFTERIOS: Yes.
[01:39:52]
VAUSE: We're also looking at the situation when the biggest energy deal is about to unfold some time (ph) this year.
DEFTERIOS: Yes. This is worth more than $20 billion and in the context John -- you know what's happened in March and April to the prices. If you take a look at this chart here we saw the (INAUDIBLE) the international benchmark fall below $20 a barrel in April we had WTI or the U.S. Benchmark go actually negative or below zero.
But now we see prices have doubled in this period of time, and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company has signed a deal with the consortium includes players from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. And you noted, the largest deal so far in 2020. And this is not an oil deal but a gas deal, selling a stake in the gas transmission network that they are building here in Abu Dhabi.
Here's the CEO of the group Sultan al Jaber of ADNOC.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULTAN AL JABER, CEO, ADNOC: Over 10 billion U.S. dollars of FDI for ADNOC and the U.A.E. And if it wasn't for the differentiated value proposition (ph) provided by the U.A.E., by Abu Dhabi and by ADNOC to such strategic and important investments, they would not have taken such a bold position to move ahead and to proceed with this very important transaction. And in our view it's a big achievement given, of course, the current economic climate.
DEFTERIOS: You know, many of the IOC, they're cutting 15 to 25 percent of their workforce. It's the opposite with ADNOC right now. you're not retrenching, you're actually building by going into oil new facilities and gas facilities at the same time.
AL JABER: We are very much focused on what we can control and that is our cost. And regardless of the situation, this focus on cost will not change regardless of the circumstance or the environment. And our strategic aim is to always be one of the lowest cost producers in the world. And that has not in any way impacted our business plans as far as our strategic projects are concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP) DEFTERIOS: Sultan Al Jaber once again, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. You know, John -- just for context here, the U.S. shale producers have to break even at $30 and $35. Some (INAUDIBLE) it's even $40 a barrel. Here in the middle it's $48 a barrel and the international oil companies have cut their staff by up to 25 percent. This is a group that is 50,000 -- 200,000 it includes all the different subcontractors, but they have not laid off people in this environment.
Break even at $48 a barrel, that's the competitive advantage here in the Gulf and why these international investors came in with the $20 billion transaction. Back to you.
VAUSE: That's a big differential between $30 and $8. John -- thank you. Good to see you. John Defterios there in Abu Dhabi.
DEFTERIOS: Yes. Yes.
VAUSE: Ok ice cream makers Ben and Jerry's the latest corporation to join a Facebook boycott. The social media platform is accused of failing to stop the spread of hate speech. (INAUDIBLE) brands, Patagonia, Eddie Bauer, Northface and REI have all signed on. Magnolia Pictures first Hollywood studio as well. Facebook says it remains focused on removing hate speech and providing critical voter information.
Still to come, for the past few weeks, Beijing has seen a resurgence of the coronavirus but now China's capital just recorded its lowest daily total of new infections.
We have the very latest in just a moment. And a historic anniversary celebrated in Russia in the midst of a pandemic.
[01:43:29]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: China -- taking a big step towards an aerospace superpower bid and a rival to the U.S. owned GPS, with the successful launch of the final satellite and its BDS navigation satellite system. $10 billion network consists of 35 satellites and provide global navigation coverage. The launch comes as tensions between the U.S. and China continue to rise over the coronavirus as well as trade.
Beijing meanwhile is reporting its lowest numbers of new coronavirus infections since it shutdown a food market linked to a resurgence of the virus. Chinese officials say there were just seven new cases of the COVID-19 in Beijing on Tuesday and just a total of 12 across Mainland China.
Beijing acted swiftly when the virus re-emerged June 11th. It already raised a citywide alert, closed the food market, put some neighborhoods back on lockdown and tested hundreds of thousands of people for the virus.
CNN's David Culver visited one of Beijing the biggest testing sites. This is his report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in China, you're looking at one of many mass testing sites that have been set up, particularly within Beijing. This is following the wholesale food cluster outbreak that happened more than a week ago. They'd say it's now under control but they are continuing testing in massive numbers.
And you've got here 19 rows set up, this is for 19 different communities that feed into this one mass testing site. Once people have registered, their taken across this little way here into these lines.
And let me show you where they end up. It's almost like getting in rides at an amusement park. You're getting in line there, if you will. I'll show you. Follow me over here and this is where the actual testing is done. It takes about 30 seconds to get about 100 staff members that worked on two hour shifts.
And there they do the throat swab. They then take that sample and they'll put it in a refrigerator and then move on to the next person. It usually takes just a few days time to get the results back. And most people are only notified if they have a positive result.
You can see over here this is where the staff will take off all of their PPE, all of their protective equipment and they'll throw it away. It's kept in a safe, separate area. And the other staff that are not ready to come on shift, they get changed and suited up and go through a sanitation procedure in a separate facility to then keep this going really from 9:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night.
In three days' time that this has been operating they've done about 20,000 tests. This was built overnight so they pop up relatively quickly. They will keep it going for as long as they need to here within Beijing. And they say as of now they feel like they're on a good path in keeping this most recent cluster outbreak under control. But they are saying complacency is what they're trying to avoid with all of this.
David Culver, CNN -- Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Wednesday is the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day, the of Nazi Germany in 1945. In the coming hours, a military parade will roll through Moscow's Red Square even though the pandemic there is yet to peek.
CNN's Matthew chance would normally be in Moscow for this but he is in London and following developments from there. Matthew -- this was meant to be a huge international event, world leaders and the whole shebang. More significantly it was also being seen as a boost domestically for Vladimir Putin and his push to stay in power for another two terms.
It just hasn't quite worked out that way.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think -- John, the Kremlin probably hopes that it will work out that way in terms of it bolstering patriotism in the country ahead of a vote next week to change the Russian constitution, which as you say, could give Vladimir Putin another two terms in office, take him up to 2036 in power.
I mean look you're right. This victory day parade which normally happens on May the 9th, they delayed because of the pandemic, takes place at a time when those figures for coronavirus infections in Russia remain stubbornly high. And Moscow, itself, it's been more than 1000 on average for the several weeks per day in terms of new infections.
And so there has been nearly 600,000 -- more than that, probably say when the latest figures come out that have been infected across the country, the thirst most infected country in the world after Brazil, of course, and the United States.
[01:49:48]
CHANCE: And so obviously, the decision to stage this parade was a political one and again, in a week from now there will be that national constitutional vote, the Kremlin wants to bolster sort of feelings of patriotism in the country.
Vladimir Putin's ratings are at an all-time low at the moment, And so it was in that context I think we have to view the fact that this parade is taking place and the fact that restrictions in the country, coronavirus restrictions have been lifted to make way for this parade and to make way for the vote on July the 1st -- John.
VAUSE: One way that Putin's numbers could go even lower if there was say, you know, super spreader event after this parade. If there are more viral outbreaks, if you like; more confirmed cases.
So with that in mind, they take any sort of special measures to contain the coronavirus for those who turned up to take part in this parade and to witness the parade?
CHANCE: Oh, yes. I mean this is, as you mentioned, a vastly scaled down parade. There aren't anywhere near as many guests as they were going to be in the first place when it was planned. Remember this is the 75th anniversary, of the end of the Second World War, so it was meant to be a big event.
The Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has advised Muscovites, residents of Moscow not to go to the rally in person -- the parade in person. Normally, of course, they fill the streets at the center of the Russian capital. They're applauding as the troops marched past, the tanks and armored vehicles march past.
They're being told this year to watch it on television at their homes. Now whether or not they were all adhere to that rule or not remains to be seen. In terms of the VIP invited guests inside Red Square in the heart of official Russia, well, you know, they will be tested for coronavirus before they are allowed into the parade area.
The troops and there are 13,000 of them that are taking place in this year's parade have been held in quarantine for two weeks ahead of this to try and make sure that they do not infect each other with coronavirus.
And I think interestingly, the sort of real VIP guest, the veterans of the Second World War, some of whom are now well into their 90s and beyond, the most vulnerable in other words in society. They will be attending but they've also been kept in quarantine for two weeks at a health resort outside Moscow. And they'll of course, all be socially distanced. So much so that the authorities say they won't have to wear masks when they watch this parade and when it starts within an hour or so from now -- John.
VAUSE: MATTHEW -- Thank you, appreciate the detail. Matthew Chance there, normally our Moscow correspondent, there in London for the time being. Appreciate it -- Matthew.
Well, next time you head to your fast food restaurants, you may want to treasure the humans there who are serving you because restaurants are experimenting with contactless service like this KFC, also in Moscow mostly automated. After the food is prepared a robotic arm scoops up the bucket and places seven buckets, the customer given a code to retrieve the food from the box, pays by credit card, badabing, badaboomu -- no one in sight, not a human nor a piece of flesh, nothing.
Still to come, a show of unity in football for a black lives matter is met with a controversial response. We'll tell you about the fallout in this banner (ph) and who may be behind it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well, the air advertising company which agreed to fly a "white lives matter" banner over an English football stadium on Monday has been grounded. Officials say they are worried about copycat flights at other premier league stadiums as players show their support for the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Here's CNN's Phil Black with details.
[01:54:52]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a powerful moment of reflection and protest. All the players from two English Premier League clubs kneeled against racism, demanding a wider understanding that black lives matter.
Moments later in the sky above, a deliberate well-planned effort to belittle that cause. A small plane trailing the words "White lives matter, Burnley".
In Burnley the next day, outside the club's stadium we find at least one other person proudly supporting that message, whatever it means.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I write the message.
BLACK: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just amazed that you need to ask that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was disgusted and ashamed.
BLACK: Burnley CEO says he knows the true intent behind the words as they were dragged through the sky.
NEIL HART, CEO, BURNLEY FOOTBALL CLUB: To incite racial hatred, full stop. And that is unacceptable.
BLACK: And he knows who was responsible for organizing it. Fans, he says, who are linked to a far-right group.
They've caused trouble for you before?
HART: These individuals are known to the club.
BLACK: Burnley's men knows this town has history with the far-right. He's been fighting those groups throughout his career.
MAYOR WAJID KHAN, BURNLEY, ENGLAND: The people that did the banner, they had their way of thinking but that way of thinking has been defeated consistently and persistently through people out there making a positive contribution.
BLACK: The people behind the banner don't speak for anyone in this park. The players in this passionate family football match, are all refugees who escaped the Syrian War and are now proud members of Burnley football club.
There's a pretty consistent view here on those behind the banner. They are missing the point.
When people say why lives matter, does that offend you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be honest with you, it doesn't offend me, no. It disappoints me. And the reason for that is because I know how powerful the Black Lives Matter Movement is, and I know what they're trying to do. All they're trying to do is educate people.
BLACK: In Burnley as around the world, people who believe in overcoming centuries of inequality are not seeking to devalue white lies. They just hope for a future where racial identity really doesn't matter.
Phil Black, CNN -- Burnley, Northwest England.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: That's a good report to end the hour.
You've been watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. Anna Coren, my friend and colleague will take over for me after a very short break. You're watching CNN.
[01:57:30]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
