Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
U.S. Not Having a Break From COVID-19 Cases; President Trump Criticized for Failed Leadership; Europe Looking to ban U.S. Citizens from Entering E.U.; Coronavirus Pandemic; Qantas Cuts 6,000 Jobs As Part Of Three Year Recovery Plan; U.S. Stocks Post Sharpest Losses In Almost Two Weeks; United States Expected To Release Latest Jobs Report; John Bolton On President Trump's Pandemic Response; President Trump Hosts Polish President At White House; Trump Has Not Met With Top Health Officials In Weeks; E.U. May Ban American Travelers As It Reopens Borders; Trump Refers To Covid-19 As Kung Flu; Trump Plans To Slash U.S. Troop Presence In Germany; Bolton's Explosive Revelations; America In Crisis, Three Men Indicted In The Killing Of Ahmaud Arbery; Trump To Post Marshals To Protect Monuments From Protesters; Artist Offers To Cover Up Racist Tattoos For Free; Russians Begin Voting On Putin's Controversial Reforms; Parisian Landmark Reopens; Eiffel Tower Reopens With Strict Virus Restrictions. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired June 25, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR OF THE UNITED STATES: Turning a blind eye to all these early signs, I think hampered the country's ability to deal with this and continues to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: As the United States grapples with nearly 122,000 COVID-19 deaths the president's former national security advisor is criticizing his handling of the pandemic from the start, which is also may be the reason why the European Union is considering barring American travelers from entering some countries as they reopen their borders.
And in preparation for incoming tourist, France's Eiffel Tower reopens to the public after its longest closure since World War II.
Good to have you with us.
Well, coronavirus cases are again surging in the United States, and health experts fear it may soon spiral out of control. John Hopkins University tracked nearly 35,000 new infections among Americans in just 24 hours, a level not seen since April.
California, Texas, and Florida are seeing their biggest one-day jumps in new infections. Together those states comprise more than one quarter of the U.S. population. But in Florida when Palm Beach County commissioners voted unanimously to require everyone to wear face masks in public, some local residents were furious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You literally cannot mandate somebody to wear a mask knowing that that mask is killing people, it literally is killing people. And my -- the people, we, the people are waking up, and we know what citizen's arrest is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The problem with humanity today is ignorance, arrogance, and apathy. Keep taking the road of list resisting. Keep listening to the TV and bring Washington from birth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they want to throw God's wonderful breathing system out the door, you're all turning your backs on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Three states on the U.S. East Coast, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, offer a tangible real-world signs base road map out of the doom and gloom. Once the epicenter of the pandemic, all three have shown remarkable success in tamping down COVID-19 to a manageable level.
Now they're worried about getting re-infected. So, the three governors announced on Wednesday that visitors from hot spots including certain U.S. states, will face 14-day quarantines. New Jersey's governor says widespread testing has been crucial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): We've beaten this virus down to a pot in New Jersey with an enormous loss of life, we've been through hell and we don't want to go through hell again, and that's the spirit that underpins what we're asking folks to do.
We built up capacity in New Jersey. We're the number one per capita testing state in America. Folks when in doubt go out and get a test. We've got the capacity. Let's use it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And we have the latest on what's happening across the country from CNN's Erica Hill.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California, the first state to issue a stay at home order, shattering a daily high set only two days ago, adding more than 7,000 new cases on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): It is our behaviors that are leading to these numbers and we are putting people's lives at risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: COVID-related hospitalizations and ICE admissions also at an all-time high. The numbers in Arizona, Florida, and Texas also surging.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER HOTEZ, INFECTIOUS EXPERT, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: It's not just the increase in the number of cases, it's the slope, the way it's accelerating, it's almost vertical.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: One, south Florida health system seeing a more than 100 percent increase in the number of COVID-19 patients in the last two weeks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're now what we need to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you don't like wearing a mask, you're not going to like wearing a ventilator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: As of Tuesday, just 12 percent of Arizona's ICU beds were available.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL HUMBLE, FORMER HEALTH DIRECTOR, ARIZONA STATE: We're going to go under surge capacity mode probably by fourth of July. So, the -- so the most urgent thing I think, is to get the hospital systems ready.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Nationwide, more than half of U.S. states reporting an increase in new cases over the past week. More states and cities around the country now requiring face coverings, as experts warn we may need more drastic measures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:04:56]
HOTEZ: If it were up to me, we would do exactly what we did towards the end of March, which is a full, implement a full lockdown and social distancing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut where cases are trending down, want to keep it that way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): People coming in from states that have a high infection rate must quarantine for 14 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: As of Wednesday night, eight states subject to the new order which comes with hefty fines in New York State starting at $2,000.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURPHY: It's time for personal responsibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: The New York City marathon which attracts more than 50,000 runners and nearly a million spectators every fall canceled over coronavirus fears. Major League Baseball, however, will take the field this summer 60 games starting in late July. Coinciding with that news, more positive cases among the Phillis and reports of infection for the Rockies too.
North Carolina's governor just the latest to announced a statewide mandate for face coverings, and in the state of Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis doubling down, saying he will not put statewide measure in effect, though he's encouraging people to wear a mask.
He says though, enforcing a statewide mandate which has not been an effective use of resources. Dr. Anthony Fauci once again talking about the importance of face coverings on Wednesday, telling people to just look at the data for anybody who thinks it's a political issue, he says this is clearly a public health issue and they should just get past it.
Back to you.
CHURCH: So, let's speak to someone on the frontlines of delivering medical care in this country right now. And I'm pleased to welcome Dr. Saju Matthew, back on the show, a CNN medical analyst, a primary care doctor, and a specialist in public health. Good to have you with us.
SAJU MATTHEW, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Nice to be with you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, the U.S. is the worst country in the world doing so badly, the E.U. now is considering preventing U.S. travelers from entering Europe. And I want to pull up this graph because it shows 30,000 plus cases in the U.S. per day now, and it's about the same number back in early April. No improvement at all, even slightly worse. It is dire.
And yet, President Trump falsely suggested Wednesday the coronavirus is behind us even as the death toll surpasses more than 121,000. He clearly doesn't have a plan right now. How can we turn this around?
MATTHEW: You know, Rosemary, you mentioned how it almost seems like where we never moved. You know, we're just starting all over again with this crisis, and that's what really bothers me as a public health specialist is, that initial sacrifice that we made where a lot of Americans stayed at home, it almost seems like we've lost all of that time that we gained.
The only answer right now is to feel comfortable with hitting the pause button. And I think that that's what a lot of our leaders in the states where the cases are surging, we need to be comfortable and saying, and I'm going to say it, the three dreaded word, stay at home.
And I think that we are getting to that point, in states like Florida, where those measures need to be taken place again. And we need to ramp up testing. It's still not easy to get tested, trace, and isolate people.
CHURCH: Yes, of course Americans don't want to hear those words, stay at home. And as new coronavirus cases in the U.S. reached their highest single day total Wednesday, the three most populous states, California, Texas, and Florida hit all-time high case numbers. What do you think is going on those states, particularly California where the governor has been a lot tougher than most and has really taken this seriously?
MATTHEW: I agree. I think if you look at the two states where the governors have been really aggressive early and stayed aggressive consistently, it would have to be New York and California. So, the big question is, why is California having these surges.
And I think that, Rosemary, what's happening is, California is a huge state with so many different counties, so many different demographics. And what comes with a state that is so heterogenous are different rules and regulations by different county officials.
And I think that that's probably what's going on here, is that, you don't have just this one mandate across the state like in New York with Governor Cuomo.
CHURCH: And, doctor, the University of Washington model often referred to by the White House now predicts nearly 180,000 deaths in the U.S. by October 1. But says if 95 percent of Americans started to wear masks that estimate would drop to 146,000 deaths.
So, the solution is staring us right in the face quite literally, and yet, the president and some governors are not offering leadership on this, even though Dr. Anthony Fauci says, forget the politics, wear a mask. So, why so much resistance to the one thing that could actually turn this dire situation around? And how do you convince people to do this?
[03:10:04]
MATTHEW: It's a tough question, Rosemary, you would think that it will be so straightforward when you share numbers just like you did. You can cut down the number of deaths by 40,000. And get this, 50 percent decrease in transmission rates, Rosemary, by just wearing a cotton mask over your mouth and nose. And I think what really needs to happen is good leadership. Yes, I
agree, we're not a culture that really is comfortable wearing masks like in South Korea and other parts of Asia, I can get it. But this is one public health measures that's going to save a lot of lives, and I think it needs to start from the top down.
I'm a physician, can you imagine if I walk into a restaurant without a mask and a patient saw me? You know, ultimately, we need to lead by setting an example, and I think that that's what's going to be key in trying to change some of this culture.
CHURCH: Yes, you're right, doctor. And of course, the UAE and China have launched phase three clinical trials in humans for a COVID-19 vaccine. The University of Oxford has already started its phase three on a possible vaccine.
And the U.S. company Moderna starts its phase three trial of 30,000 participants in July. But President Trump mentioned Wednesday there would be a beautiful vaccine surprise. Is that politics at play offering false hope there, or is there something real and substantial in the pipeline?
MATTHEW: You know, when I listen to vaccine, and I get excited as a physician and a public specialist. I listen to what Dr. Fauci has to say, and you'd like to believe that the Moderna vaccine is definitely gaining momentum and hopefully it can work.
But listen to this, Rosemary. Out of a hundred or so people in the race to develop a vaccine, over 90 percent of these vaccines will fail. They will not, you know, come to fruition. So, ultimately, while we're all hoping for a vaccine, I think the most important thing right now especially with all these surges, is to do what we can. Ramp up testing. We need to definitely make sure that we wash our hands.
The young people need to really stop going out to bars and restaurants. The other day I was here in Atlanta, and I counted 20 people that were not wearing masks. So, yes, hopefully we might get a vaccine, but we might not. HIV 30 years later, Rosemary, we still don't have a vaccine.
CHURCH: Yes, at least they do have antivirals though in that instance. But as you say, wear a mask. Dr. Saju Matthew, thank you so much. I appreciate it.
MATTHEW: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: And I want you to take a look at these graphs now. There is a lot going on here, but I want to take you through this. First, look at the U.S. at the bottom on right, it's still deep in its first wave of the virus with more than two million infections and rising.
Now look at the graphs for Germany, France and Spain, not only have they had far fewer infections but you can see them all flattening the curve with new cases dropping sharply after the peak. That is what getting control of the virus looks like.
So, how did other countries get the virus under control while the U.S. has floundered?
CNN's Brian Todd has some answers.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The coronavirus crisis in America has reached such disturbing levels that the European Union could soon block Americans from traveling to Europe, according to officials.
One diplomat telling CNN Europe will be looking to keep out visitors from countries where the virus is circulating most actively, and by that measure, experts say, the U.S. doesn't stack up well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM HANAGE, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: The United States has not responded in a coherent organized fashion, which is capable of doing anything serious to really stand in the way of this virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: The United States is returning to the high infection rates of the outbreaks early days. While the European Union has pushed its rate down and seems to be keeping it down. In Europe, even in places like Italy, which was devastated by the virus early on, longer lockdowns, aggressive testing and contact tracing have proven effective. While states like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California are seeing enormous new spikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FRIEDEN, FORMER DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: The U.S. response is just lagging. We're not doing what we need to do to keep physically distant, we're not across the country scaling up contact tracing as effectively as needed so we can prevent cases from exploding into clusters and outbreaks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: South Korea, like the U.S., has big cities with dense populations vulnerable to coronavirus, but has had dramatically fewer cases and deaths than the U.S. What tactics made the South Koreans more successful?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANAGE: In South Korea they have an extraordinarily very smart testing program, which enables them to rapidly identify cases, and rapidly inform the contacts of those cases, and then rapidly isolate them.
[03:15:03]
FRIEDEN: If you would move to South Korea on January 20th when each of our countries had its firsts case, you would have been 70 times less likely to be killed by this virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP) TODD: Experts say another big reason the U.S. has fallen behind other
countries in the handling of the pandemic, is because the federal government allowed individual states to take the lead and make their own decisions of when and how to reopen. As a result, many states reopened much too quickly, while states hit hard early on like New York didn't.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANAGE: They held it over a period of weeks to months, they wrestled the pandemic to the ground to the point where now then were worried about there being new introductions from states where its taking off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open your business now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: Experts say one other problem the U.S. has had which most other nations have not, the politization of the response. Leaders like President Trump, Vice President Pence, openly shunning guidelines on wearing masks. Trump on Fox radio even making fun of Joe Biden whose worn them.
(BEGIN VOICE CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He started speaking through the mask again. he feels comfortable with the mask on, I think. And even though there was nobody anywhere near him.
(END VOICE CLIP)
TODD: But President Trump and other Republicans are not the only ones being criticized for politicizing the response to coronavirus. Experts point out not only did some Democratic governors not call out or prevent people from staging mass protest against police brutality recently, clearly a risky venture during the pandemic, but a couple of them joined the protest, breaking their own lockdown orders.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: So, the European Union is considering blocking Americans from traveling to Europe over concerns the U.S. has failed to control the virus. And as you can imagine, that news isn't well with the Trump administration.
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from London with more reaction. Good to see you, Nic. So, the E.U. is still considering this, but given the data, how inevitable is it?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It seems quite inevitable that the E.U. will make recommendations that make it very difficult for U.S. citizens to visit Europe, not impossible. You know, what the European Union officials say that they're trying to do here, right, is protect the health of what amounts to in the E.U. you know, half a billion people. That's their priority here. It's such an important issue, they've been
meeting on it a couple of times face to face, all the ambassadors of the E.U. face to face in the room so that gives you an idea of the importance of the topic. They'll meet again early next week.
What we've heard from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sounds like he wants to make improvements there but we don't really know what they're going to look like.
CHURCH: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've been working with the countries all across the world including our friends in Europe.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with his first public reaction to Europe's plan to possibly ban Americans from traveling there because of coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POMPEO: We certainly don't want to reopen that jeopardizes the United States from people traveling here, and we certainly don't want to cause problems anyplace else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Last week, E.U. leaders sent a letter to Pompeo urging the U.S. to lift its ban on European travelers, imposed in the early days of the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We made a lifesaving move with early action on China. Now we must take the same action with Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, with American infections spiking across the country, the E.U. is considering returning the favor. Though, an E.U. official tells CNN their decision isn't political. Their plan, though, seems to hurt America the most.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YLVA JOHANSSON, EUROPEAN HOME AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER: This criteria should be, of course, first epidemiological situation in the third country. Second is the containment measures while traveling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And the third reciprocity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHANSSON: If we open up from traveling into the E.U., we expect that this country should open up for the traveling from our countries to that country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Currently, the U.S. fails two out of those three criteria. E.U. citizens are banned from the U.S. So, no reciprocity. Europe has less COVID-19 than the USA. E.U. countries have an average of 15 cases of COVID-19 per hundred thousand people. The U.S. has 106.7 per 100,000. And it's unlikely to make that threshold currently set at 50 cases per 100,000.
E.U. officials are, quote, working around the clock ahead of a July 1st deadline when the E.U.'s internal borders are mostly opened up. Agreeing among themselves is the biggest challenge, consensus among the E.U.'s 27 nations is never easy. Even so, it doesn't look good for Americans. And what's become a growing political rift between the U.S. and European countries since Trump took office.
[03:20:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Europe has been treating us very badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: But, and there is a but here, whatever guidance unless the E.U. comes up with it, it's still up to the 27 individual member nations to decide whom they'll allow into their own countries.
Take Portugal, for example, they're allowing Brazilian travelers in at the moment, but right now, Brazil's COVID-19 infection rate is almost double that in the United States. So, perhaps that American dream of a summer vacation in Europe this year isn't quite over yet.
And I think while we were listening to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo there at the beginning, his concerns probably less about tourism and more about business. You know, $806 billion worth of business two ways between Europe and the United States.
So, there is a big potential economic impact on everyone, and of course, that's the goal here. Keep the health safe but get the economies going. Rosemary?
CHURCH: We'll watch to see what happens. Nic Robertson joining us live from London. Many thanks for that report.
And you can follow the latest developments of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and around the world with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta on our CNN global town hall. Coronavirus Facts and Fears. That's 8 p.m. Thursday in New York, 8 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong only here on CNN. Well, coronavirus cases are surging in Latin America. What health
officials in the region are saying about how long this pandemic could last.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Coronavirus cases have tripled in Latin America in the past month. That is according to the Pan American Health Organization, Brazil alone has topped 1.1 million cases with more than 100,000 infections being reported in the past three days alone.
Brazil now has the second highest number of cases worldwide after the United States, and almost 54,000 people have died there.
CNN's Shasta Darlington has more now from Sao Paulo.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: COVID-19 cases in Latin America have tripled in the last month, surpassing two million infections. That's according to the Pan American Health Organization. The group's director warned that governments are now facing pressure to ease social isolation measures due to economic and political pressure, even though transmission is still increasing.
Brazil alone has registered well over a million cases, and on Wednesday, the health ministry reported more than 42, 000 new infections. The second highest daily increase on record.
[03:24:56]
Meanwhile, a judge has ordered Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a mask in public or face a fine worth about $380 a day. The coronavirus skeptic rarely puts on a mask for public events, or when he joins his supporters in rallies, shaking hands, and embracing crowds.
The government is seeking to overturn the ruling which applies to public appearances in the country's capital, Brasilia. Bolsonaro has repeatedly downplayed the virus, calling it a little flu, and urging Brazilians to go back to work.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
CHURCH: Mexico is also seeing a spike in new coronavirus cases and deaths. The country reported almost 5,500 new cases, and almost 1000 deaths in the past 24 hours.
Meantime, a set of premature triplets born in Central Mexico have tested positive for the virus even though their parents don't have the disease.
And CNN's Matt Rivers has the details about this strange case.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is still so much that science does not know about this coronavirus, and we are getting a stark example of that this week. Here in Mexico, in one particular state, the state of San Luis Potosi, a doctor said that earlier this week, a set of triplets born prematurely all tested positive for COVID-19.
The unprecedented part, according to doctors, is that neither of the triplets' parents have tested positive for the disease. The doctors say they aren't sure how the triplets contracted the virus. They are exploring different possible paths of contagion. They say they simply do not know how the situation came about.
Thankfully, all three triplets are in stable condition, but it's just further proof that science has a lot more to learn about this virus. What is not in question, though, is how bad things are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, the director of the Pan American Health Organization told reporters that in just the last month or so alone, the number of cases in this region's 33 countries have gone from under 700,000 to know more than two million cases, and there are now more than 100,000 recorded deaths in this region for the first time.
And health officials are saying this could be around for a while. The director of the Pan American Health Organization told reporters that she thinks that absent a widely available vaccine there could be outbreaks in this part of the world for the next two years.
In fact, she went on to say, quote, "we must be realistic about the future. All of us must adjust to a new way of life, and redefine our sense of normal."
There's a lot left to be learned about the coronavirus, but the fact of the matter is that right now, Latin America and the Caribbean is going through the worst stage of this outbreak so far.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
CHURCH: The CEO of Australia's largest airline says it's going to be smaller for a while. Coming up, the dramatic step Qantas is taking in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Back with that in just a moment.
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. Well, Australia's flag carrier Qantas is slashing 6,000 jobs due to the coronavirus. The airline says it's part of a three-year plan to recover from the pandemic, and save more than $10 billion in costs. Qantas already has grounded as many as 100 aircraft, 15,000 Qantas employees remained idle to their jobs still on hold. And CNN's Anna Coren is in Hong Kong with the latest on this dramatic cutback. Good to see you, Anna. So, that is a lot of jobs to cut what is the plan here and what's been the reaction in Australia?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, Rosemary, it's brutal. There's no other way to put it. But necessary according to the Qantas' CEO, Alan Joyce. He says that the airlines industry is used to sudden shocks, but nothing like this, nothing like the coronavirus which is now just ravaging airlines across the world. This is now an existential crisis for all international airlines and Qantas has decided to make this move, a bold move slashing 6,000 jobs, that's 20 percent of its workforce in hopes of saving something like 15 billion Australian dollars over the next three years.
As you mentioned, 15,000 workers who had been stood down will remain stood down. That also gives you an idea as to Qantas is predictions about air travel in the coming years. Domestically they hope to get back on track within the next few years. Internationally it won't be until 2022 or 2023 and that's if a vaccine is found and there aren't second or third waves.
I mean there are so many variance that could pop up in the coming months and years ahead, but Alan Joyce said that this was an extremely difficult decision to make but one for the airline survival. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN JOYCE, QANTAS CEO: The collapse of billions of dollars in revenue leads us with little choice if we are to save as many jobs as possible longer term. Many of the 6,000 job losses we've announced today are people who have spent decades here, the people we know personally, they are people that we know for a long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: A hundred aircrafts are going to be grounded for at least the next year, and then 12 super jumbos, Rosemary, they are going to be stored in the Mohave Desert in California for the next three years. So, I think that really gives you an insight as to the future of the aviation industry, at least you know, for Qantas.
But Qantas joins other international airlines like in New Zealand, British airways, and Lufthansa that it had to lay off a large chunk of its workforce for its survival, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, this pandemic has a lot to answer for, Anna Coren, many thanks to you bringing us that update from Hong Kong. I appreciate it.
Well, after a record setting day on Tuesday, U.S. stocks made an abrupt U-turn on Wednesday, a surging number of covid-19 cases across the U.S. combined with a possible new tariff on E.U. imports, conspired to drop all three major U.S. industries more than 2 percent. In fact, it was the sharpest sell-off in almost two weeks. And U.S. futures for Thursday are running in the red as you can see, down 1.39 percent there.
So, CNN business correspondent Eleni Giokos joins me now. Eleni, a grim day for U.S. stocks. What happened exactly and what might this signal for the future?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN MONEY AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, look, we know that U.S. markets have actually been overheated for quite some time. Such a huge disconnect in terms of what equity prices are doing, versus what the real economy and economic data is showing us. That's because we have seen an extraordinary amount of stimulus that came through from the Federal Reserve, and of course the accommodated monetary stance keeping interest rates super low.
And of course that creates a lot of confidence and money that flows into the markets, but a reality check, because you have got to eventually look at the data points. The IMF says that the global recession is going to be far more deep, and dire than initially anticipated, saying that global growth is going to contract by 5 percent this year, next year, we're looking at 0 percent GDP.
[03:35:08]
And for the U.S. in particular, the IMF says that a contraction of 8 percent is what they are forecasting. You have to couple that then with the rise in coronavirus cases in the U.S. In key states like Florida, and California. Seeing record numbers in just one day, and I mean, you've got Houston saying they are running out of space, ICU beds, and you have got new quarantine rules coming through from various states of people traveling into those markets.
Now, this basically shows that the pandemic and the impact is not over yet. It also points to an important trend here where we've got a lifting of lockdown restrictions, but at the same time, business rate (inaudible) because we are still seeing a rise of cases. Not only in the U.S., but globally as well.
This negative sentiment that we saw feeding through to the U.S. markets, and by the way, still pointing to a negative open for Thursday session, we've seen it filter through in Europe as well, markets are down across the board. What's important to note there, the U.S. says that it wants to impose 3.1 billion dollars of additional tariffs on various markets, on a basket of goods.
They are adding, Rosemary, a lot more uncertainty at a time where we are in the middle of a pandemic, and let me tell you, Rosemary, the most important thing here is jobs. You got to see a recovery there before you can actually see companies truly recover.
CHURCH: Yes. Talking about jobs across the U.S. jobs report is out today, what are the expectations?
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, initial jobless claims are such an important barometer. A litmus test in terms of what the U.S. consumers are feeling. This number has been above 1 million for 13 weeks.
CHURCH: OK.
GIOKOS: Now, we have seen a decline which is very good. It's encouraging. But definitely not fast enough to people on Wall Street, or even people in Washington. And definitely pointing to still a lot of pain. You also got to look at continuous jobless claims that number is going to be key. How many people are still filing for benefits, and unemployment insurance? That will point a bigger trend, and let me tell you what we saw coming
through on Wednesday session, regarding coronavirus cases, means businesses are going to be ready to open, and operate at full capacity. That means a lot of income could be possible, and of course, more pressure on the unemployment front in the U.S.
CHURCH: Eleni Giokos, many thanks to you bringing us that live report. I appreciate it.
And still to come, Donald Trump's former national security adviser told CNN what he thinks about the president's handling of the pandemic, and it's not flattering.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: U.S. President Donald Trump posted Poland's leader at the White House on Wednesday. His first foreign leader to visit since mid- March. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports Mr. Trump tried to brush off any signs the U.S. is still struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
[03:40:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, there is face to face diplomacy resuming at the White House as President Trump welcomed his first foreign visitor in months.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think we've ever been closer to pull than we are right now.
COLLINS: Sitting next to Polish President Duda in the Oval Office, for days ahead of Duda's next election, Trump marked the occasion but didn't comment on how cases are at the highest they've been since April.
Why did you decide now is a good time to have the first foreign leader since all the shutdowns?
TRUMP: Well, I think it's a great honor, and frankly, Poland's a country that we have a tremendous relationship with, and I have a very good personal relationship with the president. So, this is the first after covid, after the start of the plague as I call it.
COLLINS: Trump didn't echo the sobering concerns his top health expert voice yesterday.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALERGY AND INFECTOUS DISEASE: In other areas of the country, we are now seeing a disturbing surge of infections. Bottom line, mister chairman, it's a mixed bag. Some good, and somehow we have a problem with.
COLLINS: Trump may not be hearing what Dr. Anthony Fauci and his other health experts have to say. Three of his four top officials said it's been weeks since they spoke to him, and the CDC Director wouldn't answer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When was the last time you spoke to the president about the country's response to this pandemic?
FAUCI: About two and a half weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was about two and a half weeks ago as well, maybe three weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been sometime since this book about the pandemic response.
COLLINS: Four months before Election Day, Trump's poll numbers aren't very promising. A new poll of registered voters by The New York Times showed that the president was down 14 points to Vice President Joe Biden. And Trump's response to the coronavirus isn't sitting well with voters either. The poll found 58 percent disapprove of his handling, Americans aren't the only ones questioning Trump's response.
The European Union is considering banning travel from the U.S. because it hasn't been able to control the virus. Meaning the U.S. would be frozen out alongside countries like Russia and Brazil. A concern that the Secretary of State addressed today.
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We certainly don't want to reopen to jeopardize the United States from people traveling here and we certainly don't want to cause problems anyplace else.
COLLINS: In Arizona yesterday, Trump again referred to the coronavirus with this racially insensitive phrase.
TRUMP: What I said the other night, there's never been anything. We have so many names. I could give you 19 or 20 names for that, right? It's got all different names. Wuhan. Now, Wuhan was catching on. Coronavirus, right? Kung flu, yes?
COLLINS: That's a term even a senior adviser Kellyanne Conway once said was offensive, after our reporters at the White House official used it but did not name them.
KELLYANNE CONWAY, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: No. I don't know, I don't know how these conversations go. And that's highly offensive. So, you should tell us all who it is.
COLLINS: Today, when she was asked about the president using it twice, Conway said this.
CONWAY: While the president is saying it, he's also saying this virus came from China. China is responsible.
COLLINS: One Republican Senator said he didn't approve of the president's language, but he didn't criticize him over it.
SEN. MIKE BRAUN (R-IN): I would not use that terminology myself, but President Trump has his own way of communicating, and I don't think it's going to change. COLLINS: And during his press conference, with the polish leader, the
president did confirm those reports about pulling troops out of Germany, U.S. troops. He said some of them will go to Poland, but some will also come home, and it was notable, because he saw the polish leader, a very close ally of the presidents push back on that to some degree, saying that he believes if U.S. forces are withdrawn from Europe, it is going to hurt European security. Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton has been making the rounds, plugging his new bombshell book to the media, and slamming the president. On Wednesday, Bolton told CNN's Wolf Blitzer he has no confidence in Mr. Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis, and says the president could and should act to help improve race relations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMB. JOHN BOLTON, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: I am afraid that the erratic nature of the policies as they've evolved since January, when the experts really began to sense that this problem might be out there has characterized our response throughout, and I am worried that it continues to be the pattern that the president follows. I think there is an empty chair in the Oval Office, because the president did not want to hear bad news about Xi Jinping, his friend.
He did not want to hear bad news about the cover-up of the virus in China, or its potential effect on the China trade deal they want so much. And he didn't want to hear about the potential impact of a pandemic on the American economy, and its effect on his reelection. Turning a blind eye to all these early signs, I think hampered the country's ability to deal with this, and continues to do so.
[03:45:00]
WOLF BLITZER, WOLF AND THE SITUATION ROOM, CNN: Another big issue right now, the crisis in our country, we have seen continued protests, we've seen demonstrations against racism and police brutality. The president seems to be doubling down though, on some racist rhetoric using phrases like Kung flu, for example, tweeting inflammatory videos that promote racist stereotypes. Does he see deepening the racial divide in our country right now as the potential reelection ticket?
BOLTON: You know, I don't know what he thinks he's doing, quite honestly. I think that there is a lot of hyperbole on both sides, of this issue. I think people need to calm down and take a deep breath, but I do think there is a responsibility for the president of the United States to say, look, we've got difficulties here in the country that need to be resolved.
To me, fundamentally, I would just go back to what Martin Luther King said in the March on Washington, that he looked for the day when Americans judged each other, not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character. That's the society, the president should be leading us towards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, a grand jury has indicted all three suspects in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, the white men have been charged with various counts including felony murder, Ahmaud a 25-year-old black man was shot while jogging in the U.S. State of Georgia. The father and son who allegedly killed him say they suspected Arbery had committed burglaries in the neighborhood, and we're trying to make a citizen's arrest.
Another man who was allegedly involved recorded video of the incident. Authorities initially declined to bring charges against the father and son, but since the release of the video that shows the killing, both men have been arrested along with the man who recorded that video.
Well, President Trump plans to take action to stop protesters from damaging or dismantling U.S. monuments, even ones that memorialize confederate officers who rebelled against the country. Mr. Trump was incensed when protesters last Friday pulled down a statue of a confederate general in Washington. Sources say he personally told a top U.S. parks official to put it back up. He's now said to be planning an executive order to protect monuments and post U.S. marshals to stop protesters from damaging more of them. And he is threatening to prosecute anyone who does.
Well, as America continues its national conversation about race, I spoke with Matt Bartley, he is a tattoo artist in Kentucky who is covering up racist tattoos for free. He's gotten more than 20 request since he began offering the service, and I asked him why he thinks people are coming to him now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT BARTLEY, TATOO ARTIST: People are having, you know, conversations about these types of things now, and it's in the spotlight. You know, a lot of people that are not aware, you know, of certain things, you know, everywhere you look now, especially if you're involved in social media, and any shape, form or fashion, you are bound to see it. You know, people are on the lookout for these types of things.
You know, I live in an economically depressed area. Tattoos are our luxury, you know? You don't really, you know, with covid-19 going on, people out of work, it's created a lot of financial hardships for people, you know. What better time to offer a free service like this, you now, with all the social change?
People are out here in the streets, you know, just demanding change, and people are using what talents and skills they have to forward that movement, and I'm all about it. All about that positive energy out there to help make change. We're out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And he is doing his part. You can catch my full interview with Matt Bartley next hour.
Well, in Russia, voting has begun in a controversial referendum on constitutional changes that could pave the way for President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036. The vote is taking place despite concerns over public safety. Russia is still reporting around 7,000 new cases of coronavirus per day and passed 600,000 total cases this week. The third highest in the world. And CNN's Matthew Chance is in London, he joins us now live. Good to see you, Matthew. So, what is the latest on this vote and is (inaudible)?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it probably a (inaudible), yes. I mean every expectation is that this constitutional change is going to be passed with a resounding majority. What the authorities have done though, is that they have started voting up a few days early. In fact, a week early. It will culminate on July the 1st when the final results will be known.
[03:50:10]
Now the reason it's controversial is for, you know, a couple of reasons. I mean, the first being as you mentioned, it potentially extends the rule of Vladimir Putin for another two presidential terms. It could take him into power potentially to 2036. And there's been a lot of criticism of that because obviously, there are critics, there are opposition circles inside Moscow that believe that Vladimir Putin has already spent too much time in power. He came into office as Prime Minister, remember, back in 1999, he has basically ruled continuously since then.
So, that's one of the criticism against it. And another criticism is that, of course, this vote is taking place at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Russia. And just the fact that so many people going to vote in the same locations that could have a potentially devastating effect on the rates of infection in that country which already has, as you mentioned, very high rate of infection right now. And so, it is also a concern circulating around this constitutional change.
CHURCH: All right. We'll watch to see what happens there. CNN's Matthew Chance joining us live from London, many thanks.
And coming, up the landmark which looms magnificently over the French capital is reopening to the public, but to enjoy the view, you will have to take the stairs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: So typically, this is what you would see at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The world famous site bustling with tourists. Well, after three months of closure, visitors are now welcomed back. CNN's Cyril Vanier joins us now. He visited the tower, he's in Paris, and of course, here to talk about his experience. And Cyril, it's hard to find a more recognizable landmark, and to enjoy it, you had to take the stairs. How did that go?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN SHOW HOST: It really is, isn't it, Rosemary. And look, it was fun. Anyway you square it, a day at the Eiffel Tower is fun, even though you have to climb up. In fact that's what I would recommend, frankly. And what I realized filming this report, Rosemary is I have lived in Paris most of my life, but as most Parisian, you've kind of take it for granted, you enjoyed the Eiffel Tower as part of the cityscape, but you will never go up unless you have a relative or a friend visiting from abroad. So, I really got a refresher course in the Eiffel Tower tourist experience. Take a look, Rosemary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: During the worst days of the coronavirus crisis, Paris' iron lady still played her part with a simple message to health care workers from a grateful nation. Thank you. The Eiffel Tower visited by almost 7 million tourists a year shut down three months, one week and four days ago. The longest closure since the Second World War.
I haven't been back to the Eiffel Tower in many years, and my first impression is at the ground level right here is an underrated vantage point of the tower itself, just look up. This feels pretty special. The first level, a reminder that the Eiffel Tower experience is now covid compatible.
[03:55:00]
Distancing, signage, face masks, and hand gel. The new normal. The tower keen to show it's even going a step further, regularly checking that surfaces are well and truly disinfected.
For now, the lifts are closed, because of distancing rules, so if you want the view, well, you have to earn it. It's also more fun this way. 745 steps to the second level, that's a 15 minute climb for an estimated four to 5,000 visitors expected on day one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is familiar. The best view that we could have from Paris. That's why they give us big emotions when you come just here.
VANIER: Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Sacre Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe, all there if you know where to look. At the risk of sounding cliche, the view truly is amazing. You feel like you're floating above the city, and you have a direct line of sight to all the landmarks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: Rosemary, there's a pretty big caveat to that Eiffel Tower at the moment, which is, remember I told you, the lifts aren't in use because of social distancing guidelines at the moment. Well, the problem is if you want to go from that second level up to the very top, which obviously, everyone wants to do. Well, you can't at the moment. Because there are no stairs, their only lifts. Two sets of lifts that ran up the last third of the Eiffel Tower. Those are not a news at the moment, so, the highest you can go right now is the second level, Rosemary.
CHURCH: OK. So, Cyril, I have to say it's the favorite story, my favorite story of the day. Talk to us about how likely it is that there will be lots of precautions and others lined up to go up those stairs?
VANIER: yes, that's a great question, and I spoke to the CEO of the Eiffel Tower. He'd love to know the answer to that. So they are expecting 4,000 to 5,000 people today. That's day one. They're hoping they will be back to normal numbers by August. Frankly, Rosemary, I don't see how that's possible. Normal numbers in June for instance are 23,000 visitors a day. So, four times what they are going to get today.
And the borders within Europe have reopened, so they are going to get the European travelers, but borders between Europe and the rest of the world? Not so sure. It depends where. They are not going to get for instance Americans in any, you know, in the next few weeks it seems. So, I don't see how they are going to get back to normal numbers, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. They are going to have a really healthy people who enjoy that sort of exercise. I ain't actually quite enjoy doing that. Cyril Vanier, many thanks. Always good to chat with you.
And thank you for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church, I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
