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New Beijing Ruling Allows Chinese Law Enforcement Presence In Hong Kong; Experts Warn U.S. Coronavirus Cases Could Reach 100,000 A Day; Russians To Vote To Keep Putin In Power; Hong Kong's Leader Defends National Security Law; Belgian King: "Deepest Regret" for Colonial Past in Congo; E.U. Allows Travel from 14 Countries, U.S. Excluded; Airbus to Cut 15,000 Jobs over 12 Months; Actor and Director Carl Reiner Dies at 98. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 01, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM.
Hong Kong's leader toasts a controversial new security law that could mean life in prison for anyone who violates it.
An urgent plea and a dire prediction, meantime, from one of America's top medical experts as the coronavirus spreads unchecked through parts of the country.
And Russians vote on a change to the constitution that could keep Vladimir Putin in power until 2036.
Hong Kong's leader is defending a contentious national security law that China has imposed on the city.
Now at a ceremony marking the territory's handover from British to Chinese rule, Carrie Lam pushed back against critics who say the legislation would erode Hong Kong's civil freedoms.
Instead, she argued that it would help keep the city safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE LAM, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF HONG KONG (through translator): It shows that the Hong Kong government, after a whole year of ceaseless escalating violence and riots is determined to restore stability to Hong Kong.
It shows the central government's determination to protect the absolute majority of lawful Hong Kong citizens from the harms done by a small minority of people who endanger national security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now China has finally released details about what the law will do. It broadens Beijing's power to investigate and punish acts of secession, subversion and what it considers terrorism.
Those convicted could face life in prison. It also allows the mainland to establish their own law enforcement presence in the city, and that is significant.
CNN's Will Ripley joins us now from Hong Kong. And, Will, I want to point out to people, just to put a fine point on it here.
Will, can you hear me there?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I can hear you. I just want to show you what's happening here.
NEWTON: Absolutely. You go ahead.
RIPLEY: Because we have seen our first man in handcuffs.
So let's get back over here, Dan.
Paula, we've been following a large group of police officers who had a man in a black shirt with his hands tied behind his back with zip ties.
He was wearing a black shirt. Tears streaming down his face. We don't know if he's arrested.
If you can zoom in over there, Dan -- you see a flag that the officer has in the back of his backpack there, that purple flag. That is a new color flag that we've seen officers pull out just today.
And what that flag says is that if people chant slogans supporting independence or secession or if they carry banners or signs promoting Hong Kong independence or, in any way, speaking ill of the Communist Party in China, that they could be in violation of the national security law and they could be arrested and prosecuted under that law.
So we weren't able to get close enough because officers were pushing us away but we think that might have been, potentially, our first detainment anyway.
And we'll find out later if the individual who we saw was arrested and charged.
So go ahead, Paula. I just wanted to show you that because we've been kind of following this group of police officers here.
NEWTON: Absolutely. Continue to follow, and certainly interrupt. Now, Will, what you're saying to me right now on the ground is really proving a point.
We just spoke with Michael Tien who's the pro-Beijing member there on the legislative city council in Hong Kong. And he's saying that, look, this law will not be enforced to its fullest degree, that it's acting as a deterrent.
Clearly, the chilling effect that it was intended to have is having the effect.
He was very plain to say that look, if you read the letter of the law, yes, it's harsh. But it's going to accomplish something in the city.
RIPLEY: Yes. Well, the goal is intimidation and the goal is to prevent people from coming out and demonstrating, and we have not seen any demonstrations that are significant at this stage.
The reason why we moved from the empty Victoria Park where there were massive demonstrations last July 1st marking the handover from British rule to Chinese rule -- of course, those demonstrations turned violent.
Protesters broke into the legislative council building, they vandalized -- they occupied the building, they spray painted slogans.
We have not seen anything close to that. We've barely see anybody out here demonstrating. A couple of people on a microphone, but people being very careful.
[01:05:00]
But you can see the overwhelming police presence here before even anybody has gathered for a protest.
This is typical traffic on a public holiday in Hong Kong, in Causeway Bay, a very busy shopping district. And yet, you have police in their full riot gear ready to go if any sort of demonstration even begins to pop up.
And officers are on the move here. These officers who were well trained in how to respond to all of this last summer after months of continuous weekly, sometimes daily, protests.
They're now out here. And the goal is to let people know that the overwhelming force, not of the Hong Kong government but now China's national security law -- what is this here?
This is a sign that was just handed to me. "The national security law ends one country, two system." I don't know if that sign could get somebody arrested for holding it. This is all new.
But for people who are out here, like this man here -- the police are not interfering with him at this stage.
But the goal is to (inaudible) prevent them from the kind of disruption and social unrest that we saw for so many -- so many months in Hong Kong last year, a little bit earlier this year before this law was announced.
NEWTON: Yes. Well, we are seeing in real time there the first hours of the enforcement of this law.
And I remind everyone all of those protests that we've seen around the world and, obviously, especially in the United States, Black Lives Matter, all of that right now, according to this law, would be outlawed in Hong Kong.
You wouldn't be able to do it by threat of a life sentence.
Will, we'll continue to stay with you. Please come back to us just to see what else transpires there on the streets of Hong Kong.
We want to go now to Steven Jiang in Beijing who's also watching all of this.
And it's interesting to see that Beijing believes the timing of this was proper and right and that basically their end goal was met.
This is and could be quite a deterrent.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SNR. PRODUCER: That's right, Paula. But I want to point out I'm actually not watching what's going on in Hong Kong because the Chinese censors have blocked out our coverage. That's how sensitive they feel about this topic.
But as you mentioned, from China's perspective, this is long overdue and it's probably achieving part of its desired effect in terms of returning peace and stability in Hong Kong.
Notwithstanding what Will was reporting, but also safeguarding Hong Kong's national security, which Beijing considers its prerogative.
Now at a press conference that just ended not long ago here, Chinese officials staunchly defended this law as a perfect example of one country, two systems. That, of course, is a policy that was supposed to give Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years but is now very much in doubt in the minds of a growing number of people.
Now this new law, according to Chinese officials, is not going to impact the vast majority of Hong Kong people. They say it's only targeting a tiny minority who intends to do real harm to Hong Kong.
And they brushed aside concerns and criticisms about its impact or potential impact on freedom of speech, judicial independence as well as political diversity in Hong Kong.
With one official going as far as quoting the late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping as saying in Hong Kong, it's still OK for you to verbally attack the Communist Party as long as you don't turn these verbal attacks into concrete actions.
So they're really trying to walk a really fine line here.
Trying to allay fears and concerns in the territory, saying only under the most extraordinary circumstances would the Chinese government agents or the judicial authorities here in China get involved in cases in Hong Kong.
And that's going to be a very rare occurrence. But they say we have to have the system set up just in case.
So they're trying to really do their best to portray this as a consensus of Hong Kong society as the result of a carefully thought through process.
But, of course, given what's going on on the ground, it's probably a little -- too little, too late. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And a reminder that even the most innocuous protest right now -- in the interpretation of the law in terms of the translation I read, would mean that potentially you could go to prison for life.
Our Steven Jiang continues to follow this from Beijing. Appreciate it.
And we turn now to the coronavirus pandemic and predictions that new cases in the United States could more than double to 100,000 a day.
And there's growing concern about huge crowds out this weekend to celebrate the 4th of July weekend.
CNN's Nick Watt has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Arizona's average daily death toll about doubled during the month of June.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The numbers speak for themselves. I'm very concerned. And I'm not satisfied with what's going on because we're going in the wrong direction.
Clearly, we are not in total control right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: In Texas, the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals more than tripled during the month of June.
[01:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: In the United States, daily cases are increasing. After an extended decline.
WATT: Average daily cases in Florida up more than six fold during the month of June.
Beaches in the south of the state also closing again before the 4th of July weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR DAN GELBER, MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: We don't have a lot of tools left in the kit right now. So we're trying everything we can to stop this spread and reverse what is a very enormous spike in our community and in our state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Today is 162 days since the first confirmed case here in the U.S.
But one senior CDC official says, "This is really the beginning."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: We can't just focus on those areas that are having the surge, it puts the entire country at risk.
We are now having 40-plus thousand new cases a day, I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day. If this does not turn around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: And the death rate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: It is going to be very disturbing, I will guarantee you that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: But it might not be too late.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REDFIELD: It is critical that we all take the personal responsibility to slow the transmission of COVID-19 and embrace the universal use of face coverings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: But in at least 10 of the 15 states right now suffering new cases, there is no statewide mask mandate.
But you should still wear one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REDFIELD: Specifically, I'm addressing the younger members of our society, the Millennials and the Generation Zs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: The economic pain of all this is obvious and crippling. People now camping overnight outside an unemployment office in Oklahoma.
But Dr. Fauci says states must not open too fast, and we all must stop doing this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(Visual of crowds in street)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAUCI: We are going to continue to be in a lot of trouble, and there's going to be a lot of hurt if that does not stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: New Jersey, Connecticut and New York, where even the famous library lions are masked, now asking incomers from 16 spiking states to quarantine.
Massachusetts asking the same of anyone coming in from outside the northeast.
And starting tomorrow, the European Union will let travelers in from 14 countries and China, if they reciprocate, but not from the United States.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: OK. The man hoping to win the White House in November is taking direct aim at Donald Trump's handling of this pandemic.
Joe Biden says the president hasn't gotten the job done and urged him to address the crisis before he tees off for another round of golf.
The former vice president also blasted Mr. Trump for not wearing a mask in public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FRM. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He called himself a wartime president. What happened?
Now it's almost July and it seems like our wartime president has surrendered. Waved the right flag -- white flag, and left the battlefield.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Dr. Ashish Jha is the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. He joins me now from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
And it really was a stunner during the hearing today. Dr. Anthony Fauci saying really that look, 100,000 cases per day in the United States, two-and-half times more, about there, than are recorded to date is possible.
That's what we call exponential growth, right. And that's really the worst fear right now?
DR. ASHISH JHA, DIRECTOR, HARVARD GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: That is the worst fear. That the virus is really starting to get out of control in about a dozen states across the United States.
Out of control in a way that simple interventions aren't going to work and we would have to do something really extreme again.
So I think Dr. Fauci's warnings are -- need to be heeded.
NEWTON: And when you say need to be heeded, I just want to ask you about this before we move on.
Do we think anything short of shutdowns is going to do the trick at this point?
JHA: Over the weekend, Secretary Azar, the health secretary, said the window of action or the window of opportunity for action is closing. He's absolutely right.
I think if all those states got very aggressive now, shut down all indoor activities such as restaurants and bars and gatherings, mandated mask wearing and continued to work on ramping up testing and tracing, yes, I think there's a possibility we can hold off on shelter in place and total lock down.
But I just don't feel like those states are taking it as seriously as they need.
NEWTON: And one thing that obviously people are not taking as seriously perhaps as they should is wearing masks.
And I know you've said this video today, I'm just going to show it to our viewers. It's fascinating, really, we should run this over and over again.
It is a study from Florida Atlantic University. And there they basically have how far the droplets can actually go, the distance that they go.
[01:15:00]
But the issue here is that masks help. And this is what we're looking at right now.
We're just looking at the effects of having no mask -- that means your cough travels 2.4 meters. And you see there, even stitched masks, two layers, so many of the kind that those of us that have ordered online or have had our kids or our neighbors make -- six centimeters.
How significant do you think -- does this proves that mask wearing should actually make a difference?
JHA: Yes. It's one more strong piece of evidence in a growing body of evidence. I think at this point almost everything is pointing to the idea that wearing masks reduces spread of the virus, reduces exponential growth.
And it is really just unbelievable to me that many people are resisting this when the alternative is that their entire community, their entire city or state is going to end up having to shut down.
That's a much greater abridgement of freedom than wearing a mask is.
NEWTON: Do you wish they would've done it sooner? I was a bit shocked to hear Dr. Fauci a few days ago say that the reason we didn't recommend masks for everyone is we didn't want people to hoard masks.
But so many of us were making them at home.
Even if you look back at what we were saying in march or April, do you think we should have been more active about that?
JHA: Yes. So to be perfectly honest, I got it wrong in March. I really wasn't convinced of the data and I thought -- early March, I think I even publicly said I didn't see a clear benefit for masks.
But the data's really changed, and the evidence has changed. And now we have, I think, incontrovertible, really, data on this topic and therefore, in my mind our opinions should change as well.
But I think at least for the last three to four weeks it's been very clear to me that everybody should be wearing a mask when they're outside of the home.
NEWTON: And to be fair, I want to be clear. Experts like you and other experts from all over the world were very clear from the outset, we don't know much about this virus. It's a very new one.
So we're adjusting, right, as we see the evidence.
Before I let you on -- before I let you go, I really want to talk about young people.
I had noticed this kind of fatalism. And it's not just in the United States, it's all over the world at places where perhaps even things have started to open up and they might be dealing with a second wave.
This fatalism which -- it's not going to affect me, let's just get this done with, let's get infected and I can be over the coronavirus.
Why is that a dangerous attitude to have right now?
JHA: Yes. There are three reasons why that's a bad idea.
First of all, I think we're finding that a lot of young people do get sick, some of them get sick quite severely and we don't know the long- term health consequences.
So what I'm saying to young people is if you care about the long-term health of your lungs, of your heart, I wouldn't be so cavalier.
Second, young people getting infected keeps the virus kind of going and provides fuel for further spread.
And third, but related to that, is the fact that young people do have parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles and they can spread it to people.
And so they can spread it to people who are going to get potentially very sick and die.
So lots of reasons why young people shouldn't be so cavalier about the virus.
NEWTON: Yes. And we'll see if any of their attitudes change, of course, as the prevalence goes up. Not just in the United States but around the world.
A lot of places dealing with what might be actually just the tail end of the first wave, not even the second.
Dr. Jha, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
JHA: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, if a vote right now goes through in Russia, it's going to mean that Vladimir Putin is going to get his way. He could wind up in the Kremlin for life. A closer look at his latest power grab.
And, later this hour, we're live in Greece as the European Union prepares to welcome back international tourists. But not everyone is welcome.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00]
NEWTON: OK. Polls are open again in Russia for the last day of voting on reforms. Voters are deciding whether to later the constitution and allow President Vladimir Putin to potentially remain in power for another 16 years.
Matthew Chance picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SNR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With its lockdown lifted, it doesn't look much like a pandemic in Russia.
Nor indeed a national vote which could tighten President Putin's already firm grip on power. Yet both are in full swing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"I would elect him for another 10 years," says Antonina (ph), a pensioner from outside Moscow. "There are no presidents like Putin, he's smart and has improved lives, she says. People like him must be kept, not let go."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
He could stay possibly until 2036 if proposed constitutional changes are passed as expected.
Ahead of the week-long voting, some of Russia's biggest stars have been approving the public to approve the changes.
Like the family of former Olympic and world figure skating champion, Evgeni Plushenko.
"Look how huge our country is compared to tiny Austria," his wife, Yana, tells their son. "This is our country," the skater explains, "let's vote for the amendments."
The fact they allowed Putin to stand for two additional presidential terms is, well -- skated over.
It's an omission drawing the wrath of Russian opposition figures like Alexei Navalny who sees the vote as a constitutional coup by the Kremlin.
"Poor child, having such greedy unscrupulous parents," he commented on Instagram. "Attracting more 'likes,'" he says, "than the video itself."
But the Kremlin has made sure that constitutional changes aren't just about Putin's rule.
This pro-Kremlin video shows a Russian man adopting a child from an orphanage, and then introducing him to his new mom, a male partner.
The video has been slammed as homophobic but it reminds voters that constitutional changes would enshrine a ban on gay marriage in Russia.
A potential vote winner for a deeply conservative --some might say prejudiced -- electorate.
And if that does not convince, there are even prizes on offer if you vote. Bonus points, which as this Russian TV anchor explains, can be spent at supermarkets, toy shops and all participating stores.
For a population desperate to put coronavirus and its economic hardships behind them, this alone could be enough to win support.
Matthew Chance, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: My next guest is an expert on Russian and American politics and the author of the book, "Surviving Autocracy," as well as a staff writer at "The New Yorker".
Masha Gessen is with me now from New York. It's such a pleasure to have you with me again.
It's been about two decades since you and I witnessed history with Boris yeltsin handing over to Vladimir Putin.
You were so prescient at the time, you could see this happening in real-time, in terms of what Vladimir Putin was trying to do.
Given what we are likely to be witnessing in terms of the outcome of this referendum, what do you fear most?
MASHA GESSEN, STAFF WRITER, "THE NEW YORKER:" Well, let's actually get our terms straight. This is not a referendum, this is a showboat.
There is a referendum that is constitutionally enshrined in Russia, right? It is possible to have a referendum. But a referendum is a fairly complicated legal procedure.
That's not what's happening, right. What's happening is something that is not written in any law.
It is basically getting people out to the polls to affirm already prescribed amendments to the constitution.
[01:25:00]
And the reason I'm being so vague is because this thing, this vote, is not any procedure that's in the Russian constitution already, right.
It's already supra-judicial (ph), it's already sort of this totalitarian show of people coming out to participate in something that pretends to be politics, only to show support for the great leader.
At great personal and public health risk.
NEWTON: And, again --
GESSEN: We already know what's going to happen, right. Putin is going to rule in perpetuity.
NEWTON: Indeed, we do. Because that is the way it's been set up. And yet, I ask you again, given the entrenchment of power that we've seen for the last two decades, how much further could he entrench things?
And I have to tell you, in going back to Russia, what I find most dispiriting over the years has been that sense of hopelessness, right. That futility that you see in so many people in Russia who perhaps know that this is not the way their country should be governed.
Or even more than the fear of speaking out, there is just that cynicism that creeps in, as if it's hopeless. There's nothing we can do here.
GESSEN: People are powerless. They really and truly have no way to influence the way the country is run, who runs the country, how their tax money is used, how decisions are made, how they live.
And these days, whether they get sick or not or whether their lives are put at risk.
It is all the more painful to have to go through this demonstration of supposedly affirming their desire to have Putin rule in perpetuity when everyone has been rendered so powerless.
But to answer your question, how much further can it be entrenched? I grew up in the Soviet Union, right, and we believed that everything was forever. Until one day it wasn't.
That's what's going to happen with Putinism. Eventually, it's going to collapse. It's only going to collapse from the inside whether because he dies or because he makes a fatal mistake and his power collapses.
We can't predict it from the outside because, at this point, he has built a perfect black box of a government structure.
The problem is the longer he runs Russia, the more he damages the fabric of that society or what remains of the fabric of that society after twenty years of Putin now.
NEWTON: And I want to try and make the leap here. We were talking about you being prescient way back in 1999 and 2000.
And yet here we are in 2016, literally in the days after President Donald Trump was elected. And you have your book, of course, "Surviving Autocracy."
And the point of your book is really -- and it is contentious in terms of your premise -- and that's that the post-Trump America, even a post-Trump America, will remain consequential, that this has been revolutionary. In what way?
GESSEN: He has done a lot of damage in three-and-a-half years. I think in some ways he has exposed things that we should have known all along, and in that sense, Trumpism is a time of opportunity for us, right.
If Trump was voted out of office, there's an opportunity and a need for reinvention that has really been starkly exposed during the three- and-a-half years of Trump.
But what we have seen is that American institutions are not able to resist autocracy or an autocratic attempt, which is the term I use borrowing from the Hungarian political scientist Balint Magyar.
When Trump was elected, a lot of people thought well, our institutions were so perfect -- and Americans have a religious belief in institutions, right. They think that they're so perfect that they can just function on their own and resist anything. That's not --
NEWTON: Completely the opposite from what Russians think, by the way. Of their institutions.
GESSEN: Absolutely, yes.
NEWTON: It's fascinating.
GESSEN: Russians think that institutions are basically made to fail.
NEWTON: Exactly.
GESSEN: And Americans think they're failure-proof. And, what do you know, it turns out that a lot of what Americans took for granted was norms and culture, right.
Things like the daily White House press briefing but just not the daily White House press briefing but the very idea that an elected official, the president, would be held accountable to the public through speaking to the media, which is represented the public.
This premise has been completely up-ended and just thrown out.
Trump has made a spectacle and sometimes a laughing stock of the courts. Trump has, to a very significant extent ,destroyed the system of checks and balances.
[01:29:52]
The Trump White House refused to allow staff and former staff to attend the impeachment hearings in Congress to which they were subpoenaed. Congress had the legal power to do that. The White House did not have the legal power to refuse to attend and yet they were able to do it with impunity.
Trump has managed to fire a lot of inspectors general which is the system that Congress has put in place to ensure checks and balances. And on and on and on.
The damage to institutions has been extensive. But it's not just a question of repair. It is really a question of reinvention. And again, the opportunity is that we are seeing the need for it as starkly as we have ever seen it before.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: The book is "Surviving Autocracy". The author is Masha Gessen. Masha -- good to see you again. Really thank you for your time.
GESSEN: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, critics are blasting China's national security law for Hong Kong. Experts say it could further damage the city's economy. But some local business owners are defending the move. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Hong Kong is marking the 23rd anniversary of its handover to China, and it begins to adjust right now at this hour to a new national security law imposed by the mainland. Now, the city's leader has welcomed the move and blasted critics who say it could erode civil freedoms.
The legislation will, in part, broaden Beijing's power to investigate, prosecute and punish what it considers criminal acts. This includes secession, subversion and alleged acts of terror. And that definition of terror is quite broad.
Hong Kong's economy meantime has taken a hit in recent months. And some experts believe the new law could further rattle business in the city.
But as our Will Ripley reports, others say it might actually restore stability.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: July 1st is a public holiday in Hong Kong --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, Hong Kong people are to run Hong Kong.
RIPLEY: -- the anniversary of the 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule.
Last year, the day descended into chaos. Protesters storming and occupying Hong Kong's legislative complex.
[01:34:52[
RIPLEY: Beijing promised Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years under one country, two systems. Pro democracy protesters accused China of going back on that deal, taking away their freedoms.
Beijing's response to months of unrest? A sweeping national security law drafted and imposed by China's ruling body bypassing Hong Kong's government. Beijing says the law is necessary to contain the protests, part of what it calls a foreign plot to destabilize the mainland by turning Hong Kong into a chess piece external powers can use to control China.
SIMON LEE, SENIOR LECTURER OF BUSINESS, CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: -- rule of game and then in the society with its rule of law.
RIPLEY: So who's -- who's winning this game of Chinese chess right now?
LEE: It is still ongoing. Now the national security law casts a high degree of uncertainty.
RIPLEY: The Trump administration is already making moves in response to the law, planning to strip away the special trade relationship between the U.S. and Hong Kong. This week, the U.S. announced restrictions on defense and dual-use technology exports. The E.U. has also warned of negative consequences for the global financial hub.
Trillions of dollars flow through the Hong Kong stock exchange, among the largest in the world. Analysts say any disruption could rattle an already shaky global economy.
But a growing list of corporations have voiced support for the new law along with some prominent Hong Kong business owners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have their system. We have our own system. Ok. Let's work together.
RIPLEY: Pro Beijing lawmaker and clothing chain founder Michael Chen says the law could revive Hong Kong's struggling retail and hospitality sectors.
When you see big companies saying that they support the law?
MICHAEL CHEN, BUSINESSMAN: Actually, they are just -- it's because of money.
RIPLEY: You think they're just trying to make money.
CHEN: Just because of money.
RIPLEY: Pro-democracy restaurant owner Gordon Lam says it's about more than money.
"Hong Kong's core business value is freedom of expression and freedom to conduct business," he says. If we don't have this, Hong Kong is no longer Hong Kong.
Last year's graffiti replaced by this year's billboards, ads all over the city promising the new law will restore stability.
The question -- at what cost?
Will Ripley, CNN -- Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Belgium's King Philippe is sending his deepest regrets to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the country's suffering under Belgian rule more than a half century ago.
Now, while some Congolese activists welcome the message, others say it just doesn't go far enough.
Scott McLean has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In central Brussels, the profanities spray-painted on Belgium's colonial monuments are being scrubbed away. But inside the nearby palace, there is no way for the King to wash his hands of a history that's a lot more offensive.
In a letter to the Congolese president, King Philippe expressed his deepest regret for the acts of violence and cruelty committed in Congo and the suffering and humiliation of colonial rule.
Congo won its independence 60 years ago, but this is the first time a Belgian monarch has acknowledged the atrocities committed there. Slavery, amputations, and at least half a million people killed under the rule of King Leopold II.
A petition to remove his statues has gained more than 82,000 signatures. An effort led by 14 year old Noah, who says it's high time the royal family made amends.
"It is good. We are happy it is the first step. We are happy that the King recognizes what Leopold did, and that the King and his family recognize all the things that happened in Congo during this time between 1880 and 1908.
It was the private property of their family, of Leopold II, and not the Belgians. So I don't think we can blame all of Belgium."
King Philippe stopped short of an apology, but Noah says he doesn't need to hear one. He would much rather see action to better teach colonial history in schools and to take down the statues of King Leopold II.
Joelle Sandi Nzeba has led protests in Brussels and says the King's letter doesn't go far enough.
We want apologies -- real ones. Not what the one that asks us or ask from us to read between the lines. We want actual words saying that "We did wrong, we killed Congolese, we destroyed cultures, families." That is what we want.
MCLEAN: Belgian lawmakers have approved a truth and reconciliation commission to examine the crimes of Belgian colonial rule in Africa. But the scope of its work is still to be determined.
It's a difficult conversation that Belgium has put off for decades. For Noah, it's reason to be optimistic.
[01:39:48]
NOAH (through translator): There is a commission that will speak the truth. There is still lots of people who want to deny or don't understand what happened in Congo. It's very much about finding the truth.
It's never too late. Perhaps it could have happened 60 years ago, but if it happens now it's good too.
MCLEAN: Scott McLean, CNN -- London.
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NEWTON: Now, with the massive slump in business because of the pandemic, Airbus is moving quickly to stem the damage. The job cuts -- ahead.
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NEWTON: Europe is officially reopening its borders to international travelers in the days ahead. But for now, Americans aren't welcome. With the coronavirus pandemic getting worse in many states, America's top public health expert is warning of a dramatic rise in cases.
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We are now having 40,000 plus new cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this does not turn around.
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NEWTON: The U.S. is nowhere near meeting the criteria for reentry into the E.U. China, in fact, will be on the list of nations whose citizens are allowed back, provided they reciprocate.
Journalist Elinda Labropoulou is live for us this hour in northwestern Greece. And Elinda, a bit of a blow here because I know that, in fact, Greece has done very well through this pandemic in terms of not just containing the virus but also the death rate. And obviously, Greece wants to recover.
Welcoming Americans would have gone a long way in getting that accomplished.
ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Oh, absolutely. I mean America is one of the biggest markets in Greece. It is in fact the third biggest market.
So, of course, it's been a blow to people here as well. But we will have to put security first, safety first in this case. So Greece is going to follow the E.U. recommendation of 14 countries plus China depending on reciprocity.
So what it's also done and what a number of countries have done is in some cases they have also set their extra criteria. So in the case of Greece, also the U.K. and Sweden will not be allowed in the country for another 15 days. This is because infection rate remains very high compared to the E.U. and compared to Greece.
And with that, if you put together the U.S., Russia and the U.K., they together account for 20 percent of the revenue of tourism -- tourist revenue in this country.
So as you understand, yes it is a huge blow, but Greece is hoping that having under 200 deaths in total from COVID-19 and less than 3,500 cases in a population of 11 million, that this is a very strong signal to the industry and to people who want to travel from other countries to try and make it to Greece.
But the question now is, much for Greece as for many other countries as well, how can a country remain safe once it opens its borders?
[01:44:57]
LABROPOULOU: And to achieve this, Greece has taken a number of measures. It has introduced a passenger locator form, so anybody entering the country has to fill out this form. Then this will be processed, go through a number of algorithms.
Travelers receive a QR code, so when they arrive they put their code through and depending on whether they come from a high infection area, they will have to be tested in some cases. There'll be random checks in Greece depending on people -- of where people are coming from.
So Greece, much like the rest of the Mediterranean is very, very dependent on its tourism industry. And I can tell you from where I am -- I'm in a small resort town in Greece, it's (INAUDIBLE). And behind me, I have a beach. This beach is completely empty. It's been empty for weeks. And now we are reaching peak season.
So people here are just hoping that this gradual opening of the borders and hopefully with more countries being able to travel as well in the near future that the economy will be at least partly be able to bounce back -- Paula.
NEWTON: And for some people now, that beach is within reason, not just a dream and I think a lot of people will be welcoming that.
Of course, these measures that you outlined are very important for Greece and be able to contain the virus and continue to contain that virus.
Elinda Labropoulou in Greece for us. Thanks so much.
Now, the E.U. is suspending Pakistan International Airline flights for at least six months and response to a fake license scandal. The Pakistani government says 262 pilots in the country have forged or dubious licenses. Nearly a third of the airline's pilots were grounded after the report.
But the E.U. was not satisfied. PIA was involved in two deadly plane crashes within the last four years alone. The most recent was just weeks ago in Karachi. 98 people were killed.
Airbus is cutting 15,000 jobs over the next year as it deals with a 40 percent plunge in business during the pandemic.
John Defterios is with us now in Abu Dhabi with details.
Really the news has not been good. It doesn't matter if it's airline or the airline business. Airbus now saying that look, it will have these layoffs
Is it a good barometer for where we believe the airline industry is going? And specifically, you know, was the CEO bearish on the length of time it will take to recover?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes. You know, Paula -- it's not too surprising that Airbus would eventually have to pay the price or the workers with the axe falling here because of the state of the industry.
And yes, he was bearish. We are looking at a case where the entire airline sector is going to lose $84 billion this year and not be profitable in 2021, according to the trade association, IATA.
And Guillaume Faury as a result said, "We probably won't get back to normal until 2023." But get this, Paula -- for the first time anyone in the airline industry that I've seen at least has said it could stretch out to 2025. How is that for a new normal in the airline sector?
Now, Airbus has tapped into $17 billion of loans here from Europe to get through the crisis. They burned through about $8 billion of that in the first quarter alone. So now, you see they're restructuring.
it is an E.U. wide project, as you know, with dual headquarters in Toulouse, France and in Germany. Operations in the U.K. and Spain.
And as a result of that 15,000 you're talking about, by the way, 10,000 will come in France and Germany. And this is why it's hard to get a recovery. The major companies of Europe and United States and even in Asia are still laying off people as they restructure here to lower demand for longer.
NEWTON: Yes. And as you said, that is demand that may not come back for some time, if ever really.
And to that point, the U.S. Central Bank chief Jay Powell and the U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were on Capitol Hill together. What was the central theme coming out of their testimony especially when so many people are really pleading with Congress to come up with some kind of stimulus package?
DEFTERIOS: Well, there's going to be more on the way. I think there's no doubt about that -- Paula. But the message was there was pent up demand in the economy, so we saw this burst of activity. But sustaining that recovery will be highly dependent on the numbers that Dr. Anthony Fauci was just talking about a little bit earlier in the program here. It is all about the virus.
And with the backdrop of them testifying on the hill, we've seen at least 10 states double their cases here. It is alarming. And in fact, Jay Powell was suggesting we have to keep an eye on what is going on here and provide support when necessary.
Here's Jerome Powell.
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JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE: The economy has entered an important new phase and has done so sooner than expected. While this bounce back in economic activity is welcome, it also presents new challenges, notably the need to keep the virus in check.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:49:59]
DEFTERIOS: So the House is working on a $3 trillion package but the Senate has its own package taking shape by the end of July. Then there'll be a debate about how much by when -- Paula, to your point. Is there more money needed? And the answer is yes.
NEWTON: Definitely. Especially when we start to look at some of the new timelines.
John Defterios for us from Abu Dhabi -- thanks so much. Really good to see you again.
Now, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a plan to help his country's economy recover from the coronavirus. And he is calling it a new deal -- similar to what U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt did in the wake of the Great Depression.
CNN's Nic Robertson has more.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And when I say level up --
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So build, build, build. Build better. Build greener. Build faster. Spend, spend, spend to do it. And the reason the Prime Minister said that this is the right time to invest in the future because borrowing is cheap right now. It can make a maximum impact.
But what he is trying to do here is to create enough infrastructure projects to provide additional jobs for all those who, as a result of the pandemic, lose their work. The Prime Minister said it's very clear that that is going to happen and what he hopes to do is to make sure that there are alternative places for people to find employment.
But I think what we heard from him was a repeats of some of his sort of pre-election pre-COVID 19 promises on what he wants to achieve. Spending on the health service, spending on the schools, spending on the rail infrastructure, spending on the road networks around the country to do what he talked about before and talks about again now -- leveling up the country to make the north and other parts of the country as economically prosperous as the south is.
So in part, the Prime Minister offering what he said was his short, medium, long term strategy out of the COVID-19, but also here really returning to the themes that were important to him before.
So that is the $1.8 billion on the health service infrastructure, the $1.2 billion more than on schools. The more than $100 million on roads, the more than $10 million on the rail infrastructure in the country.
Themes people here have heard before. But this is where the Prime Minister believes that he can help turn the economy around from what he said is going to be a very difficult period.
He also wants to speed up as well, cut bureaucracy to get this done -- an indication that he wants to trim the sails and live within the civil service here around the government.
Nic Robertson, CNN -- London. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Tributes are pouring in after the passing of a legendary Hollywood comedian. Next, we'll take a look at the legacy of Carl Reiner.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Messi. Panenka. And he does it with class.
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NEWTON: And with that clever little chip down the middle, you heard him say it, Panenka. I don't stand like he says it. Football superstar Lionel Messi netted his 700th goal. He's only the seventh player ever to reach this elite milestone.
The remarkable feat in the form of a penalty kick happening as his club Barcelona faced Athletico Madrid. Final score -- two all. And look at the empty stands, right. Such a moment in time there.
[01:54:56]
NEWTON: Now, we want to take a look back at the life of legendary comedian Carl Reiner. He died Monday at the age of 98. The Emmy winning actor, screenwriter and director was the creator of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and was inducted into the television Hall of Fame.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has more.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the age of 98, a guy who loved making a joke about obits is now being remembered in them.
CARL REINER, COMEDIAN: I pick up my newspaper, get the obituary section and see if I'm listed. If I'm not, I have my breakfast.
MOOS: His son, Rob Reiner tweeted, "My heart is hurting. He was my guiding light."
Guided in vintage routines like the 2,000-year-old man asking Mel Brooks to explain the origin of the word "cheese".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he sniffed it and he went "cheese".
MOOS: Reiner became a big cheese after creating and starring in a sitcom flop. His agent told him --
REINER: We'll get a better actor to play you.
MOOS: Dick Van Dyke became the star but Reiner ran the show by playing a smaller role.
REINER: That's the way you want it.
MOOS: 100 percent pure mensch is how Dick Van Dyke remembered Reiner. He directed movies like "Oh God" with George Burns and "The Jerk" with Steve Martin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inspiration to a jerk everywhere.
MOOS: Martin tweeted, "Goodbye to my greatest mentor".
STEVE MARTIN, ACTOR: He was like a father to me, although I wouldn't let him bathe me like he wanted to.
MOOS: Reiner was bathed in applause when he ran off with the Mark Twain prize for humor.
REINER: When I'm standing backstage I did the same thing I did when I was 17 years old like my first stage appearance. I checked my fly.
MOOS: When he wasn't being funny, he was political -- taking a knee, donning a Black Lives Matter tee and scorching President Trump.
REINER: Probably the worst president that any country has ever had.
MOOS: He hoped to see the President voted out of office.
REINER: My personal goal will be to stick around until 2020.
MOOS: Reiner missed that marker but left his mark. His wife of nearly 65 years will be remembered as the deli customer in Rob Reiner's movie "When Harry Met Sally".
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll have what she's having.
MOOS: Now, both husband wife are gone. when it comes to a Life well lived, we'll have what he seemed to be having.
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
REINER: I'll have what you're having, Mama.
MOOS: -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Such a great tribute there. Thank you -- Jeanne Moos.
And thank you for watching. I'm Paula Newton.
CNN NEWSROOM is back after a quick break.
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