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Top Medical Expert Offers Bleak Outlook for U.S.; Moderna Vaccine Promising but More Research Needed; U.K. Bans Huawei from Its 5G Telecom Network; Trump Administration Drops Restrictions on Foreign Students; Mexico Extends Border Closing with U.S. until August 21st; Hong Kong Tightens Restrictions Amid Third Wave; Judges Denies Ghislaine Maxwell Bail, Cites Flight Risk; TikTok's Stars Struck In Political Quagmire. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired July 15, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN. I am Robyn Curnow.
Just ahead, a bleak winter in the United States.
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DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: I do think the fall and the winter of 2020 and 2021 are going to be one of the most difficult times that we have experienced in American public health.
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CURNOW (voice-over): A dire message as the country breaks another single day record for new coronavirus cases.
Also, the U.S. president is punishing China over its new national security law. We will have a live report on that.
And accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is staying in jail after being denied bail. We will speak to the attorney for some of her and Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: The U.S. has reported a new daily record for coronavirus cases, more than 67,000 people confirmed on Tuesday alone. Overall, the virus has now killed over 136,000 people across the country.
And according to a widely cited scientific model, the death could rise to nearly a quarter million people by November. But there is some promising news. Biotech company Moderna says its
vaccine candidate was found to trigger immune responses from all its volunteers in a phase one study. The company will now begin final trials later on this month.
And all of this comes as U.S. health care workers are being overwhelmed. In Florida, intensive care units at 48 hospitals have now reached their peak, their capacity.
The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns hospitals could be further strained this autumn and winter if the outbreak isn't contained. He is encouraging all Americans to continue wearing masks.
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REDFIELD: I'm glad to see the president wear a mask this week and the vice president. Clearly in their situation, they could easily justify that they don't need to because of all the testing around them and they know they are not infected. But we need them to set the example.
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CURNOW: For his part, the U.S. president continued to defend his response to the pandemic. In a press briefing, he once again touted America's testing capability.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And frankly, if we didn't test you wouldn't have all the headlines because we are showing cases, and we have just about the lowest mortality rate, but if we did, think of this, if we didn't do testing, instead of testing over 40 million people, if we did half the testing, we'd have half the cases. If we did another, you cut that in half. We'd have, yet again, half of that.
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CURNOW: The nation's top expert on infectious disease has disputed those claims, saying the high number of cases is largely due to more infections.
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ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Obviously, the more you test, the more you going to pick up.
So increase in testing is going to give you an increase, but there is no doubt that there are more infections, and we know that because the percentage of cases of the cases that are tested that are positive is increasing. Therefore, unequivocally you are seeing, truly, more new cases.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CURNOW: The U.S. has so far confirmed 3.4 million cases nationwide and the infection rate rising each day, more than half the country is now halting or rolling back some of their reopening plans as Nick Watt now explains.
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NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than 50,000 Americans are right now in the hospital, suffering with this virus.
We are nearing the numbers from the dark days of April. The vice president was in Louisiana today, where the average daily case count already eclipsed April.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because of the unprecedented national response marshaled by our president, we have more resources today to deal with this pandemic than ever before.
MAYOR DAN GELBER (D-FL), MIAMI BEACH: You can't keep telling people that everything is fine and not to worry because this is not a virus that responds to political speaking points.
WATT (voice-over): At least 27 states have paused or rolled back reopenings but case rates are climbing in 30 states.
More people were reported dead from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours in Florida than ever before.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Some of the metrics have risen.
WATT (voice-over): But the governor did not specifically mention the deaths. A member of Florida's cabinet says he has lost control.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The governor continues to downplay the seriousness of what's happening in Florida. Quite frankly, we've seen very little to no leadership from Governor DeSantis.
WATT (voice-over): North Carolina announced its pausing on phase 2 for another 3 weeks. Chicago just canceled its marathon, Philly canceled all big events for 6 months and in California, every bar and indoor restaurant just closed again. Los Angeles is currently threat level orange.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are on the border of going to red. Red is when everything shuts down again, everything, to our strictest level.
WATT: We hoped warmth would bring respite.
REDFIELD: I was one of the individuals who thought we get a break in July in August.
WATT (voice-over): It didn't. So the director of the CDC says he is reluctant to make predictions. But -- REDFIELD: I do think the fall and the winter of 2020 and 2021 are
going to be one of the most difficult times that we have experienced in American public health.
WATT: Here in California, a record number of people in the hospital, a record number of people in the ICU, which is why this restaurant is no longer allowed to serve anybody inside -- Nick Watt, CNN, Santa Monica.
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CURNOW: Dr. Esther Choo is a professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. She is with us this hour.
Doctor, good to see you again. We spoke a few times in the past few months. It is still mind-boggling to hear these reports of America hitting record numbers, again and again and again.
DR. ESTHER CHOO, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: Thanks for having me on, Robyn.
Yes, I cannot believe we are here. talking about this again. I honestly thought when we first spoke that by this time, either you would not need to have me on or we would be on kind of celebrating some kind of victories and how we are headed into a much more promising trajectory going into the fall. That was my hope all along.
But we are really experiencing Groundhog Day again here in the U.S., in many ways. It feels like it did back in March in New York state but happening around the country. I will be honest, I'm very nervous heading into late summer and early fall if we do not course correct. This is going to be terrible.
CURNOW: A very bleak outlook. You agree with the head of the CDC then?
CHOO: I do. But with the caveat that this is in our control. This virus and its spread are simply a function of human behavior. It really is a collective decision how successful this virus is.
It really counts on us going out, there getting together, not wearing masks. If we do those things, it will proliferate. That's what it does very predictably. If we don't give it as much opportunity, we can have successes here. This is a decision to be made in our communities everywhere.
CURNOW: There are a number of studies coming in from all over the world, looking at the way this impacts the body. That varies from person to person. But we are seeing a new study showing mother to child transmission and real concern about health problems with the fetus and then with the newborn.
What do you make of that study?
What advice or clues does it give to women who are pregnant right now? CHOO: This new study was a woman near the end of her pregnancy, who got COVID-19. They were able to find evidence of the virus in the placenta and the amniotic fluid and then in the baby's blood and then the baby became ill.
There have been now a number of case studies showing the evidence of vertical transmission like that during pregnancy. But I think overall, I would say, first of all, being young remains protective against these serious consequences of COVID.
And all the babies in which COVID-19 has been detected, the neonates have all done well. So I would say, remember for pregnant women out there, this should not raise your blood pressure. I don't want to add to the mental burden of women who are pregnant. We have seen many, many more healthy pregnancies.
Pregnant women are not more likely to get COVID-19 or its complications than anybody else. I think pregnant women need to do the same things everybody else needs to, which is be careful, social distance, wear a mask, wash your hands. There is no special thing for pregnant women.
Statistically speaking, bad outcomes are extremely rare. And you just need to do regular precautions.
CURNOW: What about optimism on a vaccine?
I know there have been a lot of wild timelines thrown about.
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CURNOW: But we are reporting that there has been some optimism on one vaccine in terms of the immune response.
CHOO: It seems the most promising vaccine in the U.S. is from Moderna. They published the results of their phase one trial that showed it was safe in a small group of people, just 45 adults. And it seemed to stimulate at a mid-range dose a good immune response, at least comparable to what you would get with the disease.
So that's very promising. They are currently conducting phase 2 trials. They expect to move on to phase 3 trials this summer. And let's hope for the best, which would mean that the trials would conclude later on this year and we can start to make vaccine available early next year.
However, it's never a guarantee. Many vaccines that have gone through phase one never make it out of phase 3 and into clinical trials because when you test in a much larger population, you find you are able to find safety concerns or to measure efficacy and effectiveness. And you find it's not that effective.
So I would say cautious optimism but so, far things have been going well and we can just cross our fingers for this one.
CURNOW: Thanks so much, Dr. Esther Choo, we really appreciate you joining us. Thank you.
CHOO: Thank, you Robyn. My pleasure.
CURNOW: President Trump is taking aim at China, announcing new sanctions on businesses and individuals who helped Beijing restrict Hong Kong's autonomy. That's not all. Hong Kong will no longer enjoy special trade status with the U.S. The U.S. president ended that with the stroke of a pen on Tuesday.
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PRESIDENT TRUMP: Today, I also signed an executive order ending U.S. preferential treatment for Hong Kong. Hong Kong will now be treated the same as Mainland China, no special privileges, no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies.
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CURNOW: Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong.
Good to see you.
What is the impact of this decision?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: One impact, of course, is worsening relations. We already heard from China and it plans to retaliate. China says it is going to take necessary measures and impose sanctions against relevant U.S. personnel and entities on the back of what U.S. president Donald Trump just did, as expected.
He signed the Hong Kong Economy Act into law, which effectively ends Hong Kong's special trading status and allows the United States to treat Hong Kong like any other Chinese city in regards to trade and commerce.
Here in Hong Kong, everyone has been wondering, what does this mean for Hong Kong?
Number one, it will jeopardize tens of billions of dollars' worth of trade between the U.S. and Hong Kong. In fact, one economist told us earlier that it will shave off 10 percent of Hong Kong exports, a pretty significant number.
It will also create a lot of uncertainty for the 1,300 American companies that operate here, including major law and accounting firms. It will also dissuade people from choosing to invest in Hong Kong.
It also hurts China. Hong Kong has been an east-west conduit for international trade and finance; a number of multinational companies and mainland Chinese companies have their international headquarters based here in Hong Kong. That's the reason why China says it is going to take action.
But what will that action entail?
I posed that question earlier to an economist. Take a listen to what he told us.
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TERENCE CHONG, ECONOMIST: In terms of the retaliation, China may not have a lot of choice because China does have a trade deal with the U.S. So China may not impose any counter action on the (INAUDIBLE) with the U.S.
I think the thing that China can do might be like I told also limit the export of China (INAUDIBLE) the U.S., that is what they may be able to do.
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STOUT: So China could limit its exports to the United States.
Analysts also said that this is a self defeating move by the Trump administration, because, ever since this pact was in place between Hong Kong in the United States for Hong Kong to enjoy the special trade status, the United States has been profiting from and benefiting from the favorable business conditions here.
In fact, just last, year Hong Kong was the source of the largest U.S. goods trade surplus for the United States, valued at about $26.1 billion.
CURNOW: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thanks for that update.
Staying in the region, a diplomatic win for the Trump administration with the U.K. now banning Chinese tech giant Huawei from having access to its high speed wireless network.
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CURNOW: Britain had said in January that Huawei equipment could be used in its 5G network on a limited basis but then it reversed course on Tuesday.
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OLIVER DOWDEN, BRITISH DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT SECRETARY: The government agrees with the national security census advice. The best way to secure our networks is for operators to stop using new affected Huawei equipment to build the U.K.'s future 5G networks.
So to be clear, from the end of this year, telecoms operators must not buy any 5G equipment from Huawei. Once the telecoms security bill is passed, it will be illegal for them to do so.
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CURNOW: CNN's Sherisse Pham is live for us in Hong Kong this hour.
Good to see you. This is certainly an about turn, the decision coming after pressure from the U.S.
SHERISSE PHAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is an about turn and it is a huge loss for Huawei.
This decision from the United Kingdom, even though it means it will cost billions of pounds to strip Huawei equipment from emerging 5G networks there and even though it will also delay the rollout of 5G, the fact that the U.K. took this decision, despite those high costs, it really sends a signal.
Analysts I talked to today say the U.K. somewhat of a trendsetter in Europe because of its security assessment chops. The United Kingdom is able to examine lots of code and make really good and strong security assessment risks.
And the fact they have made this decision that it's now too risky to use Huawei equipment and 5G networks, it sends a signal to other countries. It means other countries like Belgium and France or Germany could follow suit and also ban or further restrict Huawei from their 5G networks.
While Huawei called the decision disappointing and said this is a decision because of U.S. trade policy and not because of security. And as you mentioned, this is a big win for the Trump administration.
CURNOW: What do we know about the potential at least for retaliatory measures?
PHAM: There is always a potential for that from China, especially when it comes to a big national tech champion like Huawei. Before the decision came down, China's minister of foreign affairs said that this will be something of a litmus test for Britain if Britain decides to ban Huawei from the 5G network.
And in Germany, even though the debate about Huawei has intensified, German officials are also worried that, if they ban or restrict Huawei from the 5G network, it could mean retaliatory measures against German exporters.
Of course, China is a huge car market for German cars. Now today, we just have a state run tabloid in China, perhaps one of these starkest warnings yet in an editorial, titled, "China won't passively watch the U.K.'s Huawei ban." Here is what they wrote.
"It's necessary for China to retaliate against the U.K.; otherwise, wouldn't we be too easy to bully?
Such retaliation should be public and painful for the U.K."
So that in itself, is a warning to other countries that might want to follow suit and follow the U.K.'s lead.
CURNOW: Thank you for that update. Sherisse Pham, we appreciate it.
You are watching CNN. Still to come, Canada is not allowing U.S. visitors at all right now and neither is Mexico, for that matter. Find out how long they will be shutting out their neighbor.
And after winning several legal challenges, Donald Trump's niece finally publishes her revealing book about the president and she is opening up about it for the very first time.
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MARY TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S NIECE: He is utterly incapable of leading this country.
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CURNOW: Welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow here at CNN Center in Atlanta.
So Donald Trump's niece is speaking out for the first time since her tell-all book about the president was published. In an interview with ABC News, Mary Trump slammed her uncle as an incompetent leader and urged him to step down. Take a listen.
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GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC HOST: Boil it down.
What's the single most important thing you think the country needs to know about your uncle?
M. TRUMP: He is utterly incapable of leading this country. And it's dangerous to allow him to do so.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Based on what you see now or what you saw then?
M. TRUMP: Based on what I have seen my entire adult life.
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CURNOW: Mary Trump doubled down on other criticism she has made in her book, which is called "Too Much and Never Enough." It came out on Tuesday, after the president's brother unsuccessfully tried to block its release.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is rescinding its controversial policy barring international students who only take online courses from staying in the U.S. A number of states and universities have filed lawsuits over the plan.
Some major schools are planning to move all courses online during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning the Trump administration's policy would have impacted many of the more than 1 million foreign students studying in the U.S.
And Latin America and the Caribbean have overtaken the U.S. and Canada combined in the total number of coronavirus deaths. That is according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 146,000 people in Latin America and the Caribbean have died from COVID-19.
Brazil is second only to the U.S., reporting nearly 2 million infections, with a death toll nearing 75,000. The country's president, Jair Bolsonaro, says he is going to get retested for coronavirus as he battles the infection in isolation.
But his office told CNN it will not confirm if the president has taken a new test yet or if any details regarding that test would be released. President Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the virus for months, announced he was infected last week.
We know that protesters were out Tuesday, though, calling for his impeachment, criticizing the president's handling of the virus.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Brazil can't take it anymore. There has been more than 70,000 deaths, more than 70,000 families crying over the deaths of people that were ignored and scorned by the genocidal person in charge of the Brazilian government.
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CURNOW: And it looks like the U.S. will remain cut off by its neighbors for a while longer now. Because of the soaring coronavirus, neither Canada nor Mexico is ready to reopen its borders with the U.S. right now. Both borders have been closed to nonessential travel since March. Matt Rivers has an update from Mexico City.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We learned on Tuesday that the land borders between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada will remain closed to all nonessential travelers through most of August. That extends closures that have already been in place since late March.
But you can still get from country to country and you do so by flying. For example, I just got off of a flight from Houston, Texas, here to Mexico City. Looking at the arrivals board, that is one of more than a dozen such flights originating in the United States, landing here in Mexico City on Tuesday.
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RIVERS: And it's happening in other parts of Mexico. For example, in Cancun, a very popular vacation destination, there are more than 2 dozen flights leaving the U.S. and landing in that resort town.
This despite the fact that on Tuesday we heard from the World Health Organization, saying that the outbreak both in the United States and Mexico remain among the deadliest in the world.
And we also learned, this week, from the Mexican government that more than 1,700 Mexicans that were living in the United States have died of the virus since the outbreak began -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City. (END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: A record a week of coronavirus cases is forcing Colombia's largest cities to go back into lockdown. Journalist Stefano Pozzebon takes a look at the new restrictions being put into place.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Streets cordoned off and armed guards on street corners. This is life in parts of the Colombian capital, Bogota, where several neighborhoods are now under strict lockdown as of Monday.
Neighborhoods will see rolling 2 week quarantines. This follows a surge in positive coronavirus cases since the government began easing restrictions, first imposed back in March. Colombia is currently the 5th most affected country in Latin America, with more than 150,000 cases.
A whopping 20 percent of those cases came in the last week, averaging more than 4,000 a day. Bogota has been hit hard. The city of 8 million accounts for more than 30 percent of the total number of cases in the country. The new restrictions are in neighborhoods that have seen a spike in recent days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The health ministry and the national government, together with the participation of 80 government entities and ministries, indoors, under the supervision of the president, the decision by Bogota city and its plan to lock down and close areas.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Security forces are out to enforce the restrictions. Police have set up checkpoints. Only essential shops are allowed to open. And just one person per family can leave home to buy supplies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): At the checkpoints, we ask people why they are coming to the area. We take their temperature and give them preventive measures against COVID-19.
POZZEBON (voice-over): Hospitals are filling up. On Friday, intensive care units in Bogota reached 85 percent capacity. Doctors and nurses here say they are stressed, worried about the possible collapse of the system while officials and police take action to change the curve -- Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota, Colombia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Still to come, social distancing like never before. Hong Kong is already in some of the most severe restrictions because of another surge in coronavirus cases there.
Plus bad bank results, warnings about the economy.
Why did the Dow finish up like this after (INAUDIBLE) 500 points?
John Defterios will try to explain.
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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hong Kong is once again imposing social distancing measures, the most severe the city has seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Officials say they are now facing a third wave of cases which is causing infections to spike. Gatherings will be restricted to four people or less and masks are now mandatory in public and on public transportation.
Well, Will Ripley is live in Hong Kong with more on all of this. Will, hi. Good to see you. So, Hong Kong thought that they got on top of it, that they'd got on top of this, but clearly not.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Robyn. This is the lesson of 2020, isn't it? The virus giveth, the virus taketh away. All of the social distancing measures that had been lifted recently in Hong Kong are being directly blamed for this third wave of infection. That's coming from three different infectious disease experts that I spoke with just this morning.
And what they're telling me is that this third wave has the potential to be much larger, much more dangerous, much more deadly than Hong Kong's first two waves. Because the number of cases here in the city of seven million still, it's now over 1,500, you have fewer than 10 deaths. But experts warn those numbers could rise up very quickly, if things don't lock down.
So bars are closed. You know, Hong Kong Disneyland which just reopened a month ago, that's closed. The gym is closed. You can't go out to dinner anymore. You can only get takeaway service. And if you do dine in a restaurant during the lunch hour, only four people to a table. Because what we're being told is that people were crowding into bars and restaurants, they took their masks off. They were having close conversations and that was helping to spread the virus.
People could have also potentially brought the virus in, even though they get tests at the airport. There are certain loopholes in the way that hold Hong Kong monitors a quarantine that may have allowed people to walk out who might have unknowingly been positive. And then you have senior centers, apartment complexes, even taxis all tied to various clusters of infection.
But the problem here, Robyn, is that, you know, they are not able to trace every single case. A lot of these cases, the contact tracing isn't working, which means that there are people who are positive who don't know it, or walking -- or walking around potentially spreading this virus to others, a virus that could be even more dangerous this time around, Robyn, because of this mutation that they've been talking about.
CURNOW: Yes, yes, let's talk about that. I mean, the public health officials say it's mutated. I mean, what does that mean exactly? RIPLEY: It's a good question. I think we don't know the full answer yet. But what studies have shown early days, preliminary studies, is that this mutated virus, this mutated COVID-19, maybe 30 percent more efficient, which two experts I spoke with, say it could also make it more contagious. The third experts said there just isn't enough evidence at this point.
But if this virus is more efficient, that means it reproduces more quickly, so you have the potential for a mutated virus running rampant in a densely populated city like Hong Kong. And you can see why they're just so concerned and why the city is really trying to take what are the most restrictive social distancing measures yet to get a handle on this before the numbers, dozens per day turned into the much larger numbers that other countries are seeing like the United States.
CURNOW: OK, Will Ripley there live in Hong Kong. Thanks so much.
So it was a good day for the Dow on Tuesday as it finished trading at more than 500 points. That despite dismal financial results from two America's leading banks, JP Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, and warnings of the economic recovery from the pandemic will not be easy.
John Defterios has the latest now from Abu Dhabi on all of this. So despite choppy times, to put it mildly, for these big banks on Wall Street, I mean, how do you explain these numbers that we're seeing, you know, like the Dow. I mean, it certainly has the economic bottom being reached here, unlikely?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I tell you, Robyn, it looks like the prevailing view here is that it can't get worse in the second quarter that we just finished for the U.S. economy, and therefore the global economy as well. And at the same time, they're starting to see potential light at the end of the tunnel for these vaccine trials with Moderna Pharmaceutical, and producing some antibodies in the trials so far.
So this has been kind of the prevailing two themes in the markets that we see today. But let's dig into those profits from the major Wall Street banks. JP Morgan Chase was still making money in the quarter, but about half the level that it did this time in 2019. The alarming number for me in that report was that the loan loss provisions were $10 billion, which is 10 times the level in 2019 during the same period of time, illustrating, Robyn, that the bankruptcies are still rising, that people are defaulting on their loans.
Wells Fargo in a completely different category in the red by over $2 billion for the quarter. This is a bank that's had challenges with the federal government, is paying fines, and that is hitting their balance sheet.
But as you suggested here, the markets focusing on different things looking forward here to perhaps a vaccine breakthrough. So, we had gains of one to two percent on Tuesday. If you look at U.S. futures, we're looking at gains again of a half to one percent.
JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon is very respected in terms of the overall view of the U.S. economy. He's suggesting though that unemployment, they're planning on the worst here, through the first half of 2021 suggesting it will remain in double digits, Robyn, because of the second wave and the fact that companies are still slimming down here for the new normal of a lower demand lasting longer.
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CURNOW: Yes, I think folks here in the U.S. might argue with you that it might not get worse for them. I think it's going to be a tough few months, and I know a lot of the people here certainly are expressing that. Let's just talk also about the geopolitics that we've been reporting on here at CNN, the increasing tensions between U.S. and China.
Under most circumstances, we would see the impact of that in the markets, but it seems like investors are taking all of this in a stride. Why?
DEFTERIOS: Yes, I think so. Because this way of the election year, and how Donald Trump is viewing the Hong Kong security law and the action against Beijing, he's now scrapped his intention to try to get a second-round trade deal, which was worth $200 billion. I think he's starting to realize it would not pay a dividend for him before November, so he's making China a target. I think that's how the markets are seeing it right now.
And again, we talked about the potential vaccine. This is resonating in Asian markets as well. So if you take a look at the Asian market grid here, you see that Tokyo is higher and so is sold. That's what the medical breakthrough potential is showing us. And those links to China are trading lower but off of their downside lows for the day. We had Shanghai down about 1.5 percent.
At the same time, we're looking at potential oil demand and a breakthrough here from the OPEC, plus monitoring committee meetings taking place virtually but centered out of Vienna where their headquarters is. We see prices stable, slightly higher around 43 for the international benchmark, 40 for the U.S. benchmark.
OPEC is thinking about putting two million barrels a day back onto the market. They think we bought them down again, and they see demand rising by seven million barrels a day. Remember that collapse we had in April, and the overall year demand down about 10 million barrels a day? They think the worst is almost over.
But $40 a barrel does not help the oil producers that we talked about yesterday on this program, because of the breakeven price of about $80 a barrel for the region. And that's similar for other major producers around the world. So tough times for the oil market, but some stability nevertheless.
CURNOW: OK, always good to speak to you. John Defterios there, I appreciate it.
Talking about optimism. Disneyland Paris will reopen to the public in less than two-hours' time. The company has put in a number of measures they say to combat the spread of the virus including requiring masks for anyone over the age of 11.
Disney has struggled to get its parks reopened as we reported Hong Kong Disneyland closed this week after New COVID cases cropped up in the city. And this weekend's partial reopening of Walt Disney World in Florida has been criticized because of the surging cases in that state.
OK, so a Texas ICU nurse has been hospitalized with COVID-19 even though she previously tested negative. Her name is Heather Valentine and her doctor suggested she might have some additional tests done and then was surprised at what they found. Here's a conversation with CNN's John Berman.
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HEATHER VALENTINE, ICU NURSE: I mean, it's just so crazy to think about it. You know, like being young, it's just like it's never going to be me. It's never going to happen. And working with COVID patients, I mean, anybody is at risk and everybody's at risk. And you know, I'm not sure where exactly I picked it up, but somewhere I did, and here I am.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: What were the symptoms? What did you start feeling like and when?
VALENTINE: Well, I worked three shifts in a row. So you know, the day after, I'm normally pretty exhausted, so I just thought, you know, maybe it's just -- I just need some rest. I'm just really tired. And progressively throughout that day, after those three shifts, I just got worsening body aches, and I just started to feel bad.
And I checked my temperature, I had a little bit of a fever, and I started with a little bit of a cough. And I was like, you know, maybe it'll pass. It's just something random. Who knows? And then it continued for four days after that, the fever and the cough.
BERMAN: And you did get tested, at least antibody tested first and ultimately diagnostic tests, and both initially turned up negative, correct?
VALENTINE: Correct.
BERMAN: But luckily, Dr. Varon who we've had on this show a number of times said you know what, something's fishy here. Let me take a look. And he took a chest X-ray. What did he find?
[02:40:04]
VALENTINE: Yes. So we actually did a C.T. scan, and he immediately called me. I was waiting in my car, you know, waiting for the results, and he immediately called me and said, we're going to admit you. You know, it's pretty expensive. It looks pretty bad. And I was just shocked. I mean, I was like, you know, I don't feel that horrible. And he just kept saying, like, you know, your C.T. looks way worse than you do. And I was just blown away. I mean, I was really surprised.
BERMAN: What did he say would have happened to you had you not had that C.T. scan and been admitted?
VALENTINE: I mean, he told me worst-case scenario, it's possible I could have required intubation if I would have waited a couple of days more, which it's so crazy to hear as an ICU nurse.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Well, Valentine is still in the hospital, but she says she's doing better than when she was admitted. Certainly, a warning to all of us.
So, a federal judge has set a date for the sex trafficking trial of Jeffrey Epstein's former confidant. The court says Ghislaine Maxwell must stay in prison until then.
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CURNOW: A U.S. federal judge has ruled accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell must stay in prison until her trial starts because she's a flight risk. The late Jeffrey Epstein's alleged accomplice pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. Kara Scannell reports now from New York
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KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime associate has been detained. A federal judge rejecting her application for bail pending trial. Judge Alison Nathan today, saying that no combination of conditions could ensure that Maxwell would appear again in court saying, "the risks are simply too great."
The judge agreeing with prosecutor's arguments that Maxwell remained in extreme flight risk citing her wealth, her overseas citizenship, and what prosecutors said was her willingness to live off the grid. Now, the judge conducted this hearing remotely because of the Coronavirus conditions here in New York.
Maxwell appeared on a video screen. She had her hair tied back. She remained largely emotionless during the hearing. As the judge ticked through all of the conditions that she was rejecting, Maxwell dropped her head and looked down toward the floor.
Now, prosecutors say that they do not expect to bring any other charges in this case as of right now. The judge also heard from two victims, one through a written statement, another Annie Farmer had previously made allegations against Maxwell. Maxwell has denied those today in court. She also entered a not guilty plea, and the judge said her trial date for next July of 2021. Kara Scannell, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:45:16]
CURNOW: So joining me now is attorney Gloria Allred. She represents some of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims. Gloria, great to have you on the show. Thank you very much for joining me. You couldn't be in call today or watch the video link because of COVID, but you and your clients listened to the proceedings on the phone. What struck you?
GLORIA ALLRED, VICTIM'S RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Yes, I listened to all of the proceedings on the phone, as did some of my 17 accusers who are victims of Jeffrey Epstein, and some have allegations about Miss Maxwell as well. I thought that the government presented a very strong argument as to why Ms. Maxwell's motion to be released on bail was bail conditions should be denied and why she should be detained in custody.
The defense also presented the best arguments that it could under the circumstances, but they did not prevail. Their argument that because of COVID-19, you know, she should be released, that she essentially would be denied a right to a fair trial because it would be difficult to communicate with her. It did not prevail with the judge.
And the judge noted that the defense didn't argue that her health or underlying conditions or her age should cause her to be released. So, I think that it was important that the court decided ultimately to detain her in custody.
CURNOW: Some -- I understand some victim statements were read out in court. What did they said -- how do you think their words help the judge to perhaps make a decision to keep Ms. Maxwell behind bars?
ALLRED: It was very moving when Annie Farmer spoke and you know, that she had an opportunity to make her feelings known. Ultimately, I think many of the victims were very happy with the court's decision. One of my clients Jane Doe, 15, told me that she cried tears of joy when the court decided to continue to have Ms. Maxwell detained in custody.
And Alicia Arden who's another one of my clients who was the first ever to file a police report, at least have evidence that she followed a police report in 1997 against Jeffrey Epstein, she also felt the court made the right decision that there was a very extreme flight risk if Miss Maxwell had been released on bail and she's glad that she was not released.
CURNOW: If you get to cross-examine Miss Maxwell next year during a trial, what is the main question you'd like to ask her?
ALLRED: I would like to have her actually disclose what her role was with Mr. Epstein. After all, she was not only just intimate with him, she also worked with him. And she was with him many, many years in many of his homes. In fact, probably all of his homes, and also in her home in London.
So -- now, she's not likely to take the witness stand. She is more likely to assert and invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination which she has every right to do. In other words, it's the government, it's the prosecution that has the -- has the burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt and she doesn't have to say anything.
But you know, it's going to be interesting because, Robyn, if she decides she wants to enter a plea, with the government, that's assuming the Justice Department would offer her plea and we -- to a lesser, lesser crimes than she's charged with, and we don't know if she would. But if they were to offer her, then she needs to become a cooperator. She needs to speak to them and answer all their questions truthfully, and fully.
And she knows a lot of powerful men, rich, powerful, famous men who were guests of Jeffrey Epstein, who some of whom stayed at his home, partied with him, saw underaged girls coming in and coming out. That would be -- Prince Andrew would be one of them. And she knows whether any of them committed crimes or did not commit crimes.
CURNOW: Yes. And just to remind that Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing. We're also hearing from Ben Sasse, a Republican lawmaker who's championed the case against Epstein and Ms. Maxwell. And today he issued a statement. I just want to read it because he said, "Put Maxwell in a padded room and keep her under constant 24 seven surveillance. I don't care if the Attorney General himself has to take a shift sitting outside her cell. Maxwell needs to stand trial for her crimes. Epstein's victims deserve justice."
This is a lawmaker suggesting Miss Maxwell isn't safe either from herself or from out -- some outside influence. Do you agree with that?
[02:50:38]
ALLRED: Well, of course, you know, I am very concerned for the victims. They would like many of them to be able to see Ms. Maxwell stand trial and, you know, have the opportunity for some of the victims at least to be able to confront her in a court of law. And everyone is very cautious because of what happened to Jeffrey Epstein.
He died, whether it was suicide or homicide, we don't know. It does appear that guards, you know, did not do their job, did not monitor and check on him every 30 minutes as they should have. And so, you know, they -- it was just a catastrophe for the -- for the system and for the victims when he died, and especially under such mysterious conditions.
So yes, Miss Maxwell has to be kept safe. There can't be any negligence or, you know, intentional harm that comes to her. And I think that the federal judge would be very, very concerned if anything happened to her as well. And I -- and I don't know about a padded room, but you know, she needs to be able to communicate with her attorneys and be able to prepare her defense and have a fair trial, but we don't want anything to happen to her.
CURNOW: Attorney Gloria Allred, thank you very much for joining -- for joining me. You represent some of Ms. Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein's victims. I appreciate it. Thanks so much.
ALLRED: Thank you, Robyn.
CURNOW: Federal judge has rejected Harvey Weinstein's proposed $19 million settlement with women who have accused him of sexual abuse and harassment. An attorney for several of the woman says they are pleased with the judge's ruling. They called the proposed settlement "one- sided and unfair to survivors." The case stems from a 2018 civil rights lawsuit against the movie mogul and his company.
Weinstein's attorney says his client is facing an uncertain financial future due to numerous legal matters and his company's bankruptcy. Weinstein is serving 23 years in prison in New York and facing several charges including forcible rape in Los Angeles as well. I'm Robyn Curnow, we'll be right back.
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CURNOW: The popular app TikTok is under renewed scrutiny due to the company's ties to China. TikTok is already banned in India. And growing international pressure has left many users stuck in a political quagmire as Hadas Gold now explains.
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PARAS TOMAR, ACTOR AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: I have over two million followers on TikTok. Well, I had over two million followers in TikTok.
HADAS GOLD, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Indian TikTok stars like Paras Tomar are scrambling to adjust to life and business after India banned the popular app last month. New Delhi warning it poses threat to sovereignty and integrity following recent clashes in a disputed border region with China.
[02:55:05]
TOMAR: The ban on TikTok has mixed sentiments. Now, it was a question for most people, which is a mix of their patriotism being questioned versus the amount of money that you were making.
GOLD: TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Beijing based company that has been pushed to the frontlines of international diplomacy. Now, the United States is also considering a ban warning that because of the National Security Law, TikTok data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government.
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE, UNITED STATES: We're taking this very seriously. We're certainly looking at it. We've worked on this very issue for a long time.
GOLD: A possibility that makes TikTok influencers like Jake Sweet with more than six million followers nervous.
JAKE SWEET, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: Well, a ban in both of these countries from using TikTok is going to have a phenomenal impact on me and like thousands and thousands of other creators who put content out there a lot. I mean, one of my videos I think had 110 million views and that was primarily U.S. and Indian audience.
GOLD: Several experts tell CNN that though TikTok's links to a Chinese company are worthy of concern, most of it is data that just wouldn't be that useful for real espionage.
EVA GALPERIN, DIRECTOR OF CYBERSECURITY, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION: This is mostly political. It depends on what you're doing that might be of interest to the Chinese government. If you are again, an activist in Hong Kong, if you are a whistleblower on, you know, Chinese government corruption, I would not recommend installing TikTok on your phone. But you know, for your average dancing teenager, probably it's fine.
GOLD: But it's not just the U.S. government that's concerned. Wells Fargo recently asked its employees to remove TikTok from their corporate-owned devices. TikTok says it never has and never will share data with the Chinese government, and that data from its U.S. users is not stored in China. But Jake Sweet is already trying to diversify and move his audience to other platforms like YouTube and Instagram in preparation for potential U.S. ban.
SWEET: I still want to be doing what I love and I'm -- whilst all this is happening, obviously concerns are raised and I'm slowly moving my audience over just as like a safety backup.
GOLD: For now, TikTokers are still safe. But as U.S.-China tensions rise, millions of the app's fans worry that they may be approaching their last lip-sync dance. Hadas Gold, CNN London.
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CURNOW: And thanks so much for your company. I'm Robyn Curnow. CNN will continue after this quick break. Rosemary Church will be joining you. Enjoy.
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