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Trump Signs Executive Orders Extending Coronavirus Economic Relief; U.S. Tops Five Million COVID-19 Cases; Beirut Protesters Call For A "Revolution"; U.S. Postmaster DeJoy Says Election Mail Will Not Be Slowed Down; Main Opposition Candidate Hides On Eve Of Crucial Presidential Vote In Belarus. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired August 09, 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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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): U.S. President Donald Trump denounces Democrats and takes action on his own for pandemic relief as the nation nears 5 million confirmed cases.
Protesters clashing with police on the streets of Beirut following Tuesday's deadly explosion. We're there, live, with the latest.
And growing concerns.
Will the United States Postal Service be able to handle all the mail- in ballots, come November?
We talk to the president of the American Postal Workers Union.
And welcome to our viewers, here, in the United States and all around the world. I am Michael Holmes and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
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M. HOLMES: Tonight, the United States is edging closer to a stark new measure of its failure to control the pandemic. It is about to be the first and only country with 5 million recorded cases.
So far, more than 162,000 people in the country have died. Health experts say the Trump administration isn't doing nearly enough to stem the crisis. There is, still, no coherent federal strategy. Not really a strategy, at all. There is, though, much mixed messaging and a demonization of science.
Medical experts and researchers say if Americans don't wear masks or socially distance, tens of thousands more people are going to be dead by the end of the year.
Well, President Trump, meanwhile, trying to take coronavirus relief for Americans into his own hands, on Saturday signing four executive actions, after Congress couldn't work out a stimulus deal. But some critics say his orders don't go far enough. CNN's Kristen Holmes explains. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump signing four executive actions today after those coronavirus stimulus talks stalled. I want to go through them because they're a bit complicated and there is a bit of nuance.
First, he talked about deferring student loan debt. That is a simple, straightforward memoranda (sic) that he signed today. The other ones a little more complicated.
One was a payroll tax holiday for people who made $100,000 or less.
Why was this complicated?
Well, one, companies are going to have to sign off on this. And there is no indication that they will or that they worked with these companies, the White House, to get this done.
But the other big problem here is that people eventually will have to pay that back. That means that people are facing an enormous amount of back taxes. President Trump said if he was elected he would dissolve these extra taxes.
But that would, again, mean that there is a potential for this huge amount of money to be hanging on Americans after November.
The third one I want to talk about was eviction. Now this was not a straight executive order on eviction moratorium, as we had believed it was going to be. Instead it's a little more nuanced.
President Trump in this order calls on agencies like the Health and Human Services Department to consider whether it was necessary to temporarily halt evictions. So clearly there's going to have to be some process there. And that means that that will lapse.
Last is the enhanced unemployment benefit. We've heard a lot about this and we have a graphic here to kind of break down exactly what President Trump is doing.
Americans who are unemployed were getting this extra $600 of federal assistance. That ended when those coronavirus stimulus talks stalled. Now President Trump is signing a memoranda (sic) for $400.
But it's not quite $400. If you look at this graphic, you can see here, the federal government is only offering to pay $300. President Trump is asking the states to pay the other 25 percent, which is, of course, $100.
Now as we know, a lot of these states are in a crippling financial situation after the pandemic. When asked about whether or not these governors would be able to pay this, here's what President Trump said.
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TRUMP: If they don't, they don't. That's going to be their problem. I don't think their people will be too happy. They have the money so I don't think their people will be too happy. But if they don't they don't but again, the states have the money. It's sitting there.
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K. HOLMES: Right. So unclear here whether or not it's actually going to be $400, meaning that it could have been cut in half from that $600 to now $300.
Now the Democrats have already put out a statement, Democratic leadership, Speaker Pelosi as well as Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, slamming these executive actions, calling them "narrow and weak" and saying this, that "Today's meager announcements by the president show President Trump still does not comprehend the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crisis facing working families."
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K. HOLMES: So clearly here, already slamming them.
But the big question is when are these actually going to take place?
As I said, some of these require extra legwork, talking to companies, figuring out the back taxes as well as considering whether or not eviction or temporary eviction is necessary. So it's unclear when these benefits will actually get in the hands of Americans who really need them during this pivotal point -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, Bridgewater, New Jersey.
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M. HOLMES: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden also responding to Mr. Trump's executive actions. In a statement released on Saturday, Biden called the orders half-baked measures. He went on to say the actions are not real solutions but a cynical ploy to deflect responsibility.
Biden said a real leader would work with Congress to deliver relief to Americans.
Call it pandemic fatigue or simply not caring. But in some places where coronavirus is raging, massive groups of people are getting too close for comfort. Here is a look at some of them.
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M. HOLMES (voice-over): Crowded streets, packed bars: it's the weekend in Rio de Janeiro and people are partying like there's no pandemic. There are few masks, no social distancing, even though the country's death toll from the coronavirus is around 100,000.
"I know that I'm not doing the best thing in being here," one student says, "but at least I'm using a face mask. Those people are drinking, having a good time. They don't know where their cup came from." But Rio isn't the only place where people are out and about without
taking proper precautions. Crowds packing the seaside resort of Blackpool in northwest England, filling the promenade and the beaches, with people trying to escape the summer heat even though cases are on the rise across the U.K.
Paris is taking measures to crack down on scenes like this. As of Monday, masks will be required by everyone over 11 years of age in busy outdoor areas. Reaction so far: mixed.
"I find it unnecessary when there aren't many people," one resident says. "But when there are more people, it is good that people wear masks."
Vietnam is testing and testing again to contain an outbreak that began in the city of Da Nang. Officials say thousands of people who recently returned from the resort town will get more accurate swab tests instead of the ones they initially took. They say large-scale testing and strict community guidelines helped keep infections low once before.
"We got through the last time," one person says. "As long as all of us comply with these policies, we will get through this together."
Following the rules, heeding the science, right now, they could be the best options to beat back the coronavirus.
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M. HOLMES: And joining me now is Dr. Dale Fisher. He is the chair of the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert Response Network and a professor at the National University of Singapore.
Appreciate your time, Doctor. Let's talk about global concerns.
What areas are you most worried about, at the moment, in a global sense?
DR. DALE FISHER, CHAIR, WHO'S GLOBAL OUTBREAK ALERT RESPONSE NETWORK: Thanks, Michael. The -- there's turmoil in every country, really. It's -- we could go through every region and every country. There's, obviously, many countries with fragile health systems and vulnerable economies.
But we, also, know some of the wealthiest countries have managed the outbreak quite poorly. Really, whether you're in Africa, South America, the Middle East, there's plenty of issues. Europe's trying to live with the virus and I find that pleasing, opening up their borders and trying to have a new normal.
But I do worry that they might have gone a bit fast.
(CROSSTALK) M. HOLMES: Yes. Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. A little bit of a delay there. I did want to ask how well-positioned the WHO is to assist in a global sense.
And I guess, you know, how has the U.S. criticism and, in fact, the U.S. withdrawal from the organization hindered how it's been able to operate?
FISHER: Sure. Just to make it clear, I don't work for the WHO. I (INAUDIBLE) its networks. The WHO is obviously the premier global body. It doesn't have any sovereign rights in any country. So it can't go in and actually do the work. It can assist, when called on.
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FISHER: But some of its global responsibilities include analyzing the data quite critically. And that's what many people have found difficult, because they can't make an announcement unless they are very confident with the science.
They drive a lot of research. They drive a lot of the guidance. They can provide logistic support with supplies. They've got a lot of online trainings. They're driving contact tracing, collaborative works, vaccine distribution collaborative works.
So they're very much the global body and that's why they're so important. It's obviously very disappointing of the decision by the U.S. government. But we would all hope that, eventually, there'll be a change in attitude there because, obviously, we've got to be in this together.
M. HOLMES: And to that point, has there been enough global cooperation?
I guess it's natural, in many ways, for countries to, you know, want to focus on their own people, turn inward at a time like this. But it is a global issue.
Is there enough of an attitude of we're in this together?
FISHER: I think it varies. But people, I think, just need to go back and any fracturing in society doesn't help anyone, whether you're fracturing within your country or between countries or even within your family or neighborhood. It really -- everyone benefits, if we all work together to work on the science, to work on the sharing of the resources, perhaps lifting of export restrictions would be helpful.
Some of the travel guidances, to allow emergency medical teams in more easily to help countries. There is so much more that could be done with global cooperation. And I think, as you said, that initial response is to look after your own borders. But we need to grow out of that, to get the best out of this, I think.
M. HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I wonder if you're worried that, you know, there could be what some are calling vaccine nationalism, that, you know, a workable vaccine, wherever it comes from, becomes a tool of geopolitical influence rather than a solution for all to share.
FISHER: Yes. It concerns me, too, Michael. Certainly, WHO is working with Gavi and SEPI and other groups to do multilateral fundraising so that hopefully, that won't happen, where the richest just take it all.
And hopefully, a sense of humanity will come over those countries as well, that this is not a behavior that's going to service your country well in the long run.
M. HOLMES: Yes. You don't want to be cynical, do you?
Yes. Let's hope so. Dr. Dale Fisher, appreciate it. Let's keep fingers crossed that, that does, indeed, happen. Thanks, Doc.
All right. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, crisis after crisis has been heaped upon Lebanon; after Tuesday's catastrophic explosion, anger spilling into the streets. Ahead, we'll have more from a country on the brink.
We'll also have a live report from our own Arwa Damon, who has ties to Lebanon, used to live there for many years.
Is it too late for the country to be saved?
We'll discuss.
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M. HOLMES: Welcome back.
In Beirut, hopes are fading of finding many more survivors five days after a massive explosion in the city; 158 people confirmed dead so far, 6,000 were hurt.
Meanwhile, thousands took to the streets of the Lebanese capital on Saturday. They are frustrated by what they call the negligence that allowed thousands of tons of explosive material to be stored at the port for years.
Protesters fought with police. They also stormed the foreign ministry and other buildings. More than 200 people were hurt and a member of the Lebanese security forces killed. Now the outrage has been bubbling up for months.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has reported, extensively, on Lebanon through the years. He is based in our bureau there. He tells us the explosion was a last straw for a country on the edge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They carried a banner with the names of those killed in Tuesday's massive blast, Beirut's initial shock now white-hot fury. At a government, a political elite that, through incompetence and corruption, has pushed Lebanon to the brink.
In their demands, there is no subtlety.
"We want to take revenge on them," says this Fuwaz Kasaguene (ph). "We want to hang them because they killed us. Our blood is still boiling over the people killed in the blast, an atomic bomb that exploded at the heart of Beirut."
Saturday, the explosion in Beirut was one of rage. Ordinary citizens have lost so much in the last few months, they have little left to lose. They've seen the economy collapse, the local currency lose much of its value, hyperinflation, lengthy power cuts.
And last Tuesday, a catastrophic explosion that killed more than 150 people, wounded thousands and made at least 300,000 homeless.
And now, the politicians are being called to account.
"Shame on them," says this protester. "They killed their people. They impoverished us. We've lost everything and, still, they cling to power."
Other protesters occupied a variety of ministries, including the foreign ministry, where they burned a portrait of President Michel Aoun.
WEDEMAN: This day was declared as Yawm Kesab (ph), the day of judgment. And in the dark are the leaders of Lebanon, who have overseen what is essentially the decline and fall of the Lebanese state.
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WEDEMAN (voice-over): A state struggling to maintain control of a population in revolt, a state under siege from its own people -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.
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M. HOLMES: Let's talk more about this with CNN senior international correspondent, Arwa Damon, joining us live from Beirut.
Where you were based for a long time, too. Broadly, for decades, there has been this sectarian system of patronage and corruption and self- dealing.
How determined, do you think, are the Lebanese to end those days?
Could this tragedy be a catalyst?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, on one level, there is a determination to try to utterly and completely revamp what has been the status quo for decades.
But Michael, as you know very well, this is not something that is going to be happening overnight. Yes, right now, the prime minister has called for early elections. They are going to be looking at reforming, potentially, the electoral law.
But you have to look at the very makeup of Lebanese politics that has been in existence pretty much since Lebanon gained independence decades ago. And if you just look at the building blocks of a government, people -- of course, there are, you know, elections, parliamentary elections and others as well.
But the actual building blocks of those who are in power, no matter what happens, it's not about merit. The presidency always goes to the Christians, the premiership to the Sunnis, speaker of parliament to the Shia.
And so the sectarian logic to everything is so entrenched within the Lebanese political spectrum. And it's also entrenched in politics. People tend to vote for whatever sect they are a part of.
All of that is going to require, what some would say, is generational change. What's happening, whether it's the economic meltdown, whether it's the effect of this horrific explosion that took place, this is not discriminating.
And so, that, to a certain degree, may have -- and we are going to have to wait and see -- perhaps pushed the bulk of Lebanese population past those ingrained sectarian divisions. But the path ahead for Lebanon to utterly revamp itself, to become that country so many Lebanese want it to become, is not going to be without pain.
M. HOLMES: Yes. That is great analysis. As always, I wanted to turn the personal for a minute. I mean, as I said, you lived in Beirut for many years. Your parents, I know, lived there. I had lunch with them a few years ago.
What is it like for you, personally, to see what is going on behind you?
That beautiful port there, that is so destroyed now.
What is it like for you to walk around this?
DAMON: You know, it's gutting, Michael. It's soul-shredding. And it's infuriating because, arguably, you know, no matter how you look at it, this did not need to happen.
Yes, we're still waiting to find out exactly what caused the initial fire and the initial explosion that then set off the ammonium nitrate.
But either way, that ammonium nitrate should not have been sitting there for six years, especially, given that multiple consecutive governments were warned of how dangerous it is to store a potentially volatile compound, like ammonium nitrate, under these sorts of conditions. And you also have to keep in mind that, you know, when you drive
around Beirut right now, this isn't the Beirut that it was, even when I was based here back in 2010. There is trash everywhere. Inflation is -- I mean, Michael, it's insane.
Let me put it to you this way. We went out to get food last night, to basically sort of a fast-food restaurant chain, three people. The bill came back at $77, if you go by the official exchange rate of 1,500 Lebanese lira to the dollar.
Now you can get fluctuating other exchange rates. You can also get an exchange rate on the black market, that is about 7,000 Lebanese lira to the dollar. But if you don't have dollars in hand, to change on the black market, you can no longer afford anything.
Before this explosion took place, international humanitarian organizations were estimating that about 70 percent of the Lebanese population was going to need humanitarian aid.
Take that into consideration also when you now think about how many more people are going to be struggling to put food on the table, never mind turning around and buying something like glass to begin to rebuild their homes.
M. HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. It is extraordinary. I have wanted to ask you, too, and I don't know if you have been able to look into it. I mean, the initial report was there could be as many as 300,000 people homeless because of this, their places unlivable.
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M. HOLMES: What sort of support network is there for them?
Where are they?
DAMON: Well, a lot of them have moved in with friends and family. There are a couple of sort of makeshift tents and centers that have been set up.
But, yes, I mean, if you look at the destruction just, you know, across from the port area, where we are right now, I mean, you can't see a single, you know, window that is still standing.
Go a bit deeper into the streets and you will see entire buildings that have collapsed on top of one another.
And one thing, though, Michael, that has been quite, sort of, inspirational, though, about all of this is how the Lebanese have banded together and actually, to a certain degree, broken through, you know, those sectarian divides I was talking about before.
It doesn't matter what sect you are right now. There is an army of volunteers that is in the streets, carrying out cleanup, helping out the elderly, helping others salvage what they can from their apartments and their homes. They're distributing food. They're distributing water. And it's there
that you really see the very essence of what it is that Lebanon should have been and of what it is that Lebanon could become, frankly, if the political elite and outside meddling forces would just get out of the way.
M. HOLMES: Yes. Exactly. It's a wonderful city, wonderful people. Yes, atrociously led. And whether this will be that catalyst, we shall have to see. Arwa Damon, good to see you, my friend. Take care.
And if you would like to help the victims of Tuesday's blast in Beirut, we've made it pretty easy for you. Just log on to our "Impact Your World" Web page, cnn.com/impact. Again, that address, cnn.com/impact. A lot of organizations there that we have vetted and are reliable and safe to use.
The U.S. Postal Service announcing a management hiring freeze. There's been a lot of shuffling of senior staff, a lot of cuts. Just ahead, why Democrats say all this could hamper the presidential election in November.
Plus, a young, stay-at-home mother poses a serious challenge to Europe's longest serving leader. Details on Sunday's presidential election in Belarus. That's still to come, as well.
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Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.
Now the latest on the other coronavirus hot spots around the world. The country with the second highest case count is Brazil, with more than 3 million infections. And the virus has claimed more than 100,000 lives there, a grim number that took only a few months to reach.
Mexico has the third highest global death count, more than 52,000, and recorded more than 475,000 cases.
And Iraq's health ministry reporting more than 3,300 new cases on Saturday, bringing that country's total to more than 147,000.
Well, with the U.S. about to hit 5 million coronavirus cases, more states want the option of mail-in ballots for the November election. But President Trump, he doesn't like the idea. He continues to sow distrust in and make false claims about mail-in voting and blames the Democrats, in the process. Here is part of what he said on Saturday.
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TRUMP: They even want to force states to implement the controversial practice known as ballot harvesting, very dangerous practice. Meaning they would allow Democrat Party operatives to deposit thousands and thousands of completed ballots at the post office without any verification of who filled them out, including a verification of signatures on the ballot, so you're not even going to have a verified signature.
Anybody, I could sign it, you could sign it, anybody in this room could sign it and that's going to count as a vote.
How can you do a thing like this?
So this is what they're asking for. This is what Nancy Pelosi and crying Chuck Schumer asking for, OK, that's ridiculous.
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M. HOLMES: Joining me now is Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers' Union, that represents some 200,000 Postal Service employees.
Really appreciate your time on this important issue, Mark.
I wanted to ask what are the real world impacts of what the postmaster general has done, these cuts?
How has it sort of manifest itself in the day-to-day operations?
MARK DIMONDSTEIN, PRESIDENT, APWU: Well, the real world impacts are that he's put in some new policies soon after he took office. He came from the outside. He doesn't really understand yet the inner workings of the post office and he just arbitrarily has reduced the number of hours that employees can work.
He's changed transportation routes. He's cut hours in retail units. He's pulled out sorting machines.
And the result of all of these things combined is that mail is simply going to be slowed down. It's going to be delayed. That runs counter to everything the proud and dedicated postal workers stand for.
We treat the mail as if it's our own. We've -- that's certainly underscored during this pandemic, where we've been front line essential workers, proudly connecting the people of the country and with the rest of the world in this challenging time. So --
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M. HOLMES: We're talking about --
DIMONDSTEIN: We're getting reports from all over the country, Michael, that mail's being slowed down and it's very problematic.
M. HOLMES: And it's very problematic. A lot of people get their prescriptions by mail. DIMONDSTEIN: That's right.
M. HOLMES: And their Social Security checks by mail. It's a very important thing. And you mentioned Trump appointed -- this is a former -- or a big donor to the Trump campaign who was given this job.
He says, OK, he says these are efficiency measures.
I mean, do you accept that explanation or do you think, as critics do, that this is a deliberate effort to weaken the post office ahead of the election and all of those mail-in ballots?
DIMONDSTEIN: We don't accept it. It's not called the United States postal business. And that's for a reason. It's called the United States Postal Service. We have an obligation under the law to serve everybody in this country, no matter who we are or where we live, from the most rural outpost to the densely populated inner cities.
So it's not just a normal business, where every letter somebody has to make a profit on, somebody has to make money on.
So we would much rather see the Congress of the United States provide COVID financial relief.
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DIMONDSTEIN: The COVID pandemic, the economic impact of the pandemic, is having a large negative impact on the Postal Service.
In the United States, the Postal Service runs in normal times with no tax dollars. And therefore, the revenue has to be enough to be able to carry out our mission.
We sort and deliver mail to 160 million addresses every day. So what's happening is, it certainly objectively is having an impact, weakening, undermining the quality of service because it is degrading service.
M. HOLMES: I know you don't want to dive into politics but, you know, the House oversight chair Carolyn Maloney, she says these are the president's attempts to prevent millions of Americans from having their votes counted.
I want to ask if you agree with that in a political sense.
But as things stand right now in light of the changes, do you believe the U.S. Postal Service will be able to deal with the flood of mail-in ballots that will be heading out in November?
DIMONDSTEIN: I think, generally, yes. But anything that slows down the mail slows down everything we do, from the medicines you talked about to the checks to the retirement checks to the financial transactions and, yes, ballots.
Now the Postal Service doesn't run elections. The states throughout this country do. The Postal Service has great capacity to handle influx of mail. It happens during all different seasons. It really happened during this pandemic, where packages have gone up a lot while people were sheltered in place.
But it is troubling whenever mail slows down. We've been doing vote by mail as postal workers and the Postal Service for generations in this country. It's becoming more and more popular with each election cycle.
And clearly in this election cycle, with this pandemic, the Postal Service is the only way and mail-in voting is the only way that tens of millions of people will be able to safely cast a vote and have access to the ballot box. We work under the law that says prompt, reliable and efficient services. Prompt means quickly and that includes ballots.
M. HOLMES: There's a lot of people who are very concerned that this Trump-appointed postmaster general is slowing things down because there's going to be a lot of mail-in ballots over this election cycle. Hopefully it doesn't happen. Hopefully you get the support you need from Congress. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, thanks so much.
DIMONDSTEIN: Thank you very much for having me on.
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M. HOLMES: Important issue.
Ukraine's president asking his citizens to avoid interfering in other countries' elections, especially the United States election. Volodymyr Zelensky's statement coming after a U.S. counter intelligence official reported that a Ukrainian lawmaker with Kremlin links was trying to undermine Joe Biden's presidential campaign.
The U.S. House impeached President Trump in December, in part, for abuse of power, alleging he tried to pressure the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden.
The epic and tragic explosion in Beirut could be the last straw for many Lebanese people. Just ahead, I will talk to a Middle East expert about how the blast could lead to real change in a nation that desperately needs it. We'll be right back.
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M. HOLMES: More on our top story now. Lebanon's prime minister says he will introduce a bill calling for early elections, a response to the public anger over Tuesday's massive explosion in Beirut.
Demonstrators clashed with security forces on Saturday. More than 230 people were hurt and a member of the Lebanese security forces killed. Meanwhile, the search at the blast site shifting from rescue to recovery; 158 people confirmed dead, 6,000 injured, 28 unaccounted for.
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M. HOLMES: Joining me now is Karim Makdisi. He's a professor of international politics at American University of Beirut.
I actually wanted to start with something that you tweeted out on Saturday.
You said this, "Today is about anger against the criminal state apparatus and expression of grief after shock of the port blast and those who died needlessly. Tomorrow needs to be to about rebuilding a political strategy and unity so deaths not in vain. No to sectarian division and obvious traps being set."
A powerful tweet.
I mean, do you have confidence that this tragedy could lead to real political change for the Lebanese people?
KARIM MAKDISI, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT: Yes, good morning.
I think it has great potential. I think you saw yesterday and in previous weeks the mass protests and anger against this kind of political system that we're talking about and not just this government but successive governments over the past two or three decades that have led to economic collapse, financial collapse.
And now just to sum it up this massive blast, which really tore apart Beirut, has put 300,000 people out of homes, has really devastated people, devastated us in terms of the psyche, just psychologically. It is a massive blow to all of us.
And people are building up. And as you mentioned, this expression of people to people has been an amazing outpour of support, of solidarity, of an ability to show that Lebanese coming together can do a huge amount.
Now whether this can lead to political change is, of course, the big question. I think we need to move on from just calls of saying this is a terrible political system; these are criminals; these need to go.
We don't yet have the ability -- we've been protesting since last October and we've not been able to succeed in changing very much. Even now, even after this blast, there have been no government ministers that have resigned.
So we need to be more engaged and unify the political demands for all the protesters. It's still divided. We need to move on from anger to something where there's more a unified platform that can engage and push forward a positive agenda.
M. HOLMES: It's the ingrained nature of it all when it comes to Lebanon. The interesting thing that makes it so complex is there are 18 distinct religious groups in Lebanon. Each of them have competing agendas and patronage as well.
With that in mind, how do you change such a political culture, the patronage, the lack of transparency and ensure that months in now it is not just business as usual?
MAKDISI: Well, I really want to say firstly that this question of having 18 or even more sectarian groups, this is something which is very rich for us.
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MAKDISI: This is a country and a region as a whole, which has had a long history of co-existence.
So this is not a negative. This is a very positive thing to have so many different groups, so much co-existence and people working together on so many levels. This is how rich our country and our history and our culture is.
Now it gets manipulated by those in power. It got manipulated historically and to this day. And it's not just the local elites kind of getting together and dividing people. It also has been backed, again, historically until now, through international support of various groups.
So this coming together is extremely difficult to try to undo in this time of financial collapse and economic collapse. It's really important to kind of make this point that the variety and diversity is a huge plus for us. And it's something that we need to rebuild as fundamentally part of Lebanon kind of going forward.
But taking it away from those politicians internationally and locally, who would use it for their own benefit, for the patronage, for clientelism (ph), basically bleeding the country like parasites, and transform it into something more positive that we can build.
M. HOLMES: I totally agree. And you know, having been there myself and you're absolutely right, the 18 different groups is a complement when it comes to the people but not when it comes to the politics and the manipulation of it. The beauty of Lebanon is its diversity and how everyone gets along.
You've got a church next to a mosque and so on and so forth -- 30 seconds, if you could.
Do you have any faith that the government can handle the donations coming from the international community or should that be going to NGOs and not government?
MAKDISI: No, frankly, like most people I don't think we have faith in anything this government would do. Again, not just this government but any government over the past years because previous governments are the ones that stole all this international money.
And not just international money, our money, our tax-paying money, money that's supposed to have gone to rebuilding the electricity sector -- we have no electricity for most of the day -- for the telecoms, for the infrastructure, for roads. All this has been stolen for 20 or 30 years.
So why would this government, which is an extremely weak government, be any different?
It's the same. There's a continuity in this kind of inability to handle and the kind of negligence and you could even push this forward and say kind of criminal conduct that began -- not this government but previous governments over two or three decades have been engaged.
So I don't have much faith but I think we need to push forward. Aid has to go to people, to civil society groups but on the big scale, the government has to be held to account for any money that comes in. That's for sure.
M. HOLMES: Professor Karim Makdisi. I really appreciate your time and our thoughts are with the people of Beirut there. Thank you so much.
MAKDISI: Thank you.
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M. HOLMES: Great analysis there from the professor.
Still to come here on the program, Election Day in Belarus. Voters are going to the polls in the middle of a pandemic, of course, with a lot of anger at their longtime leader. Find out if Alexander Lukashenko's rule is really at risk.
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M. HOLMES: Well, the polls are open in Sunday's presidential election in Belarus. For years, the outcome of presidential races there was never really in question. Strongman Alexander Lukashenko has ruled for nearly three decades.
This time it is a little different, though. He's been facing a tough challenge from a surprising rival, a young stay-at-home mother. But he's not going to just loosen his grip on power. Salma Abdelaziz is following the lead from London.
Unsurprisingly there has been a lot of controversy. You've had candidates and journalists detained. There were Russian mercenaries detained.
What is the level of confidence in this election being free and fair?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Michael, in short, not very much confidence at all. Analysts, observers will tell you, the results of this election are a foregone conclusion. Alexander Lukashenko, who's ruled the country for 26 years, will get a sixth term in office.
He has earned the nickname Europe's last dictator for his iron-fisted rule of that country. But there are cracks beginning to appear in the foundation. Take a listen to our report.
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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): It's his biggest challenge yet. After 26 years in power, Alexander Lukashenko's iron grip on the people of Belarus appears to be waning.
After Lukashenko jailed or barred several of his main rivals from running, thousands of protesters poured onto the streets of at least 10 different cities. And one unexpected challenger is promising to meet their demand.
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SVETLANA TIKHANOVSKAYA, OPPOSITION CANDIDATE (through translator): People are tired. The people want change.
How long can you rule the people, against their will?
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Thirty-seven-year-old Svetlana Tikhanovskaya entered the race in place of her husband, Sergei Tikhanovskaya, after he was arrested in May. The former teacher admits she's no politician but her campaign has seen a surge in popularity.
TIKHANOVSKAYA (through translator): Now is the time when everyone must overcome their fear.
Do you think I'm not scared?
I'm scared, every day but I muster my courage, get over my fear, go to you and go for victory.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Nicknamed Europe's last dictator, the incumbent has long drawn international criticism for using secret police to crush any dissent. Now he faces mounting pressure over the country's economic situation and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
His critics accuse him of recklessly denying the implications of the global health crisis to disastrous effects, making this one of the country's most unpredictable elections in a generation.
But with the country's history of what critics have deemed unfair elections and alleged vote rigging, it remains to be seen whether this year's vote can successfully bring about real change -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
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ABDELAZIZ: Now polls have already opened in the country. They opened at 8:00 am local time. They'll be open until 8:00 pm tonight. But there's already allegations of misconduct. Election monitors will tell you that country hasn't had free and fair elections in nearly a quarter century.
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ABDELAZIZ: And we have heard from the local election commission that 41 percent of votes were already cast in early voting before today. Now critics of Lukashenko will say those numbers are simply not accurate. They'll say they're overinflated. They will argue that he is already rigging this election.
But this is less about who's going to win the battle, Michael, and more about whether or not he's going to come out unscathed.
M. HOLMES: Yes, exactly. You wouldn't want to be a political candidate in Belarus. You might not be on the street for too long.
Just speak briefly to the relationship between Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko said in an interview, I think, that they had certain tensions because we are strong personalities. And, of course, there are these reports of Russian mercenaries being there.
ABDELAZIZ: This is a key question, Michael, and it's at the heart of the controversy against Lukashenko, of the protests against him. And that's, of course, because Russia is the country's main sponsor and ally.
But in recent weeks, months and years, there has been a deterioration in that relationship as Russia has seen -- has requested greater integration, deeper economic and political integration with Belarus. Lukashenko has been resistant to that.
And then last month, just a few weeks ago, there was this announcement that 33 Russian mercenaries were found and arrested. His critics say this is just political maneuvering, rhetoric in order to cover up the reality of the criticism against him.
But again, this is adding to the deterioration of the relationship between Russia, which is heavily important to the country, Michael.
M. HOLMES: Indeed. Good to see you, Salma. Thanks for that. Salma Abdelaziz there.
And thank you for watching the program. I'm Michael Holmes. Don't go away. Kim Brunhuber will be here with another hour of CNN NEWSROOM after the break. And he's much better dressed.
