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Executive Actions on Virus Relief Have Strings Attached; Trump Plan Calls for States to Pay 25 Percent of $400 Benefit; "Veepstakes" Heat up as Democratic Convention Approaches; Russia, China Accused Trying to Meddle in U.S. Elections; Lessons From Israel Shows Cases Surged After Schools Reopened; Official Conveys U.S. Message of Strong Support for Taiwan; Hong Kong Police Arrest Media Mogul Jimmy Lai; Face Masks Become Mandatory in Some Parts of Paris; New Zealand Marks 100 Days of No Local Cases of Coronavirus; Collin Morikawa Wins First Golf Major of the Year. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired August 10, 2020 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And they didn't get what they wanted.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The President on Sunday also answering questions about those enhanced unemployment benefits that he signed in an executive action on Saturday. According to that executive action, $400 per week would go to unemployed Americans, $300 of which would come from the federal government.
But that is only contingent on states agreeing to administer this program and also agreeing to pony up that $100 per person to bring it to a total of $400. But the President on Sunday suggesting that there could be a situation where the federal government would pick up 100 percent of the costs. Not clear if that would be on the 300 or on the 400.
But the President suggesting that if certain governors make that request of him that that is, indeed, something that he would consider approving. But of course, the devil is in the details and we have yet to actually see those details from the White House.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And joining me now to discuss all of the details, CNN's Eleni Giokos. Good to see you, Eleni. So what help is there when not even the top White House economic adviser understands how these executive actions work?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, exactly, right. I mean you have so many details that they still need to work through, and it just brings up so many issues when it comes to implementation of these executive orders. You've got to remember that President Trump intervened after talks
completely collapsed on Friday. Coming out with four really important executive orders targeting some of the most vital issues that have created major problems and points of divergence between Republicans and Democrats. The question is are these Constitutional and could he still face some legal hurdles?
We know the Democrats are not happy with what's on the table right now. And we also know the big point of contention is actually being that enhanced unemployment benefit which was $600 a week. That expired at the end of July. So, you're looking at millions of vulnerable Americans that had come to rely on that extra money per week. And now of course not getting that in their pockets.
And also, uncertainty about what will happen next. Importantly, that eviction ban. There was a moratorium on that, that also expired. Now, if you look at the overall executive order that was put in place, $400 a week, he was going to fund that, if President Trump wants to bypass Congress approval then you have to reallocate money from existing budgets.
Now the states are going to be forced to look at funding 25 percent of that new enhanced benefit of $400 a week. Some states, Rosemary, are, of course, cash strapped, under significant pressure coming out with an extra $100 a week for every unemployed person, is going to be really difficult.
And then, of course, you've got to look at the eviction ban. And putting a moratorium on that, some say the language in the executive orders is actually very problematic, that it's open to interpretation, and also could create loopholes that you don't actually offer a full blown protection for the most vulnerable.
CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. And I wanted to ask you that. Because for some Americans the loss of these extra payments means living on the street or perhaps in the car that they own. So how long might all of this take?
GIOKOS: I mean, look, we know that these new executive orders are looking at a deadline of the 1st of September. But already this delay has created very stark realities for so many people in the country. You know, even towards the end of July, that many states have started to put up shelters trying to figure out a way to deal with people that are going to be on the streets.
So, the realities here and while discussions are ongoing in Congress and, of course, executive orders need to be approved, you are looking at very difficult realities. I mean the number that we're looking at here on the unemployment rates in the United States is above 10 percent. And, yes, it's looking slightly better than many people had anticipated. But, Rosemary, it's still much higher than what we saw during the peak of the global financial crisis.
And if they don't find resolution and both parties coming to the table finding common ground, looking at the overall number and, of course, the big differences there, you know, the people that are suffering the most are going to be dealing with the consequences.
CHURCH: Absolutely they are. Eleni Giokos, good to talk with you as always.
We are a week away from the start of the Democratic convention. That means speculation is in full swing over who presumptive nominee Joe Biden, will pick to be his are running mate. The former Vice President has said that he will in fact pick a woman.
And this is how the field of likely contenders is shaping up. Former presidential candidate, Senator Kamala Harris, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and former presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth Warren among others, are all on that short list. And Biden is expected to formally announce his choice this week. And we'll be waiting for that.
[04:35:00]
Well, the U.S. National Security Advisor says he has already seen evidence of foreign powers trying to meddle in November's election. Robert O'Brien said they will face severe consequences if they do.
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ROBERT O'BRIEN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We've got our cyber teams in place. DHS is working very hard to track down those malign actors. But --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it Russia again?
O'BRIEN: Well, look, we know it's China. We know it's Russia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tampering with the election infrastructure?
O'BRIEN: Well, absolutely. Trying to access Secretary of State websites and that sort of thing and collect data on Americans and engage in influence operations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, the U.S. intelligence community said Friday that China wants President Trump to lose in November and Russia is working to undermine Joe Biden.
This is CNN NEWSROOM. Coming up, one of the highest profile arrests so far in Hong Kong under the controversial national security law. Media mogul law, Jimmy Lai has been detained and we are live from Hong Kong to get the latest.
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CHURCH: Children in Israel had already gone back to school, they returned in May after 2 months of lockdown. They're out now for the summer. To the decisionmakers it looked like the right time, but they've learned some incredibly hard lessons.
Elliott Gotkine, joins us now talk to us about, what exactly happened and what lessons were learned here?
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ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Rosemary, the government did have a plan, it did put a plan in place for when schools reopened in May. Things relating to mask wearing, social distancing, hygiene, ventilation in classrooms, but the plan quickly unraveled.
A couple of quick examples. Mask wearing, there was a heat wave at the same time as kids went back. Parents complained that their kids couldn't breathe, the government relented. And enacted a four-day mask holiday.
[04:40:00]
In classrooms, there are routinely 35 children or more in a class. It's very hard to keep desks six feet apart or two meters apart when you've got that many children in a relatively small space. So, there was a plan but Israel either didn't or couldn't follow it.
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GOTKINE (voice-over): From teacher's pet to near bottom of the class, on some measures Israel is now grappling with one of the world's worst COVID outbreaks. Schools like this one in Jerusalem, whose alumni include President Reuven Rivlin and novelist Amos Oz are a big reason why.
Ari Kaplan is head of the Jerusalem parent/teacher organization.
ARI KAPLAN, HEAD OF THE JERUSALEM PARENT/TEACHER ORGANIZATION: We have a kid that is a super spreader. And because of it we have like 150 kids were infected, like 25 teachers. It's a huge school. It's like 1,200 students and their brothers and sisters all around Jerusalem. We had like 25 schools that were closed.
GOTKIN: Soon after the school reopened it had to close again. Both students and staff went into quarantine. But it was almost certainly too late. About half of all Israeli coronavirus cases in June, as Israel's second wave began, could be traced to school outbreaks.
GABI BARBASH, FORMER CEO, TEL AVIV SOURASKY MEDICAL CENTER: I think Israel got too optimistic when it saw the numbers declining.
GOTKINE: Professor Gabi Barbash, is one of the Israel's leading disease experts. He says plans to reopen schools after the summer are premature.
BARBASH: I think we are not ready for that. I think Israel is experiencing now 1,700 to 2,000 cases per day, new infections per day. It is impossible to open the education system by the first of September if that doesn't come down.
GOTKINE: The government is having none of it.
YOAV GALANT, ISRAELI EDUCATION MINISTER (through translator): We are determined to start the school year in 25 days' time. I want to make it clear though, not everything will be perfect. With corona, it is not possible to permit to full study program for everybody.
GOTKINE: The plan is for children up to grade 2 to attend school as usual. Grade 3 and above will see class sizes capped at 18 per room. And from grade 5 learning will be split between school and home with most of the teaching expected online. That of course, assumes the plan goes ahead.
(on camera): Israel's dilemma is shared by many others. Reopen the schools after the summer and risk another COVID surge or keep kids at home and risk harming their education, and an already reeling economy. There's no easy solution. An extended summer recess could yet be on the cards.
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GOTKINE: And a short while ago we heard again from Israel's Education Minister Yoav Galant saying the school year will open on September 1st and whoever says otherwise is sewing panic among the public -- Rosemary
CHURCH: And we learn yet again the value of masks. Elliott Gotkine, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
Well, the most senior American official to visit Taiwan in more than 40 years has met with the island's president. Alex Azar conveyed to Tsai Ing-wen, the Trump administration's strong support and friendship for Taiwan. The U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary also praised what he called Taiwan's incredibly effective response to the coronavirus pandemic.
His trip has been condemned by China which claims the self-governing island as part of its own territory.
Well, police in Hong Kong have arrested media mogul Jimmy Lai under the controversial national security law. Lai who owns the "Apple Daily" newspaper was taken into custody on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces, a crime punishable with up to life in prison. Six others were also arrested.
And for more, CNN's Will Ripley joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Will. So this, of course, sent shock waves across the world. What exactly happened here and what are the likely ramifications of these arrests?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the number of arrests keeps climbing, Rosemary. Now, it's up to 9 people, Hong Kong police say. And they're not ruling out more as they continue this massive operation.
The images really do speak to the seismic shift in freedom of the press here in Hong Kong despite assurances from the government that the press would be able to report freely. You had dozens if not, you know, hundreds or at least more than a 100 police officers raiding the newsroom of "Apple Daily" which is owned by Hong Kong billionaire Jimmy Lai. Who has been an outspoken critic of Beijing for decades. And he was free and safe to do that when he was here in Hong Kong.
But after the national security law was passed less than two months ago, you saw a lot of pro-democracy figures like him leave. But Jimmy Lai chose to stay. He actually has a U.K. passport.
[04:45:00]
However, he says that he's going to stay in Hong Kong because, what use would it be, he said, if he were to cause all of this trouble, meaning, you know, criticize the government in Beijing, which is trouble now here in Hong Kong, and then if he were to just vanish. So apparently, he seems willing to, you know, go through this legal process. He certainly has the resources. Far more resources than most of the other people who are arrested, Rosemary, some of them as young as 23.
CHURCH: All right, we will be watching this very closely. Will Ripley, joining us live there from Hong Kong. Many thanks.
And this is CNN NEWSROOM. Coming up, facemasks will now be mandatory in some of the busiest outdoor areas of Paris as cases there keep rising.
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CHURCH: Paris has now made facemasks mandatory in tourist hot spots and busy shopping areas. Authorities say it's to combat a rising number of coronavirus cases in and around the French capitol.
Cyril Vanier joins me now live from Paris. Good to see you, Cyril. So whether people like it or not, masks are, of course, the most powerful weapon we have to fight a virus in the absence of a vaccine.
[04:50:00]
So how are Parisians responding to this mask mandate?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, from what I can see by and large, Parisians are OK with this. We are in one of the 102 streets here in Paris that have now been designated a compulsory facemask area.
If you look around me, not everybody knows, right. Not everybody knows that they're supposed to wear a facemask here. And in fairness to them, there was supposed to be signage in front of those roads where facemasks are now compulsory. I haven't seen anything warning people they need to wear a mask here.
We did see police earlier today walking up and down the street. Now they weren't fining people, because by the way, there is a fine, about $160 if you don't wear a mask in those areas. They weren't fining anyone. They were just gently reminding them that you are supposed to be wearing them here now, and I think at this stage it's about building habits really, not about punishment.
Rosemary, France is doing this, Paris is doing this and other cities in France are doing this because coronavirus indicators have been trending in the wrong direction for several weeks now with a spike. In fact, about ten days ago in a number of new daily cases. And so, they identified places where it is hard to socially distance. This being one of them. I know it seems quiet at the moment, but this is a busy commercial street.
And in the evening, it gets really packed. People come to restaurants, cafes, they come to buy their groceries and you can't always stay three feet apart when you are here. And that is why there is this facemask restriction. Not easy at the moment because we're in the middle of a heat wave. But it is better than re-confining the entire country which is what could happen if the coronavirus indicators keep going up -- Rosemary.
CHURCH: It is extraordinary, it looks beautiful. I love Paris. And of course, it does take a while. It's quite the cultural shift to start wearing a mask but it is all we have right now. Cyril Vanier, many thanks, appreciate it.
And in Australia, the state of Victoria has recorded its highest single day increase in deaths since the pandemic started. On Sunday it recorded 19 new deaths that's according to health officials there. Victoria has nearly 15,000 confirmed cases and the death toll has increased to 229. Recently there have been many new infections in age- care homes and among health care workers.
And then in stark contrast, Australia's neighbor, New Zealand, has made it to over 100 days without a single locally transmitted case of the virus, largely thanks to strict lockdown measures and other preventive steps. And now the country is one of the safest places in the world, really an oasis from the pandemic. CNN's Michael Holmes has our report.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A photo op at a grocery store chatting with shoppers, playing with a baby. It is the picture of success for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who kicked off her reelection campaign on Saturday, and a day later, marked a hundred days without recording a single locally transmitted case of coronavirus. A rare accomplishment in a world struggling to contain infection rates, but one Ardern says she won't take for granted.
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: A hundred days doesn't change anything for New Zealand, it doesn't make it any less likely. We are still having to of course manage our borders very, very carefully.
HOLMES (voice over): Which is something New Zealand has done from the start. The country had its first confirmed case on February 28 and moved quickly to stop the spread.
ARDERN: We must go hard and we must go early. We must do everything we can to protect the health of New Zealanders. HOLMES: Within weeks, New Zealand closed its borders, imposed a nationwide lockdown and began a rigorous system of testing and contact tracing. That kept the number of confirmed cases to just over 1,500 and a death toll of 22.
Though some critics say the virus was easier to contain here since it is a remote island nation and has a population of just five million. The problem now for New Zealand is to prevent a flare-up, which countries like Vietnam and Australia are facing.
In the Australian State of Victoria, the capital, Melbourne, is on lockdown after a second wave of the virus and reported 17 deaths on Sunday. Officials say some people are not obeying the quarantine.
DANIEL ANDREWS, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA PREMIER: Those rules are there for all of us, and now Victoria has the right to be able to say, oh, well, I think I can do something that no one else is allowed to do. You've got to follow these rules.
HOLMES (voice over): Rules which have so far worked in New Zealand, where almost all restrictions have now been lifted for coronavirus.
Michael Holmes, CNN.
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CHURCH: They of course strove for elimination and they won.
So professional sports are coming back in fits and starts in the United States, and this weekend we saw another step forward with golf's first major of the year.
[04:55:02]
CNN's Patrick Snell has our report.
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PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was the stuff that dreams are made of for Collin Morikawa when it mattered most, the young Californian producing a moment of brilliance in just a second appearance in a golf major. A stroke of genius that settled the 102nd PGA championship which at one point had 7 players tied for the lead late Sunday at 10 under par. But Morikawa who incredibly, he's only been a professional for just over a year, produced a sensational drive at Harding Park's 294-yard par four 16th hole.
An historic shot for the ages from the 23-year-old American of Japanese heritage will be at one in front of no fans. Surely one of the greatest drives of all time. And one that ended just 7 feet from the hole in this the first major tournament of 2020 following the sport's month-long shutdown due to the global pandemic.
And then, with nerveless ice cool precision he rolled in the eagle putt en route to a famous two-shot victory. Morikawa's only four par on Sunday coming with the famed Wanamaker Trophy which was for a brief moment was just a little too hot to handle. His accompanying facial expression, absolutely priceless.
(on camera): Well, this already Morikawa's third PGA Tour victory. And he wins the PGA Championship would you believe at the first time of asking, a truly life changing moment for this prodigious golfing talent that's left him California dreaming this weekend in San Francisco.
Patrick Snell, CNN, Atlanta.
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CHURCH: And we'll leave you on a high note. Thanks for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. EARLY START is up next. You're watching CNN. Have yourselves a wonderful day.
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