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Joe Biden Picks His V.P.; President Trump's Signature Name- Calling; Russia Approves COVID Vaccine; Lebanese Protesters Wants Total Change; UK Economy in Recession; New Zealand Reimposes Restrictions Due to New Cases; Mexico Reports Almost Thousand New Deaths from Virus; U.S. College Conferences Postpone Football; Security Questions Raised Surrounding TikTok and WeChat; Royal Tensions Revealed; Collin Morikawa Opens Up About PGA Championship Win. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired August 12, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, history in the making. Joe Biden has chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first woman of color on a major ticket.
Russia is starting phase three COVID vaccine trials today without peer review.
And the man who bankrolled its research reveals when Russians will start getting vaccinated.
And New Zealand quickly locks down a major city after COVID returns for the first time in more than 100 days.
Good to have you with us.
So, U.S. Democratic Joe Biden making history by choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate in the race for the White House. The senator from California is the first black and Asian-American woman on a major U.S. party ticket. Many of the issues at the center of her life's work like criminal justice reform, improving health care, and tackling income inequality had become hot issues in the 2020 presidential race.
CNN's Arlette Saenz looks at Biden's historic pick.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: The Democratic ticket is set with Joe Biden selecting California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. Biden formed Harris of his decision over a Zoom call from his Delaware home on Tuesday.
Now the two faced off during the Democratic primary as they were both running for president, including a heated debate moment over school busing, but ultimately, Biden has said he doesn't hold grudges and decided to go with the experienced campaigner as his partner on the Democratic ticket.
Kamala Harris is one of only three women to ever be picked for the vice-presidential slot on a major party ticket. But she's also making history of her own as the first woman of color to be in that vice- presidential nominee position.
She is the daughter of immigrants, her mother from India, her father from Jamaica. So, this is quite the historic pick, selecting her particularly as Biden had paced -- faced some pressure to place a woman of color on the ticket with him.
Now Biden and Harris will appear for the first time together as the Democratic ticket here in Wilmington, Delaware. They will deliver remarks before holding a grassroots virtual fund-raiser with their supporters to try to energize the base and all of their supporters heading into November's election.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
CHURCH: A number of top Democrats are praising Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's pick. Former President Barack Obama says she is more than prepared for the job. He goes on to say her own life story is one that I and so many others can see ourselves in, a story that says that no matter where you come from, what you look like, how you worship or who you love, there is a place for you here.
Hillary Clinton tweeted, I am thrilled to welcome Kamala Harris to an historic Democratic ticket. She's already proven herself to be an incredible public servant and leader, and I know she'll be a strong partner to Joe Biden. Please join me in having her back and getting her elected.
And this from Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms who was also in the running for the V.P. slot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D-GA): I immediately thought of my 9- year-old daughter and what this will mean to her, to look at television and to see someone who reflects all that we encourage our girls to be and that's someone who is courageous, someone who works hard, someone who is obviously intelligent and well steady, and someone who cares, and is willing to put themselves out to serve others.
And so, it makes me proud but I think more than that, it should make our country proud that there will be representation at the highest office that represents who we are as a diverse people and what we value as a country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Congresswoman Val Demings was frequently named as a potential running mate for Joe Biden. She reacted in a series of tweets, saying, "for a little girl who grew up poor, black, and female in the south, to be considered during this process has been an incredible honor. I feel so blessed to see a black woman nominated for the first time, reaffirms my faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from."
[03:05:02]
Well, the U.S. president reacted swiftly by attacking Senator Harris. He said she did poorly during the Democratic primaries and was disrespectful to Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Plus, she was very, very nasty to one of the reasons that surprised me, she was very, she was probably nastier than even Pocahontas to Joe Biden. She was very disrespectful to Joe Biden. And it's hard to pick somebody that's the disrespectful when she said things during the debates, during the Democratic primary debates that were horrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So, let's talk now CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers. He's also former South Carolina state representative. Good to have you with us.
BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you so much for having me.
CHURCH: Why do you think Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris? Was she always the clear choice to meet this moment, given her political and legal credentials and her background?
SELLERS: I don't think she was a given, I don't think she was a slam dunk, I think that one of the benefits she had over some of the other candidates who, by the way, where more than qualified, Karen Bass more than qualified, Val Demings, Susan Rice, Tammy Duckworth. The list goes on and on.
There was a vast list of qualified women of color so let me start there, but Kamala Harris did have a relationship with Joe Biden. It dates back to her time as attorney general and her relationship with Beau Biden.
She's also never lost a race, unlike Amy Klobuchar, to be exact, but she's been district attorney in San Francisco. She's been statewide elected official as attorney general, and now she is a statewide elected official in a large state of the union by being United States senator.
And she brought all of these qualifications to the table, and at the end of the day, I think that it was not only history, because she's not only the first African-American female to be at the top of the ticket. She is also the first person of Indian-American descent to be at the top of the ticket, so today is a big day in our country's history.
I mean, it's kind of weird that we are here, so many centuries after our country's founding, but I'm very proud today. I'm proud of the Democratic Party and we'll see what happens between now and November.
CHURCH: Indeed, and of course, the Trump campaign immediately attacked Kamala Harris, accusing her of embracing the left's radical manifesto and then President Trump called her nasty, his catchphrase for most women.
SELLERS: Yes.
CHURCH: So how -- how will Harris likely strike back against these other attacks that will inevitably keep coming?
SELLERS: Well, she is tough, and I think that's one of things that Joe Biden recognized. She's actually been through the gauntlet, the political gauntlet. Remember, she did run for president of the United States and so she's been somebody who's been on the stage before.
But she's not other to be an attack dog by any stretch and these attacks by Donald Trump are going to really fall on deaf ears. I mean, he's having a difficult problem. Donald Trump has never dealt with black women particularly well, whether or not it's April Ryan or Yamiche or Jemele Hill, and the list goes on and on and on, and now Kamala Harris.
And so, they have a great deal of trouble trying to figure out how they deal with the future of this country. And I said it early I'll say it again, the Republican Party is going backwards. I mean, while they are embracing confederate monuments, and confederate flags, and what the country once was, you now have a ticket and a party that is representing the future.
And that's why people are excited about what Joe Biden has done today. Not only being the vice president to the first black president, but now actually running for president and bringing along the first black, especially female who is the vice-presidential nominee.
CHURCH: And Bakari, one of the first big test that Kamala Harris will face is a vice presidential debate with her counterpart Mike Pence. How will that likely go given what we already know about both of, them and their debating skills?
SELLERS: Yes. That's not going to be anything. I mean, we're not worried about that, I mean, I think that there are lot of people like myself who, and when you look at, it if all things were even between Kamala Harris and the rest of the individuals who are in the running to be vice president, you know that she, by far, is the person who you want on the debate stage.
She's not only have excelled in the courtroom, but here we are, I mean there is nobody who can tell you how hard a Kamala Harris punches other than Joe Biden, right?
So, we're here, and Mike Pence really doesn't stand a chance on the debate stage with Kamala Harris. Biden will be prepared and somebody who is going to be able to effectively run circles around him. That's going to be a good day. Get your popcorn ready, in the words of the great American --
CHURCH: We'll be watching very closely. Bakari sellers, thank you so, much as always.
[03:10:01]
SELLERS: Thank you for having me, Rosemary.
CHURCH: To Russia now, and it is set to begin a massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign in October, despite questions over the safety of its newly approved vaccine. The Russian president made the big vaccine announcement on Tuesday, claiming it as a global first. But phase three trials have literally just begun.
And as Matthew Chance reports, many experts are skeptical.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You couldn't accuse the Kremlin of ignoring the propaganda value of its vaccine. They've even called it Sputnik, after the Soviet satellite that shocked the world and launch the space race. Now it's the vaccine race, the Kremlin says. It's one hands down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): A vaccine against coronavirus has been registered for the first time in the world this morning. I know that it works quite effectively. It forms a stable immunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: We but how does he know? Well, he says one of his own daughters perhaps the one who is an acrobatic dancer has already been vaccinated, or his eldest, a medical specialist, where Putin says is that she had a slight temperature at first but feels much better now, extraordinary from a Russian president who rarely mentions his family.
We still don't know for sure how many children he has. Still, it underlines how much confidence the Kremlin wants to show and its new vaccine.
Despite concerns, no clinical data has been published, soldiers were used as volunteers in early testing and crucial third these human trials have not even started wearing shortcuts, say critics, and the Kremlin dash across the line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX AZAR, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: The point is not to be first with a vaccine. The point is to have a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people and the people of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: There's been criticism inside Russia too, a prominent pharmaceutical industry body this week calling on health officials to postpone the vaccine because it may put lives at risk. Not a warning that's been heeded. Officials say frontline health workers and teachers will be vaccinated first, then the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
In fact, Russian officials say there is a vast global appetite for their vaccine. Applications for more than a billion doses, they say, have already been received from more than 20 countries. It may not be safe or even work, but Russia can proclaim at least to itself that it is once again a planet saving scientific superpower.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
CHURCH: And CNN's Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta spoke with the CEO of the group funding the Russian vaccine who has already given it to his family members. He says Russia had a head start over the rest of the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRILL DMITRIEV, CEO, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: We can say is that it works. You know, I've taken it myself, I've given it to my parents, to my wife. If you learn the signs, and I'll be happy to share with you, you will be much more convinced.
It's a gradual rollout in August and September. We'll give of course some additional data, but our minister of health, our bureaucrats would not have approved it unless they were absolutely confident that the technology works, that it shows incredible safety and efficiency and safety is at the core of the vaccine.
Because again, as I mentioned, it's a proven over the last six years platform that Russia had and had a head start on it versus some other nations who started to use more novel approaches not proven before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. immunologist says without evidence to support Russia's vaccine, it may not be safe and with such a quick turnaround, he doubts it will be effective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I hope, but I haven't heard any evidence to make me feel that's the case. I hope that the Russians have actually definitively proven that the vaccine is safe and effective.
I seriously doubt that they've done that, but that's what I think people need to understand when we hear announcements from the Chinese, or from the Russians that we have a vaccine, we are giving a vaccine, and people say, why aren't the Americans doing that? Well, because we have a way of doing things in this country that we care about safety and we care about efficacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Sterghios Moschos is an associate professor of molecular virology at Northumbria University, and he joins us now from Newcastle in England.
Good to have you with us.
STERGHIOS MOSCHOS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN CELLULAR & MOLECULAR SCIENCES, NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY: Good morning.
[03:14:53]
CHURCH: So, Russia has approved what it calls the world's first COVID-19 vaccine, but scientists there are only, today, starting phase three human trials, which means the vaccine safety and efficacy is still in doubt, so what exactly has Russia achieved here and announced?
MOSCHOS: Well, I mean I'm speaking as a scientist, and I'm going to try and answer question really which is guessing a propaganda to amount for internal consumption in Russia that will bring out the best as your presenters actually indicated.
We don't know if this vaccine is going to be efficacious. It's very similar to the Oxford vaccine. It looks like it's good. The Oxford people have admitted that it's probably going to need a boost or dosed. The Russians have gone and done this, so it's a double dose system that they are going to use anyway.
We frankly don't know exactly how safe it's going to be, whether this is the best approach, there's another better approach. This is all a media activity. And frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was all engineered to go to other political parties to take actions to seem better than the Russians, which could lead to very, very severe and serious mistakes elsewhere which we really need to avoid here.
CHURCH: Yes. I want to ask you that because what negative impact could this premature announcement of a COVID vaccine have on healthcare ethics throughout the world and of course on future trust in vaccines? Because that is critical here if you expect a population to take a vaccine.
MOSCHOS: Yes. I think you hit the nail on the head, though. You know, we are struggling to get people to understand that a very deadly disease that in people's lifetimes we have managed to remove, measles, is very important to take a vaccination for.
If we have a situation where a vaccine which has not been tested properly is found to be actually detrimental in some way, that could backfire very, very, very badly. I mean, vaccines were, if they are tested properly, it's like saying I'm going to take a car which, you know, we just bolted together and haven't even tried to turn the wheels on it to see if it will roll down the road. I'm going for a road trip across, you know, the whole of the United States, I don't think you would do that if you haven't checked the car for its safety first. Right?
CHURCH: Yes. Good analogy there. And when you look at the small print of the approval certificate the Russians put out for this vaccine, it appears it's only to be given to medical workers and the elderly at this stage with wider use not taking place until January 1st 2021. What does that signal to you?
MOSCHOS: Well, that basically means they are going to try to do a phase three trial on a very small the five part of their general population. Though the interview that you broadcast, you know, not a minute ago, indicated that certain individuals have received this vaccine, even though they don't belong into this defined group.
And whether that's about a confident statement, whether it's a reality, whether it's something that has to do with access, I don't know. But if you are only vaccinating the extreme high- risk groups, you are either hold about cost because you're concerned about safety or you don't have enough doses around.
CHURCH: Yes.
MOSCHOS: So, which one of is it?
CHURCH: It seems a little premature at this stage it's got a lot of people worried.
MOSCHOS: I think you are being polite on how you're defining premature there.
CHURCH: Sterghios Moschos, thank you so much for joining us.
MOSCHOS: You're very welcome.
CHURCH: We appreciate it.
Well meantime, the United States is betting big on a potential vaccine from Moderna. The Trump administration has struck a deal with the biotech company to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine, if and when it's approved. The deal is worth more than $1.5 billion dollars, and the vaccine would be provided to Americans at no cost.
The Moderna vaccine is one of six under contract with the U.S. government, and it's being developed in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. Clinical trials are currently underway to test whether it's safe and effective, and this comes as the U.S. death toll increases every single day. Nearly 165,000 Americans have died from the virus so far.
Still to come on CNN Newsroom, a fourth day of unrest in Beirut. Protesters are furious over the catastrophic explosion at the port. Their latest demands for justice, that's next.
[03:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHURCH: Anger and mourning in Beirut as the city sees a fourth day of unrest. Protesters are demanding Lebanon's president and entire ruling elite be removed from power over last week's explosion at the Beirut port.
The death toll from the blast has climbed to 171. Thousands gather Tuesday for a vigil for the victims and read out their names during the solemn gathering.
Arwa Damon is with us now live from Beirut. Arwa, they're protesters are calling for change, but how likely is that? How long -- how likely is it that the president along with the entire ruling elite will be removed from power?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, for that to happen, there are going to have to be fundamental changes to the electoral law, otherwise they'll just end up recycling basically the same names and potentially fundamental constitutional changes.
But the bottom line for these protesters is that they will no longer accept the status quo. But this explosion at the port it was too much. It was too devastating. It was too painful. And for many, it has been all to traumatic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
As she felt the air being sucked out of the house, Lana (Ph) thought it's a bomb.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not that it's loud. It was vicious it was and hurtful, it was like --
DAMON: Her daughters had just asked her if they could go over to a friend's place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I looked up and Zoey (Ph) Iya (ph) were like standing here where we can see the clock holding each other and screaming.
DAMON: Time stood still. She imagines them being blown away, decapitated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're like it's --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were screaming like crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, I got them here on the floor. I sought -- I sought -- I pulled this -- this.
DAMON: There is still blood on the mattress.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes, yes. This, if you try to move it -- try to don't ask me. Don't ask me how. This was like literally here like I made it then.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I was driving just to reach the children and Lana. --
DAMON: Andre (Ph), her husband, was not home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I run to see them. And I see that everything. It has fallen. It was chaos. And I started shouting, where's the kids, where's the kids.
DAMON: Lana's (Ph) back was shredded. There was a massive gash on her thigh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were scared when we saw mommy injured. We said, mommy, you are injured. She said, I didn't feel anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now she was in complete denial, she's like, I have nothing. It's like scratches and the other one is like completely, she is having PTSD, as we say. She told me it's going to -- it's going to happen again. And I told her, no, I promise. And she's like you can't make me this promise.
DAMON: Lia (Ph) asked if she can crawl back into her belly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said I can sit there like a frog.
DAMON: She also told her mother that Thor would have stopped the explosion with his hammer.
Is mommy a hero? Do you think mommy is a hero?
[03:25:03]
No one knows how to explain this to themselves. Never mind to their children. The sheer madness of it, the carnage, the chaos, scenes they can't escape from ingrained in their psyche, threatening to push them over the abyss into hysteria.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am still too angry to understand what's happened why all these people were killed, injured, wounded. And in my head like it equals the stapling in the hospital and blood. They are holding our kids physically and mentally hostages. It's this. It's this that I can't go anywhere.
DAMON: She doesn't like the sounds anymore of honking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I'm 36. I'm terrified every time like, she is 7. They didn't want to sleep here. They don't feel safe in their parents' room. They took this away from many, many kids, not just my kids.
My kids went in six months from drawing rainbows and mermaids, three months later I was being asked every day what is the corona death toll today in Beirut, to what's nitrate. In six months, my 7-year-old went from drawing rainbows to trying to understand the process of nitrate combustion.
(END VIDEOTAPE) DAMON: And Rosemary, the Lebanese have almost perfected the art of soldiering on. They learned how to do this through the years of the Civil War than more recently the years of car bombs and targeted assassinations and running gun battles in Beirut and throughout the rest of the country.
They take pride in this in their ability to sort of push through no matter what and remain this beautiful, vibrant people. They are not willing to do that anymore. This has pushed the vast majority of this country's population to the edge. And they will no longer allow for the status quo to continue. They just can't anymore.
CHURCH: Yes, totally understandable. Arwa Damon bringing us that live reports from Beirut. I appreciate it.
Well, dramatic new developments in Belarus where the opposition candidate in the presidential election says she fled to Lithuania to protect her children. After claiming Sunday's vote was rigged, a video of her surfaced on Tuesday, calling for an end to anti-government protests and saying the nation has made its choice.
But her supporters fear she was forced into saying that and threatened into hiding by the longtime president. Her husband is in jail and several members of her campaign have also been detained.
Meanwhile, the tense protests over the election continue on the streets of Minsk. The E.U. is now threatening sanctions on Belarus, calling the election neither fair -- neither free nor fair.
Well, in Hong Kong, a pro-democracy newspaper owner arrested under the national security law has posted bail. Jimmy Lai was detained Monday on suspicion of colluding with foreign powers. And police raided the headquarters of his Apple Daily newspaper.
Critics called his detention and attack on press freedom. Authorities claim they are targeting individual offenders not entire media organizations.
Well, the country that became a shining example of how to contain the coronavirus has suffered a setback. And now, New Zealand's biggest city is under lockdown.
Plus, Mexico takes steps to make sure it gets a vaccine once it's made available. We'll have the details for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: The United Kingdom is now officially in a recession. New data from the U.K. shows that the second quarter GDP fell by 20.4 percent, the worst quarterly slump on record.
CNN's Eleni Giokos joins us now live from Johannesburg. Good to see you, Eleni. So, the U.K. numbers are certainly grim. What might this signal for the road ahead?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, look, catastrophic figures, a contraction of 20.4 percent in the second quarter, and now the U.K. officially in a recession. Of course, a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
We knew this number was going to be bad. It was anticipated. But what really is worrying here is the scale of the pain. If I compare this to the global financial crisis, during any one quarter over that time, we only saw GDP shrinking by just over two percent.
We're talking about a contraction of 20.4 percent. If I compare that to the other G7 nations and other developed economies, again, the U.K. has seen the biggest pain, the sharpest decline.
I want you to look at what happened in Germany. The number you're looking there is 10.1 percent, Italy 12.4 percent contraction. And even in the U.S., it is only nine and a half percent contraction for the second quarter.
It really just shows the depth and the scale and the impact of the lockdown because of the COVID-19. This is what happens when you ask the lifeblood of the economy, the consumer to stay home and basically stop spending.
If I really drill into the numbers here and I look at the second quarter declines within the sectors, I am looking at services that have declined by 20 percent. The biggest drop there, 87 percent lower.
You know, this is basically the decimation of an entire industry, and of course construction also coming on to significant pressure that was down 35 percent.
There are a few points of hope here, and a big question going forward, well into the third quarter, are we going to see a second wave? What does that mean for the future?
One big buff here, Rosemary, is that has been really vital is the monetary policy support by the Bank of England where they see, you know, embarking on using various tools to ensure that there's support as much as possible through asset purchases and other monetary policy, things that they can implement.
And then the other important part is the fiscal support through the furlough scheme. They have been able to keep the jobs market pretty stable. It is bad, but pretty stable, sitting at around four percent unemployment.
And of course, businesses have been given support to ensure that they don't actually layoff people. Does that mean that this is sustainable? These are the questions now that we have to look at very closely.
CHURCH: Yeah. It emphasizes a game that if people wear masks, then you don't have to lock it down and you can keep moving without to -- at least reduce the infection. It keeps popping its head up, doesn't it? So, how quickly can the U.K. economy recover, given all of this?
GIOKOS: Yeah, when I look at the June GDP figures, a month on month number, June GDP was up by 8.7 percent. That is encouraging, but it is off a low base. Remember that the U.K. come and went under lockdown in March and then started to reopen gradually in May and of course June, and we are still seeing the resumption of getting back to economic activity.
[03:35:03]
GIOKOS: The big question is going to be, COVID-19 cases, do they have that under control? What are the risks of a second wave? And, of course, social distancing and all those other factors that you mentioned in terms of wearing masks.
The confidence here of businesses wanting to reemploy people and get back to full economic activities is going to be important. We are talking about immense demand destruction. Consumers don't want to spend because they are so uncertain of the future.
And then again, are we going to see a V-shaped recovery? How much more stimulus can they put into the market? And then, of course, the big unknown question, a second wave, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yeah, absolutely. Eleni Giokos, many thanks.
New Zealand has re-imposed coronavirus restrictions after reporting its first locally transmitted cases in more than 100 days. Auckland, where the infections were confirmed, is now under lockdown for at least three days. But the rest of the country is facing less severe restrictions.
CNN's Will Ripley is following all of these developments from Hong Kong. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Will.
So after successfully eliminating the coronavirus, how do experts think these new infections got into the country?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's a great question, Rosemary. They are still looking into it. But one of the four confirmed cases that are local transmission, one of these people work at a cargo facility, so they are wondering if perhaps the virus came in through cargo.
That was a question that was raised here in Hong Kong when we thought that the city was sealed off and there was no local transmission for weeks on end, only for it to bubble up, and is now the numbers are going back down because the social distancing measures are being followed.
That is exactly what New Zealand's government and their prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is hoping will happen in this case. Even though the numbers are small, they have just five active cases in the country right now. They just announced another imported case just in the last hour or so. There are also four probable cases.
These are small numbers, even for a country like New Zealand, which has fewer than five million people altogether. But it's enough for them to essentially raise the alert level in Auckland, its most populous city, to level three, which means closing schools, closing nonessential businesses. Basically, people can leave their house to go grocery shopping. That's about it.
There are nine different police checkpoints set up throughout the city to educate and also enforce compliance. They are also postponing the dissolution of parliament, which is an important step before the national election next month, in which Ardern's party is expected to do well in part because the public has been very supportive of their handling of the pandemic, and yes, the envy of all accomplishments of having 102 days without a local case up until just, you know, the last few days or so.
CHURCH: Oh, yeah. I mean, they have done a spectacular job. It is. You know, we compare these responses. You look at New Zealand, you look at Australia. Even though they're struggling a little now, their response has been incredible compared to, say, United States of America.
Will Ripley, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.
In Europe, the U.K. says it will not hesitate to add countries to its quarantine travel list. This since France and several other European countries see a rise in cases.
According to Johns Hopkins University, infections across the continent are nearing 20,000 per day. You can see France in bright blue here at the bottom right. While the country has far fewer cases than the U.S. and Brazil, French government is extending its ban on mass gatherings of 5,000 people or more through the end of October.
Well, Mexico reported almost a thousand new deaths from the virus Tuesday, pushing its overall toll to nearly 54,000, the third highest in the world.
Meanwhile, the country has signed deals with U.S. and Chinese companies to carry out clinical vaccine trials. Mexico says it wants to ensure its people have timely access to a vaccine when it's ready.
Matt Rivers has more now from Mexico City.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot of vaccine-related news coming out of Latin America right now. Let's start here in Mexico where officials have announced that this country will be partaking in the phase three trials of three different vaccines that are currently being developed by three different companies.
One of these companies is an American pharmaceutical firm that is owned by Johnson & Johnson. The other two companies involved are from China. Those three trials will join another trial that has been previously announced by Mexico's foreign minister back in July. The company developing that vaccine is from France. Meanwhile, down in Brazil, we have got word that state officials in the State of Parana, are currently in negotiations to help with the development of a vaccine out of Russia.
[03:40:03]
RIVERS: What we are hearing from World Health Organization officials is that it is obviously crucial to develop these vaccines to help defeat this pandemic, but it's also crucial so health officials can turn their attention to other issues.
So for example, in the first two months of 2020, as compared to the same time period in 2019, cases of dengue fever in this part of the world went up nearly 140 percent. The development of a vaccine, according to health officials, would allow them to get back to trying to solve a lot of the issues that have plagued this region for so long.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
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CHURCH: With the pandemic surging, another American tradition is on hold, two major college football conferences or postponing their seasons.
And time is ticking by for TikTok and WeChat to find a U.S. buyer after President Trump threatens to ban the social media apps. Coming up, we take a look at whether they really are a security risk to the U.S.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As we safely restore our great economy and reopen our schools and, hopefully, we can watch colleges play football, we want to get football and colleges. These are young, strong people. They won't have a big problem with the China virus. So we want to see college football start.
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CHURCH: Despite what President Trump wants, football will not be starting for some universities this year because of the coronavirus.
College football is a big deal in the U.S. The fans are passionate and it's a huge money maker, generating billions of dollars annually. But this year, at least two of the major conferences are hitting the brakes on the upcoming season.
CNN's Andy Scholes explains.
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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: If we do have college football this fall, it certainly will look different. Two of the biggest conferences in college football, the Big Ten and Pac-12, are making a decision on Tuesday to postpone their seasons due to the coronavirus.
Both conferences do say they hope to play football in the spring. The Pac-12 is citing concerns over the availability of FDA-approved accurate testing with rapid turnaround time where all of their schools are located, while the Big Ten's commissioner, Kevin Warren, says there is still too much unknown about the virus.
KEVIN WARREN, COMMISSIONER, BIG TEN CONFERENCE: One of the things that we promised ourselves, that this was going to be a fluid situation. As things began to evolve, you look at the number of cases that are spiking, the number of deaths not only in our country, in our states, where many of our schools are located, but worldwide, you look at this decision.
We just believe, collectively, there is too much uncertainty at this point in time in our country and to really -- to encourage our student athletes to participate in fall sports.
[03:45:04]
SCHOLES: There is no central governing body for college football. Each conference makes its own decisions. And while the Big Ten and Pac-12 doctors are saying that they should not play football right now, the SCC and ACC's medical experts are telling those two conferences, they can proceed as planned with football in the fall. Both of those conferences do say they will make adjustments as needed.
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CHURCH: President Trump says the Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat have until September 15th to find a U.S. buyer or be banned in the U.S. While the president cites security concerns, how much of a risk to these apps really pose?
Our Selina Wang did some digging.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dancing ferrets, lip-synching kids --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Picture.
WANG (voice-over): -- teenagers playing pranks on each other. That is the stuff of TikTok. It is the first Chinese-owned app to become a global social media sensation.
Yet on Friday, President Trump issued executive orders that would ban TikTok and the messaging app WeChat from operating in the U.S. in 45 days.
TikTok said in a statement, it was shocked and willing to sell its U.S. business to an American company.
The Trump administration says the apps are a threat to national security and the personal data of American citizens, and they are also a tool for the Chinese Communist Party.
But do those claims stack up? The data TikTok collects is similar to what companies like Facebook and Google do. It knows your location, internet address, and browsing history. It tracks what videos you like, share, and watch. It all helps power the TikTok algorithm that makes the app so powerfully addictive.
(On camera): I have TikTok on my phone. You can see lots of fun dancing videos. How was any of the information captured in that app relevant to Chinese intelligence? What makes TikTok a national security threat?
JAMES LEWIS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Probably no information captured by TikTok that's relevant to Chinese intelligence.
The risk comes from ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owner, and the fact that it is subject to the whims of the Chinese government. So it is ByteDance that could use TikTok as a vehicle for espionage, if they chose to do so.
WANG (voice-over): Lewis said TikTok could theoretically be used as a vehicle to get access to people's other private information on their phones.
TikTok says it has never shared user data with the Chinese government nor censored content at its request.
In the U.S., WeChat has not had nearly the same success that Tiktok has had, but it's a key way for people abroad to connect with friends, family, and business contacts in China, where it is indispensable for daily life.
Imagine Facebook, Linked-in, Uber, Instagram, PayPal, and several more apps all rolled into one. Experts say that WeChat is surveilled uncensored.
SAMM SACKS, CYBERSECURITY POLICY AND CHINA DIGITAL ECONOMY FELLOW, NEW AMERICA: From a national security standpoint, does WeChat pose a threat? I would say yes. Now, that does mean that it should be banned on everyone's devices? That's a separate question.
Federal employees, people with security clearances, military personnel, should not be downloading WeChat on their devices.
WANG: China's ministry of foreign affairs on Friday said it firmly opposes the executive orders targeting WeChat and TikTok. He claims the U.S. is using national security as an excuse to oppress non- American businesses.
But as Sino-U.S. relations spiral downwards, banning Chinese apps may just be the tip of the iceberg. The move indicates the Trump administration is broadening its attempt to restrict Chinese tech companies from operating in the U.S., even if it appears to be a little more than a platform to share viral dancing videos.
Selina Wang, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, a new book claims to tell a behind the scenes story of Harry and Meghan, and why they quit their royal roles earlier this year. I am joined by the book's co-author after this.
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[03:50:00]
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CHURCH: A new biography of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry is officially out. "Finding Freedom" is written by two journalists and provides a detailed portrait of their life behind palace walls and a glimpse into some of the events that led to the couple stepping back from their royal duties.
The duke and duchess of Sussex have denied contributing to the book.
With me now from London is the book's co-author and royal reporter, Omid Scobie. Good to have you with us.
OMID SCOBIE, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So, why did you decide to write this book? And if you didn't have any input from the duke and duchess of Sussex, as you insist, how are you able to tell the full story?
SCOBIE: Well, this book was sort of born out of a very unique situation. As my time covering Harry and Meghan and speaking with those close to them, I've realized that there is difference between what we are seeing about and up in the pages of some of the tabloids. It was very different to what I was seeing from having a front row seat on the royal beat and also from speaking to those who work with them.
So I felt like there is a chance here to tell another side of the story. And although there was no participation of the couple in the book, we were able to speak to some of the people closest to them within their inner circle, close friends, palace aides, past and present, as well as people they have worked within their charitable spaces, and of course, in Meghan's entertainment career, as well.
CHURCH: So, what were the main reasons behind Meghan and Harry deciding to step back from their royal duties?
SCOBIE: Well, I think one of the biggest misconceptions was that they in some way blindsided the royal family by making this decision. But what is laid out in this book is really how much they try to make their roles work. They were very vocal about their grievances within the walls of the House of Windsor.
Of course, one of the big factors was the issues with the press. They felt they were constantly under attack (INAUDIBLE), that sort of no comment approach to dealing with the press. That was something that just wasn't working. The damage was being done by some of those undue articles.
As time went by, a lot of the information was actually coming from inside the walls of the palace.
CHURCH: The Guardian wrote a not too friendly review of your book on August 10th, saying that Meghan and Harry definitely have a story to tell, but it's not the story in the book that you wrote.
What do you say to that and suggestions that your book is (INAUDIBLE) and picks on Catherine, duchess of Cambridge?
SCOBIE: I don't think it picks anywhere on anyone. I think it's interesting that a lot of the comments made are from people who haven't read the book yet. We didn't give out advanced copies for people to review.
I think what is interesting is if you actually read it, you will realize that it's really about the institution. A lot of the members of the royal family actually come off very well in the book. We go into that relationship that Meghan has with Kate.
But what we want to point out is that this wasn't some petty catfight between the two women. In fact, that was feeding off some very sexist commentary that we saw in the tabloids. The two women just simply didn't connect. They didn't have much in common.
I believe that Meghan would have liked for Kate to be a shoulder of support during some of those tougher moments as she was once a newcomer herself. The two women do have respect for one another.
CHURCH: So what insights did you offer into their lives that we wouldn't find anywhere else?
SCOBIE: I think one of the most enjoyable parts of the book was retracing the steps of their courtship, their romance, and revisiting some of those trips that they took to Botswana. It was that second visit that took place some months before they announced their engagement.
We actually find out in the book that that was where Harry made a promise to Meghan to make her his wife and immediately, upon returning to the U.K., proposed. He managed to keep that a secret for a few months.
And so when you look back at what followed in those few months it is quite fun to know that they would keep it a secret from the world.
CHURCH: All right. Omid Scobie, thank you for joining us and good luck with your book.
SCOBIE: Thank you.
[03:54:57]
CHURCH: Well, it has only been 15 months since U.S. golfer Collin Morikawa graduated college, and in that time, he has already racked up three victories on the PGA tour, including his first major on Sunday.
CNN's Don Riddell caught up with golf new superstar.
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COLLIN MORIKAWA, AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I haven't had much sleep or eating a lot of food. We are just running on a lot of adrenaline right now. I got a little taste of what it is like to win a major championship, to what, you know, those other players have won before, and I definitely want it again.
It is crazy to think back a year ago that, you know, I was just some guy walking along the Berkley college campus just like any other student out there. There wasn't really much that separated me other than, you know, I was pretty good at golf.
I still hope to fly under the radar as Collin Morikawa as much as I can. I don't think I'm at that point yet where people are just going to start recognizing me.
DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: How long would you have set yourself to get to this stage in your career when you left college?
MORIKAWA: Golf or life, whatever it is, I always try to take it as much and just try and learn. I don't think you can teach competitiveness. I want to compete in everything we do. You know, you and me can have a coin flipping contest, and I am going to try to beat you no matter what, even though it's all luck.
RIDDELL: What did your mom and dad say to you once you had some privacy after the (INAUDIBLE)?
MORIKAWA: It was crazy because on Friday, my mom never told me this, but they had a balloon fly up from someone else's yard into their trees in our house and it was just a number one. It was one balloon floating just in the trees and it never popped and stayed there. They left it there. That was pretty special. I think that balloon meant something. They might have known that from the start of the week.
RIDDELL: What was going through your mind when you lifted the trophy and it started slipping?
MORIKAWA: There were probably a lot of memes and a lot of jokes and it will never get past me, that I dropped part of the trophy, the lid, at least in my first championship. But it is going to be something that I will remember forever. It just all added to just a little more laughs and little more smiles for the week for everyone to talk about.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Very exciting. And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment. Do stay with us.
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