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Biden & Harris Appear for First Time as Running Mates; Republicans on the Attack Against Kamala Harris; Some European Nations Grapple With Covid-19 Resurgence; Crews Scramble to Clean Up Lagoon After Oil Spill; How Harris's Indian Roots Shaped Her Political Views; China Opposes Any Official U.S.-Taiwan Ties; Bolivia Faces Political Unrest Amid Worsening Outbreak; Disconnect Between U.S. Economy and Wall Street; NBA Player Opens Up About New Season & Social Justice. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired August 13, 2020 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM. Biden-Harris together at last and keeping their distance, while Republicans seem unable to agree that Harris is an extreme liberal or too conservative for many Democrats.
COVID come back as case numbers begin to head north, Europe braces for a second wave.
And the race to save a piece of paradise threatened by oil leaking from a grounded cargo ship which could soon break into.
The Biden-Harris team made their first joint appearance, Wednesday. A historic moment in so many ways, but unlike previous election campaigns, there was no confetti, no balloons and cheering crowds. Instead, the stark reality of campaigning in the age of the coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: now let me introduce to you for the first time, your next vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. Kamala, the floor is yours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A deafening silence. This campaign debut was held in a high school gym in Delaware. Biden and Kamala Harris address just a handful of reporters scattered apart. Even so, their message was clear. Donald Trump and his response to the pandemic and the economic crisis have failed.
CNN's Jessica Dean picks up the story now from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT(voice over): The first look at an historic ticket. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I had a great choice but I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next Vice President of the United States of America and that's Senator Kamala Harris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): Newly named vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris joining the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden today in Wilmington, Delaware.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESUMPTIVE VICE PRESIDENT NOMINEE: I couldn't be prouder to be by his side, running to represent you, the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): Biden also taking President Trump's criticism of his pick head on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Is anyone surprised Donald Trump has a problem with a strong woman or strong women across the board?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): After the event, Harris and Biden, along with their spouses headlined an online fundraiser with grassroots supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Yesterday we had our best grassroots fundraising day of the campaign, more than double our previous record, and in doing so, we set a single day record for online political fundraising and I think I know why.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): Today's events come just one day after Biden announced his historic choice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: You're ready to go to work?
HARRIS: Oh, my god. I'm so ready to go to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): A new campaign video released today showed the moment Biden told Harris she was his pick. Ninety minutes later, his decision was announced to the world. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: First of all, is the answer yes?
HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe, and I'm ready to work. I am ready to do this with you, for you. I'm just deeply honored and I'm excited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): Biden's decision to choose Harris follows a month- long vetting process that began with at least 20 women. Over the last 10 days, Biden conducted one on one interviews with the final 11 perspective nominees either in person or over video chat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The Attorney General of the state of Delaware (inaudible) ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): During her interview, Harris spoke at length about her friendship with Biden's late son, Beau Biden. Harris and Beau Biden served as Attorneys General together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: I learned quickly that Beau was the kind of guy who inspired people to be a better version of themselves. He really was the best of us. And when I would ask him where'd you get that? Where did this come from? He'd always talk about his dad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN(voice over): Now with his vice presidential search behind him, Biden believes he has the right person by his side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Kamala knows how to govern. She knows how to make the hard calls. She's ready to do this job on day one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[00:05:07]
DEAN: Joe Biden making the announcement on Wednesday night that his campaign has raised $26 million in the 24 hours since Kamala Harris joined the ticket. And to give you a little bit of context earlier in this campaign season, that's more than he raised in some months.
Jessica Dean, CNN, Washington.
VAUSE: Chris Kofinis is a Democratic Strategist. He served as Communications Director in 2008 for the John Edwards presidential campaign and he's with us this hour from San Francisco. Chris, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
CHRIS KOFINIS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thank you.
VAUSE: This historic joint appearance on Wednesday, but no cheering supporters so no excitement, at least, in the room. Just very quickly, it seems that we're seeing really now for the first time what is a new normal of campaigning in a pandemic.
KOFINIS: Well, I mean when it comes to, I think, presidential elections, and the images and the optics that voters have tended to see in past elections, the big rallies, the big rollouts, the bus tours, the conventions, that's all for now, at least, a thing of the past. This is going to be much more cerebral affairs in many respects. I think they're going to be much more substantive. It's going to allow in a strange way, I think, the candidates to speak louder.
I think both Vice President Biden and Sen. Harris have the opportunity here, I think, to kind of make their messages heard even louder, because it's not going to get drowned by any other type of exterior show or event, whatever it might be. And I think in a strange way, it's odd to say because you can never have envisioned it, I think it paints a really powerful contrast because I think Sen. Harris and Vice President Biden are more comfortable in that style because of their past.
President Trump is more uncomfortable. He really needs those crowds. I think as the race kind of evolves and we get closer and closer to election day and the reality, those events are not going to happen. I think it's going to have even bigger negative impact on him and his campaign.
VAUSE: Well, it seems that in some ways Republicans were all over the map when it came to Biden's decision to choose Harris consistent line of attack. A press release from party headquarters, the RNC declared liberals revolt against Biden, Harris ticket. But listen to the senior Trump advisor Sean Hannity on fox news. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN HANNITY, HOST, FOX NEWS: This pick now solidifies what is the most extreme radical, far left, out of the mainstream ticket of any major political party in American history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Thank you, Sean. The Republican senator from Tennessee was appalled by like a support from Harris for law and order. So listen to the rather senator from Tennessee. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R-TN): You know what, law and order is important to me, and I don't want a vice president who is out there, marching in the streets with the BLM organization. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And at the same time, a senior advisor said Harris would have to hide her past as a prosecutor because he's got a lot of people in jail. That's just a few examples of the contradictions out there. Why can't Republicans find an effective line of attack here against Harris and how crucial is that if Trump is to turn this campaign around?
KOFINIS: Yes. I think they're going to have a really difficult time trying to figure out what the line of attack should be. Today was what I call the throw everything, the spaghetti against the wall strategy and see what sticks. Unfortunately, none of it was really effective.
I mean, the reality is, especially if you talk to insiders, many of our colleagues who are Republican have a lot of respect for Sen. Harris because they can consider her a smart, serious senator. And So I think it's going to be a bit of a stretch for the Republicans to try to paint her one way or the other.
All that being said, the question that still I think is outstanding is what impact does any vice presidential pick have. I think in this case, it actually has a really positive impact, because of the nature of the environment that we're living in. People can focus more because they're at home a lot more. They're watching the news a lot more.
But I think that the Trump campaign if they think they're going to beat Vice President Biden by undermining or attacking Sen. Harris, that is a flawed strategy. Voters are going to decide first as a referendum on the President, what was his first term, are they better off than they were four years ago.
All of those kind of critical questions that every incumbent president has to face and right now he's not on the good side of those questions because of where the state of the economy is, the state of the country is psychologically and otherwise.
[00:10:03]
And all of the attacks in the world can't hide your record and that's the difference, I think, and the challenge that the Republicans have. The challenge that Democrats have, to be frank, is we just got to go out there and articulate a really clear, strong message and vision about where we would take the country in a far better direction if we're elected, if Vice President Trump and Sen. Harris are elected.
VAUSE: Often we have VP who is chosen to be the attack dog to go after the administration and with that in mind, I give you prosecutor Kamala Harris. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut. Just look where they've gotten us, more than 16 million out of work, millions of kids who cannot go back to school, a crisis of poverty, of homelessness afflicting black, brown, and indigenous people the most, a crisis of hunger afflicting one in five mothers who have children that are hungry and tragically, more than 165,000 lives that have been cut short.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: What struck me about that, there was no hyperbole, there were no name calling, there was no (inaudible) ...
KOFINIS: Right, just the facts.
VAUSE: It was the Joe Friday (ph), the facts, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
KOFINIS: Yes.
VAUSE: If that continues, Donald Trump is in for some very unhappy days before November.
KOFINIS: I mean, here's I think the fundamental problem, the facts are clearly not on the side and that's if you look at them truly objectively and I'm talking about on the side of the President. President Trump is going to try to redefine the debate. He's going to try to make people see something else. It's going to be really challenging for him to do that to be honest.
And just for the simple reality and I've just started personally traveling again around the country, talking to voters and others and once you go to some of these major cities like I'm in San Francisco today, the San Francisco now in the middle of a pandemic versus San Francisco prior to the pandemic or any of the other major cities I've visited or it's night and day. It's like you're almost - you feel like you're living in an alternative universe, you can't believe it in terms of what you see.
The problem I think for President Trump is there are no words that are going to reimagine or redefine the reality that the American people are living through. And so the question really is, is we're about less than three months before the election, do things get dramatically better over the next 60 days? Is there some kind of significant event that happens that make people go, yes, President Trump maybe wasn't that bad. Is that possible? Yes.
What could that be? That I think is open to a significant amount of debate, but right now his position is not very good and I think the more that Vice President Biden and Sen. Harris really kind of just focus on the facts, give people the facts, then it's really hard to argue with them regardless whether you're a Republican, Democrat or Independent.
VAUSE: Yes. It seems like - we're out of time, Chris, but it seems like it's up to Harris and Biden basically 0010 [00:03:21] to stumble and to lose the race as opposed to Trump winning it at this point. But as always, great to have you with us. We really appreciate it. Thank you.
KOFINIS: Thank you so much.
VAUSE: Well, the U.S. death toll from coronavirus is now more than 166,000 after averaging more than 1000 deaths for 17 straight days. There is though a glimmer of good news.
New infections are holding steady or falling in 44 of the 50 states. Nationwide average of new cases is dipping. Make no mistake though, it's still extremely high and some of the worst hits states are still suffering a record number of people dying. Meaning the hotspots are getting hotter, Florida is one of them.
And in one of the most egregious and unbelievable moves possible, local sheriff there is banning masks inside his department. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods says staff and visitors are not allowed to wear them with very few exceptions. He writes in an email.
"Now, I can already hear the whining and just so you know I did not make this decision easily. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should wear masks, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we should not." Really?
It's worth noting that even the U.S. President who took months to finally mask up in public says his administration will provide 125 million masks to school districts nationwide. That is from the President who was reluctant to do so.
We go to Europe now where Italy plans to test all travelers arriving from Spain, Greece, Croatia and Malta. Italy and Spain are seeing upticks in cases that's according to Johns Hopkins University. And France saw its biggest jump in cases since it ease lockdown restrictions reporting more than 2,500 new infections just on Wednesday.
[00:15:08]
CNN Cyril Vanier has more now reporting in from Paris.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: The virus is gaining ground in many European countries. Here in France numbers are trending up across the board, as people have become less disciplined according to the Prime Minister. Infections and hospital admissions are increasing and a research director I spoke to told me we should expect to see the number of deaths increase as well.
The French Prime Minister is now calling on local authorities to massively expand mask wearing outdoors. In neighboring Germany, which has done better than many of its neighbors, new infections are also going up. The country just recorded 1,200 new cases, which has a significant jump from less than a thousand the day before.
Elsewhere in Europe, look at Greece with 203 new cases on Sunday, it may not seem like a problem country, yet that is its highest daily new number of cases ever. There is a true resurgence of the virus in Europe, according to the European Center for Disease Control, which is calling on authorities to re-implement the only measures that we know to be effective, distancing, testing and contact tracing.
Now, I do want to end on a positive note. The situation is actually improving in a handful of European countries, Portugal among them, which has seen infections go down in the last week, along with Sweden, Croatia, Latvia and Slovenia.
Cyril Vanier, CNN, Paris.
VAUSE: Saskia Popescu is a senior epidemiologist specializing in preventing infection. She is with us from Phoenix, Arizona. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us.
SASKIA POPESCU, SENIOR INFECTION PREVENTION EPIDEMIOLOGIST: Thank you.
VAUSE: I wanted to start with the headline we have from The New York Times, it's quite stunning. It reads the nation wanted to eat out again and everyone has paid the price. The Times is linking the recent uptick in new cases across the U.S. to reopening restaurants. But it seems whenever restrictions are eased, if it's in the U.K., for example, people go back to the bars or in Greece where the beaches are open up to tourists or laborers go back to work. Every time social distancing goes out the window, people relax, they don't wear masks, but the question is who's responsible for that, because in many cases, people have been encouraged to go out, get back to work, kicks out the economy. That's mixed messaging all of the time.
POPESCU: You nailed it exactly. Mixed messaging has been a problem. I think as we reopen restaurants, we also have to be mindful and educate people on maybe safe times to go, not going with a lot of people but also nightclubs are increasingly becoming an issue. Spain has recently noted that bars and nightclubs have been a huge source for transmission.
So as we try to go back to business in the U.S., we also have to be mindful of those areas that are really at an increased risk for transmission like the bars and indoor restaurants, so how can we try to reopen things but safely.
VAUSE: Yes. And then there's this issue of reopening schools. In the U.S., it's happening despite the fact community spread is still not under control and I'd like you listen to the Governor of Florida, here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R) FLORIDA: Martin County Superintendent Laurie Gaylord told me today that she viewed reopening her schools as a mission akin to a Navy SEAL operation, just as the SEAL surmounted obstacles to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, so too with the Martin County school system find a way to provide parents with a meaningful choice of in-person instruction or continue distance learning all in all the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: God bless him for a courage, but seriously, I mean, other countries have not called on teachers for an act of bravery on par with the SEAL team taking up the world's most wanted terrorists in order to teach a bunch of kids. POPESCU: Yes. I think it's a very unfortunate analogy, actually. This
is an option to reopen and the truth is that we don't need to be rushing it. It's not a requirement in that same regard. I mean, we want children to go back to school, everybody does. But we have to do so safely so to force it and to kind of put it into that context is actually very dangerous, because it makes it really seem as if, if we don't do this, there's going to be an imperative danger when we know if we do go back to school, we reopen things very quickly and dangerously, there will be lives lost. We're already seeing cases in Georgia as a result of that.
VAUSE: I want to stay in Florida for a little bit longer because we had this sheriff and he's in one of the state's largest counties and he's officially banned his deputies from wearing face masks and his part of his reasons why, listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the email provided to Wesh 2, Sheriff Billy Woods explains his logic, when it comes to his deputies, Sheriff Woods says their orders/commands to comply must be clearly heard when working a seen and dealing with the public. Why can't visitors wear a mask and the sheriff's office lobby and substations.
The email says, "Because of current events, when it comes to the sentiment and/or hatred towards law enforcement in our country today."
[00:20:04]
The sheriff says they need to see visitors' faces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. Do any of those reasons, in your opinion, outweigh the importance and the benefit of wearing a face mask during a global pandemic?
POPESCU: Absolutely not. And unfortunately, I think it furthers the politicization of masks and public health, so it's just damaging things even more.
VAUSE: Yes. And keep in mind, this comes the same day the Director of the CDC called for all Americans to follow public health guidelines like wearing masks and hand washing and social distancing. Robert Redfield WebMD, "I'm not asking some of America to do it. We all got to do it. Or this could be the worst fall, from a public health perspective we ever had."
The Florida Sheriff has any indication, it's not looking promising come for fall, right?
POPESCU: No, it's really not. And I think as we continue to see leaders in the community with this narrative, it's just going to get more dangerous and more concerning, especially as we move into an increased time of publicization and very divisive politics in the United States. So I worry when we see states like that and leaders within those states pushing this narrative and discouraging mask use, both in the community and within their own staff and employees.
VAUSE: Yes. There needs to be a consistent message on pretty much everything and that is one thing which has been missing. Saskia, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
POPESCU: Thanks.
VAUSE: Well, it's a race against time as cruiser 0020 [00:01:25] scramble to save two marine ecosystems threatened by a massive oil spill, the very latest on those cleanup efforts coming up next.
And a deadly train derailment in Scotland after the area gets a month's worth of rainfall, just one day. The latest on the investigation also in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:23:47]
VAUSE: An investigation is underway to find the cause of a train derailment in northeast Scotland. Smoke could be seen billowing from the site on Wednesday. Three people were killed including the train's driver, six others were taken to hospital. From the air, several carriages can be seen detached sliding into an embankment.
Before this deadly incident, Eastern Scotland recorded about a month's worth of rain in one day. That morning the managing body of U.K. rail network tweeted a video of a landslip on nearby rail lines. Officials were warned a month ago about the dangers of landslips.
It's been one week and cleanup efforts are still ongoing just off the coast of Mauritius where hundreds of metric tons of oil have spilled on ground a Japanese cargo ship into lagoon. With growing fears the ship could break in half and dump a potentially disastrous amount of oil into pristine waters.
Kaori Enjoji has been following this story for us from Turkey. So where are we at with these cleanup efforts, I guess? And have the people in Mauritius been pretty much left on their own to deal with this?
KAORI ENJOJI, CNN JOURNALIST: Well, this has been a very, very difficult story to tell, one, because it has been already three weeks since the ship was grounded off the coast of Mauritius and we still don't have the answer to the fundamental question as to why they were so close to the shore.
[00:25:02]
I've spoken to people at Mitsui O.S.K. which is the Charter of the ship. I've also spoken to people at Nagashiki Shipping which is the owner of the ship and both of them say they don't know. They tell me that the black box is in the hands of the Mauritius authorities. They don't know what has come up about from the interviews that they have with the 20 crew members on ship. And I think this highlights the contentious nature of the shipping
industry in itself. This ship is from Panama. It's registered in Panama as are many other ships and that means it's easier to regulate. They don't have to pay income tax. They don't have to deal with the difficult labor laws.
So the whole governing process of an accident like this has come into the spotlight yet again. And I think that's why the Panamanian flags are called flags of convenience, but it doesn't help for people who are trying to clean up this area around Mauritius for the last week. We know there was a crack in the hole. The companies tell me that crack is widening. There have been reports that they may have gotten all the oil out of the ship. And that would be crucial because if the ship splits, it was originally carrying 4,000 tons. We already know 1,000 of that has spilled into the ocean, John.
VAUSE: And in terms of what the ship was actually doing, I mean, where was it heading, what was it carrying, was it - I mean, we're saying a cargo ship, I've seen other reports that maybe an oil tanker, do you know what was on board and why is there so much oil, I guess, is it just the natural load of the ships contain?
ENJOJI: It's an oil ship. It's wasn't carrying any other cargo. It was heading from China by way of Singapore to Brazil and it should have been far away from the coast of Mauritius. The company said that it was a weather issue and it might have been forced to drift close to the shoreline of Mauritius.
But beyond that, I think, there's also the question of what's going to happen from here, are they going to stick to some of the laws and treaties, they're very convoluted. I mean, I'll just mention one, there's something called the bunker treaty. And in that treaty, the owner has to pay for the spill, the cost of the cleanup.
But right now you're talking about a very, very small Japanese company that most of us haven't even heard of. The other question is the operator of the ship. Now, that's a totally different story, because this is Mitsui O.S.K. This is one of the biggest shipping companies in the world. Technically, they don't have to pay.
But when you have a situation like this and we've seen oil spills before, it's not a question of whether you're bound by treaties or bound by liability laws. It's a question of what's right or wrong. So right now we have no sense of where this is going, partly because we don't have the answers to the fundamental question of what it was doing there to begin with.
And I think, Mauritius has been hammered so far as you know with the pandemic, all of these islands are suffering because tourism has dried up. But we do have to put it into context that you're dealing with a country like Mauritius and a country like Japan, with a major Japanese shipping company that for the time being, they've had one press conference on a Sunday night and beyond that they're saying, look, it's in the hands of the authorities. We don't have much to add on this.
But as we know, the cleanup effort has been astronomical and the bill for that is going to probably be a match, John.
VAUSE: Yes. At the very least, there could be some assistance in the cleanup. Kaori, thank you. Kaori Enjoji there for us live in Tokyo.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, Kamala Harris is under a lot of attention right now. The first woman of color to run for U.S. Vice President. But in India, she really is the star there. We'll speak with her family about this historic decision by Joe Biden.
Also, a new look at Beirut's devastating explosion. This time, you'll see it as the staff and patients at a nearby hospital saw the explosion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My mother and father, they came from upset sides of the world to arrive in America. One from India, and the other from Jamaica, in search of a world-class education.
[00:31:27]
But what brought them together was the civil rights movement of the 1960s. And that's how the met, as students in the streets of Oakland, marching and shouting for this thing called justice, in a struggle that continues today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Kamala Harris there, speaking at her first campaign appearance alongside Joe Biden. She's the first black woman and first Indian-American woman on a major party U.S. ticket.
She also talked about her relationship with Biden's late son Beau when they were both state attorneys general. Biden said that was one of the reasons he decided on Harris as his running mate.
Kamala Harris is also the child of parents who divorced when she was young, and she was raised by her Indian mother. CNN's Vedika Sud reports now on how her extended family helped shape her political views.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: My mother, who raised me and my sister, was a proud woman. She was a brown woman. She was a woman with a heavy accent.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): And her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was also the biggest influence in Kamala Harris's life.
HARRIS: The answer is absolutely yes, Joe.
SUD: After the big announcement, Harris's sister wrote in a Twitter post, "You can't know who Kamala Harris is without knowing who our mother was."
In 1958, a precocious 19-year-old Indian, Gopalan traveled thousands of miles from her home and family to pursue a doctorate in nutrition and endocrinology in America. She soon became an active civil rights crusader when studying at U.C. Berkeley.
DR. GOPALAN BALACHANDRAN, KAMALA HARRIS'S UNCLE: Once she went there, she almost felt free. And she took part in politics. She used to bring whole series of leftist literature from Karl Poppers. He was a great philosopher.
SUD: In her book, Harris says, "There is no title or honor I'll treasure more than to say I am my Shyamala Gopalan Harris's daughter."
Harris's visits to India with her mother kept her connected to her roots. Her grandfather, who had strong views on humanitarian issues, worked closely with officials to reallocate refugees. Their conversations had a strong influence on her.
HARRIS: Those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me before I even realized it. It has led me to where I am today.
SUD: Harris's maternal uncle, Gopala Balachandran, who lives in Delhi, tells us how the senator turns to her amma, which means mother in Tamil, for guidance, even after her death.
BALACHANDRAN: I don't have to tell her make your mother proud. She'll say, What are you telling me? Everything that I do, I ask myself, would 'amma' approve of this.
SUD: Kamala in Hindi means lotus flower and is an important symbol in Indian culture, rooted deep in the bottom of the river. Very similar to Harris's Indian identity, which she wears on her sleeve.
Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Taiwan's foreign minister has accused Beijing of trying to do to Taiwan what it's done to Hong Kong, Joseph Wu spoke exclusively to CNN's Pula Hancocks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSEPH WU, TAIWAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: The message was very clear. It was a show of support by the U.S. government to Taiwan. Not only to Taiwan being successful in dealing with the pandemic but also to Taiwan as a whole. The United States understands that Taiwan is under threat, either military threat or diplomatic threat, and the United States is a very close partner of Taiwan.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, tensions in the region have been increasing in recent months. China has been carrying out more military drills. Taiwan has been carrying out more military drills. I mean, where does this lead? WU: I'm worried about the situation. It's just -- it's not just to
demonstrate. If you look at East China Sea, and look at the situation in Hong Kong. The international community is trying to figure out a way to help the people in Hong Kong.
And look at the South China Sea. The militarization in the South China Sea is also a spot for concern. And there was also a border dispute in between India and China. So along the Chinese borders, there are plenty of issues for us to worry about.
HANCOCKS: Now you have said that you're worried Taiwan will become the next Hong Kong. Can you explain that?
WU: I think they will try to impose what they say the one country, two systems model on Taiwan. And that is turning Taiwan into the next Hong Kong, when China is facing domestic difficulties.
They might want to divert their domestic attention and create a crisis outside China, and sometimes we worry that Taiwan might become a scapegoat of China's own problems. And in order to prevent China from taking Taiwan over or initiating any kind of force against Taiwan, we need to handle cross (ph) relations in a very prudent manner.
HANCOCKS: There is an election coming up in November. You have had very strong support from the Trump administration. Do you believe you will have that from -- if Vice President Biden takes the -- takes the White House? Do you think that strong support would continue?
WU: We have support from both sides of the aisle. And I'm very confident that Taiwan-U.S. relations would remain strong and sound regardless of whatever happened in Washington D.C.
And of course, to defend -- the defense of Taiwan is our responsibility and will continue to strengthen our defense capabilities and to show to the international community our determination to defend ourselves. But at the same time, we can count on the U.S. support, either in the security type of cooperation or in the sale of necessary weapons for Taiwan to be able to defend itself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, for the record, Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and opposes any official ties between the United States and Taipei. And there is a warning to both now, coming from the foreign ministry in Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZHAO LIJIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): On issues involving China's core interests, some people in the U.S. must not harbor illusions. Those who play with fire will get burned. I would also like to remind the Taiwan authorities not to be so stubborn as to be willing to be a puppet, to be subservient to others, to rely on the support of foreigners, or to seek independence through the epidemic, which is a dead end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Chinese government is in talks with Washington to buy underwater sea mines and cruise missiles for coastal defense. Taiwan's representative in the U.S. says the island is facing an existential threat over the mainland's territorial and sovereignty claims.
Well, Lebanon's caretaker parliament is set to hold its first session since the deadly port explosion. Members are expected to discuss the country's state of emergency and what happens now that the government has resigned.
Anti-government protests have been held for days now and unexpected again, Lebanon's president said Wednesday the Beirut blast has cost the country an estimated $15 billion.
We're getting a new look at the moment of last week's disaster. This perspective is from a hospital less than a kilometer from the port. Outside the facility, people are seen running inside after the blast.
Closed-circuit cameras inside show windows breaking and furniture collapsing. Patients and medical workers then run for cover. Four nurses died in the blast.
The World Health Organization is asking for $76 million in aid for the country. Three hospitals have stopped operating -- operating, rather, and others are now working at partial capacity.
Officials are concerned that this will all complicate managing the COVID-19 crisis.
To Belarus now, where as many as 6,000 protesters have been detained since Sunday's contested election. President Alexander Lukashenko blames criminals and unemployed for the demonstrations. He claimed victory in what many are calling a rigged vote.
The opposition candidate has fled to Lithuania, but others still in Belarus say their fight to rid Europe's last dictator is not over. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports now from the capital, Minsk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The protests against what many believe was a fraudulent election here in Belarus and against the government of Alexander Lukashenko continue, although the protesters have somewhat changed their tactics. They're beginning to be more decentralized to try and get out of the way of the security forces.
[00:40:12]
Now, the security forces are still continuing their crackdown. At the same time, I managed to speak to one of the last leaders of the opposition movement, one of the three female leaders and the last one who's actually here in Belarus. And Maria Kolesnikova told me she believes that, in the end, they will prevail. MARIA KOLESNIKOVA, OPPOSITION LEADER: I think that the Belarusians,
they know now that they can do it, and they are sure they will do it. And it's not on me, and it's not on me or on Svetlana, or Veronica (ph) or somebody else. They change themselves. The Belarusians change themselves, and it can -- not be as the last 26 years.
We know that we're together, and we know that together we are very strong, and we are able to say stop it. Stop this violence. Stop this disrespect of horrible Russian nation.
This resistance can be a very long time, and of course, they're already loose. The government is already loose, and now it's a very important time to say please understand and please hear the Belarusian people, because only when we stop this violence, we can get a look to each other; and together we can build out -- to start to build a new Belarus.
PLEITGEN: Now, she also told me that the appreciation certainly appreciates all the support that it's getting from the international community, especially from countries from the European Union. But she also said that, in the end, it's going to have to be Belarusians who make change happen to themselves and from within.
Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Minsk, Belarus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: When we come back, fighting two crises at once. Bolivia facing growing political unrest while, at the same time, the coronavirus continues to claim lives.
And the U.S. economic rebound appears to be stalling, but hey, don't tell Wall Street.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Another 55,000 people in Brazil have been infected with the coronavirus, including the governor of Sao Paolo. The infection rate, though, appears to be holding steady. But Shasta Darlington reports, the death toll keeps rising.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Brazil, the coronavirus has claimed new victims, including the grandmother of the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, who died overnight after being hospitalized for weeks with COVID-19.
Michelle Bolsonaro and the president, Jair Bolsonaro, were diagnosed with COVID-19 last month. The president, who has now recovered, has consistently downplayed the severity of the virus.
The governor of Brazil's Sao Paulo state, Joao Doria, also announced on Wednesday that he tested positive for the virus, making him Brazil's 11th governor to become infected.
[00:45:09]
Meanwhile, Brazil reported 1,175 additional deaths and more than 55,000 new cases in a 24-hour period, bringing the total number of infections to well over 3.1 million.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sao Paulo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: For ten days now, protestors in Bolivia have set up roadblocks nationwide to denounce the delay of the general election, which has been postponed because of the pandemic. Health officials say the barricades are keeping medical supplies from reaching hospitals, many of which are treating coronavirus patients.
Stefano Pozzebon reports now on the unrest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A country facing two crises: the coronavirus and politics. These demonstrators in Bolivia are angry that the country's general election was postponed for a second time.
Supporters of former leftist leader Evo Morales say interim president Jeanine Anez is using COVID-19 to continuously delay the vote, giving her time to revive her political campaign, an accusation she refuses.
It's not the right time to go to the polls, the government says. More than a dozen government officials, including Anez herself, contracted the virus.
Tensions have been brewing since the presidential election was moved from September 6 to October 18. Protestors say they want elections to move back to the September day, assurances that the elections will not be postponed again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The government is using this as a pretext. Oxygen, drugs were already lacking a long time ago.
POZZEBON: It's been nine months since then-President Evo Morales resigned and left the country, amid allegations of electoral fraud which he denies. He and his supporters say it was a coup. Critics say democracy was restored.
In the tense days that follows, power fell to a senator, Jeanine Anez, who was sworn in with the mandate to call for a new election. The vote is yet to take place.
To voice their protest, Anez's opponents resorted to set up roadblocks through the main intercity roads, a common practice in the deeply polarized nation.
Bolivia's health minister says the blockades are preventing the transport of medical supplies and oxygen needed for patients. And babies in the neonatal unit, led to more than 31 deaths. Protesters disagree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We're letting in ambulances and oxygen, and we're not stoning them. They're passing through with full confidence, and we're opening the way.
POZZEBON: The government tried to solve the stalemate by ordering armed forces to guard the transport of 66 toes of oxygen to three cities. Arturo Murillo, the interior minister, with the task of restoring order in the country, told CNN he's trying to prevent a potential catastrophe.
ARTHUR MURILLO, BOLIVIAN INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): To go out and fire some lead would be the politically correct thing to do, but we are not doing it.
POZZEBON: On top of medical supplies, the barricades are raising concerns of possible fuel and gasoline shortages in this fragile nation.
Protests the result of furies (ph) over the government's poor response to the coronavirus pandemic. Bolivia has over 91,000 cases and nearly 4,000 deaths.
The virus has overwhelmed morgues and hospitals, and the spread is not slowing down.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A senior official with the U.S. Fed says failure to control the virus is slowing down the economic recovery, but that slowdown is not being felt on Wall Street. Stocks rallied again Wednesday. The S&P 500 about 5 points shy from a new record high.
Eleni Giokos is in Johannesburg with more on this.
And Eleni, it just seems there's widespread agreement out the stock market in the U.S. has completely detached from reality or the real economy. When they come back together, presumably, that's going to be a massive correction at some point.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. And you're so right. I mean, the Wall Street experience certainly isn't the experience of the average American, and it's really indicative in what we've seen on the stock market front.
I mean, the S&P at one point hitting a record level and then closing just below record numbers, as well. And it's really on the backdrop of bad economic data and an environment that many say -- many are saying that is very vulnerable at this point in time.
I mean, I feel like there's a little bit of collective amnesia when it comes to the markets, because in March, we saw one of the most violent sell-offs coming to the fore and basically wiping out a lot of the gains that we saw during the recovery process after the global financial crisis.
And then we saw the rise of the tech titans, and that really has boosted stock market prices. And again, it's recalibrated the notion of what is resilient and what are strong companies.
Remember the tech stocks are perfectly primed for socially distancing and, of course, entertaining while we are at home. And then purchasing online, as well.
[00:50:04]
And it was the stocks that are the biggest employers in the United States, you know, the original kind of transportation and energy stocks that have taken a really big hit and still have not recovered.
Now, the second reason here that we're seeing a big boost is because earnings were bad, but not as bad as anticipated. So again here, you seeing people moving away from reality, saying, well, it's slightly better, so let's look through the bad news.
And then, of course, the stimulus package that we saw earlier this year was a really big catalyst, because money needs to find a home. It needs to go somewhere, and of course, it does make its way into stock market prices, as well.
What will derail this move to the outside, as you say, is a reality check of what is happening on the ground. Economic data, John. No decision on the stimulus package, the size of it, and of course, a second wave of a potential rise in coronavirus cases. Those are the big risks.
VAUSE: And they're considerable risks, to say the least. Eleni, thank you. Eleni Giokos there in Johannesburg. Appreciate it.
Well, the final phases of the UEFA Champions League will look very different because of the pandemic, but there's still no shortage of drama. Ahead, a stunning comeback in the final moments that secured a spot in the semifinal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: A thrilling finish in the Champion League quarterfinal. Italy's Atalanta clashed with the French champions, Paris Saint-Germain.
The Italian underdogs jumped out to an early lead with a goal midway through the first half. And until the 89th minute of the match, it looked like that would be enough for a ticket to the semifinals and their first Champion League appearance.
But PSG scored in the final minutes to level one-all. The suspense. Then in the third minute of extra time, completed the comeback. Tremendous emotion for everyone. PSG through to next week's semifinal, their first in 25 years.
Well, in the NBA, calls for social justice reform are growing louder. Many players are fighting for change. Among them, star Philadelphia player Glenn Robinson III. He started a foundation to empower fathers and help fatherless children.
CNN's Amanda Davis caught up with him and asked about his work, the new NBA season, and the recent criticism from President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIS, CNN SPORT CORRESPONDENT: LeBron says basketball is not going to miss Donald Trump. Will you miss Donald Trump?
GLENN ROBINSON III, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS PLAYER: I agree, I don't think we will. I'm not losing sleep over it. I know we're doing the right thing. The black community, the basketball community, everyone who's watching us on TV and supporting us, we're not mad about losing that viewership.
DAVIS: Does the NBA itself, as an organization, get it? Do they do enough as an organization?
ROBINSON: I don't think any of us do enough. Our leadership, our players' association, the way that we understand our -- our goal in this sport, as well as players, is so important to know. We're not just a piece. And this relates back to everything that we're talking about, about social injustice, about everything that's going on in the world right now.
We're not just basketball players at the end of the day. And I think that that's what LeBron, that's what Chris Paul are doing with the situation. We'll never get an opportunity like this again to show how strongly we feel about certain situations, and I think we shouldn't back down now.
And for me, it's about actions. It's not about words. It's not about a post. It's not about a black post. It's about actions. What are you doing at the end of the day to do your part on these issues?
[00:55:03]
My mom taught me how to put my hands on the steering wheel when -- when you get pulled over. That's been passed down generation to generation by every black family that I know. So I will naturally have to teach my daughter those things.
DAVIS: Why has it been so important for you to set up the foundation?
ROBINSON: It's been important for me, as I wanted to leave a legacy for my daughter. I wanted to create something. I'm a natural giver. I know that my purpose is to help the masses. And that's why I'm a professional athlete and basketball player.
And I think that as long as we're doing the right thing and sticking to our mission of empowering other parents and fathers and fatherless families, you can't go wrong. And I think that we can consistently just try to help everyone as a father or has a father. And I think that we can -- we can definitely impact a lot of lives.
DAVIS: How close did you come to -- to not joining the bubble? ROBINSON: My 2-year-old daughter, Ariana, who's at home, you know, it
was a very tough decision for me to leave her, you know, knowing that I'll be gone for three or four months. So that definitely weighed on me heavy.
But at the end of the day, you know, she's the reason why I do everything. And while I was so excited to get here and continue to represent her and my foundation and also help this team win a championship. That's my No. 1 goal. If we're here, we might as well win it.
DAVIS: Do you think this has arguably mad winning the championship tougher?
ROBINSON: Yes, it's definitely made it ten times harder. I think there hasn't been a championship like this. You -- we've never had to tell guys, Hey, you've got to stay in one room, confine yourself in one room during the playoffs.
I think that it's going to be so interesting, and that winner should probably get 10 trophies. Everybody on the team should get a trophy, honestly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: That was NBA star Glenn Robinson III speaking with Amanda Davis.
And finally, this year's Paris Marathon officially canceled. Initially planned for April 5, later pushed to mid-November. Now, let's call the whole thing off. As France fights the resurgence of the coronavirus.
About 30,000 runners usually take part in this race. They come from around the world. Marathons in New York, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, have all also been canceled.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. But the good news is, I will be back. I'm John Vause. Another hour after a short break.
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