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Trump And Biden Clash On Safety; Trump Visits Kenosha; FDA Promotes Herd Immunity; UAE And Israel Lift Ban; Hong Kong Begins Mass COVID-19 Testing Program; Schools Across China Reopen with New Safety Measures; Schools in France Reopening as Infection Rate Rises; India Moves Forward with Reopening Despite Surge. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 01, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from studio seven at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta.
And at this hour, Joe Biden and Donald Trump go all in, attacking each other with seething animosity.
The new man advising Donald Trump on the coronavirus is reportedly pushing herd immunity. A plan which could see a U.S. death toll in the millions.
And why has Beijing detained journalist Cheng Lei, an Australian national and business anchor who was employed by the state broadcaster?
Well, for the Democratic nominee Joe Biden, the race to the White House comes down to this question: Do you really feel safer now under Donald Trump?
The two rivals traded some of their toughest words yet. And it happened on Monday over the issues of racial justice, protests and police violence.
The president defended one of his supporters, a teenager accused of shooting and killing two protesters last week in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
He also defended his own far right wing supporters who drove through Portland, Oregon shooting paintball guns and pepper spray at protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The violent rioters share Biden's same talking points and they share his same agenda for our nation.
And even his strange speech today that he made in Pittsburgh, he didn't mention the fact -- and he didn't mention the far left, he didn't mention antifa thugs -- but mostly seemed to blame the police and law enforcement.
For months, Joe Biden has given moral aid and comfort to the vandals repeating the monstrous lie that these were peaceful protests. They're not peaceful protests, that's anarchy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Biden accused the president of using fear to distract from his failures on the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden condemned violence on all sides, specifically looting and rioting and urged the president to do the same.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FRM. VICE PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You know me. You know my heart, you know my story, my family's story.
Ask yourself. Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?
I want a safe America, safe from COVID, safe from crime and looting. Safe from racially motivated violence, safe from bad cops.
Let me be crystal clear. Safe from four more years of Donald Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Despite both the mayor of Kenosha and the Wisconsin state governor asking the president to stay away, Donald Trump is going anyway.
He plans to meet with law enforcement in the coming hours.
Meantime, President Trump is also facing criticism from leaders in Portland accusing him of stoking tensions as that city's violent protests continued.
CNN's Omar Jimenez is in Kenosha with the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: (Shouting)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blue mask. Right there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For over 90 nights, protests in the streets Portland.
But on Saturday, a man was shot and killed as protesters fueled by racial injustice clashed with a pro-Trump group.
The man killed was wearing a Patriot Prayer hat, a far right group based in Portland, according to a reporter with the "New York Times." The shooting followed a pro-Trump cruise rally near the city. Portland police unsuccessfully tried to keep the large caravan of cars, motorcycles and trucks from coming into downtown.
Some made it and clashes broke out.
But the police chief says the caravan had already cleared the area when the man was shot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK LOVELL, CHIEF OF POLICE, PORTLAND: Individuals are free to disagree but criminal activity, especially violence, is out of bounds.
We've witnessed an increase in more and more uncivilized activity in our city and in our nation.
It's incumbent on all of us to do better so lives -- no more lives are lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Portland has experienced several weekends now of clashes between far-right demonstrators and counter protesters.
The president tweeting:
"Portland is a mess and has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR TED WHEELER, PORTLAND, OREGON: President Trump, for four years, we've had to live with you and your racist attacks on black people.
We learned early about your sexist attitudes towards women. We've had to endure clips of you mocking a disabled man.
Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence?
It's you who have created the hate and the division.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JIMENEZ: Tuesday, President Trump is planning to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin.
A place that's seen days of protesting in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, some peaceful, some not so much.
A 17-year-old is accused of killing two people and injuring a third, an act his lawyer says was self-defense.
[01:05:00]
Wisconsin governor, Tony Evers, says this isn't the right time for the president to visit. Writing a letter that reads in part:
"I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state. I'm concerned your presence will only hinder our healing. I'm concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."
Local leaders echoing the governor's concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR JOHN ANTARAMIAN, KENOSHA: I felt this timing is wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM KREUSER, KENOSHA COUNTY EXECUTIVE: Basically, it's not the ideal time with a lot of crisis going on in our community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Black lives matter.
JIMENEZ: The past few nights have been peaceful in Kenosha. The governor mobilized over 1,000 National Guard troops to respond to the violence.
As a community and country wait for what's coming next for Blake and the police officer who shot him.
Now over the course of President Trump's visit, there's been a question as to whether he would meet with Jacob Blake's family.
That seems unlikely, emphasized by Jacob Blake's uncle who flat out calls President Trump a racist who stokes racial tensions.
Meanwhile, the mayor here is expected to extend the curfew throughout the rest of this week.
The only difference is that it will start a little bit later midway through the week than it has previously and the over 1,000 National Guard that are here in the Kenosha area say they're going to stay as long as necessary.
Omar Jimenez. CNN, Kenosha, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Gwen Moore is a Democrat congresswoman representing Wisconsin's fourth district since 2005. She is with us this hour from Milwaukee.
Representative Moore, thank you for being with us.
REP. GWEN MOORE (D-WIS): Really good to be with you, John. VAUSE: Well, I want you to listen to a little more from the mayor of
Kenosha on what he believes his community needs right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR JOHN ANTARAMIAN, KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: I think that Kenosha at this present time needs peace. And needs to heal and needs people to allow us to do that.
And that's what I think what Kenosha needs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) knew that --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So as someone who was born just a few miles away from Kenosha in another town, you know these people, you know this community.
How will this community react to a visit from this president?
MOORE: Well, that really is the real question because -- and I know how they will react.
There is a consensus between the politicians in the area, the inter- faith community organizers of the rallies and the families that they want to heal, that they want peace.
As a matter of fact, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who, of course, is from Chicago and that's only a few miles down the road from Kenosha, had an emergency meeting with a lot of the people organizing.
And what they came up with is a consensus that they were not going to have any protests when the president came. That, in fact, they were going to have a "Justice for Jacob" community celebration.
VAUSE: You mentioned the Reverend Jesse Jackson -- we'll get to him in a moment.
Last week, though, the White House adviser Kellyanne Conway was very clear in explaining how potential violence and protests plays into their election strategy.
Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who's best on public safety and law and order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So with that in mind, you mentioned Jesse Jackson who's in Kenosha. This is how he described Trump's visit. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REVEREND JESSE JACKSON: The president's coming tomorrow to do a commercial on whites and black at each other's necks. He's coming tomorrow not to reconcile but to polarize, to scare white people into voting for him.
The communities decided they will not show up and be a part of his commercial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: He's coming not to reconcile but to polarize. It's all about a commercial because he wants the images.
Can it be guaranteed, though, that there will be peace, that the president's visit won't spark some kind of violent reaction from people not associated with the protest movement?
MOORE: Well, we do have a First Amendment right to protest. And so I wouldn't doubt that counter protestors come out anyway.
But I think the clarity will be there that the community is there to gather in peace and solidarity, they're not there to protest. They're there to support each other and to heal, as indicated.
And Reverend Jackson was very strategic in really talking to people in the community based on his experience in 1968.
The old torn straight out of the page of the Southern strategy where Nixon won reelection with his law and order campaign.
[01:10:00]
And so the community does not want to be part of Donald Trump's reality show.
VAUSE: We're almost out of time. I want to get to one soundbite, though, by the president because he was asked about this visit, and the fact that it will -- regardless of what happens, it does raise tension and stress.
And this is what he said:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (...) concerns though that it could exacerbate tensions and increase violence. Do you give any consideration to that?
TRUMP: Well, it could also increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country. And that's why I'm going.
Because they did a fantastic job. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So the "they" he's referring to is local law enforcement and the National Guard.
And I mentioned this. He won't meet with the family of Jacob Blake which is a bit like Barack Obama not meeting with the families of a mass school shooting like Sandy Hook.
So why is this president incapable or unwilling to do what every other president in living memory has done?
MOORE: I cannot answer that question for you, John. He's not like any president I hope that we'll ever again.
And so yes, I think that the president -- Kellyanne Conway and the president are both right. This is their pathway, from their point of view, back to victory.
Is to do what they did in 2016, is to stoke racial animus and to try, literally, to cause that kind of civil discord. But we're not going to fall for it.
I think that this community is doing the right thing. That that on that day they will be giving free haircuts to kids, they will be cooking and sharing food together.
They will have music and they will be celebrating the life, thank God, of Jacob Blake.
VAUSE: That probably is the best way to deal with this, I imagine. And it's one of those very difficult days for everybody.
And Congresswoman, thank you. We appreciate you being with us.
MOORE: Thank you. And I'll be right there with them.
VAUSE: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. has now passed six million.
Just in time for Labor Day weekend, the nation's top health experts are urging Americans to take personal responsibility, wear face masks and observe social distancing.
Some positive news though. Both daily cases and the number of deaths are starting to decline.
And on Monday, drug maker AstraZeneca became the third company in the U.S. to start phase three vaccine trials. Most health experts say a vaccine won't be publicly available until early 2021.
Now, when a vaccine is ready, will it be trusted?
A new global study shows 74 percent of people around the world would be willing to get a coronavirus vaccine. That poll was conducted by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum and surveyed 20,000 people. In the U.S., more than 180,000 COVID-19 deaths now.
But on Sunday, Twitter again took down one of President Trump's retweets, a baseless conspiracy theory containing a false claim about the official death toll.
More now from CNN's Nick Watt.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Processions today for the dead in Detroit.
More than 183,000 now confirmed killed by COVID-19 nationwide.
But the president just re-tweeted an article that distorted data to suggest the actual toll is 9,000.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's wrong, it's misinformation and frankly, it is deadly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: The new Trump advisor is, according to the Washington post, now pushing the so-called Swedish model.
Let the virus spread to the point of herd immunity, which the newspaper says could lead to two million deaths in the U.S.
"We have a convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic with the political season," the FDA commissioner just told the "Financial Times."
"We're just going to have to get through that and stick to our core principles."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: But recent White House pressure on the CDC to tweak testing guidelines and the FDA exaggerating the effectiveness of plasma treatment is fostering fears of political meddling.
And now Dr. Hahn says the FDA could grant emergency authorization for a vaccine, even before trials end.
Saying: "We may find that appropriate. We may find that inappropriate. We will make a determination."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY SLAVITT, FORMER ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, CENTER FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAL SERVICES: He's basically laying the groundwork for him to be able to say that he believes that the benefit outweighs the harm.
Which is not a scientific statement that we should use for this vaccine that we're going to put into tens of millions of people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Case counts are ticking up in 20 states. Record average new case counts in these six states.
Nationwide, key metrics are on a slow decline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ASHISH JHA, DIRECTOR, HARVARD GLOBAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: As a nation, we are clearly doing better now on the last day of August than we were on the first day of August.
And it's largely because of smart policies in Texas and Arizona and Florida around masking and closing bars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:15:00]
WATT: Florida just logged its lowest daily case count since mid-June, showing signs of creeping near normalcy.
In Miami Dade today, you can eat inside a restaurant again but by law they've still got to be half empty.
Now Dr. Deborah Birx who is on the White House coronavirus task force has been touring the country.
And she just said if you need evidence that masks and distancing work, look at the southern states of the U.S.
They implemented masks and distancing, people are still going to stores, going on vacation, eating out but they're wearing masks. And the numbers have fallen.
She said that this is no longer a theoretical, this is a fact. Masks and distancing work.
Nick Watt. CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Viral specialist, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez joins me now from Los Angeles.
Dr. Rodriguez, good to see you.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE AND VIRAL SPECIALIST: Thank you, sir. You too.
VAUSE: OK. We'll start with herd immunity and here's part of a report from "Newsweek" a few weeks ago.
"While it was hoped that 40 percent of the population of Sweden's capital Stockholm would be carrying antibodies by May, the figure was, in fact, around 15 percent."
Also the journal of the Royal Society of Medicine found that in Sweden --
"It is clear that not only are the rates of viral infection, hospitalization and mortality much higher than those seen in neighboring countries, but also the time course of the epidemic is Sweden is different with continued persistence of high infection and mortality."
So, just to be clear for anyone who still believes it's a good idea to let this virus run its course without a vaccine, is that effectively the same as advocating for the death of millions of people?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, yes. Statistically, it appears to be.
They estimate that if we have what is true herd immunity, which means let the virus go wild, every man for himself, survival of the fittest, it's estimated that over two million people in the United States will die (ph) before it's all said and done.
And that is assuming we know when it is all said and done.
So Sweden is certainly not the poster child for the success of herd immunity, even though they deny that's what they were trying to do. They have curbed it back.
They realize that the doesn't work. So doing it here I think would be almost cataclysmic.
VAUSE: Yes. Well, the "American Journal of Preventative Medicine" reports that a vaccine alone without other measures like social distancing, will need a 70 percent efficacy or probability of preventing infection -- that's to prevent an epidemic. And with 75 percent of the population vaccinated.
To bring an ongoing epidemic to an end the efficacy rate goes up to 80 percent.
This seems like an incredibly high bar and not great news for the United States which put all its eggs in the vaccine basket -- hoping for a silver bullet, we can burn our masks and go back to licking doorknobs or something.
RODRIGUEZ: Right. And obviously, some people appear to be doing just that.
This is very concerning. For the simple reason that we are going to have -- we are going to need a high percentage of people to get vaccinated. Like you said, 70 to 80 percent.
And with a vaccine that may require two different shots over a couple of months.
Forty percent to 50 percent of people say they're not going to be vaccinated. So, if anything else, we need people to be absolutely confident that a vaccine will work and is being released for the appropriate reason.
So it's going to be a tight wire.
VAUSE: Well, the appropriate reason. Interesting point. Just last week, the president made this promise at the Republican National Convention.
Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are delivering lifesaving therapies and will produce a vaccine before the end of the year, or maybe even sooner.
Nobody thought it could ever be done this fast, normally it would be years. And we did it in a matter of a few months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And just by pure coincidence, the director of the Food & Drug Administration now says those phase three human clinical trials, they can skip over that stuff, just to get this vaccine out sooner.
Because what -- when it comes to injecting hundreds of millions of people with an inoculation, near enough is good enough?
RODRIGUEZ: No, absolutely not. And as a matter of fact, there is a sort of boiling revolution among physicians, the medical community and the research community.
Today, the editor of "Medscape" wrote a scorching letter to Stephen Hahn, the head of the FDA, that basically said start telling the truth or quit.
There is no way, there is no way that we can destroy what is the foundation, basically, of much of our society.
The cure for hepatitis C,, the treatment for AIDS. Why machines fly. Science cannot be compromised.
So there is what would be a huge issue if we release the vaccine very early on based on the whim of politicians. It would be, again, detrimental.
[01:20:00]
VAUSE: Very quickly. What they're talking about at the FDA is giving the vaccine out to frontline workers, those who need, that kind of stuff. Which sounds an awful lot like what they're doing in Russia.
And to me, if you're doing what they're doing in Russia, you're not on a good path.
RODRIGUEZ: No. I agree with you 100 percent. What they are doing in Russia is they're giving the vaccine without even showing that it is better than placebo. That's one thing. And without showing the long term side effects, that's the second
thing.
Listen -- and not because this is a litigious society, which it is. But can you imagine that if you release a vaccine and two years later you go, oh, yes, by the way it causes heart disease, it causes kidney damage.
Those things need to be -- well, need to be combed out before anything happens.
Now whether this is to be given to frontline workers first, that is still another debate that needs to happen once we have a viable vaccine.
VAUSE: Yes. In other words, do no harm. Dr. Rodriguez, good to see you.
RODRIGUEZ: Correct.
VAUSE: Thank you, sir.
RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.
VAUSE: What did she do? No word from Beijing on why Australian TV anchor, Cheng Lei, has been detained. And no word on how long she'll be held. We'll have more on that in a moment.
Also ahead. For the first time ever, the white and blue Star of David livery on an El Al airliner. Touching down in Abu Dhabi.
Flight LY971 direct from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Russia has denied accusations of violating NATO airspace.
Officials say a Russian Su-27 committed a significant violation of Danish airspace while pursuing a U.S. B-52 bomber over the Danish island of Bornholm.
According to Russian state media, the fighter jet was over neutral waters over the Baltic Sea.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia over another recent incident over the Black Sea and a collision between military vehicles in Syria.
A prominent business anchor working for Chinese state television has been detained. Cheng Lei is also an Australian citizen.
And for now, Canberra has not been told why she is in detention, but it comes at a time of tense relations between these two countries.
Journalist Angus Watson has all the details in Sydney.
VAUSE: From my experience, business reporting is not normally that controversial.
ANGUS WATSON, JOURNALIST: John, that's right.
The Australian government here unable to say why one of its citizens, the TV host, Cheng Lei, working for state broadcaster CGTN in Beijing has been detained now incommunicado since August 14th.
We were finally able to hear from her, the government says on August 17th. That that intervening time her personality, her profile has been scrubbed off CGTN website.
She was somebody who was very well-known in the journalistic community in Beijing and well known to CGTN viewers.
[01:25:00]
And, all of a sudden, poof, she's gone and we just don't know why.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne today has said that she is being held without charge, and she could be held for months. Because the Chinese system, as it is, does not require a charge in order to hold her for several months.
We know that another Australian critic of the Chinese government named Yang Hengjun has been imprisoned in China or held in China for over 500 days, John.
VAUSE: Yes. This residential surveillance at a designated location, six months without a lawyer or access to family. So we'll see what happens.
But Angus, thank you. Angus Watson live for us there with the very latest. Appreciate it.
Well, the man who saved hundreds of Rwandans during the 1994 genocide is now under arrest on terrorism charges.
Paul Rusesabagina sheltered Rwandans in the hotel he managed. It was the inspiration behind the movie "Hotel Rwanda."
He's an outspoken critic of the President Paul Kagame's government.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates are now discussing economic, scientific and cultural ties after a symbolic first flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi.
It marked the U.S. brokered normalization agreement.
Sam Kiley is in Abu Dhabi with more.
Sam, to see the Star of David on the livery of the El Al passenger jet day liner touching down, it's an incredible sight, never really seen before.
SAM KILEY, CNN SNR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a staggering site. Ending a 40-year ban on investment by Emiratis in Israel, for example.
That was ended ahead of this historic moment when the El Al flight touched down after traversing through Saudi Arabian airspace, another historic first.
And of course, El Al had been unable to fly anywhere, really, for the last four months or more since the lockdown has been so strictly imposed in Israel -- I'd say it's pretty strict here too.
Interesting, Jared Kushner got off the aircraft wearing a face mask, perhaps in defiance of his father-in-law.
But his father-in-law very pleased indeed, I think, John, with the events of the last 24 hours with high-level meetings with Mr. Kushner that continued today.
He's got the Israeli national security adviser wearing his kepas (ph) speaking fluent Arabic, a meeting with Emirati officials. And they're discussing, they say, everything from technological cooperation right through to potential cooperation in terms of foreign policy.
What is not on the list of issues to be discussed, it would seem, certainly not on the list that we've seen, is anything to do with the future of the Palestinians.
And because the Palestinians have rejected this accord as being a betrayal of their cause -- but there really is a very strong sense among Emirati officials that they're really, frankly, not interested in engaging on any serious level with the Palestinian leadership.
They remain sympathetic to the cause of a two-state solution but they accepted the deal to normalize relations with Israel merely in return for a suspension of Israeli plans to annex about 30 percent of the West Bank.
Now that is a very significant move that was promoted as part of the Kushner/Trump peace deal, John.
But has for now been only suspended with commitments coming from Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister the one day. Perhaps in the near future this would go ahead.
But there is really a strong sense among Gulf nations that they want to move beyond the Palestinian issue.
Many critics of that attitude would say that's it's simply throwing the Palestinians under the bus. John.
VAUSE: Yes. It does break years of Arab solidarity, which is used often as leverage against the Israelis.
And there could be more Gulf Arab nations to sign up, I guess. We'll see what happens.
Sam, thank you. Sam Kiley, live for us there in Abu Dhabi.
VAUSE: Well Hong Kong promising free coronavirus tests for millions. But some see an ulterior motive behind the government's offer.
Details when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:41]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: 31 past the hour here on the East Coast. Thanks for staying with us. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
Donald Trump has defended the teenager charged with killing two men last week in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kyle Rittenhouse is also a Trump supporter. The president says his backers in Portland, Oregon who fired paintball guns and pepper spray at demonstrators were actually peaceful protesters.
The Democratic presidential nominee says the president is encouraging violence but Joe Biden also condemned the rioting and looting on Monday saying it's lawlessness, plain and simple. He also called the president a toxic president -- presence in the country.
And White House coronavirus task force member, Dr. Scott Atlas says he has never advocated for herd immunity even though a report on Monday claims he supports that approach. Some health experts say trying to reach herd immunity could lead to the death of more than two million Americans.
Hong Kong's local government has started a citywide coronavirus testing program, the latest effort to contain a recent outbreak. But pro democracy groups are suspicious of the universal testing, calling for a boycott because China helped set up the program and is providing resources.
CNN's Will Ripley live again for us from Hong Kong. So Will, there are what -- two testing methods in Hong Kong? One is the nasal swab, the other -- commonly used in the U.S. and then there's the spit test? What is the difference?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So the test that I've taken now three times is a spit test. I took it at the airport. I took it when I was under quarantine. I took it a few days ago shooting this piece.
You spit into a cup, you get your results back in 24 hours. It's do it yourself. But at this mass testing center, one of 141 set up around Hong Kong, they are doing the more traditional throat and nasal swab where you have to have a medical professional to administer the test.
The reason for that, it can help out the elderly, people who might be confused by a do-it-yourself test. And they are more well-equipped to handle a large volume of people, especially in the lab because there is less work that is required on the backside.
The problem is, there isn't really a large volume of people here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: The work never stops at this Hong Kong lab. COVID-19 tests are coming in around the clock.
Do it yourself testing kits take just a few minutes. My team and I got results in 24 hours. All negative.
How often do you get tested?
DANNY YONG, CEO, PRENETICS: Twice a week.
RIPLEY: Twice a week?
YONG: Yes.
RIPLEY: You don't have to wear a mask.
YONG: No. I'm usually the safest person in the room.
RIPLEY: Prenetics CEO Danny Yong has teams working 24/7.
YONG: We've actually had to hire over 200 people just alone in the last four weeks to be able to meet this demand.
RIPLEY: Demand is so high the office is getting crowded. Each of those clear plastic bags is somebody's COVID-19 test. They basically spit into a cup. They are processing 15,000 of these every day just at this lab. They actually have a capacity for up to 20,000.
And there is the demand because people want to know if there are hidden cases out there in the community.
To find those hidden cases, Hong Kong wants to test the entire population, more than seven million people. The city set up more than 100 testing labs. 3,000 medical staff are prepared to handle half a million tests per day assisted by a team of experts from mainland China, raising concern among some residents the tests could be used to collect DNA.
[01:35:02]
JOSHUA WONG, ACTIVIST: With how the experience of that red capital companies provided services in Xinjiang reeducation camp and with the DNA collection for Uyghurs or et cetera. It's time to realize how Beijing and Hong Kong government pretends and also facilitates the interference in Hong Kong using the excuse of COVID-19.
DR. KWOK KA-KI, PRO DEMOCRACY LAWMAKER: A lot of people were asked the question whether this important private information will be transmitted or being handed to other institutions, laboratories, or even going back to, you know, any places or institution in China.
RIPLEY: Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, says the claims are purely political.
CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHAIRMAN (through translator): They just need that one thing to smear the central government and undermined the relationship between Hong Kong and the Chinese government.
RIPLEY: Hong Kong is one of the few places outside of mainland China to offer free testing for everyone. Unlike China, it's voluntary. If privacy fears keep too many people away, those hidden cases may stay just that putting the city at risk for an even deadlier outbreak.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: The city says it needs to test at least five million people to identify those hidden cases, but so far during the entire testing period which could go up to 14 days just over 600,000 people have signed up. They call this a referendum on the trust in the city government. The fact that those do-it-yourself tests where your name is not on the test, it's just a bar code, you have more anonymity. Those are very popular here.
But these free tests that the government is offering, a lot of people say they're just not willing to consider it. One because of privacy concerns, and two out of principle because Hong Kong decided to cancel the election saying it's not safe for large groups of people to gather together, and yet they have testing centers operating like this.
The city's counter response to that is an election happens in one day. This could theoretically be stretched out over 14 days to test all seven million people, John.
VAUSE: A lot of people for testing. And you've got to trust in the system, I guess. So Will, thank you.
Will Ripley live for us there in Hong Kong.
China appears to have brought its latest coronavirus outbreak under control. And with that thousands of schools across the mainland are now reopening. Students and faculty are encouraged to wear face masks. Many schools are running drills and training sessions in preparation for any new outbreaks.
CNN's Steven Jiang live for us in Beijing this hour. And you know, Steve, just looking at the numbers in Beijing -- what, 600,000 students in primary and middle school. They're going back on Saturday. Another 400,000 scheduled to go back on Tuesday, tomorrow -- I guess it's now.
But talk about all the kids across the country. How is this being implemented, I guess is the question?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well John, it is a phased reopening as we have seen in many other countries. Not all students, as you mentioned, are returning to campus at the same time. it really depends on the age group. And, of course, the preparation process for this reopening has started long before the actual reopening day for students.
You know, they have been deep cleaning, disinfecting campuses, teachers and staff were being tested for the virus while students and their families were asked to monitor their health conditions at least 14 days before the return to school -- checking your temperatures on a daily basis and reporting any illness or symptoms.
Now, one city of course that is drawing a lot of attention is Wuhan, the ground zero of the pandemic. Students are actually returning to class in that city as well, which actually has one of the more relaxed mask policies for students. You are asked to bring a mask to school, but you are not required to wear one.
So this is really another sign of how confident the Wuhan authorities are about the result of their mass testing and extensive contact tracing. And as you can imagine, the city is really back to normal in many respects.
Remember that much talked about packed pool party that we all saw just a week or so ago. So this is really the reality here in terms of the authorities feel they have this brought under control and they are now returning students to school.
And this is of course, still in a way, making a lot of parents feel a bit nervous because, you know, you don't know what happens when campuses are getting crowded again. So I think one episode in Wuhan really illustrates this point very well.
There was a false alarm on Monday night about one elementary student actually tested positive on his first day in school. But then the government came out with a statement on Tuesday morning saying that was not the case. That student actually passed temperature checks three times, but then started feeling feverish on Monday morning. So he was tested for the virus and turned out to be negative and was simply diagnosed with a common respiratory infection.
[01:39:52]
So John, I think as a parent, you can understand people are really torn about this. On one hand we can't wait to send our kids back to school to have a bit of sanity for ourselves. On the other hand we are very nervous about what might happen once these campuses are getting crowded again, John.
VAUSE: Just very quickly, I don't know if you can tell us this. But when they talk about running drills in the preparation for future outbreaks? Specifically what sort of drills are they doing?
JIANG: Well, they say they have game plan in store in terms of if they have more outbreaks or localized outbreaks. They're going to do what they have done in some of the more recent cases in Xinjiang (ph) and in northeastern China in terms of localized lockdowns as well as testing and contact tracing measures being tightened up again.
So I think that is the kind of the well-practiced things they have now think that really works for China and they're going to continue to do so if future outbreaks happen again, John.
VAUSE: Steven, thank you. Appreciate it.
Steven Jiang there, life for us in Beijing.
Well, even though cases are continuing to rise in France, schools are reopening there with new restrictions in place.
CNN's Melissa Bell explains how students and staff are preparing for classes during a pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They may be savoring their last day freedom, but this year is different. Dina (ph), Kelly (ph) and Elliot (ph) are actually looking forward to going back to school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having people around me, so that if I need anything, someone is here. I can get any help, any details about the work I'm doing.
BELL: Since March, their private school in one of the leafier (ph) parts of Paris has been closed. It's what they have missed that surprised them the most.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Physical interaction helps to keep you motivated throughout the year to work and excel in school. Whereas being alone in a home environment like encourages procrastination.
BELL: It is a new sense of enthusiasm perhaps that children will be bringing with them as they return to the classroom. And from the point of view of the teachers, the confirmation of something perhaps they've known before that beyond their subjects, it is the interactions that take place in these rooms that simply cannot be replaced.
LAURA GOUIRAN, ENGLISH TEACHER, GEORGES CLEMENCEAU COLLEGE: Just walking around in the classroom and seeing the look on this kid's face because you know that he needs you, but he does not dare say. You know, the interaction between the kids is just crucial in the way that the class functions and learning works.
BELL: The mandatory masks for the teachers and pupils over 11 won't be easy, she says, but they are necessary. As are the new markings on the ground. The posters and the hand sanitizers on the teacher's desks. A reinforcement of measures that was announced on Wednesday by a government that says that it is about much more than just education.
JEAN-MICHEL BLANQUER, FRENCH EDUCATION MINISTER: Our schools cannot be one of the adjustment variables in the face of the sanitary crisis. On the contrary, they have the right response to the problem of equality between our children.
BELL: Veronique Delandre is the principal of this middle school in one of Paris' poorest neighborhoods.
VERONIQUE DELANDRE, PRINCIPAL, GEORGES CLEMENCEAU COLLEGE (through translator): Our diversity is the real strength of our schools. And that can only be lived together. Once the students arrive at school and spend their day as students they are all the same. It is very important.
It means we share something every day all year long, whatever social or economic origin we are going to live and learn together and that is very important.
BELL: Veronique believes that her school and team of specially trained teachers maybe even better prepared than most to deal with the next few days.
After so many months away, it is the extra help they are used to giving she says, that is likely to make all the difference.
Melissa Bell, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, the economic fallout from the coronavirus is hitting India especially hard now seeing one of worst economic infections ever. Details after the break.
[01:44:04]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: French President Emmanuel Macron is back in Lebanon for the second time in less than one month. He is pressing for the formation of a new government and has promised to stand by protesters.
On Monday, a new prime minister was sworn in. Mustafa Adib ambassador promised quick action to put the country on the path. The challenge took on new urgency after a massive explosion in Beirut in early, August which drew attention to a culture of corruption among the political elite.
The former president of India, Pranab Mukherjee has died, age 84. He recently said he would undergo surgery but his family has not revealed the cause of his death. The longtime politician held a number of government positions in a nearly 50-year long career. Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him for his contribution in key economic and strategic ministries. The government has announced seven days of mourning.
Despite having the third highest number of coronavirus infections in the world, India is continuing to take more steps to steps to reopen. Moving ahead with a new phase including the restarting and subway services for the first time in months.
India's infection rate has skyrocketed in recent weeks and the country now has the fastest growing number of cases worldwide. India has recorded 3.6 million cases, more than 65,000 COVID deaths.
There is also dismal news about the economy. They've just recorded one of the most severe contractions of any nation in the world.
Let's go to John Defterios. He is in Abu Dhabi for us. So what sort of contraction here are we looking at. And why is India being hit so hard?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I'll tell you John, we have a nasty combination here. As you're suggesting, the caseload is surging, averaging 75,000 plus on a daily basis for five days. And then the infection rate has picked up pace in an extraordinary way. What -- one million over a 16-day period.
So where does that put us with this combination that I'm talking about? Prime minister Narendra Modi locked down the economy early, received praise for that, but that's when the infection rate was low. And it killed growth. So we are looking at a contraction here never seen before in India, nearly down -- 24 percent on the quarter.
We had consumer spending down nearly a third and investment down nearly 50 percent. This means that the poverty levels are surging at the same time, John. And we know that is the worst of it but that were seen in the early indications of the 3rd quarter, that manufacturing is not bouncing back at this stage. So this is extremely worrying going forward because if you know what the recovery is going to look like we have to remind everybody that this is an economy a few years ago years ago that's going 8 or 9 percent a year, alarming that it was dropping below 5 percent.
So they'll see perhaps what is going to be the first contraction in India on a full year basis since 1980 is quite extraordinary in itself. And there's some criticism for Mr. Modi. He came out in May. And I remember covering this with a stimulus package of $265 billion. I remember so well, that's a huge 10 percent of GDP.
But in actual fact, it was spending that was allocated for the year just brought forward. But didn't really do the job early on when they locked down the economy. And they're clearly paying the price right now.
VAUSE: Very quickly in this new role that we have, there are winners and there are losers from this pandemic.
What about Zoom? Their earnings are out. How are they looking? They look to be one of the winners.
DEFTERIO: Yes. It's part of the common vernacular, Zoom. And their CEO was suggesting, Eric Yuan, that it's not going to go away and the numbers are starting to indicate that, John.
In the first quarter, their surged 169 percent. In the second quarter, 355 percent. So what are we talking about here? They're taking guidance up on revenues from $1.8 billion to $2.5 billion.
[11:44:54]
And they're suggesting now -- the trick here is to get corporate customers assigned on like ExxonMobil, which they did recently and because they're using it for not only work from home, but distance training and also you've had those reports on the education system.
This is going to be something that's not going to go away anytime quickly. And if you are a stock investor, John, how is this for a number? Year to date presumed because it keeps on outperforming on revenues and in earnings of 377 percent.
Pretty lofty. So is the stock market. that Zoom's been living up with the expectations so far.
VAUSE: There are winners and there are losers. John, thank so. John Defterios one of our winners.
Well, Delta United, United and American are hoping to encourage travelers back into the air by allowing them to change their flight plans and not charge them one of those exorbitant fees.
Today's biggest U.S. carriers have lost billions of dollars to the coronavirus pandemic and they desperately need passengers. Analysts say a modest recovery at the start of summer has now stalled.
Change fees brought in close to $3 billion last year alone. Southwest, the fourth largest U.S. carrier has never charged fees for changing a ticket.
A short break. We're back in a moment.
You are watching CNN.
[01:56:07]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Welcome back.
The adult film star known as Ron Jeremey pleaded not guilty to more charges of sex assault on Monday. The actor whose real name is Ron (INAUDIBLE) facing 20 new charges on top of several accounts back in June.
Prosecutors say he assaulted 13 women since 2004 and that includes a 15-year-old girl. If convicted, Jeremy who's 67 years old, could be sentenced to up to 250 years. He's appeared in more than 2,000 movies, porn movies -- a record for the industry.
K-pop boy band BTS has received something no other South Korean group has ever done before, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: Their song "Dynamite" reached the number one spot just days after it was released. Until this week, the highest position any South Korean artist had ever reached was number 2. President Moon Jae-in congratulated the group saying the achievement would bring huge consolation to Korean suffering from COVID-19.
Well, a three -year-old was tossed into the air when she was entangled in a giant kite.
Onlookers grabbed for the girl as he would came close the ground. She was airborne for about 30 seconds. Pahlavi (ph) -- where else but the International Kite Festival in Taiwan.
She went to the hospital, minor injuries and is back at home according to local media. Organizers say they shut down the event immediately and apologized and they are reviewing what happened but it seems pretty obvious what happened. If you get taken off by a kite.
A 12-year-old skateboarding whiz named Sky Brown was destined for the Olympics when she wiped out back in May and ended up in intensive care with Broken Bones. Now two months later, she's back.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you man enough? Make that girl enough -- to ride down ramp into thin air on a skateboard.
[01:54:52]
MOOS: Sure, old pros like Tony Hawk do it, but for 12-year-old Sky Brown, a whiz kid destined for the Olympics, this was a comeback and this was what she was coming back from.
She wiped out on a vertical ramp, had to be choppered to the ICU fractured skull, arm and wrist broken, not to mention that black eye.
She pushed herself skating with a pair, pushed herself right to the edge, literally wrist broken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be honest.
MOOS: Three months after her dad described her as lucky to be alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's going to jump to Mega.
MOOS: The Mega is pro Eliot Sloan's skateboarding park, with Tony Hawk providing pointers.
TONY HAWK, PRO SKATEBOARDER: And as soon as you jump, you know you're going to clear.
MOOS: But first, she had to clear her mind, fidgeting with her helmet, flexing her injured risk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got it. You've got it, for sure. 100 percent.
MOOS: There were nervous mutterings and giggles.
"Who wouldn't procrastinate? I'm 47 and can't clean my gutters," tweeted someone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm excited.
MOOS: It was perhaps the longest minute in her 12 years of life, ramping up her courage and then -- Sky cleared the gap though separated from her skateboard and, yes, there is an air bag below.
One viewer tweeted "Raised hairs and goose bumps". By her third try, Sky nailed it, staying aboard her skateboard.
SKY BROWN, SKATEBOARDER: My first run was stupid scary, and then on my third try I was like this is the funnest thing ever.
MOOS: At least one possible future skateboarder couldn't get enough of the video.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sliding down and go up again.
MOOS: From black eye to bright smile, after a leap of faith.
BROWN: You get to go so high. This feels like a dream.
MOOS: Jeanne moos, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. My friend and colleague Robyn Curnow takes over for me after the break.
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[01:59:57]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames.
PRESIDENT TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Biden's strategy is to surrender to the left wing mob.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: The politics of protests. Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
