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Belarus Election Crisis, Demonstrations Against Lukashenko Enter Fourth Week; America's Presidential Election And Facebook Says Russia Is Targeting Voters Again; President Trump Claims Biden Is On Some Kind Of Enhancement; Trump Fires Back After Book Question November Walter Reed Hospital Visit; Kushner Meets With Saudi Crown Prince; Cargo Ships Goes Missing As Japan Faces Two Major Storms; Pope Francis To Resume General Audiences With The Public; WHO Official Praises Sweden's Response To COVID-19; An Exclusive Interview By CNN To Jill Biden; Cartoon Reminded Attacks on Charlie Hebdo; Kenosha Visited by an Unwelcomed Visitor; No Sufficient Data to Support Convalescent Plasma; Teachers Union Skeptical of Russia's Vaccine. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 02, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo is republishing controversial cartoons as a terror trial starts for an attack that shocked the country and the world.
The U.S. president visits Wisconsin to back law enforcement and blame Democrats after the police shooting of a black man lead to unrest.
And violent arrest following a student protests in Belarus as the country's foreign minister is set to meet with his Russian counterpart.
It was an attack that shocked France and marked the beginning of a wave of Islamist violence in the country. Now a trial in Paris is set to begin for 14 suspected accomplices in the terror attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a kosher grocery store in 2015.
The French satirical magazine is republishing the controversial cartoons, depicting the Islamist Prophet Muhammad at the heart of the massacre five years ago. A tribute to the 12 people killed at the Charlie Hebdo office, will also appear.
French President Emmanuel Macron is defending the magazine's right to publish the cartoons.
And CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now live from Paris. So, Melissa, the trial begins next hour. What's expected to happen and what might this mean in terms of increased security?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is certainly tight around this courthouse here in Paris. There are many policemen, lots of journalists have turned out also for this trial that's already, Rosemary, being described as historic.
On trial from this morning, 14 people suspected of alleged involvement in the preparation or the logistical support that might have been brought to the perpetrators of these attacks.
Of course, you'll remember that the three man in question themselves, the Amedy Coulibaly but also, the Kouachi brothers were killed during those two days of violence that began of course that terrible morning on the 7th of January 2015. When they went in to a Charlie Hebdo newsroom, even as the journalist were gathered holding their morning editorial meeting, it set off this killing spree.
Of course, in the end it left 17 people dead. Lots of security here, there is going to be an awful lot of attention given to this trial already, because nearly five years on it is something that continues to resonate with the French. It was an extremely traumatic time.
And of course, as you mentioned, the decision that was announced yesterday of Charlie Hebdo, to republish the cartoons that had been, that had made them this target for this attack very controversial defended, however, overnight by Emmanuel Michael from Beirut who explained that it was possible in France, not only to criticize authority and those in power, but to blaspheme if one chose to.
CHURCH: And so, Melissa, what is the sense there across France? How much concern is there sort of the reopening of this wound, if you like?
BELL: I think it is, the reopening of a wound, the reopening of questions also about the wisdom or not of the original publication. Because of course, it had been back in 2006 that Charlie Hebdo had published a series of cartoon.
It has made them the target of threats over those years, and then, of course, the target of that attack itself when it came in early January 2015. So that particular question of whether they should have published their right to do so, and what that was alike to bring, of course being asked once again.
But here in France, it's been really interesting to watch the support that's been giving to the publication all these years on. They explained in that tribune, that goes alongside the republication of those cartoons this morning, it is a weekly magazine that comes out on Wednesday morning.
What they explain in the article that goes with the publication of the cartoons is that they've been urged by others, since the attacks to republish them, they have refrained from doing so, they said because they wanted a reason.
Now they say those cartoons as a result of the attacks are part of history, history cannot be erased. They also say that those cartoons are evidence in this trial, hence their decision to publish.
[03:05:00]
CHURCH: Right. And many thanks to Melissa Bell joining us live from Paris. Many thanks.
Well, U.S. President Donald Trump, pushed ahead with his law and order campaign during a visit to Kenosha in Wisconsin, this despite local officials asking him not to come.
He went to businesses damaged during demonstrations after police officers shot Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man. He toured an emergency operation center, and a high school. He even held a public safety roundtable, but he did not visit Jacob Blake or his family, focusing on the unrest in the city instead of addressing the issue of systemic racism.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins has more.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He wasn't invited, and local officials say he isn't welcome. But President Trump flew to Kenosha, Wisconsin anyway today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I am there for law enforcement, and for the National Guard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The president toured damage from riots and sat down with law enforcement but didn't meet with the family of Jacob Blake, the black man now paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times in the back by a white police officer.
Trump said he would meet with the family's pastor instead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I was going to speak to the mother yesterday. I heard she's a very fine woman. I was going to speak to her, but then I heard there were a lot of lawyers on the phone, I said I have enough lawyers in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The night before his trip to Kenosha, Trump said police were under siege because they occasionally make mistakes and compared them to golfers who choke while trying to sink a three-foot putt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: But they choke like in a golf tournament, they missed a three- foot putt.
(CROSSTALK) LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST, FOX NEWS: You're not comparing it to golf. Because of course that's what the media --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: No. I'm saying people choke.
INGRAHAM: People might -- people --
TRUMP: And, people are bad people. You have both. You have some bad people, and you have -- they choke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In the same interview, he floated a conspiracy when he said people in dark shadows were controlling Joe Biden's campaign, a statement that even seem to alarm his Fox News interviewer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INGRAHAM: What does that mean? That sounds like a conspiracy, dark shadow. What is that?
TRUMP: No. You had people that you haven't heard of, we have somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend, and in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. They are on a plane.
INGRAHAM: Where -- where's this?
TRUMP: I'll tell you sometime, but it's under investigation right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Given the chance to explain what he meant today, the president declined.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: What happened is the entire plane filled up with looters, the anarchists, the rioters, people that obviously were looking for trouble. And the person felt very uncomfortable in the plane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Trump says he is running on a law and order message, but the message only seems to apply to those who don't support them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I understand they had large number of people that were supporters, but that was a peaceful protest. And paint is not -- and paint is a defensive mechanism.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: Yesterday the president defended his supporters who also used violent tactics, and noted a supporter of his was killed, all expressing sympathy for another, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse who is accused of murdering two protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like, and he fell, and then they very violently attacked him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: While the president was in Kenosha today, he announced they are going to give a million dollars to Kenosha law enforcement, four million to small businesses there to help them repair their businesses, though he did not say where exactly that money was coming from.
And I do want to note, during that roundtable with law enforcement the president took a few questions from reporters and he was asked if he personally believes that systemic racism is a problem in the U.S. given there have been peaceful protest also in the country.
He told the reporter he believed they are getting to, quote, "the opposite subject" and that they should be talking about the violence happening in Kenosha and in Portland and in other cities.
CHURCH: Kaitlan Collins with that report.
Meanwhile, Jacob Blake's uncle told CNN's John Berman he's not satisfied at all with President Trump's message. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN BLAKE, JACOB BLAKE'S UNCLE: He has been a lying president. He has been a racially discriminating president against minorities. The racial things that he said has just invoked and empowered police officers all over the country to reign down hate upon African- Americans like our little brother, our little nephew, I'm sorry.
So, at this point, we're taking the gloves off, we are still standing strong. We 'e still asking people to be peaceful, but let's put the facts on the table, let's address them as they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler is accusing the U.S. acting secretary of homeland security of grandstanding. Chad Wolf called the city the epicenter of crime and chaos and threatened that the federal government would have no choice but to protect American citizens if the mayor could not.
But local officials are pushing back. Portland's Fire Department told CNN we are not ablaze.
[03:09:55] And you can see from this video life is going on as usual in the city. There have been small pockets of protests in Portland since late May, this following George Floyd's death in the custody of Minneapolis police. But President Trump has falsely claimed the entire city is ablaze all the time.
So, let's talk now with Dr. Abdul El-sayed, a CNN political commentator who endorse Bernie Sanders for president this year, and Scott Jennings, a CNN political commentator and former special assistant to President George W. Bush. Welcome you both.
ABDUL EL-SAYED, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you for having me.
SCOTT JENNINGS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good evening.
CHURCH: Scott, let's start with you. President Trump's politically- charged visit to Kenosha Tuesday was all about highlighting law and order issues and unrest in the city. Not about focusing on what triggered all this, the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The president defended his teen supporter who has been charged with killing two protesters, and he denied systemic racism in law enforcement. How is all this not racism and blatant political expediency in a key battleground state?
JENNINGS: Well, the president and the Republicans obviously staking their came to the idea that they are the only party, and the only group of people who can get control of the cities and the states that have suffered these massive riots, which are largely controlled by Democratic governors and Democratic mayors. So that's why the president went to Wisconsin.
I also think you hear Republicans frankly arguing that all of these cases are different, there's nuance in all of them. For instance, the circumstances around the George Floyd case are much different in my opinion than the circumstances around Jacob Blake.
I mean, certainly, I don't think any of these cases should end in someone's death. And I do believe, that's what Republicans believe. But the details of the cases are vastly different. What I think the president's ultimate message is, no matter how you feel about these cases, rioting, violence, burning buildings, committing these acts of looting this is not an acceptable reaction to that. And we have to get control of our cities in the United States.
CHURCH: Doctor, during his visit, President Trump denied systemic racism exist in the U.S. He called police who shoot and killed black people bad apples who choke under pressure, even comparing them to a golfer who misses a putt. What's your reaction to that and his effort to focus only on law and order when there is so much more to see here?
EL-SAYED: Well, it's clear that Donald Trump's tactic here is -- he is like the arsonist who puts on a fire helmet to set a building on fire. His tactic has been to incite violence. To point to the violence that he incites, and then to say that somehow Democrats should own that. The fact is, this is Donald Trump's America, whether it is the
systemic racism, and the consequences that we are seeing in communities, the peaceful protests that are coming out against that. These are circumstances that he is trying to use to incite violence and to paint a picture.
But the big picture here is that, we cannot divorce this from the context of 185,000 people dead in -- to a pandemic. To a virus that ought to have been prevented. This is what Donald Trump does not want us to be talking about.
And so, he is pointing to these circumstances, he is fanning the flames. He is apologizing for white supremacists, gun-toting murderers. And he is failing to take the lead on an issue that he should have taken the lead on seven months ago. And meanwhile, people are dying.
CHURCH: Scott, I did want to say to you and ask you, because peaceful protests have, for the most part, been hijacked in some instances by opportunists and now we see caravans of Trump supporters added to the mix with deadly consequences.
Why can't the president call out the teen supporter charged with homicide in Kenosha, and call for an end to violent acts on the part of his other supporters? Just as Joe Biden has done. Should he do that? Isn't that part of his job to unite the country, not divide it?
JENNINGS: Well, I do agree that the president and all of our politicians, frankly at every level, should tell people if you are intending to come to my town or my state or wherever you happen to be, and you are intending to show up and cause violence, you need to go home.
I mean, that's the message that we should get out of all of our politicians. So, without commenting on any individual, one of them, I think anybody who shows up in Kenosha or Portland or anywhere else to cause mayhem, needs to be told to go home. And they need to be dealt with by the authorities if they refuse to go home and they keep committing violence. So that would be the correct message.
CHURCH: And doctor, when protest --
(CROSSTALK)
EL-SAYED: Hold on a second.
CHURCH: No, I do want to ask you this, doctor, because when protests turned violent isn't this simply playing into the president's hands, offering him clear victory on the law and order issue and distracting from their message of systemic racism and police brutality?
(CROSSTALK)
EL-SAYED: There is no space for violence. And I think it is critically important though, to recognize that in these circumstances, you've got peaceful protests and then you've got incitement to violence by both the president and his acolytes.
[03:14:58]
Whether it is what we saw in Portland over the weekend, or what we've seen with this boy Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha. Both of these circumstances are driven by people who are trying to incite peaceful protests to violence.
There is no excuse for violence. There will never be an excuse for violence in peaceful pro -- in peaceful protests. However, we have to ask ourselves, why is it that this president, right, is willing to use his bully pulpit to divide Americans and to apologize for the violence that is committed by his supporters?
This is the circumstance that we are looking at right now. The president has, my colleague said, the president is supposed to bring people together not divide them apart. Why is it that we are unwilling to call out a murderer who drove across state lines and killed two people in a place that he shouldn't have been in the first place? Why won't we call him out? His name is Kyle Rittenhouse, you should say his name, and you should condemn what he did.
CHURCH: Dr. Abdul El-sayed and Scott Jennings, thank you, both of you for joining us for this discussion. I appreciate it.
EL-SAYED: Thank you.
JENNINGS: Thank you.
CHURCH: Still to come on CNN, why top U.S. health experts are pushing back on the latest coronavirus treatment touted by the Trump administration.
And schools in Russia are getting back in session, but a teacher's union is urging its members to reject the country's coronavirus vaccine. Their reasons why, that's ahead.
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CHURCH: A National Institutes of Health panel says there is not enough data to know if convalescent plasma helps coronavirus patients. The panel says doctors should not treat it as a standard of care until more study has been done.
This finding directly contradicts the Trump administration's characterization of the treatment as historic and a major advance. Less than 10 days ago, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the treatment.
Meanwhile, the White House testing czar is dismissing the idea of daily COVID-19 tests for all Americans as we wait for a vaccine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRETT GIROIR, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: It's great to talk about this utopian kind of idea where everybody has a test every day and we can do that. I don't live in a utopian world. I live in the real world. And the real world had no tests for this new disease when this first started.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And we are seeing new COVID-19 clusters as the school year starts. More than 25,000 coronavirus cases are now reported at colleges and universities across 37 U.S. states.
Joining me now is Dr. Celine Gounder, a CNN medical analyst and host of the podcast Epidemic. Thank you, doctor, for joining us and for everything you do.
CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: My pleasure.
[03:19:59]
CHURCH: The potential coronavirus therapy convalescent plasma touted by President Trump and the FDA last month as a breakthrough has received a setback. A panel convened by the National Institutes of Health says there is no evidence to support the use of this therapy for COVID-19. What's your reaction to that?
GOUNDER: Rosemary, I wouldn't call this a setback. In fact, I would call this a win for science. I actually published an op-ed about this issue in the Washington Post just last week. The data on convalescent plasma is simply not strong enough to say that we should be scaling this up at broad scale.
And what's problematic about the emergency use authorization is also that it's going to mean many, many fewer people enrolling in clinical trials that will actually help us figure out is this safe, is it effective, in which patients, and in what settings.
And right now, we are really flying blind without any of that information. So, on the one hand, the FDA is still the organization, the institution that decides if this has emergency authorization or not. But the NIH is our premier scientific institution in this country. And they clearly have sided on the side of science.
CHURCH: Right. And doctor, President Trump's COVID testing czar, Admiral Brett Giroir says it's utopian to think everyone should get tested every single day. But of course, no one is suggesting we do that, even though major league sports and the White House get to do that.
But why can't we at least have better and faster testing, particularly given 40 percent of COVID infections are asymptomatic. Isn't that a powerful argument for extensive testing?
GOUNDER: It certainly is. And I think one major problem here is that the FDA currently looks at tests only in the context of clinical diagnosis. So, a patient comes to you, do they have coronavirus or not? Or is that what's causing their symptoms?
What we really want our cheap very quick tests that can be done at much greater scales, a test that you could do at home. And they are really intended to tell you are you infectious to other people or not. And those tests do exist. There is simply not an approval pathway at the FDA to approve them as surveillance public health tests, as opposed to diagnostic tests. So that's a major bottleneck right now.
CHURCH: Right. And President Trump's new medical adviser Dr. Scott Atlas is now denying he's been pushing for the strategy of herd immunity in the U.S. But let's just listen to what he was saying on this back on April 23rd. Let's bring that up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT ATLAS, TRUMP CORONAVIRUS ADVISER: Those who are not at risk to be, to die or have a serious hospital requiring illness, we should be fine with letting them get infected, generating immunity on their own, and the more immunity in the community, the better we can eradicate the threat of the virus, including the threat to people who are vulnerable. That's what heard immunity is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Doctor, there are in fact three other instances where he publicly pushes for herd immunity. Do you believe Dr. Atlas no longer supports the herd immunity strategy, despite a Trump official indicating that Atlas is still pushing policies in the same vein?
GOUNDER: Look, I can't speak for Dr. Atlas and what his thoughts are on herd immunity. Only he can do that. But I can say that those of us, not radiologists like Dr. Atlas, but those of us who are epidemiologists, infectious disease specialist, and other experts in this field, we are all very much in agreement that this would be a very dangerous approach that many people would die in the process, and especially when we don't know how long immunity might last after an infection, that could all be deaths in vein.
So, we really do need to wait until we have a better understanding of how the immune system works, and until frankly, we have a vaccine, and that will be the tool to get us to herd immunity.
CHURCH: Dr. Celine Gounder, thank you for your expert analysis. We always appreciate it always.
In Russia, a teacher's union is urging its members to reject the country's coronavirus vaccine due to safety concerns. The union has even launched a petition to ensure teachers are not forced to take it until more testing is done. Schools reopen across Russia this week.
CNN's Matthew Chance joins us now from Moscow. So, Matthew, how likely is it that eventually these teachers will be forced to take the vaccine in order to work with students in schools?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: well, it's one of the concerns that's been expressed by these teacher's union that we spoke to. Look, I mean, like many other countries in the world, Russia has, you know, children are going back to school this week. In fact, they started for the most part yesterday. [03:25:02]
That's happened as the country reaches a grim milestone. A million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country so far.
But it's also, I think, the only country in the world that has approved a vaccine for use against COVID-19. It's still improving. It still hasn't finish human trials. And as we found, it's still widely distrusted, and hasn't been fully taken up or even taken up a small part by the country's teachers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Starting school can be daunting, even without a pandemic. But Russia is putting on a brave show. It says it has a vaccine after all, approved for use on this COVID frontline.
Well it's the first day of school here, the first time since March that Russian classrooms have reopened amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It's very exciting for the kids. Their teachers, who are meant to be among the first to benefit from Russia's new coronavirus vaccine, but what we are learning is that few, if any, have taken up the offer to be vaccinated.
We were given access to one of Moscow's top schools where some measures like testing and teachers and face masks have been implemented.
And I have seen that they are not using face masks. They're not --
But no one we spoke to here had taken the Russian vaccine, even though teachers, along with doctors, are meant to have been given first access after the vaccine was fast-tracked to approval before completing phase three human trials.
There is some concern that it might not be safe, it might not be effective. Have you heard that concern amongst your colleagues? Amongst teachers that they are worried about the vaccine?
MARIA ZATOLOKINA, DEPUTY HEAD, SCHOOL 1363: Actually, we haven't discussed it yet. But I think that every teacher understands how important to be safe and to create a safe environment for our students to be healthy. That's why I hope that we are possible people and we should -- we should be vaccinated.
CHANCE: Are you going to have the vaccine?
ZATOLOKINA: Yes, of course.
CHANCE: Definitely?
ZATOLOKINA: Definitely.
CHANCE: But there are others who say they definitely want. One Russian teacher's union has started an online petition, calling on members to reject the vaccine outright on safety grounds, and expressing concern that vaccination, currently voluntary, should not be made mandatory unless clinical trials are complete.
YURI VARLAMOV, TEACHER, UCHITEL UNION MEMBER: Before the end of all testing, they cannot make it mandatory. But I know that in some schools, in some state bodies, people are talking about mandatory status of this vaccine in the end of this year.
CHANCE: Do you think that's a sort of political decision? Do you think it's important for the Russian authorities to make sure everybody has this vaccine, whether or not it works? Whether or not it's safe?
VARLAMOV: Yes. Sure. That's a very political decision, because skills of government to make the life of people safe is a very important point in Russia.
CHANCE: And so is showing Russia's widely criticized vaccine to be a success. Teachers can refuse it now, but not perhaps for much longer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: Well, Rosemary, some of the teachers we spoke to say that they'll probably going to get this vaccine by the end of the year, possibly as early as October. It seemed a little vague.
The real problem is fast tracking a vaccine like this, skipping human trials, not having the data, the clinical data peer reviewed has created an atmosphere of mistrust about the vaccine, and that's why more people in this country aren't yet taking it up. Back to you.
CHURCH: Yes. That mistrust is certainly understood when corners are cut. Matthew Chance, many thanks for that report. I appreciate it.
Well, demonstrators in Belarus are not backing down. But neither are forces loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko, the latest on a growing government crackdown.
Plus, President Trump's baffling response to a new book raising questions about his health. That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A crackdown on protesters may be getting worse in Belarus. Video appears to show a mass security officer in camouflage striking several students and dragging them into the vans on Tuesday in the capital, Minsk.
A human rights group says at least 40 students were detained. Demonstrators say the August vote was rigged in favor of longtime president, Alexander Lukashenko, who is often called Europe's last dictator.
And Fred Pleitgen joins us now, live from Berlin, for more on this. Fred, what is the latest on this disturbing crackdown on protesters? FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I
think you are absolutely right, Rosemary. That the crackdown certainly does seem to be escalating. If we look at what happened, and we look at some of that disturbing video that we have been seeing, that's essentially Belarusian security forces, riot police, also military, as well cracking down and arresting and beating kids, essentially. School kids, University kids.
Yesterday was the first day of the semester in Belarus and a lot of the kids decided they were not going to go to class. They were going to go out and protest. Now, essentially what happened in some of the schools is that the security forces, the riot police went into schools and actually arrested children, before they could actually do anything.
And then, obviously, some of these marches went underway. And there again, the police have stopped them and the police did arrest a lot of people. And we saw some of those very troubling images. And one of the things that we saw the entire time that we were in Belarus, which certainly continues to be the case there right now, is if you look at some of the violence that has been going on, none of that is instigated by protesters.
That's all the security forces with a very heavy hand. And one of the things that we are seeing, it appears as though Alexander Lukashenko essentially is trying to arrest his way out of this entire situation. What the security forces there are doing now more and more with the backing of Russia is the protest are smaller, that crackdown on those protest, they'll stop them, they'll arrest many, many people.
Also, quite frankly, detain a lot of journalists as well. However one of the things the Lukashenko government has not or the Lukashenko regime, has not been able to do so far yet is stop these mass protests that has especially have been going on Sundays in Minks. Of course, also in some other places as well. Where in many cases, more than 100,000 people are going on to the streets.
And again, they are also, you have 100,000 protesters. You have some security forces. There's never really any -- or there's never any violence instigated by the protesters themselves. But it is simply something that Alexander Lukashenko at this point in time cannot bring under control.
Now the Kremlin, of course, by far the most important outside player in all of this, increasingly appears to be on the side of Alexander Lukashenko, very critical of some of the things they say they are hearing from the West. Also saying, that they would essentially start up a reserve to help Alexander Lukashenko if that were needed. Also so that cooperation would be deepen between Belarus and the Russian federation.
So, right now, Alexander Lukashenko is in a situation where clearly he has lost the support of a big part of his population. But he does still have that support from the Kremlin. And it's essentially still trying to grasp on to power obviously with some of the scenes that we are seeing there on our screens right now, Rosemary. [03:35:00]
CHURCH: Yes, we will continue to watch this very closely. Frederik Pleitgen, many thanks to you. I appreciate it.
Well, Russian internet trolls are at it again. Facebook has offered the first publicly available evidence showing the same group which interfered with the 2016 U.S. Election, is trying to divide American voters in this year's race.
Donie O'Sullivan has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Facebook on Tuesday announcing that acting on a tip from the FBI, it had removed a set of accounts that it said were linked to the internet research agency. That's the Russian troll group that sought to interfere using social media in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.
A lot of concerns here in the United States that the Russian troll group is back again to interfere in November's election. Now, Tuesday's takedown all focused on an online magazine called Peace Data, which posed as a left-wing news outlet, a left wing independent news outlet. And it wrote articles about U.S. foreign policy, about the presidential election.
And similar to what the internet research agency had done in 2016, it attacked Democratic candidates, this year being Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, from the left, a tactic that analysts who have looked at these account pointed out which was something that was also done by Russia in 2016 as they tried to split the Democratic vote and support for Hillary Clinton.
The good news here is that these pages had relatively low traction. Facebook, the FBI, and others seemed to catch them early on in their sort of infancy. And they had posted about other issues, not only just the election. The bad news here is of course is that this is happening at all, and that Russia is active in this pace, so close to November's election.
And one particular new development that we hadn't seen with this sort of operation in 2016 was the use of artificially generated images. Take a look at this Twitter account, which was also removed, belonging to a person purportedly called Alex Lacusta, who identified himself as the editor of Peace Data.
Now, while the profile picture on that account may look like a real person, analyst and expert who look at these accounts said that that image is actually generated through using artificial intelligence technology.
It is a Deepfake image, meaning the person in that picture does not actually exist. Now, prior to this, an easy way to spot a fake account, or one way to spot a fake account, would be if it had used profile pictures from -- had stolen them from a real person. Obviously, with this new development in technology, that is something that is no longer possible. So, it's just a few weeks to go until November's 2020 election, it's a good reminder to all of us to be careful what we encounter online. And that with new developments and technology come new risk, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Well, the first U.S. presidential debate is less than a month away. And Donald Trump says he wants his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, to take a drug test. Listen to what he told Fox News on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, he is on some kind of an enhancement, in my opinion. And I say we should both. I should take a drug test. So should he. Because we don't want to have a situation where a guy is taking some kind of a --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like athletes?
TRUMP: No, no. He should take -- I want to take one. I will take one. He'll take one. We should both take a drug test.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, the president isn't just firing accusations of Biden. He is also putting out a baffling denial after renewed questions about his unannounced hospital visit last November.
It comes after the release of a new book from New York Times reporter, Michael Schmidt, and he is a part of that book. Word went out in the West Wing for the vice president to be on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized.
The White House has maintained that the president went to the Walter Reed Hospital for part of his routine physical. Trump declared that he did not suffer a series of mini-strokes, though it is unclear why.
Earlier CNN's Pamela Brown spoke about this with White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins and CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump is tweeting about this and he said it never ends. They are trying to say that your favorite president went to Walter Reed having suffered a series of mini strokes, he writes. Never happened to this candidate. Fake news. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another party.
That causes the White House physician, Dr. Shaun Conley, to then put out a statement which he said was at the direction of President Trump where he said that he can confirm he has not experienced or being evaluated for a stroke, a mini stroke or any acute cardiovascular emergencies as it has been incorrectly reported in the media.
[03:40:15]
So, two things important there. I don't know if anyone who has reported that and b, the president is now not denying that the vice president was put on standby last November when he made this abrupt trip to Walter Reed. But instead, he has turned the headlines to be the president is denying that he has had mini strokes.
Now, there could be many reasons for the vice president to have to be put on standby for a situation like that. Dick Cheney was once put on it in 2002 when George Bush was undergoing a colonoscopy. It could be as routine as that or it can be a major circumstance that the White House isn't telling us about.
What's key here and what's critical for viewers to remember is that this is all part of the White House not being fully transparent about what that trip was for and why the president went.
Something they didn't tell us back in November, except for the excuse that they said he was starting the first half of his physical, a physical we should note was completed 5 months later in April of 2020, when they then release the results of it.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I remember vividly that weekend when he went, Kaitlan. On the White House, we were all scrambling to figure out, OK, what is going on. Something isn't really adding up completely here.
And Sanjay, as Kaitlan pointed out, you know the president and the doctors were quick to point out -- the doctors I should say were quick to point out that the president didn't have an emergency heart issue or stroke. So, they were really specific on those issues. But those wouldn't be the only procedures that would require anesthesia, right?
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, I mean, they told us what he didn't have done, but they didn't tell us what he did have done. So, it's one of these things where we are sort of left to wonder. I mean, what we can say, as Kaitlan pointed out.
I mean, this was an unusual visit. You know, I have covered four different presidents and really look detail -- in detail about their various health concerns, but also how they are cared for as president. This is unusual.
Walter Reed, not everyone there knew, typically the hospital would be notified the president was coming. Dr. Connolly road in the vehicle with the president. That's not the usual security protocol. Obviously, it was a quick unplanned for the visit. I will say this. When you go back and look at the timeline and then we corroborate this with Dr. Connolly, it sounds like he was in the hospital for just over an hour, which isn't very long.
The idea that, you know, I think if he had had some kind of anesthesia or something like that he probably would have been in the hospital longer. So, it's this idea that was there something that was alarming that sort of resolved itself as the president got to the hospital or while he was there? Who knows? We don't know, and frankly, there is no requirement for them to disclose that either.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: CNN's Pamela Brown there speaking with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins. Well, the U.S. president's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Saudi crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman on Tuesday as part of his tour of the Middle East.
State media say the two discuss creating stable relationships in the region, especially between Israel and the Palestinians. Notably absent from reports of their conversation, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Sources say Kushner is pushing for other Arab states to attend a signing ceremony in Washington. It would mark the new normalization between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. Kushner also reportedly met with the king of Bahrain and may visit Qatar before returning home.
Pope Francis is resuming audiences with the public today. After the break we will go live to Vatican City for the latest.
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[03:45:00]
CHURCH: The Japanese coast guard is racing to find a missing cargo ship with 43 crew members on board. The Panama registered Gulf Livestock sent out a distress signal of southern Japan. As the region faces two major storms and you can see the effects of typhoon Maysak, which pass through Okinawa on Monday.
Public broadcaster NHK says more than 200 flights had to be canceled. Maysak is now heading for the Korean peninsula, while another tropical storm, Haishen, is building in the Pacific. It is expected to strengthen into a typhoon and hit parts of southern Japan this weekend.
Well, Pope Francis is now resuming his standing, Wednesday, public appearances. It's the first time the pope is taking a public audience since March, when Vatican City went into lockdown.
Delia Gallagher is in Vatican City with more and she joins us now live. Good to see you, Delia. So, the pope will greet the faithful for the first time since March. And as he resumes regular Wednesday audience, what are they doing in terms of safety measures? What will the Vatican be doing differently?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Rosemary from a relatively empty St. Peters Square. You know, pre-covid, this place on a Wednesday morning would be packed with thousands of tourists. We are today starting a new normal at the Vatican. What they have done to comply with Italian health regulations, and for the safety and security of the few tourists who are here is move the venue.
Normally Pope Francis hold it here in St. Peters Square. Instead, now at least for the month of September, they are inside a small courtyard inside the Vatican. It has a maximum capacity of 500 people. The Vatican says that as they say they are doing this to try and comply with Italian health regulations.
But of course, it's also true that there are simply fewer tourists here right now, Rosemary. Italy still has strict travel regulations for people coming from many countries around the world. On the plus side, if anyone is in Rome on a Wednesday morning, at least for the month of September, they get a rare opportunity to see Pope Francis up close in a more intimate setting than normally happens here in Rome. Rosemary?
CHURCH: And of course, Delia, the pope is elderly. He is in the vulnerable group. Do we know what has been happening these last few months in terms of how he is being protected at the Vatican?
GALLAGHER: Well, from the very beginning, Pope Francis reduced obviously his public engagements. He was doing audiences via video link since March, since the lockdown began. As you say, he is compromised. He has part of one long removed. He is 83 years old. But he continued at least to meet in private. A lot of the official meetings at the Vatican continued even during the lockdown.
What the Vatican did, however, was really keep him inside his apartment. And those meetings were with just a few people, obviously maintaining the social distancing. But as you can see, Pope Francis, at least, has managed to weather the COVID crisis fairly well. Rosemary?
CHURCH: He must definitely has. Delia Gallagher, many thanks, bringing us that live report from the Vatican. I appreciate it.
Well, another country is getting praised for its response to the pandemic after lots of criticism in the past. A top official at the World Health Organization says Sweden was not necessarily such an outlier in Europe. As it was often described, the government there did not impose a strict lockdown at any point, relying more on its people to comply with the advice.
Max Foster reports now from Stockholm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: There hasn't been a reported death from COVID-19 in this country for more than a week now, since August the 23rd. That adding fuel to the theory that the population here has built up some level of resistance to the virus. Because there was never a full lockdown.
[03:50:07]
Herd immunity is a very controversial subject. And according to all of the antibody tests that have been carried out on people in Stockholm for example. There's no evidence that herd immunity has indeed built up here. Which requires 70 percent of the population plus to have the right antibodies.
But there is also a theory that perhaps they are testing for the wrong thing. It could be tea cells that are protecting the public. But that's a much more complicated test, and would require widespread testing to be proven. Either way, officials here point to wide range of factors that speak to Sweden's success, such as the universal health care system, such as the high number of single person households, but also the high trust that the public tends to have in the government's public institutions here.
The government also points out that while there wasn't any mandatory lockdown here, many people chose to lockdown themselves and also to socially distance from others.
Max Foster, CNN, Stockholm, Sweden.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Researchers in Florida say face shields and masks with breathing valves may be ineffective at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. This simulation shows people wearing those devices can still spray tiny droplets over a wide area. It shows a face shield can initially block the droplets, but they can still move around the visor relatively easily.
And the droplets can also pass through the valves of specially fitted masks when people sneeze or cough. The study suggests high quality cloth or surgical masks are more effective at preventing the spread of the virus.
Jill Biden believes her husband can heal America. An exclusive sit down with the wife of the U.S. Democratic presidential nominee when we come back.
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CHURCH: In a CNN exclusive interview, Jill Biden says America is in chaos under the leadership of President Donald Trump. She believes her husband, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, can fix that.
The former second lady sat down with CNN's Bianna Golodryga to discuss how things could change with Joe Biden in office.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL BIDEN, FMR. SECOND LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: As a teacher and as a mother and as a grandmother, I mean, I just feel that, you know, we are in Donald Trump's America. And there is just so much chaos. And I feel that, you know, educators don't know what to do. Students don't know what to do.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The education secretary has been asked time and time again whether if there is a plan. What's the plan about reopening schools? BIDEN: Yes, what is the plan?
GOLODRYGA: And there doesn't seem to be one.
BIDEN: No.
GOLODRYGA: Does that surprise you? And what would a plan look like in a Biden administration?
BIDEN: You know, no, it doesn't surprise me coming from Betsy DeVos. I mean, I don't think she ever felt invested in America's public schools. She didn't have a strategy. Trump didn't have a strategy. There are so many things that Joe already has planned to do. And that includes replacing the secretary of education with somebody who has been in the public schools. Joe Biden will listen to the educators.
[03:55:07]
So he's already planning to give funds to schools, so that they have enough supplies. He is already talking about handling some of the broadband issues and investing in broadband so that every child across America will have access to the internet.
GOLODRYGA: We know the downsides of children not being in school. What is your response to those who argue that those repercussions aren't weighed as much as the coronavirus is?
BIDEN: I hear it from educators all the time. Jill, we need more mental health support across the board. Because just like you are saying, now children are at home. Domestic violence has increased. Child abuse has increased. Children are dealing with anxiety. And then now, when children come back into the schools, you know, they are bringing all of that with them.
GOLODRYGA: This picture went viral of a 5-year-old boy in Georgia who just broke down into tears while he was learning online. What is your message to boys like this one, his mother, and of course he speaks for millions?
BIDEN: My message is when Joe Biden is elected, that he won't be sitting there crying. He will be sitting there with his laptop, with a smile on his face. Joe has empathy. He understands what families are going through.
GOLODRYGA: Teachers now are having to focus on a syllabus and not only has to deal with talking to children about a pandemic, but also racial inequality and injustice in this country. What is your message to the black children in a classroom to remind them that their lives matter?
BIDEN: I think that people, especially today, need to have hope that things are going to get better. Joe Biden will heal this country. Joe brought our family together and healed our family, and he will do the same for this nation. And that's who Joe Biden is.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: Bianna Golodryga speaking there with Jill Biden. And while we
try to protect ourselves from COVID-19, we might be harming the environment. Brothers Danny and Joe-Joe, 11 and, 9 year-old have been picking up trash around their neighborhood in England for the past three years.
Among the usual litter, they have recently started finding something new, disposed face masks and plastic gloves. On Tuesday alone, they found 33 masks. The brothers are hoping to raise awareness and stop people from throwing personal protective equipment on to the grounds. Let's be aware of that.
Thanks so much for joining us. I am Rosemary Church, back in just a moment.
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