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U.K. Offers a Safety Net for COVID-19 Positive People; Italy Mandates No Test No Entry; SCOTUS Nominee to be Announced this Week; Stock Markets Rattled with Uncertainty; United Nations Celebrates 175th Anniversary; CDC Removes Guidance on COVID-19 Transmission as U.S. Death Toll Nears 200,000; Donald Trump Says he Deserves an A-Plus For his Handling of Virus; Doctor in Texas Dies of Coronavirus at 28; New Zealand's Debate on the Upcoming Election; New Zealand Prime Minister Apologizes for Maskless Selfies; U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Iran; President Xi Jinping's Critic Get Hefty Prison Sentence; Economy Versus the Environment in Poland; Time Ticking Away to Save the Environment; A Massive Wave of Trash in Honduras Beach. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired September 22, 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, new COVID restrictions in parts of Europe as some countries see a spike in cases. We are live in London and Paris.
A top U.S. Senate Republican says his party has devotes in needs to move forward with a Supreme Court pick. But the president hasn't even announced his nominee.
And the European Union is a long way from reaching its mission targets in the battle against climate change. And Poland's dependency on coal is making it harder.
Good to have you with us.
Well, the British government is urging people to stay put as the country tries to combat a surge in new COVID-19 cases. Cabinet office minister Michael Gove says if it's possible for people to work from home, then they are encouraged to do so.
Today the prime minister is expected to announce new measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, the U.K. reported more than 4,000 new infections on Monday, its second highest increase since May. The country's chief scientific adviser says cases are doubling roughly every week. Health officials are recommending the country upgrade its alert level again.
And the government is looking to provide financial relief to people who tested positive, and are now self-isolating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: Now I know that self- isolation can be tough for many people especially if you are not in a position to work from home. And I don't want anyone having to worry about their finances while they are doing the right thing. So, we will introduce a new 500-pound isolation support payment for people on low incomes who can't work because they tested positive, or are asked to self-isolate by NIH test and trace.
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CHURCH: Well CNN's Scott McLean is in London for us, outside of parliament. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Scott. It sounds like they are doing everything they can to avoid a national lockdown. But how extensive are these new restrictions likely to be? And will it be enough to avoid that lockdown?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you are absolutely right, Rosemary. So, the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is really trying desperately to avoid that second national lockdown, and try to get a handle on this surge in coronavirus cases.
Yesterday the national COVID-19 threat level was raised to its second highest level, that means the virus is in general circulation and the transmission rates are high or even exponential. So, the prime minister will address the parliament later today and then he'll also give a rare, or a special, I should say, evening address, a televised address to explain to the country where we're at with the coronavirus. And also explain new rules that are set to come into effect on Thursday.
Namely that bars and restaurants will have to close early at 10 o'clock and that there will be table service only. Something that is not common in the U.K. And those measures are because the virus is doubling every seven days. That's what we heard from health officials yesterday.
That means that if the trajectory were to continue, this country could see 50,000 cases per day in just four weeks. That's more than the U.S. has right now, in a country that only has one-fifth of the population.
Numbers like that would also mean that they could see more than 200 plus deaths per day. All at a time when the government has been trying to get the economy restarted, encouraging workers to go back into the office.
In fact, just this morning, one British cabinet minister seems to give the opposite advice, saying that if you can work from home, you should. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Right. And what's the word on masks, and the likely word?
MCLEAN: Yes. So, masks right now are mandated inside of grocery stores, coffee shops, things like that. But enforcement has been quite lax. They are not mandated just walking down the street. And so, we haven't heard any change on that guidance just yet.
They are also not mandated inside of most school settings as well, aside from some cases where you may have to wear them walking down the hall if you're in a special sort of COVID hotspot.
[03:04:59]
And so, the government's position on masks, at least in schools, has been that it's hard to get a good education when you're wearing one. So, it's unlikely that perhaps we are going to see a major change when it comes to mosques.
But hey, the government has to use whatever tools that it has at its disposal to try to get a handle on this virus before resorting to, you know, really what is a last resort, that second national lockdown.
CHURCH: Yes, nobody wants that. Scott McLean joining us live from London, many thanks.
So, across Europe, the continent is battling an accelerating number of COVID-19 cases. Countries in shades of red you see here and orange are seeing a rising number of new cases in the past week compared to the last week.
New lockdown measures are now in effect for more than 800,000 people in parts of Spain. For the next two weeks people in certain regions are only allowed to leave home for specific reasons like work, school, or medical reasons.
Now COVID cases are also rising sharply in neighboring France, prompting Italy to mandate virus testing for any visitors arriving from France.
So, let's turn to CNN's Melissa Bell, she joins us live from Paris. Good to see you, Melissa. So, as a result of the rising case numbers across France, Italy is applying new restrictions on French travelers. So how does France plan to control the spike in cases its dealing with?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the time being, these are still decisions that are being made locally. That shift that we saw in the French government's position no longer wanting to deal with this issue centrally, but rather handing the thing down to local regions.
And you can see that in cities like Paris, Marseille, also Bordeaux, and Nice. Cities that have introduced their own measures, they're really trying to tackle those outbreaks themselves.
But yes, of course, from now, visitors to Italy from specific regions, those ones that have been most affected by the rises in the number of new cases over the course of the last few weeks they are going to have to be tested upon arrival when they get to Italy, simply because Italy has, although it has seen a rise in its numbers, managed to keep them lower than in other countries.
And here in France, we've seen from yesterday, if you look at the positivity rate, that is the number of people who are testing positive which allows you to factor in the fact that more people are being tested, 5.7 here in France yesterday, 5.9 today, it continues to rise with another worrying rise yesterday, Rosemary, and the number of people entering ICUs.
Just to give you a picture of that, we're at nearly 1,000 people in ICUs here in France right now. That is well short of the more than 7,000 who are in intensive care units at the height of the French outbreak back in March.
But the problem is that these figures are rising steadily. And what the specialist, who looks at the numbers and the progression of this virus, tells you is that whatever measures are taken locally or nationally from now on will only start showing an impact three to four weeks from now.
So that essentially you can already see that almost inevitably the figures that we've now see rising and pushing upwards with regards to ICUs, for instance, are going to continue rising for the next couple weeks, almost whatever the (inaudible).
CHURCH: All right, I'll check back in with you the next hour. Melissa Bell joining us live from Paris, many thanks.
Well, President Trump is narrowing his list to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Speaking to a rally in Ohio, he said he would announce his decision towards the end of the week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It will be a brilliant person, it will be a -- I have five that we're vetting right now. It will be a brilliant person. It will be a woman. It will be a woman. And we are looking forward to it. I will probably announce it on Saturday, maybe Friday, but Saturday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meanwhile, Justice Ginsburg will become the first woman ever to lie in state at the U.S. capital. That will take place on Friday. On Wednesday and Thursday, she will lie in repose at the Supreme Court so the public can play their respects.
Well, one of President Trump's most ardent supporters is vowing to confirm any Supreme Court nominee before election day. Lindsey Graham who chairs the Senate judiciary committee says Senate Republicans have the numbers to proceed.
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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): We've got the votes to confirm Justice Ginsburg replacement before the election. We are going to move forward in the committee. We are going to report the nomination out of the committee to the floor of the United States Senate so we can vote before the election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Two Republican Senators, Chuck Grassley and Cory Gardner who had previously suggested to being opposed to filling a vacancy this year are now publicly on board for a speedy vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Democratic counterpart Chuck Schumer both spoke on the Senate floor Monday but had very different interpretations of what should happen next. Take a listen.
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[03:10:01]
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: The American people reelected our majority in 2016. They strengthened it further in 2018 because we pledge to work with President Trump on the most critical issues facing our country. The federal judiciary was right at the top of the list.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: This is what Leader McConnell said in 2016, mere hours after the death of Justice Scalia. Quote, his words, "the American people should have a voice in this election of their next Supreme Court justice, therefore, this vacancy shall not be filled until we have a new president."
No amount of sophistry can change what McConnell said then. And it applies even more so now, more so. So much closer we are to an election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And CNN's Pamela Brown takes a look at two of the front runners on the list to replace Justice Ginsburg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Five women are being looked at and being vetted very carefully.
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PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump weighing his pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY CONEY BARRETT, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: But what do we have in a Trump court? Who knows?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Amy Coney Barrett is seen by many as a top contender. She was Trump's pick to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, is a professor at Notre Dame, and she clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, someone Trump has said he is saying he is trying to emulate with his pick. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRETT: And when he called you in his office, you had to be prepared to just go to the mat and talk about whatever it was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Barrett was vetted in 2018 as a potential replacement for Anthony Kennedy, and interviewed with Trump. A source familiar with the process told CNN Trump was leaning towards Barrett.
And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoping for a smooth confirmation process prefers her too. Proponents of Barret say she has a compelling personal story as a mother of seven, including two adopted kids from Haiti and her son Benjamin who has down syndrome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRETT: And Benjamin special needs. And that presents unique challenges for all of us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And her personal story speaks to her pro-life beliefs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: While at Notre Dame, the devout Catholic sign a statement condemning the Obamacare birth control benefit calling it a, quote, "assault on religious liberty." But during her 2017 confirmation hearing, she said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARRETT: It's never appropriate for a judge to impose that judges' personal convictions, whether they derive from faith, or anywhere else on the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Democrats were concerned her faith could color her legal opinions, especially when it came to Roe v. Wade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA): The dogma lives loudly within you. And that's of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for, for years in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: Another possible nominee? Barbara Lagoa. A Miami born Cuban- American who Trump's allies have argued could give a campaign edge in the crucial swing state of Florida. Lagoa served on the Florida Supreme Court and was nominated to the 11th circuit by Trump.
In her confirmation hearing, she tied her Scalia-like originalist views to her family's history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA LAGOA, THEN-NOMINEE, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE 11TH CIRCUIT: If we are not bound by what the Constitution means, and it is ever-changing, then we are no different than the country that my parents fled from, which is Cuba.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: By a recent opinion by Lagoa upholding a requirement for fines to be paid by felons before regaining the right to vote could be an issue for Democrats. If chosen, she would be only the second Hispanic on the high court alongside the liberal leaning justice Sonia Sotomayor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And Pamela Brown reporting there.
So, let's talk now with CNN political analyst Joe Lockhart. He was press secretary for former President Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2000. Thank you so much for talking with us.
JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Glad to be here.
CHURCH: So, the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has triggered an almighty political fight to replace her. With President Trump leading the charge planning to nominate a woman by Saturday and to get a confirmation Senate vote before the election, only two Republican senators are pushing back right now. So, what viable options are available to Democrats to fight this?
LOCKHART: Well, they can try to slow down the works in the Senate to get it to election day. But that's not likely to work. And I don't think it's likely that another senator or two are going to defect.
So, I think that this is going to go through. I would expect before election day. And then Democrats, because they don't have a chance to stop it, they do have a chance to retaliate. They could add seats if Joe Biden wins and they take over the Senate to the Supreme Court. They would have to get rid of the filibuster, which they've talked about.
[03:15:04]
They've even talked about adding two states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The real -- the real question is whether they have the stomach to do it. And we're not going to know it until after election day.
CHURCH: And of course, meantime, this issue is overshadowing the pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And despite nearly 200,000 Americans losing their lives to the virus so far, President Trump he's giving himself an a-plus for his handling of the virus.
How careful do the Democrats need to be about keeping the pandemic the top priority, front and center, while balancing the need to halt or somehow slow down this confirmation vote?
LOCKHART: Well, you are exactly right. And I think the short-term benefit for President Trump is that it has shifted attention away, at least for the first couple of days from the coronavirus.
But if you look at the numbers, they are starting to creep back up. And I still firmly believe that this election is going to be a referendum on the president's handling of this.
That's why I think you are going to see the Democrats arguing about healthcare in the context of the Supreme Court because those two issues go together. You know, it's bad enough to lose health insurance and pre-existing conditions, but we've got what, maybe a million people who might have a pre-existing condition, you know, the after effects of COVID that we're still learning to under -- we're still learning about. And the Republicans are trying to take that away. That's a really powerful argument for Democrats.
CHURCH: Right. Yes. And when you look at the polls, do you wonder how it's possible that Donald Trump is still in this presidential race when nearly 200,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19. His mishandling of the pandemic, his meddling in the U.S. Postal Service, his stoking of racism and divisions in this country, how do you explain the fact that this race could go either way considering all those negatives?
LOCKHART: Yes, well, he's got what, you know, what he calls his base. His MAGA, make America great again people who honestly will do anything and believe anything he says. And the great debate in this country by both politicians and public health experts is whether you wear a mask or not.
I don't know that debate is going on anywhere else in the world. But Donald Trump has signaled to his group of supporters that they don't need to wear a mask. That somehow the virus isn't real. He called a Democratic hoax at one point.
So, he starts the political battle with 40, 42 percent of the American public. He only needs another 4 or 5 percent because of the way the Electoral College is structured. That's why he still in the race. I do think though as we get closer to election day, if these numbers are still piling up the way that they are, that the public will reject President Trump. But I think, you know, we are in for a long night on election night.
CHURCH: I think you're right. Joe Lockhart, thank you so much for your analysis. I appreciate it.
LOCKHART: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, the White House says the economy is recovering quickly, but that's not what some experts see. And those fears are now dragging down stocks.
Plus, the Trump administration decides to go it alone after failing to convince key allies to get tough on Iran. The details, next.
[03:20:00]
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CHURCH: Well, fears of a second wave of the coronavirus and diminishing hopes for another U.S. stimulus bill are weighing on stocks. The Dow closed nearly 2 percent lower on Monday, its worst day in about two weeks. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 are close to falling into a correction which is a 10 percent drop from their peaks. And the Dow futures are pointing to a low open in the hours ahead as well.
John Defterios is in Abu Dhabi. He joins us now live. Good to see you, John. So, what is spooking investors and what's going to take to calm nerves?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: I think, Rosemary, calm is in the short supply. I would almost recommend hiring some Zen masters for the trading floors around the world. Because the uncertainties leading to a lot of volatility because of valuations in this market after the recovery of -- through all the stimulus has made it a pretty pricey market to begin with.
Asia was mainly lower across the board. Tokyo is closed, what we saw losses about 1 percent in Hong Kong, one and a quarter percent in Shanghai. Look at Seoul here, down two and a third percent. Government officials are suggesting that Korean stay indoors during the autumn festival, even though the caseload is not very high. They are being cautious.
The silver lining here European markets are opening higher, but not by much after that drop yesterday in the European capital and on Wall Street. The FTSE is up about a half a percent. The DAX index is at the highest we've seen in early trade, and Paris is trading across the board here almost flat. But not bad considering the uncertainty that we are talking about here.
And what is unique to the United States, Rosemary, is that we have that Supreme Court decision, the candidate's choice before the election. What impact that will have on healthcare and the political gridlock on Capitol Hill. Don't forget, we have a stimulus package that is pending of 1.5 to $2 trillion. There is a debate right now.
Senate Republicans are pushing back saying we've spent enough. So, as we go into the election and into the first quarter of 2021, we're not certain about the growth outlook right now even with the U.S. Federal Reserve, some are suggesting more stimulus, and others says we've done enough and the debt load is high.
CHURCH: Not very happy news. John Defterios, many thanks anyway. I appreciate it.
Well, U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian Vladimir Putin are among the leaders set to speak in the coming hours at the U.N. General Assembly as the U.N. marks its 175th anniversary.
The meetings will mostly take place virtually, of course, thanks to the global pandemic. The digital diplomacy got underway Monday with calls for a renewed commitment to multilateralism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): The United Nations has too often been forced to lag behind its ideals as the interests of individual member states have time and again prevented this order from function as it was intended.
But those who believe that they can get along better alone are mistaken. Our well-being is something that we share or suffering too. We are one world.
NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA: Without comprehensive reforms, the U.N. faces a crisis of confidence. For today's interconnected word, need a reform multilateralism.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Gender inequality remains the greatest single challenge to human rights around the world. Climate calamity looms. Biodiversity is collapsing. Poverty is again rising. Hatred is spreading. Geopolitical tensions are escalating. Today we have a surplus of multilateral challenges and a deficit of multilateral solutions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well thanks to the convenience of calling in, the U.N. will have the most ever heads of state and government leaders speaking this year, 170 and all.
Well President Trump says young people are virtually unaffected by COVID-19, but families who have lost loved ones have a very different take.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It may not be you directly affected, but it could be someone you know passed on the street.
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[03:25:04]
CHURCH: An emotional plea from two sisters mourning the loss of a sibling.
Plus, kiwi face off. How COVID-19 is playing into a general election in New Zealand.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well the U.S. is about to hit 200,000 recorded deaths from the coronavirus.
CNN's Nick Watt has this look at how things could still get worse.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very soon, we will pass 200,000 people killed by COVID-19 in America. More than double what the president predicted in the spring.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARLOS DEL RIO, EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATE DEAN, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We may be a 300,000 by New Years. This is not necessary. This is not deaths that need to happen. We need a national strategy to avoid this from happening.
TRUMP: We are rounding the corner and we've done a phenomenal job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: No, and no. COVID-19 cases are in fact on the rise. There is the upturn on the graph. We are averaging more than 40,000 new cases a day. Again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGAN RANNEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, BROWN UNIVERSITY: And we are worried that it's going to continue. This is the beginning of our second wave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Texas went from mid-summer hot spot to curve crusher but now, an upturn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go week two --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Fewer than 22,000 people just attended the Cowboys season opener, but excitement trampled all over social distancing.
Why are numbers now rising in more than half the states? Could be Labor Day mingling, colleges going back, people moving indoors as the outdoors gets chilly.
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PETER HOTEZ, INFECTIOUS EXPERT, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY: We may be in for a very apocalyptic fall. I'm sorry to say.
BRETT GIROIR, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Vaccine as early as possible, even in a few million doses would be a Godsend in terms of outcomes, hospitalizations, morbidity and deaths.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Meanwhile, the FDA which would approve any vaccine and also the CDC, now has to run everything through the HHS. The press release reads in part, no regulation issues from any part of HHS without the approval of the secretary and the White House. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANNEY: It implies that HHS is going to be serving a censorship function, our science, our approvals have never had to go through HHS in order to get released to the general public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Friday, the CDC finally confirmed that COVID particles can float in the air, makes this virus even more infectious. Today, the CDC took that guidance down. Claiming a draft version of proposed changes to these recommendations was posted an error to the agency's official web site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:29:59]
LEANA WEN, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: The fact that they retracted this, even though this is common scientific knowledge at this point, one has to wonder, what's behind it? Was there a political pressure?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:30:00]
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Years of well-informed opinion on how long is this tunnel. How far away is the light?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL GATES, PHILANTHROPIST AND MICROSOFT FOUNDER: At the end of the epidemic best-case is probably 2022. But during 2021, the numbers, we should be able to drive them down if we take the global approach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now is CNN's medical analyst Dr. Celine Gounder. Thank you, Doctor, for being with us and for all that you do.
CELINE GOUNDER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: My pleasure.
CHURCH: So, this country has lost nearly 200,000 Americans to COVID- 19, and yet we cannot apparently rely on the CDC for reliable guidance on how contagious and deadly this virus is after the CDC abruptly reversed new guidelines Monday on airborne transmission, claiming it was posted in error. What is going on here?
GOUNDER: Rosemary, really this is new old news. We have been saying as scientists since February, March, that this is likely, at least in part, transmitted through aerosols, that it is airborne.
The real debate that we are still having is to what degree is the droplet borne versus airborne. But big picture, the measures that we need to be implementing to control spread of the virus remain the same. It remains the face masks. It remains social distancing, although, you know, at a minimum six feet apart, not only six feet.
But, you know, the other new old news here is that the CDC continues to have mixed messaging on the science. I'm not sure actually whether this was through political interference or through an honest mistake. But either way, that has me profoundly concerned that this kind of mixed messaging will be coming out of the CDC in the middle of a pandemic.
CHURCH: Yes, it breaks down that trust which was already in trouble, wasn't it? So, meantime, the president has given himself an A-plus for his handling of the virus even as the death toll nears 200,000 and new cases are rising in 28 states, making masks even more critical.
What's driving the spike in cases? And is it too late now to turn this around, do you think as we head into the flu season?
GOUNDER: Rosemary, I think there are a couple of different factors that are driving this. After previous holiday weekends, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, now Labor Day, we have seen increases in cases. People letting their guard down, socializing with family and friends in ways that were not safe, unfortunately, and in addition to that, over the last several weeks, students have been returning to college and University campuses.
And those have also become super spreader settings where transmission has propagated among students and then spread also to communities outside of those college and university campuses. I am concerned about the upcoming flu season and whether people will really start to take mask wearing and social distancing seriously in this country.
CHURCH: Yes. And the key model has lowered its forecast to COVID deaths by January 1st to just under 380,000 which, of course, still no reason to celebrate, but we saw Trump supporters at a rally Monday booing another Republican who dared to suggest that they should wear masks.
How do you convince Americans that masks are all we have right now and that the vaccine that President Trump promises for late next month may not come in time?
GOUNDER: I think this is such a tragedy that we have lost 200,000 lives that we may be losing almost 200,000 more between now and the end of the calendar year. This was a preventable tragedy. This was preventable through such simple things like wearing masks. And the fact that we have not shown the resolve in this country to do that, to protect ourselves, to protect our families, to protect our fellow citizens, I find it deeply unpatriotic, quite frankly.
And I do hope that maybe the CDC guidance will provide a face-saving way for some people who have been very reluctant to wear masks to perhaps change our minds now that the CDC has also acknowledged that the virus can be spread airborne.
CHURCH: Yes. The irony, of course, is that the one thing that allows us to get back to some sense of normalcy, but we shall see what happens. Dr. Celine Gounder, many thanks as always.
At a rally Monday, President Trump made the claim that coronavirus affects virtually nobody young. Well, that is an incredible thing to say, given the disease has infected nearly 7 million Americans and killed almost 200,000. That terrible tall includes Adeline Fagan, a 28 year-old doctor living in Houston, Texas.
[03:35:00]
Also among the affected are her grieving friends and family. Her father wrote an online journal about his daughter's illness and her sister spoke earlier to CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAUREEN FAGAN, LOST SISTER ADELINE FAGAN TO COVID-19: Adeline went to work early in July like a normal day with a happy smile. She was doing a shift in the E.R., but usually she is on the OB/GYN floors delivering babies. She went and happy feeling well. And by the end of the evening, it was like light -- a flip switch, and she just -- it was like severe flu symptoms. And that evening we went home and I thought she should be tested. She tested positive.
And that in itself was a shock, just because you kind of don't think it's going to happen to you. And after a week of quarantining at home, she really wasn't doing well. I knew we needed more care, and that is when our -- her stay in the hospital started. And everything just went from there. And she was eventually put on the ventilator, the ECMO machines.
And we really thought this past week that she was turning a corner. Our daily updates from the staff at her hospital they were all great. The day before she actually passed away, she ended up coming off of all of the machines, the ventilator and the ECMO, and we really thought that she was going to be starting rehab.
But that evening she became unresponsive and emergency C.T. showed that she had a massive brain bleed, which like the passage my dad wrote, the doctor said it was a one-in-a-million shot that she would come out from that in any sort of state that we knew our Adeline to be in.
Maybe it is not your Adeline, but your friend's Adeline, you're a family member, someone that you love is in here or going through what we are going through, which is devastating and heartbreaking, I just wish people would realize that may not be you directly affected but it could be someone you know pass on the street, just seeing, you know, quickly. It's someone and everyone is being affected by this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: A powerful message from that family. Maureen Fagan speaking there about her sister Adeline. Adeline had asthma, so did her sister, who lived with her who said she did not come down with COVID-19.
Well, New Zealand is holding its first major debate of the 2020 general election. We're actually looking at live pictures here. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has been much admired and praised around the world for her leadership during the pandemic, is taking on opposition leader Judith Collins.
And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong to talk more about this. Good to see you, Kristie. So, Prime Minister Ardern, as we know, she has been praised for her handling of the pandemic. So, as she takes this first debate there in the countdown to the October 17th election, is there any doubt she will come out on top against her challenger, Judith Collins?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jacinda Ardern does appear to be the favored and there is overwhelmingly strong support for her and her pandemic response inside New Zealand, this country of 5 billion people ahead of this general elections due to take place in mid-October.
This first live TV Primetime Debate is happening right now. You're looking at live footage on your screen between the Prime Minister of New Zealand and her challenger, her main opposition rival, Judith Collins of the National Party.
At the moment, they have been discussing and debating domestic issues like infrastructure, healthcare and education. And Judith Collins, even before this debate, said that she was going to hone her attack by focusing on Jacinda Ardern's promises and her ability to deliver them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACINDA ARDERN, PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND: We will have (ph) an early to fight COVID.
LU STOUT: Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister hailed worldwide for her tough handling of the coronavirus, is under fire for selfies. In New Zealand, her pictures with supporters without social distancing has become a political talking point as she faces a general election on October the 17th.
LISA OWEN, JOURNALIST, RADIO NEW ZEALAND: She's front and center and all around here, a photo that shows perhaps her popularity and her ability to mix and mingle with the crowd is now being used against her. So, being a popular on the campaign trail doesn't always work in your favor.
LU STOUT: Rival politicians have criticized Ardern's lack of social distancing on the campaign trail with Act-Party leader David Seymour tweeting, hospitality businesses can't make money at level two because of single server and social distancing rules. Meanwhile, the person responsible for the rules is self-serving and not social distancing. The Prime Minister admits she made a mistake.
ARDERN: That particular photo, I did make a mistake.
LU STOUT: Back in March, when the virus started to burn through Europe and the U.S., the Prime Minister presented her country with a choice. [03:40:00]
ARDERN: I hope that you are all with me on that decision.
LU STOUT: Let the virus in or lock it out. New Zealand sealed its borders with only 28 reported cases and waited until lockdown days later. Tough measures by the nation of 5 million down to zero active cases. And by June, the virus was declared eliminated. But after more than 100 days of zero local cases, the virus returned in August and it spread.
Auckland, its largest city, was put under lockdown again. The national elections set for September was postponed, and there was outrage. The lockdowns have hammered the nation's economy. Tours independent New Zealand has fallen into its deepest economic slump on record, posting a 12.2 percent drop in second quarter economic growth.
ARDERN: My question would be what is your measure of success. In a global pandemic, what do you measure success on? Success for me is saving people's lives, supporting and saving peoples businesses and coming out the other side faster and quicker and with more activity out on the other side, and that is what we're seeing in New Zealand.
LU STOUT: With the latest outbreak declared under control, New Zealand is slowly lifting restrictions again.
At what point, New Zealand's Prime Minister enjoyed a high 65 percent approval rating, especially for her handling of the pandemic. Where does that approval rating stand now, especially as she faces a general election?
OWEN: In terms of how Jacinda are doing compared with the preferred Prime Minister stakes with Judith Collins, the leader of National, so Jacinda Ardern still leaps and bounds ahead in those preferred Prime Minister stakes.
LU STOUT: New Zealand's 40-year-old Prime Minister has lead her country through three once in a generation crises. Her personable style may have attracted some criticism, but her leadership has made her the favorite as the nation goes to the polls and to the pandemic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: A second outbreak of the coronavirus has not dented her popularity as she continues to draw crowds on the campaign trail as Jacinda Ardern travels the country ahead of the general election in October, of course, making those selfies a political talking point, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. Exactly. Kristie Lu Stout, many thanks to you. We appreciate it.
Well, the United States is imposing new sanctions on Iran. Some of the measures in President Donald Trump's new executive order targeted Iranian officials in the nuclear and conventional arms sectors. The order comes after the White House tried to unilaterally re-impose U.N. sanctions even though the administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.N. arms embargo on Iran is now re-imposed indefinitely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Our actions today are warning that should be heard worldwide. No matter who you are, if you violate the U.N. arms embargo on the run, you risk sanctions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And CNN's Sam Kiley joins me now from Abu Dhabi with more on this. Sam, what is the very latest?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens at the U.N. general assembly with virtual meetings coordinated through New York, which begins today, because there are two sets of sanctions really that you were talking about there in your introduction, Rosemary.
The first is bilateral United States sanctions, which have been imposed sporadically and frequently since the Americans walked out of the JCPOA, the agreement set between world powers and Iran that meant that Iran had sanctions relief in return for significantly reducing its development of a nuclear capability.
Now the U.S. pulled out of that agreement in May 2018. And it's in the view of Britain, France, Germany, the three of the main European signatories to that agreement no doubt, Russia and China too, that the United States has no standing in the matter of U.N. sanctions.
So, what you've got now is Mike Pompeo, whose country has torn up or walked away from their side of the deal, insisting that other nations impose a U.N. sanctions system on Iran that those other nations don't agree with, and say that the United States has no legal standing, no legal right, whatsoever, to impose or demand those sanctions get re- imposed.
Now, the United States has also said that violators of those U.N. sanctions against Iran, which have been triggered in the American view, because the Iranians have not only continued in the American view to be destabilizing force across the Middle East, but also because they have been backsliding and increasing some aspects of the nuclear program.
[03:45:05]
The U.S. is saying anybody who violates these so-called U.N. sanctions, that the U.S. is applying -- you know, going to apply unilaterally, could end up being punished in terms of sort of secondary effects, prosecutions, inside the United States. It is completely uncharted territory.
Certainly, in the view of the Europeans, the Americans way out of bounds, and they are trying to keep the JCPOA on track while simultaneously acknowledging both that Iran has been developing relatively small aspects of its nuclear program in violation of the original agreement, and indeed, is pretty destabilizing in the region. Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Many thanks to our Sam Kiley. We appreciated it. And still to come, a billionaire real estate mogul in China is now paying the price for criticizing President Xi Jinping. We will have the details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: A developing story out of China now. An outspoken critic of President Xi Jinping has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for corruption. Billionaire real estate developer, Ren Zhiqiang, wrote a scathing essay in March critical of the president's handling of the pandemic.
So, let's turn to CNN's Steven Jiang. He joins us now live from Beijing. Good to see you, Steven. So, what is the latest on this developing story?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, it seems the authorities had finally silenced this longtime critic of the government with the courts saying that he has not only confessed all his crimes but also decided not to appeal to this very harsh sentence.
Now, his fate is very much sealed when he was formally indicted given that this country has a conviction rate of over 99 percent. Now, on paper, all of his crimes are related to corruption, as you mentioned, embezzling huge amount of public funds, abusing power that caused huge losses to the state firm he once head it and taking bribes. But these are the kinds of charges and crimes the government has long used to go after its critics and former officials.
Now, Ren Zhiqiang himself was actually born into an elite family of the ruling Communist Party and he was known to have close ties to senior officials. And for a long time, he was unusually candid and critical of the authorities in his remarks and social media posts.
And -- but this time, it seems his biggest crime was the one not in the court verdict, because as you mentioned back in March, he wrote that scathing article against the President Xi's handling of the crisis, and really calling him, without naming him though, a power hungry clown that put the parties interest above peoples safety.
He also lashed out in the article at the party's crackdown on media freedom as well as his intolerance of any dissent. So, he disappeared shortly after that and then he was expelled from the party in July, really paving the way for his prosecution, which led to where we are today.
[03:50:03]
So, many see his conviction and sentence, Rosemary, as the clearest sign yet, a very chilling one, from the party to Chinese elite that in today's China, any public criticism or defiance of Mr. Xi, the country's most powerful leader in decades, is simply not going to be tolerated, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. Very chilling as you say. Steven Jiang bringing us the latest there from Beijing. I appreciate it.
Well, jobs, energy and the economy versus the environment, we will take you to the heart of the climate change debate, the coal mines of Poland and the communities they support.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Well, climate concerns are the focus of a unique display in New York City. A giant digital clock is counting down until the effects of global warming could become irreversible. The artist behind the project based it on the calculations of climate experts in Berlin.
The clock will stay up through Sunday for climate week, then the artist hope to find a permanent home for it. And in case you're wondering, here is a live look at how much time is left, about seven years, three months and counting.
Well, greenhouse gas emissions have fallen worldwide due to coronavirus lockdown. The red lines here show pre-COVID and current projections, but the study from the climate action tracker finds these recent declines won't have any real impact on long-term climate change because countries still are not doing enough to curve their emissions.
And Poland is one of those countries that need to do more, it is hooked on coal and transitioning to cleaner fuel will have very real human cost.
CNN's Phil Black has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The rough track turns a corner and we descend into a vast, unnatural space, a monument to human's ability to change the earth. It is a sight (inaudible) climate activist despair. Poland's Turow coal mine and power station, sitting together, locked in a high carbon long-term relationship that's not ending soon.
Here at the pits face, giant bucket wheeled digging machines gouge the Earth away. Lignite or brown coal is sorted from waste and swept by conveyor belts directly into the belly of the power station where it burns, generating 8 percent of Poland's electricity.
What they pull from the earth here has provided energy for the Polish people, fueled their economy for more than 70 years. But it is also their source of security, of national pride and cultural identity. Whole families and communities have been built on this, and they will not give it up easily.
Five thousand plus people are directly employed in the mine and power station, many more live around them, the whole region's economy feeds off them. Tomas and Marty Kukoch (ph) have worked in the mine for decades. So did his parents and his grandfathers before them.
They tell me they are proud miners who know action must be taken to slow down global warming but not at the expense of everyone who relies on the mine.
[03:55:04]
That feeling runs deep here, even with the members of the 69th Yachting Scouts group. Like many teenagers around the world, they say they love nature and worry about the Earth's future. They are also proud to say they have recently collected signatures for a petition to save the Turow coal mine. They don't see a contradiction.
Emilia Tukarskic (ph) says supporting the mine doesn't mean we don't support the environment. Turow has permission to keep going for another six years. The state owned operators don't want to close until 2044.
SANDRA APANASIONEK, SPOKESPERSON, PGE GROUP: Legal definitely this in this way. But we have to do it, you know, slowly, just slowly, not in one year, not in two years. We need a little bit more time for it.
BLACK: That logic sustains Poland's dirty fuel of habit. Around 75 percent of the country's energy comes from coal. There is gradual investment in renewables, but the government says coal power is here to say until at least 2050.
And while energy analyst say COVID-19 was an opportunity to close lost (ph) making coalmines, Poland instead successfully lobbied against linking the release of the Europeans Unions pandemic recovery funds to green policies. This all matters because independent analysis by scientists, the climate action tracker shows that E.U. is already a long way behind achieving its emissions targets under the Paris Agreement. The global accord thrashed out to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Like many countries, Poland faces difficult decisions. Breaking coal dependence will inevitably hurt people and change lives. But government is transitioning to slowly risk allowing far greatest suffering across our warming planet.
Phil Black, CNN in Southwestern Poland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And officials in Honduras are blaming neighboring Guatemala for a massive wave of trash that washed up on a beach over the weekend. The normally pristine tropical beach in Northern Honduras is covered with piles of rubbish, mostly plastic garbage.
Authorities say the trash is coming from the mouth of a river in Guatemala. Local media reports the Honduran government has sent an official complaint to Guatemala, asking it to take immediate steps to stop trash from washing out to sea.
And thank you so much for joining us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment. Do stay with us.
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