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President Trump Says He is Now Recovered from Coronavirus; Thirteen Were Charged in Alleged Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor; Hurricane Delta Strengthens to Category 3; U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Iran's Financial Sector; Nancy Pelosi Pushes New Bill To Determine Whether Trump Is Capable To Serve As President Of USA; Olympics Delay Could Save Diver's Comeback. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired October 09, 2020 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining me. Welcome to CNN. I am Robyn Curnow. There are certainly lots of developments to get to this hour. Today, there are just 25 days to go before the U.S. presidential election and Donald Trump says he is recovered from the coronavirus just days after being diagnosed.

Now, Mr. Trump's physician says that the president has completed his therapy and can resume public events this weekend. Sanjay Gupta, our chief medical correspondent, is urging for more transparency. Sanjay?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: There is a convention that the medical profession, you know, communicates, messages back and forth, and these letters, these statements, and even briefings have all been, you know, we've had to sort of translate these things. So, we don't know. We do know that he wouldn't be out of this contagious period yet by, you know, lots of data and looking at the CDC guidelines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: So, to that point, the White House physician is still not answering key questions such as when Mr. Trump last tested negative for the virus. But Mr. Trump says he will probably be tested again in the coming hours.

Meantime, this hour, we are also covering an alleged plot to kidnap the Michigan governor. Thirteen people are charged. The governor spoke with CNN and is taking aim at Trump's campaign. We will have all of that for you right now.

But first, Kaitlan Collins has more from the White House on Mr. Trump's plan to return to the campaign trail. Kaitlan?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president has now been back at the White House since Monday. In a letter released on Thursday, the president's doctor said he believes he is going to be cleared to be back in public and events starting this Saturday though before he said he wouldn't breathe a deep sigh of relief until the following Monday. It is not clear why that has changed because we haven't heard from the president's doctors since the day that he returned to the White House.

We also haven't independently seen the president. Instead, we only see him in these videos published by the White House that have been edited at times. And we haven't seen him on our own.

But the president continues to put his own spin on his own health. We are not hearing from medical experts on it, saying, he no longer believes he is contagious, implying that he may have never been infected with coronavirus at all and saying that he is ready to get back on the road and might start holding a campaign rally this Saturday in Florida or potentially Pennsylvania.

That is what he told Sean Hannity in a phone interview on Thursday night, where at times he seemed to be a little bit hoarse and have to clear his throat on a few occasions though he spoke clearly for the other 20 or so minutes that he was on air with Sean Hannity.

But one thing he did not say was whether or not he has gotten a negative test result for coronavirus since he first tested positive on Thursday last week.

Sean Hannity asked the president that three times, but the president did not answer that question and said he would be tested on Friday. He said he didn't see the reason for testing a lot. Of course, that seems to go against what the White House told us for so many months, which is that the president was being tested on a daily basis.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: With us now is CNN political analyst and White House reporter for The Washington Post, Toluse Olorunnipa, and he joins us now from Washington.

So, it is good to speak to you. What a week. But I do want to break down the comments the president has been making in just the past few hours. What strikes you about his conversations, particularly when it comes to COVID and rallies?

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: The president is eager. He is anxious to get back on to the campaign trail. He says that he is going to be holding a rally as early as this weekend, as early as this Saturday, which we know is just, you know, about 10 days after he was first diagnosed with the coronavirus.

And we still do not know sort of whether or not he continues to be contagious or infectious. But he is really anxious to get back on the campaign trail. He has been in quarantine of some kind for the past week plus.

This is the final stretch of the campaign. It is clear that the president is going to get back out there and start campaigning even if it may not be safe in terms of public health for him to be out in big crowds and having big groups gathering.

But he is talking about getting back on the campaign trail. He is talking about -- essentially saying that he is immune at this point even though it is not clear that he is -- that he is no longer infectious.

He is really talking about this battle that he has had with the coronavirus as if he has already defeated it, as if he has already put it behind him, as if he is able and capable of going back about his business and going back to major rallies and major events that led to the spread of this virus not only in the White House but also directly in the Oval Office with the president and the first lady contracting this disease.

[02:05:03]

CURNOW: But the messaging here, beyond the public health concerns about a president or anybody infecting a lot of people in a rally-type scenario, the messaging to ordinary Americans, just before the election, when so many people have died of COVID.

OLORUNNIPA: The president seems to be really pushing this message that he was tough, that he got the best medicine and, you know, the coronavirus is not something that people should be afraid of or that people should allowed to dominate their lives.

Essentially, that 211,000 plus Americans who've died over the past seven months, the president is saying, you know, this is not something that we need to worry about, that we now have all of these drugs, all of these experimental treatments that he was able to get access to and, you know, Americans should just go back to normal, get back into big crowds,

pretend like this coronavirus crisis is not happening.

It's really a message that is far out of step with the reality on the ground, which is that the number of cases is growing on a daily basis. We are losing -- almost a thousand Americans every day are dying to this virus.

The president, you know, can pretend that this is not a major problem or major challenge or something that is fading away. But that is not the case.

So by sending a message that it is OK to go back into big crowds, it is OK to continue holding rallies, it really pushes a message that is far out of step with the actual reality of people continuing to contract this disease and dying at very high numbers even as the president says that this is something that we don't have to worry about.

CURNOW: And politically, what is the impact of this messaging, as well? We are seeing him dip in the polls quite significantly, and with that in mind, not taking part in a virtual debate with Joe Biden. Who loses out of that more? I mean is this a president who needs this virtual debate more than Joe Biden?

OLORUNNIPA: According to the polls, the president needs something to change the trajectory of the race, much more than his rival. Right now, the president is losing significantly in the public polling to Joe Biden. He is behind in most of the swing states. He is behind on a national level. He needs something to change the race over the next four weeks. Otherwise, he is going to be a one-term president.

So, some of his advisers are trying to get to him to change his mind about pulling out of this debate, get into -- find out some way to participate in the debate. They realized that even if the president is doing the rallies, you're never going to get the same kind of audience that you get with a national, televised debate with your rival. Multiple times, the numbers of millions of Americans will be watching if this debate takes place.

CURNOW: Toluse, it is always good to speak to you. Thanks so much. I appreciate you joining us.

OLORUNNIPA: Thank you.

CURNOW: Now, to that alleged plot again with Michigan's governor, 13 people are charged, facing charges for allegedly plotting to kidnap the governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

Now, federal and state officials say the end goal was to take over several state governments and incite a civil war. A governor is mincing no words about whom she thinks may have inspired them. Here is Randi Kaye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH HAUXHURST, FBI ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: The alleged conspirators are extremists who undertook a plot to kidnap a sitting governor.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That governor, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Investigators say the men planned to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home in Michigan before the November election and put her on trial for treason after she shut down the state to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the criminal complaint, the FBI began investigating earlier this year after learning of the scheme through social media. They infiltrated the group using confidential informants.

In June, the complaint says one of the six main suspects, Adam Fox, live streamed a video on a private Facebook group, complaining about the state of Michigan controlling the opening of gyms. The suspect, allegedly, referred to Governor Whitmer as a "tyrant bitch."

The FBI says it has an audio recording of Fox in July, describing the plot as a "snatching grab," saying on the tape, grab the effing governor. Just grab the bitch.

In August, the complaint says another suspect stated during an encrypted group chat that one person should knock on the door and when she answers to just cap her.

ANDREW BIRGE, U.S. ATTORNEY, WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN: The complaint further alleges that Fox purchased a taser for use in the kidnapping and that the group successfully detonated an improvised explosive device wrapped in shrapnel to test its antipersonnel capabilities.

KAYE (voice-over): Of the six men at the center of this plot, five are from Michigan. The others are from Delaware, according to the complaint. But they enlisted others, members of a Michigan-based militant group called "Wolverine Watchman."

The FBI says this group was planning to assault the Michigan state capital using Molotov cocktails to destroy police cars.

In all, 13 people have been implicated in the plot against Michigan state officials and law enforcement.

[02:09:57]

KAYE (voice-over): Says the complaint, the group met in the basement of a business owned by suspect Adam Fox, a basement accessed through a trap door hidden under a rug.

This isn't the first time Whitmer's life has been in danger. She faced multiple death threats after issuing stay-at-home orders to help control coronavirus in her state.

In April, protesters gathered at the capitol, causing gridlock and demanding the stay-at-home order be lifted. Later that month, this was the scene inside the capital. Protesters are demanding an end to the state of emergency. Many are openly carrying firearms, which is legal in the state. That same month, President Trump tweeted, liberate Michigan.

Today, after the plot against her was made public, Governor Whitmer called out the president, who just last week, refused to condemn far- right groups.

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Hate groups heard the president's words not as a rebuke, but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter, they carry weight.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Meanwhile, Whitmer took aim at Mr. Trump during her press conference about the plot, calling out the president's inability to disavow hate groups during the debate. Trump senior campaign adviser then slammed her for those comments. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON MILLER, TRUMP CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISOR: These are some pretty shameful comments here from Governor Whitmer. How you can go from a moment of unity to attacking President Trump? I thought it was just completely ridiculous. I mean, if we want to talk about hatred, then Governor Whitmer, go look in the mirror. I mean, the fact that she wakes up every day with such hatred in her heart towards President Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: The governor responded on CNN's Erin Burnett's "OutFront" show with this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITMER: We have a choice between a leader who is going to have his minions attack people when they are being targeted by domestic terror groups, and we have a leader who calls to see how you are doing, to check in, and to see what they can do to help and to be supportive. It tells you everything you need to know about the character of the two people on this ballot that we have to choose from in a few weeks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Let's talk with former Michigan governor, Jennifer Granholm. She is also a senior political commentator here at CNN. Thank you so much for joining us. What are your thoughts this hour, particularly on this very disturbing news about this kidnap plot?

JENNIFER GRANHOLM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, FORMER MICHIGAN GOVERNOR: Yeah. I mean, first, I am angry that the ecosystem has been created by a persistent effort on the part of the president to stoke and stir up these groups that are now threatening to kidnap and kill a sitting governor, much less all of the other harm that they have done across the country in stirring up violence.

The ecosystem, the feeling out there, is one of domestic terrorism. That is what they were charged with today. Thank goodness they are off the streets. Thank goodness they won't fulfil the conspiracy that they were plotting. But they are not alone.

CURNOW: Yeah. I want to talk about domestic terrorism in just a moment. The president has continued to criticize in a string of tweets the governor. I mean, how inflammatory is that, just for people trying to digest this news in the first place?

GRANHOLM: Of course, it is inflammatory. He is out of his mind. It is so ridiculous. I mean, it started with tweets, saying, liberate Michigan, several months ago, when they were all of these protesters at the capitol who were holding up images of Barbie dolls, hung in effigy, who are supposed to represent the governor.

These are dangerous people that he is giving oxygen to. He is fueling them. He is not just winking at them anymore. He is basically saying, continue it, because it is the only way, he thinks, that he is going to be able to win this election is by intimidating people, whether it's at the polls or suppressing the vote. This is who he is. He has got to go.

CURNOW: Well, there is an election coming up in a few weeks.

GRANHOLM: Thank god.

CURNOW: And the American people make that choice. If Mr. Trump wins or if he doesn't win, how concerned are you that the genie is out of the bottle when it comes to many of these white supremacists, nationalist groups, domestic terrorist groups, however you want to label them, how concerned are you that this kind of violence targeted, whether it is politicians, journalists, doctors, how concerned are you that this is not going to stop whatever happens come Election Day?

GRANHOLM: I mean, obviously, I am concerned and so our law enforcement across the country.

[02:15:02]

GRANHOLM: Frankly, so is the president's own Department of Homeland Security that released a study, just two days ago, calling these kinds of white supremacist groups the most lethal domestic terrorist threat that there is in the United States. He is there just, you know, fueling the fire.

CURNOW: To reiterate, you talked about an ecosystem. Are you then suggesting that this is not going to be a one-off?

GRANHOLM: Oh, no.

CURNOW: Are you concerned about security when it comes to a number of other leaders or politicians in this country?

GRANHOLM: Yes, of course. What he has done, this is all being stoked online. Really, the media platforms have got to step up. If you read the criminal complaint that was filed today, you could see that they were all communicating through encrypted messaging online.

The platforms have to step up. They removed immediately -- if they think there is an ISIS terrorist threat, they have got to remove these groups. They started -- Facebook started last week by saying that they were going to take down QAnon which is another terrorist, essentially, organization that has been labelled a domestic terror threat. These other groups are equally pernicious.

The social media accounts have got to be watched. But this is all happening right now, and the president is taking advantage of this and is going to use it to whatever means, in whatever way he can, especially since I don't think that he is all there honestly after his diagnosis with COVID.

I think this -- I don't know. Maybe these drugs are not affecting him on this because he's been doing it a while, but it is certainly not a way to lawfully win an election.

CURNOW: Thank you very much for joining us, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, and giving your perspective. Thank you so much for bringing us your expertise.

GRANHOLM: You bet.

CURNOW: Still ahead, the economic crisis in Iran is taking another hit with more U.S. sanctions that could have unintended consequences. And also, we continue to track Hurricane Delta, the powerful storm that is expected to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast just a few hours from now. We have a live report after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Moments ago, we got the latest advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Hurricane Delta is still a Category 3 with winds more than 190 kilometers an hour. It is expected to slam into the U.S. Gulf Coast in just a few hours from now.

Pedram Javaheri joins me with an update on this. OK, so give us an idea of the force of this impending storm system and when it is about to hit.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Robin, very close here within the next 18 or so hours, I would say, later on into Friday evening across portions of Southwestern Louisiana.

[02:19:59]

JAVAHERI: Unfortunately, this is a state that has seen already seen three hurricanes make landfall across this region, three tropical disturbances. So now, we got yet another major hurricane on approach.

I just want to show you what happened six weeks ago to the day here when Hurricane Laura made landfall across Cameron Paris in Southwestern Louisiana. Delta is on a track very, very similar to where Laura ended up a few weeks back.

I want to show you some of the damage that was left in place with that particular storm, which destroyed or damaged 100,000 homes across the state of Louisiana. It is eight million cubic yards of debris on the ground of which only one and a half million have been picked up.

That's really an important factor here. That is why officials are saying, people are actually taking this storm more seriously there and evacuating in larger numbers than they did six weeks ago.

You had a million customers without power. Incredibly, several hundred people still on the coast without power, six weeks later. We know the damage is exceeding eight billion dollars in the region, as well. Really, the broad reaching scope of the storm system compared to where it was a couple of days ago in Mexico.

It is really what was most notable to me because the hurricane-force winds extend about 100 kilometers away from the center, closer to 50 kilometers from the center when it impacted areas south of Cancun. So the damage zone was far more localized than we expect here in areas of Louisiana and far Eastern Texas, as well. We expect landfall again as we approach sunset on Friday evening.

I want to show you the model comparisons because it really shows you, even with about 18 hours to go in the forecast here, significant variability, at least on the potential strength of the storm. The American model brings in a significantly stronger storm. The European weakens it quite a bit here. The satellite imagery is showing a weakening storm, at least, on approach.

Really, what is important to note, the water has already been displaced across the ocean. We often talk about oceans having a long memory and what that means is once the storm of this magnitude is in motion, even if you back down the winds on approach here, the water is not going to back down. It will still going to maintain that magnitude and intensity with this coming ashore.

We are still expecting waters and storm surge as high as 11 feet or maybe up to almost two to three meters in some of these areas. Robyn?

CURNOW: OK. I get the feeling we will be talking a lot more in the coming days. Thank you so much, Pedram. Thank you.

So now, Tehran, which has recorded its highest number of daily COVID- 19 infection since the start of the pandemic, Iran is the worst hit county in the region, announced facing an economic crisis with new U.S. sanctions that aim to apply -- quote -- "maximum pressure."

Well, John Defterios is joining us now from Abu Dhabi with more on this. John, hi. This action really does seem quite late from the U.S. I mean, we are less than a month away from this election. Can that even be implemented in time?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN ANCHOR AND EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I think the timing is curious, Robyn. To your point here, it is so late in the game by the U.S. administration. As you talked about here, if you look at the major players involved, it is Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, his maximum pressure campaign to limit the influence of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Many within the State Department, according to our sources at CNN in Washington, say that this could have the opposite effect and make the region more dangerous. Perhaps they were trying to push a regime change but not on this sort of timeline.

They are targeting 18 banks right now, which would limit the ability for Iran to trade in dollars. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the minister of foreign affairs in Iran, calls it a crime against humanity because of the COVID-19 crisis that you are talking about.

So what is the stacking up to be in terms of Iran's economy in the U.S.? Unilateral sanctions, by the way. The GDP has fallen by about a quarter within a three-year span. Inflation is well above 30 percent because the currency is falling. Their oil revenues, Robyn, are just 20 billion dollars. That's about a quarter of what they were from the recent peak for Iran. So it is extremely painful. I've gone to the country three times on assignment, and I hear reports of street crime and desperation and food prices spiralling out of control because of that inflation.

So you would have to think the Iranian strategy, because of what the Trump White House is trying to do is buy time, and hope that Biden comes in because the vice president said, if elected, he would like to go back into the nuclear agreement. Not rapidly, but at least, he would give Iranians line of sight.

The message from Pompeo is, not yet, we need to tighten the screws a little bit more depending on the election outcome and how this is implemented.

CURNOW: OK. Thanks for that update. John Defterios, live from Abu Dhabi. Thanks, John. Still to come, the pandemic and its impact on mental health.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just felt like hopeless. I felt like there was nothing in the future that I was going to be able to accomplish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: And the threat of another lockdown could make things worse for people already living with anxiety and depression. We have more on that a little bit later.

[02:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back to CNN. I am Robyn Curnow live from CNN's world news headquarters here in Atlanta, Georgia.

So, President Trump's physician says he expects the president to return to public engagements this Saturday. This is just a few weeks until Election Day. Mr. Trump claims he is well and it is clear he wants to be back on the campaign trail.

But earlier, he spoke to Fox News's Sean Hannity and appeared to cough. Just take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They oscillated my mics when I had the one debate. We had three debates with Hillary. I think the first debate --

(COUGHING)

TRUMP: -- they -- excuse me, on the first debate, they oscillated the mic and they oscillated it very, very seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CURNOW: Well, the state of the president's health is still unclear. Full information is yet to be provided by the White House. But a former vaccine director, who recently left the federal government, had this to say to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK BRIGHT, FORMER U.S. PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS CHIEF: You know, what we are missing in this whole situation is transparency about really how sick the president is. We don't really have the truth about when he was infected, what stage of infection he is in. I don't think we know all of the various treatments he was given, in what combination, in what dosage.

It is very dangerous. He is in charge of a lot of things. He makes a lot of important decisions for our country and for the world, actually. If he is not in the right sound mind to make those decisions, rationally, then he can be very reckless for our country and for the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Rick Bright's lawyers there say he was forced to leave his job because the Trump administration -- quote -- "ignores scientific expertise, overrules public health guidance, and disrespect's career scientists."

I want to speak now to Dr. Peter Drobac. He is an infectious disease and global health expert at the University of Oxford. Doctor, hi. Good to see you. You heard there, the White House is being evasive on when Mr. Trump took his last COVID test. We are not getting a lot of transparency in terms of the details of treatment, but the doctor has cleared him for events this weekend. How convinced are you that he is not infectious?

PETER DROBAC, INFECTIOUS DISEASE AND GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD: Thank you for having me, Robyn. I'm concerned. It would be unusual at this stage of an illness for someone no longer to be infectious. Now, the situation with the president is different because he did receive this experimental antibody treatment which does have some evidence that it can reduce the viral load. It is hard to speculate because we have so little information.

[02:29:57]

DROBAC: Normally, people with significant COVID-19 infection will be shedding virus for typically around 10 days to two weeks, sometimes less, sometimes more. The way to know for sure, of course, would be simply to do multiple PCR tests and test for the viral load and see if there is a detectable amount of virus in the respiratory tract. We have not seen any evidence of that as being done, or at least that information is being shared.

There is another concern though with regard to the president potentially going back out on the campaign trail and doing other events. And there is still a very active, real, outbreak of COVID-19 in the White House. We are getting reports of new cases every day. The president doesn't go to events by himself, he goes with an entourage. So, there is still a risk that others in that entourage may also be potentially infectious.

CURNOW: And just from a patient doctor point of view, I mean you heard him cough there, he was a bit croaky in that interview. That is certainly no indication of the state of his health, but how concerned would you be, as a doctor, for a patient, a man of his age, his weight, and the fact that he is a man going out and being so exposed after having this infection, or during it?

DROBAC: We have limited information. Of course, it is hard for me to speculate, having not examined him. However, we do know, from some of the evidence that was given that he did have what would be classified as severe disease, that he did require oxygen early on in his course.

We haven't seen results of lung scans, but all signs suggest there probably was an element of pneumonia, and that can sometimes have a long and unpredictable course of recovery. We know that people can feel well and then have a turn for the worse, and that tends to happen early in the second week of illness, so right about where we are right now.

So, as the president's doctors have said, we shouldn't think we are out of the woods until at least about 10 days out. So I think that there is concern about making sure the president can make a significant recovery, before he takes on a full slate of work.

CURNOW: We know that the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is suggesting that the president is in an "altered state", we heard there. Another doctor suggesting, was he of sound mind, how sick is he? And they are specifically referring to the fact that he has been taking steroids. What is the impact of steroids on somebody?

DROBAC: Well steroids, like dexamethasone, which was given to the president, particularly in those high doses, do have a number of significant side effects. They can make people feel sometimes good, but sometimes agitated. They can affect sleep patterns. They can sometimes cause symptoms like even mania and psychosis.

So it is quite common to see a range of these symptoms when given in high doses. Again, we do not have enough information to know how this may or may not be affecting the president. But it certainly is something of a concern.

CURNOW: OK, Dr. Peter Drobac there, think you very much for joining us, always good to get your expertise. Thanks doctor.

DROBAC: Thank you

CURNOW: So, while lockdowns and social isolation have been safeguards against the virus, they can also have a severe impact on mental health. Well, Isa Soares talked with a young woman whose struggles got much more difficult and dangerous, when the UK locked down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ISA SOARES CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The sun may be shining on Pip Rudge, but this 23-year-old knows that a dark cloud could come at any moment.

PIP RUDGE, BEING TREATED FOR ANXIETY, DEPRESSION: I've been having a hard time since I was like 8.

SOARES: For months now, she's been seeking treatment for anxiety and depression, exacerbated by COVID-19.

RUDGE: I just felt like hopeless. I felt like there was nothing in the future that I was going to be able to accomplish, and I just felt completely lost and alone really. So, it was really hard and I was struggling with self-harm at the time as well, and it was just one of those really, really dark places that I just hope I never get back to.

SOARES: Like so many others, lockdown and isolation pushed her mental health to the brink, as her support network crumbled, and she was a unable to seek the help of mental health professionals. She says a suicide attempt forced her to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for 3 weeks.

These images show her inside the ward. According to a June report from mental health charity, Mind, the devastating loss of life, the impact of lockdown, and the inevitable recession has made life bleaker for those with mental health problems, with 65 percent of adults, and 75 percent of young people reporting their mental health got worse during the lockdown.

STEPHEN BUCKLEY, HEAD OF INFORMATION, MIND MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY: In what we've seen during lockdown and immediately after is people contacting us because they are having difficulty accessing their former support services. Unfortunately, there seem to be more young people self-harming as a coping strategy.

SOARES: With the number of COVID-19 infections on the rise in the UK and in Europe, and more restrictions being put in place, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control is warning about the impact of new lockdowns on people's mental health.

[02:35:00]

When you hear the Prime Minister talk about further restrictions, do you worry about that? How about lockdown, how does that - what kind of anxiety does that create in you?

RUDGE: It does make me anxious that ultimately, I would end up back in hospital or I would be really, really, really struggling with my mental health. All I can do is look after myself, take it day by day.

SOARES: For now, Rudge maintains her support network, and says she is focusing on the positives, her small victories.

Rudge: So like I have an app on my phone and I'm like 133-day self- harm free, and I'm really proud of that. SOARES: Small steps that would give her a better chance to overcome her darkest demons, should lockdown come knocking again. Isa Soares, CNN, Stratford-upon-Avon, in England's West Midlands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: And if you or someone you know is experiencing mental health difficulties, there is a worldwide directory of resources and international hotlines provided by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. You can also turn to Befrienders Worldwide or go to their website, iasp.info/resources, for more information.

And we will find out in just a couple of hours who has won the Nobel Prize, what we consider as a toss-up, call it (ph) one of the favorites or long-shot hopefuls, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: In a little more than 2 hours' time, we will find out who has won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize and online bookmakers are laying down the odds of course. Gambling.com calls it a toss-up with the World Health Organization as a 2-to-1 favorite, with a 33 percent chance of winning.

It gives the teenage Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, a 25 percent chance of winning, followed by New Zealand PM, Jacinda Ardern. The US President Donald Trump is tied in 4th with the UN Refugee Agency at 12-to-1 long shots. Mr. Trump help broker an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

So, I want to bring in Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong to look into her crystal ball.

(LAUGHTER)

Kristie, in all of my years of covering this and waiting for this information, you are always surprised. The bookies very rarely get it right, do they?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The bookies very rarely get it right and it's always a fool's errand to guess who is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

CURNOW: But you're going to try for us?

LU STOUT: But we are going to try nonetheless, because, in this tumultuous and testing year of pandemic and politics, this is a little bit of good news, and there is a lot of interest on who will win the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Now, we do not know who is going to win, but we do know this, that there are 318 candidates, of which 211 are individuals and 107 are organizations.

[02:40:00]

The names of the contenders, they are carefully hidden away and sealed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. But, we are quoting bookies here, Bookmakers. They've been putting out bets on who are the favorites here.

Now, let's bring up among the organizations. Among the organizations, among the favorites to win the Nobel Peace Prize for year 2020, you have the Black Lives Matter movement. There is also the Committee to Protect Journalists, as well as Reporters Without Borders, and you also have the World Health Organization.

The WHO, we all know, was under the UN, it was founded in 1940 under the auspices of the United Nations to handle health policy, in particular, infectious diseases. And over the years, it's had quite a number of successes, like the eradication of smallpox, or the near elimination of polio, also the battle against Ebola, it's leadership role in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

But there has been criticism, well especially western nations have slammed China for its early response to the pandemic. We know that the WHO has praised it. In fact, it was back in January, when the head of the World Health Organization praised China for its, "transparency."

That praise has led critics to question the relationship between these two entities. It also prompted US President Donald Trump to announce plans for the US to leave the World Health Organization. So, if the WHO does indeed win the Nobel Peace Prize, it would not be without controversy.

Now, among individuals, again this is according to Bookmakers, most likely to win the Nobel Peace Prize this year - we don't know, this is all guesswork here - but among individuals, we have climate change activist Greta Thunberg, we also have the Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, as well as the Prime Minister of New Zealand, 40 year old Jacinda Ardern.

If she wins, she would be the first person from New Zealand to win the Nobel Peace Prize and she has been hailed worldwide for her leadership, especially now during the pandemic and her tough handling of the coronavirus. In fact, it was this week, when the entire country reopened after stamping out the virus again.

Now since 2017, Prime Minister Ardern has let her country not just through the pandemic, but through three once-in-a-lifetime crises; the coronavirus pandemic, the volcanic eruption on White Island, as well as Robyn, as you remember, the Christchurch terror attack.

You and I covered that horrific event, and that image of her wearing the black headscarf, embracing Muslim leaders, went viral around the world, and showed that this new form of leadership was indeed possible.

Now, this is not a definitive shortlist, we don't know who is going to win the Nobel Peace Prize, there is a lot of guesswork here. But, when the announcement happens, we will bring it to you right here in CNN. Robyn?

CURNOW: Yes, I'm looking forward to it, I must say. And you are right about it being such a year of chaos, just focusing on peace, rather than chaos, is just going to give us at least something to look forward to. Thank you so much, cheers Kristie.

LU STOUT: Thank you, take care.

CURNOW: So be sure to, of course, stick with CNN. This announcement will be coming as Kristie said in the coming hours and we will be live with that. So, I will be back though in an hour's, not an hour's time, in 15 minutes time, at the top of the hour.

You can find me on Instagram and on Twitter. I'm Robyn Curnow, and I'll hand you over to World Sports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, there. Welcome to World Sports Today. I'm Patrick Snell. Two men's semis on the slate at the French Open later, where we now know who will be contesting Saturday's Women's final in Paris. It's the stuff that dreams are made of. One, Polish teen but first up, it's USA Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion who lies in wait. Her incredible year continuing as she just powered away past the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova here in two close four sets on Thursday, 6-4, 7-5.

Kenin, who won her first Grand Slam crown early this year down under; she looks like a class act once again, doesn't she? For Kvitova, who hadn't lost by the way, set en route to her first French Open Semi in eight years. The end American player now hoping to become the first woman since Germany's Angelique Kerber four years ago to win two Grand Slam titles in the same calendar year.

Born in the Russian capital Moscow, Kenin is 21 years of age. It's a fascinating life story too with a family having moved to the United States when she was just a baby. Kenin, already eyeing up a second career major having also won this year's Aussie Open in Melbourne, and with that comes the respect she feels she deserves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOFIA KENIN, AMERICAN TENNIS PLAYER: --People, after surely (ph) people started to know me, I felt a little bit more pressure from the outside, and keeping this level and playing some great tennis now is really special. And yes, I feel like people are looking up to me and definitely, I'm sure and I hope that all my friends back in the U.S. are on their terrace screaming loud for me and rooting for me. And yes, I feel like people respect me and I'm happy. It's not easy to get respect; it's really easy to lose it. And I guess that people respect me, I'm going to keep it that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Now, what a run it has also been for the Polish teenager Iga Swiatek, the 19-year-old through to her first ever Grand Slam final. Remember, this event moved from May to October due to the global pandemic but the Pole putting on quite the show here against Argentine opponent Nadia Podoroska, the 23-year-old from Rosario, dispatched swiftly here, 6-2, 6-1 in a match that lasted just a few minutes past the hour mark.

History in the making as well. Swiatek now the first play from her country to reach a Roland Garros final since 1939, ranked 54 in the world, seed (ph) from Warsaw also the lowest-ranked women's finalist at the French since computer rankings began in 1975. She is also through to the women's double semis later on today. She's having one busy tournament, successful one as well.

All right, incredible run to the final, beating the number one seed Simona Halep and 15th seeded Marketa Vondrousova. Remarkably, she has only dropped 23 games in total; that's the fewest games dropped en route to the finals since Mary Pierce back in 1994. As I said earlier, the stuff that dreams are made of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IGA SWIATEK, POLISH TENNIS PLAYER: This seems unreal. I'm kind of like, on one hand I know that I can play great tennis, but on the other hand, it's kind of surprising for me and it's - I never would have thought that I'm going to be in the final, so it's crazy. And yes, I just kept believing in myself and it's amazing for me. It's like a dream come true. So basically, I was a little bit like overwhelmed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: She's quite a story and it's still being written. Now, after being delayed since March due to the pandemic, qualifying now underway in South America for the Qatar 2022 World Cup. On Thursday, Lionel Messi penalty enough to see La Albiceleste edging past Ecuador at an empty Bombonera. Since the Barcelona super star continues his quest for the coveted trophy, he desires so much.

Meantime, there was high drama in the Uruguay-Chile clash off. The Luis Suarez put the host (ph) ahead in Montevideo through a contentious penalty. Alexis Sanchez leveling for the Chileans, then came real controversy in the last minute. Chile not awarded a blatant penalty for a clear handball there. And then 3 minutes into stoppage time, it's Maxi Gomez with a terrific strike. Chile feeling very hard done by indeed. Uruguay with a 2-1 victory. But bones of contention there all over the place.

All right, Euro 2020 playoff action ahead of a tournament now delayed until June of next year due to the pandemic. And we can tell you there will be no Erling Haaland Tournament after his country, Norway, lost in Oslo to Serbia after Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic put the visitors (ph) ahead Norway level two minutes from time through Mathias Normann. But 12 minutes into extra time, it's that man Milinkovic- Savic again, a superb deft chip there, wins it for the Serbians in this playoff semifinal. Serbia now facing Scotland for a place at the Euros after the Scots beat Israel on penalties in Glasgow. High drama there in Oslo.

[02:50:00]

Friendly action now Wembley Stadium, where England swept aside Wales 3-0 Thursday night. Another match and another goal for the young Everton star Dominic Calvert-Lewin who opens the scoring just passed the 25-minute mark, heading home that Jack Grealish crossed on a senior international debut too. That's 10 in 7 (ph) for club and country for the 23-year-old Toffees striker, what a season he is having.

Now, I want you to be prepared to be inspired. An incredible story 20 years in the making, why this courageous American diver is now seeing this year's Olympics postponement as a rather unexpected gift. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SNELL: A further setback for the NFL to deal with this Friday afternoon, as 23 members of the Tennessee Titans, that's 13 players and 10 staff, have now tested positive for coronavirus. Their game Sunday against the undefeated Buffalo Bills postponed to Tuesday.

They want to take it to Thursday night action now from the National Football League as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Chicago Bears in the windy city. Tom Brady would give the Bucs the lead in this and as well as pick up the action for you, throwing a quick slam pass to Mike Evans for the short touchdown score there.

But more to come, plenty more of it, because Nick Foles and the Bears would come right back connecting with Jimmy Graham here. Foles is one of only 2 quarterbacks ever to be Brady in a Super Bowl. He defeated Brady in 2018 with the Eagles and the Bears would get the win later the 4th quarter.

Here it is, the Brazilian kicker Cairo Santos converting a 38-yard field goal. Final score Bears win an absolute thriller, 20 points to 19. More frustrations for Brady.

Now, to the most remarkable story of courage and absolute resilience, the inspiring journey of American diver Laura Wilkinson, after nearly a decade in retirement, not to mention recovery from serious injury, the Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist now attempting a comeback in the face of a worldwide pandemic, the latest challenge in a whole lifetime of challenges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone loves a comeback, especially when the story is this good.

(CROWD CHEERS)

This is her very first win on the world stage in the 1998 Goodwill Games. Since then, she has won the 3 major world titles the sport of diving has to offer. Laura Wilkinson said she has nothing left to prove, except that at age 43, there will still be a place for her on the Olympic podium in 2021.

Even two decades after she stunned the world at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Wilkinson came from behind to become the first American woman to win gold in 36 years. Three of the bones in her foot were broken, Wilkinson chose to compete anyway.

KENNY ARMSTRONG, WILKINSON'S LIFE-LONG COACH: You are 33 feet up in the air and you hit the water at 38 miles an hour. To do that 100 percent physically and 100 percent mentally is almost impossible. And you add a broken foot to that? I have no idea.

LAURA WILKINSON, 2000 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: When you hear the anthem, you see the flag raised, you're standing on the podium, and you just realize that you've done that thing that you worked your whole life for, you dreamed about your whole life. It's never going to be the same.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After winning gold, Wilkinson spent 8 more years pushing the limits of diving, returning to two more Olympics and winning the world cup and the world championships in between.

[02:55:00]

In 2008, she decided to retire and start her family.

She is now a mother of 4 kids, all under the age of 10. Setting an example for them was one reason why Wilkinson decided to come out of retirement for the 2020 Olympics.

WILKINSON: What a cool thing that maybe I can go to the Olympics and my kids could actually see me at a point where they can remember what I'm doing, and remember being there, cheering on mom at the Olympics in front of the whole world. Like, that to me is the dream and that's what keeps me motivated and striving that I could do that for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After 9 years of retirement, Wilkinson was back to practicing dives she was hitting before having kids. But there was one thing she noticed that was different, a weakness in her arm that doctors discovered was a serious neurological concern that required surgery.

DR. PETER MCINTYRE SHEDDEN, LAURA WILKINSON'S NEUROSURGEON: Laura's myelogram CT scan showed degenerative disc disease, as well as significant disc protrusion t C5-C6 and C6-C7, distorting the spinal cord as well as distorting the nerve roots at C5-C6 and C6-C7.

WILKINSON: At that point, I said just not even just to dive but just to be a mom and not get in a car accident and become a quadriplegic, like you need to have this done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was back in the water in less than 4 months after spinal surgery. Similar to the 2000 Olympics, when she shattered her foot, Wilkinson found herself facing an uphill recovery before Olympic trials.

That's why she's one of few who views the Tokyo Games postponement as an advantage. But with the coronavirus pandemic, Wilkinson has again been forced to adapt, even training without a pool.

Her ability to adapt and simultaneously raise the bar is how Wilkinson changed the face of competition. She made her dives more difficult, adding extra somersaults or twists, taking the sport to a level women's diving hasn't seen before.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is she a trailblazer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. No one is even close.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really easy to follow. It's really difficult to lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Difficulty hasn't stopped Wilkinson before. And even with all the challenges 2020 has brought, she doesn't expect it to stop her from leading in Tokyo.

WILKINSON: I want to be in the hunt, I want to be fighting again, like I'm hungry for that. I'm excited to get after it again, get in the mix.

HOST: It's a healthy appetite for overcoming adversity that keeps Wilkinson pushing for another taste of victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: Truly inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us this Friday and thanks for watching today. Do stay with CNN, bye for now.

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