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President Trump Barnstorming States; Joe Biden Prepares for the Big Night; Polls Show People Want Fresh Face; Millions Voted Two Weeks Before Elections; Tier Three Imposed on Greater Manchester; Pandemic Worsen Domestic Abuse; Ex-Head of FDA, Possible Rapid Acceleration of Cases; Race for Vaccine Ramping Up Worldwide; U.S. Infections and Hospitalizations on the Rise; Study Suggests Open Windows, Glass Barriers Can Help Reduce Virus Spread in Classrooms; Pelosi, Mnuchin to Resume Stimulus Talks Today; Cathay Pacific Announces 5,900 Jobs Cuts Globally; Gunfire Reported at Protests in Nigeria; In Sudan War Crimes, the Government Assures Cooperation with International Criminal Court; India's Pollution and COVID Crises. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired October 21, 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, with America's fate on the ballot, U.S. President Donald Trump is making a familiar final pitch to voters, attacking, dismissing and vowing to deliver epic prosperity and growth.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Despite the failure to reach the agreement. I hope the mayor and council leaders in Greater Manchester will now work with us.
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CHURCH: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is accused of bullying after placing Greater Manchester under some of the U.K.'s toughest COVID-19 restrictions.
And later, northern India is facing a double winter health threat. Pollution, and the pandemic.
With less than two weeks to go until election day in the United States, the presidential candidates are taking a very different approach to the campaign. Democrat Joe Biden spent Tuesday preparing for Thursday's final presidential debate, President Donald Trump meantime, surrounded himself with supporters at a rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. He said Pennsylvania picked him in 2016, because they wanted to oust
the political establishment. He also said Barack Obama and Biden were part of the reason why he ran for president in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If they did a good job, I would not have run.
(CROWD CHANTING)
TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The president also touted his economic plan and claimed that Biden would ban fracking and destroy energy jobs in Pennsylvania. And even though the COVID-19 cases are soaring across the country, Mr. Trump tried to convince his supporters that he has the pandemic under control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We are rounding the turn on the pandemic. Epic job growth, safe vaccines, that quickly end the pandemic.
(CROWD CHEERING)
TRUMP: It's ending. Normal life, that is all we want. What do we want? Normal life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Kaitlan Collins was in Erie, Pennsylvania as Mr. Trump rally his supporters. She has more on that campaign stop.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As the president was rallying his supporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night with two weeks to go before the election, he had at one point seemed to recognize the dire position he's in when it comes to political polling. Because he said if it had been before the pandemic, he likely wouldn't have even been in Erie, Pennsylvania.
He basically told the crowd he had to show up given that his poll numbers right now are behind those of Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, a state that he carried in 2016. That rally came just a few hours after the president had sat down with CBS's Lesley Stahl at the White House for an interview for 60 Minutes at which we are told the president ended the interview before it was scheduled to be done, after about 45 minutes because he grew frustrated with the line of questioning from Stahl.
And we're told he left the room and did not come back to do what was supposed to be a taped portion of the interview with the Vice President, Mike Pence. And of course, then you saw the president go on Twitter. He taunted Lesley Stahl for at one point during the briefing -- or during the interview not wearing a mask.
And then he threatened to release the interview before CBS News airs it next Sunday. Of course whether or not he ultimately does still seems remains to be seen, but what you are seeing with these two weeks to go before the election is the president is making his closing message attacks on reporters like CBS News, attacks on other reporters as well, including the debate moderator for Thursday night for that final presidential debate, but also on Dr. Anthony Fauci, someone he has repeatedly gone after in recent days.
And this is not exactly the closing political message that aides had hoped he would have, given the fact that he is trailing Joe Biden in so many states with so few days left to go.
Kaitlan Collins, CNN, traveling with the president in Pennsylvania.
CHURCH: Well, Joe Biden also has a full week of events and appearances before Thursday's debate. And he is calling on some influential friends for help. Cindy McCain, widow of longtime Republican, John McCain hosted a republican veteran's event for Biden on Tuesday.
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McCain announced her support for Biden back in September. And former President Barack Obama will make his first campaign trail appearance for Biden in Pennsylvania today. Prior to a drive-in rally in Philadelphia, the former president released a video, urging voters to remember the value of their vote.
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BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We can come out of this moment stronger than before. Voting doesn't accomplish that on its own, but we can't accomplish that without voting. I know there are plenty out there to make people feel cynical, and plenty of people are going to seize on that to convince you that your vote does not matter.
It's not new, it is one of the oldest voter suppression tactics there is. What is new, it's a growing movement for justice, equality and progress on so many issues. This is really a tipping point, and that momentum only continues if we win this election.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And more than 32 million Americans have already cast ballots in this election, shattering early voting records.
CNN's Abby Phillips takes a look at the casting these votes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't procrastinate. Vote early.
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ABBY PHILLIP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just two weeks to go, and it appears that's the way many Americans are feeling about this 2020 election.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really want to get it done and over with, and do it early, that way I know I've voted.
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PHILLIP: So far more than 32 million ballots have been cast nationwide, whether by mail or in-person. On the first day of in- person voting in Wisconsin, voters braving hours long lines and rising COVID numbers.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you don't come and do it, you don't have a right to complain. Come and voice your opinion, that's what America is about.
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PHILLIP: Huge lines, snaking around entire buildings or down city blocks, becoming a familiar sight all over the country. Many voters even lining up before sunrise, rain or shine. Pending legal challenges in several states including some battleground states are far from over.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's one of the most important elections, obviously. There's so much riding on the line.
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PHILLIP: In Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court ruling on Monday, the state can count mail-in ballots if they are sent in by election day, and received within three days even if they do not have a legible postmark. Something the president is already attacking.
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TRUMP: We got a ruling yesterday that was ridiculous, where they can count ballots after the election is over. What kind of a thing, so what does that mean we're going to wait --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Roberts --
TRUMP: -- we're going to wait till after November 3rd, and start announcing states, that's crazy.
(END VOICE CLIP) PHILLIP: Pennsylvania state law says the counting of absentee ballots cannot begin until election day, which combines with the court ruling allowing ballots to be received three days after election day, means, we may not know the results of the presidential race for several days after November 3rd.
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JOSH SHAPIRO (D), PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: You won't have the precise numbers certainly for a few days, but I think you're going to have a sense of where things are going.
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PHILLIP: Meanwhile, in North Carolina the state elections board are now extending the deadlines to accept mail-in ballots, postmarked by election day through November 12, more than a week after the election. But the legal battle is still ongoing, as of this morning in North Carolina, 1.9 million ballots have been cast. That represents 25 percent of the states registered voters.
And in Florida, voters are turning out in droves on the first day of early in-person voting. The state says more than 366,000 Floridians cast votes Monday. By this morning Florida was just shy of three million ballots cast overall. The same time, four years ago, Florida has just over 1.6 million total ballots cast.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you're not going to vote don't complain for the next four years. That's the way I look at it.
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PHILLIP: Abby Phillip, CNN, Washington.
CHURCH: Joining me now is CNN senior political analyst, David Gergen. He's also a formal presidential adviser to Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton. Thank you so much, sir, for talking with us.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you. It's a privilege.
CHURCH: So, two weeks away from this critical election and early voting and started in battleground states like Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia and elsewhere. People lining up despite the pandemic, casting 32 million early votes. So far, showing historic turnout, what does that signal to you?
GERGEN: Well, on the surface, it signals that the Democrats are doing much better than expected. The early returns that we talk about that we're so feeling massively to the extent that we know the contents of the ballots, they seem to favor Democrats over Republicans.
Republicans apparently are holding their fire, will vote in greater numbers on election day two weeks from now. But I do think that in contrast the earlier news this year when it was the Republicans who are raising the registration numbers faster than the Democrats were, it was Republicans who are saying that they could be charging out of the gate.
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But now, the momentum is clearly over to the Democrats. They have an avalanche of money coming in, the polls were there where really steadily ahead. The latest New York Times poll, one of the most respective has come out in the last 24 hours with Biden holding a 9- point lead. A little bit has been shaved off, but not very much.
And, very importantly, the new polling also shows that on these issues, Biden has more support on the issues than Trump does on the pandemic, and even the economy. For the president, that's not saying, he is a really good closure, as we all know. You can't count him out. There are a lot of votes out there that may be hidden, but at this moment, every indication is that Joe Biden is sitting on in a big lead, and could conceivably could win a very, very big victory.
CHURCH: All right, as you pointed out, all reputable national polls putting Joe Biden in the lead. You referenced that New York Times/Sienna College poll.
GERGEN: Right.
CHURCH: Let's bring that up. Fifty percent to Joe Biden in support, 41 percent to Donald Trump. Do you see any path to victory for Donald Trump, at this juncture?
GERGEN: Well, he has won more bite at the apple on debates, that's coming Thursday night, tomorrow night. And on that, you know, there have been essentially two debates. One presidential, one vice presidential, and then one head to head town hall -- there have been three of these big events so far. So, far the Biden team has won every single one by political -- by what the polls show. But public opinion runs. This last and final debate is the last chance that Trump has to turn the election around in a debating circle.
CHURCH: And then, on Tuesday, President Trump abruptly ended an interview with Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes --
GERGEN: Yes.
CHURCH: -- and skip a scheduled joint interview with Vice President Mike Pence. Ironically, the president later attacked Stahl for not wearing a mask. What did you make of all of that?
GERGEN: I didn't make much of it. There have been so many erratic moves by this president, especially since he was diagnosed with COVID. It's almost he's little, I do not know whether he is under the influence, if he is taking drugs or not taking any drugs, it is hard to tell. But I can tell you that his judgment has been salty. He is not good at the policy issue in a way but he has been very good as a state master, you know, capturing the public's attention. And then this time around, whatever he tries, it doesn't seem to work.
It's almost as if people are really, you know, a great TV series, can often end after five or six seasons that people become bored, you know, it's repetitive. And they start looking for something else -- well, yes, I think that Trump may have run out here, and people are looking for something fresher, and they -- they would prefer to be healed by Biden than sort of going on another joyride with Trump for four years.
CHURCH: Right. And the former special ops commander, William McRaven who oversaw the Osama Bin Laden raid --
GERGEN: Yes.
CHURCH: -- said he voted for Joe Biden. The retired U.S. four-star admiral says, the world no longer looks up to America because of the actions of Donald Trump.
GERGEN: Yes.
CHURCH: There's also an ad put together by officials who worked under formal Republican President George W. Bush, endorsing Biden, and very influential GOP senators are also --
GERGEN: Yes.
CHURCH: -- distancing themselves from Trump. I mean, this is almost unheard of, isn't it?
GERGEN: It is.
CHURCH: What is the significance of all of this?
GERGEN: It means the dam is breaking. A lot of people have been very unhappy and frustrated with the president but have kept their own counsel, tried not to get in the way and hope he would turn around. (Inaudible). There's just really no one who believes that he is going to be -- turn out to be a new Donald Trump for the next 14 days. He is what he is. And he is going to ride it out. It looks like he is going to write it down to defeat.
But, again, be careful about this. The Republicans might have a couple of tricks up their sleeves. They may be able to bring up the numbers. Right now, though, Joe Biden is winning because frankly, he's running a much better campaign.
CHURCH: David Gergen, always a pleasure to get your analysis.
GERGEN: Thanks, Rosemary. Goof to talk to you again.
CHURCH: You too. And be sure to tune in to CNN for the final presidential debate. Our coverage begins at 7 p.m. on Eastern on Thursday, that is 12 a.m. in London, 7 a.m. in Hong Kong on Friday.
Well, coronavirus cases in the United States are accelerating at an alarming rate. More than 400,000 new infections were reported in the last week alone. That is the highest weekly total since early August.
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A new report says the virus is rapidly spreading among children across the nation. Over the past two weeks, more than 84,000 children caught the virus. That's a rise of 13 percent, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
But it's not just the U.S. striking. Cases and deaths are soaring across Europe. The Czech Republic is building a field hospital in Prague, as the country battles a surging infection rate. And new restrictions are coming to southern Italy, the region around Naples will begin a curfew at 11 p.m. on Friday.
Well, the U.K. is still waiting on ethics approval for human challenge trials on new COVID vaccines. The trials will involve directly infecting a volunteer with COVID-19 as opposed to clinical trials where participants are vaccinated and observed.
My colleague, Becky Anderson spoke with the chief scientist for the company leading the trials who says, their main goal is to keep all participants as safe as possible.
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ANDREW CATCHPOLE, CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER, HVIVO: The main risks for any clinical trials are that the disease progresses further than we anticipated, which is why we are doing a number of factors to minimize those risks. Firstly, having an extremely low dose of virus, and then we're using only subjects which have minimal risk or no known risk factors for the disease, as well as and also using antivirals as a preemptive measure to further minimize the risk of severe disease.
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CHURCH: And he went on to say, vaccines usually go through multiple iterations before more effective or becoming more effective with time. Human challenge trials are just one way of telling which vaccine maybe most useful.
Well, Ireland is now gearing up to begin its second nationwide lockdown in an attempt to regain control of the coronavirus. The country will move to the strictest level of restrictions, and urge residents to stay home and for the next six weeks. It comes within days of the nation reporting its highest daily death toll since May.
And for more, CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now from London. Good to see you, Nic. So, a six-week lockdown, is a very strange solution. Were face masks ever seen as a viable alternative?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Face masks certainly coming in for attention right now in Ireland, being -- people are being told that they should wear those when they're in confined public spaces, that they should wear on public transport, but of course these latest restrictions really go way beyond now just, you know, telling people to wear face masks indoors or outdoors. What the Irish government is saying right now is that they want people
to effectively go into what they're describing, what the Taoiseach the prime minister there described as the toughest lockdown in Europe. Only those who cannot work from home can go out to work. They -- people should not combine households indoors or in private gardens. Pubs, bars, restaurants, will all be closed. There will only be take away services.
Retails stores all but the essential retail stores will close down. And perhaps one of the toughest things for people is they will be restricted to within five kilometers, about three miles of their homes. And that's for exercise. This is very tough and of course it's a real concern about jobs that's impacting people.
And the retail sector having gone through a lockdown once they are really wondering if they can survive the next one.
CHURCH: All right. Nic Robertson, many thanks, joining us live from London. I appreciate that.
And still to come, push back over restrictions as parts of Northern England face tough new coronavirus rules. Manchester's mayor is slamming the government for its handling of the crisis.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You cannot trust anyone. And the person you gave all your life these things from here, life is finished.
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CHURCH: And victims of domestic abuse are left few choices as the pandemic forces many to stay with their abusers. Their stories when we return.
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CHURCH: Ireland is now the first E.U. country to return to a coronavirus lockdown. And several cities around the world are weighing heavier restrictions, including lockdowns and stay-at-home orders to try and slow the rate of infection.
But for domestic abuse victims, staying home with their abuser has its own dangers.
CNN's Isa Soares has some of their stories.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I loved this man more than anything. And I left everything for him.
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Away from her home in Morocco, and beguiled by her new husband. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He made me fall in love with him slowly.
SOARES: This 32-year-old woman who prefers to remain anonymous tells me her partner became a different man mid pandemic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said to me, you have to bring in 4,000 a month.
SOARES: With the economy in a deep recession, and a frustrated husband unable to work his usual job as a taxi driver, she says her life became his to control.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He hits me too many times. And the last time he gave me two slaps that he (Inaudible) fist. I was losing my mind, because you cannot trust anyone. And the person you gave all your life too these things from here, life is finished.
SOARES: She is one of seven other women at this Iranian Kurdish women's refuge who left home during the pandemic, with many more waiting for a room and a guiding hand. The manager here tells me COVID-19 has proven to be the perfect storm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were intently living together with the perpetrators. There was no time for them to breathe, no time to see friends, relatives, go out. The perpetrators have used their conceive control in more authoritarian way.
SOARES: According to women's aide April survey, 78 percent of women living with abusers felt they cannot leave or get away because of the pandemic. Those that do escape face further anxieties, with a backlog in the criminal justice system and limited access to support services or safe havens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything is definitely taking longer. More uncertainty, more insecurity.
SOARES: This 40-year-old Iranian only recently managed to escape a husband of four years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on screen text): When life was very difficult for me with my husband, one time I tried to leave but didn't manage.
SOARES: Not even an attempted suicide that left her in the hospital cleared her path. She did eventually escape just days ago, and now tells me the pandemic only made it worse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on screen text): When we were arguing with each other, we couldn't take time apart, one of us couldn't leave for a few days.
SOARES: He was violent to you? Was he also -- did he also sexually abuse you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on screen text): Yes. I can't talk about it more because right now I'm seeing a therapist.
SOARES: Did the pandemic reveal the real man?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on screen text): Yes.
SOARES: Harrowing tales of intimate terrorism at an uncertain time of heightened isolation.
Isa Soares, CNN, London.
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[03:25:07]
CHURCH: And visit cnn.com to hear more from the women at the shelter, and if you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, you can get help at nvawnow.org.
Well, in Northern England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is forcing the Greater Manchester region into tougher coronavirus restrictions. He announced the area would move to the tier three alert level after the British government and city's mayor failed to reach an agreement on an economic relief deal.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live this hour from Manchester. She joins us now. Good to see you, Salma. So what happens next and how likely is it that a nationwide lockdown will have to be put in place in the end?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Rosemary, it's truly been a dramatic 10 days here in Manchester. Essentially what happens next is that the government will unilaterally imposed tier three restrictions on the city. That means they will have to shut down pubs, bars, households will be virtually banned from mixing together.
This is of course after days of political bickering over a financial package that the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham says is necessary to help those affected by these tier three restrictions. He wanted to see 80 percent of wages of anyone who's been who has to fall under these restrictions be paid by the government.
Now, while the door on negotiations has been closed, the deal over the financial package, according to Secretary Matt Hancock is still open, they are still negotiating the terms of just how much money they'll get.
But again, this was just a dramatic day. It started with a deadline. That deadline came and passed. The mayor of Greater Manchester was actually in front of the cameras when he found out that restrictions will go into force on Friday, just past midnight. Take a look at the moment.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a disgrace.
MAYOR ANDY BURNHAM, GREATER MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: I mean --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just want to react. BURNHAM: It's brutal to be honest, isn't it? What, this is no way -- this is no way to run the country in a national crisis. It isn't. This is not right. They should not be doing this, grinding people down, trying to accept the least that they can get away with. Twenty-two million pounds to fight the situation we are in is, frankly, disgraceful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Now he mentions that 22 million pounds, that is the financial package. Now we understand it's actually larger than that that's being offered to the city. Over 60 million pounds plus is being offered to the city. the great -- the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham again says that's not enough. Those negotiations are still going on. But the restrictions will go into place.
But what is really important here is that this sets a precedent for the country. The virus has been spreading through the city very rapidly while these negotiations have been going on. And the question is what is the strategy here? Are you going to go region by region, town by town, bickering over financial packages and the minutia of these measures while the virus spreads through the population?
That's why many people are calling for a nationwide lockdown. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given an unequivocal no to that. He says that he feels a nationwide lockdown would be too punishing. That this regional approach is better. The other question here is one of compliance. A city like Manchester that feels that these rules are being forced upon it by a central government actually follow through. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Some tough measures for everyone there. Salma Abdelaziz joining us live from Manchester. Many thanks.
And just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise across the United States. And now experts are warning of an even worse situation in the weeks ahead.
Plus, the Cathay Pacific Airline group hemorrhaging money because of the pandemic. It's the latest to announce thousands of job cuts.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A grim warning from the former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He says a rapid acceleration of coronavirus cases may be about a week away. In the past week, 14 states reported their highest number ever for hospital admissions for COVID-19. All of this is a sign of the difficult northern winter on the horizon. Here is Brian Todd.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this nursing home in northwestern Kansas, an unmitigated disaster. 100 percent of its residents, 62 people, have tested positive for the coronavirus, county health officials say. And 10 residents have died.
LEANA WEN, FORMER HEALTH COMMISSIONER, BALTIMORE: In congregate settings like nursing homes, this is a disease that could spread like wildfire. And this in fact is what we have seen before in nursing homes and tragically what we are seeing in this nursing home in Kansas as well.
TODD: Kansas is one of 31 states trending upward in new coronavirus cases tonight, only one state, Hawaii is dropping and 16 states, nearly a third of the country, are experiencing their highest seven- day averages for new cases since the pandemic began. One expert says the next four or five month's maybe the worst period of the entire pandemic.
DR. PETER HOTEZ, VACCINE RESEARCHER, DEAN OF THE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: We are at about 70,000 new cases a day. Probably by next week or the week after, we could be looking at a doubling of the number of deaths by the week after the inauguration.
TODD: Dr. Peter Hotez says things will get better by next summer, but that Americans have to get ready for some horrible numbers in the meantime and hang on. In Illinois, one of the states trending up in cases, officials say almost every region in the state has seen an increase in COVID related hospitalizations over the last week. And tighter restrictions on gatherings are coming.
STEVE BRANDY, SPOKESMAN, WILL COUNTY ILLINOIS HEALTH DEPARTMENT: It didn't happen by itself. People are being careless. People are getting cocky. People are thinking it's not going to happen to me. It's over. No, that is all wrong.
TODD: The Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in New York City is not in a so-called red zone of coronavirus hotspots there. But state officials barred a planned gathering in that neighborhood for the wedding of the grandson of an orthodox Jewish rabbi, a gathering where they say up to 10,000 people were expected to attend.
JUDITH HARRISON, ASSISTANT CHIEF, NEW YORK POLICE: We don't want to disrespect anybody. People are allowed to gather, but within reason. We want to make sure that there are no large gatherings in excess of 50 people.
TODD: As communities fight off outbreaks, the race for a vaccine gets more intense. The British government is planning to conduct the first so-called human challenge studies, where healthy volunteers are deliberately infected with the virus, and some receive an experimental vaccine.
China says nearly 60,000 people have been injected with experimental vaccines during its phase three clinical trials. While in the U.S., the Health and Human Services secretary says officials hope to have enough vaccine by late March or early April to vaccinate everyone in America who wants one. But a leading vaccine expert puts that timetable a bit later. PAUL OFFIT, VACCINE EDUCATION CENTER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF
PHILADELPHIA: Early next year, you will start to see these vaccines rolling out to the highest risk group's first. And then by the middle of next year, the end of next year, hopefully we will then be getting more to the general public.
TODD: But the nation's top voice on the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is still worried about Americans not trusting the vaccine. Dr. Fauci predicted that when a safe and effective vaccine becomes available in the U.S., it still going to be a challenge to convince people to take the vaccine. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: So, let's talk about this with Dr. Jorge Rodriguez. He joins me from Los Angeles. Thank you Doctor for talking with us.
JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE AND VIRAL SPECIALIST: My pleasure.
[03:35:00]
CHURCH: So this country has lost nearly 221,000 people and 42 states reported an increased in hospitalizations over the past two weeks. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the U.S. is one week away from a rapid acceleration in COVID cases. What needs to be done?
RODRIGUEZ: What need to be done is that we really need to start adhering too and believing what has been said now for almost nine months, which is that this virus is here. It's here to stay for a long time and we need to practice the holy trinity which is masks, separation by at least six feet from other people and handwashing. There is no room for error right now. There really isn't.
CHURCH: Yes, exactly. And the mayor of Miami Beach is accusing Florida's Governor of pursuing a herd immunity strategy. The very same approach advocated by Dr. Scott Atlas who now advises President Trump. How concerned are you that the Trump administration and governors who support the president are following this strategy and explain the consequences of an approach like that.
RODRIGUEZ: I am very concerned and I have been all along. There are people that are playing politics with our lives. I am a Miami hometown boy. So, this one really strikes from very closely. DeSantis has obviously been riding whatever -- I mean, President Trump wants him to do. They have put politics before lives.
And the danger is that once this ball starts rolling down the hill, it's going to gain momentum. And if you look at the graphs, it really is about to explode in a couple of weeks. And listen, we are one big country and what happens in Florida will eventually as it is happening now will happen in Iowa and Nebraska. We are not separate.
CHURCH: Yes. And the problem is of course, they are opening things up.
RODRIGUEZ: Of course. CHURCH: So this makes the situation worst. And a recent study shows
Italy opened windows for in-person learning at schools and kids wear masks and face shields while sitting about eight feet apart. Then there is a chance schools could offer safer in-person learning experience. Do you agree with that? Is that a workable model, depending, of course, on what each school is able to do? Some schools can't accommodate eight feet between each student.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, you know, it's very difficult. These question about children and learning is a very difficult thing. Obviously, for complete growth, should be with their peers. What I think would work is to establish these norms and to have a rotating system.
We need to be fluid. We need to have some kids coming in. Maybe one third of class on Monday, another third on Tuesday and the rest can be done virtually, you know, the other third on Wednesday. We need to be inventive. But it can work. We just need to again, follow separation, shields and washing our hands.
CHURCH: Yes, and of course it depends how many kids. I mean, the kids at my -- my kid's high school, there are 2,400 of them. It would be impossible for all of them to be accommodated in a situation like that. So each school has to be taken one at a time and work this out. So, what do you say to American families who want to get together for thanksgiving later next month? And to other families across the globe planning to dine or party together.
RODRIGUEZ: I say and this may sound a little corny, but I say that this year we need to isolate and perhaps not see each other so that next year when we do get together, nobody is missing. So I say that we really need to buckle down and be very cautious. There are other ways of communicating. We don't have to gather in large groups this year.
As a matter of fact, one of the most dangerous things that we do is gather with family and friends who we think just because they are family and friends they are safe. You can still love your family. We don't always have to see them. So, let's think of the future as opposed to right now, the president and this holiday season.
CHURCH: Some very wise advice there, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez. Thank you so much for joining us.
RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Later today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are expected to resume talks in an effort to find common ground on a major stimulus deal. Pelosi seems upbeat about the progress, but some Senate Republicans, specifically Mitch McConnell, are not so optimistic. Sources say the Senate majority leader doesn't expect a deal to get a vote in his chamber before Election Day. Here is what the Democratic Senate minority leader had to say about it.
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SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: The only bills McConnell will put on the floor are so -- they are not small, they are not skinny. They are emaciated. They leave out testing and tracing. They leave out helping kids open up the schools. They leave out helping people with their rental. We can't have a deal that has virtually nothing. Even the one thing they say they might be for, which is some small business relief, they leave out relief to restaurants.
[03:40:05]
They leave out relief to our independent venues, our stages. They leave out relief to nonprofits. They even leave out relief to our rural hospitals, which definitely need help. So, they can't bring themselves to do anything. So we are not even at this stage of talking compromise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meanwhile, The New York Times and Sienna College had come out with a new poll. It shows seven out of 10 Americans support a two trillion dollar stimulus package backed by House Democrats.
Well, Cathay Pacific Group is the latest airline company taking an economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic. The company announced nearly 6,000 people will lose their jobs in an effort to cut costs. Most of the cut positions will come from the company's Hong Kong headquarters. Hundreds more jobs that had gone unfilled will also be eliminated.
And CNN's Selina Wang is following this story from Hong Kong. She joins us now live. Good to see you, Selina. So, how is this news being received in Hong Kong?
SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, great to be with you. I mean, we were expecting these job cuts considering just how hard the industry has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. But still these are the largest job cuts in Cathay Pacific's history. They are eliminating about a quarter of the jobs. As you mentioned they are going to be laying off more than 5,000 employees here in Hong Kong as well as hundreds of employees overseas.
Now, Cathay Pacific was already struggling before the COVID-19 pandemic. Hong Kong protest had significantly reduce the number of travelers coming in from the mainland. And then when it comes to COVID-19, a place like Hong Kong gets hit especially hard because it doesn't have a domestic market to rely on to offset the drop in international travelers. Now as a result of this, Cathay is also going to be getting rid of one of its regional carriers called Cathay Dragon.
But the goal here, the hope is that as a result of this, this will allow Cathay to stay afloat for a bit longer. They have been losing hundreds of millions of dollars per month, and even after this restructuring, they are still going to be bleeding cash.
Now, if you take a look across the board at the carrier industry, it is not a pretty picture. You have the International Air Transport Association predicting that it's going to take until 2024 for passenger traffic to get back to pre-pandemic levels. Qantas recently announcing it's going to be laying off around 30 percent of its staff.
At Singapore airlines, it's going to be around 20 percent. And then in the U.S., they are already starting to layoff tens of thousands of people in the airline industry. And this is despite Congress approving that $50 billion bailout package earlier this year.
Now, Cathay Pacific had also received some help over the summer. It had received a $5 billion rescue package that was led by the Hong Kong government. But that just wasn't enough. And in the words of the CEO of Cathay Pacific Group, he said that the global pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on aviation.
And the hard truth is we must fundamentally restructure the group to survive. So expecting more pain ahead for Cathay Pacific, they are expecting to operate less than half of its pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity in 2021. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. So many consequences as a result of this pandemic. Selina Wang joining us live from Hong Kong, many thanks.
Well, witnesses say protests have been met with gunfire by Nigerian troops. The latest on demands for police reform when we come back.
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[03:45:00]
CHURCH: In Lagos, Nigeria, protest against police brutality turned violent as eyewitnesses say soldiers opened fire on demonstrators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(POLICE SIREN)
(GUNSHOTS)
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CHURCH: Witnesses tell CNN that multiple people were shot, and they say the gunfire went on for at least 15 to 30 minutes. And CNN's Eleni Giokos joins me now live. So, Eleni, we are getting these eyewitness accounts of Nigerian forces opening fire on peaceful protesters. What is the latest on this?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN MONEY AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and the latest that we are hearing on the ground in Lekki, which is an area in Lagos where the mayhem ensued, and that's where many Nigerians are calling it that they are still hearing gunshots and gunfire heard across that area. Now, we had one eyewitness, which is DJ Switch, it's a Nigerian celebrity who posted a video on Twitter this morning walking in the streets in the same clothes she was wearing last night and hearing the gunshots. So, we don't know who is shooting and what exactly is playing out in that moment right now. But it seems the situation is still on the go. And you rightly say
these are peaceful protesters, according to eyewitnesses. That then the National Security Forces open gunfire directly on the demonstrators. What really happened was after the curfew was in stated yesterday at 4:00 p.m. local time, we started to see National Security Forces descend on the Lekki Bridge. This is where the peaceful protesters were stationed.
Then we saw the physical removal of CCTV cameras and then the electricity was turned off. When the sun went down and it was dark, that is when eyewitnesses say the army started with gunfire and we are hearing stories of bodies on the ground. We cannot confirm fatalities, but Amnesty International says they are concerned about the credible and disturbing reports coming through about possible fatalities.
The Lagos governor, in the meantime has confirmed that people have been hospitalized. But what's really important here is just how people are feeling right now. And this morning, so many people have called me overnight. We spoke to so many eyewitnesses. Everyone traumatized, disappointed, upset, people are waking up feeling numb and saying that the one voice they haven't heard from is the president of Nigeria.
Even through this two week protest action that we've seen which started off really peacefully and then you started to see packets and localized violence occurring, I mean this curfew being instated after the evangelization of property. Nigerians are feeling really hurt and upset and the general sentiment that we are hearing is of immense disappointment, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, and Eleni, I am seeing some really disturbing footage being sent to me on Twitter and I wanted to ask about this too. Protesters are demanding protection and calling for an end to police brutality, but the police unit responsible for these brutal acts was disbanded and then formed again under a different name. So what happens now?
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, it's such a good question, because we've heard reports coming in to CNN that the SARS unit, which they said was disbanded, has actually still been operational even after that fact. Now, the demonstrators and the protesters continued with the call to end police brutality, even after the news that the government had officially disbanded the SARS unit.
Because they say a new unit was created very quickly under the name of SWAT. Is it just a re-branding exercise but with the same people that have not been trained. And this has been the big issue and of course they want to see prosecutions. And in the interim, we have actually seen police force being used against protesters. Water cannons, a person lost their lives on Monday.
So, this is definitely been ongoing. What is next? You need to hear from government. The big messages they need to be some kind of leadership. Nigeria turned 60 years this month. It's the month of independence. Many say this is a turning point, historically, contextually this is important. And also fascinating here that the protest action that we've seen has
cut across the social spectrum. Executives, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and even unemployed youth have joined in this call. So, it's going to be interesting to see the next few days. I think are going to be a big turning point. Nigerians are feeling hurt and upset today.
[03:50:18]
CHURCH: Absolutely. Eleni Giokos bringing us the latest on the situation on the ground in Nigeria. Many thanks.
Well, in Sudan, a ray of hope for the victims of alleged war crimes in the countries Darfur region. But accountability for former dictator Omar al-Bashir is not yet a done deal.
CNN's Nima Elbagir reports from London.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In a historic visit to Sudan, the international criminal court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda says that she has been assured by the highest level of Sudan's sovereign transitional council that they will cooperate with the international criminal courts in the matter of the inductees for war crimes in Darfur. Those inductees infamously include Sudan's former dictator, ousted President Omar Hassan al-Bashir among others.
It's a move that would have been unthinkable even 10 years ago. Back in 2009 and 2010, when the international criminal court first released its arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir for crimes in Darfur. But it still has been a long time coming for the victims of Omar al-Bashir and the other (inaudible).
It has been a long, long journey of almost a decade and a half. Fatou Bensouda says, she hopes that this trip will start a new era of both cooperation, but also a new area of hope that finally for the victims of al-Bashir and others that they will recognize that not only will justice be done, but that hope should always be possible.
And what should that hope look like? Well, so, what we are hearing so far is they are looking at a number of possibilities. Hybrid courts based in Sudan in which al-Bashir and others will be prosecuted, cooperation in Sudan. But the Sunni's transitional authority acknowledges that it would be very problematic, as they put it to try and get al-Bashir and others to The Hague at a time when the transitional government is itself very fragile.
But at the very least, Bensouda says she hopes that victims are taking away a commitment from her and others that finally justice will be served.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: COVID-19 isn't the only health crisis facing India. Coming up, how the capitals air pollution may be getting even worse. We are back in a moment.
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CHURCH: Well, India is already dealing with the world's second highest number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus, more than 7.5 million to date. But now comes another crisis, increasing levels of toxic air pollution. And it could make people more susceptible to the virus.
CNN's Vedika Sud has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: While India struggles to control its COVID- 19 caseload currently second only to the U.S., another health crisis has impacted Delhi and surrounding states.
[03:55:00]
The iconic India Gate shrouded in smog in the early hours of the morning. The cities worsening air pollution has walkers and cyclists gasping for breath.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
SUD: Farmers burning the residue of their crops tends to make the air quality even worse at this time of year, along with all the usual pollution drivers like car and industrial emissions and the burning of garbage.
According to India's pollution control board, Delhi's air quality index in the first two weeks of October was worse than the same period in 2018 and 2019. Environmentalists say the government needs to be more proactive.
VIMLENDU JHA, ENVIRONMENTALIST: The air is not only polluted in these three months. Delhi has a bad air day troubles to 50 days up to 65 days. And therefore we cannot wake up only in the month of October and think of a solution. We have to think of a solution which is 365 days or for the next five years.
SUD: Medical experts have expressed concern over the impact of rising air pollution levels during the pandemic.
RANDEEP GULERIA, DIRECTOR, AIIMS: There are studies which have look at a correlation between the rising levels of pollution and COVID-19 cases. And these studies tend to show that if there is one unit rise in (inaudible) 2.5, you can have a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
SUD: With no immediate solution in sight, it's a double whammy for the people of Delhi and bordering states. They are now banking on these masks not only to avoid contracting the virus, but critical respiratory illnesses as well. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And thanks so much for joining us. I am Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment.
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