Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Experts Warn Of Future Outbreaks If Virus Origins Remain Unknown; WHO: A Monumental Error To Think Danger Of COVID Has Passed; Israel P.M. Netanyahu Faces Ouster As Rivals Try Forming Unity Government; China Announces Three-Child Policy To Boost Population Growth; Vernon AME Church Memorial Remembers Black Wall Street Race Massacre; Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired May 31, 2021 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:31:30]

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Cities across the country are reopening. A record number of travelers are getting on planes. But health officials warn that this pandemic is not over.

Just today, the World Health Organizations director general says it would be a monumental error for any country to think the danger passed.

There's a lot of work to find the source of the coronavirus. That's one.

But a lot of experts say history is bound to repeat if we don't figure out exactly how this pandemic began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. PETE HOTEZ, DIRECTOR, TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CENTER FOR VACCINE DEVELOPMENT: This is now our third major coronavirus epidemic/pandemic of the 21st century.

We had the original SARS in 2003, 2002 that arose out of southern China, affected Toronto, on tare. Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome in 2012 causing the epidemic in South Korea in 2015. This is the third one.

And Mother Nature is telling us what's going to happen. There's going to be COVID 26 and COVID 32 unless we fully understand the origins of COVID-19.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Let's bring in Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, a CNN medical analyst and board-certified internal medicine specialist and virile researcher.

Doctor, welcome back.

Let's start there, the importance of getting to the bottom of the origins and doing that work pretty quickly.

DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, it's absolutely essential. So I agree completely with what they said.

In order to know how to best control this virus we need to see and know how it originated. Was it from a species to humans? Was it a laboratory error? Was it, the worst-case scenario, a weaponization by a country?

We need to know so that those causes, all right, can be contained or we can learn how to not let this virus progress for the future. Absolutely essential.

BLACKWELL: I summarized at the top the remarks from the director general of the WHO. Let's listen to him here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: It would be a monumental error for any country to think the danger has passed. The tailored and consistent use of public health measures in combination with equitable vaccination remains the way out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So vaccination numbers in the U.S. look good. Not great. But they look pretty good. Things are opening up across the country. What's your concern?

Do you think that applies to the U.S.? What's your message to people feeling good maskless out on the beach this weekend?

RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely that applies to the United States. And really is does concern and scare me because we think that we're isolated. We think that just because things are better here that it's over.

And I agree with the director general. That would be a monumental mistake.

Let's face it, this pandemic is probably going to stretch out for another couple of years, at least, in one way or another.

And just because it stops sprinkling here in the United States doesn't mean there aren't storm clouds on the horizon. There are.

Until all countries have this contained, seriously, no country, no person is safe. Because we're not isolated. We travel. There's commerce.

So it is a monumental mistake, especially when we have this opportunity to take vaccines that protect ourselves. And so many people are not taking advantage of that.

That it is a -- it's just insane. And it is a mistake.

[14:35:03]

BLACKWELL: Another couple of years. That's what I heard you just say. This is going to go on another couple years.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: Doctor -- go ahead. Go ahead.

RODRIGUEZ: No, no, no. I was going to say one way or another -- we keep thinking it's just the United States. There are countries that are just completely exploding with COVID.

And people are going to be traveling to other parts of the country. And to other countries.

So, listen, unless this virus just decides to evaporate into thin air one day, we're looking at a slow burn. And we have the opportunity to contain it, at least in this country.

And we need to share that wealth with less privileged countries so they can contain it, so that we can be safe.

BLACKWELL: You just mentioned people traveling to other parts of the country, other countries as well.

When you see or hear the record number of travelers, 37 million, and the two million for TSA, do you feel a sense of anxiety? What do you feel, think when you see and hear those numbers?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, I do feel a sense of anxiety. I mean, my partner works for a major airline. We have felt that anxiety for a while. I think that it's the recklessness.

You know, it's the fact that people just choose to wear their political, you know, beliefs on their sleeve, and use that as a reason to be careless.

And, again, I can almost respect if you don't want to wear a mask, if this were a different disease. But those decisions affect others around us.

And also the fact that we are not getting vaccinated, again, when we have such a privilege in this country to do so.

It does concern me though. It concerns me because people are taking that as a call to arms, not to be careful.

So we need to be careful for many years. Even just to protect ourselves against the regular flu, let alone SARS-COV-2.

BLACKWELL: Certainly more work to be done.

Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, always good to have you, sir.

RODRIGUEZ: You, too, Victor. Thank you. BLACKWELL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu political fate

uncertain now after rival parties agreed to work together, which could oust from him office. We are live in Jerusalem, next.

Also ahead, China announces a three-child policy to boost the lagging population growth.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:41:24]

BLACKWELL: He is Israel's longest serving prime minister. But Benjamin Netanyahu may soon reach end of his political career.

Here is why. Naftali Bennett, now the leader of a right-wing party, says he is ready to join with the centrist leader to form a new unity coalition government that could unseat Netanyahu.

CNN's Hadas Gold is in Jerusalem.

Hadas, what's the timeline? How likely is to happen.

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Victor, the timeline could be in the next few days. We may see the end of Benjamin Netanyahu's run as the longest serving prime minister.

This is as close as he has ever been to losing his job, all because of the former aide to Netanyahu himself who now says he is willing to take a small right-wing party and work with the opposition parties to form the new unity government.

Under this deal, Naftali Bennett would become prime minister first then followed by the centrist leader, sort of a rotating unity deal.

The coalition would be comprised ever political parties across the spectrum from Israel, the far left through the center and to the Republican.

It would also likely need the support of an outside party such as a small Islamist party called the United Arab List.

This, a unique governing coalition across the political spectrum. Not much unites them other than they don't want Netanyahu in power.

It would be interesting to see if this government comes into power how it will Oregon and what policies it will have. Because of the differing views across the government.

How it will work, first, the coalition agreements need to be formally signed before the coalition can be presented to the Israel president.

Then the parliament still has to vote on the new government. And then if they approve it, the government could be sworn in. That means we are still a few days away before the new government and potentially new prime minister being sworn in. And for Israeli, a few days is an eternity and a lot can potentially

change. We could have defector from the coalition. Just a few could cause it to crumble.

This is as close as it's ever been to the end of Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel's prime minister. This is as seismic event in Israeli politics.

BLACKWELL: Even a fourth election.

Hadas, thanks so much.

China is announcing a new three-child policy now, part of a major population push in the country.

CNN's David Culver has more for us.

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Victor, China easing the strict family planning policies, allowing couples to have three children, according to state media, all the way from the top.

The Chinese Communist Party leadership, including President Xi Jinping, making the decision three weeks after Beijing published the 2020 census, showing the China population growing at the slowest in decades.

This is more than just about altering family planning. This signals at a critical and pressing issue for China as the country is trying to avert a demographic crisis.

The declining birth rate combined with increased life expectancy is causing fears there will not be enough workers to support the aging population.

What you have to keep in mind about China is that economic stability and prosperity are deeply intertwined with social stability here. State media did not say when in new policy might be implemented -- Victor?

BLACKWELL: David Culver, thank you.

[14:44:56]

It's been 100 years to the day since the Tulsa race massacre when hundreds of people were killed in a community that was burned to the ground by a white mob. Coming up, I'll speak to the Reverend Robert Turner, who leads the only black church that survived that massacre.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: It's been 100 years today since the Tulsa massacre. Hundreds of people were killed when a white mob looted and burned to the ground an area of Tulsa known as Black Wall Street for its thriving black-owned businesses.

This morning, there was a memorial ceremony at the historic Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church, the only black owned structure in the Black Wall Street area.

[14:50:06]

Let's bring in my next guest now. A pastor at the church, Reverend Robert Turner, of Vernon AME.

Pastor, thanks for being with us.

You say that this is not a tragedy of 1921. It's not a 100--year-old tragedy, it's a century-long tragedy. Explain why.

REV. ROBERT TURNER, VERNON AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: It is.

Thank you for having me on your show.

It is a tragedy not just for 1921, but it is still a tragedy today in 2021 because it is still the largest uninvestigated crime scene in America that every day we go by and not investigate and not give repair, we are continuing the damages and the harms from the race massacre of 192! is.

BLACKWELL: I want to take the two things you've been protesting. I understand you go and protest every week. There are two things you're calling for: Reparations and also for this post posthumous investigation.

Tell us what that would mean for you, your community and our country.

TURNER: For there have been the first bombing in American history to curb right here in Greenwood. Not 9/11 and not Pearl Harbor but right here.

And for nobody to go to jail, for nobody to even get arrested except for the black men trying to defend their homes, that is a gross miscarriage of justice.

So, I feel that our state attorney general, our local district attorney needs to have an investigation into this.

And I know people say, well, most of the folks are dead. First of all, we don't know that because we've never had one.

But we still have institutions here that were around during the 1921 race massacre like the fire department that didn't put out one fire, one police department that didn't make one arrest but instead deputized members of their white mob.

BLACKWELL: I see the sign for reparations over your shoulder. When we hear from opponents of reparations, they say the money goes to people that were not affected. There are people who are alive, Viola Fletcher who is alive and testified before Congress, and others.

The importance of reparations and how those would be given to not just the descendants but the Greenwood community.

TURNER: Absolutely. We have actual, physical people alive that were -- that survived the massacre. And we have institutions like this church that survived the race massacre.

I feel it will help atone for the original sin of America. We are the only group of people in this nation that have not received repair. We give it. And I support it for Japanese-Americans and I support it for the Jewish Holocaust survivors.

This country gave reparations to the south after the Civil War. We have states that seceded from the union -- we have -- over 700,000 union soldiers were killed by the Confederacy but this country gave reparations to the south.

That is a spit in the face of every veteran in this nation. And in some states like Alabama, they still are taking taxpayer dollars and it's going to support Confederate memorials to this very day.

BLACKWELL: Reverend Turner, President Biden will be there tomorrow. What message do you want him to bring? What message do you want him to take back to Washington?

TURNER: I would love for President Biden to come. First of all, we're so thankful he's coming and hoping he brings a message of repair towards justice, hoping he supports H.R. 40 that's right now in the House, in the companion bill in the Senate.

And I hope that we can be a part of leading a conversation for reparations and that can truly heal this country racially.

BLACKWELL: Reverend Robert Turner, of the historic Vernon AME Church there in Tulsa, thank you.

TURNER: God bless you.

BLACKWELL: And you can learn more about the Tulsa massacre tonight. CNN's latest film, "DREAMLAND: THE BURNING OF BLACK WALL STREET" premieres at 9:00 p.m. Right here on CNN.

[14:54:29]

All right. So, we are following major news out of the French Open. Naomi Osaka just withdrew from the tournament after being fined $15,000 for refusing to speak to the media. We'll explain why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Tennis star, Naomi Osaka, says she is withdrawing from the French Open. You'll remember open officials fined Osaka $15,000 and threatened to disqualify her for missing a post-match press conference yesterday.

Let's go to CNN Carolyn Manno with this one.

This is big, Carolyn.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Victor. This is shocking. It could be an indication that Osaka has been shouldering a very large burden silently for a long time. There's still a lot of questions that need to be answered.

[15:00:07]