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Florida Condo Search And Rescue Paused Ahead Of Impending Demolition; U.S. Updates Emergency Evacuation Plans For Kabul Embassy; Thousands Protest Bolsonaro's Handling Of COVID-19; South African Top Court To Review Zuma's Sentence; Japan Mudslide Claims Two, 19 Rescued; UNHCR Wants Increased Vaccine Access For Refugee Populations; Track And Field Olympian Suspended After Failed Drug Test; England Crush Ukraine In Euro 2020 Quarterfinals. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired July 04, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.
Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM, search-and-rescue efforts are on hold at the site of the collapsed condo in Florida.
In Japan, teams have found survivors of a horrific and deadly mudslide.
And as travelers take advantage of a holiday weekend in the U.S., there are new warnings about the pandemic and the Delta variant.
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NEWTON: So the impending arrival of tropical storm Elsa in Florida has dramatically moved up the timeline for demolishing what remains of a collapsed condo there. It could possibly take place as early as the next few hours.
You are looking right now at a live shot of that condo. If left standing, there is now growing concern that the storm could topple the unstable 12-story structure. Engineers now believe they can safely bring it down before that storm arrives.
In the meantime, search-and-rescue efforts have now been suspended.
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MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA (D), MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL: Search and rescue does have to pause temporarily while the demolition preparation is underway. And that there is threat to the standing building that is posed to the first responders, as we've told you.
And we will begin the search and rescue once again on any sections of the pile that are safe to access as soon as we're cleared.
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NEWTON: More tough news for the families. CNN's Brian Todd is in Surfside, Florida with the latest developments.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officials here in Surfside, Florida have announced a pause in the rescue operation while they prepare to demolish the remainder of what's left of that condo complex that collapsed.
There is part of the Champlain Towers South complex in Surfside that remains upright but they have paused the search-and-rescue operation. They're planning to bring that building down via demolition, probably within the next couple of days.
They say they want to do that before the tropical storm that is tracking toward South Florida, tropical storm Elsa, gets to this area. Now it's not clear what, if any, impacts Elsa is going to have on Surfside and the nearby area.
But the storm could at least provide some remnants of high wind and heavy rain here. And they want to make sure they get that building demolished before that happens.
Will they be able to do it?
That's not clear. They had to pause the rescue operations at 4:00 pm Eastern on Saturday while they prepare for that demolition. That includes drilling into columns and doing other technical work to prepare for the demolition of the building because that building, as it stands upright, remains simply too dangerous.
There are concrete slabs, there are concrete columns hanging from it. Part of the rubble has shifted under the building. There are sensors indicating cracking. So it's a very dangerous structure as it remains.
They're going to try to bring it down in the next couple of days. The mayor said they will not need to evacuate anyone from nearby buildings for that demolition -- Brian Todd, CNN, Surfside, Florida.
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NEWTON: So Elsa weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Saturday but that could change by the time it reaches the United States.
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NEWTON: Now there is good news coming out of the mudslide in Atami that Derek was just talking about. Ten people have been rescued after being stranded in their homes. At least two women are confirmed dead and 20 other people are unaccounted for after the disaster struck on Saturday morning.
Search-and-rescue efforts had to be suspended overnight. But hundreds of emergency workers resumed the search early Sunday morning. Time to bring in CNN's Blake Essig, who is live for us in Atami, Japan.
Good news. Things have been progressing slowly but it seems like the kind of encouragement that the search and rescue rescuers need at this moment.
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Paula. When you see the video of this mudslide and the images that we're seeing today, any people that are being rescued, you know, is incredible.
That being said, the frantic search for survivors continues after torrential rains triggered a massive landslide here in the resort town of Atami. Two people are dead and at least another 20 more are believed to be missing in this horrifying scene that was captured on cell phone video around 10:30 Saturday morning.
A section of the hillside gave way, sending residents scrambling as a torrent of mud and water came crashing through town, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. I'm going step off camera just a moment so you can see that trail of destruction yourself.
It's hard to believe that yesterday morning, before 10:30 in the morning, this area was filled with homes, littered with homes, a residential area; about 24-30 hours later, a lot of the homes are gone. And the one you're seeing right now, dozens of these homes have been completely buried.
Atami city officials say between 100 and 300 homes have been affected. As of right now, search-and-rescue efforts are underway to find survivors on the ground. And for a brief time earlier today from the sky, before fog started to roll in. We've also seen crews using dogs to enter impacted buildings searching for signs of life.
So far city officials say 10 people have been rescued. Around 700 people are assisting with the operations. That includes police officers, firefighters, the Coast Guard and members of Japan's self- defense force.
Now as of early this morning, roughly 380 people have been evacuated throughout the -- excuse me -- 10 evacuation centers throughout the city. We spoke with one man, who says he is lucky to be alive. He and his family got out just moments before the landslide hit, burying part of their home.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I wasn't watching the mudslide from home but at a different place. The ground rumbled and the electricity pylons were shaking. The mudslide looked like a tsunami. It was like a big wave that made a thunderous noise and came crashing down on to the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ESSIG: Adverse weather conditions and steep mountainous terrain have made this search-and-rescue effort more difficult and there are fears that more landslides could take place not just here but in several areas along the coast as rain continues to fall.
In fact, since we arrived in Atami this morning, we've received multiple messages sent to our mobile phones, warning of that very possibility. Now because of those concerns, evacuation orders have been put in place in several cities along the coast.
Experts say that even if the rain does stop, the risk of another disaster is high and that, of course, is because of the amount of water that's already accumulated in the ground in an area prone to landslides -- Paula.
NEWTON: Still so much danger there. The shot behind you, I have to say, is so haunting. It actually is very difficult to take in the amount of devastation that we see there in the region. Thanks for being there. Appreciate it.
Now U.S. officials are actively updating evacuation plans at their embassy in Afghanistan as the threat of potential violence escalates.
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NEWTON: It comes just days after U.S. troops left Bagram Air Base, pardon me, the most significant step yet in their pullout from the country. CNN's Anna Coren is live in Kabul for us.
I'm sure that the U.S. drawdown is already having an effect there.
What's behind the updated evacuation plans at the U.S. embassy?
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: To put it bluntly, Paula, it's the deteriorating security situation here in Afghanistan. The State Department points out that there is no current need for evacuation of the U.S. embassy here in Kabul, that it is simply updating these emergency evacuation plans.
It's something that's routine, done all across the world. However, the detail that has been provided to us certainly suggests that this could be implemented very quickly. And they need to be able to do this very quickly if it comes to the crunch.
You have to remember that the footprint of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has absolutely shrunk. When U.S. and NATO forces flew out of Bagram Air Base very early Friday morning, handing it back over to the Afghans, that brought really an end to America's involvement here in this country after almost 20 years.
Of course, there are still troops on the ground. We know that there are going to be 650 Marines looking after the U.S. embassy here in Kabul, providing security. There will be others providing security for the airport until a more permanent solution comes into play.
But certainly they need to have this plan updated, ready to execute in case it all becomes way too much, in case the Taliban launch an offensive on Kabul and U.S. diplomats and staff need to get out of here.
But it certainly created a great deal of panic. We were speaking to local Afghans yesterday, Paula, who said, we hear the U.S. embassy is closing. What are you learning?
It just adds to the sense of hysteria, considering those U.S. troops flew out on Friday night and that security blanket that has been here in Afghanistan for the last 20 years has gone.
NEWTON: Understandable that they would be concerned about what the Taliban's next move would be as well. Anna Coren live for us from Kabul. Appreciate it.
Breaking news now.
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NEWTON: CNN Philippines has confirmed that a military transport plane crashed in the southern part of the country Sunday. It was carrying troops to an island in the Philippines' Sulu province when it missed the runway and crashed into a nearby village.
Military and civilian firefighters are on the scene at this hour to try and put out the fire that's engulfed the aircraft. Officials say at least 40 people have been rescued from the site so far. CNN is still working to confirm exactly how many people were on board when the plane crashed.
Reuters is reporting that as many as 92 people were on board but that has not yet been confirmed. Again, a military transport plane belonging to the Philippine air force crashing in the Philippines. At least 40 people rescued so far. We will continue to stay on top of this story and have more details as they become available.
Brazil's president faces a reckoning on the streets. Why tens of thousands of Brazilians are calling for his impeachment. That's next.
Plus, a former South African president finds legal wiggle room in the face of a 15-month prison sentence. We'll go live to Jacob Zuma's hometown for the latest.
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NEWTON (voice-over): Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Saturday, demanding the impeachment of president Jair Bolsonaro. Many blame him for failing to control the pandemic, which has so far killed over half a million Brazilians.
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NEWTON: The president is facing scrutiny over allegations he turned a blind eye to a COVID vaccine corruption scheme within his own government. Stefano Pozzebon is in Bogota, Colombia, with more.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is facing renewed scrutiny over his handling of the pandemic response as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across the nation on Saturday, demanding his impeachment.
It is the third time the protesters have marched onto Brazil's largest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and hundreds more to urge congress to remove the president. He's already facing multiple calls for impeachment as well as a senate investigation into his government's action against COVID-19.
Just on Friday, Brazil's attorney general was authorized to open a new investigation on whether Bolsonaro committed any wrongdoing in the negotiation of a COVID-19 vaccine contract for 200 million doses of the Covaxin vaccine.
The drug was canceled last month after the revelation that the price Brazil agreed to pay for the vaccine was over 10 times what it was originally estimated. Bolsonaro has so far dismissed the investigations he is facing. On Saturday he said it was his mission to lead the destiny of the nation -- for CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
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NEWTON: Paulo Sotero is a distinguished fellow at the Wilson Center and former director of the Wilson Center's Brazil Institute.
Mr. Sotero, it becomes more and more difficult every day to really understand truly the legacy that this pandemic will leave on the lives of Brazilians but also now on its politics. This has been a public health emergency in Brazil for quite some time. They have another emergency in Brazil; that is climate.
This polarization in politics is really not conducive to coming up with solutions.
Do you think that people on the streets right now can finally be transformative there?
That has been the problem, we have seen people on the streets before, depending on the issue.
[02:20:00] PAULO SOTERO, DISTINGUISHED FELLOW, WILSON CENTER: Paula, I would love to believe that but I do not at this point. And I will tell you why. The number of people going to the streets to protest this negligence of the Bolsonaro government towards COVID, the number of people protesting are decreasing. It is not going up.
This protest in Sao Paulo attracted no more than 5,000 people. For street protests to have any impact, they have to be much larger than that.
In addition, the opposition to Bolsonaro is divided. He has control over the house of representatives, where impeachment process has to start. So he seems pretty safe for now and he has control of the federal coffers, of the money. He can use this to provide help, stipends of money, and protect himself.
He has almost 3.5 years before the next election and it looks like, from what we know and understand right now, it will be a very long and painful struggle. I am not convinced that he will be removed from power, be it by impeachment or even by election.
NEWTON: Given the fact that Bolsonaro, of course, is not directly connected to this corruption scandal as of yet. This is in fact an investigation and he denies he has anything to do with this.
What hope do you have that a lot of what needs to be done on the economic side of things in Brazil can actually get done in this environment?
SOTERO: Well, the Brazilian economy is recovering at one of its largest contractions ever. It is gaining some speed. And this, in a sense, helps Bolsonaro, because this means more employment, people, et cetera. But others say there will be no secure recovery until COVID is controlled in Brazil. But it's not.
Just in the past few weeks, the average number of people killed by COVID in Brazil is around 2,000 a day. So the economy will recover but in a mediocre way. It's not going to be very convincing. The opposition is mobilizing but can't come together. The president controls, up to a point the cabinet, the coffers, the armed forces.
He controls the state police. This is a very important element and many in Brazil fear he could use state police to create confusion. And he has already announced that he will not accept the results of an election in Brazil without a paper ballot. He's using it to create confusion, following Donald Trump's (INAUDIBLE).
And it's sad. It's sad and it's very worrisome.
NEWTON: OK, Paulo Sotero, thank you so much for joining us, appreciate it.
SOTERO: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE) Now to allegations in corruption in South Africa, where the former president has a reprieve from prison time. Jacob Zuma faced a Sunday deadline to turn himself over to police after receiving a 15-month prison sentence.
But he made a last-ditch legal maneuver to delay the move. David McKenzie is on top of the story for us and he is standing by in Zuma's hometown, about 500 kilometers east of Johannesburg.
When Zuma was actually sentenced to prison time, no less than Desmond Tutu said it was a pivotal moment in South Africa's history. In his words, it proves that all are equal before the law.
Does what's happening now really change that sentiment?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, I think people are wavering on that sentiment. You heard a lot of that kind of statements coming out a few days ago. Those of us who have covered Zuma for many years know it's not over until it's over.
Former president Zuma in his home state will be a relieved man this morning in South Africa because he was supposed to go to prison later today. But that last-ditch, somewhat obscure legal maneuver to have the court hear mitigating circumstances.
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MCKENZIE: The constitutional court as to whether actually he should go to prison has been accepted. That will be heard on July 12th.
Now we were here yesterday. A lot of people were making threatening noises, saying, if he goes to prison, there will be war in South Africa. Of course, that is sometimes just talk.
But because of the factionalism in the ruling party here, it is a dangerous moment for this country's constitution.
Here is Edward Zuma, Zuma's son.
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EDWARD ZUMA, JACOB ZUMA'S SON: They can give Zuma 15 months. They can give Zuma 24 months or they can give him 100 months. He is not even going to serve one day or one minute of that. They would have to kill me before they put their hands on him.
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MCKENZIE: Now that sentiment we heard quite a bit yesterday here at the homestead. Later today, former president Zuma will speak and say what he has to say about this. But I think the key thing here is, with Zuma, it's always not what he says but what he does.
For many years he said he wanted to go to trial to face corruption charges and fraud charges and racketeering charges. And yet his legal team tried to avoid that trial at all costs and they still have managed to do that.
And he said he wanted to go to prison but, understandably, in that case, his lawyers have managed to keep him out of prison, the 79-year- old former ruler of this country. So it could be that this is a can kicked down the road and we'll be back here in a few weeks for that potentially pivotal moment. But people are starting to ask questions.
Does this constitution in South Africa withstand the pressure from a faction within the ruling party to keep their former head out of prison at all costs?
So it is a dangerous moment for this country. But for now, it's going to take a pause until mid-July -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and thanks for putting it in perspective for us because, as you point out, this is a pivotal moment in the history of that country. David McKenzie there for us live from South Africa, appreciate it.
There is much more ahead on CNN, including a look at Americans traveling in prepandemic numbers ahead of the 4th of July holiday weekend.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This is CNN breaking news.
NEWTON: To breaking news now on one of our top stories. A city official says nine more people have been rescued following a mudslide in the coastal city of Atami in Japan. Now that brings the total to 19 that have been rescued so far.
At least two women are confirmed dead and 20 other people remain unaccounted for after the disaster struck on Saturday morning. Search- and-rescue efforts had to be suspended overnight but hundreds of emergency workers resumed the search early Sunday morning.
We have Blake Essig there live on the scene for us and we'll continue to bring you updates over the next few hours.
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NEWTON: Health experts are urging caution as Americans embrace travel with a vengeance this Independence holiday weekend. Officials say more than 2 million people were screened at airports across the country Friday.
Not only is that a pandemic high, it's more than the numbers screened on the same day in 2019, before anyone had even heard of COVID. But of course, new infections are unfortunately surging across nearly half of the United States, driven by that highly transmissible Delta variant.
Experts say the strain is hitting states with the lowest vaccination rates and it's hitting them particularly hard. Experts are recommending that U.S. travelers and anybody celebrating the holiday in public take the proper precautions: wear masks, maintain appropriate social distancing and make sure you're fully vaccinated.
Los Angeles County has recommended that residents cover their faces in indoor public spaces, even if they've gotten the vaccine. Now the health director explained their reasoning.
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BARBARA FERRER, LOS ANGELES COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DIRECTOR: Now we are not requiring people who are vaccinated to wear those face coverings indoors. We're just made a strong recommendation.
If you're indoors, in a setting where you don't know everybody else's vaccination status and, in fact, there may be unvaccinated people around, for security for others and for safety for others, it is best at this point to prevent another surge here in L.A. County by having everyone in those settings, where it could be crowded and you're indoors, often with poor ventilation, to keep those face coverings on.
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NEWTON: Health experts have emphasized that vaccinations are a lifesaving necessity in the fight against COVID-19 but many barriers exist for those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes.
The United Nations Refugee Agency is monitoring vaccine access for these vulnerable populations, saying, more must be done to try and get them inoculated.
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NEWTON (voice-over): They fled persecution around the world and now they face a new threat. As countries scramble to get their populations vaccinated, the U.N. is calling on nations to include refugees in their inoculation efforts.
Overcrowded camps make social distancing a challenge. Communal water taps and lack of sanitation makes the battle against COVID-19 even more difficult.
Getting a job has become much more difficult for older refugees. In Latin America, earning a daily wage has become a luxury for several of these older refugees, according to a U.N. report.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Some days, we hardly eat breakfast and we don't have dinner. Sometimes, we do not even have breakfast. Sometimes, my wife and I eat only one meal a day.
NEWTON (voice-over): More than 9 million forcibly displaced people live in Asian countries. Many of these nations are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases and vaccine shortages. That is according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.
Being a refugee puts them at the bottom of the list for vaccinations, the agency says. The U.N. Refugee Agency and Save the Children estimate that around 800,000 to 900,000 refugees live in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. It is the single largest and most densely populated refugee settlement in the world.
In May, the camps here reported more than 1,000 confirmed cases and zero vaccine rollout. That is according to the U.N. And not having citizenship and lack of documentation makes it even harder for this population to keep themselves safe.
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ANN BURTON, UNHCR: Refugees and other populations that some of the requirements that governments have put in place to register for the vaccine require national identity documents, which refugees and stateless populations often do not have.
And so our operations have been working at a country level, trying to come up with a system, with governments, where they will agree to use other documents.
NEWTON (voice-over): One positive note: refugees and asylum seekers have begun seeking COVID19 doses in 91, of the 162 countries, that the U.N. is now monitoring.
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NEWTON: In the meantime, U.S. officials are tracking a major new ransomware attack targeting a key I.T. vendor. It's believed the hack is by the same group that hit meat supplier JBS. And the hackers may have links to Russia and Eastern Europe.
But if U.S. President Joe Biden knows who is responsible, he isn't saying yet. CNN's Arlette Saenz reports.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden said intelligence officials are still piecing together the details of a massive ransomware attack that affected a key software vendor. That vendor, named Kaseya, provides many products to I.T. management companies.
And cybersecurity experts believe that the same criminal gang responsible for an attack on that meat supplier, JBS, that that same gang was responsible for this attack against that software vendor. That gang is believed to originate in either Eastern Europe or Russia.
Now President Biden told reporters that he was briefed on the matter as he traveled here to Michigan on Air Force One and that, so far, the U.S. government does not know who was responsible for the attack.
And he said that it may not be the Russian government. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, we're not sure who it is. The director of the Intelligence Community will be giving me a deep dive on what's happened. And I'll know better tomorrow. And if it is, either with a knowledge of and/or a consequence of Russia, then I told Putin, we will respond.
We're not certain. The initial thinking was it was not Russian government.
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SAENZ: Now the president raised the issue of cyber attacks with Russia's president Vladimir Putin as they sat face-to-face in Geneva, Switzerland, last month. And following that meeting, the president told reporters that he told Putin, if these types of attacks were to continue and if the Russian government was involved or had knowledge, that the U.S. would be ready to respond.
These issues of cyber attacks really such a point of contention between the U.S. and Russia over the course of the past few months -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Travers City, Michigan.
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NEWTON: One of the stars of America's Olympic track and field team is now forced to miss her signature event. Coming up, Sha'Carri Richardson speaks out about her suspension and what led up to it.
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NEWTON: A little more than 19 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin. And Japan's capital is facing a rising number of coronavirus cases. The Olympic torch relay was reduced to just this stage show that you see there in Chiba prefecture due to COVID safety measures.
On Friday organizers said Olympic teams from countries with COVID cases of -- pardon me -- cases of COVID-19 variants, such as the Delta variant, would be subject to stricter measures while in Japan.
Now a top U.S. track and field star is speaking out about her failed drug test ahead of the games. Sha'Carri Richardson was suspended one month from the U.S. Olympic team after testing positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana. That means she is forbidden from running in the 100-meter sprint, her signature event.
She may still be allowed to compete in a later event though. CNN's Coy Wire explains.
CNN's Coy Wire explains.
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COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Sha'Carri Richardson was suspended for 30 days after testing positive for THC at the Olympic trials in Oregon last month saying that she used marijuana to cope after learning her biological mother had died. Marijuana is legal in Oregon but it's banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Many calling this rule antiquated. U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamie Raskin appealing to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency asking to have the suspension overturned.
Some star athletes, like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, basketball legends Sue Byrd, Dwyane Wade, all slamming the ruling, hoping she'll be allowed to run.
Others, though, like former NFL player turned TV commentator Emmanuel Acho coming down on the other side, tweeting that, while he doesn't agree with the rule, Richardson knew it was in place and was aware of the punishment for breaking it.
Richardson could potentially still compete in Tokyo as part of the four-by-100-meter relay team if selected. That event takes place after the suspension would end. CNN has reached out to Team USA for clarification but has not yet heard back.
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NEWTON: U.S. President Joe Biden said he was really proud of the way Richardson replied to her suspension and he weighed on in on the drug testing policy.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The rules are the rules and everybody knows what the rules were going in. Whether they should remain that, that should remain rules is a different issue. But the rules are rules and I was really proud of her, the way she responded.
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NEWTON: Christine Brennan is a CNN sports analyst and sports columnist for "USA Today."
You are the person to have on. I know you are looking forward to the Olympics coming up. And now, it doesn't look like she will be there. She may be. There let's deal first with what happened. There are a whole lot of things to really parse here as well.
The violation first. Marijuana is legal in the state she was in. But it is banned in competition. Under WADA rules and they set the rules here, the World Anti-Doping Agency. CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Absolutely, Paula, World Anti-
Doping, they have the rules. Actually Sha'Carri Richardson said she knew the rules, she knew she was breaking the rule.
There's a lot of valid conversation out there about whether marijuana should be a banned substance in the Olympic world. But right now it is and all the athletes know that. And it's actually only banned during competition.
So if Richardson decided to ingest it or smoke marijuana in February, it would've been fine. March would've been fine, April. She did it at the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, and that is, of course, where it popped up in her test.
That's when the process started to ban her. I think frankly that this is going to take the entire world, Anti-Doping Agency, every national doping organization to a conversation to a place that we probably should get.
[02:45:00]
BRENNAN: Which is, is it time to take marijuana off the banned list?
And that's a good conversation to have. But it will not help Sha'Carri Richardson. She will miss the 100 meters, one of the great marquee events of any Olympic Games. And the question is whether the U.S. will put her on the 4x100 relay. That would be a chance to recapture a little bit of her Olympic dream but nowhere near the brilliant stage she was going to have in 100 meters.
NEWTON: And brilliant she is. We will get to how brilliant she is in track and field in a moment. But let's talk about how she did own up to this. You have spoken out yourself so clearly and forcibly about mental health and sports. I love that she said I'm human, I just run faster than you.
It so succinctly encapsulates everything that we have been seeing, from Naomi Osaka to everyone else who is speaking on this.
Do you think this will finally be a turning point for so many athletes?
BRENNAN: I hope it is, Paula, because, yes, they are put on pedestals; yes, they make a lot of money, some of them anyway. But they're also human beings and, in this case, they are very young. She's 21 years old, Richardson is, just bursting onto the scene.
The good news for her is that she's only 21. So the Paris Olympics are just three years away. And while this heartbreak is real and even the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it was heartbroken, which you just don't hear those words from something like that. But they did say that. The reality is that she will have other chances and that's good news.
But going back to the mental health issue that you asked about, think about this. When she found out, which is what Richardson said, that her biological mother had passed away from a reporter actually, that's when she went into this tailspin and ended up, she said, ingesting marijuana.
That's what caused all the problems that we know about, with her being banned, having the 100-meter trial being stripped away. Instead, if she'd be able to call a hotline, if the U.S. Track and Field, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee had had -- and if they knew about this, there are certainly services that can exist.
But do these athletes know?
Can they text?
Can they call?
Can they email?
Can they get someone on the other end of the line right then and there to help them with this problem?
This hurdle, this difficult moment, this emotional moment, this sadness they are feeling. Would it have been possible for her to be able to chat with someone, to have a professional meeting with a psychologist or someone, as opposed to what she did?
One wonders how different that could've been. I think because again we are having this conversation not only about marijuana and its place in the World Anti-Doping Agency and rules for the future but also about mental health.
Naomi Osaka, Simone Manuel, the U.S. swimmer who was so candid coming forward in the media, in a press conference, talking to reporters about overtraining syndrome and her depression and anxiety at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials.
Now we see another athlete dealing with it. Michael Phelps is probably the biggest name of all. I'm sure that many people know that, after Michael's stellar career as the greatest Olympian ever, he has spent so much time in the past few years talking about his own struggles with mental health.
If it's happening in Michael Phelps, if it's happening to Naomi Osaka, to Simone Manuel and so many other athletes who need to hear those voices, to hear these big names talk about it so they can hopefully help themselves by getting and seeking some help and getting the attention indeed.
NEWTON: Christine, that is why you are always rooting for these athletes. Thank you for weighing in on this.
BRENNAN: My pleasure, Paula, thank you.
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NEWTON: And an update now on breaking news. CNN Philippines has confirmed that a C-130 military transport plane has crashed in the southern part of the country. Now the Philippine air force plane was carrying troops to an island in the Philippines' Sulu province when it missed the runway and crashed into a nearby village.
Now you are looking at pictures, those still photos that we have just received from the scene, showing flames and smoke pouring through the crash site. Officials say at least 40 people have been rescued from the wreckage and we will continue to bring you details and updates on this breaking news story.
Stay with us for more CNN NEWSROOM.
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[02:50:00]
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NEWTON: English football fans are on cloud nine after their national team finally reached the Euro 2020 semifinals. Take a look.
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NEWTON (voice-over): Think they're happy?
That's how they celebrated in Rome after England crushed Ukraine 4-0 in the quarterfinals Saturday. That was the first time, yes, in a quarter-century, that England reached the semis. The Three Lions will face Denmark, the Cinderella story of the tournament.
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NEWTON: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Paula Newton. Kim Brunhuber has another hour of CNN NEWSROOM next.
