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Official: Prison With 7,000 Detainees Left "Vulnerable"; Biden Urges Vaccinations As Delta Variant Spreads; England Presses On With Reopening Despite Surge In Cases; Anger, Frustration and Despair as Economy Collapses in Lebanon; Cannes Film Festival Returns with COVID Precautions; Study: Four-Day Work Week Benefits Employees. Aired 12- 12:45a ET

Aired July 07, 2021 - 00:00   ET

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

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: But they also went on to say, "So, while our heartfelt understanding lies with Sha'Carri, we must also maintained fairness for all of the athletes who attempted to realize their dreams by securing a place on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team."

She told NBC News last week that she used marijuana after learning that her biological mom had died.

The news continues. Let's hand it over to "CNN NEWSROOM" with Paula Newton.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton. Coming up right here on CNN NEWSROOM.

NEWTON (voice-over): Afghanistan security forces battle the Taliban as the U.S. inches closer to total withdrawal. Italy beats Spain on penalties to reach the Euro 2020 final. And Hollywood hits the red carpet at Cannes as the world-famous film festival gets underway.

NEWTON (on camera): We've heard a warnings about impending Civil War in Afghanistan, but the fight for the country's future is well and truly underway. The Afghan government is scrambling to halt a Taliban advance.

Officials in the northern province of Badakhshan say troops have dealt heavy casualties to Taliban forces. A spokesman says they hit the militants with airstrikes and ground attacks.

But based on other reports, the Taliban have actually taken all but two Badakhshan's districts. Some without even a fight.

Now, have a look at this. Nearly half of Afghanistan, you have to remember, is already under Taliban control, they're shown there in black. That is according to the Long War Journal. CNN hasn't independently confirmed these details.

But all this comes as the U.S. says it's almost done with what is "an orderly and responsible withdrawal'. CNN's Anna Coren reports.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): As the security situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, U.S. Central Command has announced that more than 90 percent of the U.S. withdrawal is now complete.

It comes days after U.S. and NATO forces flew out of Bagram Air Base, once the nerve center of U.S. operations in America's 20-year war.

COREN (voice-over): Since President Biden announced the withdrawal back in April, the equivalent of approximately 984 C-17 loads of equipment has been flown back to the United States.

650 U.S. Marines will remain in Afghanistan to protect the U.S. embassy, while other U.S. troops will secure the international airport until a permanent arrangement is reached with Turkish forces.

But while this may signal the end of America's war, for Afghanistan, it is just another chapter. An emboldened Taliban is launching wide- scale offensives across the country particularly in the north where tens of thousands of people have been displaced as they flee the fighting.

Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are at a virtual standstill, and the threat of civil war is looming.

COREN (on camera): For the Afghans, we speak to they say there is no end in sight to the violence and have little confidence there will ever be peace in this country.

Anna Coren, CNN, Kabul.

NEWTON: CNN military analyst General Mark Hertling joins me now.

I have been saying for a few days now, this all does have a bit of inevitability about it. Now, you say that although it appears the U.S. military left in a rush that the U.S did not set up the Afghan military or the government for failure, but rather you're saying in two decades, these are just the deficiencies the complexities that we know have not changed despite being there for two decades.

I mean, which challenges specifically do you see there right now?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST (on camera): How much time do you have, Paula? What I'd suggest it's a combination of U.S. strategy changing the different administrations that have put different views on it.

The changing mission set for the military, the changes in terms of the number of force structures that were aligned both from the United States and from our NATO allies, the requirement to do different types of missions, and the changing of those missions, and the inherent corruption and dynamics involved in the Afghan government.

I mean, this will make for a phenomenal after-action review from the strategic tactical, and operational standpoint. And I think we have a whole lot to learn about what we wanted to do when we went into Afghanistan, what we did and how it changed over the years.

NEWTON: But there still really is a strategic imperative here to really think about here and now. Now, the U.S. military has been defending, as you know, many strategic arenas since World War II, why not Afghanistan? Especially when we see the rise of ISIS in Iraq.

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NEWTON: You know military commanders like you have been telling people like me for decades that it is those ungoverned spaces where terror groups and insurgencies rise.

HERTLING: And that's true. And you can count on more than two hands the number of ungoverned spaces all over the world. And actually, the changes in dynamics between the kinds of terrorists we've had to deal with, whether it was initially al-Qaeda or later ISIS or Boko Haram.

I mean you can name that group and say what kind of challenges are they -- are they causing in these ungoverned spaces.

But what we've seen in Afghanistan after 20 years is a lack of development and growth in terms of countering what is causing the unique and complex insurgency terrorism mission in that -- in that space.

NEWTON: Yes, and again, the people that are stuck with this, of course, were the Afghans themselves.

HERTLING Yes.

NEWTON: I want to get to an issue of a U.S. security official telling CNN that a detention facility near Bagram. In this source's words, this detention facility is vulnerable in the hands of the Afghans. Thousands of terrorists linked to Taliban, linked to al-Qaeda members are there. This has got to be a prime target for the Taliban right now.

HERTLING: It certainly will be, Paula. And having experienced the same kinds of things over multiple tours in Iraq, especially my final tour there where we were beginning the drawdown, and we knew that there were a number of detention facilities that had some very dangerous individuals, and that we depended on the government that we were turning the bases over to take care of that. That was part of the growth complex.

Now, what you're talking about in Iraq in say 2011 versus Afghanistan in 2021 are two very different things because there was a sparkle of a potential government capability in Iraq.

I think what we're seeing now in Afghanistan is it's not quite the same. You know, everyone who has dealt with that country, who has served there knows that there is a potential for a civil war between the Afghan government under Mr. Ghani and the Taliban leadership, as well as other factors, we're going to see that.

Some are betting on sooner rather than later. But I think you bring up a very good point with the prisoners. What is going to happen with those individuals who were detained because they were part of terrorist organizations?

The other factors are what is going to happen with those who fought against those terrorists within the Afghan army, or as has been the highlight in so many headlines recently the interpreters that contributed to the U.S. and the NATO mission there.

NEWTON: Yes. And I was going to bring that up to you. I mean, President Joe Biden is on the record now saying we won't leave them behind. What is left to do now that he has made that commitment?

HERTLING: Well, the first thing he has to do is identify the ones that are really eligible for the special immigration visas. The SIVs as it were.

Now, you -- I'm sure there's debate over how many and it ranges from several thousands to probably close to a hundred thousand that contributed not only as interpreters but also as contractors as those who contributed to operations on the base -- bases which were literally tens of thousands.

Anyone that associated with either U.S. the Afghan government or the NATO command in Afghanistan are going to be subject to attacks and intimidation from a Taliban that is growing in strength and intensity.

NEWTON: Yes, and getting much closer to provincial capitals, and perhaps, even Kabul. We will leave it there for now, as you said, we could go on and on.

CNN military analyst General Mark Hertdling. Thanks so much.

HERTLING: Thank you, Paula.

NEWTON: The World Health Organization is calling for the equitable distribution of vaccine supplies to fight COVID-19, saying it's the only way out of the global crisis.

Now, the head of the WHO has laid out how the pandemic is now affecting countries differently.

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TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: As you know, we face a two-track pandemic. The countries that are now opening up their societies are those that have largely controlled the supply of life-saving personal protective equipment, tests, oxygen, and especially, vaccines.

Meanwhile, countries without access to sufficient supplies are facing waves of hospitalizations and death. This has been compounded by virus variants. There are signs of hope. Countries are starting to share vaccines through COVAX, but we need more and we need them faster.

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NEWTON (voice-over): Now, this will give you an idea what he's talking about. The map is illustrating that there are still many places around the world wading, of course, for COVID-19 vaccines.

The WHO is working with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to coordinate the delivery of supplies in, of course, those crucial low and middle-income countries.

Now, the urgent push for more vaccines worldwide coming as the Delta variant spreads rapidly, including here in the United States. Now, the Centers for Disease, Control, and Prevention now says the highly contagious variant makes up more than half of all new coronavirus cases across the United States.

President Joe Biden is sounding the alarm as he urges more Americans to get vaccinated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Study after study, after study has shown that since early May, virtually every COVID-19 hospitalization and death in the United States has been among the unvaccinated.

So, if you're vaccinated you're protected. But if you're unvaccinated, you're not. So, please get vaccinated now. It works, it's free, it's never been easier, and it's never been more important.

Do it now for yourself and the people you care about. For your neighborhood, for your country. It sounds corny, but it's a patriotic thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, his comments come as data shows that states with below- average vaccination rates have about triple the rate of new COVID cases, compared to those with above-average rates.

Now, as vaccine campaigns ramp up and more lives are protected, more countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. are approaching COVID as more of a chronic but manageable threat.

England is planning a full reopening in less than two weeks. France lifted most of its indoor restrictions last week, even though the health minister is warning of a possible fourth wave. Greece has now been welcoming tourists, no masked mandate in Hungary, and Germany will now allow vaccinated travelers from certain countries.

But the World Health Organization again issued these words of caution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. HANS KLUGE, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Any uncontrolled ground opening to unleash mobility is not the time to do so. But if your public health system can quickly detect outbreaks and mitigate it, that's another issue.

But if we speak about large gatherings where people particularly are gathering without masks in a epidemiologic situation where the caseload is increasing, then, it's not time to go for more and more, let's say loosening of restrictions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, despite that, England, for instance, has chosen to take the learn to live with COVID path even though infections there as we've been saying are starting to soar once again. And some leaders are expressing concerns.

CNN's Nina dos Santos has more.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): With coronavirus cases doubling every nine days, the U.K. health secretary warned the nation that it was facing uncharted territory, and potentially, 100,000 coronavirus cases every day during the months of summer.

Well, that figure in itself was double the 50,000 number that was mentioned by Boris Johnson, the prime minister, just a day earlier when he unveiled that the U.K. would be removing all coronavirus restrictions as of July the 19th.

That means that in two weeks' time, people will be able to attend concerts, nightclubs can reopen, and people won't have to work from home.

In some circumstances, they might have to maintain some vestiges of social distancing, but they won't have to wear masks, including on public transport. And that has got the government up against the mayor of London who wants to maintain masks indoors, particularly, on the London subway system.

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SADIQ KHAN, MAYOR OF LONDON: So, we have seen the vaccines weaken the link between the virus and hospitalization, and the virus leading to deaths thankfully. But it's still the case that we have the virus amongst us and that's why I was keen for there to be a continuation of face masks being mandatory in public transport where you can't keep your social distance.

But also we know wearing a face mask on public transport gives commuters more confidence. And so, we're in discussions with the government and with the rail deliver group across the country about what happens post-July the 19th. Because we wouldn't want to do is to have people nervous about using public transport because the requirements where face masks has gone.

DOS SANTOS: So, will you make masks mandatory on public transport in London?

KHAN: The science tells us wearing a face mask reduces the chances of you passing the virus on -- if -- particularly if you're not showing symptoms. And so, me, wearing a face mask keeps others safe.

Others wearing a face masks keeps me safe. So, we need to have enough people wearing the face mask for it to make a difference.

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So, I'm hopeful the government will work with us to understand that actually making it a requirement to wear face mask on public transport not just makes people safer, but encourages public confidence, which means people return to the heart of our city which supports our economy.

DOS SANTOS: What will you personally do?

KHAN: When I leave home now, I leave home not just with my wallet and my keys but a face mask. I suspect for the foreseeable future that would be the case. If I'm on public transport, I wear a face mask. If I'm in a place where, I think I can't keep my social distance, I will wear my face mask, and it's one of the most unselfish things you can do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: And recent surveys appear to back this up, showing that the majority of Londoners when asked wanted to continue wearing masks in places like the London underground.

Whether it's London or beyond, what the U.K. is starting to learn is that it has to live with a certain latent level of COVID-19 infection. So, despite the fact that the country could be facing potentially a third wave of the pandemic, it believes that with many more people now vaccinated, fewer of them will end up in hospital, and it's unlikely hopefully that the healthcare system will be overwhelmed if they remove these restrictions in the summer when people socialize outdoors and the virus is less transmissible.

Nina dos Santos, CNN in London.

NEWTON: So, fully vaccinated travelers from the U.K. and India can now visit Germany without having to quarantine upon arrival. Germany no longer considers the country's areas of variant concern and is relaxing travel restrictions starting today.

The rules also will apply to Nepal, Portugal, and Russia. Unvaccinated travelers will still have to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. But that period can be cut in half if they test negative for COVID.

All right, there will be some viewers I do not have to remind about this, but you can imagine the excitement in London where home team England will face Denmark in the day ahead for a spot in the Euro 2020 Final.

Italy though booked its ticket punched it with a dramatic win over Spain on Tuesday.

CNN "WORLD SPORT" anchor Patrick Snell is here with us. I got to tell you, I think I heard the Italians from across the ocean. They were -- they were going nuts. And tens of thousands again in Wembley. I mean, what a site.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS ANCHOR (on camera): Yes, just under 58,000 at Wembley for that match, Paula. Quite incredible wonderful atmosphere.

A real footballing party, and boy, haven't we needed that? And really given the months of the year, plus that we've all been going through, but yes, it was a wonderful game, it was a wonderful advert for the beautiful game.

Italy and Spain serving up a wonderful feast of entertainment. I think that is very fair to say. It was young Federico Chiesa got the ball rolling for the Italians with a really lovely curler right into the back of the Spanish net. Wonderful strike.

But, the Italians could not hold on to their advantage. The Spanish came roaring back and Alvaro Morata would get a leveler for them. It went to the dreaded penalty shootout, would you believe, and it would be Italy who won it.

Thanks to a Jorginho penalty heartbreak for the Spanish, joy for Italy. And you can see the scenes their delirious fans there, those scenes from Rome. Let's hear now some fans who were in London basking in the celebration. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazing and it's got me hope.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's got me to Rome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's got me to Italy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we'll be back because we'll win at Wembley at England.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on Italy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Football's going to Rome. It's going to Rome. IT's going. Football's going to Rome. Yes!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: I think those images really do say it all, Paula, very, very happy indeed. Italy are through to the final but who will they meet in the final? Will it be England or will it be Denmark?

NEWTON: So, now, to take it over to football or soccer on yet another continent, I've got five words for you. Lionel Messi, Argentina, Brazil, epic. Right? I mean --

SNELL: Yes, you said it. It's perfect. It's the final of the COPA America. South America's flagship continental competition, the oldest international footy competition in the world, and the final is now set.

It's going to be played at the fame Maracana Stadium. It is going to be the host nation Brazil taking on Argentina.

SNELL (voice-over): The Brazilian star Neymar getting his wish to take on his old pal Lionel Messi in Argentina in that final, after the Albiceleste getting the job done eventually against Colombia in their semi-final on Tuesday night in Brasilia.

They had to work for it though. Argentina taking the lead through Lautaro Martinez with a wonderful strike from him. But I tell you what, they couldn't get onto that, they couldn't double their advantage.

Colombia came right back into it. And then it went to the penalty shootout and the star of the show really in this penalty shootout would be the Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez who made three saves during that shootout. Really wonderful stuff. Heartbreak for the Colombians. But you can see these images there what it means to Argentina.

[00:20:15]

SNELL (on camera): And the number 10 there, Messi, you can see right there, Paula, why is it so important to Lionel Messi? Because he is looking to win an international tournament for the very first time with his country.

He's never won anything with his country, with the Argentine national football team. He's won it all hasn't he, with Barcelona, his Spanish club side. Actually, technically he is out of contract right now. He is a free agent when it comes to his club side, but he is desperate.

Cristiano Ronaldo has won it. He's won the Euros with Portugal and Messi wants to get something under his belt for his country, and he's going to get another crack at it against old footballing foes, Brazil. It's going to be fantastic to watch.

NEWTON: Yes, I think I said it best in the first place, epic.

SNELL: Yes, epic is the word.

NEWTON: Patrick Snell, thanks so much. Thanks so much for bringing us up to date on that.

OK, Elsa closes in on Florida. The storm now upgraded to a hurricane is picking up strength as it barrels toward landfall on Florida's west coast. How it's impacting rescue efforts at the condo collapse, and where it's heading next?

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NEWTON: Now, more bodies have been found in the rubble from the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, Florida. Search crews have recovered eight more victims just in the last 24 hours, bringing the confirmed death toll to 36. Officials say they will continue searching for more than 100 people who still are unaccounted for. But that work is growing, of course, more complicated as Elsa now a Category 1 hurricane bears down on Florida.

On Tuesday, crews had to pause work for several hours because of strong winds and lightning from the approaching storm's outer bands. Elsa is expected to make landfall as we were saying late Wednesday morning on Florida's gulf coast. That's well north of the Miami area.

Meteorologist Tyler Mauldin has an update for us. This track really is away from Miami, still causing problems though, and causing problems for Florida, I guess as well.

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yes, it is. And around dinner time on Tuesday, we saw it regain its hurricane strength and it became a Category 1 hurricane yet again.

You can see that it continues to be a lopsided system with a lot of thunderstorms along the peninsula, not so much in the way of activity over the Gulf of Mexico.

At the moment, it's just right off shore of Tampa Bay, and as it pushes to the north, this is going to coincide with -- I apologize, it looks like I'm having a little trouble with my clicker here.

It's going to coincide with the arrival of high tide, and clear water is currently dealing with high tide at the moment. High tide is occurring there at exactly 12:08. So, it's currently happening.

[00:25:04]

MAULDIN: And then in Tampa Bay, we're going to see high tide occur within the next couple of hours. And the system is going to push up to the north.

And you see where my fingers pointing up here in the big bend of Florida? This is around Cedar Key. And that's where we expect this to make landfall.

As you can see, and I mentioned this yesterday, and I'm mentioning it now, it's a lopsided system. So, all the thunderstorms are pushing up the peninsula and those red box here is a tornado watch.

This includes Tampa, this includes Fort Myers, this includes Disney World in Orlando. Because as these storms come ashore, and they push from south to north, they have the potential of rotating. And with each wind rotating, that's the potential for a tornado warning.

So, we have to watch this. We have to watch as it pushes up the East Coast as it's going to continue pushing up the East Coast, Paula, and it could bring heavy rain and wind and storm surge up the East Coast of the U.S. as well.

NEWTON: Yes, and its July. Hurricane season.

MAULDIN: Right. It's still early.

NEWTON: Yes.

MAULDIN: It's still early.

NEWTON: OK, Tyler, thanks. Appreciate it.

More than half of the people in Lebanon are now living in poverty. Just ahead, what the prime minister says he needs to keep the country to do in order to keep the country from total collapse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Lebanon's caretaker prime minister is warning the country is only days away from a "social explosion". The country's economy is on the brink of collapse with rampant unemployment, inflation, and poverty. The World Bank calls it one of the worst depressions in modern history.

The prime minister is appealing for help from regional and international leaders, but Lebanese politicians haven't been able to even form a new government for almost a year now, and that has potential lenders wary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN DIAB, PRIME MINISTER OF LEBANON (through translator): The formation of government has been long overdue and the Lebanese have waited and carried the burden of this long wait, but their patience has started to run out with the crises and sufferings building up.

The idea of linking Lebanon's assistance to the formation of a new government has become a threat to the lives of the Lebanese and to the Lebanese entity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Food, medicine, fuel, all in short supply, and some residents struggle with power outages that last up to 22 hours a day.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has more.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Protesters block a main road into Beirut. Angry over Lebanon's deepening economic crisis, angry at a political elite doing nothing as the country falls apart.

[00:30:09]

"At the breaking point," says Zacharia Abdullah (ph). "We will go to their homes and their palaces and throw them in the trash."

And with anger, there's despair.

Dori Nasr hosts a radio college show, a chance for a proud people to pour out their sorrows. "I can't get medicine. I can't get milk for my son. I can't get

anything. We're completely ruined," says this Kara Saura (ph), overcome by emotion. "We're dying, day by day."

Dori initiated the show in early 2020.

DORI NASR, SAWT EL-GHAD RADIO HOST: We started this because Lebanon is finished. Lebanon, like we said, goodbye. No Beirut. No Lebanon. No food, no diapers, no milk, no school, no gas, no petrol. Nothing in Lebanon.

WEDEMAN: For the past two years, the economy has shriveled. The lira, the local currency, has lost more than 90 percent of its value. Inflation is rampant. According to the United Nations, 77 percent of households don't have enough food.

Yet, the politicians appear indifferent to the crisis, paralyzed by in-fighting.

After the show, Dori and his staff hand out bags of food, donated by listeners to those who called in. Two years ago, Maria Nakasheon (ph) earned the equivalent of $800 a month. Now it's worth just over 70.

"If I could emigrate. I'd go," she says. "I've told my children, if you can go, go."

In October 2019, hundreds of thousands of people joined an uprising against a ruling class accused of corruption and incompetence. Yet today, apart from scattered, small protests, the streets are calm.

Survival is now the top priority, says student leader and activist Karim Safieddine.

KARIM SAFIEDDINE, STUDENT ACTIVIST, MADA NETWORK: An economic crisis, divestment already of the people who were on the streets are now looking for minimal jobs, a minimal wage, a minimal capacity to feed their children.

WEDEMAN: In the southern city of Sidon, butcher Saad Kashoun (ph) says he sells in a week what he once sold in a day.

"They" -- the rulers, he means -- "will rule this country for 100 years. We must be patient."

Patient while the politicians squabble and Lebanon dies, little by little. Day by day.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Sidon, southern Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: So bosses, take note. A new study on a four-day work week finds benefits for workers and employers. Details ahead.

And the Cannes Film Festival is back, but this year's event will be unlike any other, of course because of the pandemic.

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[00:35:38]

NEWTON: Legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar has died at the age of 98. He passed away in Mumbai after a long illness. Kumar is being remembered for his great contribution to Indian cinema.

He became one of Bollywood's biggest stars by the 1950s and went on to receive eight Filmfare Awards for Best Actor.

The glitz, glamour, all the stars, they returned to the French Riviera. The Cannes Film Festival is back one year after the pandemic forced it to shut down. As Cyril Vanier reports, COVID is still casting a big shadow, making this year's festival unlike any other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CYRIL VANIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR (voice-over): After a year of washout, organizers of the Cannes Film Festival are rolling out the red carpet once again, ahead of its 74th edition.

Canceled last year, and usually held in May, this year the festival will run from July 6 to 17. And it' is back with a stacked lineup. Twenty-four films from 16 countries will be competing for the grand prize.

Those in the running include "Annette," starring Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver; actor and director Sean Penn's "Flag Day"; and Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch," starring Timothee Chalamet.

"Malcolm X" director Spike Lee will be heading the diverse jury from seven countries.

SCOTT ROXBOROUGH, EUROPE BUREAU CHIEF, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": The whole film industry has been so hard-hit by COVID and by the cinema lockdowns that came with the safety measures that everyone is really hoping that this Cannes will be sort of a kicking off point, a sort of reopening, a sort of re-entry back into the world for the whole film industry.

VANIER: But festival organizers have made it clear that this year's edition will be unlike any other. Strict safety and health measures will be in place. That means stars won't be exchanging kisses and hugs on the red-carpet steps.

Although France lifted its coronavirus curfew and mask ordinances in June, festival attendees will have to wear masks indoors.

Testing centers have sprung up next to the festival venue. Guests will spit saliva into tubes, and those who can't provide negative COVID test results will be turned away.

The usual glamorous parties will also be scaled down, all in an effort to keep moviegoers and festival attendees safe. MAYOR DAVID LISNARD, CANNES, FRANCE (through translator): Well, there

is no situation with zero risk. But objectively speaking, it's safer to go see a film at the festival than to go shopping at a supermarket.

VANIER: Many businesses, such as the restaurants and hotels, are relying on the festival to help recoup their losses from the COVID lockdown.

MELANIE DE PREST, OWNER, L'EPICUREAN RESTAURANT (voice-over): We missed it in terms of finances, too. We won't lie. We are thrilled. We remained positive since the beginning of the crisis, so we are delighted to see tourists again.

VANIER: With some international travel restrictions still in place, the number of high-spending tourists will be lower than usual but still a welcome sight.

Cyril Vanier, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, you just heard Cyril mentioned there, director Spike Lee is serving as jury president at this year's festival. He's the first black person to ever hold that role.

On Tuesday, he spoke out about race relations in America. Lee said little progress has been made in the three decades now since his film "Do the Right Thing" premiered at Cannes and tackled issues of race and police brutality.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPIKE LEE, DIRECTOR/CANNES JURY PRESIDENT: When you see brother Eric Garner, when you see king George Floyd murdered, lynched, I think of Radio Raheem. And you would think and hope that 30-something mother- (EXPLETIVE DELETED) years later, the black people would stop being hunted down like animals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Lee's film, "BlacKkKlansman," will also deal with race, and it earned one of the festival's top awards in 2018.

Now a study in Iceland found that a four-day work week didn't hurt productivity. Researchers tracked 2,500 workers for four years, not a little bit of time.

[00:40:03]

They reduced their work week to 35 or 36 hours, depending. Researchers found the workers' wellbeing increased dramatically, while productivity -- get this -- remained the same or even improved.

Eighty-six percent of Iceland's working population are now either on shorter working hours or have the right to be there in the future.

Natalie Nagele joins me now. She's the cofounder and CEO of Wildbit, a company that has operated on a four-day work week since 2017.

My first words to you are congratulations. And beyond that, I'm going to start with a question you would normally end the interview with. I'm going to make it my first question. If a four-day work week is so good for business and it's good for the employees, why the heck are people still working five days a week?

NATALIE NAGELE, COFOUNDER/CEO, WILDBIT: That's the best question. Right? I think we're just -- we're just -- we're not asking enough questions around why are we working the way we're working. Can we challenge it? I think there's a lot of issues still around how we measure the protectively and evaluate our knowledge workers. And we're kind of stuck in thinking more industrial evolution. Like we're trying to evaluate folks by a number of widgets we put on a conveyor belt. But you can't do that with knowledge work.

And so we say, OK, we're going to measure you by the hours your butt is in your seat. Because we can do that. We can count that. And it's much harder to count output.

And so for us, the realization that it doesn't matter how many hours you work, it matters how productive the time is, how effective, you're working on the right things. That's hard. We don't train managers to do that well. And so it just becomes much easier to say, OK, show up for 40 hours. That's what I pay you to do. And that's how I know you're doing a good job.

NEWTON: Yes. No matter how protective you may or may not be.

Let's do a deep dive, though. Your employees do 32 hours a week, though. This is not about trying to squeeze more hours into four days. And what have you found? Are people just as productive?

NAGELE: Yes, when we launched, we launched as an experiment, because we had been reading a book, "Deep Work" by Cal Newport, where he talks a lot about the brain's capacity for deep, meaningful work.

That's the work we're hired to do, not checking email or Facebook, or whatever it us you do in front of your computer. And the brain, the science shows that the brain maxes out at four hours a day.

So when we looked at it, we said, well, what are we doing for eight hours a day, five days a week for 40 hours? You must be doing something wrong. There must be a better way.

So our team is not only as productive. I would argue some of the quality of our work has improved, too, because we're getting these three -- four eight-hour days, and then three consecutive days off where the brain can rest and recover, self-challenging problems in the background while you're doing other things and really come back refreshed and ready to go.

NEWTON: We don't have a lot of time left, but what surprised you the most about the benefits to not just your company but your employees?

NAGELE: I think what we found that's been most -- most impressive is how much that fit they has contributed to not just happiness internally but our ability to contribute externally outside of ourselves.

So some folks spend that time with their family, or, you know, building a deck outside. But a lot of folks on my team spent it contributing to their communities, whether it's at their church, at nonprofits, mentoring other folks early in their career.

And that's been really not only rewarding but it allows us all to grow. And really try to understand that the purpose of work, and can we make that more about being people first than just feeding this beast that is the business constantly? It's been very rewarding. And we're very excited to be able to do it.

NEWTON: Well, so much to think about there. You've given us all a lot to mull over as we continue with our 40-plus work weeks. Many hours in a week.

NAGELE: I know.

NEWTON: Natalie Nagele, thanks. I appreciate it.

NAGELE: Thanks for having me. Thank you.

NEWTON: I'm Paula Newton. WORLD SPORT is up after the break.

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