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Athletes Testing Positive Before the Games; England Not Totally Free from Restrictions; At Least 27 People Killed in Baghdad Sunday; Spyware Targeting Private Individuals; Stock Markets Plummeted Due to Delta Variant; Dow Drops 725 Points Amid Delta Variant Fears; Canada To Reopen Border To Fully Vaccinated Americans; Haiti Leadership Handoff; Merkel Set To Visit Flood-Hit Region With CDU Leader; Extreme Heat Alert For the U.K.; Ben And Jerry's To Stop Sales In Palestinian Territories; Racism In Football; Billionaires in Space. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 20, 2021 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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Kim BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: COVID cases and concerns are on the rise in the Olympic Village just days before the opening ceremony.
ISIS is claiming responsibility for a deadly attack in the Iraqi capital. We'll bring you a live report on this new development.
And another billionaire is headed to space. Jeff Bezos and three others are set to launch in just a few hours.
Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.
The world is waiting to see the biggest sporting event on the planet, and it's not just for the competition. It's been one COVID blow after another for the Tokyo Olympics. Now, with just three days to go until Friday's opening ceremony, the number of COVID cases linked to the games has risen to 71. It's been a nightmare for the organizers who insist the Olympic Village is quote, "a safe place to stay."
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BRIAN MCCLOSKEY, OLYMPIC GAMES LEADING HEALTH ADVISER: Each layer of filtering is a reduction and risk for everybody else, and that's what we expect to see. And the numbers we're seeing are actually extremely low, and probably lower than we expected to see, if anything.
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BRUNHUBER (on camera): CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been covering the pandemic since it began. He is now in Tokyo where fears are increasing that the games could turn into a COVID super spreader event.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Before
the opening ceremonies of the 2020 Olympic Games, COVID-19 is front and center. At least three U.S. athletes have tested positive for the virus. Katie Lou Samuelson a member of the U.S. Olympics women's basketball team is the latest and won't be attending the games in Japan. She joins Kara Eaker, an alternate on the U.S. women's gymnastics team who tested positive here in Tokyo.
MARK EAKER, KARA EAKER'S FATHER: She is had multiple COVID tests come back positive. She has no symptoms. She's been vaccinated, but the biggest disappointment is that, you know, this takes her out of it completely.
GUPTA: Eaker must isolate for at least 10 days, before being allowed to return to the United States. And another member of her team is also in quarantine.
LINSEY MARR, LEADING EXPERT IN AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION OF VIRUSES: I'm sure they were exposed but they have become infected from that person. I think it would depend on how much time they had been spending together.
GUPTA: So far, the games have seen dozens of cases but only a handful are among athletes, including one cluster that led to 21 close contacts. These cases though, aren't coming as a complete surprise. Keep in mind, the athletes are tested daily.
MCCLOSKEY: If I saw all the tests that we did were going to be negative, then I wouldn't bother doing the test in the first place. And the numbers we are seeing are actually extremely low. They're probably lower than we expected to see, if anything.
GUPTA: Once health authorities approve close contacts can still return to the competition. But they are subject to additional quarantine measures which may include moving to separate rooms and training facilities, eating alone, and using dedicated vehicles.
MARR: We know that testing catches people, perhaps after they have already been contagious and had the chance to spread the virus to other people
GUPTA: The IOC estimates more than 80 percent of residents of the Olympic Village will be vaccinated. And Tokyo 2020 officials maintain the athletes are safe.
MASA TAKAYA, TOKYO 2020 SPOKESMAN: The IOC in 2020 are absolutely clear that the Olympic Village is a safe place to stay.
GUPTA: With more transmissible variants like Delta, and over 11,000 athletes from all over the globe, the IOC has labeled in a number of measures. Masks, distancing, all of it to try and stave off a super spreader event. But the major question looming is, will these positive cases show that the protocols are working, or underscore the feeling that holding the Olympics was ill-advised in the first place?
MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, EPIDEMIOLOGIST: We had real concerns about the potential for transmission at the Olympics well before Delta as a variant took hold around the world. When that did happen, it only heightened our concern.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): And CNN's Blake Essig is in Tokyo for us. Blake, what we just saw there the situation seems to be going from bad to worse. What are officials saying?
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Kim, with just a few days to go before the start of the Olympics, well it could be worse. It's fair to say that things are not exactly going smoothly. As of today, 71 people involved with the games have tested positive for COVID-19 here in Japan, and most recently that includes one alternate on the U.S. women's gymnastics team who tested positive while at a Paralympic training camp outside of Tokyo.
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She and another alternate on the team who is considered a close contact are now in isolation. Out of the 71 positive cases linked to the games, four have come from inside the Olympic Village. And overall, Olympic officials are saying that out of 22,000 people who have arrived from overseas only 28 positive cases have come as a result. And that's a .1 percent positivity rate.
And the rest of the cases involved Japanese residents. Olympic officials continue to point to those kinds of numbers to show that things are going well. But there is a growing concern and a list of athletes as well that are in isolation as a result of being close contacts.
We've had, as we said, 71 people test positive so it's clear that cases associated with the games, you know, continue to pile up. Now, despite the growing case count, Olympic officials maintain that the games can be held safely, and that for the athletes and inside the Olympic Village that it's a safe place to say.
At the same time, at least one public health expert says that there is no way to track the movement of people, and that it's clear that the bubble has kind of broken.
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KENJI SHIBUYA, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT: You know, visitors, athletes, journalists, delegates, of course, they are supposed to be always in the bubble. But, you know, it's not working well. It's obvious that the bubble system is kind of broken, so there seems to be some sort of interaction between guests and visitors, and also local people.
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ESSIG (on camera): Of course, health and safety concerns remain the primary reason why polls have consistently shown how overwhelmingly unpopular these games are, Kim. Many people here feel that Olympic organizers are holding these games against the will of the people, and when all is said and done, it's the people of Japan who will be left to deal with the consequences.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Thank you so much, Blake Essig in Tokyo, I appreciate it.
Well the Delta variant is causing a surge in COVID infections in the U.K. Have a look at this graph here. New cases are approaching 50,000 a day, the highest rate of infection since January. But despite the scary numbers, England just lifted all its COVID restrictions on a so- called Freedom Day. But the government is sending mixed messages.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson now says proof of vaccination will be required in England for entry into nightclubs by the end of September.
CNN's Nina dos Santos is live in London. So, Freedom Day not quite as free as expected, just one of the latest U-turns by the Boris Johnson government in the past couple of days. What's the latest there?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And particularly for the nightclub industry that is being decimated over the course of the last year and a half during this pandemic by multiple lockdowns. This has been really difficult news to stomach.
Freedom Day, as being dubbed here in the U.K., basically has only lasted many of the leaders in the sectors say for about 24 hours and they are shocked and dismayed that yet again, this is another government flip-flop in such an important policy.
The logic by the government here, Kim, is largely that by September when this new sort of COVID passport type scheme will come in for over 18's to prove that they had two shots of the coronavirus vaccine to enter into some of these more confined locations indoor nightclub, and so on and so forth where large people gather, places that the chief government scientific advisor just yesterday in a press conference said did have the potential to be super spreader events.
What the government is trying to do is to encourage young people to get vaccinated basically because by September, they reckoned that all U.K. adults over the age of 18 will have had a chance to have been offered one and two coronavirus vaccines.
So, there's no excuse really not to take this up here. That is their point. However, many people inside Boris Johnson's own party are actually against some of these moves. They say that it could create a two-tier system it could be a slippery slope towards the contentious subject of identity cards here in the U.K. Something that has been a very, very difficult subject to debate politically ever since the Tony Blair days of a labor government about 20, or 15, 20 years ago.
Either way, though, the numbers are rising, as you pointed out, they lasted 46,000 and counting. However, when it comes to the hospital admission numbers, though, Kim, they are still standing at about 4,000. And that means according to Boris Johnson that the vaccination scheme is working and that the health system isn't overwhelmed.
But again, many different voices, many different takes on these government policies that, as you said, do U-turn here in the U.K. here quite fast. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. All right. Thank you so much, Nina dos Santos in London.
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Australia's COVID lockdowns are expanding as the Delta variant sweeps the country. Starting in about an hour, South Australia will go into a seven-day lockdown. It's the third state to issue stay-at-home orders amid this latest outbreak. Areas around Sydney, and Melbourne had already imposed new restrictions. Just 11 percent of Australians are fully vaccinated.
The terror group ISIS is claiming responsibility for a blast in Baghdad Monday that killed at least 27 people and injured dozens more. The explosion tore through a busy market in the predominantly Shia neighborhood of Sadr City. According to the Iraqi military the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device.
Officials say women and children were among the dead and wounded. Now the attack comes as Iraqis prepare to celebrate the Islamic religious festival Eid al-Adha.
Let's bring in CNN's Arwa Damon from Istanbul. Arwa, what more do we know about this horrific attack?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's just revisit the scene, Kim, and look at those images of the sheer panic that took place and think for a moment about what was happening there in the seconds before this explosion ripped through the marketplace. People were going out in the later hours of the evening, at night when the temperatures cool down to do their last-minute shopping for Eid al-Adha.
Parents bags should have been overflowing, with purchases. They would have been clutching their children's hands and the kids would have been really excited about the upcoming holidays, and the sticky sweets, and the gifts that they were expecting to receive.
All of that was shattered and taken away from them in an instant, Kim. And no matter who is claiming responsibility for this, whether it is in fact ISIS that carried this out, ISISI saying that this was a suicide bomber. The Iraqi officials that CNN has spoken to saying that they are still investigating the group that may have been behind this explosion.
The reality for Iraqis is that no matter who it was with actually behind this specific detonation, this is not just another bombing for them. This is not a sentence that so many on the outside will say, it's Iraq, this sort of violence happens.
This is the shattering of hope, Kim. This is a population that has persistently seen any sort of glimpse of happiness or stability, ripped away from it. And for this to be coming now at a time when so many should have been celebrating now, instead, they are in deep mourning. And I'm not just talking about the families who were directly impacted about the parents, who now instead of giving gifts to their children are having to bury them or the children who will no longer be able to hug their parents because their parents were killed in this explosion.
I'm talking also about the broader population. Because, Kim, this is so horrifyingly reminiscent of the violence that Iraq has gone through, and this brings back this compounded, psychological impact of all of that along with the fear. The grave, very deep and real fears of what the future could potentially hold.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, you paint such a vivid and tragic picture of this attack and how it's shattering this country. Arwa Damon in Istanbul, thank you so much.
Still ahead on CNN Newsroom, new reporting suggests an Israeli company software meant to track terrorists and criminals may also be targeting activists, business leaders and journalists. Details on the huge international investigation, coming up.
And new allegations that Beijing has been hiring criminals to hack and extort billions of dollars around the world. We'll explain why the White House says it's surprised by the alleged plot, next. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (on camera): A new report is shedding light on how a military grade surveillance software is being used by governments around the world. The Pegasus spyware sold by an Israeli company is intended to track down terrorists and criminals. But, according to a new investigation by a group of international news outlets, it also may have been used to target journalists, activists, politicians, and others.
The software reportedly can infect smartphones without so much as a quick. In theory, that means anyone can be targeted without ever knowing.
And a firestorm has erupted in India over the Pegasus software with accusations flying that opposition leader Rahul Gandhi may have been among those targeted.
CNN's Vedika Sud joins us from New Delhi. Vedika, India's prime minister, now facing a huge backlash, even accusations of treason. Take us through the story.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Well, the opposition here, Kim, has made a point to disrupt parliament over this big issue which is a top headline across India for the last 48 hours. Now, essentially, opposition leaders in parliament have gone ahead and
accuse the government of knowing of these allegations, of that Israeli spyware Pegasus being used to hack mobile phones, not only of ministers but also journalists and activists and even people probably from the judiciary.
Now because of that, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, was about to make a statement on COVID-19 and what the government has been doing in parliament today, but the proceeding were disrupted even yesterday while he's making a statement in parliament. The proceedings were disrupted, essentially by the main opposition party, the Congress that has taken it upon themselves to question the prime minister and the government over these allegations.
Because one of their top leaders, Rahul Gandhi, who is a former president of the Congress Party here in India is also one of the potential targets on that list according to Wire which is a part of the media consortium of news organizations that has working on the Pegasus project.
Not only that, we are also being told by The Wire that another potential target is the I.T. minister who was sworn in just about two weeks ago. And they claim that he could be a potential target as well.
But meanwhile, the government has come, out the home minister of India, MHA has come out to say that this is very well timed to coincide with the (Inaudible) session of parliament that just started yesterday. The I.T. minister himself, yesterday while making a statement on this entire controversy came out and say, this is nothing but sensationalism.
But Raul Gandhi, a top leader of the Congress Party does speak to The Wire, like I mentioned, one of the media outlets that worked on the Pegasus project, and he, himself has said that if this news is true, this is a legal. So, what I could say right now is that this would be the main reason for a stormy parliament session in the coming days. The story is going nowhere for now, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. Absolutely. All right. Thank you so much, Vedika Sud in New Delhi, I appreciate it.
SUD: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: John Scott-Railton joins me now. He is a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Monk School. Thank you so much for being here to talk to us about this.
Particularly, some governments caught up in this. India, for example, are denying the allegations, and as we just heard, the company behind Pegasus says the reporting is flimsy. Now your group reviewed the methods that were used to uncover the spyware hacking, so what's your response?
JOHN SCOTT-RAILTON, SENIOR RESEARCHER, THE CITIZEN LAB: Well, I would say that most of the denials from his company are bit of a fairytale. The forensic methods are solid, and the cases that they have uncovered are deeply troubling. And as you've seen span the globe. From my perspective, this is just more of what we kind of suspected, but now know about this company and the harm that it causes.
BRUNHUBER: You speak about the cases, I mean, we heard ahead of this in general terms about who is targeted, but take us through one of the two cases and what the real-world consequences this surveillance may have had?
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SCOTT-RAILTON: Well, I'm sure your viewers are so familiar with "Hotel Rwanda." The man on whom that film is based is now in jail in Rwanda for speaking his mind, his daughter, an American, fighting for his release. Her phone has been repeatedly hacked with Pegasus. Meanwhile, journalists from Hungary, to India, and the rest of Europe have all been targeted with Pegasus technology. And that is only the beginning.
BRUNHUBER: So, what message does it send to journalists and activists, even the ones who weren't named as targets. Obviously, this isn't the full extent of the problem here. Will this have a chilling effect on their work, and should they be taking, you know, countermeasures here?
SCOTT-RAILTON: Fear is a key part of the authoritarian tool kit. They win when they discourage people from speaking their mind and acting on their conscience. That's why this software is so dangerous. I think its very existence is going to mean that more authoritarian regimes will not turn democratic. At the end of the day, we all need to take steps to protect ourselves. The challenge with Pegasus is that even when you have experts helping you, you may not be protected.
BRUNHUBER: So, all right. Let's say, you know, our audience watching this at home they are saying, you know, I'm not political, I have nothing to worry about, why should I care? I mean, you've written about how it could be relevant for anyone, no matter where they are. So, explain this for us?
SCOTT-RAILTON: You may not know any of the people who were victimized in this particular disclosure. But you don't know whether that's going to be true tomorrow. Companies like NSO want to sell the same untraceable, incredibly invasive technology to your local police department. Think about those implications for a second.
BRUNHUBER: Finally, the company behind this, it claims the technology is used to fight terror and crime. It says clients that misuse the software will be cut off. You've written when your customers are dictators, they will do bad things. NSO knows this, we know it, now everybody knows it. So, what's the solution here? How do we prevent this sort of thing from happening?
SCOTT-RAILTON: Well, NSO has said that they've suspended two of their customers based on their own investigations, internal investigations, of course, we don't know which customers they are. At the end of the day, if you really wanted to prevent the harm that that company is causing, they would suspend their operations. What we know is that this is an industry that is built around growing
its business by selling to dictators. When you sell invasive surveillance tools to dictators, they are going to use those tools to take people's personal lives and dumped them out on the table.
To stop it, I think one of the most important actions that can happen is an immediate moratorium on the sale and transfer of this technology. The industry is sprawling out of control and the harms that it's causing were only really beginning to understand.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. The implications are absolutely very frightening. Listen, thank you so much for coming on and breaking this down for us, John Scott-Railton, I really appreciate it.
SCOTT-RAILTON: Thanks, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. and its allies are accusing China of using criminal contract hackers to conduct a wide range of cyberattacks around the world and for profit. White House officials say they were surprise that the extent of Chinese involvement in cyberattacks. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to receive another briefing on this today.
We have more now from CNN's Alex Marquardt.
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ALEXANDER MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An unprecedented global coalition of U.S. allies joining together today, publicly warning China about their aggressive cyberattacks. The U.S., European Union, NATO, and others accusing China of destabilizing behavior, calling them out for malicious attacks that have caused governments and companies billions of dollars.
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We are actually elevating and taking steps to not only speak out publicly, but certainly take action as it relates to problematic cyber activities from China.
MARQUARDT: Chinese hacking is well documented, but the administration accused Chinese intelligence of using criminal contract hackers who engaged in ransomware attacks, cyber unable to extortion, crypto jacking, and rank theft from victims around the world.
JAMES ANDREWS LEWIS, CSIS SENIOR V.P. AND DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM: This is how you change the Chinese, and their way of thinking. It's a good first step. It sends a powerful message to Beijing. Of course, they will have to be follow-up.
MARQUARDT: The state backpackers have enriched themselves in the course of their attacks, the administration said, and have demanded millions in ransom payments including a large ransom request to an unnamed U.S. company.
China was also formally accused of orchestrating the massive hack earlier this year of Microsoft exchange which impacting tens of thousands of computers and networks around the world. The Biden administration says that it has raised these actions directly with the Chinese government.
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NED PRICE, SPOKESMAN, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Together with our allies, together with our partners, we are not ruling out any additional actions to hold the PRC accountable.
MARQUARDT: The Justice Department unsealed an indictment of four Chinese nationals, for an espionage campaign to hack into the computer systems of dozens of victim companies, universities, and government entities. Prosecutors revealed various ways that stolen secrets were passed, including being embedded in photos of a koala and Donald Trump. Those charged allegedly worked for China's ministry of state security, or MSS.
FRED SHEPPARD, ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY: It's a message to those that are involved in the MSS that going forward we -- we will charge you. We will make it public. And times changed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT (on camera): Despite this forceful international condemnation of China, there was nothing concrete in the way of punishment announced on Monday. It is naming and shaming which can be effective, but aside from those indictments by the Justice Department there is nothing punitive like the sanctions that we've seen leveled at Russia.
The Biden administration is hoping that this united message will get China to reconsider, and if they don't, they could face more action from the U.S.
Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
BRUNHUBER: And in response, numerous Chinese embassies have strongly denied the allegations and accuse the U.S. and its allies of hypocrisy.
Well the Delta variant is threatening financial markets when the U.S. to Asia. So just ahead, we'll see what else is fueling this year's worse sell off on Wall Street.
Plus, Canada announces plans to reopen its borders welcoming Americans first batch. The move comes with conditions. We'll explain. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (on camera): Surging COVID cases around the world aren't just a threat to people's lives and health. They are once again threatening the world economy. So, looking at the latest trend map, all the areas in bright red indicate a 10 to 50 percent increase in cases, and the darker red, well it's even worse. Now, worries over the Delta variant are driving down many stock
prices. The Dow plunge 725 points on Monday, its worst day since October. So, the Dow is up more than 10 percent this year.
So, let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos live in Dubai. So, Eleni, as the Delta variant rips through countries, how are markets now pricing in the new set of risks?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, such a good question, because we'd actually had six months of market growth, and we've seen so much good news over the past few months. So, I think this was a reality check.
And you're right. The Dow Jones had its worst day since October, down just over 2 percent.
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You had the S&P and the NASDAQ loosing over 1 percent. So, I guess the big question here is, what does this mean?
Well, it's a confluence of issues here. Number one, we are looking at fundamentals and technical for the market, you know, what is underpinning this huge growth that we've seen over the past few months and is it warranted. And remember, markets are always very forward- looking and they were pricing in reopening of economies as you started to see aggressive vaccine rollouts around the world, but things have changed.
Number one, you absolutely have the issue of the Delta variant that is infecting unvaccinated Americans. And you're starting to see the Delta variant ripping thru and flaring up in various parts of the world even when they have a high percentage of their population vaccinated. So, these two factors now coming together and causing a lot of market pain.
If you drill into the actual sectors that came under pressure is those really interesting barometers of the health of the consumer and the ability for the economy to get back on track. You had the airline industry taking a really big knock. Remember we've always said that the airline industry, connected to the tourism industry, really shows to what extent we will be able to see a really strong recovery, the cruise liners also coming under pressure, and then the oil stocks or the energy stocks took a big hit.
Now, there were two factors there. First, the OPEC Plus countries saying they are going to increase supplies or have more oil in the market, but the thing is demand hasn't recovered to pre-COVID levels. So, there's an issue there. There is a big worry that it will just have -- we'll have too much oil and too little demand and we won't have the real strong economic growth underpinning those factors.
Now, I'm looking at European markets. And despite the fact that Asia did take a bit of a knock in trade today, European markets are looking stronger. They have started trading about half an hour ago. And it seems that they are shaking off the negative news. Now, we have also seen a big buying in bonds, which shows that there's fear in the market. The volatility index can also rose significantly yesterday. And I think people are saying, "Look, did we price in too much good news?"
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Alright. Quickly, before we go. Let's go back to the drops we saw. Is that just a hiccup in an overall upward trend?
GIOKOS: Well, some say that this could be a market correction because we've just seen so much good news over the past few months. We could lose 5 percent to 10 percent. And remember, inflation is a worry. Federal Reserve saying they want to raise rates again. That is also spooking the market.
BRUNHUBER: Alright. Thanks so much, Eleni Giokos, in Dubai. I appreciate it.
Canada will soon reopen its border with the U.S. for the first time since March of last year. The government says fully vaccinated Americans will be allowed into Canada starting August 9th, less than three weeks from now. But half of all Canadians are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, surpassing the rate here in the U.S.
We have more now from CNN's Paula Newton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): After 16 long months, Canada says it's finally ready to reopen its borders to international travelers.
First, up fully vaccinated Americans and U.S. residents currently living in the United States can come to Canada beginning August 9th and they won't have to quarantine for two weeks.
Next up, international travelers, again, this only applies to fully vaccinated international travelers. And they can come September 7th without having to quarantine for two weeks.
Now, all of these comes as Canada passes a significant milestone. More than 50 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated. They have surpassed the United States and that's what's having started in the spring with a punishing third wave of COVID-19 and a scarcity of vaccines.
Canada says though there will be no victory lap here. It's being cautious in saying in what is really aiming for is at least 75 percent of its population to be fully vaccinated by September.
Paula Newton, CNN, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): And meanwhile, the U.S. isn't making any commitment about reopening its side of the border with Canada. The White House says, it is continuing to review travel restrictions and any decisions on the reopening will be guided by medical experts.
Well, now, to Haiti where the debate over who will leave the country in the wake of this month's presidential assassination appears to be over, at least for now.
Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph has been leading the country following the death of President Jovenel Moise. But after days of negotiations, he's agreed to step down and hand power to his rival. Ariel Henry is expected to take over the role on Tuesday. The goals is to keep the peace in Haiti until new elections can be held.
CNN's Matt Rivers is at Port-au-Prince with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Well, we have a bit more clarity in terms of who is going to be running the Haitian government, at least in the near term, after a power sharing agreement was announced between various political factions in the federal government on Monday.
[03:35:02]
It was announced that acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph will be transferring power to a man named Ariel Henry. Henry had actually been appointed as Prime Minister by President Jovenel Moise just a few days before he was killed. It was soon enough before he was killed that Henry didn't actually get the chance to be sworn in to create a new government, as is the task of the Prime Minister here.
And so, there was a lot of confusion as to who should be running the government, but Joseph essentially stepping aside saying, he wants to respect the wishes of the president that is now deceased. He will return to his role as foreign minister position that he previously held.
Henry said that he does plan on holding new elections for not only the presidency but positions in the Parliament here in Haiti. He says he wants to hold those elections soon, although he didn't say exactly when that would be.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, we do know that first lady Martine Moise, she returned here to Port-au-Prince, by private plane. She had been recovering in a Miami hospital after being critically injured during the attack that killed her husband. And of course, lots of people in the public want to hear what she has to say. Investigators want to hear what she has to say as a surviving witness of this attack. Unclear though if she has plans to speak out publicly.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to visit another area today hit by massive floods, and she will be joined by the leader of her Party, Armin Laschet. He has been a favorite to succeed her as chancellor.
But right now, he is under fire for these images showing him laughing on an earlier visit to a flood hit town. Also under fire, Europe's flood warning systems. The death toll in Germany, in Belgium has reach 195. Belgium is observing a national day of mourning. And officials in both countries are facing tough questions about whether more could have been done to save lives.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Often, heavy lifting equipment is needed to even begin the cleanup. Yolk Albaira (ph) shows us how high the water rose as the town of (Inaudible) was inundated, destroying nearly everything he owns.
"It all went so fast," he said. Only about 15 minutes and the water was almost up to the ceiling here.
One of Yolk Albaira's (ph) neighbors, an elderly lady, couldn't get to safety fast enough and was swept away. Her body later found nearby, he says. As the death toll from the massive floods continues to rise, some are asking, why weren't there more warnings about the impending disaster? Both the Belgium and German weather services issued severe weather warnings. Still, many were caught off guard.
One thing many people who live here tell us is that they were surprised of how fast the water levels here began to rise, tearing through the embankment, destroying everything in its path and killing scores of people.
Some weather experts say Germany's early warning system simply failed.
KARSTEN BRANDT, DONNERWETTER.DE (through translator): So, meteorologist did warn them, but these warnings went apparently not heard. They were not implemented in measures that one could act or could act sufficiently. So that one could protect people.
PLEITGEN: The German government says its main priority right now is helping those affected. The country's interior minister, who visited the flood stricken areas on Monday says, now is not the time to place blame.
HORST SEEHOFER, GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): We shouldn't make unnecessarily changes. Centralism won't improve anything here. We need certain central units by the technical assistance agency, which is then brought into offer support. But we do not need a decision making authority in Berlin.
PLEITGEN: In the most affected areas, people are in no mood to point fingers but rather to offer helping hands. This school class is clearing mud from their headmaster's apartment. Solidarity is unbroken in the disaster zone, but Germany understands it will have to improve its disaster management to prevent similar loss of life in the future. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, (Inaudible), Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): And more extreme weather is hitting Europe this time in the U.K. where a historic heat warning has just been issued. Plus, we explain why Ben and Jerry's plans to stop selling its ice cream in Palestinian territories. That is just ahead, stay with us.
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[03:40:00]
BRUNHUBER (on camera): The U.K. is the latest European country sounding the alarm about the climate crisis. Britain's National Meteorological Service has issued their first ever extreme heat warning. It will be in place through Thursday and covered the southwest U.K., where temperatures are expected to reach the low 30s. London saw its hottest temperature here on Sunday, with the mercury hitting 31 degrees.
Karen McGinnis joins me now from the Weather Center with more. Karen, 31 degrees, not a big deal here in Atlanta but different story in the U.K.
KAREN MCGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): Yes. You get accustomed to temperatures in different localities. Latin longitude determines just how much heat you can expect during the summertime months. But for the United Kingdom, 30 degrees is pretty staggering. And it's going to be fairly widespread.
Now, London is expected to be about 30 degrees, but it's primarily across Wales, extending a little bit farther to the north in Birmingham also for a Brighton. We're looking at temperatures in Brighton in the 20s as well. Now, even the overnight low temperatures are going to be fairly warm. So, this is mind of an oppressive heat wave that we are seeing here. We are expecting it over the next three days before we see the temperatures drop by to near normal levels.
And then we are looking at temperatures by the weekend with some thunderstorms bringing some much needed relief. The average high temperature in London is about 22. Cardiff is looking at temperatures in the forecast of around 28 or 29. And in Plymouth, temperatures there also expected to be in the upper 20s.
But much cooler air beginning to push on in as we head in towards the weekend, but still very hot across the European continent, across the Mediterranean, but cooler air moves in and we might see some pretty good storms across eastern sections of Europe.
Two big storms, Cempaka, it looks like now -- they are in the process or this is in a process of moving along the coastline to the south of Hong Kong. This is going to be very interesting in the next several days. It pushes towards the west. It moves to the south over Hainan and about 72 hours then back out over the South China Sea. That will enhance the moisture across the Philippines.
And then there is Infa, right now, 110 kilometer per hour winds. It will brush by the northern portion of Taipei, bringing much needed rainfall in what has unheard of drought conditions, and then, central sections of China, going into the next five days and then beginning to weaken. That's a look at your weather right now.
Kim, back to you.
BRUNHUBER: Alright. Thanks so much, Karen McGinnis, I appreciate it.
Ben and Jerry's says it will no longer sell ice scream in Israeli occupied Palestinian territories, calling it inconsistent with the company's values. The company says it won't renew its agreement with its licensee in Israel after next year, but the ice cream will continue to be sold in Israel through different arrangement. Now, Israeli politicians are blasting the decisions.
CNN's Hadas Gold is live in Jerusalem. Hadas, take us through what's behind this unusual decision and reaction it is generating there?
HADAS GOLD, CNN POLITICS, MEDIA AND BUSINESS REPORTER: Well Kim, Ben and Jerry's, although it is an ice cream brand, they are well known for making political statements through their ice creams, whether it's through their flavors or their public statement.
[03:45:00]
But they have actually been relatively quiet on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, except that is changing, obviously, especially as pressure from activists has been increasing in recent years, especially in the last few months as tensions in the region have flared.
Now, Ben and Jerry's said in a statement on its website and on its social media console, I'll read part of it to you, "We believe it is inconsistent with our values from Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream to be sold in the occupied Palestinian territory. We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and our trusted partners."
Now, Ben and Jerry's, when it sold in Israel and I Palestinian territories, whether they are Palestinian villages or towns or Israeli settlement, is actually manufactured and distributed by a local Israeli company that have this license for, I think, it's more than 30 years. Ben and Jerry's has now says that that contract with that licensee will end at the end of 2022.
But as you know, they will continue to be sold in Israel through a different arrangement. It's not quite clear though how will that work. Because under Israeli law, Israeli products can't be sold only in Israel, but not in Israeli settlements. Now, the reaction has been the very swift and very angry from Israeli politicians.
The Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeting in English, "Ben and Jerry's decision represents shameful surrender to antisemitism, to BDS -- boycott Israeli products movement and to all that is wrong with the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish discourse. We will not be silent."
Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, has also commented he said in a Hebrew statement, he called it morally wrong. And an anti-Israel decisions saying that he has actually already spoken with the CEO of Unilever to express his disappointment in Unilever, of course, owns Ben and Jerry's. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Alright. Thanks so much, Hadas Gold in Jerusalem. The dream of a lifetime is about to come true for the richest man in the world. Just ahead, we'll talk to retired NASA astronaut about what Jeff Bezos can expect to see when he becomes the second billionaire in space. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (on camera): England's lost in the Euro 2020 Finals brought an ugly side of the beautiful game as some players were taunted with racist abuse. But football fans were looking for the future and hoping the country's leaders will do the same.
CNN's Salma Abdulaziz reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER (voice over): On an unassuming street corner in Manchester, something special is happening. A new generation is learning about an issue long considered taboo in Britain, race and racism.
When England lost the final match of the European championships, player Marcus Rashford and two of his teammates face a torrent of racist abuse. Dozens of fans armed with messages of support flock to a street mural of the hometown hero.
UNKNOWN: It's really nice that people are covering up all of the racism, with bad things that are happening with positive things.
UNKNOWN: I was quite devastated with the England fans reacted. But all of this will show that they didn't do something that was not quite so right.
ABDELAZIZ: The squad also took an unprecedented stand against the bigotry, calling out government officials and sparking a national debate.
UNKNOWN: The first football tournament and they really have got behind. And it felt really important to show how much that meant to hand over the next generation of football fans. You know it might be the history of English football but it is not their future of it. And it felt important to show the kids that.
[03:50:11]
ABDELAZIZ: Many members of the ruling conservative party are firmly opposed to the Black Lives Matter Movement and to taking the knee.
LEE ANDERSON, CONSERVATIVE MP: I don't like the taking the knee business. I think it associates with the Black Lives Matter Movement.
ABDELAZIZ: At the start of the tournament, Manager Gareth Southgate penned a letter to his divided homeland.
"Dear England," it started. "It is clear to me that we are heading for a much more tolerant and understanding society. And I know our lives will be a big part of that," he wrote. This was the progressive message so many would desperate to hear.
UNKNOWN: The community has come out to protect the thing they loved. Which is Marcus and his context.
ABDELAZIZ: But the team's lost provoked the ugly side of English nationalism again.
J. CHAMBERS, ACTIVIST AND MUSICIAN: I was literally like three, two, one, racism. And I literally went on Twitter and it began like immediately, I knew it was going to happen. Because we know what happens here in England. You are British until the point where you let down your nation in their eyes.
ABDELAZIZ: A few streets away, where Rashford grew up, we meet his former neighbors.
KENNY, MARCUS RASHFORD'S FORMER NEIGHBOR: What happened? I'm embarrassed by them, scumbags. I love him. I love his mom, family, they make great (inaudible).
ABDELAZIZ: He signed that right there?
KENNY: Yes.
ABDELAZIZ: Entrenched racism needs to be confronted, they told me.
KENNY: I don't think the football sport is -- football sports would not do that to a lot doing what he is doing. Right? No, I'm not having it. You know, football (inaudible).
ABDELAZIZ: At a time of racial reckoning, the team has chosen to be the voice of dissent. Now it is up to the country's leadership to listen.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Manchester.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): The world's richest man has a date with destiny that is just hours away. Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, hopes to make history and have the title of astronauts to his resume. He will be lifting off to the space around 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S. on a rocket built by his company Blue Origin.
Those comes a little more than a week after fellow billionaire, Richard Branson, made his first sub orbital flight. Along for the ride will be his brother, Mark, as well as the oldest and youngest people ever to travel into space, 82-year-old, aviator Wally Funk, who is one of the Mercury 13, women, and recent Dutch high school graduate, 18- year-old, Oliver Damon.
Former astronaut, Leroy Chiao, joins me now. Thanks so much for being here with us. The world watched earlier this month as Richard Branson flew to space. Now, Bezos. So take us through the difference between the two in terms of the technology used to get up there. And how different the ride would be for the passengers.
LEROY CHIAO, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT (on camera): Sure. Well, Richard Branson, about a week and a half ago, went into space, touch space, and he did so aboard his Unity Spacecraft. And it's a -- basically, the differences is that he went aboard a small space plane. And so, it was carried a lot to around 50,000 feet by a carrier aircraft. And then the spacecraft drop down off of that aircraft and then lit its rocket engine and went up and touch space. It went a little bit above 50 miles, which is the definition of space, according to the U.S. government, and then came back down and glided down and landed on a runway.
In the case of Jeff Bezos, so, you know, his spacecraft actually flies on top of a rocket. So the rocket launched and lifts the capsule up. And he's going to go above the von Karman line, which is about 100 kilometers or 62 miles, and he'll be a parabolic arch.
Same kind of a profile in that both spacecraft get about three or so minutes of weightlessness. And before falling back down, the participants inside will get a view of the Earth, see the curvature of the Earth, and of course, see Earth rim, the blue line as it's called with the sunlight going through the atmosphere. They will see the blackness of space. But then they'll fall back down into Earth. And instead of gliding down and landing on a runway like a space plane, the capsule will come down under a parachute and then be recovered on the ground.
So, in either case, both spacecraft will give the participants a view of the Earth and then experience weightlessness in just a few minutes, but it will be a thrill no matter how you go.
BRUNHUBER: Well, yeah, I want to ask you about that. Because you sort of talk about what they will see, I want to expand a bit about what they'll feel. I mean, tell me what that might be like in terms of sort of what you feel, up there, when you see this unique vista?
CHIAO: Sure. I mean, you'll get to see the beauty of the Earth, the colors. They'll get to see the brightness. And you know, it is really a pretty awesome sight. And of course, you can watch the videos and the photographs that astronauts had shot. But there's nothing like being there yourself.
[03:55:04]
And so, they might feel what has been termed the overview effect, I certainly did, where, you know, you get that bigger picture perspective. And you know, for me, it made me wonder and think about what is out there and gave me a greater appreciation of life on this Earth. BRUNHUBER: You know, after his spaceflight, Branson announced a
welcome to the dawn of a new space age. Is that what we were seeing here? I mean, they talk about democratizing space traveler, realistically most of us will never get anywhere near a ticket.
CHIAO: Right. So, you know, as far as democratizing spaceflight, if you will, this brings the price tag down. I mean, if you're going to go orbital with the Russians or another venue right now, SpaceX is also selling missions aboard its Dragon spacecraft. But if you are going to go orbital, which is a must bigger deal, it's going to cost you the neighborhood of $50 million or so for approximately one week in space, in orbit.
This is touching space. So, you are only up in space for a few minutes, but instead of $50 million, you are talking $250,000 or somewhere around that, U.S. dollars, much lower sum, but still out of reach for the vast majority of people. You know, it is like the choices you build a house or you go buy a house or you go and touch space? So, you brought the price down quite a bit, but it is still just for a few.
BRUNHUBER: Thank you so much, Leroy Chiao. I really appreciate it.
CHIAO: My pleasure, thank you.
BRUNHUBER: And CNN will have full coverage of the Blue Origin launch. It's scheduled for 9:00 am if you are watching in New York and that's 2:00 p.m. in London.
Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. My colleague Isa Soares has another hour of CNN Newsroom after the break. Please do stay with us.
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