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Facebook Under Fire; AUKUS Fracas; China-U.S. Relations; Coronavirus Pandemic; Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 06, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm John Vause. Coming up this hour on CNN Newsroom, from allegations users are willfully put in danger in pursuit of profit to causing deadly violence in Myanmar and Ethiopia. Testimony from the Facebook whistleblower reveals the tech giant's far reaching and dangerous impact around the world.
Its monetary policy Zimbabwe would be proud of minting a trillion dollar coin to end the standoff over the U.S. debt ceiling.
Six years without Adele, the soulful songstress has finally announced a new song, a new album is on the way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Just hours ago, CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted a lengthy defense of Facebook after damning testimony before Congress by a whistleblower who says the social media giant knows about the harm it's causing from eating disorders among teenage girls to stoking hate and anger and violence, to presenting a very danger to democracy. Here's part of his posting. At the heart of these accusations is the idea that we prioritize profit over safety and well-being. That's just not true. And he adds I'm proud of the work we've done.
We have more now from CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reporting on the explosive testimony to Congress, by former Facebook employee to whistleblower Frances Haugen.
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FRANCES HAUGEN, FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER: Facebook's own research shows that right the kids are saying, kids are saying I am unhappy when I use Instagram and I can't stop.
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Powerful testimony on Capitol Hill today from Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower who left the company in May and took with her thousands of pages of internal company documents, including Facebook's own research about the harms. Its technology causes teenagers. HAUGEN: Kids who are bullied on Instagram. The bullying follows them home, it follows them into their bedrooms. The last thing they see before they go to bed at night is someone being cruel to them.
SEN. DAN SULLIVAN (R-AK): I think we're going to look back 20 years from now. And all of us are going to be like what the hell were we thinking, when we recognize the damage that it's done to a generation of kids.
O'SULLIVAN: Haugen's call to action. It's time for Congress to vote to regulate Facebook.
HAUGEN: I believe Facebook's products harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy. The company's leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer, but won't make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people. Congressional action is needed. They won't solve this crisis without your help.
O'SULLIVAN: The hearing also took stark aim at Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who posted a video sailing with his family on Sunday just before Haugen expose some of the company's research on children and an explosive 60 Minutes interview.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): Rather than taking responsibility and showing leadership, Mr. Zuckerberg is going sailing. His new modus operandi, no apologies, no admission, no action, nothing to see here.
HAUGEN: Mark holds a very unique role in the tech industry and that he holds over 55 percent of all the voting shares for Facebook. There are no similarly powerful companies that are as he unilaterally controlled, and in the end, the buck stops with Mark. There's no one hurt currently holding Mark accountable by himself.
O'SULLIVAN: And a statement attacking the whistleblower after the hearing Facebook said that she had only worked for the company for less than two years had no direct reports, never attended his decision point meeting with C level executives. And it added it doesn't agree with her characterization of the issues of child safety on its platforms. But Facebook said it does agree it is time for Congress to make laws to regulate big tech.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you were a member of this panel, would you believe what Facebook is saying?
HUAGEN: I would not believe. Facebook has not earned our right to just have blind trust in them. I came forward at great personal risk, because I believe we still have time to act. We must act now.
O'SULLIVAN: Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
VAUSE: Those leaked internal documents from Facebook also reveal what -- reveals rather than what appears to be an intensive effort to market to preteens described as a valuable but untapped audience. And one presentation, Facebook researchers talked about leveraging playdates to drive awareness growth among kids.
[01:05:01]
Facebook has seen the number of teenage users plummet in recent years, I mean a perception the platform is no longer hip or cool. Instead used by old creepy people who use words like hip and cool. Or as Helen Lewis wrote in The Atlantic, sometimes it's hard to remember that Facebook is only 17 years old. If it were a person, it could drive but not drink. If Facebook were a person, it would also be fabulously wealthy, incredibly successful, and exhaustingly argumentative, and it probably wouldn't use Facebook.
Joining me now is Connie Guglielmo, Editor-in-Chief of the tech website, CNET. Connie, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.
CONNIE GUGLIELMO, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CNET: My pleasure.
VAUSE: OK, so it's way too soon to declare Facebook dead, or dying. But losing relevance and numbers among younger users, or customers, or however, we want to describe it would be a worrying trend, regardless of what the company is, it's not a good sign for the future.
GUGLIELMO: That's right. And that's why they do a lot of research to understand why people are not engaging in Facebook. Facebook is an ad driven business. They are immensely profitable, $100 billion in profits over the last five years. And there are that profitable because people spend time on the platform. So they want to understand how to keep people on the platform, and also how to get new audience. And young people are a growing audience.
Unfortunately, they are looking at other services like TikTok and Snapchat, and as you pointed out, don't necessarily think of Facebook is the place where they want to hang out.
VAUSE: Yes. So when did Facebook become a place for middle aged people to argue over politics and for even older people to post photos from their most recent road trip?
GUGLIELMO: I think it's been going on for quite a few years. You mentioned Facebook is 17. And in tech, you know, seven years is, you know, what, 30 years compared to the rest of us. So tech companies come and go, and Facebook has been around for a while. And they've had challenges, trying to keep people engaged, trying to grow, they've grown internationally. But they haven't been moderating that international expansion as well as people would like, hence a lot of negative commentary on how they've been, you know, not censoring or keeping track of some of the hate or misinformation around the world on their platform.
And, as you say, there have been new platforms that come along, and there's always the next shiny thing. Facebook has done a good job of buying its way into the marketplace, they bought Instagram, they didn't develop that. They bought WhatsApp, those are now two of their most popular apps, and somewhat argue faster growing in the Facebook platform itself. But there's only so much you can buy into the marketplace. So they've resorted to using their platform and manipulating it if we are to believe all of the documents that were released by that whistleblower, to figure out a way to keep people on. Part of that is by serving up provocative and oh, I don't know, engaging or enticing information to you. A lot of it, though, raises emotions, including anger. And that gets people engaged, wanting to comment and stay on the platform.
VAUSE: How much does this have to do with this sort of relentless drive the buzz around growing at an incredibly fast pace, because if you're not on the way up, if you're not growing quickly, then you're on the way down.
GUGLIELMO: I mean, I think that's a huge part of it. This is a business that wants to continue to increase its profits I mentioned. They make about $30 billion in profit last year. They are being challenged by other services that do have that newsworthy buzz, and so they constantly need to grow in order to keep that cachet, keep advertisers coming, keep users coming.
They've been growing internationally, a lot of users at Facebook, 9 percent somewhat, are outside of the U.S. and Canada now. So they're always looking for new markets. Children are the next frontier. And they've had a lot of issues and challenges, but exactly how they're going after those kids.
VAUSE: Here's part of a New York Times piece which argued Facebook isn't so much as all powerful, unstoppable, corporate Titan, but rather, the internal documents revealed a company worried that it's losing power and influence, not gaining it, with its own research showing that many of its own products aren't thriving organically. Instead, it's going to increasingly extreme lengths to improve its toxic image and to stop users from abandoning its absent favorite more compelling alternatives.
So can it be both? Can it be all powerful and weakened at the same time with an uncertain future? And if that's the case, would that be potentially a very, very bad combination?
GUGLIELMO: I mean, it is bad combination. If you're backed into a corner, you know, that's a scary place to be because they have nothing to lose and they're trying to be as aggressive as they can about maintaining their position in power. That I think is what the New York Times article argues.
Yes, they are very powerful now. They are very profitable. They have over 3 billion users, just on the Facebook platform alone. 3.5 billion plus, if you count in all the other services, so they're not going away tomorrow, but they look out into the future as well. And they can see what is coming along, what might displace them. How do they keep people engaged on Facebook and that is at the heart of what some of this whistleblower testimony was about is the algorithm that is at the heart of Facebook.
[01:10:05] We don't know a lot about it despite some of the claims by Facebook executives that they are transparent in, you know, some of their research. We really don't understand how they feed the beast if you will. And that's what was so compelling and interesting about today's testimonies that we got an inside look at how some of that research is put together and how they program the site.
VAUSE: Yes, she goes is roadmap essentially what needs to be done which was fascinating. Connie, thank you for being with us. Connie Guglielmo, thank you for your time.
GUGLIELMO: My pleasure.
VAUSE: Well, the latest effort to try and repair relations between Washington and Paris so the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meeting with the French president and Foreign Minister, Tuesday. France was outraged when Australia pulled out of a $66 billion contract to buy French submarines after joining a new trilateral defense deal with the United States and the United Kingdom. Resentment over the sub snub was evident when a journalist told Blinken that France expected better of him and the Biden administration.
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ANTONY BLIKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE (through translator): We should have done better in terms of communication. This is what President Biden and President Macron said to each other when they spoke a few weeks ago. But above all, we sometimes tend to take for granted relationship as important and as deep as the one between France and the United States.
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VAUSE: That defense do called AUKUS could be one topic in the day ahead in Switzerland with the U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan meets with China's top diplomat. Both sides they want to improve communication between the world's biggest and second biggest economies.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live for us in Hong Kong with more details on this what we can expect. Communication is good, but it's not the end of their problems.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, in fact, there are plenty of problems. This is a time of deepening rivalry in high tension between the U.S. and China. It has been confirmed by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the White House that these two envoys are meeting today in Zurich. We're talking about the National Security Adviser of Jake Sullivan, as well as China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi, and this will be the first time these two individuals will be meeting face to face since that strategic dialogue in Alaska back in March, which descended into the scenes of heated confrontation.
Now today's meeting in Zurich also comes on the back of the Biden administration, formally unveiling its review of U.S.-China trade and his trade policy. We heard from Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative earlier this week. She said that the U.S. is seeking for frank dialogue with China and will not roll out additional tariffs.
And we also heard from the Global Times a state run tabloid saying that China welcomes more dialogue and is not afraid of drawn out conflict. It's a very revealing statement. We'll bring it up for you. In this op ed by the state run tabloid Global Times it says, this quote, we will adhere to the consistent manner of not making concessions on principle based on doing our own thing and not being afraid of any contest, including a protracted one, unquote.
The Zurich meeting also comes at a time of very high tension over Taiwan. In recent days, China has been carrying out an unprecedented number of incursions by its air force into Taiwan's air defense zone. We heard on Tuesday from the U.S. President Joe Biden, who said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about Taiwan and that the two leaders agreed to a Taiwan agreement.
This is a statement that has puzzled at number of China observers this day, it's not clear exactly when this discussion with Xi Jinping took place was the new phone call. Is he referring to the 90-minute phone call that took place in September. And also it apparently it seems that he's making reference to the One China policy, which is a long standing Washington policy of the United States officially recognizing Beijing over Taiwan.
There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity at a high level between the US and China since Joe Biden took office, but very little progress made so far. Back to you, John.
VAUSE: With regards to Taiwan, we're hearing from the defense minister saying that now China, they expect could be capable of mounting a full invasion in the next three years by 2025.
LU STOUT: A very strong statement that we heard just this morning out of Taiwan from his defense minister, the defense chief at a press conference, saying that China will be capable of a full scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025. He added that Taiwan will prepare itself militarily.
The defense chief of Taiwan also said that cross strait relations are at its worst that he's seen in 40 years. We also heard from Tsai Ing- wen, the president of Taiwan in an op-ed that's due to be released in the next issue of Foreign Affairs magazine sounding the alarm.
We do have an expert for you. And in it the president of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen says this quote as countries increasingly recognize the threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses, they should understand the value of working with Taiwan, they should remember that if Taiwan were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace and the Democratic Alliance system. It would signal that in today's global contest of values, authoritarianism has the upper hand over democracy, unquote.
Of course, China claims Taiwan as its own territory which could be taken by force if necessary. [01:15:02]
Taiwan says it is an independent country that will defend itself. The United States especially the last couple of days has decried the incursions into Taiwan's air defense zone by China and the U.S. State Department has said that it is committed to Taiwan, in fact its commitment is quoting their words rock solid. John.
VAUSE: Kristie, a lot to get to that and you put it nicely. Thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live for us --
LU STOUT: Thank you.
VAUSE: -- in Hong Kong. Well, the son of Lake Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos will run for president next year's election. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., known as Bongbong is the fourth politician hoping to succeed Rodrigo Duterte, wsho cannot seek another term.
Marcos was pledging to bring unifying leadership to help the country overcome the COVID pandemic. The 64-year old has been involved in politics since his family returned from exile in the early 1990s. His father was overthrown in a popular uprising in 1986.
The director of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. of public health official described as a national treasure is stepping down and speaking out. Francis Collins will be leading by year's end and says he's heartbroken by the unnecessary loss of life caused by the COVID pandemic. But the battle against COVID grinds on with Johnson and Johnson taking steps now to seek approval for a booster shot. CNN's Jason Carroll has details.
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JASON CARROLL, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A big move for booster shots. Johnson and Johnson asked the FDA to authorize an additional dose of its Coronavirus vaccine, submitting data that shows a second dose provided greater protection against moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms.
J and J leaving it up to the FDA and the CDC to decide who should get the vaccine and when. The question now will the FDA give it OK.
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EXEC. ASSOC. DEAN, EMORY UNIV. SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT GRADY: I think really the data it suggests that, you know, one dose may not be sufficient.
CARROLL: This comes as new research confirms the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine gradually wanes over time. Researchers found the vaccines effectiveness against infection fell to 47 percent after five months.
In New York City, protesters against vaccine mandates let out their anger Monday, but the city's mayor says that mandates are working.
BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: To every mayor in America, to every governor in America, to every CEO in America go to a vaccine mandate. And that's what's going to turn the corner for all of us.
CARROLL: And a new report underscoring vaccine saves lives. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, finding that vaccines prevented at least a quarter of a million infections and close to 40,000 deaths among seniors, just between January and May of this year.
DR. LEANA WEN, FORMER BALTIMORE HEALTH COMMISSIONER: We also cannot rest right now. I mean, we're still at over 100,000 new daily cases, that's really high. We cannot afford to plateau anywhere near the sprayed (ph), especially coming into the winter.
CARROLL: But as young children wait for vaccine approvals, some troubling numbers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under 18 make up 22 percent of the population, but account for 27 percent of all new cases in the US.
Take Florida for example, where a CNN analysis found that at least 51,000 students have tested positive for COVID-19 throughout the largest school districts in the state just since the start of the school year.
DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: Let's really try to get everybody out there and start to be part of the winning team to roll up your sleeves.
CARROLL: Now a main player in the fight against the pandemic, Dr. Francis Collins has announced he will step down as head of the National Institutes of Health by the end of the year, saying in part quote, it's time to bring in a new scientist to lead the NIH into the future.
(on camera): And here in New York City, the Department of Education says at last count. They have about 3,000 teachers who are unvaccinated and under the city's mandate. Those teachers need to be vaccinated in order to get to work but despite that number, the city also says that it has 15,000 substitute teachers who are vaccinated ready on standby. Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
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VAUSE: Still to come, an ocean floor pipeline pulled like a bow string. New details on what caused a massive oil leak and ecological disaster of Southern California.
Also climate change is deadly effect on the world's coral reefs. More on a new study which finds the extent of the damage is much worse than initially thought.
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VAUSE: Venice was partially flooded Tuesday a sign acqua alta or high water season has arrived. The water was not high enough to activate the flood barriers installed last year. Elevated walkways have been set up in St Mark's Square to help visitors stay dry. A number of factors contributed to the flooding in Venice. All of this made a lot worse by climate change.
New details have emerged about the cause of a large oil leak off the coast of Southern California. A preliminary report says the ship's anchor may have hooked the pipeline causing a rupture. The pipeline's owner says more than 1,200 meters of the pipeline has essentially been pulled like a bow string. Investigators are also looking into the timeline of this disaster. CNN Sara Sidner reports now from Los Angeles.
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SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We have now learned the company that owns the pipeline responsible for the California oil spill says it did not detect a leak until the day after residents reported smelling strong fumes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were not aware of anything Friday night.
SIDNER: The revelations are raising questions about its ability to detect smells. Officials also up the maximum potential amount of crude oil that has gushed out into the Pacific Ocean from 126,000 gallons to 144,000.
LUKE GINGER, HEAL THE BAY, WATER QUALITY SCIENTIST: The impact to the environment is going to last years you know potentially even decades.
SIDNER: Water quality scientists like Luke Ginger are sick and tired of excuses for oil smells.
GINGER: These spills have occurred for as long as oil extraction has happened and despite advances in technology, despite new regulations, this industry continues to skirt those regulations, ignore regulations and continues to pollute.
GINGER: The suffering from the oil spill crippling birds, their feathers gummed up with a tar like toxic crude oil.
It may be weeks before we know the impact on other animals whose habitat has been contaminated.
As for people, they're still using the beaches, but noticing tarballs and ribbons of dark sticky muck.
(on camera): They are trying to clean it up as we speak, but there is a lot of work to do and we still don't know the extent of exactly just how much oil has been spilled.
(voice-over): But the damage is done not just to wildlife but the tourism business out on the water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any kind of oil that you see it's usually in a big clump. It's usually a dark spot.
SIDNER: Captain Peg makes his living chartering boats. All rides are canceled for now.
(on camera): How is this affecting business?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's affecting business because nobody can leave the harbor.
SIDNER: For how long?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say two to three weeks, minimum.
SIDNER (voice-over): Meantime, Amplify is facing increased scrutiny created four years ago out of the bankruptcy of another small company, federal regulators found 125 non-compliance incidents over 11 years by Amplify subsidiary responsible for the upkeep of the pipeline. Government in court records show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have examined more than 8,000 feet of pipe.
SIDNER: Amplify indicated it was sending divers down to find the source of the leak that did not sit well with Orange County's district attorney.
TODD SPITZER, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: If that is not done independently, that is a travesty. That company should not be responsible for leading its own investigation.
SIDNER (on camera): The unified command of which amplify is a part of seemed to clarify that saying that actually divers were contracted to do the work. We're also learning that there was a 13-inch gash in the pipeline that they believe is responsible for the leak.
[01:25:03]
Part of the pipeline about a 4,000 foot section had been displaced about 105 feet. And now we have heard from the company that potentially this was because of an anchor that hit this pipeline. There is now a preliminary report, saying that that may well be the cause. Sara Sidner, CNN, Huntington Beach.
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VAUSE: From the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network sheds new light on the toll climate changes had on coral reefs globally. Data shows 14 percent of the world's coral reefs were destroyed between 2009 to 2018. As well as all the living coral in the Great Barrier Reef just off Australia. The report blames not only rising sea temperatures which caused -- causes coral bleaching, but increased levels of acidity in the oceans, marine pollution, as well as overfishing.
Joining me now, Madhavi Colton, Executive Director of the Coral Reef Alliance. Thank you for being with us.
DR. MADHAVI COLTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CORAL REEF ALLIANCE: Thanks for having me, John.
VAUSE: OK, so what's the timeframe here? If nothing is done, and coral continues to die at this rate that we're seeing. How long before there's no coral left alive?
COLTON: It's a great question, John. And so scientists around the world estimate that all coral reefs will be acutely threatened by climate change by the middle of the century, because that's the time when we think bleaching events are likely to happen annually. But what actually happens to the coral reefs themselves is still a matter of some investigation. I've been leading research over these past few years that show that corals can actually adapt to cope with a warmer world. So we may not be looking at the loss of whole coral reef ecosystems as quickly as you might think.
VAUSE: There was a recent study, I think about June last year, which looked at three different scenarios here for carbon emissions. There was a low scenario medium and high. Under the medium and high scenarios, the majority of coral reefs are no longer growing by the end of the century. Instead, they'll be eroding. Even under the lowest emission future coral growth rates would still be reduced by 76 percent. That does sort of indicate that unless we have this low carbon future with low carbon emissions, coral could be doomed.
COLTON: It's true that we need to definitely get our emissions and climate change under control. And that requires coordinated international global effort. And there's a lot of opportunities now this month for leaders to step up and set new targets for ocean protections and climate change.
Those studies that show that it's doom and gloom, it's kind of over for coral reefs frequently don't include the evolutionary responses that corals can have to climate change. And there's a lot of increasing evidence that corals can actually adapt to deal with a warmer world. And when you incorporate that adaptive response into models, it shows that corals can actually thrive through some of those lower emissions scenarios. But at the higher emission scenarios, it is going to be really tough for coral reefs and most ecosystems on this planet to survive.
VAUSE: And climate change is obviously the big factor in all this, but there's also overfishing, there's marine pollution, there's coastal development, I guess, you know, some of those problems easier to fix than others, right?
COLTON: Well, yes, I guess so. When I think about what's stressing out coral reefs around the world, I've entered into two categories, what's happening globally with our emissions with climate change, and what's happening locally, which is the scale at which a human interacts with a reef.
And you're right that at a local scale, we can actually do really effective conservation that includes local communities. So those people that rely on coral reefs can continue to rely on coral reefs into the future. And you can read about efforts to control water pollution, overfishing, things like that on our website, coral.org.
VAUSE: Nice plug on that one very quickly. What happens to a world that does not have coral, or where coral is basically struggling to survive? COLTON: So coral reef are the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet. They provide food and income for about a billion people globally. And just from tourism alone, they're worth $36 billion per year. So the loss of coral reefs isn't just a biodiversity crisis. It's also a human humanitarian and economic crisis.
VAUSE: Madhavi Colton, thank you so much for being with us. What was that website again?
COLTON: Coral.org. Thanks for having me, John.
VAUSE: Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris was the target of environmentalist on Tuesday. Demonstrators invaded the catwalk protesting the environmental impact of excessive consumption. They were quickly removed by security guards. Louis Vuitton was called out because their business model say these protesters pushes for fast and constant production of high end luxury goods.
Up next we'll have reaction from the Vatican to that damning new report detailing decades of sexual abuse within the French Catholic Church.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Reaction from both survivors of cruelty and sexual abuses as well as the Vatican after new reporting exposed decades' long scandal within the French Catholic Church.
The head of one victims group called church representative, quote, "A disgrace to humanity."
Another victim sat down with CNN to talk about how he's coping and moving forward.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I fought with all my strength as a priest and as a victim. First against abusers. And as a priest, so that at my level these things do not happen again. That things move forward, and that the church change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More now from CNN's Jim Bittermann reporting from Paris.
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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What was most stunning about the report released by the French Catholic Church was the scale of the sexual abuse problem. After two years of investigation, the Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church concluded that over 70 years an estimated 216,000 minors had been sexually abused by church clergy. And the number grows to an estimated 330,000 if you include lay persons and Catholic institutions and associations.
Church officials were shocked by the sheer size of the problem. The head of France's conference of bishops said the abuse was "on a scale we never could've imagined". And he added, "to everyone, I ask forgiveness," but it may take more than that.
Here is what one of the victims had to say at the church news conference.
FRANCOIS DEVEAUX, FOUNDER, LA PAROLE LIBERTEE (through translator): What you must understand, is that you are a disgrace to humanity. You have trodden all over the natural obligation to defend the right and dignity of these people.
BITTERMANN: Many of the abuse cases date back decades. And a number of victims wanted to remain anonymous. The church leaders are promising that compensation will be paid to those who have suffered.
Jim Bittermann, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: According to the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed sorrow over the report. He is also grateful for the courage of the victims to come forward.
CNN senior Vatican analyst John Allen, reports now from Rome.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: In response to a dramatic report today on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in France, finding more than 330,000 victims over 70 years, Pope Francis has expressed his sorrow to those victims. Particularly for the wounds they suffered as a result of their experience. But also applauded their courage in coming forward and denouncing the abuse that they had suffered.
[01:35:00]
ALLEN: The Pope also said he was praying for both justice and healing for the victims. In this case, justice being a reference to the civil and criminal prosecution of these crimes and the importance of the church cooperating fully in those inquiries.
Now in the past, when these national liberal reports on Sexual abuse have been issued in the United States, in Ireland, in Germany, the Vatican has not been this quick to comment trying to style it as a matter for the local bishops to handle.
Clearly, what the Vatican and the Pope have learned is that anything that smacks of delay or indifference is simply going to make the situation worse for victims. And that is a very ill-advised course of action. For CNN in Rome, this is John Allen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN, Democrats scrambling to find a work around to prevent a U.S. debt default as Republicans play politics with the debt ceiling.
And it's been called a stilly solution, to a silly problem. Could a trillion coin render the debt ceiling obsolete once and for all? Details ahead.
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VAUSE: It is 1:38 on the East Coast here, a live picture of Washington D.C., and they probably called it a night. The Democrats have been scrambling to try and suspend the government debt limit and avoid an unprecedented U.S. default. Republicans have been playing blatant politics, demanding Democrats to raise the limit through a complicated process that would require a specific amount for the new debt ceiling.
That would then become a major campaign issue in next year's midterm elections. With the projected October 18th deadline looming, warnings of a default are growing louder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY GENSLER, CHAIRMAN, SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION: We'd have significant volatility in the markets and we see some breakages in the system. If that were to go into default, we'd be in for some of the greatest challenges we've seen in our financial sector. We'd be in very uncharted weathers. The uncertainties are bound around this.
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VAUSE: Meantime, sources say U.S. President Joe Biden is ready to compromise part of his social safety net package to try and win support from moderate Democrats.
CNN's Manu Raju has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Democrats on Capitol Hill are still trying to sort through major divisions on Joe Biden economic package. On one side the left, that want a massive multi trillion dollar bill, something close to $3 trillion. They're willing to come down from $3.5 trillion, their initial ask. But not too much further.
Then you have people like Joe Manchin, people in the middle, who want $1.5 trillion. But are now saying that they're willing to go up. But not nearly as high as the moderate -- as the progressives want.
[01:39:56] RAJU: Earlier on Tuesday, I asked Joe Manchin if he is open to going to where Joe Biden is privately proposing anywhere from $1.9 trillion to $2.2 trillion. And he indicated he is not ruling this out.
But there are so many policy differences that they have to sort through exactly what's to cut, how to deal with issues of means testing to limit the eligibility of key social programs in this bill, how to deal with climate change, one issue that divides Joe Manchin with the progressives.
And it's important because they need to get all 50 Democrats on board in the Senate. They have just a three-vote margin in the House. The Democrats do so there's virtually no margin for error.
Now at the same time Democrats are still struggling about their way forward about avoiding a potential debt default by next week because Republicans are refusing to raise the national debt limit. They are not supplying the votes needed.
Democrats as a result are looking at a whole wide range of options to try to circumvent Republicans. But it's still unclear exactly how that will be revolved. But October 18th, the deadline, the major deadline facing the United States, the potential of a debt default is real.
It could be the first ever that the two sides can't reach an agreement. And the Democrats who run Congress can't figure out a way forward in the days ahead.
Manu Raju, CNN -- Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Brinkmanship over raising the U.S. debt rarely ends well. And the U.S. Treasury secretary says it is utterly essential for Congress to act before October 18th.
Janet Yellen though is not in favor of minting a $1 trillion platinum coin to resolve the stalemate. There is a legal loophole which allows treasury to mint platinum coins in any denomination it chooses, usually for special occasions like Arbor Day, not prevent the government from defaulting day.
Rana Foroohar is with us again. She is CNN's global economic analyst and an associate editor at "The Financial Times". She's here to talk trillion-dollar coins, debt ceilings and economic turmoil. It's becoming Wednesdays with Rana. Good to see you again.
RANA FOROOHAR, CNN' GLOBAL ECONOMIC ANALYST: Nice to see you.
VAUSE: Ok. So this is the third time the trillion-dollar coin idea has made a comeback since 2010. While White House has ruled it out, there is some serious economists whose thinking has evolved, one being (INAUDIBLE) "The New York times". Years back he dismissed the whole thing.
But now he writes, "Go ahead Democrats, do whatever it takes to get through this. Gimmickry in the defense of sanity -- and in an important sense democracy -- is no vice."
You know, this ridiculous idea about a trillion-dollar coin keeps coming because of the ridiculous actions of the Republicans in the Senate, who refuse to raise the ridiculous debt ceiling.
But every time it comes back this idea it gets to be, you know, taken a little more seriously. And it also exposes that question, are there limitations on how much money the U.S. can print? Are the only limitations essentially supplies of paper and ink?
FOROOHAR: You know, it is a great question John. And in some ways the answer is yes. The only limitation is what we say it is. But you know all of that is dependent on the fact that the dollar is the global reserve currency.
You know, what typically happens when countries print more and more and more money, be it in a trillion-dollar coin, or lots of paper, is that they have hyperinflation. And they turn into the (INAUDIBLE) market republic. And there is social collapse and wars of local class (ph).
That is not happening. You know, first of all because we haven't printed that much money yet. But there are worries.
VAUSE: And Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen they brought, you know, a little bit of sensibility and reality back into this whole trillion- dollar coin conversation. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET YELLEN, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: It is really a gimmick and what's necessary is for Congress to show that the world can count on America paying its debt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But relying on Congress is never a good idea. So instead of a trillion dollar coin why don't we go full Zimbabwe and let's start printing $100 trillion banknotes. There we go.
You know, why now?
FOROOHAR: I think that needs to be rephrased. The full Zimbabwe.
VAUSE: let's get the full Zimbabwe.
FOROOHAR: I can steal that.
VAUSE: all yours.
But you know, this is the thing, there were some big advantages to being the world's reserve currency, why not make the most of it. China right now is dealing with a potential collapse of another highly indebted property developer.
The country has huge issues with high real estate debt, overinvestment. Why can't they print endless rmb to bail out companies considered too big to fail.
FOROOHAR: Well, for starters, you know, China has a lot of the cash reserves on hand, and T-bills on hand. I mean you know, its government is an autocracy and whatever Beijing says goes. And there is a lot of money in the coffers in headquarters.
You know, there may be some trouble in the provinces, but it's really sort of a different situation than in the U.S.
I have to say I love hearing Janet Yellen sort of bring everybody back to earth and push things on Congress. really that is the issue here. You know, it is about politicians of both stripes, passing the buck, passing the buck again and again. Not just to central bankers but to economists, to the Treasury. You know, it has to stop at some point.
[01:45:00]
FOROOHAR: Now I will say that every single time we get down to this brinksmanship, there is some kind of a last-minute situation that resolves it. But this time around things are going to be very high stakes.
VAUSE: Yes. And if Biden gets those spending bills through there will be more money which will be printed, more debt. And you know, all of that brings inflation concerns and also real inflation too it seems. So you know, our supply chain issues, post pandemic, you know, lockdowns -- this sort of driver here, many say yes.
But Jeremy Seagull (ph) who is Nobel prize winning economist has a different take. He was in Las Vegas at a wealth managers gathering.
Forbes reports he said the current economic picture is unsustainable. And projected 20 to 25 percent inflation over the next few years. Posting that it could come with successive years of 5 to 7 percent annual inflation.
And he specifically blames quantitative easing under Powell. So how and when will you know if he is right, that prices are up because of all the debt and it's systemic? Or inflation will ease as life returns to something closer to normal?
FOROOHAR: So these are great questions, and they're complicated questions. To be clear, there are some short term factors in inflation, supply chain backlogs because of COVID are one. Rising wages are another. I think that some of those things are going to ease, and I also think that there are some deflationary aspects to the economy right now.
A lot of technology, a lot of software is being put in place now. There are a lot of jobs that are going to be done by automation that haven't been in the past.
But this notion that not just under Powell but for the last 10 years, 20 years, and in some ways, 40 years, we've had a climate in America of low rates, easy money, after the financial crisis certainly quantitative easing of an unprecedented amount. And at some point the piper has to be paid. And that is something that
I'm worried about. I think that's a legitimate concern.
You know, it's one thing for the U.S. to spend, and spend and spend and keep rates low and lose any kind of price discovery in the market, when we're the only superpower, only game in town.
But there are other games in town now. China's is on the rise. You know, the Europeans may, at some point, get their act together economically.
And so I think that kind of inflation QE-driven inflation is a real risk.
VAUSE: Yes. There are those who believe that inflation will you know, the U.S. can inflate its way out of debt but that's a losing proposition as well.
We may be talking about that next week, Rana.
FOROOHAR: I look forward.
VAUSE: Take care.
FOROOHAR: Take care.
VAUSE: The World Expo is now underway in Dubai, a six month long strut for almost 200 countries to put their best forward and attract investment tourism, maybe just try to one-up each other.
But as CNN's Scott McLean found out what way you see at World Expo 2020 can be starkly different from the reality of the world in 2021.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If Expo 2020 in Dubai is supposed to be a global village, it's a sanitized, newly built luxury version. Perfectly manicured walkways, and a newly built a home for each of the 192 national governments represented. Even countries plagued by extreme property, civil war, or violent struggle over control of government.
Earlier this year after a landslide election won by the incumbent party of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's military, alleged fraud, staged a coup, arrested Suu Kyi and violently crackdown on protesters and dissent.
But walking through the Myanmar pavilion of Expo, you'd never know.
LEVI SAP NEI THANG, MYANMAR PAVILION DEPUTY COMMISSIONER GENERAL: Attracting tourism and then promoting our culture and promoting my people.
MCLEAN: Would you still want people tourists to go to Myanmar today?
THANG: I want them to come, but it, may not be a good time. MCLEAN: Levi Sap Ney Thang, is a successful entrepreneur in the U.S.
and a household name in Myanmar. She says she was appointed to run the pavilion by Suu Kyi's previous government five years ago.
She's technically the pavilion's deputy commissioner general, deputy because Myanmar's military junta now in charge of the country, and at least on paper, the pavilion too.
THANG: I do this for my people, not for any political party.
MCLEAN: Thang says she paid to outfit the pavilion from her own pocket. if she's forced out, she doesn't know what she'll do with the boxes upon boxes of items she's brought with her.
(on camera): Do you think that someone from the current government would rather have this pavilion.
F1: I think they want to send a new --
MCLEAN (voice over): The Burmese military government did not respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile across the road, there is no sign that the Taliban planned to occupy the Afghanistan Pavilion. It's fully built, inside and out with empty shelves in display cases, there is no sign that any Afghans have actually been here.
[01:49:54]
MCLEAN: War torn Syria though, is represented at Expo 2020. And here, there's no doubt who's in charge.
(INAUDIBLE) President Bashar al-Assad, accused of using chemical weapons on his own people was displayed amongst 1,500 wooden paintings that aim to represent the unity of a country torn apart by a decade of civil war.
At the Yemen Pavilion a 300-year-old manuscript, and some of the gulfs rarest sword as are on display. But there is no mention of the Saudi- led war that's killed more than 200,000 people.
Last year a massive explosion rocked the Beirut Port in Lebanon, killing hundreds and injuring thousands. A country already in the midst of a financial crisis, according to a recent U.N. report has pushed almost three quarters of the population into poverty.
Inside the Expo Pavilion it's another world. The Lebanon pavilion, unlike almost every other, has no connection to the dysfunctional Lebanese government, blamed for swinging the country from crisis to crisis. Instead the organizers say it's here. thanks to Lebanese businesses an ex pats.
Do you ever think that maybe you are carrying water for the government?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are not carrying water to the government. We're not doing their job, we're doing it for the people. If they're not willing to do it, then we'll do it. MCLEAN: Scott McLean CNN -- Dubai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: He was already the smoothest, the most stylish British spy on film. But now 007 is getting a fashion make over. When we come back, fabric fit for an international super spy.
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VAUSE: Few could wear a tux like Sean Connery when he owned the role of Bond, James Bond. All the style and flair being hallmarks of 007 and now the super spy is getting a star makeover in his latest film, "No Time To Die".
Here's CNN's Christina Macfarlane.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, (through translator) Amidst the hordes of companies lining up for a moment of product placement in no time to die. One Italian designer found his suits filling the scene on creative merit alone.
MASSIMO ALBA, FASHION DESIGNER: When we first got an email from the Bond production. They asked us to send over some of our look books. To begin the Daniel Craig's era as bond has been a love affair with Italy -- baby corduroy.
My go to textile.
This fabric feels as if it were part of the body, becomes part of it and takes on its shape. So the thought they chose this material, meant that we've been recognized for an idea. That is very important our vision for men.
The idea that men can feel at ease and comfortable in their own shape.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daniel Craig's era as Bond has been a love affair with Italy. From Venice to Vienna to Rome, across the five films he has returned again and again.
So it's only fitting that "No Time To Die" also begins in Italy, this time in Matera where we find Bond sporting this new style.
ALBA: This is the baby corduroy material the duster, the suit, and the two bet trousers you see in the film.
[01:54:55]
ALBA: Bond is Bond. He's a superhero, a man who jumps from bridges, flies with his motorbike, fights and gets hit back and survives any type of accident though what most struck me is the fact that it's as if our suit has in some way emphasized the character's more human side. Showing the character to be freer which is a reflection of how I see this time we live in, a time of freedom for men. Bond is an extremely interesting entity because he is a mirror of our time, a reflection of the zeitgeist and I am convinced that both the producers and Mr. Craig himself felt the need to find within a suit and within a fabric that unique detail that structure, a suit that exposes instead of protecting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: The Russian film crew has now arrived on the International Space Station. An actress and director will begin filming scenes for a movie which is called "Challenge" it's a dramatic story of a surgeon traveling to outer space operating on a dying cosmonaut.
So far the team finds the experience hard to believe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YULIA PERESILD, RUSSIAN ACTRESS (through translator): Everything was new to us today, every 30 seconds brought something entirely new. And we just met the rest of the crew who, the cosmonauts and astronauts who have been living on board the station for sometime now.
But I'm still in a dream. I still feel that it's all just a dream, and I am asleep.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: They'll spend nearly two weeks filming scenes on the space station, maybe spend a little time rewriting that plot.
Well, it's time to stock up on tissues, get ready to ugly cry for Adele fans because the wait is almost over. The singer/songwriter shared a 20 second teaser of a new song "Easy on Me" on her verified Twitter and Instagram accounts Tuesday.
The post says "Easy On Me" will be released October 15th. Here's a clip.
(MUSIC)
VAUSE: Apart from the opening piano montage, we still don't have any lyrics or any other information, really. Fans have been waiting a long time for new music from Adele. Her last album, 25, released nearly six years ago.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us.
CNN NEWSROOM continues after a very short break with Rosemary Church. I'll see you tomorrow.
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