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California Becomes First U.S. State To Top 500,000 Cases; Australian State Of Victoria Declares State Of Disaster; Fresh Attacks By Turkey On Mostly Kurdish Region Of Iraq. Aired 10:00-11a ET
Aired August 03, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:38]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tonight, state of disaster. Life hasn't been as harsh in Australia in peacetime ever as COVID-19 rips
through the country again. Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: We are in a new phase.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The virus spreads further and wider than ever across America with Washington, far from a badly needed relief package. And.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The presence of different forces comes the complication of the need to deal with each one of them separately, which each of them
also has its own interest, its own goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Turkey's military expansion goes on with a new push into Iraq.
This hour, we have seen a million new COVID cases in the last four days around the world. That is nearly 200 a minute. And Becky Amazon. Hello and
welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. And we start with the United States. Facing twin threats today a dangerous tropical storm forecast to strengthen to a
hurricane as it turns towards the East Coast. And a pandemic that a top member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force says is sweeping through
every part of the country.
Dr. Deborah Birx calls it a new phase with rural areas now facing the same danger as big cities, but she also says the numbers are finally trending in
the right direction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIRX: I think the Federal government reset about five to six weeks ago when we saw this starting to happen across the south. We've gone to very
specific state and local city by city county by county, showing out which counties and which cities are under particular threat and what mitigation
has to be done. And what we're starting to see across the west and across the south, which the American people should find a little bit reassuring,
is these mitigation efforts are beginning to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well still owe her assessment. Most be through -- a view through the prism of millions of U.S. cases and a massive loss of life. Even with
the reduced case numbers, the death toll which lags behind case counts remains around 1000 a day. Death rates are rising in 30 states. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention is predicting 173,000 deaths in the U.S. by August the 22nd.
Well, California has just become the first state to record a half million cases. Florida will hit that number just days from now. And while Florida
largely it's been spared major damage from the tropical storm bearing down on it at present. It points further north bracing for impact with Hurricane
warnings now posted for the Carolinas as the storm heads up the East Coast. We'll look more closely at the hurricane threat in just a moment.
But first more on the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. Those local mitigation efforts that you heard Dr. Biggs mentioned are ramping up in California.
Dozens of counties there face a return to strict lockdown measures if case numbers don't improve. Stephanie Elam has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: California was the first state to shut down. And now it's the first to have more than half a million coronavirus
cases. On Sunday, the state recorded almost 509,200 total infections. But back when California began reopening in May, there were roughly 64,600
cases.
NANCY PELOSI, SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE: Governor Newsom contained and controlled how this spread in the beginning.
When the opening up took place, we had more cases. And that should be instructive to others. The virus is vicious. And you have to have shelter
in place, as long as you need it.
ELAM: California added over 9,000 new cases yesterday. On May 8th, it was just over 2,000. The rise hitting major cities like San Francisco hard.
[10:05:09]
ELAM: And state leaders fear it's because residents are becoming too relaxed when practicing social distancing.
MAYOR LONDON BREED (D), SAN FRANCISCO: We have to get more comfortable with changing how we interact with one another. This has been the biggest
challenge when we find out through our contact tracing teams, the fact that people are still coming together in large groups and family groups. This is
where people are spreading the virus.
ELAM: In Los Angeles, the county health department is now investigating this party for first responders at a Hollywood bar, despite businesses
being required to close indoor operations.
Top health officials say Americans following preventative measures like wearing masks could have positive long-term effects on fighting the
coronavirus.
ADMIRAL BRETT GIROIR, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF HEALTH: Wearing a mask is incredibly important, but we have to have, like 85 or 90 percent of
individuals wearing a mask, and avoiding crowds. That is essentially -- gives you the same outcome as a complete shutdown.
ELAM: This as Dr. Deborah Birx warns the United States has already entered a new phase of the pandemic.
BIRX: What we're seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It's into the rural, as equal urban areas. No
matter where you live in America, you need to wear a mask and socially distance.
ELAM: The CDC now predicts 19,000 more Americans could die from the coronavirus over the next 20 days if the current trajectory continues.
DR. JAMES PHILLIPS, PHYSICIAN: Some more serious measures need to be taken in order to flatten the curve. I'm concerned that the sort of complacency
we've seen with coronavirus has led to these mass gatherings and a general sort of disagreement with the science, in many parts of the country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Stephanie, joining us now live from Los Angeles. And what if anything has changed for Californians going about their daily lives,
Steph?
ELAM: Yes, well, for one thing, Becky, people want to act like it's normal and they want to go back to doing things like they used to. Gathering
indoors seems to be a problem when contact tracers are talking to people. They're saying that they're still doing that. And there -- or as you say,
they resumed doing that, even in small groups and large groups too. But the problem with that is, that's how the virus can continue to spread.
Here in Los Angeles County, though they are seeing signs of the stricter measures that were put back into place, are starting to have an effect.
They're saying that when they look at the number of patients hospitalized each day, this week versus last week, that number has continued to go down.
So they're saying this may be showing that the efforts to slow the spread is working.
But they're also saying that this is not the time to get complacent, especially when you look at 60 percent of the new cases that we're finding
here. Now of all cases, I should say here, they're all in people in the age range of 18 to 49. These are not older people who are getting it, these are
younger people who are going out spreading it and then bringing it back to loved ones with underlying conditions and older friends and family members
who are then dying from it, Becky.
ANDERSON: Stephanie Elam is in Los Angeles for you. And a new threat -- thank you, Steph. To millions of Americans this week. Hurricane warnings
have been issued for North and South Carolina as a tropical storm chugs its way up these coasts within hours it could strengthen to a category one
hurricane with landfall expected later today. Storm watches are in place up and down the eastern seaboard with fears of flash flooding and storm surge.
That weather system has already kicked up some heavy wind rain and rough tides for people on Florida's Atlantic coast. Well, President Trump
tweeting about the worsening coronavirus situation not in the U.S. but in Australia, after the State of Victoria declared a state of disaster.
Melbourne, the epicenter of the outbreak is now under a stage four lockdown. The ramp up in measures includes a curfew hand restriction of
movement.
Further restrictions have also been placed on regional Victoria. CNN's Anna Coren is connecting us to the story. And for the people of Melbourne, the
next six weeks are going to be nothing short of tough, Anna.
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very tough. And obviously the plan, Becky is to bring this crisis out of control. The State of
Victoria has been averaging about 500 new infections for the past month, have spiked to more than 700 last week. The situation clearly out of
control. So they are hoping that with this stage four lockdown, which as you say, brings a curfew.
It's the closure of all non-essential businesses that they will be able to contain this crisis. The Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledges that
this is going to bring a great deal of pain to Victorians and certainly hamper the economic recovery of the state and of the nation but doing
anything less was not an option.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[10:10:13]
COREN: Erie empty lifeless streets in the center of Australia's second largest city. Scenes unheard of in Melbourne. Even during the pandemic's
first wave the COVID-19 has returned with a vengeance. Victoria's capital is now under a six-week curfew with even tougher restrictions, as
authorities desperately trying to get this deadly outbreak under control.
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: This has been another heartbreaking day for Victorians, which means it's a heartbreaking day for
all Australians. I know that across Victoria many today, frankly would have reached breaking point trying to come to terms with what has happened in
this state.
COREN: It's the first time in Australia's peacetime history that citizens have had to face such a harsh lockdown. Melvin's five million visitors have
spent the past month under stage three restrictions, but the number of daily infections just continued to soar. Too many people were flouting the
rules refusing to heed medical advice. The government said more than 50 percent of sick people who'd been tested awaiting results was still going
to work.
While one in four who had tested positive, we're not self-isolating. As of this week, stage four restrictions are in place. Curfew will be imposed
from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. or non-essential businesses will be closed along with schools and childcare centers. And only one member of each
household will be allowed to leave the house each day to buy groceries.
DANIEL ANDREWS, VICTORIA PREMIER: This is a very tough day. And there are many more of those to come before we get to the other side of this. But
these are the decisions that have to be made. That's why I've made them. We have a plan. We have a clear strategy (INAUDIBLE) worked out everybody
plays their part.
COREN: For Melburnians who've been playing their part and doing the right thing. The Premier's announcement was a slap in the face.
MEREDITH FRASER, MELBOURNE RESIDENT: Six weeks is no main task. It's a really long time when you add it on to the four that we've already had. So
it's not just financial, it's mental and I think that is what hasn't been given the spotlight.
COREN: Financial assistance will be provided to businesses that must now shut their doors until mid-September. The prime minister also offering a
disaster payment of just over $1000 U.S. to every Victorian who test positive, saying there is no economic reason for people who are infected to
not self-isolate for 14 days. While the economic impact is terrifying. So is the human toll with the majority of deaths in Victoria occurring in aged
care facilities.
ANDREWS: There is no stage for it, this has to work. Otherwise, we will have to devise a set a rules that will even further limit people's
movement.
COREN: A move at the moment that's unthinkable for residents at the epicenter of Australia's most deadly coronavirus outbreak.
ANDERSON: Now, Vicki, as you may recall, Australia was extremely aggressive in tackling the pandemic at the start. It shut down its nation's borders.
Much of the country was in lockdown. And the second way that has appeared in Melbourne was triggered by security guards contracted by the Victorian
government to look after hotel government quarantine of Australians returning from overseas.
Well, the security guards were interacting with these returned Australians who clearly were carrying the virus. They then spread it to their families.
And from there it has spread like wildfire throughout the community, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's -- yeah, it's remarkable, isn't it? And that Melbourne resident that you spoke to in your report, underlining just how big an
impact these lockdowns have on people's mental health as much as anything else. The question is will this next step in restrictions, Anna, be enough
to curb Australia second wave?
COREN: Look, they're banking on it Becky, they don't have any other card up their sleeve. They need this to work. As I said, you know, Australia
thought they were on track to eliminating the virus along with nearby New Zealand that all unraveled a few months ago with this security guard
debacle. And from there it has spread and like I heard in the earlier report about how it's the most vulnerable that are dying.
Well, that's the case in Australia. In Victoria, the outbreaks are happening on a major scale in these aged care facilities. And the reason
being is that workers were going to these aged care facilities, feeling sick, maybe having, you know, put down the test, but not yet got the
results. So people were still going to work sick spreading the virus, and as a result it had a deadly consequences.
[10:15:07]
COREN: The death toll as it stands in Australia right now is 221, Becky.
ANDERSON: Anna Coren on the story for you. Anna, it was a pleasure. Thank you. Australia's COVID numbers may seem like a drop in the ocean when you
compare it to countries like the United States. But the bottom line it is yet another country on the brink of losing control in such a global crisis
sifting through the daily news and so many pinpoints around the world can be overwhelming. I know.
That's why CNN has a daily coronavirus newsletter wrapping everything you need to know today. Just do jump online to cnn.com to subscribe. Well,
still to come. 40 days and 40 nights. Not a lot of time for Microsoft to come up with a deal for TikTok that could change the social media and
possibly even the political landscape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a staggering death toll that is now third highest in the world behind only the U.S. and Brazil. And compared to the rest of
the world Mexico's mortality rate, the percentage of people who contracted COVID and died is nearly triple the global average.
ANDERSON: Why is the coronavirus death toll so high in Mexico? The government offered an explanation but many people are not buying it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is continuing his campaign of incursions in the Middle East. His military now involved in Libya, in
Iraq and in Syria for the purpose of what he calls defending Turkish national security. And now his country's military presence is becoming
increasingly confrontational on all fronts. Right now we are seeing Turkey make a fresh assault against The Kurds in northern Iraq.
At least 10 Kurdish fighters have been killed in recent days. According to Twitter posts by the Turkish National Defense Department, Turkey says those
killed were members of the PKK, a terrorist organization. And all this going on has the COVID pandemic rips into the Kurdish population of the
region and indeed into Iraq itself. CNN's Arwa Damon covers this region extensively for us. Joining us now with more from the Bureau in Istanbul.
And Arwa, the misery in Iraq endless it seems. What's the latest on the COVID situation, as I understand it, Turkeys suspending flights?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they have and that's largely because Iraq's numbers have been increasing significantly as of
late. The country now has upwards of 130,000 confirmed cases around 5000 deaths. and that many believe is not necessarily what is exactly happening
on the ground due to a lack of testing.
[10:20:07]
DAMON: And also remember Iraq has been decimated by war after war, its health infrastructure never recovered from the Saddam Hussein era
sanctions. And you also have a disturbing high percentage of infections among medical staff. So it really has thrown this country into even more of
a tailspin, keeping in mind that it's not just confronting COVID. It's also trying to rebuild after the war against ISIS being the most recent war that
took place there. Now, of course, you have Turkey's incursion into the predominantly Kurdish part of the country.
ANDERSON: Yes, and I think it's really important to provide that context. I mean, against this sort of background of a pandemic, a renewed assault by
Turkey on Kurds in Iraq, why?
DAMON: For a number of reasons, Becky. And this really is nothing new. Turkey has been fighting the PKK for decades and has regularly carried out
strikes in northern Iraq. But residents in the area say that this time, it feels different.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You see that smoke that's from our fields immediately sound says resigned and sorrowful. It's hardly the first
time that Turkey has locked strikes in the Kurdish semi-autonomous Region of northern Iraq, targeting the Kurdish separatist group the PKK
strongholds in the harsh mountain terrain. Amir live in a small village nearby, fleeing with his family in the middle of the night.
His elderly mother shows us how she used to shake with fear. For decades the Turkish state has been at war with the PKK designated a terrorist
organization not just by Turkey but also the E.U. and the United states. This is the largest scale and ground defensive since the 1990s. Turkey says
it's just trying to protect the borders and stop the Kurdish PKK fighters from moving into Syria.
In October of last year, Turkey invaded neighboring northern Syria, going after a related Kurdish group called the YPG, a sister organization to the
PKK. What makes this situation so adorning is that the Kurdish force turkey attacked in Syria makes up the bulk of the fighting forces partnering with
the U.S. and the battles against ISIS. The Americans abandon their Kurdish allies withdrawing from key positions.
The Turks swept it, tens of thousands of civilians fled. Today, Turkey still occupies the border region, carrying out joint patrols with the
Russians and the Americans.
KINO GABRIEL, SDF SPOKESPERSON: With the presence of different forces comes the complication of the need to deal with each one of them separately, which each of them also has its own address, his own goal.
DAMON: When it comes to the U.S., it's all about ISIS. They frequently tout their partnership fighting ISIS with the Kurdish YPG as part of the Syrian
Democratic Forces.
COL. MYLES CAGGINS, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN FOR OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE: And I want to describe how we are partnering with the SDF. The current
threat from ISIS, and let you know of some other areas, some other topics where we are collaborating to help the people of this region.
DAMON: And yet when the Kurds need big brother America, or for that matter, anyone to step in and help them all remain on the sidelines. In northern
Iraq, Amir's beloved farmlands orchard destroyed. His children missed running around outside and the cool breeze here.
Blame is shared, he says, our government can't do anything in the face of Turkey or the PKK. countries need to get involved. It can't go on like
this. But it will, as it always has. The Kurds have a proverb that arose from their history of betrayal and abandonment. No friend, but the
mountains, they say.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: And Becky the coronavirus pandemic has also severely impacted humanitarian aid which means that for a lot of these families who already
need so much, they're not getting any sort of even basic assistance.
ANDERSON: I just want to discuss with you President Erdogan game plan, not just in Iraq but around the region at present, the UAE Minister for Foreign
Affairs, tweeting this in the past couple of days. Relations -- and he was referring to Turkey's involvement in Libya.
[10:25:05]
ANDERSON: Relations aren't managed by threats and there is no place for public colonialist delusions in this day and age. This was Anwar Gargash,
alluding to President Erdogan's perceived neo ultimate ambition or pan Islamist zeal, call it what you will, Arwa, on Erdogan's detractors
certainly on the holding bag. They were accusing him of delusions of grandeur across the region. What is the President's game plan here?
DAMON: Well, it's quite interesting, Becky, actually to be watching what Turkey has been doing politically and militarily in the region and in North
Africa, because it most certainly does appear as if it is punching above its weight to a certain degree. But those comments who just -- that you
just read out, those are made in reaction to Turkey's Minister of Defense, basically accusing the UAE of arming terrorist organizations that were
trying to harm Turkey inside Libya.
And it's worth noting that these two countries are on opposite sides of the Libyan war. Remember Turkey got involved because it was supporting the
U.N.-backed GNA government that is of course based out of Tripoli as renegade General Khalifa Haftar's LNA forces were advancing on the capitol.
Now Haftar's forces are being backed by the UAE. They're being backed by Egypt and they're being backed by Russia.
Turkey's involvement in that battlefield stop that advanced, push those forces back a certain degree. And for Turkey, the Libya conflict is about
oil and natural gas that is located inside the eastern Mediterranean waters. But at the same time, it's also about Turkey wanting to be taken
seriously as a force within the region. The issue though, when it comes specifically to Libya, is that Libya is not going to have a chance for
peace.
Given that it is such a proxy battleground at the moment. And unless outside forces stop sending in fighters, stop sending in fighter jets and
weapons, the war there is only going to keep dragging on at this stage.
ANDERSON: Arwa Damon on the story in Northern Iraq but the wider story with regards Turkey's ambitions in the Middle East. Thank you. Well, the Turkish
moves, come as the region marked 30 years since Iraq's invasion of QA began on August 2nd 1990, leading to a quick defeat of Kuwaiti forces. Iraq's
goal was reportedly to pay off its debt that it ran out during its bloody war with Iran in the 1980s.
The invasion Operation Desert Storm in early 1991 when a U.S.-led coalition quickly liberated Kuwait's Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein hang on to power.
Fast forward to March 2003, the U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq, accusing Saddam Hussein of developing weapons of mass destruction. He was removed
from power and sentenced to death by an Iraqi court. But the U.S. stuck in a grueling battle with Iraqi insurgents until its pull out in 2011.
Iraq later fought a war to clear ISIS out of the country, the way the situation stands right now. Iraq, still chaotic, Turkey, increasingly
flexing its military muscles there. We've seen the U.S. leave an ally in the Middle East, so it's also leaving another ally in Europe. The U.S.
moving ahead with its plan to pull out almost 12,000 troops from Germany. Read our Nick Robinson's analysis on cnn.com.
Nick says it may be U.S. President Trump's last gift to Vladimir Putin that at cnn.com. Well, up next. Donald Trump won't dance to TikTok's tune. But
the U.S. president says he'll wait to see if Microsoft can do a deal for the controversial app.
Plus, it's the first nuclear power plant in the Arab world that it's launched its startup operations here in the UAE. Details on that up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:31:46]
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. It is half hour 6:00 here in Abu Dhabi. This is our Middle East broadcasting hub. You're watching
CONNECT THE WORLD. The White House coronavirus response coordinator says the U.S. has entered a new phase The pandemic. Dr. Deborah Birx warned
Sunday that the virus is now extraordinarily widespread, with cases rising in both urban and rural areas.
That warning comes as the CDC projects more than 173,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. by August 22nd. Meanwhile, things are getting worse out west
despite earlier success in keeping the virus at Bay, California. Now the first state to report more than half a million cases.
Well, big tech, geopolitics and kids dancing what could they possibly have in common? TikTok. Microsoft says it's keen to buy the video apps, U.S.,
Canadian and Australian operations. The tech giant talking with TikTok's owner, the Chinese startup fight dance. Well, that follows President
Trump's threat Friday to ban the app over possible national security risks. Well, TokTok which features and offer lot of dancing teenagers is far from
kid stuff.
It's got 100 million users in America alone. Washington and Beijing already furious with each other. And President Trump's ban threat did nothing to
help that. Well, Hadas Gold watching this story for us. The U.S. president threatening to ban this app. Can you do that, Hadas?
HADAS GOLD, CNN REPORTER: Well, Becky, I mean, technically he can. But it's not as simple as for example, flipping a switch and automatically would go
away. He does have several options at play here. And some of them we're familiar with from -- like for example, actions that the government has
taken against Huawei. But the more likely scenarios, the one that we're seeing play out right now.
And this is part of the U.S. Treasuries Committee on Foreign investment in the United States. And this committee is the one that looks into
acquisitions, and whether they have national security concerns. Now, this committee has actually already been looking at ByteDance for quite some
time. And this is the committee that can force a spin off or could force it to sell off TikTok if they want to continue operating in the U.S.
And actually, this committee has already taken similar action against another Chinese owned app Grindr, the dating app, they were actually forced
to spin off a few months ago. So this is something that has happened before. And it seems as though the talks with Microsoft, as we're hearing
from Microsoft have been continuing in Microsoft saying in the same way, they've been speaking directly with President Donald Trump and with TikTok
and they hope to have these discussions done by mid-September.
So within a few weeks, we might see what could possibly be a huge deal for TikTok because as he said, lots of people use it. Lots of teens are really
obsessed with it. Now TikTok, for its part has always said that it's not a national security risk, but clearly they are participating in these talks.
And the U.S. General Manager for TikTok had this message for their users and for the government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANESSA PAPPAS, U.S. GENERAL MANAGER, TIKTOK: I want to say thank you to the millions of Americans who use TikTok every day bringing that creativity
and joy into our daily lives. We've heard your outpouring of support. And we want to say thank you. We're not planning on going anywhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:35:06]
GOLD: So now Becky, the question is how much will TikTok potentially be sold for? What will it be its valuation? And also will this spinoff be
enough to satisfy the national security concerns that the U.S. government officials and President Trump say they have around this Chinese owned app?
ANDERSON: And then they just seem to be bipartisan report remarkably for these national security concerns. You could also argue that President Trump
has a bit of a bee in his bonnet about TikTok. This was him back at the beginning of June. Our viewers may remember this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to be starting rallies. The first one we believe will be probably we're just starting to
call up. We'll be in Oklahoma, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Beautiful, new venue, brand new and they're looking forward to it. They've done a great job with
COVID.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, beautiful, new, empty Oklahoma stadium for his rally or nearly empty. And at the time there was reporting that TikTok users had
effectively been trolling the organizers, buying up or certainly subscribing for the tickets and then not turning up. The President doesn't
like this app, does he?
GOLD: Well, I mean, it's hard to quantify how much these TikTok users were actually directly responsible for those empty seats, you'd have to keep in
mind, this rally was happening in the middle of a pandemic that we're still in. But TikTok users have been reacting pretty strongly to the Trump
administration and to all this talk about a ban because as we've noted, they have a huge fan base of a really active fan base who are incredibly
worried that this app which not only a lot of people use for fun, but just like other social media companies, they have a lot of influencers on there.
There's a lot of money at stake here as well. There's a lot of advertising campaigns, sponsorship campaigns at stake here. And so users have been
taking upon themselves some various measures to try to fight back in their own way. We have been seeing, for example, that rally stunt. But also
they've been doing things like giving the Trump campaign 2020 app, really bad ratings on the App Store to try to get them down in the ratings or
potentially even kicked off these platforms.
But we do have to keep in mind, the larger geopolitical issues at play here. This is part of the larger tensions we're seeing, of course, between
the U.S. and China, this is all playing out. And Donald Trump has been very vocal about this. And as you noted, there is actually bipartisan support
for this. Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill has also been speaking out against TikTok. If, for example, a Democrat were to win in the November election.
I don't think that we would see suddenly an about face on something like this. This is something kind of the rare moment where you do see bipartisan
support against things like Chinese technology and Chinese having more control over data and over the social media that so many Americans spend so
much time on.
ANDERSON: Yes, very good point. Hadas, thank you. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And the
United Arab Emirates says it has successfully started a nuclear reactor. What is the Arab world's first nuclear power plant. The plant located here
in Abu Dhabi and officials say when it's complete, it will produce a quarter of the nation's electricity. Three more nuclear reactors are under
construction at that same site.
Well, the Italian town of Genoa will inaugurate a new bridge in the coming hours. Nearly two years after the old one collapse. The Morandi Bridge, one
of the busiest in the country, gave way during heavy rain, killing 43 people. families of the victims say they won't take part in the ceremony.
China is sending medical personnel to Hong Kong to help the city cope with a surge of coronavirus cases. Beijing's National Health Commission says
more than 50 clinical laboratory technicians will help with lab work. Medical experts from Wuhan will also help set up a 500-bed hospital at Hong
Kong's Asia World Expo site.
The Lebanese Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti resigned from his post on Monday. He blames the government and international community's lack of will
to implement reforms in his country. He says the government's mishandling of Lebanon's worst financial crisis in decades is turning it into -- and I
quote, "A failed state.
Well, coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD. The British are going Dutch. We'll explain when we take you to Downing Street as the government announces a
new scheme to keep restaurants and pubs in business.
And at the age of 35. Six times Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is just about done at all but he is never finished a race quite like this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You will have heard of going Dutch, well now you can go British if you grab a meal in the United Kingdom. You can now split the bill with
the government, aptly named Eat Out To Help Out it is all part of a new scheme meant to boost the restaurant and pub industry in the wake of
coronavirus. It reduces meal prices by half every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in August when you dine in.
The government says 10s of thousands of restaurants will be participating. Let's get more details on this and more with CNN's Nic Robertson live from
London. And the restaurant and pub industries have been so badly hit by coronavirus and the closing down of the industry before it was reopened.
But with limited capacity. This is an effort by the government to help out, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Oh huge, a huge helping hand for the restaurant and cafe businesses around the country. Look, I
mean, we all saw them shuttered. They have been absolutely hammered by the government restrictions on around COVID-19. You know, some of the
restaurants have turned to sort of selling the raw products, fish restaurants have become, you know, fishmongers and such like, but now
they're back in business in their true spirit.
And the government's offer here is you go in, you have your meal, and the government will pay half the price up to 10 pounds sterling, about $13.
The, you know, the concern here is that ultimately, the country will have to pay for this, as with every bailout, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is
putting in place and some people are saying, well, look, this is slightly confused and mixed messages because we have in some parts of the country,
sort of partial lock downs where people are being advised not to go out with other households to restaurants and pubs and cafes and such light
because that's where the government judges infections are the sort of quickest to spread in those sorts of settings.
So there's that there is a concern here that people don't quite know what to do, but it's very clear, eat out Mondays or Wednesdays and get 10 pound
back on your meal.
ANDERSON: Yes, Eat Out To Help Out. I'm sure the tea restaurant and pub industries will be absolutely delighted with that. Meantime in the U.K.,
millions of rapid coronavirus test set to be rolled out which as I understand it will be able to detect the virus in just 90 minutes, correct?
ROBERTSON: Correct. And we heard from the World Health Organization today saying exactly this, the quicker you can test the more effective and more
useful it's going to be for you for tracking, tracing and testing. We've heard from government officials today, the Minister of Health, Secretary of
Health saying that, you know, not only does it allow you to sort of reach into other places that you haven't been able to reach before such as
schools, that want to do more testing in schools and the -- and the care industry.
They want to do more testing, they're not only allowing you to do that, but allowing them to test asymptomatic people hugely vital in fighting the
virus here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:45:08]
MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: These technologies which deliver these rapid turnaround tests will mean that we can expand testing capacity
further and into settings where for instance, in schools, we have a -- currently, we have survey testing. So we have some testing that would be
able to be expanded, but also looking at -- looking across the community where we want to test as people who don't have symptoms to find out where
the virus is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: But of course, vitally for a government that struggled to hit its testing targets. The Prime Minister set this target of half a million
tests a day by middle of October and the government now saying that is on track. In fact, I saw and spoke to the health Secretary as he went inside
Downing Street earlier today, and he did seem to be a very happy man. I think he feels comfortable, but it's got this bit of it nailed down
apparently at the moment, Becky.
ANDERSON: Ye, well, the airport bosses will be looking for some support when it comes to testing perhaps this is one way of doing it. The CEO of
Heathrow last week, really having a go at the government and suggesting there should be testing on the way in to ensure that the airports can
actually get back in business. All right, Nic, thank you for that.
Latin America has quickly become one of the global epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic. Death toll in Latin America and the Caribbean which
is sort of put together on these numbers has just surpassed 200,000 people. As Matt Rivers reports there is a big debate in Mexico about why the virus
claimed so many lives there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Maria Isabel Cruz Hernandez was struggling to breathe back in May when her son first called the
ambulance. We watched the 72 year old diabetic get wheeled out and brought to the hospital.
And a week later, she would become one of the more than 46,000 Mexicans that have died from COVID-19. It is a staggering death toll, that is now
third highest in the world behind only the U.S. and Brazil. And compared to the rest of the world, Mexico's mortality rate, the percentage of people
who contracted COVID and died, is nearly triple the global average. Asked to explain that, Mexican health officials consistently point to one thing.
Chronic diseases are the fundamental reason why COVID-19 is more intense in Mexico, says the deputy health minister.
The government says nearly three-quarters of those of who have died of the virus in Mexico have had a pre-existing condition.
DR. VANESSA FUCHS TARLOVSKY, NUTRITION AND DIETETICS SPECIALIST: The reality that we are seeing in Mexico, it's because Mexican population has a
lot of problems with obesity, with diabetes, with hypertension.
RIVERS: But COVID's lethality here can't be explained only by chronic illness. This chart shows countries with similar rates of diabetes.
Mexico's mortality rate is the highest by far.
And among countries with similarly sized populations, Mexico's death toll soars above the rest. By focusing on the impact of chronic disease, critics
say the government is conveniently shifting blame away from another key factor, its own inaction.
DR. FRANCISCO MORENO SANCHEZ, ABC MEDICAL CENTER: This is just bad government.
RIVERS: Dr. Francisco Moreno Sanchez runs the COVID response unit at a private Mexico City hospital and says the government simply was not ready
for the pandemic. He argues that a lack of quality care across Mexico's sprawling government run public health system has resulted in many lives
lost, be it from a lack of supplies or a lack of properly trained staff.
SANCHEZ: This is a very complicated machine. We need very good care intensive care doctors to take care of the patients.
RIVERS: And that blame, he says, lies squarely at the feet of the government that, in some cases, still isn't taking the right steps to
mitigate this crisis, a government led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who recently said this when asked why he doesn't wear a mask.
He says, If it would help others, I would do it. But it is not scientifically proven.
RIVERS: So that is the leader of more than 120 million Mexicans, saying masks don't work, which is just fundamentally false. The government
constantly defends its response to the coronavirus, saying there is adequate care in public hospitals like this one. But whether you believe
that or not, the numbers don't lie.
Mexico's death toll is among the highest in the world and it just keeps getting worse. Matt Rivers, CNN, Tijuana, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Coming up. Where did Australia go so wrong from international praise to state of
disaster? We connect you to the country's coronavirus calamity ahead.
And it may have been Hamilton's blowout, but other drivers blew their chance to catch him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Lewis Hamilton has won just about everything in his Formula One career including the last three season titles, but just have a look at
this. Never has the Mercedes driver had to finish a race in this way before on three wheels. Let's bring in Don Riddell. And Don, some fans will be
getting tired of Hamilton winning all the time. He kept this one pretty dramatic, I'd say.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Yes. Becky this was just extraordinary. Formula One fans will tell you that a driver
winning a race by a huge margin isn't the most exciting. But all of a sudden this race was edge of the seat stuff and some motorsport observers
have describe the end of the 2020 British Grand Prix as one of the great moments in the history of the sport.
It had seemed as though the Mercedes drivers Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were cruising to a comfortable one-two finish. But at the start of the
penultimate lap, Bottas blew a attire and dropped out of the points. Hamilton's front left tire, then shredded on his final lap, thus setting up
a spectacular finish. With just under four kilometers to go, Max Verstappen suddenly had a chance to win the race.
Hamilton was just trying to keep his car on the road with only three wheels. Now that he was able to do it while still driving at relatively
high speed on corners where the principle load would have been on his damaged tire was just remarkable. And it further cements his legacy as a
legend in this sport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEWIS HAMILTON, RACING DRIVER: Here the gap coming down from 19 to 10. So I remember just getting on like, you know, give him full gas. I've got to the
corner. A lot of understeer, and I heard him go nine, eight, seven. And I was like, just get back on the power trying to get the thing to turn. So,
oh my god. I've definitely never experienced anything like that on the last lap. And my heart definitely probably nearly stopped. I think that's
probably how cool that was because my heart nearly stopped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Amazing. The PGA Championship used to be the last golf major of the calendar year. Then in 2019, they changed the calendar around and made
it the second major of the year but now thanks to the coronavirus is going to be the first major tournament of the year starting later this week in
San Francisco. Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship back in 2017. This week he returns to the event as the new world number one.
So I'm going to say is one of the hottest young players in the game and he returned to the top of the world rankings with an impressive win to this
Jude Classic. On Sunday, he played almost perfectly in his final round shooting a five under par round of 65 to win by three strokes. It's his
13th win on the PGA Tour at the age of 27. He's the third youngest to amass that many titles, only the greats, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods got that
quicker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN THOMAS AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I've been working hard. I really have been. I feel like I've been playing better than my results
since we came back from the quarantine and I just -- I know that if I keep putting myself there, I felt like I'm going to get it done eventually and
hopefully more often than not, and, you know, this is a time of year where it's obviously nice to get on a little bit of a run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: Now, the global pandemic has obviously impacted sport everywhere and cricket was no exception. The test series between England and the West
Indies was the first to return this summer and last week, England edge that series to one. In order to make it all happen the players were isolated in
a bio secure bubble and before leaving England for home, the Indies Captain Jason Holder spoke to Patrick Snell about the experience of living in the
bubble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON HOLDER, WEST INDIES TEAM CAPTAIN: So many guys call it a bit of a prison. We don't know what prison feels like but sometimes, you know, just
being segregated to one spot. It has been mentally challenge (INAUDIBLE) was provided. All the means are provided (INAUDIBLE) head out to the
ground, we have training, we come back in lunch, dinner, and then we started all over again. It's all in there.
[10:55:10]
HOLDER: There's not much more to be done, you know, most of the guys have migrated to our team room where we've had, you know, a few activities set
there, such as pool, a golf simulator, an f1 simulator, we've had a basketball who -- I don't say to that is obviously been here to play
cricket.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: The England player Jofra Archer actually breached via secure protocols during the series. How did
that leave you feeling?
HOLDER: As human beings we do make mistakes, you know, it was probably not the ideal thing for him to do, but I'm sure, you know, he learned from it.
And, again, it should be a perfect example to all cricketers around the world, all sportsmen around the world. You know, when you entities by
secure bubbles in (INAUDIBLE) in the house, if you go and expose your fellow teammates to this deadly virus, you know, it can leave the group
primarily in a bit of turmoil.
So we've got to be our responsible and understand that we are our brother's keeper. And to make sure the bubble is kept safe, you know, we've got to do
all the -- all the necessary protocols to ensure that we keep it safe.
SNELL: And so one of the most powerful images of the whole series for me, Jason, players ahead of that first test, taking a knee in support of the
Black Lives Matter movement, you just have picked it back into you into slips. It's an iconic picture, Jason, what was that like to be part of?
HOLDER: I was just more so proud of the support we got from the English players. You know, we had discussions prior to that just as -- just how we
can all do it together. And I must give Ben Stokes, Joe Root massive credit for facilitating our requests and us coming together to make a strong
message. But it was significant. You know, we felt as though really hard to send a strong message to show our support behind the Black Lives Matter
movement.
And, you know, I've had times -- I have had lots of interviews and discussions around it are more or less all I can urge people to do is
educate themselves. You know, understand what's going around the room. Do understand where we are in terms of war or racial imbalances and find ways to make subtle changes within your environment?
SNELL: I mentioned Jofra Archer earlier play who has experienced racist abuse online racist abuse, too. I know you follow the English Premier
League, the football will fix our high player we've spoken to as well experiencing it. What do you say about that?
HOLDER: What I don't like is the fact that people couldn't get on your social media handles and leave whatever they feel relevant to leave. And
there's no severe penalty for racially abusing people. Yes, you will come under the microscope and you will be criticized. And that's part of life.
But I mean, there must be a lane that you can draw, you know, just have a heart have a conscience. You wouldn't like someone to go and do it to
yourself, your family members. I have always said don't tell others you have them do unto you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIDDELL: Jason Holder there speaking with Patrick Snell. Becky, I'll hand it back to you but we'll have more support for you in 45 minutes.
ANDERSON: Terrific. Thank you, Don. Well just ahead. America is told super spreading events need to stop. Australia facing unprecedented restrictions.
We'll be in Melbourne for you. And we speak to a nurse going up against the British Prime Minister. Connecting you around the world to this COVID
pandemic. Back after this.
END
END
