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Joe Biden Formally Nominated Democratic Presidential Nominee; High Profile Republicans Show Up to Support Biden; Bill Clinton Tears into Trump on Night Two of Democrat National Convention; E.U. Commission Calls for New Elections; Lebanon to Impose Countrywide Lockdown; Seoul to Sue Church at Center of Recent Outbreak; AOC Symbolically Nominates Sanders for President; Virtual DNC Roll Call Highlights Diversity across U.S.; Jill Biden: "Sparks of Change" Are in the Air; Pandemic-Related Mental Health Crisis in Americas; Military Leaders Force Malian President to Resign; PSG Fans Celebrate in Paris Streets. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 19, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN KERRY (D), FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: America deserves a president who is looked up to, not laughed at.
DR. JILL BIDEN, JOE'S WIFE: We haven't given up. We just need leadership. That's Joe.
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST (voice-over): Democrats pour one big cup of Joe, Biden now officially nominated for U.S. president.
Then "We stand by Belarus." The E.U. is calling for new and free elections in that country.
And Lebanon lockdown: how do you hide from the coronavirus when your house has been destroyed?
We're live in Beirut.
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GORANI: Well, I'm Hala Gorani. Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.
Democrats made it official on Tuesday. They nominated Joe Biden for U.S. president on the second night of a convention that made a big point of
showing the party's diversity.
The keynote address featured 17 different speakers, considered, some of them, rising stars of the party, a virtual roll call that spanned the
country from one state to the next and showed the diversity of the U.S. population.
Messages of support from establishment Democrats and, like the first night, Republicans who have abandoned president Donald Trump.
The night also featured appearances by the younger, progressive wing of the party who made it known that their influence will be felt if Biden becomes
president. More on that later though. We'll be analyzing that convention and the speakers. Jessica Detailzo (ph) has our wrap-up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE BIDEN (D), FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Thank you, thank you. Thank you.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former Vice President Joe Biden now officially the Democratic nominee for president, following a
virtual delegate roll call that took viewers across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our next president, Joe Biden.
DEAN (voice-over): Biden's wife, Jill, offering the night's closing speech, speaking to her husband's ability to unite the country, focusing on
his character and faith.
DR. BIDEN: I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours: bring us together and make us whole.
DEAN (voice-over): Biden spoke to viewers from an empty classroom in a Wilmington high school where she once taught English, striking a note with
families struggling with the decision to send their children back to school.
DR. BIDEN: We just need leadership worthy of our nation, worthy of you, leadership to reimagine what our nation will be. That's Joe.
DEAN (voice-over): Another top speaker of the evening, former president Bill Clinton, who only spoke for about five minutes but offered this biting
rebuke of President Trump.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it's a storm center.
There's only chaos.
If you want a president who defines the job as spending hours a day watching TV and zapping people on social media, he's your man. Denying,
distracting and demeaning works great if you're trying to entertain or inflame. But in a real crisis, it collapses like a house of cards. COVID
just doesn't respond to any of that.
DEAN (voice-over): Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke for only a minute and a half to nominate senator Bernie Sanders, as is traditional
for any candidate who passes the delegate threshold. She reached out to the grassroots movement that supported him.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): A movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities
of wealth for the few at the expense of long-term stability for the many.
DEAN (voice-over): The night focused on health care and national security with endorsements from across the political spectrum: former Republican
secretary of state Colin Powell.
COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand
up to our adversaries.
DEAN (voice-over): -- and former Democratic secretary of state John Kerry.
KERRY: When this president goes overseas, it isn't a goodwill mission, it's a blooper reel. He breaks up with our allies and writes love letters
to dictators. America deserves a president who is looked up to, not laughed at.
DEAN (voice-over): -- progressive health care activist Ady Barkan giving this plea.
ADY BARKAN, HEALTH CARE ACTIVIST: We must elect Joe Biden and put on his desk a bill that guarantees us all of the health care we deserve.
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DEAN (voice-over): In another one of the more poignant moments of the night, Cindy McCain spoke in a video about the lifelong friendship her late
husband, Republican senator John McCain, shared with Joe Biden.
CINDY MCCAIN, JOHN MCCAIN'S WIDOW: They would sit and joke. It was like a comedy show sometimes to watch the two of them.
DEAN (voice-over): Another touching moment of the night featured Jacquelyn Brittany's (sic) speech to nominate Biden. She's a "New York Times"
security guard whose elevator exchange went viral earlier this year.
JACQUELYN ASBIE, SECURITY GUARD: I could tell he really saw me, that he actually cared, that my life meant something to him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. That was Jessica Dean reporting.
Well, the third night of the Democratic convention will feature appearances by former president Barack Obama and that's tonight and the 2016
presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Elizabeth Warren will also be speaking. And Kamala Harris will
formally accept the nomination for vice president.
Let's bring in Tara Setmayer, a CNN political commentator and senior adviser to The Lincoln Project that you may have encountered on Twitter and
online, a group of Republicans committed to defeating Trump in November.
Tara, thanks for being with us. First, I want to ask you about these mainstream Republicans appearing at the Democratic convention, rather than
the Republican National Convention, in an effort to try to prop up Joe Biden so that Trump is defeated.
Who are they speaking to and will that message resonate, do you think?
TARA SETMAYER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, thank you so much for having me and it is really remarkable to see how many Republicans have
shown up at the DNC to speak on behalf of Joe Biden and on behalf of bringing the country together, the idea of protecting the Constitution and
the rule of law.
It should tell you that Donald Trump has failed as a leader and that the people that the Republicans are talking to are the ones who may have held
their nose in 2016 and decided to vote for Trump anyway because they just couldn't take Hillary Clinton and felt as though a Donald Trump presidency
has been chaotic, it is incompetent and it is no longer in line with what Republicans -- traditional Republican values used to be.
So I think it was really smart by the Democrats to have these Republicans there. It sends a really powerful message that the country is capable of
uniting and that the Democrats and Joe Biden, the Joe Biden ticket, that's the ticket, if you want unity and some normalcy back to the country, not
the division and chaos being sown by Donald Trump.
GORANI: But you have long-term, long-time establishment figures, like John Kerry, who ran for president as well; Colin Powell, who served in the Bush
administration but has voted -- not voted for a Republican nominee for several cycles.
They're saying basically that Donald Trump is a global laughingstock and this is something our viewers care deeply about, U.S. foreign policy. I
want our viewers to listen to what they said yesterday during this virtual convention.
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KERRY: When this president goes overseas, it isn't a goodwill mission, it's a blooper reel. He breaks up with our allies and writes love letters
to dictators. America deserves a president who is looked up to not laughed at.
CLINTON: At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it's a storm center. There's only chaos.
POWELL: Joe Biden will a president we will all be proud to salute. With Joe Biden in the White House, you will never doubt that he will stand with
our friends and stand up to our adversaries, never the other way around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now given that Donald Trump's candidacy resonated with a substantial segment of the electorate that mistrusts global institutions
and multinational cooperation, do you think this message will help convince anybody who hasn't already made their mind to vote for Biden?
SETMAYER: Well, it's clear that there is a range of support for Donald Trump that is unwavering. It wouldn't matter what he said or did, they will
never leave him. When Donald Trump said that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and he wouldn't lose support, clearly we thought that was
crazy at the time.
But from what we have seen so far, he was right. So that group of a 30-35 percent, it doesn't matter. But there are reasonable people in the middle,
who are center right, who are uncomfortable with the fact that the president of the United States has cozied up to dictators and enemies like
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
This is his abandonment of our allies, his attacks on NATO, his abandonment of the traditions of the United States being a reliable strategic partner
in the world; his willingness to sell out our principles during the crackdowns by authoritarian regimes, on freedom of speech and assembly.
He doesn't seem to care as long as there's some type of economic benefit in his mind to the United States.
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SETMAYER: These are things that I think that most Americans are not comfortable with the United States completely retreating from the world as
the leader -- superpower of the world. They're not comfortable with that.
And I think this is getting lost a little bit because of the domestic chaos. But worldwide we absolutely have lost respect and our strategic
partnerships are in trouble as a result of Donald Trump.
GORANI: Well, covering U.S. foreign policy, that is absolutely the sense that we get from the U.S.' traditional partners, who sometimes feel like
the Trump administration is doing nothing to nurture those long-standing relationships; quite the opposite.
But let me ask you about what happened during this convention that got good reviews. Some of them not so much. But there's one particular moment or
series of moments that, across the board, I felt was received very positively and that was the roll call.
State by state, where really you got a sense of the diversity of the U.S. population across the country. And that's something that you're not --
that's a message you don't necessarily get from Republicans these days.
Do you think that will be effective?
SETMAYER: I think that was incredibly effective because we're so divided during this Trump presidency because of the way he attacks people
constantly and has created this tribalism in America that we forget how wonderful and unique and diverse and just amazing the American people are.
And whoever came up with that idea was a genius because it was a really -- some people thought it was a little hokey. But you know what, hokey is OK
in these times we are in right now.
But it really gave you -- you're transfixed because you saw all of the uniqueness of each state and territory and what makes up the great United
States, the e pluribus unum of the United States, out of many one.
That was -- the way they did the roll call I think was heart warming and gave me hope that the United States still can come together and with a
message of unity, very opposite to what Donald Trump is preaching and I think more Americans would want that America, not Donald Trump's America.
GORANI: Yes. It's interesting; when I heard that that was how the roll call was going to be conducted, rolled out, I thought, is that really going
to work?
It usually works better when everyone has gathered together. But it was really effective. Tara Setmayer, thank you.
We'll have a lot more about what happened at the Democratic virtual convention, day two and namely the Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, which was very
short and had some people confused. We'll be discussing that a little bit later.
A message from the E.U. now for the man known as the last dictator of Europe, as President Lukashenko clings to power. The European Commission
says the E.U. must support the people of Belarus and see new elections are held as soon as possible.
E.U. leaders just wrapped up an emergency meeting to try to resolve the crisis over what many are calling a rigged presidential vote. German
chancellor Angela Merkel has just spoken. We'll head to Minsk shortly. But first to Melissa Bell in Paris.
What is the E.U. saying here about what's happening in Belarus?
And what they propose -- what kind of support and proposals do they have for the people of Belarus?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The very holding of this summit -- a virtual summit today, Hala, was an important signal as well. It's quite
rare for the European Union leaders to gather on a single foreign policy issue as they did today. They were under pressure from some of their member
states, three of which border Belarus and in particular, Poland, which called for the summit to take place.
In the end their message was pretty clear. Have a listen to what the European Union Council president had to say a moment ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT: These elections were neither free or fair and did not meet international standards. We don't recognize
the results presented by the Belarus authorities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: They have also announced sanctions. We know they had been agreed upon us last week. There will be sanctions like freezes on assets and
travel bans on some of those responsible, according to the European Union communique for the repression that followed and 53 million euros that would
have been handed over to the state will in fact go to helping civil society groups.
I think what's very interesting as well, Hala, and worth noting is how cautious the communique, the language that has come out.
[10:15:00]
BELL: On one hand, yes, the rerouting of the financial support and on the other, supporting the Belarusian people, about helping the civil society.
No mention at all of the opposition leader. That was important because they could not be seen to be playing into the narrative of Alexander
Lukashenko's foreign intervention coming from the E.U. So a strong statement but carefully worded.
GORANI: All right. Melissa Bell, live in Paris.
Well, for reaction to the E.U. developments, let's head to Belarus. Fred Pleitgen is in the capital, Minsk.
I wonder about what the reaction is to those from the ordinary people. They don't want Lukashenko to stay in power, they believe the vote is rigged.
But do they want the E.U. to get involved?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, I certainly think that most people here would want support from the European
Union at least on the international stage. But I don't think the people necessarily want some sort of intervention by the E.U. or want too much
influence by the European Union.
I think what Melissa Bell was saying there is absolutely correct. Of course, a lot of people here do fear that some of that could spark, for
instance, Russia to make a move here in Belarus. That's not something that folks want to hear.
And the last thing that the opposition wants, something I have been saying again and again, is to make this into a Europe versus Russia story line
because that isn't what it is. The opposition is not against Russia; the people here are also not against Russia. They say that again and again and
again.
They want good relations with Russia and certainly they don't want what is happening here to spark some sort of conflict between the European Union
and Russia. They would rather have all of the sides to come to terms with this in any way that is diplomatic and allows them obviously to move
forward.
At the same time, of course, they do want good relations with Europe as well. They are very happy that people like Angela Merkel and Charles Michel
are speaking up and still making this about the Belarusian people.
I think that's something very important because at the same time, of course, they are hearing from their own leader, Alexander Lukashenko, who
does appear to be trying to play out the European Union against Russia and even maybe trying to drag Vladimir Putin into all of this.
We have heard some statements that we have seen over the past 24 hours, where he said that the troops at Belarus' border had been amassed there to
prevent foreign intervention. Of course, NATO and European countries said that's not true.
He's also said demonstrators were being paid by European countries. And certainly something where a lot of people believe that this is quite a
dangerous situation. They believe that Lukashenko is trying to inflame the situation between the European Union and Russia and that's not something
that they want to see happen.
They want to see change happen, of course. The folks who are in the opposition, they want that change to happen peacefully. But they certainly
don't want to make this a Russia versus the E.U. moment.
It's certainly not -- they say they want good relations with everybody. But first and foremost, they also want a new election. They want change in this
country.
We have heard this from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in the first statement she made as well, that she said she wants the support of the European Union,
she wants them not to recognize the result of the election and to help Belarus to move forward into the new chapter.
But certainly, too much and too forceful a posture by the European Union is something that could be seen as quite dangerous here as well. And
statements from Moscow, that's also speaking of foreign countries taking influence as well. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Thanks very much, Fred Pleitgen. Interesting, Matthew Chance as well said a few days ago, explaining that the protesters in
Belarus, this is not anti-Kremlin, anti-Moscow demonstrations. These are demonstrations very much focused on Alexander Lukashenko.
Coming up, Lebanon faces another hurdle after the explosion in Beirut that displaced thousands from their homes. Now a surge in COVID cases is forcing
people to stay home when sometimes they don't even have a home.
South Korea's capital city is planning to sue a church. We'll tell you why it is blamed for the city's current outbreak. Stay with us.
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GORANI: Well, imagine in one short moment, the four walls that you call home falling in around you, windows shattered, doors blown out, furniture
becoming projectiles and your own blood sinking into your carpet.
That's what happened to many people in Beirut after a blast destroyed or damaged the homes of at least 300,000 people. And now, two weeks later,
those people are being told to lock down.
Rising COVID cases and overwhelmed hospitals have forced the Lebanese government to adopt stricter measures, not only in Beirut but throughout
the already economically exhausted country. Ben Wedeman is in Beirut and he has the details.
What do all of the people who have been left homeless by the blast, what do they do?
They can't shelter in place.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Many of these people, Hala, have found shelter with friends and relatives. But, clearly, this is
just the latest catastrophe to strike to strike this land. And the situation is fairly dire.
That blast essentially knocked three hospitals completely out of action and three others are functioning well below their normal levels. And some of
those hospitals were treating COVID patients. And so they have been transferred to other hospitals, which are now essentially at capacity.
If you just look at the numbers, it is disturbing. For instance, in the month of June, there were 588 recorded cases of coronavirus in Lebanon. In
the month of August alone, until yesterday, there were 5,203.
This country is recording on average this month 290 new cases every day. Yesterday, 421 cases were reported and, of course, the country is already
essentially bankrupt. So this is going to make life even more difficult.
Now the lockdown will last for 17 days, starting on Friday. There will be a curfew from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am. All but essential commercial activities,
like grocery stores, will be required to close. Any sort of social function involving a crowd -- a wedding, a funeral, a mass, prayers -- will all be
banned during that period.
But if you put it all in perspective, for instance, 180 people were killed in that blast 15 days a ago. So far, 107 people have died from coronavirus.
So Hala, many people say my more immediate worry is the failing economy.
Those who lost their homes and loved ones in the blast seem to measure up somewhat more than what coronavirus has done to this unfortunately shell-
shocked country. Hala?
GORANI: All right., Ben Wedeman, thanks very much.
South Korea's capital city is planning to sue the church and its reverends at the center of a new outbreak.
[10:25:00]
GORANI: Seoul's acting mayor accuses the church of wasting city resources and complicating contact tracing efforts by being noncompliant. More than
500 cases have been linked to that one church so far.
On Wednesday, South Korea reported its highest daily rise in new cases since March. The city has now banned night clubs, buffets and church
services.
Australia, meanwhile, has launched a judicial inquiry of its own. Officials want to know if the outbreak in Victoria was sparked by workers at
quarantine hotels not following protocols. They believe nearly 99 percent of Victoria's second wave cases can be traced back to just two Melbourne
hotels being used for quarantine. Will Ripley reports.
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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Australia's brutal second wave began as a ripple, a ripple in the shape of one unnamed family who
arrived in May. Infected with coronavirus, they quarantined at the Regis Hotel in Melbourne, one of several the government is using for
international arrivals.
Weeks later, Victoria declared a state of disaster, putting 6.6 million people on lockdown. Thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths since May.
Genomic sequencing has now linked 90 percent of new cases in the state back to that one family of four.
DR. CHARLES ALPREN, VICTORIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: It is likely that the large majority, I said in my statement, is approximately
90 percent or more of COVID-19 infections in Victoria can be traced to the Regis Hotel.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Epidemiological evidence makes the damning conclusion, a months-long battle against the virus in Victoria may have
avoided if hotel quarantine had done its job.
Victoria's premier, Daniel Andrews, says the buck stops with him. He's established a judicial inquiry into what went wrong. Returned travelers
will appear at the inquiry on Thursday. They have already spoken out about what they think was the problem.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The security people --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That should have been looking after them --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They weren't wearing masks. They would sleep on the ground and --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quite often they wouldn't even hear us open our door because they'd have the earphones in or be on the phone or, you know,
talking with another security guard, having a laugh. It just seemed the whole idea of the hotel quarantine seemed like a joke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY (voice-over): The inquiry has heard security guards contracted to enforce the quarantine were not properly trained. An online course security
staff took indicated not everyone needed to wear a mask to prevent COVID- 19.
Guards were not told they should always wear correct PPE. That was all it took for three workers to get infected, spreading it through the state.
DANIEL ANDREWS, VICTORIA PREMIER: In terms of trying to command who is responsible, I think I've made myself abundantly clear today about the way
I think that operates. It stops with me. I'm accountable, I understand that. Every day that I have the honor of having this job, I've never moved
away from that, not one inch.
I understand that to be the case. And that's why I've set up an inquiry to give you the answers that I want and that Victorians are being told to.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The inquiry will publish its findings in November. Until then, Victoria remains in the grip of the pandemic, as deaths mount
each day -- Will Ripley, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, speaking of Australia, this is Australian prime minister Scott Morrison visiting AstraZeneca. Earlier on Wednesday his government
has secured a deal with the drugmaker on a potential vaccine that it developed with Oxford University.
If trials are successful, all Australians would get the vaccine for free, the government is saying in Australia.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Ahead, one of the Democratic Party's rising stars causes a bit of confusion at Tuesday night's convention. We'll
recap the highlights from the big event, next.
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GORANI: Returning now to our top story, U.S. Democrats have officially nominated Joe Biden to take on Donald Trump in November's presidential
election.
It was one of many highlights from the second night of this virtual national convention for the Democrats and another was the virtual roll
call, showcasing the vast diversity of Americans backing Biden and of Americans really across the board, whether they support Biden or not.
The night also saw both past and future stars of the party come together to declare President Trump unfit for office. One of the party's rising stars,
New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, symbolically nominated Senator Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
She was asked to deliver remarks on behalf of Sanders, who had received some delegates based on primary results. And, yes, her 90-second speech was
procedural just before the convention's roll call. But it still left a confused air for some. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking deep systemic solutions to our crises of mass
evictions, unemployment and lack of health care, in espirito del pueblo and out of a love for all people, I hereby second the nomination of Senator
Bernard Sanders for president of the United States of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, let's discuss this all with CNN political commentator, Maria Cardona, live in Atlanta.
So I know this was procedural but at least internationally when people heard that, they were a little bit confused that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
mentioned -- did not mention Joe Biden by name but also that she was given 90 seconds.
And she's really one of the standout stars of the left wing of the Democratic Party.
Was it a missed opportunity in your view?
MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: No, because it's not going to be the only opportunity. What you saw and what you are seeing in these four
nights of the Democratic convention is a lot of procedure, which is what you saw with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
And it was an important moment for her. I'm so glad she did that and your audience should know that any candidate who gets more than 300 delegates
has the right to put their name into nomination.
That's why that happened. But it was all procedural, it was all negotiated. You saw Bernie Sanders speaking in support of Joe Biden on Monday night.
But it was important for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to do that, to give the signal to all of Bernie Sanders' supporters, to whom he had spoken to on
Monday night that, yes, Bernie Sanders' spirit and his initiatives and policies that so many people supported are still alive.
And there is a group in the Democratic Party that are still working towards them. and Joe Biden is working with them to make sure that we get as far as
we can with that progressive vision.
I thought that what we are seeing from tonight and to today and tomorrow, you are seeing the depth and breadth of an incredibly historically diverse
Democratic Party.
GORANI: So let's talk a little bit about other standout moments. So Joe and Jill Biden's love story, that was highlighted. There was that -- there
was the diversity of the roll call, state by state, which across the board, even among the Republicans, I heard people say, was extremely moving.
But I wonder, are the Democrats overcoming the challenges of this virtual convention, do you think?
CARDONA: I think that it is exceeding expectations, Hala.
[10:35:00]
CARDONA: Because I think one of the things that everyone felt going into it, myself included, was nervousness as to how this was going to turn out
because it was an unconventional convention, because we're trying to meet these unprecedented times.
So given the fact that we went from six hours of programming to just two hours of programming, trying to get the richness of the party and the
country that's coming together to defeat Donald Trump is a difficult thing to do in two hours and four nights.
But I think given those challenges and those parameters, absolutely the Democratic Party -- and I have to congratulate Tom Bettis, who has really
led this on, to focus on the strength of the party and the strength of the country versus the incompetence of this administration and why this is such
an existential election, I think they're doing exactly that.
GORANI: That might give the Republicans an advantage because they're able to see how the Democratic National Convention is unfolding, what they could
improve on. Maybe next week -- anyway, in any case --
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: -- one of the other big themes was they --
(LAUGHTER)
GORANI: -- one of the other big themes is obviously health care. And health care is -- you know, time and time again, in polling, one of the
biggest concerns that Americans have.
And there was a very moving moment where a man who's afflicted with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, Andy (sic) Barkan, had this to say. I just want our
viewers to listen to that and I'll get back to you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADY BARKAN, HEALTH CARE ACTIVIST: We live in the richest country in history and yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right. Everyone
living in America should get the health care they need, regardless of their employment status or ability to pay.
Even during this terrible crisis, Donald Trump and Republican politicians are trying to take away millions of people's health insurance. With the
existential threat of another four years of this president, we all have a profound obligation to act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So that was Ady Barkan, who has Lou Gehrig's disease. And considering the severity of his disease and his body paralyzed as it is, to
come out and make this appeal, I'm sure you think it was effective.
But will it be politically effective, do you think?
CARDONA: I think it absolutely will be effective and politically effective, Hala, because like you said, health care is probably the number
one issue right now, not just in the United States but around the world because of what we're facing.
And when we just passed the threshold of 170,000 Americans dead by the incompetence of this president, health care is one -- one of the
priorities, probably the most fundamental important issue going into this election.
And what Ady said was right. You have a ticket in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris trying to expand access to good health care to millions more
Americans. And you have a party led by Donald Trump, who is in court right now, trying to take away the Affordable Care Act, effectively stripping
millions of Americans from the health care they have now with no plan to replace it.
That is a huge, important life-and-death contrast, Hala, going into this election.
GORANI: All right. Maria Cardona, thank you for joining us. Appreciate it.
Tune in to CNN for the special coverage of the third night of the Democratic National Convention. It will be Kamala Harris' turn to speak.
She will officially accept the vice presidential nomination.
And we'll hear from powerhouse speakers, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It starts 7:00 pm In the U.S. That's Thursday at midnight here in
London and 7:00 am In Hong Kong.
The second night of the convention also served as a national introduction to Jill Biden, Joe Biden's wife. In her biggest campaign moment yet, she
spoke from her former high school classroom, reflecting on her time as an English teacher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JILL BIDEN, JOE'S WIFE: Yes, so many classrooms are quiet right now. The playgrounds are still. But if you listen closely, you can hear the
sparks of change in the air.
Across this country, educators, parents, first responders, Americans of all walks of life are putting their shoulders back, fighting for each other. We
haven't given up. We just need leadership worthy of our nation, worthy of you.
[10:40:00]
GORANI: Well, Jill Biden's remarks come on a growing report of coronavirus spreading at U.S. schools after just weeks of some schools being back in
session. There are reports of hundreds of new COVID cases and that is forcing schools that had reopened to shut down just as fast. Rosa Flores
has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This morning, the spread of the coronavirus complicating the move to in-person learning. Michigan State
University asking students planning to live on campus this fall to stay home, since the semester will now begin online.
And Notre Dame in Indiana reporting more than 80 positive tests. Undergraduates will attend class remotely for at least the next two weeks.
REV. JOHN I. JENKINS, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: The objective of these temporary restrictions is to contain the spread of the virus so
that we can get back to in-person instruction.
FLORES: And as some grade schools reopen, the virus is also entering the classroom. Over 300 students in Martin County, Florida, are now under
quarantine since the school district opened last week.
KYLE RAMOS, STUDENT, MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT: There is one thing that I value even more than in-person education and that is human life.
How much is one life worth?
FLORES: In Ohio, both high school and college athletics have the green light to move forward.
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): We will not have spectators, other than -- other than family members or people very close to that particular child.
FLORES: Los Angeles will begin the academic year online and the school district is planning on testing its over 600,000 students and 75,000 staff
members.
AUSTIN BEUTNER, SUPERINTENDENT, LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT: If we want to keep schools from becoming a petri dish and we want keep all in the
school community safe, we need to test and trace at schools.
FLORES: Testing is still a major problem across much of the United States and Dr. Anthony Fauci says delays in results are contributing to the
transmission of the virus.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: If it's five to seven days, it almost obviates the purpose of
contact tracing. Because that means somebody is out there for five to seven days, potentially spreading the infection. We're trying hard and we are
correcting it in many areas.
FLORES: Even with lower case counts in recent days, experts warn the country is not out of danger yet.
DR. LEANA WEN, ER PHYSICIAN, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Even if we're at a plateau of 40,000 cases, that is far too high. And if we have young
people coming back to class and school, we are going to see surges and outbreaks among young people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, Rosa Flores joins us live from Miami, Florida.
Talk to us through this legal battle surrounding school reopenings in Florida.
FLORES: You know, there is a real battle going on right now and it's going on in virtual court. That is going on right now. We're actually monitoring
it online. It's happening in Tallahassee, Florida.
But here's what's happening, in a nutshell, the teachers in this state have sued the governor, saying that it is unsafe for the state to require the
reopening of schools for in-person instruction.
And what's going right now is a hearing for temporary injunction. And what the teachers are arguing, it is that it is unsafe for children to go into
the classroom for in-person instruction.
The first witness that the teachers called is a school board member from Hillsborough County. And this school board member testified that her school
district voted to go virtual instead of in-person because the positivity rate was too high.
However, shortly thereafter, they received a letter from the state, saying that they were not following the emergency order that requires school
districts to reopen for in-person instruction. The school board member said it puts them between a rock and a hard place. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt like, as a board member, I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, being forced to choose between the life of a student
and funding from the state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORES: Now again, this hearing is still ongoing. But in general, what the governor's attorneys are arguing here, Hala, is that the constitution of
Florida does not only require that schools offer a safe place for an education but a high quality education. And that's what they argue and say
that this emergency order does, that the higher grade education can be delivered in face-to-face instruction -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Rosa Flores, thank you very much.
The pandemic is causing a mental health crisis in the Americas. The Pan American Health Organization say more people are experiencing insomnia,
anxiety and depression. Maybe you are, too, watching around the world.
[10:45:00]
GORANI: Many people have said this is taking a huge toll on their mental health. But with fewer resources to help them during strict lockdown
measures, people are turning, in some cases to alcohol, even to drugs to cope. Matt Rivers is in Mexico City with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at a World Health Organization briefing, officials once again told reporters how dire the situation
continues to be with regards to this virus in the Americas.
That region, which is made up of North, Central and South America only accounts for about 13 percent of the global population but it accounts for
64 percent of all officially reported deaths worldwide as a result of this virus.
Those deaths, of course, led by the death tolls in the United States, Brazil and here in Mexico.
Here in Mexico, a little bit of good news from the ministry of health. They said, on Tuesday, that newly confirmed cases in the country do show signs
of consistent decline.
But, unfortunately, on the other side of that coin we have newly confirmed deaths each day. And those numbers remain disturbingly high in Mexico,
newly confirmed among the highest of any country around the world -- Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Coming up, it's the military that is now in charge of Mali.
What happened to the president?
And what the international community is doing in response?
That's next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: Soldiers in Mali have forced the country's president to resign. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has faced months of deadly protests over
corruption and a long-running insurgency in Mali. The president said he wanted to avoid more bloodshed in his televised resignation.
The situation has brought international condemnation from the community and prompted an emergency United Nations meeting later on Wednesday. So CNN's
David McKenzie joins us now live with more on what's happening in Mali.
So that's the military is now in charge, David?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly the military at this stage is in charge. You had a very early morning address on national
television, Hala, by a group of soldiers, many of them young officers, who are saying that they are now in charge.
Earlier they had forced the president to resign, as you mentioned. Now this group, calling themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the
People, are saying they want to move towards transitioning toward new elections called on civil society groups, opposition groups, to come and
discuss how that will in fact happen.
You know, this coup comes on the back of months of protests against President Keita because of allegations of corruption, mismanagement and
also the long-running insurgency to the north of the capital.
[10:50:00]
MCKENZIE: That has people tired and frustrated.
And the question now is, how will any kind of transition happen?
Because the international community, particularly the regional bloc, which is heavily involved in the situation in Mali, have all condemned what has
happened. And most recently, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, current chair of the African Union, also is calling for the president and
the prime minister and the ministers to be released.
Here's the moment right before he resigned, where the president then -- or then president made it clear that this wasn't any kind of voluntary
resignation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBRAHIM BOUBACAR KEITA, RESIGNING MALIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): If today it pleases the armed forces to conclude that it should end with
their intervention, do I really have a choice?
Because I do not wish for any blood to be spilled to keep me in office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Well, the streets are calm, according to witnesses today in Bamako, some chaos and looting overnight, particularly at installations and
homes of those connected with the president.
There is nervousness amongst people I have spoken to. But also some just confusion of what could possibly happen next. Many people in the capital
wanted the president out. But the opposition, at least previously, said they wanted it through negotiation, not through force -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, David McKenzie, thanks very much.
Paris football fans got to rejoice yet again on Tuesday. A big spending PSG moved one step closer to the trophy. We'll be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: All right. Well, as I mentioned before, the big spenders from Paris are finally into -- have finally joined an elusive club. Don Riddell
can tell us more about that.
I saw some footage of major celebrations, sometimes that descended into troublemaking on the Champs-Elysees.
What happened?
DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, look, these fans at Paris Saint-Germain, Hala, just couldn't help themselves because they have been
waiting so long to get close enough to touching the Champions League trophy. And they are almost there finally.
Remember this is a team that spent roughly $1 billion and they didn't invest all that just to be the best in France. They want to be the best
team in Europe. It's been a painfully disappointing quest in the last few years. But having knocked out RB Leipzig, they are now within touching
distance.
(WORLD SPORTS)
[10:55:00]
RIDDELL: The NBA playoffs are now in full swing and although all of the games are being played at Disney World in Florida, the Los Angeles teams,
the Lakers and the Clippers, are expected to have a big say in this postseason.
In game 1 it didn't work out for the Lakers but they did make their voices heard in another way. Andy Scholes can tell us more.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A big part of the NBA restart has been the continued fight for social justice here in the U.S. And LeBron and
all of the Lakers teammates wearing the same hat before and after the game on Tuesday night, to continue to fight for justice for Breonna Taylor.
LeBron posted these pictures of him wearing the hat to his Instagram. The hat looks like MAGA hats worn by supporters of President Trump but it
reads, "Make America arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor" with the words "great again" crossed out.
Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her apartment in March by Louisville police executing a no-knock warrant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEBRON JAMES, LOS ANGELES LAKERS FORWARD: We're continuing to put our foot on the gas, continuing to pressure, you know, the situation in Louisville,
Kentucky, the innocent woman being killed, by the name of Breonna Taylor, a woman who had a bright future.
And her life was taken away from her. And there's been no arrests, no justice not only for her but for her family. You know, we want to continue
to shed light on that situation. It was just unjust and, you know, that's what it's about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(WORLD SPORTS)
RIDDELL: We are seeing some amazing scores, some great personal scoring feats and, yes, we are just in a brand-new environment. It will be
fascinating, the next few weeks. Andy, thanks very much.
Hala, that's all we have time for now but we'll talk more about Paris Saint-Germain in the next hour.
GORANI: All right, thank you, Don. See you next hour.
And I'll see you after the break.
[11:00:00]
END
