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Trump Heads to Wisconsin with "Law and Order" Message, Stokes Fear and Division as Election Day Nears; U.S. Wants to Build on Israel-UAE Momentum; French President Pushes for Lebanon Reform; Schools in France Reopening as Infection Rate Rises; September 1 Is First Day of Term at Hogwarts. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 01, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Fires are burning and we have a president that fans the flames rather than fighting the flames.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: America's self declared "law and order president" heads to a protest hot spot amid fears his trip could ignite
more unrest.
Then, the French fly into Beirut. The goal: reform.
And COVID-19 classrooms: students around the world kick off an unprecedented new school year.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: This hour, what a difference a day makes. But what absolutely makes no difference, a century seems to; 100 years after France conjured up
the state of Greater Lebanon, its president is back, trying to fix up the country's mistakes, plenty of which you could blame on the fundamental
colonial architecture of the state itself. We'll get into that this hour. I'm Becky Anderson.
This world feels like it needs a lot of fixing. Speaking of political fixes, the man hoping to be America's political savior is trailing in the
polls and his country has the most coronavirus deaths and, by far, the most cases in a pandemic that has left tens of millions of Americans out of
work.
Donald Trump's solution, to try and make people forget all about it. So this hour, the American president will leave the White House to head up to
Kenosha, Wisconsin, for a visit the state's governor and the city's mayor don't even want him to go on but he's going anyway to push what is now
really the only plank of his campaign strategy, promoting self as a law and order president.
First off, law and order -- really?
He has 10 campaign or administration associates charged or convicted of crimes.
Law and order?
His own company under investigation in New York.
Law and order?
He's defending violence carried out by his own supporters. And then he is turning around and using the false argument that racially charged violence
in just a few cities is happening across the country.
America is in proverbially, in some ways, literally on fire. The solution: himself. He has alluded to this before. You'll remember his American
carnage reference at his inauguration. But this time it's a clear cut attempt to confuse and distract people and attempt to win the election.
So what better place to do that than throwing fuel onto the fire in Kenosha?
It's in a key battleground state now facing its own racial reckoning after a police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times as his kids
watched from their car; in turn, sparking protests and violence.
The president seeming to defend or at least explain -- it's hard to work out what honestly -- by using a golf analogy. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a 3-foot --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not comparing it to golf because of course that doesn't mean --
TRUMP: I'm saying people choke.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: People choke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: To be clear, a man was shot and is now partially paralyzed from the waist down. No one missed a golf putt.
The president then also going on to appear to defend a teenager, who attended one of his rallies and is now accused of killing two people in
Kenosha in a protest that followed the shooting of Jacob Blake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) the actions of vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse?
TRUMP: We're looking at all of it. And that was an interesting situation. You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them, I
guess; it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him.
And it was something that we're looking at right now and it's under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been -
- I -- he probably would have been killed.
QUESTION: Do you think --
TRUMP: It's under investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Look, no ifs, no buts, most people would agree a president should condemn violence and call for calm. That is their job.
President Trump claims his visit today could increase enthusiasm, love and respect for America.
So why are the governor and the mayor telling him to stay away?
Maybe it's because, for the past few months, they have heard him describe what have been mostly peaceful protests this way:
[10:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: But in recent days, our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, Antifa.
You had radical anarchists, you had horrible people. You had agitators.
They're not protesters. Those aren't -- those are anarchists. They're agitators. They're rioters. They're looters.
I'm the only thing standing between the American dream and total anarchy, madness and chaos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The president again and again presenting an image of a wrecking ball of chaos and savagery swinging its way through the country.
Who to challenge it?
Well, his challenger, Joe Biden. And he makes a fairly obvious point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames. But we must not burn. We have to build.
This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can't stop the violence because, for years, he's fomented it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Joe Biden clearly, some will say belatedly, zipping into gear to try to counter the moment that Donald Trump is looking to generate. He is
now hitting back at the president harder than he ever has before, as Election Day draws near.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Just think about that. This is a sitting president of the United States of America. He's supposed to be protecting his country. But instead
he is rooting for chaos and violence. The simple truth is, Donald Trump failed to protect America. So now he's trying to scare America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Biden's campaign says he hopes to head to Kenosha soon. He may find a more welcome reception there after he had a phone conversation with
Jacob Blake's family that Blake's father said was like speaking to my uncle and I quote him there.
Donald Trump set to leave the White House in about 20 minutes heading to Kenosha. That is where our Shimon Prokupecz is standing by.
Give us the lay of the land, if you will, and the mood where you are.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: Yes. So after days of pleadings from the local leaders here, asking him not to come here,
President Trump, as you said, is set to arrive here this afternoon to meet with law enforcement and to survey the damage.
And this comes, as you said, as Joe Biden has been hitting the president hard, asking the American people if they think they are safer in Trump's
America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): This morning President Trump is moving forward with plans to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, despite calls from local
officials to reconsider his trip.
MAYOR JOHN ANTARAMIAN (D-WI), KENOSHA: I'm disappointed that he is coming. The president is always welcome. But at this time, it's just the wrong
time. Right now is a time for us to heal and to be able to look inward and deal with the issues that we have to deal with.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): The White House says Trump will survey damage and speak with law enforcement officials, dismissing criticism that his
appearance could cause even more tension in the city.
TRUMP: It could also increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Unrest in some American cities like Kenosha and Portland are now a major talking point for Trump's re-election campaign.
Joe Biden slammed the president's rhetoric from a campaign stop in Pittsburgh.
BIDEN: He may believe mouthing the words "law and order" makes him strong. But his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed
militia in this country shows how weak he is.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): This as protests continue, demanding justice for Jacob Blake, who was shot by police over a week ago. President Trump will
not visit Blake's family because he says they want a lawyer present.
JACOB BLAKE SR., JACOB BLAKE'S FATHER: I'm not going to play politics. This is my son's life we're talking about.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): And while protesting Kenosha became deadly last week, the president refused to condemn the 17-year-old gunman suspected of
killing two people.
TRUMP: You saw the same tape as I saw. He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like. And he fell. And then they very violently
attacked him. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been -- he probably would have been killed. But it's under investigation.
PROKUPECZ (voice-over): Biden denouncing all violence from both the Right and the Left, saying Trump is causing more division instead of uniting a
hurting nation.
BIDEN: The violence we're seeing in Donald Trump's America.
[10:10:00]
BIDEN: These are not images of some imagined Joe Biden America in the future. These are images of Donald Trump's America today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PROKUPECZ: And as to the Jacob Blake investigation, the investigation to that shooting, that is still very much ongoing. It's been days since we've
heard from investigators on what new information they have, on the way in which they're proceeding with that case.
Investigators have up to 30 days to submit a report to the local district attorney, who will ultimately decide whether or not to bring charges
against the officers -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Shimon, thank you.
Mr. Trump faces rising tension at home. His son-in-law, well, he's riding high on a foreign policy tour of the Middle East.
On Monday, Jared Kushner was aboard the historic first commercial flight from Israel to right here in the UAE. It is the tail end of the optics for
what was the recently brokered peace deal between the two nations. Kushner is hoping to build on that momentum.
But are the dominoes really ready to fall?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): The touchdown of El Al Flight 971 in Abu Dhabi marked a landing in a changing Middle East. The first Israeli commercial
flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi hailed as a breakthrough and touted as a major foreign policy victory for the Trump administration and senior
adviser Jared Kushner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) the world's regional peace.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Onboard, another milestone, as the aircraft overflew Saudi Arabia. The first Israeli airline to be granted entry to
Saudi airspace. The flight built upon years of covert relations between Israel and the UAE now quickly coming into the open.
The White House pushing other Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel as well, as new challenges like Iran take precedence over old
problems, like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
JARED KUSHNER, TRUMP SENIOR ADVISER: While this peace was forged by its leaders, it is overwhelmingly desired by the people. The very few who have
been critical of this peace agreement are the ones with a long track record of failure and trapping their own people in misery and poverty.
ANDERSON (voice-over): The Israeli delegation began meetings with their Emirati counterparts to hammer out the details of normalization, from
investment to foreign policy to tourism.
Called the Abraham accords -- and there are big issues around this agreement -- underscored by Jared Kushner's visit to Al Dhafra Air Base.
The UAE wants America's latest fighter jet, the F-35, and believes normalizing with Israel should make it easier to purchase these stealth
jets.
UAE highlighted years of military cooperation with the U.S. and its official welcome as if a pitch for growing that relationship with the F-35.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). We are (INAUDIBLE) partners. We are allies.
ANDERSON (voice-over): But in the excitement of the moment, the delegation pushing aside questions about where this leaves the White House's plan for
Middle East peace and Israel's intended annexation of parts of the West Bank or even whether Palestinians fit into all of this.
There is a diplomatic breakthrough here and all three countries want this event to be celebrated for what it is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The UAE's foreign minister sought to reassure Palestinians, many of whom see the deal with Israel as a betrayal, and says that the deal is
aimed at peace and reaffirmed the UAE's continued support for their cause. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEIKH ABDULLAH BIN ZAYED, UAE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION (through translator): As the UAE is taking a
sovereign decision today for the sake of delivering a peaceful future in the region, I assure that you you're living in your second homeland amongst
your family.
I assure you (INAUDIBLE) that these unshakeable bonds between the UAE and the Palestinians will remain solid and will never change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Sam Kiley following the story here in Abu Dhabi.
Sam, the Palestinian community numbers in the hundreds of thousands here in the Emirates. And Sheikh Abdullah is speaking directly to them in an effort
to ensure there is no doubt about the UAE's position.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That may have been his intent. But it certainly won't be the result, Becky. The key issue really
is how it is possible to square the idea that there is merely a suspension of existing Israeli plans to an annex more than 30 percent of the West
Bank.
[10:15:00]
KILEY: With the Emirati promise, which was repeated again today by the foreign minister, Prince Abdullah, that the future dispensation, as seen by
the Emirates, has not changed, namely, a two state solution with Israel and a new Palestinian state living side by side in viable territorial
landscape.
If there is an annexation in the future, then that latter concept is simply a nonstarter. The Israelis have committed only to a suspension. It's almost
as if there is a degree of a mistranslation, a misunderstanding here.
Because from the Emirates, the sort of language being used by Prince Abdullah, is insisting to some degree that the Emirates extracted a much
longer term, almost permanent commitment that the United States and Israel, as part of a tripartite discussion, were committed to the idea that this
annexation was being pushed very far into the future.
But it hasn't been agreed upon to be ended. Therefore, a two state solution in that context, certainly from the Palestinian point of view but not in
just the Palestinians, Becky, many people, the European Union, for example, are extremely concerned it would lead to nothing short of a Bantu stand
(ph) -- Becky.
ANDERSON: This is a deal that has bipartisan support from the Senate resolution, now in front of the upper house in the U.S.
Quite frankly, going forward, what should we expect?
KILEY: Well, this I think is what is in a sense the more historic aspect of this extraordinary event that we've seen in the last 36 hours with that
El Al flight, you were saying in your package there, landing in Abu Dhabi after flying through Saudi Arabia.
What seems to be evolving is a strong sense, even among those, like the Gulf Arabs, like the Emirates, who are deeply emotionally sympathetic to
the future aspirations of the Palestinian state, acknowledging that, if you like, life has to move on, that they have other priorities.
Prince Abdullah made that point. He said it was a sovereign decision of the Emirates to normalize relations with Israel, suggesting there it wasn't for
some other entity to start dictating foreign policy over the long term to the Emirates.
I think what we're likely to see evolve then is an increasing sense among Palestinians that they have no friendly -- or that their friendly voices
are now muted. The eyes of their friends are now focused on other matters.
When in the past, the Palestinian cause had had been one of the uniting and galvanizing issues across the Middle East and across the Islamic world and
other parts of the world indeed. But now it's sliding down the agenda.
That's why we're hearing from friends of the Palestinians, demands, requests, calling on them to rejoin some kind of a peace process. But this
peace process outlined by the Trump administration has been rejected out of hand by the Palestinian leadership, Becky.
ANDERSON: Sam Kiley on the story for you. Thank you, Sam.
As Jared Kushner tours the Middle East, another Western official is checking in and checking up on Lebanon. Next, we look at the French
president, pressing for reform in Lebanon, a nation nearly tearing apart at the seams.
And the French president not the only one away from home today; 12 million kids in France, along with teachers and other staff, are back in the
classroom for the first time since lockdown, despite rising COVID-19 numbers. More on that after this.
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[10:20:00]
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
French president Emmanuel Macron back in Beirut one month after a monstrous blast, his goal, to mark the end of a political chapter or put it another
way, to reshape the broken colonial architecture that has hamstrung Lebanon for years.
His trip comes 100 years after the founding of Greater Lebanon, which France helped draw into existence a century ago. He has already seen a
handful of notable people, including former prime minister Saad Hariri and celebrated singer and icon Fairuz.
It is no exaggeration to say that people are poring over these images simply for a peek inside Fairuz's home. CNN's Tamara Qiblawi was out and
about on the streets of Beirut today and filed this short report describing the mood.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAMARA QIBLAWI, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL MIDDLE EAST PRODUCER: Emmanuel Macron quickly stepped in and he seemed to be taking the place of a political
leadership that is now being wholly rejected. He is now saying, I have come here to form a new political pact for this country. I have come here to
usher in a new political chapter for Lebanon.
And this, of course, happening on the 100-year anniversary in Lebanon, where, 100 years ago, a man named Henri Joseph Gouraud came to Beirut and
declared the state of Lebanon.
Macron is now declaring the rebirth of Lebanon. What that looks like is anyone's guess.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Beirut relying on the international community to help that rebuild. Let's bring in the European Commissioner for crisis management
then, Janez Lenarcic, who oversaw tons of E.U. aid being shipped into Beirut yesterday alone.
And we do thank you for joining us. And we just reported on that aid delivered yesterday. There were calls for international governments and
humanitarian organizations to boycott the government when handing out aid and getting aid into the country.
Are you working directly with the government?
JANEZ LENARCIC, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR CRISIS MANAGEMENT: We do work with the Lebanese government, the --
(CROSSTALK)
LENARCIC: -- government and we are looking forward to work with the new government. And I do with the newly nominated prime minister Adib a quick
formation of the government.
That government needs to enjoy the confidence of Lebanese people. It has to undertake reforms. It has to break with the past bad governance of the
country.
ANDERSON: Well, officials have repeatedly failed to implement change, change demanded by the international community, by the IMF, to put an end
to corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
The announcement of a new prime minister, sir, is not the sweeping away of an old era. Critics say it is simply the game of Musical Chairs and
Lebanese politics continues.
To which you say what?
LENARCIC: I would say the following. The need for reforms is obvious for at least two reasons. First, it's what the Lebanese people demand.
And second, it's the fact that even before this devastating explosion exactly four weeks ago, the Lebanon has plunged into unprecedented
economic, financial and political crises due to the decades of mismanagement.
[10:25:00]
LENARCIC: So there is a great need for Lebanon to change the course, to undertake the reforms and the European Union and rest of the international
community stand ready to help in this regard. We have started to help immediately after the devastating explosion in the beginning of August.
Within hours following the Lebanese request, we have dispatched a number of search and rescue teams. At that point saving lives was our utmost
priority. That stage was over in a matter of week or so. But we're still in the emergency assistance stage because there are great needs following that
devastating explosion.
But one also has to take into account the fact that this explosion came on top of the crisis that I already mentioned, political, economic and social
crisis as well as --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Absolutely. We've been reporting on that. So let me stop you for one second. We have been reporting on that and our viewers really do
understand just what a crisis Lebanon is on.
You said you are working with the government.
Do you trust that your aid will reach those who need it most?
LENARCIC: Yes, because when they work with the government, we take into account the request for assistance that government sends. But we also base
our assistance on our own needs assessment and the needs assessment of our international partners and local players on the ground.
Besides, when we speak about the emergency humanitarian aid, this goes directly to people who need it through our trusted partners, the United
Nations and its agencies, international nongovernmental organizations, other international organizations and local players.
So there is no fear that this funds and this assistance would be diverted. Besides, the European Union has robust safeguards in place to ensure the
aid reaches those who need it. The reconstruction stage --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Let me ask you this, sir. I'm sorry. I want to -- I do want to push on. President Macron, of course, is in the country. I'm interested to
get your response to what he has said. He has said that, Lebanon, this is the last chance for this system. The new is having a hard time emerging.
The old is persevering. We have to find a way through; that is what I'm trying to do, quoting an Italian Marxist writer there no less.
Do you believe that Lebanon is in a position at this stage to bring about reform?
Are you confident with what you see?
LENARCIC: What is absolutely clear is that if Lebanon is to undertake the necessary reforms, it needs our help. And we are ready to provide help. The
challenges facing the country are enormous. Let me add one more one that I haven't mentioned yet and this is the huge number of Syrian refugees which,
in Lebanon, the highest population of refugee population per capita than anywhere in the world.
This is something that is also a challenge for such a country that is of relatively small size. So we need to be there with them. We've been helping
Lebanon for many years now. But we need to help it more. We're ready to help more. But Lebanon has to undertake reforms for reconstruction and
rehabilitation and recovery to be successful.
ANDERSON: We know that Lebanon's ruling elite has, in the past, completely sort of overridden any real attempts by the international community to push
through any reforms.
So I ask you again, at this stage, with the setup as you see it today, with a new prime minister in the shape of Mustapha Adib, do you genuinely
believe that this is a new start for the country?
Are you confident in what you see?
LENARCIC: We hope this can be a new start. But it primarily depends on the new prime minister. And we do not underestimate the challenges that he will
be facing.
And it also depends on the Lebanese people. There has to be a unity of political class in Lebanon in their readiness to undertake the reforms and
international community and European Union, first and foremost. We'll demand that. We will be accompanying Lebanon on this path.
But this path has to be taken by Lebanese themselves.
ANDERSON: With that, we leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.
The voice of the E.U. commissioner there.
Is the reopening of schools a moral duty, as the British prime minister once said?
Or are we all going to learn the hard way?
[10:30:00]
ANDERSON: An examination of that question in what is that COVID era is up next.
And there is a global effort underway to put education and culture front and center as Beirut recovers. The director general of UNESCO is
coordinating that task and she joins me next hour. Stay with us for that.
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ANDERSON: Whether it was the bullet that struck Malala Yousafzai or the vicious slurs Black kids in America faced after segregation, the right for
our kids to be educated safely is one that has been hard fought.
And now on September 1st, 2020, that challenge taking on new and unknown dimensions as schools around the world fill up in the era of COVID-19.
Precautions are being taken, like the use of hand sanitizer and socially distant desks.
In the U.K., the majority of high schools reopened this week; many younger kids have already been back to school.
The same is the case for kids in university, students across parts of America, too. Some schools have rolled back plans to reopen because of
infection numbers.
Well, in France, it's la rentree for around 12 million children and staff. Masks compulsory for kids over 11. That is the first time children have
been back in the classroom since the lockdown began in March. Melissa Bell is in Paris for you.
And schools adopting measures to protect kids. But unlike the U.S., as I understand it, we're not seeing the same level of backlash cases, of
course, rising in France.
Are there concerns then brewing about safety for kids returning to school?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think for any parent sending their child back to school with all of the questions it is going to be a moment
of concern; 12 million children took that road back to the classroom today, Becky. It was the latest country on the continent of Europe to try it.
We've seen Germany, Denmark, Norway send their kids back to school earlier than France did today, with a particular approach in those countries on
testing for school children. The French have gone with the focus on masks instead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BELL (voice-over): They may be savoring their last day of freedom but this year is different. These kids are looking forward to going back to school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having people around me so that if I need anything, someone is here.
[10:35:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like, I can get any help, and just any details about the work I'm doing.
BELL (voice-over): Since March, their private school in one of the leafier parts of Paris has been closed. It's what they've missed that surprised
them the most.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think physical interaction helps to keep you motivated throughout the year, to work and excel in school; whereas being
alone in a home environment, like, encourages procrastination.
BELL: It is a new sense of enthusiasm, perhaps that, children will be bringing with them as they return to the classroom. And from the point of
view the teachers, the confirmation of something perhaps they had known before, that beyond their subjects, it is the interactions that take place
in these rooms that simply can't be replaced.
LAURA GOUIRAN, GEORGES CLEMENCEAU COLLEGE: Just walking around in the classroom and seeing the look on this kid's face because you know that he
needs you. But he doesn't dare say, you know, the interaction between the kids is just crucial in the way the class functions and learning works.
BELL (voice-over): The mandatory masks for both teachers and students over 11 will not easy, she says, but they're necessary as are the new markings
on the ground, the posters and the hand sanitizers on the teachers' desks, a reinforcement of measures that was announced on Wednesday by a government
that says that it is about much more than just education.
JEAN-MICHEL BLANQUER, FRENCH EDUCATION MINISTER (through translator): Our schools cannot be one of the adjustment variables in the face of the
sanitary crisis. On the contrary, they're the right response to the problem of equality between our children.
BELL (voice-over): Veronique Delandre is the principal of this middle school in one of Paris' poorest neighborhoods.
VERONIQUE DELANDRE, GEORGES CLEMENCEAU COLLEGE: Our diversity is the real strength of our school. And that can only be lived together. Once the
students arrive at school and spend their day as students, they're all the same.
It's very important. It means we share something every day all year long. Whatever social or economic origin, we're going to live and learn together.
And that is very important.
BELL (voice-over): Veronique believes that her school and team of specially trained teachers may be even better prepared than most to deal
with the next few days. After so many months away, it is the extra help they're used to giving, she says, that is likely to make all the
difference.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: It is that focus on the question of social justice that has been at the heart of what the French have said about this necessity, this urgency
of reopening schools throughout the last few weeks as we got towards this moment.
And, of course, that, is because when you think about it, a child who has been locked away at home for last few months with little access to books
and learning, little support from parents, because they're out working or unable to provide it, with a child that's been at home with all the help he
can get, the books he needs, the online learning that he needs and that is varied from school to school as well, that difference will only have grown.
That's why the French have been so keen to get the kids back into class and this despite the rising coronavirus figures. They're looking alarming.
They've been rising exponentially.
Let me just give you the latest positivity rate, which is important. It takes into account the fact that more people are being tested. It was at
4.2 percent yesterday. That is up from the 3.4 percent recorded just a week ago.
ANDERSON: Yes. That's fascinating.
Next hour, the director general of UNESCO will join us. She's just back from Beirut. We'll discuss the toll coronavirus is taking on education
there and around the world.
On the front lines of the education crisis are, of course, schools. Where some are rising to the challenge the best they can, spotted on Twitter,
"Wash your hands like you made your husband kill the king and can't get the blood off."
Lady Macbeth may have had her issues but cleaning her hands for less than 20 seconds was not one of them.
And while not all of us may have had real-life heroes like Kim Robinson in our childhood, you are never truly alone with a good book.
September the 1st also marks the day that some students file into London's Kings Cross Station platform 9-3/4. Yes, it is also the start of term at
Hogwarts. That is the Wizarding School of Harry Potter, of course.
In these tough times where it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we want to leave you with a bit of hope from the one and only
Professor Dumbledore and indeed the woman behind the entire Harry Potter franchise, J.K. Rowling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL GAMBON, ACTOR, "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE": But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.
[10:40:00]
"DUMBLEDORE": If one only remembers to turn on the light.
ANDERSON (voice-over): In the toughest times, the magic will always be waiting.
Stay safe. We are in this together. And we'll be right back after this break. Stay with us.
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