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Trump Returns To White House Despite COVID-19 Infection; New CNN Poll: Biden Leads Trump By 16 Points Nationwide; CNN Gets Rare Access To U.S. Navy Surveillance Flight; Historic UAE-Israel Meeting Takes Place In Berlin; Armenia, Azerbaijan Accuse Each Other Of Civilian Attacks; Michelle Obama Takes On Trump In Closing Campaign Message. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 06, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And now Donald Trump back in this house after swooping back in last night after a brief stint in hospital as
he looks to eagerly get back to normal or at least make it look like that. In the last few moments he has tweeted out "FEELING GREAT!" among the
president's first order of business, taping a campaign video flouting the dangers of the same virus that he is suffering from. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Don't let it dominate you. Don't be afraid of it. You're going to beat it. We have the best medical
equipment. We have the best medicines. We're going back. We're going back to work. We're going to be out front.
As your leader I had to do that. I knew there's danger to it but I had to do it. I stood out front, I led. Nobody that's a leader would not do what I
did, and I know there's a risk. There's a danger, but that's OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, that may sound encouraging, folks, except that not everybody in America gets the same treatment as the president. That's natural, of
course. He is the president, but remember the Coronavirus claiming more than 210,000 lives across America on his watch. Well, despite that the
White House and Mr. Trump's doctors are downplaying the risk of sending him home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SEAN CONLEY, WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN: It's been more than 72 hours since his last fever. Oxygen levels, including ambulatory saturations and his
work of breathing are all normal. Though he may not entirely be out of the woods yet, the team and I agree that all our evaluations and most
importantly his clinical status support the president's safe return home where he'll be surrounded by world class medical care 24/7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now his doctor citing health privacy laws on what he can disclose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he have any abnormal tests? Any of his lab tests abnormal?
DR. CONLEY: Again, HIPAA kind of precludes me from go into too much depth and things that I'm not at liberty or doesn't wish to be discussed. At some
future point maybe, but, today, sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, sources tell CNN that the president didn't want to stay in hospital because it might make him look weak, and he wanted to look like a
warrior and he even reshot his entrance to the White House to make sure that they got the moment.
It is all about the optics here, and that's walking back into a White House that has become a hotbed for the contagion with more and more staffers
testing positive for the virus, including his own Press Secretary.
Well, we are delighted to welcome back to the show CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. When he's not on TV, you can literally find
him doing brain surgery so a great perspective to have, sir, and it's always a pleasure having you on.
From a medical stand point. You look at these pictures of Mr. Trump returning to the White House where everybody should be quarantining right
now. What do you think?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I think a few things. First of all, you know, I don't think he should be out of the
hospital. You know, as a basic point. I mean, he has a contagious deadly disease and one of the things we know is that someone like that should be
in isolation.
But he should also be in the hospital because he's demonstrated, as you know, Becky, that he - besides his existing risk factors of his age and
pre-existing conditions, he had the need for supplemental oxygen a few times.
He's on three medications that are not even FDA-approved and probably have never been used in conjunction with each other. His own doctors say he's
not out of the woods and they are in unchartered territory with his care and they sent him home or allowed him to go home I should say.
So that part of it is concerning just for the president himself but then Becky, you know, the White House in the United States is a hotbed of viral
activity. There's an ongoing sort of outbreak, you know, people who are still coming back positive as a result of viral spread within the White
House.
And so those people are still, you know - many of them are in quarantine but other people are still there. He is now around the White House
presumably without his mask on. Hopefully, you know, people aren't going to continue to possibly become infected.
I mean, this is a real concern. The virus doesn't care, doesn't care what house it is or who it is or anything so there's concerns for the presidency
and for the public.
ANDERSON: Dr. Anthony Fauci, on speaking about Donald Trump's health had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The issue is that he's still early enough in the disease that
it's no secret that if you look at the clinical course of people, sometimes when you're five to eight days in, you could have a reversal.
[11:05:00]
DR. FAUCI: His physicians - a reversal meaning going in the wrong direction and getting into trouble. It's unlikely that it will happen, but they need
to be heads up for it. He knows it.
The physicians know it, so they are going to keep an eye out on it, and they are going to try to do that within the confines of the White House as
opposed to in the hospital. But, yes, you're not out of it until you've gone several days out and are doing well but he is certainly does look very
well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now this from him, Sanjay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. FAUCI: Monoclonal antibodies which are a very specific protein that the bodies makes that you could produce in very large amounts and infuse it
into an individual by an IV infusion has the potential to really be something very, very important in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
The president got that as a compassionate use, and whether or not it was that that got him better, I'm strongly suspicious that it was, but
obviously you can't prove that until you do a number of studies to show that it actually works.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Bottom line here, he got access to a cocktail of drugs that almost no one else could. Could that be giving him a unique sense of
recovery here?
DR. GUPTA: Yes. I think very much so. I mean, we don't know for sure, and I think that's the point Dr. Fauci was making. Keep in mind, Becky, that
statistically people are still more likely to recover from this disease than not even someone who is older they still have greater than a 90
percent chance of getting through it.
I think one of the drugs though I think is worth highlighting here is the high dose of steroids, the Dexamethasone, and the reason I bring that one
up, Becky, is that if you've ever known anybody who has taken high-dose steroids, it kind of acts like had a mask for the disease, right?
It's not really treating the disease itself. It's treating some of the symptoms which are inflammation and people will generally feel good on
that. They will feel like they have more energy. It can cause them to become manic. They are not sleeping. They get hungry and they are restless.
That's what happens with people on steroids, but that's not because the disease is improving. That's because the strong doze of anti-inflammatory
in the form of a steroid can make people feel that way. And that's - that's one of the concerns I think that Dr. Fauci was sort of alluding to is that
right now we don't even know what day of illness he has because they haven't shared those basic details with us.
But usually around day seven or so into the course of an illness, if the steroids are not - not still giving that same benefit, people may have a
rebound where they suddenly become quite ill again, and that's another reason, you'd keep someone in the hospital.
So he's getting a medication that could mask symptoms, and he might have a rebound a few days from now which is I think hopefully something that the
doctors are keeping an eye on at the White House.
ANDERSON: The U.S. President, of course, Sanjay, may be the most famous person infected, but as you say this pandemic does not discriminate
anywhere in the world this just out of the W.H.O. I want our viewers to have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MIKE RYAN, EXECUTIVE DIRTECTOR, W.H.O. HEALTH EMERGENCIES PROGRAMME: Our current best estimates tell us that about 10 percent of the global
population may have been infected by this virus. This varies depending on country it varies from urban to rural. It varies between different groups,
but what it does mean is that the vast majority of the world remains at risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We're talking something like, I don't know, 770 million if we're talking 10 percent of the world population. What should our viewers take
from that?
DR. GUPTA: I think there's two main points. One is that, you know, in a lot of places around the world, people are thinking we got through this
pandemic. It's over. All the talk is about opening things back up. A vaccine is on the way, all of that.
I think the point that Mike Ryan was making was that 90 percent of the world is still vulnerable to this. You also talk about the idea of herd
immunity which is not a good strategy, no matter where you live in the world, but in the United States, for example, if 10 percent, which is the
same number as we hear in the United States as well.
10 percent has been infected and that's led to more than 200,000 people dying, what happens if the virus just starts to - to run through the nation
freely or run through the world freely? You're starting to talk about millions and millions of people dying tens of millions of people around the
world so that's obviously not a good strategy and hospitals become overwhelmed.
Societies come to a screeching halt. All these other ramifications of herd immunity would occur, so it's not a good - and then the vaccine, and Mike
Ryan and others at the World Health Organization have talked about this.
[11:10:00]
DR. GUPTA: There's good progress that's happening on a vaccine, but, Becky, even with vaccination programs, some of these vaccines may require two
shots. They are going to be incredibly challenging to distribute, so it's going to take a while certainly to get the majority of the world
vaccinated.
And in the meantime basic public health practices, which doesn't mean you've got to shut things down, but it does mean you probably need to wear
a mask when you're out in public, you know the hand hygiene all the things we've been talking about since March.
If we just did those things we could bring the virus down to containment level so that would mean 1 in a million to 1 in 100,000 incidents of
infection on any given day. In the United States that would mean 3,500 people instead of 35,000 people becoming infected every day and then
society can sort of return to normal.
You'll still have cases here and there, but you'll quickly identify them, be able to isolate them and quarantine contacts. We can't do that right now
in most of the world or in many places of the world.
ANDERSON: That's a really important point, and a new study suggesting that neurological symptoms as I understand occur in most hospitalized COVID-19
patients. What more do we know, Sanjay?
DR. GUPTA: Yes. This is really interesting study, and we can show the graph of the types of neurological symptoms that we're talking about. But I
followed this study along quite carefully. This came out of Chicago here in the United States. You know, we've known that if people get hospitalized,
most patients who are hospitalized for COVID, nine out of ten will develop what are called long-hauling symptoms, symptoms that are persisting far
beyond just the elimination of the virus.
90 percent, Becky, and that could be fatigue, that can be headache, that can be shortness of breath, but neurologically we know this respiratory
virus affects the nervous system pretty significantly as well.
So in this study they found that a significant percentage continue to have headache, for example, continue to have loss of smell, continue to have
fatigue, continue to have muscle aches all these various symptoms that persisted.
Like you think you have a cold. Once you're recovered, you're recovered. You have the flu, once you're recovered, you're recovered. That's in the
rear view mirror. With this disease, COVID, it does seem to linger longer.
We don't know how long because it's still a novel disease. Maybe it does go away after a few more months or maybe this is something that people live
with longer or even the rest of their lives. I hope that's not the case, but that's what investigators are really looking hat now.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Sanjay, it's always a pleasure, thank you, sir.
DR. GUPTA: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We have spent the first part of this show looking mostly at the medical dimensions of the American President's current condition with Dr.
Gupta, but what about the political effects of it all?
Well, let me take you through that because we just a month out from Election Day. Millions already choosing who they want to see in the White
House. On this show Secretaries of State have been telling me the amount of early voting by mail is ticking up significantly.
And these are pictures from the first day of early voting in Ohio, for example, lines around the block as voters wait to cast their ballots for
Joe Biden or Donald Trump, a sign of how much voter enthusiasm there is in this election.
And based on a brand-new CNN Poll, those voters seem to be really pumped about Joe Biden. He leads Donald Trump in this specific poll by some 16
percentage points. Now we haven't seen any incumbent president this far behind in decades.
Let's get you some analysis of all of this from CNN's Senior Political Analyst John Avlon who is also a prolific author on American Politics so he
knows a thing or two about all of this. In fact, he's probably forgotten more than we'll ever know. You've said that Donald Trump's COVID-19
diagnosis shakes up the 2020 race in fundamental ways. Tell us how, John?
JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Becky, we've just never had an incumbent president fall so seriously ill this close to an election. It's
an unprecedented situation in an era of unprecedented situations, but it does a number of different things.
First of all, it brings together the two biggest stories of this year, the pandemic and the presidency of Donald Trump. They collide. The Trump White
House is a COVID hot spot, and the president, of course, has been really in a position of denialism and dismissing things like wearing masks for a lot
of this outbreak, and so now he's dealing with the impacts of that?
Will it force his base to change their opinion about masks? Will it create a sympathy bump for the president? Will it impact his campaign? But all
these things are coming to a head and it's just stunning to see in real time. They will be writing about books about this year, but they will be
writing books about this month as well I have a feeling.
ANDERSON: Well, I shall read yours because I'm sure there's a book of you on this. More than 3 million ballots have been cast so far, and we are a
month out from Election Day. I want to run these pictures again.
[11:15:00]
ANDERSON: A massive line for early voting in Columbus, Ohio which, of course, is a very important state for the election.
AVLON: Yes.
ANDERSON: I wonder. Have you yet decided whether what is happening at the White House is likely to change people's votes at this point?
AVLON: Well, we've got a couple of data points. The new CNN Poll you threw up actually includes the first few days of Donald Trump's diagnosis. So
there would be seemed to be no so called sympathy bump of the kind that Bores Johnson experienced briefly after his hospitalization.
But you're seeing a lot of things baked in the cake, an enormous pent-up enthusiasm about this election for Trump supporters and people who support
Joe Biden and want to see Donald Trump out. The way to understand this, even before COVID Donald Trump was a deeply polarizing president, but it
wasn't even as you might imagine.
His strong support number Becky was around 24 percent to 30 percent. His strong oppose number was almost twice that, so there's been a lot of
intensity against Donald Trump even as his hard core supporters would crawl through glass to vote for him again?
And in the context of the pandemic, that's where you see this enthusiasm and concern about Election Day, both from a security stand point and a
personal health standpoint, coming out in these extraordinary early voting numbers.
CNN estimating 3 million Americans have already voted early, and this is what you're seeing the in-person voting in Columbus, Ohio. This is a big
deal. Whatever side it may favor, we'll be seeing Colombia's tends to trend Democrat in a state that's been trending Republican in recent years, but
that's a stunning sign of enthusiasm and a determination to vote.
ANDERSON: It's important that we don't just report on CNN Polls for fear that we will be accused of various things and I want to bring up a new poll
by some people, exactly. I want to bring up a new poll by Axios/IPSOS, 21 percent of Americans say they are now more likely to wear a mask and
maintain social distancing.
But for most people the news hasn't changed their behaviors and views which is fascinating. What do you make of that?
AVLON: Well, for me what's striking is that 21 percent are more likely. I mean, you know, look, the presidency matters, the president's words matter.
They send a message, and that's what has so many doctors concerned about the message that Donald Trump is sending of kind of jumping out of hospital
saying, look, you know, don't be afraid of this.
I'm stronger than the virus. Maybe I'm immune in a video clip he posted earlier. It does not send the right message in terms of simply trying to
mitigate the disease as in we're seeing in many places. It's seeing an uptick.
And his supporters have taken not wearing a mask to be sort of a political art of faith which is a very dangerous bet to make if you're going Donald
Trump versus science. Science is going to win that one at the end of the day.
But a lot of folks, this is has just baked in the cake and some folks have phased out what the president is doing even though it's tremendously
reckless from the position of someone running a republic to people who are - who are going to say you know what that's how not to do things. Maybe we
should wear a mask because even the president is not immune.
ANDERSON: You have pointed out what you call Trump politics of sickness boomeranging back.
AVLON: Yes.
ANDERSON: Just explain what you mean.
AVLON: Sure. Over the last two cycles Donald Trump's campaign has had a pretty constant effort to attack or raise questions, unfounded I should
add, about his opponent's health. We saw it in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. We see it again this time against Joe Biden.
The idea that Donald Trump's opponents are somehow sick or secretly ill and won't be able to discharge their duties of office pumped up via social
media and becomes a disinformation campaign. Not coincidentally in both cases echoed by the Russians and all of a sudden you see it boomerang back
on him because it's Donald Trump is the one who has been airlifted because he needs oxygen to Walter Reed.
Now look, he's a vigorous 74-year-old by any measure, even if his latest bravado is a bit of chemical courage because of the cocktail of drugs he
may be on. But this is something that has been a really despicable constant in the two campaigns.
That's nothing we really have a precedent for in American history but he's disseminated it in speeches via surrogates via social media even as now
Donald Trump is the once facing a serious health crisis 30 days out.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. John, it's a pleasure. Thank you very much.
AVLON: Always, pleasure talking to you.
ANDERSON: Very much indeed. Our international viewers will have enjoyed that. Thank you. The next month will feel like a lifetime. It's going to be
jam packed with news and events. Folks, tomorrow Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Senator Kamala Harris will go toe-to-toe with Vice
President Mike Pence with plexiglass between them.
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: CNN's special coverage starts 3:00 am on Thursday Abu Dhabi time and that is midnight in London, a little more reasonable if you are in New
York it will be at 7:00 pm. You're watching "Connect the World" live from our Middle East Programming Hub here in Abu Dhabi.
Next, CNN gets a rare look on boarder U.S. Navy surveillance flight as tensions with Russia escalate over the Black Sea. Then, Moscow is calling
for an immediate cease-fire in the intensifying conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I'll be talking with the Armenian President a little later
this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It's only been hours since U.S. President Donald Trump got back to the White House after he was hospitalize odd for COVID-19 and he's
continuing to downplay what is this deadly virus.
Earlier Mr. Trump said on social media that the virus is far less lethal than the flu. Well, Facebook has since removed that post, and here's why.
COVID-19 has killed more than 210,000 Americans which health experts say is more than the past five flu seasons combined. Here's what Joe Biden had to
say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Anybody who contracts the virus by essentially saying masks don't matter, social distancing doesn't matter, I
think is responsible for what happens to them.
I view wearing this mask not so much protecting me but as a patriotic responsibility. All the tough guys say I'm not wearing a mask. I'm not
afraid. Well, be afraid for your husband, your wife, your son, your daughter, your neighbor and your co-worker. That's who you're protecting
having this mask on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Joe Biden for you. It's not just coronavirus that President Trump is facing down. Tensions have been mounting in recent months between U.S.
and Russian Military Aircraft in the skies over the Black Sea.
U.S. officials say they will keep operating in the region despite a growing number of unsafe intercepts. Well, CNN's Fred Pleitgen is connecting us to
up close and personal as it were a look at this exclusive access inside one of the navy's surveillance flights.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. Navy on the move deep into what Russia considers its backyard. We're on board a PA
Maritime Warfare and Surveillance Plane in the Black Sea. It's a heavily militarized region and we're told rushing jets are in the air.
The crew spots one creeping up. It's an SU-27 fighter jet. It seems to be moving out of reach, but suddenly our plane is buzzed the encounter fast.
We catch the fighter just as it's pulling away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It could be unpredictable pilot, maybe a new pilot or something like that. That can always be a challenge. You do keep on
constant alert when we're being intercepted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:25:00]
PLEITGEN: The crew is tracking several other Russian jets nearby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. DAN LOUDON, U.S. NAVVY PILOT: The counters like this one with Russian warplanes are not uncommon for U.S. military personnel flying in places
like the Black Sea. In fact, the U.S. military says they are becoming more common and also some of them are conducted in an unsafe manner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: In late August two Russian interceptors nearly rammed a B-52 operating here and what the U.S. says was an unsafe intercept. Russia says
it was operating according to international norms but there's no doubt that Moscow is growing more brazen.
In 2017 Russian jets buzzed a U.S. Warship in the Black Sea and only recently in Syria Russian military vehicles rammed the U.S. Convoy.
President Trump hasn't publicly called out Vladimir Putin for the string of recent incidents between U.S. and Russian forces but continues to insist
he's tough on Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I do get along with President Putin, but I've been tougher on Russia than anybody else by far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: Words that don't seem to have deterred Moscow its presence in the region increasing over the past year the PA-8 flight straight into the
lion's den right off of Russia's main Black Sea naval port Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula.
The crew tracked ten Russian military vessels nearby including this Kilo Class Submarine before checking on a U.S. destroyer, "The Roosevelt" which
was also being shadowed by a Russian warship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALEE: Nearby - service contact must be - telling you and - possibly six miles off your starboard side.
REAR ADMIRAL ANTHONY CARULLO, U.S. NAVY: Really it's a message to all potential adversaries and a message to our allies and partners that we're
here to support them. Keep the freedom and prosperity open for the entire continent of Europe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: And that includes missions into difficult and contested areas like the Black Sea where Russia continues to try and grow its influence.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN in the Black Sea.
ANDERSON: Just hours ago Amnesty International condemned the use of cluster bombs in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan, and as the
regional conflict intensifies, the President of Armenia is calling on Russia to help save the region. Listen to what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARMEN SARKISSIAN, ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: If it becomes a place - a place like Syria, then God help everybody. God help Europe. God help central Asia. It
will affect everybody, including Turkey, Iran and Russia.
So my plea is if Turkey will be retrained with the help of Russia and the United States and France, then we have a chance of cease-fire, further
negotiations maybe peacekeepers and then we'll have a chance to go back to the negotiating table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, you can hear my full interview with the President of Armenia and more of what he has to say about Turkey's influence in this
conflict in just about 15 minutes time right here on "Connect the World." stay with us for that.
Coming up we're going to take a very short break. Before I do, serious questions remain over the true state of the American President's health.
The latest from Washington is up next. Plus, the Israeli and Emirati Foreign Ministers meet for the first time face to face since their country
signed a normalization deal while that agreement is raising fears of a new arms race in the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. Our top story, Democratic leaders in the U.S. Senate are calling the Trump
Administration opaque and secretive in giving information out about the COVID outbreak there.
This comes as the president woke up in the White House this morning following what he hoped would look like a warrior's return home on Monday
evening. Donald Trump seen here ripping off his mask as he stands in front of the cameras, but, remember, he still has COVID-19 and he's still very
much contagious.
Let's get the very latest from CNN's Joe Johns who is live in Washington. Anything lined up on Donald Trump's schedule then today now that he's back
home, Joe?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seemed to have been but it's not clear exactly what is going to happen? - of the White
House Communications office was out here in the driveway just a few minutes ago and was asked by one of my colleagues whether we'll be hearing from the
president today?
And she said in some form, yes, but not clear what form that will take. Also she was asked whether anyone else has tested positive for Coronavirus
here in the White House complex. She said not to her knowledge, so those were a couple of things we're chasing.
What is also clear is that when the president got back here, he was certainly not 100 percent by any means whatsoever, because when you look at
those pictures, when the president did his little photo-op and walked to the top of the stairs over on the South Lawn, it was pretty clear when he
got to the top of the stairs that he was mouth breathing and gasping for breath.
And as you know respiratory symptoms are a hallmark of Coronavirus. Nonetheless, it does sound like the president is the going to do his best
to communicate with the American public. The big question has been whether the president is planning a formal address to the nation on this issue
since his initial hospitalization for COVID-19? My colleagues here at the White House are told that it is under serious consideration. Becky?
ANDERSON: Stick with CNN for that you'll get it here first here from our colleagues. Thank you. While Mr. Trump looks to get the Coronavirus
situation under control home he is watching the direct effects or effect of his White House unfold across the world.
The Israeli Foreign Minister meeting with the Emirati Foreign Minister Sheik Abdulla Bin Zayed out in Germany at Berlin Holocaust Memorial. These
are historic scenes. We've never seen anything like this before.
It's their first face-to-face meeting since the U.S. brokered normalization deal was signed at the White House just a few weeks back. Well, Sam Kiley
here in Abu Dhabi and he joins me now. Just how significant is this meeting and perhaps it begs the question why now?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think the first part to answer is that sooner rather than later, particularly from the
Israeli and the Emirati perspective, perhaps giving a little bit of nudge in foreign policy success for the Trump Campaign.
In both countries he's a very popular figure and certainly within the government in those two countries. Of course, foreign policy plays very low
on the list of priorities for American voters but it's a good look. It's also a very important moment indeed for both countries.
For the Emirates this publicly cements something that they have been keen to get under way for some time. They are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with
Israel implicitly there against Iran and clearly from the Israeli prospective Gabi Ashkenazi the Foreign Minister there.
[11:35:00]
KILEY: Former Head of the Israeli Defense Forces fought a lot of wars against the Arabs and now he's able to stand in friendship against with a
very profoundly powerful military Arab neighbor but this, of course, annoying and continuing to annoy the Palestinians.
And they have had a bit of a wrap across the knuckles if you like represented by statements coming from Prince Bandar Former Washington
Ambassador for Saudi Arabia reflecting in public in a recent interview what Al-Arabiya TV what a lot of leaders in this region are saying about the
Palestinians at least in private. Let's take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
(END VIDDEO CLIP)
KILEY: Now, Becky, clearly strong words but the Saudis, the Emiratis and Bahrainis are very publicly committed to a two-state solution and that
means an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem standing side by side in peace with Israel.
Really the message coming across loud and clear from the Saudis there in public. We've heard similar things in private from the Gulf leadership are
that the Palestinian leadership in their view is failing their population.
But it seems like the ones that we've seen now in Berlin actually give the Israelis more confidence potentially to make the sorts of concessions that
the Palestinians perhaps have been calling for. So there could be a prospect for there for a new administration to forge ahead with a more
moribund peace process.
ANDERSON: Fascinating, that administration of course potentially being out of Joe Biden in the U.S. thank you Sam. The Emirati Foreign Minister just
saying and I quote, three decades ago the German people unified the City of Berlin to make his history. Today he says we are meeting together in the
hope of making history. Those are the words of Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Well, a new survey of Arab young people paints a gloomy picture of how they view their leaders and their futures in the Coronavirus has only made
things worse. Almost half of young Arabs want to leave their home countries because of bad leaders, corruption and money problems a third say they are
more likely to emigrate because of COVID-19.
17 percent think there is government corruption in their country and many though are hopeful for change and say they support anti-government
protests. They say the global pandemic could lead to more unrest. Young Arabs used to care more about democracy but they're focus now is more about
jobs, stability, gender equality and religion.
One in five say they're someone in their family has lost their job in the pandemic. Well, this has taken across the Arab World. Some other findings,
more people see Iran as an enemy rather than an ally, and the UAE is the most desirable place to live for young Arabs. This is the 12th year of the
survey of Arab hopes and attitudes.
Well, up next, my interview with the President of Armenia on the conflict between his country and Azerbaijan. He tells me hundreds of people are dead
on both sides. Well, a closer look at that and a conflict that could have serious implications for the wider world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:40:00]
ANDERSON: We'll take a closer look now for you at a deadly conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia that is putting civilians in danger and threatening
the stability of the region. It is all about the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
It's internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but ethnic Armenians run the show there, and nearly three decades of hatred now sparking new
violence. That has got Washington, Moscow and Paris doing a rare thing, showing agreement.
They are all condemning what they are calling the dangerous escalation of violence in and around what is this disputed zone despite appeals for a
ceasefire there are reports of renewed fighting, and Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry at least has ordered its military to destroy what they call enemy
forces.
Well, the fighting is said to be so vicious that Amnesty International is accusing Azerbaijan of using cluster bombs in civilian areas, an accusation
which Azerbaijan denies. Armenian President tells me this latest flare-up has killed hundreds of people on both sides. He talked to me at length this
week about the current conflict and why he sees Turkey as a bad actor. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARISSIAN: This conflict is dramatically different from the previous clashes where it was happening between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh
supported by Armenia, but it is happening with the support and open support of Turkey.
Turkey through its military officers and generals and mercenaries, terroristic jihadists that were brought in thousands to Azerbaijan to fight
in Nagorno-Karabakh and to Turkey with its military might pretending that they're in order to protect some international logistical structures.
ANDERSON: We'll get to Turkey in a moment. I just wanted to establish what is going on. Have a listen to Azerbaijan's President had to say just
yesterday.
ILHAM ALIYEV, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT: Azerbaijan will not allow anyone to conquer Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is a - territory. We must return
and will return.
ANDERSON: He says Azerbaijan will not cease military action until you have set a timetable for withdrawing troops. Are you willing to do that, sir?
SARISSIAN: Well, I think first of all addressing it to the Republic of Armenia is the wrong appeal because they have to appeal to the Republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh. This is not about Armenia occupying a territory. This is a territory that even under Soviet rules the absolute majority; I mean 95
percent of population where Armenians are living there for thousands of years. How can anybody occupy a territory that you are leaving for
thousands of years?
ANDERSON: Sorry, sir, can I just interrupt you for a moment.
SARISSIAN: Of course, of course.
ANDERSON: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense said radar systems recorded the launch of rockets at Azerbaijan from starting positions in Gemuck, in Gaza
and the bed regions of Armenia. How do you explain this sir?
SARISSIAN: This is a fake news story short answer.
ANDERSON: Your Prime Minister spoke with the U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien on Thursday as I understand it about Turkey's role in the
intensifying conflict.
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: What was the outcome of that call and is the U.S. offering any support?
SARISSIAN: Yes. We're speaking about this to many presidents and prime ministers of different countries asking them to interfere and put pressure
on Turkey, stop interfering in the region because their interference is taking the conflict an order up in magnitude, in complexity and also
creating something that eventually will become another series of carcasses.
But carcasses if it becomes a place like Syria then God help everybody. God help Europe. God help central-Asia. It will affect everybody, including
Turkey, Iran and Russia, so my plea is if Turkey will be restrained with the help of Russia and the United States and France.
Then we have a chance of cease fire, further negotiations, maybe peacekeepers and then we'll have a chance to go back to the negotiating
table because there is no military solution to this conflict. There can only be peaceful diplomatic solution.
ANDERSON: I wonder, given that you are looking for support from the U.S. and given that call was made on Thursday just before Donald Trump announced
that he had tested positive for COVID-19, I wonder whether you think that Washington has its eye off the ball in this conflict. Does that worry you?
SARISSIAN: I don't believe that Washington has its eye off the - off of what is happening in carcasses because this is crucial area. It is about
not only just important cross-road of many things but also supply of energy, humanitarian needs and vital interests of many states.
ANDERSON: Have a listen to what Turkey's Foreign Minister had to say in a press briefing alongside the NATO Secretary General.
MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Everyone, namely NATO, should call for the resolution of this problem under international laws U.N.
relations and Azerbaijan's territorial integrity Armenia immediately withdrawing from this region.
ANDERSON: Will that happen and you have accused Turkey of effectively shipping in Syrian fighters to fight on Azerbaijan's side. What evidence do
you have of that, sir?
SARISSIAN: Turkey has to withdraw from Azerbaijan and stop supporting Azerbaijan because it becomes just another side of the conflict. Is NATO
ready to accept that a NATO member is at war against - against Armenia?
ANDERSON: And on the shipping of Syrian fighters by Turkey to support Azerbaijan, what's your evidence?
SARISSIAN: Evidence is open. It's obvious. I mean, its video recordings, audio recordings, captured people, and--
ANDERSON: Just finally, Russia is a close ally. What kind of assistance do you hope Russia can provide at this point?
SARISSIAN: Well, Russia has allied relations both with Armenia and with Azerbaijan. We're hoping that Russia as a key member of the Minsk group Co-
Chair will exercise their pressure first of all on Turkey. My formula is pretty simple. If we exclude Turkey from this conflict, I mean, militarily
and politically, if Russia can put pressure on Turkey, I think it will work.
ANDERSON: OK.
SARISSIAN: And I hope it will work and we go back to negotiations.
ANDERSON: With that we're going to have to leave it. Thank you so much, sir, for joining us.
SARISSIAN: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And that just recorded earlier, just aired on "Connect the World." I'm going to take you more to Washington for more on Donald Trump's
confounding and dangerous new take on the Coronavirus.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: This hour we've been closely tracking what is going on with the American President? Close friend and ally of his Boris Johnson, the British
Prime Minister, now opening up about his - about some of the after effects of his very serious bout with the drives. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I've read a lot of nonsense recently about how my own bout of COVID has somehow robbed me of my Mojo, and, of
course, this is self-evident drivel, the kind of sedition propaganda that you would expect from people who don't want this government to succeed.
Who wanted to stop us delivering Brexit and all our other manifesto pledges? And I could tell you that no power on earth was and is going to do
that, and I could refute these critics of my athletic abilities in any way they want, arm wrestling, leg wrestling, sprint-off, you name it.
And yet I have to admit the reason I had such a nasty experience with the disease is that although I was superficially in the pink of health when I
caught, I had a very common underlying condition. My friends, I was too fat, and I've since lost 26 pounds and you can imagine that in bags of
sugar and I'm going to continue that diet because you've got to search for the hero inside yourself and hope that individual is considerably slimmer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was Boris Johnson. The White House far from that open, it's got to be said the details of the president's condition, well, very
opaque. Last night he checked out of the hospital making a highly choreographed return to the White House.
He immediately removed his mask and we soon learned that he was taping a campaign ad defiantly claiming that the deadly global pandemic is nothing
to be afraid of. I want to connect you to all this, but - and also to what has come before veteran journalist John Harwood joining us now from
Washington to help me out here.
John, forgive me for saying this, but you've been around the block somewhat so do help us out. Step back and give us sort of a big picture take on
where America stands right now? We are hurtling towards an election with a White House that is seemingly melting down.
JOHN HARWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is, Becky, and the window for a Trump comeback is closing pretty precipitously. The president
has been, of course, trailing Joe Biden all year long.
The Coronavirus over the last seven or eight months has made it more difficult for him to come back and so has the racial justice protests in
American cities. His debate performance last week was catastrophic if you look at the assessments of American voters.
Now the president, of course, is dealing with COVID. He checked into the hospital and he busted out of the hospital and insisted on returning to the
White House yesterday. Took off his mask as you indicated, thus endangering more staff at the White House.
Long trail of people close to the president, close aides, his wife, Republican allies, have now contracted the virus. So he is modeling in his
own life and the lives of those around him the lax response that he's had to the coronavirus this year and that's just made it more and more
difficult.
And we've seen a rash of polls in the last couple of days showing his national disadvantage to Joe Biden widening and his disadvantage in the key
states that will decide the election widening, so Donald Trump's in trouble.
He's decided to try to brazen it out with coronavirus, act as if he's beaten it, but his own doctors told us, Becky, that he's not out of the
woods. And if in reality he acquired this disease late last week, he - we've still got several days to go in which we learn whether or not this
unpredictable virus takes a turn in him?
[11:55:00]
HARWOOD: He's taken a lot of experimental drugs. His doctors will not say whether he has pneumonia or lung damage so a lot to watch with this
president. His press aides said we expect to hear from him in some form today. Don't know what that form that's going to take?
ANDERSON: It would help if the White House was a little less opaque with the details. But anyway, that's the way that this White House works. I just
want our viewers to have a listen to what the Former First Lady Michelle Obama had to say in a recent Joe Biden ad; just have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Imagine how it feels to wake up every day and do your very best to uphold the values that
this country claims to hold dear, truth, honor, decency only to have those efforts met by scorn, not just by your fellow citizens but by a sitting
president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: John, how uncommon is it for a Former First Lady to be so sort of down and direct?
HARWOOD: It's very uncommon, but it's a reflection of the urgency felt by so many Democrats about the election coming up in a month, the stakes in
terms of removing Donald Trump from office. African-American voters, a very key part of that of course Joe Biden is dominating among those vote
remembers, but they are trying to surge turnout, also among young people who have been - were very high on Barack Obama's Presidency.
So tremendous amount of urgency and it's why we expect to see an enormous turnout in the election over the next several weeks. It's already under
way, of course, with early voting and mail-in balloting, but that's likely to continue.
ANDERSON: May we live in interesting times, thank you, John that proverb a blessing and a curse. Well, viewers as Mr. Johnson said, no matter what,
don't lose your Mojo, and speaking of that it is time for us to go. Stay well. Look after yourselves. Look after your friends, look after your
family, and look after your Mojo a very good evening from Abu Dhabi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
